Catch Me
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I just wish I did. And I don't own Yuuna from Gundam Seed Destiny. I need a creepy guy for this, and he's as good as any. Besides, I suck at making up names.
Summary: They were childhood friends. Both incredible in the looks department, yet failures in terms of trusting others. She left for one year, and now she's back in Konoha. He's no different, but as they face their sophomore year of high school, everything else seems to be.
Chapter One
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
A pale hand reached out from underneath a mound of covers and groped around for the alarm clock. It fell to the floor with a clatter a few seconds later. Groaning, Sakura Haruno stumbled out of bed, proceeding to glare outside her window at the persistent drizzle that drummed against her window. As the teen tripped over her alarm clock, she discovered why she was awake at this god-forsaken hour.
"Oh Shit!"
It was the first day of school.
Sakura was still muttering obscenities as she ran out the door ten minutes later. It just had to be laundry day today. Yes, laundry day. It was the reason why Sakura had only a pair of jeans stuffed into her bag instead of jeans and a shirt. Her uniform, which consisted of a white button down blouse (with the school crest sewn over the heart) and a black skirt, was only to be worn for the "Welcome Back" assembly, and all other assemblies during the year. After that, students were free to change into their regular clothes.
Poor Sakura. She was stuck wearing a pair of jeans and the school blouse for the rest of the day. But she could handle that. What Sakura couldn't handle, was being late. She hated it. Luckily, she knew Konoha like the back of her hand.
Which was pretty good considering her one-year absence.
Flashback
"I'll miss you…."
"Hn"
"…"
"Bye."
"Don't say that! If you say good-bye, it means you'll never see them again."
Smirk. "See you around then, Sakura."
End Flashback
She sighed quietly to herself as she ran, a small umbrella covering her unusual bright pink hair and clothes. I wonder if he's any different, Sakura thought to herself. She immediately dismissed the idea. He had never really changed in the 10 years that she'd known him. Only once, really…When he lost his family.
The girl swallowed the lump that appeared in her throat. "That was a long time ago. Stop dwelling on it." Sakura's inner-self scolded. Konoha High had come into view, jade green eyes focusing on it through the sheen of rain.
Konoha High School was quite…well, something. A colossal staircase, flanked on either side by brick, rose to a formidable eight feet. It expanded out into two balconies on either side, before finally joining itself to the actual building.
The fleeting image of a snapping tree branch flitted in and out of Sakura's mind. It had haunted her since she was little. She was terrified of heights, but it was a small price to pay for the friendship that followed soon after.
Flashback
It was a beautiful day, and young Sakura Haruno was sitting in the tree in her backyard, some of it's branches going over her fence to sway above the sidewalk on the other side. Sakura whistled a tune, and sung happily to herself. Suddenly, she heard a voice through the branches.
"Hello?"
The little girl maneuvered through the branches towards those that hung over her fence. To her surprise, she found a boy, about her age, standing under her. His dark hair was naturally spiky, and he stood with unbridled confidence, for a six-year-old. But what caught Sakura most were his eyes. They were so dark, so mysterious, and so cold…
"Hi!" The girl smiled at him. She watched as he frowned in displeasure.
"I can't see you." It was Sakura's turn to frown. Her mother had always warned her about the branches over the sidewalk. But she wanted to meet this boy, so she decided to brave the weaker branches. As she slipped out into the bright sunlight, the boy looked up.
"Hi," he greeted, staring up at her. "What were you doing?"
She was surprised. "Singing, whistling, why?"
He shrugged. "Just wondering. Who are you?"
"Sakura Haruno. Pleased to meet you." She smiled cutely at him, using the manners she'd been taught. "What's your name?"
He smirked (A/N: He can already do that. Go with it ppl!) "Sasuke Uchiha" he replied proudly.
The girl nodded, but as she moved to re-enter her backyard and go around the house over to him, a vicious cracking began.
Terrified, the girl realized the branch was bending under her weight. "Sasuke!" she called desperately, "The branch is breaking!" He stared up, shocked. With a final snap, the branch broke off, and Sakura fell, screaming. But, (And she thanked the gods for this) Sasuke was right there, ready to catch her. Well, okay. Break her fall. When Sakura's parents found them, they found a freaked-out Sasuke gently hugging a tearful Sakura. My, oh my. Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
End Flashback
Sakura fought to control the twisting knot that had begun to fester in the pit of her stomach. Ever since that day, a terrible fear of heights had terrorized her. The very thought of climbing all the way up those stairs was making her nauseous. But Sakura gritted her teeth, and headed for the stone steps.
All sorts of students were clustered in various positions on and around the stairs: black and white masses, clutching umbrellas. Sakura kept her gaze determinedly straight ahead; trying hard to ignore the stares she was receiving.
Finally, she reached the top. Even though she was afraid to, Sakura made her way over to the right balcony and leaned carefully against the edge. The view was breathtaking. The entire city of Konoha was shrouded in mist, creating a beautiful effect. Tree branches swayed in the rain, water dripping rhythmically off the leaves. Sakura smiled to herself. It's so pretty. Then she realized how cold it was. Her breath came out in wisps of cloud, mingling with the air until it disappeared. Goosebumps rippled up and down her arms, and Sakura rubbed them with her free hand. Damn. I should have brought a jacket. She then caught sight of the cheery blossom trees. There were two on each side of the staircase, large and strong. The pink petals whirled about in the wind, and Sakura caught one, not before catching sight of the ground below. The old fear returned instantly. Slowly, the girl edged away from the ledge.
It would really suck to fall from here…
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, than a storm of girls rampaged up towards her. A blonde, who appeared to be the leader, shoved Sakura roughly.
"Move it, bitch!"
And before Sakura knew it, she had tumbled over the side of the balcony, and was falling.
But this time, there was no Sasuke to catch her…
Or was there?
SasuSaku
She's supposed to be back today…
"Hey, Sasuke-teme! What's up with you, man?"
Said teen turned towards his friend. "Shut up, dobe. Nothing's wrong with me."
Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki that is, looked unconvinced. "Whatever, dude."
The boys' pearl-eyed friend, Neji Hyuuga, spoke up. "He has a point, Uchiha. You seem really spaced-out this morning."
The raven-haired boy glared at him. "Not you too, Hyuuga. For the last time: NOTHING IS WRONG WITH ME!"
Sasuke's eyes were flickering crimson: a sure sign of danger. Naruto and Neji immediately backed off. Whatever was bugging the Uchiha prodigy, he did not want to talk about it. Sasuke had been popular from the moment he stepped foot onto Konoha grounds. The girls immediately flocked to his good looks, and were definitely turned-on by his cold attitude. He was a basketball star, and almost every boy wanted to be him. Yup, he was popular all right. The three friends were standing under the right balcony, instead of on the steps. The reason why appeared suddenly in a stampede of fan-girls. Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji listened as the girls raced up the stairs, shrieking about their hair. Vain, slutty, and annoying: characteristics that defined about 98 of Konoha High's female population. The other two percent was for the already attached girls, and those who didn't like Sasuke. As you probably realize, that's not a lot.
"Move it, bitch!"
Sasuke cringed inwardly at the sound of his fan club's president. She's probably knocking off some poor freshman. He thought to himself. Contrary to what many believe, Sasuke was a pretty decent guy; just don't annoy him. But, no one's listening to the author, so…. Sasuke's a cold, bastard at school, who doesn't give a damn about anyone. (NOT TRUE!) He cared about Neji, Naruto, Sakura, (duh), James, his butler, Madeline, his cook, and he liked his servants well enough. Sasuke cared about quite a few, thanks very much. Not to mention most of his family, but that was private territory. Only one person was allowed there…
A scream sounded, one so familiar, so etched into Sasuke's brain that he didn't even have to think twice about who it was.
Sakura.
SasuSaku
Funny, her only coherent thought as she fell was:
I haven't even seen him yet…
But Fate was having fun, so it decided to throw Chance into the predicament.
Sasuke wordlessly moved to the edge of the balcony's underside, exposing himself to the rain and wind. Less than a second later, something fell into his arms, in a flurry of pink hair.
Sakura wasn't falling anymore. In fact, she was safe, nestled into someone's strong arms. Her heart was still thundering in her ears, pounding against her ribcage. But she was safe. Thank-you gods! And thank-you to this boy with impeccable timing…
She looked up, and saw a pair of eyes. They were as dark and as cold as a starless midnight. Yet so blissfully familiar…
"Sasuke…"
Author's Note: Well, that's it. Is it good? Do you hate it? Let me know. Please keep in mind; this is my first fanfic ever. Go easy, huh? Thanks a lot. If you liked this, here's a preview for the next chapter:
Chapter 2
Naruto and Neji were surprised, to say the least. They were astonished, bamboozled, amazed. SASUKE UCHIHA WAS SHOWING EMOTION! It was a miracle. A miracle that came in the form of a girl with pink hair. And he was even hugging her, for Pete's sake. The two friends glanced at each other, then at the pair who were getting wetter and wetter with each passing second. Yes, Sasuke had a lot of explaining to do.
P.S Does anyone have a good definition for the –kun suffix? I need one for the next chapter, one a 7-year old Sakura would understand. She wants to know why Sasuke's mother calls him Sasuke-kun.
Thx