Chapter 1: Hanging by the Moment

"Life is just a chance to grow a soul"

The sounds pounded throughout the club, as a lone girl weaved her way through the club. Red strobe lights flashed wickedly among the walls as the music pounded from the amps hard as if it wanted the lyrics to be embedded into her brain. People around her were sweating and throwing their hands up in the air as she dodged them to avoid a collision to her head. Holding two plastic cups in her hands, she struggled to keep the beverage from spilling onto the floor. She giggled as she saw her companions dancing on the table they sat at. They swished their stiff hips and hollered at the ceiling as if they were captive wolves in a small cage.

As she approached her friends, a dark figure from her left started running towards her. Turning her head slowly, her eyes widened slightly as she realized what the figure was intending to do.

The hands were rough and violent as he reached for her. He grabbed her roughly by the arms and clamped his hand upon her mouth. Her stifle screams were useless as her pals continue to scream hoarsely, attempting to sing along with a song. The man started dragging her towards the exit of the club, intending to leave without a trace of evidence.

The girl used the cups in her hands to attack the predator. It was useless. Her hands shaking, she reached out towards her friends, practically begging them to look at her way; just a glance would've been fine.

Unfortunately, they didn't seem to notice her being kidnapped in their drunken state.

"Sakura!"

Suddenly, her vision began to dim and the strength in her bones began to weaken.

"Sakura!"

Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she finally collapsed against the dark figure.

"Sakura!"

A stinging pain awoke Sakura; bringing her back into reality. Bright light struck her eyes as she gingerly raised her hand to shade them. Something hard struck her in the face. She let out an excruciating cry as her hand came up to touch her cheek gently. She could feel it growing swollen as she finally opened her eyes.

"Sakura! You idiot! It's 7:00! You're going to be late for school!" The girl at the doorway rolled her smoldering brown eyes as she flipped her purple hair over her shoulder. "I can't believe you; because of you I'm going to be late!" With a scoff she left the door.

Sakura sighed as she rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes. Turning her head slowly, she saw her high heel right next to her. The other pair was on the floor next to her bed. It was obvious that Ami threw those at her. Shrugging off the pain, Sakura got up and went to the restroom to wash her face. Her CD player began to play an old favorite song of hers, when she was back in America.

When the night has come

And the land is dark

And the moon is the only light we see

No, I won't be afraid

No, I won't be afraid

Just as long, as you stand, stand by me-

The beautiful voice that was serenading Sakura was immediately killed when Ami started knocking on the door. Loud and impatient.

"Sakura! Hurry up and get out! We have to go to school!" She shrieked. Once she was finished, she gave the door one last pound and walked away.

Sakura rolled her eyes and continued to take her time. The only reason why Ami wanted to go to school at 7:00 was because there was a "special" boy she wanted to see. He didn't even come to school until 7:15. And school didn't even start until 7:40. How pathetic was that girl?

After changing into her school uniform she slowly made her way downstairs to eat breakfast.

Her uniform consisted of long black leggings till it reached three inches below her knees and virgin flat heeled shoes. Her blue striped black skirt was worn until it reached two inches above her knees, as a white blouse, which was buttoned up to her neck. To top off the uniform, there was a blue tie that hung down her shirt. It gave Sakura the look of a mature, young lady ready to enter college.

"Otou-san! Sakura is going to make me late for school!" Ami whined obnoxiously as Sakura entered the kitchen. He was sitting on the table reading the daily newspaper with a mug of coffee in his hand.

"Sakura, if you make your sister late to school it will be you who will suffer the punishments for Ami." Her father said sternly. He looked at her above his thick-rimmed glasses and pinned her with a glare. "Do you understand?"

Sakura merely grunted and grabbed an apple. As she munched on it, her mother entered the kitchen with an apron on. There were two plates in her hands when she crossed the kitchen.

"Ayaka, you should teach that girl of yours respect." Her father said disapprovingly as he turned the page. "If she keeps talking like that, I should put her with the dog in the backyard."

Her mother looked at Sakura worryingly, and nodded. "Ami, eat your breakfast. Sakura," Motioning her towards the other room, her mother sighed as she looked at Sakura. She looked in the other room just in case her father was coming in the present room they were in. "I know how hard it is for you to get along-"

"No. That's okay, mom." Sakura sighed as she looked at her mom's weary face. It was obvious she was not the only one suffering. "I'll try to deal with them." Before she even left the room, her mom grabbed her arm.

"No, don't try. Do it." Her mom patted her arm lovingly. "Having a step-father and step-sister is hard. At least give it a chance, honey. You don't know what you're missing."

Sakura tried hard not to roll her eyes. If she was missing anything then she wouldn't want to know what it was. Before she even had a chance to eat the breakfast her mom made, a car horn went off, outside of the house.

"Idate! He's here!" Ami screamed excitingly, got up from the table and ran out of the house. "Sakura, hurry up or your boyfriend and I will leave you!"

It was amazing that sometimes Ami forgot that Idate was Sakura's boyfriend. "Bye, Okaa-san. I'll see you later." Giving a blank look to her step-father, she started for the door. "Bye…Otou-san."

As soon as she was out the door, she felt something wet lick her hand.

"Huh?" She turned her head and saw her dog. "Aristotle!" She bent down and gave her friendly Doberman a rub around the ears. Aristotle wagged his tail and licked her hand again. The muscles under his skin were hard and flexed as he ran around the front yard and back to her again. In reality Aristotle was suppose to be Ami's dog when she was nine, but when she found out that it was going to grow big in the future, losing the cuteness, and that his ears and tail were cut off, she immediately disowned it for a piece of candy.

"Sakura, hurry up!" Ami yelled out in a nicer and teasing voice than this morning. Ami gave Sakura a smile so fake that someone could tell it wasn't real from a mile away.

"Be a good boy and guard the house and okaa-san, Aristotle." Saying her goodbye, Sakura walked towards the car. She sighed heavily when she realized Ami was sitting in the passenger's seat of the car. "Brat," She muttered as she entered the back.

"Sakura," Idate turned around from his seat and smiled at her. Two dimples were revealed from his cheeks. "Are you ready for school?" His deep dark eyes twinkled in mischief. His black hair teased his forehead as they swayed due to the movement of his head.

"You bet I am," She said sarcastically and sulked in the backseat. Today was her calculus test.

"I don't know about you but I'm ready!" He gunned his engine. "How about you Ami? Are you ready for school?"

"You know I am, handsome!" Ami squealed as Idate poked her on the side.

Once they reached school, Ami practically ran up the stairs of the entrance to see the "special" boy she had her eyes on. All the school boys' eyes followed Ami's shapely figure as she ran past them. She was the "Beauty" of Leaf High.

"Sometimes I feel that she forgets to thank me." Idate said solemnly as he exited his car.

"Why would she want to do that?" Sakura teased lightly.

"I am after all giving her a lift to school." Idate looked at Sakura seriously, as if it really did bother him. "A kiss would be nice." He grinned at Sakura's confused face.

"Let's go, Angel Face." Idate slung his arm around Sakura's shoulder as he used his nickname for her. Only he has called her that. "You know I'm just kidding."

Somehow she had a feeling that he wasn't joking.

They began to walk towards the school. As soon as they entered the building, they had to go separate ways due to the different classrooms they were in. Giving a haste kiss on her cheek, Idate went up the stairs and disappeared among the crowd of students.

"Sakura!"

"Sakura!"

"Sakura!"

Her friends swarmed her at the moment of her appearance in the classroom. Sakura laughed at her friend excited faces.

"Sakura!" Yamamoto Tenten pulled her towards the back of the classroom, her two buns bounced slightly from excitement. Her two other friends followed after them. "Did you hear that there's going to be a new student in our class?" Her chocolate brown eyes shone with interest. "Oooh, I wonder if he's going to be hot." She chuckled as she held up her hands. "I don't want to get wet at the sight of him though….Neji would be upset."

"Ewww that was disgusting, Tenten! Pervert," Yamanaka Ino wrinkled her nose at Tenten's perverted joke and shook her head. Her blond hair was tied back; it waved in the air as her bangs tickled her forehead. "I sometimes wonder if you were meant to be a boy."

"What?" Tenten looked at Ino with puppy eyes. "How can you say that?"

"It is possible," Hyuuga Hinata said as she fixed the temporary glasses on the bridge of her nose. "Did you know that most parents can go to a very expensive doctor and have the sex of their baby changed?" She scratched her head as her other hand twirled her straight purple hair around her finger. "Maybe that's why most of the Japanese boys are prettier than girls…"

Ino looked at Tenten. "I think that's what your parents must've done, because you're ugly!"

Sakura laughed at Tenten's angry face. She flipped her off, anger flaring in her eyes. "At least I have a boyfriend…" She muttered.

"Okay!" Sakura clapped her hands before they could even get in a fight. "Why don't we talk about-" Before she could even finish, her teacher walked into the room and smacked the table with a ruler. Immediately the students scattered towards their assigned seats.

The white haired teacher looked at his student with one narrowed eye; the silence of the room was tense and thick. Suddenly, his strict demeanor was broken and a huge goofy smile spread on his face. He scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Yo!"

"I knew he was joking!"

"What a meanie."

Kakashi-sensei continued to laugh as his students complained how he scared them. Rising up his hands he motioned for the students lower their voices. "Ya, ya," He grinned, putting his perverted book on the edge of his desk. He then turned serious. "Have you heard of a new student that's going to be joining our class?"

The girls in the room squealed with excitement, while the boys rolled their eyes at their reaction.

"What do you think girls?" Mr. Kim asked. "Do you think he's going to be hot?"

"Yeah!" Tenten raised her fist in the air. Embarrassed at her action she scratched the back of her head while her classmates laughed at her.

Coughing into his fist, Kakashi-sensei motioned for someone to enter the classroom. "I would like you to meet a Japanese-American student from America. He has come all this way to learn about his culture and language. Class, meet Uchiha Sasuke."

Flawless.

That was the first word Sakura thought when she saw him.

An aura so profound consumed the student as he entered the room. He immediately scanned the class with those dark obsidian eyes, despising each and every student. They were sharp and intelligent, glittering with malice. His hair was perfect for his dangerous demeanor as it swayed gently yet mockingly before the teacher. It seems as if anger and bitterness was what made his hair stand on the edge. He looked like the kind of person that would gladly fight anyone who dared to breathe in his space.

The hair on the back of Sakura's neck stood up and she actually flinched as his eyes made contact with hers. Just like the other students, he looked at her and moved on. Right when his eyes left hers, Sakura took in a breath of fresh air. She didn't even realize that she was holding it in. It seems as if she wasn't the only one feeling the terror sensation. The other students stiffened as his eyes met theirs. The only one who didn't seem to notice the threat was Kakashi-sensei who was peeking into that perverted book of his.

"Suzuki Hideki is Sasuke's translator for the rest of the school year. He is also going to be joining our classroom." Kakashi-sensei explained about the scrawny boy who stood next to Sasuke. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask Hideki for translation."

The teacher turned towards Hideki. "Can you ask Sasuke to introduce himself to the class?"

The poor kid might as well pee in his pants to show the terror that was held in his frightened eyes. Stuttering, Hideki translated the teachers wish quickly.

It took a while for the Japanese American student to answer. "I don't like to socialize with useless people." He said in English. When he narrowed his eyes, the female part of the class gasped while the males flinched harshly. His voice was smooth, methodically deep and deadly.

It was hypnotic.

"Um, um," Hideki started to stutter. "Sasuke says that he hopes we will all be able to get along and be friends."

It was obvious that he didn't give the exacttranslation.

"Good," Kakashi-sensei nodded, satisfied. He gave Sasuke a friendly smile, while Sasuke stood there with no expression. "Sasuke, Hideki, you may sit over there right behind Ino." Kakashi-sensei looked at Ino. "Ino, raise your hand so that they know where to sit."

Sakura saw her beloved friend's eyes widened as they neared the empty desk behind her. Her hand trembling, Ino slowly had her hand up in the air. She squeaked and averted her eyes as Sasuke looked at her.

It was devastating for Ino to have Sasuke sit behind her. Who knows? Within a second he could pull out a knife and stab her to death.

"Thank you, God." Sakura whispered as she thanked God over and over for having Sasuke sit all the way on the other side of the class. She couldn't help the relief.

His very image gave out danger.

"Now, going on with yesterdays lecture…" The teacher put his book down and started to drone on with the class as the students took notes. "From Stirling's formula, we know that n! is asymptotic to

n^n * e^-n * sqrt(2*Pi*n)

so (n!)^(1/n) - n/e

…and this clearly approaches infinity as n approaches…" Kakashi-sensei had a glint on his eyes as he studied the students in his class. "Hinata, when this is clearly approaching the infinity what is n approached as?"

Hinata sat up. "It clearly approaches the infinity as n approaches the infinity, Kakashi-sensei."

"Good Job. Now, the structure that is parallel to…"

Sakura was taking notes, when a piece of paper was thrown on her desk. Looking around she saw Tenten give her a small wave.

She opened it and read:

Pink Devil,

OMG! The hottie looks like a killer! O.o; I don't think I'm approaching that piece of fine meat! T.T if he wasn't so dangerous looking than I would've already tried to grab his butt already! xD omg, E=mc^2 (AKA Hinata) is already getting everything down. I'm so stupid, but my athletic-ness makes up for it! Look at BeautyQueen's (AKA Ino) face! She looks like she's about to drop dead. Serves her right. XD

Weapons.

Sakura looked at Ino's face to see that Tenten was right.

Ino's back was rigid and stiff as her ocean blue eyes quickly snapping right and left, they were looking around her surroundings for danger. She squeaked when the pencil in her hand snapped in half as the tension in her hand grew. Quickly, she desperately grabbed for another pencil in her pouch and began to scribble down notes as if her life depended on it.

Sighing, Sakura started writing back to Tenten.

Weapons,

I can see that BeautyQueen is practically dying out there. I feel so sad for her. Luckily we're not the one in her position. Omg, E=mc^2 is so lucky. I wish I could have a brain. It practically functions like a computer. Yeah, that guy seems too scary to even approach. He doesn't look bad. I agree he's pretty good-

"What do we have here?" Kakashi-sensei took the paper Sakura was writing on. Her eyes popped open as she realized that he was going to read it in front of the class.

"Sakura, what are you writing?" He observed the piece of paper with confusion. "What is this gibberish?"

When Sakura and the rest of her friends were young, they created a language only that they would understand. So when they wrote notes to each other, people around them wouldn't be able to read the writing.

"Um, that piece of paper?" Sakura questioned.

Kakashi-sensei nodded.

"Well, I was taking notes, but then I started doodling on a separate piece of paper." She gave an honest smile to her teacher as he rolled his eye.

"Pay attention, Sakura."

She nodded and went back to taking notes. The teacher went back to the front of the class and threw away the "gibberish". Sakura quickly grabbed a small piece of paper, wrote on it and threw it to Tenten. She looked for Tenten, eagerly waiting for her response.

Tenten nodded and threw the note away.

After school, they were going to go to the nearest ice cream store with Hinata and Ino to pig out.

Ice cream was good on a hot boiling day.

As she was writing down her notes, Sakura felt an eerie sensation running up her spine. She massaged her hand on the base of her neck nervously and looked around the room for the source of her discomfort. Nobody seemed to be looking at her. She couldn't find out what was wrong until-

Her forest green grey eyes met dark obsidian ones.

"A bad beginning makes a good ending."