**CHAPTER 1**

What is popularity?

A wide spread phenomenon that ca only be associated with a social group, that shares the same view over who is best liked, through a collective perception. According to the high school students, there are two safe ways to get to the top and be popular among the others, without breaking a sweat: money or looks.

If you have both of them, you are viewed as a God. If you lack any of them, you are being a reject. An outcast. The safest way is to go unnoticed and stay in between the two categories.

People say that anything can be accomplished through hard work and determination, having the courage top never give up. But what Sakura lacked…was ambition.

To start anew.

Shine again.

Be better.

On top.

Because the bottom of the society was never meant for outstanding people.

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"…What do you mean my mom is not going to be here?" Burning tears threatened to fall from her sparkling jadeite eyes and her rosy lips quivered in a vain attempt to contain a small sob to escape her mouth at the thought of her maternal figure not being present among the audience, where all the other parents were waiting patiently for their children to perform.

A pair of hard amber eyes softened at the sight of the young in the verge of tears girl, disappointment written all over her angelic features. The older golden haired woman gently put her hands on the lady in front of her shoulders, holding her dearly. "I am afraid she is not going to make it today…or some other day for the matter…"

Although she was at such an young age, Tsunade`s niece has always been insightful and perceived things around her with such easiness that it only made her aunt to be proud of being her relative, those glimmering emerald orbs that were curiously following her ones, blazing with intelligence.

"But…she promised me! She said today she is going to watch me dance and I will accept no white roses from anyone else that is not her."

"…my little Cherry Blossom…there is something I need to tell you." Tsunade`s usually loud harsh voice turned into a warm whisper, the blonde woman dropping to her knees to face the much smaller girl and brushed a soft pink strand that fell from her messy ponytail, pain washing through her system at the thought of what she was about to confess.

"You are not yourself today aunty Tsunade, has something bad happened to my mom?" A small delicate hand rested on her relative's one that cupped her rosy cheek tenderly, like she was a fragile porcelain doll needing to be carefully maneuvered not to break.

Tsunade released a breath she was not aware she was holding, taking her time to choose the proper words to slip the tragic news to an expectant young child, that sensed her own inner battle.

"Sakura…I am afraid your mother…my sister…has been involved in a car crash on her way here. She is…dead."

It was in that moment, the world around her started to spin and she felt the floor fly from under her feet, her world crumbling. She did not wait for the performance to being. And she was oblivious to a crying in horror aunt Tsunade.

And all she saw in front of her eyes…was blood…and the face of her death mother for the last time at her funerals.

"MOM! Don't leave me!"

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"MOM! Don't leave me!"

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"Mother…don't…"

"Sakura! Are you ready honey? C`mon, we have to hurry up if we want to catch the plane.!"

Tsunade`s deep voice echoed through the then empty house, reminding Sakura the reason why she was surrounded by boxes. Empty…just like her world. "This house speaks my thoughts.,,"

Delicate fingers were holding a small photograph in between them, revealing a stunning looking young woman, with a smaller version of Sakura, reminding her of the past happy moments.

A pair of equally vibrant eyes in the same unique hue were looking in the direction of the camera, an angelic motherly smile gracing her features.

Sakura let a long finger trail her lost parent`s beautiful face, over the glossy surface, envisioning the last moments spent together with the sole person she loved more than her life.

The young girl had no idea who her father was, because her mother never told her of him and she did not question on the matter.

All that se knew, was that he was Japanese. Her mother was from Texas. So Sakura was an interesting mix between them, in an unique exquisite combination.

"I am coming Aunty." She slipped the photograph into her luggage and let her eyes dart on the empty space that has once been her living room, bits of memories playing under her long eyelashes, like flashbacks of her distant childhood.

The young girl took small steps in the direction of the door, looking at the light pink empty walls that knew all her secrets.

"I hope whoever is going to live in here, will be able to hear my story. I am leaving a part of my heart in here." A small smile illuminated her stunning features, her eyes glistening of unshed tears. "Goodbye."

Tsunade has already gotten into the cab, waiting patiently for her dear niece to come. She caught the sight of her relative, pulling her red bag after her, having a serene expression on her face. The busted woman felt like she has been stabbed in her heart, being well aware of her niece`s internal turmoil.

They were going to leave the place where she has grown up. The house that held the memories of her dear deceased mother trapped between its confinement.

But they had no choice. When such a great opportunity came across, there has been no way the blonde haired lady could have said no.

Sakura exited the house, letting her eyes roam once more over the pretty large property, brushing her hand over the for sale sign almost not believing they were truly leaving the country.

Summer was almost over. School was about to begin. And along with it…a new chapter of her life was going to begin.

She got into the cab, sitting beside her aunt, the said woman taking a hold of her hand, giving it a little squeeze, placing reassurance in her heart.

"It is going to be ok dear, we are going to make it." Tsunade knew Sakura did not want to move from Japan, but there was no way she could have been able to leave by herself, if she was to find a job.

As a famous surgeon, the Senju heiress was given a job as the head internists at a large hospital in Jacksonville Florida, with a huge basic salary she could not refuse. And her niece silently agreed to come with her after many altercations, because not only she loved her aunt, but she has been under aged as well, when she got the job.

"Yeah…whatever happens, we are in this together. This is what you have told me."

Sakura was not facing her aunt, rather she let her eyes drift to the passing people and streets, already having the Narita International Airport in her field of view. The fact that she was truly moving from the country she has grown up in felt like a dream…or a nightmare. She did not know for sure.

"And I meant every word of it. I know I might have not been a role model for you Sakura, but I promise I am going to support you more from now on."

Although Tsunade was aware she has totally neglected Sakura when her mother died, the golden haired woman promised she was going to do her best to raise her niece into a proper lady, reading to face the outside world like her proud relative.

Sakura truly wanted to believe the words that were meant for her to make her monsters go away in the stillness of the night and encourage her to move on in her life, but her aunt`s pleasure for alcohol and escapades did nothing to convince her.

It was not the fact that the young girl did not love her aunt, because that would have been a blatant lie.

She did, well aware that the temperamental woman was the only relative that took care of her and did not turn her back when her mother died, but when she lost almost all their money in a night at the local casino, Sakura was one step further from packing her things and run away.

The only thing that stopped her, was her guilty conscience. Her mother would not have agreed with such a childish behavior, her motherly figure always inspiring her in being a courageous woman and not falter in her life.

At the age of almost eighteen, Sakura Haruno was what the others would call a pretty normal teenager, with a poor social life and top marks.

She could not complain of the fact that she did not have money, because that would make her the hypocrite she was not.

Her mother has been an English teacher, being able to save a pretty large amount of money and place them in a bank account, which have been transferred to Sakura when the woman passed away.

The young girl was not the one to spend money unnecessary, not being a shopaholic like all the other class mates and not having any addiction to lower her budget, like drinking, smoking or doing drugs, which threw her automatically in the category of boring and unpopular people in her old school.

As in for her school results, Sakura has always been praised for her brilliant intelligence that brought her a lot of good marks, being among the best students, labeled as a book worm. But she was far from that.

There was a thing that made her stand out wherever she went and that being her amazing looks, being the split image of her equally beautiful mother, Mebuki. She was of average height, with a delicate curvaceous body and harmonious shapes, not being too vulgar or plain.

Her pale milky soft velvety skin was shining under the sun rays, making her look almost ethereal. But what was really unique and admired by the others, were definitely her facial features.

Her long silky tresses, in the unusual color of pastel pink mixed with lighted shades of blond, the hue of her aunt`s, was framing her perfectly shaped oval face.

A pair of luscious full heart shaped lips were complementing the shimmering jadeite almond shaped eyes, the perfect reflection of her pure heart. Her small nose and rosy cheeks were giving her the aura of a delicate nymph, turning stares whenever she went.

Without even being aware of it, the emerald long lashed girl was having a delicacy in her movements and attitude, contrasting with her young age, all her features perfectly blended in a mixture of sensuality and innocence, that was envied by many of her jealous colleagues. She has been often picked on or labeled as a slut, despite her lack of knowledge in that department.

The rosette`s breath got stuck in her throat when the plane took off, the only thing that truly made her sad, being Mebuki`s grave she was leaving behind. Ever since her mother left her at the age of 12, Sakura was not able to find it in her to smile sincerely, like her life had no more taste or color.

"Honey, are you all right? Do you want something to eat?" Tsunade knew exactly what thoughts were plaguing her niece, not having the right words to tell her.

And what could she say? After all, it was her own mourning for her dead husband that prevented the sad woman to take care of Sakura more.

"No, I will be fine once we land. You know I don't like to fly."

"But this is your first time in a plane, Sakura. How did you know you are not going to like it?"

"Call it female intuition." It was not the plane Sakura did not like, but the idea of finding a new world out there, waiting for her and she was scared at the idea of not blending in the picture, as she never did.

"I thought that only goes for boys, not planes." Tsunade elbowed the pink haired girl playfully in her ribs, mocking her for her lack of experience.

When it came to boys, her niece was totally lost. The blonde woman could not imagine why Sakura has not managed to find at least one lover in a high school full of beautiful boys. She would have died to hear some gossip.

"It is the same thing. Both fly away from you when you last expect them." That was a topic that the emerald eyed Sakura totally wanted to avoid.

In the first year of highschool, almost all her classmates were coupled with someone, she being the only one left without a boyfriend, if you were to count out a weird girl that suffered from anxiety and screamed in the middle of the classes that giant spiders are eying her or an emo boy, whose sole friends were his cell phone and a razor blade.

It was not that she did not have boys to chase on her, because her amazing looks attracted a lot of attention from the young male teenagers, but the rosette was deeper in her judgment and she was not content with only flashing her new boy toy like some extravagant accessories a girl wears to enhance her beauty.

She tried to date one of two, but both had only one thing in mind, naming who is going to have her in their beds first and kissed like snails.

It left Sakura a bitter taste of how the boys from her high school really eventually, people got bored at her passive attitude and did not sought her any longer. They went as far as to call her lesbian for her lack of interest.

"Heh…that is true. But who knows…Maybe you are going to find yourself a hunk of a boy at your new school and overcome your fear of man once and for all."

Sakura turned her bored emerald eyes on her side to fix her aunt with a questioning gaze, raising a delicate eyebrow at the smirking busty woman. "I am not afraid of boys. They are just immature, that is all. Besides, is not like anyone is going to like a girl like me in a foreign country."

"This is why I am telling you to view this as a chance to start anew. Sakura, I have no right to tell you this, but you should know better. It has been almost 6 years since your mother passed away.

It is time to let it go and move on." Tsunade`s usually harsh tone took a softer note, her amber eyes resting on the slightly widened in surprise emerald ones.

"I will never be able to blend with people like them, nor do I have the intention to do so in the very first place. All I want to do is finish high school, be as invisible as possible and try for med school."

"Don't be such a negativist honey, I am sure you are going to be able to make new friends and have fun.

You are so young and beautiful and you have so much more to discover. Life has just began for you, don't act like an old woman. This is my job." Tsunade brushed a strand of pink hair that fell on Sakura`s glimmering eyes, cupping her cheek tenderly.

A small smile graced the rosette`s petal rose lips, amused at her aunt`s antics. "Heh…like I have been able to befriend someone in the very first place. And I am having fun."

"Yeah, reading those boring classical English literature and spend your time in front of the computer, damaging your eye sight. People will start to think I took you hostage."

"Since when do you care about what people think about you anyways? Don't tell me you have found another lover and you want me to meet him saying he is finally the one.

Cos I am sure this one is not going to be so lenient like the previous one I punched when he tried to imply I should disappear from the house."

"As much as I would like to give you a positive answer, no. But you my dear, are going out of that shell of yours and act like a teenage your age."

"You mean spending my nights like a werewolf, taking the clubs in turn to search for willing guys and shove needles down my veins with the weirdest drugs, that would provide me at least two seconds of euphoria?"

There was not way Sakura was ever able to understand people from her generation. It was pretty bad she absolutely loathed that kind of behavior, but to ever thing she would someday be like that…it gave her the chills.

"Sakura…not all the teenagers act like that jeez…I am talking about finding real friends to understand you and make you gain more…self-confidence."

"This is something I don't think I lack."

"Really? Then why are you trembling like a jelly fish? Or are you testing Parkinson medicine?"

"I am just nervous about moving in a foreign place and start high school. I think the eleventh grade is going to be hell. And I am not sure I am going to keep up with the other students, in terms of knowledge.

You know the schedules are not synchronized…" The emerald eyed girl knew she was rambling, but there was no way she would have the strength to admit she was panicking inside.

"If it does make you feel better, I found out my old University friend Jirayia lives in Jacksonville with his nephew Naruto.

He told me to contact him if I ever go the USA and chat a bit. Naruto is the same age as you and if he inherited his mother`s behavior, then you two would get along pretty well."

"Are you trying to hock me up with you old perverted Guinness record holder for the most rejected by women man`s in history nephew? This is lame aunty, even for you. I am not that desperate."

"No god forbids. The very idea of becoming Jirayia`s relative is worse than hearing sake disappeared from the supermarkets and restaurants, because aliens from Mars came and took all the bottles to fuel their UFOs. Besides…I know what kind a girl you are even if you try to hide it."

Vaguely, Sakura heard the stewardess announcing the landing of the plane, darting her jadeite eyes to the window and take notice of the tall skyscrapers and the city lights. Her new home…

"And what kind of girl am I in your opinion?"

"One that has a second nature for danger. You love to walk on thin ice and crave for the energy and adrenaline of the moment…this is the reason why you were able to be a fantastic…"

"I am sure you have misunderstood. Maybe I have been like that. Now the only second nature I wanna have is a technique to make me invisible in the other`s eyes and let me finish high school, without any problem."

Tsunade shook her head in disbelief. Once Sakura was flying on the scene, stunning everyone with her flawless moves and brilliant technique. The jury as well.

Then she could not even spell the name dancing any longer. All because of an unfortunate happening related to her mother`s death.

The busty woman knew exactly what was washing her niece`s system to the point she hated what she most loved since she first took on dancing classes, at the age of three: guilt. The feeling of remorse was eating her alive.

"My child…one day…I hope one day, you are going to be free from your demons."

The plane successfully landed on the large crowded airport. Sakura and Tsunade slipped past the amount of rushed people, in search for a cab.

The pink haired girl took in her new surroundings, trying to find similarities between Tokyo and the large city that was going to be her new home.

}{

Loud music was blasting through the stereos, successfully covering all the noises the young people were doing.

There were teenagers of all ages making out in all available places, starting from the large heart shaped swimming pool, to the toilets.

Some of them were lucky enough to find an available room they kind of did not mind sharing with some others, for similar purposes. The toilets in the modern area did not serve its initial purpose anymore.

Strong alcoholic beverages poured in plastic glasses were keeping the partying youngsters entertained, while more expensive cars were filling in the already packed yard and street.

Most of them did not even had the required age to drink, but when their parents had enough money to even buy a state's Constitution if their beloved children wanted to, all the police cars were passing the large house, totally overlooking the incident.

A particular young handsome boy was having a girl pinned on the wall, her legs hooked up around his slim waist and her hands fisted in his raven locks, pulling at it with every harder move he did.

Load indecent moans were escaping her throat, while the dark male was thrusting inside her relentlessly, not caring if she was even aroused to begin with, wanting nothing more than to satisfy his hunger…and raging hormones. He was a teen after all and a really fit one.

"Argh…faster…harder!" The said girl slipped her hands down his navy shirt to feel the lean muscles of his pectorals and abs, even more turned on at the feel of him under her fingertips. And the fact that she was doing it with the most wanted guy alive was fueling her ego even more.

She left nail scratches down his chiseled chest making him growl, knowing exactly he liked that particular gesture.

He complied with her request by palming her toned thighs to spread her legs wider for a better access and raised her butt higher to hit a deeper angle inside her that made the girl scream in pleasure.

"Yes! Like that! Don't stop…." Mei Terumi was one of the most popular girls in the school, as the leader of the cheerleading team and one of the girls Sasuke liked to fuck every chance he got, the said woman taking much delight in bragging to the others about how good he was in bed or how big he was, wanting nothing more than to use his image to stay in the top.

The only thing that interested her was his dick and the advantages that came with being seen in public with him. The two of them even formed a couple for two weeks, beating the young Uchiha`s previous record in dating someone for five days.

Everyone knew the high school's heartthrob did not waste time with things he deemed unimportant as relationships.

Same went for his group of friends, all being rich players with no particular interest for women, except for their bodies. So Mei and Sasuke were not dating anymore, since the said girl had the guts to cheat on him and had a threesome at a party with two older guys, foolishly thinking he was not going to be there.

People were still talking about the young Uchiha beating two high school students, older than him till the ambulance came and the huge scandal he and Mei had, the two of them not even sparing a glance for two months straight.

The brown haired girl and his gang of cheerleader friends did not even serve lunch in the school cafeteria. Of course Sasuke was not the one to leave that place and coward in dark corners like she did.

He did not care in the bit, wasting no time in finding himself another fuck toy, from his group of fangirls. In fact, except for some girls labeled as unpopular and weird that were living in their own fantasy world, all the girls from the school were fantasizing over the rich handsome Uchiha heir.

Sasuke Uchiha was the younger of the two sons of the famous Uchiha Fugaku, the extremely rich hotel chains owner, a feared man in the industry, married with the stunning looking sweet Mikoto.

The stoic father had his high hopes on the older of his sons, Itachi, who was studying business and economy in Vienna, totally neglecting his other son.

So Sasuke, when he realized her was worth nothing in his father`s eyes, even if he tried in vain to be acknowledge by the man that was supposed to be his role model, turned his back on his family and spent their money on parties, drugs and expensive cars, not having any concrete future plan.

In fact, what he really wanted in that moment, was the annoying girl he had trapped between his hard rock body and the wall, to stop screaming into his ears.

Even with the loud music and the screaming people, echoing from the first floor, her high pitched false sugar practiced moans were a major turn off. And people used to call her popular. Sasuke would have laughed at their imbecility.

"Stop…fucking screaming into my ears, you are driving me nuts."

The raven haired Uchiha crashed his soft lips on Mei`s slightly bruised ones, biting her lower lip harsh to make her open her mouth more, just to slip his tongue inside, battling the girl for dominance.

The very idea of kissing her after God only knew what purpose her mouth has served as was making Sasuke feel like throwing up all the drinks he had.

At least she shut up.

"I am the only one that…ahhhh…can drive you nuts, Sasuke…."

The captain of the cheerleading team was an eternal delusional that thought the man that was ramming wildly into her core was going to overlook the small incident and realize the two of them had to be together. The popular girl and the hottest male. Picture perfect.

"Drugs can too. But I don't feel like washing my body in sulfuric acid after smoking them."

Sasuke slipped his hand under Mei`s tight blue tank top, giving a squeeze to her right breast, not even amazed of the fact that she was not wearing any bra underneath, like the willing slut she was. He vaguely considered the time he has been together with her, the worst period of his high school.

"Don't be ridiculous. If I disgust you so much, why are you always coming back to me?"

"Because Karin was busy and the other whores of your friends are too drunk to even have any sort of reaction. Fucking them would be necrophilia."

Sasuke felt his release close, wanting nothing more than feel the rush of adrenaline burst into his veins at the feel of the upcoming orgasm, and get the hell out of there. The party was not living to his expectations. And she started to nag him about getting together with him again.

"…You…say this but…I know you want me, it is just obvious, even if you didn't answer any of my calls this summer."

All the summer holiday, Mei has tried in vain to get in contact with the young Uchiha, going as far as to ask for his whereabouts at the Uchiha household, but his mother Mikoto who truly did not like the girl, reluctantly told her the raven haired boy was visiting his brother in Austria.

"Annoying. If I wanted you I could have had you, besides it is you that always look for me, even if you are with that looser of a football player."

Currently, Mei and the captain of the football team were a couple that tried their best to look happy, but everyone knew she was cheating on him big times.

"Sasuke…let's be together again." Mei felt her body tremble in delight at the way Sasuke was roughly palming her breast and pinched her reddened nipple, all the while rocking inside her slick passage, taking both of them straight to cloud nine.

Out of all the men she has slept with, the cheerleader could not find a finer guy like Sasuke. She shoved her nails down his shoulders, meeting his sharp thrusts midway.

"There is something you seem to not understand Mei, but I am willing to repeat it you until it enters your fucking head…"

Sasuke pumped inside the brown haired girl until he felt himself explode inside of her, not wasting any time in pulling himself out of her, throw the used condom into the toilet, zip his pants and brush his fingers through his messy raven locks. "…the two of us, have never been together."

He did not turn around to hear what she was screaming, not interested in the fact that she has not found her release and opened the door roughly, cursing all the drinks he had for the lack of balance.

And he was not fast enough to avoid hitting his equally intoxicated self proclaimed best friend straight in his nose, sending him successfully on the floor.

"What the hell Teme, you could have killed me." Naruto did his best to prompt his hands on the ground and push his body up, standing and facing his friend with a dumb look on his face.

He could not see him very well, because apparently the owners of the house have not paid the electricity bill.

"Hn…that would have been a good thing for the humanity. One less looser to inhale the oxygen."

"Stupid bastard…" A pair of cerulean eyes did a quick scan on the male in front of him, eying him suspiciously. Sasuke`s hair was a mess, his shirt was pulled out of his pants and he had bite marks on his neck.

He pushed him out of the door and popped his head inside where Mia was busy fingering herself in a very suggestive position with her back prompted on the wall, making him slap his forehead.

"You did it again…with her. Why?"

The raven haired Uchiha was already descending the stairs, tripping on a really drunk pair he recognized as being his classmates that found it funny to go at it right there, making the male miss his…target in the process. He did not care anyways.

"Why do you care?"

Naruto run after his friend, pulling him roughly on his shoulders, almost making the two of them loose balance and fall. Sasuke shoved his hand away, vaguely asking himself where the door was.

"Because I am your best buddy, don't ignore me you jerk!"

"Go fuck yourself Naruto or ask someone to do it for you."

"I swear I am going to murder you someday and make a fortune with selling your body parts to your rabid fangirls."

"I am not going to dwell on that too much, because I am more than certain you don't even know the name of all the body parts."

"Just the ones that interest me."

"Just…shut the hell up already and let's get out of this place. This party bores the hell out of me."

Both Naruto and Sasuke pulled the people out of their way, trying to slip past the grinding and dancing couples that were swaying their hips and threw their arms in the air, moving wild and carefree, each of them having at least one drink.

It was a huge orgy. The young sun kissed Uzumaki wondered if at least half of them would be able to wake up in the morning and go to school. He even entertained the idea of asking his uncle to call the school and say he was sick. Not that he was not going to be.

"Someone has spiked the punch…"

The onyx eyed Uchiha snorted loudly, roaming through his pocket for the car keys. If only he would remember where did he leave his car…Aha, he would unlock the doors and follow the direction of the alarm.

Yeah…that was going to work. "And what would you have expected to drink at a party dobe? Plums juice? Are you turning into a grandma? Maybe a knitting kit is going to be a proper present for your birthday."

The sun kissed Uzumaki was standing awkwardly in front of Sasuke`s black Mercedes, asking himself if his friend was in his right mind to begin with.

The answer was quite obvious if he were to consider the click of the turned on ignition and the roar of the powerful engine.

Sasuke rolled down the window and screamed at his expectant friend, annoyed by his reluctant attitude.

"The hell are you waiting for dobe? Get in before some loser decides to leave as well and block the road."

"You don't seriously consider driving in your state, do you?"

"No, I consider finding some stray dogs and to harness them to pull my car, imagining they are husky…just get in or drop it."

"Teme get off the car, you are not going to drive. You had twenty freaking whiskey shots and that was only at the swimming pool. You smoke as well."

Reluctantly, Naruto got in the passenger seat, not even bothering with the seat belt. If by some miracle his raven haired friend is going to avoid a car crash, then he sure as hell would not be saved by a mere belt.

"Shut up dobe and watch for any loser I am not able to see. Why the freaking Hell is so dark in here anyways?"

Sasuke threw the big luxury car into reverse and stepped on the gas taking a sharp U-turn and speeding on the empty streets, breaking the speed limit. Not that the world limit had a significance into his mind.

Beside him, Naruto felt like throwing up. "Bastard slow down already, I don't want to spend the first day of school at the police section…or hospital."

"Don't you dare vomiting on my leather seats or that is going to be the least of your problems."

When the much wanted non stop supermarket came into his view, Sasuke spotted some parking spot for handicapped people and not even caring he was taking someone else's rightful place, stepped onto the brake almost throwing his friend on the window.

"I swear you should have been banned from driving…or walking. Even walking with you is dangerous."

Folding his hands on his stomach, the tanned boy followed his friend inside the supermarket, thanking all the Heavens he knew for it being almost deserted, welcoming the cool air conditioning that did wonders for his system.

"Why are we here anyways? Teme wait for me you idiot."

"Don't be so loud you knucklehead, my head is killing me already. Now where the heck is that…aha. Tequila, Rum and Brandy. Come."

"Why do you need all that drinks anyways? You already smell like a distillery." Naruto could not believe his friend was still able to drink more than he had. It was always the same.

Whenever summer holiday was over, some popular guy or girl threw what was considered to be the wildest party to celebrate, resulting in a bunch of zombies lying half dead half awake on the class, paying attention to whatever the teachers said, like a kindergarten kid listening to Einstein's theories…in Latin.

And his friend was overdoing it like always, using his family name to motivate his absences and ditch the classes in the first three days. But he would be damned if Naruto was going to school the next day alone.

"To escape the disgusting taste on my mouth. That Mei is worse than I remembered her. And I absolutely hate her disgusting peaches and cinnamon lipstick. That shit should be banned from the indistry."

"I should call the mental hospital and ask if they are short of patients. I am sure they would have no problem in giving you a room. Or maybe you have escaped there for all I know."

"Talk all that you want. Do you have any cash on you?"

"Why asking me this? Aren`t you the loaded one? Or are you that shitfaced that you have forgotten your credit card's pin number?"

"Don't be ridiculous. It is just my mom…" Sasuke was already moving the shelf with the drinks in the shopping basket, the image of his beautiful mother briefly coming into his mind.

If there was a person he really loved in his life, that was Mikoto, the only one in the family that supported him and truly loved him.

His brother Itachi claimed he was really fond of his younger brother, but ever since he started his studies, their relationship was not that close like they were kids anymore. He would not like to start thinking about his father…

"Haha is she still checking on your bank account to see what you have spent your money on?"

"Unfortunately. And she did not even stop when I turned eighteen."

"You have just turned eighteen bastard so stop making us look like closet alcoholics, pay for this because I have no penny on me and get out of here. That security dude looks menacing."

The raven haired really busy Uchiha threw a glance in the direction of the said man, snorting loudly. "The only menacing thing regarding him…is his obvious passion for fast food. His belly has the size of my car's back seat. Now we only need some lemon and Cola…"

}{

"What is that term you youngsters always use when you find something that catches your attention…hm…cool! This looks really cool!" Tsunade had her arms folded over her deep cleavage, resting her frame on the doorway.

Sakura let out a small giggle, shaking her head in disbelief. "Aunty, if you truly want to find yourself a man you should consider your advices more."

The pink haired beauty has just finished gluing posters on the boring white walls, rocks stars and kpop idols smiling at her from each side of the room. She fished her hands on her shoulders, turning around to face the blonde woman.

"What advices? Is that a man or a girl? Cos I am having problems with the gender…and I am a medic. If this is your idea of handsome men I am afraid you are going to die a single lady, like me."

"Weren't you the one always saying I need to act more like my age? He is one of the most famous kpop singers from the new wave.

A walking legend. And I find him really hot." It was past midnight when Tsunade and Sakura finished unpacking all the boxes and check if the water and electricity were running properly.

They had some troubles with the internet connection, much to the emerald eyed girl`s dismay, but Tsunade has already called for an electrician to check on the problem the next day.

The hospital has provided their new doctor a small fancy looking house, with a single store and a small yard, in a pretty quiet neighborhood not far from her working place.

Unfortunately, the high school was quite far from the house, so Sakura would have to take the subway or the bus to get there. And the amber eyed woman was willing to give her Volkswagen Golf from time to time, when she could.

"I am acting like my age. It is just that I have a young heart full of energy. Besides, isn't it great that I am such an open minded aunt? Look, I am not even trying to comment of that…what the hell is that?"

Tsunade came beside her dear pink haired niece, resting her hands on her small shoulders, her amber eyes darting in all directions. She could not understand her generation and her hobbies.

"It is a dream catcher and that are my lucky scented candles. Open minded? You have just insulted my idols. At least we have separate bathrooms, because you are taking too much time with your daily routine."

"Pfuuu…for a moment I thought you got new hobbies like fortune telling. Hey, looking this good takes much time you know? I did not insult them, those record labels did it by making them look like women.

By the way, I was thinking if you would like, you can drop by the hospital tomorrow after school and shop together. I am sure you would like some pretty clothes to go well with that beautiful features of yours, how is that?"

"Sounds good I guess…ok, it sounds really really really good!" Sakura turned around and threw her arms around the busty woman's neck embracing her tightly. She was not quite interested in such things, but nevertheless she was a young girl and she too had a soft spot for perfumes and cosmetics….and T-shirts…and hoodies.

"Then is a deal! By the way…are you hungry?"

"Yeah, that food from the plane looked like something they serve in jail. The ticket was not worth the price. And I think I have broken a teeth in trying to eat those peanuts…they were peanuts I guess, weren't they?"

"Who knew? I was busy trying to figure out what was swimming in my soup."

"Do you think they serve pizza at this hour? Or Chinese food?"

"Probably not. Some of us should go to that supermarket we have spotted from the cab and buy some musli and fruits."

"You mean that one with a red sign on it?"

"Yeah that one. I would go because it is dangerous for you to go alone at this hour, but I have to check on the attic and back yard and see what is the deal with that bulb that is not working in the basement."

"It is alright aunty. You take your time and put the males into shame with your skills as an electrician, while I am going to find something unhealthy and full or fats and calories food for us to eat." Sakura was already at the door not giving Tsunade a chance to protest.

"Do you need money? Take my credit card dear!"

"I have already done it aunty!"

"Really?" Tsunade slipped a hand into her back pocket, realizing she did not have her wallet anymore. "That sneaky little blossom…when did she…?"

In all honesty the emerald eyed girl had expected to hate on the new place, but found herself unable to do so.

The fancy pretty quiet neighborhood seemed clean and friendly and from what she could see, her neighbors were mostly families with small children. The old couple that lived across the street even brought them a cherry pie, welcoming the two women in their small community.

She felt like breathing fresh air and let her mind clean from all the nagging thoughts when she envisioned her first day at the new school.

New school meant new people, automatically people that were not going to like her. At her old school, she was not able to be popular of pass as invisible, because of her exotic gorgeous looks that attracted a lot of attention and envious stares.

Many times she has been bullied by the other girls, even going as far as to pretend they were her friend, then finding the most unoriginal methods to humiliate her in front of the others, such as throwing cold water on her when she entered the classroom, spit in her food, or slip dead animals in her bag when she was not paying attention.

The small supermarket was already in her field of view and Sakura wasted no time in getting inside. It was pretty cold outside for that period and she has just passed a group of weird looking guys that whistled in her general direction and tried to get her attention.

There was barely anyone in the shop, much to her pleasure, so the pink haired girl took a basket, politely greeted the young tired looking cashier and started to wander through the shelves, looking for the fruits and vegetables. "Don't this people have anything that does not look like cancer or diabetics?"

}{

"Teme, why the heck do you need lemons for Heaven`s sake? Don't tell me you decided to convert your sinful alcoholic soul to the Holly lemonade?" Naruto started to feel queasy, all the drinks he had taking a toll on him.

And Sasuke looked as serene as a gentle breeze, occasionally hitting his head and threatening him into shutting up or he was going to be chocked with the big pineapples they have just passed.

The worst part was that the sun kissed Uzumaki knew his friend was not kidding. He had it in him to do so.

"Aren`t you the one feeling sick? Don't you know lemons are good for drunk imbeciles like you?"

"You are equally drunk you bastard! And they are only good for your damn Tequila shots so stop trying to pretend you care about me."

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief, looking in the direction of the red headed cashier lady that was mentally undressing him with her not so subtle ogling, licking her lips and batting her eyelashes when she thought he was looking at her.

In all honesty, what the raven haired Uchiha was truly looking at was the shelf behind her, where all the cigarettes were resting. "Stupid brainless fangirls…"

"Yeah, I agree, but at least I am not a dobe like you. Why do you even get drunk Naruto, I thought alcohol attacks the nervous system which you totally lack."

"The what? Stop talking like Kurenai sensei you scare me." The beautiful biology teacher Kurenai Yuuhi was giving Naruto hell whenever she was asking him to answer her questions and that happened every hour.

The only thing that saved his grades and made him pass was the fact that the blonde guy was always copying the answers from his coal eyed friend.

"Dude…stop reminding me of that damn school, I have five more hours to spend my days of freedom so stop spoiling my fun."

"You mean…are you really going to come to the first day tomorrow? Well, of course you will even if I have to barge into your ridiculously large bedroom and forcefully drag your ugly body myself."

"Mom is never going to allow that."

"Hehe she is the one that suggested me." Mikoto and Naruto`s dead mother Kushina were friends since high school and they were really close, hence their son`s friendship. It was not like Sasuke had a choice in the matter, because the loud energetic happy boy stayed glued to him and told everyone he viewed him as his brother.

Sasuke proceeded to the cashier, content with what he has bought. He knew all to well that he had to take his idiot blonde friend home with him and go to school together.

It was not that he actually intended to go to school, but he kind of run out of plausible excuses. Apparently the principal has grown up a brain while cultivating his precious cactuses. That old man was senile as hell.

"Fuck you dobe."

"Not if you were the last human stand…" Naruto stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw hitting the floor and his eyes shot open, pointing at something in front of him, his mouth moving comically like a fish out of water. Sasuke was mentally asking himself what drug could he have ingested to have such symptoms.

"What are you doing you moron?"

"An angel!"

"A what? Please tell me you did not smoke hashish again, because my brain is not able to hear the story of the dancing on the rainbow mushrooms and a porn Cinderella, serving cocktails in Hawaii."

Naruto, not even paying attention to his friend, grabbed his arm and pulled him in the direction of the cashier, having anime hearts in his light eyes, drooling like a rabid fan, much to Sasuke`s horror. The only thing that made his blonde friend that enthusiastic were the breaks and his precious ramen.

Sakura was really content with all the protein bars, cereals, milk and white grapefruit she found among the dietetic products, her stomach grumbling in hunger.

Having Tsunade around, that woman was not going to tolerate unhealthy food in her house, so the jadeite eyed girl has adopted her way of living, keeping fit and not having health problems.

But as she was about to pay for the food, while she was busy pulling out her wallet, something has caught her attention, meaning someone that had the audacity to cut the line and roughly shove her on the side.

Now if she was about to be honest, the rosette was everything but a patient and polite young girl she was not, not after she has spent six years with the spit fire Tsunade and her harsh temper.

Sure she knew when to be calm and collected, but she did not take shit from people. Even if she was always picked on she was not afraid to defend herself or voice and frustrations and that was the reason why she let the words fly from her mouth, acting before thinking.

"HEY! What the heck do you think you are doing? I was the first in line!"

"Hn…I am sure you were…but I might have overlooked it."

"Why you little…" It was in the moment she darted her eyes from a star struck cashier lady that looked like she has reached Nirvana, to the owner of the low sensual baritone voice did Sakura promptly dropped the small wallet, her eyes going wide as saucers and the words got stuck in her throat.

There, in front of her, with the most arrogant attitude ever known, stood a God in a human form. The jadeite eyed lady blinked rapidly shaking her head once, almost not quite believing what she was seeing. Tsunade has been right. Her idea of a handsome man was totally not according to the reality.

Sakura could only stare in awe at the pair of the most beautiful onyx eyes she has ever seen in her life, that were eying her playfully. She could not stop herself from scanning the male in front of her, like she was in front of an expensive picture made by a famous artist.

His midnight jet silky hair, stylized in the most unique spiky way, with longer strands was framing his perfect sculpted face perfectly, his pale skin and sharp lines and angles giving him a regal aura and the so kissable full lips were curled in a cocky delicious smirk that clouded her vision for a moment.

It was pretty difficult not to observe how tall and well sculpted he really was, because that silky navy expensive looking shirt he was wearing, with the first two buttons opened, was giving a beautiful view of his chiseled chest and the pink haired gaping girl would take a guess he was loaded as well.

Never in her life has Sakura seen such a handsome man, not even among her idols and he was close enough for her to smell her amazing cologne, mixed with the obvious amount of drinks he had.

But that was beside the point. She came out of her stupor and let her emerald eyes fix his own coal ones, taking him by surprise. "Finish that sentence and if I am satisfied with the answer, I might allow you to pay first."

That made her snap. She snorted visibly. "Allow me? Who are you, the President? Last time I checked he was older and taller…and had manners. Something you totally seem to lack. Now back off, I have got stuff to do."

Not even waiting for his answer, Sakura turned her head to face the cashier that was busy processing what she has just witnessed and basically threw the necessary money on the counter, folding her arms, eyebrows rose expectantly.

"Oh my God Teme I never thought I would have lived the day when some girl was going to tell you how much of a bastard you really are bwhahaha!"

When Naruto caught the sight of Sakura, he swore he discovered Nirvana, not believing how hot the girl really was, despite her regular clothes. He swore it was love at first sight. He even forgot he was drunk.

And of course his brooding emo friend decided to be a smartass and act like the rude gorilla he was, not giving a damn about anyone around him. Apparently that pink haired girl, that was no older than them decided such manners should have been punished.

The sun kissed boy came in between the silent people, preventing his friend to do something he would regret, startling the beautiful lady that was busy cursing the cashier lady for giving her less money than she was supposed to, asking her if she has studied math with the janitor.

"Soooo what is a beautiful lady like you doing here at this late hour?"

Sasuke, who was busy processing what exactly happened, not quite used to people taking back at him, resisted the urge to slap his forehead at his dumb friend and his hook up lines. As if he was not hanging enough with him to learn some good ways to lure a girl.

"I came here to plant poppies because obviously this is the purpose of this place, hence the red sign on the entrance." Sakura was busy shoving the food in her bag, wanting nothing more than to leave the place.

Just her luck to encounter the city's delinquents and their imbecile remarks, like she was thrown back in her old high school, were the other guys tried to flirt with her in the same way.

She pulled the zipper and basically sprinted out of the door, in the stillness of the night, thankful that her house was really close to the shop.

Of course she had no such luck to escape there without the two boys not following, because someone has grabbed her arm roughly, making her drop the bag and forced her to turn around and face the owner.

If that girl really thought he was one to mess up with, Sasuke would have laughed at her misfortune.

Normally, he would not have been bothered with such things at that hour when he smoked and drank more than he should, but there was something in the attitude of the fired up girl that made him curious.

Those eyes…those shimmering full of emotion beautiful emerald eyes were intriguing him to no end. Why did she not try to flirt with him, when it was more than obvious she found him attractive?

That was a first and it was…refreshing. He was starting to get sick of the lewd stares he got from everyone that crossed his general direction.

"Where do you think you are going after insulting me like that?"

"Insulting you?! Don't force your luck you jerk, because if I truly wanted to insult you, you wouldn't have lived enough to hear the ending. I am pretty sure such curses to describe people like you were not even invented."

Sakura started to panic inside. Of course she knew the much taller guy that had his deep dark eyes boring into her own, like he was trying to burn her skull with the powerful gaze, had the power to do everything he wanted and she already took some steps from the supermarket where she could find help from the security guard. But there was something about him that made the girl…feel attracted to him.

The way he acted, his heated look, his clothes and demeanor screamed he was a bad boy and he was not afraid to show it.

Her jadeite slightly wide eyes caught the sight of a black shiny Mercedes and her thoughts of him being rich were confirmed. She also caught the sight of all the drinks he bought, so it meant he truly was not a saint.

"Do you even realize what you are saying?"

To prove his point, Sasuke tightened his hold on the girl, pulling her much smaller frame closer to his hard rock one, slightly bothered by the way she was visibly trembling in anxiety, but the emotion was kept away from her stare.

She tried to hide her fear and she almost succeeded. Almost because Sasuke knew better his effect on the others. And bullying people was definitely something he did along with his friends.

"If I didn't it would only mean I am just as intoxicated as you are!" Sakura was not aware of the fact that she has raised her voice an octave, alerting Naruto who saw the scene and came beside Sasuke, grabbing his wrist and trying to pry his hand apart from the girl, in vain. He did not even flinch.

"Teme stop it, you are scaring her."

"She is the one provoking me."

"You are the one molesting me, let go!" Sakura tried to free herself, to no avail. She started to tremble and a quick glance around confirmed her there was no one around to rescue her.

She was in trouble. Maybe she should have played along with him, accept the mistake she has not done in the first place and try another approach.

"Bastard I say let her go!"

"Fuck off dobe and wait in the car."

"Shit man, just calm the hell down and let her go, you don't want to create more problems. C`mon."

The blonde Uzumaki dropped the bag with all the drinks, the sound of breaking glass echoing on the deserted street, and grabbed his friend by the collar, forcing him to look in his general direction.

Sasuke threw Naruto a glance that would make a grown up cower in fear, as if daring him to go further. When Sasuke was angry, he did not make the difference between friends of enemy. And he was drunk as well.

"Naruto let…go."

"Not until you let her go."

Naruto was used to his dark brooding friend`s attitude, nothing that he did fazing him. And he was immune to his famous glare as well. But to go as far as to scare a beautiful girl was beside the point.

"I give you three seconds to vanish."

"It is all that I need to mop the floor with you."

The Uzumaki shook his friend by the collar of his shirt to make him snap out of his rage and consider the situation. He was not a stupid guy and everyone knew it.

"C`mon dude, you don't want your mother to find out you have hurt a girl, do you? You are better than this, don't act like those losers from the basketball and football team."

Seizing the opportunity, Sakura punched Sasuke in the solar plexus with her available hand, skillfully lowering her hips unnoticeably to gain speed and made a shocked Sasuke stumble backwards, giving her the chance to make a run for it not looking around.

Although she has been a skilled dancer, Tsunade has thought her niece how to defend herself, the much older woman being a martial art expert, so contrary to popular beliefs, the pink haired girl knew how to fight. She did not show it thought in front of the others, afraid to being provoked. But the situation asked for it.

And she was more than relieved when her home came into her field of view, daring inside and scaring the living daylights of Tsunade, who was busy cleaning the stove, waiting for her.

"Sakura! My god what happened? Are you that hungry or are you chased by small sinister dwarfs that want to eat your brain?"

Tsunade darted her eyes to her panting niece, that planted the bag on the desk, pulling out the chair and threw her body on it, massaging her temples. She could not believe what happened.

"Aunty Tsunade…call the Zoo and ask them if they are missing two brainless violent loud baboons, because one of them tried to molest me earlier."

Tsunade came beside her niece, scanning her body from any possible injury. She was glad she found none.

"Dear, I am sorry, I should not have send you in the very first place. What if something happened to you My God!"

The blonde woman pulled Sakura into her arms, holding her tightly. If something was to happen to the emerald eyed girl, she would not be able to face her passed away sister in the after life. Sakura returned her embrace, patting her back in reassurance.

"Don't worry aunty, shit happens, you cannot prevent it. Besides I am fine."

Tsunade brought two bowls, pouring the cereals and milk and two spoons, taking a sit in front of the jadeite eyed girl that wasted no time in stuffing her face. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah…they were drunk, so I have managed to hit one of them and run. They did not follow me."

"Good. We can resume the training if you want…"

"Sure. In the weekends, because I am sure we are going to be really busy in the next weeks."

"Whenever you feel like. By the way…I have arranged your trophies on your room, behind those questionable looking candles you swore are not used by voodoo practitioners or Satanists."

Sakura gripped the spoon tightly, pursing her lips. She did not want her past to haunt her whenever she woke up in the morning. "It would have been better if you throw them at the garbage or sell them and use the money to fix the internet connection."

Tsunade exhaled deeply, running out of ideas of how would she be able to make the girl come into her senses and not deprive her from her secret passion anymore.

It was just so obvious. Her niece wanted to dance again, but her trauma would not let her. And she was too damn stubborn to talk to a psychiatrist.

"Listen Sakura…I think you should…check for some dance clubs at your new school. I am sure they will accept you. After all, you were the best."

"I am not interested in…wait a second…don't tell me you have chosen that school precisely because you knew they do have such clubs. Aunty how could you have done this?"

Sakura rose from her table not able to contain her tears anymore. She was sick in sharing salty liquid whenever the topic was discussed. How would the amber eyed woman ever consider she was going to start anew while facing the past in the same time? What about letting go and moving on?

"Sakura, this is not about…"

"NO! Don't you see how much damage it does to me? How many nights do you want to see my crying and taking sleeping pills? How many nightmares are going to keep me awake…"

She was already at the door, sobbing, stopping her movements for a second to address her aunt in a whisper.

"How many people must die for it…" And run to her room. Tsunade dropped her spoon and let her head rest on her arms, not bothering to stop her. And a loud thud followed by a shut door made her realized the pink haired girl`s problem…was far worse than she imagined.

}{

"Teme you are already over 120 mph, if you want to race for the F1 at least hit the high way instead of barely avoiding all the street cats and drunkards! Hey watch out!"

Naruto was not even able to look in front of him, leaning in the passenger seat, praying for his life. Sasuke was not angry. He was enraged. A solid proof being the broken drink bottles and the blood leaking from his right arm he was keeping clenched on the steering wheel.

"If you have a problem with the way I drive dobe, why don't you get out?"

"Ok. Stop the car because I sure as hell want to live another minute."

"No. I don't have time for this so if you want to get out, you can roll down the window and jump."

"Are you fucking crazy? I would be smashed to the ground like a fly!" Although that would have been better than be smashed by a truck that came from the opposite direction, because the raven haired Uchiha was not even keeping his own side of the road.

"Then take your hoodie down and use it as a parachute. But maybe you should stop your damn complaining and let me think."

Sasuke was so furious, he was sure all the alcohol and drugs magically vanished form his system, rage flowing through her veins. No one dared to touch him and lived to tell his nephews, and no matter now attractive the girl might have been, she was going to get it. He was going to make sure of it. And when he found it…

"You bastard, why the heck are you so angry again?"

The young Uchiha spoke low and menacing. "Naruto…"

"It was your damn fault to begin with. It is not my fault you act like a cavemen. I honestly cannot understand why all the girls are so obsessed with you, because you treat them like shit. Mei especially."

"Why are you still talking about that slut again? And manners are things you should not talk about dobe, because you are a total stranger of the subject."

Where was his house anyways? There was an unexplainable thing that happened to Sasuke and that was he always missed the street of his house.

He was not envisioning it at his home, because there were only people he despised living in there, except for his mother.

He hoped she was still visiting a distant relative in another city, because her youngest intoxicated son, dragging his future beaten up blonde friend that was equally intoxicated up to his room, was not something she would have liked to see.

When he caught the sight of the huge gate to his villa, he took out the remote control, opened the fence and speeded in the direction of his garage. His mother`s red Corvette was not inside so he was lucky.

He has no idea where his father was. Maybe the man got lost in the Bermuda Triangle. The only regret Sasuke would have had was going to be the fact that he missed the moment to record the event and stream it on the internet.

He got out of the car and not quite bothered to listen to his loud annoying friend, who was busy nagging him like he was his grandma, rushed to his room.

"Because you have the same attitude over women in general and this is bugging me. Why do you act like this?"

"Like what?"

"Like a total bastard!" Naruto entered Sasuke`s room, jumping on his bed, lying on his tummy.

Sasuke wasted no time in undressing himself, taking a towel and going straight to the bathroom, not bother to hide from his childhood friend. They knew the most embarrassing things about one another anyways.

"Can't help it. Ladies go crazy after my attitude."

"You make everyone go crazy with your attitude you moron!"

"And I don't give a fuck about any of them." The onyx eyed boy turned on the cold shower letting the drops hit his alabasters skin and calm his nerves.

All that he was able to see before his eyes, was a pair of glimmering furious eyes and a girl hitting him in the chest with enough force to push him back. In that moment, Sasuke made a vow: if he was going to ever encounter that girl again, hell was what she was going to get.

}{

"Ok so now I am nervous." Sakura took in the tall building in front of her, biting her lower lips and fidgeting her hands, not quite sure of the clenching feeling she had in her stomach. First day of school…new place, new faces, new people to avoid. She already felt sick and she did not get enough sleep. She skipped breakfast as well.

Tsunade placed a hand on her niece's small back, patting her in a motherly way. "Don't worry my Cherry Blossom, it is going to be all right, you will see. Do you have your schedule?"

A pair of jadeite eyes scanned the timetable in front of her, already hating the subjects she had. It was the first day of school and they found it funny to put calculus, biology, chemistry, music and health science to give them a good wake up call.

"Whoever made this schedule was either high or had a really twisted sense of humor."

"C'mon honey, it is not so bad. When I was young, we had three hours of calculus in a row, followed by physics and a foreign language we choose."

"I would never understand why you took on Latin…"

"Because no one else did it and I had top grades for my guts to chose a subject that gave everyone hell."

"No you didn't. You only chose that to ogle the handsome teacher."

"In my defense, he had a good accent."

"I am sure he did. Oh shit the bell. Aunty, thank you for driving me, but I have to go." Alarmed, Sakura kissed her aunt on the cheek and bolted out of the car, taking her bag and running towards the entrance. And when she entered the building, she thought she was going to die in shock. "Oh shit…"

The amount of students populating the long large hall was overwhelming and of course when she made her glorious appearance, meaning tripping on the last stair and almost hitting the floor, gaining her balance in the last moment, everybody stopped their movements, eying her intently.

The pink haired girl held her breath, remaining rooted in the place, feeling totally out of the picture. A quick look around assured her of two things: one, most of the students were rich and second, she was going to be an outcast.

"Pf…who is that tramp?"

"She looks like a slut. What is with that weird hair?"

"I bet those clothes were taken from the garbage! What? She is scared shitless?"

"I think she is going to faint! Her face is red hahahaha!"

"Dude, that chick is kinda hot looking!"

"Hey babe, got lost?"

All the whispers and stares…it was ten times worse than she would have expected. Sakura inhaled deeply, thinking about what Tsunade has told her, straightened her pose, threw her bag over shoulder and crossed the hall, trying not to appear bothered by the rude stares she got.

Of course everyone would observe the new girl, because she had the aura of the new comer written all over her face.

A quick peek at the girls that were eying her with superior looks helped the pink haired girl make an impression of just what kind of people her new mates were going to be.

Flashy dresses, tight tops, branded skinny jeans, high heel, manicured nails and dyed hairstyles.

Those girls looked ready to go to a club, rather than school, so Sakura with her pair of black sneakers, black tight Jeans, white T-Shirt and black long cardigan felt like a mouse.

She had her long pastel pink hair tied in a messy ponytail, with a longer strand framing her face, looking stylish and her light pink fade eye shadow and pink gloss to enhance her beautiful features, and that only attracted the other guy`s attention, much to the other girl`s jealousy.

She bowed her head, not quite able to see much of the angry stares. Her knees turned to jelly and she felt like fainting. It was just as bad as she thought she would be. The same treatment coming from the popular kids. And she realized…she had no idea where the secretary was.

"You…are the most delicate flower I have ever seen in my life!" Ok, so to add to her already visible discomfort, some guy decided to be funny.

You see, there were moments Sakura really thought she was suffering from split personality, because one moment she feeling like turn around and run and in the other she felt like punching someone.

She was already at the end of the hall, leaving a group of staring and laughing crowd behind. Good thing they started to spread and go in their class rooms.

"Ok, that was definitely the lamest pick up line I have ever heard in my life!" Sakura turned around abruptly just to come face to face to a ridiculous looking kid, clad in a green jumpsuit, with a hairstyle the shape of a soup bowl.

It took every fiber of her body not to burst in hysterics. That boy was definitely one of the ones bullied in the backyard. His face just asked for a good beating.

"I am sorry if my remark made you unconformable, but I cannot refrain from admiring such a youthful display of grace and beauty." He even gave her a thumb up, flashing his white teeth, grinning. Sakura let out a loud snort, barely containing a laugh. That was not a bad guy, it was just obvious.

"Hey sorry, I did not mean to be a bitch. Is just the others were kind of staring at me and I got nervous." The emerald eyed girl raised her hand in the direction of a stunned looking boy, giving him a small smile. "I am new here. My name is Sakura."

The boy wasted no time in shaking her hand, tightly, visibly enthusiastic. "Rock Lee! The most beautiful and strong gentleman out of here and your number one fan starting from now. Welcome to our school!"

"You are quite the character you know? How about you tell me where the secretary is? I think I am kind of lost…and late."

Lee wasted no time in taking Sakura`s hand and pulling her on the opposite direction, towards the secretary. The pink haired girl find herself enjoying this one`s character. He looked like an innocent virgin guy that was looking for his place under the sun, trying desperate to blend in, just like her.

And she secretly appreciated his guts to come and greet her, not bothered to express what he thought. Just like her. And her mind unconsciously drifted to the stranger that gripped her arm the previous day, making a comparison.

The guy that brought her to the secretary, barging inside like it was his own property, startling the old woman in the process was average and funny looking, but had a warm personality.

The darker man on the other hand, was tremendously gorgeous in terms of looks, but had a nasty personality.

The emerald eyed girl could not stop herself from thinking which types of characters attracted her more.

Because, despite the dangerous situation she has been in, when she got a closer feel of the raven haired boy, she felt her heart beat faster, and that was not entirely from fear. Her inner self gave her a hit on the head…with a baseball bat for her stupidity.

"Good morning Mrs. James, this is the new student and she doesn't know where her class is!"

The secretary raised her eyebrow at the man, eying him intently. "Does she not have a mouth to speak or are you her manager?"

"I am sorry for letting myself in. My name is Haruno Sakura and I am the transferred student in the eleventh grade. This is my first day." Sakura wanted to spend the whole day in the small office, not quite enthusiastic to meet her new class mates.

All the introductions in front of them…she felt her vision cloud. And the fact that she would eat alone in the school's cafeteria…she bit her lower lip, silently screaming for help.

She had nothing against him, but the idea of being seen with Rock Lee in public was…she did not like that. She would have the word loser imprinted on her forehead.

"Haruno…transferred from Tokyo…you are in Hatake Kakashi`s class. Room number 7. Wait for him outside, he is going to escort you on your class. Do you have the schedule?"

"Yes, I have been given a copy through e-mail."

"Well then…welcome to our school, hope you will enjoy it here. Any problem you have, ask your teacher. He is good with kids."

"Thank you Mrs. Have a nice day." Not wasting anymore time, Sakura bolted out of the office, with Lee following her suit. She took a glance at her wristwatch seeing she was fifteen minutes late, but so was her teacher.

The emerald eyed girl asked herself if he was a good man, because her former sports class teacher was a senile old man, with strabismus and a rally nagging obsession for discipline.

"So, how is Kakashi?"

"Great, he is one of the most beloved teachers out here! He teaches math and I must warn you he is really strict. He was my teacher in the ninth grade and I failed his exam three times."

Sakura stopped in front of a class room that had the number 7 written on it, eying the closed door intently, feeling a lump in his throat. The screaming kids on the inside assured her the teacher did not arrive yet. Was he always that late?

"By the way…what grade are you in?"

"Eleventh, just like you. I must say though…I don't want to scare you but you have some nasty class mates out there…one particularly attracting a lot of attention."

Ok, the sad look into his small round black eyes told Sakura that boy was not that content with his life as a high school student. And what could he possibly mean by not so great mates? She felt the hair on her arms rise in fear. "Why do you say that?"

"You see this place…has a group of really popular people that basically run the school. And the guy that is in your class, is their leader."

"So I am in the same class as the school`s player and bully?" The very idea dreaded Sakura. Just her luck to have crazy class mates. She vaguely wondered what kind of men her class teacher was to handle such kids. They sounded problematic.

"Yeah…I guess you could put it like this."

"By the way, don't you have classes?"

"I do, but our teacher is ill and we have been announced this morning, so we have an hour break. Might as well keep you company until Kakashi is going to arrive. I must warn you he is always late though. Everyone knows he is in his office, reading that deprived should be forbidden book of his."

"Really? Sounds like a handful teacher."

"Why thank you Mister Lee for showing our dear new student the school and introducing me so accurately, but I am going to ask you to go to your class and not make a fuss on the halls. Thank you."

Both Sakura and Lee turned their heads over their shoulder to come eye to eye to a really interesting looking teacher.

He was tall, fit and had a book in front of his face, not even looking in their general direction. The small R written on the cover made Sakura laugh inside like a mad woman. Just what kind of high school was that anyways? And she refrained from asking him about the surgical mask he was wearing, concealing half of his face.

"Hello, my name is Haruno Sakura and I am going to be in your class, Mr. Hatake."

"Oh, so I have been told. I can totally see we are going to have a new princess in here and I can see on your eyes you are different from the other…girls in here." Sakura knew what he meant with that one. She was not a slut like the other girls she passed in the hall. God if all her mates were like that…

"I am leaving. Mr. Hatake, Gai sensei says hello. It was a pleasure to meet you Sakura, please look for me during lunch break.

I want you to meet my friends." Lee waved his hand at the stunned emerald eyed girl, a small smile graced her features. He said friends, so maybe he was not a reject, because that would totally suck. And she will not eat alone.

"Gai sensei? This is how we used to call our teachers in my country…"

"They have a special relationship which I am not going to comment on. C`mon, lets introduce you to the other gang. Don't be afraid, some of them don't bit."

Sakura raised a fine eyebrow at her teacher, not quite pleased of what she was wearing. Involuntarily she gripped the school bag tight, feeling her heart thump loud in her chest and her stomach constrict painfully.

"What do you mean by only some don't bit? What about the others? Is this a class made of vampires? Cos I forgot my garlic at home…"

"Hehe don't mind it, I was joking." Kakashi grabbed the knob door and entered the room, silencing the screaming kids, who rushed at their seats.

On the hall, Sakura felt her knees tremble, panic rushing through her. She did not want to go in there and the feeling was horrible. She was a shy girl that hated public attention.

"Ok kids, before I hear how you have spent your interesting holidays, I must introduce a new student we are going to torture with all the indecent questions we could think about. I am sure you are going to welcome her with open arms, cos if I hear you bother her…"

Ok, Sakura wanted to ironically applaud the man`s attitude, successfully making her ten times more unconformable. She just prayed she was not going to trip or do something embarrassing.

And when her class teacher looked at her nodding once to let her know she could come inside, the emerald eyed girl felt the floor slip away of her feet. "it is now or never…God don't make me faint don't make me faint don't make me…"

Sakura entered the classroom with all the confidence she could have mustered, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart, but she was felt like dying when a class full of people had their eyes glued on her, eying her like she had grown a pair of horns and a red nose.

She came right beside her teacher, silently asking him to catch her if she was about to faint. And the older teacher was well aware of her distress.

"Kids, this is our new student. Why don't you introduce yourself to your new colleagues?"

Sakura wanted to be a smartass and tell him how about no, but she could not do so, instead she brushed a strand of hair from her ponytail over her ear, put a small smile on her delicate face and raised her emerald eyes in the direction of the expectant class.

"Hello. My name is Sakura Haruno and starting from today, I am going to be your colleague. I have moved here from Tokyo and my aunt is taking care of me. I am looking forward to meeting you all…no I don't…I hope I would make new friends."

Silence.

Then a crowd of whispering and staring people was what Sakura had in front of her eyes. She absolutely loathed to be the new kid.

And it was not the fact that all the boys were scanning her from head to toe, whispering and winking in her direction, or that all the other girls were snorting and throwing her hateful glances the thing that gave a new meaning of the word horror in her vocabulary, but a very suggestive syllable that was going to be the death of her from that moment.

"Hn."

She raised her emerald eyes in the direction of the arrogant noise, forest green clashing with heated onyx ones. There was no mistake in the fact that the owner was the guy Lee was talking about. And to her stupor, it was the raven haired absolutely gorgeous arrogant and dangerous guy she encountered the day before at the local supermarket.

"Oh no..."

And his smirk, was more than suggestive.

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Author`s Note: Ok, so this is totally something I have written on a whim and decided to post it. I am not sure of the result, but I truly love the idea of a high school fic so yeah…why not?