Normal P.O.V.

Sakura sighed as she sat down, her back against the wall as she rubbed her now aching temples. "Great...how could Mr. Gai NOT see us in here? We were in good sight of the door! Gah!" she yelled, then winced a little bit as her head pounded.

"Well, it could be worse," Kabuto said, earning a glare from the annoyed girl. "Please don't say anything that could jinx things and make it worse. Because, trust me, with my luck, it'll happen," she said, digging through her backpack for her bottle of medicine and the water she saved from her lunch. He only chuckled, earning another glare. "Are you saying you have bad luck?" he asked. Sakura sighed, "No. I'm just saying that because I want a pity party. I thought you were supposed to be one of the top 5 smartest guys in the senior class."

"Sarcasm noted."

"Duh."

"Heh...you're exactly how your friends have described you."

Sakura looked up at him over her water bottle. "Hmm?" she inquired, pulling the bottle away from her lips and twisting the cap on it. Kabuto pushed his glasses back up on his nose, "You're sarcastic, unique, a tomboy, and a bookworm. But you're friendly, sweet, and have a mind all your own."

Sakura was grateful for the dim light that hid the small bit of blush that warmed her cheeks. "I guess that fits me pretty well. I bet Naruto-kun told you most of that. He's a guy for flattery," she said, putting her bottle back into her backpack, "If you ever met his girlfriend Hinata, I bet you've seen that." Kabuto laughed, "Yes I have. If I recall, one time she fainted. She is a strange girl; I don't believe I've ever seen a girl faint because her boyfriend said she was "drop dead beautiful" as he put it."

"Yeah. Hinata's a girl that's not great at taking compliments. But at least she doesn't deny them."

"Do you?"

"I don't care much for compliments. Most girls like them, but I don't. To me, they're just ego boosts for the giver just to get on someone's good side."

"You amuse me, Sakura-san. You're not like any girl I've ever met."

"Heh. I'll take that as a compliment. Be glad for that."

He smirked, folding a knee in and resting an arm upon it. Sakura sighed and rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes as she did. "Oy...by now I would be at home, mini heat pads on my shoulders and sitting at my computer reading my book and typing up my report," she said, taking a hand to rub her aching temple again. "You're a real multi-tasker, aren't you? Why do you spend so much time studying?" he asked.

"I want to get good grades and test scores. I want to become a doctor."

"I want to be one too, but you don't see me going crazy with studying."

Sakura glared, "Sorry I'm not a genius." "I didn't mean to insult you, Sakura-san. I'm sorry," he said quickly, a sincere look on his face. Sakura shrugged her shoulders and groaned slightly thanks to her aching head. He looked at her as she pulled out her water bottle again, taking a drink and putting it away as she leaned her head again back to the wall.

"Is something wrong?"

"I hate my life. Freaking migraines...they always happen when there's just too much stress to deal with at one time. And they wonder why I do things way before they're due."

"I don't see why you would hate your life."

"It's an expression, Kabuto-san."

Sakura sighed as she closed her eyes, brushing a hand through her hair and then sat as still as she can in hopes that her head will soon ease up. She didn't notice Kabuto approach until she felt cool fingers brush against her temples. Her eyes shot open at the touch, only to meet a face that seemed too serious for its own good. "Just relax," he said, "I can try and relieve you of some of the pain. I'm not going to hurt you or anything."

She stared at him skeptically, but relaxed as his fingers rubbed gently over her forehead. 'Hey...that's feeling rather good. Gah...curse this guy!' she thought, but then closed her eyes and let him continued without complaint. "How come you are so good at stuff like this?" she asked softly, feeling a little happy about the pain that was calming down. He chuckled, "My father taught me a lot of things. He said sometimes the best medicine is the one you can administer yourself and not by pills or liquids."

"I see. I wish my stepmother would teach me things like that, but she's always too busy."

"Hmm?"

"She's the head of the nursing staff at the hospital in Suna, so she's rarely ever home."

"What about your father?"

"He passed away when I was 7."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Still, I wish she would teach me some things, since she knows I'm studying to be a doctor. But she's always in Suna; she comes home at max twice a month because of the long travel between here and there."

He frowned, "It must feel lonely at home." Sakura opened her eyes and smiled, "A little, but almost every night I have a friend staying with me. It's rare to find the guest room empty." She lifted her head away from the wall, "It feels a lot better. Thank you Kabuto-san." He nodded and retreated back to where he originally sat. She sighed and dug through her bag, pulling out a paper bag. "I got some broken chips, graham crackers, and Smarties in here. Hungry?" she asked, offering the bag to him. He smiled and accepted, pulling out the sandwich bag of chips and ignored the growl of his stomach that erupted as soon as he touched the bag.

"9:30...we've been trapped in here for six hours."

"You must be really bored."

"Duh...by now I'll be reading one of my fantasy books before I headed off to bed. Although at this rate it's best if I just go to sleep now."

Sakura stood up, stretching out her slightly aching legs, and walked over to where blue exercise mats were stacked. "I guess these will do well as a "bed" or whatever. Better than the dirty floor," she said, grabbing one of the semi-heavy mats and dragging it over to where they were, motioning for Kabuto to move so she could place it down. "There's plenty of room for both of us, and enough between us so there's no chance of awkward situations," she said plainly, pushing her backpack over to rest in a corner.

"Are you going to turn out the light?" Kabuto asked, a joking tone in his voice as he took a place on the mat. Sakura shrugged and laid down, her head resting on her hands. "Meh, I don't care. I can sleep with or without lights on. If you want to, turn it off," she said, turning her back towards him, "Good night Kabuto-san."

Kabuto shrugged and smirked, "Good night then, Sakura-san."

Sakura tossed and turned in her sleep, on occasion letting out a groan of displeasure. Kabuto would wake up on and off as she had her fits, riding it off on being uncomfortable. He had to admit, an exercise mat wasn't exactly the comfiest thing in the world.

"Dad...please...please don't go..."

He looked over at her as she turned again, muttering through dripping tears calls of her father's name over and over again. "You're not...you're not supposed to leave...not like Mama..." she said almost in a whisper. "Sakura-san?" he said, crawling over a bit and placing a hand to her cheek.

"No...Dad...don't say good-bye...don't say good-bye!"

"Sakura-san! Wake up!"

"No! Dad, get up! Don't go! Get up! Get up!"

"Sakura-san!"

Sakura's eyes opened quickly and sat up in a reflex, her heart beating too fast in her chest and her breathing too labored. "Sakura-san, are you all right?" Kabuto asked, eyes lit with concern. "Dad...he...he wasn't supposed to go like that! He wasn't supposed to die like that!" she screamed, falling and crying into Kabuto's chest, "He wasn't supposed to leave...he wasn't supposed to leave me alone!" He gently wrapped his arms around her thin frame as she sobbed, her fists grabbing at his shirt as she choked out her cries.

"It's all right Sakura-san...it's all right."

"Dad..."

"Go on and cry. Get it out."

"I miss him...I miss him...Kabuto-san."

"I know. Just get it all out."

After about 10 minutes, Kabuto figured, Sakura fell asleep, her fists now loose of his shirt. Gently he laid her back down on her side of the mat, but kept within a good reach of her just in case. As he pulled away, he felt a grasp on his arm and turned to meet half-lidded emerald eyes. "Stay right there?" she asked softly, and he sighed with a small smile on his lips. "All right," he said, laying down beside her, making her smile and close her eyes again.

"Good night..."

"Good night Sakura-san."

Sakura woke up to the sound of students coming in through the gym to get to the locker rooms. "Hmm...? Kabuto-san...?" she said, opening her eyes to already see him awake, staring over at the door. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, watching as the door opened. "Huh, the lights on already?" came the voice of Mr. Gai, then his form came into greater view.

"Hmm? Sakura and Kabuto?"

"About time! Why did you lock us up in here last night!? We were stuck in here because you came and closed the door while we were still in here putting away the equipment!"

A brow was quirked in confusion, "I locked you up in here? After I left you two to put away the equipment, I went to my office then went to check out of school. I don't know how you two got locked up in here." The two teens looked over at each other then back to their teacher. "Then...who did?" Kabuto asked, receiving a shrug. "Well, get out of there. Both of you need to get some proper rest, my youthful students!" Mr. Gai yelled, making Sakura sigh and mutter "why me" under her breath.

Meanwhile, from behind a nearby door, a boy was giving a thumbs up to two boys hiding with him.

"That should get them together!"

"You know...if she ever finds out, she's going to kill you."

"Yeah, but come on! Sakura-chan's our friend! She needs to get out there! And we all know that he's the perfect one for her. I mean, he wants to be a doctor, he studies hard and he's smart, and...uh..."

"Dobe."

"Teme!"

"Knock it off. Come on, let's get to class before they see us."

"Do you need a ride home, Sakura-san?" Kabuto asked, slinging his backpack that was stashed in his locker over his shoulders. She shook her head, "No. I don't live too far away from here. But thank you anyway." She stopped and smiled at him, "And thank you for comforting me last night. I'm sorry. I just...sometimes when I think about my dad I just remember things and...well, yeah." Kabuto smirked and gave her a light ruffle of her hair, making her pout.

"So...did I convince you?"

"Convince me of what?"

"That I'm not all that bad?"

Sakura turned around, seeing him out of the corner of her eye with a small smirk on her lips. "Just maybe...Kabuto-kun." She walked away at that point, leaving him standing there. He smirked when he heard a quick ring of laughter, then turned away and continued his walk towards the student parking lot.