1. Letter

Sakura Haruno stared at the blank screen with empty eyes, empty brain. She had absolutely no idea of what to write. How could it be that hard? It was just a letter, for Christ's sake!

A letter to someone I have never met before.

She sighed heavily and rested her chin on the palm of her right hand, still staring at the bright white color on the screen of her computer; the empty sheet of paper; the emptiness in her brain.

They can't be serious. How the hell am I going to write a letter to someone I don't even know? This assignment is even more ridiculous than our usual assignments!

The school board had recently decided along with the school board in Suna City that they would offer an exchange student program to two junior classes to improve the collaboration between the two cities. And, of course, they just had to pick Sakura's English class to represent Konoha. Sakura was not happy about it.

Apparently, her teachers did not share her skeptics, as they had told the students about the idea with so much enthusiasm that you would think they had found a cure for cancer.

Of course, a few students had been excited, too. Lee, of course; he just couldn't sit still and be quiet for more than five seconds, so how could you expect him to not give away emotional speeches at a time like that? Naruto, the blonde class clown, had also radiated excitement – perhaps he was hoping for somebody so tolerant and stupid and with their head up their ass that he could turn him or her into his own little trouble mascot; not very likely to happen. Nobody in the world would match Naruto, it was simply impossible. He was one of a kind.

Sakura sighed heavily once more, still as blank as ever. She herself had not really paid attention to the whole thing, being more interested in the conversation between Neji, Sasuke, and Kiba that went on in front of her.

Neji had complained loudly about the assignment and the teacher and the school and the world in general, and Kiba had grinned in a disgusting way and loudly noted the opportunity to score a hot girl that this assignment just might be. Sasuke had not really said much, just rolled his eyes at both of the guys and looked thoughtfully into thin air again. Every time Sakura thought about those dreamy eyes, she just melted on the inside.

OK. Focus. Concentration. She had to finish this letter for tomorrow. Otherwise, she would be in great trouble.

She took a deep breath and quickly typed the few sentences she could think of that did not sound too stupid:

"Hello!

My name is Sakura Haruno, and I will be your host for the three months you will be spending here in Konoha. I just know that it will be a lot of fun!

I live with my parents in a small house just outside of Konoha City. I also have a dog named Mindy.

For my spare time I like reading, drawing, and practicing sports. I do dancing and a little boxing – and I'm a member of Konoha Public High School's Track Team. I also like spending time with my friends."

She paused and looked at the last sentence for a minute. She didn't know exactly why she wrote it. She did not have any friends. But, as she figured, she would probably have enjoyed spending time with them, if she did in fact have some friends.

"My favorite school subjects are Art, PE, and Biology. I want to become a doctor in the future.

I'm hopelessly in love with a guy named Sasuke Uchiha, who barely knows my name."

Sakura chuckled under her breath. She definitely was not going to write that – she would have to delete that sentence. Her exchange student should not have a chance to think of her as an idiot before he or she arrived – there would be plenty of options for that later.

She wondered what kind of person they would send to live with her. The teachers knew that she was hopeless – in social situations, anyway. She was the girl who was always alone. It would be really awkward if her exchange student turned out to be the most popular student in Suna High School.

But they most likely wouldn't do that. She would probably end up with a total loser – then Konoha High would have a matching set.

Sakura sighed and continued the letter.

"I have lived in Konoha all my life, so I can show you all the good places when you get here. I'm really looking forward to meeting you!

Greetings,

Sakura Haruno."

Finally. It was done. End of homework. And time for bed.

Sakura pressed PRINT without even reading it, folded the printed sheet and put it in her English book. The students from Suna had already wrote letters, so the teachers in both cities would read them all during the next week and by comparison and in unison decide who to pair up. The Suna students were to arrive in a month.

What a blast.

Sakura let out another frustrated sigh and went to bed.

So, first chapter…

I hope you liked it! (: