#ssm15d26

“Language, Sasuke.” I was about to tell him to go fuck himself, but then he turned to me, took off his sunglasses, and gave me one of those stern looks that he gives me only when he's either really serious, or really pissed. It silences me immediately. “I know why you don't like Japan anymore,” he said. “I know everything here reminds you of your childhood... of mom and dad. I know it's painful. But you cannot run from your past forever. You have to face it, and to take care of your responsibility, and to build a good future, Sasuke.”

I clenched my jaw, knowing he was right, but hating him for it.

“Konoha High is a good boarding school,” he continued. “I went there. Dad went there. Many other Uchihas went there. It's a tradition for a reason. You'll like it.”

“And what if I don't?” I mumbled, crossing my arms like a child throwing a tantrum – which I sort of was, though I wouldn't have admitted it.

“Then I'll send you back to Switzerland.”

I froze with surprise, my eyes widening. “Really?”

Itachi nodded, putting his sunglasses back on and looking through the window. “If by Christmas break you still have this mindset, I'll send you back. But just give it a try, Sasuke. A few months – that's all I'm asking for. Can you do it?”

I was quiet for several moments. My answer was yes, four months was just four months, but as always, it was hard to explicitly give in to my brother. I didn't have to say a word, though, because soon, the car slowed down and my brother announced, “We're here.”

-

-

The place wasn't so bad, at least appearance-wise. The architecture was modern and tasteful. There were many trees around and inside the campus, which was even bigger than my Swiss school's. Everything was in order, clean, carefully organized – pleasant. I expected nothing less from such a prestigious boarding school, though. The fact that I liked how it looked meant little.

Today was the day when all students were arriving. There were people everywhere, crowding the halls, running around, carrying suitcases towards the dorms. It was not hard to spot the students: they all looked the same, wearing the same clothes, moving the same way. I could smell their arrogance and entitlement even from distance. I would have been one of them if my brother had not been there to raise me for half of my life, always making sure I was humble and polite enough to everyone. Those kids clearly never had someone like Itachi in their lives.

But among all those snotty teenagers, I noticed a few that were different. It was evident in their clothing, their stances, even the way they looked around. They were not spoiled rich kids, like the rest. They seemed... average. I figured soon that they were the ones who got in with a scholarship – the ones who did not have the money, but had the brains. It wouldn't surprise me if they were treated differently. It's the same in all expensive schools.

Nevertheless, I didn't care much for the people here. I didn't plan on getting involved in anything nor attached to anyone if I was only going to be here until Christmas break – because no, there was no way I was going to eventually like it here. My brother could hope I would all he wanted, but I was definitely going to be back in Switzerland by January.

Bored, I followed Itachi around as he gave me a brief tour around campus, occasionally recalling some moments of his teenage years. Then, he guided me towards the boys' dorms, the furthest building from the main one. “Konoha High used to be an all-boys school,” he explained as we headed towards my room in the third floor, “but that changed in the eighties. The dorms used to be in the building beside this one, which is much bigger. They changed it because more girls started to come, so they were the ones who needed a building as big, not the boys.”

“Fascinating,” I said sarcastically. “Anyway, I'm not sharing my room with anyone, right?”

Itachi glanced at me worriedly. “Oh. I didn't tell you?”

“What?”

“You are sharing it. It's a school policy. It teaches values such as solidarity, respect-”

“Oh, for shit's sake, get me out of here.”

He ignored me, of course. Then, we finally arrived to my new room. He pulled out the key from his pocket, gave it to me, and told me I had the honor of opening the door. I rolled my eyes, but complied. Once inside, the first thing I noticed was that the room was bigger than I expected. Bigger than the room I had in Switzerland, but then again, I didn't share that one. There were two beds on each opposite wall, each with its bedside table. There were also two closets, two desks, one window, and one door that led to a small bathroom. Well, I thought, at least I only have to share the bathroom with one guy.

Right then, as if I had summoned him with my mind, my roommate arrived.

And I was astonished when I realized that I already knew him. He was, in fact, Uzumaki Naruto, my oldest childhood friend, and whom I hadn't seen since I moved to Europe, a decade ago, after my parents' deaths.

“Long time no see, Sasuke!” he exclaimed as he joyfully threw his arms around me. He pulled away, hands on my shoulders, and grinned so widely I thought his cheeks would hurt. “Man! I haven't seen you in years! How've you been?”

“Naruto...” Blinking my shock off, I turned to glare at Itachi. “Was this your plan?”

My brother smiled and calmly replied, “Naruto has been attending this school since the first year. I did not make him come here. I, however, did pull some strings to make him be your roommate. I only thought it would be good to have someone familiar to help you around.”

“I don't need any help around.”

Naruto laughed, throwing one arm around me. “Oh, but I'm sure you'll love it!”

-

-

The next day, classes started. I liked my subjects, but I thought that wouldn't matter if I got obnoxious classmates – which I did. The saddest part if that the most obnoxious of them all happened to be Naruto and his friends; in other words, I was forced to hang out with this annoying crew of shitheads.

I hated them immediately, but they seemed to like me – or at least they liked my identity. Uchiha Sasuke, the second heir of one of the most powerful companies in the country, with a tragic past, excellent academic background, and looks to match. I was the most exciting new classmate they'd had in a while. I couldn't really blame them for being so enthusiastic about my presence.

At least I was making connections, as my brother told me to. Naruto was Tokyo's governor's son. His girlfriend, Hinata, was a Hyuga; that family was as ancient and wealthy as mine. His other friends came from very important families, as well: Nara, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Akimichi, Aburame, No Sabaku... They were the coolest kids in our generation, of course. With an Uchiha with them, I guess they only became more powerful. I thought it was rather ridiculous.

It wasn't until lunch time that I learned more about those kids that I'd noticed before, the ones with scholarships. They were called Commoners and, although they were not exactly bullied, the other students were usually condescending and rude to them, which sort of angered me. But I refused to even say something about it. I was only passing by. It was none of my business.

Or so I thought, until my third or fourth week here.

-

-

There was a girl in some of my classes that I had noticed almost instantly. She stood out from the other girls, not only because she was evidently a Commoner, but because she had pink hair. Surprisingly, it looked good on her. She was rather pretty, in fact: big green eyes, beautiful smile, long athletic legs, curves in the right places. She was very smart, to top it all, but well, she had to be, if she was here with a scholarship. She was nice, too. Her name was Haruno Sakura. We had never actually talked, but she always smiled at me when I said something in class, and it wasn't even flirty; it was just... kind.

I would have talked to her, but I was serious when I decided I would not get attached to anyone here, especially not a girl. So I only admired her from afar, wishing every day I saw her that she was doing well, which is something I had never done for a girl before. I suppose it was because I never found someone so out of reach.

However, one day, I had to change my decision.

It was on a Sunday. Those days, the Commoners are assigned duties as part of their scholarship responsibilities. They cleaned the common rooms, tutored other students, mowed the lawns, helped the teachers with grading, stuff like that. I was bored, but I wanted to be by myself, so I headed to the library to read in one of the comfy sofas and maybe take a nap. My plans changed, though, because I saw Sakura there.

She was organizing the books, humming quietly to a song she listened to through her earphones. It was the first time I saw her wearing something that wasn't the boring school's uniform. She wore jeans and a plain red t-shirt, and even like that, she looked amazing. I watched her through the shelves, debating whether or not I should say hi, but my thoughts were interrupted when I saw three girls approach her.

“Excuse me?” one of them said. I recognized her as Karin. She was Naruto's cousin, and I heard she had a thing for me, but I was neither interested nor surprised. “Excuse me,” she repeated more loudly, as Sakura had not heard her due to the music.

She did hear her then. Smiling sheepishly, she said, “Oh, I'm sorry. Hi. Can I help you?”

“I'm looking for a Chemistry book,” Karin said, chin raised high, like only a privileged kid's, like her, like me, would be.

“Uh, it must be in the fourth aisle by the-”

“No, girl. I don't need you to tell me where it is. I need you to go find it for me.”

Sakura paused, confused. “What?”

“This is what you Commoners are for, after all,” Karin explained with a shrug. “That's your only role here. Brains are useless when you do not have power, which money gives you. You might eventually work for us, anyway. Better get used to it already.”

The two other girls with her laughed. Sakura looked from one to another, astonished, and I thought she would vow her head and comply, or – even worse – break down crying. I felt the sudden impulse of stepping in to defend her.

But before I could do anything, Sakura squared her shoulders, looked at Karin straight in the eye, and firmly said, “You think you have power? Well, think better. Power over me, at least, you completely lack. I am not your servant, and I never will be, bitch.”

Karin was more bark than bite, so of course, she backed off, after giving some lame threat that she would never carry on, because she indeed did not have the power, nor the guts, she thought she did.

I stood behind the shelves, smirking as I watched Sakura resume her work. After a few moments, I took a decision and stepped around the shelves.

“That was impressive.”

She spun around, startled. When she saw it was just me, she laughed nervously. “Oh God. I thought they had come back to beat me up. I was actually scared.”

“You hid it well,” I praised. “Haruno, right?”

She nodded with a smile. “And you're Uchiha. You're in some of my classes. You're smarter than other rich kids. I find you... interesting.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

She looked away, blushing. “I – I mean, interesting in, like, a normal way. I don't stalk you or anything. I mean, I watch you sometimes – you're hard to ignore – but I...” She looked back at me, grimacing. “Sorry. I'm just nervous.”

“It's okay,” I said, stepping closer until I made her press her back to the shelf. “I find you interesting, too.”

-

-

Months later, Itachi came to pick me up for Christmas break. Everyone was already packing their stuff, leaving the dorms, getting ready for fancy vacations at the other side of the world. I planned on staying in Japan. My friends in Switzerland wanted me to go visit, but I had better plans.

As soon as we got into the car, Itachi asked, “So, what did you think?”

I shrugged, texting on my phone. “It was alright.”

“What about the classes? The teachers?”

“Not bad at all.”

“And did you make any friends?”

I looked at him. “I'm staying, Itachi. I'm not going back to Switzerland.”

His eyebrows shot upwards. “Really?” he asked, clearly taken off guard. “What made you change your mind?”

Smirking lightly, I turned back to my phone as I received one last text: Okay, Sasuke-kun, I'll see you in a couple of weeks then. I'm so excited! You'll LOVE Kyoto, almost as much as you love me ;) <3

Sasuke threw a small paperback at Naruto’s stomach. “You idiot,” he said. “Grinding doesn’t count as dancing. Plus, that one girl—the one with the purple hair. She didn’t seem to appreciate you shoving your crotch all over her.”

From the corner of his eye, Neji seemed to twitch erratically. Sasuke figured that maybe he was just into her and jealous.

“Come to think of it, Sasuke-kun,” Sai said. This time, Sasuke twitched. He allowed very few people to address him as Sasuke-kun, and Sai was not—and would never be—one of them. “You danced with a…ah, what do you guys call it? A chicken? Yeah, you danced with a chicken too at the event.”

“Wait, are we talking about a bird or Sasuke’s hair?” Chouji asked.

“He means chick,” Shikamaru butted in. “Sai, it’s chick.”

“Oh.”

Sasuke ignored the group’s gaze on him, pressuring him on for more information about this mysterious girl.

“Actually, I kind of remember her too! I didn’t get to see her face, but she had pink hair—of all things, pink hair!—in a bun. She wore this strapless red dress—I know it was red because I got hot looking at her being hot—and had the nicest ass.” Naruto grinned like a naughty boy. “Teme was really into her, if I recall. He held her the whole night, like he was afraid she’d leave him or something.”

Luckily, Naruto put out his cigarette before Sasuke threw a pillow into his face to shut him up. The impact was so great, the blond felt his head smack into the wall behind him.

“Who is she?” Neji asked, an eyebrow raised. “How come we haven’t heard of her?”

“It’s nothing,” Sasuke muttered. “Leave it alone.”

“Ah, so she broke up with you?” Lee asked. “Come here, Sasuke! Let me give you a hug—“

“No.” He stopped Lee with his foot, creating distance between the two of them. “Go away.”

“What’s her name, at least?” Shikamaru said. He blew smoke out of his mouth and watched it float up into the ceiling.

“—Sakura!”

Sasuke’s ears perked up. He glared at Chouji, who made the accusation.

“How did you know?” he snarled.

“Hm? Oh, what? I was talking about these!” Chouji pulled a carton of strawberry snacks hidden behind his body. “Look. I said that they were shaped like Sakura.”

Naruto, having recovered from the blow to the stomach, grinned sheepishly. “So her name’s Sakura, huh?”

“It’s none of your business.” He felt the six pairs of eyes on him, following his every move, tracking his every thought. “It’s nothing.”

“It didn’t seem like nothing, the way you kissed her,” Shikamaru smirked.

“When did you see that?!”

Shikamaru chuckled. “You’re making it too easy, Sasuke.”

“Forget it.” Sasuke jumped off his bed and made for the door. “I’m leaving.”

“Ooh,” Lee cried. “Are you going to see Sakura-chan?”

Sasuke shut the door behind him, only to find Sakura walking down the hallway of the dorms. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and she raced towards him, jumping into his arms. He was prepared: he caught her, fighting a smirk as she showered him with kisses and complained about how long it’s been.

“It was only two days ago,” he laughed. “Relax. What are you doing here?”

“I had to get away,” she breathed. “My friends—ugh, they’re so…I don’t know, they just kept bugging me about you, wondering if you had any of your buddies they could hook up with.” She jumped out from his arms, feet secure.

“Oh, it is her!” Naruto grinned. “I can tell because she’s the one with the cute butt.”

“The hair color didn’t give it away?” Shikamaru said.

Sakura put her hands on her hips. “Sasuke-kun…” she began. “…What were you telling them about me?”

Naruto grinned. He knew he’d get in so much trouble for this, but it had to be said.

“HE’S THE ONE WHO TALKED ABOUT YOUR NICE ASS.”

Naruto leaned his forehead against the door and sighed. “Are you guys decent, now? You know, after I caught you—”

The door opened, and he was suddenly thrown inside, on the carpet of his own goddamn room.

He shook his head. “Glad to see you guys are decent—”

“Naruto—”

“Idiot—”

“you need to keep quiet about this,” Sakura hissed. Her hair was now back in a neat ponytail—as if that made matters any better, Naruto thought with a low moan of agony.

Sasuke nodded, and Naruto could take some satisfaction in the fact that at least he’d never seen the guy this flustered—Sasuke, who was usually so cool and calm and collected, reduced to a panting teenager.

“It was so gross,” Naruto groaned, cursing his brain for recalling the panting. “You guys, I can’t believe—at least text me, or, or something! Tell me not to come in here!”

“We,” Sasuke started. He ran a hand through his hair, and scoffed. “It isn't—this—this isn’t something you can plan beforehand and text.”

So it was a spontaneous, post-sports-practice make-out session. Naruto gagged a little.

“Stop acting like this is the worst thing ever,” Sakura snapped. She crossed her arms, and Naruto was very aware of her fists, now curled. “You know we’re dating.”

“My best friends,” Naruto said, and closed his eyes, “can’t even hear the click of the door when I unlock it, because they’re too busy canoodling and swapping spit and touch—”

“Enough,” Sasuke interrupted. “Don’t tell anybody else, idiot.”

“I know, I know,” Naruto said, and rolled his eyes. “Keeping your love hush hush, and all. I don’t understand why it has to be a big secret, and all, if you’re still looking at each other the way you do and—”

“Secret,” Sakura said. “We’re, just, private, okay?”

“Not private enough to not make out in front of me and—”

“Let’s,” Sakura cut him off. “Let’s just forget this happened, and start prepping for that bio exam tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah,” Naruto agreed, another hand rising to his heart. “The bio exam. On the reproductive system. Which we’d be studying while you two clearly can’t keep your hands off each other.”

“…You idiot,” was all Sasuke could come up with, but he shot a look at Sakura.

“Oh god, it’s getting worse, I’ll have to request a roomate transfer—”

“I’ll study in my room tonight, then,” Sakura offered. She kicked Naruto out of the way, who was still sprawled on the floor contemplating his absolutely goddamn terrible fate, and she made to exit the room.

“Wait,” Sasuke said then, suddenly. Both turned to look at him, and his face was aflame. “Will…we, er—”

“I’ll chat you, or something,” Sakura said with a smile over the wails of Naruto.  

“So gross,” he said. “You have soiled the walls of this Academy—”

Sakura, having had enough of the Uzumaki Naruto Live Spectacle, darted back in the room to kiss Sasuke goodbye, before darting back out.

“Where is the shame?” Naruto asked. Sasuke quickly moved to take a shower, face ablaze, and Naruto collapsed on the floor.