Transitions (A Naruto High School Story)

Chapter 2: Sasuke

A/N Sasuke and Neji talk to each other in Japanese this chapter, and I say when it happens, but in case there's any confusion the Japanese speech will be in <these brackets>. Most of the time the characters are speaking in English, because I am too lazy to research how Japanese schools work to try to make this take place in Japan. :p

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Sasuke had been floating through the day. Madara dropped him off to go park and his mind was a fog ever since. Maybe it was because he stayed up for hours last night trying not to cry thinking about his parents and how they would never see him graduate. He wasn't sure, though.

He didn't feel anything in response to Itachi's shoulder squeeze as he pointed him in the right direction. He didn't register the girls' looks and whispers as he walked by. And he barely noticed when Sakura Haruno walked into his second period class and sat down next to him.

"How are you doing, Sasuke? Did you have a good break?"

He shivered. Suddenly he was awake again. "What. What did you say?"

"I asked how you were." She looked at him, eyebrow cocked, before pressing the back of her knuckles to his forehead. "Are you sick or something?"

Sasuke snatched her hand away. "No. I'm fine. Why are you sitting next to me?"

He immediately regretted it—his head ached from emotional whiplash—as she pulled back her hand with a hurt expression. "Just don't want any of your fangirls returning from the dead and bothering you."

He eyed her suspiciously. "You were one of my fangirls, what do you know about the others?"

"It was a joke," she clarified with a smile. "I decided to stop being one of your fangirls. I don't even want to be your girlfriend anymore." She kept her voice low. He followed the sweep of her eyes around the room, and saw for the first time the number of eyes on him—some he recognized, some new.

"Thanks. I appreciate it," he managed to say, hoping she understood.

"No problem."

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. He laid his head on the desk, hoping a few moments of shuteye would revitalize him a little bit.

It was not to be.

"Hey Sasuke! Sakura!" an annoyingly sunshiney voice called. "Sakura, we could have walked here together! Guess it's my fault, though, since I didn't wait for you. Sorry about that."

"Maybe next time, considering I didn't even know we had this class together."

Naruto gasped. "Let's compare schedules!"

"Ok. Sasuke, can I see your schedule?"

He 'hm'-ed and handed her his agenda before turning over to the other side.

"Eww, you're taking health class?" He heard Naruto ask Sakura.

"I mean, you have to get it over with sooner or later."

"Jiraya said to wait until senior year so you don't have to take the finals."

"The same Jiraya that keeps asking if the two of us have had sex? That Jiraya wants you to hold off on health class?" Venom dripped from her voice.

Naruto sat there and processed. "Well shit, when you put it like that."

"Who's using profanity in my class?" a loud voice rasped from the front of the classroom. Any further complaints were temporarily halted by the sounding of the bell, but it gave time for the speaker to slither toward where the three sat at the back of the class.