[high school AU, funny]
"So... Why do they call you 'the Board Banshee', anyway?"
Sakura didn't respond.
"Hello?"
"That's not a question you ask your master, you mangy mutt."
Sasuke clenched his fists, "wait, 'master'?! And who are you calling a mangy mutt?!"
"You, obviously. Man, you're so pathetic, Unsightly Uchiha..."
The two didn't speak as they both walked to their first class.
"Sasuke!"
Sakura yelped and hid behind Sasuke at the sound of his voice.
"Good morning," Sasuke muttered as he ignored the flustered girl hiding behind him.
"So, I was wondering how far you got in the history homework... Huh? Who's that?"
"Hm? Oh, her? It's no one." Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly until a fist punched him hard in the small of his back, "ah... I mean, this is a... An acquaintance of mine I met yesterday, Sakura Haruno."
Naruto peeked over Sasuke's shoulder and grinned, "Hey, Sakura! I think I've heard of you before, actually."
Sakura's eyes sparkled, "r-really?!"
"Yeah, you're known as the Board Banshee, aren't you?"
Her spirit and her voice immediately dropped to zero at the mention of that name, "y-yeah..."
"Ah..." Sasuke grabbed her wrist and chuckled, "let's get head back to your seat now, Sakura..." He immediately dismissed himself and her from Naruto's reach and he sat her back down in her desk at the other side of the classroom, "what was that?!"
"What the hell do you mean?! That the boy I love knows me as the Board Banshee!! That's what that was!"
"What's so bad about that?! It's nothing like the Nightmare Uchiha!"
"What do you know?!" Sakura turned bright red, "I didn't think... He'd know me as that..."
"Well, uh." They both jumped as Naruto appeared behind them, "I don't see why a name like the Board Banshee could get to you. I mean, I thought it was awesome when I first heard about it."
Sakura blushed even more as Sasuke just stared at her in disbelief.
"You're serious?" Sasuke chuckled, "wow, isn't that amazing, Sakura?"
"Ye..." Sakura covered her face and dropped her head on her desk, staring down at the floor.
"Ah..." Naruto looked at her, "is she okay?"
"She's fine..." Sasuke scratched the back of his neck, "she can get like this... Sometimes."
"Ha, that's funny." Naruto grinned, "it's great you made another friend, Sasuke."
"Ah, she's an acquaintance..."
"Yeah, yeah." Naruto waved his correction off as he made his way back to his own desk, "anyways, I'll see you later, Sakura."
Sasuke let out a sigh of relief and looked down at her, "are you okay?"
"He talked to me..." Sakura smiled, "that was the longest I've ever conversed with him..."
"That's pathetic..." Sasuke chuckled then froze as soon as Ino stepped foot into the room.
"Sakura!" Ino ran up to her then glanced up at Sasuke, "oh, hang on, Sasuke Uchiha? Hey, what's up!"
"Ino..." Sasuke looked down at the ground and greeted her dryly.
Sakura looked up at her friend, "ignore him. He's just my errand boy."
"Oh, really?" Ino elbowed Sakura's shoulder, "or are you just trying to get to a certain someone? Hint hint..."
"Shut up!" Sakura slapped her arm away, "it's not like that!"
"Anyways..." Ino yawned mockingly then looked up at Sasuke, "don't mind Sakura's rudeness. She tends to be like that. Not to mention stubborn, hot-headed, insulting..."
"Blabber-Mouth..." Sakura murmured.
"Billboard Brow." Ino cleared her throat and smiled, "well, I'll see you guys later!"
"She's in a different class, so..." Sakura shrugged as they watched Ino leave the room, "of course the plan's not going to work."
"You mean to say we wasted three whole hours devising a plan to get her to sit with me at lunch? Pathetic..." Sasuke scoffed, but deep down inside, he felt more humiliated than defeated.
"Hm..." Sakura noticed his reaction and leaned her head back thoughtfully, "maybe we still have a chance? After school, we can all meet up and do homework together? Naruto and Ino can both come over and we can treat it as a double date."
"Yeah, but that's risky. What are the chances that they hang out with each other or Ino with you and Naruto with me?"
"Ugh..." Sakura ran her fingers roughly through her hair, "it doesn't matter."
"You have absolutely no right to say that. It's unfair that you're in the same class as Naruto. You get to see him every day, the case is different for me..."
"Not my problem."
"We made a deal!"
"Not in ink."
"Why you..."
"Fine. Do you want to hang out with Ino? You hang out with me. Ino walks to and from school with me, so there's your chance."
"That..." Sasuke nodded in approval, "that may possibly work."
"I'm a genius." Sakura crossed her arms, "now. You will switch seats with me and let me sit next to Naruto."
"And what will you do?" Sasuke smirked, "hide?"
"Shut up! I was..." Sakura cleared her throat, "caught off guard, is all..."
"If you want to talk to him, you need to actually talk, you know." Sasuke sighed, then nodded to himself, "maybe... Naruto plays soccer. Maybe if you offer to play soccer with him..."
"I'm clumsy on my feet. I trip over nothing when I'm walking down the hallway. You think soccer'll work for me? Idiot..."
He clenched his fists, "how was I supposed to know that?! Besides, I'm trying to help you, for Pete's sake!"
"Fine. We'll go watch Naruto play after school today." Sakura crossed her arms, "the cultural festival is in a few days. Do you think you could get Naruto to go with me?"
Sasuke looked at her and grumbled, "I'm not going to do everything for you. You need to hold up your end of the agreement."
"Fine, fine. I'll find a way to get Ino-Pig to notice you."
"What's with you and name-calling?"
"It's my second language."
"Okay, then..." Sasuke muttered and returned to his own desk by Naruto, "hey, Dobe. Come with us to the cultural festival."
"Ah, you're right. That reminds me... I need to set up one of the stands for the festival. Think you can give me a hand?"
"Yeah. I've got another pair, too." Sasuke gestured to Sakura who sheepishly grinned and waved.
"Yeah, sure! The more help, the faster we can get it done!" Naruto chuckled and waved back at Sakura, "you guys are way too kind, doing something out of the kindness of your hearts."
"Yeah... Totally out of the kindness..." Sasuke chuckled, "anyways, I can't go home with you today."
"Huh? Why?"
"Uh... I'm walking another friend home."
"What?! You're bailing on me-- Oh... I see." Naruto grinned, "it's that girl again, isn't it?"
Sasuke shut his eyes, "well, I wouldn't say that girl, but... It's a different girl."
"What do you mean? There are two girls? I was talking about Sakura."
"What?! No!" Sasuke denied, "I'm just helping her out with this project, that's all."
"Oh, I see. I guess that makes sense." Naruto nodded, "alright. Just this once. I'm saying this just because you guys are gonna help me out at the cultural fest."
"Yeah..." Sasuke chuckled then turned to face the front of the classroom. Now that I think about it, this whole deal is completely rigged. If we put all this on a scale, I'm giving up my time and effort to get her to see Naruto at the cultural fest and she's just letting me walk home with them so I could watch the two of them talk about whatever girls talk about. Plus, she's in the same class as Naruto and Ino's down the hall. What's fair about that? The fact that she's luckier than me? That she doesn't have the face of a murderer that can kill someone with a single glare? That's not even scratching the surface.
___________________
"Wow, Sakura. When you said you wanted to hang out with Naruto, is this your way of getting to know him? By hanging out with his closest friend? I see what you're doing." Ino chuckled as she, Sakura, and Sasuke left the school, walked through the entrance gate, and continued down the sidewalk.
"So, she's using me..." Sasuke muttered.
"Yes, I am. Deal with it, Useless Uchiha."
Sasuke glared at the back of Sakura's head as Ino fell into step with him.
"So, as a new friend of Sakura's..." Ino smiled, "do you know about her Board Banshee side?"
He scratched his head and looked away to avoid her catching his blush, "ah, not really..."
"They only call her the Board Banshee because she's got the scream of the devil. Not only that, she could rip your tonsils out."
"Ah..." Sasuke stared at said Board Banshee, "so, where does the 'board' part come from?"
"Haven't you noticed?" Ino giggled, "she's flat as a board."
Sasuke wasn't one to compare sizes, but in this case, he looked from Ino's chest to Sakura's then smirked, "ah... I see that."
"Will you shut your trap?!" Sakura punched Ino's arm hard and shoved her away from Sasuke, "strike one."
"H-hey!" Sasuke grabbed Sakura's shoulders and pushed her aside, "Sakura..."
"My bad." Ino laughed, "I should've known better."
"Sakura, you need to learn to control your temper." Sasuke lowered his voice and spoke to Sakura, who was already growling and cracking her knuckles in Sasuke's direction.
"No one asked you to care, dammit!" Sakura grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt, "strike two!"
"Hey, we made a deal!" Sasuke glared at her, "I can pull out of us helping at the cultural festival anytime I want, you know!"
"That's it!" Sakura threw Sasuke against a light post, "strike three, you're out!!"
"Hey!" Ino stopped her friend from beating Sasuke up, "you both need to calm down... I guess this is what happens when you put the Nightmare Uchiha next to the Board Banshee... People have wanted to see this for a long time, you know."
"Who cares?!" Sakura growled, "let me at him! He must die!"
"Sheesh..." Ino let go of Sakura who had exhausted herself way too fast, "calm down. You're not getting anywhere beating him up like this."
"Sorry, Ino." Sasuke sighed, "I promise I'm not like that..."
"I know." Ino smiled, "I'm not one to judge based on appearances. Learned that the hard way with Sakura, here."
"Shut up." She wiped her nose and looked away.
"She's..." Ino tapped her chin, "she's cute and Lolita-like. But in all actuality, she can kill someone here at school and still be feared by the principal. You, on the other hand, look like you can kill someone, but... You're really a nice, practical, level-headed guy."
"Heh... Thanks." Sasuke blushed at the ground, then caught Sakura's evil glance as she slung her bag over her shoulder and continued walking.
"You children are slow armadillos. I'm heading home." She called as Ino groaned.
"I guess I'll head home, too." Ino waved at Sasuke and started in a different direction, "I already passed my stop as it is. Bye, Sasuke! See you tomorrow!"
Sasuke smiled and waved as she walked away. He looked back towards Sakura and ran to catch up with her, "hey. We need to talk--"
"Game plans, right? You'll let me sit next to Naruto tomorrow and you will also take me along with you to help him at the cultural festival."
"Hey! I..." Sasuke grumbled to himself, "no point arguing with you..."
"I'm glad you see that now. You've gotten smarter in the last few minutes."
"Shut up." Sasuke glanced down at her and watched her walk. The blush on her face still lingered and he knew what she was thinking. He smiled, "don't worry. Naruto's an idiot to not notice you, but it's only normal since he's the biggest idiot I know."
"You think?" She smiled, "I mean, I was well-known in school, but I never thought he'd ever notice me for who I really am..."
Well, no one would really like to see who you really are... It's dangerous. Sasuke chuckled to himself.
"You think that's funny?!" Sakura turned to him, angry.
"No, no..."
"Not like your pathetic fantasies of Ino!"
"Hey! They're not pathetic!"
Sakura crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air smugly, "yeah? How do I know you don't keep a box of tape recordings under your bed of the songs that remind you of her?"
"Hey!" Sasuke looked away, face red, "not like I do that or anything..."
"Wow." She smirked, "you're more pathetic than I thought. Anyways, thanks for walking with us. And... Thanks for everything you're doing... To help me and Naruto."
"You're welcome." Sasuke sighed as he watched Sakura make her way up to her house just after waving to him. He chuckled, waved back, and continued on to his own house. The cultural fest... I hope that's when it all finally ends. I'll have to do my part if I want to get to know Ino more. I know there's only so much Sakura can do for me, and so much I could do for her.
Sasuke smiled to himself again as he slung his bag higher onto his shoulder and continued on. Can't wait. We'll see how you do, Sakura.
~~~
Written by xX_Fang_Xx