Chapter 1: Enter Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke’s mother walked out onto the porch to hang some clothes to dry on the rails and watched her sons Itachi and Sasuke train together in the back yard. Their father was in the study, as always. It seemed that’s where he always was; he never had time for his family these days.
“Okay, you two. I think that’s enough for this morning. You two have school to get to!” she yelled at the sons she adored.
Sasuke groaned as he trudged back into the house to change for school, running up the stairs at full speed. He needed to hurry so his brother wouldn’t leave him again. Sasuke didn’t want to walk by himself. He liked the company. Though, Sasuke had to walk home by himself. His brother was so smart, he was taking classes at the college and got home sooner than Sasuke did.
The day went by as it usually did. Boring classes, dull lectures, easy tests- for Sasuke, anyway. As Sasuke stepped outside, the sun was bright, the sky blue, and the birds sang. Nothing indicating the horror that he would find when he got home.
Seeing the bloody corpses of his family was hard enough, but having to give his statement to the police a thousand times was like reliving it. Itachi was missing. The police hadn’t been able to find his body; they figured he had been abducted. What they wouldn’t tell Sasuke was that they didn’t think they’d find him alive.
Sasuke snapped awake. His heart was beating a mile a minute, and sweat formed on his temples. Placing a hand to his head, Sasuke recalled the dream and grimaced. He hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since he was placed with this family. Was it an omen?
Sasuke laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. He missed his family so bad. He missed Itachi, but it had been eight years. He didn’t think he’d ever find him again. He was beginning to lose hope.
“Sasuke! Up, now!” yelled Sasuke’s foster mom, Lori from the door of his room. “You are going to be late, and I’m not going to write a note to explain this time. Take some responsibility!” She stormed back downstairs when Sasuke shrugged.
He heard Lori complaining to Dugong, the foster Dad, that didn’t act very dad like. He just sat around and pretended Sasuke didn’t exist, which was fine was Sasuke. He liked being able to do as he pleased. Heck, he did that even with Lori constantly yelling at him.
After he was dressed, Sasuke headed downstairs and passed by Lori without a word. He grabbed his bag and out the door he went. Lori felt bad, but after three months of his attitudes was enough. That boy didn’t listen to a word she said; he’d much rather her not be there, but she wanted to help him. Even if he didn’t want to be helped.
“Sasuke Uchiha, you’re late again,” Mr. Banner shook his head. It was no different than any other day, but it was still disappointing. “You are going to be kicked out if you don’t start abiding by the rules. Now, take a seat. Oh, and for being late, you have to write me a six page paper on why you should always be on time.”
Sasuke didn’t say anything as he took a seat at the back of the class. He could have cared less. Mr. Banner and him both knew he wasn’t going to do it, just like he didn’t do any of his other assignments. Sasuke was a smart kid, he just never tried after his parents died. He couldn’t figure out what the point was. The only thing keeping him from failing were his tests that he did average on.
Sasuke just stared out the window all day while his teachers droned on and on and on. Tapping his finger on his desk and supporting his head with his other hand, he tried to block out all the kids smiling and laughing in his class. He hated emotion, anger, happiness, sadness, all of them. He hated them; they made him feel vulnerable.
As the bell rang, signaling lunch, Sasuke got up with everyone else and headed for the lunchroom where they were being served mashed potatoes and chicken, or what looked like mashed potatoes.
Sasuke was headed to his table in the corner when some freshman came barreling down the aisle and knocked the tray into Sasuke, where potato clung to his shirt, face, and hair. Chicken pieces could be found scattered on the floor with the tray and the rest of his food.
Sasuke grabbed the kid by his collar. “You think this is funny?” he asked though the kid wasn’t laughing.
“No,” the kid coward away from him shielding his face with his hands. Everyone knew what a temper Sasuke had.
“Hey, leave the poor kid alone. It was an accident!” called out the bully of the school, Mitchell Danburry.
Sasuke dropped the kid in the puddle of food and turned his attention to Mitchell. “Ya, well, he should watch where he’s going next time.”
“Keep your head out of your butt, and maybe you have saw him,” Mitchell retorted.
“I’d watch what you say. You don’t want me to make a fool out of you again, do you?” Sasuke asked, referring to the first day of school when Sasuke had beaten the crap out of the fat bully that was three times as big as Sasuke.
“Oh shut up, Uchiha. Just because your parents are dead, it doesn’t give you the right to just do whatever you want. You know what you are? A sad miserable little kid who still wants his mommy,” the boy teased. The other kids laughed, though nervously, knowing full well Sasuke was going to retaliate.
And, Sasuke didn’t disappoint. He was on top of Mitchell faster than a bullet and was pounding the kid’s face in just as fast. Soon, there were teachers and the principle trying to pull Sasuke off of him, though it wasn’t easy, Sasuke was furious. Of course he missed his parents. Mitchell just didn’t understand, and this was Sasuke’s way of making him understand.
“Lori, Dugong, Sasuke was in another fight today,” Principle Kwan explained to the two of them. They were sitting on either side of Sasuke in the small, cramped office. After they nodded, he continued, “That is the fourth time this month. We give him detentions, warnings, homework, suspension. Nothing is working. We have no choice but to expel him. We have heard of a great school in Konoha that doesn’t tolerate any of this kind of behavior. They have ways of working with the student. They have the option of dorms, so you wouldn’t have to move if you didn’t want to.”
“Thank you. We’ll think about it. Our apologizes,” Lori nodded as she grabbed Sasuke’s arm, roughly, and pulled him out the school.
“Sasuke Uchiha, you have no idea how infuriating you are! Get in the car. We are going to be having a long talk when we get home!” Lori fumed. Dugong followed along silently. He left the disciplining to his wife.
At the house, Sasuke sat on the coach and listened to Lori ranting and raving like mad. She paced the room while Dugong sat in the sofa and watched her.
“Sasuke, I know I’m not your biological mother, but I love you nonetheless. I want you to succeed, to be happy, to feel something. But, you are so impossible. You won’t even try to get along with others. So, I feel it would be best to send you to Konoha High. Dugong, go make the arrangements. Now, it’ll be up to you whether or not you want us to come along,” Lori said.
Sasuke didn’t say anything, just looked out the window. Finally, “Stay. I don’t need you there. I can do it myself.”
Lori understood. He wanted to be out on his own. He was sixteen years old, almost seventeen. He needed to experience independence. Maybe that was the best thing for him. “Okay, Sasuke. You can call us if you need anything. We’ll call you at least three times a week.”
Sasuke got up and went to his room to pack.
Sasuke parked his motorcycle on the side of the warehouse and went in through the back. He could hear the beat of the music from the outside it was so loud. Once inside, Sasuke found his friends and ordered himself a shot. He had so much stress; he needed something to relieve him-if just for the night.
“Rough day?” the bartender asked.
“The worst,” Sasuke agreed downing it in one swallow. He motioned for more.
Sasuke glanced through the crowd at the girls. They were all the same, blonde and easy. He picked one out, and after downing another glass, headed onto the dance floor. Grinding with the woman for a few minutes peeked her interest. Then he bought her a few drinks, and up the stairs they went into the storage rooms for some alone time.
When Sasuke was through with her, he’d leave her and find another, going through the same routine. Sasuke was tired of the same old thing. But, Sasuke wasn’t sure what he wanted.
Sasuke dumped his bags on his new bed in his new dorm room right off campus. On the bed opposite him was a blonde kid who was snoring like crazy. Great. More annoyance. Sasuke made as much noise as he wanted, and in the end, woke up the blonde. Though, he would regret it later.
“Oh, hey. I didn’t hear you come in. I’m Naruto Uzumaki. I heard you’re Sasuke Uchiha. Is it true you were expelled for killing someone at your last school?” he asked in one breath.
“Easy, Naruto. You’re going to give the kid reason to try again,” came a voice from the door. Turning, Sasuke saw a kid with short brown hair with red triangle tattoos on his cheeks. A dog sat on his shoulder. “I’m Kiba. It’ll take some getting used to Naruto’s constant blubbering. Good luck.”
“Whatever,” Sasuke threw his clothes in the small dressers and shoved his bag under his bed. He breezed by the boys and headed down the hall. He needed to get away from them; they talked too much, and in the end would annoy him.
Sasuke’s room was on the top most floor of the three level dorm. As he headed for the elevator, someone blocked his path. Looking up, Sasuke stared into a silver haired, black eyed man.
“You must be Uchiha. I’m this floor’s advisor. I’m Kakashi Hatake. You in hurry?” he replied.
“Huh?” Sasuke was staring at the headband that Kakashi had covering one of his eyes, and the mask over his lower face. “No,” Sasuke shook his head to stop himself from staring.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow but left him be. Sasuke continued to the elevator and got in. Sasuke didn’t see the kid standing in the corner, which startled him. “I’m Rock Lee, though I’m a floor below you. You’re Sasuke Uchiha, right?”
“Hm.” Sasuke crossed his arms and tried not to look at this kid’s face. His bowl cut hair was scary enough, but the fat caterpillars above his eyes were way too much. Just before the door closed, Sasuke slipped out and took the stairs, beating the elevator.
Sasuke needed to go get his schedule from the headmaster of the school. Plus, it was a good excuse to get out of that Looney bin. How did people stand it in there?
Knocking on the door, the headmaster called him in. “Sasuke Uchiha, take a seat, please,” he motioned at the chair opposite him. The headmaster was a big man with black hair. He seemed in his late thirties, early forties. “How do you like the dorm?”
Sasuke shrugged.
The headmaster continued. “I’m Headmaster Dozu. And that woman is the Hokage, the major if you will, of Konoha, Lady Tsunade,” he introduced them. The blonde woman nodded her head.
Sasuke didn’t say anything.
Dozu handed Sasuke his schedule. “Now, we know how much of a trouble maker you were. If you continue to cause trouble, you will be sent to a military academy. Do I make myself clear?” Sasuke shrugged. “Now, as for your grades. After a week, I will look over your progress. If nothing has changed. You will be assigned a tutor. Do you understand.”
Sasuke nodded.
“Good. You are free to go explore the campus. Welcome to Konoha High, Mr. Uchiha.”
Sasuke nodded and headed out the door. Taking the stairs down to the first level, the door smacked him in the nose, when someone threw it open.
Sasuke clutched his nose, that was oozing out blood. “Oh, I’m so sorry, the wind caught the door. I didn’t see you. Are you alright?” a young woman’s voice broke through the pulsing in his head.
“Come on, I’ll help clean you up,” she grabbed his hand and pulled him after her. Sasuke followed wordlessly into a nurses office, though there was no nurse in sight. Sakura motioned for him to take a seat on the cot. She opened a cabinet and rummaged around inside. Pulling out a towel, she threw it at him.
Sasuke watched her as she moved. Her unusually long pink hair, though it might look dumb on others, looked good on her. She had crème colored skin, and full, pink lips. Her green eyes shown throughout the entire room.
Sasuke used it to pinch his nose. The girl grabbed a wet rag and washed off the blood from his face. She checked from time to time to see of the bleeding had stopped. Once it had, she gave him the rag to clean himself up.
“There you go. Just watch where you walk next time,” she winked as she slipped out the door and left Sasuke baffled.
