I dedicate this chapter to my wonderful student JoelleAu

If you haven't checked her stories out, you should. She does amazing work.

xxx

A shrill, generic jingle erupted from his phone beside him. Immediately turning it off then throwing it off the bed, Sasori turned onto his other side. Finishing their exams just yesterday, he had forgotten to turn off his alarm for today. He closed his eyes, pushing his arms underneath his pillow. Light peeked behind his dark curtains, but he laid stubborn, ignoring the morning sun.

Hours later, he again, awoke to the sound of his phone. However, the distinct ringtone he placed for the special person couldn't be ignored. With the blanket quickly thrown to his feet, Sasori scrambled out of bed and rushed to the other side of the bed, throwing dirty clothes out of his way.

Finally finding it, he pressed it to his ear and answered it in a relaxed tone, "Hey Sakura-chan."

"Ah, Sasori-kun! Did I wake you?" Her voice reverberating with that typical fretfulness she carried.

Taking a glance at his horrific bedhead in his full-length mirror, he returned his attention back to the beloved girl. "No, I've been awake for awhile. What is it?"

She laughed, "That's good! I know, it was only yesterday since exams, so I wanted to give you some rest." Her words made him smile. "Anyway, senpai said that Tsunade-sama ordered us to clean out the classrooms during break. Would you like to help me today?"

"Itachi didn't want to help you?" That was surprising.

"Well, he did, but his family decided to visit Sasuke in Oto. I thought it'd be nice if you and I could do it. You're not busy, right?" She giggled sheepishly. "I guess I should have asked if you had plans or not first, huh?"

"N-no! I'm actually free today! Let me finish up and I'll meet you down at the school, okay?"

"Thanks Sasori-kun! I'll meet you in ten minutes!" She sang a quick farewell then ended the call.

Ten minutes?! He was about fifteen minutes from the school even on the train. He had to hurry! Throwing a t-shirt on and pants on, he slipped on a casual jacket then stomped downstairs to brush his teeth. Was he going to be alone with Sakura?! If it what he thought was true then he had to make sure he looked his best. He threaded his fingers through his hair and examined himself for a second or two.

Eh, close enough.

Slamming the door behind him, he sprinted to the train station. Darting past crowds of people, he squeezed into the last train car, showing off his student transit card. Luckily, the man didn't take great deal examining it - although a large majority of students abused the card's privilege on weekends or vacation.

Holding onto the stand-by rail, he wondered about all of the possibilities that he could run into if he and Sakura were left alone. The entire school would be empty, but would that necessarily be a good thing? Honestly, he wasn't truly the most adept in social situations, so would it even be possible for him to gain any sort of affection points from Sakura?

Ugh, depicting this twisted bet as some sort of dating simulation. Gross.

He stuffed his free hand in his jacket's pocket, fingering something cold and rectangular. Fishing it out, he raised his brows. His old music player? Why did he have it inside of his coat? Additionally, why did he have its connection cable with it? Oh, that's right. He had brought it with him during last year's spring festival. He often occupied his time with its earbuds inside his ears, tuning out the outside world.

How much has changed since then? How much has he changed?

If he did change, it was only due to Sakura. If Itachi hadn't invited her to join the Student Council, he wouldn't have made friends with Deidara and opened up - even slightly - to the rest of his club members. She had that way to her, he assumed. Her entire being was possessed by warmth and compassion, it enveloped her and seeped through her eyes and smile.

His body jerked as the train stopped at its designated station. Once the doors swept open, Sasori stepped off the train car and dodged countless people. The sun's rays struck him with abnormal warmth for the cold day as he escaped the train station. The school was only a few blocks away and he had very little time to spare. Hopefully, she wouldn't be mad at him for being so late.

He ran through crosswalks and passed through an open shop, creating a shorter route towards his destination. Slapping his feet against the pavement, he panted as he stepped through the gates. In front of him, Sakura sat on the concrete stairs, wearing a knitted tunic and jeans.

Looking adorable, always, Sasori thought approaching her.

She stood abruptly, smiling brightly. "Hey, what took you so long?" She laughed and tousled his hair. "Aw, your hair looks nice!"

Her fingers tickled him, but he pushed her arm away. "Don't do that weirdo. Anyway, sorry I'm late - a lot of passengers caused the trains to over-pack."

"That's okay. Anyway, why don't we get started? Tsunade-sama said we can start on the upper-level and work our way down." She pulled out the ring of keys Tsunade gave her and opened the door.

Sasori wasn't looking forward to cleaning as the walked together to the janitor's closet. Sweeping, mopping, dusting was not something he seemingly enjoyed, but with Sakura's presence it could be labelled 'bearable'. Carrying the mop and bucket upstairs, Sasori's eyes never left the girl moving ahead of him.

"Sakura-chan, are we the only ones cleaning today?" he asked.

Sakura swung the broom over her shoulder. "M-hm, it's only the classrooms, so I thought it would only need two people at most."

"So you called me first?"

She nodded, "Yep! The first person."

His heart jumped into his throat. The first person?! Did this mean anything? He had to fish it out of her. Climbing to the second-level, he caught up to her and kept her pace. "Why?"

"Why what?" She cocked her head forward.

His cheeks burned. "Why did you call me first?"

Sakura's eyes darted in every direction. Quickly, she bowed her head, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I don't know... You were the first person to come to mind." she mumbled.

Sasori's eyes widened as his heart practically spewed from his mouth. Butterflies manifested in his stomach and he gripped the mop and bucket even tighter. Could she be developing feelings for him? Was it normal for a person that liked another to think about them in a first-thought basis?

Well, she was often the first thought in his mind when he woke up, so it could be speculated to be true.

"I-I see," he sputtered.

They suffered in silence for minutes until she unlocked one of the senior's homerooms. "Here, we are. At least the chairs are stacked and the desks are pushed aside," Sakura said, assessing the room.

"That makes it easier for us." He set the mop and bucket near the door and pulled the spray and rag out of the bag Sakura carried around her arm. "I clean the windows while you sweep?"

Twirling the broom in her hand, Sakura agreed. For the first hour, they worked primarily in silence, focusing on their job. Afterwards, Sakura called out to Sasori while sweeping under the teacher's desk.

"It's kind of weird working in silence, isn't it? Usually, we have the others talking to fill up the room." she said jokingly.

Sasori stood on one of the chairs, wiping at the glass. "It certainly gives the room an empty feeling."

"So, Sasori-kun, what do you do after school?" she asked, curious.

"You mean after our meetings?"

"Yeah," she answered.

Sasori looked perplexed. "I spend most of my time around town. If I'm not hanging out with Deidara, I'm sketching on some scrap paper at the park or other places." He scrubbed at some stubborn dirt. "That's pretty much it."

She leaned against the broom. "What do you do at home? Wouldn't you like to spend time with your family?" she asked innocently.

Sasori turned away from the window, towering over the girl that looked up to him. "No, I wouldn't," he answered stony.

Puzzled, Sakura pushed the conversation. "That's not a very nice thing to say. They're your family!"

He bit the inside of his cheek. "To be honest, Sakura, you don't know a lot about my family so I'd appreciate it if you actually wouldn't assume that every family operates the same as yours."

His rude tone agitated Sakura. "I was only stating what I felt. I wouldn't talk about my family that way and I don't think it's fair for you to say the same to yours."

"To compare your family to mine would be impossible. For instance, you live with your mother and father while I live with my grandmother. Your mother prepares your meals while I make my own. Your father is the breadwinner while my grandmother collects money from outreach programs. You're a happy, well-rounded individual with parents that care about you while I'm stuck with an alcoholic old woman who hasn't spoken to me in a coherent, sober state in over two years." The words were falling off his lips before he could snap his lips shut. "Can you really spout that nonsense anymore? Can you really express your opinions while remaining ignorant? Is it really fair for you to judge me even though you've never dealt with the same experiences as I have?"

"Sasori, I-"

Regaining his composure, he averted his gaze and returned to his work. "Forget it. Let's get back to work."

Sakura pursed her lips. "Fine," she replied.

Sasori finished cleaning the windows then moved onto dusting the shelves filled with old textbooks and teaching manuals. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked wistfully at the girl bending over to sweep the large pile of dirt into the dustpan. He hated himself for ruining this for them. She wanted him there, but he screwed up by acting like an ass. She didn't know about his problems at home yet he attacked her.

His reaction wasn't justified and it wasn't fair for her. He wanted to kick himself. No, he wanted to jump through the window for acting like such an idiot! She moved towards him, making eye contact. Sasori swallowed hard and quickly ducked down. He swiped away the dust, his thoughts still on the pink-haired girl squirting some cleaning solutions into the mop bucket.

Just a little more than an hour ago, they had an intimate moment where Sakura displayed her affections to him. She did care for him. She wanted to make him happy. Hurting him would never be intentional and he was almost one-hundred percent positive that she felt bad about it too.

Sucking in a hard breath, he stretched the cloth and twisted it in his hands. "I'm sorry," he blurted, stealing her attention.

Stepping down from his chair, he walked steadily to her. "The whole thing with my family has always been difficult to talk about."

"It's okay, Sasori-kun. I understand that I upset you." she said softly. Her eyes displayed her own apology.

Sasori didn't want that. He didn't want her to apologize for something that wasn't her fault. "No, you didn't know. I was being stupid and-" It felt as though someone had struck him in the stomach, he could barely breathe. "My parents passed away while I was in middle school."

Sakura brought her hand to her mouth. "I didn't know that. I shouldn't have said-"

"Sakura-chan, you didn't know." He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed heavily. "I don't really like talking about it, so not alot of people know."

"I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it."

"It's not that. Deidara and I have talked about it before, but I just don't know what else to say after that. They're dead, so what? What do I do after? Accept condolences and wallow in misery? I don't want to do that anymore."

Sakura dropped the cleaning solution into the bag. "What do you want to do then?" she inquired.

Sasori closed his eyes. "It probably sounds cheesy and dumb, but I want to remember all of the good things."

Sakura fiddled with the ends of her hair. She thought carefully of what to say. "I don't think that's dumb. I think it's one of the best things you can do."

"The only problem is that barely remember anything. There are days when I don't even remember their faces." He often had to examine that torn-out yearbook page. Regardless of how much time he spent memorizing every detail, it seemed to roll off of his brain and dissipate.

Sakura stroked her chin, thoughtful of the situation. What way could she make him feel better? "How about... while we clean, you spend the time trying to remember something about your parents?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you talking about?"

She smiled and pushed the mop into the bucket. "By the end of our day of cleaning, I want you to have atleast one memory of your parents ready for me!"

"That's absurd-"

"I don't care! You said that you wanted to remember, so I'm pushing you to do that!" She splashed the mop onto the floor. "Start using your brain!" she ordered.

Sasori wiped away the drops of water that landed onto his face. "So demanding for such a little girl..."

"You're not that much taller than me. Soon, I'll be looking down at you!"

He smirked, "Only time can tell if you're right, Sakura-chan," he teased.

Soon, the room was spotless. They tip-toed over the wet floor, Sakura's soft-soled shoes slipped and the girl attempted to steady herself by frantically flapping her arms. Grabbing her hand, Sasori planted himself and helped the girl regain her balance.

"Thanks, Sasori-kun," she huffed.

"No problem." Her hand was sweaty, but he didn't mind it.

As he lead her out of the room, he was surprised to find her still grasping onto his hand. He watched her cautiously, but as she strolled forward, he could feel her hand tugging on his. With such a subtle movement, he knew something was different. As though they were teetering on a tight rope. They were barely there.

The neighboring classroom was in the same state as the one before. As they cleaned, they exchanged small talk while Sasori thought deeply, forcing his brain to burrow into his memories. Everything was fuzzy in his mind. Were they real memories? Or were they just things his brain fabricated? With aching elbows, but hellbent on finishing all of the classrooms on the second level, they pressed onto the next one. They asked each other many questions - general or personal?

"Sasori-kun, what's your favorite color?"

"Do you like baths or showers better, Sakura-chan?"

"What do you think of that new movie coming out this weekend? Does it look good to you?"

"Would you want to make some homemade fondue some time during the break?"

"If you had to choose between eating your least favorite food for a year or doing something you're absolutely terrified of once, which would you choose?"

As they worked together to clean the windows of the last room, Sasori gazed at Sakura, smiling faintly. Sakura returned with her own sweet smile then stretched her arms to the ceiling. "Man, I'm tired." She lumbered over to the center of the room and laid on the linoleum floor.

Sasori peered down at her, amused. "You're laying on a dirty floor, you know."

"I need a bath tonight anyway." She patted the open space beside her. "Come lay down with me." She closed her eyes.

Sasori hesitated, but couldn't say no to an opportunity where he could be close to her. Laying down, he locked his eyes on the speckled ceiling tile. "It's probably around one o'clock, maybe two."

"Yeah, we've been working for a long time," Sakura answered.

"I haven't even eaten breakfast. I'm starving," Sasori acknowledged, resting his hand on his stomach.

"We can stop by the mall and grab some Aiya on the way back," Sakura said in a low voice, her eyes still closed.

Sasori agreed. Yawning, he closed his eyes as well. "I'm so glad we're done cleaning."

"Have you remembered anything about your mom and dad?" He opened his eyes and turned his head, find the girl already staring at him.

"Not a single thing has come to mind. Well, not anything that really comes out that I truly remember. Sorry, Sakura-chan." He felt bad simply due to the fact that he couldn't even do something for Sakura.

She smiled sympathetically. "It's okay. Just tell me when you do remember something." She reached for his hand, but grabbed onto his jacket. Squeezing the jacket, she came into contact with something hard in his pocket. "What's that?"

"Huh?" He dropped his gaze to her hand groping his pocket. "Oh, it's my old music player. I used to listen to it a lot during middle school up to last year."

"Do you got any of those corny party songs on it?" she laughed. "They were so popular back then."

"Unfortunately, no," he said sarcastically, "I barely danced anyway, so it was kind of pointless to twelve-year-old me to upload those party mixes to my mp3."

"You never went to the kid festivals they throw each year? They always played those songs - actually, they probably still do."

Sasori smiled. "I did, but I often just sat there. It was always so funny because my mom and dad would try to make me dance by doing it themselves. It was hilarious watching them dance to such ridiculous songs."

Sakura laughed, "Yeah, parents can be embarrassing..." She gasped, lifting herself from the floor and stared, bewildered and her mouth open in shock. "Sasori!"

"What?!" he shouted, alarmed by her sudden burst of energy.

"You just remembered something! You remembered your mom and dad dancing at those old festivals!" she exclaimed, a large, excited grin crossing over her face.

Sasori didn't even think about it. The words just flowed so smoothly that he didn't even react to it - it was just came naturally. "I guess I did. I should thank those horrible dance songs for helping me remember."

"Hey, why don't we dance?"

"What are you going on about?" She always acted so impulsively when she was excited.

She jumped to her feet and bounced on her heels. "Hook up your mp3 to your phone and play something!"

"No way. I just told you that I don't dance, I watch," he objected.

Sakura placed her hands on her hips and pouted. "Come on, stand up and dance with me."

"It's embarrassing," Sasori stated.

"I'm the only one here to see it." She extended her hand to him. "Please?"

Defeated by her severe cuteness, Sasori grabbed onto her hand and rose from his spot on the floor. Taking the mp3 and USB attached to it, he connected the device to his phone. Turning up the volume, he turned to her. "What kind of music do you want to listen to?"

"Let me see." He handed the phone to her and she scrolled through his vast collection of music. She smiled impishly, worrying Sasori, and tapped the screen. "Alright, it's playing!" She placed it on one of the desks and pulled Sasori to the center of the classroom.

A sweet female voice rang from his phone's speakers. As she sang, a piano and a small number of percussion instruments playing softly accompanied her light soprano. It was an old song, but very popular among many people. Sasori had originally uploaded it because he was curious of its popularity, but had long forgotten it.

Sakura rested her hands on his shoulders. Nervous, Sasori cautiously placed his hands on her waist. He examined her reaction to his touch, but received no worries or looks of disgust. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. They were only centimeters apart, her entire body pressed against his.

"I don't really know how to dance,. he whispered nervously.

She closed her eyes for a moment, smiled, then gazed at him with an enchanting light encompassing her vision. "Just sway your body and let me lead," she responded.

He nodded his head. Doing as he was instructed, he swayed his body, syncing with Sakura's movement. They stepped consecutively to the soft beat of the music. Their eyes never left each other. A male singer joined in, the two now singing in harmony, playing off of each other's voices.

Sakura pulled her hands around his neck, her fingers lacing together across the nape of his neck. He sighed, content, and felt as butterflies flew in a frenzy in his stomach. He was still nervous and he wondered if she was thinking the same as he was.

As the piano played its climactic solo, the music swelling with emotion, surges of static and electricity seemed to encapsulate the space of the room. The hairs on the back of Sasori's neck pricked up and his body felt strange. He wasn't turned on, but he was aroused. The situation didn't appear sexual to him, but something was festering inside of him. He spied a difference in Sakura's expression as well.

The male and female voices joined in with the piano and they sang strong in their well-synched harmony.

As the music grew louder, Sasori leaned closer, his head tilting just the slightest. Sakura's pupils dilated as his hands pulled her closely. She closed her eyes and felt her blood pumping in her ears. It seemed like years had passed, but the reality had only been seconds for their lips to make contact.

It was clumsy. It was pure. It was everything he had dreamed about for days - for weeks - for months. He released one hand from the small of her back and tangled his fingers in her pink tresses. She was soft and she fit so well in his arms. He couldn't resist her anymore. She was too beautiful.

Soon, the song slowly faded to its end as did the moment. Slowly, Sakura broke the kiss, opening her eyes and stealing a glance at him before she backed away.

"Well, um, we better finish these floors," she started quietly.

He wanted to scream. He cursed Itachi and himself for agreeing to this stupid bet! Never in his life had he regretted anything more in his life than that damn bet! He scratched the back of his head and gave her a weak smile.

"Yeah, sure. I can mop the floor while you take the rest of the cleaning supplies downstairs to the closet."

She stood in silence before responding, as if she wanted to speak, but couldn't. "I'll do that," she finally uttered, packing everything into the bag and carrying the broom over her shoulder. "See you downstairs." She disappeared out of the room, her footfalls echoing in the empty hallway.

He sloppily mopped the floor, slapping the end of the mop's head against it and spreading the cleaning solution across the entire area. His heart was still pounding in his chest. His lips were still tingling from the contact.

If someone would have told him even one year ago that a tiny, pink-haired girl would impact his life in such an amazing way, he would have told them that they were insane and walked away completely bewildered by their statement.

Now, all he knew was that he loved her more than he could possibly imagine and that he desperately wanted to cling to the feeling of her wrapped in his arms.

OoOoOOoOoO

Afterwards, they ate the local mall, completely ignoring the intimate moment between them. Sasori didn't mind this because he was unsure of how to bring it up anyway. He couldn't outfront confess his love for her because that was against the rules. Right now, all he had to do was sit beside her and wait for the day that she may possibly confess her feelings to him instead.

They walked together to the train station before they walked off into different directions.

"Thanks for helping me clean today," she spoke.

Sasori jammed his hands in his pockets, it was the only way to control himself from holding onto her waist. "Hey, I'm a member of the Student Council too. No need to thank me for that."

"I had a lot of fun," she remarked, dropping her sight to her shoes.

Sasori nodded, "Me too. Oh, thanks for helping me remember something about my mom and dad. That, err, means a lot to me." He couldn't confess, but he could show that he had feelings for her in a different way.

She blushed. "You're welcome, Sasori-kun." A train's whistle broke her from her thoughts and she smiled. "I better get going. I'll see you later." She began her expedition toward her route back home, exiting the station.

Sasori sighed, walking to his stop. He passed by a small store, stockpiled with essential supplies and few things that were popular around the town. He stepped in, his eyes searching the racks and shelves. Removing it from a bottom shelf, he lumbered to the cashier and made his purchase.

Turning on his mp3 and plugging in his new earbuds, Sasori waited while his train rolled to a stop. Standing beside the door, he searched his mp3 for the song he and Sakura danced to.

The woman's voice filled his ears with the piano quickly joining in. Yes, this was his new favorite song.

xxx

Awee' SasoSaku <3 Any who, the story is almost over! Comments and votes appreciated.

xTsu