"Sakura, please get up! You're already behind schedule and I don't want you to be late!" Mebuki pulled the covers off of her daughter and yanked her out of bed.

Mebuki frowned at her lethargic movements. "Come on! Do you even realize what time it is? Get dressed or you'll be in a mess of a trouble!" She stomped to the door and slammed it behind her.

Sakura stumbled sleepily to her closet and pulled out her new uniform. At the beginning of every school year, Sakura always felt a strange sense of dread. She never wanted to get out of bed and her stomach would twist in knots on the walk to school. It was always the same. However, she was happy to be enrolled in Konoha High School. It was an elevator school so she never had to take entrance exams during elementary and middle school.

She pulled her knee socks on and slipped into her worn-out loafers. She met with her mother at the foot of the stairs.

"Here's your bento and backpack. Now hurry up and go or you'll be late!" Mebuki pushed Sakura out the door and closed it behind her.

Sakura cursed under her breath and checked the time on her wristwatch.

8:17 A.M. She only had thirteen minutes before school started! She raced down the streets, dodging oncoming men and women.

If she's late on her first day of high school, she most likely would hold a bad reputation with her fellow students and teachers.

Not paying attention to her surroundings, Sakura ran through a crosswalk as a car was speeding forward. The driver, distracted, didn't notice the girl that would soon be crashing into his car. She turned to the car and screamed. She closed her eyes tightly and felt herself land on the hard pavement.

"Are you alright?" a concerned voice asked. Sakura's eyes opened slowly and noticed a boy hovering over her. His onyx eyes stared intently at the schoolgirl. She nodded her head and the boy presented a hand to help her up.

His appearance seemed familiar, but she couldn't match a name to his face. He wore the male uniform of her school, but his collar was a dark red representing a third year. He picked up her bento and placed it in her small hands.

"Hopefully that didn't get ruined." he commented. The sound of the school bell rang in the distance and the two exchanged glances.

He patted her head and smiled softly. "Don't be worried, I'll escort you there."

She hesitated for a moment, but accepted the gesture.

As they entered school, they walked to their designated lockers and stepped into their slippers. She ran to the board and searched for her name.

Sakura Haruno - Class 2 - A

The boy stepped behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go to the auditorium. That's where Tsunade-sama and the other students will be waiting."

Sakura took an empty seat near the door and the mysterious, young man joined her. "Shouldn't you be sitting with your class?" This was her first time actually speaking to him - damn her shyness towards strangers.

"It's not that big of a deal." he stated.

Tsunade walked in the center of the stage. "Another year... Another new group of faces. As the principal of Konoha High School, I hope to show the first years that their hopes and dreams can be achieved by hard work and determination. Also, cultivating friendships will help the next three years to be exciting and endearing. Please take time to join clubs and study! I will now let the Student Council President share a few words to conclude the entrance ceremony!"

"Entrance ceremony? We don't even have to do anything, but register for another year. " Sakura thought to herself.

She was surprised as the boy beside her stood up.

"Well, I'm off now." He walked to the stage and a roar of hoots and hollers filled the room. Everyone clapped and cheered as he climbed the stairs and stood beside Tsunade.

"Thank you all. Being the president of the Student Council is quite an honor and I am glad that I will be able to help guide the future of this school. Please be aware that clubs will be accepting new members next week and I advise all first years to participate. Clubs help mold new friendships and possible career interests. Please head to your homerooms and face the new year with bright optimism."

As he finished, many of the second year and third year students clapped showing extreme respect. Many of the students left the auditorium, but Sakura was still in shock that she was just speaking to the Student Council President.

Ino Yamanaka spotted the pinkette and poked her cheek. "Hi there! I haven't seen you for a while, Sakura. What class are you in?"

Sakura smiled at the blonde. "I'm in Class 2 - A. Please tell me we're sharing the same homeroom."

She jumped in excitement and grabbed Sakura's hand. "Hell yeah! Come on, let's go talk before class starts! I hope we have some cute boys in our class!" Sakura looked back for a moment, but the boy had already left the stage. She felt ashamed for not thanking him properly - hopefully she can find him after school and show her gratitude.

The girls talked of their time off school while other students entered and sat at random desks. Many of the students were in her homeroom last year and she could easily identify them.

Ino nudged Sakura and pointed at the most popular student in their entire class walking through the doorway.

"Sasuke-kun is in our homeroom! Isn't that amazing!" Ino gushed. Sakura blushed slightly and stared at the raven-haired boy.

Sakura had an intense crush on Sasuke ever since kindergarten and not much has changed since then. Sasuke could feel countless pairs of eyes on him, but continued to stare off into space.

In her daze, she ignored the sound of someone settling in the seat next to her. "Hi, Sakura-chaaan! How was your break?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Sakura turned to find Naruto inches away from her face. The idiot was oblivious to her constant refusals to date him last year - apparently he still was.

"Stop bugging me! The first day of the new school year and you're already annoying the crap out of me?" She pushed him back in his seat and caused him to topple backwards.

He landed on a girl's lap. "Oh, sorry, Hyuuga-san." Naruto stood up and sat back in his chair. Hinata tried her best to hide her reddened cheeks, but failed miserably.

"I-it's okay, Naruto-kun." she squeaked.

The class continued with their conversations as a man walked in with a surgical mask covering the lower section of his face. "Good morning students, I will be the first teacher of the day for you and will be teaching you World Literature. However, for right now, we will be introducing ourselves. I'll go first..." He leaned against the chalkboard and crossed his arms. "My name is Kakashi Hatake, but you will address me as Kakashi-sensei. I don't consider myself the best at my job, but I make sure to assist anyone who doesn't understand the material correctly. I don't have a favorite color and what I do on the weekends is my business. Who wants to go next?"

The room stayed silent for a moment, but Naruto's hand shot up immediately. "Okay, so who are you?" Kakashi was surprised that someone actually volunteered.

Naruto stood up and bounced around with excitement. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Although I'm not very smart with school subjects, I know my way around fighting and my main objective is to join the Martial Arts Club and work my way up to become the captain! My favorite color is orange and I train on the weekends!"

Kakashi was impressed by his determination. The masked teacher waited for another volunteer, but nobody seemed very thrilled like the whiskered boy. "I guess I'll just have to go by the class roster then." He peered down at the list of names as the class groaned in unison. "Shino Aburame? Please stand up and tell us about yourself."

A brown, spiky-haired boy with sunglasses stood from his desk. "My name is Shino Aburame. I don't particularly have much to say about myself, but I plan on creating my own club focusing solely on entomology. My favorite color is moss green and I study insects on the weekends."

"Interesting. Choji Akimichi."

A chubby boy placed a bag of snacks in his desk and stood up. "I'm Choji Akimichi and I will beat up anyone who calls me 'fatty' - I hate that! My best friend is Shikamaru and I plan on joining the Cooking Club. I don't have a favorite color, but my favorite food is Korean barbecue!"

"Sakura Haruno?" He instantly looked to the pink-haired girl and predicted she would stand up; he was right as he watched her move from her desk.

She looked around as everyone's eyes were on her. She cleared her throat, "My name is Sakura Haruno and my favorite subject is History and my least favorite is Science. I'm not sure of which club to join, because I like many things. My favorite color is red and I like to hang out with my friends on the weekends."

He continued down the list: Hinata Hyuuga could barely even share her name and everyone waited patiently as she finished. Kiba Inuzuka talked about his interest in animals and his objective to become a veterinarian like many of the members in his family. Shikamaru Nara stood up sluggishly and drawled on about his hobby of cloud watching and joining Choji in the cooking club - although he wished that they had a Shogi Club.

All the girls in the class waited patiently as Sasuke Uchiha's name was called. He sighed and crossed his arms. "You all clearly know my name. I don't really want to tell you anything about myself because it's none of your business. I want to get through high school and become the Chief of Police just like my father." The girls in the class clapped happily, leaving the boys to wonder what was so damn special about him.

"Well, since we introduced ourselves, I'd like to inform you of the rules in my classroom." Kakashi recited the guidelines that every teacher stated ever since she was a child. She looked past Ino's shoulder and out the window. She watched as a few kids, probably delinquents, loitered around the wall of the school. To her surprise, she noticed the dark-haired senior who had saved her that morning. He seemed to be scolding the kids and quickly dragged them back into the school.

"He must take his position as president very seriously." she thought. Kakashi finished the rules and stated they had the rest of time to talk.

Ino turned her chair to face Sakura. "Gosh, this teacher is so laid-back. I'm sure that this class will be fairly easy to pass." she laughed.

Sakura agreed, "Yeah, and he's so brutally honest about himself. He must not take this job very seriously!" The girls gossiped and wondered what the other sensei would be like. Naruto and Hinata happily joined their conversation and the four changed the topic to club activities.

"I'm so excited about the clubs being open next week! Sakura you should join the Sewing/Fashion Club with me!" Ino exclaimed. Sakura opposed loudly stating that she would end up sticking her fingers more than actually progressing in the work.

"Does anyone know what club Sasuke-kun's joining?" Sakura asked curiously.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Who cares? It'll probably be something stupid anyway."

Ino leaned forward and spoke in a hushed voice. "I heard that he's going to be asking for a seat on the Student Council. His grades were the highest in our class last year, so I think he'll receive it."

Shikamaru overhead the gossip and pushed his chair towards the group. "Being part of the Student Council means you have to actually speak with your fellow classmates and other students in the school. Not to be rude, but Sasuke lacks communication. I doubt he'll join any clubs."

Ino punched Shikamaru's chest and scowled. "Don't talk about him that way! Sasuke-kun's way too good for your shitty opinion!"

"Why do all you girls treat him like a god? He ignores all of you for no reason."

Naruto chuckled, "Maybe he's gay!"

A pale hand grabbed Naruto's shoulder. "Gay you say?" Startled, Naruto slowly turned to see Sasuke glaring down at him.

"Oh, I thought you were someone important." Naruto stated casually.

Ino and Sakura whacked him on the head with their notebooks. "Shut up Naruto!" they yelled together.

A loud chime rang around the school notifying the teachers to switch rooms.

The next three periods were the same as the first: Kurenai-sensei explained that she would be teaching them English and English Composition and reminded them of the rules. Asuma-sensei ordered them to keep their mouths shut and said he would be teaching World History. He seemed pissy, but Ino whispered it was because he couldn't smoke during class hours and only at lunchtime. A spunky, new teacher walked into the classroom and announced herself as Anko-sensei. Her voice was rough and loud the entire time, but her demeanor seemed to be the funniest out of the four Sakura had seen. The bell rang and she reminded them that they had forty-five minutes to eat lunch and visit friends in different classrooms.

"Sakura, I have to go to the bathroom can you come with me?" Ino asked. Sakura agreed and exited their classroom. On the way to the girls' restroom, Sakura caught a glimpse of the president walking in the opposite direction.

"Ino I just remembered I have to go do something." She left the girl and raced after him.

"Wait!" she called getting his attention. She bowed slightly. "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you..."

He shook his head and smiled politely. "Not at all is there something you need?" His eyes were gentle and kind.

She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. "I wanted to thank you for saving me this morning. If you hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened." she said.

He faced her completely and placed his hands in his pockets. "It was nothing really I'm sure anyone else would have done it." he replied lightly.

"Well, I'm very grateful to you. If you're ever in need of something, I will gladly do my best to help."

He began to speak, but paused. His expression show him deep in thought. He pulled his hands from his pockets and pointed directly at her. "I know what you can do, girl. Although club activities don't technically start until next week, come to the Student Council room after school. We'll discuss it then." He tore a small piece of paper from a bulletin board near them and took a pencil out. He scribbled the room number on the paper and handed it to her.

"Don't be late." he stated and walked back to his homeroom.

It was too late to try and get his attention and yet Sakura desperately wanted to know his name. She folded the paper twice and held it tightly in her hand. Ino exited the bathroom and the girls walked back to class to enjoy their lunch.

After lunch Shizune-sensei boasted about teaching them Health Economics and went over the syllabus. She seemed too proud of her job, but most of the guys were drooling over her good looks and ignoring everything she was saying.

Next period, they were handed their PE uniforms, but were only going over the fundamentals of exercise and teamwork. Gai-sensei was bouncing off the walls while many of the students questioned his mental status. The first day was always the most boring, no wonder Sakura didn't want to wake up this morning.

The last period of the day seemed the worst due to Kakashi returning back to teach Biology. Naruto questioned the idea of a teacher knowing two entirely different subjects for no good reason, only to waste more years at a university. Kakashi retorted by stating his college days happened to be the best in his life and that was the reason he prolonged his teaching career.

The bell rang and the students were dismissed. Sakura placed her things in her desk and unfolded the piece of paper. She waved goodbye to her friends and walked down to a closed door marked as the Student Debate Room. She hesitated for a moment, but reminded herself of the promise. As she reached for the handle the door slammed open and smacked her in the face.

"Shit, what the hell did you do, Deidara?!" a voice growled within the room.

"I didn't know she was there, I swear!"

Sakura opened her eyes and rubbed her aching nose. A boy with bright yellow hair leaned over her. "I'm really sorry, hm."

Sakura punched the boy and yelled angrily at him, "You jerk! Watch what you're doing next time!"

She heard laughter erupt in the room and noticed five other boys sitting in the room - one being the President. Deidara cursed at his friends. "Damn you! Shut the hell up!"

"It's not our fault that a girl can land an easy blow on you!" a blue-skinned boy snickered.

Deidara growled and stomped out of the room. The president motioned Sakura into the room and she sat silently.

"I apologize for being unable to explain the purpose of your presence here earlier, I had matters to attend to." he said calmly.

He spoke so... mature for his age, but then again he was the president.

"Your offer for saving you was too good to pass up. I simply need your services."

"My services?" she repeated.

The senior nodded. "I need you to join the Student Council. If we don't acquire a female member we would most likely be turned down by several students in the other clubs when preparing for Sports Day and the Cultural Festival. Your membership will cause us to receive much more attention and prove that we do not discriminate against the opposite sex."

His request took Sakura by surprise. She never expected to be asked to join a club so early... and the Student Council!

"Will you do it?" he asked.

She realized that she most likely would never get this chance again. "Yes, I would love to!"

All the boys in the room sighed in relief.

"That's good to hear. For a second there, I thought I would have to threaten you." a silver-haired boy commented bluntly.

The man beside him slapped the back of his head. "Shut up Hidan. You have no decency, do you?"

The president raised his hand to silence the group. "Since everyone is here-"

"Deidara's not here." the lone redhead in the corner stated.

"I don't care." the president stated and continued, "We will now begin the Student Council. I am the President and third-year student, Itachi Uchiha."

Itachi... Uchiha?! How could she not have noticed the similar features? They were almost identical and yet she couldn't even put the two together! Now it made sense why Sasuke wanted to join the Student Council - to follow in his brother's footsteps.

The blue-skinned man beside him stood up. "I'm Kisame Hoshigaki, third-year, and Vice President of the Student Council."

The boy who threatened Sakura stood up. "I'm Hidan, third-year and First Committee member of the Student Council."

He yanked the young man next to him up by his arm and snickered, "This is Kakuzu, he's the ass of the club!"

Kakuzu punched Hidan and threw him across the room. "I apologize for his idiocy. I am Kakuzu and I am the Treasurer of the Student Council and also a third-year student."

Sakura turned to the redhead and watched as he stood up sluggishly. "I'm Sasori. I'm a second-year and the Second Committee Representative."

Itachi turned to Sakura and folded his hands in his lap. "The boy that slammed the door in your face is Deidara; he is the Secretary of the Student Council. Your position would most likely be the Mascot."

Sakura laughed dryly in disbelief, "The Mascot?"

Kisame shifted in his seat. "You're the face of the Student Council. Over half of our club members are third-year students, so we will be leaving for University after this year is finished. Your job is to draw people in to join the Student Council after we leave." he explained.

"So make sure to be fucking confident and not a whiney bitch," Hidan added.

Sakura was astounded by his foul mouth. Itachi, noticing her shocked expression, explained, "Hidan isn't a very honorable member of this team, but he is close friend - you'll have to ignore his cursing."

Deidara joined the group later and they began discussing rules that all the members had to follow. After the regulations were deliberated. They talked of normal everyday things. Sakura was happy to be part of the group; they included her on many topics and broke her from her shyness quickly.

The hours passed and Itachi dismissed them. Sakura flung her backpack over her shoulders and headed home. When placing her slippers in her locker at the entrance of the school, Itachi stepped behind her.

"Sakura."

She turned to him. "Yes senpai?"

He smiled and tousled her pink hair. "Watch out for cars this time."