Chapter Fourteen:

Sunday passed quickly for Hikari, she had spent most of the day playing her cello out of anger. She didn't know if she should have been more upset herself or Sasuke; she couldn't believe she had lectured him on how he should grieve his mother.

"Hey, I got those groceries because you never stopped at the store yesterday," Kakashi said as he popped his head into her room, "you seemed pretty upset so I didn't want to say anything."

"I'm sorry about that," Hikari said as she stopped playing and shook her head. "Uchiha pissed me off and I came home in a hurry."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she answered with a frown. Hikari sighed and then ran her hand through her hair after setting the bow of her instrument down. "I have no idea how I am going to be able to do this."

"Well, you're going to have to figure it out," Kakashi told her as he crossed his arms. "It's just a year; push yourself through it thinking about that. The time will eventually pass."

Hikari put her cello on its stand and then got up, stretching after she did.

"Dinner's already done, come on," he said as he turned and walked away.

Hikari nodded and followed him.

…

Hikari refused to eat at the lunch table because of Sasuke; she didn't even want to think about the things he'd say about her in front of everyone if she did. She was perfectly fine with eating her lunch on the stone steps of the school's entryway, alone and isolated. She never told Sora, Hoshi, or Naruto where she was going; she just wanted to be alone and work on ideas for the music piece her and Sasuke were supposed to miraculously create together.

"I have to stop being so anti-social," she told herself as she ate her sandwich, "it's not right for the kind of person I'm trying to be." Hikari sighed and then set her lunch down in its bag. She looked up at the school and then stood, picking up her lunch and going back inside.

Hikari bravely walked into the cafeteria and then sat next to Sasuke, reclaiming her old seat. He glared at her from his peripheral vision and she was apathetic.

"Kari-chan," Naruto said with a grin as he watched her take her lunch out from its bag, "you came back!"

"I did," she said with a smile. "Hey everyone."

Everyone at the table gave her a smile, or at least a nod to acknowledge her, except for Sasuke; she knew that when it came to him, she'd have to either just forget him or work hard for his interest. She wasn't too keen on either option.

…

The rest of week passed in a blur for Hikari. Sasuke had not attempted to work with her even once on the piece or any project for that matter. Hikari was beginning to grow nervous because they had a project due next week in English that they had not started. She was so angry about him ignoring her that she had set a ringtone to his number; any time he'd call her she'd know because her phone would burst the song 'Pretty On the Outside' by Bullet For My Valentine.

"Maybe I should just do it myself and send Sasuke a copy?" she asked herself with a frown as she bit her lip and scrolled through her Facebook. "Would he be angry if I did that?"

Hikari sighed and shook her head.

"What am I going to do?"

She jumped when her cell phone began to ring.

"Hello?" she asked as she hit the talk button.

"Hey," Sora's voice floated through the speaker. "Are you busy?"

"Kind of," Hikari said honestly, "I'm not sure…"

"You're not sure?"

"Well, Sasuke and I haven't started our project for English; you know the one you're working with your brother on?" Hikari asked as she twirled a piece of her hair absentmindedly.

"You haven't started?" Sora asked seriously.

"No, he won't speak to me," Hikari said with a shrug. "I don't know if I should just do it myself and email him a copy."

"I wouldn't do it yourself," Sora said with a sigh, "if you do that and just let him take credit, they consider it cheating."

"Well then, I am screwed," Hikari said with exasperation in her tone.

"Look, why don't you do something to take your mind off of it for a bit?" Sora suggested.

"Like what?"

"Well, I know it's late, but I'm right outside your house…why not come for a walk with me?"

Hikari stood up and looked out her window, but realised she couldn't see the front of the house.

"Sure, I'll be right out," she said through the phone before hanging up.

Hikari rushed out her bedroom, grabbing her hoodie as she did, putting her phone in her pocket, and then sliding on her sandals at the door. She exited the house and smiled when he was really standing in front of her house.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked with a smile.

"I was on my way to the park," Sora explained with a shrug. "Sometimes I like to take walks at night in the park because it's really quiet out."

"Makes you sound like a creep," Hikari said with a light chuckle. She looked down at her black tank top and red sleeping bottoms with a frown. "Sorry about being in my pajamas."

"It's not a problem," Sora said as he scratched the back of his head, "you always look beautiful."

Hikari blushed as he snaked his arm around hers and began to lead her down the road. They walked in silence, but the fact that Sora was so close was making her mind hectic with thoughts. She tried to sneak peeks at his face without him knowing, but it was difficult because he was trying to do the same thing. A half an hour walk to the park seemed to only take minutes in the suspense she was feeling.

…

Sasuke quietly played his guitar from the bench he sat on; staying at home with Itachi around would have ruined his mood and he was trying to focus on a specific feeling for the piece he was creating, something that had nothing to do with his brother.

He was disrupted yet again when he heard her laugh; it was like she was always inside of his head. Her voice, her laugh, her smile; he could picture them all clearly if he just closed his eyes, it was so frustrating. He sighed and set his guitar in its case, wondering when she'd leave his head this time. He heard her again, but this time he also heard another voice. Sasuke frowned as he peered through the trees that surrounded the particular bench he sat on. He watched as she and Sora walked past the little pathway to where he was and scowled; she wasn't in his head, she was here with him. Sasuke continued to watch them, knowing that he could see them and they weren't paying attention to him, they had already passed him. Sora sat down on a bench and patted the area next to him and Hikari took the seat next to him without complaint.

"Look, Hikari I wanted to tell you something," Sora spoke up clearly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"What is it?"

Sora did not answer at first, instead he moved a little closer to her.

"You're really amazing, do you know that?"

Sasuke could practically see the blush on her face.

"Any guy is crazy to pass up on someone so beautiful and who also has a great personality," Sora said a little quieter. "I don't want to pass you up, Hikari."

Sora drew a little closer to her and Sasuke knew instantly what he was up to; before he could stop himself he reached into his pocket and took out his phone.

…

"Look, Hikari I want to tell you something," Sora said as he looked her directly in the eyes; she felt butterflies take off in her stomach.

"What is it?" she asked shyly.

Sora took her hand in his and brought himself a little closer to her, making her feel trapped; but strangely the sensation didn't make her uneasy, it filled her body with excitement.

"You're really amazing, do you know that?" he asked her as his eyes bored into her own.

Hikari's cheeks heated and reflected her feelings more than she thought was possible. Her mind was rushing with all kinds of thoughts, but the most predominate one was the one that screamed about how hard her heart was beating in her chest.

"Any guy is crazy to pass up on someone so beautiful and who also has a great personality," Sora said quietly as he cupped her cheek with his free hand. "I don't want to pass up on you, Hikari."

Hikari's breath hitched in her throat he lowered his face towards hers, she could feel his warm breath fan across her lips; she felt like her heart was going to stop. He was less than a millimetre away and Hikari didn't think she could become any more impatient.

'I want to know! I want to know! If I tear you open wide, take a look inside, are you pretty? Can I get inside your mind, see what I can find, are you pretty? So, just take off that disguise, everyone knows that you're only pretty on the outside!'

Hikari jumped out of her skin when her phone blared and Sora jerked away from her; she knew in that instant that the mood was completely killed and her first kiss was ruined. She glared at her phone and Sasuke's numbed as she hit the talk button and then brought the receiver to her ear.

"What?" she barked.

"Attitude," Sasuke's voice floated through the phone; to Hikari it sounded amused, as if he knew what he had just fucked up.

"You're always out to get me, aren't you?" she snarled.

"What are you talking about? You sound crazier than usual, if that's possible," Sasuke said smugly. "Look, we have a project due in a week, we should just move past our little spat and get back to working."

"Whatever," Hikari said with a roll of her eyes; of all the times he could have called to say that, he just had to choose when she didn't want him too. "Fine, when?"

Sora sighed from beside her and leaned back against the bench.

"Tomorrow after school, ride in with Kakashi, we will practice at my house."

"Okay, bye," she said as she pulled the phone from her ear and hung up. "The nerve of that guy..." Hikari lifted her eyes to Sora's and then dropped them again. "I had better go," she said quietly as she stood up and walked away in a hurry.

Sora watched as she disappeared, it didn't take her long to get away.

"Trust Uchiha to ruin everything," Sora muttered bitterly after a few minutes of silence.

He forced himself up and began to walk the way Hikari had gone. After a little while, his eyes were drawn to a path he had never seen before. A scowl instantly took over his lips when he saw Sasuke sitting on a bench in the middle of a clearing, putting his guitar away. After a moment he looked up at Sora and he smirked. Sasuke stood and walked past Sora, turning the opposite way. Sora realised in that moment that Sasuke was not just someone he hated, he was also his competition.