Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If there’s a Hell on Earth, it probably has a front gate that says: Welcome to Konoha High.

Sakura Haruno stood at the edge of the school parking lot, arms crossed, backpack slung over one shoulder. Her pink hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail—neat, controlled, like her life was supposed to be. She had made a promise to herself during summer break: no more drama, no more crushes, no more letting people walk all over her.

This year, she was done being “the girl with a forehead big enough to land a plane on.” This year, she’d climb the ranks and get her scholarship extended without getting dragged into Uchiha-level problems.

But the second she stepped onto school grounds, a familiar voice shattered the peace.

“Yo forehead!”

Sakura turned, sighing.

“Ino.” Her voice was flat.

Ino Yamanaka strutted up with her perfectly-bleached ponytail and way-too-expensive heels. She looked like she’d stepped off a fashion magazine and directly into a battlefield. They hadn’t spoken since their last fight before summer, but apparently Ino had decided to resume things like nothing happened.

“You look like you didn’t touch mascara all break.” Ino grinned.

“And you look like you used the whole tube,” Sakura shot back.

They stared.

Then—

“Ugly.”

“Pig.”

And with that, the unspoken truce was made. Best frenemies again.

Inside Konoha High, chaos was business as usual.

Naruto was standing on a cafeteria table yelling about how he’d definitely win student council president this year. Hinata stood in the corner, trying to melt into her hoodie. Kiba was barking at Shino because his bug box spilled over his locker. And Rock Lee was sprinting up and down the hallway in leg weights, shouting something about “youth.”

Sakura weaved through the mess, heading for her locker, when she saw him.

Sasuke Uchiha.

Back leaned against the lockers, black hoodie, headphones in, staring off like he was too cool for gravity. He hadn’t changed at all. Same cold eyes, same vibe that screamed “don’t talk to me.” Girls whispered around him like he was a Greek god instead of a high school junior with commitment issues.

“Ignore him,” she told herself. “You're done with the Uchiha Curse.”

But of course, fate laughed in her face.

Because just as she slammed her locker shut, she heard her name echo over the intercom.

"Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha, please report to the counseling office immediately."

What. The. Hell?

Naruto cackled from across the hallway. “Oooooh, someone’s in troooouble!”

The counseling office smelled like cheap air freshener and regret. Iruka-sensei smiled too brightly.

“You two have been selected for the new Psych & Development peer project,” he said.

Sakura blinked. “...What?”

“It’s a paired analysis assignment. You’ll be spending the semester working together to write a paper on the teenage mind. You’ll attend weekly sessions. Together. Privately.”

Sasuke looked like he wanted to melt into the chair. “No.”

Sakura stood up. “Absolutely not.”

Iruka folded his hands, patient. “You were chosen because you're both high-achieving and need help developing interpersonal skills. It’s a compliment.”

Sasuke snorted.

Sakura gawked. “I have interpersonal skills! I’m perfectly social!”

“You threatened to punch Kiba last semester for chewing too loudly.”

“It was disgusting!”

“Regardless,” Iruka continued, “it’s final. Weekly sessions, due end of semester. You’ll get extra credit and potential rec letters out of it.”

Sasuke stood slowly, gaze flicking to her. “Don’t talk to me outside of this project.”

“Gladly,” she snapped.

“Great teamwork already!” Iruka said, too cheerfully.

Later that day, Sakura collapsed onto her usual spot on the rooftop bench with a carton of strawberry milk and a throbbing headache.

This was supposed to be her year. Now she was stuck in an emotional hostage situation with Sasuke freaking Uchiha.

“Sakura?”

She looked up.

Hinata stood nervously at the door. “Um… Ino said you might be here…”

Sakura waved her over. “Come die with me.”

Hinata sat. “The… project?”

Sakura groaned. “Why me, Hinata? Why not, like, Karin or some other Uchiha-worshipper? I’m done with brooding bad boys.”

Hinata’s voice was small. “Maybe… the universe thinks you're not done yet.”

Sakura stared at her.

“You’ve been spending too much time around Shino.”

Hinata smiled faintly.

Then a soft chime rang from both their phones.

New notification from: “The Mirror.”

Sakura opened the anonymous school-wide app reluctantly.

CONFESSION #1137:
"There’s something wrong with the Uchihas. One disappeared. One kills with his eyes. And one’s heart is colder than winter."
—MIRROR

Hinata read it over her shoulder.

“Is that about…?”

“Yeah,” Sakura said quietly, eyes narrowing.

She stared at the screen a little longer, pulse rising.

"One disappeared."

Itachi.

Even after all these years, rumors still swirled around the mysterious Uchiha heir who vanished without a trace.

Sakura stood, suddenly cold.

This year wasn’t going to be about peace.

This year was going to be about secrets.

And Sasuke Uchiha?

He was the biggest one of all.

Chapter Text

“You have to work with him?” Ino practically choked on her lip gloss wand, eyes bugging as she looked up from her compact mirror.

Sakura leaned against her locker, looking like she had aged ten years in one day. She tossed her notebook in and slammed the door shut.

“Yep,” she muttered. “Sasuke Uchiha. Weekly one-on-one sessions. For the rest of the semester.”

Ino whistled. “That’s like—academic torture. Or a dream. Depending on who you ask.”

“Definitely torture,” Sakura said flatly.

“Are you sure you can handle that level of brooding? It’s, like, toxic fumes.”

“I’ve built up immunity,” Sakura said, running a hand through her hair. “Besides, it’s not like he talks. We’re just supposed to... study adolescent psychology by emotionally interrogating each other.”

Ino blinked. “Oh, that’ll go great. You ask, ‘What’s your biggest fear?’ and he answers, ‘Fire.’ Dramatic pause. End scene.”

“Stop,” Sakura groaned. “You're already giving me a headache.”

Lunchtime, Rooftop

“Why do teachers hate me?” Sakura asked no one in particular as she flopped down on the rooftop bench, unzipping her lunchbox like it owed her money.

Hinata, seated beside her, opened her thermos quietly. “Maybe… it’s not hate. Maybe Iruka-sensei thinks you can… connect with him?”

Sakura gave her a deadpan stare.

Hinata blushed. “I-I mean emotionally. Not, like—”

“I get it,” Sakura sighed.

Kiba strolled by with Choji, both scarfing down chips. “Yo, you guys see the latest Mirror post?”

“Another one?” Sakura snapped her head up.

“Yup,” Kiba said, flipping his phone around.

CONFESSION #1148
“The Uchiha heir doesn’t sleep. Wonder why? Maybe ghosts haunt those who survive.”

Sakura narrowed her eyes.

“Not exactly subtle,” Choji mumbled through a mouthful of barbecue flavor.

“Yeah, but is it even real?” Kiba asked. “The Mirror’s just some drama-hungry troll.”

“No,” Sakura muttered, rereading the message. “It’s more than that. And they’re watching him. Closely.”

3:45 PM – Counseling Room B

“I’m not late. You’re early.”

Sakura looked up to see Sasuke standing at the door, headphones slung around his neck, expression unreadable.

She checked her phone. “It’s literally 3:46.”

Sasuke shrugged and walked in, settling across from her like he was preparing for trial.

Iruka-sensei peeked in from the hallway, too cheerful as usual.

“Just talk. Don’t overthink it. The more real, the better,” he said before closing the door.

A long silence.

Sakura clicked her pen. Sasuke stared at the window.

“Okay,” she said. “We should start.”

No response.

“Let’s get basic stuff out of the way. You know, childhood memories. Emotions. That sort of thing.”

“I’m not writing a diary.”

“You don’t have to. I am,” she snapped. “We’re being graded on reflection. So reflect.”

Sasuke didn’t move, didn’t blink. The silence stretched until Sakura thought she might scream.

“Fine,” she muttered. “I’ll go first.”

She glanced down at her notebook.

“My earliest memory was the day I realized my forehead was bigger than everyone else’s. Some girl in kindergarten called it a ‘billboard.’ I didn’t talk for three days.”

Sasuke blinked. Once.

Sakura looked up. “Your turn.”

“Pass.”

“Pass?” she repeated. “This isn’t Uno.”

Sasuke leaned back. “Don’t remember.”

“Liar.”

He shrugged.

Sakura stared at him, annoyed. “Okay, Mr. Mysterious. Then let’s try something easier. What’s your favorite color?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Answer the question.”

A beat. “Dark gray.”

Sakura wrote it down with exaggerated motion. “Wow. So deep.”

“Better than pink.”

“Excuse me?” she snapped.

He smirked. “Your room’s probably drowning in it.”

“For your information,” she said, poking her pen at him, “my walls are cherry blossom. It’s aesthetic. You wouldn’t understand.”

Another silence. Slightly less hostile.

Meanwhile: Yamanaka Flower Shop – After School

Ino locked the shop doors and slid behind the counter, where Sai and Shikamaru were already waiting with iced coffee and their phones out.

“You said it was urgent,” Shikamaru said.

Ino nodded, pulling out a printout.

CONFESSION #1149
“Don’t trust the girl with the questions. She digs too deep. And if she keeps asking, she might not like what she finds.”

Sai tilted his head. “It’s about Sakura.”

Shikamaru frowned. “How do they know what she’s doing? Those sessions are private.”

“Exactly.” Ino set down her drink. “Someone close is feeding info. Either that, or they have access to the counseling room.”

Sai tapped his stylus against his tablet. “We should build a list. Students with tech access. Admin privileges. And those obsessed with drama.”

Ino crossed her arms. “And I’m going to personally bury whoever’s behind this Mirror account.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Here we go again.”

7:14 PM – Uchiha Manor, Private Study

The second session of the week.

Sasuke had invited her to the Uchiha estate for the follow-up interview. The place was colder than a fridge and twice as quiet. The walls were covered in minimalist art and family portraits that looked like they'd glare at you for breathing wrong.

“Do you ever turn the lights on?” Sakura asked as they sat down in the study.

Sasuke ignored her. “Ask your questions.”

Sakura clicked her recorder on.

“Alright. What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?”

Silence.

“You have to answer,” she added. “It’s part of the exercise.”

“I don’t lie.”

“Everyone lies.”

“I don’t.”

Sakura narrowed her eyes. “Fine. Then what’s something you’ve never told anyone?”

Sasuke leaned back in his chair. His voice was quiet.

“I saw my brother leave.”

Sakura froze.

Sasuke didn’t look at her. “The night Itachi disappeared, I was awake. He left through the side garden. Didn’t say goodbye. I never told my parents.”

The air shifted.

Sakura stared, heart thudding. “You think he left on purpose?”

“I know he did.”

She swallowed. “And you’ve just… kept that in?”

“There’s no point in telling ghosts.”

Later That Night: Sakura’s Bedroom

She couldn’t sleep.

That admission, that one quiet line from Sasuke, kept playing in her head.

“I saw my brother leave.”

It was raw. Unfiltered. Real.

For a guy who barely said two words, it felt like he’d handed her a piece of his soul.

Sakura sat up, grabbed her phone, and opened The Mirror page.

Another message had been posted an hour ago.

CONFESSION #1150
“Cherry blossoms fall faster in the storm. Careful, little flower. You’re being watched.”

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

This wasn’t just a gossip account.

It was personal.

The Next Day – Hallway Chaos

Naruto jogged up to her between periods, waving a bag of Pocky.

“Hey Sakura! Wanna split—whoa, you look like you haven’t slept since the Chunin Exams.”

“Not the time,” she muttered.

He fell in step beside her anyway. “So, what’s it like working with Captain Moody?”

“Weird,” she said. “He’s not what I expected.”

Naruto snorted. “What, you thought he was gonna open up about his favorite book and cry about his trauma?”

“No,” she said honestly. “I didn’t expect him to say anything. But he’s… he’s got layers.”

“Like an onion?”

“Like a grenade.”

Team Intel assembled.

Ino, Sai, Shikamaru, and Hinata sat around a spread of laptops, notebooks, and digital trace tools.

“I scanned the timestamps,” Sai said, pointing at the screen. “Every Mirror post goes up between 8 PM and midnight.”

“Night owl,” Ino noted.

“Or someone who has access when no one else does,” Shikamaru said.

Hinata clicked through files. “I filtered users with after-hour permissions. Janitors. Tech club. Library assistants…”

Her voice trailed off.

Shikamaru raised a brow. “What?”

Hinata swallowed. “Sasuke is listed under ‘Library Access – Special Permissions.’”

Silence.

Ino’s jaw dropped.

“No way,” she said. “You think he’s the Mirror?”

Sakura, standing in the doorway unnoticed, felt her stomach twist.