Chapter Text
"What do you see in them?" Kanako said with a sneer.
Sasuke sighed in resignation. "They're my friends." He said simply, while he continues scribbling down his Potions essay. He had told her this over and over again.
They were currently in the library. That was a bit odd as it is because Kanako is never fond of books or studying. It was one of the many things they didn't have in common.
"Well, you also have friends in Slytherin. You don't have to keep going with them everywhere they went." Kanako said.
"That's enough." Sasuke said, annoyed now.
She sighed and then took Sasuke's hand in hers. "I... well, I just miss you is all. It's like you don't have time for me anymore."
Sasuke resisted sighing again, and instead gave her a small smile. "I'm sorry about that. You know how it is. I've been busy with-"
"Head Boy duties. I know." Kanako said acidly, letting go of his hand.
"I'll make it up to you." He told her.
"Can we hang out today then?" She asked, looking hopeful.
"Er, not today. We have a meeting..." Sasuke said.
Kanako sighed in exasperation, it seems. "Fine. Go and hang out with the Head Girl then." She said and walked away without looking back at him.
He let out a groan as she went.
'She's just... such a princess.' He thought. He didn't really remember why I started going out with her.
'Well, okay, actually I do but--'
"There you are." Someone suddenly called and Sasuke looked back. It was one of his best friends, Uzumaki Naruto.
"Dead last, what's up?" He asked, smirking.
Naruto glared at him for the overly used nickname, but took the seat vacated by Kanako just moments ago. "I wanted to have a talk with you." He said, serioiusly.
Sasuke looked at him in question. "About what?" He asked.
"Kanako." Naruto said. "What do you see in her?"
Sasuke groaned. "What is it with you people? Kanako was just here asking me the exact same question about you and Sakura." He said as he put his quill down.
Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura are both muggleborns. They are also in seventh year like Sasuke, but Naruto is in Hufflepuff while Sakura is in Ravenclaw. Their different houses didn't stop them from having time for each other, though.
Naruto looked surprised at this but continued relentlessly.
"Well, you can't really blame me. I mean, why do you tolerate her? Just yesterday, you were complaining how she drives you nut and seriously, she's starting to--"
At that, Madam Anko, the librarian gave a loud 'tut'.
"Sorry." Naruto called to her and then turned back to Sasuke, speaking in a whisper now. "What I mean is... why are you going out with her? You can't tell me you genuinely like her." He said, raising a brow at him.
"Kanako... she's okay." Sasuke said, rather lamely.
"She's a bigot." Naruto said.
"She's from a family of Slytherin raised to believe in blood purity." Sasuke tries to say.
"You are, too, but you're not a prat." Naruto pointed out.
"Well, not everyone can turn out awesome like me." Sasuke tries to joke, but Naruto wouldn't have it.
"She called Sakura a... a m-mudblood." Naruto said as if the word pained him.
"What?!" Sasuke bursts out, feeling very angry.
"This is the library!" Madam Anko called but Sasuke ignored her.
"What did she do that for??" He asked, outrage. At this, Naruto started dragging him out the library, giving apologetic looks on the other students.
"What happened??" Sasuke demanded as they walked outside.
Naruto sighed and Sasuke waited. "Look, I promised Sakura-chan I wouldn't tell you, so don't tell her I did or she'll hex me. She said it was enough that that Ravenclaw prefect, Hyuuga Neji already told her off--not nearly enough, seriously and really, I've had enough of Kanako. She'd been harrassing Sakura-chan since you started going out with her." Naruto said.
"But why would she do that?" Sasuke asked, indignant. He never really thought Kanako as nice and thoughtful, but this... This is just too much.
At this, Naruto gave him an exasperated look.
"What?!" Sasuke said, irritated at his look.
Naruto looked surprised. "You seriously don't know?"
"Know what?" Sasuke asked, feeling more and more annoyed.
"You're supposed to be the smart one." Naruto muttered.
"What???" Sasuke demanded.
"She's jealous!" Naruto said. "She's jealous of Sakura. You've been friends since our first train in. We three have been inseparable for seven years and now you're the Head Boy and Sakura-chan is the Head Girl." He said. "And Kanako... well, I don't really think you do things to make her not jealous do you? Sure you let her snog you, which is disgusting by the way, but other than that..." He trailed off.
Sasuke didn't find offense at this because this was true. His and Kanako's relationship is actually more for convenience rather than for really liking each other.
Kanako likes snogging Sasuke, sure, but she always do it in public where there is an audience. She likes flaunting that she caught the second son of the Uchiha family, one of the few pureblood families left. Sasuke knew all of this and he let her because it's also convenient for him. She's from a respectable, though not as prolific, family of Slytherin. She is someone his parents would approve of. There wouldn't be any raised eyebrows about their relationship because it was expected to happen.
'I mean, imagine if I started going out with a muggleborn Gryffindor, the whole school would be in uproar with gossips.'
"Kanako thinks you care more about Sakura than you care about her. And mate, I know I've no right to interfere, but I think she's right,"
"What do you mean by that?"
"You put Sakura-chan top of your priority." Naruto said, simply. "I would know, I've been witih you two since forever."
"She's my best friend." Sasuke tries to say.
"Yeah. I'm supposed to be, too. But admit it, she's a higher priority than me." She said a matter-of-fact. "Besides, she likes you."
Sasuke let that sink in.
"Like, like you, like you." Naruto emphasize. "That's why she puts up with Kanako."
Sasuke still didn't say anything.
Naruto groaned. "You two are unbelievable." He said. "You're as dense as you're obvious."
"Ah... I guess... I'm going to find Kanako." Sasuke finally said and walked towards the Great Hall distractedly.
Naruto didn't follow him but he thinks he faintly heard him say, "Good luck."
---
Sasuke found Sakura sitting by the lake that afternoon. She was playing with her cat, Katsuyu.
"Hey..." Sasuke called as he approached her.
She looked up, smiled and waved at him.
"Hey..." Sakura said as he sat beside her. "Anything on your mind?" She asked as she pet her cat.
Sasuke marvels at just how much she knew her, already knowing he was in deep thought.
He didn't reply at once. He didn't know how to start.
"Is it about the prefect's meeting later?" Sakura asked.
"No." Sasuke said.
"Is it about Kanako?" She asked as she looked away, turning her eyes to Katsuyu. "Did you fight again?"
"No... you wouldn't be hearing me complain about Kanako anymore." Sasuke said and she looked up, surprised.
"I broke up with her." He said in answer to her questioning look.
"Oh..." She said. And then I saw it. Just a flash. Her eyes brighten for just a second and then it was replaced by something like guilt.
He couldn't believe he was agreeing with something Naruto said, but he was right. He must have been so stupid not to realize it before now.
"Why is that?" Sakura asked.
Sasuke smiled at her. "You'll know soon enough." He told her mysteriously.
"Eh?? Can't you tell me now?" She asked, looking a bit confused. But he could also clearly see that was happy, nevertheless.
"I'm sorry." He said, ignoring her question. "For all she did to you."
"Don't tell me you broke up because of me?" She asked, looking very guilty.
"I don't like her." Sasuke said simply. "I was stupid I ever went out with her."
Sakura slowly nodded, accepting that.
And then she blinked. "What did you want to talk about?" She asked, remembering.
Sasuke smiled. "I'm curious. You told me about muggle traditions during Valentines day being a bit different. And I think you said something about White Valentine?"
"Oh." She said, taken aback. But she started explaining, anyway, the way she always tries to explain things--excited and animated.
Sasuke smiled as she talked. She would know his real reason soon enough.
