You, Always {Uchiha Sasuke}

Loss

        "Tell the others I said hi, alright?" Ayu was greeted by her lover's pair of lips meeting hers before he took his leave out of the campus's front entrance. She nodded happily and waved at Satoshi who returned her energetic bye.

        "I'll pick you up after school," he encouraged. "I love you."

        "I love you."

        After departing ways, Ayu sauntered through the school's building to find her classroom. Entering through the sliding doors, the first person she saw when stumbling upon her seat was the raven haired boy, studying at the notecards he've written for their presentation today.

        Sasuke's words yesterday left a stain in her thoughts, about his loving brother's incident and how he was affected by it. And so, she decided to approach the Uchiha's quiet form and slapped his back welcomingly. He winced.

        "Getting ready?" she asked, taking her seat and peeking over his shoulder. For a brief moment, Sasuke glared daggers at the girl while rubbing where she had hit him, but eventually smirked conceitedly.

        "I'm so relaxed about this, I don't need to study for anything," he said confidently which it made no surprise to her. Ayu waved a finger at him in a scolding manner.

        "Don't get too cocky now. Who knows what it will do to your senseless brain," she teased with a sneaky grin, but she stopped suddenly when his finger flicked her forehead senselessly. "Ow!"

        "Unlike you, I'm not nervous talking in front of people." Confidence jumped across his face, and oh how Ayu wished she can wipe his narcissistic grin off of his lips. He was overly enjoying his pride.

        When class started, they, mostly Ayu, were relieved that they weren't the first ones to be called up. It just felt like sitting around in an interrogation room, waiting to be called by the teacher and embarrass yourself in front of multiple of people who partially knows you.

        While Naruto and Sakura done their speech by tapping their posters with a marker, Ayu just wanted to melt in her chair so everyone can forget her existence. Anytime soon, their names are bound to be next, waiting for her humiliation to strike and make a fool of herself. Until a nudge pressed against her arm, a little piece of notecard flashed to her side of the table.

        Sasuke slid it to her, "Use my notes."

        Ayu flinched by his whispering and arched an eyebrow at him in bewilderment. "Is that... okay?"

        It was a surprise, to even think, that Sasuke would care how well she does in presenting. Although, he knew she needed some motivation. Her grade is his grade, he convince himself.

        "Even though you're always on my nerves all the time, you're not bad as a partner," he explained to her casually and then averting his eyes back to the front of the room. "Go nuts with it."

        The Uchiha felt her stare on him for a bit longer, knowing that she's throwing herself in a questionnaire about his change of behavior. He has been acting... nice, strangely - guessing that the brunette finally caught on to his genuine actions.

        Not bad as a partner. That's probably the less rude thing he ever said to her.

        Finally realizing his demeanor to her, Sasuke dropped his head in his hand by the fact that his character has been slipping for the better or for the worse.

        What is wrong with me?

        "That was... an interesting story, Naruto. I'm glad you shared that with the class," Iruka said unsurely. Without further ado, he'd rather not waste his mind on grading his favorite student's project, instead he gave a solid easy pass.

        Naruto could see the triumph in his report card now, grinning to himself and giving a thumbs up to his pink headed partner who was still disappointed in his presentation. Iruka scratched Naruto and Sakura's name off the list and then read the next pair of names on the paper.

        "Up next is..." he squinted at his clipboard, "...Ayuka Tsuname and-"

        "Sasuke Uchiha?" Then all heads turned to the entrance of the room and saw it was Asuma's voice calling from the halls. His bearded face poked into the room and scanned through the tables with his searching eyes.

        Sasuke stood up from his seat, making himself visible to the older man. "Here."

        "I need to have a word with you," he motioned his head outside, signaling that it was private conversation so no one can hear. Sasuke looked unaware to anything what Asuma has in store for him, but he reluctantly strode down the steps and meet him in the halls.

        "Alrighty. Since our fine fellow, Sasuke, is not present at the moment, we'll continue down the list," Iruka announced and Ayu breathed in relief, realizing more time to read over Sasuke's notes in order to present formally when he gets back.

        Kiba and Shino went up next as she thoroughly went over the notes, piece by piece, speeding through the descriptive summaries and picture planes. But in the middle of Kiba and Shino's presentation, a disruptive thud came outside of the classroom and everyone's head turned to the door.

        "You're lying!" That was Sasuke's voice, screaming.

        "Wait! Sasuke, get back here!" Then there were these faint footsteps running down the hall until they can no longer hear them. It sounded angry. For a moment, Ayu's heart stopped as an uneasy feeling erupted inside her stomach and worry washed in her pupils.

        Everybody whispered fearfully as they were baffled to the events outside of the room, whatever that relates to the infamous Sasuke Uchiha. But that afternoon, it was a change of heart for him - a day that he will never forget.

        Several minutes later, the familiar goat-tee bearded instructor walked back inside the classroom with a distraught face, but this time, without Sasuke behind him. He came over to Iruka as he whispered something to his ear and then the students watched his eyes froze after hearing Asuma's words. Immediately, she knew it's not good news to hear.

        Naruto and Sakura's yearning eyes kept shifting towards each other, back at their friends, and to the front of the room. But Ayu didn't pay attention to their questioning stares, instead her eyes overwhelmed and her mind just blanked out of the world when she managed to get one word out of Asuma's lips.

        "...died."