Never Tell Me The Odds

First Love

Disclaimer: This story utilises characters, situations and premises that are copyright Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, Shonen Jump and Viz media. No infringement on their respective copyrights pertaining to episodes, novelisations, comics or short stories is intended by KuriQuinn in any way, shape or form. This fan-oriented story is written solely for the author's own amusement and the entertainment of the readers. It is not for profit. Any resemblance to real organizations, institutions, products or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All plot and Original Characters except for those introduced in the canon books, manga, video games, novelizations and anime, are the sole creation of KuriQuinn. (© KuriQuinn 2016- )

Beta Reader: No one but me just yet.

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"Socially anxious," his mother calls it over tea with his aunt one afternoon.

Sasuke is curled up in the corner with a book and his plush green dinosaur, pretending not to eavesdrop as the excited shouts of his cousins playing outdoors drifts through the window.

Like most children his age, his cousins are loud and grabby, always insisting he share everything with them and refusing to respect his personal space or give him time to himself. Being around them for long periods of time makes the world feel too jumbled and disorganised; his skin seems to shrink and his mouth goes dry and it's an all around awful sensation.

They tried to force him to come out with them, today, but he pretended to have a stomach ache and eventually they left him alone.

He's pretty sure Itachi knows he's faking it, but his older brother would never betray him. Besides, he's gone off with Shisui and Izumi for the day, so even if he wanted to betray him, he couldn't.

"That will sort itself out when he starts school next month," Sasuke's aunt is saying, not bothering to disguise a disapproving sniff. Sasuke rolls her eyes, unbothered over her obvious judgement. He's not fond of the woman anyhow, and he's only ever had room to care about one person's approval, and that's his father.

Uchiha Fugaku is the head of an important company and often away, but when he is home he takes great interest in the development of his sons. Most of his attention falls on Itachi, of course, since Sasuke's older brother is going to inherit the company and the title of clan leader, so it's become a bit of a personal challenge for Sasuke to get his father's attention. Mother insists Father is just as proud of him as he is of Itachi, but Sasuke doesn't see it.

"It's not something that needs to sort itself out," Mikoto dismisses softly. "He simply needs to find the right friends. His father was just the same when he was young. I'm certain Sasuke will be fine once he meets someone he's comfortable with."

His aunt sniffs again in disapproval, obviously not agreeing, but Sasuke glances up and catches his mother's eyes. She winks at him, and he smiles back, glad that no matter what, Mother will always be on his side.

サスケ

He really wishes she were literally at his side a month later when he starts first grade.

Not even an hour in, and he finds himself faced with an unexpected horror: the undivided attention of other people. And that, mostly from the female section.

At the first recess, he is set upon by a crowd of squealing, frilly, wide-eyed creatures that crowd round him, cooing over his features and proclaiming their love for him

Sakura Haruno is one of them—the most notable, really, with her strawberry-coloured hair and green eyes that take up most of her face—competing with a little blond, blue-eyed girl. Each of them glom on to one side of him, tugging at his arms and apparently trying to rip him in half.