Gatorade
I wake up from nightmares often. At least twice a week. In my dreams, a woman always leaves me; walking away into the light, while I'm hurdled into the darkness....
I woke up from another nightmare. As usual I was sweating profusely. The reoccurrence of these dreams has become a fear of mine; I am afraid to fall asleep and have become a complete coward when the sun sets. I do not even know who it is who is leaving me though. She has blonde hair. She's taller than me and is slim. I wish I knew. I don't know if it is someone I will meet, someone I know. I don't know. But she is always walking into the light, and no matter how far I reach for her I cannot reach her and I slip into the blackness.
I went to school just like any other day and met my friend Ino at our usual spot near the fountain in the front of the school. She is taller than me and we are usually inseparable. We have the majority of our classes together and we live close to one another. I tell her everything; well, mostly everything. I have no told anyone about my dreams.
"You didn't get much sleep last night did you?" I was not expecting her to ask this, "When are you going to tell me what's been bothering you, Sakura? It's not easy to see you this way."
"There's nothing wrong with me!" I snapped too easily. That's just going to give it away. "Sorry, I just didn't get much sleep last night is all."
"So is that the reason you've been like this for the past six weeks? You don't get any sleep? That's it?" She opened a bottle of Gatorade and drank a considerable amount.
"..." I really did not know what to say but I began to fill up with rage. "Stop worrying about me so damn much!!"
"Sakura?" She didn't know how to respond to the elevation in my voice.
I stood up. "Stop getting into my business! You have no right to." I ran off; off the school grounds. I ran not paying attention to where I was going. It did not matter. I was an idiot and took my unexplained anger out on her for nothing. I do not have a clue what I am angry about either. It is... ridiculous. I found myself at my home. I did not plan on going here, but I did anyways. I went to my bedroom, and reluctantly fell asleep.
I woke up to my mother shaking me, tears running down her face.
"Mom?" I sat up. She supported herself with her left arm which was on my leg.
"Sweetheart... something bad happened today. There was a shooting at your school today, near the fountain in the front of the school. Ino was there! She was shot... in the stomach and died of blood loss. Isn't that where you two sit every morning? Thank goodness you came home!" Her tears became heavier and poured down her face faster and faster.
"..." I did not comprehend what she had told me. I was in a trance-like state. Just staring at my mother's face. I finally came to and understood fully what she had told me moments previous. "The last things I said to her were unfair. I told her to leave me alone and to stay out of my business. Why did I do that?"
It has been three months since her death. I now know who the woman in my dreams is. She's not a woman, she's a young teenager; Ino. She now turns to face me before entering the light. I'm still thrown into the darkness.
I still have to get up to go to school. I go to the same place... without her. I sit there and I drink a bottle of Gatorade; fruit punch, the flavor she was drinking the moments before she was killed. I found out who killed her. His name was Itachi. He was a disturbed person who was often bullied; usually is the case isn't it? He shot three other students. All random. Ino never did anything to him; he just wanted to release his rage on someone.. He shot himself afterwards. Well, I will sit there every day before and after school; sometimes until 5 or 6 in the evening. There is always this one boy, Sasuke, who sits there. He is there before I am, and leaves after I leave. He is the younger brother of Itachi. Everyone is cruel to him now and thinks he will do the same thing his brother did. I have a strong hate towards him, the brother of the man who killed my best friend. But still, everyday, he is there.
I was at the fountain again drinking my Gatorade and Sasuke was sitting in a spot closer to me than his usual spot. I did not think much of it.
The same thing happened again today. He was sitting even closer than the day before.
I went to the fountain once again, and he was sitting in my usual spot in front of the fountain. I stopped walking when I noticed. I decided to sit next to him. I said nothing the entire time. I just drank my Gatorade.
The same thing happened for about two weeks. We sat. I drank. Silence.
One day; a cold morning, a thick fog lay on the ground, he opened his mouth looking at me but said nothing.
The next day, which was a Thursday, he started again, "I'm sorry... about your friend." I looked at him in his eyes. I took a sip of my Gatorade and then left.
I did not go to the fountain the next day. I had my mother drive me to school. There he was, sitting in the usual spot, waiting for me.
I decided to go the next day. I sat down and once more, drank my fruit punch flavored Gatorade.
"Why do you always drink that flavor every day?" He looked at me with no expression.
"It's the flavor she was drinking when she died."
"Oh..." a blush flushed over his face.
"Why do you sit here every day?" Another sip.
"I wanted to apologize for my brother's actions. It's just... I didn't know how you'd take talking to me, the brother of your best friend's murderer."
"I'll tell you... I'm actually glad you did. But... still, something inside of me-"
"Wants to hate me?" He looked at the ground.
"Yeah..." the last sip, "I'm going to go."
"Wait!" I stopped. "Will you be here tomorrow?"
I nodded and walked away.
Over the next few months I still had the same dream of Ino walking away. And every day I met Sasuke at the fountain; just as I did with Ino. We eventually became friends. I even told him about my nightmares; the one thing I couldn't tell her.
"Would you attend a movie with me this weekend, Sakura," I had no clue he would ever ask me out. We had only ever seen each other at the fountain; never anywhere else. "Um... Sure."
He picked me up the upcoming Friday. We saw a movie. It was about ten o'clock when it we left the theater. We went to the fountain. We sat in the usual spot. We sat in silence.
"Do you still hate me"
"No." I answered fiddling with my fingers.
"So we're friends then?"
I easily answered, "Yes."
He grabbed my chin and lifted my head, "So would you object to me kissing you right now"
I shook my head. We kissed.
Months passed. Years passed. I stopped having the nightmares. I still drink my Gatorade and regularly go to the fountain. We continued our relationship.
"I love you, Sakura."
"I love you too, Sasuke."
We ended up getting married. We bought a home. I stopped drinking Gatorade everyday and I visit the fountain about once a month.
Sasuke and I have been married for twelve years now and I am 36 years old. We have a set of fraternal twins, a boy and a girl; we named the girl Ino and the boy Itachi. I visit the fountain about twice a year. I am not allowed to drink Gatorade anymore due to my high blood pressure.
Thoughts of Ino still linger in the back of my mind. She was my best friend.
I had a dream last night. It was about Ino. She did the usual thing; turned to look at me then walked away. I reached out for her but couldn't reach her. She kept walking. I was being flung into the darkness once again. Before I am completely enveloped by nothingness, my hand is grabbed by Sasuke. He holds me. And we walk into the light.
I have this dream many more times throughout my life. I'm now 58 years old. Sasuke passed away in his sleep last night. I cried profusely for days. My children returned home for their father's funeral. I looked at his face once more before they lowered him into the ground. I cried more. And more. And more.
After the funeral, I went to the fountain. I sat there for hours before I left. I sat in quiet pretending Ino and Sasuke where there with me. I did have them┘ in a way. I saw many people walk by staring at me, an old woman sitting in front of a school. I did not care. Being there brought me closer to them.
"I'll be with you two soon." I looked up to the sky. It began to rain. I smiled and walked away with the ones I have left, Ino and Itachi.
"Mom, are you going to be ok?" Ino looked at me.
Itachi opened the car door that was waiting for us in a nearby parking lot.
"Yes, Dear... I'll be fine."
A/N I do not own Naruto or characters, nor do I own Gatorade
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