Summary: SasuxSaku... Haruno Sakura could have anything she ever dreamed of. Except what she wants isn't a material thing. A wish upon a little shooting star stirs up big problems. Where's someone who understands when you need them?
Detailed Summary: SasuxSaku... Haruno Sakura could have anything she ever dreamed of. Except what she wants isn't a material thing. A little wish upon a shooting star stirs up big problems when Ino turns green with envy and her friends get involved. Ino will do anything to be better than Sakura. Where's someone who understands when you need them?
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.
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Haruno Sakura couldn't help but smile in spite of herself. She was going to turn seventeen-years-old in exactly a week, June 31st, and she had every intention of enjoying her last days of sixteen-dom. In that time she would find out it really was her "sweet sixteen" indeed...
Sakura was beautiful. Like most teenage girls she didn't believe anyone who told her so. Her hair was unlike any other; it was a natural cherry-blossom pink, and carefully cut no shorter than two inches below her shoulders. Her captivating emerald eyes never gave up their glint of curiosity and when Sakura smiled she was told it could warm up even the coldest person.
To match her beauty Sakura had a sweet thoughtful temperament. She was the kind of girl her peers wished they were. All she could ever want was within the reach of her fingertips: her social status was high, she was gorgeous, and she lived three houses away from the beach boardwalk. But there was one thing she didn't have.
It was getting impossible to ignore it and all the opportunities, and so Sakura had thought about it increasingly more. It was so common among girls her age, but nobody seemed to just... click.
The one thing Sakura didn't have was a boyfriend. She didn't exactly want one, but she didn't feel as if she could keep turning boys down. It hurt her to see most of the boys have the same reaction: fake-smiling while their shoulders slumped and trying to act like her answer didn't make a difference.
"I don't understand..."
Sakura breathed in deeply and heaved an exhausted sigh. It was very late but here she was, sitting next to her best friend Ino at their 'own' beach. It wasn't officially their beach but since no protest arose since it was deserted, as a result it was claimed as theirs. She absolutely loved this beach. There were never any tourists, nor anyone to bother her. The only other people who knew about this beach were the rest of the little clique she and Ino were in which they dubbed "The Clan", and consisted of Naruto, Shikamaru, Tenten, Hinata, and Neji.
Ino was hands-down the leader of the Clan. She had everybody wrapped around her finger and dragged them wherever she felt like making them go. Any resistance and a new rumor about the person spread like wildfire. Tenten and Hinata were Ino's quiet followers against their will, but Sakura was far too independent for that. The Clan's boys never gave Ino any trouble either- after all, she had lured each of them before into dating her and was currently dating Shikamaru. Nobody knew how long that relationship would last though; Ino was unpredictable, and if she even so much as stubbed her toe she could get pissed and dump him.
Like Sakura, Ino was also beautiful. Her long, blonde, sun-bleached hair reached the middle of her back and was always styled in her signature ponytail with a single side bang. Her eyes were an interesting light blue color and reminded people of the clear sky. However, Ino was only beautiful on the outside. She flaunted her body and beauty, scoring herself numerous boyfriends, and regularly wore immodest clothes such as tube tops and miniskirts. Despite the whispers of 'slut' or 'whore' when she walked by, Ino refused to change her ways because someone else didn't like her.
Ino and Sakura's friendship was rocky, although they were supposed to be best friends. Hinata and Tenten had to keep any conversation with Sakura to a minimum because Ino told them so. In truth, Ino was afraid of Sakura being better than her in any way while Sakura hated how Ino tried to focus all rays of spotlight on herself. They were rivals, but friends.
Gazing at the dark midnight sky and the twinkling stars dotted across it, Sakura pulled her legs against her. She lightly rested her chin on her knees, deep in thought. It... was true everything she could ever want was within the reach of her fingertips. With Ino around things were a little more difficult, yes. But Sakura didn't want a material thing. She wanted something, no, someone more. The one thing she longed for from the bottom of her heart was someone who understood her. Someone who didn't pretend like they were listening and wouldn't be another fake friend. Right now Sakura could only talk to Naruto. Naruto did listen to her but he didn't always understand and he didn't always have time. He was usually somewhere with his girlfriend Hinata, fulfilling her every need. Sakura realized he had responsibilities but nobody else in the Clan was about to stop following around Ino and listen to her anytime soon.
Sakura laid her head sideways on her knees, her soft, pastel pink hair cascading over her kneecaps. She thoughtfully dragged her finger in the cool sand; her hand abruptly stopping when she realized she had absentmindedly drawn two little roses. Confused with herself, Sakura was quickly erasing them when she heard Ino beside her give a small gasp.
"Oh my God, Sakura, look!" Ino gently shook her arm to get her attention. Once Sakura was content that the roses were gone, she hurriedly turned to see what Ino talking about.
"Huh?... Oh, cool!" Sakura lifted up her head, smiling. It was a single shooting star making its way across the dark sky and its tail was leaving a faint path of light that diminished as quickly as it appeared.
Sakura had an idea. This is so 3rd grade, but if it's a shooting star, I should make a wish... then I wish... I wish for someone who will understand and listen to me!
The star disappeared, as if it had heard Sakura's plea and its purpose was done. Ino raised an eyebrow.
"What're you looking at? I mean that." She pointed at the shore. Sakura's eyes followed Ino's arm and trying to figure out what she was pointing at when she suddenly saw it.
There on the shore, where the salty water met the dry dusty sand, sat a whole, clean, and unbroken conch shell. Conch shells had never before been found around the area where the Clan lived, and Sakura and Ino were puzzled why one had shown up now; it seemed elegant and intriguing when the moon beams reflected off the small visible part of its interior surface, which was strangely the same color as Sakura's hair.
"Well, don't you want it? Go get it already!" Ino urged in an annoyed tone. She's going to let me have it? Sakura wondered in amazement. Something pretty was going to be hers and not Ino's for once?
"...Me?" Sakura asked in disbelief.
"No," spat Ino sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "Yes you! My God..."
With hesitance, Sakura pulled herself up awkwardly. She smoothed out the spring green t-shirt she was wearing but didn't bother to dust the sand off her khaki shorts. Once you had lived at the beach long enough random grains of sand became unnoticeable, and Sakura had lived here her whole life.
The cool sand kept the prints of Sakura's small bare feet as she went to retrieve the conch shell. It was as if it called her name; it seemed to lure her. She stood uncomfortably and stared down its silky surface, examining it closer. It was as perfect as a shell could be, and it made Sakura almost afraid to touch it. She gave a quick look back at Ino, who waved her hand with a bored look and forced a full-face smile.
It's just... a shell, Sakura assured herself, sighing and smiling for real. I'm making a big deal out of this... she thought tiredly. Still, Sakura thought she was prepared for anything as she turned around to meet possibly the only thing she wasn't prepared for- unmistakably the biggest shock of her life.