Summary: Because she was too late and he was too scared to take a chance. Japanese High School AU.
Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters used in this story do not belong to me. The song used below, "Possibility," does not belong to me either, it belongs to BoA & Daichi Miura.
CHAPTER ONE:
(High School is not meant for love.)
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[Possibility]
The pendulum is still swaying,
a thread which follows my last hope,
why did it snap and break off?
[BoA feat. 三浦 大知]
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She was too late. Too late.
Now she will always be left thinking: what if.
Nothing had changed.
She kept telling herself that it would be different this time, that it would be different from her past one-sided loves.
This was it.
But he was no different from the rest and she didn't make it in time.
She was too late.
And she was left standing as he continued walking forward, never looking back.
Out of Sync
It was winter break when Sakura decided that she needed to get out of the house. She had been isolated in her house for too long and needed to at least get out once.
"Here's your ticket, S-Sakura-chan."
"Oh, thanks, Hinata." Sakura bowed slightly as she received the movie ticket with both hands.
Hyuuga Hinata: Loaded. Extremely shy. BFF of Haruno Sakura.
"S-Shall we go inside?" A shy look was present on Hinata's pale face. Sakura only nodded in response as she opened the door.
Many people were present, though it wasn't completely crowded. It seemed like a lot of people were still coming in to watch Harry Potter though that was completely reasonable since it was the last movie of the series. Before heading into the theater room, they decided to buy a snack to munch on during the movie. As they made their way towards the concession stand, they both checked on the growing line that was being made outside of the room Harry Potter was being screened in.
"Um, is popcorn fine?" Hinata asked as she stared at the popcorn machine.
"Sure, do you want me to come with you to get it?"
"Oh! No, it's fine," the black-haired girl shook her head side-to-side, then suggested, "Why don't you save us a place on line?"
"That sounds like a good idea. Get the food quickly then, ne?" They waved a quick goodbye to each other before they went in different directions. It was probably best to get to the line quickly before it got any longer. Unlike some people, Sakura liked getting good seats, even if that meant getting to the theatre room before they even showed the previews. Lucky for her, she saw the line wasn't really that long and that she didn't really have to worry about getting there so fast.
As Sakura was approaching the doors to theatre room #3, a weird feeling suddenly overcame her. It was that unexplainable feeling where you just know that someone was staring at you. After feeling paranoid, she decided to look as casual as possible when glancing around the room to try to find the perpetrator. She probably shouldn't have looked to her left then as a tall, skinny-looking boy was blatantly staring at her. She looked back, eyes wide in surprise and mouth slightly ajar. He had dark black hair with bangs framing his face nicely, deep onyx eyes, a fair complexion, and an indifferent expression. His eyes were unblinking as he continued to stare at her. Suddenly, he cut eye contact as he turned around to talk with some boys behind him.
"Well, that was strange," Sakura whispered to herself as she tilted her head to the side. But she then brushed it off as she slightly snickered, "At least he was cute though." It was probably nothing anyway. This wasn't the first time someone stared at her. It was very rare for someone to have strawberry blonde hair, and when she said strawberry, she literally meant it. Her hair was pink.
After finally getting to the line, she looked back to see where the boy went. It wasn't like she was curious or anything about an extremely attractive guy who she caught staring at her. Cue the sarcasm. It seemed he walked off with his friends to the concession stand. Speaking of concession stand, where was her best friend? After trying to see where Hinata was on the line, she spotted her in front of the cashier, ordering.
After waiting another five minutes, Hinata returned with a big bag of popcorn and a medium sized drink of Coke. The girls then spent the remaining time chatting and catching up with one another. The line then started to become longer as it became closer to the starting time of the movie. After it became 30 minutes before the movie would start, the line started to move and people were allowed to enter the theatre. As the pair walked towards the doors, Sakura noticed the cute boy from earlier. It appeared that he was going to watch the same movie as them. As she passed him, she gave a quick glance and then entered the lowly lit room. She couldn't help herself when it came to attractive guys, besides, it was just one glance anyway.
The girls ended up getting really good seats, right in the center of all the rows. As Sakura was watching the entrance as people continued to enter the theatre, her eyes immediately caught sight of the dark-headed boy. He ended up sitting near the front of the theatre with his friends.
"Why do I keep on noticing him?" she mumbled to herself. Sure he was cute, but that was probably going to be the only time she saw him anyway. It wasn't like he was going to speak with her and ask for her number. The girl sighed to herself. So this was what it was like to still be a single girl.
"Is something wrong, Sakura-chan?" Sakura jumped in surprise in her seat.
"Oh no, it's nothing, Hinata. Please don't worry about me." Hinata smiled reluctantly as they both turned toward the screen to watch the previews. After about two hours, the movie was over and the lights started to come on again.
"Wah, that was so good! As expected of Harry Potter." Sakura gave an approving nod.
"Yes, it was very good."
After exiting the theatre, they made their way towards the concession stands, which was close by to the restrooms.
"Please excuse me, I must use the restroom."
"Sure, I'll wait for you here."
Now that Sakura was alone again, she decided to pretend she was looking at something on her phone. These types of situations were always awkward for her. At least she looked like she was doing something and not just standing there awkwardly. As Sakura was pretending to read a text message, she couldn't help but feel like someone was staring at her again. Her eye twitched in annoyance.
"With my luck, it'll probably be that cute boy again," she muttered sarcastically. She looked up and lo and behold, it was the same boy from before. After she caught his stare―again, mind you―he immediately turned around and walked towards the exit of the movie theatre.
Sakura scoffed, "What's up with him? This is getting strange." She began contemplating his strange actions but decided it was nothing worth worrying about. She shrugged her shoulders as she continued to wait for Hinata. After her friend returned, they both walked towards the exit of the movie theatre. As Hinata took hold of the door handle, Sakura spluttered in surprise, "H-He's still here?!"
Hinata had a curious expression as she looked outside to a group of boys near the theatre entrance. "Who are you talking about, Sakura-chan?"
She froze. It would be weird telling Hinata about the creeper who kept staring at her. She concluded it was probably best to forget about it.
"Huh? Oh, no one important. Just ignore me and my weirdness," the pink-haired girl giggled awkwardly as she scratched the side of her cheek with her pointer finger. Hinata stared at her best friend suspiciously, but honestly, there was no use. Sakura had some weird mannerisms that couldn't be explained sometimes.
As soon as the girls left, the loud chatter from the group of boys quieted down as they stared at the two. Being the prideful girl she was, Sakura held her head up high as she tugged Hinata along. Boys were stupid anyway. They continued walking down the sidewalk until the group was out of their sight range.
"Are you sure something isn't wrong? They all stared at you."
Sakura sighed, "Trust me, Hinata, I don't know those people. They must be talking about my hair. I mean, it's pink! But seriously, to stare as if I was some freak? How rude!"
"Yes, that's very rude."
"But I'm just going to ignore it. I mean, it's not like I'll ever see him again," she mumbled out.
"Him?" Hinata whispered to herself as she glanced at her pink-headed best friend.
"Sakura, hurry up or else I'm walking home without you."
"Can you hold on? I have to change my shoes," Sakura sighed as she gave the blonde an annoyed look. She took off her indoor school shoes and put them into the small locker. After changing shoes, she walked up to Ino, her other best friend, who was impatiently tapping her foot on the ground.
Ino carefully raised an eyebrow as she examined her best friend. The blonde shrugged her shoulders and grinned, "Let's go! I want to stop by this really cute café on the way home."
"You're always making me spend money on food," Sakura sighed just thinking about her wallet.
"Hey, at least it's good food!" They both laughed as they exited the school building. Sakura was soon distracted as she saw Gaara, an acquaintance who she occasionally talked with, outside leaning against the tree with a book in hand.
"Gaara!" Sakura yelled out. He glanced up at her as he stopped reading. Pausing for a moment, he gave a quick wave before looking down to continue the novel. Sakura waved back and then continued walking with Ino. The pink-haired girl began to talk about class, but her best friend soon interrupted her.
"Eh?" Ino blurted out. Sakura glanced at her friend who was giving a hard stare at the school gate entrance.
"What?" Without being answered, Sakura looked in that direction to see what the big deal was. Her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. It was the boy from the movie theatre! She held in a breath as she began examining him. He looked the same from before except he was wearing the boy's version of their school uniform. It seemed he was leaning against the wall of the gates "pretending" to read a book. As soon as Sakura looked up into his eyes, he snapped his book shut, grabbed his backpack, and left.
"Duck butt?" she whispered out.
Ino―who just witnessed this strange situation unfold―questioned, "What?"
And then all hell broke loose.
"I can't believe him! He stares at me for having pink hair when he has weird hair too! I mean, come on, look at it! It's a duck butt!" Sakura pointed in the direction the boy previously was. All this staring was starting to piss her off. It didn't even matter now that he was cute.
Ino rolled her eyes at Sakura's sudden rant. It was no surprise though, she did it quite often without realization. The blonde sighed at her oblivious best friend, "I seriously doubt he was staring at you because of your hair."
"Don't be ridiculous, Ino. I know what he was doing. Gosh, the nerve of him! I mean, he did it before at the movie theatre and now he does it again? Here at school? I can't believe him," Sakura snarled. She crossed her arms in front of her chest as she let out a frustrated yell.
Ino shook her head. Why was this girl so oblivious? What just transpired between the two was a sure indication that he was taking interest in little, cute Sakura. Why else would a guy stare so intensely at a girl? Especially if it was multiple times! It was clear as day the boy had a little thing for her bestie. But Sakura would never come to that conclusion, so being the nice friend she was, Ino tried hinting it to her, "It's actually quite obvious why he was staring at you, if you know what I mean."
"Don't even try me, Ino. I know what I saw and he was staring blatantly at my head. And the only thing to stare at is my hair!" Ino forgot to mention how stubborn her best friend was. The blonde girl sighed, again. Seriously, Sakura could be so frustrating at times. Well, the only good thing about this was, if something did happen, Ino would have total rights to say: I told you so. The blonde loved it when she was right. She would shove it in everyone's face, especially to those who had previously doubted her.
"You know, with such a big forehead to keep your big brain in, you're pretty stupid."
"Shut up, Pig!" Ino started running away playfully as Sakura chased after her yelling some more obscenities.
Gaara―who was just trying to read a book―sighed as he watched the two best friends chase after each other. All he wanted was to read his damn book. After they finally left the school grounds, Gaara was finally able to read in peace without two loud and temperamental women making such a ruckus.
"Ah, morning classes are finally over! Now it's lunch time!" shouted Ino as she brought her arms up in excitement.
"Let's go to the courtyard as usual then. It's nice outside," suggested Sakura as she took out her bento box from her desk. During this time, the classroom was always filled with the chatter of her classmates since most people chose to stay inside their classrooms for lunch.
Ino nodded, "Yeah, I don't want to eat in the classroom again."
They both were about to leave the room, but stopped because they almost forgot about Hinata. After turning around, they stared in amazement at what their friend was holding.
"Eh? Hinata, your bento is so big!" The small girl was holding up a large bento box that was made for multiple people. Hinata blushed in embarrassment as her two friends stared at her wide-eyed.
"Ah, Neji-nii-san forgot his lunch, so I have to bring it to his classroom."
"Do you want us to come with you?" Sakura asked.
"No, I'll be fine. Please go on ahead." Hinata gave a small smile as she left the classroom waving back at them.
"Okay, we'll see you there then!" Ino called back, waving her hand high in the air.
After going through the hallways and down a couple flights of stairs, they finally exited the building to the courtyard. A lot of other students were outside as well because it was such a nice day. The sun was shining brightly, though there were some clouds in the sky. They sat at their usual spot, which was under a large cherry blossom tree. It shaded the area nicely so that the hot beams from the sun's ray wouldn't glare on them.
"So, I've been wondering for a while now," Ino started. Sakura raised an eyebrow signaling for her to continue on with her thought. "About that boy. You know the one that was staring at you before."
"What about him?" Sakura barked out. Ino almost burst out laughing at Sakura's tone of voice. It had been a couple of days since the "incident" happened. Ever since then, whenever she brought it up, the pink-haired girl would just deny everything. Sakura's reactions were the cutest but Ino was getting tired of this game and decided to help her friend out. Her obliviousness was such a pain at times. Besides, that dark-headed boy just walked into the courtyard.
"Let me just get straight to the point. He likes you," the blonde-haired girl pointed out bluntly.
"…"
"Forehead?"
Sakura's mouth twitched into a small smirk, "You're kidding me, right?"
"Uh, no!" Ino raised her voice a bit, trying to make a point that what she was saying was true.
"Look, he doesn't, okay? I thought we went through this already?" A small pout was starting to appear on Sakura's pale face. Her eyebrows were scrunched up as she let out a huff in disdain. Ino didn't know what she was talking about. She refused to believe any of these conclusions her best friend was making.
"Fine, I'll prove it to you, look that way. But not so obviously, okay?" Sakura rolled her eyes as she glanced in the direction her friend told her to.
The dark-headed boy was walking next to a girl named Tenten, a girl that Sakura had class with last year. Well, whatever Tenten was saying to the boy was obviously embarrassing him since he was glaring back while blushing. But Sakura would hold no sympathy towards a creep. After just quietly observing the pair, the boy finally gestured at Sakura while saying something.
"He's talking about my hair, Pig." Her left eye started twitching as she looked back at the pair on the other side of the courtyard.
"Forehead, forget about that. You know how I can read lips pretty well?"
"Uh, sure?" Sakura lifted an eyebrow as she looked suspiciously at Ino.
"Well, I think he said 'that's the girl.'"
"Yeah! That's the girl with the pink freaking hair!" Sakura pumped her fist in the air bearing her teeth.
"Are you still going on with this hair nonsense?" her blonde-headed friend rolled her eyes. Seriously, Sakura's stubbornness could actually ruin any chances of her getting with the cute stranger. She sighed as she placed her head on her hand. She just wanted to be a good friend, but all this effort in trying to convince a stubborn, oblivious Forehead girl would go to waste.
"Yes! Because it's pretty obvious he's talking about it." The pink-haired girl nodded to herself as she folded her arms across her chest.
The two continued to secretly watch the brunette and the dark-headed boy across the courtyard throughout lunch. It seemed like they were done talking as they walked back into the school building. As they entered, Hinata appeared exiting out. She approached them quickly as she sat down next to them under the cherry blossom trees.
"Wasn't that the boy from the movies?" she asked, blinking her eyes in disbelief.
"Yeah, why?"
"Um, well..." Hinata mumbled, placing a fist in front of her lips in deep thought.
"What is it, Hinata?" Sakura looked at her dark-headed friend curiously. Did something happen between them?
"I think he was blushing."
"Hah, Forehead! I was right! He has a thing for you!" Sakura let out a groan as she placed both her hands over her face. However, the deep blush that covered her cheeks did not go unnoticed by her blonde friend.
"Time to get some quality studying time at the library!" Sakura yawned as she stretched her arms up in the air. Sometimes, after school, Sakura and Hinata would go to the school library to do homework. It was a quiet space that had very little distractions and lots of books for reference. Plus, to their surprise, not a lot of students would be there when school ended.
"I think I'll do a bit of reading," Hinata said thoughtfully.
After opening the sliding doors, the two entered the library that was filled with bookcases and tables. As they made their way to a free table, Sakura, unfortunately, noticed that he was there.
"Oh great, just my luck," she mumbled to herself, shaking her head as she pulled out a chair and plopped down on it.
Hinata just grinned as she said, "I'll be looking at books then."
The pink-headed girl nodded in return as she took out some textbooks from her briefcase to study from. She was going to have a big English exam and didn't want to ruin her top ranking spot of getting the highest score in her class.
As she was studying, a couple of tables away she heard a lot of whispering. Out of curiosity, Sakura lifted her head up. There was duck-butt and his friend, however, she didn't know who the other girl was this time. She was probably just as annoying as him. The girl across from him kept on glancing in her direction while whispering something to the dark-headed boy. A light blush grazed his cheeks as he looked down in embarrassment. He took out a pen and started writing something in his notebook. After, he slid it to the girl across from him to read. She read the notebook intently and giggled.
"What the heck are they talking about?" Sakura muttered to herself. She was pretty sure they were talking about her, but what could they be saying? She jumped in surprise as she saw the girl from the table jump up out of her seat. The girl then continued by pointing in Sakura's direction and speaking. The boy's eyes widened as he turned his head to look.
"She's right there!"
It seemed as though time had just stopped. Sakura didn't know why, but she couldn't keep her eyes away from his. When their eyes met, neither were able to turn away or break contact. God, she knew he was good looking, but how could he be so gorgeous? Maybe she underestimated his looks at bit before, but now getting a good look at him... he was something else. Their eye contact soon broke as Hinata came back with a stack of books in hand.
"D-daijobu, Sakura-chan?"
"Eh?"
Hinata's eyes widened in realization as she noted, "Your face is red."
"EH!?" Sakura exclaimed as she started patting her cheeks in disbelief. What the heck just happened? She shyly glanced back to where the handsome boy was. His face was hidden behind his arms as he laid his head down on the table. The girl across from him was laughing really hard.
What was this connection she just felt? It felt like a small spark was being lit inside of her.
"Ino, I'm gonna go buy some melon bread before it runs out."
"Alright, if you can, buy me one too!"
Sakura raised a delicate pink eyebrow as she said, "You owe me... again."
"Just buy me my bread!"
Sakura shook her head laughing as she left the classroom. After going down two flights of stairs, she made her way to the cafeteria where the school was selling some food. There was already a large line so Sakura quickly got on it, determined to buy the very popular melon bread.
As she turned her head, he was suddenly within her sight. She noticed he had money in his hand, so he was also probably going to buy something as well. Next to him were Tenten and Neji. They looked like they were having a deep conversation until Tenten stopped and looked in her direction. Sakura looked down at the ground as she felt several pairs of eyes staring at her.
A blush appeared on her face, though she hid it well behind her soft pink locks. The line was finally moving and Sakura was lucky enough to get the last melon bread. Sakura also bought a small coffee drink for Ino since there wasn't any bread left. As she left the line, she saw Hinata.
"Hi, Hinata!"
"Oh, hello, Sakura-chan," Hinata beamed back.
As they continued talking, using her peripheral view, she saw the dark-headed boy to the left of them. Sneakily, she glanced to the left trying to be discreet as possible. He was talking to Tenten, well, more like Tenten was the one talking.
"Sasuke." The brown-headed bun girl nudged him as she moved her head in the pink-haired girl's direction.
Sasuke? So that was his name. A small smile formed on her face without her realization.
"Oh, well I better bring this back to Ino then. I'll see you later, Hinata." Sakura bowed.
As she left, Sakura turned her head to see him one more time. He was looking back at her, however, there was a serious look on his face before he looked away. Pausing a bit, she shook her head and continued on her way back to the classroom.
She was seeing him everywhere. He couldn't possibly have feelings for her, could he? And what was this warm bubbly feeling she had whenever she looked at him? Everything was becoming so confusing.
As she was in deep contemplation, Sakura was walking down the halls holding a big stack of papers. It was her turn to bring down the papers to the teacher's office. As she continued down the hall, a group of girls were talking on the side. It looked like they were gossiping about something. Though Sakura was not one for eavesdropping, she could not help but overhear the conversation as she was passing them.
"Did you hear? Sasuke-kun actually went on a date with Karin."
"Really? That's a surprise. He doesn't seem like the type to say yes to those type of things."
"But the thing is, he did. She must be one special girl."
The girls nodded their heads agreeing on the last statement. Sakura paused for a second trying to process what she just heard. Did he really agree to go out with this Karin girl?
She whispered to herself, "But I thought—
She glanced back to the group of girls and looked to the ground in deep thought. Maybe she was over analyzing everything. There was no way Sasuke would be interested in a girl like her. But after all those moments they shared, it seemed like he was into her. The looks, the blushing, what could that all mean then?
"Why am I getting so worked up over this anyway?"
Sakura let out a deep breath of air before continuing towards the teacher's office. This was the last thing she wanted on her mind right now.
"Why am I so depressed after hearing that? It has nothing to do with me. It's none of my business, yet..." Sakura continued staring at the ground while her thoughts jumbled around in her head. Her eyebrows scrunched together as a deep frown started settling onto her face.
"Hey, Forehead! Why the sad look?"
"It's nothing," the pinkette tried brushing it off.
"So you heard about what happened with Sasuke-kun?" Ino said carefully.
Sakura's eyes shot up from the floor to stare bewilderedly back, "W-what? I'm not upset over that."
"Oh come on! It's written all over your face."
"I-I, oh, I just don't know, Ino. I didn't know hearing something like this could affect me so much. I mean, I don't even know him, but after the library... and now this. God, I'm so confused." Sakura laid her head on her desk trying to cover her sad face with her hair. She did not want Ino to see how upset she was. Being the subject of worry would just burden her and Sakura did not want that.
"I think it's pretty obvious how you feel."
"Eh?" With a confused look, the pink-haired girl sat up and stared at the blonde across from her.
Ino sighed, "Think about it, Sakura, why else would you be upset?"
Sakura could give no answer. She just stared back dumbly at her best friend.
Ino rolled her eyes at her best friend's continued obliviousness. God, she would be the end of her. The blonde continued, "I mean, if I heard Kiba went out with some girl, I would be upset too. I like him so much, how could I not to be affected? You know?"
"I-Ino, you're mistaken, I—
Ino glared before the pinkette had a chance to continue. "Think about it. Seriously."
"So, we're meeting up outside the classroom after school ends. We'll just decide then what to do."
"Alright, I'm excited. Maybe we should go do karaoke, it's been a while," Sakura giggled to her best friend.
After class ended, and Sakura and Ino got all their books to bring home, they waited outside of their classroom for Hinata.
"Hinata!" A big smile appeared on Sakura's face.
"Sakura-chan. Ino-chan. Hello," a small smile appeared on the girl's face.
After their friends arrival, Ino started blabbering about where they should go for their hang out. Meanwhile, Sakura got distracted as she noticed Sasuke from across the hallway. He was with Tenten again. Sakura did not want to make it obvious she was looking at them, so she positioned herself to look as if she was staring at Ino. In reality, she was really looking at the two of them. It was sneaky, but it's not like they would notice. They were standing towards the back of Ino, so it was perfect.
As she was observing the pair, she noticed Tenten nudge Sasuke as she used her head to point in the trio's direction. Sakura noted that this was becoming very common. In return, he raised an eyebrow at the girl incredulously as he shook his head. He briefly glanced in Sakura's direction as Sakura continued to pretend she was looking at Ino.
They started talking but since they were across the hall, Sakura could not hear what their conversation was about. With a mischievous smile, Tenten tried to push him a little. Since he was so much taller than her, it did not really work. He then turned around towards the bun-headed girl and it looked as if he was scolding her.
"Go talk to her." A whispered shout came from his brunette friend. Sakura's heart stopped as she heard this. Did she hear this right? Is that what she really said?
Sasuke glared at the girl for her rashness and sighed. With that, the two started walking and while they passed Sakura's group, their pace slowed down just a bit.
"Alright! Now that we have decided, let's go."
"W-what? Oh yeah, um, let's go!" Sakura nodded, not knowing what she agreed on. Absentmindedly, she followed her friends towards the staircase as she continued thinking about what Tenten said previously.
The trio left in the opposite direction of Tenten and Sasuke. Sakura really wanted to look back at him, but decided against it. Secretly, she wished that he really did go talk to her. She wanted to know what he really felt for her. But it was too late for that now because they already went their separate ways.
"Ino, I think I'm going to go talk to him," Sakura said randomly as they were walking home one day.
"Eh?" Ino stopped in her tracks, dumbfounded by what she just heard.
"I mean, if he won't go talk to me, then I'm going to go talk to him."
The blonde continued to stare at Sakura, still laced with shock over what she just heard her say. "Are you serious?"
"I'm serious this time, I'm tired of waiting and I want something to happen. I don't want to sit back and later on regret not doing anything. At least with this, if I get rejected, at least I know I tried my best and I went for it." Sakura smirked with a determined look in her eyes.
"Then I'm with you 100 percent ! It's about time you took the initiative," Ino smirked as she looked on pridefully at her best friend.
The next day after class ended, they decided to go to the library. Apparently, Sasuke went to the library a lot after school, so this would be the best chance Sakura would get in talking with him.
"You can do this," Ino encouraged the pinkette. They were just about to enter the library when the girl in front of her paused.
"I can do it!"
"That's the spirit." Ino smiled as she placed her hand on the door handle of the library. Right when she was about to slide it open, Sakura interrupted her.
"I can't do this, Ino. I'm leaving!" Sakura turned her body around and was about to run away when Ino grabbed her shoulder.
"Oh no you're not! You're going to do this and I won't let you leave until you do!" With a scared expression, Sakura nodded her head and reluctantly entered the library with the blonde.
"Sit here and I'll sit at this back table in view of you. It'll be easier for you to go up to him if you're by yourself, and he won't even notice that I'll be spying on you guys."
"Alright. Thanks...I guess."
With a thumbs up to her friend, Ino went to the back table and pretended to busy herself with studying and homework. Sakura sighed as her heart started to beat furiously. This was the first time she would actually try and talk to a crush. In the past, Sakura would only look at them from a distance, but this time, she was actually going to do something about it. With newfound determination, Sakura waited for him patiently.
Five minutes turned to ten, then to thirty-five, and then to an hour. Sakura looked out the window to see the sun was starting to set. She smiled sadly to herself as she began gathering her belongings. She walked up to Ino's table and whispered, "Pig, let's go."
"S-Sakura. I—
"So what if he's not here today. He might be here tomorrow. Just because he doesn't show up one day doesn't mean I'm giving up. I'm coming here everyday until he shows up because I'm going to talk to him and that's that."
Ino smiled, relieved, "I'm really happy for you, Forehead."
"Thanks, Pig. I'm really happy that I'm doing this. Hopefully, everything turns out well, right?"
They both giggled as they left the library.
"Sakura-chan, can you go out to the store and get me some eggs?" her mother yelled from the kitchen. From the delicious smell invading her senses, Sakura could tell her mom was beginning to cook dinner. Her mouth savored at the thought of all the good food her mother would make.
"Sure! I'll be back in a bit." Sakura walked towards the entryway of the house, changing from her indoor shoes to her outdoor shoes, and then she was out the door.
"What a nice day to be outside!" She stretched her arms out, basking in the sun's setting rays. She hummed to herself as she held her hands at the back of her body. After 10 minutes of walking, she arrived at a small convenience store. The doors slid open automatically as she entered. She walked all the way to the back of the store where they kept the dairy products. She took out a pack of eggs and headed towards the cashier. After paying, she grabbed the bag and made her way out the door.
"Hm, I'll stop by the park before I go home," Sakura thought as she crossed the street to where the park was located. There weren't many people, though there were a few kids playing on the playground. Sakura liked the swings the best as a child. As she was walking towards the swings, she saw a group of girls from her high school. Again, though the pinkette didn't mean to eavesdrop, it wasn't her fault since they were talking so loud.
"Aren't they so cute together?" One of the girls squealed as she jumped up and down in excitement.
"It's about time they made it official," another girl nodded her head vigorously.
"I'm so happy for them!"
With a questioning stare, Sakura looked in the direction the group of girls were looking at.
It couldn't be.
"Eh? Did you hear something?"
"Oh gross! Someone dropped eggs on the floor!"
"I-Ino?" Desperation was evident in her voice, but she didn't care. She needed to talk to someone.
"Sakura? Are you okay?"
The pink-haired girl hiccuped, "I'm not going to the library... ever."
"Sakura—
"H-he, he... Sasuke-kun has a girlfriend now!" Sakura started crying and she was explaining to her friend what she witnessed earlier at the park.
"Oh god, Sakura. I'm so sorry!"
"No, I'm sorry for taking up your time over this. I just needed to tell someone and—
A sob escaped Sakura's lips as tears started to pour from her eyes. It's been a while since Sakura cried this hard. She was trying so hard to be strong and to let Ino know what happened, but her crying prevented her from saying anything. Her chest was hurting and as she kneeled to the ground. She couldn't help but to cry even more.
"It's going to be alright, Sakura. Believe me, please."
"I wish I could. I don't know why I let myself fall so hard."
"We can't help who we love, Sakura."
"But it was over before anything even started."
The next few days at school were no better. Time went by so slow and Sakura felt so empty and lost. She just went by her daily routine just trying to focus on her work and anything that had nothing to do with him.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I mean there's nothing that I could do about it now. I guess I really did just over analyze everything." A sad smile appeared on the the girl's face. She wanted Ino to know she was okay, even if she was falling apart inside. More than anything, Sakura just needed to get through the rest of the semester and learn to let go.
"I-It's all my fault. If I didn't say that he liked you and—
"Ino, it's not your fault. I actually believed it too. Let's not talk about it anymore, okay? I just want to forget and move on because that's the only thing I could do now."
Honestly, Sakura was not doing all right. Even though she had yet to see him, she could not prevent herself from thinking of what happened. But it was inevitable. She let her feelings grow too much even before she talked to the guy. A sigh of frustration left her mouth as she prepared herself for lunchtime.
Ino asked, "Sakura, do you want to go to the courtyard to eat lunch?"
Sakura shook her head no. He might be there and she didn't think she could face him. "No thanks, I think I'd rather stay inside the classroom. You can if you want though."
"No, it's fine. We can eat lunch inside."
"I'm just going to go buy a drink real quick, I'll be back." Sakura got out her wallet from her briefcase. With a nod to Ino, she left the classroom.
As she entered the cafeteria, from the corner of her eye, she saw him. He was on line, probably going to buy something quick to eat. She took a deep breath in as she decided against looking at him. She went to the vending machine and quickly put in her money and pressed the buttons to get a small can of coffee.
After getting the drink, she quickly left the cafeteria without even sparing a glance in his direction. In order to get over him, she could no longer look at him anymore. He was taken, and there was no way in hell Sakura was a homewrecker.
As she started climbing up the stairs, she let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding in. She thought she would be okay, but she was wrong. Even though she barely saw him, feelings of hurt started to swell up in her chest.
Although she promised herself she would not cry over him anymore, Sakura could not keep herself from breaking it.
"What am I doing with myself?"
It was pathetic to be sulking though it had been weeks since the incident. She still couldn't get over the idea that he was taken. It was ironic though. The day she was going to take a chance on him, he got himself a girlfriend.
All these feelings were attacking her. What was even worse was having that one memory repeat over and over in her head. It was just her luck that she would see them after school near the shoe lockers. She didn't even come to terms with his new "status" until she actually saw him with her.
Sakura was going home late one afternoon because she was helping with one of the school clubs she was in. After changing her shoes to her outdoor ones, she headed towards the exit.
"Mou, Sasuke-kun! You promised!"
Sasuke-kun? Sakura froze. She stood still behind the shoes lockers afraid of what she might see if she were to look around. At the sound of his name, her mind blanked. Of all the times to go home... Sakura breathed in deeply. She wasn't ready for this. Her heart began to accelerate so fast, she couldn't even think straight anymore. But curiosity got the best of her. Was Karin everything he really wanted? Was he happy with her? Even though it was against her better judgment, Sakura wanted to know what this girl looked like. She wanted to see the girl who stole his heart. She let out a short breath as she slowly peaked around the lockers.
Karin, as she should have expected, was a very pretty girl. She had beautiful red hair that was quite layered but was stylish. She also had on black frames that gave her a very mature, sophisticated look and made her red eyes appear bigger. Her stature was petite but she looked great in the school uniform. She just exuded confidence and everything Sakura was not. She hated to admit it, but Karin looked very good standing next to Sasuke. They complemented each other so well. With a bit of hesitation, she shyly glanced to the handsome boy standing next to her. Her stomach dropped.
The way he was looking at her...He had on a smirk as he was staring down at the redhead. Sakura had never seen him smile at anyone, and this was the closest thing to a smile she had ever seen on his face. They truly looked like the perfect couple. They just suited each other so well, how could Sakura ever compete with that? Without her realization, her eyes began to water at the scene before her. At least he was happy with her. She tried to think positively, but the pure jealousy bubbling up inside her would not cease. Her head fell down as she stared at the ground thinking of how foolish she was. Sasuke would never like a girl like her, not when he had someone like Karin.
"Hn. Karin, let's go."
Sakura stayed in her spot as they left and remained there for a while. Her tears felt like they were forever flowing.
"Well, don't I have rotten luck?" she laughed bitterly to herself as she stared at the homework in front of her. After recalling such a memory, she was having difficulty focusing on her tasks. As she stretched her arms up in the air, she decided she needed a break, so she went to the kitchen. Her parents were sitting at the table. It looked like they were in deep conversation because when she entered, they stopped talking.
"Perfect timing, Sakura-chan, we need to speak with you." Hesitantly, Sakura took a seat at the table across from her mother and father.
"Sakura, your mother and I have some important news to tell you." It was strange to hear her dad so serious. Usually, it was her mother that was the serious one. Despite her Dad being a salaryman and working for a big corporation, he had a wonderful sense of humor and was light-hearted.
"What is it?"
"I'm just going to get straight to the point. I'm getting transferred to Suna because the company is opening a new building there. They have appointed me to help get it started and look things over. This promotion is a big deal for me and I know you love it here in Konoha, but please try and understand that I have been waiting for this promotion for a while."
"Sakura-chan," her mother said softly. Worry was evident on her face, and although Sakura hated the idea of moving, she would not go against the wishes of her parents. With a sigh, Sakura nodded her head.
With a sad smile on her face, she answered, "I understand, otou-san. Congratulations, I'm really happy for you, honestly."
"That's a relief to hear, thank you," her father nodded before taking a sip of water. There was a silent pause between the three as her parents worries began to ease.
Sakura hesitated before quietly asking, "When are we leaving exactly?"
"Well, since your spring semester is ending soon, we'll be moving out after you have finished. So the beginning of summer break we will be moving to Suna."
Sakura nodded as she gathered herself up and slowly made her way towards the door. "Alright, thanks for letting me know."
"I know you're sad, but it's not like you'll never see your friends again," her mother tried to help her daughter remain hopeful.
Sakura paused in step before mumbling, "I know, okaa-san." The pair watched as their daughter quickly left the kitchen to go back to her room.
"That's not the only thing I'll be sad about anyway."
Days passed and Sakura barely saw Sasuke anymore. She continued to avoid the places he would most likely be at because it would just remind her of everything that had happened. She especially didn't want to see Sasuke and Karin together, again. Her heart would break even more than before. Though it had been a while since she found out about his relationship, the stinging pain in her chest would not go away.
She then began to think that moving away would probably help with getting over him. The distance would be good for her. At least she would not have to bump into him at school. Though no matter how much it hurt, she had to be strong for herself.
The semester finally ended and Sakura, as usual, passed her exams with flying colors so she would not have to do any make up exams over the summer. She already had the transfer papers handed in and mostly everything in her house was packed in boxes for her family's departure. It was the last day of the semester as well as the last day of her being in Konoha. As a "going away" gift, her friends and classmates decided to gather up outside of Konoha High to give a departing farewell after exams ended.
"Stop crying, Pig," Sakura smiled softly as she gently pulled her best friend into a hug.
"Well sorry, my best friend is leaving me for Suna!" She could then hear another soft sob to the right of her.
"Hinata, don't you start too."
"I-I'm s-s-sorry!" There were tears flowing down both friend's eyes.
"Guys, you're going to make my leaving really difficult. I want to leave with a smile. Please, no tears." Sakura's eyes started to tear up as she looked at her crying friends. She was definitely going to miss seeing them everyday.
"I'm really going to miss you guys. Really, I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me. I appreciate it so much. I'm so thankful that I have friends like you. I don't know what I would've done without you." Sakura bowed to them in gratitude. As she stood back up, Ino and Hinata flung themselves onto the pinkette for another embrace.
"It's not like we're never going to see each other, so there's no need to thank us," Ino replied as tears ran down her face.
"This isn't goodbye."
"You're right. Besides, I'm only two hours away. We can still see each other on the weekends and during breaks."
"It won't be the same without you," Hinata shook her head as she wiped her tears away.
"I was really looking forward to graduating with you too."
Sakura nodded as her friends went to call their classmates over. She looked back towards the courtyard and there he was. He was with Tenten and Neji, it looked like he was in a deep conversation with them. No matter how much she wanted to look away, she couldn't. This would be the last time she would see him. And then, he turned his head and looked at her. For a second, her breath caught in her throat and she tensed up. For that one second, he was looking at her and she was looking at him. No Tenten, no Karin, no distractions.
It was their moment.
And in that moment, all she wanted to do was run up to him, hold him, and tell him everything. Tell him that she liked him. Tell him that she should be with him, not Karin. Tell him that she didn't want to move away. She was so ready to do so as well.
But it ended as soon as it began.
Ino and the others called her over to take some pictures before she had to leave. Sakura quickly broke the eye contact and walked over to her friends, her eyes feeling watery again. She tried her best to smile in the pictures, making sure it didn't show her real pain.
"We were never meant to be," Sakura chuckled sadly to herself. She then put on a fake smile as she accepted the presents from her friends and classmates.
As her friends bowed and gave their last goodbyes, she looked back one more time to the courtyard where he last was. He was no longer there. She looked down at the ground with tears flowing down her cheeks and a bittersweet smile. This was the end. There were no more chances to take.
Now all she could do was walk away.
I hope you become very happy with her.
Good-bye, Sasuke-kun.
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[Possibility]
Because I want it left behind as beautiful memories . . .
[BoA feat. 三浦 大知]
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End: (High School is not meant for love.)
Majority of this story was based off of real events that have happened to me. It was a little difficult to recount those events, but I hope you enjoy reading what I have put together! By the way, I do not support SasuKarin but unfortunately, it was needed for the sake of the story.
Reviews are appreciated.
~Momo