Title: The Only Exception
Summary: I thought "love" is just an empty word. Before you came into my life, all I can see is black and white. But with your slightly tanned skin, red hair and emerald eyes, you filled my vision with colors. Will you be the one to save me from this monochrome world?
Chapter 1: All I Wanted
I learned from an early age that love is not real. My parents divorced due to my mother's infidelity when I was only a five year old girl. On the other hand, my father who was left alone by my mother was left devastated. I grew up watching him get wasted everyday. It's like I became mature at an early age because I learned how to cook by myself, do the laundry and clean the house. On the days that my father is sober, he cooks for me, cleans the house himself and we watched rented movies.
But it's not love.
It's called responsibility.
At that time, I don't even know the meaning of "infidelity". But as I grew up and reached puberty, people keep on telling me that I'm a daughter of an adulterer—and that I was bound to be like her since the same blood runs through our veins. My father always tells those people to back off and mind their own business. But in truth, he's also afraid I might become the person like his wife. To make the long story short, he didn't want me to become a whore.
(Eleven years ago…)
"What are you wearing?!"
"What? I'm wearing a dress." I pointed at my purple dress.
"You're showing too much skin!"
"It's a dress, dad. It's meant to show skin!"
"Go back to your room and change clothes!"
"No! I will make Sasuke look at me!"
"You're only 12 years old. Stop acting like a bitch!"
It shocked me—about what he said, and it seems the same goes for him. But fathers never back down on their words.
"Change your clothes now!"
"NO!" I stormed out of our house without looking back and went to school.
The Elementary Division doesn't require school uniforms so when I suddenly went to school wearing a purple dress and with my hair down, everyone is staring at me—except for Sasuke.
"The guys are calling you their Madonna." Sakura giggled.
We are eating at the cafeteria together with Tenten, Shikamaru, Choji and Lee.
"Stop saying that or it will go through her head again." Shikamaru lazily said.
"Hmph. You're just jealous that I'm popular."
"I don't need popularity."
"You don't need to be popular because you're smart Shikamaru." Said Sakura who took a large bite on her cheeseburger.
"Look who's talking." The lazy-ass yawn while the pink haired just laughed.
I took a sip at my pineapple juice and took a bite on my sliced apple. Then I silently stared at Sakura.
I've always been jealous of her. She's beautiful, smart—always the first in class. Shikamaru would have been first if he's not frequently absent and missed most of the quizzes and exams. Everyone admires and likes her. But the thing I'm most jealous about her is that she's best friends with Sasuke. She and Naruto were friends with him since kindergarten. So it only means I can't beat her in terms of 'Who met him first'. Although we have a friendly rivalry—agreeing with each that no one will confess unless Sasuke confess himself to one of us. But in truth, we both know she have the upper hand since she's closer to Sasuke as "best friend". Nevertheless, she never pointed it out on my face even once—because that is just like her. She's the best girl friend I've always been proud of.
But I'm still jealous of her. Period.
"Where's Sasuke?" I asked Sakura.
"He's with Naruto, like always."
But the person I'm most jealous about is Naruto. Because he can be with Sasuke like it's the most natural thing in the world.
"What are they up to this time?" TenTen asked while muching at her sandwich.
"I heard they are planning to join the basketball club in the Middle School Division, since we're finally graduating and all. " Answer Choji who started opening his third pack of potato chips.
Our school is ladderized—from Kindergarten to College. I was the only one who transferred during elementary (since we left our previous house and town) so I was the only one who wasn't there from the start.
Everything seems peaceful then, no one knew that a big incident will happen.
We graduated from Elementary School with Sasuke being the Valedictorian. Then all of us entered the Middle School Division without a hitch.
It was after summer vacation when Sasuke disappeared.
…
(Ten years ago…)
"Sakura! SAKURA! What happened? Where's Sasuke?!" I ran towards the tear-stained Sakura who's with Naruto at the back garden. The latter is punching at a nearby tree, staring at the ground.
"SAKURA!" I pressed for answers while wriggling her shoulders.
"I DON'T KNOW!"
"Wh-Why? You're supposed to be his best friend!" Then I glanced at the blonde. "Where did he go Naruto?"
"…He was with us just a week ago. He didn't act any differently and if something did happen, he didn't say anything."
"Why? Why would he disappear just like that? Not even telling the two of you?!"
"INO! We don't know okay? All we git from his neighbors is that his parents was not home for a month until Itachi-nii went home a week ago then they're gone."
When I looked at Sakura and Naruto, I realized that what they felt back then was way greater than mine—the feeling of being torn to pieces. For the second time in my life, I came to know that love is not real. After all, if Sasuke loves Sakura, he won't leave her. If I truly loves Sasuke, I would be crying my heart out like Sakura. Instead, I was mad at him for leaving her.
…
…
We graduated in Middle School with Sakura as the Valedictorian. When we entered the High School Division, she was also the Student Representative who took first in Entrance Examination. Yes, even though our school is ladderized, we were still required to take the entrance exams in high school so it would be fair for the transferees—which is mind you, quite a lot if you asked me.
One of them is Sai. He's the son of one of the school's Board of Directors (based from rumors) so I instantly remembered him. Especially when he has a striking similarity with Sasuke. I didn't like his attitude at first but we're somewhat acquaintance due to us being classmates.
(Seven Years Ago…)
"You know what? I have this guy in our class who looks like Sasuke."
Sakura jolted and stopped eating for awhile. "Oh…really?" then continue eating.
We are currently at a gazeebo near East Building eating lunch. Since Sakura, Shikamaru and miraculously Naruto are in the advanced class, this gazeebo became our meeting area.
"You mean Sai?" Naruto noisily sip at his cup Ramen.
"How'd you know him" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"We met at a basketball match, and then he called me dickless when my team won. I punched him, and after the fight, we became friends!"
"Ooooh! That's the power of youth!"
"Who won?" I'm surprisingly curious.
"Me, of course! With all the fist fight I had with Sasuke—" He stopped midway and glanced a little at Sakura who flinched a little, then he grin afterwards as if saying the name is just an afterthought. "Anyway, the guy looks pampered and anemic so it's no question he'll lose in a fist fight, dattebayo!"
"You just judge your friend." Said Shikamaru who's lazing leaning at the pillar, gazing at the clouds.
"Well, even if he's like that, he's trying hard to change. I heard he used to study abroad so coming here might have been a big blow for him. So I think calling me nicknames is just him being shy." He grinned.
It's kind of awkward talking about him so I changed the subject. "By the way! Are you excited for the Sports Festival next month? I hope we'll be in the same group Sakura!" I winked at the pink haired and she just laughed.
"Now that you mention it," TenTen finished his bottled iced tea. "they will post the members for each group next week."
In High School Division, Sports Festival is different from Elementary and Middle School. All year levels are jumbled and then formed into 10 groups. The principal made the sports fest like that so all year levels and classes will have more interactions which result in unfying the school.
…
It's been three years since Sasuke disappeared. It still hurts sometimes when I think about him-but not as much as the first year he left. And every time I looked at Sakura, it hurts me more than anything. She was broken, and as her best friend, I honestly wished she would find someone better—someone worthy of her love. But it shocked me when she did, because that someone turns out to be the one I'm starting to like.
"Ugly."
She punched him—hard. "When are you going to stop calling me that?!"
"Never."
Then she started strangling him.
After the Sports Fest, Sai, Hinata, Kiba, Neji and Shino became part of our group.
Sakura, Naruto, Sai , TenTen, Lee and Neji were in the red team while Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji and myself were in the blue team. Hinata's group we're all transferee so I took it upon myself to invite them in our group. After all, we totally hit it off when Hinata and I first met because she's like a lost lamb I wanted to protect. Neji who is also a transferee is more like an added bonus because he declared himself as Hinata's personal bodyguard. Well, I can't blame him when she's the heiress of the Hyuga Corp. but it's just plain weird when they're cousins ang he's like that towards her. I can't really understand the mindset of rich people and Hinata looks flustered everytime Neji's overprotective quirks came out.
On the other hand, there was one game where they required three members in a team in which Naruto, Naruto and Sai participated. The Kings Game. It's a game where the two soldiers are carrying the King on each of their shoulders so it's normally played by two boys and one girl.
That single game started it all.
In that game, I instantly noticed the changes on Sai's facial expression. How the normally emotionless boy, showed a tinge of pink on his cheeks the moment he set her eyes on her—Sakura. I was also a participant in that game together with Shikamaru and Choji so I saw the slightest change in his expressions.
At that moment where he fell in love with her, is also the moment I realized I like him. Complicated right? It's so complicated I wanted to slap myself. How the hell did it happen? We hadn't even had a normal conversation. We're even at the same club—the arts club but we didn't spoke much. If we did talk, I was always the first one to initiate the conversation. Is it because he looks like Sasuke? Maybe at first, yes. But as the days go by, I became totally aware of his presence—every time he passed by or everytime he's answering at the class. And then there's that blush he had when he first talked with Sakura. He's so cute back then! But it appears the girl herself didn't notice it. Though as her best friend, I'm positive she's starting to like him.
"Then what is Ino's nickname?"
I blinked twice, noticing that everyone is looking at my direction. It seems I was lost in thought for few minutes. "Huh? What about me?"
"You're daydreaming again Ino!" The pink-haired pinched my cheek who's on the other side of the marbled table.
"Sai is giving us nicknames to get over his shyness. So far, they're all nasty." Said Naruto who's doing a magic trick in front of Hinata. Neji is noticeably staring daggers at the blonde's back—though the latter is oblivious about it, like he's oblivious to Hinata's reddened face.
"I'm not shy. I'm just being honest." Countered Sai who is trying his hardest to make some distance between him and Sakura.
Yes, he's being shy… I thought to myself.
He thought for a moment, before saying, "Gorgeous."
Everyone gasped. And obviously, my face is all red. This guy! What's his problem?!
"Because the flowers she diligently arranged everyday at the arts clubroom is beautiful."
Well, that will surely make all of us silent—even Sakura stopped what she was doing and smile. "In a sense, that's true. That nickname is perfect for her."
I'm not sure what I will be happy about. Is it because Sai noticed me changing and arranging the flowers everyday? Or is it the fact that Sakura may have found someone who is way better than Sasuke? But in my case, the moment he said I'm gorgeous was also the beginning of my doom. Because I fell in love with a guy who's not meant for me—for the second time in my life. And the day they announced that they are now officially a couple, was the day I questioned, "What is love?". "Am I not meant to feel loved?". If it's like that, then it will be much better if I don't believe in that abstract feeling.
…
…
When I reached the prime of my puberty, I became someone who's popularly known as "Everyone's Girlfriend". My relationships didn't last long—ranging from three months as the longest and one hour as the shortest. But I don't sleep with just anyone—I still consider the face. Yep, face is the most important. He must have fair skin, dark hair and eyes. Being smart is a big plus for me. But even though I dated and slept with guys like that, it's still not enough. I'm searching for someone who can make me believe in love. That love is real. That the kanji word for love can be engraved in someone's forehead.
Yeah, I almost laugh when I saw him in front of the class, introducing himself—the kid from Suna who transferred at the summer of our third year. He's slightly tanned, tall, red-haired, has emerald eyes, and not to mention he doesn't have eyebrows. In a nutshell, he's not every bit of my type. But when I stared at the Kanji word on his forehead, I got the feeling that he may be the one who can save me from this monochrome world.
...
...
Yeah...I started a new story...a spin-off actually. Please bear with me. I will finish my other stories. I promise! Hope you enjoy this one though. It will get better at the later chapters. I'm also warning you that the T-Rating might change in the near future.
Sore ja~
Matta ne~