I remember the day, that very fateful morning at the Music Academy when we met. I could clearly recall it like my very first music award. It's so clear like a sunny blue sky. But I just couldn't really grasp the idea of it! I just couldn't picture where we went wrong.
Our friendship was so picture perfect from what I remembered, but my selfishness made it all fall apart. We had potential to be the best, or even more.
…But I suppose I ruined it. Don't you think so, Ino?
I was sitting in the corner, like usual. I was playing with my acoustic guitar, attempting to play a new song that I've learned. It didn't sound too remarkable though since I couldn't keep the rhythm. It was one of the many things my teacher told me that I needed to work on. I attempted to play the song again. I hit the wrong note and flinched. Darn it. I began to try and play again, but it only sounded worse. I guess my teacher was right, I thought. I desperately needed to improve. I frowned and blew my bangs out of my face. They got in the way all the time, but they hid me from the people I didn't want to see. The people who hurt me like my brother and the girls who picked on me. But everything was fine because I had my guitar. It was always there to listen to my vents and would sing me a song to try and cheer me up. My guitar always played for me if I gave it my all.
But the lack of friends…it always left a hollow pain in my body. It ached in remembrance each time I saw a circle of girls all laughing happily with each other. They didn't know loneliness besides those dull rainy days stuck inside with working parents. They didn't feel the yearning to want to have friends because they already had so many. How I wished to be in the circle…happy and laughing. I stroked my guitar's strings to try and capture my attention again.
Attempting to pry myself from my feeling of loneliness, I continued to strum my guitar without attempting to make a good rhythm. I was too entranced in my thoughts to even notice the world around me. I was only seven and my mind was daydreaming away. It was always much nicer there.
The music studio was packed with numerous girls and two boys. The parents surrounded their kids except me and the boys. We were the only oddballs of the group. It made me feel undesired, yet, knowing that the other two boys were alone with me made me feel a little better. It gave me some comfort that I wasn't alone in the world and I could seek a friendship with them and refuge from my self-pity. I stroked my guitar again. Why was I getting worked up over this subject again? It was becoming bothersome and continued to pester me whenever I was left alone. I never had the problem a month ago, but now…it was different. I was feeling like this every day. I am not sure why.
I heard loud giggles and quickly turned my head towards the sound. It was her. She always laughed the loudest. It killed my train of thought. She had sunshine hair on a beautiful spring day, had eyes that held blue skies. She was the perfect example of a prodigy in the making. I frowned deeper. If I was just like her…I might've been noticed more in class, and get more help in the things I needed improved in. The teachers only crowded around the ones who didn't need help, like her.
I had pink hair. It was natural. I had an albino father and regular mom with red hair. The doctors said it was a color pigment problem and it ended up with my having pink hair. I got teased about it. My dad told me I would've looked perfectly like my mom. I would've had her red hair, emerald green eyes and nice skin tone but instead I had pink hair, pale emerald eyes and a pale skin tone. My father still said I looked beautiful in my own unique way though. I strummed my guitar again.
"Can you stop that? Sounds like an animal is dying," Kin said to me. She was a very pretty girl. She bullied me occasionally. I casted my head down. I already learned long time ago that I couldn't do anything to stop her from bullying me.
"I'm sorry," I replied. She began to laugh. She had an ugly laugh that made me shiver. It reminded me of the sound the neighborhood dogs made when they were getting into our garbage.
"Can you stop that? Sounds like an animal is dying," someone replied in a mocking voice. I shot my head up. Kin stopped laughing and growled.
There she was, the girl I was talking about. She had her hands on her hips. She had one eyebrow rose with her eyes narrowed. She looked scary and looked like she meant business, but she still held that air of prettiness around her like some sort of warrior princess in one of the books I've been reading. Kin scoffed and flicked her long black hair to the side before glancing to the side. A blush crept to her cheeks from the girl's remark.
"What do you want, PIG?" The girl shot. I gasped in shock. I never would've thought that someone, even Kin, to say such a rude thing to her, even if her name was related to it. The girl's name was Ino. Sure her name meant boar but she was far from looking like one. Ino put a hurt hand on her chest with a smirk.
"Ouch that hurt," she replied before giving her trademark laugh. I loved it. It was so fluid and cheerful. You know everyone's laugh was happy and stuff, but, Ino's was the best. It made me wish I could laugh with her. Kin stuck her tongue out and walked away while muttering something around 'whatever'.
Ino tilted her head to stare at me. I felt myself blush. She never, ever did look at me at the music studio or anywhere else to be truthful, and the attention she was giving me now was surprising and uncomfortable. She was a pretty, popular girl looking at the loner. At the age of seven, I already knew what was going on and everyone in the world had their places in the food chain. Ino and I were on entirely different levels with me being on the lowest one.
I didn't have my childish innocence to protect me from trying to talk to better people than me. My brother stripped it away from me long ago. He told me how mean the world was and how money was tight to keep me in the music studio. And it made perfect sense. Father had to work more, mom worked nightshifts and my brother even had to pitch in. It was a selfish thing of me, said my brother but I didn't understand. They could've stopped paying for me and just spent the money on something better but they continued it. I didn't know why.
Ino smiled at me. Even if we were at different social levels, maybe at polar opposites, she still was nice to me. It showed how much of good person she was which made her very popular among the kids here.
"What's your name?" she asked me with a cool tone. I blinked a few times. She wanted me to tell her name? My fingers clumsily withdrew to my chest and accidently strummed the guitar. Ino eyed my guitar for awhile before averting her gaze at me again. Her smile faltered.
"Are you going to tell me your name?" she asked again with a hint of impatience. Her friends in the back were giggling like crazy. I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment. I probably looked like a complete loser.
"I-uh-my-my mom-I was- my name i-is Sakura," I stuttered out. I felt myself grow redder. I am such an idiot, I screamed in my head, though much to my surprise Ino just giggled at me. Now she thought I was some weirdo who couldn't talk worth crap. I felt myself glance over at the shy girl, her name was Hinata…she stuttered a lot. I felt bad for saying that. She had problems talking more than me. She was actually worse off to be totally honest. She didn't deserve to stutter so much. She was so nice. You could tell that she was because of how she treated everyone with kindness and the way she glanced around. She really had a very nice voice too. I heard Ino sigh in content. My attention turned to Ino again. She finally stopped laughing at me. I looked down to the ground, unsure what to do.
"That's a very nice name. I take it you're not a singer, right?" Ino asked while leaning towards me. I felt my bangs cover my eyes, perfectly on cue. I doubt I'd be able to hold her gaze. My bangs always hid me from the world. It was a curse at times, but right now it was a blessing.
"Well, I, I, I really do sing," I replied while trying to stop my stuttering. It was really hard. What was wrong with me? I never stuttered or felt this embarrassed in front of anybody!
Ino raised her eyebrows in surprise. "OH really," she asked in a competitive voice. I felt something flare in me. I wanted to show her what I could do. I never felt this way towards anyone or anything. I wanted to try and prove to her that I was worthy of being near her, even though my body acted like… acted something like I didn't want to be near her much with this weird nervous feeling.
I nodded before licking my lips in anticipation. Silently wondering what she would say next. Would she think I am lying? Ino straightened herself out, looming over me with her hands on her hips and with a big smile on her face.
"Ok, but you should really put your bangs back. You have nice eyes," she replied. I felt myself flinch. I had nice eyes? No one ever told me that. I attentively pulled my bangs back and placed them behind my ears. She held out her hand towards me. I examined it. It looked soft, inviting. She had neon green fingernail polish that brought her hand out. She also wore gel bracelets.
She was trying to help me up. I blinked a couple of times to try and register this act of kindness. I would've never thought that she would help me up from something. I only thought that friends did this. Did that mean…? I felt myself smile brightly.
I took her hand as she helped me up from my spot. I carried my acoustic guitar with me. She grunted.
"You're kind of heavy," she replied once I got on my feet. I frowned.
"It's my guitar," I stated. I didn't like the fact that she thought I was fat. She shrugged. She turned towards me with another smile. Her friends were now in their own circle talking about something. They either grew tired of waiting for Ino or felt that we were best left alone for now. Either way, I didn't mind it. That meant that Ino would probably only have her attention on me…I never had captured anyone's attention before, until now. Yet, I still couldn't help and wonder that if it was normal to see the popular girl with an unpopular one?
If I was one of Ino's friends, I believe I would be staring in disbelief, though, I wouldn't know if this would come as a surprise since I didn't know Ino enough, but maybe that would change right now.
"Riight," she said with a wink.
"R-"is all I said before I got interrupted. The Studio Manager came out with a smile. He greeted everyone who brought their children and gave a deep speech. Ino quickly excused herself before running over to her dad and hugging his side.
Once again I was left alone though I didn't feel like it, because it felt like Ino never did leave me side even though she was only by me for a few fleeting moments.
Through out the whole time I couldn't help myself from stealing glances at Ino. It scared me at first that I leeched on her so quickly, but then again, who wouldn't? She made me feel not alone.
She was a really nice, fun, pretty, and smart. She was the ideal friend.
I wanted to be her friend. I always have wanted to be her friend, just even more than ever now.
Something in me felt at peace, and for once, I didn't feel like the loner I was two minutes ago. I had a feeling that Ino would be there for me, like, forever be there.
"So let the singing competition begin!" The manager yelled out before exiting the stage. The red drapes behind him were pulled back to reveal one of the boys, the dark haired one, who started playing something skillfully on his guitar. The lights were all on him and everyone was silent.
The whole auditorium was full; both second floor seats and bottom. I did not know what to think. I never saw such a big crowd in my life, besides on TV. I slowly began to doubt my own talents. Running away right now seemed very tempting at that moment, until, a reassuring hand grabbed mine and gave it a squeeze. I looked back to my partner in crime, my partner in singing, and my partner in eating all the cookies.
Ino smiled at me.
"Scared?" She asked. After three months we knew each other like a favorite song. We knew every expression we pulled, each hand signal, and sometimes, at dear moments, we even thought the same. It was the true definition of a best friend.
"Yeah," I spoke quickly while licking my lips. I glanced down at my acoustic guitar and picked it up with my free hand. I hope I didn't ruin anything or mess up the notes or went out of sync. That'd be so embarrassing! And Ino would probably laugh at me for messing up, or maybe even get mad. I frowned. I didn't want to make her mad, at all. She was my best friend, and best friends never got mad at each other. Ino said that so it had to be true.
Ino raised an eyebrow. "Is something else bothering you?"
I bit my lip. "What if I mess up?"
Ino giggled at me, still holding my hand, before responding. "Sakura, I know you won't mess up. After two months of practicing that song for three hours each day, I think you will perfect it, just got to worry that I'll get more spotlight than you." She winked and hummed. I smiled at her remark before adding in my very own giggle.
We watched everyone perform until we were on. I felt my throat constrict and Ino lead me out on the stage. I stumbled halfway out there and received a few giggles from the crowd, causing my face to turn bright pink. Ino gave my hand one last squeeze before getting the microphones from the stands. She gave me mine and smiled.
"You ready?" She said like it was the easiest thing there. She looked like she did not see the crowd out there, the tension, the future, or anything stressful about this. All she saw was the pure enjoyment of it. I could see it shine from her glorious blue eyes. It made all my worries evaporate. I nodded.
Ino turned around and signaled for the beat to come up. We both counted in our heads at the same time to start.
One.
Two.
Three- I began to strum on my guitar. The fear of messing up quickly jumped into my brain again. Now, though, I had newly found courage and determination. I couldn't mess up, not on Ino! I practiced hard for this. Messing up would be embarrassing! I've practiced so much that I completely forgot the fear of messing up as my left hand instinctively moved to the correct places as I strummed with my right hand.
And, soon enough, I was lost in my own world until Ino began to sing the first verse.
"Kiss me out of the bearded barley
Nightly, beside the green, green grass
Swing, swing, swing the spinning step
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress."
She sang those words with the utmost love her voice could express. Her facial expression showed that she was lost in her own world, away from the stress of messing up. Her voice waved like a beautiful summer wind in the late night, enchanting anything that was awake and deep in thought. She was almost like an angel.
"Oh,"
She let. We exchanged a quick glance both smiled before singing in unison.
"Kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling
So kiss me!"
I remember it so clearly like the spring's blue skies. Each movement I made with my guitar and each smile we exchanged, if the smiles ever left out lips, I remember it all. That memory was frosted with nostalgia. How I wished to be as happy as I was back then. Both of us were happy back then, were we not? It always brings me a genuine smile when I remember our childhood days, but…it also reminds me of other things. I was so oblivious of the doom that I would bring in the next two years of our blissful friendship… I wish we were still close like that before I made that big mistake. You were as charming as you are now even when you were a kid. You lost some of the haughty attitude, but other than that, nothing else has changed, besides how we treat each other.
You don't have that shine in your eye when you see me, instead you have this sneer. You say hurtful things at times, but I know somewhere deep down my best friend is still in there. I just have to find her and hope she isn't dead and forgotten within the new you.
I can only imagine and dream that there is still hope for us.
I snapped out of my daydream as I quickly swerved to the side of the road. A driver honked his horn in rage while driving past me.
"God damn," I muttered while straightening myself back on the road. Why was I daydreaming so much lately? I've always been going back to those memories of Ino and me. To the place where everything was perfect in my head, even the small problems that came along. It has been years since those days. I, at the age of twenty, no longer held too much hope of recovering that fractured bond between us. I, and probably Ino too, knew that it was far too late to forgive.
But my dreams replayed our best days, replaying her laughs, and it also replayed our songs we sang and danced with together. Oh, how I was a bad dancer, but even if the memory of me dancing like a loser still made me smile. However, when I woke up, my senses corrected me that there was no hope. Dreams were simply dreams- it was an unreachable subject to try and conquer between us. We had our own lives to deal with now and barely had enough spare time, let alone have time to try and make things better between us. We were simply too engrossed in our work to think about reconnecting with each other. Plus, it didn't help that Ino was downright nasty at times which sometimes kept me off months on end with anger.
Yet, I'd have to admit, that in those moments of not being fully asleep or awake, I pictured of what I'd do to bring her back, to enjoy small talk and laughs with her again. In those moments I pictured myself overwhelmed with joy and laughter. I pictured my eyes brimming with tears because we giggled too much. Ino would only start laughing harder at the sight of me almost crying in joy.
But in those fleeting moments of nothingness, of being not in the world or dreamland, I felt sick to my stomach and weak. I felt an aching longing to feel that happiness, to be close to her, to be able to hold her hand, and share each other's dreams. I-
I quickly shook my head. I needed to start paying attention to the road and not nod off back into my fantasy world, I reminded myself, and that there was just no hope for us. I tried a feeble attempt to make things better before but she pushed me aside. It was no longer a dream. Instead, it slowly became the impossible.
Did I really mess things up that bad between us, Ino? I questioned in my head. I also had the faint hope that it would somehow telepathically go into her brain, and she'd respond to it and I would be able to hear it, but once again I was thinking of the improbable.
I shook my head to try and shake these thoughts out of my head. Why was I so out of it these past three weeks? I haven't been thinking of Ino so much these past months until now. I licked my lips in thought. Well, it all had to start when I saw her on TV after I finished donating to the Kohona Orphanage. She was doing free singing classes at the old Music Academy. Apparently, her generosity for others didn't cease and the media was lapping it up like dogs.
Deep inside, I had an idea of what sparked these memories. She was singing on the television and it put me in a trance, throwing all the memories of her and me in my face. Yeah, that had to be the cause. But my mind did not seem to like the answer I have come up with. It told me that it wasn't it and pretty much spat in my face for thinking such a small thing caused these bottled feelings. I sighed before turning my blinker on to turn into the music studio. I clicked play on my CD player to listen to something, but it only brought more sadness and yearning.
"Kiss me,"
Between me and you, Ino, there is nothing to talk about besides differences. I spoke in my head again. I briefly closed my eyes as the song played. It seemed to soothe my yearning for the past, for now.
I put on that old song we danced to and then
I head off to my job, guess not much has changed
"Now that we've taken care of the finances we will talk about the upcoming events you will be participating in," Karin began to inform me while shuffling papers on her oak office-desk. I shifted in my seat. We talked a lot about the money I have made and used. The donation to the orphanage took a decent chunk out of my funds, but it was worth it. I smiled at remembering Naruto thanking me over the phone for donating to his old home, the orphanage. He was having financial problems due to the lack of royalties. Naruto was creating his third album. I closed my eyes. I did not know what he did with the rest of his funds. His first two albums were direct hits and earned him millions. He toured around, traveled the world, donated, and visited foster parents. He should've had much more money than what he had left. I still think he did other things with it, like parties or something else that earned him the reputation as the party boy of the year.
"Tomorrow you will be going to a charity event to play," Karin told me until her phone began to ring. I opened my eyes and stared at the red device. It's been off the hook for the past two days. I wasn't sure if it was a bad thing or not since Karin, my manager, never tells me much except the important things like last minute shows. I cringed at remembering last week when I was enjoying my free-day to only get a call that I was supposed to be at the Suna Stadium two minutes ago. Talk about an adrenaline rush. She sighed and put a finger up that signaled me to wait. I watched her answer it and spin around in her chair. She began to mindlessly chat to the other person with enthusiasm. I didn't dare listen in on their conversation. I did it once and learned quickly that I should never do it again for the sake of my ears. I also wasn't able to look at carrots right again.
I glanced at her messy desk. It was filled with tons of uncompleted paper work, an unfinished sandwich (I don't even know how long that has been there), and the TV remote. I snatched the remote from her desk, a few papers falling to the floor in the process, before turning on the TV.
Big beautiful blue eyes stared back at me, straight blond hair in a ponytail, and then a beautiful, flawless voice sang out. I felt the nostalgia hit me again. She began to dance around on the stage while singing. This was recorded a week ago and still was hitting the news. I frowned and felt my decent mood dissipate. Jealousy was one of the things I did not feel when I saw her on the TV, but my manager thought otherwise.
She sighed in annoyance before taking the remote from my hands, more paper work falling to the floor, and turned the TV off with a loud click.
"Don't worry about her," Karin advised while glaring at the fallen paperwork. "She will be old news by tomorrow. I don't see how people can listen to her senseless crap."
I wasn't exactly listening to the other things she started saying. I felt exposed at the moment. The TV had a close up of Ino where I could see her eyes brimmed full with exuberance and happiness. It reminded me again of what use to be. I--
"Sakura!" Karin cried out while flailing her arms around to attract my attention. I secretly pinched myself alert and gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, I was remembering some things." I replied while scratching the back of my neck. Karin snorted before going around to pick up her almost forgotten papers on the floor.
"Like I was saying," she stated, "You have a charity event tomorrow and in a month the Uchiha Music Competition will begin. SO you'll have to start practicing and rehearsing every day from now on, kay-kay?" Karin explained with an enthusiastic grin while throwing the paperwork in her hands untraditionally on her untidy desk.
The Uchiha Music Competition, yes, I knew that competition too well. It would be my first time entering the competition, and Ino was going to be entering it too. There was an Uchiha Kid's Competition when I was smaller. It was--
"Ok, Sakura, time for you to leave. I got a few contractors coming in that want you to do some commercials and want to use a song or two from your album on a movie. I will inform you if any of the deals are good or not, kay-kay?" She mentioned before collecting all the papers off her desk and stuffing them all in a drawer until she came across the sandwich. She looked down at it from behind her green rimmed glasses in disgust.
"Eww," she commented while grabbing a pen and flicking it in the nearby trash can.
"Alright," I replied before walking out of her office. I closed the door quietly behind me to hear Karin scream in repulsion.
"HOW LONG HAS THIS APPLE BEEN HERE?!" She wailed from her office. A few people walking down the hall stopped and stared at the windowed oak door. I smiled while continuing my trek through the building to the recording studio. Karin wasn't the neatest girl I ever met but she knew how to book good shows and meetings for me that boosted my reputation and earned me small money. I am the first person she ever worked with, and so far, she has been doing a mighty fine job. I am happy I got to work with her and not some money crazed person.
I walked silently down the hall to the elevator. Thankfully, it was already on my floor and completely empty. I clicked the down button and the doors began to close. I was about to drift off into my own world again until I heard a gasp from the other side of the elevator. I quickly put my hand between the closing doors and held the elevator open for the person. I noticed that the person on the other side of the doors was a small petite girl with long, dark silky hair and bright silver eyes. I smiled. I knew who she was. She was in the same class as me in the Music Academy.
"Long time no see, Hinata." I greeted with a smile as she scurried in. She blew her bangs out of her face with a small smile.
"Thank-you for holding the door open, Sakura." She quickly added, "It has been a long time, hasn't it?"
I nodded while outstretching my hand to push the down button again before hesitating.
"You going down to the studio?" I asked while allowing my hand to linger near the down button.
Hinata nodded quickly, "Yes, I am."
I smiled politely once gain and pressed the button. The doors closed and we began to descend.
"So how has business been, Sakura?" Hinata asked me with curiosity. I gave her a sideways glance before returning my gaze to the floor-indicator- we would be reaching the studio soon.
"It has been good. Last album got in the Top Five for a year and earned good royalties." I answered before looking back at her, "How about you?"
Hinata bit her lip while looking at her feet. "I've been a little too busy with college until now. My father decided to give me a break so now I am here, hoping to record soon. "
I nodded in empathy. I remember it well that her dad was a strict man that ran a global business (and it was still expanding). I wasn't sure what he owned but I knew it made them millionaires. I also remembered that he never did attend to one of her recitals, let alone anything else really. He always made her older cousin Neji watch her instead. And he probably didn't even ask her cousin about it afterwards either.
"At least you're putting your amazing voice to some use," I complimented with a wink. Hinata immediately blushed.
"Thank-you, Sakura," she said with embarrassment. I giggled.
"Still shy as ever," I commented with a playful smile. Hinata gave me a genuine smile in return. Her smile reminded me of Ino's. I quickly braced for the memories that followed it. The whole academy years took me back to Ino's smile and her friendliness. It seemed like only yesterday when I met her and we became friends, and the days after that just sped through my life until I was here, standing in an elevator musing about the past. If only I didn't--
The elevator's bell rang when we were on our desired floor. We both stepped out and the elevator quickly shut the doors behind us. I walked one way and Hinata walked down the opposite hall.
"Good luck, Sakura." She called out to me while walking to her room. I turned around with a smile.
"Yes, best of wishes to you too." I replied before continuing to walk to my room- my utmost favorite one, Room 43. It became my favorite because that's where Karin asked to be my manager, where I recorded my first album, and where I was told that it was a good hit. I smiled as I finally approached the room. I grasped the handle and turned it. As the door opened a draft of air hit me that smelled of cleaner and…another delightful smell? It wafted into my senses and had me drunk. That smell was intoxicating. I slowly walked into the room, closed my eyes and began to sniff the air. I always liked to savor the smells I loved because they were always fleeting. I could not explain this scent. It smelled like flowers one moment but it didn't at the other. I liked it though. I'd have to remember to ask what cleaning product they were using this time.
I sighed before looking around the room. Everything seemed…out of place but my guitar was there untouched. I smiled and quickly walked to it. I had it ever since I was small. Some parts of it where it was growing dull and old, but I still loved it. It was my first guitar, my pride and joy, my baby. I gave a playful strum on it. It replied with a beautifully sound. Just how I liked it, I said in my head before going to adjust the recordings and turn things on. Karin was taking too long to come down and help me record so I should just get everything ready for her, I mentally told myself. I walked over to the machine before frowning. It was all weird. I did not leave it like this. I put my guitar down and plopped into the chair. The volume was cranked up too high, the metronome was off, and--
Something caught my attention in the corner of my eye. It was shiny. I quickly glanced where the shining thing was until I spotted it- it was a necklace. I pushed off the ground, making the chair slide towards the direction of the necklace. I snatched the necklace and played it within my grasp-sliding it around my fingers, tossing it in the air, and memorizing the features of its golden chain. It was only until I was bored of playing with it when I began to study it.
The necklace had a large orange shaped heart pendant, accompanied by three smaller, various purple hearts and a green star. It was quite unique and probably had a genuine outfit that went with it too. It pretty much stated the word fashion to anyone who would have saw it.
"-MARU!" I almost fell out of my seat in fright. Who was that? They had a super loud voice! It came from the hall! How was that possible? The room had soundproof walls. I glanced towards the door.
"Oh," I murmured as I realized that I left the door cracked for Karin. That would explain a lot.
Was that Naruto? Only Naruto would be speaking so loudly around here. I kept my gaze on the door as I swiveled around in my chair to face the door. Maybe he wanted to see me. I smiled. It would be nice to see him again. It has been around…three months? Yes, that seemed about right.
The voices drew closer until it stopped in front of my door. The door slowly opened. I started to play with the necklace with my nimble fingers in anticipation. I wonder why Naruto wanted to see me. It was nice for him to drop by. Maybe he wanted to thank me in person for donating?
My eyes went wide in realization as I watched the person walk in.
It definitely was NOT Naruto.
A pair of big, beautiful blue eyes stared into my startled green ones. Shikamaru walked in and soon noticed me. He gave a gentle smile.
"Hello Sakura," he greeted but I didn't pay any attention to him.
After all this time, I thought, and here she is. I had been daydreaming of her, well her old self, and now here she was. A part of me wanted to turn away and ignore her, and, the other part, wanted me to try and make a conversation-to act friendly and hope she'd do the same. Ino stood at the door that slowly closed behind her.
The orange of her blouse ruffled around her light skin, pulling tight along her chest and leaving her shoulders exposed. The original looseness of the blouse was converted into a tight style down her long legs, as the jeans hugged in close to her body, leaving her form easily traceable. Her neon green painted finger nails glinted cautiously in the light.
Yes, this was the Ino I knew now- this was the NOW Ino. No longer was she the sweet, innocent Ino that protected me from childhood enemies or nightmares. But, even when I told my mind that, I still wanted to try and spark something between us again.
"H-hey," I replied in a not-so-smooth voice. Shikamaru noticed that I wasn't replying to him, that I was attempting to make a conversation with Ino. He sighed.
"I'll go tell the scheduler that they messed up with room numbers again," he announced before going out of the room. Ino still didn't budge from her spot. I tried a smiling at her but instead I gave more of a grimace.
Why couldn't I do anything right? I asked myself. She would clearly be getting the wrong picture. I wanted to make things easier between us, but each time I tried to do something right I ended up giving the wrong picture. She always read me wrong, except when we were kids. How I wished I hadn't--
"Is that my necklace?" Ino inquired in a razor-edged tone. I flinched. What? What did she say?
Well she at least said something to you, right? My mind told me. I cleared my throat, forgetting that I had her necklace in my hand- being too caught up in the fact that she didn't try to argue with me from the start.
"What necklace?" I asked while furrowing my eyebrows. I moved my hands to try and get in a more comfortable position as I felt her eyes glare into me. I didn't like how she stared at me with her gorgeous eyes like I was some disease. It was only until I felt something metallic slide through my hands did I remember that I found a necklace in here. Now that I noticed-it went perfectly well with her current outfit.
I wanted to slap myself in the face but couldn't. Ino was already stomping towards me with a snarl.
"Don't play stupid games with me, Haruno! I am in no mood to hear your dumb, sarcastic voice!" She snapped while snatching the necklace from my grasp. I flinched when I felt the power in her tug. I never would've thought that I could make her so mad so easily. I licked my lips. I took a slow breath. Something hit my nose. Oh, was this where that lovely scent came from? I took another experimental whiff. Yes, it was Ino's perfume. I was about to smile but held it back, knowing Ino would take it the wrong way. How intoxicating and addictive, I commented in my brain. Sadly, Ino wasn't either of those words right now.
"What? Did you not expect me to get mad at you?" She said with venom leaking from her words as she leaned in.
"Trying to act all innocent and think I would just laugh it off," she spoke while drawing even closer towards my face. I bit my lip and began to scoot back in my seat, but she kept getting closer. Soon I found my feet scrambling up the chair as I tried to get away from her. But she still kept getting closer!
"Uh, Ino-"
"Don't you dare call me by my first name like you were a good friend!" She roared, inching even closer to my face. I could feel the chair grow wobbly.
"In-"
"Did you even hear me? Do NOT say my name like that! You caused th-", and before she could even finish her sentence the chair flipped backwards, I fell with a grunt as Ino tumbled after with a gasp. She fell on my stomach, causing the wind to be knocked out of me. I started to gasp for air. Ino began to groan about her stomach while trying to maneuver out of the tangle of our limbs. I did not know where my legs were, or my arms, but I did feel the cool metal of the necklace on my face.
"My stomach," she moaned while moving her arm to rub her stomach which only caused her to fall on me again. I coughed while still trying to catch my breath, and it did not help that Ino was still on me. She continued to groan about how hurt she was while I couldn't breathe. I felt my head and back start to throb in pain too. My lungs protested for air but I could not do a thing, not with Ino on me!
"Ca-can't BREATHE," I sputtered loud enough where Ino could hear. She gasped and quickly jolted up while putting her hands to her mouth.
"Sorry! Are you ok?" She asked while I felt the air come back into my lungs. I gasped for air and continued to do this until my breath evened a little.
"Yes," I replied when I finally got a good amount of oxygen back into my body. Before I could try and get my self up Ino outstretched a hand to help me up, I grabbed it without hesitation. She began to pull me up and midway through getting up Shikamaru popped through the door.
"Ino, there was a mix-Oh, it's good to see you two getting along." He pointed out with a small smile. Ino furrowed her brows to see what she was doing. I smiled at Ino. Yeah, Shikamaru was right. She was-- and I felt myself fall backwards until I hit the hard tile floor with my tailbone. I let out another audible yelp and brought my hands to rub my butt while whispering curses under my breath. I closed my eyes in pain and then I could hear Ino walking away.
She-she-she let me go! How could she do that without feeling bad? It hurts to fall on your butt you know! She didn't even give me a warning! I frowned and moved my hand to rub my head. Jeez, this is going to leave a bruise.
"Let's go Shikamaru, and- OH! I'll take my necklace back, Haruno." I heard her stop and come back to me, grabbing the necklace from my face and walking out of the studio room again. Shikamaru sighed and followed suit.
I waited a few minutes before I got up while still rubbing my head. I gazed at the door quizzically. What was her problem? She was doing just fine until someone commented on that. Seriously, was she embarrassed or something from associating with me?
I got up, still looking at the door, as I went back to adjusting the studio to how I had it before. I hated the fact that because we graduated from this academy we were stuck in its contract until we were able to go on ourselves. If it wasn't for that contract I'd have my own music studio by now and this incident would have not happened. I sighed while I turned the metronome on. Then again, seeing Ino made me happy. We hadn't seen each other face-to-face in a month- but this wasn't the best way to see each other after that small time.
Like I said many times before, Ino always took things the wrong way or was on an emotional coaster.
Karin soon burst through the door. I jumped from my seat in fear, thinking that it was Ino again.
"Jumpy?" She asked with a toothy grin. I scoffed before turning back around and continued to correct what Ino did to my room's adjustments. God damn, who knew that our song styles were so different? She used so many electronic sounded beats with little drum beats, similar to the now popular pop music these days. While me, I usually only use my guitar in my songs or some small tempo beats like a repeating drum beat.
Thanks to my rare use of the beats and other enhancements, I barely knew a thing about these things. I knew that two of the knobs increased volume and static. The button over there made everything start, and the computer over in the corner was used to edit the song. With that, I knew nothing more. Karin usually did it all for me.
"Oh, and the announcement of the Uchiha Music Competition is tomorrow- you know the rules and all. You'll need to attend and I'll fill out your long ass entry form. Be there bright and early at the Stadium. Kay-kay?" She said while going over to touch my guitar. She reached out towards it until I slapped her hand away with a glare.
"No touching the guitar." I replied with a small smile before turning around and continuing my work on the machine. Karin scoffed right back at me. What am I doing again? I asked myself as something on the machine's screen went red.
"Why not? We've been working together for a long time and I can at least touch your guitar," she complained while scooting closer towards me and looked at what I was doing.
"Somebody mess with your tempo and stuff?" She asked while going over to look at all the switches and knobs that were turned. She sighed.
"Looks like some type of Britney Spears shit," she mumbled in aversion. I looked at her while she glared at the controls. I began to laugh at her. Karin had quite the wicked humor, but she was very picky when it came to music. It was a gift and a curse at times, but right now I guess it could be considered a curse.
"Eww," she said while grabbing a pen from her pocket and flicking a sound effect button off.
I arrived early, like Karin told me to, at the stadium. The stands were filled with bystanders who were big fans of certain singers or just wanted to see who was entering the UMC. I saw Karin in line to sign my entry papers to enter with the other managers. Shikamaru was attempting to associate with her until she flipped him off. I smiled at Karin's usual aggressive behavior. Poor Shikamaru, he was such a misunderstood guy.
I continued to walk around in the stadium. It was a football stadium with beautiful, lush green grass, trimmed to ultimate perfection. I sighed and looked around. There was Tenten and Hinata…Hey, Hinata was entering this? I didn't think she'd take such a big leap to try and enter it. I never heard her voice since the academy years. I wasn't sure if her voice was rusty or got better. I allowed my eyes to linger on her before continuing to examine the entries. I did not see Ino anywhere. And the rest of the people were from out of town and strangers. I wouldn't be surprised since this was quite a famous competition. I guess I just didn't really enjoy too many people, or, maybe, competition. I frowned before seeing Hinata again. I smiled and walked towards her direction. She was glancing around as if looking for someone. I quickened my pace. I wonder if she was entering the contest. It would be quite an occasion if she did. If my memory is correct, she was one of the best singers there at the academy.
"Hey Hinata," I called out. Hinata abruptly spun around to face me. She put on a small smile. She always did have a very nice smile. She began to bring up her hand, its movements catching my attention. I suddenly felt my face turn a little red. My smile went a bit crooked at the sight I saw. She has matured, I noted after innocently getting an eye full of her chest. The younger girl I knew didn't have anything to show when she was thirteen, which was the last time I saw her. I couldn't believe I didn't notice that when I saw her in the elevator, but, then again, I wasn't really paying attention.
"Hello Sakura," she replied back in that serene voice of hers. I couldn't help but soften my smile. She was a very nice girl- doubt she could hurt a fly. Her small smile soon faded off into a worried frown.
"I am sorry Sakura but I am looking for someone. So please don't mind me if I am looking away." She excused herself while she glanced around. I raised my eyebrow and looked around. Who could she possibly looking for? Naruto, no, she couldn't be looking for him. He already told the public he wouldn't be entering this year, because he had to finish an album. So, with Naruto out of the picture, I wonder who she was searching for?
"Who are you looking for," I questioned while looking around for someone who I knew that she was looking for. Though, to be truthful, it was quite dumb of me to do so since I'd be pointing out random people. I saw Kiba somewhere and was about to point and ask her if she was looking for him, but resisted. I didn't want to embarrass myself by blurting out random names of people that I knew.
She turned back towards me with a lopsided smile. She seemed amused.
"My manager, he isn't very social and tends to avoid large crowds." When she said that I looked around, and I noticed, the stadium's stands were filling up quickly with people and the ground floor was being taken up by singers. This year looked like it was going to be full of competition. Most of the people around me were still uprising singers trying to get their claim on spotlight, in other words, not much competition, but, much to my own demise, I think I saw Temari. She was already famous and probably just needed extra money to fund her tour or something. But, for whatever reason she had, it wouldn't be too good with her in the event. I sighed. I'd just have to try harder than her and hope for the best.
"SO, are you entering the UMC?" I asked in curiosity. Hinata raised her eyebrow for the briefest second before giggling. My eyes widened a little. I never seen Hinata give a 'are you that oblivious' look before. It was weird to see it too! Though, I had to admit I asked a pretty obvious question.
"Yes, I am Sakura." She said with a hint of amusement in her tone. I grinned widely. Wow. Talk about a blond moment.
"Hinata! Long time no see! How are you?" A familiar voice squealed before running and hugging Hinata from behind. Hinata turned ten different shades of red from the contact and how Ino was hugging her. Yeah, that's the Hinata I know, I thought with a humor filled smile.
Ino laughed when she saw Hinata's face. She looked over, and instantly her smile disappeared when she saw me. It was quickly replaced with a smug smirk.
"Oh, didn't see you there, Sakura," she greeted in a sarcastic voice. I flinched. Once again, I was shown the impossible obstacles to try and get Ino to be my friend again. I gave her a lopsided smile.
"Hi, Ino," I blandly replied. She furrowed her eyebrows together in thought. Hinata remained quiet, and still red.
"What, you have no fight in you today?" Ino inquired while still hugging Hinata. If I had to guess, Hinata was about to faint from the close contact. But, who knew if she overcame that old habit.
I ignored Ino's question as a familiar face approached quietly behind her. He strutted with his hands in his pockets, wearing a dark, fine blue suit, with a highlight red tie. I felt dumbstruck. I haven't saw him since the Music Academy graduation, but, here he was, standing as proud and confident as ever. I never knew why he resorted to becoming a manager instead of a rock star. He would've easily been able to excel with his remarkable rifts, crying fan girls, and good looks, but no, he had chosen the simple, paper-filled life of a manager (so says Karin). He was a very old friend of mine. We lost all contact after we graduated from the academy. He slowly drifted somewhere else, and never appeared, until now. I had to admit I had a childhood crush on him, but that was long ago, and I was completely over him. At least I hoped.
"Ino," he said in an even voice. Ino froze. Hinata's face wasn't as red; instead it was replaced with a big smile. I watched as he halted a generous distance away from Ino and Hinata. He had his same stoic face as ever. He had matured and turned out quite handsome, but he seemed a little too detached for my liking.
"Sasuke," Hinata acknowledged. Ino's embrace was quickly released when his name was called out. Ino jumped away from Hinata and looked at the man behind her.
"Sasuke, I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?" Ino asked excitedly. She glanced back at me and gave me this devious smirk. I raised an eyebrow. What did she have lodged in her mind now?
Hinata ran past Sasuke and stopped, waiting for him. Sasuke adjusted his tie before giving a sideways glance towards Ino.
"I am in good health," he answered without much interest. He turned his attention towards me. I looked back into those dark eyes I used to like, but I found nothing, just complete emptiness. Even just for a second I began to wonder what was so great about him in the first place. He lacked human emotions, besides pride and ignorance, and I can tell he recently accomplished the loss of facial expressions. Good for him.
"Sakura, it's good to see you." He said in a softer tone than the one he used with Ino. I eyed him suspiciously. What's with the good manners now? He never did use them on me when I was younger, hell, he probably didn't even use them with anyone. I soon noticed that he had a cream colored jacket pressed between his arm and side.
"How've you been?" He asked lightly, noticing that I didn't reply. I glanced back up to his face. He held a calmer look in his face than when he was a kid, who use to set everything on fire when he had the chance. I decided to ease up and give a small smile.
"I've been well. How about you, other than you're in good health?" I inquired in a formal tone. I would play his little game, and show some mercy from my grudge against him, but I won't let him have the satisfaction of getting a happy reply from me. That is if he could even coax one from me with his current state of boringness. He gave a small twinge on his lips.
"Everything has been nice and smooth," he replied in a more casual tone. My smile faltered a little. Well, that's good to hear, I suppose, though I didn't want to associate with him any longer. He was already annoying me with that haughty aura around him. I didn't dare to try to talk to him anymore, let alone tell him I was done conversing with him.
Thankfully, Sasuke took the hint from the gaping silence and nodded, wishing us good health- reminding me that Ino was near me, before leaving with Hinata. Ino and I watched as they walked away. Hinata was quite shorter than him. He said something to her as they walked away and handed the coat to her. They almost looked like a couple…which strikes me a little odd, but cute.
"How weird," I muttered. What an odd pairing that would be. I didn't have much time to my own thoughts before a distressed Ino whacked me across my head. I felt the pain jolt through my head as my hands flied up to cover the injured spot.
"What the hell," I snapped. Ino pointed to where Sasuke and Hinata disappeared off to.
"Hinata and Sasuke are together?!" She exclaimed in shock, or fury? I continued to rub my injured head.
"Well-,"
"And the way he was looking at you! Are you two having an affair?! How can he like you over me?! I have so-"Ino began to rant before I shut her up by smacking her side.
"No, Sasuke is Hinata's manager and I don't know what his problem was. But, be assured, he is all yours." I corrected Ino while giving my head one last rub. Damn, that hurt. I shot Ino a small glare. She should really take it easy. It wasn't that dramatic to where I deserved a good smack across the head.
"Oh, well," Ino said while shrugging. We watched from afar as Sasuke and Hinata associated with some old colleagues. Ino sighed.
"They do seem like a couple of some sort though," she added. I glanced at her. She had her hands on her hips, and was staring intently at the other two.
"Yeah, I thought the same." I agreed while looking back at the oblivious duo. We continued to watch, a silence enveloping us with a state of peace. We haven't been this close together without fighting in forever, and I am not including that incident in the studio either. That wasn't even close to the category of calming and nice.
I stole a glance at Ino.
What did she think of me? Did she really have a steel opinion that I was a disease or something worse? The thing I did to her…well, I believe it did not deserve this total isolation. I'm going to be truthful and say that I deserve some of it, but not all this drama. She was really just pushing this too far, yet I wasn't about to tell her that- it would only make things worst. If only I knew something that could make us work together. The gap, when I…did that thing to Ino, it was never replaced. I could never replace Ino with anyone in my life. No one was like Ino, not any better, mostly worst, in this world.
"So, you have given up on Sasuke?" She asked quietly. I was startled by her sudden words and straightforward question. I smiled bitterly to myself. Ino was always straightforward and took every opportunity to break the silence, but we never dared go near each other so I guess I almost forgot about that part about her. It was one of her most noticeable traits too.
"Long time ago," I replied. It wasn't really a conversation I wanted to pursue with Ino. Sasuke wasn't of any importance anymore. He didn't even have any effect on my life anymore. But, if Ino brought up the subject, he must still mean something to her.
"How about you," I inquired back to her. I glanced towards her direction to see her impassive to the question. She probably saw it coming. The corners of her lips tugged into a light smile.
"Same here gave up long time ago." The smile overcame her face. I smiled back and returned to watching the other two. It was nice…to talk like this. It was casual and subtle- the conversation of a rekindling friendship. Maybe not all hope was lost. I was starting to believe that we could become friends again, and everything would be like how it was. We wouldn't fight and we'd do everything together. We would tour together, donate together, and sing together. It would be great to live in the moments again in which I cherished, but, this time, we'd be grown up. A quaint feeling rose up within me. What was this feeling? It made me feel humble and soft. Something I never felt in a very, very long time. I brought my hand to my stomach, wishing that I could harness what I was feeling into my hand to see what this feeling was. Yet, we all knew it wasn't that easy. I –-
"But I am not giving up on the UMC," Ino replied with some venom before walking off. I flinched at her words. I turned her direction and watched her wander off. I felt my smile fade into a sad frown.
Whenever I thought things would get better. She always proved me wrong, and it hurt to have your hopes so high to only have them ripped away. If only she knew how much I wanted to be her friend again. I wonder what she would do if I told her that. A sour smile rose on my lips. I think she would laugh it off and act like nothing had happened. She never did take apologies the right way. I remember that much from the past, and despised it.
"How formal do you think they can get?" Karin asked me while she drove us back to the studio. I was almost lost in my thoughts again until she said that. She always seemed to save me from myself when I was thinking of touchy things. I gave her a grateful smile. I turned away and looked through the window, watching cars and billboards pass by.
"Pretty formal, I suppose," I replied, recalling when Sasuke was giving some extra affectionate attention. I wanted to scoff. It wasn't like he just suddenly fell in love with me. It wasn't like him, if so, and if he did, well, I think I would avoid him at costs which would be easy. Plus, I think he was just showing some sympathy for being so mean to me when I was little. My smile brightened a little more. He was never a gentleman when young.
Karin easily noticed that I was sidetracked. She sighed. She learned how to identify all my face expressions after the few first weeks of working with me. I looked over to a place to notice Ino on a billboard. I shudder. Yeah, I definitely needed to see a bigger Ino staring at me while we drove back to the studio. It wasn't like her words buried themselves in my head far enough and needed those big, blue eyes to shove the words deeper in my head.
But I am not giving up on the UMC.
"I saw Ino and you talk," Karin told me. I stopped looking out the window and glanced at her. I wouldn't be surprised if she did. We stood near each other, both observing Hinata and Sasuke for the longest time. We barely talked, but she must've caught us conversing when Ino left…leaving me with those words.
I turned back towards the window. I didn't really want to talk about it to anyone, besides Ino.
"Ah, ok, I'll stop there. But, hey, I am hungry, how about we stop at McDonalds?" She suggested. I didn't reply. I wasn't really hungry.
"My treat," she persuaded. I still didn't reply. I didn't want to eat, especially at McDonald's.
"I'm not hungry," I stated. Sadly, my stomach growled. Karin laughed at this. Ok, I was hungry, but not enough to make me want to eat. I wanted to just get to the studio and continue practicing. I needed to train for the UMC.
"Whatever, we're eating." She said with amusement. I sighed. I guess I could get something in my stomach, but, the problem was: What the hell am I going to eat at McDonald's? I never did like their food. Karin slowly pulled off to the fast food drive-through. We stopped and looked at the menu. I rolled my eyes. There was nothing good, like usual.
"What you want?" Karin hummed while scanning the menu. I slumped in my chair.
"Just get me apple dippers," I grumbled. Karin giggled at this. I shot her a soft glare.
"You know I don't like McDonald's," I retorted. She continued to giggle.
"I know," she laughed, "but you act like such a kid. It's hard to resist." She humored before placing our order and driving to the drive-in window.
"Welcome to Mc-OH MY GOD!" The teenage girl screamed. She was practically trying to squeeze out of the small window in excitement. I gawked at her before scooting closer to my door, just in case I had to make a run for it. Karin let out an exasperated groan.
"IT'S SAKURA! SAKU! SAKU! HEY! OH MY GOSH!" She screamed before scrambling back into the place and screaming.
"IT'S SAKURA HARUNO! OH MY GOD! IT'S MY LUCKY DAY! I SAW YOU AT THE UMC! I HOPE YOU WIN!" She squealed in delight. Karin began to try and yell at her, demanding that we got out food this instant. I only covered my face. What a lucky day for me. I get to have my hopes ripped down AND screamed by a fan.
After minutes and minutes of the girl flailing herself around, trying to get my attention, and not to mention the line of cars building up behind us who were honking their horns impatiently, we finally got our food. Karin quickly sped out of the place and back onto the road. She sipped her coffee with an annoyed facial expression.
"God damn," she muttered from her gritted teeth while sipping her drink, "I hate girls like that. They are just so…EW." She told me, though I wasn't listening to what else she had to say. I was busy nibbling on the apples, dunking them every now and then in the small caramel container, while remembering what the McDonald's girl said.
"IT'S SAKURA HARUNO! OH MY GOD! IT'S MY LUCKY DAY! I SAW YOU AT THE UMC! I HOPE YOU WIN!"
I would have to practice hard for this. Temari was there, who knows if she was entering, and Ino had joined too, which only made it harder. I had to practice different songs on my guitar, try to get down the notes, and…shit. I began to remember what the announcer yelled.
"You will be mainly judged on your performance skills, as in, singing quality, musical instrument skill, and your movements on the stage. A small percent of your score will be based from the fan's cheering."
I had to dance? I didn't know how to dance. I never danced. I absently stuffed an apple in my mouth. How the hell can I accomplish this? I would need the world's best dancer to teach me how to dance, while holding my guitar. I couldn't and wouldn't accomplish this within a month. Nobody would have the patience to teach me! When I was still in the academy all the dance teachers dropped me because I was 'difficult to work with' and 'too stiff'.
My hand unconsciously went down to find another apple to pop into my mouth, but instead, it found the caramel container and shoved it in my mouth. My mind didn't respond until a few seconds of chewing on the plastic container.
I stopped chewing while my eyes grew wide. I quickly spit the thing out back into the McDonald's bag. I continued to try and discard the taste of a caramel overdose from my mouth.
After the taste was pratically gone from my mouth, I pulled my face from the bag to only see a surprised Karin looking at me. I gave a nervous chuckle while scratching the back of my head.
"You know, Sakura, if you were that hungry I would've went back around to get your more apples." She told me while warily looking me up and down before turning her head around to resume watching the road.
My uneasy laughter died into pathetic sigh.
A/N:
Oh-Em-Gee! Another 'was gunna be a one-shot but turned into chapter story' InoSaku fic! Well, well, well! It's your lucky day because I actually have been working on this since the summer. xD Just really slow like. I also got the author of SCBL, Florence (mah buddy), to edit this much. The rest right now are still being edited, and it's pratically almost finished!
So read and review, dammit/please?!