Warnings: AU, slight Sakura-bashing (it wasn't meant to be that, I swear! it just came out)
Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, except for the vague mention of Michiku. She's one of my Inuyasha OCs.)
Sakura's Fairytale
(Beware Vanity)
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Sakura. She was very beautiful, with silky pink hair and sparkling green eyes. She lived in a nice house with a picturesque lawn, in the middle of a respectable neighborhood in a pleasant town. She went to a high-class school and had nice teachers and classmates. Every day in Sakura's life was perfect.
This day, though, was special because it was her seventh birthday.
Sakura opened her brand-new closet. Her parents had started out the day by giving her her own room! In her closet was a row of pretty red dresses with white trim. The pink-haired girl carefully chose the nicest red dress and pulled it over her head, smoothing out the wrinkles. She combed her silky hair one hundred times, and tied it back with her nicest red ribbon. She slipped on her shoes and skipped out the door of her brand-new room. She picked up her pink Barbie lunchbox and got ready to leave the house, but she stopped in front of the hallway mirror.
Her eyes
(the better to admire you with)
swept over her reflection, checking for anything out of place. But no. She looked perfect!
Happily, she skipped out the door and headed to school.
(Beware Vanity)
Sakura's school was five blocks away from her house. On her way there, she cheerfully greeted all her neighbors. They smiled and waved, no doubt thinking, What a beautiful little girl! And seven years old today, my goodness!
As the girl skipped down the second block, humming the birthday song, she saw a little blonde toddler playing in its front yard. She stopped by the fence.
"Hello Ino!" she called.
The young blonde shuffled over to the older girl. She reached up towards Sakura, who lowered her head.
Ino's hands
(the better to touch you with)
tugged lightly on the pink strands.
"Soft!" she exclaimed delightedly, and giggled.
"Why thank you. Your hair is very pretty, too."
Ino's mom came out onto the front porch. Sakura waved, then looked back at her young friend, who gazed up at her with large teal eyes.
"Pwetty?" Ino asked. Sakura rearranged her hair before answering.
"When you grow up," Sakura told her, "you might even be as pretty as me."
She said goodbye to the toddler and continued to school.
Once there, she ran into the one teacher at her school that she just-could-not-stand. Kakashi-sensei. He had one eye fixed on her, which was spooky. She tried to walk right past him, but he stopped her.
"Today's your birthday, isn't it?"
"Yessir," she replied stiffly.
"Seventh?"
She nodded.
"Well then. Happy birthday."
Sakura hurried by, pausing outside her classroom to make sure her hair ribbon was in place and her dress was unwrinkled. Then she put on her best, brightest smile and went inside.
(Beware Vanity)
All day long, Sakura glowed. Her classmates crowded to sit next to her, the boys stared and blushed, and the girls sighed over her perfection.
All their hearts
(the better to love you with)
were filled with love for their perfect Sakura.
Even Iruka-sensei, who was always very nice, was dazzled and nicer than usual; he smiled at her and complimented her all morning. At lunch, Sakura's mother brought cupcakes to the class as a surprise.
The afternoon passed too quickly for Sakura, who wanted the glorious day to last forever. It was like a dream come true: everyone loved her; she was beautiful, it was perfect!
Perfect, except for one thing.
All throughout the day, she had felt, and sometimes seen, Kakashi-sensei watching her. At first she'd been scared, but after a while, her fear had turned to annoyance. How dare he mar her perfect birthday!
When the bell rang at 2:30, the students streamed out of the building, released at last from their classrooms. Sakura stayed behind a few minutes, chatting politely with Iruka-sensei. He wished her a final happy birthday, then they went their separate ways. The pink-haired girl started down the hallway, but was stopped again by Kakashi-sensei.
At the very sight of him, Sakura's stomach started roiling with hate. He started to tell her something, but she wasn't listening. All she could hear were her own nasty thoughts.
"Sorry, but I have to go," she cut him off.
He gazed thoughtfully at her for a moment.
"Do you remember the story?" he asked her.
"What story?"
When he didn't answer, she stalked past him, headed home.
"Beware Vanity," he whispered after her.
Sakura started home in a foul mood, but along those five blocks from school to home, her nice neighbors all smiled and greeted her, cheering the young girl immensely.
When she back to her house, her birthday party was beginning.
(Beware Vanity)
Sakura flopped on her bed and sighed. The birthday party had been nice, but...She still got the feeling she was being watched. Once, she had looked up and could swear she saw a blue-eyed boy peering over the stair railing on the second floor landing. He was only there for a brief second, but she could sear that the look in his eyes was hungry. Then, that birthday cake had been very good.
But still, the apparition was bothering her. Another thing, she was starting to wonder if what Kakashi-sensei was trying to tell her was important. Then her eyes widened. Maybe he had been trying to tell her about the boy on the stairs!
Sakura jumped up. She had to know, now! She grabbed the pink plastic flashlight she had gotten from her aunt out of the pile of recently acquired gifts in the corner. She would go to the school, she decided, and personally ask Kakashi-sensei about the boy.
But she stopped with her hand on the doorknob. It was dark outside, almost eight o' clock. She was a big girl, and not afraid of the dark, but her daddy always said it was dangerous to be out alone at night. She supposed she could always ask one of her parents to drive her, but they thought she was asleep, and wouldn't like it if they knew about the boy.
So what to do?
All of the sudden there was a thump! sound in her closet. Sakura stared at it for a minute, then tentatively crept across the room and opened the door. A boy, about her age, tumbled backwards out of the closet. He blinked large blue eyes up at her from where he lay on the floor. He was a very cute boy.
"Who are you?" Sakura asked.
"My name's Naruto," he told her.
'Why were you in my closet?"
"I live in there."
"A boy has been living in my closet? And I didn't notice?" Her smooth brow wrinkled in confusion.
"Well, you just moved in today," he pointed out. He picked himself up and shook his blonde mop of hair violently.
"There are three of us," he added.
"Really?" She peered into the closet.
"Not in there, of course! That would be too crowded." He walked over to her window and pulled aside the long pink curtains.
Standing behind them, staring straight ahead into nothing, was an even cuter boy. This one had crimson red hair and jade green eyes.
"This is Gaara," Naruto said. He approached the bed, threw himself over its width, and peered under it.
"Come out, Sasuke."
A black-haired, black-eyed boy slid out with a quiet "hn" and stood up.
This boy, Sakura thought, was definitely the cutest out of all of them.
Gaara stepped forward and looked at the flashlight in her hands.
"Planning on going somewhere?" he asked in a quiet deadpan.
"Oh, well, I was going to the school. I'm not allowed to go alone, though."
An idea struck her.
"Unless you guys could come with me?"
She fluttered her eyelashes and gave what she hoped was an adorable smile.
Naruto was the only one who smiled back.
"Sure!" he said. "We'll go! Right, guys?" He looked over at his companions. Gaara was silent. Sasuke didn't look too pleased, but he gave a small nod.
Naruto smiled even wider, of that was possible.
"Let's get going, then!"
(Beware Vanity)
After the four had sneaked out past Sakura's parents, talking solemnly in the kitchen, they started down the five blocks to school. There were no nice neighbors out in their yards this time to make her feel better, so she tried to break the night's silence by chattering.
"Do you think I'm pretty?" she asked Naruto, who was the most talkative of the boys.
"Oh yeah!" He nodded energetically.
"Really? Thank you!" she enthused, pleased with this answer.
Naruto flashed her another grin. For a moment, Sakura thought his teeth were pointed. But that was just silly.
"So, how pretty do you think I am?" she asked.
"Deliciously beautiful." There it was again. That fanged grin.
"Mouth-watering," Gaara said, voice still emotionless.
Sasuke spoke for the first time.
"Good enough to eat."
Sakura was a bit unnerved.
"You guys make me sound like food!" she exclaimed.
"Uh, sorry," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess we're kinda hungry."
"Oh," Sakura said. "Well I'm not. I've had birthday cake. It was pink, and really really good."
Naruto nodded, blue eyes fixed on her intently.
Blue eyes...
They were about halfway to school now.
The night closed in, the dark was stifling. The flashlight beam seemed too weak, so insignificant. Paranoia that the batteries would die made her feel panicky.
It was too quiet.
She tried to break the silence again.
"Well, what do you guys think is my best feature?" Her words came out rushed and high-pitched. The others appeared not to have noticed.
Naruto looked down towards his feet. Sakura thought he might be blushing.
"I-I think you have really pretty eyes," he said. He met her gaze and smiled, this time without the teeth. The girl was oddly grateful for that...
"Thank you!" she said. She was still a bit jittery, but determined not to let it show.
But when she glanced over at Gaara, her stomach dropped. He was running his eyes over her hungrily. A strange glint was in his eyes.
"Your hands," he breathed. "Your best feature."
Sakura would have cried out-- he just looked so scary-- but the last boy, Sasuke, took her hand.
"Don't scare her, Gore," he said. Then he turned back to Sakura. "You have," he said, "a beautiful heart."
Their tiny procession had stopped.
They were only a block away from the school.
The flashlight went out.
Sasuke's voice came out of the dark.
"Your heart is vain and proud and young...so ugly...so beautiful." The last word was almost a hiss.
She was terrified. Before she might have been glad that this beautiful boy was holding her hand, but now she wished it was Naruto.
Surely Naruto would tell her that it was alright, that the dark all around them was nothing to be scared of. She could almost see his wide blue eyes gazing into hers to console her.
Blue eyes...watching her from the stairwell...it was Naruto! He'dbeen watching her! Had Kakashi-sensei been trying to warn her about these boys?
...Were they even human?
A low, growling voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Hurry up, Sorrow!"
Sakura realized with dread that the voice was Naruto's.
"Be patient, Nausea."
Sasuke-- no, Sorrow's other hand was placed on her chest, right above her heart.
It beat loudly and quickly under his cold touch.
It was then that she remembered the story.
(Beware Vanity)
It had been a year ago, in first grade. Their teacher had been sick, so the sixth-grade teacher, the only other available, had been their sub for the day.
His name was Kakashi.
He didn't ask their names, saying he wouldn't be able to remember them anyway.
He did, though, ask how old they all were.
The children looked at each other uneasily. This teacher was a little scary.
Finally, Sakura stood up bravely and said, "We're all about six, sir."
"Really? Hm. Well, you're a little young, but there's nothing wrong with warning you about them a little early."
"Who's them?" a student called from the back.
"You'll see." Kakashi-sensei smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. "So who can tell me about...vanity?"
Nobody answered.
"Do any of you know what vanity is?"
Silence.
"Vanity is being too concerned with being pretty. A vain person puts too much stock into looks and beauty," he told them.
He locked eyes with Sakura. She sat down slowly, never breaking his gaze.
"A person," he continued softly, "who basks in attention..."
He looked away suddenly, continuing in a happier tone.
"But none of you are like that, right? Because we all know it doesn't matter how beautiful you are on the outside. It's the inside that counts. Right?"
Hesitantly, a few of them nodded.
"Right...because if you're ugly on the inside, the monsters will eat you."
He paused dramatically.
"Let me tell you a story. Once upon a morbid fairytale, there was a beautiful little girl named Michiku.
"Even though she was very pretty, she had a nasty little heart. One day, the day she turned seven, she met three little boys named Nausea, Gore, and Sorrow. Her father warned her not to play with them, but she didn't listen because they were such good-looking boys, what could possibly be wrong with them?
"But it turned out that the three were actually monsters and they ate her.
"So. Who can tell me what the moral of the story is?"
The students stared.
"Anyone? Alright then, the moral of the story is: The only beauty that matters is beauty of the heart. Because monsters only eat ugly hearts. Especially those of little--seven-year old-- girls."
One girl whimpered.
(Beware Vanity)
Sakura whimpered, too. These three were the monsters he'd tried to warn her about. And she hadn't listened.
Her father warned her not to play with them.
Sorrow's hand was still over her heart. They had to hear it, it was beating so loud. Her nasty little heart was beating, faster and faster.
You have a beautiful heart...vain and proud and young...so ugly...so beautiful.
Sorrow's fingernails were digging into her skin.
Because monsters only eat ugly hearts...
Sorrow tore out her heart.
The three monsters divided her up. Nausea got her eyes. Gore got her hands. Sorrow got her nasty little heart.
The better to admire you with. The better to touch you with. The better to love you with.
(Beware Vanity)
Let me tell you a story. Once upon a morbid fairytale, there was a beautiful little girl named Sakura.
END
(EDIT: I fixed all the spelling grammar mistakes. It is SO good to have a program that does spell check again. I missed you Microsoft Word!
Reviews appreciated.)