Just Plain Vanilla.
PLEASE NOTE: I have not altered this chapter. Basically, all I did was rectify some of the typing errors that were really annoying me for some reason (including the spelling of *Sasuke*; thanks to Destroyed Illusions for pointing that out.) Further, I just slightly changed the layout of the story, making it more presentable.
WARNING: Slight OOC. Well, maybe. :P Just thought I'll give you a heads up. =) Oh and excuse the clichéd first line. I couldn't help but put it in. Maybe later when I get a beta reader and rewrite this chapter again, I will replace it with something more insightful. But for now it's there, for ya'll to scowl over.
DISCLAIMER: Never will I own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke would not have been cursed with brains the size of a nit.
I.
People change.
Sometimes, they become the people you don't want them to. Even when you knew, had this nagging suspicion at the back of your mind that eventually, they will.
Sometimes though, they don't disappoint and they become the people you expect them to, because they carry with them a firm resolve.
And sometimes, they become the people you had no idea they will become. Not because you expected different, but because you never gave them much thought in the first place. These people, they surprise you—they morph and they transform, finally an anomaly; leaving you in awe of their potential.
II.
She was Sakura, with a petite figure and eyes like green swirly mist, an innocent smile tugging at the corners of her lips and a blush to her check with each glance she ventured at her crush. At first glance, she was different; the vibrant pink of her hair stood out like a stigma.
"... What are your likes and dislikes?"
"What I like, I mean... who I like..."
It didn't take long for me to figure out that she wasn't any different from other girls her age. She cared more about her outward appearance, and the desire to impress—through all the wrong ways—than to succeed in the ninja world.
The only reason she had gotten this far was through her brains. She was canny and diligent, but lacked perseverance and the ability to assess. She had several good qualities, but she was unfortunate.
Next to her teammates, she seemed vulgar, with no special trait that defined her, that made her any different from the other two. Next to them, she was forgettable, almost... invisible.
III.
In a group where she was the only girl, we were supposed to protect her. She never asked—of course not, she had more dignity than that—but somehow at the inner realms of her mind, she always expected us to.
Maybe it was because we let her be consoled by our mere presence and the subconscious will to protect, but she never stood up in defence. Never once, did she voice her opinion to be given a chance to prove herself.
Nobody likes to live in the shadows of others, especially when you have the ability to outwit that injustice.
But that's exactly what she did; to us male chauvinistic, she let herself be assumed vulnerable.
IV.
She was a quitter. Whereas her other teammates were persistent as hell—ready to fight to the death because to them, giving up was as bad as losing, maybe even worse—she would be the first one to admit defeat.
To be fair, maybe I was to blame. I was never tough on her, not really. Not like I was to them. I felt pity for her. The way she seemed to threaten to fall apart at the seams, every time she was burdened with a task too difficult for her. To me she was as fragile as cracked piece of glass.
So easy to break and impossible to put together again.
Every time Sasuke rejected her (for this was the one thing she never gave up on) her eyes will fill with a sense of loss so deep, I would reel over.
Shocked by the intensity of her emotions; the emotions that even Naruto's straightforward, pompous ways could not match.
I didn't realise that if she was tough enough to try again, to let herself hold on to the slippery fabric of hope, she didn't need the rope that was wrapped tightly around her.
A rope whose sole purpose was to pull her out of the circle that was us, the trio. That would ensure she was excluded when things got too difficult. That would ensure she was safe.
V.
She knew the rules. She could recite them in her sleep if she wanted to. Unlike several other genin she was adamant in following them too.
The first time I saw her break a rule, and not just a minor one, I was too disoriented too pay attention, it's not until now when I'm forced to muse over her, do I realise how hard it was her.
Maybe it wasn't just a crush. Maybe she was the first one to get a glimpse of what was underneath the grim façade, only to see him die, and so at her loss, she cried.
I wasn't surprised. She was weak; she didn't have the will strong enough to stop herself from breaking down. But if it was so wrong, I wonder, how then did Sasuke rise up again, as if from the dead?
If you've managed to read this far, than I'm to assume this was readable material than just a load of blathering-excuse me—bullshit? By that reasoning, I'm also sane enough to assume that you will review as well? I mean, you made it this far, a few minutes for a review will definitely not take much more than 5 minutes (I'll get carried away and expect good, long reviews; constructive criticism will be cherished!) It's only logical. =)
Oh and for those of you who are wondering; this is not a one shot. And no, I will not tell you what's in store, enough reviews and I will put up the next chapter... soon-ish. Also, I will like to make it known, that even though this chapter contains a bit of Sakura-bashing, I do not in fact hate/dislike Sakura, not now anyway. :P I did use to hate her, but that was before shippuden came along and she started kicking ass.
On a closing note, click on that periwinkle blue button & make Ailish a joyous girl. XD