NYX EROS: Heart Strings
Chapter One: Close to You
Secrets.
Everyone in the world has one. Or two. Or more. A wise friend once told me that secrets are the reason why there's a lot of misery in this world, it just creates bad people and causes bad situations. So I wondered why, if it caused a lot more trouble than it was worth, did anyone still have them. Then I realized that more often than not, what we keep hidden are the shameful, terrible parts of ourselves. And wouldn't you do everything you could so that it stays a secret?
Not exactly the usual musings of an average highschool girl is it?
I'm just deep like that, probably why I don't have a lot of girl friends. Most girls in my school only think of one thing, or rather one person, anyway: Uchiha Sasuke. And why wouldn't they, God's gift to womankind that he was? In a school like ours, a breeding ground for the future shapers and movers of our country, reputation is everything; and Sasuke had it in spades. He's the heir to the massive and powerful Uchiha Conglomerate, a worldwide business that dealt with weapons and medical facilities. Sasuke is always the perfect student, the perfect athlete, and the perfect son… The fact that he's the most gorgeous thing to walk God's green earth must've been an added bonus.
I could just imagine him walking by and the Carpenter's song "Close to You" would play in the background complete with girls comically swooning and fainting everywhere. I mentioned this to Sasuke-kun once, and he gave me a death glare that was as full of ill-will as the one he gave me when I broke his blue Crayola nine years ago.
Sasuke-kun never was the happiest camper.
He and I, along with Naruto, have been friends since the first grade. Many a fangirl would kill to be in my 'position'. Actually, I've had death threats jammed in my locker through the years. When the threats proved to be ineffective, the name calling came. 'Forehead girl' and 'Pinky' are my two favourites, unimaginative though they may be. I mean my wide forehead and pink hair are the two things you would immediately notice about me. I'm not saying they didn't hurt. Name calling can hurt a six year old girl something awful. A sixteen year old though… well, it still stings.
What would Sasuke-kun's secret be? If everyone has one, what would he be hiding behind those dark, dark eyes? He never shows much of what goes on in his head, not even to me or Naruto, his so-called bestfriend. Or maybe I can't read people all that well. Naruto is an open book; he's about as predictable as ramen. But I know that there are still things that he keeps from me that I know nothing about.
And my secret? Well, one of them is the Beech tree I'm leaning on, planted somewhere near the edge of the campus ground. Climbing trees had always come easy for me as a child. I can beat Naruto and Sasuke-kun any day, something that no doubt bruises their male ego. My tree (yes, I've grown so fond that I've proclaimed ownership) towered over the others nearby with twisted and gnarled branches that I could easily lounge on. It reminded me of a wizened old man with orange-ish hair, a bent back, and supporting cane. I love this tree for the solitude it gives me… not to mention the awesome view I have of Sasuke-kun as he practiced his lay-ups and rebounds in his not-so- secluded court.
I guess this would be one of Sasuke-kun's secrets.
Well, not so secret. I can see Naruto there, running laps around the court. And obviously Sasuke knows that I know about this place since he told me to meet them there when I was ready to go. There's an Uchiha for you, he told me to meet them. Always has to have things done according to his schedule. I don't blame him though, it's not like he has a say on how he spends most of his time.
I suppose I've kept them waiting long enough. I shimmy my way down my tree and I realize that something is bothering me even before my feet touch solid ground. I look down to my shoes, surrounded by dry grass and leaves trying to figure out what it is.
My shadow seems to have all but disappeared.
It sounds weird I know, I mean the sun hasn't decided to stop shining and the sky is just as bright. Yet everything seems darker, sadder somehow… And there I go again, looking for hidden meanings in even the smallest things. The only thing that's weird here is that the weatherman said that it would be sunny today.
I can hear Naruto greet me even before I enter the basketball court.
"Sakura-chan! What took you so long?"
I greet him with a smile that I hope is as wide as the one he gave me.
"Sorry Naruto. I had to work for an hour at the diner; otherwise the old man wouldn't let me take the whole day off today. I hope I haven't kept you and Sasuke-kun waiting too long."
Like I said. Secrets.
"I think we need to celebrate!"
And we do. It's not every day that basketball scouts from Tokyo's premier university approach you for a scholarship. Naruto, more than usual, is a ball of boundless energy. A scholarship would mean that Iruka-san wouldn't have to work as hard to get Naruto to graduate. The boy may be carefree most of the time, but his foster father's sacrifices weren't invisible to him. So yes, he had a reason to be bouncing all over the place.
Sasuke-kun, though offered the same scholarship, stayed put. Not that I'd ever expect him to run around or show any sign of happiness. Having money and the needed grades to qualify, a scholarship would be moot.
"What do you think we're doing here?" Sasuke-kun asks me as he sits beside me on the bench, one arm innocently propped behind my back. He's not even doing it on purpose and yet I could feel my face heating up.
"Stealing rides from little children?" I ask Sasuke-kun innocently.
He was not amused. As expected. But it took a lot to amuse the great Uchiha Sasuke. Before he can call me 'annoying' again, I add, "Oh lighten up Sasuke-kun, just be happy for him. Your bestfriend remember?" I lean in, hoping he won't mind, just so I can feel more of his warmth. He doesn't, but I feel him stiffen for just a second. Ouch.
So I focus on the scene in front of me. We're in a small amusement park by the bay and it is sunset. Little kids and their parents keep running around, to this ride and the next. But if I close my eyes, I could drown them out just enough so I can hear the gulls cawing and the breaking of the waves on the stony shore. If I could just drown out Naruto's incessant calling of my name, it would almost feel like Sasuke-kun and I were on a date. But alas.
"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Leave the bastard and ride the ferriswheel with me."
"Be right there Naruto!" I turn to look at Sasuke-kun, seemingly bored but for once, at peace. Being the next Uchiha heir is much more gruelling than people think it is. Aside from school, there's training in management, meeting with partners and what not. I don't even know how Sasuke-kun managed to counter today's almighty schedule. But for Naruto, I knew he would. I almost felt bad for asking him to come along.
We reach Naruto, who was waiting around the ferriswheel with a pink, heart-shaped balloon in hand. "Here Sakura-chan!" He gives it to me and I'm reminded of a time nine years ago, when we all first met at this very park. It seems kind of symbolic of something, an end of an era if you will. It almost makes me teary eyed.
"Let's just ride the ferriswheel, shall we?" Sasuke-kun glances at his watch, a signal that our time is almost up.
"What, does the itty-bitty bastard have to go home 'cause mommy's calling?"
"Shut-up moron, we're just the same height. If anyone here is vertically challenged, Sakura's shorter than us by a foot."
"Hey, no! No one say anything because I can still box both your ears!"
And we're still at it even as we reach the very top of the ferriswheel.
Until we stop, because the view is just awesome. The sky had turned a deep red orange, with hints of violets and blues at the top. From afar, we can see the city's tall skyscrapers, already lit, and their reflection glittering on Tokyo Bay.
Today is a good day, I tell myself, no matter how much my gut feelings tell me otherwise.
I am unbelievably tired, my head slumps against Naruto' shoulder and it's all I can do to keep my eyes open. It doesn't help that the air conditioning in Sasuke's car is always set to frigid. The cold makes me sleepy and he knows that. Wave after wave, the light of the cars from the opposite lane passes us by. So does the glare from the streetlights.
"This was fun, ne?" I can't believe Naruto still has any energy.
"Yeah…" I'm too tired to even form sentences. I look over to Sasuke-kun, mute and focused on driving. For a short instance, our eyes meet through the rear view mirror, and all I can see are his onyx eyes.
Damn, I hate it when Sasuke-kun's eyes are described as onyx, as if there isn't any other word for them, because they are so much more than that. They're blacker than the night sky and sharper than steel; one well-placed look could cut you to pieces. For someone as emotionally constipated as Sasuke-kun, they're his most expressive (only expressive) features. These are words that can be usually found inside a fangirl's love letter, and we could mince words for hours, but it can't change the fact that I'm drowning in his eyes now.
Have you guessed another of my not-so-secret secrets?
I'm in love with one of my best friends.
"Sleep, Sakura." He tells me, again like a command. I chuckle because, well, how just like Sasuke-kun. So in a fit of rebellion, I straighten up and lean against the window. Besides, I can already see my dorm, no use in sleeping anymore.
"Thanks for today you two; I haven't had a break in a long while." God knows how much of an understatement that was.
"No problem Sakura-chan, it wouldn't be a celebration without the three of us together." Naruto gives me one of his bear hugs, all-encompassing and all warmth. I look to Sasuke-kun but I'd be dreaming to expect anything similar from him. So I smile and he smirks at me.
He tells me to hurry inside. "You'll catch a cold."
"Goodnight guys, go straight home," I tease. I don't wait for them to reply; I just open the car door and bolt to my room, in case I get caught by the impending rain.
This is the end of a great day, right?
As I open the door to my room, I am just in time to hear the phone ring. Then the weird feeling comes back full force, getting stronger with each shrill ring. I don't bother turning on the lights and just settle for feeling my way through the walls.
"Hello?"
It's then that the rain decides to fall.
And if I indulge myself and look for a meaning to this, it's that the skies are crying for me. Because nothing in my life stays the same after this.
A/N: First of all, no, I don't own Naruto.
I'm not sure if any of you knows that I've posted this story before, under a different name, and well, everything's different really. I just kept the name and overall plot. So, if any of you has somehow, miraculously, read Nyx Eros before, I am thankful and I apologize.
I have taken down the previous story. Insert sad face here. Just to make things clear, I am the SAME author.
Anyway, did anyone get the tree climbing part? Just like in the canon, where Sakura excels at the tree climbing exercise because she has perfect chakra control. Fun.
Oh, and I am looking for a beta reader, interested anyone?