There she was. Oh god, she looked beautiful! She had been so excited about her 'designer' dress but in his eyes, she was the master piece. She could be wearing a potato sack for all he cared, she was absolutely breath taking. The day he had been dreading was finally here and the fact that she looked absolutely amazing did not help him deal with the fact that it was her wedding day. His best friend was getting married to another man, a man he knew deserved her way more than he did.
It had started in 7th grade. He had transferred from another school and was the 'new student' there. He was one of those kids who was smart and social at the same time. He instantly made new friends and was quite happy in his new school. It took him no time to fit into the usual pattern of the school. He was soon playing football, teasing girls and getting in trouble. He was a smart,sporty, popular kid in no time.
She however, was completely different. She had been in the school for many years and yet she was a wallflower. It's not the she did not have friends. She just preferred to have few very close, trustworthy friends than many not so close ones. She was quite chubby, liked to read and loved to play basketball. She was the type of person everyone went to with their problems.
As time passed by, he had noticed her and immediately like her. Something about her just drew him in and he could not decide what it was. She was just different. She was real. He was drawn to her kindness. The way she helped everyone that she came across be it humans or animals. She did not give a shit to what people thought about her, she just did what she thought was right. He just knew, he had to be her friend!
First, he tried to talk to her. Sadly, his charmful magic did not work on her. Instead, she talked with a quiet shy guy during the class. Well, now he had competition. He asked her what she liked to read and brought her comics and books. She thanked him for them and returned them when she finished. However, their conversations just were'nt getting personal. They were still nothing but classmates. He finally realized how difficult it was to get close to her. She was never rude but she just pushed him away when he got too close. He just wanted to be friends!
It was 17th feb 2006. His mom was diagnosed with leukemia. The news had hit him so hard, he had not been able to react. He went about his day like normal. The next day was the same. When the realization did hit him, it hit him hard! It was during lunch time, he was in the dining hall. He suddenly realized that his mother had cancer and that she was going to die. He got up and ran from the crowded hall and went to his classroom. He was shaking and tears were uncontrollably falling from his face. He sobbed as he thought of his sweet, kind, beautiful mother suffering from that detestable disease. He felt so helpless. His mother as going to be taken away and he could not help it. He cried and cried until he heard another person sobbing. He looked up there she was standing behind a desk crying because she could not bear to see another person in pain. She ran over to him and hugged him. She held him as he cried into her shoulder, no words spoken. There would be time for an explanation later. That was the day they became friends.
In the months that followed, his mother's condition got worse. She was there for him the whole time. Holding him when he cried and giving him space when he needed it. His other friends eventually got tired of his mood swings and outbreaks but she was just there. She stayed by him through very outburst he had even when they were directed towards her. She was just there.
14th jan 2007 was the day his mother passed away. He had been expecting it but he was still shocked. He went through the funeral in a trance without showing any sign of grief. His brain just could not process the information that his mother was gone forever. Even after going through the past months, it was still unfathomable that she could be gone. Following earlier patterns, he continued life as though nothing had happened. He was hiding away the pain. He was afraid of it. It was her that made him face the reality. She had shaken him up and told him to deal with the fact that his mother died. By postponing the pain, he was prolonging his suffering and she knew it. So she shook him up and made him face reality. It was a long day but in the end, they were both crying and she was once again holding him.
As years passed by, she proved to him that she was the most loyal friend he could ever have. They were best friends and their's was an unbreakable bond. Every problem life threw at him, they tackled them together. She was his piece of sanity in this insane world. He could not remember the day he realized he loved her but deep down he probably always knew. She was the best thing that ever happened to him and he knew it. He also knew that she loved him fiercely. Infact, in his mind he was sure that she would be the one he would marry because there just could not be anyone else like her. Through every difficult turbulence in life, she had been his rock.
Now, he realized how he had taken her for granted. He had failed to be as good a friend to her as she had been to him. He realized how at times, he used her as an emotional punching bag by lashing out his frustrations at her because no matter what he did, she was always there.
He had failed to notice when he started being the reason for her tears. He failed to notice her misery when he ranted on about women without paying attention to her feelings. Where she always recognized his hidden sadness, he failed to do the same. He had a plan in his mind, date women now and marry her later. He wanted to spend his life with her but he also wanted some 'fun'. So he went on with his plan thinking that she would wait for him. Afterall, she was always there.
The other man, her soon to be husband had entered her life without him noticing. Whenever they talked, they only talked about his life, hardly about hers. She was just there to listen. The other man had been the one to treat her right. The other man had given her the love she deserved and had not taken her for granted. While he was busy venting about his troubles to her, the other man had helped her through her own struggles and now, the other man was marrying her.
The day she had announced her engagement to him, he was dumbfounded. He could not understand how it had happened afterall, they were supposed to spend their lives together. He wanted to scream at her and question her but when he looked at her, he saw how happy she was. Just talking about the other man made her happier than he ever could make her. For every trouble he had given her, for every time she beared his burdens and he did not bear hers, he decided to perform this one act of sacrifice. He would let her go without causing her anymore pain. For dragging her along his plans with no regards for her feelings, he would let her go with the man she deserved without feeling guilty. So, he just smiled and hugged her, shutting his eyes tight to stop the tears from spilling out.
And today is the day. Today is the day she is going to marry the one who made her happy. The one who cared about her happiness and sadness more than his own. As he watched her and the other man take their vows to be with eachother through good and bad, sickness and health, he couldnt help but smile. Yes, she was going to marry someone else but she was his best friend and she always would be. She was still the best thing that happened to him and she deserved all the happiness in the world. She was the best person he knew and so despite his own wishes, he could not help but be glad that she had not ended up with someone as horrible as him. She looks at him and waves and he returns the gesture. Despite the pain in his heart right now, he knows that every good thing in his life that has ever happened and every bit of happiness he had felt, he owes it to her. Sasuke watched with sadness and happiness as Sakura happily walked out the door and drove away into the sunset to her happy ending with Naruto, the other man.