This is a piece I thought was very inadequate given my recent advances in style and presentation. Same story, different presentation, much better overall. Oh, by the way, I own nothing. I don't even own the poem, fully. That's the work of an old friend of mine named Taylor. I modified the oriiginal work to better fit the story.
Haruno Sakura sighed and skimmed her fingers over what she had written. She looked for ways to improve it, scrutinizing her neat scrawl.
I look around and there I see
Five million friends for everyone and none around for me
Dishonorable people obtaining everything they desire
I hate coming home to an emotional mire
That in just a moment transforms into tears
Of loss and love and friends and fears
I hate rejection and those who ignore
And occupying myself with thoughts of something more
I talk to no one, having none
While everyone else has at least one
No one cares, I don't matter
How hard, I inquire, is it, to care?
"You're too nice." Is that the rational motive?
It's funny, I thought I was just overly emotive
People remind me to be good
Then jump all over me when I do what I should
Love one another as you love yourself,
Such a waste of time, there's no one else
Sometimes I think I should just give up
And drink like Romeo from a poison cup.
Sakura smiled. Free verse was not her strong suit- she just couldn't keep away from the rhymes. The bell rang. She jumped up quickly, avoiding the watchful eyes of those around and slipping out of the school grounds, already halfway home when she groaned, realizing her notebook was still where she'd been sitting, under a tree. She shrugged and walked the rest of the way home, figuring on picking it up after school let out. She prayed no one would find it.
Uchiha Itachi, never one to let anything pass from his watch, including Sakura's escape and the object she'd left behind, trailed at the end of the line of people filing back into the school. Sure he wouldn't be noticed, he slipped away for a moment to snatch up the notebook and tucked it under his arm. He would look at it during study hall.
Sakura lit a few candles when she got home and did her best to forget that her room was done up in black and red. She knew why those were her favorite colors- they were the only two colors Itachi wore. Ah, Itachi. She sighed. She made a bowl of popcorn and sat down at her computer.
After school let out, two people met through an instant message dating service.
"Hm, bloodeyes219, I wonder what the 219 is for?"
"That's an odd name, weepingtree."
Bloodeyes219- hey
Weepingtree- hey. do i know you?
Bloodeyes219- possibly
Weepingtree- alright do i know you from school
Bloodeyes219- maybe but tell me about your troubles, my sixth sense is telling me you're unhappy about something
Weepingtree- well your sense told you right, i left my notebook at school today and i couldn't find it when i went back for it a while ago
Bloodeyes219- was it a poetry notebook, by chance?
Weepingtree- (strange look) how did you know?
Bloodeyes219- just a hunch
Weepingtree- you seem to be very knowledgeable about me so far BE
Weepingtree- wait a minute
Weepingtree- blood eyes…
Weepingtree- oh gods…
Weepingtree has signed off.
Bloodeyes219 has signed off.
Sakura banged her head on her desk for a few moments before sighing and resigining herself to never showing her face at school again. She laid her head gently on her desk this time and sighed. She had just let her eyes slide shut and the beginnings of tears gather when she heard a knock on her door. Running down the stairs and opening it, she was more than a bit surprised to find Itachi on her doorstep. "Uchiha-san!"
Itachi raised an eyebrow and held up a small, spiral-bound notebook. "Would you have meant this notebook?" he asked.
"Yes, that's it." She lowered her eyes, mortified. "Thank you very much." She shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Um, would you care to come in?" she asked in a sudden streak of boldness.
"Sure." He replied smoothly and entered her house. Sakura wondered if perhaps she wasn't making a mistake trying to talk to the object of her affections.
"Would you like anything? I have tea, coffee, and soda." She looked over her shoulder shyly as she led him to the living room.
"Just tea, thank you." He let a small smile cross his lips as he sat for a few moments. He knew she liked him, had known for a while now.
"I'll just be a few minutes with that." Sakura busied herself in the kitchen with making the tea. She didn't notice itachi entering the kitchen and sitting down at the table, and as a result had to make an extraordinary effort to not drop what she was holding when his voice broke the silence.
"I notice there's no one here; are your parents out?"
"My parents are dead." Her voice was light and betrayed nothing.
"I'm sorry."
She shrugged. "Nothing to be sorry about. They didn't like me, and the feeling was mutual. It turned out better for all of us."
Itachi noticed her shoulders slumped slightly as she said that. "But you miss them." He observed.
"Yes." She admitted in a somewhat hoarse, low voice. "I do." She cleared her throat quickly and forced her voice back to normal. "The tea's ready." She out two cups. As she sat down, she couldn't help but ask, "You looked at my poems, didn't you?"
"Yes." Itachi glanced down at the incriminating tablet, now with Sakura's hand resting on it protectively. He didn't bother trying to hide it. Her name and address were located in the middle page of the book- she would know if he lied. "Do you really feel that way?"
"Yes. Do you ever?"
"Of course, everyone does at some point. You shouldn't, though. You have so much to look forward to."
That was too much. "I have one friend, my parents are dead, I have no life, and I'm a social pariah. Tell me what I have to look forward to." Tears brimmed her eyes. He was silent. "Well?" He stayed silent and she lowered her eyes to the table, the first tears welling over and falling.
Itachi came around the table and knelt, taking a hold of her hand. "You have your friend Ino, and your writing. And you have me, if you'll have me."
She dried her tears slowly, a small smile twitching at the corners of her lips. "Are you asking me out, Uchiha-kun?"
"Sakura-hime, I might be."
Sakura stood up, sniffed once, and tucked her treasured notebook under her arm before heading up to her room. She shot him a look over her shoulder before she turned the corner and he followed. When he got into her room, she was already sitting at her computer.
"What are you doing?" He touched her shoulder lightly.
She turned to reveal to him a screen saying she had canceled her susbscription to the dating service.
"I'll take that as a yes." Itachi ventured, it sounding more like a question than a statement.
She smiled.
The notebook, for its part, lay forgotten on the desk, its purpose served.