Title:
A Guy's Love Story
By: piNkLaLa-o3
"That's it!" Sakura cried out, standing swiftly from her seat.
Tenten looked alarmed and grabbed her friend's sleeve out of reflex. "What do you mean 'that's it?'" she asked, looking aghast.
Sakura just gave her a knowing looking, shrugging Tenten's grip but to no avail.
"You wouldn't…" Tenten mumbled in a trance, shaking her head. She tried to open her mouth to express her negation, but the determined glint on Sakura's eyes rendered her speechless.
"A-are you serious?" Hinata stuttered, and for once, her stammering seemed very much appropriate. Her pearl eyes roamed Sakura's figure, darting on her face to see the answer of her inquiry. Her mind told her that Sakura was never one to do such bold thing; but her instinct lies between Sakura being deadly serious and just being downright crazy.
Sakura placed her hands on her hips, nodding. "I am, actually. And it's time to let him know," she revealed, though she was lost within her own emotions at the moment.
Her friends chorused a gasp, unable to conceal their distress.
"Sakura, no! You don't have to do it," Tenten pointed out, franticly pulling Sakura's sleeve. She didn't stop until she got her pink-haired friend back on her seat. "Look, it's just my opinion, besides…" Tenten paused, biting her lip.
Sakura just scoffed, being completely fed off and utterly disgusted at the way her love life had turned into for the past couple of years. She knew she was never one to expect and she knew she never really, really stood a chance but if that person makes you the happiest girl in the world last night, then suddenly makes you feel the stupidest the next day then this is getting way out of line. The problem is she can't even complain for being led on when she was just speculating things the entire time.
Sakura also knew(again with the speculating and trying to be smart) that the moment Uchiha Sasuke had stepped into her life – the time when his family moved in their neighborhood, and the time she saw him out the next day when he was taking a jog around the vicinity – things would never be the same. He just had to appear so perfect at that moment and Sakura realized she was madly in love at him, despite of the fact that he had completely ignored her. At first, she took it as a sign of loathing but came to see that Sasuke hadn't really harbored any other expression other than that throughout the years, to her or not, which made her feel a lot better.
But she knew all her longing and fantasies would have to eventually come to an end, and that her one-sided love would bring her to nowhere. She could tell just by the way he evades everyone else, including her. He never really talks, and his aristocratic face usually turns into a frown whenever being asked for a date. He softened up a bit after sometime (and by softening she meant that he now grunts for a reply – instead of not replying at all – and that Sasuke can now actually voice out his annoyance to her, rather than keeping it on himself), but she realized she was so stupid to term them 'progress' when they brought nothing but pain on her during nighttime.
So she decided that she'll try to get over him and open up to some other guys.
She had been to numerous dates until she met Sai.
Sai, to put in words, is very much different from any guy she had ever met. There is always this sense of familiarity whenever he's around, and for some reason makes her feel comfortable. She knew right then that there is actually a possibility that she could forget her fondness to Sasuke and give Sai a chance.
For three months, they dated until she noticed one morning that everything had changed.
For the past few years, whenever she walks to the bus stop to get to school, Sasuke would somehow end up a few feet behind her and throughout her crushing years, she assumed he actually liked walking with her, though not really quite beside her. But still, that managed to continue until now. The same happens when she walks home after classes. She liked to entertain the thought that Sasuke is walking her home every time instead of comprehending that he just lives by the same bloc, or that everything was just coincidence. Also, for some strange reason, he ends up showing up to her dates, either as a mere passerby or another customer. He probably knew the effect he had in her for she tends to act clumsily when he's around, making her dates a disaster all the time.
A lot of simple things that elates her had now ceased to exist, and she can't help but to miss them all.
And the fact that she had always looked Sai as if he was Sasuke made things a lot complicated. This rather epiphany rendered her guilty and she knew this just had to end right there…
…which was last night on their last date for she was planning to tell him the truth then.
She threw the place a glance instinctively, feeling her heat crumble when Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. When the menu arrived, Sakura began to speak – the sooner this ends, the better.
Sai took the revelation rather coolly, nodding all the while as his eyes were kept fixed on the table napkin in front of him. Sakura was shocked, of course, especially when Sai let her go that easily, no more questions asked and subtly telling her that someone might be waiting for her.
Finally glad to let her issues out, she bid him goodbye and dashed immediately away from the restaurant, only to bump into a rather surprised Sasuke on her way out.
When the moment of bewilderment faded, Sasuke turned in front of him and walked away as if nothing had happened.
She could feel her shoulders slouching until he called out for her in a meek fashion, telling her that he's walking her home without turning back.
Sakura would never, ever forget that moment. The words he had spoken were by far the longest she had ever heard but what really melted her heart was the fact that he had finally been aware of her existence and her incessant, likewise annoying, veneration on him and for once, actually did something about it. The tears she had planned to shed for Sai after letting him go where went down the drain and was replaced by a new-found bliss.
The walk home had nothing special but at that time, and that time alone, the uncomfortable silence had lifted up as what seemed like a never-ending contentment enveloped them.
Never-ending my foot.
That is what Haruno Sakura had blurted out upon hearing a rumor that was tossed around their school the next morning that involved the guy of her dreams and coincidentally, a long-time rival to the said guy's affection in the person of Karin.
Sure, Sakura wasn't as immature as she used to be and had actually overlooked the past conflict between her and the other redhead but the buzz was just too hard to ignore especially after what happened last night. It might be her illusion or not, but Sasuke's gesture was a genuine demonstration of concern that she can't just take no notice of.
Tenten's affirmation that she did see Sasuke with Karin today at the same lunch table was the bomb, and now Sakura's on her way to make her voice heard.
"You know what could happen… Things might go wrong," Tenten warned, still pulling a fistful of Sakura's sleeve.
Hinata nodded in agreement. "A-are you ready for anything?" she inquired and Sakura took comfort on her soft, caring eyes.
Sakura sighed. "I don't know," she confessed. "It's just that I have been like this for the past years and look, nothing happens. I've always been holding back – afraid to take risks – and I'm seriously getting tired of it," she added in defeat.
"I think it's time for me to actually do something about it," Sakura said with conviction. "I just realized that what I had been lacking for the past years had been courage – courage to do things whatever might be the consequences. No matter how uncertain this may look, I just can't sit back and accepting things as they were."
"Is that why you've been entertaining your suitors for the past months and even giving Sai a chance?" Tenten asked, her grip on Sakura's grip loosening a bit.
"I think so," she mumbled absentmindedly. "Sai's a very nice guy, though now I know why I had always cared for him."
Hinata nodded understandingly.
Sakura then made a pained look. "See? I'm getting miserable as time passes and I need to find a way out of this mess," Sakura explained. "Anyway, I still have one more thing to do," she said before she stood up again, the same determination reflecting on her emerald orbs. "I have to find Sasuke-kun."
Tenten stood up with her, her hand still connected on Sakura's sleeve. "Sakura."
"Tenten, I need this," Sakura pleaded. "I'll just get this thing off of my chest and that's it."
Tenten blinked with hesitation before she turned to Hinata.
"G-good luck…"
Sakura smiled. "Hai!" she cheered before Tenten finally let her go. With a teasing salute, she marched towards the hallways to where she believed Uchiha Sasuke could be. Her resolution seem to falter at some point but she realized that it wouldn't take her anywhere to remain the nice, shy Haruno Sakura they know. Today, her voice would be heard.
And Sasuke was the first person forced to do such thing. He actually appeared startled when Sakura stormed towards her, her brows pinched in the middle that lunchtime. His face remained blank, though he tilted his head questioningly as to why his neighbor purposely sought for him.
"Sasuke," she started.
Something in her voice made Naruto stop from his morning chat with his fellow soccer regulars, who happened to be sitting at the same table as Sasuke, and turn to their classmate. "Sakura-chan?"
But Naruto had been disregard as Sakura's eyes began to swell with tears, her subtle eyes overflowing with unspoken feelings.
"Sasuke," she repeated, her voice now shaking.
For once, Sasuke seem to have diverted his ever elusive attention to her and looked up.
"Why do you always hurt me?" she inquired, pointing an accusing finger right in front of Sasuke's face. The rest of the cafeteria fell into silence as they turned their heads to see what the commotion could be about. Screw modesty, she'll just think of the consequences of her actions later. Now, the mood seems all too suiting. "Why do you always break my heart and always have more than one more girl? Is it an unspoken competition between men?" she screeched.
For a whole while it seemed like the world had fallen into an abrupt stop, and the only evident proof that time is actually passing was Sakura's ragged breathing.
So, what now? Inner Sakura inquired with a mocking tone. Why does her inner self have to be the more rational one?
Sakura took another deep sigh, before retreating her pointing hand to commence her daring escape, not even bothering to wipe the tears on her cheeks.
Just as she was about to turn around and leave everything behind, Sasuke fished something on his pocket sluggishly that Sakura's curious side got the best of her.
He held out his hand and Sakura had to squint her eyes close due to her blurred vision, curtsey of her treacherous tears, to be able to see clearly what he had offered.
The thing on Sasuke's hand seemed like his handkerchief but Sakura wouldn't want to get her hopes up.
When Sasuke noticed that she had no further plans on reaching for it, he stood up.
A taunting smirk then crept on his lips, a smirk she knew all to well. "Why do girls always choose the wrong guy, always over-thinking things and then take the other guy for granted?"
Sakura's mouth fell.
Sasuke tilted his head, and using the handkerchief in hand, wiped Sakura's tears. "Is it an unspoken competition between women?"
--
Ah, now I'm satisfied. I was a bit pent up when I first whipped this out and the result was a disaster. Well, sort of. But at least things are now clearer that before. It is actually true that I haven't started a thing on the next chapter of TGIUTK and I always seemed to find an excuse not to do so, and editing this fic was just one of 'em. (--,)
Erm. Like it? Whatev.