One sided SasuSaku. Wrote it on a whim while doing my college essays. Sad, isn't it? Oh well, enjoy and let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: yeah, I disclaim.
Black Heart
Outside, the darkened sky turned only blacker as more clouds hung overhead, adding to the already pouring rain pounding against the roof. Each drop of water, splattering against the thin ceiling that lay over them, could be clearly heard, and the noise grew louder with each drop.
Under the slowly dimming lights of the Academy, Sakura crouched beside the young students circled around her, giving each of them a comforting smile.
They were, for lack of a better word, "stranded" in the academy while the young students waited for their parents to pick them up. The storm that raged outside only added to their anxiety to return home, where a warm meal and bed awaited them.
As one of the younger girls whimpered and scooted closer to her, Sakura held out her arm and wrapped it around the girl, gently comforting her and reassuring her that her parents would soon be here.
The director of the Academy stood near the doorway, an anxious look on his face as well. He tilted his head slightly to glance at Sakura and smiled. She'd been the best helper here— the most enthusiastic and the best with kids. Out of all the chunnin who volunteered at the academy, she appeared to be one of the few who actually cared about the children.
"C'mon", he heard her say to the students around her, "Let's do an activity and you'll all feel better".
They nodded and a few faces brightened. Sakura led the students to a circular work table and passed out sheets of paper. As she moved to the opposite side of the room to grab some art supplies, the calendar on the wall caught her eye and she realized today was Valentines Day.
Sasuke.
Immediately, her mind forced itself away from that painful subject and she quickly put a smile back on her face as she picked up a few boxes of markers and crayons.
"Since today's Valentine's Day, we'll make valentines for someone special, ok?" she returned to the table and gently set down the supplies.
The children nodded in reply and the young girl she'd held earlier gave her a toothy grin.
As they set to work, drawing various hearts and flowers on their paper, Sakura took a sheet of paper for herself and began to doodle, unaware of what she was drawing. It took her a while to register the heart she'd drawn on her own paper; unlike the pink and red hearts the younger students had made, hers was black and sloppily drawn, as if it'd been broken and forced back together.
This was no time to be thinking about the past, and she chided herself, reasoning that two years was long enough for her to get over Sasuke's absence. But, it seemed like everything happened yesterday.
Sakura quickly crumpled the paper with the ugly heart on it and stuffed it into her pocket, then proceeded to start on a fresh piece of paper, drawing a beautiful pink heart that matched the brilliant shade of her hair.
She followed the example set by the children around her and colored the heart, decorating the borders of the paper with small flowers and other pretty pictures. Her heart felt lighter as she immersed herself in the children's world, enjoying the simplicity of making something just for the fun of it.
As the students began finishing up their pictures, Sakura suggested they share their ideas and who their special person was.
The first few students praised their parents or siblings, glorifying them in a light that only young children with innocent minds could pull off. Then, a small boy who had been strangely quiet throughout the presentations raised his hand and pushed his picture in front of him for the others to see.
Small gasps filled the room and even the director had moved closer to see what was going on. On his paper, in a color that, if it were possible, looked darker than the sky outside, he'd drawn a tiny heart in the center, then crossed it out.
"What does your picture mean?" Sakura asked gently, giving him a slight nudge. The boy looked back at her with his big, black eyes, and an image of Sasuke flashed in Sakura's mind before she shook it away.
"This is the heart of my best friend", he explained quietly.
"And who's your best friend? Is he here?" Sakura continued in her gentle tone.
"No. She died", the boy replied.
"I'm sorry", Sakura mumbled, "we're all very sorry, aren't we?" she turned towards the rest of the children, who bobbed their heads up and down in agreement.
"That's why the heart is gone", the boy pointed to the two lines striking through the heart, then looked at Sakura again.
She was at a loss for words, and the director quickly cut in, breaking up the group of children and allowing them to go off and start their own activities. Sakura remained rooted to her spot on the floor, unable to take her eyes off of the heart the small boy had drawn.
It wasn't because of the young child's level of maturity that surprised her, but instead, the crossed out heart reminded her of her own situation with Sasuke. She had to admit that in a way, he was dead to her. His heart was no longer there and she realized that had it been there, it would probably have been just as small and black as the one on the paper.
Stop thinking about this, she thought silently. Sakura looked down at the pink heart she'd drawn and forced a smile onto her face. It was a beautiful creation- it had the touches of a child's innocence, yet still managed to glow with all the love she'd held for her teammate for the past years.
I'd give it to him if he were here, Sakura thought. She held the paper tighter in her hands and allowed her mind to melt into a fantasy world as she drowned out the children's voices ringing around her.
In her mind, Sakura saw herself exactly the way she was now. She saw herself leaving the Academy, still clutching onto the piece of paper. In her mind, the sky was no longer dark and a small bit of sunshine was peaking out from behind the clouds. She saw herself walk across the village and towards Team Seven's meeting place.
She saw Sasuke waiting for her by the bridge and she watched as the girl who represented her in her vision handed the lovingly decorated paper to the dark haired teenager, who took it with an amused look on his face.
She saw him lean over to hug her as she related to him the joys she had experience while working with the children. Then, as he pulled back to look at her, she grinned at him, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Sakura watched as her mind continued to play the scene, and she watched as the happy couple left the bridge and headed for the village. She watched as the Sasuke in her mind walked her to the door, then gently kissed her goodnight before leaving. And then, he was gone.
As Sakura snapped back to the present, she began wondering immediately how long she'd been daydreaming, for only two other people were left in the Academy. The director was sitting by the door, watching the rain outside, and the small boy who had drawn the terribly sad heart was standing beside him, eyes glued to the floor.
Sakura approached the two and tapped the boy on the shoulder, offering to walk him home. It didn't seem like his parents would show up anytime soon and he seemed eager to return home.
The director nodded and watched as Sakura led the small boy by the hand, walking down the rain splattered path from the Academy and into a busier location of the town. As they walked along the streets of Konoha, hiding form the rain by walking under overhangs and small roofs, Sakura looked at the boy and smiled sadly.
He reminded her of Sasuke.
When they reached the boy's home, she waited at the gates and watched as he walked to the door, then entered the house a moment later.
She left.
Sakura wandered the streets alone, unaware of where she was headed. It was vaguely in a direction towards her own home, but she was pretty sure she was taking the long way around.
There was no need to rush, no need to hurry. No one would be waiting for her anyways. There was no need to escape the rain, for she was already drenched in the cold water.
When her home came into sight, Sakura sighed and looked up at the sky. Sasuke. Where are you?
She knew that wherever he was, he would definitely be too busy to remember something such as Valentine's Day. In fact, most shinobi had more important things to think about. But for her, an emotionally driven person, it was one of the most important holidays that existed.
And this Valentine's Day, just like all the ones in the past, she would be alone again.
Sakura entered her house and headed for her room, where she sat upon her bed, soaking it with her dripping hair and clothes, and cried. It was dark. She hadn't bothered to turn on any of the lights, because, really, there was no need to. There was nothing for her to see.
When the storm passed and Sakura finally stood up again and flipped on the light, she felt better. She didn't feel good, but she supposed she didn't feel as horrible. She would have to continue on with her life, just like everyone else who'd experienced a tragedy, and she'd just have to deal with whatever was sent at her.
She stood up and pulled off her wet jacket, tossing it onto the floor. A crumpled piece of paper fell from the pocket and Sakura picked it up. It was a black heart, broken and forced back together. It was her heart.