Author's Note
Oh man, this brings back memories. I wrote this one after being thoroughly repulsed by the shameless parings in the Naruto fandom. Unfortunately, this didn't get as much success as I thought it would. If you could review and tell me why, I'd be grateful.
So…please enjoy and review
The Heart-broken Support GroupHinata sat, staring out onto the mist-flooded road. She was so withdrawn inside herself she almost didn't notice the bumps and sharp creaks of the old bus.
"Hinata, c'mon girl, wake up!" yelled Sakura. Hinata cringed, Sakura had been unusually violent lately and Hinata had a vague idea why.
"Uh…what?" murmured Hinata.
"We're going to miss our stop!" she nagged again. Hinata wished she'd paid more attention when they'd been taught the silencing jutsu.
"Sorry Sakura-san, I'm coming" she murmured apologetically, staring intently at the rubber floor.
Hinata picked herself up from the lumpy seat. She sighed for what seemed the 1000th time. Why can't I tell Naruto, she groaned, cursing her lack of confidence. It just one little sentence, she mentally kicked herself, one little sentence. I get 3 syllables out and I choke up, for god's sake, he's never going to notice you unless you speak up for yourself! She yelled mentally.
She finally pried herself from her self-pity and walked (and stumbled) behind Sakura up the isle of the bus towards the front, almost barking her shin on a man's knee, sticking out from the seat.
"Back off…out of my way…get lost!" snarled Sakura, pushing her way up, ploughing through some and elbowing around others. Hinata stumbled meekly behind, following the isle Sakura created. "I can't believe we're reduced to catching the bus!" she huffed as she stepped off the bus and out into the sharp cold. "C'mon Hinata" she growled, walking briskly down the street. Hinata came up beside her, having to jog to keep up.
"Sakura-san, I…um, I think we're going the wrong way…" said Hinata quietly, hoping Sakura wasn't in one of her moods.
"AHHHHH!" she stopped and yelled in the middle of the street. People turned and stared, some even pointed.
"Uh…Sakura-san, are you all right" Hinata squirmed. The second the sentence left her mouth; she knew what was coming her way.
"ALRIGHT!!! ALRIGHT!!! I'M FINE!!! I'VE NEVER BEEN BETTER!!! WHY THE HELL WOULDN'T I BE ALRIGHT!!!" she screamed, grabbing hold of the closest weapon available; a parking meter, and swinging it around.
"Hey look, the support group!" Hinata exclaimed, thinking quickly. She pointed in a random direction and found that it really was the support group. The words "Heartbreak Support" glowed red in neon lights glowed in the distance.
"Oh…there it is" Sakura said as if she hadn't just been yelling like a maniac in the open (crowded) streets and ripped a parking meter out of the ground in anger.
"Well, lets get a move on!" Sakura said brightly. Hinata wondered how long these violent mood swings would last and if the support mediator had a cure for it.
"All rise for the honourable Mai Valentine, head of the Heartbreak Support group" Serena said into the PA system. Everyone sat respectfully.
"People of the Heartbreak Support Group, our loves have walked all over us for too long" Mai spoke into the PA system with a tone that demanded respect and admiration. "Wether it be because of their clueless nature, stone hearts, immaturity or uppity thinking, they will not walk all over us and then throw us away like trash! You're all here today to learn that these people are idiots! They ignore you, snob you off, they don't even acknowledge your existence so I ask you; are they worth the heartbreak! No they are not!" A tidal wave of agreement sounded from the audience in reply to the speech. "Now to business!" Mai grinned. "You've all been going well, your progress is an inspiration to heartbroken people everywhere," Mai preached. "Especially you Sakura!" Mai looked around, trying to find Sakura in the swarming throng of the heartbroken. "…Sakura?"
"…SO FAR UP IT'LL STICK OUT YOUR HEAD!!!" Sakura screamed at the car as it sped away from the homicidal, pink haired maniac. Hinata pitied the driver. He'd unfortunate enough to pull out in front of her in the car park. At least we don't have to worry about the parking meter anymore, she thought, watching it catch the light as it stuck from the back window of the sedan. "C'mon Hinata" Sakura said through clenched teeth, walking purposefully towards the support group meeting, her shoulders hunched and a murderous look in her eye's daring anyone to try and stop her.
"Anyone know where Sakura is?" Mai asked the crowd, looking puzzled. SLAM!!! The door at the side of the support group hall flew open, flattening Tea against a "Boys are All Jerks!" poster.
"I'm here!" exclaimed Sakura, looking over her utopia with a smile. "Sorry I'm late, we had a few…delays" Sakura said innocently.
"Come on up Sakura, you're the girl of the hour!" Mai invited Sakura up with a wave of her hand. "You're the most improved heartbreak case here!" she grinned. Sakura flew up the stage stairs, almost stage-diving in the process.
"It is my honour to present you with the golden 'Repaired Heart' award for most improved case here. You're an inspiration to us all!" Mai addressed the audience. She shook Sakura's hand and handed her the Logie of all Heartbreak trophies. Sakura just stood there, a look of shock, amazement and gratitude on her face. "What do you have to say?" Sakura stood there as still as rigor mortis. "Sakura?" Still no response. "…Sakura?"
"…Oh…right…speech, well, um" Sakura stumbled over the words as if they were lead weights. "I'd like to thank all of you for you continued support, especially me for not falling in love again. Mai, if it hadn't been for you, I'd still be drooling over Sasuke. Oh and my therapist (may he rest in peace)" Sakura could have had a heart attack right there if it hadn't been for the gaze of 100 heartbroken girls bearing down on her for words of support. "If you really think you can quit drooling over these male idiots than you can," she added quickly.
Cars screeched and swerve around Sakura as she crossed the road, drivers hailed abuse and violent hand gestures at her but she didn't notice. She was staring into the golden hypnotic depths of the trophy, grinning stupidly.
"Sakura-san! Lookout!" yelled Hinata, running towards the stupefied figure swaying across the road. "Wake up Sakura-san!" A tanker moaned past, the truckie giving the pair an obscene hand gesture. "Oh, what, we there already?!" Sakura exclaimed, free of the trance at last. Sakura looked bewildered at first then shocked and finally horrified. "Oh" she said when she noticed she was standing in the middle of the road. They hurried across and continued the walk home. They got back just as the sunset.
"Sakura-san! How was the support group?" he grinned, oblivious to exactly what the support group was.
"Great" mumbled Sakura as she trudged inside. Hinata followed, but not before stopping beside Naruto.
"Hello Naruto-san, I…uh…I mean…ah," she stuttered.
"Hinata, hurry up and get inside!" came a nagging voice from the large townhouse.
"C'mon Hinata-san, its cold out here!" said Naruto, already bounding up onto the patio then into the house. Nice one Hinata, she sighed.
"Sasuke…where are you?" grinned Sakura, holding a meat cleaver loosely in her hand. "Sasuke…" she called, sneaking into his (normally locked) room. The walls were black and decorative kunai hung from the walls along with a black and white, singed photograph of two small children, a tall, beautiful women and a tall athletic man with striking black hair. Suddenly the realisation hit her, it was Sasuke with his family and this was probably the only photo that survived the fire. Then a flicker of light caught her eye, it was only faint but it was enough to draw Sakura's attention. A faint glow seemed to shine from around the doorframe of Sasuke's closet. Stepping closer, she discovered it was candlelight. Creeping forward, she turned the knob and yanked the door open. Then she stopped shocked by what she saw, so shocked she dropped the meat cleaver. Her face a mask of shock, she fell to her knees, on the border of fainting. There, surrounded by candles, was a painting of her in a pink and white kimono under falling cherry blossoms of a tree. That wasn't the only thing that shocked her; at the bottom of the painting was a scrawled note.
Sasuke XX Sakura
Tears of true happiness filled her eyes and dripped down her chin. She smiled and said the words she wished she could say for many years.
"I love you too Sasuke" she whispered and fled from the room.
