Well the first chapter went short of my expectations…but then again – it is the prologue, so I guess I never really bothered much with it. I'm really, inexpressibly sorry for the beyond late update… sorry, sorry, sorry!
So this time I'm gonna work hard to achieve the plot I structured in my mind. If you guys want a little foretelling, here it is;
There will be a lot of fake romance (I hope most people figured that one out)
People will be killed in gruesome, graphic and mentally scarring techniques
Sakura will be a little whiny – as usual – and may act like a little damsel in distress through some of the story
So yeah, there =P
I'm done!
Loving sad soul
The Warning: A fated meeting by the cruelest fate
"I can't believe I had to do that! It's almost the end of class" Sakura grumbled in contempt, slumping into her seat and sighing with disapproval.
'God… this replacement is a slave driver! How the hell can she forget her folders but remember the coffee she puts right aside them?' Sakura thought humorlessly as she relaxed into a comfortable position, before turning a scorching gaze towards the blond next to her. She saw earphones hanging out of her ears, playing music in low beats, along with the drumming of her fingers against the table.
Sakura scowled at her perfectly content friend and attempted to call her, "Ino!" She raised her hand to cover the side of her mouth, keeping the sound from reaching the up-tight teacher.
Ino's lack of response ignited a burning anger within her, tempting her to shout at the oblivious blond then and there. Sakura's fist clenched onto the seat's edge, against her side, and her teeth gritted harshly. 'Damn it. She's doing this on purpose!'
The clock ticked in a painfully slow pace while the old teacher wrote the previous homework onto the board. A couple of boys in the back cracked a few jokes and immediately began laughing at their own gags, stirring up a bit of laughter from others as well, while only earning a strict and mean look from the casual. Sakura drew her eyes away from the class to her current predicament; Ino. Who – Sakura observed – was looking away, at anything but her, with her head inclined into the palm of her hand.
"God damn-"
Ring
The shrieking of the school bell was like sweet music to the ears, causing sounds of satisfaction from the student body.
Restless students swarmed out like bees seeking honey in spring, excited to escape from the dullness of the caging room. Everyone spoke up in relief of the bell; some being soft and hushed while others too confident for their own good:
"Hell yeah!"
"Finally…such a troublesome lesson"
"Thank god we won't have that hag again"
Noisy chatter filled up the hallways for almost half an hour past the bell before gradually vanishing into clear, clean silence.
Although Sakura felt as ecstatic and energetic as anyone else, she refused to leave her seat until she had a proper conversation with Ino, who had not faced her properly since the whole unknown dilemma initiated. And damn it, it was 'unknown'! Ino still hadn't told her why she was treating her like dirt. Looking away from the blond, she realized that the only two who were left behind were them; even the replacement teacher had run off with a stack of books to balance, probably keeping her too occupied to see Ino and her.
'Ah…right, Ino…'
Sakura sighed and looked to the blond again. Nothing about her made sense at the moment; she couldn't change her behavior, she couldn't talk to her properly, and she couldn't even reach her all day sometimes – no matter how hard she tried. She honestly contemplated if Ino was doing drugs or going through harsh family struggles, but quickly dismissed it after remembering what type of life her former friend had.
'Not to mention, she still talks to her whore pose and pathetic admirers just peachy fine'
Ino stood slowly, with poise and grace, while Sakura just sat and watched her with hidden fury. Her mind was daring her to tear her apart, right there; where no one would question her, judge her, or spread crap rumors of her 'wretchedness'. However, before she could ponder any more on reviving her childhood – 12 year long – friend, Ino begun to swivel towards her slowly, with her face still completely void of emotion. Her eyes looked so dull and… angry?
'Maybe she just hates me'
The thought made her want to shrivel up and die, but still, it was possible from the way Ino had been acting recently. She had to find out today, right now, so that things could clear up and go back to normal; change back to when they were inseparable. 'Well, here goes…'
Taking a deep breath, Sakura stared into Ino's stone eyes, feeling chills run up her spine, and forced her voice to come out, "Ino, I need to know why you're acting like this", she touched her left elbow gently, showing genuine hurt on her face, and eventually let go when Ino didn't reply. "I can't live with this… was it that boy? Did he hurt you?"
Ino remained silent. However, Sakura noted the slight shaking of her figure. Her eyes widened, 'Did he… do what…'
"Ino, what the hell happened?" Sakura clasped onto her shoulders and shouted in a frantic voice. "Did he force himself on you, w-what happened? Ino, please-"
Sakura stopped talking as Ino viciously tore her off her shoulder and looked up swiftly. Her hand flew up and only a resounding and hard noise followed the movement.
SLAP
Silence shed among them again; Ino's heavy breathing being the only noise to disturb the unneeded peace. The pink-head remained frozen and stiff. She didn't bring her head back up for a while and instead took the time to process what was happening. Her wide emerald eyes focused on Ino when she lifted her face up, tears unintentionally gathered about the rim of her eyes. 'She hit… me…Ino?'
"Wha…In-Ino, I… why?" She spoke incoherently, stuttering and choking on her words. Ino had never, in their whole lifetime together, hit her seriously.
'There's always a first for everything, Sakura'
Ino glared venomously at the astounded girl in front of her. Malice and hate oozed through her eyes as she clenched her fists and became more livid with every passing second. " Y-you bloody fucking whore, I can't believe you're acting so innocent!" She whispered unstably, shaking in anger. Sakura opened her mouth but could not bring her voice to erupt; she merely choked, and therefore passively let Ino continue.
The blond seethed while fresh hot tears leaked down her face. "He was the only fucking one, the only, and yet you took him! Out of all the fucking guys I dated, it had to be this one. The first guy I sincerely loved and cherished, or did – at least – till you begun seducing him-"
"Ino, I did nothing to attract him!" Sakura stood up with the little strength she could gather, "He always acted like that, I never once tempted him." Sakura tried hard to keep her voice from breaking, as well as the whole of her body. "Open your eyes Ino, you were going out with a Casanova who forced himself onto me, I didn't initiate anything"
Ino narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Don't you try to put the blame onto him, Sakura. He was nothing but perfect and honest, he never did a thing out of place, not even a look." She violently jabbed a finger into Sakura's upper abdomen, "Obviously you were jealous from the start, you never received attention, except from me. You did it deliberately, I know!" Ino yelled the last few words angrily.
Sakura took a step back and stared in shock at the pissed popular, "Wha-What? Ino, are you serious… Th-this isn't you! I know that Karin fed you these lies, she always comes up with the bi-"
"Shut-up, don't you dare talk about my best friend like that! I don't want to see you again, you hear me, you deceiving slut!"
She twisted her form around immediately and stormed out, leaving a shaken and broken spirit behind.
'B-best fri-friends?' the words repeated in Sakura's mind like some unforgettable nightmare…my best friend my best friend my best friend. Thick tears came out and sprinkled like rain. Her legs turned to jelly and collapsed beneath her, so she was tossed back into her chair. Messy strands stuck to her face but she hurriedly moved them away and wiped the remaining liquid off her cheeks.
'Ino? Where did trust go?'
It was sunshine outside…but her face was covered by her bangs…and an ugly red splotch. She cried after every few minutes throughout the day, it was inevitable.
'I miss her'
'You're too precious'
Don't cry
Koi
Don't cry
"Ino, listen I did-"
"So, Karin, what was the address of that bar again?" Ino turned in her chair, callously shunning Sakura. The addressed red-head looked up and replied with a victorious and mocking smirk, directed at Sakura, who froze in movement and say. The two begun to discuss their plans, while the neglected pink-head stood there for a while, with her hand hovering over Ino's shoulder.
She retracted her arm and languidly moved to end of the row and into a different seat, one she had never been in before. There was only one person to her side, and he looked too focused with writing his journal to care. She didn't even bother observing him, she was too depressed.
"Ugh…"
Tracing her pencil over her desk Sakura gazed at Ino and Karin then groaned glumly.
Ever since their confrontation, Ino ignored her at every turn. She wouldn't look her way, let alone hear any explanation about the misunderstanding. It was absolutely futile to explain anything to the blond queen. Ino just listened to rumors and her slutty popular friends, she'd never put her own thought above another; honestly, she was too passive. Ino was the type to die if someone said 'you should die'; she listened to opinions and never gave her own… not anymore at least.
The whole morning, Sakura chased her around, trying to establish her point, but sadly, never got it through. At each occasion, Ino would both push her away and ignore her, or her followers would shove her away while sending piercing stares.
The most hurtful part wasn't the neglect or the abuse but rather the fact that Ino didn't believe her. She didn't trust her at all, after 12 years of being together, sleeping over, copying homework and spilling hearts to one another, she had no faith in her. This realization then deemed that no morning could be more disappointing than the one she was experiencing now.
'I've never felt so dead…'
Sakura sighed as she eyed the clock and observed its long ticking handle.
To her the day was passing by incredibly slowly without Ino. It was barely fifty minutes into school and she was already going insane. Right in the start, when she had entered school, there was a prompt halt of conversation or gossip, and every eye was on her. Break out of whispers disturbed the tense atmosphere, not helping in any way, but gradually ended with the time's passing. No one talked to her for a while, the first to do so was the careless but boisterous blond; Naruto.
After that, people had acted like usual with her, except for one…
Kiba unintentionally picked a few heartstrings when he joked about Ino and her 'breaking up'. Although he apologized when seeing the transformation in her mood, it still hurt her immensely. Sakura just gave a fake smile, false assurance and moved away, carrying her shattered heart with her. Memories flooded through her mind in that moment of nostalgia. Only sweet history swirled through her mind, like her name sake flower, and she happily succumbed to her childhood reminiscence.
'Yeah, happy memories…dead'
As she sat in class, near the back, tears leaked out and pattered noisily on her books. She wanted to hold them back and act all mighty but she simply couldn't withstand this blow. Ino was the only one in the whole school who had bothered to listen to her, besides the shy Hinata (who was more of an acquaintance anyway).
'Why the hell did that red-haired skank have to steal Ino away? First she steals my light, and now my best friend!'
Sakura tightened her grasp on the hem of her shirt as more tears leaked out. 'I hate everyone in this crap school…' a soft but choked sob escaped her. 'They should just die!'She screamed in her mind, clamping her hand over her mouth in an attempt to halt any more noises from coming out – though knowing it was pointless.
"You know that your crying is quite obvious?"
The voice made her stiffen in alarm, stopping her shaking figure.
Sakura stopped crying and opened her eyes torpidly to look for the source of the voice. Her heart beat loudly, hoping that it wasn't some immature asshole who would tell the whole school afterwards; this would only be fuel to the fire of gossip. Her droopy eyes unshielded after a while and gradually dragged to her left side. They widened as she caught sight of an attractive yet unfamiliar face of a male with red hair and light aqua eyes. His eyes were already fixed on her face, observing the tears and redness.
Realization struck Sakura as she remembered how much of a wreck she was, with her red, puffy eyes and disorderly clothes and hair. Immediately, she lowered her face and let her bangs cover her heated blush. She felt extremely conscious all of a sudden, being that close to someone as perfect and intimidating as him. It felt like he would capture her in one glance and brainwash her wholly. But no matter what, she still had to fake a pretense and hope never to see him in her life.
Calming down a bit, she looked at him unnerved and timid. "I'm fine, i-it was nothing", she lied lamely through her teeth, even wearing the fake smile to add up the artificial qualities. If he was what he appeared to be then she'd be left alone after this, she was sure.
He peered closely at her, making her feel like helpless prey in front of an eager hawk "Hmm?" She felt so vulnerable under his gaze; like he could see into her and decipher what occurred through her whole life. Why it was so cold and intimidating? She only wondered.
His eyes remained on her, increasing in intensity by each tick of a clock.
Sakura sniffled and turned away, praying to god that her heartbeat won't be heard. It was racing excruciatingly, along with the pain in abdomen and stomach, like a jolt of frightful lightning. Waves of nausea began crashing over her while a feeling of lightheadedness overtook. Closing her eyes, she tried her best to stay awake and stabilize, hereafter not causing any scene, but eventually the painful bearing of headaches rendered her weak and made her moan in agony. She was near her limit.
'Shit! Don't pass out…'
Her head was pounding miserably, as were her muscles and insides. The anguish made her fret and release a clearly audible whimper, 'Why am I feeling so weak… all so quickly… this can't be from – crying'. Sakura scrunched her face and let out a little yelp when the pain heightened. Using all her might, she was able to open her eyes but only to see blurs around her.
Rotating her head, she had a desire to see the red-haired boy one last time…
Yet, conversely, she only saw mellow sea green changing to a mahogany red color before the whole world blurred and became black nothingness.
'I hate you….'
'This is my new boyfriend, Souta'
'Ugh! You bitch, I swear I'll get you back'
It hurts
Hey, I'm Ino, nice ta meet ya!
'Sakura…I think I really care, I mean this isn't a fling…'
I really like your hair…
The pain felt
'I really love him'
On that day
Do you want to play under the cherry blossom trees?
'Ino, I don't think he's good for you'
When I was humiliated
Let's always be friends!
'…Y-you bloody fucking whore!'
Yeah…lets
'Sakura'
'Saku…'
"Sakura!"
It really hurts
The said girl shot up on the bed. Her breathing escalated, as did her heartbeat and temperature, making her sweat a river. She could feel her lungs dying, refusing to breathe for her worthless body, her stomach was knotting itself inward and her throat was vacuuming the moisture, so she would choke, and die begging for water. She wanted to run out, away, somewhere far; where no one knew her as anything. However, before she had the chance of running out the room, or even looking around properly, two large and sturdy hands implanted themselves on either one of her shoulders, holding her down rather gently.
"Shhh…" The red-haired boy spoke tenderly, "-It's alright." Shifting the sheets a little and Sitting down beside her, he moved his own hands to carefully stroke her much smaller ones, "I won't let them hurt you." He whispered breathily, his tone sounding hypnotic, almost controlling, and filling her with assurance and comfort.
His eyes looked down at her calmed being and shone in triumph for a moment, before quickly becoming flinty. Sakura felt her hands being released, and for some strange reason, she desired the warmth. Her mind hunted for an eligible excuse to keep him beside her, close to her, so she could feel the support of his hands and the protection of his gaze. It was bizarre but she felt comfortable and at peace with this unknown stranger, he had some unusual effect on her.
'But…why?'
Sakura felt intrigued by the stoic stranger. He was so mysterious and reserved, she couldn't help but be lured in – she loved solving mysteries. 'And also, this way at least I'll have someone', she thought gloomily.
Her attention was caught again when the lean boy stood up from the bed and patted down the white bed sheets. In fear of everything that happened, desperate words rushed out of her mouth "Wait! U-uh, h-how come I-I've never seen yo-you?" After speaking up foolishly, she fixed her eyes on the white sheets and twiddled her fingers atop her lap, feeling embarrassed. "A-ah, sorry, I shouldn't-" She was interrupted by a chuckle.
"It's alright, I'm new anyway" He smiled, "and you don't have to make distractions, I'm not going anywhere."
Sakura's eyes broadened slightly, "O-oh", a blush covered her face but inwardly she panicked. 'How can he possibly…' confusion and worry filled the pit of her stomach… but, as his eyes caught hers, it eased. For unknown reasons, she felt oddly comfortable and relaxed – like all stress was being sucked way – when he was close. 'I even stopped crying under his gaze' She mused absentmindedly. As a comfortable silence fell among them, she replayed his words in her mind, gasping after a few minutes.
'Why did he…' She thought when comprehending his first few words from after her awakening, 'I won't let them hurt you'.
'How does he know?'
Sakura felt fear creep up her neck before she excused it, despite her gut feeling and his ominous aura working against the ignorance. She ascertained the fact that he was protection, like her own dark angel; her savior. Though he seemed cold, there was gentleness, and she was positive he was harmless. He had brought her all the way to the nurse's office, which obviously meant he had a caring disposition. She couldn't even consider the possibility of him stalking because, according to her; he was too reclusive to be a psychopath. The information was most likely from gossip. After all, he did look like the analytical type; one to observe and listen rather than talk.
Sakura watched him smile before displaying her own unsure one. "I'm Haruno Sakura, nice to meet you…uh?" she outstretched her hand towards him.
The teen in response smirked, turning Sakura molten on the inside, "Akasuna no Sasori." He grasped her awaiting hand in his and a shock pulsed through her system, sending tingles throughout the body and racing heart. Reality disappeared as Sakura drifted somewhere deep within her thoughts, returning after a few minutes, with the call of a similar voice, "We should head to class," Sasori started, looking out the door. "Mr. Spectacles only gave me half a period, regardless of whether you woke up or not. Must say, I'm glad you did, though it's not like I would abandon a helpless girl, even on the word of a teacher." Hearing him speak in his rich and husky voice made her blush again. She could only feel it worsen when she saw their hands still linked, 'you idiot, he'd probably like his hand back soon'. Releasing each other, they both begun to arise, Sasori helping on Sakura's part, and headed for class again.
They barely made it five steps before she felt her heart weigh down, and body cramp. It was similar to what she happened in class, only this time her sight was fine. Nonetheless, the limbs were the same; elastic by the time she reached the doorway and in a moment, buckled beneath her, numb and completely useless. Her attempts at standing failed horribly, and therefore brought a pout onto her lips.
Sakura huffed annoyed, "Damn it, I'm screwed for sure!" She groaned in hopelessness, while Sasori watched in amusement.
Without asking, he moved his arms around her back and legs, whisking her up into his arms as he stood. They exited the room with Sasori chuckling at her embarrassment, and Sakura hiding her flushed face. She couldn't bring herself to protest, her mouth was glued shut because of the kind gesture. She was sure her heart could be heard, yet not because of sickness this time, and the heat of her face felt. Sakura smiled as he swept a coat over her to keep her temperature balanced, seeing as she had just recovered from unstable conditions.
'There's a calm before the storm, darling'
But she failed to notice his sadistic smirk, and just continued to smile in contentment.
Okay, another chapter done, yay! Thank you for reading ^_^
Well, just giving the heads up – next one will have the first kill! So exciting =]
and some parts will be in first person, so – character's POV's
Review, even if it's criticism, I would really appreciate it.
Bye!
