January: If it's to good to be true; that probably means that it is.
Konoha High School's track and field team. That's where my athletic skills resided. I had joined the track team back during the sixth grade, only because I wasn't good at basketball, like a girl my age named Tenten. Or Soccer, like Temari. And there was no way I would be accepted by Karin or Ino in the cheer leading squad even if I cared to try out.
But when it really came down to it, I was good at this. Track had a variety of events to participate in, and my talents suited exceptionally for pole vault, and the hurdles.
Sasuke's area of expertise was also the hurdles.
This was the only time Sasuke and I have ever spent together; School, training, and socially rated that is, and even then we never shared glances, or words. Just the dust we left behind after each hurdle.
I sat near the back on our school's charter bus, the team was on it's way to the sound county for it's first away meet. See, Konoha didn't really sport football. Anything else but that. The pride of our leaves was in the track and field team, so it was a year round supported sport instead of just in the spring. So yes even in the middle of winter, we were participating in one of our first few meets of the year.
I sat alone, as usual. My own little space would be better known as a solitary confinement. I didn't really have friends. Sure Hinata was nice enough to eat lunch with me sometimes, but she wasn't on the team... therefore I was alone.
Not for long though.
I had leaned my head against the window, mentally preparing for the long trip to the sound county when something grabbed my shoulder and gave me a slightly rough shake.
"Hey!" A voice so loud could never be misguiding as to who it belonged to. None other than Naruto Uzumaki. But why was he talking to me? Even his league was beyond mine, he was a complete socialite, another popular in our high school no matter how loud he was. I always thought he was kind of sweet, in an annoying way but still... why was he talking to me?
I took a moment to take note that he was leaning over the extra space in my seat. Other team members; and yes Naruto was on the track team, were taking their seats near the front... but there stood Sasuke, right behind his best friend... eyes locked onto mine, mercilessly taunting his mysteries at me in almost a mocking manner.
There was something else, a nameless something I couldn't depict from his orbs of black. They expressed some sort of acknowledgment, something I remembered seeing the last time our eyes connected less than three months before. There hadn't been much progress since then. In fact, each day passed normally like those in the past... but here we were again, mere eye contact sent thrills throughout my body...
And then he looked away, the exchange barely lasted two seconds before he was taking the seat across the isle from mine. And I was stupidly rendered speechless once again. My ears started ringing, and the noise of the bus caught up to me as if those brief two seconds were enough to block out everything else that existed beyond Sasuke and I.
"- mind if I take this seat?" Naruto's voice also jogged me from my trance. I only heard the last part of his question, but thank God it was enough to make coherent without looking even more stupid and spacey than I already did. I gave him a quaky nod before hastily turning back to my window.
...
We were annihilating the opposing teams when it came to sportsmanship and scores. The sound runners were a bunch of rotten cheaters, and the rain county wasn't any better. Neji broke our schools record in the discus throw, where Choji beat his own father's set record at shot put. Lee and Sasuke set the standards pretty high for long jump, as well as Naruto did for high jump. But when it came down to the running events, Sasuke and Naruto were the fastest runners on our team.
I watched on the sidelines, where other teammates lounged and stretched as they waited to participate in their individual events. I clapped and congratulated when it was appropriate. Even for the other schools, though most of the participants were cold and rude. It became apparent how sorely the sound was losing when Sasuke made his way to the sidelines in between his events. A group of three; two boys and a girl, that had been sitting on the bench beside mine sneered as he passed.
Sasuke noticed, I could see the slight twitch in his lips, that trademark smirk of his that exposed his rare confidence. Something he only expressed during practices and meets, or whenever he was around Naruto. Sasuke looked like he was at ease when he used that smirk, in less pain. My heart raced each time I was graced of seeing it.
One of the sound students on the bench scoffed. His dark beady eyes followed the Uchiha menacingly, hate hit Sasuke's back like daggers. I could absentmindedly feel my teeth clench.
"Can't believe we're placing behind a filthy Uchiha."
Sasuke froze, his shoulder blades suddenly hunched and he became tense and rigid. The dark aura that rapidly washed off of him in waves made me shiver. Slowly, ever so slowly that it was painful to watch, Sasuke dawned his eyes on the opposing team's runner. They were sharp and dark, like shards of glass that Sasuke would more than love to cut the kid's throat with.
"What did you just say," Sasuke spat. I had never seen Sasuke like this. This dark side of him never surfaced, never in front of me at least, but I had always known it was there. He always held this inner hate, where his pain was born, for what made him feel so alone.
... His hate longed to take his revenge on the reason his family was gone. Though Sasuke never knew the reason himself, but his family name was his pride... the only proof he had that bond.
And for someone to insult it... they might as well have signed their own death wish.
"You heard me." The kid jumped up from his seat on the bench, the girl who had been sitting beside him gave Sasuke an ugly scowl, though I was sure Sasuke's only beef was with the kid who had started this whole farce. "I said-"
"Zaku." The other boy of the three stood and grabbed the one known as Zaku's shoulder. The right side of his face was bandaged as if he had suffered some injury, but it was fairly obvious he was the leader of their little pack because Zaku stopped his verbal assault. "Don't start a mess, got it? There are a few events left, don't waist your energy on venting."
For a long winded moment Zaku and Sasuke glared at each other. I could literally see the gears turning in Zaku's brain; considering. Finally he broke eye contact and muttered- "Let's go."
It took me a second to notice that I was actually shaking. From fear? Yes. But mostly from anger. How dare he. How dare he mock the Uchiha name in front of one of it's last known survivors. All the counties knew about the Uchiha family's horrible massacre twelve years ago, only leaving Sasuke and Itachi as frail orphans. Zaku was sick, and twisted, and empty. And Sasuke should know better than to fall for his bull.
"Are you okay?" I don't know why I asked. I don't even remember deciding to ask. I just did. It was a knee-jerk reaction, as if I had always been here to comfort him when he needed it. In truth I was, I just never made the effort to try, and Sasuke never gave an opportunity. Now it was hanging before me in the air, and I took hold of it.
Though the effect was less of what I wanted and more of what I expected from Sasuke. His dark, sorrowful eyes fell on me with a look that could kill.
"Mind your own business," he said lowly, his words taking a stab at my heart. He was threatening me, someone he has known his whole life without really knowing them.
I could feel my features set in their own hazardous mask. I reluctantly peeled my gaze away, looking across the field where Zaku and his group had stalked off too. I could feel my own hate for him boil for bringing out Sasuke's pain... for making things worse.
"I was only concerned. No one can possibly understand but-" I hesitantly glanced back at him, his eyes were only melting from their hardness by just a fraction, waiting for my statement... perhaps contemplating and curious as to what I actually have to say. That acknowledgment lingered in their abyss again, like the look he gave me on the bus.
"-I know... I know it must be so painful, Sasuke." My voice shook, and I could feel myself lean over the railing that was keeping me emotionally balanced. This was the first time I ever verbally expressed how much I had seen Sasuke give away about his solitude... the first time I gave a hint that I actually cared and yearned for him to not be alone.
His brows furrowed only just, eyes scanning me in a way that made me shiver. He was looking right through me.
"You don't know anything."
I felt my chest constrict in a silent, dry sob.
"Sasuke," I barely whispered. Locking his gaze with mine, I spilled everything with my eyes. I couldn't stop myself, and I don't know exactly what I was giving away but I knew he could see it. The doors his eyes held opened just slightly more; almost as if they were begging me to push them ajar. All I could think was that he didn't have to be alone, he didn't always have to suffer... he didn't always have to carry the burden himself. And I wanted more than anything, to lift that weight off his shoulders.
And the saddest thing was; Sasuke himself was choosing to be alone, because he turned away.
"Sasu-" My plea was interrupted by the sound of the announcer screeching across the field. Both Sasuke and I glanced up at the speaker box above the sidelines.
"Can I please have the following participants report to the track for the hurdling race? Of the fire county; Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha-" There was an eruption of cheers from the stand as Sasuke's fan girls jumped up and down on the bleachers and chanted his name. The rest of the runner's names were drowned out by my own aching... I felt dizzy and my ears started ringing.
It startled and surprised, and extremely shocked, me when Sasuke grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the track.
"Come on. We have some sound's ass to kick."
As Sasuke lead my stunned tense body to the track, my eyes lingered in the general direction that I felt a nagging disturbance pierce through me from. There, across the field, Zaku had stopped walking with his gang... he stared directly at me. A sickening shiver ran up my spine, one of hate and fear. I quickly looked away, jogging to keep up with Sasuke's pace.
I didn't get it. Barely seconds ago he was blowing me off, and now he was tugging me along to the track by the hand? As soon as his fingers had brushed my wrist; after of course the initial shock of him even touching me, I felt this sort of magnetic pull to him. As if as soon as we made physical contact, I was drawn into his personal bubble.
But I might also just be imagining it. The only reason Sasuke was this forward was because he wanted to hurry and get the race started, so that he could beat the sound. And if I were just the tiniest amount of emotionally upset, he knew I would have taken my time to the line up.
That had to be it. It was the only explanation to Sasuke's hard eyes and set features. To his brisk walk, and irises of determination. The gesture wasn't of any acceptance, and knowing this made my heart sink.
"Runners take your mark!" I blinked, and realized that I was already in my respective lane for the race. I had let myself become distracted, and now I was standing there limply like an idiot. I glanced to lane four, the lane to the left of my own belonged to Sasuke. Lane six on the other hand, held my least favorite person to my discomfort. Zaku casted his eyes on me, the same look he had given me from across the field and smirked.
"You don't have a prayer," he whispered menacingly. I winced, but the blow of my pride made my inner stubbornness bubble up. Insult Sasuke in a way that actually causes him more emotional turmoil than what he already faces, and I'll slit your throat. Belittle me, and I'll throttle you with my bare hands.
Hurdles were my element, and lest Zaku believe it, I had the advantage over him. But his ego, that boiled and brewed out of his flesh in an aura so sickening it made me want to hurl, wouldn't let him take knowledge of that fact until it was to late.
I crouched, only fixing my eyes on the obstacles ahead. My vision practically tunneled on my lane in particular, and the noise of the meet was drowned out of reach.
"Get set!" I straightened my knees, ready to propel myself forward. My focus span was only large enough to think around the white fence in front of me. And as soon as I was over it, it was on to the next one. I never counted how many hurdles there were, or the steps it took before I had to leap over them. I never thought about how high I had to jump, or how fast I had to go.
My only goal was to make it over one obstacle at a time. If anyone was unable to do that, they would fall... and they would fall into a pit of never-ending darkness, self pity, and suffering.
Just like where Sasuke was now.
Bang! The sound of the gun echoed, and I launched myself forward. I had always been shorter than the other runners, especially Sasuke who's strides were twice as long as mine. But I had always been able to keep pace, making up the lost distance in the hurdle itself. For my jump always had longer distance.
Sasuke pulled in front of me, there was no surprise there. As good as I was, I wasn't as fast as Sasuke. But I was better than the others, and that became clear when Zaku snarled in defiance and rage, trying to push himself faster, barely a second behind me.
I was approaching the third or fourth hurdle, I wasn't sure I never counted. I separated my strides, pushing farther and faster, my ponytail swayed and whipped me across my cheeks and neck. My breath was even, my eyes were set... I was in the zone. I pushed off the ground into a jump, when a hand fell across my right shoulder blade, and it was then that I felt my zone shatter.
You know those cliche movie scenes, that when someone was about to bite it the entire world slowed down around them, giving that person enough time to realize what was going to happen next and have their life flash before their eyes.
Well... it actually happens.
The crowd jumping up and down froze in mid-air, as well as the runners around me. My shin, in such and agonizingly slow motion, scraped over the top of the hurdle. My balance was lost and I was caught in the middle of my flight, long enough for gravity to kick in.
Instead of seeing the blue sky on the horizon I saw the black, tar strip of my lane rocket itself up to meet me. Instinct, to not get my face thrown against the ground, kicked in and I stuck out my hands. My knee hit first and skid along the rough texture of the track. My right wrist hit next with a deafening wretched snap and a shot of white- hot pain. I felt a release of torment rip itself from my throat as I collapsed to my side and rolled with the rest of the momentum.
I clenched my teeth against the urge to verbally express the hell I was going through as the stabbing and throbbing pain vibrated up my right arm in merciless waves. My knee burned and tingled, each gruff pebble gnawed at my scathed skin. I coiled into a ball, swallowing the addled agony and cradling my arm to my chest.
"Sakura..." Oh please, please just kill me now. Anything to escape that voice, that line of vision I'll see when I open my eyes to meet his.
But there was no inhabiting anger swimming through the ever present misery in his eyes. Instead there was a darker fog, like patches of apprehension.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm... yeah I-" I had completely forgotten the race at this point. All I could concentrate on was the shock value Sasuke's contradictions had over me. I was drawing a complete blank, marveling as I witnessed Sasuke's rare acts of emotion. I was only, reluctantly, pulled from the moment when the pain viciously ripped through my body again. I winced.
"Yeah that's what I thought. Your leg is pretty beat up and your-" his eyes froze on my wrist, distress now overwhelming his features before his eyes were filled with animosity again.
"Oh- I-I, my wrist- I t-think I sprained it," I lied. I always stuttered when I lied making me one horrible liar. But being so close to Sasuke wasn't helping my speech either. I got a look for that statement. That same look of familiarity and acknowledgment he always gave me. But now there was annoyance clearly lingering there.
"Don't be so flippant and annoying Sakura. You and I both know it's broken."
Though he was obviously pissed beyond no end, Sasuke took my arm ever-so-softly and gently pulled it in his direction. I sucked in some breath to keep from whimpering pathetically. He held my wrist delicately in his open hand, lightly stroking over the bone to find the fracture. And even more... he was shaking, his eyes concentrating so hard I could hardly believe he was giving my wrist his own look over before the nurse made it onto the track.
It came to my realization that he was... distracting himself. How did I know? Because with each boast and crow of victory Zaku gave at the finish line, Sasuke twitched with fury.
The only question was... was he infuriated with the fact that Zaku pushing me had cost him the race... or was his vexation solely on the fact that Zaku had caused me physical harm?
I relished in the numbing vibe I received from Sasuke's soft fingers. It was almost magnetic... and for that moment I set myself at ease by believing the latter was behind Sasuke's forwardness.