don't be afraid of something new
/
To say Sakura was surprised was the least of the matter.
She was surprised... astounded, even. But one word couldn't compare to what she felt twisting inside of her chest as she left Sasuke.
She was conflicted. She had only known Sasuke for a day, despite the familiarity she couldn't ignore, and yet she felt so enlightened with his presence. He was quiet and reserved, however he radiated a certain warmth that was hidden and rare, precious for anyone who would capture it.
Sakura knew she was getting ahead of herself, this was just a boy, and she had just attempted to commit suicide. Underneath all of the hazed confusion she felt for Sasuke, she was aware that lingering behind was the despair and anxiety she had become accustomed to for so many years.
She almost dreaded seeing her friends again, and she expected for them to be waiting for her at her apartment.
She sighed as she walked slowly up her neighbourhood, already glimpsing the duo of blonde hair awaiting to greet her. They were both standing beside her front door, Naruto and Ino, and they were no doubt bickering about something.
Their argument became louder as Sakura neared towards them. The playful banter that was not at all serious still ached at Sakura's head.
Naruto spotted her first, his blue eyes appearing as if they had popped out of their sockets. "Sakura-chan! Where the hell have you been? We were so worried, man, me and Ino thought—"
Ino knocked him aside, grinning. "Ignore that idiot, forehead. He believed you had gotten hit by a car, or a train, or even a damn plane. He really has noidea. He's just dattebayo this and dattebayo that."
Naruto pouted as Sakura laughed to herself. Of course, who else to count on but these two to be completely obnoxious? None of them would notice the notch of genuineness that slipped from her smile.
Reaching for the pocket of her jeans and fumbling for the key, Sakura kept her composure as she explained herself to her two best friends. "Sorry for making you wait a few hours, I just got caught up... you guys could've just left."
She let Naruto and Ino into her house and the two of them laughed in response. "Sakura-chan, we've been planning this sleepover for weeks. We would wait until the sun rose again." He gave her the supportive smile that churned her stomach with guilt.
Sakura watched Naruto dash off to receive some ramen while Ino collapsed onto the couch, no doubt picking out some romance movies. She disposed of her key and learnt her back against the inside of the front door, sighing.
She had thought she would have never seen another glimpse of a sunrise ever again... or anything for that matter. And here she was.
Shaking her head, she joined Ino at the couch, who stared at her speculatively. "So, what got you caught up, forehead? Or should I say... who?" Ino giggled like a childish kid, making Sakura hit her lightly on the shoulder.
Sakura's answer was one that defied the glimmer of hope in her eyes. "It was nobody, Ino. Let's just pick a movie before Naruto comes storming back."
Ino let her closest friend look through the movies, but she knew something was different about Sakura.
She had never seen her this... acquiesced. And she was definitely going to find out who was the cause.
lia113: i appreciate the long review, and i love reading through constructive criticism. keeping people in-character is one of my biggest concerns and i always feel uncomfortable if i don't get it right, especially with sasuke, since he's so precise. so i hope naruto and ino were themselves in this chapter. and there is A LOT of foreshadowing, which was intentional. i hope you don't guess the plot too early though!
notes: thank you to EVERYONE for your delightful reviews once again! i'm glad to introduce naruto and ino into the story and i hope the angst wasn't there so much, but i wanted to accentuate how unaware naruto and ino were. however, their roles are vital to the story. sasuke will make an appearance in a few more chapter's time. ;)
