Wooowww!! So long since I last updated any of my stories!! I'm soooo sorry!!
I have a lot and I mean A LOT of shit happening right now…
Let's see, I got taken away by DSS twice (my moms a bitch ) anndd…oh yah, now I'm FUCKIN PREGNANT AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO SINCE I'M ONLY 16!!
So like I said, a lot going on….I'll try updating as much as possible, okies lovies?
But yah…..the next chappie
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"Come on Sakura! What's wrong? Why won't you tell me?!" Ino's petite face loomed over Sakura's like an ominous cloud, her elegant eyebrows turned up in worry, her blue eyes attempting, in vain, to catch Sakura's emerald ones. "I've been your best friend for, like, almost a year!"
"Ino, it's nothing, okay? I'm just tired!" Sakura burst out, the frustration that had been building up inside her forcing itself to be heard. She rushed ahead of the bewildered blond, eyes refusing to lift to meet a single glance that was cast her way as she made her way hurriedly down the crowded hall.
She rounded a few corners before she found a hall completely empty, and sank, exhausted, down the plaster covered wall to rest, her knees drawn to her chest, shoulder backpack thrown down beside her. Sakura covered her jade eyes with a trembling hand until all she could see was the dark shade of the palm of her hand. She took ion deep breaths until she was able to drop her hand without being on the brink of tears.
Ino had been the first person to notice a change in her bubbly personality. Then Tenten, then Rock Lee, then most of the group (including Gaara, who expressed his concern by asking her she'd feel better if he took her to run over something…) and then, finally, Naruto. Of course, they had all asked her what was going on, concern being they're only motive. Sakura had merely smiled as best as she could, which was a rather weak one at that, and looked away. Ino was the only person still nagging her, the only one who saw through Sakura's flimsy cover-up. It was at times like this, Sakura hated having a friend who knew her so well.
Sakura had never told anyone, including Ino, what had happened that night. She had only been a child at the time, unaware of what was happening.
"The anniversary of his death…" Sakura whispered out loud. Her slim hands clenched together and her nails dug deep into her skin. Sakura bit her lip, but made no sound. The pain was little, compared to what had happened to him.
Flashback"I'm home Mommy!" cried a young girl as she flung open the door to her house. Her long bright pink hair was pulled into two cute pigtails on either side of her head; her long bangs falling into large, almond shaped jade eyes.
"Sakura! There you are, honey! Guess what? I have a surprise for you! Guess who decided to pay a visit for your sixth birthday?" the woman's eyes crinkled at the corners as she beamed down at her daughter.
Sakura gasped out, the glee lighting up her face like a firecracker. "Daddy!" she squealed, leaping up and down in her excitement, her tiny hands clapping together.
"Yep!" a deep voice boomed. A pair of strong arms enveloped Sakura and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.
Sakura giggled and wrapped her much smaller arms around her father's broad shoulders. She inhaled his scent, making sure to memorize it in case he would leave again for a long time…like he had for most of her life, for his job…he'd come and stay for maybe a few days, then take off for a number of months, sometimes years, with the occasional short phone call.
He smelled of peppermint and cinnamon.
Her father gently released her and set her back on the ground. His large hand reached out and ruffled her hair affectionately.
"How have you been, little brat?" he teased, smiling knowingly.
"Awful! Mommy says I got it from you!" she joked right back, laughing at the reproachful look her mother gave her.
"That's my girl!" he laughed heartily, his deep voice echoing off the walls.
"Daddy? Can we go out to eat? Pleeaasseee? For my birthday?" Sakura gave him a puty look, making her bottle green eye even bigger and brimming with innocence.
He laughed again. "With a face like that, how could I say no?" he responded. Then he glanced at his wife, who merely rolled her eyes.
"You two go! I have cleaning to do!" she dismissed, waving her hand good-naturedly at them. Both father and daughter grinned, grabbed their coats, and bolted out the front door.
XXXX later that night XXXX
"Wow, Daddy! That was the best! Thanks for having those people sing Happy Birthday when they brought out the cake!" Sakura's bright grin lit up her angel-like face and her father smiled affectionately down at her.
"It came with the package. Besides, it was worth it." He answered lightly. The two continued their walk down the street in comfortable silence, the occasional headlight lighting their way, as well as a few street lamps. Sakura skipped along side her father, a sweet smile on her face as she hummed a gentle tune.
'If I only knew know what I didn't know then…'
The sound of hurried footsteps tore through the silence. Sakura's father glanced around shiftily, his dark eyes probing the dark in an inquisitive manor.
"Move it!" a voice grunted a little ways behind them. They heard others grumble and protest as two tall, burly men shoved them brusquely to the side.
The men both had dark curly hair, small beady eyes peeking out between strands, and wore worn, ripped, and fraying jeans and t-shirts. Their jaws were set into a straight, irritated line as they hurried forward, pushing whoever got in their way roughly to the side in their haste.
The men drew nearer to Sakura and her father. Sakura's hand automatically grasped her father's larger one, trembling in alight fear as she watched the men. Her father shifted, hiding her from the men, so he was facing them.
"What do you want?" he asked. The friendly, warm voice Sakura had always heard and loved was gone. So was the affectionate, endearing look in his ever smiling eyes. Now, they were replaced by a cold outer demeanor, his eyes dulled to a cool, chilling look, his face emptied, his voice, deep and almost sinister.
"You…you lying bastard! You told us—"
"I told you nothing. It's not my fault if you failed to take my advice." Her father boomed out threateningly.
The men glanced at each other. A silent agreement seemed to have been made between the two curly-haired men. An unspoken pact.
"I see… well then! I hope you wont think it's our fault when I pull this trigger…" The man's hand, fast as lightning, reached into the waistline of his pants, drew a gun, and pulled the trigger. Without a second thought.
The sound resounded off the buildings around them. Sakura watched, as if in slow motion, as the bullet spun from the tip of the gun, flew to straight to her father, and punctured through his jacket, into his chest. Expertly aimed, it was positioned for his heart at a deadly speed. Sakura's mouth opened to scream, but nothing came out. Her brain wanted to run, but her legs didn't seem to want to cooperate, as she watched the men glance, first at her, then at the body that had fallen with a sickening thud and lay on the cold cement ground between them, and then up the street, before taking off, dropping the metal gun with a clank beside the trembling girl.
"D-Daddy?" the voice of a scared child managed to choke out, with questioning uncertainty. Sakura couldn't understand what had happened. Those men…they had done something to him, he had said something back…then they…they had shot him. Finally, there was a movement from the frozen girl's body. Her knees buckled beneath her and she sank to the ground beside her father's body.
He lay, his eyes still open, mouth parted in almost unnoticeable surprise. There was no smile on the man's frozen face. Nothing. Nothing that showed who Sakura had come to call 'Daddy'. It was as if he was some alienated life form, unknown to her.
Then the tears fell, silent at first, in a small stream of quiet sadness, then in a rush of sorrow and agony of heart-felt loss. Sobs racked her tiny body and her shoulders shook. Her head dropped to rest on the still chest of the once smiling man she knew as her father.
That night, at the police station, the gun was examined. Sakura's mother, weak with grief, loudly blamed her daughter for something that was clearly not the little girl's fault.
"It's your fault! He wouldn't have had to come back if you hadn't complained so much about not seeing him! But no! You had to see him on your birthday! Had to go out to dinner with him! He's been gone three years, and NOW you decide he HAS to come home?! IT'S YOUR FAULT! You stupid girl You stupid, self centered girl!"
Those words, the words that had spilled from her mother's pale and trembling lips…the words that had made scars, inside and out…those words that had echoed endlessly, etched into her very being, as she grew older, those words that haunted her day and night…those simple few words…
Of course, her mother never uttered another word about it to her again. Never apologized for rash words, or explained that she had just been under too much stress that day…. which made it even worse for the pink haired girl.
End Flashback"It's my birthday too…" Sakura whispered under her breath. A soft, hollow chuckle left her lips at the irony of it all.
"Well then, Happy Birthday."
Sakura's head snapped up, to see the one and only Uchiha Sasuke, in all his cool, laid back glory, leaning a few feet away, against the very same wall she was.
"Go to hell, Spikey. I'm so not in the mood to deal with you." She snapped irritably, a scowl darkening her normally bright features.
The raven-haired boy chuckled, standing up straight, and stepping closer to Sakura. "So you're stealing my lines how, hn?" he questioned, cocking an eyebrow.
Sakura vaguely remembered the boy telling her the very same thing a few weeks ago.
"Yup…that's it. I'm stealing your lines and you can never have them back. Get over it, loser." Sakura muttered with dark humor.
"I'm not the loser here, loser." He replied curtly. The smallest of a smirk lined his lips as he watched Sakura leap up from her spot on the ground.
She seemed to undergo an instant change. Her morbid mood vanished as his words sunk into her and slowly set her anger meter off higher and higher. Loser? HER?! She'd give him loser!
"You sadistic little egotistical—"
"Is it just me or do you say egotistical a lot?"
"Shut up you half witted gerbil and a half!"
"And this is a name you call people on a regular basis?"
" And if it is? At least I have the mental capacity to –"
"Don't you mean you're just mentally unstable?"
"NO!"
"Hn…coulda fooled me, Pinky."
"Shut up you prick! No one calls me Pinky!"
"I just did…what are you gonna do about it, hn? Pinky?"
"You asshole! I'm gonna rip that tongue from your—"
"Well that's a first. Most girl's just want it in their mouths."
"You chauvinistic pig!"
"Hn…jealous?"
"Like I would be jealous of that!"
"Hn…"
"That's not even a word!"
"…Hn…"
"AGGHH!!"
Sasuke smirked. Yet again, her anger had gotten the better of her. And yet again, she looked too cute for her own good.
"I should piss you off more often…much cuter that way. See ya Pinky." He raised a hand as he turned to walk off.
Sakura blushed a vibrant pink, cheeks burning. Her blood boiled as she watched him walk down the hall, turn, and continue down yet another hall, this one more crowded. The gears in her mind turned in a diabolical fashion. A wicked smirk curled up her lips as she glared into the distance.
Quickly, she rushed down the hall, backpack in tow, following in the Uchiha's footsteps. His dark blue shirt was easily visible, the Uchiha clan crest bright among the sea of students. In no time, Sakura was right behind him.
"Hey, Spikey." She said smugly.
Sasuke slowed his walk and cast a mildly curios glance in her direction. "Hn?"
Sakura took a few quick strides until she was standing directly in front of the raven-haired boy, stopping him in his path.
"What, Pinky? I have class."
"I know. Buuut…" Sakura dragged it out, enjoying her sweet time. She blinked up at him innocently, a soft smile playing her lips as she batted her eyelashes playfully at him.
"Hn?" He quirked an eyebrow. The way she was looking at him, eyelashes fluttering, reminded him of those idiotic fan girls. He did not like it at all, and was growing annoyed.
"Weelll.." Sakura bent down and in a blur of movement, yanked Sasuke's beige cargo shorts all the way down to his ankles, in front of a hall full of not only fan girls, but also teachers. "That's for calling me Pinky." She whispered sweetly. She gave him one last angelic look, before turning on her heel and walking away.
Sasuke stared after her. No girl…No…NO ONE…had ever, in his entire lifetime, dared to do something so unbelievably…daring…incriminating to the boy. He found it unnerving, to say the least, but somehow, slightly amusing and attractive.
Sasuke grimaced and reached down to yank his shorts up. In the background, girls were squealing at the sight of his crimson boxers, and he was sure he heard something about some girl fainting. But he was too preoccupied. This girl…Pinky…Sakura…was…intriguing. More so than any other he had ever met, dated, or spent the night with. He smirked. But that didn't mean he would let her have all the fun…..
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