Here we are again! Read, Review and enjoy!
PS: I know that the relationship Sasuke and Sakura is taking a while to come out but I just want you guys to know that we're getting there, you don't have much waiting left. I just don't want to take this story too fast if you know what I mean?
Title: Natsu no kōrinoFuyu Kasai (winter's fire summer's ice)
Standard Disclaimer Applied
{Chapter Eight}
Shikamaru sighed and rose. He wiped his hands down his straight black jeans before he turned to Sakura and out stretched a hand. She took it hesitantly and when she rose he wrapped an arm around her waist supporting most of her weight.
She opened her mouth to protest but she then closed it deeming it a good idea to let him help her because she did feel a little drained. What a wonderful first day at school, how lovely and nice. Just what she was looking for and just what she needed. She didn't even know what happened. One minute she was fine then a next minute she just wasn't. It felt like something just pushed the off button on her mind.
She wrapped her arms around him, one going around the back and the other around the front. "You-you don't mind do you?" she stuttered.
"No it's fine, I am here to help you after all." he replied in a bored tone. She rested her head on his shoulder as they walked down the deserted halls. What an intimate way to be with a stranger. "What class do you have now?" he asked her.
Her brows furred as she thought and tried to remember her time table. "I think it's Chemistry," she said not quite sure.
"hn," he grunted and she held up her head.
"Am I weighing you down?" she asked self-consciously.
"No, not at all," he assured her. "You're not the weight of a cow remember."
She nodded and went back to resting her head on his shoulder as they walked. With the halls being empty there was silence besides the slow patting of their footsteps and their steady breathing. The silence was awkward for Sakura but Shikamaru didn't seem to mind it too much from what she could tell.
As they walked she pondered if Ino got her things from the math class seeing as she didn't end up at the nurse with them. That was unlike her to not be there when Sakura woke up, Ino almost always around. Sakura supposed something must have happened on the way that was out of her best friend's control.
It occurred to Sakura like a light bulb went off in her head that this was one of the boys Ino was obsessed with. A nauseating feeling clambered into her stomach to settle there. "You know," Sakura began a little shyly, "I hope you don't think that this was…my intention or anything. I really am sorry I know you probably didn't plan for this." she said.
He looked at her with a cocked eyebrow as if he was a bit confused. "Why would I possibly think something like that?" he asked intrigued.
She looked down. "What I mean is that, being famous…you are famous right? You're one of them right?" she asked suddenly uncertain if he was the right boy she had seen or not.
"You don't know me?"
"No," she said lamely, "I'm not really a hip person when it comes to music." she admitted.
He seemed genuinely surprised but nodded. "Yes, I am one of the 'them' that you're referring to."
"Right," she continued, "so I am sure that a lot of people faint around you guys all the time, when I watch concerts on TV people are fainting left and right like it's nobody's business. I'm sure some pretend to and I really don't want you to think that I did this intentionally. I'm not that kind of person."
He sighed. "The notion never crossed my mind actually, I don't know why you think it ever would. I'm not that kind of man either since we're confessing the type of people we are in this empty hallway here Sakura." he replied. "You can stop apologizing now."
They walked the rest of the way in silence and with his free hand he opened the door to the Chemistry lab and walked inside with her. Silence took over and everyone stared at them, most gawked, some glowered, some watched in shock and others raged with anger. Sakura groaned on the inside and prayed that some monster would just come and snatch her away so she wouldn't have to deal with this controversial scene that was unfolding. If there was one thing she hated it was being stared at. She should have gone home.
Shikamaru nodded to the teacher who had his arms folded and a bemused expression on his face. "She was at the nurse," Shikamaru explained flatly.
The man folded his arms across his chest. "What happened to her?" he inquired.
"I don't particularly think that concerns you." Shikamaru answered. "She needs to sit."
The teacher's eyes scanned to room and a hand went up almost instantly.
"She can sit right here!" the voice cried out almost desperately. Sakura's eyes landed on the one, the only, Ino Yamanaka.
The teacher nodded and Shikamaru helped her to her seat. When she sat down she looked up at him with so much sincerity and smiled as brightly as she could muster. "Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you very much,"
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, anytime." He said with a smirk touching a stray loc of her pink hair. He nodded to Ino whose face turned beat red and walked out of the class room.
Class took about a few minutes to get back to the same aura as it was before. That's when Ino looked at Sakura and spoke. "I fret the whole time, I went back to math class and got your things and by the time I was walking back some teacher told me to get my butt to class. I tried to protest but the old hag wouldn't listen to me and I had to come back. How are you feeling? Do you get to go home? Do you want to contact Tsunade or something? What happened? What did the nurse do? Was she nice or mean to you? Are you in pain?" she said resuming the cease between her brows that always appeared when she started to fret.
"I'm fine." Sakura said with a smile. "Don't worry, the nurse resurrected me and Shikamaru helped me all the way over here. He's such a nice person."
Ino squealed which earned some glares for her to be quiet and some stares wondering what had gotten into her. "Tell me all about it! Tell me what did you guys talked about? How heroic of him to whisk you to the nurse in his arms and back. When you were coming here did you feel his abs? Did his muscles flex? Oh God I bet they flexed the whole time. I think I'm getting a bit faint." She said fanning her pink face with her hand.
Sakura laughed and shook her head, "it was nothing," she replied simply.
"What do you mean nothing? I was actually talking to him when he was bringing you to the nurse but I mean, he took off when we noticed your skin color was changing, not that I wrong him or anything, but I mean, I hardly got to talk to him but this class is almost over, you spent a long time down there, you guys must have talked about something! Anything! It doesn't even matter what it was. Are you guys like friends now?" she said in a rush as she heaved in air after haven spoken so many things without pausing. "Oh my God just imagine! Just imagine us being friends with the Sharingan on our first day! Oh my god this is the most incredible thing to ever happen to me in the whole fucking universe I swear!"
Sakura looked at her and blinked like an idiot. "Um, when the class is over I'll tell you everything but it wasn't anything that interesting and he doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would classify me as his friend just because he brought me to the nurse." She replied with a small smile. "He is very attractive though," she blushed.
"Ugh! You're telling me! I have no idea why I was so flaky around him but I mean he's FAMOUS!"
"Shh!" the class hissed.
Ino rolled her eyes and looked back at Sakura. "they are like…the hottest guys on the entire freaking planet and so far we actually know one of them, isn't this exciting?" she gushed swooning. "Oh wow."
Sakura looked around. "Yeah," she said very slowly and almost sarcastically.
Ino was, more into these things than she was. Sakura personally didn't see anything so awesome in meeting one person who actually didn't hate her guts so far. It was a relief actually. It could have been so much worse and it hadn't been.
The bell rang and instantly people shuffled out of the class. Sakura gathered her things and walked slowly out with Ino. "So start talking," Ino said
Sakura sighed, "Can I go to the bathroom first?" she asked with a grin. "Or is that too much to ask Lady Ino?"
"Fine," she pouted, "go, I'll find us a seat in the cafeteria after I put my things in my locker. Hurry up." she said as she trotted off down the hall.
Sakura took the other route, went into her messenger bag and fished out the school map. She leaned on a locker and looked at it wide eyed. There were so many routes to the one bathroom she had no idea which way to go. Her coordination was the worst; her sense of direction was also horrible. She gazed at it for a long time then returned it back to where she had taken it.
She walked down the halls, people hit against her shoulder, bumped into her as she walked without a care. Whispers flew all around her like breeze too. News traveled fast. She kept her gazed to the floor because she could feel eyes boring into her as she walked. She her hair made it exceptionally easy to identify her and that the incident that had happened in first period had already touched every ear in the entire school.
She found the bathroom to her relief and took her time using it. While at the sink she pulled out the map again. She was relying on the piece of paper too much but the school was so big, she was just so small in comparison it would take only one wrong turn and she'd just be a goner. What a first day.
She looked in the mirror at herself. She had wondered why a school as prestigious as this one didn't have a uniform. They were all allowed to wear their own clothes which stroke her as odd. Ino had told her that a few years back, parents had protested against the uniforms and the lack of individuality at the school and so they had gotten rid of them. Ino had also said that most of the rich kids here would have just died if they weren't allowed to wear all their named brand clothes.
After spending way too much time staring at the damned map she put it back in her bag and walked out of the bathroom. She looked around her carefully making sure she was going the right way. As she went down more and more into the hall the noise level seemed to get lower and lower until there was no talking at all. Taking the corner Sakura wondered why everyone was silent. She looked down the hall to see a girl with her brown hair done in two buns walking down the halls. Her hand balled into a light fist.
"Whore!" someone yelled out with a cough and that seemed like a signal because that's when the noise started again.
The brown haired girl turned to glare but shook her head and turned deciding not to respond.
The commenter sneered, "What you want to fuck my boyfriend now too? Don't worry, he already told me he got it from you." She sneered brewing with jealousy. "Don't feel all high and mighty anymore do you? He's stopped bragging, maybe you suddenly got slack!" she barked.
The brown haired girl laughed. "You don't say?" Was her only sarcastically broken response.
People starting throwing bad, mean and horrible comments at her; they yelled that she was a slut, a whore, a bitch and a prostitute. They glared at her and looked at her with disdain; they looked at her like she was disgusting; a disease. She walked with her head high though and she looked straight ahead- duly unfazed.
If there was one thing that Sakura hated, it was bullying. It was on her top ten lists of the most disgusting things a person could ever do to someone else. Her went out to this girl she didn't even know. Sakura was used to people being mean to her like that at her old school so she knew what it felt like. She stood there almost as if she was cemented into the floor. She watched as the girl walked down the halls and out the door.
Sakura blinked and ran down the hall. The short distance already had her winded. She pushed open the door and saw her going into the cafeteria. She knew it wasn't any of her business but she couldn't put pass what had just happened. She wanted to do something, she felt somehow like if she didn't try and do something, she was almost like the others. She took the steps two at a time and ran across the short open space and burst into the cafeteria. The girl was just sitting down at an empty table way at the back. God she was exhausted and light headed. It didn't matter.
Sakura didn't feel hungry but still she went into the line and took some food on her trey. She walked, passing tables, ignoring the stares and paused. The girl had just moved further down to the back.
"Sakura over here!" Ino yelled exploding with primitive excitement.
Sakura's head snapped around and she smiled as she noticed that Ino was sitting with a groupie of boys, Shikamaru one of them. She was actually sitting right beside him. She looked at each face until her eyes clashed with onyx orbs so dark it gashed fire. Her body froze –rigid- and even as the fear attached itself to her back Sakura could not look away. His eyes were like moving darkness and night- living and Sakura would have been a fool if she couldn't see the threat he conveyed through them. Her mind swooned just looking at him. She shivered again, gripping her tray harder she tore her eyes away from him. No way was she going over there where she wasn't wanted.
She shook her head slowly at Ino and started walking again. She was on a mission and it was going to be completed she hoped. She stopped in front of the table and placed down her tray. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked softly.
The girl didn't even look up. "What'd you want? Save it." she said in a firm voice. "I have nothing to tell you so you can go back to your friends. Leave,"
Sakura was taken aback. She bit her bottom lip then opened her mouth, "That's not-"
"What?" she cut of harshly. "Why are you still here? Didn't I say I don't want your plastic self here? Leave, I don't want you here." she said again still looking at her tray of food as if Sakura was a bother.
Well this certainly wasn't going as planned not that Sakura had fully had a plan to begin with her impulsive decision. She could understand the girl's unwillingness. She took a deep breath, she was trying to do too much it was obvious.
She nodded and smiled regardless. "I just thought you needed a friend." she whispered as she took up her tray. "Someone new maybe."
That's when the brown haired girl looked up but Sakura just turned and started walking. Now she had nowhere to sit. She couldn't sit with Ino because of that boy and she couldn't sit with the bun haired girl because she didn't want company. Sakura looked at her tray and shook her head disappointedly chucking the tray into the trash can without a word only saving the orange juice she had taken. Ignoring Ino's frantic calls her way Sakura headed out of the cafeteria. She hadn't been hungry anyway.
That certainly didn't go as her winsome heart was expecting. The cafeteria was another building all by itself and the space from the cafeteria to the doors to enter back into the school was made of grass and tables were placed about the place with seats for those who didn't wish to eat in the cafeteria. Kid usually sat there when the weather was good, the sun was bright and the wind was sweet.
Sakura crossed the space, trotted up the steps and began walking down the hall. She would just loiter around the school and be alone with herself; it wasn't always that bad. Her heart was racing. Maybe walking so fast to and fro wasn't the smartest of ideas considering. She drank her juice and with the back of her other hand wiped the tear that threatened to fall from her eyes. She hated it here already. It was going to be hell.
Sakura didn't even realize until she was almost there that she was headed for her locker. The orange juice was refreshing. That was a plus.
"Hey!" a voice called down the hallway behind her. "Wait up!"
Sakura sputtered to a halt and turned curiously. Her eyes widened as she saw a pretty girl with two buns in her head walking her way. Oh no.
Her round face was flushed and her almond eyes brighter than eyes should ever really be it was almost creepy. "Hey look, I'm sorry about how I acted a while ago," she apologized sheepishly.
Sakura looked at the bun head girl, shook her head and smiled. "No it's fine don't worry about it. I totally get it."
"I was a real bitch, I'm sorry." she said taking Sakura by the arm. "I just thought you were one of them."
"After how they acted towards you in the hall I understand you'd be that way." she assured softly. "I didn't mean to just…I just thought maybe you could use somebody, some company maybe. I didn't really have anywhere to sit either if you know what I mean." Sakura said looking at the ground timidly.
"If you knew what they knew you'd act the same way towards me," She said matter-of-factly. "You're new; it's probably only a matter of time."
Sakura's brows creased. "I highly doubt that."
"Yeah you say that because you don't know. If it's okay with you, you're welcomed to come and sit with me, I won't be so mean this time, I promise." she said in a friendly voice. "I can be a nice person."
Sakura looked into the girls pretty almond eyes and smiled. "I'd love to. I'm Sakura Haruno,"
"Tenten Hiuri" (pronounced just in case you might get it wrong Hi-You-Ri) she said.
So much walking. She was doing so much walking today. They walked back into the cafeteria and went back to where Tenten was originally sitting. People sure had all the time in the world to stop in their discussions and eating to glance at them for whatever reason. Tenten sat down in front of the tray she had obviously left and Sakura sat across from her. Sakura looked at her juice now on the table, not quite knowing what to say.
"So I'm guessing you're new." Tenten spoke out.
"How'd you know?"
"The hair." she replied with a small smile. "And I'm also guessing you want to know what the hall thing was about in the hall. It's obvious that you saw that whole stupid charade."
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want me to know." Sakura rushed out. "I don't think anyone should be treated like that and even though you just met me and all I want you to know that I would never ever treat anyone like that, not even you and it doesn't matter what happened or what you did." she rushed.
Tenten laughed. It was crispy and light like summer breeze- free almost. "It's totally cool, it happens all the time. It's the start of the new semester, it'll die down."
"Everyday people treat you like that?" Sakura asked her eyes growing wide.
"Since about the dawn of my school time but they get bored because I don't care." Tenten said nonchalantly. "After all, I have given them plenty to talk about for all the years to come."
"What are you talking about?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.
"I had sex with the football team in 9th grade. All of them, all at once, but I wasn't a virgin then, I was having sex since I was like eleven." she said blankly getting all the dirt out in the open from now. Sakura's eyes opened wide and if she had anything eating she would have choked. "Yeah, be disgusted, you're free to walk away now if you want but like, if you're going to sit with me I rather you hear it from my own mouth than from theirs and it's better to get it out first and foremost." She said with a shrug.
For a good moment Sakura was totally speechless. This hadn't been what she was expecting and she wasn't even sure how to react to a stranger telling her something like that right off the bat. She cleared her throat.
"What happened to make you do that?" She asked uncertainly.
"What do you mean what happened? I wanted to,"
"No, that's not what I meant. You don't want my lousy view anyways but is it okay if I give it still?"
"Don't call me a whore, if you want to; go say it to the next table that's waiting for you to convert against me. I'm not ashamed to say it to anybody."
"It's not my place to call you that sort of stuff and I don't see why I would." Sakura reasoned. "You're free to do whatever you want I just don't want to say anything that you don't want to hear. I mean, this is a lot to take in when we've just met. I don't want to cause any tension."
"Say whatever you want to," Tenten shrugged.
"People do things to get away maybe from their lives or even their own mind and perception. Everybody's drug is different, everybody's way out is different. I'm just asking, what was yours? What were you trying to get away from? It makes no difference to me. I don't judge." she replied. "Maybe you told me that a while expecting me to leave but I won't because believe me, everybody is walking around with a story."
Tenten sighed and leaned back almost sinking into the seat; she looked at Sakura for a long while deciding whether or not she should believe the words that just came out of her mouth.
"No one ever really asked me that before at least not the way you just did." she stated frankly before laughing sadly. "As a matter of fact, nobody's ever reacted that calmly either."
"Asked you what? What happened in your life-?"
"Yea that." Tenten cut her off. "Let's get right down to the nitty-gritty. My life was not the prettiest thing, my dad was a drunk and my mother left me and my father when I was ten to run off with this Italian shoe maker. Living with my dad my life wasn't worth much. It was abusive, my mind was in a bad place and I guess, having guys want me was the only time I felt valued- like I mattered. A month before the end of 9th grade I decided why not. Had sex with the senior football team, they saw nothing wrong with it I didn't either. Let's just say I've had a lot of sexual experiences in my life. I wasn't the best child either. I partied hard, did drugs and I was stupid doing anything anywhere and anytime I wanted. Guys wanted me and if they wanted me then it meant I was obviously something somewhere along the lines. Sometimes with someone way older than me, someone who was already taken, someone who was only god knows what."
It was hard for Sakura to keep Tenten's gaze but she tried her best before looking away and at the table. She could feel Tenten watching her reaction closely.
"I got pregnant in grade ten. I have a boy named Nadaka and I guess that changed things for me. I got pregnant in October and I had Nadaka in May. I didn't want to start 11th grade with the baby weight and that mentality I had before, having a kid really changes your life. I got my shit together. I don't know who the father is and I'm not looking to pin a baby on some high school boy that wouldn't do anything for my son either way. My dad's cleaned up enough to help me out with my son so. Everyone here just can't let it go which is fine. There you have it. My lovely life story." she said finally and took a long sip of her diet coke. "You can leave now if you want to."
Sakura blinked. That was a whole load of information to be telling a stranger. She wasn't sure which direction to take that story or what to even say so she blurted the first thing that came to her mind.
"Could I meet him?" she asked.
"My son?" Tenten asked incredulously.
Sakura nodded her head. "Yeah." she said smile. "I know you just met me but I promise I'm good with kids and I swear to you I'm not crazy. I won't run away with him or anything. You love your son; I'm sure when he's old enough to understand he'll be proud to have you as his mother." She smiled.
Tenten blinked. "I don't know about that." she replied laughing, her eyes casted down. "I've been reckless. He could have had a father if I had my act together but I didn't so I made a fatherless son. I think that's the only thing I regret."
"You cleaned up your life didn't you?" Sakura asked. "You cleaned up your life for him, you're a different person. I mean, aren't you proud of yourself? Some people never get out of that kind of chaos. They stay lost forever Tenten."
"Yeah well this world has never been kind. We don't get praised for changing, only bashed for our past lives." She said lightly before smiling. Tenten was a very beautiful girl with her round face and big deep brown eyes with skin as smooth as coco butter. "You know, you're really not so bad." She admitted.
Sakura laughed sheepishly. "I'm going to take that as a huge compliment."
When the bell rang they rose together and started making their way out of the cafeteria chattering almost aimlessly Sakura waved at Ino who seemed to be ready to slaughter Tenten with her eyes. She was basically frothing at the mouth.
"I'll be right back okay?" Sakura said sauntering over to Ino.
Ino glowered. "Like you ditched me. Just saying." Was Ino's frank response her eyes a blaze. "First day of school, I get us a seat with the cool guys and you ditched me to go sit with someone else. Like I didn't even know why you left and next thing I know some girl is running after you, I was about to bash her face into a wall. All this stress is going to give me a fucking pimple."
Sakura smiled sheepishly. "I'm okay. I didn't want to rain in on the parade, I figured you'd want to I don't know, flirt in peace with your new uh cursh and whatever." She said soflty.
"Okay, you're walking with her to class considering you ditched me?" Sakura blushed and Ino laughed loudly, the anger dissipating from her face. "kidding! Go, I got someone to walk me to class anyways." she smiled and tilted her head in the direction of Shikamaru who was waiting on her.
Sakura grinned, how did Ino do it? How did she just get people to fall to her knees like that? Sakura waved and he acknowledged her with a nod. "You'll meet me after school?" she asked still, almost afraid that with her meeting this boy fully now she would totally forget.
Ino bobbed her head. "Totally," she said as she smiled and went over to the guy waiting on her.
Sakura went back over to Tenten who looked at her curiously, "you know him?" she asked.
"He brought me to the nurse this morning, but I guess," she replied.
"Wish I were you," she said, "I would do anything to get Neji to notice me," she replied as they walked out of the cafeteria.
And there we have it! I hope you guys are liking this story so far!
Much love and Peace,
D.V
