Piper: I want to apologize to all of you who read this story. I realized today that I have not been putting good effort with this story, and I'm sorry. I will try harder now, and try and put full potential into this story. I will admit that I was discouraged at first, but that's no excuse for me to give you half-assed (sorry for my language) chapters. Please forgive me, and I hope this chapter will try and help you forgive.
I don't own Naruto.
WARNINGS: Violence, Blood.
Chapter 10 - Roses Are Red
Sakura Haruno
My head fell, and my body curled around to shadow my thigh and cuts from view. My breath was caught, and I couldn't speak I was so tongue tied. My face twisted behind the shadows of my hair, different emotions masking me in turns. First, it was cold fear, sparking down my spine like an icy waterfall. Then, the pain of what might come. I didn't know what would happen. Then, the raw anger made my shoulders square. I lifted my head to show him my icy stare and snarl.
"Didn't you know it's rude to go into a bathroom with out knocking?" I asked, eyes ablaze.
His gaze met mine, his eyes holding none of the mild humor and egotistical light they used to. He walked further into the bathroom, and I realized that he was in a black cut off shirt, his pale chest visible from a good side view, the firm ripples of his pale and toned abs captivating. He wasn't extremely built, just a normal firmness to assume he did some exercise on a basis. Then, he was in black pajama pants with fake red paint splotches on the material. If I hadn't been so full of emotion I hadn't felt or needed, I would've been staring. Something was in his hand, and I looked at for a moment. It was that little black bear and I vaguely remembered the same bear clutched in my hand when I woke up from my nightmares. I must've dropped it on my way out.
Madara stopped right next to me, close enough for me to be drowned by his scent that made me remember the forests my parents and I used to go camping in when I was younger, fresh and mind numbing.
His head was down, his shaggy cut hair falling around his head, messed from sleep. His eyes were looking at my thigh; its pale color blotched with anger red splotches. Madara lifted his hand, the bear's tiny arm held within his palm. He said nothing as I rolled my shorts back down slowly, the fire in my eyes slowing dimming. He placed the bear on my knee, holding it sitting up until I balanced him with my own hand. He glanced up at me, face impassive.
"I thought of a name for him, if you don't mind," Madara said deeply, his dark eyes deep with hidden thoughts and emotions. I waited, listening intently with my breath still caught in my throat. I didn't understand what this had to do with him finding out that I cut. Madara's eyes flickered to the bear, before looking back up at me, "...I think a nice name for him would be, Recovery."
Recovery the bear looked at me through his glossy, lifeless eyes, and I let out a slow breath. I didn't know what this was supposed do with anything, the name of the bear. If Madara thought that he could fix me, then he was certainly wrong. I couldn't fathom why he would even want to tell, from what I could tell he was the kind of boy who skipped classes, beat up kids for even looking at him funny, and so many other stereotypical things I could list. Why would he want to help me, when it obviously wasn't his nature?
"This is a joke, right?" I asked, my voice rough with lack of air, my breaths only slow and occasional. "Why do you want to help me, when you don't even understand anything?" I lashed out, scooting my body away the closeness of his, the bear falling onto the counter.
Madara looked at me, his eyes narrowing, "I understand more then you know." He spoke in a deadly soft tone, one with an icy tint. His hidden meaning piqued my almost non-existent curiosity.
Tell me, Madara, what exactly are you hiding?
It was silent and uncomfortable in Madara's car as we pulled up to my house in the early morning, having been this way ever since he found out. I took in a deep breath, and got out of the car. There were no other vehicles in the driveway, so I hopefully assumed that both Tohru and my father were at work, and Miki was with someone else. Considering I wasn't there to watch her now and take her to school, I assumed that she would have to stay with someone else in the mornings while the parents were gone. Happy that my father and Tohru usually worked in the morning, I plucked the spare house key from underneath a fake rock on the stone path leading to the house.
Unlocking the door, I put the key back and slipped inside. The lights were off and there was no noise, so I continued inside easily. I darted across the main room and slipped up the stairs. I slipped into the room my father had forced me into inhabiting, and began to pack my things into a couple of duffle bags Madara and Tobi let me borrow. I packed all the clothing I wore, leaving behind all of the old clothing I used to wear before the crash.
I looked around, looking to see if I left anything I wanted or need. My eyes passed something pink and shiny, and I looked back. Partially hidden, a pink camera lay on top of my dresser. I reached out and took it, turning around to see it was recording, and the start of the video only a few minutes with a fresh 10 minute memory to go. Scoffing, I looked around it for a name. As soon as I saw the rhinestone 'T' on the side, I let it drop. It hit the hardwood floor with a crash, the screen shattering and a few looser pieces fell off. I lifted my foot and stepped down, pushing my weight onto it until the square box of it was dented in and cracked. If they wanted to know when I was coming, they could've been more clever then that, but, it had only been started about five minutes ago, and I was sure that I'd been in here for at least five minutes...
"You're causing plenty of unneeded stress," A smooth voice came from behind, and I whirled around to face the she devil in my doorway.
Tohru looked at her smashed camera, sneering.
"This your handy-dandy capture device? What's the whole point of getting me on video if you knew from my call that I would be coming to get my things?" I asked, tense at the dark feeling in the air.
She looked back up at me, and took a step into the room, "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura...Tch, you know," She took a pause, putting her hand into her pocket, lifting a cigarette out a box hidden within it and to her lips, flicking a lighter on to burn the tip, "I saw pictures of you before your little accident," She murmured around the cancer stick sitting loosely on her lips, "Such a pretty little thing. You had that life in your eyes, something I'm sure your father was happy to see while you were growing up. But now," She looked into my eyes and took a long drag, getting closer to me, "Your eyes are dark and cold." She blew smoke into my face, making me gag.
"Your father cried that night, you know?" She whispered slyly, her eyes piercing me, "He asked me why he couldn't see the light in your eyes anymore and he asked me if he was a bad father. I had to tell him no, because he is a good father. To Miki. He's the best thing that ever happened to her since we had to move, and then you came home from the hospital..." Her eyes narrowed, "He was so happy to get you back, and my poor little darling Miki got jealous, but I told her to wait, expecting to see the girl in those picture stepping through the threshold when he got back."
Tohru looked around the room for a moment, eyes guarded, "She would've loved to have a big sister like that. What you used to be, sparky and full of life. Then you came, clad in nothing but black and a darkness covering your entire being. Your father was still consumed by the fact that you were his little girl, and couldn't see that you weren't good for his other little girl."
At first, I was confused to where this whole conversation was going, and then it got clearer. I interrupted her little speech, face masked, "You want me to leave my father alone? My own father?"
Tohru looked at me, her expression dull, "If you know what's best for him. Listen, I've been with plenty of duds, but I like your father, and so does Miki. And, I will do anything to keep my little girl happy, so take this to deep consideration when I tell you this: Leave this house, leave his life, and don't come back."
My hands clenched around the handles of my duffle bags, my chest tightening with anger I didn't want, "And if I don't?"
She looked me right in the eyes, and placed a hand on my shoulder as she took the cigarette from her lips with the other, "You don't want to end up ruining his life, too, do you? I know about your mother, so reckless and uncaring. Do you really think she wanted a child in the first place?" Tohru asked, "But your father did, and you were his dream child until you became this little gothic brat. So now, don't you think he deserves a little angel for his daughter, instead of a little devil? Do you really want to stick around when you know all you're going to do is ruin everyone else's lives?"
It stung. I didn't like the feeling. The truth I knew was bleeding from her words, how ever nasty they were and coming from her mouth, they were true. Completely true.
Tohru smiled, and left the room with a sway to her hips and a puff of her cigarette.
I stumbled into Madara's car, washed and in a new change of clothes. I put my duffle bags in the back seat, turning back to the windshield as Madara began to accelerate away from my old house. My heart was beating fast, a loud thumping in my ears. I place my hands against the cool leather of my seat, closing my eyes. I tried to stretch what emotionless feelings I had, but I barely had any. Feeling completely exposed, and fully aware of awkward silence between Madara and me, I shifted towards the window.
"...Are you going to tell them?" I asked after a few moments, watching as scenery flew past the window.
Madara didn't look away from the road, his face impassive, "No," I let my hopes up too soon, "You are."
My head snapped towards him, and I gave him the best glare that I could muster. He didn't seem phased, and continued to speak, "You don't have to tell them today, but you will tell them someday."
I didn't like the order in his tone, and as soon as we were parked in the school lot, I tore away from his car with a start, my book back dangling off one of my shoulders. I stormed right by the other Akatsuki, ignoring any of their greetings or calls. As I walked by their table, the bane of my existence called out, "Hey! Haruno! I got a present for you!"
Angry beyond belief from everything going on this morning, I whirled around, only to feel the pain as a fist collided with my nose. I stumbled back. My book bag dropping to the joint of my elbow as my hands flew up to my nose. It wasn't broken, but it was gushing a fountain of blood out of both nostrils. My anger flared up, rage swelling my chest. I forcefully threw my book bag onto the ground, my head lifting to face the smirking face of Karin. Her eyes widened when I let out an almost animalistic roar, throwing my self at her.
A crowd of students began to circle around us, their cheers and urging enough to keep me throwing punches. Karin threw her legs outs, throwing me off her painfully as her pointy stilettos dug into my chest. We both scrambled to the ground, blood still trailing from my nose, whilst her busted lip leaked like no tomorrow. Karin slipped out of her heels, throwing them behind her as her eyes kept trained on me. I let out a puff of air through my nose, a disgusting blood bubble coming up and popping.
We clashed together once again, and I hissed as her manicured nails tangled themselves into my hair, pulling hard. I threw my hand at her, satisfied to hear her glasses crunch as my fist collided with her face.
Glasses now discarded, Karin gave a mighty push. I fell onto my back, and the wind was taken from my lung as her threw herself onto me, her nails her choice of weapon. I refused to fight girly, and took her head into my hand, using my own nails to keep hold. Fueled by anger and rage, I used all my strength and pinned her head to the ground, using the pressure point a little bit below and behind her ear as help. I reached my fist back, ready to literally pummel her face into the pavement, when a hand caught mine.
Sputtering curses, I snapped my head around, only to stare into the hazel colored eyes of Principle Tsunade.
Piper: Sakura's having a bad day...
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