Haunted, Chapter 10
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She raised the blade, ready to attempt the ultimate act. She had no regrets. She ran the blade across her wrist, efficiently slicing the skin, waiting for the blood to sleep through. Waiting to die. She frowned. There was something wrong. Then she realized. The blade was too dull to make such a deep incision enough to kill her. There was only a small graze on the vein. It was seeping blood. Not deep enough to kill, but it was deep enough for her liking.
She sighed. Maybe it was a sign that she just shouldn't give up yet. Maybe another day.
She watched the luscious crimson fall and trickle unto a spare white piece of paper.
Shit.
Gaara bolted upright from bed, immediately awake from his deep slumber, his green eyes wide and alert. He was breathing heavily. His hair was plastered to his sweaty forehead. Sweat was dripping from his chin.
Aa. He was clutching his chest. It was only a dream. But it seemed to be so real…
It was that Haruno girl in his dream. She was screaming, bloody, wounded, half-dead. She was reaching towards him and she was mouthing the words:
Save me.
Someone was hurting her. There was maniacal laughter.
Then he finally saw who the attacker was. It was himself. His old, twisted self. His eyes were glazed over with blood lust, his hands were stained with blood, and a terrible grin was on his face. The monster he had been.
He watched in horror, as he wrapped his hand around the fragile girl's neck and easily snapped it. One last desperate scream was heard from her before she became limp and her eyes rolled over.
There was maniacal laughter and a horrible scream from him. It was inhuman and sounded evil.
He turned to stare at Gaara. No matter what you do, I am still here. I am still you. You can never defeat me. No one will ever love you. You will always be alone. You are only capable of loving yourself. You are weak.
He grinned. "You are next to die."
He reached forward and –
Gaara didn't know what happened beyond that point since he had woken up. And he didn't want to know. He took three deep breaths. He glanced around. There was no body except him. The room was dark. He turned on the lamp on his bedside table and got up to take an aspirin. His hands were shaking as he filled a cup full of tap water. Gulp. He drank the water and swallowed the aspirin.
He grabbed the nearest chair and collapsed on it. He ran a hand through his unruly red hair. It's just a dream. Dreams aren't real. Dreams don't come true. I am not the monster anymore that I use to be. I am someone different. That was the past. I am not a monster anymore. I have gotten over my past.
The why was his stomach coiling in worry? Why were his palms sweaty? Why was there that familiar lump he could never swallow in his throat?
He couldn't forget. No matter how many times he told himself not to dwell on the past.
I will let go no matter what. I will move on. He told himself determinedly. I have come so far and I will not go back. I will let go no matter what. I will move on. He chanted it repeatedly in his mind like a sacred mantra.
I will fight my demons and stay strong.
Soon, his neck muscles became slack and he closed his eyes.
It was 6am, a small shard of sunlight shone through her window. Sakura slowly opened her eyes and then squinted at the brightness. It was taking her brain some time to process the fact that it was indeed morning, a dawn of a new day.
The neighbors were already screaming.
"Why, you dirty whore! Two-timing on me, where you? Drag your filthy ass and get out of this house and never come back!"
She groaned. They never shut up.
She trudged towards the small bathroom. The mirror was cracked but she could clearly see she looked terrible. Her skin was so translucent, you could see her veins. Her eyes were bloodshot red and there were dark rings under her eyes. Her lips were crusty with dry blood and cuts.
The sight didn't faze her. She knew she looked terrible. She couldn't change her appearance and who would really care about how she looked?
She stripped of her clothes and reached to turn on the shower knob.
She waited for the warm water run down on her body. Nothing came out
Then she apprehended what had happened. That bastard disconnected the water supply! She fumed.
It was a sign to show here that even though he wasn't here, he still could make her life miserable. As if she didn't already know that.
She turned the knob to cold water. Nothing came out. Slowly, a small trickle of water came out of the shower head. It was ice-cold, but it was better than going to school smelly and dirty.
It was going to be a long day.
Birds were chirping, as a sleepy red hair boy slowly awoke. Gaara yawned and stretched his arms. He frowned after he discovered that he had fallen asleep on a chair. His body was sore all over. What a rough night.
He hadn't had such a disturbing dream in months. After rehab and with the support and friendship that Naruto and his siblings had provided, he had been perfectly calm with no breakdowns and bad dreams.
The dream really had him off kilter. Not to mention the fact, that he didn't dream. Before, he could never sleep. He slowly learned how to sleep during his session in Rehab. But he had many nightmares.
Now, he usually slept a dreamless sleep.
He had control over his emotions now and wasn't a ranging crazy sociopath monster anymore. He believed before the reason for his existence was killing people. But now, he knew that wasn't true. He hadn't found his reason for living yet, but he was searching. That's why he was here.
He was a different person from before. He could feel now, something he couldn't do before. But he hadn't entirely grasped the concept of feeling emotions. He was still learning.
That Haruno girl was causing him to feel new emotions, he had never ever felt. She gave off a sense of Deja vu. She was gotten him involved in some very troublesome situations. He didn't like her very much and found her annoying but there was just something else about her that made her that he couldn't really describe. She looked like a lost puppy.
Besides, she was the only person that he really knew in this new strange place. Everyone else mostly not worth knowing and were useless people that judged him by his looks without not even trying to know him.
…She was his first friend here, in some sense, you could say.
He took a quick shower and got dressed. After, slightly toasting a piece of bread and thinly spreading some jam on it, Gaara devoured his small breakfast. This was nothing compared to the breakfast, Temari would make him and Kankuro in the morning.
"GET YOUR ASSES OUT OF BED. IT'S TIME FOR BREAKFAST!" Temari would holler. She would make a feast fit for kings during breakfast; she would cook an abundant amount of sausages, eggs, omelettes, and bacon. Toast, cereal, and pastries would be hot and ready to be eaten on the table. Only, god knew how she made some much damn food in so little time.
The hot-tempered blonde would get extremely angry if you denied her food or didn't eat too much. That didn't work well, since Gaara wasn't always a big fan of breakfast. "YOU DON'T LIKE MY COOKING, DO YOU? THEN MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN FOOD. I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY." She would ramble and then hit him or Kankuro on the head with a pan.
No matter, how many times he would claim that he wasn't hungry. Temari would pile more food on his plate. "Nonsense. You are a growing boy! You need energy and you're suppose to be hungry all the time, damn it. I'm not making you food all the time. You better eat up." She would say, glaring at him, her eyes formed into small slits.
Sometimes, his older sister really scared him.
He could still smell those sausages sizzling in the pan. His stomach rumbled loudly. He couldn't admit but he dearly missed his sister… and her cooking.
Gaara walked out of his apartment, scowling at the fact that he actually admitted he missed his sister. He grumpily walked through wet grass and towards the giant looming building that was his high school.
At that moment, he really wasn't caring which unfortunate person's lawn he had just ruined.
A small fragile pink-haired teen was cautiously walking through a dark alley, careful to wake anyone or anything up. Her eyes darted back and forth nervously. Her right arm was hovering protectively over her backpack.
Sakura was currently walking through on of the most dangerous alleys in the area. The alley was one of the most dangerous areas to be in or near in her town. It was always was buzzing with drug dealers, illegal and underground black market sales, pimps, gangs and all sorts of bad people. The alley was busy today, but not too busy. She was currently inconspicuous to everyone around her and she wanted it to stay that way.
She heard laughter, cries of joy and cries of pain and she saw tears and people being hurt all around her. She wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and not see the injustice around her. These things were a normal sight around here. She couldn't help any of them, she was just as helpless. If she attempted to help them that would just result with her getting hurt or killed. It was survival of the fittest around her. She had to be extremely careful, since she was treading in dangerous territory. She could easily be mugged, killed, raped or be kidnapped and sold as a so-called "Exotic Treasure" in the black mart or be sold to a pimp to be a prostitute.
"Little lady! Wanna some pot to smoke? I guarantee it will be a pleasurable experience, you'll be in your own world…" A drug dealer called to her, an evil grin plastered on his face, while completing a deal with another customer.
Sakura winced. Great, she was noticed. Soon, everyone in the alley was staring at her. Business men buying prostitutes, drugs, and illegal porn, junkies, sellers, gang members, and all sorts of people, their eyes were focused on her.
She let out an anxious squeak. She started backing out of the alley. Gang members frowned, giving her wary looks, thinking she was a spy for the police. A discreet chatter came over the crowd.
Sakura turned to run.
Better get out of here before it's too late.
Suddenly, there were seven shadows around her.
"Too late."
She was surrounded.
The voice came from a young determined looking man with muscles. His biceps were bigger than the size of Sakura's head. He was Mexican and was ugly with droopy black eyes set in a square tan face, a large mouth, and a nose protruded out too far in the air. Gold was dripping off him. His hair was black, of medium length and greasy. He had a large build. He emitted a horrible stench of rotten animal meat. An ugly smirk was on his face, all of his teeth were gold. He was obviously a pimp.
A bunch of his friends, rail thin, looking starved and Mexican, encircled her.
It was going to be hard to escape now. Sakura's mind was processing every possible escape route now. There was none, each one was blocked.
"What do you know? What is such a pretty girl doing in this place?" He asked Sakura, surveying her up and down. His voice held a thick accent.
He didn't wait for answer. "You really are beauty. You would make an excellent add to our selection. One hot piece of tight pussy." He started twirling a thick gold chain that was nestled in his hairy chest.
Do not talk to attacker, she told herself. She gulped.
"It seems like you don't like to talk. But that's okay. Since, soon, I'll be fucking you like there's no tomorrow and you'll be screaming my name. Tell me, are you still cherry? Because I love virgins. They are so fucking tight. But don't worry, I like sluts too. As long as I get fucked and you make me good money." He drawled.
He sauntered up to Sakura and reached to –
Now.
She reached for empty glass beer bottle that was rolling near her…
CRASH.
She smashed it on his head.
The bottle broke into two halves over his head.
He was dumbfounded. He touched his forehead to confirm there was blood.
His friends were frozen, waiting for his orders.
His face twisted into an ugly expression. "¡Asga esa ramera!" He barked to his friends.
But it was too late. Sakura sprang into action. She grabbed one of the halves of the broken beer bottle and flung it at one of his friends that was blocking the exit of the alley. He recoiled in shock and Sakura fled out of the alley.
Once she was safe, she stopped to catch her breath. Aah. She huffed and puffed, her knobby knees were shaking and her pulse was skyrocketing. A bought of tiredness came over her body. She wiped the sheen of perspiration of her forehead. She had probably used three days worth of calories just to run away from them. She didn't have the strength to run anymore.
She suddenly winced. A small amount of blood dripped through the sleeve of the dirty loose white shirt she wore. The cut from last night had opened while she was running. Half of the scabs on her arm opened, oozing a small amount of pus. She would have to be more careful or Itachi would get suspicious. This meant she would not be able to cut her self tonight.
Her legs felt heavy, as she walked forward, placing one foot in front of the other in an endless repeating pattern.
She let out a shaky breath. She didn't know how she'd go without cutting herself tonight. It was an addiction. Everyone day, she felt like she drowning more and more and couldn't breathe. Everything was just too much. Cutting was one of the few only things that kept her head above the water.
Thirty minutes passed by slowly, as Sakura's stomach churned in worry.
She had no clue, how she would resist the call of the blade tonight.
At least, she was near school. The large brick building was only a block away.
She entered the school campus and read the school motto or statement:
We take pride in dedicating and providing students a safe, bully-free, caring environment to work and to communicate together to develop each student's individual unique talents and skills.
My ass. What a load of bullshit, Sakura thought darkly. She was early today and would have to go stand outside in the campus until the bell rang. The campus was large and green full of trees and flowers and was overcrowded with students, all separated in their own cliques. She strolled through the school's grass and landscape to rear end of the school's campus. Her gaze was low and focused ahead, ignoring the loud noisy jeers, laughter, and chattering around her.
She stopped once she reached a large leafy gnarled oak tree, the largest one on the campus. It was far away from everyone else and was in an area where it was peaceful and quiet. The tree kept her cool from the bright hot sunlight. She always came here whenever she was early.
She fondly stroked the rough trunk of the tree and sat down, basking the shade.
"May I join you?" A voice asked her.
Sakura spun around and then relaxed. It was that boy from yesterday, Gaara. He looked tired and grumpy, with dark circles under his kohl-lined eyes. His green eyes were scowling and there was his usual stoic expression on his face. He was still wearing beige colored jacket with a white wife beater underneath and skinny black denim blasted jeans, with black combat boots.
"Sure." She said dully, as Gaara sat near the other side of the tree.
"… It's peaceful here, isn't it?" he questioned her.
"Yeah. I guess so." Sakura picked at a blade of grass. She wasn't really used to talking to people. She had lost her ability to be social a long time ago.
There was an awkward silence between the two since both did not know how to communicate.
Sakura quietly took out a small tattered copy of Wuthering Heights and began to read, while Gaara sat still and stared at the nature around them. The wind gently ruffled his red hair. But both knew that they were just waiting for the bell to ring to free them from this odd silence.
A scowling red-headed boy listened to the useless chatter of his fellow classmates. He had a headache. … Are they ever quiet?
Gaara had picked a seat in the front that was slightly away from the chatter, but not far enough. He massaged his temples.
Books were all over the place, desks were messy, kids were screaming and his homeroom teacher, Hatake Kakashi was engrossed in his porn, ignoring his surroundings. He wondered how the world could that man read porn in the midst of such noise. And didn't feel at all a little dirty reading porn in a school? He shook his head in disbelief.
This is an odd school, he decided.
CLANG! BOOM!
There was a scream.
Gaara's jaw twitched at the sound of the noise.
It got even louder.
Gaara stood up from the desk and went over to the source of the noise. It was crowded with people. He pushed his way through. A boy with a black Mohawk was howling with laughter as he was stomping on a pair of glasses. Sakura was on her hands and knees, restrained by two buff looking girls. She was crying and looking in horror at her glasses. "Please give back my glasses." She pleaded Mohawk boy. "I didn't do anything wrong to you."
"Shut up, bitch! I'm doing you a favor." He drawled as he smashed her glasses into tiny pieces.
"Please give back my glasses!" She repeated, her lower lip quivering.
Mohawk boy's face turned a deep purple. "Didn't I tell you to be quiet, you stupid ho?" He yelled at her. He stepped forward to her, his fist ready –
"Stop." Gaara heard himself say calmly, his hand stopping Mohawk boy's fist from connecting to Sakura's face.
"You've done enough damage. What did she ever do to you?" He asked Mohawk.
Mohawk boy sneered at him. "Why do you care? Stay out of this man." He struggled to remove his fist from Gaara's grasp.
He only made his hold tighter around Mohawk boy's fist. He was starting to get angry. He felt his old ugly self retreating from the deepest part of his heart. He was feeling the old familiar negative emotions of anger, hate and bloodlust.
Mohawk boy made a face. "Ouch!" He hissed. "You little muthafucker, I'm going to punch out your lights." He curled his free hand into a fist and –
But at the speed of lightening, Gaara quickly grasped his other hand.
"You will lose if you attempt to fight me. You are weak." Gaara continued to say. "It will hurt. Now, leave the girl alone before I hurt you." He made his grip even tighter on Mohawk boy's fist.
"That's enough." A lazy voice drawled.
Everyone's heads whipped around. It was Kakashi. He had actually stopped reading his porn for once. The mask he wore covered his expression and his band like usual was tilted and covered his left eye. His right eye that was visible seemed serious.
"Gaara, let go of James. James, you will go straight to the principle's office. Everyone else except Sakura and Gaara will stay after the bell to clean up this mess." He instructed.
Gaara slowly released his grip on Mohawk boy's fist.
Kakashi surveyed Mohawk boy with a distasteful look. "James, you may leave now. You will have two weeks of detention and you will pay for Sakura's new glasses. The principle will give you further punishments."
Mohawk boy scowled and shoved his hands into baggy jean's pockets and stormed out of the classroom. Gaara stared blankly at Kakashi. The man was actually useful, when he wasn't reading porn the all time.
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Kakashi ignored him and slowly made his way over to Sakura. He bent down to her height and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Are you OK, Sakura?" He asked her. There was no reply.
"I…am…fine." She said slowly.
" I am sorry this happened." He told her softly, while ruffling her pink hair, not caring it was dirty.
But he knew inside, that she really wasn't okay. But this was the least he could do.
The bell rang. She stood up and walked away from him
He knew he should go after her, but he didn't. Besides, he wasn't an expert on dealing with teenage girls.
For once, the carefree-looking man was actually angry. Kakashi's visible eye was practically blazing. "IF THAT EVER HAPPENS AGAIN, LET ME ASSURE EVERY EACH AND ONE OF YOU THAT I'LL HAVE ALL OF YOUR ASSES! NOW GET TO WORK AND CLEAN UP THIS MESS!" He barked.
Everyone in the class was actually afraid of the man, frozen and quivering with fear.
But then he ruined the moment. "Geez. I lost my page in Icha-Icha paradise! You guys, really…" He rambled on, before whipping out the porn he was reading earlier, frantically flipping pages in the book.
Gaara rolled his eyes. At least he's better than some of those other idiot teachers.
He turned to exit the classroom.
"Gaara, come here for a second." Kakashi suddenly called out.
He walked over to the man's desk. Kakashi was looking at him lazily.
"I appreciate you trying to stop that boy from bullying Sakura." He started to say, while toying with a random rubber band that was lying around.
"But you should really leave these situations to me. Next time, when sometime like this happens, please alert a teacher immediately and let them take care of it." He said seriously.
Gaara allowed himself to smile. "Do I really look like the type who would run to a teacher every time something happens? I'm more than capable of handling these kinds of situations."
That should shut him up.
With that, Gaara cockily sauntered out of the classroom with a triumphant smirk plastered on his stoic face.
The classroom was silent, the only sound were pencils frantically scratching against paper.
Sakura yawned and then quickly covered her mouth. The incident in homeroom had been humiliating. With Gaara, saving her ass and Kakashi who actually looked up from his porn, and stopped both Mohawk boy and Gaara from tearing each other to shreds only added more attention to the incident. It was this morning buzz.
She hated being the center of the attention. It only made people pummel her even more.
She had finished taking the pop quiz on Hamlet, the English teacher decided to give them as a "surprise".
Suddenly, she felt something hard bonk off her head. It was a note crumpled up, meant for her. She hesitantly picked it up.
Are you fucking Mr. Kakashi?
It read boldly with large letters. Suddenly, out of the blue, a bunch of guys and girls began to giggle.
Sakura's heart sank. She couldn't believe people actually thought this. The man was fourteen years older than her. It would be a conspiracy. Certainly, Kakashi was a good looking man for his age but Sakura wasn't interested in him or anyone else in that way. It just wasn't possible for her to love someone in that way. Itachi had made it impossible for her to be able to love someone in that way. He had broken her heart into tiny pieces.
She and Mr. Kakashi were just acquaintances, he was her teacher and he was her student. He was her favorite teacher and sometimes they would exchange some casual conversation. But nothing more than that. The rumor had probably blossomed after the incident that happened this morning. It would be extremely hard to stop it with the fact that no one would believe her.
Bonk. Another note was thrown square at her head. She ignored it but when she felt a sharp poke from the person sitting behind her, she picked it up.
TELL THE TRUTH. WE KNOW IF UR LYING.
Bonk. Bonk.
Multiple notes began to hit Sakura.
Did you sleep with the new guy, too?
Did you guys have a threesome?
This was turning into a nightmare. She began to feel dizzy. She already had enough problems besides this. She felt bile rising in her throat. Her classmates were secretly taking pictures of her with their camera cell phones.
Breathe. This isn't that bad. I'm not physically getting beat up.
"Sakura, please come to the front."
She gulped. It was the English teacher. Sakura could never quite remember what her name was anyways. She was an unfriendly, sneering woman whom she never really liked. She had ivory pale skin and sharp features. Her long raven hair was pulled back tightly in a complicated bun. In, a way she was beautiful with a voluptuous body, but the fact that she was scowling all the time made her look ugly. She always wore clothes that were too elaborate for her job. Today, she donned a white Dior shirt and a short black Marc Jacobs pencil skirt that was so short, it probably violated the school dress code with a white Hermes scarf looped through the belt holes.
"Now, would you care to give me a good reason for why you where disrupting the class?" She asked Sakura dryly. Her black bottomless eyes were glaring back at Sakura.
Sakura took a deep breath. "Ah. U-uh, I w-wasn't d-disrupting the c-class…" She managed to stutter out, while nervously fumbling with her long dirty, sweaty fingers.
"Don't lie. I saw everything. You, Haruno, were responsible for those girls and boys who were distracted from their quiz!" She hissed.
"I saw you. Now, I want you to tell me what you did." She continued to say with pursed lips.
She's pissed. Now what should I do?
Sakura decided to tell me the truth. She bit her cracked lip in anxiety.
"I didn't do anything, honestly. Someone just threw some notes at me and –"
Her coal eyes narrowed. Obviously she didn't believe Sakura.
"Give me the notes." She demanded. Her long blood-red nails were outreached in front of Sakura looking more like dangerous talons ready to strike.
"O-ok." Sakura quickly grabbed the crumpled notes and dropped them into the teacher's hand.
Her eyes narrowed into slits as she read the papers. All was silent except the clock's ticking.
Tick-tock
"Leave now." She finally said.
"…" Sakura quickly grabbed her items and fled the class.
After, she was sure the girl had left, she revealed her true emotions. Her dark eyes blazed with anger and her crimson lips were curled into a feral snarl making her look like a beast. She yanked her luscious hair out the tight bun it was in and, let it softly tumble down her back in wisps and curls. With her sharp nails, she ripped the crumbled pieces of paper into shreds. The feelings of envy, wrath and pride were coursing through her body. She was so angry; her blood felt like it was on fire
How dare that girl! Really, the nerve of her, she thought. After, so many years of lusting after Kakashi and his well-built body, she didn't deserve this. How could he have chosen that ugly under-developed girl over her? What was so special about that girl, anyways?
She must have secretly seduced him. There was no way her Kakashi would have gone after such a girl.
But how did she do it?
Now, she had everything. A beautiful body, money, and a great personality. Unlike, before, where she had nothing. She had been an ugly, miserable, ugly, fat, poor woman. But now, things had changed. She had changed everything about herself to win over Kakashi.
Every time, she had tried to win him over or tried to seduce him, or tried to drop him hints, he would reject her. Over and over again. No matter, what she did.
She had sacrificed for him. Her job as a fashion executive and became a teacher just to be near him. She hated children. They were sniveling, stupid, useless, clingy brats.
Why did he still not love her? Why did he push her away?
He was what she lived for. Her reason for existence.
She became perfect for him. Was that not enough?
Or was she still the same?
She felt sick. She rushed to the bathroom and held on the toilet for dear life as she emptied her stomach.
What was wrong with her?
Angry tears poured down her face in frustration and soaked her blouse.
Why was he so cruel to her?
She looked into mirror and saw a pathetic excuse for a woman what she was. She was still pathetic and useless. No wonder Kakashi didn't want her.
She was still a size 2, too fat for Kakashi. She would have to lose more weight for him. Just a little more. The waistband of her skirt was too big for her and spun around her waist.
She stuck a finger down her throat and made everything come back out.
This was that girl's fault. She was the reason why she was suffering. She was probably in his arms, kissing him and laughing at her.
In his arms…
She clenched her fists. She was going to make that girl suffer. She was going to make her wish that she was die after she was finished with her. Her screams of mercy and pain and forgiveness was what she needed to quench the anger in her.
A victory scream escaped her lips. It sounded inhuman and high pitched as it echoed through the halls of the school.
Lust. Anger. Envy. Wrath. Pride. Gluttony. Greed
Humans will never escape these demons.
For these, were the seven deadly sins that caused the great angel Lucifer to fall and become the king of the eternally damned.
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Gaara was surrounded by a bunch of noisy girls and boys. Paper airplanes flew across the classroom.
The teacher had left them all alone after a mysterious phone call.
He glanced at the clock, his kohl-rimmed green eyes squinting.
10… 9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…0
RING!
Class was finally over.
He quickly exited the classroom and walked to his next class, advanced AP world history.
"Gaara, there's a seat here open!" A girl with blond pigtails squealed loudly, motioning to the empty seat on her right.
He ignored her and sat down in a seat in the very back of the class.
But what he wasn't expecting to be surrounded with a huge cluster of some very curious students.
"Where are you from?"
"Why did you move here?"
"Sit with us at lunch, Gaara-kun!"
"Why are you wearing weird clothes?
"Can you speak Japanese?
"Do you have any siblings?
"Can you write Japanese?"
Many inquires were screamed and shouted by many curious students ranging from obsessive future fan girls to hefty Abercrombie football jocks.
Gaara sighed as one girl screamed her question in his ear. It was taking all of his energy to keep himself from strangling each and every one of them.
"I'm from Japan. Why do care about the reason why I moved here? No, I'm not going to sit next to you at lunch. I have two siblings. Yes, I can write Japanese. Does that answer all of your questions?" He managed to say all at once, calmly and coolly.
His green eyes were fixed on the black dusty chalkboard in front.
Where the hell is the teacher?
Twenty minutes later, the teacher entered the class.
"Turn to page 433. We'll be reading about World War II and Hitler." Mr. Genma said, glaring at the class while chewing on a toothpick.
Oh boy, this was going to be one fun class.
A boy sat alone on a bench in the beautiful park. It was a beautiful sunny autumn day. The trees were colorful, full of crimson and fire orange leaves. Fallen autumn leaves ranging from a various reddish hues to a dark mahogany were scattered all over the park. The nearby fountain of sculptured marble with a roman theme gushed water. There were rolling hills and green grass. The bushes were shaped and cut into elaborate shapes, patterns and spirals. Full-bloom flower gardens surrounded the park. A sweet smell filled the air.
The boy added to the park's beauty. He had handsome with lovely ivory colored skin that was the right shade and chiseled features. He had high cheekbones, broad shoulders and was tall with a slim build. His black hair was tousled, kissed by the sunlight and of medium length.
But there was something that ruined his beauty, the emotionless look on his face. His face looked like it had never formed or showed any kind of emotion. His eyes were equally emotionless. His eyes were the color of coal and blank, black holes that seemed to go on forever.
His legs were spread open and he was hunched over. His slim elbows hung over his knees. He seemed to be a thinking position.
His outfit matched the color of his eyes, black as night and was peculiar. He wore a black shirt zipped all the way with a Chinese collar. One sleeve was long and reached his wrist while the other was short and stopped before the upper-arm. The shirt barely covered his stomach, showing his taunt stomach muscles and shaped abs. On his elegant hands, he wore black gloves. His pants were black and stopped at mid calf length.
A kantana was strapped to his back. He looked more like a professional assassin that a 17-year-old boy.
The wind ruffled his hair as leaves blew around him.
He closed his eyes. He needed inspiration for a new painting. He was tired of painting the same old things. He was in a new place on a new mission. The beautiful park wasn't up to his liking.
"Sai-sama."
The boy immediately opened his eyes.
"…Yes?" He acknowledged the speaker.
"It is time to leave. Danzo-sama requests you to start your mission now."
"…To that high school?"
"Hai."
"Let's go, then."
The boy stood up from the bench and started to follow the man out of the park.
It was time to get to work and leave paradise.
"Did you how hot he looked in that shirt today?"
"Oh my god, it was so tight, you could see the outline of his pecs."
"He looked delicious. Too bad he isn't single. I would jump him in a second if he wasn't taken."
Lockers slamming and the merry chatter of girls filled the dark damp room.
Sakura was currently in the girls' locker room, changing up for gym in the bathroom.
She was silently, slipping off her baggy black pants for another pair baggy pair of black pants. Itachi had been hesitant to give her gym clothes, but the school required students to bring separate clothing for gym.
Shirts and pants were carelessly flung all over the place. The lost and found was filled with clothing, still intact clothes. Some were brand name and new. She would have killed to steal some of the clothes from the lost and found. But, unfortunately, many girls would easily catch on and recognize the clothing. It was ironic, how many girls didn't even know or care when they lost their clothing but could immediately tell when someone else was wearing their clothes or knew when someone had stolen something or theirs. Itachi would also know if she stole the clothes. It wasn't worth the risk. She knew he would know.
As she was changing in the bathroom, she listened to the chatter. Soon, she finished and waited until every girl left, before putting her clothes in her gym locker and leaving the locker room.
She waited for gym to start. Girls and boys were separated into their own small cliques, whispering and laughing for only a couple minutes before the gym teacher came in and signaled for the class to start.
He was taking attendance.
"Haruno." He finally barked, eyeing her with dislike. He had never like Sakura since she was not athletic and was more fragile than all of the girls. It always took her longer to do the activities than the other students.
"Here." She said meekly.
He soon finished taking attendance and began to tell the class the various activities the class would have to do. Normally, Sakura would have not paid attention until she heard the words "Annual relay race."
She stifled a groan. It was the stupid annual relay race. It was a two leg race with two people. She would have to work her ass off and she would be humiliated since no one would want her as a relay partner.
"Let's get started. Separate and line up! Johnson, you have first pick!" He yelled.
Soon, everyone started to pick. Red patches of embarrassment started to appear on Sakura's face. She wanted this to be over with.
One boy grinned at her rakishly. "Who should I pick?"
"Maybe Haruno?"
He turned his gaze on her. "Nah, she's too much a freak."
Giggles began to erupt from boys and girls alike. He walked up to her and inspected her, his eyes full of malicious intent. Sakura looked down and began to kick dirt with her shoe.
Finally, he slapped her butt. "In your dreams, Haruno." He whispered.
Suddenly, before he planned announcing some other jock as his relay partner, a voice spoke.
"I choose Haruno as my partner"
The voice was deep as the ocean. Sakura's head snapped up.
It was Gaara. He was wearing a tight sleeveless maroon shirt that showed off his muscles and black silk shorts outlined with white silk. His jade eyes were boring into her, not showing any emotion.
"It isn't your turn, Sabaku." The boy from before sneered.
"Yeah, Sabaku. It isn't your turn." The gym teacher said smugly, who was clearly on the other boy's side.
"Do I really care? Besides, he doesn't even deserve a turn for humiliating another student. What kind gym teacher are you, allowing this under your eye?"
There was silence. The gym teacher was dumbfounded and so was the rest of the class. "Er… Um… Fine! You can go, Sabaku." He snapped.
Gaara ignored him. "Come over here, Haruno." His eyes were fixed on her tiny frame.
She obediently stepped over next to him. "Do you run well?" He muttered.
"Yes." She managed to squeak out.
"Good."
Time seemed to start again and students began to pick their partners.
After a while, everything was in place and students were ready to run. Sakura was waiting nervously in the field. She swatted a bug that was buzzing near her ear. Her hands were clammy and sweaty. It was a hot humid day, probably over eighty degrees.
She was very surprise why Gaara had picked her. She hadn't even noticed he was there. She wasn't even a good runner. She lied since she didn't want to disappoint him. She was too skinny and her body could never endure running. It was too much for her malnourished body.
The hot sun beat down her head. The race had started and the coach had made the signal that the race had begun. She could see the runners in the distance. Then she saw him with the baton in hand: in first place, ahead of everyone, running like a leopard, elegantly and fast. A predator ready to catch its prey. He was not out of breath at all.
Then something stirred in her. He was placing his faith in her, so they could win. He wanted to win. She closed her eyes and her hands tightened into fists. She would not disappoint him at all. She would keep her word. She would win for him… for he had trusted her.
He was almost near her, others were overtaking him. Sakura immediately held out her hand and began to run. He placed the sweaty baton in her and she took off.
She was last. But she didn't care; she would over take them all. She began to run as fast as she could, her arms and legs moving in an endless pattern. There was only one thing in her mind: to win.
She started to gain speed. Unlike other times, her legs weren't cramping her. She felt as light as feather. She put all her weight on legs. Each step on the ground was hard but quick. Sweat was emitting from every pore in her body. It was taking everything she had, but she would have gladly given anything to win.
With much effort, her feet pounded the ground. She whizzed by five girls.
Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, it felt like it was going to burst. She gritted her teeth as several cuts on her leg opened. She was almost in first place.
Mother, give me strength.
She took a deep breath, before using all her energy to dash past the last girl.
But the girl wasn't so willing to part in her first position. She efficiently jabbed Sakura in the stomach with her elbow and gave her a sneer before zipping past her.
Sakura didn't stop. Pain was immerse but she did not care. Several blisters on her hand, popped open, oozing blood and pus.
She would not give up. She refused to give up. She refused to disappoint the only person that had put his faith in her, even if it was for the slightest thing.
Anger filled her. Anger at Itachi, anger at her father for leaving her mother, her mother for dieing, leaving her all lone, anger for everyone in the school for treating her like a piece of garbage, leaving her to rot, shunning her. She was in a glorious haze of anger. She would take her revenge one day.
The anger fueled her. She began to gain speed again. She bolted past the girl in first place with a spurt of speed.
She was panting heavily. Her lungs ached. It was getting hard to breath. But she didn't care. She was in first place.
The white finish line was only a couple of yards away. She could do this. Everyone behind her was far way and could be barely seen. Pain was felt from every part of her body. But she would not stop.
Then she saw a boy. She squinted. He was in the distance, but she still could see his beauty. His alabaster skin, his soft pink lips, and black hair blowing so ever so gently in the wind. He was wearing odd black clothes on a sunny day. He did not human. Maybe an angel to save me? She thought.
Then she passed the finish line. A thin smile appeared on her face. She felt mixed feelings of joy, relief, love, and hatred, while pondering about who the mysterious boy was.
Those were her last thoughts before her surroundings began to swirl around her and turn black as she began to fall.
End of Chapter 10.