Engagement On Hold
Summary: (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama
Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Itachi/Sakura (What's wrong with me? I don't really know.)
Author: pei-chan
Beta-reader: Ruru Kitsuneko
Disclaimer: Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?
A/N: How long has it been? Three months? Two and a half months? I know. I know. You guys just want to beat me up senseless for making you wait. I can't say I blame you. I was busy and work was overflooding. Not only did I have homework, but I also had a job, which in fact took most of my time. Not only do I work on weekends, which is sometimes both Saturday and Sunday, but sometimes I had work after school during weekdays. I get home at 10, and I'm left to do my homework until 2 in the morning. This happens at least two or three times during the week, which is sad. I don't get enough sleep anymore. But―before you guys beat me up senseless again, you must blame my beta. She was only able to finish the damn editing last week. Anyway… onward with a new chapter.
Chapter 12―A Visit From The Past
"I'm sorry."
A pair of roseate colored orbs gave a concerned glance at her companion, but the aquamarine haired girl's worried expression soon dissipated when her pale lips permitted a soft giggle as it slightly parted. "You always apologize whenever we see each other."
Forest shaded eyes darted back filled with a persistence that only a small child could possibly possess, "But—"
A pale, yet scanty hand rose, gesturing for silence, the coral haired girl standing near the hospital bed, which the aquamarine haired girl was occupying, closed her mouth and complied with her friend's silent request.
"Sakura, you came to visit me, did you not?" ―the roseate eyed girl waited until she saw a nod from her visitor before she decided to continue― "You should be visiting me with a great, big smile on your face telling me, 'Tsubasa-chan, I humbly took two hours out of my busy schedule just to see you are well and still breathing.'" She had intertwined her fingers together and had a playfully teasing look on her teenage features.
Sakura couldn't help but turn away. The sight was too unbearable for her. Her lips twitched as she sighed in relief, "You definitely are breathing."
Tsubasa's harmless, but playful teasing façade was replaced with a sincere smile that tugged at her lips, "You're back to your sarcastic and old self. I always like it when you visit."
"Yeah, it seems that you're quite glad to see me again. You're smilling…" Sakura hesitated to complete her sentence, but she knew that Tsubasa wasn't one to hold any grudges with merely a sarcastic remark, "… too much for a girl who's in a hospital bed, with needles stuck on her body."
After all, even after betraying Tsubasa two years before, she still took Sakura's apology humbly and forgave her. But Sakura knew for a fact that the act of betraying a friend was something that wouldn't easily be forgiven. That was the sole reason she took the time to apologize whenever she came to give Tsubasa a visit. In her heart, Sakura still doubted if Tsubasa had truly forgiven her for what she had done to her.
Tsubasa continued to smile, and giggled yet again. She was dismissing Sakura's sarcastic remarks as if they were just like a compliment. "Ah, but that's because you came to visit me. I'm glad. It's been a while since we last saw each other."
"Yeah, it has been a while, hasn't it," Sakura muttered in a whisper, but Tsubasa was able to catch every single word she was saying.
"Do pray tell―whatever happened that you haven't been here to visit me." Tsubasa's playful smile quirked into a sly, yet still playful, grin. "Did you finally get a boyfriend even though you look very unlikable with that geeky façade you're putting on, whenever you go to school?"
"I wouldn't consider… 'boyfriend' the right term," Sakura grumbled in disdain.
Tsubasa blinked innocently. "Really, it sounds like that person is even more than a boyfriend." A sly smile emerged on her pale lips. "Is he something more…" When Tsubasa didn't hear a grunt or a sound of response, she decided to not beat around the bush any longer, "… perhaps… a lover?"
Sakura snorted in denial, "Heck―no!" Sakura's response was immediate. She sure didn't waste any time or second thoughts in denying Tsubasa's statement.
Tsubasa could only laugh as she heard her friend's immediate reaction. Seeing an awestruck look on her face was just something that Tsubasa needed to laugh at. Sakura had never failed at making her laugh. "Well then," Tsubasa said, restraining a giggle from coming out of her mouth that would be sure to infuriate her friend, "Tell me all about what made you so busy that you couldn't visit your 'dear' friend." Tsubasa gave another playful sigh.
Sakura gave one last apprehensive glance at the smiling Tsubasa before telling her everything that had happened. From the day that her life―or so she says―was ruined because her insane mother, Sumire, arranged for her to be engaged to one of the most powerful families in the world, the Uchiha clan. Well, it wasn't like her family wasn't powerful as well, when her mother had married into an equally powerful family, the Sabaku clan, who were famous for owning various oil wells around the world, while coming from another powerful family herself. She came from the Sohma clan.
She told Tsubasa everything that had happened after that. From the bet that she had arranged with her fiancée, to where Ami had created that false rumor about her and her best friend being gay, and lastly, the bet that her fiancée's older brother, Uchiha Itachi, had arranged that involved her sweet fiancée.
"So… Uchiha Sasuke's your fiancée?" Tsubasa couldn't help but smile as she watched her friend's eyebrow twitch and a frown appearing at the corners of her twitching lips at the sound of her fiancée's name.
Sakura nodded with a sour expression in place.
Suddenly, a sound of a snort was heard and giggles started filling the room. Sakura's eyebrow twitched, realizing that Tsubasa was now making fun of her. That was something she didn't need right now. But, then again, Tsubasa did love teasing her whenever she got the chance.
"Stop that! It's not funny, you know!" Sakura glared at her companion, but sadly, Tsubasa seemed to be dismissing and ignoring it.
Tsubasa tried to conceal her laughter, but only succeeded in creating a snort that made Sakura growl in annoyance. She took a deep breath, and when she was finally able to stop laughing at her friend's misfortune, said, "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it." She was smiling apologetically, but that wasn't what Sakura's interpretation of it was. "I just can't believe that you would be engaged to the Uchiha Sasuke. One of the richest teenage boys in the world."
"Yeah, and if he married into my family, then he would be the richest man in the world. Go figure," Sakura rolled her eyes sardonically.
"Well, it can't be all that bad," Tsubasa stated, now trying her best to comfort her friend, when teasing Sakura senseless was all she had been doing before.
Sakura snorted in respose, "Yeah right."
"You'll never know. In time, you might learn to love him, and he might also learn to love you back." Tsubasa clasped her hands together and gave a dreamy sigh. It was her way of comforting her friend, even if it was a little weird.
Sakura's eyes then became downcast. Her expression was grave and thoughtful, "How would you… know that?"
It took a while for Tsubasa to answer Sakura. It wasn't because she didn't know how to answer Sakura's sudden question. It was because the way Sakura's expression seemed to be was more in the lines of sadness than just a simple thoughtful expression. But soon, a reply was spoken, "I won't know about that… only you would."
Sakura's eyes remained downcast, but now, Tsubasa could see a tiny smile forming around the corner of her friend's mouth as it tilted upwards.
Wanting to lift the tension out the already gloomy room, Tsubasa decided to change the subject. Back to her cheerful and outgoing self, Tsubasa exclaimed happily, "You're dressed up as a respectable human being!"
All the anxiety forgotten as she heard an insult within Tsubasa's statement. "What's that suppose to mean?" Sakura's eyebrow twitched along with her lips.
Ignoring Sakura's question, and pretending like she didn't say anything at all, Tsubasa continued to tease her relentlessly, "I'm so glad that you're always dressed appropriately like how you usually dressed up two years ago. I must say that you look breathtaking. You look ridiculous whenever you wear that geeky outfit and hairstyle of yours. I must know―how do you ever get through a whole day without being harassed?"
"Hey, you threatened me that if I don't dress up like how I did two years ago whenever I came to visit you; you never wanted to see my face again. That's mean you know," Sakura retorted with a growl. Her tone abruptly changed in her next statement. "It's like you really don't want to see me anymore." Her voice held both the mix of guilt and rejection within it.
"It's not like I don't want to see you again." Tsubasa looked out of the window. The curtains moved to the side, so that the painted blue sky was clearly reflected on her coral colored eyes. "If I look at you while you're wearing your geeky clothes, it seems like you're hiding something from me. It's like you're hiding something from everyone that you don't want them to see."
You're deceiving everyone around you… taking advantage of the trust that they gave you… only to deceive them with that mask of yours.
Tsubasa didn't need to say it, but Sakura knew that that's what she meant. She knew that. She knew that every single day that she came to school with her geeky façade, she was breaking the trust and the bond that she had formed with her best friend, Hyuuga Hinata. It wasn't only Hinata's trust that she was breaking, but also the people around her. And also, the people who had been close to her in the past.
"I don't want that." Tsubasa turned her attention back to Sakura; her soft and straight hair easily followed the movements of her head as it turned. She gave a tiny smile to her visiting friend and looked at her with every ounce of sincerity. "I want to see the real you. The person that I met two years ago that became my friend."
Sakura didn't respond. She didn't need to. All she had to do was listen… which she did. Approaching the window that was the only source of light in the gloomy room they were in, Sakura took the time to observe the naturally painted blue sky. Taking an intake of breath, she leaned her elbows on the window and took the time to enjoy how the fresh air calmed her senses. She sensed someone staring at her, and immediately knew whom it was. Tsubasa must be waiting for her to reply, answer, or even just speak to break the silence that she had engaged them into.
Tsubasa sat there… patiently waiting for her friend to speak, or maybe, she was just letting them enjoy the silence for a while. After all, Tsubasa's statement was something that definitely triggered something in Sakura to recall past memories. She needed to give her time to adjust to the situation and calm herself for a bit.
"Ne, how long are you going to stay here?" The question was off topic, unexpected, and out of the blue. But at least, it took away the tension around them.
It was just like Tsubasa to giggle whenever Sakura tried to change the topic. That only happened every time Tsubasa tried to make her recall the past—which she didn't like… at all. "Don't worry, it's not like I'm staying here from now on. It's only a check-up."
"Check-up, huh?" Sakura plopped her chin onto her palm, as she furrowed her brows. Her elbow was still resting on the edge of the window; the weight of her upper body focused on the tip of her elbow. "It doesn't look like you're only here for a check-up," Sakura said warily.
Tsubasa couldn't help but laugh at Sakura's arising suspicion. "It is―really."
Sakura's eyelids narrowed. Unfortunately, Tsubasa's excuse didn't seem to work on convincing her. She was about to open her mouth, trying to find out why Tsubasa was here for when their conversation had to be cut short.
"Excuse me," a girl with auburn tresses tied into two buns emerged from the door. She was wearing a white blouse and a short white skirt. She must be a nurse-in-training by the outfit she was wearing.
"Ah, Tenten-san," Tsubasa smiled in recognition of her new visitor.
"I'm sorry, but your time is up. Each visitor isn't allowed to linger in a patient's room for more than 30 minutes," Tenten stated, taking a glance at the clipboard she had in her hands once in a while.
Sakura straightened herself up and nodded.
Realizing that the occupying visitor in the room had understood what she meant, Tenten didn't press the matter any further. She walked out of the room, not waiting for Sakura to leave first. Tenten knew that she would leave soon anyway. She needed to give them privacy for them to say goodbye. It wasn't her business anyway.
Approaching her sickly friend sitting on the hospital bed, Sakura gave a gentle pat on Tsubasa's shoulder. "Well… I'll see you." Giving a tiny smile when Tsubasa nodded with a gentle smile, she brought her hand to her side. Sauntering out of the door, she came to a halt only when something clicked in her mind.
Looking at Tsubasa once more, but with a distant expression on her face, Sakura asked, "Do you happen to know anyone by the name of Arisugaki Sai?"
"Huh?" Tsubasa could've sworn that she felt her heart skipped a beat when the name was mentioned.
Shaking her head to get rid of the unwanted thoughts, Sakura waved her hands, "Never mind. Bye Tsubasa. I'll visit you in your house next time."
Tsubasa could only nod because Sakura had already disappeared behind the closed door. She couldn't even say goodbye. She was alone… again. It was a good thing to see Sakura once in a while. They never really saw each other much anymore.
Her mind suddenly wandered over to the question that Sakura's mind must have pondered on. Looking out of the window, since it was the only thing she could do―besides eating, of course―in the gloomy hospital room, she sighed.
"You still don't remember Sai… do you…?"
The question wasn't directed to the sky that her gaze was unconsiously fixed on, nor was it towards the person her question was directed to. It was for herself… to wonder and to know.
"… Sakura…?"
Strolling around the hospital with her gaze focused on the ground and not at the people around her―it wasn't like she knew them, but still―she passed by a familiar person without knowing. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice.
This only made that person smirk when he knew that she didn't pay him a single glance that indicated recognition. He received none, but a cold shoulder. His eyes trailed her walking figure until it disappeared as she passed by and turned toward a corner.
This was even better that she didn't notice him. Since, no one was supposed to know that he was visiting her in this hopital, it was a relief. He didn't even need to hide from her, knowing that they were visiting the same person in this hospital.
"Tell me again why I agreed to come with you in this pathetic excuse of a hang out," a voice grumbled gruffly.
Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but Sasuke had already beaten him to it.
"Don't answer that," Sasuke cut in sternly.
Naruto grumbled with a scoff, "It's not like I'm as rich as you. Poor men's happiness lies within the mall."
Why a mall? "Are you gay?" Sasuke asked bluntly, giving Naruto a cold glance.
"That isn't what I meant!" Naruto snapped angrily.
"I have better things to do," Sasuke stated selfishly.
"Yeah, like play with your PS2 on your HD plasma screen TV." Naruto rolled his eyes with obvious envy at the Uchiha's excessive fortune. He had too much in Naruto's opinion.
"I didn't say that," Sasuke pointed out flatly.
"Well, you suggested it," Naruto retorted sardonically.
"Tsubasa, you have a visitor."
Curiosity and anxiousness overwelmed her, as she waited patiently to see who her new visitor was. To be visited twice during a day made her happy, that there were people who would take the time to visit her in a gloomy hospital.
She gasped when she finally saw her new visitor. Tenten had already left to leave the two of them for their private conversation, not like Tsubasa noticed. She was too engrossed in seeing her new visitor again that a bright smile came onto her pale lips.
She continued walking, still not paying any attention to where she was going. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to pay any attention to where she was headed, or to who she might bump into.
The message hidden inbetween Tsubasa's words had been repeating in her head over and over again, and would not be leaving her alone anytime soon.
You're deceiving everyone around you… taking advantage of the trust that they gave you… only to deceive them with that mask of yours.
Sakura's face wrinkled into a frown. She knew that. She knew that very well. She knew the consequences of her actions, and she was ready to face it. She wasn't hidding her true self just because she felt like it. She had a reason. It was her way of… punishing herself.
She didn't even notice that she had already bumped into somebody's shoulder by accident until it was too late. The action had been done. She was about to mutter an apology when she snapped her head up, but a deep voice beat her to it.
"Do I know you from somewhere?"
Sakura looked at the stranger that she had bumped into only to stare at the person owlishly in shock. Bad luck. Bad luck indeed.
Oh great, it just had to be him. She was in deep trouble now. His stern and intense gaze was only making her nervous that she wanted to just run away. But that would only make her more conspicuous, now would it?
"Neji-niisan, who are you talking to?" a soft, yet sweet voice asked as a girl approached the said boy.
Sakura could only mentally gasp when she realized who Neji's companion was. She tried her best to keep her composure calm and colleted, but at the back of her mind, she was worried that Neji would realize who she was. There was a big chance already that he would recognize her. Neji was clever after all. Just like Sasuke… and Itachi.
"Hinata," Neji said, in recognition of the said girl's presence next to him as he glanced momentarily at his cousin.
Hinata, a startled thought came into Sakura's mind at the sight of seeing her best friend face to face. Seeing Hinata's baffled expression staring at her and then towards her cousin, was just making things worse for her.
All she wanted to do was just bang her head somewhere. Her luck was becoming worse and worse. She just had to see Hinata at a time like this. That's why she hated going outside dressed up as how she used to dress a year ago. There would always be a chance that she would meet or bump into people who knew her: whether they were the people she used to be friends with a year ago, or the people who knew her as the 'pauper geek' in Konoha High.
She had already started hiding her true self (image) from them. She couldn't back out now. Right when she walked into Konoha High for the first day a year ago dressed up as a geek, that was the day she started to deceive everyone around her. She couldn't stop now. She had gone way too far already to hold back.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about. I have never met you in my entire life. You must be mistaking me for someone else," Sakura responded hard-heartedly.
"Really? You look oddly familiar though," Neji said warily. He didn't seem convinced enough with Sakura's claim alone. "Oh well, I might've been making a mistake anyway. I'm sorry to have bothered you," Neji said casually, dismissing the subject and letting go of any doubts that lingered in his mind.
Sakura didn't know whether to feel relieved or cautious because of Neji's hasty change of mind. She should be glad that he didn't press the matter any further. It was something less for her to think and get anxious about.
"You know, next time, just watch where you're going," Neji said arrogantly with a smirk.
His words snapped Sakura back to reality. Realizing what he had said, Sakura gave a scoff of displeasure before walking away from the two Hyuugas.
When the 'odd' stranger was gone, Hinata gave her older cousin a frown of inquisitiveness, "Oddly familiar?"
Neji just shook his head, "Never mind that. Let's go." He could only give as much as a glance at the girl that bumped into him before walking toward the opposite direction with Hinata tailing right behind. They were going to where they were originally headed to before they were stalled by an unwanted meeting with a mere stranger. But 'this' stranger was actually someone they both knew very well.
The question was, did any of them recognize that it was Haruno Sakura, the 'pauper geek' at Konoha High who was the very same girl that they bumped into?
Tsubasa gasped in happiness. "Sai, my long lost friend," she said with a smile.
"Long lost friend?" Sai asked as he entered the hospital room, curious with the term that Tsubasa used as a description for him.
Tsubasa giggled. "You know how much I missed you, Sai." She grinned playfully, hoping that Sai would ignore her past statement.
Sai remained silent as he approached Tsubasa's bed. He seemed out of it, like his mind was drifting somewhere else.
Tsubasa, noticed Sai's lack of response and asked, "What's wrong?"
He stopped, when he was standing right beside Tsubasa's bed. "I saw her."
"Saw?" Tsubasa frowned with eagerness, silently asking Sai to continue. When he didn't, she tried to answer her own question by guessing out loud. "Do you mean Sakura?"
Sai nodded.
Tsubasa gave a small, and possibly unoticeable sigh. "Sai, you know that she already feels guilty for what she's done in the past. Can't you just let it go?"
"No," Sai muttered flatly, restraining his innermost feelings of hatred.
"Sai," Tsubasa gave him a concerned look while her eyelids drooped with anxiety.
Shaking his head, Sai left her bedside and sautered towards the only window near her bed. "You do remember what she did to you, don't you?" he asked, or rather―stated, giving her a glance.
"I'm not asking you to do any of this," Tsubasa said, shaking her head.
"You don't need to," he said simply, looking outside the window that he had finally reached. "I'm going to make her feel―what she did to you." His dark orbs narrowed resentfully.
"But… I've already forgiven her," Tsubasa stated humbly.
"I didn't," Sai countered her sentence without a second thought.
"Is that the main reason why you enrolled at Konoha High?" Tsubasa asked, hoping that her suspicion was just a crazy thought going through her mind.
Her question was what took Sai to revert his attention towards her once again. "So… how did you know about that?" Sai asked carefully.
Tsubasa kept her mouth shut, knowing that Sai already knew the answer to his own question.
Sai smirked, "I suppose, she tells you everything… doesn't she? Funny, that it seems you're the only person she trusts and tells all her secrets to, eh?"
Tsubasa narrowed her roseatte orbs, but not to say anything about the matter.
"So, then, you would know about the deal or rather―'bet' she had made with Uchiha Itachi?" Sai asked with an amused glint in his eyes.
"I know that it will only be a matter of time before you fall in love with him."
Tsubasa nodded. "What do you plan on doing?"
"Simple. She doesn't deserve to be loved… by anyone," he said, his eyes narrowing maliciously. "Not by her friends… or anyone else."
"I'm not going to stop you on whatever it is that you want to do," Tsubasa said in an audible undertone. "Just do me one favor," her voice increased it's volume and returned to normal.
"Fine," Sai grunted. He might sound like he didn't like the idea, but he would do whatever favor Tsubasa had asked of him, whatever it may be.
Why?
It was because of a promise that he had made towards someone that was important to him.
"Damn you! You cheated! You bastard!" Naruto pointed his index finger at his best friend exasperated as they exited an arcade shop. Apparently, Naruto was furious about the outcome of their match, when they were still inside the shop.
Sasuke rolled his eyes and grunted an imperturbable, "Hn."
"You think you're so cool! Well, one of these days I'll make you say, 'I'm sorry,'" Naruto ranted on, with a loud mouth.
Sasuke grunted and said, "I'm sorry."
"And then I'll―what," Naruto's deafening tone ceased and turned into a confused undertone as he heard Sasuke's apology. He couldn't believe it. Uchiha Sasuke! The infamous Uchiha Sasuke, uttering an apology. Wow, that was a first. He never knew that all he needed was a good combination of threats just to get the arrogant Uchiha out of his superiority complex and apologize.
However, all of Naruto's conceited thoughts were burned to a crisp in the blink of an eye upon hearing Sasuke's next statement.
"I'm sorry that you're such an idiotic deadlast that you can't even beat an amateur like me in that pathetic excuse of a game of yours," Sasuke said haughtily.
"So, you're actually calling yourself an amateur?" Naruto asked, deadpanned.
Sasuke shrugged uncaringly at Naruto's insult. "At least I'm not someone whose skills are far worse than an amateur when he's been playing much longer, and his knowledge is far more advanced in that game."
Real cocky. A real bastard… more like an arrogant bastard.
His temple continued to twitch, and his escalating anger was only irking him to engage his companion into a bloody brawl. But before that would ever happen, he needed to do one thing. Scream his head off to show his rival how utterly furious he was.
"SASUKE!"
Like that would ever change the fact that this would only provoke Uchiha Sasuke into manipulating Naruto into making a fool out of himself even more.
Before Sasuke could even utter a new combined insult, Naruto already started ranting his head off… or rather―making a fool out of himself in public. He was trying very hard to prove himself to his best friend… even though he was doing it unconsciously.
"YOU BASTARD! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
Or maybe… he was just passing an empty threat.
Well, it was 'empty' in Sasuke's opinion.
Still, Naruto continued ranting on… and on…
"I swear I―"
Before Naruto could even finish his new threat, someone bumbed into him unconsciously, making him swallow the rest of his words. Annoyed by the fact that he didn't get to finish threatening his rival, he was about to transfer all his anger onto the person that interrupted him, when he gaped in shock of who he saw.
"You're…"
"He left already, didn't he?" Tenten asked, when she poked her head from the slightly opened door and didn't see anyone other than the patient in the room.
Tsubasa nodded. "He's still the same arrogant and rash person as ever," she sighed with a giggle.
"At least, you can go home tomorrow, ne?" Tenten smiled, giving Tsubasa the good news for her to have something to look forward to. She wasn't used to seeing Tsubasa frowning with a serious look on her face. She preferred the bubbly and carefree Tsubasa. At least, that made Tenten sure that Tsubasa was alright.
"Yeah," Tsubasa whispered but somehow, one could tell that something was bothering the girl by the sound of her voice.
"Hm," Tenten sounded in a low tone, concerned on what might be troubling the girl.
"It will only be a matter of time before I permanently stay in this gloomy hospital," she said without any hesitation.
She wasn't in denial.
Looking out of the window and anticipating the future events, Tsubasa continued, "And all I can do is wait for them to visit me and accompany me… if they will ever come and visit me."
Tenten knew about Tsubasa's case, but even though she did, she still wanted to comfort the girl and take her mind off of the things she would be expecting in the future. The odd thing was, the words that formed from Tenten's mouth weren't words of comfort, but something else. "Tsubasa… do they know about 'that'?"
Casting a secretive smile, Tsubasa nodded, "They know…"
Pity overflowed within Tenten. She couldn't imagine how those two must feel, knowing the fate of their friend. She couldn't image how they were able to handle it… to visit their friend in the hospital smilling and filling the gloomy hospital room with carefree laughter that sometimes echoed in the halls.
"… But they don't know when," Tsubasa finished her sentence, catching Tenten off guard and making her blink because of the new information that Tsubasa enlightened her with.
Now, Tenten didn't know whether to feel pity for Tsubasa's visitors' for their lack of knowledge about their friend's condition, or Tsubasa herself, for concealing her condition to her friends.
But, Tsubasa didn't stop there. "But I think… I do," she muttered confidently like the subject didn't seem to matter to her.
He was shocked to see her. It was her. The mystery girl that he met during the festival. It was odd that he would finally meet her in a place like this, and at a time like this. She was wearing something completely different from the time he met her during the festival.
Today, she was wearing something more casual and not quite so revealing clothes. She wore a three-fourth orange blouse with a sleeveless tangerine midriff oversweater with cords crisscrossing across the front, a red mini skirt and black knee socks with two red stripes on top.
Trying to remember who the girl that bumped into him was, made him forget his hatred towards his best friend completely. He tried and tried to dig inside his brain who the girl was. But…
"Who are you again?" Naruto asked the girl standing beside him.
Sadly, the girl didn't seem to hear him. (Thank God, or he would've definitely earned himself a bloody cheek.) Her attention was focused elsewhere, and as Naruto soon noticed, the said girl was staring owlishly at his best friend.
Naruto averted his gaze to his best friend, only to find Sasuke doing the very same thing as the girl standing right next to him. He was about to open his mouth to speak (maybe, to ask a question) when someone spoke before he even could.
"YOU―!" the mysterious girl exclaimed, pointing her index finger towards the younger Uchiha, who narrowed his eyes as a sign that he also recognized her.
Naruto was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to witness the sudden change of behavior of his two companions. However, right at the moment that the girl spoke, something clicked in Naruto's mind. He snapped his fingers when he finally realized who the girl was. He opened his mouth and pointed his index finger at the mysterious girl, standing right next to him. "I know who you are, you're―"
Naruto could only gape in shock, as his next words were forgotten when he didn't see the girl standing next to him anymore. He was about to ask his best friend where the girl went, but when he looked at the spot where Sasuke was supposed to be, nothing was there.
This was when he realized that they had left him… alone.
"Damn it! Those two ditched me!"
This not only made him remember his forgotten anger towards Sasuke, but it also made him dislike the mysterious girl he met at the festival. Not much. Just a tiny bit. He was more furious at Sasuke, so much so that he might even have forgetten about the fact that he was supposed to start disliking the mysterious girl.
"Ah, Ino, how nice to see you here," Tenten greeted with a friendly smile. Her shift in the hospital has just ended and she was just about to go home, but seeing Yamanaka Ino passing by the hospital was something new to her.
"Why is something wrong with seeing me walking along the sidewalk?" Ino asked, her voice dipped with sarcasm.
"No, nothing." Tenten shook her head without a second thought. "It just seems weird that you're passing by here. I've never seen you here before."
"Well, something wrong with seeing me now? I wanted to walk―okay?" Ino replied with a sigh.
"Walk? Why would you want to walk when you're rich enough to buy a car with only your week's allowance and salary?" Tenten asked playfully.
"That maybe true, but you can't forget the fact that I'm underaged," Ino stated an obvious fact. "I can't drive yet even if I want to."
Tenten laughed at Ino's sarcastic remark. "But isn't that what money is for?"
"You know very well that I don't like bribing others with money. I have pride you know," Ino smiled proudly.
Tenten chuckled, "Yeah, I suppose you do."
The proud smile on Ino's face disappeared as quickly as it appeared. She was looking past Tenten's shoulder with a thoughtful and dreamy expression.
Tenten had a gist on what Ino might be thinking about and decided to comment on it. However, before she was able to utter any word from out of her mouth, Ino snapped out of her dreamy state.
"Well, I better be going." Ino waved and walked towards Tenten. Well, that was the way to her destination.
Before Ino could brush past Tenten, however, she was halted by a hand on her shoulder. She glanced at Tenten with a questioning look. She didn't need to ask for her facial expression was already asking, 'What?'
"Are you still thinking about that friend of yours?" Tenten asked carefully.
You just had to remind me, Ino thought with a sigh. "What makes you think that?"
Tenten sighed, not bothering to answer Ino's innocent question. "You should really go see this Haruno Sakura girl at school, so that you can be sure if she's in fact, your long lost friend… or something."
Ino smiled, knowing that Tenten wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. "Yeah, I'll do that."
Tenten took her intruding hand off of Ino's shoulder, letting her go on her way. But by watching Ino's retreating back, Tenten realized that she wasn't satisfied with Ino's answer. So, before Ino became too far, Tenten said, "You better."
Ino merely gave her a momentary glance and waved her hands, "Yeah, yeah."
"Hey, let go of me!" Sakura protested, but Sasuke didn't stop from running as he continued to drag her by her wrist. She was about to try and pry her hand off of his hold, but it only tightened unconsciously, making sure that she wouldn't run off towards some other direction.
Sakura had no other choice but to let him drag her to wherever it was he would drag her and finally let her go. Even though, she wasn't fond of how he was treating her now―considering the fact that he was rashly dragging her off somewhere unknown rather aggressively―she somehow wanted to talk to him again… looking completely different from her persona as his geeky fiancée. It didn't matter to her whether he might find out about her real identity or not.
Somewhere inside her… she wanted to talk to him normally without having to argue with him every time they met. Somehow… she wanted to restart their relationship and get to know him all over again. In her mind, she knew that being dressed like a completely different person would be the only chance that she would ever get of doing that.
She didn't know why. She was only supposed to hate him, but somehow, the more she spent time with him―it didn't matter whether she was the geeky fiancée that he knew, or the mysterious girl that he met during the school festival―the more she wanted to get to know him. But that wouldn't happen if Sasuke could only think of the competition that they engaged themselves into whenever he saw her as his geeky fiancée. She needed to be someone else―a total stranger―to get to know him.
He continued to forcibly drag her. Sakura could only frown and then grimace with a tiny whimper when Sasuke's grip became too tight. When he heard the sound of the girl in pain, he loosened his grip slightly, but kept it firm enough to ensure that she wouldn't escape.
Sakura's viridian orbs perked up when they passed a gate that had a sign above telling her that they where heading to a park… or rather, they were already in the park. This formed a set of confused thoughts in her mind.
Why is he bringing me here?
Why in a park?
Heck, why is he dragging me all the way here for?
What does he even want with me?
She mentally screamed, annoyed that all those questions kept on rumbling in her mind. She wanted answers, but she figured that it would be best to ask when Sasuke stopped dragging her around so that they could stand still and talk. Question was: when would that happen?
It seemed that she would finally get the answers that she sought when Sasuke suddenly stopped in a vacant spot within the park. No one was there… except for them. They had the chance to talk without anyone bothering them, or worrying about embarrassing themselves out in public.
Noticing that he wasn't going to drag her anymore, she took this as an opportunity to pry her wrist out of Sasuke's enclosed grip. "What's the big idea!" she exclaimed, her exasperation at being forcefully dragged returning her to her senses.
"Hn," Sasuke sounded as he finally turned to face her.
"What makes you think you can drag me all over the place to somewhere you decided out of the blue? Huh?" she asked breathlessly.
"It just happened to occur to me that you wanted to talk," Sasuke replied placidly.
Sakura opened her mouth but she couldn't utter a single syllable from the dry humor that her fiancée presented her. Before she closed her mouth to try and talk again, an impatient scoff came out of her mouth instead. Opening her mouth once more, she tried to form the words by using her tongue. "So I… I wanted… to talk―to you," she stammered, flabbergasted by how overconfident her fiancée was.
"Well, didn't you?" Sasuke asked, his arrogance overflowing that Sakura just wanted to grab a damn towel and wipe it all off.
"So, how did you possibly know that I wanted to talk to you―in private?" Sakura asked as she threw her hands up in exasperation.
"I had a feeling," Sasuke replied nonchalantly.
Something clicked in Sakura's mind that made all her exasperation dissipate as if there had been no negative emotions emitting from her in the first place. Soon, her sour expression became vacantly solid. "So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Sakura asked cleverly, finally uncovering the puzzle of Sasuke's oddly arrogant act.
Sasuke smirked, when he knew that the girl before him finally realized what he was into. "You're fun to play with," Sasuke muttered teasingly.
"Excuse me," Sakura said firmly, frowning.
Ignoring her last remark, Sasuke's gaze fixed oddly on her. His impassiveness made her really tense. Quite tense. He was unusually silent too. Wait, he was always silent―but still… She anticipated that he might say, 'I know it's you, Haruno Sakura,' and that thought alone was making her really anxious. He had already got her before with pretending that he didn't know a damn thing when he actually did, and she wasn't going to fall for that trick again.
He wouldn't get the better of her.
"Why did you suddenly leave?" Sasuke asked, catching Sakura off guard. He was serious as his intense gaze became even more fixed upon her.
She didn't expect a question like that from him. Maybe, he really didn't know who she was… or maybe… he did.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura stammered. She mentally cursed at herself for making herself conspicuous of hiding something. Bad thing was―she was hiding something. The worst of it was―he might actually know what it was. Oh great!
Again, he ignored her statement of denial, and continued trying to persuade her into telling him the truth―the truth that he wanted to hear. "Suddenly disappearing without a word, I wonder why," he drawled out. He thought that questioning her alone wasn't going to get him anywhere. Maybe, manipulation might work.
"Why the hell would you care whether I disappear or not! You don't know anything about me!" she exclaimed, pretending to be annoyed. She wouldn't give in to him. She didn't want to, and she wasn't going to let him get the best of her.
"How would you know whether I do care whether you disappear or not? You don't know anything about me either," Sasuke fired back calmly, getting ahead of their game.
Sakura was taken aback, but tried not to make it noticable. She wasn't expecting him to be able to give back a great comeback in such a short time. Oh great! Now, she had to think of an even better comeback―fast. "Then why are you asking about that? If you don't give a damn, then you wouldn't ask in the first place!" Somehow, she wasn't pretending anymore. She seemed to be extremely interested in what her fiancée would say.
"If you must know, that selfish action of yours was very rude," Sasuke stated coolly.
Yeah, like you were never rude to me before, she mentally scoffed, As if! Oh, how much she wanted to form those words from her mouth, but that would definitely blow her cover big time.
You're deceiving everyone around you… taking advantage of the trust that they gave you… only to deceive them with that mask of yours.
Tension came flooding back to her, remembering the meaning of Tsubasa's statement. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the unnecessary thoughts. There was no point in being guilty now. What's done is done.
She chose to stay silent, thinking that it was best not to say anything. If she opened her mouth to say something, it might not come out the way that she wanted it to. She might let something slip, since her mind was wandering off somewhere.
"What is it…?" Sasuke started, eyeing Sakura with a cool, yet serious expression on his features, "What is it that you're hiding?"
"What?" Sakura asked without even thinking. Did he just ask her what she thought he did?
"I can't help but notice that you're hiding something. You act like you don't want people to know something… about you," Sasuke said, not knowing that he had hit a nail right on the head.
He didn't have any time to react, before a vicious slap struck him on the cheek. Ignoring the pain that he had felt on his cheek, he tilted his head back to give the girl a piece of his mind. He knew that she was the one who had slapped him, and he wasn't going to let her get away with it, even though she was a girl.
But the glare that was supposed to form on his face when he faced Sakura immediately softened when he saw her glaring at him furiously. Her viridian orbs were glistening even more with wet tears of anger that were swiftly forming at the base of her eyes.
She was angry at him for reasons he didn't know. He was the one that was supposed to be furious. He was the one that got slapped on the face. He didn't deserve it. Well, that's what he thought, but Sakura thought otherwise.
"Don't speak to me… as if you know everything about me," she spoke in a low voice that revealed all the flooding emotions that she was feeling. It was upset, furious, offended, and sad. "Because by far… you still know nothing about me. Absolutely… nothing." Her voice was shaking with what seemed to be―an admission guilt?—as she spoke those words.
She didn't give him time to respond as she ran off towards the direction where they came from―out of the park. She didn't want to hear what he had to say. All he would do was make her feel even worse.
Funny, that she had wanted to get to know him better. At least, now she knew how utterly ignorant Uchiha Sasuke was in dealing with other people's feelings. He had no clue when he was out of line. He didn't know when his words were already hurting other people's feelings.
Sasuke winced and grimaced when the stinging pain that he felt on his cheek returned. He seemed to have forgotten the pain that he felt when she slapped him at the very moment that he saw her pained expression. His mind suddenly became blank right at that very moment. He didn't know what to do when he saw the tears forming in her eyes. He had unconciously offended her with his curiosity.
Maybe I did deserve that slap after all, Sasuke thought with a sigh.
"Where are you going?" a voice called out at the person that stood before her, making her stop.
She swore: if she ever saw Tsubasa again, she would give her a piece of her mind on dressing like how she used to a year before, since all it did was only bring her great suffering. A good example: this situation. How many times did she have to see her? She had already told her off last time during the festival, but she just wouldn't quit.
"I want some answers―now Sakura!" Ino demanded as she stood in front of Sakura, blocking her route to escape.
This day just plain sucked for her. How many more familiar people did she need to meet, for her to get through this day? She just wouldn't be left alone without any problems―even for just one day. She was really getting rather sick of this.
"Suddenly disappearing without a word! Tell me, why? Tell me the reason!" Ino demanded, exasperated.
"Didn't I tell you before? I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura replied smoothly and effortlessly. She was getting used to lying, and was actually getting better at it.
"The hell with that! Stop lying to me!" Ino yelled, glaring at Sakura. "You know that you're pissing me off! You disappear without a word, and I see you a year later―twice!" Ino hissed.
"Then get pissed," Sakura replied indifferently. "Like I told you, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Where the hell have you been… Sakura?" Ino's voice became a low whisper. She shook her head with a sigh.
Sakura decided that this was the best time to get away. Sauntering towards the confused Ino, Sakura unconsciously created a tense environment for the both of them. As the gap between them decreased, Ino became even more anxious on what the girl walking towards her was going to do.
Ino's eyes widened, as a chill went through her body when Sakura brushed against her shoulder. This made Ino realize how much her friend had changed… that is, if she was even the same friend that she used to know a year ago. She didn't know what had happened, but she was definitely sure that this was the same Haruno Sakura a year ago. The Haruno Sakura that was… her best friend… and she was hoping… that she still was. That they still were… best friends.
"I don't think that is any of your business."
That was the last cold remark that Sakura gave Ino before leaving her standing there… alone once more. It was very hard to do, but she had to move on. She was the cause of this problem, and she was going to end it―right here, right now. Question was: was it willing to end… yet?
Turning around with narrowed eyes, Ino watched her friend's retreating back in complete silence. She, then, broke it with one confounded question.
"What are you planning… Sakura… why and… what are doing with Sasuke?"
TBC
A/N: Ah yes. I don't even remember what I wrote anymore since it had been five months since I wrote this chapter. I know that many people despises OC characters because it is always a guarantee that they will become a Mary-Sue. I can't really say that my OC is a Mary-Sue.
For one: she will not be paired with any of the original characters in Naruto. Get it. Not even Sai will be paired with her. I don't like pairing OC characters with the characters in Naruto. My characters are no exception. She has a purpose of being the way she is introduced in the story and a role for the future. She won't be a main character, nor she will be a minor character either.
Let's just say that she's one of the main reasons that Sakura's acting the way she is now.
Since I haven't update for so long, and I doubt I will update the next chapter soon because of my busy schedule, I will leave you a long preview. Enjoy!
Chapter 13―Misleading Relationships
Sakura stood up, thinking of roaming around the school until it was time for class. It was better than staying in a deserted classroom with no sign of a human life form around. She felt like she was in a haunted classroom. Shaking off the scary thought, she walked out of the classroom.
When she reached the doorway, however, a familiar figure emerged from the other side of the doorway. Remaining casual and indifferent on seeing her fiancée, Uchiha Sasuke, she walked out of the classroom without giving as much even a mere glance to recognize his presence.
The two of them passed by each other without a single grunt, mutter or mumble of their usual greeting to each other. Sasuke didn't even bother to insult his fiancée as she brushed passed him like how he always did whenever he would see her, or get a chance to talk to her. Sakura didn't give him the usual glare that she sent him whenever they would bump into each other.
Their shoulders brushed passed each other gently as Sasuke entered the classroom and Sakura exited the desserted room. They both went to the opposite direction without paying much of a glance to the other. It was like they didn't even notice each other's presence, or maybe, they just ignored the fact that they were there.
Updated: November 9, 2006
