A/N: Wow…I'm updating. Yeah! I feel so proud of myself! I actually kind of like how this chapter turned out. I mean, at first I was kind of so-so about it, but now I'm happier. It's so long, which makes me happy. At first it was going to be short, but then a few ideas kept flooding my mind, so here's the end result. Hopefully it's a good one. Anyways, thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you review. Here's my first chapter posting at age sixteen. Yep…I just had my birthday not too long ago. ::smiles:: The best present I can receive at the moment are reviews. So, like all authors demand, "Review, review, review! …Please!"
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat. It belongs to Yoshiki Nakamura.
Disclaimer: I don't own the song Fukai Mori. It belongs to Do as Infinity.
Disclaimer: I don't Mario. It belongs to…not me…since I can't think of what company created Mario. ::sweat drop::
Sasuke was sitting in a conference room, actually the same one he'd been in two weeks beforehand when his costar had been switched from Satsuki Kimi to Haruno Sakura. He was impatiently drumming his long, pale fingers on the table surface. For twenty minutes they'd been waiting for the director; even if he had something to fear, the wrath of a beyond irritated Uchiha Sasuke was worse. His eyes strayed around the room, taking in everything again. On his right sat Naruto, playing a game on his cell phone and cursing silently under his breath every once in a while. Lee sat on the other side of Naruto, openly admiring the person sitting on the other side of the table. On Sasuke's left side, Neji and Tenten were conversing amongst themselves. Well, Tenten was trying to get some more ideas for Naruto's birthday decorations, while Neji was his usual silent self, once in a while giving monotonous, monosyllable answers. His attention was mainly focused on a person placed across from them, head bowed, twiddling her fingers. Sitting alone in the corner, sketching away, was Sai, occasionally switching from his black pencil to a red, blue, or green one. And, much to his displeasure, sitting across from him was none other than his beloved costar, Haruno Sakura in all her pink glory.
He could tell she was nervous by the way she twiddled her thumbs, bit her lip, or how her eyes would quickly flicker from one place to another. She had no reason to be nervous, Sasuke thought boredly to himself. It wasn't like she didn't know who they were. He sighed, turning his attention from his costar to the script before him. Two days before, the script had been sent to him. He'd been surprised to see how thick it was, considering it was just for a movie. However, to add more fuel to the flame, a note had been attached, stating that the movie would actually be turned into a drama. If he thought spending a few weeks with the pink-haired girl would be unbearable, the thought of possibly spending a few months with her was horrifying. If Sasuke was as showy in his emotions as Naruto, he would've cried like there was no tomorrow, gone whining to Neji, started picking (more) fights with Naruto, tried to find out the positives of youth with Lee, and begged Tenten to take him to the nearest (good) ramen shop.
But, no, he was Uchiha Sasuke, son of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto. Of course, being an Uchiha wasn't the only thing that contributed to his stoic exterior, but it was also the fact that he was, indeed, a male. It was an unwritten code that was imbedded in every male's system before they were born; for a few, the code either slipped or was mutated in some sort of strange way. That was what led to people such as Naruto and Lee…but that was okay…only because sometimes they actually got the code. If they didn't…Sasuke would've dumped them a long time ago.
Sasuke blinked a few times. His mind had gone astray, something that didn't usually happen. It'd been happening a lot lately, and that worried him a little bit. But he shook it off and sighed again, pulling his cell phone out to check the time. Only ten minutes had passed…ten minutes where the director still hadn't shown up. Sasuke's fingers clenched around the inanimate object, showing his growing frustration, almost breaking the poor thing.
"Calm down, Sasuke-teme," said Naruto, continuing to play his game. "I'd offer you my cell phone since yours is boring and doesn't have any games, but I'm doing great, so I can't."
Sasuke scoffed softly and added, "Like I'd want to touch anything of yours, especially if it's been in your pocket."
Naruto looked up, glaring darkly. "You stupid bastard. Fine; next time you need anything, I won't be there to help."
Sasuke started at his best friend amusedly. "Yes, yes, Naruto. We both know that will happen sometime in this lifetime. If I needed another lung, you'd probably be the first to offer up yours."
"Nah, I'd want you to suffer first. Beside, you still have all those fan girls, and maybe even some fan boys, if you're popular enough. I'm sure one of them has a lung decent enough for the 'great' Uchiha Sasuke. Better yet, why don't you start working on your relationship with Sakura-chan so you can offer your lung to her instead? I bet with her you can actually learn how to not be such a selfish bastard. And just think," he smiled widely, "your acting won't really be acting. It'll actually be your real emotions. It'll be one step up from the crappy stuff you usually do."
Sasuke said nothing to this and decided to just sit there and stare at the ceiling, finding nothing better to do or anyone better to talk to.
"Have I left you speechless, teme? I bet I'm not the first to tell you how much your acting sucks. Nope, I left all the pleasures to Itachi-san. It's a wonder you've even made it this far in business."
"Hey, dickless, shut up." Sai called calmly, continuing to sketch. Sakura bit her lip, trying to hold in her laughter. She looked from the corner of her eye and saw Hinata blushing furiously, biting her lip and probably debating as to whether or not she should laugh as well. A small, sad smile formed on Sakura's lips. Besides Hinata, she wouldn't be seeing her friends all that often outside of school. She'd have to balance this, school, and her job at Rose Café too. She inwardly sighed, wondering if working with Uchiha Sasuke was worth what she was being paid. But it was all for the sake of college. Sure, her parents had left her money to use, but she wanted to save that and try to pay as much for college on her own as she could.
She looked up and almost reeled back in shock, seeing Sasuke's eyes on her. If she'd been Sasuke, she'd have looked away quickly; if she'd been seen staring, the person would've immediately thought that she held some interest in them. But, no, instead, Sasuke just continued to stare at her with those dark, impassive eyes until she diverted her eyes to something else. Slowly, however, her eyes strayed back to him. He continued to stare, unnerving her. This time she stared back, unwilling to back down. She was not going to let Uchiha Sasuke get the best of her. She was going to beat him. Yet she found herself wanting to look away. Finally she did for a millisecond, but that was all Sasuke needed to realize that he'd won. He gave a small smirk, much to Sakura's annoyance.
'So what if I only looked away for a millisecond. That doesn't mean he won! And besides, it was just a staring contest. Staring is so rude. Doesn't he know that? Of course, his mother probably told him that a billion times in his childhood, but he's a male. What can you expect? He probably has the maturity of a pre-teen still. He's lucky I'm more mature, or I'd go over there and strangle him. I don't see what any girl sees in them romantically; I especially don't understand what anyone sees in him. Guys are so immature."
'Hell yeah they are!' Her inner Sakura raged, pumping her fist in the air. Yep…inner Sakura had remained dormant for some time, but it seemed that Uchiha Sasuke brought out the worst in even Sakura.
Sasuke stared at Sakura strangely, seeing her nod to herself. 'Well…her hair's pink. What else can you expect?' He thought to himself, shrugging.
"Sai, you asshole! Don't say stuff like that!" Naruto yelled, his face turning a light pink. His phone fell to the ground, completely forgotten as little Mario died. He stalked over to where Sai was calmly sketching away, anger and embarrassment radiating off him in waves. If Sai had one other talent outside of art, it would be ruining a man's pride, or rather, Naruto's pride; and no man enjoyed getting their pride stomped on, especially not if the person they liked was bearing witness to it.
Sai looked up, smiling his usual fake smile. "Don't say what, Naruto?" He asked innocently. Annoying Naruto was so fun. Now he understood why Sasuke did it on a daily basis.
Naruto growled darkly, but before he could jump on Sai and beat him up, there was—as always—intervention by Lee and Tenten. Lee held Naruto back, a firm grip on the back of his shirt. Tenten stood between the two guys, hands on her hips.
"Naruto, you need to be more mature than this. Don't let Sai's remarks get to you," she scolded lightly. She turned around to face Sai who was silently chuckling to himself. Really, the look on Naruto's face was priceless. If only he had a camera…. He dug through his backpack and pulled out his phone, quickly snapping a picture, his chuckles increasing slightly in volume. If the Hyuuga girl hadn't been around, then he wouldn't have gotten that great of a reaction. Now, each time he'd tease Naruto, he'd get a reply that could amuse him for ages.
He was rudely shaken from his thoughts by Tenten's poke to his forehead. "Sai, are you listening to me? You shouldn't tease Naruto like that. Geez…we're not little kids anymore. We're adults now."
"Actually, Tenten, we're in Japan now…. We're not 'officially' considered adults here for another two years," Neji spoke up suddenly, the most he'd said the entire time they'd been sitting in the conference room.
"I don't care if we're 'officially' adults or not; we're older now. I mean, it's stupid to be fighting over the same things you've been fighting over for…" she paused to think for a moment, "almost three years about. Don't you guys ever get bored of it?"
"Nope," Naruto replied, "not as long as I get to kick Sai's ass. You are so lucky Lee is holding me back, or I would've already beaten you senseless."
"Why?" Sai asked coolly from behind Tenten as he continued to sketch, seeming unperturbed. "Would you do it so you'd look cool in front of the Hyuuga girl?" He asked cheekily, lifting his face to give Naruto one of his nice, big, fat, fake smiles.
Before Naruto could reply with a scathing comment, a short, hesitant, almost silent knock stopped him. He turned around to look at the newcomers, while Neji ordered, "Come in."
Two men and a woman walked in, the man in front looking as though he were walking to the execution grounds. He stopped a few feet from Sasuke, sweat dripping down his face. The woman handed him a handkerchief, rolling her eyes. The other man shifted the papers in his arms, moving from one foot to the other. The sweating man didn't really have anything to be afraid of. If he'd come in five minutes earlier, he'd probably have suffocated from the intense aura that would have emitted off of Sasuke, but now Sasuke was calmer after watching, and being amused by, the fight between Sai and Naruto.
"Please, sit down," Tenten greeted pleasantly, moving from her previous position to the chair she'd occupied before. Lee release Naruto who almost stumbled forward, but caught himself. He flashed a glare in Sai's direction; the dark-haired male only smiled back in return. Naruto moved back to his chair, swooping down to pick up his phone. He sighed; if Sai hadn't made his comment, Naruto would've gotten a new high score. He turned off his cell phone, knowing that cell phones always had to be turned off during meetings or else Sasuke would get super pissed. The reasons behind that…no one really knew.
Naruto had become bored as soon as the sweaty man began talking. 'Wow…' Naruto thought to himself, 'the man's sweat glands must be working really hard today.' The man kept stuttering, making it hard for anyone to understand what he was trying to say. Naruto plopped his folded arms on the table, burying his face in his arms. He lifted his head up slightly so he could watch Hinata. Truth be told, he could just sit and watch her all the time. Even though to other males, she was just another face in the crowd, not exactly a stunning beauty like Ino, or with distinctive features like Sakura, or even with Tenten's personality, Naruto found himself becoming deeply attracted to her. It wasn't love at first sight, he knew that for sure. Love at first sight didn't exist. But there was something in her that he was drawn to. Maybe it was because she was so quiet, so shy, her voice gentle, her smile soft that his infatuation with her had increased. At first he'd been physically attracted to her until his inner gut told him there was something special about Hinata. Now as he watched her, a content smile slowly growing on his face, he was glad that Neji had suggested that Hinata participate in the drama as one of Sakura's best friends. With this chance, he'd be able to talk to her and get to know her better. Maybe his infatuation would grow into something more or it'd fall down to nothing more than friendship…he didn't know.
Sasuke's eyes shifted slightly when he felt Naruto sigh beside him and lean forward, burying his face in his arms. He would've done the same if he wasn't one for caring about looking professional. He sat straight and tall in his chair, his head angled slightly to show that he was at least paying some attention to the stuttering man. Really…there was nothing to be afraid of. If he'd come in on time, then he wouldn't be sweating bullets like he was now. Apparently, the older woman beside him thought the same thing as well. From time to time she rolled her eyes and even once tried to take over so everyone wouldn't have to listen to the man's annoying stutters, but instead he gave her a quick glare before resuming. Sasuke looked skyward, wondering when the meeting would be over. Suddenly he paused. His sixth sense told him something that annoyed the hell out of him would happen in a few seconds.
Fukai fukai mori no oku ni ima mo kitto
Okizari ni shita kokoro kakushite'ru yo
Sasuke's expression turned into an instant glare at the pink-haired girl in front of him. If her life goal was to annoy him every time they met, then she was succeeding. His companions looked at him, watching as Sakura flinched under his intense glare. She quickly answered her phone, hoping his glare would lessen its strength. However, it seemed luck wasn't on her side, seeing as to how his annoyed expression seemed to darken even more.
"Ah-ano-m-moshi moshi, Sakura speaking," she answered after checking caller id.
"Sakura," Gaara greeted monotonously on the other end.
"I-ano-i-is something wrong? I-I'm sort of—I'm sort of in a meeting at the moment." She said quickly. Now she understood why the man had been so nervous beforehand. If this was what he had to face, he was in his right mind to stall until Sasuke had calmed down somewhat. Why was she always on the negative receiving end? Then again…was there ever a time when Sasuke didn't act like such a prick? 'Nope,' Inner Sakura answered for her. 'Once a prick, always a prick.'
"Sakura," Gaara said on the other end, catching her attention. Maybe he'd sensed that her mind had wandered off…? Well…it was Gaara. Always being quiet and observant, it was no wonder that he'd picked up on her emotions and was actually able to decipher them. Maybe it was one of those best friend things. And she was having one of those best friend moments. Gaara hated talking on the phone. He would've never called unless it was an emergency.
"What's wrong? Are you okay? What about Temari? Kankuro? Ino? Shikamaru? How about Amarante-chan? Oh, no! Don't tell me Chouji got food poisoning again?! What about Kiba?! Is Akamaru okay?!" By now her tone increasing in pitch, growing more frantic by the second. Hinata sat beside her, staring worriedly. Had something happened to one of their friends?
"Calm down," Gaara commanded. "Breathe." He didn't speak again until Sakura had breathed in and out a few times, calming herself and mentally preparing for whatever Gaara was about to send her way.
Then he continued in that calm, collected voice of his. "Amarante-chan is experiencing some…problems. I'm at the orphanage with everyone. Shikamaru and Ino got some information out of one of the workers here, and…," he paused, "it seems someone came to the orphanage yesterday, claiming Amarante-chan as their daughter. Takashi-san was rather skeptical about this claim considering that Amarante-chan's parents were said to have passed away from disease a few years after she was born. But this person is annoyingly persistent. One of the workers mentioned he'd come earlier today, and Temari just informed me that he walked in a few minutes ago."
Sakura froze. Maybe it was just her being paranoid, but…. "Ano, Gaara, could you—could you ask Temari for a description of this person?"
Gaara was silent on the other line. Sakura thought that perhaps he'd put down the phone and was asking Temari, but even then she would've heard a little bit of conversation. Instead, she heard him breathing. "Sakura," he finally answered, "…we both know this face."
Sakura was running; she was six years old again. She'd gotten separated from Ino and her parents at the zoo. She didn't know where to go and everyone looked scary. She was too afraid to ask anyone for help as she ran through the zoo, silently hoping that she would see Ino's friendly face and hear her call, "Let's get going forehead-girl!" Sakura would smile and say, "I thought you were behind me Ino-pig." They'd smile and hook arms, following after their parents.
Yet, Sakura had seen no hint or trace of Ino or her parents. Suddenly as if from the shadows, a man appeared with long dark hair and yellow snake-like eyes.
"Why, hello, little girl. Are you lost? I can help you find your mommy and daddy. I know where they are. They're really worried about you."
"I-I-I'm so-sorry, mister, but they-they told me-they told me not to talk to strangers," Sakura stuttered, stumbling back. She tripped over her feet and landed on her bum. She watched, paralyzed as the snake-man came closer, trying to smile somewhat pleasantly.
"Get away from her, scum!" A voice yelled behind her. Sakura looked back and her eyes widened when she saw a boy, perhaps a few years her senior. He had a rock in one hand, his dark eyes set determinedly. A breeze blew through his dark hair, making it even messier than it already was.
"What a brave little boy, foolish, but brave." The snake-man sneered amusingly. "However, you don't know what you're getting yourself into. I suggest you scurry back to your mommy or she'll worry for you."
This time, the little boy snickered. "I would do that, slimy scum, if I had a mother to 'scurry back to'. But I don't, so I want to help this pink-haired kid. So leave her alone. Go away. Are you some pervert who likes to pick on little girls? Sick," he said, making gagging noises.
"Why, you little brat," the snake-man snarled. He backed away slowly but not before whispering, "You got lucky this time, little girl. Just to let you know however, no matter how much you run, no matter how far you go, I will always find you. For you see, you and I are one in the same. With me, you will have power beyond imagination. Run and I will kill all those who you hold dear." He suddenly disappeared.
"Hey, are you okay?" The boy asked, coming to Sakura's side. Sakura replied with a nod, unable to move her legs. "I think I know where your mommy, daddy and sister are. And I'm not lying like that guy was. Your sister has blonde hair and turquoise eyes, right? And your dad has blonde hair too? Your mom is a brunette, isn't she?" Sakura nodded again. She'd rather go with this boy than the scary man. "Can you move your legs?" Sakura shook her head no. He sighed and said, "Fine, I'll carry you, but only because you aren't acting like a fan girl." He squatted before her and waited till Sakura had climbed on his back, her legs gripping his sides. "Man, you're light. How old are you? Six?" Sakura nodded again. "You don't talk much, do you? Usually I'm the one who does the listening…or ignoring in most cases." Throughout the entire walk, the boy chatted, feeling for a nod or shake.
"Sakura-chan!" Ino squealed happily. Sakura looked up from the boy's shoulder and a smile broke out on her face. Ino made her way over and Sakura scrambled to get off the boy's back. He did so. Sakura ran and embraced Ino who was sobbing.
"Gomen, Sakura-chan. I thought you were with okaa-san."
"There, there. It's okay, Ino-chan. That boy over there helped me."
"What boy, Sakura-chan?" Ino asked curiously, standing on her tip-toes to see if she could see better.
"What?" Sakura looked behind her, and to her surprise, no one was there. It was as if he'd been nothing more than a ghost. "I never even got his name. And I didn't tell him thank you." Sakura whispered.
"Come on, Sakura-chan. Okaa-san and otu-san are taking us out for dinner. Come on," Ino said, pulling Sakura along. Sakura took one last look before following after Ino.
Sakura woke up in a sweat. After what Gaara had told her, she'd felt uneasy, always looking over her shoulder, always making sure someone was with her. Something told her that the one time she was alone would be the one time he'd find her. So tonight she'd asked Ino if she could sleep in her room. Ino had looked at her worriedly but consented all the same.
Ino's pale arm reached up and turned on the lamp. She looked over, her hair disheveled, eyes sleepy. "What's wrong, Sakura?" She asked after yawning. She rubbed her eyes and propped herself up on her elbow. Rarely had she seen Sakura so worked up. Sure, there were a few times when Sakura had procrastinated on a project and had stayed up all night working on it. Ino distinctly remembered Sakura had done that once in seventh grade, staying up almost all night before falling asleep at around three in the morning. When she'd woken up, she'd seemed so upset with what she'd done that she'd just burst into tears.
Sakura's head whipped to the side. She calmed her breathing and tried to smile. "I'm sorry, Ino. Did I wake you up?" She whispered, lying back down. She brought her blankets around her, hoping to hide from him. She'd been left alone for ten years now. Why was he back?
"Forehead-girl, you shouldn't be worried about me. What's wrong? I'm always here to talk, you know. I mean, I probably don't understand your feelings as well as Gaara would, but I'm your sister, your best friend. I must be able to help in some way." She silently pleaded, hoping Sakura would confide in her. Yes, she'd never lost anything important in her life. Yes, she'd never been picked on by anyone before. But Sakura had helped her out more times than she could count; this time, she wanted to help Sakura, to do something for her.
"I-I-I-Ino-pig, I-I-I'm scared," Sakura whispered from underneath the covers.
"Don't be," Ino replied immediately. "Don't be scared. If someone's going to hurt you, or if something's hurting you, I'll protect you. Okaa-san and Otou-san will too. Hinata, Kiba, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, Chouji, and Shikamaru will as well. Oh, and Lee-san definitely will too. Of course, we can't forget Tenten-san or Naruto-san. Hell, maybe even Sai-san, Neji-san, or your future husband Sasuke-san will too. We're all here, Sakura. I know it might be cheesy to say, but we're all here for you. If you ever have any problems, you should know that you can count on us."
Sakura smiled. Yep, it was cheesy, but it made her feel better. It made her feel warm inside, as if she'd just drunk a whole cup of hot chocolate after walking out in the cold of winter for so long. "Ino…thank you."
"You're welcome, Sakura. Hey, do you want to sleep up here? Just for old time's sake? It'll be like when we were younger."
"And we would share who we liked? Or we'd gossip about all there was to gossip about?" Sakura's smile widened as the memories flooded her mind.
"Of course. Tomorrow's Sunday, so we can stay up all night if we feel like it." Ino scooted to the other side of her bed as Sakura lay down, pulling her blankets around her.
"So…Sakura…made any moves on Sasuke-san yet?" Ino asked innocently. A few giggles escaped her at Sakura's look of disbelief.
"Ino, Ino, Ino…I don't understand how you could ever believe that I would be interested in...Uchiha Sasuke. I mean, he's an arrogant, stuck-up prat."
"'Prat'?" Ino questioned amusedly, glad that Sakura wasn't as distraught. 'I guess having Sasuke-san as the topic of conversation is always a good thing to divert her mind. But…those two are going to get together sooner or later. If my woman's intuition said it's going to happen, it'll happen.'
Sakura huffed. "I guess I picked it up from a book I was reading. Sometimes that happens."
"Like that one time you started using bits of old English in your English sentences?"
Sakura blushed softly. "…Yes…I guess we could use that as an example."
Ino giggled softly once again. "So how do you feel, knowing that you'll be starring in a romance drama with Sasuke-san?"
Sakura's expression turned dark. "I can't believe Naruto-san lied to me. He said I was only getting a small part. If he meant that costarring with Uchiha Sasuke was a small part compared to actually playing Uchiha Sasuke's part, then he was right. But I thought he meant I'd just play some person in the background or just a minor character of some sort that interacts with the antagonist or protagonist." Sakura groaned into her pillow. "Ino-pig, what am I going to do? I can hardly act to save my life."
"You don't know that, forehead-girl. Maybe you're a great actress."
"Ino," Sakura began seriously, "the only acting I've ever done in my life was as a little raindrop in first grade. And I had enough of a hard time trying to remember the song lyrics as well as the simple dance steps."
"But that was first grade, Sakura. Maybe your acting skills have blossomed over time, and now you just have to hone them. You never know. You could be great like that one girl in the manga you squeal over so much. She's just a beginner, and she's a great actress."
"Skip beat by Yoshiki Nakamura," Sakura replied automatically. Yes, that was one of her all-time favorite mangas. "But, Ino, that's just a manga. Things like that don't happen in real life. Besides, I read over the script during dinner, and I can't relate to the character in any way. I've never experienced such an intense infatuation with someone before; I've never met anyone that will make me stutter and blush or make my heart skip a beat. I want my acting to be real, but I can't do something like that. I'm not creative enough to try and portray my character in a different way that suits me. Kyoko-san's a natural. I'm just an amateur. Why would they choose me to even star in something this big? I'm not even into acting."
"Maybe it's a little thing called fate, Sakura. Maybe Kami-sama is hinting at the fact that you and Sasuke-san are going to be seeing a lot of each other. He could become a very big part of your life."
"Ino, if you mean that I'm going to someday marry him and bear his children, then that will never happen," Sakura replied in a deadpanned voice. If she ever felt anything for him, it would be simply and purely lust. How any person could truly love him was astounding. Maybe his mother loved him, but it was one of those motherly things. Almost all mothers loved their children no matter what.
Gaara sat in a chair on his balcony, staring out at the flower gardens. A half moon watched him, the only source of light. He sat, unmoving, the wind blowing through his hair from time to time. He suppressed a shudder as a particularly icy breeze touched him. Winter would be approaching earlier, it seemed. Winter was his favorite season, not because of the cold, but rather…it was the season where he'd first met Sakura. She'd become one of the most important people in his life.
A sudden, wracking pain flooded his entire body. He grabbed his head, cursing silently to himself. He grabbed his hair tightly as the pain increased. The only thing that stopped him from screaming out was his pride. He didn't want to be weak. He'd never been seen as weak; everyone always expected him to be strong. Everyone, except Sakura, because she knew what he hid behind his mask.
Slowly the pain receded, leaving him gasping for breath. His eyes opened, and he stared at his feet, his vision blurry before focusing in once again. Again he felt the pain coming and braced himself. Memories flooded his mind in quick flashes.
Sometimes, Gaara believed he saw the smile of his uncle tighten around the edges. Had Gaara done something wrong?
"Here you go," he gestured, holding out the ball. The smile was still on his face. It disappeared however when he saw the faces of the other children. Some of them seemed frightened, the girls clutching at each other or hiding behind one of the boys. The older boys had looks of distaste on their face. They spat on the ground when Gaara met their gaze. Gaara was taken aback by the hostility that radiated off of them.
"What are you doing out here, monster? I thought they'd locked you up for good. Or perhaps, even better, you'd died." One of the older boys sputtered this out cruelly, his eyes hard.
"You know it's because of you that some of our parents died! It's because of you that everyone lost someone they loved a lot! Even your own mother was too ashamed that she died almost right after she gave birth to you!"
"Aren't you going to say anything, monster?"
"Those children are very bad and they could hurt you, understand?" Gaara nodded wordlessly. Perhaps it was better to stay here. Here no one would call him a monster. He could read and play with his bear. No one could hurt him here.
One was of a pink-haired girl with bright emerald eyes. Her hand was out, an angelic smile on her face. "Come on, Gaara, let's go play." she said.
"They don't understand you. You have powers far beyond that of a normal human. Come with me. I can take you away from the darkness, away from this hurt and suffering."
He was surrounded by friends who were laughing happily, talking and joking. The pink-haired girl sat next to him, smiling at him—him of all people. The others smiled and joked around with him, poking fun at each other. If he chose the pink-haired girl, would this be his future?
"Well, I can assure you that sooner or later, you will come to me."
The flood of memories stopped, leaving him gasping for breath once again. He felt as if something were choking him. What was this strange sensation? What was happening to him? He readied himself as another attack came.
"Sakura, don't talk to him. People say he's a monster." Gaara stared ahead. He didn't care what anyone said anymore. It was always the same stuff. Why bother defending himself if no one would believe him anyway.
"Ino-pig, I can't believe you actually believe those rumors," the pink haired girl—Sakura—whispered back furiously, green eyes flashing. She turned around and marched towards him determinedly. He watched her, his eyes devoid of emotion.
"Hi," she greeted shyly, immediately losing her anger. "My name is Haruno Sakura. What's your name?" He didn't answer her. He just sat there, waiting for her to leave. Many times in the past, and even a few today, had come up to him and presented themselves on a dare from their friends. If they could find out the name of the monster, they'd get respect. But they'd failed, giving up after a few minutes of silence and unanswered questions. So he waited, wondering how long this girl with the strange hair color would last. Ten minutes…which soon turned into twenty…and then forty…and finally an hour. Yet she was still in front of him, now sitting, her legs extended before her, waiting for his answer. Little white flakes of snow had fallen on her hair, easy to pick out among the pink strands.
An hour turned into an hour and a half. Soon her blonde-haired sister came running out of the building. "Sakura, okaa-san and otou-san are here. Come on, we have to go home." She stopped a few feet from them, glancing warily at Gaara. "Sakura, come on," Ino urged.
Sakura sighed and stood, before picking up her backpack. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!" She gave him one last smile before walking to Ino. He continued to watch her and caught her looking over her shoulder at him. She blushed softly and turned away.
His first real memory of Sakura. "Damn it," he swore under his breath. It felt like something was invading his mind, searching for something. Who the hell had any kind of strange power like that? Most importantly, however, was what the person was searching for.
A/N: So how was that?! Huh, huh?! I hoped you like it! And if you've never read or heard of it, you should definitely read Skip Beat. It is one of the best mangas ever. Especially if you're into shojo. Even if you aren't, don't worry. The main character, Kyoko, isn't your ordinary average shojo girl. You'll love the manga, I promise. Oh, and we can't forget about the song for Sakura's ring tone. I love the song as well. ::nods::