Rescue Me Therapy
They Know
"Sakura is going to what?"
"I've said it plenty enough times for you to understand."
"No, no, no, I won't believe you! She's in perfect health! Stop telling me lies, Naruto!"
"No, she's not, guys, that's why she's…she's just fading..."
"No! She can't die! We need her! She's our friend!"
"I know. But that's why we need to put on brave faces."
The table immediately stiffened. It was so obvious in Shikamaru's head. He could almost guess what each problem was. He was just that pro.
Tenten looked around, pinpointing mainly Neji and Hinata, muttering, "Wha-what are you talking about?"
Shikamaru furrowed his brows, "Don't waste time lying. It's troublesome."
Naruto, being the genius that he is, sputtered, "How did you know?!"
All eyes were on him and each glaring their own daggers. Naruto didn't cower, interested in finding Shikamaru's reason for knowing. He looked over at Ino, who probably told him.
Shikamaru shrugged, "It was obvious. And any further explanation would be troublesome." He slumped and held up his head with his hand, "So, how did you know all this, Naruto?"
The blonde boy kept playing stupid and asked, "How did you know that I knew?"
The table all looked at him again, each thinking the same thing. Naruto knew? Did Sakura tell him?
The pineapple headed boy shrugged again, "You just have a weird connection with everyone's feelings. You always know when something is up."
Sasuke snickered, despite thinking that Shikamaru was completely right. That blonde idiot always knew what was wrong when someone was feeling ill.
Wait… does that mean he knows what's up with Sakura?
Sasuke suddenly started to listen more intently to Naruto and Shikamaru's conversation.
"And besides, Ino told me that Sakura is a therapist, and why else would you all be with her at certain times? And texting her during class?" Shikamaru stated bluntly.
Tenten looked down, scratching her chin, "Whoa, I never thought of that."
The table sat in silence once again, suddenly realizing the obvious situations they were in, that it was just a huge coincidence. But at the same time, everyone started to feel insecure, they felt exposed having someone know.
And Naruto.
Having Naruto know everything the whole time.
It's embarrassing that the "idiot" knows every single feeling they have. He knew everything that was going on, but didn't say anything. They didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Shikamaru looked at everyone of the people at the table, including Gaara now, because Ino always invites him over, and inhales deeply. He quietly says, "So, will anybody be willing to share their problems…?" They all looked at him thoughtfully, "You know, I mean out loud. Mind reading is mighty troublesome."
Tenten, figuring she had the easiest problem mumbled quickly, "I just wanted to be more girly, I was fed up with boys calling me 'one of them' or 'updateable.' I was manly." She blushed heavily but recovered with saying, "Sakura taught me how to be myself, sporty and tomboy-ish, while being a little girly too!"
Neji chuckled a little, and Tenten punched him on the arm, but she was laughing too. Soon everyone was laughing and joking. Tenten felt that now, she really could be herself, and that she didn't need to be girly.
She looked to the boy next to her, his long hair, his pale eyes, and smiled. Thank you, Sakura. You really helped me out here…
Naruto looked down, smiling sadly, and took hold of small Hinata's hand. He, also quietly, stated, "I… I didn't know how to smile." Everyone was confused for a moment. "I didn't know how to smile for real, I mean. When everybody was straying away, I started to notice all your problems, and you'd all come for me to shine the sun on your day, and it was stressful, putting up a smile when I didn't want too… I felt like the weight of the world was on my back…" he chuckled softly, "And then I put in the form for Sakura-chan, she helped me a lot, and told me that I shouldn't fake smile, and I felt the weight go away, she helped me. And now, I can smile for real." His eyes flickered to Hinata and they smiled. She squeezed his hand lightly.
Ino looked down, teary, thinking of her own problems, but also Naruto's. She felt terrible because really, his whole problem was her fault. It's because she broke up with Sasuke, and everyone strayed away.
Shakily, she admitted, "Sorry, Naruto, your problem is all… all my fault!" small drops of tears spilled over her eyes, and rolled down her cheeks. Her cheeks were flushed with life, and though she didn't realize it, her beauty was creeping back.
Shikamaru sweetly brushed away her tears, and hugged her shoulders, he let her head rest on his shoulders and she closed her eyes. She started to laugh softly and said, "I… I really am an ugly person… I started so many problems, and I made some of my own." In a wispy breath, like her throat was raw she confessed, "I… I became bulimic."
Shocked faces filled the table. Gaara remained unfazed, but there was a sad hint in his eyes. Shikamaru hugged her tighter, and Ino tucked her hair behind her ear, showing her face.
"I binged and threw up and threw up! I wanted to be beautiful again, to smile and swoon everyone in the room, I wanted everyone to think I was perfect!" Her voice was growing hoarse, but she continued, "But then I realized that this wasn't making me beautiful, it was making me hollow, so I filled out that sheet and went to the therapy." She smiled softly, "Sakura helped me so much, she showed me that beauty doesn't always have to be on the outside, or that I don't need to cloak my face with pounds of makeup! She taught me that I'm beautiful inside and out, I don't need any of this artificial crap!" she was beaming, smiling with all her teeth.
Shikamaru kissed her exposed forehead and whispered, "You've always been beautiful, Ino."
Tenten cooed, "That's so sweet!" And Hinata smiled happily, clapping her hands softly. Gaara nodded, agreeing. The other two boys were secretly touched by the moment, but rolled their eyes.
Hinata looked at Neji, and he nodded. They looked at Tenten and Naruto and the nodded encouragingly too. Hinata took a shaky breath, and in her naturally soft voice she whispered, "Neji and I-I we-were abused… by my… father."
Ino gasped, and shot out of Shikamaru's arms, covering her mouth, horrified. Tenten closed her eyes, not wanting anyone to see the pain in her eyes. The boys stiffened, not knowing what to do. Naruto put and arm around Hinata, who was crying into her hands, and rubbed her shoulders, "It's alright… It's okay… I'm here…"
Neji looked down, "Our problem… our problem is not solved yet, though Sakura helped us a great deal. She knew what we were going through, and helped us to the best of her ability." Looking up slowly, they saw one tear rolled down his cheek, a terrible image filled their heads of the two pretty Hyuuga's getting beat. "But… I know, I know what the solution is. The solution is the only thing we can do…"
Hinata peeked through her fingers, and then revealed her face red and teary, and said, "Really? Yo-you mean…"
Neji nodded, "I think that, it's time to call the police."
Hinata smiled through tears and laughed, it was so carefree and happy that it was almost scary. She wiped her tears on her sleeves, and smiled. Naruto kissed her on the cheek and laughed, "Everything is going to be alright."
Ino sniffled with Tenten, but they were both happy. Everyone knew that this ordeal wasn't going to be easy, but they had to at least try.
Ino looked at Gaara and he blinked, she nudged him with her elbow and whispered, "Go on…"
Gaara sighed and started, his voice low and near inaudible, "I… my problem wasn't that I had an urge to kill. It was almost like a mental illness, I couldn't stop thinking about ways. But you know, I wanted to be a good person, I wanted to have friends, but there were rumors, and people already didn't like me… so it was hard." He paused, "I began to hate people, and plan their deaths, and soon it lead to insomnia. And when I did sleep I had nightmares that I was a monster who slaughtered people and buried them in sandboxes… and it wouldn't stop…" he paused again.
"But then, I saw a girl one day, long pink hair, sitting alone in a sandbox exactly like the one haunting my dreams holding a long serrated knife. She was crying and then she violently started stabbing herself." Ino and Hinata gasped, and Sasuke winced, looking away, "I… I didn't know her. I didn't like talking to people, but… there was something about her. I ran up to her, held the knife away, getting her blood on my hands and yelled, 'STOP! YOU'RE KILLING YOURSELF!'" he laughed suddenly, "I remember what she said, 'That's the point, dipstick' and then she turned pale. I glared at her and said, 'that's stupid' and she laughed, 'sure, whatever.' She passed out then, and I rushed her to the hospital. After she committed suicide at least two more times, she came back to me, and apologized. She said that suicide should never be an option and she asked if I need help. I did, so I became her friend."
The table, to his surprise, was sympathetic towards him. He expected them to blanche and shun him, but they were all saying stuff like, "Oh, it's okay, it's all over now…" "You lead a tough life, but it'll smooth out."
Ino patted his hands and said, "You went to sleep though, right?"
Gaara nodded, with the faintest of smiles gracing his lips, "Yes. And no killing."
Naruto smiled toothily and gave him a thumbs up, "GOOD JOB!"
They all chatted for a while about nothing in particular when all eyes fell on Sasuke. He glared but stated, "I cutted."
Ino frowned and so did Naruto. Sasuke showed him his wrist, marred with little white lines. "I got depressed when Ino left. I began to cut, and then my brother found me one day, making me fill out that retarded form. I turned it in and met Sakura. She was so quirky and weird, I fell in love with her without even realizing it…" he closed his eyes, "The cutting stopped because I thought she loved me…" He sighs. "But she tells me not to fall in love with her, and when she really rejected me, I started to cut again…" He rolls up his sleeve and shows them her name carved into his skin.
The girls gasp and Neji furrows his brows. Shikamaru frowns deeply. And Gaara closes his eyes, not wanting to think of Sakura's condition, of what she thought when she saw this.
Ino shakily reached out and held two of his fingers, "Don't… don't do that!" a few tears sprouted. Hinata nodded adding, "That's not good!" Tenten sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve.
Sasuke put his head in his hands, shaking, "I want to stop. I need to stop. I need to stop for her to love me. I love her so… so much."
There was an eerie silence and everyone just kind of drowned in their own pity. Suddenly, everyone's phones rang at once, minus Shikamaru.
They all jumped, knowing who it was and the urgency of it. After about a minute of reading it and replying, they looked up and all realize that the cafeteria is empty. They laugh uneasily, but make no move to get up, except Sasuke.
He stands up and says, "Uh, I'm going to go to class, later." He walks away, leaving the room.
Everyone there looks at Gaara, Naruto and Hinata and say, "What does Sakura want you to tell us?"
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Sasuke was out in the hallway, looking at the message Sakura sent.
Sakura: YO! That's enough group talk in the cafeteria! Get your ass back to class! Your tardy is dismissed, and maybe, tomorrow we could all start a group session tomorrow, okay? I'll be there in the morning though. Just for you, kid!
He text her a quick reply, and their little conversation went on and on.
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Naruto, Hinata, and Gaara read their texts from Sakura again. Not believing what it said.
Sakura: Hey, I know you guys have been talking about your problems with everyone, I know that you all know now.
They looked at each other, all eyes not believing still. Hinata quivered a little, squeezing Naruto's hand tighter. He smiled sadly and looked down. Gaara was looking straight through everything.
Ino looked at them and asked, "What does she want you to tell us?"
Naruto cleared his throat and began to mumble, "Alright guys… The truth is… She's going to die."
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The rest of the people at the table stared at their phones, minus Shikamaru again, and read the message from Sakura, they were all the same.
Sakura: YO! Group sessions, without me? That's okay, maybe we'll do a group session like this again tomorrow, okay? Right now, the lunch room is empty, but I freed you from your next class, alright? I want you guys to know something, go ask Hinata, Naruto, and Gaara. Brace yourselves. And, please, please, do NOT tell Sasuke.
Ino looked up from her phone and to the sad looking people and asked, "What does she want you to tell us?"
Naruto cleared his throat, his face looking very pale suddenly, and mumbled, "Alright guys… the truth is… Sakura's going to die."
Everyone was kind of still. No one moved, no one breathed. It felt like a lie, but, it wasn't. Naruto doesn't lie.
Tenten shook her head, her bangs whipping her face, "No, no, no, this can't be true."
Hinata, her feeble voice barely above a hushed whisper, "It… it is the truth. Sakura-chan… is… dying."
Neji looked at Hinata, as if he was reading her soul, her thoughts with his piercing eyes and stated blandly, "She's not lying."
Ino put on a mad face and glared, she didn't understand what anyone was saying. "Sakura is going to what?"
Naruto began to get angry he slammed a fist on the table and hissed, "Sakura's is going to die!" he leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes, "I don't want to say it anymore…"
Tenten looked down, "But… Sakura's perfectly healthy… it's got to be a lie, she so… she's so full of life!"
Gaara spoke up and snickered, "That's what you think."
Ino felt a sting in her eyes again and frowned, "How long have you known?"
Gaara didn't move, and didn't show any emotions as he said, "Since last year."
Hinata mumbled, "A couple days."
Ino also felt her stomach churn and she looked down, slowly moving out of Shikamaru's arms. "Why didn't she tell us before?"
Naruto simply said, "She didn't think she'd get that attached to us."
Shikamaru furrowed his brows, confused with everything, but still understanding. What was going on with everyone while I was gone?
Neji stared hard at the table. "This isn't right. Do you know why she's dying?"
Naruto and Hinata shook their heads but, Gaara stiffened noticeably. He mumbled, "She didn't tell me all the details, but she said that because committed suicide so many times that her body is going to shut down all at once. She experiences fainting spells and sometimes is weak enough to miss school, like today."
Naruto looked at him, eyes hard, "Shut down? Like drop dead?"
Gaara shrugged and muttered, "I don't know exactly, but that's just what she told me. She doesn't really like to talk about herself."
Ino laughed, "Chyeah, I noticed."
Shikamaru slowly voiced his thoughts and said, "How… How did all this happen?"
Everybody just kind of got quiet and Ino looked down, "I guess this is kind of my fault. But, I didn't love Sasuke, what else was I supposed to do?" She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing her makeup more. She didn't bother to fix it.
Naruto stood up slowly, wobbly at first, pulling up Hinata along with him. "Well, there's not much we can do, all we can do though, is wait for her to tell us when she wants to." He began to walk away saying, "You know Sakura, she's a odd girl. Popping out of nowhere."
He and Hinata left the cafeteria.
In sync everyone else stood up, mumbling good byes and agreeing with what Naruto said. They couldn't really do anything anyway, but wait.
Gaara hung in the back of the group thinking about Sakura. She finally decided to tell people, but not the right person. What is she thinking, he thought. Gaara tried to brush it off, but then he thought what life would be like if Sakura died.
It'd be like the sun not shining.
Gaara felt a tinge in his heart suddenly, realizing that his best friend is fading… He clutched his chest and shook his head, "She's fine." He mumbled to himself.
She's… she's going to be alright.
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Sakura laid back in her bed, taking a break from texting. Her heart was beating at a shallow pace.
She looked at her table, her razor blade gone, under the bed, so she wouldn't see it anymore. Though she can stand the temptations, she'd rather not fan the fire.
I… I almost feel pity for myself. She laughed bitterly, I'm dying. I should feel pity for myself. But… but, I have to stay positive!
She smiled, "Yes, be optimistic. Everything is going to be alright… Everything is going to be… alright…" she felt hot tears streak down her cheeks, almost burning her.
She didn't make noise, the tears just fell. She didn't want to cry, she wanted to be strong. She wanted to feel like she was in control, not her stupid organs that were shutting down. Not her past temptations. She wanted to be strong, to put on a brave face, to be happy.
She didn't want to die.
She hugged herself, feeling cold suddenly. She crawled under her blankets, shivering violently. The tears stopped, but her cheeks were wet. She sniffled loudly.
"I… I'm going to die."
There was no fighting it, at that point, she felt her eyes drop. Sleep?
Her phone rang then, jolting her up. She flipped it open, reading the message.
Gaara: Sakura. I know you're be alright.
She smiled, and then her phone was flooded with messages again. She read them all, with care. Each one of them had encouraging words from everybody, they all comforted her with out sounding drowned with pity.
Sakura didn't reply, but thanked them all in her head. A smile was gracing her lips and her soul was at ease.
She burrowed under the blankets and fell asleep.
Life... life really is beautiful.
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WHOO! I updated! Hah, did I say one week vacation? Heh, I was joking! Anyway, sorry for the lateness, I suck at updating, as you know… Oh well! Here it is, hoped you liked it.
I'll try updating sooner…? Yeah, keyword: try.
Review please?
Love,
Blankdreamer