isclaimer/ No, I do not own Naruto and I never will. Go ahead and be mean about it.
AN/I think I should just warn you now. All of these Sakura pairings are going to be pretty high up there on the crack scale. Aside from the eventual Naruto and Kiba. I really love crack. Sue me. A good dosage of Sakura crack is good for you. I'm sure of it.
Dedication:
Please review, flames are welcome.Really...I do not care.
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Antony and Cleopatra
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In nature's infinite book of secrecy
A little I can read. Soothsayer,
scene ii
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Sakura winced, watching the tiny bubble of blood soak through the hole in her skin that was made when she stabbed herself with a needle. Not wanting any of the blood to fall on her shirt, she stuck the finger in her mouth and sucked.
She could have avoided all of this if she just bought pants that would fit her instead of pants that were two sizes too. she didn't like having to purchase cloths too big, hem them up, and then let the hems out a year later, but she couldn't really afford new cloths every year.
And with the bullying, she was saddened to say that there were a few outfits that were damaged beyond salvation. Those few beyond repair needed to be replaced.
Sakura frowned, tasting the metallic flavor her blood possessed. There was a lot more than there should have been for a pin prick. At least she would be able to use these pants, finally.
It's not like her parent's weren't that well off or anything. Both her mom and dad worked most full time, Her mom as a real estate agent and her dad as a bartender/partial owner of a Club that opened for drunks down the street. You would think they would be better off than most, but the truth is they had a lot of debts from their dead uncle and her biological mother.
Yes, the woman Sakura lives with is not the one who gave birth to her sixteen years ago. Her first mother left after six years on the account that her husband had multiple affairs and abused her. She filed for custody of their daughter, but without a collage degree or any means to support herself, the court gave custody to her father.
A month later her father remarried a woman that was a regular at his place, leaving Sakura in the care of his parents for four months as he spent time on his honeymoon with his new wife. Sakura learned from her grand-pop that this was the forth wife for his son. The only reason the grandparents kept in touch was because they though the man had changed after having Sakura.
Most of their income goes to booze and smokes and other bad things that Sakura doesn't need to know about.
Her dad has affairs regularly even though his wife knows about it and spends a lot of money on those girls. Sakura's mom is the same way, playing with younger guys with the knowledge of her husband. A long time ago the must have made some sort of agreement since they're both okay with it.
Growing up, it was like living with ghosts. They were there, but never for her. At least he didn't beat her like he used to. Now the beatings were only verbal, nothing more. Still they hurt.
She took up ballet when she was younger to give her something to do...an excuse not to go home. This was with the money her father and step-mom spared for things like cloths and toothpaste. Sakura was mildly sure they were aware with where her money was going, but refused to care.
This was a good thing.
She needed ballet and dance. Soon it became an obsession for in all forms. Ballet, ballroom, street...just to let her emotions out and let loose for once was a relief. She need it.
That was the reason people like her teacher saw a difference in her movements, even though the steps were the same as anyone's. There were feelings and emotions that couldn't be expressed any other way.Her lips couldn't move on their own and say what needed to be said, so her body did that.
The sound of class crashing down startled her out of her musings and made her heart pump blood through her body twice as fast. Dad was home early. Saturdays he worked all day, but it was only 5:00 and she heard him throwing a temper tantrum downstairs.
His wife wasn't home to take up his attention, and just like a little child, someone always needed to be there for him when he was like this. It was only a matter of time before her called her name, screamed at the walls because she wouldn't come down, and then run up to her room to discipline her for his disobedient behavior with words that hurt more than shards of glass ever could.
'No, no, no, no, not tonight dad.'
A tapping sound from behind made her flinch and gasp as if she were having a heart attack. Considering the fear that was filtering through her body, it probably was a heart attack.
The face at her window smiled, seeing her frightened expression.
'What is he doing home so early?'
Quickly, she stumbled to her feet and ran over to the window, fumbling with the lock for a moment before it gave way and opened for her friend to climb through with ease. It never ceased to surprise her how nimble he could be, considering how large he was.
"What are you doing here so early Juugo?"
"I'm hear to rescue you."
Sakura made a face, causing her male friend to snicker. "From what?"
"My boss."
A crash resembling the shattering of a glass beer bottle echoed up the stairwell, warning Sakura of the approaching danger that was trying to make his way up the flight of stairs. Thankfully this usually took him a while.
'That's right, Juugo works for my dad at the bar...'
"Well, aren't you going to come with me?" he asked, his hand stretched out towards her, palm face up. His face displayed hopefulness and his eyes seemed to glow with it. He knew what would happen to her if he didn't help her now.
Sakura nodded, her head bobbing down ever so slowly as she stepped forward and took his hand, following him out her window, onto the roof and down the large oak tree out front. Once on the ground, he dragged her by the hand over the low fence that separated their homes, laughing as she had trouble jumping while holding his hand.
"You're so cute when you look like that. Almost like a little lamb."
"S-shut up and keep moving," Sakura snapped in a sour tone with red on her cheeks from embarrassment. She and Juugo had been friends forever, so she knew he wouldn't take offense at something so little.
"Hai, Hai, Hai, missy," he laughed in reply, dragging him to the other side of his house. The back door was unlocked, waiting for them.
"And don't call me that, you know how much I hate it. You're like three years older than me," she mumbled following him inside, kicking her slippers off at the doorway. She would have to buy a new pair since these were ruined from running around outside. It was a shame too, since she really liked these.
"Two years and three months," he corrected.
Sakura rolled her eyes, following home out of the kitchen and into the living room.
"You want something to drink. I swear I don't have booze in this house. Just tea and milk."
Sakura gave him a look that made him nervous, knowing he hid a small amout of rum in the back of his pantry from the bar he worked at with her father. "No thanks, I'm good with water. You can keep your rum."
"I said I don't have any of that!" he whined, turning a deep shade of red, making Sakura laugh. He reminded her of a young boy who was trying to convince his friend he really didn't have a crush on that girl in the back of the class. He was always so much fun to tease.
Sakura fell back into his couch and pulled her legs underneath her, feeling more at home than in her own house. "You haven't changed so much, even though we've known each other since we were kids. You're still so shy. I don't see you acting that way when you're with the customers. Even the pretty ones."
"The pretty ones are scary. It's better to leave them to someone like Zabuza san. IS he still working part time at your school for their swim team?" Juggo reappeared with a cup of water for her and a mug of milk for himself.
"Yeah. How often does he come into work at the hole?"
"Every other day."
Sakura sipped her drink, smiling at how her friend looked so much like a child with a mustache of milk sticking to his skin. He caught her giggling and quickly wiped away the evidence, blushing furiously. It was then when she started to laugh out loud.
"Please Sakura, stop treating me so much like a kid. You act as if you only see me as a seven year old," he whined, his blush cooling down to a light pink, refusing to disappear completely in her presence.
Though he would never let it leak out to anyone other than his journal, (it's not a diary!), he really wished Sakura could see him as the older man he really was. For some reason he kept acting like a clumsy kid in front of her. He didn't want that. He wanted her to see him for the age he really was. A young man that could date and take care of her. He wanted her to see him, not as the childlike friend she always did, but as the man he could be for her.
"I'm sorry, but you were too cute." She spilled tapping a corner of her lips. "You missed a spot."
"Gosh, you act just like a mother hen."
"I'll take that as a complement then."
Juugo's mom was a nurse at the hospital that spent most of her free time with potential husbands so she was never really home. Ever since Juugo's father died six years ago, she's been a workaholic, finding the presence of her son too painful a reminder of what she lost.
That was around the time they met. It was a few weeks after the funeral Sakura ran into him, his nose buried deep in the pages of a history book on ancient Rome. It was his only escape. He loved to escape.
"Do you remember when we met?"
Juugo smiled, nodding as the memory resurfaced.
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Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety; other women cloy
The appetites they feed; but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies: for vilest things
Become themselves in her, that the holy priests
Bless her when she is riggish.
Enobarbus, scene ii
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"What are you reading?"
The young boy who stood taller than any boy his age should looked up, a bit frightened. "A...a-a-a a book."
The young girl gave him a weird look, but nodded in acknowledgment. "On Rome?"
Juugo looked down at his sneakers, blushing at the unwanted attention. He pulled his book up higher and hid his face behind it, hoping she would go away if he couldn't see her. "Yeah..."
"It's about Mark Antony."
He look up, sparing only a peep over the binding. "Yeeessssss."
"Do you like Mark Anthony? He's not all that great, you know," she commented with the air of someone older than she should have been. Seriously, how did she even know about this guy at her age? Wasn't she suppose to be into dolls and pony rides?
"Why do you say that? He was a good guy!"
"No he wasn't!"
"Yes he was!"
"Nuuh."
Who did she think she was? Who was she to insult his hero? "...What do you know? You're just a little girl."
"You're just a little boy," she pointed out, flicking her finger in his direction. She seemed arrogant for such a small girl.
Juugo reddened, a bit embarrassed. He was not being one to talk back by nature, though there is always a first. "Yeah, but I'm two years older then you. I know because my dad knows your dad. I should know cause my mom knows your dad. I'm older, and so, you must respect your elders, meaning you must respect me."
Sakura glared hard. "No."
"Well...cleopatra was a bad person too!" Her eyes widened and then narrowed instantly at his words. As soon as those hardened emeralds locked onto his own orbs, he was regretting his words with gusto. "S-s-sorry..."
The young Sakura sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Why are you apologizing to me? It's true she did have an affair with Caesar and then one with Anthony, even though she was like, suppose to be married to her brother or something like that. You shouldn't take back what you say when you mean it. You'll only be lying to yourself if you try to please everyone like that, so don't apologize."
He looked down, blushing a bit. "Sorry."
"What did I just tell you? You shouldn't lie to yourself just to be polite," she snapped, her hands falling to her hips.
He put his book down, exposing the rest of his flustered face. "I'm not lying. I'm sorry I argued with you, even though I was just saying what I though. I should have communicated in a nicer way. I'm sorry for being rude, but I'm not sorry for saying what I did. Is...that okay?"
Sakura sighed, bopping him softly on the head with the spine of her book. "Baka, you don't say something like that and then ask if it's okay. You do it and believe in what you're doing. Remember than, okay?"
Juugo looked up, a bit surprised to see what she was reading. "Isn't Shakespeare a bit advanced for you?"
"No way, this is one of my Nana's books. She loves Shakespeare and she reds them to me all the time. Last week I read Beowulf, if that means anything to you. Daddy doesn't care. He never pays attention to what I read. But this book is Antony and Cleopatra, that's how I know so much about the guy."
A kind looking woman called out to her son, surprised to see him with the daughter of her husbands friend. She was still dressed in black from the funeral, but she looked like she was handling the death well. She was probably one of those people who would always be at this happy/sad state in their life. They act happy and say they're happy, but there's always a sadness in the back of their minds they don't know about.
"Baby, you wanna come in from some milk and cookie?" She turned to look at Sakura. "You're welcomed to join us as well, if you wish."
Sakura nodded, looking over at Juugo, as if asking permission. He smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her along into the kitchen that was void of mourners, present to express their sympathies for the loss.
His mom poured Juugo and his friend a glass of cold milk, setting out a plate of cookies a friend had brought over. Sakura took a cookie and began to nibble on it, eating it ever so slowly. The orange haired boy stuffed two in his mouth at once, before taking a large gulp of his milk. When he brought the cup away from his lips he was surprised to see the girl named Sakura giggling.
"What's so funny?"
"No-nothing."
"You're laughing at me! What's wrong?"
She giggled some more behind the palm of her hand. "You have a milk mustache."
He felt his face grow hot as he hurried to wipe it away. "That's nothing to laugh about!" he said, but he was thinking something along the lines of how much he liked to hear her laugh.
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O, wither'd is the garland of the war!
The soldier's pole is fall'n; young boys and girls
Are level now with men; the odds is gone,
And there is nothing left remarkable
Beneath the visiting moon.
Cleopatra, scene xv
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"Yeah, we haven't changed so much from back then."
Juugo frowned, failing to see any joy in that bittersweet smile of hers. "Is that a good thing?"
Sakura looked down at the empty glass of water in her hands, staring at the tiny droplets that clung to the edges. "I don't know. Back then...there was a lot of stuff going on that I didn't know about. I want to go back to not knowing, to being blissfully unaware."
Juugo leaned back in the chair that sat across from her, a hurt expression coming over him. He knew what she had to live with when she went home and when she went to school even. He did work for her dad and he used to go to the high school she's attending right now. For someone like her, so quiet and shy in front of strangers...it must be hard to get up each and every morning.
"Sakura..."
"I'm not finished. While I do wish to go back to not knowing, to being blissfully unaware, it's not so bad now that I have friends to lean on." She turned towards him and smiled in thanks. That shy, sweet, smile only she could make. "Did I ever say thank you?"
He nodded, his heart dropping and flying at the same time as he watched her eyes relive memories. "I think so."
"Just in case, thanks. Thanks for rescuing me. Thanks for protecting me and thanks for being my friend."
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Come, thou mortal wretch,
With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate
Of life at once untie. Poor venomous fool,
Be angry and dispatch. O couldst thou speak,
That I might hear thee call great Caesar ass
Unpolicied!
Cleopatra, scene ii
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Ja ne
Vesper chan