Since she and Meister had just destroyed their tournament opponents and Meister had already signed off for the night, Sakura was just about to shut her laptop in response when a message flashed on her dash. The sender made her smile,
"Sakura-chan, are you done? I'm about to turn off the lights." Temari yawned and stretched as she got up from her computer.
"Go ahead; I'll just be a few more minutes."
"Don't you have an interview tomorrow? Don't sleep too late."
"Yes mother." Sakura rolled her eyes as she started to respond to the rapid-fire messages.
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Sakura Sakura Sakura!
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Hey CL~ ^_^
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: I watched your quarter-final match!
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: You guys kicked ***!
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Oops
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: hahaha
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: you should have told me you were watching!
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: I'd've gotten you tickets
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: It's okay, I didn't know if I'd have time to watch
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Exams =.=
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Already?
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Semester's not done for another few weeks
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: I have a lot of in-class ones
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Ahh okay
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: I was worried we weren't friends anymore after the whole clan thing
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Nah
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: I mean, I want you to come back, but I understand why you don't
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: the UWUs are SOOOOOOOOO annoying
Sakura sighed in relief. While she'd never met CL in person, she considered the other girl a good friend after all this time. CL seemed as carefree as always, although it was uncharacteristic of her to complain.
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: they're SO annoying
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: If Anko and the other old-timers weren't there, I'd leave too
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: I don't like what Ebisu's doing to the clan
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Oof :/
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: He passed up Anko for WL, even though she's the best out of everyone left
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: At least SHE's trained Taijutsu, and strong
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Who's he trying to give it to?
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: He's trying to give it to Kasumi
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Old-timers aren't happy about it, but...
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Did you guys change clan halls?
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: No, he's just trying to impress her
Sakura raised an eyebrow at the screen. Isn't the entire UWU family genjutsu mains? How in the world does Ebisu expect her to use a Taijutsu War Leader boost in Clan fights? He must have some faith in her ability to direct players then.
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: He didn't even offer it to you?
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: You're the next best Taijutsu user in the clan
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Nope
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Some of the old-timers are protesting, but there are more UWU fan club groupies arguing that we should "give her a chance"
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Idiots
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: They really want to give her a chance while all of our clan bonuses are on the line
Sakura frowned. Fan club members? What in the world do they have fan club members for? Then she remembered that Server Angel contest, where players had cosplayed IRL as their avatars, and Ami had won the most beautiful title. Well, to each their own, I guess.
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: :|
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: It's probably a good thing you're not involved anymore.
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: ESPECIALLY after the way your hubby destroyed him in your matchup
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: I heard about the harem no Jutsu!
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Yeah that was funny :)
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Anko sent me a screenshot
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: MAN I'm kind of sad we didn't get to see a final matchup
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Although having seen you two now, I don't know if Ebisu and Anko would've stood a shot
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Hahaha well I kind of wish I'd gotten to smash Ebisu's smarmy face
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: His avatar is smarmy, isn't he?
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: How's Anko doing?
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: I keep meaning to reach out to her, but she's had her messages off for a while and I've been busy with end of term
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: She's… okay
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Her messages are off because the UWU family groupies were harassing her for a bit, because she spoke up against Ami and Kasumi about the way they talked about you
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: She never changes
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: I hope it gets better
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: I was afraid this whole thing was going to make her quit the game for good
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: But she's still playing, almost like she's trying to spite Ebisu
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Sometimes I think the only reason Ebisu doesn't kick her out is so she can't come back and PVP challenge him to death.
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: She's having a hard time with the clan, though
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Most people don't recognize her as the clan founder any more, and she and Ebisu are equal on paper
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Plus we've gotten more and more UWU family fans
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Because apparently UWUAmi's IRL face is just that attractive
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: That freaking Server Angel contest
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Don't forget to reach out to her again, okay?
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: When she's feeling better
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Yeah I will
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: I'll have a bit of a breather after semis and finals next week
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Good luck!
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: I hope I'll make it out to watch
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: In the meantime, however, I gotta get back to work
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: TTYL?
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: ofc ^_^
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Good night
(＠＾◡＾)(＾◡＾＠)
Another day, another phone call. Sai fought the urge to yawn. I can't handle more nagging about sounding tired. This girlfriend thing seems to be more trouble than it's worth.
"I can't believe they're in the finals now!" He winced a little when her voice reached a fever pitch.
"So what? It doesn't affect us at all. Don't think too much about it."
"I know you're right, Honey. It's just…"
"Just what?"
"I feel so dumb because we ran away in the first match. Kasumi was saying that you might regret breaking up with SakuraBlossom for me."
"How could you even say that? You know I love you, baby." So tiresome.
"I know that. But …"
"But what?" Just spit it out already.
"She's worried about the state of our relationship. Can we take them out to Brunch next weekend? Just to show them everything's okay. I know it's troublesome but she's my best friend, she's just looking out for me."
"Of course. Anytime. We can even take them to the new place near the university that you've been talking about."
"Really?! But it's so expensive!"
"Anything for you." To stop bothering me.
"You sure you're not too busy with work?"
"I'll only be able to join you for brunch. But you can take my card and treat them to a shopping spree, on me." That might get you to leave me alone long enough to get that proposal done.
"Thanks, honey, you're the best! I'm going to call Kasumi right now and let her know. Bye! Love you."
"Bye. Love you too." Sai breathed a sigh of relief as the line went dead in his ear. While he knew this shopping spree was going to cost them dearly, he desperately needed these moments of peace as he went back to ROOT's proposal for Way of the Ninja 2.
Just one quiet weekend, that's all I ask for...
(￣ ￣|||)
[Party] OldRamenMan: WHOO HOO!
[Party] OldRamenMan: FINALS BABY
[Party] SharpandPointy: YAY!
[Party] Tournesola: Congratulations!
[Party] RollOutBoy: Knew you could do it
[Party] Beowulf69: So did this ***hole
[Party] Beowulf69: He worked us like dogs to get the proposal done before today
[Party] Beowulf69: I'm so tired
[Party] Sm1rkMeister: Stop complaining
[Party] Beowulf69: I'm allowed to complain, the thing's not due for another week!
"You know we had to get something done to show Uchiha Corp, right? That meeting's tomorrow," Chouji raised his eyebrows at Kiba, who'd been complaining.
"I know. I'm just to make this asshole look bad in front of his wife," Kiba grinned evilly. He laughed as he ducked the ball of paper Sasuke threw at his head.
"Not this asshole; SakuraBlossom'll let him get away with murder," Naruto muttered.
[Party] SakuraBlossom: I'm sure Meister wouldn't torture you for no reason
[Party] Beowulf69: YO
[Party] OldRamenMan: HE DOES
[Party] Beowulf69: HE TOTALLY WOULD
[Party] RollOutBoy: ... actually they're right 3SIL
[Party] SakuraBlossom: …
[Party] OldRamenMan: One time in first year we did an assignment together
[Party] OldRamenMan: this ASSHOLE
[Party] OldRamenMan: Made me do it a week early
[Party] OldRamenMan: a WEEK
[Party] OldRamenMan: I PULLED AN ALL-NIGHTER
[Party] OldRamenMan: AND THEN
[Party] OldRamenMan: HE REDID THE WHOLE THING
[Party] Beowulf69: You should've checked the deadline yourself
[Party] Beowulf69: And you kept us all up night you were being so loud
[Party] Beowulf69: you didn't even know the difference between = and ==
[Party] Sm1rkMeister: don't tell people you're a cs major
[Party] OldRamenMan: …
Naruto complained. "Oi, Kiba! I thought you were on my side!" The tips of his ears were slightly red.
[Party] SharpandPointy: You guys are cs majors?
[Party] SharpandPointy: and roommates?
[Party] SharpandPointy: Oooh what a coincidence!
Tenten felt a light kick at her ankle as soon as the chat line slipped out. She turned to Hinata, astonished to see the normally shy girl pointedly staring. Tenten scratched her head. "What?"
"S-Sakura-chan doesn't like giving out personal details in-game, remember?" Hinata whispered, glancing over at Sakura who was still looking at her screen.
"It's okay," Sakura said, waving them off, "I'm probably going to ask Meister if he wants to meet up after the tournament."
She tried to type out a casual invitation in chat, but deleted it on second read. Way too awkward. Argh, stop overthinking this, Sakura-chan. You're just asking him to meet up, not get married or anything like that.
She looked up when she realized no one had said anything while she'd been agonizing over her keyboard. Hinata and Tenten were staring at her, both with mouths agape. The looks on their faces made her squirm.
"What?" She demanded, "It's not that weird of an idea."
Tenten's mouth moved soundlessly a few times until she finally said, "Who are you, and what have you done with Sakura-chan?"
"Tenten!"
"You're the one who wouldn't even give us your first name until we arrived on campus, even though we were going to be living together! I spent most of that summer talking to a S. Haruno!" Tenten exclaimed. Hinata nodded emphatically in the background.
"You can do a lot with someone's first name," Sakura brushed it off, "This kind of stuff isn't that big of a deal. Anyways, we'll see how the tournament goes. I'll ask him afterwards."
"D-Do you really like him, Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked, quietly watching the other girl's reaction.
Sakura's face turned a bright tomato red in an instant, "NO! I-I just think we get along really well and it'd be a pity to let this relationship disappear into the internet but he's really busy and…."
All-knowing grins slowly appear on both Hinata and Tenten's faces, and she covered her own once she felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She wasn't about to admit to either of them that she'd been trying to work up the nerve to ask him to meet up in IRL for the last month. She'd just kept moving the goalposts further and further back.
Tenten playfully elbowed her in the ribs."You really like him, eh Sakura-chan?"
"No!
The look on both Hinata and Tenten's faces read disbelief.
Sakura groaned and put her head on her desk. "Maybe. I don't know!"
"Alright, alright, alright. We'll leave you alone. Your hubby's about to log off, you better say good night."
[Party] OldRamenMan: heyyyyyyyyyyyy
[Party] OldRamenMan: You still there?
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: is everything ok?
[Party] Beowulf69: We gotta go, still some work to do
[Party] Beowulf69: give us a shout if you're still alive
[Party] RollOutBoy: 3SIL? Sola? Sharp?
[Party] Beowulf69: give us a shout if you're not alive?
[Party] SharpandPointy: we're still here!
[Party] SharpandPointy: Sorry, girl talk
[Party] SharpandPointy: byeeeeeeeeeeeeee
[Party] Tournesola: Goodbye
Sakura was about to try to find the right words to bring up meeting up in their couple chat when her hands paused over the keyboard. Wouldn't it seem too casual if I just asked him to meet IRL now? No, it would seem too rude, and he's in a rush. We'll have time after the tournament. She deleted the line she'd typed into the chatbox and responded casually instead.
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: I'm okay, we were just distracted
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: Good luck with your work!
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: See you tomorrow?
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: Mm
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: We might cut it a bit close to 8
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: Business meeting
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: Roger that
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: Good luck with your meeting~
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: thanks
[Party] SakuraBlossom: See you guys!
"Sakura-chan, stop pining after your hubby already," Tenten teased. She and Hinata had long logged off, and they were already spreading their homework across the table.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Stop calling him my hubby!"
"If you're thinking about meeting him in real life, he's earned that title!"
"WHAT?!"
All three of them jumped as the door was thrown open to a loud shriek. There Temari stood, agape with shock. "Run that one by me again?!"
"S-Sakura-chan's thinking about asking her in-game husband to meet up in person," Hinata volunteered. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her giggles.
"Sakura-chan? Ms. Anal about cyber privacy? Miss, there is no way I will mix my online life with my real life? That Sakura-chan? She's going to ask someone else to meet up in real life?"
Temari strode right over to Sakura, pulled her up and out of her seat, and gave her a thorough once over. Then she dropped her bag and turned to look at the other two, "Did her body get snatched or something?"
"Temari-chan!" Sakura blushed and sat back down in her chair, arms crossed defensively. "I haven't asked or anything. I was thinking about asking him after the finals tomorrow."
"Oh? You're almost done with that tournament?"
"Yep. Just one more match tomorrow at 8."
Temari's eyes lit up."Do you have any pre-match prep to do?"
"No.." an ominous feeling rose in the pit of Sakura's stomach.
"You know what that means?" She seized Sakura's hand and shook her vigorously, "We can go shopping tomorrow!"
"Th-That sounds like fun," Hinata smiled.
"I'm down!" Tenten shot her hand up in excitement.
"I'm broke though!" Sakura protested
Temari wasn't backing down, though. "You can browse!"
"B-But-"
Temari cut her off before Sakura could come up with any more excuses, "No buts! I have been dying to drag you all shopping ALL semester and now that your tournament's over we FINALLY have some time. And don't even get started with your schoolwork, missy! We both know you've done it, and your internship apps are up to date. You're way ahead of everyone else in our year for studying for finals. AND you have no pre-match prep. Come on, Sakura-chan! Let's go!"
Sakura wanted to come up with another reason, but Temari had destroyed her every excuse. Still, her reluctance must have shown on her face, because Temari brought out the big guns.
"Remember, Sakura-chan, you promised me!" Temari's puppy dog eyes stabbed her with guilt.
With a sigh of defeat, Sakura capitulated. "Fine, we can go shopping tomorrow! But I have to be back in the dorm by 7:30!"
"No problem!" Temari's grin spread
"And I'm definitely not trying anything on" Sakura eyed her doubtfully.
"What?!" Temari protested, "Oh come on, Sakura-chan! Trying on isn't buying!"
"I'm still broke!"
"Fine, fine," Temari rolled her eyes. Sakura nodded, satisfied, but only Tenten and Hinata could see the fingers Temari had crossed behind her back.
(≧◡≦)(^◡^)(^◡^)(⇀‸↼‶)
The next day, the four of them made their way to the dining district in Konohagakure, where trendy bistros spilled out into the streets, sitting cheek to jowl with street stands and their plastic fold up tables and chairs. On corner stones, maitre d's with a towel draped over their arm greeted smiling patrons behind a glass door, and on upper levels old-fashioned bars and karaoke joints lay dim behind glowing neon lights. Ambient music coming from open doors mixed with the sizzle of grills and the clatter of utensil and laughter in many languages in a cheerful cacophony that hung in the sultry late spring air.
Loaded with bags and parcels, Sakura glowered at her friends.
"I told you I wasn't going to try anything on!"
Tenten, Hinata, and Temari all looked at each other, then burst out laughing.
"S-Sorry, Sakura-chan, but that dress really did look good on you."
Remembering the dress, Sakura's face turned bright red.
"You should've seen the look on the shop owner's face when you stepped out of the changing room!" Temari snorted, wiping at her eyes, "I've never seen anyone go from ecstasy to outraged so quickly before. That lady was about to offer you a modelling contract until you opened your mouth and said -"
"Why is this dress so indecent?" Tenten mimicked Sakura's frown, then howled with laughter. "Indecent?!"
"It was!" Sakura protested.
"It's a red sheath dress with a keyhole collar! It's a perfectly normal dress."
"Or, as the shop owner said," Tenten straightened out her face and put her best stuck up matron face, "Our dress is perfectly decent, it's your figure that's indecent!" The imitations sent the three of them into another fit of giggles.
"Alright!" Temari finally coughed and pulled herself together, "It was my fault, sorry Sakura-chan. Since I didn't buy anything at that last place and made Sakura-chan try on the dress, I'll take the money I saved and treat you all to dinner. Let's go somewhere we can sit down."
Sakura pouted, but her facade cracked when a wide grin spread across her wings as she declared, "I want a whole plate of chicken wings, all to myself!"
Temari snorted. "Fine. Keep your chicken wings, I need to lose weight anyways. Let's go!"
"Where are we going, anyways?" Sakura asked as she looked around casually. She never heard the answer, though, when she saw who was coming out from one of the most exclusive spots in the district.
Uchiha-senpai!
He stood out like a shining god walking amongst mere mortals in his business suit, although Sakura recognized one of the other men as another upper-year CS student she'd seen around campus. There was also a tall, older man with very pale skin and a sharp grin that he directed at Uchiha, as he nudged him none too gently with his elbow.
Uchiha-senpai didn't even blink as he made to hold the door leading to the swanky bar upstairs, conveniently dodging the other man's blow while putting the blond senpai in the line of fire. The blond man doubled over from the impact, causing the others to laugh at him. Even Uchiha-senpai had a tiny grin on his face.
He's so handsome when he smiles! Ahhhhhhhh! Sakura's eardrums nearly blew out from her internal screaming. She engraved every detail into her memory as she watched her idol do something as simple as hold the door open for his companions, one hand in his pocket and with a small smirk on his face. His hands! Shannaro! I want to be that door handle right now! Thank you to whoever put this man on this earth!
"I think he broke her."
"Sakura-chan! Snap out of it already!"
"I-Is she okay?"
Sakura finally snapped out of her trance when her eyes could no longer focus thanks to how hard Temari was shaking her, "Stop shaking me already! Geez!"
Tenten grinned nonchalantly, "For a minute there, I thought Uchiha-senpai acknowledging your existence blew up all your brain cells."
"B-but, you... I-I thought you and Meister were… though…" Hinata trailed off uncertainly.
"That's different! I told you, I admire Uchiha-senpai like an untouchable idol. Meister is…" Sakura didn't know how to finish that sentence either.
Wait, what about Meister? Am I… is this disloyal? But we haven't even met in real life yet, and I just admire Uchiha-senpai… like… Like an idol. Not a guy. But Meister… would it bother him? Ah forget about it, let's cross that bridge when we get to it. Anyways, you're one to talk, Sakura, you haven't even asked the guy if he wants to meet up -
"He is…?" Tenten prompted her with sparkly eyes.
"He's different! Anyways we haven't met in person yet, it could just be nothing," Sakura protested. "Where are we eating anyways?"
"Oh, Temari's supposed to choose a place since she's paying," Tenten said as she, Sakura, and Hinata all turned to Temari, who they'd accidentally left behind. She was staring at Sakura with a funny look on her face.
"What's up, Temari-chan?" Sakura prompted.
"Sakura-chan… did… did you not notice that Uchiha-senpai looked at you and nodded at you before he went in?"
In that moment, all the sound in the street was overwhelmed by a single, ear-piercing wail of anguish.
"He did WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
(°ロ°) !
10 minutes my ass! I'm late! I really need to buy my own cellphone, SHANNARO!
Gasping and wheezing, Sakura dashed straight for her computer desk and frantically yanked open her laptop as she crash-landed in her chair. She bit her lip as she willed her client to boot up faster, then had to reenter her password as her haste made her get it wrong the first time. As the game loaded, however, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the computer's.
We still have 10 minutes. I'm only 5 five minutes late.
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: I'm sorry I'm late!
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: I still made it though
[Couple] System: Your spouse is not online and will not receive your messages. Please try again later
Sakura frowned. That's odd, Meister's never been late before.
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Sakura-chan!
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: You're cutting it awfully close
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: hurry up and get to the Arena
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: where's your hubby?
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: He'll be here
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: I hope so!
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Man you guys make me nervous
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Hurry up hurry up!
[Whisper to Chun_Lee] SakuraBlossom: Okay okay
Just five more minutes. He won't let me down. Something must be holding him up.
The door to the dorm flew open again as Tenten and Hinata ran in, panting
"I told you -" Tenten splutter gasped for air, "we wouldn't be late!"
"W-we almost didn't m-make it," Hinata held her side as she opened her laptop, "S-Sakura-chan, it's the same place as last time, right?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah," Sakura looked up, startled.
"I-Is she okay?" Hinata whispered to Tenten.
"Probably just nervous."
"Sh-she wasn't this nervous last time."
"This is the all-server finals, though. It's a much bigger fight. C'mon, let her do whatever PVP champions do to get in the right headspace. We can figure this out for ourselves."
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: Are you there?
[Couple] System: Your spouse is not online and will not receive your messages. Please try again later
He'll be here. I believe in him.
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: I'll wait for you at the arena lobby. See you there! ^^
[Couple] System: Your spouse is not online and will not receive your messages. Please try again later
"Which option do we choose? Do we have tickets?"
"H-Hang on, I think Ramen-san bought them for me last week," Hinata scrolled back through her in-game mail to try and find them. However, when she found the mail the tickets were attached to, she noticed that OldRamenMan's status was still offline. She furrowed her brows. That's odd. Is Ramen-san not coming?
"Ahhh hurry up Hinata-chan! We're going to be late!"
Hinata pushed the thought aside as she quickly forwarded the tickets to Tenten and tried to figure out which of the lobby options were the right ones.
Sakura watched as the pale couple in the lobby with her disappeared into the arena, but when she clicked the button to proceed, she got an error message
[Arena] System: You cannot enter the Arena unless your partner is also in the lobby
[Arena] System: The all-server final first match of the [Celestial Lovers Couples PVP tournament] begins now
[Arena] System: Couples, you have 3 minutes to prepare.
[Arena] DemonAsuraChan: Kick butt Hime-samaaaa
[Arena] ChickenRobeMan: We're rooting for you!
[Arena] SpiralHamura: No one can beat our heavenly pair!
[Arena] MagnosAndSoda: Oh yeah?
[Arena] CandyStr1per: Our reps are better
[Arena] SakiChan: Yeah but they're not here!
[Arena] JizzyLizzy: Where are SakuraBlossom and Sm1rkMeister?
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: Sakura, where are you guys?
[Whisper] Chun_Lee: hurry uppppppppp
[Arena] ForeverA10ne: Is this some kind of psychological tactic?
[Arena] CandyStr1per: If it is, they're cutting it really close
[Arena] GamerMama: Ahhh this is not good for my heart
Sakura watched the timer tick down in the lobby, quivering in anticipation. Any minute, he'd appear in the lobby. He'll make it. I believe in him. He wouldn't leave me like this
[Arena] Ratinger: Give us back our gold
[Arena] ForeverA10ne: Refund Refund Refund
[Arena] YugePen1s: If they were going to drop out, they should've given someone else on our server a chance
[Arena] Chun_Lee: Do you honestly think we would've made it past the all-server prelims if it weren't those two?
[Arena] SharpandPointy: Yeah!
[Arena] SharpandPointy: You guys shut up
[Arena] System: Sm1rkMeister and SakuraBlossom are not in the Arena. They lose the first match of the server finals!
[Arena] System: KaguyaHime and TenjiTennou win!
[Arena] System: Couples, you have 3 minutes to prepare for the second match.
He still has time. He could still come. We could win the last two.
"S-Sakura-chan..."
[Arena] UWUKasumixx: I wonder if we're going to see another divorce?
[Arena] UWUKasumixx: Our server must be cursed
[Arena] UWUFukixx: Nah, just some people can't keep their husbands
[Arena] UWUFukixx: Don't curse the rest of us because some people aren't attractive
[Arena] YugePen1s: This is bull****
[Arena] Ratinger: Refund Refund Refund
[Arena] Nuxalia: what
Sakura didn't even notice Tenten and Hinata silently leave their computers to come over and rub her back in support, nor did she notice her knuckles turning white as she clasped her hands together to hope.
He will come… won't he?
[Arena] System: Sm1rkMeister and SakuraBlossom are not in the Arena. They lose the second match of the server finals!
AN: ...
I try not to do cliffhangers, but alas... welp :) You'll be happy to know Chapter 30 is progressing quite nicely, although I (unlike many of my writer compatriots) have a hard time hurting my characters; so it's taking longer than usual. I hope you're enjoying your summer! For everyone following the drama, yes we have hit the middle of episode 8. Thank you to all the lovely comments I've received since I last posted - I may not reply right away, but I promise I read every single one, grin like an idiot, and roll around giggling in bed. You guys are the best. There will be no Tumblr notes this time - wait till it won't be spoilery and you'll get a flood, I promise. Thanks to Reglee for Betaing, and thank YOU for reading! As always, comments, reviews, kudos, favourites, bookmarks, and funny Tiktok dance compilations all make my day. Stay safe, stay healthy, and see you soon