Dreams are Dreams
Chapter nine
By swt-angel-babi3
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Sakura was lying on her bed flipping through a few magazines. Her hair was tied up into a messy bun with a black hair tie. She heard the stairs creak from the heavy load of whoever was walking up. The footsteps passed her door and faded. Sakura sighed heavily as she hastily flipped another page of her magazine.
The phone rang loudly. Sakura gave a jump in surprise. Bringg. The ringing stopped after one ring. Someone else must have picked it up.
There was a knock on the door, but before Sakura could reply, it swung open. Ten Ten dashed in with a phone. Her hand covered the mouth of the receiver.
"It's a boy Sakura-chan!" exclaimed Ten Ten while giggling.
Sakura told her thanks and toke the phone from her and politely ushered Ten Ten out the door. Ever since the dance the other night, Ten Ten had been awfully happy and bubbly. Not like her at all.
"Moshi Moshi." said Sakura as she answered the phone.
"Hello Sakura." said a deep voice.
Sakura couldn't quite figure out where she had heard this voice before. She didn't say anything.
"It's Aniro." he paused for a while, He again got no reply. "I was your date for the dance the other night."
"Oh!" said Sakura. She had forgotten all about him. The slip of paper with his number in it was starting to collect dust on top her desk. "I remember you!" Sakura closed her eyes from embarrassment after saying that. It even sounded stupid to her ears.
She could hear Aniro chuckle on the other line. "So…" he pondered for a moment. "Are you free tomorrow night?"
"I think so."
"Would you like to go out for dinner then? Just the two of us?"
The image of Sasuke flashed through her mind. A scowl came across Sakura's face as she pushed the thought away. "Sure! That'd be great!" she replied.
"I'll pick you up at eight then." Aniro replied.
"Hai, see you then!"
click
Sakura put down the phone on the desk and flopped down on her bed. She had a date tomorrow night and she had nothing nice to wear. Her first date, mind you. She felt a little nervous even though it was over twenty four hours before her date. The butterflies in her stomach seemed to flutter more with every breath she took.
Her first date! She was so glad that she was away from home. If her mother knew, she'd be right beside her when her date rang the doorbell… be taking pictures… stalking them… asking them hundreds of questions… The embarrassment of the thought made Sakura's cheeks blush a delicate colour of pink.
Hinata was contently sitting on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate cupped around her small hands. She held the mug close to her nose and inhaled the sweet scent. The fireplace was lit, with a large roaring fire. Her pale lavender eyes watched the flames crackle. A certain blond haired boy joyfully sat down beside her, startling her. He too, was holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate.
"Konnichiwa, Hinata-chan!" greeted Naruto, with a pearly white, rather foxy smile on his face. Naruto placed his cup down on a small table beside the snugly couch. Hinata quietly greeted him; the nervousness in her voice was slightly evident. She brushed her shoulder length hair out of her eyes.
Naruto calmed when seeing her serene lavender eyes. 'She's beautiful.' thought Naruto continuously.
Hinata took a small sip of her hot chocolate, not knowing what to do. The palms of her hands felt sweaty. She wiped her hands on her pants. The warm atmosphere seemed to get warmer and warmer by each second. Hinata wished the flames of the fireplace would just die. The heat caused Hinata's face to become slightly flushed.
Naruto's concerned eyes looked over Hinata. "Are you feeling well Hinata-chan? You're face looks flushed."
Naruto raised his hand to feel the temperature on her forehead. Hinata gently pushed his hand away and assured him that she was fine. Naruto looked at her questionably, but dismissed the subject. "Ahh, only eleven days left on this mountain! Then we're home free!" Naruto looked out at the window where the snow fell constantly. He yearned to go back to Konoha. At least it was still warm there.
Naruto's stomach grumbled quietly. The grumbling was only loud enough for him to hear. He ignored the grumbling and suddenly realised that he was very close to Hinata. She was closer than he bargained for. Her head leaned closer to his. Naruto felt a jolt in his stomach as she leaned closer and closer, her eyes closed. He could feel her soft breath on his skin. She was going to kiss him. Naruto closed his eyes, knowing it was rude to keep his eyes open. They're lips were nearly touching.
The door opened with a loud bang, making Naruto and Hinata quickly jump apart. It was Gai who opened the door. He gave them a wink and thumbs up. "Sorry to bother you two." said Gai grinning. He closed the door and heard him say quietly. "Ahh, the wonders of youth love."
Hinata and Naruto felt a blush crawl up their cheeks. "I'm sorry." said Hinata quietly, not looking Naruto in the eye. The usual bubbly optimistic blond looked down at the floor. "It's okay Hinata-chan." he thought hard for a while. Thinking hard, wanting the right words to come out. He didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"The thing is Hinata-chan." he began nervously. "The thing is, I really like you." he blurted out quickly. He instantly regretted saying that. I'm so stupid! Why did I say that?
Hinata smiled her cheeks still red. She felt like she wanted to cry of happiness. He liked her! "I like you too, Naruto-kun." she said, with tears slowly coming down her face.
"Don't cry, Hinata-chan." whispered Naruto.
Ten Ten was with Sakura, helping her rummage through her closet to see if they could find a decent outfit for her to wear tomorrow night. Ten Ten was the one in the closet, going through all Sakura's clothes, meanwhile, Sakura sat on the bed, her face pessimistic. Ten Ten took out an elegant, flowing dark red dress. "This is the one you wore to the dance right?" asked Ten Ten happily.
Sakura mutely nodded. She was barely listening to Ten Ten go on and on about how pretty she looked that night. Deep inside, she knew she didn't really want to go on the date with Aniro. She couldn't forget Sasuke. Even after all those years that she'd given up on him, and after all those years he never acknowledged her. She still felt that way inside.
Ten Ten was still talking; however, Sakura was still off in her deep thoughts. Ten Ten glanced over at Sakura, finally realising that she wasn't listening. "Sakura-chan?" asked Ten Ten softly, while rearranging her closet neatly.
Sakura's head shot up. "Hm?" she asked alertly. "Did I miss something?"
"Umm… no, not really; Ten Ten glanced back at Sakura's closet. "Why don't we just go out and pick out an outfit or something?"
"Like go shopping?" inquired Sakura.
Ten Ten nodded cheerfully. "Where can we go shopping though?" asked Sakura quizzically.
"There's a place I saw the other day when I was with Ne-… when I was walking around the other day." Ten Ten gave a false smile; she almost gave away her secret… Sakura's eyebrows were raised, so she was going out with Neji. She placed the palm of her hand on the soft blanket.
"Sure." Sakura replied slowly, but Ten Ten didn't seem to notice. Ten Ten put Sakura's clothes back into the closet neatly. She put the red dress back on the wooden hanger and gazed over it; remembering the night of the dance.
Ten Ten gave a small smile. "We'll go tomorrow morning then, Sakura-chan." said Ten Ten quietly, while she shut the narrow door quietly behind her. Sakura said bye quietly; turned back to the window she watched the white snow fall down gracefully. She felt guilty for going on a date with Aniro and not Sasuke. Not that Sasuke would notice.
She walked over to the oak desk and picked up a small slip of white paper, which had been beginning to collect dust. It was the paper where Aniro had written his number on just a few days ago. She studied it for a while and placed neatly back on the desk. She walked around the room a few times. She had nothing to do. It was too snowy to ski or snowboard. Everyone was off doing something else. For some, having a good time, and being with someone they cared about. She felt a pang of loneliness in her heart.
She felt she had to get away from here. The lodge was suffocating her. She could hear the muffling and giggling of Ten Ten and Neji in the next room. In only three days, they had already gotten together. At least everyone else was still sane. Sakura picked up her warm black winter coat and her light pink scarf and headed out the door. She quickly went down the stairs, on her way out, she passed the living room. The door was tightly closed. Odd… it's never closed. She could hear someone say softly. "I love you too, Hinata-chaaaan."
No need to figure out who else was with him. Even Naruto loved someone. It's said that the best thing in the world is to be loved and to be loved in return. She obviously hasn't found that yet. She pulled the large front door open. A gust of air blew in, she shivered. The door closed with a click, Sakura took out the key and locked it.
She walked on the snowy trail. The snow was still falling heavily, dotting her pink hair with snow. Another draught of wind blew past, chilling Sakura to her bone. Sakura wasn't going anywhere in particular. Just walking on the trails and enjoying the scenery, while smelling the sweet scent of fresh pine in the air and her thoughts jumbled in her head.
-Later-
Ino rummaged through her suitcase. She knew she left her wallet somewhere. She had made plans to have lunch with Sakura, Ten Ten, and Sakura. It would be an all-girls night. Scratch that; an all-girls luncheon. She continued to search for her wallet. It didn't seem to be in her suitcase. She knew she had it a few days ago. But where had she put it?
The bedroom door slowly opened. A pink haired kunoichi popped her head in, only to find Ino-pig rummage around their room. Not to mention, also delving into Sakura's stuff! "What are you looking for?" asked Sakura, a hint of coldness was plain in her voice. Ino took a few moments to reply to her.
"I'm sorry about the mess, Sakura-chan." said Ino, agitated, still rummaging around. "I'll clean it up later. I promise." She pulled up the skirt of the bed and searched underneath.
"You still didn't answer my first question." pointed out Sakura, perplexedly. She sat down on one of small white stools, waiting for Ino's answer. A beam of sunlight shone onto Sakura's face. She shield her eyes with her pale hand and looked outside. The snow was still coming down lightly.
"Oh… yeah, I'm looking for my wallet. I know I had it the other day, but I just can't find it now!" exclaimed Ino. She thought for a brief minute then continued to look for her wallet. Her eyes skimmed the bland room quickly. Scepticism was evident in her pretty blue eyes. 'How could I lose it!' thought Ino frantically
Sakura glanced at the orange and white clock that hung on the white wall. "We're already late, why don't I just lend you money, and you pay me back later?" asked Sakura, her expression blank.
"Sure." replied Ino. She took her warm powder blue jacket of the hanger and quickly put it on. "Let's go then." she said nonchalantly.
Ino, noticing the deprived expression on Sakura's face, carefully asked. "Are you feeling okay?"
A small, false smile plastered over her face. "Yeah, I'm fine!" as she shrugged of the uneasy feeling from her shoulders.
Ino narrowed her eyes and followed Sakura down the old curved wooden staircase. Soon enough, they were greeted by Ten Ten and Hinata. "Ready?" asked Ten Ten edgily as she brushed her bangs out of her eyes. She looked outside the large window. There was a massive amount of snow on the ground, covering it completely. The trees looked synonymous, covered heavily with snow. She had an infatuation with snow. There was nothing prettier than snow.
"I'm ready." Sakura said as she put on her warm 'uggs'. Hinata gave her a wavering smile and pulled open the heavy wooden door. A ray of sunlight and a cold breeze filled the room.
"God. I hate the wind. It always messes my hair up." hissed Ino with attempts to flatten her perfect hair.
"There's more to life than your hair Ino-pig." Sakura muttered. Sakura was the last to walk out the door. She shut the door with a small click and took her keys out of her coat pocket and locked the door.
They walked down the few snowy steps and headed towards a narrow snowy trail. "Shut up big-forehead-girl." snarled Ino. Sakura knew better than to listen to Ino. She was joking after all.
"Where were we going to eat again?" asked Sakura offhandedly. She studied the snow prints on the ground; some footsteps, animal tracks, odd markings, snow angels, remains of a snowball fight. Snow left remainders of everything that passed by. Her head snapped up when Ten Ten replied happily.
"Oh, just this restaurant I saw the other day."
Sakura raised her perfectly arched eyebrows and gave Ten Ten a knowing look. She was with Neji 'the other day'. She didn't say anything. They continued walking on the trail, listening to, mostly Ino, talk on and on and on. Sakura smiled and nodded repeatedly. She wasn't really listening to Ino. Her mind was somewhere else…
"Are we there yet?" Ino was saying.
"Nearly!" replied Ten Ten enthusiastically. "I made reservations yesterday." She glanced over at Hinata. "Do you happen to know the time?" she asked. Hinata checked her watch. "12:15," she told her quietly.
"Shoot!" exclaimed Ten Ten louder than usual, cutting short Sakura's thoughts. "We're already late!"
"It wouldn't matter would it?" asked Ino. She pondered for a while. "Like, they wouldn't give our seats away would they?" Ino waited for one of them to reply to her question. They didn't say anything. She gave a hmph and felt slightly ignored.
Ten Ten urged them to walk faster. A few minutes passed as the four walked in silence, all lost in their deep private thoughts. It was peculiarly quiet. The silence seemed to echo around in their ears.
Ten Ten's eyes noticeably lit up as her eyes landed on a small cozy restaurant located by the corner of the 'street'. Not technically a street. More like a crowd of cabins with stores, restaurants, etcetera.
There was a small cluster of people waiting outside the door.
"Aren't you glad I made reservations?" asked Ten Ten casually. The other kunoichi's nodded mutely, snapping out of their thoughts. They began making their way through the chattering crowd. A man roughly pushed Sakura aside as she made an attempt to pass him. Sakura gritted her teeth together. She had when she was treated with insolence.
"Sakura-chan!" cried a deep voice.
Sakura's head shot up. Not able to identify who was calling her. She felt a cold hand gently grabbing her hand, making her turn around to face the man. She looked up into his warm dark eyes, startled; she quickly realized who he was. "Aniro!" she exclaimed.
"Nice meeting you here of all places!" Aniro gave her a smile.
Ino had already reached the restaurant. Ino turned around, immediately noticing that Sakura wasn't behind her anymore. She gave a sigh of frustration and found her way into the crowd to look for Sakura. She scanned the crowd. She saw a flash of pink hair. "Sakura!" she hollered, making the surrounding people glare at her.
Sakura's eyes grew wider. "Hn?" she asked cautiously as she turned around to face a loud blond-haired kunoichi. Ino didn't seem to hear her as she eyed the way Aniro's hair fell into his dark eyes, and the mysterious way he talked. Boy was he something.
It was a few moments before Ino snapped out of her daydream. "Anyways," she began briskly. "We were supposed to have lunch together. Remember?" she finished off, her tone irritated. "Girl's lunch out and he doesn't look like a girl."
Sakura blinked. "Oh, uh, yeah." she turned back to Aniro and mouthed 'sorry' to him. He gave a curt nod in return.
They made their way back into the restaurant where Ten Ten and Hinata had already seated. Sakura pulled out her chair and sat down. The air was warm in the restaurant. It was small, but cozy.
Sakura's mind wandered, yet again; lost in her thoughts.
AN: Phew, finally done! This is my longest chapter yet! Over 3000 words. I'm sorry for the long updates! I'm trying to rewrite the older chapters. Chapters one and two are already rewritten. Thanks for the reviewing!
animEvivvErz: Thanks! Yup, Sakura and Sasuke will be gradually getting together. Bakutiku: Hmm… not a lot of Neji/Ten fluff in this chapter. (Oh, alright. There was barely any.) I'll try to put more Neji/Ten in chapter 10 though! Sakura itoe: Thanks! Irukapooka: Thanks! Yeah, I have 5 Naruto figurines! I'm so mad though, I can never find a Sakura one though. Sumbodi: Typical Kakashi. That's right! Sasu/saku will come gradually. I don't want to rush that pairing. AkiaBinzaid: Hehe, thanks. Lotsa Naru/Hina in this chapter! P Joekool: Haha, singing in the leaves! Ahh, don't remind me of leaves! Have this huge Sakura tree in front of my house and I have to rake and rake and rake and rake... I don't like cherry blossoms as much as I did before. BrokenAngel,ForgivenDevil: Thanks. Well, Sakura goes on a date with Aniro in the next chapter. So YES Sasuke will definitely be jealous! Rogue-Lu: Thanks! Warprince2000: Thanks. Sorry about the slow update. I'm rewriting the older chapters. Wormkaizer: Thanks! A big Naru/Hina scene in this chapter. I hope you like it! Narutowhenimbored: Thanks! Chaotic Demon: Thank you! Durian: Yea. Writing a whole chapter on food made me hungry too! Wow. Korean BQQ with 12 people must be awesome. D Millie-chan: Thanks. Sasu/Saku will take longer than the other pairings. Just so it won't be rushed. Sephynarutocloud: I don't always take this long to update. I'm rewriting the older chapters in between, so that's why. Actually… this fic updates much more often than my other one… Uchihasasuke161616: NOOO! YOU KILLED MY BETA-READER! XX;
Much thanks to my beta-reader wun-liddo-babi! (No, she didn't really die.)