The Lessons She Taught Me
by Sakuranime
Disclaimer: Honey, you don't need to own it to make your thoughts into writing.
"Quotations"
'Thoughts'
(( Flashbacks ))
Chapter 2: A walk down memory lane
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"About that gown…" Ino narrowed her eyes.
Sakura looked at the mirrors placed around her so that she could see the different angles of the gown. "What about it?" She asked dumbly, causing her fashion-friend to sigh exasperatedly.
"Oh, come on! You can't possibly want to wear that." Ino pointed at the dress on her friend and looked as if it were the most revolting thing she had ever seen.
"What's so bad about it?" Sakura asked, not really wanting to know with Ino's expression.
She gasped. "What's wrong with it? Sakura! Have I taught you nothing about fashion!"
Hinata scanned her friend, more like the dress, and a thoughtful expression came over her features. "The one you're wearing now doesn't look bad…" Sakura glanced at Ino with a look that said, 'See! Hinata agrees!'
"…but doesn't look good either," She finished with a smile. Sakura would have facefaulted if not for the dress.
"The seam is all wrong, the dress makes your legs fat, the neckline is to narrow, the back is awful and shows your scar from training, the frills are not your style-" Ino berated in one breath until Hinata stopped her.
"I think she has the idea, Ino," Hinata pointed to the pouting Sakura to prove her point. Turning to Sakura she said, "Don't worry Sakura! We'll find other dresses, you just stay here." Taking Ino by the arm, she led her out of the changing area in the pursuit for the perfect dress.
Sakura heaved a sigh and sat down on the stool. After some time, she finally found a comfortable position despite her gown and contemplated on the day's events.
In the morning, EARLY morning, much to Sakura's discontent, Hinata and Ino were at her house ready to take her shopping for her wedding gown. Apparently, Tsunade-shishou had appointed the two friends to be her wedding helpers and said it would be counted as an A-rank mission.
A half-smile found its way to her lips. 'Typical Tsunade-shishou…'
After a few run-ins with their fellow jounins, each of them wishing Sakura their blessings on the wedding, the trio shopped around in the Konoha Super-Mall for jewelry first. After a few picks, card-swiping and cash-exchanging, Hinata, Sakura, and Ino made it to a surprisingly big wedding store which was where Sakura was now.
Playing with a strand of pink hair, the pink-haired kunoichi reminisced…
(( Team 7 had just completed a successful mission and Naruto was yearning for his beloved, ramen-chan. Kakashi whipped out his trusty book and began reading.
"Ano sa, ano sa, Sakura-chan," Naruto began, looking at the only female in their team. "You wanna celebrate with me with ramen?" He asked, eagerness shining in his big blue eyes.
The girl shook her head. She would but she had something IMPORTANT to do. "Gomen, Naruto, I can't go with you today." She almost changed her mind when she saw the crestfallen look cross Naruto's face.
Kakashi peered out from his perverted book. "I'll go with you, Naruto," His mask crinkled, indicating a smile. "I actually want some ramen myself."
"What!" Naruto pointed at him. "I'm not gay!"
The silver-haired jounin merely chuckled and led the blonde-boy to Ichiraku. "Don't worry, I'll pay."
Naruto smiled widely. "Great! I hope you have a big wallet." Whooping enthusiastically, he waved the two remaining genins good-bye. Kakashi winced and instantly wished he hadn't volunteered. Following the path the hyper ninja took, he waved and departed.
"Hn," With nothing to watch, Sasuke turned on his heel and began to leave.
"W-wait!" Sakura shouted to his back. The dark-haired prodigy merely stopped and didn't turn. "A-ano…Sasuke-kun…" She asked shyly. "Can you walk me home?" There. She said it.
Silence. Though she could not see it, something flickered through the Uchiha's eyes.
"No," Sasuke answered stoically. "I have better things to do then walking a weak girl to her house." Leaving no time to protest, he jumped onto a roof and quickly departed, leaving the dejected girl alone. ))
Sakura blinked in surprise. Why had she thought of him? Why now? Why ever? Since he made it a point that he didn't care for her, why would she pursue him constantly? Maybe Sakura knew when she was the naïve 10 year old girl, but now, the answer was beyond her.
Tears started to form in its early stages in her eyes but she didn't feel them and instead drifted into another memory…
(( With Team 7 all grown up, there was no need for Kakashi to be their teacher any longer. Team 7 had disbanded but everyone kept in touch regularly.
Resting his chin on his folded hands, Sasuke gazed at the crystalline river apathetically, waiting for a certain someone. To a passerby, it would seem as if he was not thinking at all. How they were wrong.
'Happy sweet 16, Sakura…No! I have to greet her first…um, Hi Sakura, happy sweet 16! Wait. Screw the exclamation…Hey Sakura, Happy sweet 16…for some reason it sounds weird…' Sasuke's eyebrows lifted in concentration. This was harder than he thought. 'Happy 16th birthday, Sakura…wait, no!'
The Uchiha was so lost in thought that he didn't notice a pink-haired kunoichi standing silently next to him. He blinked. "Sakura?"
She smiled. "Hi Sasuke-kun."
An awkward silence took hold the young shinobis. A small blush reddened Sakura's cheeks and she stared at the ground, not wanting to look at him. Sasuke continued to look at the water. The only sound was the river gushing over rocks. Finally, they couldn't take it anymore.
"Sakura-" Sasuke blurted.
"Sasuke-" Sakura blurted at the same time. They locked gazes and turned away.
"You first." They said simultaneously. Sakura looked at Sasuke to find him staring at her. He gestured for the girl to go first. She blushed. She had to tell him something important! She shouldn't be a blushing idiot. She already resolved it last night…
Taking a deep breath, Sakura looked at him straight in the eye, surprising the dark-haired boy. Those emerald orbs he never took time to notice even after being together as friends for so long…they were defiant with a new flame.
"Sasuke." He noted she said his name without the attachment '-kun'. Said person nodded, noticing the nervousness betrayed by her steady voice.
"After all these years, I've finally accepted the fact that you will never appreciate me for than a dear friend." An uncomfortable feeling settled over Sasuke. Why was she bringing this up now? He frowned, but Sakura continued. "If I can never be a lover, its best that I be a friend instead, cheering you in the sidelines whenever you need."
Sakura took a deep breath, fists clenched at her sides. She released them. The fires grew stronger, making her eyes a bright green. "Sasuke, I'm giving up on you. You'll be happy to hear that, right?"
Unknown to her, Sasuke's chest wrenched. It writhed in his body, begging for freedom. It pounded loudly in his ears and he thought it would stop. He choked out the words, "You are?"
A smile graced her pink lips. So unlike the endearing one she directed to him usually which made him annoyed. It was warm and comforting. "I am." Another jab to his weak heart. "But we'll ALWAYS be friends. Right, Sasuke?" Unexpectedly, Sakura reached out to him and embraced him loosely. Sasuke's eyes widened. It wasn't a hug between lovers. It was between friends.
She broke the hug, a smile still on her lips and gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry about that, Sasuke. I needed a hug."
He still couldn't register in his mind what had happened a second ago. His heart was souring and the jabs lessened, but his mind was a torrent of anguish. For once in his life, the Uchiha prodigy was confused.
Sakura looked worriedly at her dark-haired friend. "Sasuke? What's wrong?"
"Nothing…" He forced the words out of his mouth with some complication.
The worried look disappeared but her eyes told him she didn't believe him. "You said you needed to tell me something?" When he didn't reply, Sakura frowned. She leaned and put her hand on his forehead.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
The close proximity of her face, her hand on his forehead, her eyes worried over him…it was all too much for him. Sasuke took her warm hand from his forehead and slipped something into it. He turned his back on her.
"Happy 16th birthday, Sakura." He mumbled before disappearing in a puff of smoke, a skill learned from Kakashi. Perfect for a time like this.
The wind blew slightly and joined Sakura's pink tresses in a dance. She stared at the spot where Sasuke left. Opening her hand, a tiny pink bear figure stared back at her. ))
'Looks like my mind has a mind of its own…' Despite the mixed feelings she felt, Sakura laughed at the choice of her thoughts. 'Why am I thinking about him now?' She thought in anger. Sakura was infuriated with herself for being so weak about him. She thought she was stronger then that…chasing far-fetched wishes that was beyond her control.
Sakura felt suddenly weak and empty inside. She pulled her legs to her chest in an attempt to feel safe but the weird feelings in her stomach wouldn't go away. Her mind didn't know what she was missing. Her heart knew exactly what she was lacking but the veil of confusion clouded it, making it difficult to see the truth.
Fully formed, the tears slid down her soft face, drawing lines of sorrow…
(( Age 21, Haruno Sakura, sat on the bench, her posture straight and her hands folded neatly on her lap. She smiled faintly, remembering the last time she sat here was in her genin days. She saw him and got rejected…wasn't old news to her, though.
Dirt crunching under his feet, Sasuke approached the bench Sakura currently stationed at with hands shoved into his pockets, not a single seam out of place, a perfect face…and to complete it, an unreadable expression.
'He'll never change…' She thought, not looking up from her hands. 'Will he?'
Sasuke's wardrobe had changed a bit as a jounin. The blue shirt with large collar and white short pants were replaced by a black shirt, minus the enlarged collar, the Uchiha fan symbol on the back, and long, white slightly-baggy pants. White strips of cloth covered his wrists to his mid-arm below the elbow. His ankles were engulfed with the same material up to mid-thigh.
"Do you find the ground so interesting?" Sasuke asked in an irritated voice.
Sakura continued to look at the ground and smiled. "Actually, yes. I had a conversation with the ground once, would you like me to tell you about it?"
Sasuke smirked. "No thanks."
The pink-haired girl gasped in mock hurt. "What! Sasuke-kun doesn't want to hear about my lovely talk with Mr. Ground?" The name caused him to quirk a brow.
"'Mr. Ground'?"
Sakura shrugged and stuck her tongue out playfully. "Couldn't think of anything else."
This was their usual verbal bout. For some reason, though they would never admit it, they enjoyed trading insults and whatnot. The two friends hadn't seen each other in a while, due to missions. Sasuke decided to examine his pink-haired friend and was surprised to see the new changes in appearance.
Unlike him, Sakura changed immensely, whether it is her clothes or personality. The Chinese-styled dress was thrown away for a better outfit matching her character. She donned a black kimono-styled getup tied with pink obi with cherry blossoms dancing printed across. Instead of ending at her ankles, it ended at mid-thigh like a mini skirt. The sleeves didn't extend downward- it was like a regular sleeve, slightly flared at the edges and ended at mid-arm below the elbow. The heart kreuz symbol was imprinted on one sleeve. (Heart Kreuz symbol: it incorporates a heart and a cross. It's like a cross, on the 3 top ends split apart and on the bottom part, a heart! If you don't get it, just imagine a heart and a cross) One side of the black fishnet pants she wore under her kimono-skirt extended past the hem and was visible on her thigh. Another fishnet-style was worn on one of her calves. For both Sasuke and Sakura, the black sandals were the same.
Her pink hair grew long again, though she tied it medium-height during missions. At age 10, Sakura's body was undeveloped, unlike other girls. Now, her figure grew into an hourglass figure. When Sakura was younger, her orbs were always shy and locked inside like a caged bird. Now they were greener, bold, and finally free. Kakashi always complimented to her that he was proud she had grown into a confident woman.
That's not all that changed about her that astonished all who knew Sakura. She was always a 'good girl', disapproving of Naruto's pranks, followed rules, weak, listened to everyone whether it was right or wrong. Now, her wings spread and she was defiant, brave, smart, a little on the hyper side, cheerful, strong as a kunoichi and rivaled the skills of many older women and her medical skills were superb, like Tsunade's, and fun. Sakura even joined Naruto in his mischief. (Wow…that was long…and detailed…well, back to the story!)
'She changed a lot,' Sasuke admitted, amazed at what a few weeks could do to a person.
"Sasuke…?" Sakura was in front of the boy lost in thought, dangerously close. "Are you ok?" She snapped her fingers. "Yoohoo? Hello? Earth to Uchiha Sasuke!"
He snapped out of it. "What?" Sasuke finally took in the closeness of them. Her nose was inches from his. Sasuke jumped back. "Sakura! Don't do that!" For some reason unknown to anyone but God, his heart thumped like a drum in his ribcage. Fortunately for him, Sakura couldn't see the tiniest hint of a blush enveloping the Uchiha's face.
Instead, she lolled her head to the side innocently. "Do what?"
"Never mind…" Sasuke sighed.
"So…" began Sakura. "Why did you drag me out here again?"
Sasuke opened his mouth to protest that he didn't 'drag' her out here but a wink from Sakura told him she was exaggerating. Why had he brought her out again? Gods, his memory was disappearing, it was the end of the world! "I wanted to just catch up on things."
To this response, Sakura raised a brow. "The Sasuke I know wouldn't take walks just so he could 'catch up on things'…" She pursed her lips. "Are you a fake?"
"What?"
Sakura waved her hand up and down. "Just kidding!" She pouted. "You're such a STIFF!"
"Sorry if I am." Sasuke rolled his eyes in exasperation. She was such a child.
"Haha! I know you're sorry, Sasuke." Sakura giggled. It was too fun to tease him. Who knew that in 12 years they would be so…close?
Sakura glanced at her watch and paled. "Oh my god!"
"What is it?" Sasuke asked, suddenly alert.
She turned to look at him; her stony face and wide eyes. "It's 6:58! I promised my mom I would be home by seven!" She moaned. "She's going to kill me…"
Sasuke let out an annoyed growl. "You had me panicked for that reason?"
Sakura shuddered, her pink hair moving with her head. "You don't know my mom when she's mad…she matches Tsunade-shishou's temper." The dark-haired jounin shuddered involuntarily.
The childish 21 year old continued groan. "I have less than 2 minutes until I die...I'll never make it on time-" She stopped when she felt something warm around her. Sasuke had wrapped his arm around her small waist. "Sasuke…?"
"I'll transport you with me, alright?" He grunted, a blush fighting its way to his face. "Just hold on…Kakashi said it's difficult to take another person with you. On the count of three you shut your eyes, ok?" Sakura nodded.
"1…2…3!" In a mere second, they were standing in front of Sakura's house.
When she opened her eyes, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief when she was met with the front door. "Thank you so much, Sasuke!" She hugged him unexpectedly.
"SAKURA!"
The two leapt away from each other at the monstrous voice. The owner of the voice was at the doorway, wearing an apron and holding a spoon in one hand. "Why are you late-" A sly grin stopped her words when she put two and two together.
"It's not what you think, Mom!" Sakura stammered a crimson hue on her cheeks. Sasuke nodded in agreement.
The grin was still in place. "Why don't you invite your friend to dinner with us, Sakura?" Her mother's murderous smile left no room for argument. ))
The tears went unnoticed by Sakura as she pondered about her latest recollection. Why was this a happy memory while the others were sad? Surely it must have a hidden meaning to it?
(( "You have to look beneath the underneath." Kakashi said." ))
Sakura remembered her sensei saying those words. Back then, she didn't know what it meant but she fully understood the meaning now.
"Beneath the underneath..." She whispered softly. As if the words triggered her mind, the answer suddenly became clear. Sakura felt something warm on her face. Reaching with her fingertips, she wiped the liquid and looked at it. Tears. Her face scrunched up as she tried to hold back the traitorous substances but to no avail. The tears came flowing down and she couldn't stop it. The sobs muffled her cries and no one heard her. Sakura covered her face with her hands, making her words barely audible.
"I love him…I love Sasuke!"
-
Fists clenched, Sasuke took his emotions out on a poor punching bag in his basement gym. After 200 jabs, 300 uppercuts, 350 sidekicks, 350 frontkicks, and 100 charges, he was still going.
"Fuck…fuck…FUCK!" He smashed his fist in fury. Sasuke reduced the punching bag in half and stuffing flew everywhere. The fluffs of cotton drifted in the air around him, showering him in fluff.
He collapsed on the mat; sweat dripping from every inch of his body. He felt so drained, so tired…he could barely stand. Using his arms, he inched toward the wall and leaned on it in an upright position. Sasuke closed his eyes. The light hurt. What he would give to change yesterday's events…he would give anything. 'Why am I feeling so…' He wracked inside his mind for the right words. "Stressed?"
The Uchiha glared at nothing in particular and cursed himself. Cursed the lights. Curse the punching bag for breaking. He still had loads more anger in him to take out. Curse everything!
'Gods…I'm really losing it…' Despite the torrent of emotions swirling in him, Sasuke let out a hollow chuckle. 'And all because of one, stupid, idiotic, crazy girl…'
(( "Sasuke-teme…you're wrong. It's true that emotions are a hindrance, annoying, and complicated," Naruto yelled. "But emotions are NEVER a weakness!" ))
Sasuke's eyes widened. The dark cloud surrounding his heart dispersed in an instant. It all became so…obvious. The answer came free. If his aniki were still alive, he would be even more disgusted with him. Sasuke imagined Itachi muttering those words right now…
(( His brother took a step toward him, his Akatsuki cloak billowing sinisterly in the breeze, "I see your eyes, little brother…" Itachi's face contorted slightly, "You've grown soft. How utterly repulsive…Have you learned nothing from your past experiences? You really are not worthy of being an 'Uchiha'." ))
His arms shaking, he pried his back off the wall, his sweat leaving marks. Sasuke grunted and planted a foot on the floor in an attempt to get up. After a few shaky steps, the pain was too great and the exhausted boy collapsed on the blue training mat. He drew in huge gulps of air. Sasuke's famous arrogant smirk crept its way to his handsome features.
"In the end, aniki…" Sasuke whispered, hoping somehow his bastard of a brother could hear him from hell, "Who was victorious despite me being 'weaker' than you?"
Little by little, his strength returned to him. He felt renewed, better. As if uncovering the hidden meaning in his heart lifted a huge weight from his shoulders. He understood what his heart was telling him to do. It was a clear path; no easy way.
"Remember who won in our final battle?"
He would go to her. Stop the wedding. Sure, Sasuke might ruin his reputation and a collective few might hate him for the rest of his life, but…it was all worth it for her. One stupid, idiotic, crazy, pretty, sweet, caring girl.
"I won."
Sasuke almost swore he heard his brother's reply. It was barely above a whisper: "I know."
-
Hinata and Ino were ecstatic. During their journey for the perfect dress, they came across a few choices that appealed to both women. They agreed that they were the best the store had to offer and were unanimous that Sakura would definitely pick one of them. Ino walked into the dressing room, holding half of their picks in a arm and opened the door to where their soon-to-be-a-wife friend should be.
"Sa-Ku-Ra!" Ino sang, smiling excitedly. "Guess what we found-" She stopped in mid sentence, her face a look of surprise.
Sakura was engulfed in her tears, her hands covering her tear-streaked face and crouched on the carpet floor.
Ino ran to her distressed friend, dropping the dresses to the side, "Sakura! What happened?" She hugged Sakura.
Hinata's head peaked out from her share of dresses. "Ino! You dropped the dresses-" Hastily flinging the merchandise to wherever, Hinata crouched beside Sakura. "Sakura-? What's wrong?"
Ino began rubbing circles on Sakura's back to sooth her afflicted pink-haired friend. "Shh…stop crying, Sakura."
Hinata wrapped her arms in comfort around the crying girl's shoulders, worry etched on her face. "It's all right, we're here for you. Shall I get a glass of water, Ino?" The blonde nodded, continuing to aid her friend. "They probably won't let me with water but…I guess I'll just have to hide it."
Ino sighed. She got into a comfortable position and sat down Indian-styled next to her. Brushing the wet pink strands from Sakura's face, she lifted her head. "Sakura. Look at me. You have to be strong. Please tell us what's wrong, Hinata and I want to help you." The girl's wracked sobs distorted her words.
"S-sa…s…ke…"
The blonde lifted her eyebrows in confusion. She leaned in to increase the volume. "What did you say?"
"S-sa…s…ke…" Sakura hiccupped in between the words, her emerald eyes glossy and puffy from crying. Hinata returned with a plastic cup of water. Kneeling down, she handed the girl the water.
"Here, Sakura," Hinata instructed and slowly transferred the cup to the girl's shaking hands, "Drink this, it'll stop the hiccups."
Sakura greedily drank the water and soon enough, her hiccups hushed and her tears were reduced to mere tracks on her face. Her breathing became steady and not spasmodic. Emptying the cup, she sighed and leaned on the stool. Hinata took the cup and discarded it in a convenient garbage can.
"Sakura, are you ok?" Ino asked in a low voice. She took her hand off Sakura's back and removed the tendrils of pink from her face to behind her ear. The girl numbly nodded. She took a deep breath, a few shudders in her voice.
Hinata leaned back and sat in a better position. She could tell the explanation was a complex one. "Mind telling us what made you cry?"
Sakura looked at the carpet floor, not wanting to meet her friend's eyes. "It's complicated." To this answer, Ino sighed exasperatedly.
'If Shika was here…he would say this was troublesome.' Ino thought wryly. "It's always complicated with you, Sakura." Her blonde friend grinned, wanting to cheer up Sakura.
Hinata let a small smile shine on her face. "Remember the time when you accidentally fell into the pond while trying to catch a frog? You didn't want to explain to us because you were embarrassed and said, 'It's complicated.'" Sakura smiled at the memory but shook her head.
"No…this is complicated," Sakura's lips curled upward. "It's nothing, really. I've stopped crying now, right?" Ino and Hinata exchanged wary looks. "Really! I'm better now! It's just a…" Sakura swallowed a sudden lump in her throat, "just a stupid reason." There was an audible bitterness in her voice but it they heard it, they didn't say anything and chose to respect Sakura's wishes.
"Alright…" Ino grumbled finally. Sakura nodded firmly, the kunoichi part of her demanding to get a grip on her emotions and regain her composure.
"So…" Sakura said, chaning the subject, "What dresses have you picked out for me?"
"Oh yeah! We completely forgot…" Ino smacked her head. She went to retrieve the forgotten clothes, berating herself for throwing them down carelessly. Hinata gathered her portion of wedding dresses as well. "You MUST try these on!" Ino crowed, her recovery from Sakura's outburst showing how bouncy she tended to be.
"We picked colors that matched your skin color and compliments your individuality," Hinata said airily, a small smiled gracing her lips.
Ino squealed girlishly, "This pink and white one are a MUST try…"
On and on Ino and Hinata went, demanding that she try each of them on but Sakura didn't hear them as she fitted into each dress mechanically. Her mind was straying to a certain onyx-eyed individual with raven-black hair.
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SA: Hmmm…I think it's a BIT dramatic, don't cha think?
Naruto: AGAIN! I wasn't in this chapter either! (folds arms)
Hinata: You were in Sasuke's memory, though.
Naruto: ONE STINKIN' SENTENCE!
SA: Can you count! It's THREE sentences…(smile)
Sakura: NOOOO…it's TWO!
Sasuke: Who CARES? (glares at SA)
SA: ARGH! MY EYES!
Complaints? Suggestions? Comments? Just want to blab anything? GREAT! REVIEW and blab away! Randomness is welcome! (evil crazy laugh)