White Wedding Dress
I keep having the same dream...
It always starts the same and ends the same...
It's a beautiful spring day, we're having a picnic on a flower field. Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, and Hanabi are a playing volleyball. Itachi is sitting under a tree reading an old book. And Hinata is next to me.
She hums lightly as she prepares the food. I turn to look at her, she's wearing a yellow sundress and white sandals. Her hair is in a ponytail and her bangs are pinned back, she's glowing. Despite her dark hair, she blends perfectly into the sunny background.
She turns to me and smiles angelically and I reach out to touch her but she fades away before I can. I look around for the others but they are all gone. The once vibrant grass and flowers are brown and wilted, the sun is gone and replaced by dark clouds.
I begin to look for the others but no matter how much I run around the never-ending field, I can't find them. I can't even find a road or some way to get away from the now haunting field. I stop walking when I see a piece of faded yellow fabric underneath a pile of dead leaves.
I crouch down and hurriedly push away the leaves but my heart drops when I find what they were hiding. It's Hinata's corps...
Her skin is pale and her lips are blue. Her hair is black, no hint of blue in it. Her eyes are a dark gray, no hint of lavender. Her once vibrant yellow dress is brown and has splashes of dried blood on it. On her neck, I see dark purple hand marks and on her head, I see blood and bits of her flesh.
Her skin is as cold as ice no trace of warmth left. I try to pick her up but as I do maggots cover my hands and move up my arms. I drop her and attempt to get them off but no matter how many I get off there are always more left. I start to panic as I continue to feel the maggots crawl up my arms.
I look up as I hear the familiar sinister laughter. Naruto smiles wide as he continues laughing at me, mocking me. I am paralyzed with fear as he slowly begins to make his way towards me. I can't move... I can't even scream.
With every step, he gets closer and I can't will my legs to run. He continues to smile and laugh as he gets closer and closer. His eyes glow red and his dark aura consumes me. He reaches out and puts his hands around my neck. He tightens his grip and squeezes. I try to gasp for air, to push him off but I am too weak.
I wake up in a cold sweat and feel like the air has been knocked out of my lungs. I fall off my bed and land on the floor, I cough and gasp for air. It takes me a painstakingly long time before I can stand on my own two feet again without the risk of collapsing.
I turn on the lamp on my nightstand and sit down on my bed. Sweat covers my neck and back. I put my face in my hands and sigh. Another lonely night filled with nightmares...
I look over at the alarm clock, the green numbers read 4:03 AM. I went to bed at 2'o clock, I groan. My eyelids feel heavy but if I fall back to sleep I risk the chance of having the same dream. I stand up and walk to the bathroom hoping a shower will wake me up.
I peel off my sweaty clothes and step into the cold water. I close my eyes and I let the water cool my face. I stay like that for a while and simply listen to the sound of the water hitting the tub. I snap my eyes open again when the image of Hinata corps goes through my mind.
Soon after that I finish showering and step out. I wrap a towel around my waist and begin to towel my hair dry. I catch my reflection in the mirror. I look so different now then I did two months ago, my hair is longer and I have stubble. My skin and lips look dry despite them just being wet moments ago. I have dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep, I look at my stomach and notice I've gotten skinner also.
I no longer look fit and instead look like someone who is starving themselves. I look at my arm and see Hinata's smiling face, I let my mouth curve into a small smile. That seems to be the only thing I have now that is for the better. I open the cabinet next to the mirror and take out a razor blade and shaving cream.
When the clock hit 8'o clock I hear knocking at the door. I open it and see Ino standing there ready to go, she smiles when she sees me. "Look who decided to shave. I personally liked the slight stubble, it gave you a rugged look but this is good too. Now we just have to trim your hair" she says as she reaches out to touch my hair.
I move away from her hand and she gives me a dirty look. "Are you ready to go?" I ask changing the subject. She nods her head and holds up her keys, "You drive" she says and hands them to me.
We walk out to the parking lot and she shows me which one is her car. It's an expensive luxury car I stop and look at her. How does someone who works under me have a nicer car than me?
She smiles at as if she read my mind, "It was a gift from the hubby" she says and goes inside. I follow her and sit in the driver's seat. We drive to the first pawn shop and look at the ring they have but it was an obvious fake. The owner was just trying to con us into buying it.
We drive to the next pawn shop and go inside. It smells like beer and dirt. Ino talks to the guy at the counter as I look around at the stuff they have. My eyes stop when I see a white wedding dress, its the cleanest thing in the store. Next, to it hangs a matching black suit. I wonder who would sell their wedding outfits?
I continue to look at the dress, it looks like a ball gown, it's a bit plain but there is a certain charm to it. I can't put my finger on it. I look away from the dress when the man at the counter walks over to me and try to sell it to Ino and I thinking we are a couple. We decline the offer and leave. From the sad look on Ino's face, I can tell that he didn't have the ring we were looking for.
She sighs dejectedly as we get in the car. I look away from her when I feel my phone ring in my pocket. I take it out and see its Suigetsu.
"Hello," I say into the phone.
"I have the files you asked for," he says in a bored tone.
"I can be there in 30 minutes."
"Alright call me when you're outside," he says and hangs up. I put my phone back in my pocket and begin to drive to the police station.
"Where are we going?" Ino questions. "My friend from the police station has the files I wanted on Naruto and Kiba, we are going to go pick them up," I say and continue driving. From the corner of my eye, I see her nod in understanding.
30 minutes later we are parked in front of the station. I text him and tell him we are here. I look over at Ino, she's staring off into space thinking about something, she has a frown on her face. "What is it?" I find myself asking.
"Do you think she's going to wake up?" She whispers. I don't have to ask who to know who she's talking about. I look away from her "I don't know" I answer honestly, she turns to me. "Can I tell you a secret?" she asks, I turn to her and nod my head. She looks down and takes a deep breath, "I think I might be pregnant" she whispers.
"Do you not want a child?" I ask judging from her tone. She shakes her head, "It's not that... I would love to have a child but... I don't think I'm ready to yet. I just went back to law school and... Sai and I aren't on good terms at the moment" she says dejectedly.
"Sai is your boyfriend?" I guess, she nods her head. "It's my fault that we fought... I snapped at him for something that he can't control" she says and chuckles. "It's only been 3 days but I miss him more than I care to admit," she says honestly. She turns to me and smiles, "thanks for listening to me, I don't really have anyone else to talk to now that Hinata's in the hospital" she says.
I give her a small smile, "no problem" I say. I look away from her when I Suigetsu walk toward us. I roll down the window and he hands me the files. "I swear Sasuke if I lose my job for doing this I'm going to strangle you in your sleep," he says in a threatening voice. He looks away from me when he notices Ino, "well hello there" he says in a flirty voice. She rolls her eyes and looks away, "I'm married" she lies.
"Happily?" he questions, at the same time we both give him dirty looks. He chuckles, "I'll see you around," he says and goes back to the station. I turn on the ignition and turn to her, "wanna go to lunch?" I ask, she nods her head smiles. I begin to drive to a diner that I visit often.
It takes us about 20 minutes to get there, as soon as we walk in the savory smells hits me and my stomach growls. We sit down at one of the booths and look through the menu. I decide to order a reuben sandwich and Ino orders chicken salad.
The waitress takes down our orders and walks away. Ino turns to me, "Ok Sasuke, since I told you a secret you have to tell me one too" she says with a sly grin. "You never told me those would be the conditions plus I never asked you to tell me you did that yourself," I say stating facts.
She rolls her eyes, "don't be a party pooper" she complains. I sigh, she smiles knowing she's won. "Ok, you have to tell me something you haven't told anyone" she states and looks at me expectantly. "I recently got a tattoo," I say and take a drink of my coffee. She smiles, "really? let me see!" she says excitedly.
"I can't, I have on long sleeves and it's on my upper arm," I say. "Fine but your gonna have to show me at one point. What is the tattoo of?" she asks. "Its a portrait of someone" I answer. Before she has the chance to ask of who a woman walks up to us.
As soon as Ino looks at her she smiles and stands up to hug her. I look up at the woman and my eyes go straight to her bubblegum pink hair and bright green eyes. Isn't that Naruto's girlfriend? I look away from them and hear as they chatter about how they haven't seen each other in so long. Ino must not know that she's Naruto's mistress.
After a couple of minutes, she leaves and hugs Ino goodbye. "Who was that?" I ask innocently. She still has a smile on her face, "She's an old friend from high school, Hinata knows her too" she says. I look up at her when she says that. So Naruto is sleeping with Hinata's friend?
She continues to talk about how she hasn't seen her in a long time, I half listen. Should I tell her what I know? I continue to listen to her mindless chatter. "Oh, and did you see the ring on her finger! I didn't even know she was engaged" she rambles. I look up at her, "she's engaged?" I say surprised. She nods her head excitedly, "she just told me!" he says.
"Do you know who her fiance is?" I ask, is it Naruto? But he's already married. She shakes her head, "now that you mention it, I don't even know his name..." she mutters while thinking about it. "Ino, did you know that Sakura and Naruto have been having a secret relationship behind Hinata's back?" I ask in a serious tone. Her eyes widen, she didn't know.
"What?... Are you sure?" she asks. "I saw them together and Naruto confirmed it," I say. She looks away for a second and then looks back at me, "are you saying that while Hinata has been fighting for her life in the hospital... Naruto has gotten engaged to Sakura?" she whispers. I nod my head, "Yes," I say. "We have to do something!" she yells, some people turn to us but she doesn't pay them any attention.
"Like what?" I say, she sighs. "Something! He should be ashamed of himself!" she says angrily. Then in one split second, all the anger leaves her face and she smiles mischievously. "What?" I question, "We should make sure he feels ashamed..." she whispers.
"And how are we supposed to do that?" I ask. She leans in, "The media... I know plenty of reporters who will love to know that the CEO of a major company has asked his mistress to marry him while his poor wife fights for her life in the hospital..."