"Sakura-chan."
Sakura was waiting in line to get her milk. Her favorite strawberry milk. While someone was calling-well at this point it sounded like a yelling-from across the room. Sakura obviously did not experience any sign of impaired hearing.
"Sakura-chan!!!" Naruto yelled a bit louder, his voice echoed through the cafeteria.
She kept pretend to be deaf.
"You noisy yellowheaded!" one started to protested.
"Hey, Haruno, do something about it, he was way too loud," at the front Shikamaru was throwing an irritated look.
"Keep moving, Nara," Sakura shrugged him off just like that.
/
• hEre aFteR •
2.
/
Hokkaido, 2011.
Spring.
Naruto headed to where Sakura was seated at their usual table. He did not even have time to open his mouth, when Sakura pulled his left ear, forced him to sit next to her.
"What did you eat this morning, huh? Yelling at me like that, what an embarrassing."
Naruto struggled to set his ear free, "Ak! Ok sorry! My god!"
Sakura was letting him go when Sasuke came and sat across her. His hands were folded on his chest. Looked uninterested to Naruto's vividly red ear.
"Where's your lunch, Sasuke-kun?"
"Where have you been, man?"
Sasuke stared at the two.
"I went to see the headmaster. And I'm not hungry." Sasuke answered after a pause.
"Again?" asked Sakura.
Sasuke raised both of his brows.
"Don't tell me that you got called because of Hozuki, again?" asked Naruto between his chewed food.
"Tsk, why Hozuki all of the sudden? I went there for another reason, Naruto."
The three were silent for a moment. Sasuke tried to hide something, but the way he hide it was too conspicuous. Curiosity creeped up Sakura's head.
On the other hand Naruto looked fine with it, while gulped down his remaining lunch. It was obvious to Sakura that Naruto knew something, yet he tried to look unbothered in front of her.
"You two have so much things to do these days. Where were you last night, Sakura-chan? I came to your house but you weren't there."
Sakura was surprised that Naruto tried to change topic of their conversation, to her now. She then bashfully answered, "Ino and I went to, ngg… we looked for something… graduation stuff, you know they picked me as the chief committee," her eyes were shifting from Sasuke to the bread in her right hand which now already in half.
"It was pretty late though," asked Naruto suspicious, "You're not get pestered by that bastard again, right?"
"Watarai would not dare making mess with me," it was one too-cocky answered for Sakura. She made Sasuke pulled a small smile.
"You mocking at me aren't you, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke shook his head slowly, "No, I would not dare making mess with you."
She forgot how long it had been since their last insult to each other. It was quite awhile, probably a few months ago before they got busied by lots of preparation for their final exam and college.
"So, how's the graduation prep going?"
"Great," Sakura said with a laugh because something popped up in her head, "photos from our fresh-year will be play at the end of the ceremony."
"Wow! Do you have my face in there too?"
Sakura merely laughed. Almost half of the photos were filled with Naruto's face.
"Nooo way… does it really? Why are you laughing!?"
It was not a good thing when almost all of the photos were taken while he made those strange poses or silly faces as a freshmen-which undeniably common sight for Naruto even until now.
Although, it was not a surprise, Naruto's father was a respected ambassador with so many foreign related families. He got all those attention easily, not to mention his boisterous personality which make it hard to look pass of him.
"You don't have to worry, Naruto, besides it will be a good reminiscence for the others," Sakura patted Naruto's shoulder after her laughter were abruptly stop.
"From a geeky boy who loves doing silly things, you've become a soon-to-be law enforcer." Sakura got up from her chair, "I gotta go then. Another committee stuff. Bye guys."
Naruto and Sasuke kept their eyes to the girl who just left after neatly stacking Naruto's and her lunch tray to the counter.
"Well… ", A deep sigh followed by big grin were forming on Naruto's face.
/
Hokkaido, 2010.
Summer.
Sakura, Ino and Yuya were walking home from a festival which held band competition between senior high schools in Hokkaido. It was the final night, people were packed. So with slow paced the three girls walked side by side trying to get out off the area.
When all of a sudden some men from behind with a baritone voice loudly said, "Heck, everyone know that they didn't even fit for the runner up."
The three girls were curious to see who had said it. A men they couldn't recognized surrounded with another unrecognizable man who were ready to voice out their thought.
"Don't you know that tacky yellow-headed, people say he was son of the American Ambassador," Sakura squinted her eyes and tried to focus to the guy who just said it. His hair jet black with slight sheen, the result of using too much pomade Sakura assumed.
"Then there is that smug girly-guy, someone told me his father is the richest man in Sapporo*," the guy continued while laughed scornfully, "hah, even being the third would be too much for them!"
Bunch of mens who were surrounding him merely nodded and heated up the situation even more.
"All of the judges must recognized that yellow-headed," said one of those men.
"Who would play a guitar like a pussy," said another with a puff of smoke, "Uchiha must have been bribe the judges."
After they heard the name of their friend being said, the three girls now one hundred percent sure whom those unrecognizable man talked about.
Sakura was furious.
But, Ino started it, "Hey, who are you guys really? How reckless of you speaking like that."
Ino got their full attention. Those men kept silent glaring at Ino, Sakura and Yuya from their head to their toe.
"Who are you?" the shiny-hair guy responded. "Aaah, you girls from Konoha, aren't you?" he added.
Sakura faced the guy straight to the eyes, "What's the matter if we are?"
"Then tell this to your friend would you," the guy said between laughter, "their play was sucks, the tempo got off from the beginning to the end, especially that guitar guy. And what's wrong with that lead vocal, damn, they need to really start practice seriously."
Sakura got a big lump inside her throat. She was so pissed, she clenched her hands into a fists.
"So tell me your name. I'd tell them myself."
All of those men were laughing hard and started woo-ed her for ridiculous reason. They sounded exactly like a howling wolf.
They were too loud. They kept laughing and gave no other respond, Sakura decided to ignore it and walk away, "Let's go," she pulled Ino and Yuya as well.
"Hey," Sakura didn't expect the guy would grab her shoulder from behind.
"We're not done yet," he told Sakura half yelling, "you haven't got my name, have you?"
Sakura brushed away his hand quickly.
"You should really tell your friends to play fair and square."
Sakura took a glance at her surrounding. Too many people there halted their walk to listened and stared.
"Don't listen to him, please, just go," Yuya begged. Her face was pale.
"It was just a small competition you know, no need to be shady. Besides what they got were only a runner up, tsk."
Sakura unaware that she abruptly stoped her step.
All she could think about was so many nights had Naruto, Sasuke and the others spend to practice. They literally spend their summer holiday inside the tight rented room for practice relentlessly to the point it made Sakura fed up.
So she turned her heels and did something which she could never do even for her own self in her entire life.
/
Naruto, Sasuke and two others band's members came to see what was happening inside the crowd just out off the festival border. They were panicked after one of the festival committee from Konoha told them it was Jin Watarai squirreled with Haruno Sakura.
Naruto and Sasuke dashed off right away leaving their band's equipments behind the stage.
Jin Watarai, the infamous guitar soloist who would always make a scene in each and every band he was in. No one ever doubted his talent, yet no one wanted him to got inside the band. He was fully aware of that, therefore he always managed to bring his neighborhood friends from the other town-whom had zero knowledge over music-and together they created such commotion.
Sakura, Ino and Yuya were terribly unlucky had bumped into him.
"What happened!?" Asked Naruto and Sasuke at the same time.
Sakura sat silently at the bus stop stared at the two who were gasping for air.
"My gosh, that guy is a dick," Ino answered, her voice pitched high, "they're trying to defame you guys for bribing the judges so that's how you win!"
"What the-!? Then what happened!?" Naruto said impatiently.
"I pushed him," with very flat tone Sakura answered him. As if she didn't believe it herself. "I wanted to punch his face so bad, but I held it at the last second."
"Y-you what!?" Naruto squealed. Sasuke heaved a long sigh.
"She pushed hard enough for him to staggered back then fell, and she told him," Yuya answered from Sakura's side who was stunned still, "actually yelled at him-"
"I said let's just fight," at this Sakura's voice began to trembled, "I have no idea what I was saying, and with no right mind I pushed him."
Sakura's both hands covered her face. She was finally feeling scared, embarrassed and irritated build up inside her.
"Besides all of that, you guys are fine, right?" said Sasuke tried to calm down their panicked state and his own, "So what happened after you pushed him, Sakura?"
"Well he was just laughing and boast about his name. Isn't he a freak huh?" Ino recalled with clear indignation. "He really enjoy all the attention."
Sasuke gave her a confused look.
"I… I asked about it, his name… so I could tell you guys about him and the slander that he recklessly hurled. I think I'm completely out of my mind."
"You don't know about him, do you, Sakura-chan? He's Jin Watarai! That 'Watarai' who loved to look for trouble whenever he couldn't make it to the competition." It irked Naruto to think about Watarai.
Every pair of eyes shifted to see Sakura.
"How in the earth should I know… who care about Jin Watarai if he weren't said something terrible about you two and the band," Sakura murmured her answer.
Naruto and Sasuke took a look at each other. There is sort of acknowledgement that made them smile.
Naruto stood before Sakura. Under those tranquilizing cerulean eyes, Sakura knew exactly he wanted to say something but he didn't, instead she felt Naruto's gratitude by patting her head.
"Our band had practiced relentlessly," Sakura stared at each of her boy-friends in turn, "he shouldn't accused-, he shouldn't even say anything at all."
/
After that night incident, even after ten years of their friendship, the bond kept getting stronger. For Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke, there is one certain thing they should hold tightly.
After Grandma Kaede passed away a year ago, Sakura had to make great decision to live alone at Hokkaido, and not to follow her one and only uncle who was always sailing across the sea as a Ship Engineer. She didn't want to live with her distant relatives who she couldn't even remembered.
It was enough for her to lived at her hometown with bunch of friends and neighbors who cared for her. Besides it didn't took long before she finally got into college.
Moreover, the two boys did spoiled her in a way Ino and Yuya couldn't have done it, made her heart warm out of compassion. She wanted to spend her last senior year with them.
"Heeeey, I told you, you can't leave your house in complete dark just like that, especially if you had to come late, Sakura-chan." Naruto was nagging at her ear from across the phone.
"I didn't know it would be this late."
"So, are you coming home yet?"
"I am, on my way, Naruto."
Then there he was, Sakura saw Naruto stood with his steamed bun in front of the 24hr supermarket at the intersection, which across the bus stop where she'd got off. Naruto would escorted her home.
"Ino's house is too far. You could just ask me or someone else to finish the tasks."
"Painting and arranging some knick knacks for backdrop, you think you can handle it?"
"Nah, I don't," Said Naruto, then he fell silent.
It had always been like that. He made Sakura feel safe. It was the same for Sasuke as well.
Sasuke had more weekend spent with Sakura rather than bunch of his girlfriends. Made Sakura be the easy target of Sasuke's exes-or soon to be lover-jealousy and rage.
"You're not going, Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura after they left the shrine for praying. "The sun is not set yet, well... if you wanna go."
Sasuke was waiting in the staircase with such peaceful facial expression. He glanced at his left arm, nodded at the time then shook his head. "The graveyard right?"
Sakura was waiting a beat then uttered a yes. And let Sasuke accompany her to see her parents and Grandma Kaede.
"Itachi's going home for Year end's holiday," said Sasuke after two repeated questions of 'are you really not gonna go' from Sakura.
It was the reason for Sasuke to stay, Sakura finally got it.
He told her about all the rare things he never talked when Naruto was around. It was always about his brother Itachi, his grades, sometimes his friends, but never the girlfriends.
"Why you never open up about all of this to your girlfriend?" she supposed to the exes as well, or to all the girls-only God knows how many-Sasuke Uchiha had.
"Why are you asking?"
Sakura threw him a cynical stare. You never, ever, had a proper answer about your relationship with your girl.
Which is why sometime, she could die out of curiosity. Or maybe just a tiny bit of jealousy, she could admit.
"They had nothing to do with all of this."
But, then she caught Sasuke's eyes which told her something more. The glimpse of 'You're enough for me' played a trick to Sakura's mind.
/
• ePiLoGuE •
'I'll be waiting at the school gate.'
There was a letter inside Sakura's shoe locker.
Naruto's left eye twitched, as if seeing something horrible. He seized a rose which came as a bundle with the letter, "Yikes."
Sasuke's brows furrowed; the poor letter crumpled inside his hand.
"Throw it away," said Naruto ambiguous.
"Hn."
Naruto broke the rose's stalk then got rid the evidence into his backpack. He surely would throw it away somewhere else.
Couple of students noticed what had Naruto and Sasuke done, but remained silent as they just walked away with head shaking.
In the afternoon, after her private discussion class, Sakura shocked to see Jin Watarai stood outside the school gate.
"Haruno... Sakura?" He called.
Sakura couldn't believed what her own eyes saw. She froze in her place.
Jin stepped away from his black scooter and came closer to Sakura. There were few students left at school who witnessed it.
"Wh-why are you h-here?" Sakura took a step back.
Jin looked puzzled, "Don't you get my letter?"
"L-l-letter!? D-do you wa-wanna say something?"
Jin got really afraid his acquaintance had sent his letter and flower to the wrong locker. Because obviously she didn't have it with her.
"I'm s-s-sorry for… that night," Sakura terrified. She looked around, "I, I… don't think we should meet each other again," she felt there was no reason to talk to him, so she fled.
"Heeey! Wait a second!"
Sakura ran her lungs out; without a second glance. This time, it was Jin who froze in his place, mouth gaped with incredulity.
Rumor was spread throughout the senior students the next day, that Haruno Sakura had an arguments with her guitarist boyfriend from Hanamashi because of Uzumaki and Uchiha, and it had lasted since last summer.
And the theory of Haruno, Uzumaki and Uchiha had an affair was heard to the entire school.
/
*Capital city of Hokkaido; the largest city as well.
