sometimes it's easier to pretend that we lie to those we love to protect them than to allow those who love us to protect us from what made us lie in the first place.
In which Sakura, Naruto and Saskue have been childhood friends for as long as anyone can remember. But with growing up comes change and hardship, maybe not one they were particularly ready for. But let's be honest, who ever is?
This book will be filled with angst and slow burn, my fav things to read and write. They make my cold dead heart a bit happier. Lol jk. Ok maybe not so much jk.
Also! This book is rated M in my opinion for foul language, sexual themes, and heavy topics. Giving a TW ahead of time just in case! I hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 1
Sakura could not remember a day where those two had not been by her side. She could not remember a day where they weren't nagging her about some stupid argument she didn't care about. It was something that seemed like a chore to the unknowing eye, but to her it was just an average day in her life.
And though she would never admit it,
She enjoyed having them around.
Their friendship began is such a cliché way that Sakura almost found herself questioning if she was just the main character to some best-selling teen's novel that everybody liked.
Being close range neighbors to Naruto and Saskue meant that they were destined to be friends. That age in life where mom and dad were no longer as entertaining as you thought, and you need to search for other people who were also tired of their parents. Hence the trio met, through outdoor activities (hide and seek if we're getting specific) at the ripe age of 5.
They had millions of adventures together, quite creative ones too. On a particular October evening, Sakura recalls, they decided they were going on a secret mission. The objective?
To dismantle the patriarchy.
All jokes aside the real objective for these spunky 7 year old was that they must try to catch a specific cat, Mr. Periwinkle. This cat was special, it was said to have the ability to make the people who touched it to grow up really beautifully. This was simply impossible, voiced Naruto, a cat couldn't possibly have that ability! In the end one quick raise of Sakura's fist was enough to make him really believe in this so called 'legend'.
To make a long story short, the three musketeers ended up breaking the cat's owners' fence (Naruto's 'super special' kick really did the job) and were grounded by their parents for the next month. Their parents hoped it would encourage the three rascals to split apart and finally put an end to their chaotic adventures.
Unfortunately for them, from that day on those three were quite inseparable. They had grown out of their misfit personalities now, yet even at 16 their friendship hadn't budged an inch.
Daydreaming of the past was quite a nice pastime for Sakura, but the reminiscing session was cut short when her mother entered her room abruptly.
"Sakura!" her mother, Mebuki huffed by her bedroom door, "The boys have been honking for ten minutes now! Do I need to get you hearing aids or something?"
Sakura promptly rolled her eyes at her mother's melodramatic dialogue. Could she be any more dramatic?
"No need to yell so loud woman!" said Sakura, her backpack now moving onto her left shoulder. A quick kiss to her mother's cheek and she was out the door. Her father's car was gone, she could almost feel a wave of relief knowing her mother wouldn't have to be alone with him all day. Despite the fact that she shared almost everything with Naruto and Saskue, her home life was not one of them. Partly because she had a hard time accepting it herself.
The boys were seated in Saskue's 2019 grey Mazda3, a gift from his parents for when he turned 16 and made dean's list that year.
Naruto waved his arm at Sakura, a wide smile smeared on his face like usual.
"Sakura! You going deaf or something? We honked like a gazillion times!" Naru exclaimed as Sakura situated herself in the backseat. Another eye roll made its way to Sakura's eyes.
"Good Morning to you baka, and you too Saskue" she said.
Saskue gave his usual grunt, not even turning his head to greet her. She should give him points for being such a safe driver. Unlike with Naruto, Saskue spoke in grunts and simple yet witty sentences. His loudmouthed friends were his polar opposite, but it's just the way things are.
"Sakura-chan, can I please come over after school? I need help with biology again" pleaded Naruto, his eyes doing that puppy beg thing, which in fact did not work on Sakura.
"Yeah I guess I should be a good friend and help you" she answered back, watching him from the corner of her eye. "But we should do it at your house" She really hoped he would accept the terms and not question her further.
"Alright I guess that's fine, but why can't we ever go over to your house? I mean it's like right next door!" said Naruto, his hands now scratching the back of his head.
Sakura looked at her lap, trying to find a plausible excuse. It wasn't that she didn't like them coming over, she just didn't like it when he was there. His temper was so sporadic that she couldn't risk him lashing out while they were there and reveal her current predicament. She needed to just avoid the situation completely.
"My mom is deep cleaning the house today, and I don't want to interfere and get the house all dirty again" Sakura said, desperately hoping Naruto was naïve enough to fall for it.
What kind of excuse is that Sakura?! Even an idiot like Naruto will see right through that! Maybe if I just say that-
"Yeah good idea! Your mom can be really scary when she's angry" Naruto replied, turning back forward once he was satisfied with her excuse.
Of course, it worked on him, she thought. As much as he loved him it didn't take much for her to admit that he could be so dense sometimes. Although right now she was thanking the heavens for it.
A quick "Hn" came from the third party in the car. Saskue was not easy to trick, quite frankly it was almost impossible. He saw through every little lie, big or small, especially when it came to his friends. Learning their lying habits and faces made it only that much easier.
Sakura looked at the car's center rear mirror, where she locked eyes with Saskue's doubtful gaze. Her eyes widened for a second before returning them to normal, afraid he would see right through her. It was a kind of effect he had on her. One quick look in her eyes and she was pouring out words like a fountain.
She always wondered if he could see the way she felt about him too.
….
The rest of the ride was filled with Naruto's useless banter as always, with the occasional grunt from Saskue and wit from Sakura.
They entered the gates of Konoha High, the place where they'd spent the last three years of their lives. Junior year was truly grueling and had even honor roll students like Sakura and Saskue struggling.
The trio entered the school, immediately greeted by many in their radius. Depending on who you asked, their social status around the school was as follows.
Naruto says that they are popular, mainly rooted from Saskue being a woman (and even men) magnet, Sakura being a beautiful (yes, he used that word) and academically recognized student, and his funny and easy going personality.
Sakura thinks that they are well known, not popular. An odd trio indeed tends to stand out in a crowd. Naruto and Sakura tend to be talkative and approachable, while Saskue is not. But his good looks make up for his lack of words.
And Saskue has no opinion because he couldn't be bothered to have one on such an irrelevant topic.
The trio split, Naruto on his way to C hall for English and Saskue and Sakura to Calculus. They walked silently together, Sakura occasionally greeting those who she recognized. Calculus was at the far end of E hall, the only class in that hall actually.
Sakura fidgeted with her school skirt, trying to pull it down a bit. It was the same skirt she used through first and second year, so saying it was fitting on the small side was an understatement. Oh well, the shorter the better right?
She caught Saskue's eyes on her for a brief moment. His eyes were narrowed, meaning he was trying to decipher something. Probably from that disaster of an excuse she gave earlier.
Saskue was someone she had to be extra careful to hide her home life from. He could see right through her, no matter how hard she tried. Yet she wasn't sure if he'd actually do anything if he found out. Would he even care?
"Is something the matter Saskue?" she asked, her head tilting in his direction as they walked silently.
Saskue met her eyes once again. Sakura felt like she couldn't breathe. Those onyx eyes of his were voidless, you could never guess what was going on beneath them.
He promptly shook his head and looked forward again. Saskue was not a man of many words, so his silence was expected.
They entered the classroom after what seemed like an eternity.
While Calculus was not a challenging subject to her, the workload was insane, and she often found herself wishing that her teacher, Mr. Ebisu, was never born.
Class went by quickly however, and Sakura was the first out the door. A small hand touched her shoulder, making her turn the opposite way.
"Hey Forehead, were you planning on talking to me today?" said a familiar voice. A smile tugged at Sakura's lips.
"Maybe, if I find time during my ever-so hectic schedule Ino-Pig" Sakura said sarcastically. Ino was a great friend of Sakura's, having met in middle school. Now Ino was someone both Naruto and Sakura would classify as Popular. Blonde, killer body, loud and outgoing, and add a pretty face to make the perfect girl according to Konoha High.
"Great, how about you fit me between admiring Saskue at 12 and admiring Saskue at 3?" teased Ino. Sakura turned beet red at her words and would have shoved her face into her hands if she wasn't carrying her books.
Ino became instantly aware of Sakura's interest in Saskue back in middle school, when she was still less confident and shy. Ino could admit that Saskue was one masterpiece of a man, having even lusted over him at some point. But now Sakura was older and more confident, and truly turned into a powerful and statured woman. Something Ino was really glad about.
She still could not wrap her head around how Sakura liked Saskue for more than his looks (aka his personality). To Ino's knowledge the boy lacked such personality, if it could even be said that he had one in the first place. Sakura assured her that behind the scenes Saskue was different, more open, but Ino had her doubts about that.
"Ino you can be a real pain sometimes!" Sakura said, her face now composed.
"Anyways, a little birdy told me Genma from fourth year is having a party this Saturday. We should totally go" continued Ino, her perfect stature earning her looks from everyone they passed.
Sakura couldn't help but sigh. As much as she loved Ino, their personalities could be polar opposite at times. It's not that she didn't enjoy parties, she just didn't have the energy or time to be attending one every weekend.
"Ino… I'm pretty sure I'll be too busy" Sakura huffed.
Ino rolled her eyes at her friend's antics. No way was she letting her sulk in books all of Saturday.
"Oh come on Forehead! We can dress up really hot and make out with a bunch of guys!" pushed Ino.
"Oh yeah you've definitely convinced me now!" replied Sakura, the sarcasm could not be more evident. She turned into B hall, heading towards her Physics class. Ino chatted in her ear until Sakura finally agreed, and Ino left with a satisfied smirk on her face.
She took her seat in the middle row. Her table partner, Kiba, was already there.
"Hey Sakura! How are you?" he asked fervently. Kiba was someone she had known for some time, like Ino, having met him in middle school. He was kind to her, although his personality often matched Naruto's.
She offered him a nice smile in return.
Another class went by and so did the next, until it was finally time to go home.
She waited for the boys at Saskue's car, like she always did. Saskue was the first to arrive, unlocking the car. They sat in silence once again. This wasn't unusual for both of them, but today Sakura noticed that this silence was different. It seemed like Saskue was holding something back, something he wasn't willing to share with her.
Naruto finally showed up and then the three were headed home. Naruto was the first to break the silence.
"Sakura-chan, can you also help me with some math work? I kind of fell asleep during today's lesson" he said, giggling like a child.
She gave him a thumbs up front the passenger seat while she checked her phone. When her parents bought their cars, they put tracking devices onto them, just in case one of them got stranded on the side of the road or somewhere with no cell service.
But now, she only used it to track where her father was, and whether he was home or not.
Crap. He's home right now and my math book is in my room, she thought.
She couldn't let Naruto and Saskue inside while she got her book, but she knew Naruto would be annoying and try to come inside. Saskue would park in her driveway, come inside with Naruto to get her book and say hello to her mother, which would be a big problem for Sakura.
Curse him for being so damn polite!
This detailed sketch of the scenario about to play seems insanely specific but Sakura knew them too well, this is exactly how it would pan out.
What should she do? Tell them to just head on to Naruto's house while she gets her book and then walks down to his house once she has the book. There was the risk that they would insist on coming inside and her father would say something ridiculous. She just had to take a chance.
Approaching her home, she decided to strike.
"Just drop me off here and then I'll just walk to your house once I get my book" she stated, trying her best to make her statement seem as normal as possible.
She could see Saskue's eyebrows raise slightly in confusion.
"What? Why Sakura-chan? I wanted to say hi to your mom!" stated Naruto from the back.
She resisted an eyeroll. Why did he always have to get in the way of her plans?
"Plus, imagine if teme's mom found out he didn't greet your mom! She cut his balls off!" laughed Naruto, his hands behind his head.
Sakura was unsure of her next move. No. She had to stand tall and stand her ground.
"Just drop me off and I'll walk over, I'll make sure to tell my mother you said hello" Sakura said once again. No if's, and's or but's, just that.
"But Sakura-chan, I really wanna pet yo- "
"Naruto… if you don't shut that fat mouth of yours I swear I'll- "she began, her voice getting more threatening by the syllable.
Naruto stopped his rant instantly, the wrath of Sakura was not something he enjoyed seeing nevertheless experiencing.
Saskue didn't make a noise during this brawl, only the occasional glance at Sakura.
They pulled up to Sakura's house and she once again told them she'd be back soon and to not wait up. With one last deafening glance at Saskue, she made her way home.
She nervously opened the door to find her mother asleep on the couch. She peered her head near the kitchen and saw her father outside on the phone, in what seemed like an angry rant.
She was careful to slip past the window that faced outdoors and ran up the stairs as quickly as she could.
She hated this. She hated living in fear in her own home. Walking on eggshells just to make sure he doesn't beat them half to death. It was hell, truly it was the only way she could describe it.
She didn't know who she hated more, her father for being a disgusting drunk or her mother for being a pitiful coward.
…...
She made her way to Naruto's house with her book in hand. He lived a block and a half away, so it was a pretty short trip.
She had made it out of her house unnoticed and sent her mom a message telling her where she would be.
Arriving at the Uzumaki residence she let herself in, since that place was practically her second home. Naruto's mother, Kushina, was sweeping the floor. Her face lit up once she saw Sakura.
"Sakura! Oh how glad am I to see you!" she said, embracing her so tightly that Sakura thought she heard a rib break.
As much as she didn't like to think it, she was jealous of Naruto's family. His mother and father were kind and respectful people, always putting the needs of their child before theirs. She had never seen them fight, and they always looked so in love. She couldn't remember the last time she saw her parents like that.
Naruto's parents seemed so perfect, but she knew better than anyone that things were always different behind closed doors.
They chatted for a bit, catching up on the latest news before Sakura bolted upstairs and into Naruto's room. The boys were seated on Naruto's couch in front of his TV. Naruto patted the space between them.
——
After a few hours, three solid punches to the head, 7 eye rolls and four glasses of water, Sakura managed to teach Naruto what he had asked of her. It would have gone faster if Saskue contributed his knowledge, but that sly idiot decided to let Sakura take all the torture.
Finally time to head home, she and Saskue headed down the street. Sakura lives in a middle point between both boys. Naruto was a block and a half away to the right and Saskue was a block and a half away to the left.
For the second time that day she found herself walking in complete silence with Saskue. The silence was in beaming, but rather this than him asking a bunch of questions.
They reach the gate of her house and Sakura bids him a quick 'goodnight'. A few steps into her driveway and his deep voice impales the night's silence.
"Sakura" he says.
She stops dead in her tracks. She recognizes that tone. He's going to ask her something.
Oh boy. This can't be good.
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hey yall! so I know this sucks but hey not all of us can be good writers. I want to make this book long, a slow burn type of deal. Also it's obviously an AU, but the concepts from the OG show will be incorporated. It will be a multi-chapter book hopefully, let's see how far I get!
Love,
V