Leftover Bride
Chapter 1 - WHEEL OF FORTUNE
.
.
DANG DONG DANG DONG DANG DONG!
There goes the wedding bells and here comes the newlyweds making their appearance at the door after they promised their vows to each other, watched by the Heavens.
With smiling faces, they were showered with more flower petals and people around them clapped their hands to rejoice their union. On their finger will be a shiny ring; the symbol of a new beginning and a different kind of happiness.
It's always something like this.
Afterall, it's a wedding!
And here comes the best part of the whole function!
"Girls! Are you ready?"
The bride will shout from a distance and her bridesmaids would gather behind her all prepared for that one thing: bouquet toss!
All these single ladies will be up and rough for the match to catch that single flower bouquet in hopes to strike like what tradition says; catch it and she shall be the next bride-to-be!
Well, most girls would certainly love to be wedded off and be loved by their one-and-only and have a family to look forward to. It's a blissful thing but before that...
The moment that bunch of flowers set off from the bride's hands and was sent high up into the air, girls began running, pushing one another; engaged in a serious battle as though their future depended on it!
Screaming and pulling each others' dresses and hair and bouncing the bouquet back into the air countless times to prevent it from falling into the hands of their adversaries.
"It's mine!"
"No, it's mine!"
"Oww! My foot! Who the heck stepped on me!?"
"I need that bouquet I'm telling you!"
"Quit tossing it so high up!"
"I'm not going home until I have those flowers!"
"Have your boyfriend buy you one then!"
"What's the point if it's not the bride's!?"
"Umm...Why don't we all share it?"
"NO WAY!"
It's becoming a disaster!
That poor bunch of flowers were endlessly being caught up in the struggle of desperate women; the scariest of all mankind. All they wanted was to be the next bride and they were taking a stand for it.
"Yikes! The flower is running away!"
"You idiot! You hit it too hard!"
"It's going that way!"
"Omigosh! It's gonna hit Sakura!"
"Saku-chan watch out!"
"Huh-WAAAAH!"
SPLASH! CLANG! CRASH!
The bouquet propelled right into a certain pink haired female, spilling a tray full glasses of drinks all over herself.
The rest of the girls panicked and rushed up to their drenched friend.
"Are you okay, Sakura?"
"You think she's okay? Look she's covered in punch!"
"Help her up girls! One...Two...Heave HO!"
"I'm fine. I'm fine," as the pink haired female got back to her feet.
RIIIIIP!
Did that sound come from the back of her dress?
"Don't. Move. Sakura."
"Where is it?"
The worried pink haired female froze on the spot, not daring to move another inch as she feared her dress might begin to rip apart even worse.
"I told you to get a larger size, Sakura," said one of the girls.
"There wasn't any, did you forget? And there wasn't any time to tailor one for her when SOMEONE was so hesitant about choosing between lavender or grey!"
"Hey, it was a very difficult decision."
"Now it's obviously the lavender one is more suitable for Sakura. The skirt has more room!"
"Hey, hey. Now's not the time to fight. Help me cover up, I think I got some thread in my bag," Sakura quickly cut in. "I left the bag inside the changing room."
It's becoming a scene when a group of bridesmaids would start arguing during a wedding. Guests were already trying to be nosy about it from afar too.
Especially when the bride came running while hugging her skirt with her legs showing and barefooted!
"Sakura. Are you alright? Goodness! You're all soaked and torn," the bride gasped.
"No worries, Karen. I've got-"
"Girls. You go keep some of the guest company. I'll be taking Sakura to get her fixed."
"But Karen, you're the bride," said one of her bridesmaids.
"I wanna take a breather. Those nosy aunties were just so noisy," whispered the bride. "Plus my dress is large enough to cover Sakura's torn dress."
"Okay!" said the bridesmaids in unison.
.
.
.
In the changing room.
* Introducing Haruno Sakura *
.
"Hmm...you're pretty good at this, Sakura."
This here is Karen; bride of the day.
She's one of my classmates all the way back during high school. A rough and tough girl who doesn't really obey school rules and a basketball player. Which makes her tall and slender. Always telling me how she loved her single life; fearing of being committed to a partner…
Well, so much for that.
Today's finally her big day. I'm happy for her, really.
"That's because you always skip sewing class, Karen."
I bit on the thread at the last stitch; my torn dress doesn't seem to look one bit awkward that it was ripped apart. I am rather impressed at myself right now. Though the stain from the punch doesn't seem to get off anytime now no matter how I tried to tend to it.
Oh, let me introduce myself a little bit.
Haruno Sakura.
That's me.
Just the basic girl; the very common ones I'd say.
Not tall but not too short either; average but still there were places I couldn't reach.
I'm proud to have pink hair that I got from dad and I had decided to grow it out long enough to style it anyway I like and long enough for my younger sibling to practice on since he's a hairstylist-in-the-making.
Green eyes that I've got from mom. I still think she has a better shade of green than I do; no matter, I was thankful that I got them from her.
"Where were you during the bouquet toss, Sakura?" Karen asked.
"Me? I was helping a few of your guests get some drinks. I've no idea that those flowers came flying into me!"
She rolled her eyes at me.
"Forget about other people and think about yourself. Come on, Sakura. You're not any younger. You're already thirty one and counting! Don't you want to be married?"
So Karen does believe in such traditions. Additionally, what makes her think that I would be the one catching those flowers? She's illogically cute sometimes.
And she's serious about it when she stared right into my eyes as she spoke with a sense of worry.
I know.
Which girl on earth doesn't want to be married off one day?
It's been a dream since I was a teenager that I might find the one prince charming and be scooped up into his arms and live happily ever after.
The classic fairy tale.
But.
The problem is.
I've been single for almost...forever?
I've never been on dates.
I've never been chased after by any boy; not a single one from school or anywhere.
That kind of luck doesn't seem to be standing by me ever since I was born when I do envy the rest of my girlfriends getting into sweet relationships and many had turned into wives recently and a few had turned into moms!
When I'm still stuck at the starting point not knowing when I could begin.
Where do I begin with actually?
"Of course I do, Karen. But this isn't something I can force it on. Moreover, no one would want someone who couldn't fit into a wedding dress without a DOUBLE XL!"
"Argh! There you go again. It's not about the SIZE, girl. It's about taking initiative and being positive!"
I was positive until some point I began to hang on to false hopes my heart was clinging to. It's growing too obvious that my appearance mattered.
I was always the chubbiest kid around and the weirdest one with pink hair. I've tried countless times on reducing numbers on the scale and somehow it didn't work.
Now that I've a busy timetable to adhere to, these things flew out of my mind as I concentrated on getting jobs done.
As the breadwinner of my family, I realised my siblings became my pride and joy and the only ones that mattered.
And my customers, they were happy to see me all the time. They didn't mind the SHAPE that I am and I got to become part of their important weekly routine.
It's a sweet different kind of bond.
Conclusively, I've become used to being BIG and single. So that's that.
The end.
"L-Let's not talk about me on your big day, Karen," avoiding her eyes, I diversified the topic.
My friend sighed, it doesn't seem like she's going to stop there.
"Look, Sakura. We've been friends for a long time now. The rest of our girlfriends out there were all either in relationships and engaged to their partners. You're the only one who hasn't. I just…don't want to see you get left behind."
I smiled.
"It's about time you quit being a bridesmaid for the girls and be a bride yourself, Sakura."
Yeah. I sincerely love this girl with all my heart.
She was the one who sat beside me every year in class and we did all sorts of silly things together. I was the first she told me she had a boyfriend, I was the first she told me she had a breakup and I was the one she told me she's being proposed to.
We were this close and I cherish our friendship as much as she cherished me.
Still.
Love isn't something I could force it.
And I couldn't bring myself to confess out loud to her that I think I might never be a bride no matter how I wished.
I may not be blessed with a partner but I'm blessed with beautiful people who cared for me as me.
"Let's leave it up to fate." I said assuringly.
She made a face, knowing it was half-hearted and hugged me.
"Anyway, thanks for being my bridesmaid," she pulled away with a smile.
"And thank you for coming to my wedding out of your busy schedule."
I smiled in return.
Yup, that concludes for today's wedding ceremony.
And yes, it's a Saturday and I took the day off just to be a bridesmaid for her.
Well, I cannot say that this was the first time, I mean, I've been a bridesmaid many times that I've lost count.
They say a girl shouldn't be a bridesmaid for too many times? Like seven? Uh...the myth thing?
I don't know…
I'm not really that superstitious but I could see that I'm already on the verge of becoming a full-time single woman now.
I don't see the problem with it...okay...I DO see what's the problem with me and it's my SIZE.
Not that I was extra pretty or rich or famous. So it's kinda natural that I might be left out to wear a ring on my finger.
Moreover, these days I'm getting rather busy running the family business that mom and dad left me and my siblings with.
The couple met into an accident right on the very day I turned nineteen; days were tough without them and I decided to quit university in order to take over the business that I wasn't too familiar with for the sake of my three younger siblings.
See that signboard ahead with the smiley sunshine?
Sunshine Cleaners
That's us.
The Haruno family runs the cleaning service business; making places sparkly clean, now we even have laundry services, kicking out pests or simply cooking the meal!
We've evolved more than just doing cleaning alone. Just to stay competitive. Especially with our neighbouring deadliest arch nemesis:
The Uzumaki Clean & Sparkle!
That shop right next to ours was our long standing competitor belonging to the Uzumaki family.
It's a three storey shop house; all of us practically lived above our shops of this old block. Skyscrapers were mushrooming into the skies, sadly taking away a lot of sunlight from older buildings.
As I pulled the van up to the front of the shop, the woman from next door perked,
"Aa, Sakura-chan. You're back. Oh my, your dress is ruined. Quickly get it changed, I know the best way to handle that stubborn stain."
This is Uzumaki Kushina; she's the loveliest lady I've ever met.
Always taking care of us Haruno children when our parents were gone. She has this long red hair I admire so much; she's one of the reasons that I grew my hair out too. She would make an extra share of meals for us anytime.
Her cooking was second to none.
"Sakura, you're back. Naruto's been looking for you since this afternoon. I think he's at your place hanging out with Yura."
This is Minato, his son Naruto was just an exact copy of him; blue eyes and blonde hair. He was always so nice to take care of a few light bulbs and leaks at the shop when I was still unable to do it myself.
Basically the whole family was very kind to us. If it wasn't for them, I don't think I could have made it today.
"Right, thanks Uncle Minato."
I skedaddled into the shop and the first thing I came to see the moment I opened the door was a bunch of hair scattered all over the place. Blonde hair!
"YURA!"
I screamed to the top of my lungs,
"How many times I've told you not to cut at the front of the shop!"
Yura; he's the eldest among the triplets. The twenty two year old hoped to be a renowned hair stylist and establish his salon one day.
Currently, he's still under apprenticeship at a shop not too far from ours. At the rate he's going...erm...as his sister and the oldest in the family, I still root for him even if he had no flair in the trade—oops.
"I'll clean it up later, sis. I needa concentrate now. Naruto, don't move."
"Hey ya, Sakura-chan. Did you catch the bride's bouquet this time?"
Uzumaki Naruto; he's the only son of Kushina and Minato. Not sure why that he took after his mother's family name instead of his father's. He's a childhood friend of my age who helps out the family business just like me.
A simple minded guy with big smiles all the time. With him around, the place felt much warmer and I couldn't help but to smile along.
"Nah. I gave up on it," I said, throwing the van keys into the jar.
"I thought you were very enthusiastic about it."
Naruto didn't seem to care about hair as I silently watched Yura have his way with it; struggling to get things right, snipping his scissors as he saw fit.
Oh, a hole; he cut too much hair next to the ear.
I almost yelped but managed to keep my mouth shut.
"That was years ago, Naruto. And don't expect me to run in a dress just to catch some flowers."
"What's the disaster this time? You've got juice all over you. Ripped your skirt?"
How does he know?
I was pretty sure I did a good job on mending it.
"You didn't get laughed at?"
"No!"
I fummed.
He didn't seem to mind his words, I mean he doesn't towards me. Sure we were like...really close. But that doesn't mean I do not mind, buddy.
"I'm sure I sewed it just like new. How can you see it was ripped?" I tried checking myself.
"Haha. I guessed!"
Sigh...We've been neighbours for far too long. I'd say he's the only guy who knew me well. Deep down he's soft and caring.
I really like him.
Sadly, he already has someone he secretly admires. I'm not sure who and hadn't got the guts to pry when he's kinda sensitive about it.
All I knew from Yura was that that secret admirer was engaged.
Oh, did I forgot to mention that Yura is the closest to Naruto among triplets. Yura just likes to glue to him whenever he gets the chance.
Thum. Thum. Thum. Thum.
Coming down the stairs, still in pyjamas, finally here arrives the smart ass of the Haruno family and second among the triplets:
His Royal Highness Prince Yuno.
Despite being the smartest among us all, has a shelf full of intellectual awards, has crowds of girls swooning over him; this poor boy has an incurable disease that made him unbelievably lazy.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn…morning sis..."
See what I mean?
"Morning? It's already three in the afternoon," I checked the wall clock.
This boy is hopeless even when he's blessed with a big brain. Other than attending classes at university and doing home laundry, he's always found snuggling with his teddy bear under the covers.
Despite that level of laziness, he would secretly help around the shop; handling orders, arranging appointments and getting the laundry business going.
He just likes playing hero; he would only budge whenever I'm out cleaning on my job. And he'll be finished the time I'm back and he'll be upstairs pretending nothing had happened.
He's weird in some way with a soft heart.
The softest among the triplets I'd say.
"Hmmm...why are you all dressed like that, sis...? Are we having a party tonight...yaaaaaawnnn...?"
"Your sister is getting married!" teased the blonde loudly.
"Naruto!"
I kicked his chair and he flinched, I think Yuno almost scissored off his ear. Oops...
"Ehhh...really…? Who's the groom…? I didn't have a suit to wear…Teddy doesn't have one either..."
"Quit messing around, Naruto. Wake up, Yuno. Get yourself dressed and help me in the kitchen."
"Hmmm...no need...it's only hours away till bedtime…yaaaawwnn...I want pasta, fried rice and two slices of chocolate cake, sis..."
Yuno.
Sis has to pray very hard for you, hoping one day you'll find a bride who could really take care of you and not toss you aside to sleep on the streets!
JiNGgLE JiNgGLy JiNG JiNG!
That's our shop's latest fancy doorbell. Real bells and not electronic ones; fixed on the highest edge of the door.
It's something we picked up from our trip to the hot springs months ago and it does sound right every time someone enters our premise.
"I'M BAAAAACK!"
Last but not least, the youngest of the triplets: Yuna.
She's the loudest, most rambunctious, most unpredictable member of our family. And the weirdest.
What I meant by weird is that this girl not only barely survived high school and was totally unqualified to attend university.
Currently, she's practicing to be a fortune teller!
Sure she helped out at the shop during the day but when the day turns dark...she'll be in business of providing predictions through appointed clients online and she'll be at it until the wee hours.
Sounds fun?
None at all.
I don't seem to find her divination one bit accurate. Erm...not that I could say it out loud. She read mine a few times before...sadly, not a single one of them came true.
Like Yura, she's still an amaetur.
Nonetheless, she's still my baby sister. I'll play along just to keep her happy while hoping she would find a decent job or a good man to marry off to.
This is the Sunshine Cleaners.
This is my family.
The four of us despite not being related by blood; the triplets were adopted by my parents when those three were infants from who-knows-where. All I knew I had two new brothers and a sister overnight and had to share my room with them.
Still, we shared a beautiful siblingship.
Yura, Yuno and Yuna; all of them had identical black hair and eyes, similarly tall which makes me the shortest among them and all three were slender which again makes me the LARGEST among them.
Again, despite all that,
We love each other.
We were bonded by this special meeting called fate.
Once again, I'm Haruno Sakura and welcome to my story in tribute to all the single ladies with SIZE troubles!
You're not alone out there girls. I'm here for you!
.
.
.
From her room; the highest floor of the shop, Sakura gazed up into the night sky from her balcony where the stars were displayed scatteredly.
Unlike the old days, the skies were left clear and unobstructed to count them.
Today, things were different.
Skyscrapers and their lightning rods; endless blinking red lights had stolen the spotlight of the stars. Countless airplanes dominated the peace in the skies, roaring loudly as they pleased. Just like those endless honking coming from the busy streets no matter the hour was proof of times had changed.
This is the city.
"Hey ya, sorry to keep ya waiting, Sakura-chan."
The blonde boy finally showed up at his balcony with two canned beers like he always does and threw one over to his pink haired friend.
For a while, the sound of the escaping gas followed with the beer can being cracked open was a description of pure peace.
"Cheers."
And they both gulped down half of that nicely chilled drink in one breath was a kind of pure bliss.
"AAAHH! Burp!" Naruto then chuckled to himself out of satisfaction.
This atmosphere was nothing unusual between them; the two always chatted and drank into the late night while they stood at their own balconies.
It's a childhood thing, Sakura was glad to have a friend to be so close by.
"You were looking for me?" she began.
"Uh huh. I've got a favour to ask actually," Naruto sipped his can of beer.
"If you're gonna spit nonsense on doing the impossible, I whack you right now," she threatened. "Like the last time you needed me to find one hundred kinds of mushrooms in a day! I must be nuts being convinced by you!"
"Hahaha. You were a big help although we failed," the blonde smiled sheepishly.
"Duh! Thanks to you we visited almost very supermarket and grocery store in the city," Sakura complained,
"It's for someone special, isn't it?"
Naruto grew quiet in an instant.
To Sakura, this wasn't the first time he would behave this way whenever she mentions about his mysterious lover. He would clamp up right away followed by a blush.
There he goes; the tip of his ears grew bright red and very much to be visible in this dimly lit balcony. His face? It's needless to look at it.
As how he silently bit the beer can, anyone could tell he was being very bashful.
He really, really liked this person but was too shy to confess.
"N-No! I-It's not like t-tha—Ah! By the way, Sakura. I need your help in my place for a client tomorrow," trying his best to control his shuddering, he quickly switched topics,
"I know it's a Sunday. But this client is a friend and he's only open during the weekend. I assure you he pays really well."
Sakura sighed at first then lifted her beer can towards the sky to finish up every drop she could find. The night sure was fulfilling after a good drink.
After a short consideration,
"There's this new barbecue shop that ope—"
"No problemo! I'll treat you to eat as much grilled meat as you like! Thanks Sakura-chan you're the best!"
It's always nice to see that bright smile of his.
That wide grin that grew from ear to ear and the kind that could send one's heart fluttering with gladness; Sakura couldn't help but to smile along with a hidden flush.
She really...really liked this guy.
His kindness and naïveté were his best charms that not many would notice. Other people would always take advantage of him, thinking he's just plain stupid but deep down, he's not.
He wouldn't mind taking the extra mile for a stranger in need. Sadly, his deed was always left unrewarded in the end. That, he's becoming used to it. But he didn't stop doing the things he felt right.
Naruto is just being Naruto.
If he wasn't in for someone else, Sakura might want to take a chance.
But that would be so...impossible.
"SIS! SIS! SIS! SIS! SIS!"
Yuna barged into the room without bothering to knock and ran up to cling onto her pink haired sister.
Even if she's all goth up in a black dress with dramatic laces and nets, applied inches thick of white face powder and black eyeliner and to make it all surreal, she wore fake piercings on her nose, eyebrows, ears, lips and wherever she could clip them on;
Still, this cheerful girl never loses her charm of being the 'little sister'.
"Yuna-chan. Awesome get-up!" Naruto gave her a thumbs up.
"It's my killer look, Naruto-nii," the twenty two year old was never shy to blow a kiss and act all cute.
She IS cute after all.
"Naruto, don't encourage her. She needs to find a normal job and a normal partner one day," Sakura emphasized, looking at her clingy sibling.
Being the eldest of the family wasn't easy; it was never easy even if she knew her siblings were old enough to take care of themselves...Uh...one still needs extra care if he wasn't born exceptionally lazy…
And the other two were doing what they love without bothering if their plan would ever work out.
Basically, they are still kids.
"You could say that again. What about yourself, Sakura? You gonna stay single and work your ass off until you're old and wrinkled?"
Naruto replied straightforwardly and immediately earned himself a threatening glare.
Those. ARE. Facts.
No doubt he felt no shame mentioning it over and over again. And he's just being a friend saying what's right.
But the problem is…
"That's why I came for you, sis! I'm going to give you another divination! To find your true partner in waiting!"
Naruto chuckled and winked agreeingly at the cheeky female.
"Argh, come on Yuna. Give me a break. Your predictions are—" Sakura tried to shake her sister off but to no avail.
"I've bought a very nice, big crystal that could really help make my readings better. Trust me!"
"Aren't you supposed to attend to your customers?"
"Uh, business isn't as good these days," Yuna admitted shyly.
Duh! Her readings weren't that convincing, it's natural there were no returning customers!
Give up being a fortune teller or whatever it was and get a proper job girl!
"Don't try to change the subject, sis! You're coming with me and that's that! Later, Naruto-ni. I'll give you another reading the next time!"
Yuna forcefully dragged her pink haired sister with her and the two disappeared away, leaving a laughing blonde.
.
.
*In Yuna's Room*
This, is the fortune teller's room.
Dim.
Filled with star and moon themed lamps.
Crystals. Many, many crystals.
Twinkle lights that strung from one end to another.
Small candles were lit and placed around the room without having the concern that accidents might happen and burn down the place!
And more crystals. In all sorts of colours too.
It's to channel and enhance energy, says Yuna. Therefore, she occupied almost every space she could find with crystals!
And on that small table in the middle of this tight room was that BIG crystal Yuna was currently proud of.
It's huge alright.
Wonder how that girl managed to carry it. Sakura began to worry; what if this thing fell off the table and pierced through the wooden floor?
Yuna's room was right above the kitchen...
Whoever might be so...unlucky?
Let's not think about that first. Or she didn't dare imagine it.
But right now, here she sat face to face at the table where the gothic girl first lit an incense before she began to shuffle her tarot cards.
Murmuring words under her breath as if she's calling upon energies to aid her divination.
The procedure gave the pink haired female the chills but she chose to keep quiet and allowed her sister to proceed in whatever she needed to do.
"Please spirit with your guidance let there be answers to this poor girl's questions. Let her love life be fulfilled. Show her the way. Tell her what she needs to knowwwwwwAAAAAAAHHH!"
Okay…
That's something new. Compared to the last reading when it was rather natural than supernatural.
Is this what it calls improvement?
Sakura couldn't really get the logic behind it. Practically there wasn't any from the beginning! She could quite sit still when she's starting to feel that there's something at her feet and a breeze brush her back?
Scary.
"Alright, let me do this one last shuffle and—oh!" Yuma's head perked.
Surprising Sakura as well, a card accidentally slipped out of the deck towards her direction and landed onto her lap.
"What's that card, sis?" Yuna sounded excited.
"Uh...it's...uh...the wheel...of fortune?"
"Oh my, oh my my! This is interesting. Put it on the table. Right, right, let's not be impatient and see what the spirits have to say,"
Yuna began spreading a few cards lined in two neat rows.
Then she stopped after drawing the final card.
Silence immediately drew by and the atmosphere stiffened while Yuna was exceptionally quiet causing Sakura to grow very nervous.
"Oh dear...oh…my...this is...wait a second…I need more power to get a clearer divination."
Yuna closed her eyes with her hand touching that big crystal of hers.
Then silence.
And silence.
And more silence.
"Yuna—?"
"It's not a bird, it's not a plane, it's SUPERMAN! That blue spandex hero will come flying and hit your head like a meteor! You'll be crushed by a GIANT CACTUS! There'll be a TOMATO that makes you clean his SH*T! Behold a WHITE HORSE that will take you to the HIGHEST place to reach for the STARS!"
Sakura couldn't be more speechless than watching her sister go wild. It's just a reading, chill!
Top that with Yuna's gothic-ish makeup that made her sound like a freak and that black lipstick was just disturbing.
Imagine, watching that pink tongue and white teeth every time she opens her mouth to speak...it's kinda...er…
Creepy.
"No matter, you're bound to this person by FATE and it shall NEVER be broken by an earthquake or typhoon. A knight in shining CRYSTAL armour you've been waiting for is coming! He'll FIGHT for you, STAND BY your side, LOVE you for who you are."
Then silence again.
"Okay. That concludes your reading," Yuna ended with a cheeky smile.
As if whatever happened a minute ago was normal. When it's not. At all.
She's a huge freak!
"I...don't understand a single word you say, Yuna…," Sakura uttered hopelessly.
"Aww, was it so hard? I mean, it's a good reading! Look! You have the Wheel of Fortune flying into your face the first thing! And you have the Death!"
"D-Death!?"
"In tarot it's a sign of change, new beginnings, sis! Not literally death. I've explained this countless times!"
Yuna could see that her sister wasn't paying attention before she carried on excitedly,
"You have many nice cards, sis. There's The Sun; joy and happiness. Knight of Cups, Ace of Cups and ending with the Hierophant!" the young female clapped her hands,
"Marriage, sis! Marriage! You'll be married. Lovely!"
The pink haired female was out of words for a second,
"Seriously? A giant cactus? Have you had any idea I might survive that to see the rest of my future?"
"Uhh...I don't know. I guess you might...Anyway, this is one of the best readings so far in my career!" Yuna squealed.
She's overly excited for some reason.
Sakura rolled her eyes a bit before standing up from her seat,
"Okay, bedtime. I've got work tomorrow."
"Huh? Work? Tomorrow's Sunday."
"I know. The guy next door needed me to take his place."
"Anyway, you've got to believe me, sis. I can sense a strong energy coming from these cards. They are for real this time!" Yuna insisted.
"Yes, yes. I'll be waiting for superman to come hit me on the head," Sakura said with some sarcasm as she headed for the door.
"You're not believing me aren't you, sis?" Yuna ran up to her leaving sister.
"Haha. No. There's no way a knight in shining armour riding on a white horse for me, Yuna. I've been single since the beginning and it's nothing to be upset about," Sakura smiled as she ruffled her younger sister's dark hair.
"Moreover, all handsome princes find beautiful princesses that fit in a perfect dress. Wonder if there might be a fairy tale about a chubby princess?"
"It's not funny, sis," Yuna stomped her feet grumpily.
"I mean...Yura and Yuno too are hoping you might find a husband some day to take care of you. You've given us so much we all wanted the best for you too!"
If only the young female wasn't dressed so gothically, she would look absolutely adorable right now. Clenching her fist silently, she knew there was nothing much she could do to help except to brighten up the kind of hope her sister had buried a long time ago.
Sure Sakura was rough, tough and big but does that mean she's going to be left out from wearing a white dress?
Though every man does want the perfect bride that has the perfect hourglass figure that stands out perfectly well in any background.
Like supermodels, actresses, singers, idols.
Is the guideline to true beauty 'the perfect fit'?
"Thanks, Yuna. Having the three of you is better than any love could give. Now don't you worry, I'll meet that prince in shining armour soon enough as I hit bed. Nights!"
"But—"
Yuna sighed as soon as the pinkette vanished behind that closed door.
Guess it's a hope long broken…
.
.
.
Another bright sunshine Sunday!
On Sundays it's a day to sleep in and laze around all day long, snoozing from one bed to another person's bed then to the couch and on the counter and so on and so forth.
It's the Haruno family Sunday tradition.
It's a rest day, duh!
The whole bunch would hardly get up to do anything, they might even skip breakfast and lunch. The super laziest day of the week.
Sadly.
Today's not applicable to one particular pink haired female. It was supposed to be a day off if it wasn't for some blondie's request.
Sakura had to peel herself from her cozy bed early in the morning like any other weekday, chomped down two slices of bread and eggs, wash it all down with a mug of sugarless black coffee, head to the toilet for The most important business of the day before she hopped into the van and sped off.
Again, Sunday.
The road wasn't quite as busy during the weekdays, it's even quieter during this early hour. How jealous she could be when she couldn't participate in the world's laziest day.
Just for the sake of Naruto!
He needed her to take care of the cleaning business at a friend's place;
"Starlight Tower?"
Sakura quickly checked her phone once more to confirm she got the place right while steering the wheel.
"Hmm...it's in the heart of the city. Glad that the roads weren't congested or it'll be a bad day."
No matter, it's still a wonderful morning for a drive.
.
.
*Starlight Tower*
It's not just tall.
It's not just shiny.
It's a tower of luxury apartments!
Look at that classy infrastructure!
There's this waterfall coming from the swimming pool on the higher floor!
Oh, there were luxury malls of high brands!
Wow, this place really was something to call it exclusive and Sakura couldn't help but to gasp excitedly.
It's her first time here; she hardly visited the city's most luxurious places or did she even know this place actually existed in the first place!
The rich are different; Her heart pounded as she stood rooted before the main entrance of the building.
Stepping inside the building was a whole lot more astounding than the external infrastructure.
The place was perfectly marbled with a sense of royalty, a large chandelier was hung as an iconic feature to greet anyone who walked in from the front door and that it gently sparkled from its lighting.
Listen to that?
This place even had a harpist to play soft music to enhance the grandeur of the place.
People on the ground floor were all dressed in suit and tie and even gloves!
Sakura withheld a smile and played her cool and began to search for the elevator.
Meanwhile, she began to recall Naruto's advice,
'Remember, if anyone approaches you, never tell them you're here for cleaning. Say that you're a visiting friend or else you'll get kicked out. And here, use this card on elevator seven to access the thirty-fifth floor. His place is big so you might want to be there early to get the job done. Usually my friend would not be around during Sundays, that's when I took the time to tidy up his place.'
Sigh…
Coming to a place like this was a chance that she hardly got but thinking about Naruto's words gave her some stress; if she had known that this was a luxury apartment, she might have turned him down.
Moreover, she had to come alone to avoid suspicion of her being here for cleaning duty!
What? Cleaners weren't allowed?
Anyhow, it's not like she got to clean rich people's homes every day. To be frank, this was the first.
Now that she thought about it, Naruto had good tastes for friends. She came to feel surprised at Naruto having such a rich friend.
"Elevator seven...Elevator seven...Where's this eleva-"
THONK!
"Owww!" Sakura yelped loudly.
Don't mind her for being rude but something hard just hit her head and it hurts really badly!
It felt like her skull almost cracked. She picked up the thing that almost killed her on the spot and surprisingly, guess what it was?
"Are you hurt?"
Sakura looked up to the person who's voice belonged; a tall male was already standing before her.
He had large eyes with pale lavender pupils, he's fair with long hair that tied loosely at the end of it. Neatly dressed in suit and tie which made him look stern and serious especially when he sounded blunt and cold.
"N-Not really…," Sakura panicked at the sight of him as if she was being glared at without a reason.
Hey, she's the victim here!
"Are you hurt or not?" He repeated himself in demand for a definite answer.
"N-No...No."
"Good," he said and held out a hand.
"H-Huh...?"
Sakura grew confused at his silent action. This guy was utterly expressionless to the point that made her fail to think straight. He was scaring her by looking at her as if she was a criminal or something!
He almost killed her, Heavens!
And he's making her feel as if she was the one at fault!
"The superman please," he said sternly.
Superman?
Oh, he meant the thing that hit her was actually an action figure toy called Superman.
Ah, SUPERMAN!
Impossible…
Sakura double checked the figurine she held. There's no mistaking it. It's really the red caped, blue spandex hero!
OMG!
W-What's happening?
A rush of blush began spreading all over her face as she recalled Yuma's reading last night.
Sakura shyly peeked at the tall male once more…
Could this be her...?
"Ah,"
Out of her expectations, the pale eyed stranger impatiently took the figurine off her hands and walked away without another word, disappearing deeper into the building.
How rude, she thought.
If it really is that guy...this must be fate.
But!
On the other hand, she could never imagine such a guy would be her destined person.
If he really had to be, it's bad luck.
Who would possibly like a man who had the least manners?
So much for superman.
Sakura reassured herself that it was pure coincidence and Yuna's predictions couldn't actually be real. With that, she quickly headed for elevator seven she managed to find, finally.
Hope she doesn't bump into that pale eyed man again.
"Thirty-fifth...thirty-fifth...There," the elevator began to ascend as soon as she pushed the button.
Through the elevator glass, she was excited again at the sight of a panoramic view of the entire city as the travelling platform climbed higher.
She had never been this excited in a single day before.
Sure, she had been living in the lower class of life since she was a child. Her cleaning job has never been so thrilling. It's always about cleaning peoples' homes, small offices, store rooms and the other small stuff.
But this.
Double wow!
She was overly excited before she realised that the place she was about to be on duty on was actually THE penthouse of the highest floor of this entire building!
The front door was huge, made from the finest wood painted in deep blue, fitted with a matching gold door knob that matches with the golden name plate engraved with the name of its owner: Uchiha.
The door frame was marbled in white that was shiny and sleek just like the floor too!
Standing at here, Sakura already squealed at heart with utmost excitement to see such luxury,
'Calm down. Calm down, Haruno Sakura. You need to act professional!'
She held her chest where she could feel her own heart pounding hard,
'Anyway, let's get down to business!'
Adjusting herself to the right behaviour, she reached out for that very slick touchscreen keypad lock and punched in the numerical passcode Naruto provided her with.
The door unlocked like a charm.
Venturing inside, it was dark. Very dark.
Unexpectedly.
The sunlight was being cancelled out by those thickened curtains that had yet to be drawn during this time of the day. Sakura could see the brightness already seeping in from the edges of those fabrics.
She tried reaching out for the switch to get some lights until she gave in looking for them and decided to open the curtains instead.
Carefully, she made her way to the other side of the room. Along the way she could feel that there were various things she accidentally kicked with her feet.
Her trip to the other side was further than she had expected, giving her an impression that this place should be big.
As soon as she managed to reach out to those curtains and with one hard pull, she drew them open allowing a burst of sunlight to clear the darkness of the entire room.
The feeling of being touched by the morning glory had a sense of satisfaction of waking up early to meet the day.
She came to feel grateful for coming this far to see the best and beauty this place has to offer until…she turned around.
"Ack!?"
Dirty clothing.
Rubbish.
EVERYWHERE!
This place was enormous to begin with and the dirty stuff had this place filled!
What is this place!?
Again, Sakura expected nothing like this and it was the total opposite of what she had in mind;
There were expensive furnitures and decorations but the unattended laundry and scattered rubbish had ruined the perfect image of a luxury home.
The sink was completely filled with dirty dishes and cookware, all waiting to be cleaned.
Empty food containers were left piling on the dining table, wine bottles and spilled wine were all over the floor and even food crumbs were left on the carpet which looked like it was made from real animal fur!
This is a total mess!
"Heavens! What's wrong with this place?" Sakura gasped.
Now that she recalled, Naruto did warn her about being here early to fix the place.
It's becoming a dumpsite!
No matter.
This is a job for a professional from the Sunshine Cleaners!
First, Sakura went picking up dirty clothing which lay almost everywhere; from socks, to suits, to boxers and even a bra!?
Oh, there's a white shirt with smudged cosmetics on it too!
Guess the master of the house must be really busy during the night, the pink haired cleaner thought cheekily.
Then,
For a split moment.
While she continued to tidy up the laundry, something just moved.
She saw a shadow just flicked past from the corner of her eye.
She wasn't sure what but there was definitely something.
The curtain even swayed a little, it couldn't be the wind when she has yet to open any windows that's for sure.
Therefore, definitely she ISN'T alone.
Sakura stunned for a while as her heart began to race from the sudden fear and dare not make a sound, hoping to catch whoever or whatever it was!
She's afraid.
Too bad she's alone.
And the door was far away from her current spot.
If she had to make a run, could she be fast?
Cling clang…
Another sound.
From behind her.
It must be those wine bottles. Something moved it. This time she had no means to be frozen in panic. It's do or die!
Sakura quickly braced herself and turned around—
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwn...Tomato...come here you furba—Hmm…?"
It's...
A man.
He was tall, rather fair-skinned with matching dark onyx eyes and jet black hair who casually walked right before her with NOTHING on!
Sakura was stunned.
He became wide eyed,
"What the—Who the hell are y—!?"
"YIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! PERVERT!"
SLAP!
Oh, yeah...she hit him hard alright.
Hello dearies out there!
It's Blue again.
Yup, I've decided to do more stories about SIZE matters again. It has been such a long time since the previous ones and I need to thank all who have been giving those stories LIKES/ FOLLOWS/ REVIEWS. Thank you.
Therefore, I've decided to do some more and as part of a tribute to those who have SIZE matters & SINGLE matters. So I've decided to cheer you dearies up with a story; tell you that you're beautiful in your own way and time will tell when you shall meet the very one you've been waiting for!
I hope you will enjoy this story. It's going to be a love ride so hold on tight!
Many lovely blessings to all of you and give yourself more love!
Only you know the better you!