AUTHOR'S NOTE:
&& YT is hitting the double-digits, chapter-wise. "Thank you very much!" to everyone that reviewed. Opinions are important, and I'm glad you guys take the time to offer your thoughts. (:
&& about this chapter: Sakura-fans might or might not like me for depicting her this way, because they probably feel that I didn't do her enough justice…or something xT Either way, I would LOVE to know your opinion about Haruno Sakura's depiction. I worked hard to make her as three-dimensional as possible! (And it's really hard because I'm somewhat biased. :/)
&& I'd like to know your opinion on Ino too! (:
&& And very sorry for the slow update. I went on an impromptu vacation—if you count being kidnapped by friends a vacation (literally, they had a bag and gag…don't ask). technically ch. 4 is TWO CHAPTERS! So DON'T HURT ME I'M SO SORRY FOR THE SLOWNESS! Someone asked PMed me and asked if I was doing this for more reviews. ): No, I'm not, I just…really couldn't find a way to introduce Ino in the story the way I wanted –shows people the drafts in the garbage bin- sorry if it seems that way. I really didn't. ):
Yours Truly
Pairing: SasuHina
Rating: T
Summary: The new shop girl has Sasuke's heart a-flutter. The problem: she doesn't know who he is. That, and her best friend, and just about every other girl their age and younger, claim to love him.
Chapter 4: Something to Talk About
There are days when she wakes up feeling great. A good night's rest gives her enough energy to come to on her own, before the sun rises. On those days, she'd climb up on her roof through her window in her big, red sweater. Once secure and stable, she'd sit with a warm cup of green tea, watching the run rise.
She loved these types of days; they were the kind that made her feel capable, safe and alive. She loved it, reveled in it, and yearned for it; it made her feel special—
It was the same feeling she gets around Uchiha Sasuke; he always made her feel that way…
But then those days are rare. Studying all-nighters to be in the top five percent of all her classes makes her eyes puff. She'd wake up to sore muscles. It took all of her energy to keep her scholarship; and there are days when she, Haruno Sakura, feels completely and utterly…exhausted.
Sometimes…sometimes she just wants to give up.
I don't need to take such advanced classes, she thinks, I don't have so tired all the time. Besides…what do I do afterwards?
(…)
But those moments are fleeting, and common sense takes over—She knows what a grand opportunity it is.
She knows that it wasn't everyday that a student of middle income would be extended a scholarship to attend a prestigious and highly expensive university preparatory, let alone Konoha Academy's University Preparatory.
She knows a girl like her who wasn't extraordinarily smart, very gifted, or exceptionally talented was offered a key to open up so many doorways.
And she knows that whatever she does after high school, it'll make a lot of money, and it'll be stable, so she can have a better status.
…So most of the time, Haruno Sakura just presses onward, despite how rigorous the classes are, despite the rumors of how she got accepted, despite how stressful it is—despite everything, she continues, and prays that it'll all pay off one day. …That's all I could ever do.
(…)
When Haruno Sakura first met Uchiha Sasuke, she was in fifth grade. Her whole class was on a Konoha Academy field trip to the big lake, and she saw him amongst the other rich, beautiful, talented schoolboys and schoolgirls.
He was across the lake, looking at the lake, and not at anyone else or with anyone else. Despite the wall he had put up, she could still see that there were still many wandering gazes that lingered towards him.
They…they want to be his friends…but he…he doesn't like them? Wide green eyes had stared incredulously.
The boy she saw had treated the world with indifference. The boy, eleven years old—just like her, kept his distance from others—by choice. Where others ignored her because of her middle-class status; he was the center of the room, the attention. Where she desperately tried to fit in and get accepted amongst her peers, he rejected them with cold eyes and apathy.
(…)
Curiosity made her want to know more about him. "His name is Uchiha Sasuke; he's the top student in our year right now."
"Eh? Haruno is interested in Sasuke-kun, too?" the class representative gave her an annoyed look. "Well, just to tell you, everyone else is, too. He's too quiet though, and stuck up. Doesn't want to play with any of us…"
"Haruno, instead of looking out of the window," came the teacher's voice. "Pay attention to the task at hand." How could she? He was outside…
Against all warnings and threats, green eyes continued to seek for the boy. It was relatively easy; Uchiha Sasuke-kun always stands out.
She kept an eye on him, spied on him, everyday…and…started to really like him. If I get higher scores, he'll…acknowledge me…right? I'll be just like him, she had thought.
(…)
The pink-haired hopeful continued to admire him from afar until the day when she was put in his yearlong group and one blonde Uzumaki Naruto. She was happy, so happy. Because of them, in their own ways, she was accepted and recognized by everyone else as well.
Fertilized by the attention, the Sakura buds finally blossomed. Sheltered by the Uchiha fan and the unexpected fox, her school work and assignments became more tolerable. She wasn't alone, and she could ask them for help because they were in her team.
One day, during a picnic with her two teammates, Haruno Sakura realized that everything was going to be fine as long as she was with her Sasuke-kun.
It's okay, it's okay as long as I have them beside me…as long as I have Sasuke-kun beside me.
And she smiled. One day, the hopeful girl thought, one day Sasuke-kun will realize that I'm there for him, and he'll begin to like me, too.
In the distance, she hears other children talk, hears Naruto arguing with Kakashi-sensei; she feels the soft breeze blow by, feels the sakura blossoms gently flutter past… and senses the presence of the boy she loves.
…But after studying so hard in the three-man cell, after she all the love she had harbored for him, after working so hard to pass Konoha Academy's Initiatory Exit-Exam, Uchiha Sasuke left Konoha Academy and joined the Sound Academy. Even though she had begged him to stay, had cried, and had confessed and told him that she's loved him forever and will always love him—he still left her…
(…)
Sakura petals are fragile and delicate; they are blown away and knocked down by the slightest of breezes. They fight it—fluttering and weaving in the wind, trying to stay afloat as best as they can—but they always lose and gravity always takes over. In the end, they are on the ground, and they remain that way until they wilt, and decompose, ceasing to exist. They're weak, and not meant to last—transient pink snow.
However, there will always be Sakura petals if there are strong, firmly rooted Sakura trees; in which case, the cherry blossoms will always bloom. Always
Haruno Sakura, contrary to popular opinion, was not named after the fleeting Sakura blossom. She is named after the grand old tree that her ancestors have planted long before Konoha's institutions. Like it, she will stand, braving the onslaught of weather, and time. She will stand, upright, growing, and thriving determinedly. (1)
(…)
(…)
The first day she entered Konoha Academy's Advanced Intermediate was unpleasant. Her first experience with someone her age and gender was Ami. Their first topic for "conversation" was none other than her forehead, and how undeserving a poor girl with no taste and style had been accepted on a scholarship.
"You think you're so smart?" Ami said as she jabbed her finger at her forehead so forcefully that there was an imprint. "You think your big forehead's going to help you? You're nothing, and you're probably just lucky you got a high grade on that test, too. Why did Sandaime allow such a poor and incapable girl like you into this Academy?" she sneered disdainfully. "You'll ruin it for all of us, big forehe—"
A handful of white flowers were jabbed into Ami's mouth. Shocked, Sakura glanced back, wondering who was on her side—
Blonde hair and startling aqua blue eyes, flashing with annoyance, were aimed at her tormentor. Ami was sputtering profusely, infuriated with the weeds and the blonde beauty.
Haruno Sakura's second meeting with a girl was Yamanaka Ino, who had stood up to the bully and defended her.
"Tu m'emmerdes, bakamono," the blonde spitted contemtuously. (2) Her arms were crossed, and her body slightly turned away from Ami at an angle, her gesture implying none-too-subtly that she was utterly disgusted by the purple-haired girl's presence.
Sakura couldn't help but be awed. They were the same age, yet the other girl was so much more strong and willful than she was. That blonde was beautiful, confident, and…defending her.
"Yamanaka Ino! Yo—"
Ami was deliberately interrupted, "Who are you to speak? You're terrible in ballet; you can't even double pirouette without falling flat on your end. You're also bad at math, and jealous that Haruno got a better score than you. Stop making such a scene, it's unbecoming…"
As Ami was censured, Sakura continued to stare incredulously. She was at a loss for words. Yamanaka Ino was absolutely…breathtaking; and Sakura felt absolutely breathless.
(…)
After the incident, Sakura and Ino became fast friends.
"Don't let a girl like her get to you. Not everyone at this school is ugly."
"D-demo," whimpered Sakura. "Ami-san is pretty. A lot of students like her."
Ino rolled her eyes. Pulling a tissue pack out of her pocket, she offered it to Sakura. "Really? I've always connected inner beauty with outer, and that prick's completely hideous overall. Haruno is better, in my opinon!" Sakura looked from the tissue to Ino's face; her uplifting smile was contagious, and Sakura couldn't help but muster a small one of her own.
In their second year, the inseparable girls befriended the shy Hyuuga sunshine.
"Eh? Hyuuga-chan was privately tutored until recently? That's really amazing, most home schooled kids don't pass the K-Academy Advanced Intermediate exam—Hyuuga-chan is amazing!" gushed Sakura.
Hinata blushed; she wasn't used to so many people around her, especially not loud ones. Kurenai was powerful, but Kurenai usually subdued herself in her presence.
"N-not really, I just…tried my best," she denied.
Ino cocked her head curiously, "Hinata-chan, what was your score?"
Hinata looked down, and mumbled a number.
"What?"
"…Nine thousand ninety."
Both bright-haired girls gaped, then screamed in unison, "YOU ALMOST GOT PERFECT?!"
Until that day, Sakura never thought that she would see anyone turn a brighter shade than her hair.
(…)
She loved them both to death, really she did; they were the most important friends she could ever hope for. Ino was sprightly and adventurous; Hinata was philanthropic and kind.
But sometimes…Haruno Sakura couldn't help but be jealous of her friends. Yamanaka Ino and Hyuuga Hinata are not only attractive physically, they were also congenially beautiful.
(…)
Two weeks before the November edition of Vogue-Japan makes it to the printing press, Hiro Saito, the editor-in-chief of the avant-garde magazine, is busy in his office finalizing and making sure everything went perfectly.
Naturally, it wasn't going perfectly. Somebody, his more popular writer this time, wasn't cooperating.
It was oddly quiet, but with Akizuki Miyako, silence was abnormal—and ominous.
"No," said the thirty-something. She leaned back into the velvet couch smoothly, and crossed her long, toned legs. The action revealed the red soles, the trademark of Christian Louboutin. For good measure, she fixed her editor with a business-like glare.
He prayed to patience—looking in to her eyes again, Saito amended his prayers—patience and mercy.
"Akizuki, plea—"
"Miyako."
Exasperated, "Miyako-san, please understand, we need a way to connect to the younger audiences and help them make the transition from youth to young adults."
"Saito-taichou, I cover top, exclusive, elite grown-ups," Miyako breathed.
"But I need you—you're the only one who manages to find new angles and stories!"
"I don't do rich teens," she emphasized. "Especially not prestigious ones with top marks in all her classes, and talented—that's too typical."
"Akizuki—Miyako," Saito sighed. If she wasn't related to Anna Wintour… "What do you want?"
The girl smirked. …He knew he was in trouble.
(…)
Like all girls, Haruno Sakura read and bought fashion magazines. So when she discovered that one of her best friend, Yamanaka Ino, was gracing the cover VOGUEJapan, curiousity possessed her to buy it and rush home to read.
Flipping through the pages, and making references as to which pages to flip back and peruse later, Sakura finally landed on what she was looking for: the five-page spread on Ino-pig.
Ballerina Bombshell: Yamanaka Ino
editor: Akizuki Miyako
The girl in the eggplant-colored tu-tu with the striking sky blue eyes and blonde hair on the front cover is Yamanaka Ino, the daughter of Yamanaka Inoichi. Remember her, remember her, remember her: Today she is Konoha Academy's prima ballerina assoluta; tomorrow, she may be the world's.
And I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing her.
Half French, tall, skinny and incredibly talented, Yamanaka was by far the most popular incoming freshman of Konoha Academy's University Preparatory. Fluent in Japanese, French, fashion and the finer things in life, Blondie is the heiress of the world's best perfume-maker, Ikebana (3).
However, that should not suggest that she has an arrogant nature. "A lot of people think that I would be rude, obnoxious, and a total brat," confided Yamanaka. "But I'm not really any different from your average sixteen year old."
My interview with Ino started at the Kono-A studio where she and her fellow peers practice everyday, and ended on a French-inspired sofa in her bedroom.
"My mother's half French and half Japanese," Yamanaka explained. "And my half father is Japanese half French; so technically I'm half French and half Japanese."
Yamanaka then told me (and this is exclusive, only from Vogue Japan will you get this bit of information!) how their parents met: "Ikebana was a Parisian flower shop that my mother inherited. She's very sensitive to smell—my mom's one of Ikebana's Nose—so she was able to branch the shop into selling perfumes as well as flowers. As a businessman, my father had to travel a lot. On his first trip to Paris, he had to visit someone whose wife loved flowers a lot. 'Tou-san eventually found his way into the shop, where he met his would-be wife."
"The rest," she concludes wistfully as she leaned back into the chair. "Is history."
A typical day for the young ballerina consists academics and ballet. "I love ballet," said Ino dreamily. "Okaa-san danced when she was little, and when she showed me pictures of herself when I was little, I just knew that I wanted to dance as well."
Lithe and naturally flexible, Yamanaka Ino right away became the star of the class. "It was embarrassing. I was moved up three levels with girls almost twice my age. My dance instructor was really shocked when I did four consecutive fouetté en tournant after landing a grand jeté."
For those that are not familiar, "A fouetté en tournant is a turn in which the dancer stands momentarily on flat foot and in plié, as the working leg is extended in front then whipped around to the side as the working foot is pulled in to touch behind the supporting knee." Ino continues, her aquamarine eyes glittering with enthusiasm, "That creates the impetus to spin one turn as the dancer executes a relevé, jumping onto pointe. Done properly, the dancer remains in place." (4) And a grand jeté (5) is a long horizontal jump, starting from one leg and landing on the other.
After accomplishing such a feat, Yamanaka steadily improved as a dancer, incorporating other styles such as the tango, hip-hop, waltz, and pasodoble into her own choreographies.
I then asked Yamanaka whether the rumor of her convincing a teacher from Juilliard to come teach was true. Embarassed, she denied it humbly, "That's not really true… Sara-sensei heard someone say that I could do 32 fouetté en tournant from Swan Lake (the Black Swan), and she was curious. She just happened to be in Japan during the recital and saw the performance…"
(…)
Sakura sighed, and looked away from the text, taking a sip of her ice tea. She pushed the latest copy of Teen Vogue away from the tea, making sure not to get it wet. Once done, sea-foam green eyes rolled back to the article.
An image of her friend distracted her from picking up where she left off. Blue eyes, blonde hair, a mischevious, attractive smirk, and the rest of Yamanaka Ino in a very ornate, deep purple ballerina tutu coyly faced Haruno Sakura.
Ino was sitting down on an antique Versailles-inspired furniture in front of a mirror in a cleverly schemed way that allowed readers to see both her smooth, slender back, and the rest of the expensive, intricate detailing of the costume. Beside the mirror and the young prima ballerina were other relevant ballerina items: a wooden bar, smooth and demurely gleaming, and tutu-turned-accessory flowers. There were other ballerinas, clad in white tutus, each in a different fabric, laying flat before her.
Hair pulled back into an immaculate bun, she had Swarovski crystals and matching violet feathers tucked to one side. A light, fresh make-up for her face with a glossy pink tint to highlight her cheeks, Ino was…simply arresting, and Sakura knew that not much retouching was needed for this shot. Ever since she turned fifteen, Sakura had to admit that her best friend was gorgeous in that leggy, skinny, elegant, and tantalizing kind of way.
"The kind of way that every girl wants to be," she sighed. Her chest was smaller, her waist was slightly larger, and her hips were …more well-endowed than Ino. Sakura sighed, and tried to be happy for her friend.
(…)
After further investigation, I approached Sara to settle the matter once and for all. (For those that don't know: Sara Swarovski was the prima ballerina assoluta of the Russian Ballet Company before she retired and decided to retire and was ranked as one of the best ballerinas in the history of dance.)
"A colleague of mine, Galina [Sergeyevna Ulanova(6) is a long-time customer of the Ikebana products," Swarovski begins. "She doesn't do ballet anymore, but when she saw Yamanaka Ino, she had told me that she wanted to dance again. THAT was what intrigued me. Hop, skip, dash, and a plane away…I came to Konoha to see one of her recitals, and, I was really impressed. Since the girl refused to leave her friends, I came to her. The Godaime of K-Academy was kind enough to give me a position as dance instructor."
(…)
Two weeks before the publication of VOGUEJapan, Akizuki Miyako met with Yamanaka Ino for a couple of interviews. On her second meeting, she asked the blonde an off-topic question:
"Ino? Unrelated—but what Konoha Academy are you in?"
"Konoha Academy's University Preparatory."
"What's the difference?"
"Not much, Kono-A's University Prep, there's a lot of nicknames for it—my friends and I call it K-Prep,--Anways—K-Prep is more difficult to get into than Konoha Academy High School (KAHS). K-Prep's courses are more advanced."
"Aren't the curriculums the same?"
"Yes, but our test scores a usually higher, and K-Prep students have to be smart and talented."
"What do you mean?"
"K-Prep students have to be in an extra-curricular activity and they also have to have an IQ of 120 or higher, the cut-off for above average."
"But you wear the same uniform, what if a KAHS student walks into a K-Prep classroom?"
"Anyone can walk in, but they hardly stay," she smiled proudly. "It's really difficult to understand the lessons, anyone can be a K-Prep student as long as they answer the sensei's question correctly. But most can't answer, so they never bother sticking around. Aside form that K-Prep students are assigned a leaf pin."
Ino then proceeded to show Miyako proudly. "Isn't it pretty? Japanese steel. The design was made for all the Five Great Schools…"
(…)
… As a final saying of this article, I asked Yamanaka if there was something that she would like to say.
"Hai, I'm surprised the VOGUEJapan would deign to interview a high school student like me. Although I may be a little better at ballet than the average person, I still have so much more to learn and improve on. I'd also like to thank one Hyuuga Hinata for being such a help in my academic career. She's really a wonderful friend, and, I think, another great person to interview."
(…)
After Haruno Sakura finished reading the article, she proceeded to look at the rest of Ino's spread. A part of her wondered briefly whether Ino ever thought of her as a good friend, but Sakura knew that no matter how kind and benevolent she could be, Hinata would always beat her in that department.
The remaining two pages of her five-page spread included some of Ino's favorite belongings: her Jane Austen books, her iPod playing About A Boy's Something to Talk About, and a picture of three girls.
Upon closer inspection, those girls were Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Hinata, and Yamanaka Ino in the middle school days.
Sakura smiled, that was something to talk about.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
1: I was looking at pictures for inspiration and I saw an original picture that Kishimoto drew of Sakura, and Ino looking "fierce." That's where the idea that she's not something fragile like a cherry blossom, but a longstanding tree, came from; her face, her stance, and her eyes showed attitude and conviction I think that's the only original picture I'll tolerate of Sakura. :P (http://students.ceid.upatras.gr/lebenteas/Wallpapers/Variouspersons/wp/SakuraIno.jpg)
2: Emmerder, as in Tu m'emmerdes!—"You're bugging the shit out of me." (Literally, "You be-shit me.")
3: ikebana is a traditional Japanese art of arranging flowers. But in my AU, it's also the brand of the perfume. (:
4: LKSADJFLKDS MAC WON'T LET ME PUT THE LINKS UP. D: (a fouetté en tournant)
5: MACK WON'T LET ME PUT THE LINKS UP, if you want to know what it is, just google it! (or PM me :D) (grand jeté)
6: again, I'm just using names. Sara Swarovski is a made-up name.
CONFESSION: Writing about something you absolutely have no idea about, like ballet, is incredibly difficult. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm naturally petite and skinny, and aside from jogging and dog walking, I rarely do any physical activities, therefore I've little knowledge of any sports out there. If anyone takes ballet (or dance), I'd love to hear feedback from you especially, it'd make the story better by making it closer to the truth? (: Again, comments, opinions, and ideas are always welcomed. Confusions will always be answered as well.
As always: thanks so much for reading this story. Your opinions are really helpful, whether you believe it or not, and they really do encourage me to write and update. (: honestly. And thanks for being patient with me ff community rocks! (: (this chapter might be worse than the other ones, but whatever, i updated. that means i'm back (sorta) and that i didn't get abducted by aliens and drop off the planet :D