Chapter 5: 6PM to midnight (and a twist):
Hello once again! Considering I basically didn't stop writing last night, I finished this chapter much quicker than expected. Before you read this, I must again apologize for a couple things in this chapter:
First off, the lack of detail at certain parts. I really could've put more information about some things, but I didn't think to.
Second, there is a big twist near the end of this chapter. I hope you guys think it's good. It was a little off from what I was planning, so I really hope you guys like it.
At last, but not least, the dream sequence at the end may seem, I don't know, pointless? Sorry, it just came into my head, and it sounded good.
Now then, onto the story!
Sakura decided to kill the next half hour by watching TV. When she shut the tube off, it was just past 6:30.
"Yes, it's time to get dressed for my date!" Sakura gleefully yelled. She tore upstairs and pulled her dress out of her closet.
"Wait, I just have to stop." She said, smiling at her present scene. "I'm actually going on a date with my Sasuke! I just hope I don't make a fool of myself. He'd probably never think of me the same way again."
For the first time in a very long time, "Inner Sakura" said something, and for possibly the first time ever, she said something to Sakura.
"You'll do fine." Inner Sakura said, unusually calm in her demeanor.
"You think so?" Sakura felt stupid talking to her inner-self, but she kept doing it anyway.
"Uh-huh. Other people have had their first dates, and they've done fine."
"Wait, how in the hell do you know about other people being on dates?"
Inner Sakura said nothing, and Sakura sighed.
"Alright, I'll try to keep myself calm during this." She said. "Ooh, I can't believe it's almost here!"
Sakura took her dress into the bathroom and changed there (although I'm not sure why. After all, she does live alone).
15 minutes later…
Sakura was all ready. She was wearing her blue strapless dress, and looked positively beautiful in it ;-)
"I feel…fabulous!" Sakura said, randomly striking a pose. "And only 10-15 minutes until Sasuke arrives!"
Ding, dong
"Wow, that was fast!"
Sakura ran full speed down the stairs, nearly tripping over many things, and got to the door.
"Who is it?" She said in a sing-song voice, figuring she knew who it was.
"It's Anko!"
Sakura's face dropped as she opened the door.
"And to what do I owe your presence?"
"Well…wow, you look nice." Anko complemented her. "Why are you so dressed up?"
"I have a date with Sasuke in just over an hour." Sakura smiled at the very thought.
"Oh wow, you got him to go with you?"
"Well actually, he decided to apologize and asked me out."
"Cool. That's actually why I came over here, to ask you what was up with Sasuke." Anko said, feeling happy for Sakura.
"Yeah, it's all good." Sakura said.
"That's great! Listen, I gotta run. I have a date with Kakashi, and he's probably waiting for me."
"Kakashi waiting for someone?" Sakura asked. "Isn't it usually the other way around?"
"Heh, yeah." Anko laughed. "Tell me how it goes, will ya?"
"Yeah, I will."
"Alright! Later!"
Anko ran off to her date.
"Ok, it better be Sasuke that next knocks on my door." Sakura said, shutting the door.
Ding, dong
"Sasuke?"
She spun back around and opened the door.
"Sas…uke?"
Sakura was confused, because she had never seen Sasuke in a suit.
"You're early." She laughed. "And handsome."
Sasuke's cheeks went red.
"If I'm handsome, then you must be what they call beautiful." He said, making her go red in the face. "And yes, I'm early."
"I thought you were picking me up at 7?" She asked.
"Hey, being a little early never hurt anyone." Sasuke laughed. "Now then, are you ready to go?"
"You know I am."
It was now 6:50 in the evening. Sasuke and Sakura were on there way to Dynamo's, the new restaurant on the complete other side of town. So it would take a while for them to get there, even if they sprinted.
"This rocks." Sakura said in her mind. Sasuke was probably thinking the same. At first, he didn't want to go on a date with her. But I guess he changed his mind.
"Are you nervous?" Sasuke asked. Sakura didn't seem to hear him.
"Sakura?"
Sakura then snapped to.
"What is it, Sasuke?"
"Are you as nervous as I am?" He asked.
"You bet I am." She responded. "This is my first date."
"Mine too. This is a whole new thing for us."
Sakura felt a little more at ease, now knowing that this was the first time that Sasuke had ever been on a date too. Sasuke instinctively grabbed Sakura's hand.
"He's holding my hand!" Sakura said in her mind. "I can't believe he's holding my hand!"
Sakura was full of joy. As they got closer to Dynamo's, she got less nervous. When they finally arrived, it was 7:35.
"Sasuke, we're really early." Sakura sounded concerned.
"Your point?" Sasuke asked. "Maybe they'll seat us early."
"I dunno they might not."
"Will you quit worrying? I'm sure we'll have a good time."
"Yeah, you're right." Sakura said, fighting off a few nerves as they stepped inside the new restaurant.
"Good evening, and welcome to Dynamo's. Name please." The man at the front of the restaurant greeted them. The name of the restaurant may lead you to believe it's more of a casual eating place, but it's actually quite fancy, so Sasuke and Sakura didn't feel out of place in a suit and dress, respectively.
"Uchiha." Sasuke said, and the man began flipping through the list of reservations. It took him a little while, but he found it.
"Ah yes, you must be Sasuke?" He asked.
"Yes sir." Sasuke proudly smiled.
"And who is this lovely person you have with you?"
Sakura looked nervously at Sasuke.
"This is my date, Sakura. My date, you got that buddy?"
"Hey now, I know when to keep my distance." The man sounded defensive. "You two have a good time here, and enjoy the food."
"Thank you." Sasuke said, pulling a very nervous Sakura by the hand into the next room. Sakura instantly went from nervous to surprised.
"Wow, this sure is a nice room." She said, noticing right away that there were a lot of tables.
"Well yeah, what do you expect?" Sasuke asked. "This is our first date."
Before Sakura could respond, a waiter walked up to them.
"I'm Kaz, and I'll be your waiter." He said. "Right this way."
Kaz led Sasuke and Sakura to their table. He gave them two menus.
"Would you two like to order drinks?" He asked.
"Um, what do you have?" Sakura asked.
"Sakura, instead of asking our good friend Kaz what they have to drink, why don't you simply look at the menu?" Sasuke suggested.
"I'm sorry." Sakura apologized.
"That's alright. If you're not ready, I'll come back." Kaz said, putting his order sheet in his pocket.
"Yeah, that'll be alright." Sasuke said as Kaz walked off. Sakura looked sad.
"I'm sorry Sasuke." She said.
"Don't worry." Sasuke responded, reaching across the table and putting his hand on her shoulder. He was right, Sakura was telling herself. Everything was alright.
"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked her. "You look…I don't know. Uneasy, maybe?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Sakura nodded. She felt a little bit uneasy, but mostly was ok with where she was. It had been a crazy day, from the moment it struck midnight, up until this very moment.
"That's good." Sasuke smiled. "I don't wanna ruin your first date."
Sakura had to smile at that. She was very happy, and felt really good. A few minutes later, Kaz came back to their table.
"Are you guys ready to order?" He asked.
"I think so." Sasuke said, looking at Sakura.
"I'm ready." Sakura said back to Sasuke.
"Alright then." Kaz said, pulling out his order sheet. "Ladies first."
"Thank you." Sakura nodded. "I'll just have the, um, oh gosh; I forget what I even decided on."
"Sakura, your short memory span is really annoying sometimes." Sasuke shook his head.
"Do you need a little more time to decide?" Kaz asked.
"No, give me a second. I'll remember it."
Sakura lowered her head, trying to quickly remember what she had decided she wanted, and so she wouldn't make Sasuke (and Kaz, for that matter) very angry.
"Oh yeah!" Sakura exclaimed, bringing her head back up.
"Yes?"
"I guess I'll just get the Penne Pasta dish, please." Sakura said.
"Ooh, fancy." Sasuke said.
"Alright." Kaz said, writing it down. "And what to drink?"
"What kind of drinks do you serve?"
"Well, we do serve wine and beer here." Kaz chuckled. "But you guys know better. We also have a few different types of soda, for people like you."
"What kind?"
"Sakura, our friend Kaz here might be in a hurry to get somewhere else, so please do pick it up." Sasuke encouraged.
"Oh, don't worry about me." Kaz said calmly. "I'm in no hurry."
"Yeah, Sasuke." Sakura glared at her date. "I'm in no hurry to get out of this place, and I don't see why you should be either."
"Sorry."
"Anyway," Kaz began. "What would you like to drink?"
Sakura looked at the list of non-alcoholic drinks. She ran her finger up and down it a few times before finally deciding on one.
"I'm just in the mood for water, so I'll have that." She said, looking at Kaz as she did.
Kaz wrote it down and turned to Sasuke.
"And you, sir?"
"Hmm." Sasuke thought for a second. "I'll have the same dish as her, but I'll have Pepsi to drink instead, please."
"Alright, then." Kaz said, writing down Sasuke's order. "I'll be back in a moment with your drinks."
Kaz walked away to get their drinks. It was nearing 8 by this point, and Sakura was happier than ever.
"Sasuke, I'm so excited!" Sakura exclaimed. "Our first date, and our meals are on the way!"
"I know. I can't believe it." Sasuke said.
2 or 3 minutes later, Kaz returned with their drinks. He handed Sakura's to her first, and then gave Sasuke his.
"Thank you." They said in unison.
"You're welcome. Your meals should be here soon, because after all, no-one waits too long at Dynamo's!"
Kaz walked off smiling.
"I guess that's their slogan?" Sakura asked.
"Beats me." Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.
"I just hope the food here tastes as good as it sounds."
"Yeah, me too."
"Sasuke, aren't you excited?" Sakura asked, noticing an odd tone in Sasuke's voice.
"Of course I am." Sasuke said. "But at the same time I'm nervous."
"Of course. When you're on your first date, you get nervous. You hope you don't do anything to screw it up, and you also hope that the food is good. Personally, I did feel nervous earlier, but I feel ok now."
"Yeah, I'm glad we finally are together on a date." Sasuke smiled, leaning over the table and kissing Sakura on the cheek.
"Sasuke!" Sakura was blushing.
"You'll be getting more of those later, I'm sure."
Sakura was still blushing when the food arrived a number of minutes later.
"Here are your…did I miss something?" Kaz asked, noticing Sakura's bright red face.
"Uh, not much." Sasuke said, looking confusedly at Sakura.
"You're still red in the face?"
"Huh? No I'm not." Sakura said, pretending she wasn't aware.
"Whatever you say, Sakura. Thank you, Kaz."
"You're welcome." Kaz said, handing the meals to Sakura and Sasuke. "Enjoy!"
"Thank you!" Sasuke and Sakura exclaimed in unison.
"Sasuke, this looks delicious!"
"I know." Sasuke said. "And we won't have to steal each other's food because we're having the same thing."
Sakura glared at him for a second, and then laughed. For really only the second time all day, she wasn't concerned about the time.
"Well, aren't you going to start eating?" Sakura asked, noticing Sasuke hadn't even lifted his fork.
"Oh please, ladies first." Sasuke motioned in her direction.
"You're so nice!" Sakura squealed, digging into her pasta.
"Ok, that was a little creepy." Sasuke said nervously before also digging into his food.
"Oh my God, Sasuke! What did they put in this pasta? It's delicious!"
"I don't know, but I can't stop eating it!"
Both Sasuke and Sakura went many minutes before stopping to sip their drinks. First Sasuke sipped his Pepsi, followed only seconds later by Sakura sipping her water.
"Oh man." Sasuke said, continuing to eat his pasta. "This stuff is so good, it's hard to believe."
Sasuke didn't immediately hear a response from Sakura. He lifted his head to look at her, and was very surprised to see her crying.
"Sakura, what's wrong?" He asked.
"Sasuke, I'm sorry." Sakura said through tears. "This day has been so great! And this food is amazing!"
(A/N: Yes, guys and gals. Even I have cried over good Italian food :-D)
Sakura lowered her head and cried into her napkin. Sasuke put a comforting hand on her head.
"I'm sorry for being like this, but I can't believe how good of a day I've have."
"I've had a good day too."
Sakura calmed down and continued to eat her pasta. Sasuke stared at her for a couple seconds to make sure she was ok, and then kept eating as well.
"Sasuke, do you think it was…I don't know, silly of me to cry like that?" Sakura asked, wanting his honest opinion.
"No, that wasn't silly." He said. "I would cry if I was having a day as good as you say you're having."
Sakura smiled at his response. A couple of minutes later, both of them finished their meals. Kaz walked up to the table.
"Well then, are you two finished?" He asked.
"Yes, we are." Sasuke responded. "It was quite good."
"Yes, it was." Sakura added.
"Alright then, who will I be giving the bill to?"
"That would be me." Sasuke said.
"Sasuke, are you sure?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
Kaz handed the bill to Sasuke.
"Phew!" Sasuke exclaimed, seeing the hefty total.
"Sasuke, if it's too much, I can help pay for it." Sakura offered. Sasuke put his hand up and reached into his pocket. He soon pulled out a large sum of money and handed it to Kaz.
"Wow, that's a lot of money." Kaz said, surprised by the amount had given him.
"Keep the change." Sasuke grinned.
"Wow, um, thank you." Kaz was taken aback by this.
"Not a problem. Thank you for your great service."
"You're welcome. You two have a good night."
"We will." Sakura said as she and Sasuke headed for the exit. They stepped out into the cold night air.
"Sasuke, that was so much fun! I mean, our first date! Wow!"
"I know. I had an amazing time."
It was about 8:45 now, but again Sakura wasn't paying attention to the clock. She was walking hand-in-hand with Sasuke down the moonlit streets of the village.
"So Sakura, I was wondering something." Sasuke broke the silence.
"Yeah?" Sakura asked.
"Do you want me to take you home? Or do you wanna go back to my place?"
Sakura looked at her watch.
"Hmm, I guess I'll go to your place for a while."
"Great." Sasuke said with a smirk on his face. Sakura didn't like that look he gave. It was after 9 when they got to his house. If Sakura's fate hadn't been changed, she had under three hours left. Sakura, though, was quite confident that her life would be extended.
"Ok Sasuke, we're at your house." Sakura began. "Now what do you wanna do?"
Sasuke said nothing, but just ran upstairs.
"What is he up to?"
Sakura headed up the stairs after her date.
"Sasuke, where are you?" She called.
"In here." Sasuke called from one of the bedrooms. Sakura walked into the room he had called from. She found him on the bed with no shirt on.
"Sasuke, what are you doing?" She asked him, quite confused by the scene in front of her.
"A better question would be, what should we be doing?" Sasuke asked in a suggestive tone. Sakura stopped and thought about something, and when she continued talking, her voice was raised and she sounded quite angry.
"Sasuke! How could you be thinking about something like that on our first date!?" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Oh, I'm sorry. How about we start slow?"
Sasuke got up from the bed and began walking toward Sakura.
"Get away from me you freak!" She yelled.
"Oh no, not until I kiss you!"
"Heh, if you think you're gonna steal my first kiss, you're too late." Sakura laughed. "That prized possession belongs to Naruto!"
Sasuke was stunned in silence. Sakura nodded in satisfaction.
"Now, if you don't mind." Sakura began, heading for the exit. "I'm leaving."
Sakura exited the bedroom. To think that Sasuke wanted to have sex on their first date…when they were still so young! What was going through his head? Sakura didn't care. Her great day had essentially been ruined.
"I can't believe him." Sakura said miserably as she walked home. She had been having a good time up to then, but now was so mad she could barely see straight. As she was approaching her house, Naruto jumped down from higher up and landed near her.
"Hey Sakura, how ya doing?" He asked. Sakura, as you could guess, said nothing.
"Is something wrong?"
Sakura began crying.
"What's up Sakura?" Naruto asked, concerned about his dear friend.
"Naruto, Sasuke was, he was acting…" Sakura couldn't get out the right words. Naruto hugged her.
"Shh, calm down. It's alright." He said soothingly into her ear.
"Sasuke was acting like a jerk. He wanted to have sex with me!"
Naruto's eyes glowed with fury. Sakura was scared. She feared that the Kyuubi would come out.
"That rat!" Naruto exclaimed.
"I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to go home." Sakura said, sad and angry at the same time.
"Alright. Good night, Sakura." Naruto said.
"Good night, Naruto." Sakura said, kissing him like earlier. She released him and headed in the direction of her home. She was almost out of earshot, when Naruto called back to her.
"He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No, Naruto, he didn't." Sakura called back. Naruto gave a satisfied smile and went home.
"It's a good thing, too." Sakura said to herself. "Otherwise he'd be in a lot of trouble."
Sakura arrived home at about 9:40.
"What an idiot." She muttered to herself. "He ruined my whole day."
Sakura slinked into her house. She had actually forgotten all about her "fate."
"Man I'm tired." Sakura said as she headed upstairs. She changed out of her dress into her pajamas and hung her dress up.
"I'm basically ready for bed." Sakura said to herself as she stepped into the bathroom. About ten minutes later, she exited the bathroom and climbed into bed. It was almost 10 P.M. when she got into bed.
"Goodnight." Sakura said to nobody in particular. She turned off her lamp and soon fell asleep.
Began dream sequence
Sakura found herself in a strange room.
"Huh? Where am I?" She asked. There was nothing in the room but a chair.
"What the? That chair looks familiar."
Sakura walked behind the chair. When she came back around the front, somebody was sitting in the chair.
"You're…you're…"
"Hello there." A little girl was sitting in the chair. "You kind of look like me."
"You're…me?" Sakura asked in disbelief. A younger version of her was sitting in the chair. The chair looked familiar because it was her favorite chair when she was little.
"This is totally weird." Sakura said, putting her hands on her head.
"Do you feel alright?" Her younger self asked. "You look like you have a headache."
"I'm fine."
"Oh. Do you want to sit down?"
Sakura accepted the offer and took a seat next to her younger self.
"So, can you tell me why I'm here with you?" Sakura asked.
"I don't know." The younger Sakura said, deep in thought. "Maybe you can be my friend."
"Yeah, I think I'd like that."
Sakura grabbed the hand of her younger self.
"We can be friends." She said.
"That's nice." The younger Sakura said. "Because I don't have any friends."
"Why not?"
"Because," Younger Sakura began. "They all make fun of me for my…forehead!"
The younger Sakura began crying. Older Sakura hugged her.
"That's a stupid thing to get in the way of friendship." Sakura said.
"I know but, they make fun of me. They call me billboard brow. Especially Ino. I hate her!"
"I'm sure you'll learn to be friends with her." Sakura said. "She can't be that bad."
"You're smart." Younger Sakura said, hugging her older self.
"Thank you."
Sakura hugged her younger self tight as the dream faded away. It didn't feel like a particularly long dream, but when Sakura awoke, she found it was quite late.
"Huh? That sure was a weird dream." Sakura said as she sat up. "I wonder what it meant."
And then Sakura noticed something.
"Wait, it's still dark out!"
She then turned to the clock.
"It's 11:57!" She exclaimed. "Now I figure out what my fate truly is!"
Sakura decided that if these were her last few minutes, she would try and change that. She got out of her bed and knelt down on the floor.
"Alright, one last time. I did it once in the morning and once in the afternoon, so I will do it now!"
Sakura folded her hands once more. This time, she spoke aloud.
"Dear God, I just thank you for this great day you've given me!" She said in a strong voice, but not quite yelling.
"And I am confident that you will allow me to live on. I ask that you send your messenger Gabriel to relay your final message to me. Thank you. Amen!"
Sakura stood up, surprised at how easily that prayer came out.
"Alright! This is now out of my hands!" Sakura exclaimed
Tick, tick, tick
"Here it comes!"
Tick, tick, tick
"Any second now!"
Ding, ding, ding
It was midnight! A few seconds passed without event, which confused the heck out of Sakura.
"Well, I've survived beyond my last day." She laughed. A few seconds later, Gabriel appeared in her room.
"Hello, Sakura Haruno." He greeted her.
End of chapter 5
Please read and review, and expect the epilogue soon!