Breaking through Oblivion; chpt II.
Disclaimer: E tuh'd ufh hynidu un yho uv ed'c lrynyldanc! Dryd ymm pamuhkc du sycycre gecresudu. Pid vun ruf muhk E sicd fuhtan? raa raa raa...fryd? Hu. E teth'd cyo yhodrehk. Fro yna oui cdemm naytehk drec? Lyh oui ajah ihtancdyht yho uv ed? Ajah ev oui lyh, fro tet oui dyga dra desa du veht y dnyhcmydun vun ed? Xielgmo! Nayt dra lrybdan oui cemmo lremt!
...free cookie for anyone who can actually understand that disclaimer. (smiles) If you can't, then please read the first one in the previous chappie! Thanks yews!
Warning!: Manga spoilers from chapter 312 and up! Read at your own risk. It's not my fault if you decide to spoil little bits and pieces of the manga you silly little child.
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"Is it going to hurt...?" Sakura asked in what could have almost been called a whiny voice. Keyword being almost. Sakura was a strong, ruthless kunoichi after all. Kunoichi do not whine about pain. Especially not when bratty little ninjas by the name of Sai happen to be standing in the room.
"Hmm...well...I guess that depends on your definition of pain." said the older woman who was to be doing the piercing. "Have you ever been pricked by a pin?" she asked plainly as she sterilized the sharp, silver needle. Sakura bit her lip thoughtfully and tried to recall such an experience. Well, she did sew a few plushies when she was younger, but she could never seem to recall being pricked...
"Uhm...I've been stabbed by lots of pointy weapons like shuriken and kunai..." Sakura admitted, focusing her attention to her left fingernails. They were getting to long again. She'd have to cut them down later. The lady blinked, eyes wide with shock. "Does that count?" Sakura asked hopefully, calmly folding her hands in her lap. The piercer continued to stare with awe.
"Wow, what big bug eyes!" Inner Sakura cackled gleefully, finding the expression hilarious. Was this what they called a Kodak moment?
"Ah...no. Not at all!" The lady finally chuckled, shaking her head with amusement. "But then again, I think you'll be fine. If you can stand stab wounds, then this is by far a scratch in comparison!" the lady laughed, leaning down to place the needle by Sakura's left earlobe. "Though I must say, it's odd to hear that you've never been pricked by a needle. Why, when I was your age, I used to sew things all the time..."
"Oh, really now? Like what?" Sakura asked politely, though she wasn't genuinely curious. Who cares about sewing anyway...?(1) Sakura hadn't touched a needle since she was twelve.
"Oh my, all sorts of things!" The lady gushed fondly upon remembering the days of her youth. "Things like bunnies and puppies. People really don't appreciate how long it takes to sew a sweet little stuffed toy...(2)" The lady sighed wistfully, twirling the needle around thoughtfully. She seemed more interested in rambling now, and not at all interested in puncturing Sakura's ear with the needle. Sakura smiled painfully and nodded her head halfheartedly. Inner Sakura rolled her eyes with impatience, and she was not the only one.
Sai sighed, and stared wistfully out the window. He was beginning to grow bored and impatient. He had agreed to take Sakura out and let a stranger jam a needle into her ear. He did not agree to sit there and listen to the would be piercer prattle on and on about nothing. Why did older women like to endlessly chatter like that anyway, Sai wondered, as he recalled the lady from the jewelry shop. The barest hint of a scowl formed across Sai's face upon the memory.
Why did she care what he was buying for whom anyway? Were all older women that nosey? Sai hadn't a clue. Maybe he could ask Sakura later. Wait, could that be considered rude...? Sai didn't have the chance to ponder it. A moment later, he was jolted out of his trance by a strange squeaky noise.
Slightly startled, Sai turned around to face the noise. Sakura was fingering her earlobe with a small wince on her face.
"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie! Did that hurt...?" the lady questioned with concern, wondering if she had done something wrong. Sakura laughed a little and shook her head.
"No, no. It didn't hurt; it just felt weird..." she said lightly, still fingering the hole in her ear. It was strange to feel it there in the place of skin. Sai blinked. Did Sakura emit that strange squeaky noise just then...?
"Well hold on just a moment sweetie, let me get the other side..." the lady said politely, leaning over to pierce Sakura's right earlobe. She nodded in consent, and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, the task was finished.
"Mweep!" Sakura squealed, looking startled again and rubbing on the second new hole. Sai blinked again. She really did make that squeaky noise just then!
"If you'll just give me a second, I'll clean off these lovely earrings and put them on for you." the lady said kindly, holding a bottle of disinfectant.
"That's okay, I want to put them in myself." Sakura insisted, taking the earrings out of their little box and taking off the backs. "Are you paying attention Sai? I'm putting them in now. Tell me how they look, okay?" Sakura said, focusing her attention to Sai. It looked like he wasn't paying attention at all. His back was facing her, and his gaze was fixed out the window. Sakura sighed in irritation. What was the point in coming along if he wasn't even going to even pretend to act interested...?
"Sai! I'm talking to you! Are you listening?" Sakura asked with a twinge of impatience in her voice.
Sai smirked.
Sakura sighed.
"Sai, I said I'm putting in the earrings now! Tell me how they look!" Sakura said in an almost hurt voice, standing up and approaching Sai. He still did not respond to Sakura's request. The lady whom had done the piercing watched the scene unfold with large, owlish eyes of curiosity. With an irritated roll of the eyes, Sakura placed her hand on Sai's shoulder and turned his chair around to face her.
"Sai!"
Sakura's expression changed from a look of annoyance to a look of curiosity. Sai's hand was stretched over his face. His palm was placed over his mouth, and his gloved fingers partially covered up his delicate, pale face frame. His head was ducked down low, as though he was trying to hide something away from anyone who would have happened to be watching.
"...Sai?" Sakura asked tentatively, shaking him a little by the shoulder.
Again, he was silent for a few brief moments.
And he began to laugh.
It was quiet at first, starting as a low, deep chuckle. Sai's body quivered with the effort of trying to keep it in. His efforts were in vain. Gradually, it grew louder and louder until it could be heard quiet clearly; even though he tried to stifle it with his hand. It was a deep laugh, a laugh that most girls would describe as gorgeous.
Sakura blinked in confusion. What was so funny...? Did she miss something...? Sakura could have sworn she felt her lips break into a tiny little grin of her own. She had never heard Sai laugh before; not even a fake one. Curiosity overcoming her, she grabbed his hand and gently pried it off his face.
The expression that greeted Sakura surprised her. She wasn't really sure was she was supposed to be expecting, but it definitely wasn't this. He was really laughing! And smiling for that matter! Not the small, fake grin that Sakura had grown so accustomed to seeing plastered on his face, but a genuine grin of delight. Small dimples were visible on each corner of his mouth, adding a precious effect to the rare expression. Sakura's eyes grew large with surprise. Even Inner Sakura seemed stumped on this one. Sakura had obviously missed something, and whatever it was, Sai found it quite amusing.
"Maybe he isn't quite as emotionless as he claims to be..." Sakura pondered, watching Sai laugh with amusement. It was almost enough to make Sakura want to laugh with him.
"Sai, what's so funny...?" Sakura asked ever so softly, as if afraid her voice would ruin the moment. Sai merely shook his head and waved a hand at her.
"You are." He managed to say before continuing his little fit of laughter. For some reason, it made Sakura want to smile more, even though her confusion increased tenfold. She didn't know what she had done, but she was sure glad she did. She decided to wait for his laughing fit to calm down a little bit before asking another question.
"Sakura, you squeaked..." Sai attempted to explain while he tried to stifle his laughter. It was working, sort of. It was no longer a blatant display of emotion, but he still couldn't help but chuckle. He gently pulled his hand out of Sakura's grasp and recovered his face. Sai's comment puzzled Sakura.
"You mean...when she pierced my ears? That squeak? You thought it was funny?" Sakura asked incredulously, unwillingly to believe that such a small noise could trigger such a train of events. Sai was calming down now. he nodded his head to indicate she was correct.
"It was cute Sakura." Sai chuckled, shaking his head with amusement. His hand was still placed firmly over his mouth, hiding a beautiful smile away from the world.
Sakura felt a slight wave of heat jump up into her cheeks. The compliment had caught her off guard. The fact that Sai was the one who said it only added to the impact.
"I-It was cute...?" Sakura stuttered, both baffled and pleased by the compliment. No one had ever called her cute, except for maybe Naruto and her parents. But her parents didn't count. Parent's are supposed to think their children are cute. Most parents would be fine with constantly telling this to their children, even if it was a lie. And Naruto certainly didn't count; he was infatuated by her. Not that it should make any difference, but it did to Sakura.
"I mean, I didn't know you were even capable of making such a strange noise." Sai trailed off, his last laugh dying somewhere in the middle of the sentence. He sighed and slumped his shoulders with exhaustion. The laughing fit had tuckered him out a little bit. Sakura briefly wondered if her squeak being considered a "strange noise" deluded the compliment at all. Deciding it wasn't, Sakura bent down a little bit so she could look Sai face to face.
"Sai, I'm done getting my ears pierced. How do the earrings look?" Sakura asked kindly, feeling a strange warmth spreading through her body. Sai looked up to face Sakura's questioning gaze. The delicate pink flowers sat prettily in her earlobes, sparkling with a faint pink light. They suited her quiet nicely. The skin around the earrings looked a little red and swollen, but that was to be expected and it didn't deteriorate the beauty. Absentmindedly, Sai reached up and lightly touched the pink petals. Sakura froze upon the light contact.
"They look nice Sakura." Sai said quite honestly, pulling his hand back and giving her one last genuine smile. Sakura smiled sweetly in response and happily nodded her head. Satisfied with the outcome of the day, Sai slowly stood up and approached the lady who had done the piercing. Sai almost grimaced with disgust. Of course, she had greedily absorbed everything that had happened with her stupid owlish eyes. So maybe his hypothesis was right. Maybe all middle aged females were nosey busybodies after all.
"Well, we're done here. Please tell me how much that cost so we can pay and be on our way." Sai said quite dully, looking at the lady with disinterest in an attempt to hide his disgust. The lady twitched, as if jumping out of a dull stupor.
"Oh yes, yes. Of course. That will be 450 yen." The lady said in a business like tone, holding out her hand to receive the yen due. Sai shrugged and pulled the amount out of a small pouch hanging at his side. It was actually quite a cheap price, it surprised him a little bit.
"That was an awfully kind thing of you to do for the 5th Hokage's apprentice." the lady said slyly with a small wink. Sai didn't bother to hide his annoyed expression.
"First of all, her name is Sakura. And secondly, yo-"
"Yes yes, I know that." the lady said impatiently, waving a careless hand at him. "Still, it was nice of you." the lady repeated, her expression suddenly becoming quite serious.
"But let me give you a fair warning boy. That girl there is very special." the woman warned Sai, as if scolding a small child for stealing from the cookie jar. Sai remained expressionless, but raised his eyebrows at the ladies's comment.
"If you ever do anything to upset her, then all of-"
"Saaaai, what are you waiting for? You paid, right? Let's get out of here already!" Sakura said called out, tapping her foot a little bit to get the point across. Somewhat relieved at the excuse to dash away, Sai turned around and left the store with Sakura.
"Bye! Thank you for piercing my ears!" Sakura shouted over her shoulder at the lady before leaving. The woman smiled and waved back.
"It was my pleasure sweetie. Have a nice day you two!" she called back, a strange expression plastered upon her face.
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Sai and Sakura walked through Konohagakure in a comfortable, quiet silence with no real destination in mind. There was no need to rush home anyway. Evening would be approaching soon, but the sun still provided plenty of light to show them where they were going. There were less people on the streets now, adding more silence to the peaceful atmosphere. Sakura reached a hand to her right earlobe again, just to make sure her earrings hadn't fallen out or anything.
"Sakura, if you keep touching them like that, they really will fall out." Sai said politely with a fake smile playing upon his lips. Frowning, Sakura removed her hand from her earlobe and gave Sai a disapproving look. Sai tilted his head to the side slightly with confusion.
"...What? Did I say something wrong again...?" Sai questioned uncertainly, hoping that this wasn't the case. The day had gone by so nicely. It would have been such a shame if he had done something wrong now. Sakura shook her head, but the frown did not leave her face.
"Sai...why do you always wear that fake smile?" Sakura questioned, looking unhappy with his expression. Sai shrugged, feeling relieved that he hadn't said anything wrong.
"I thought I already told you Sakura." Sai said plainly, the fake smile vanishing from his lips. "A smile can get you out of any situation, even if it's fake. It fools almost everyone." Sai explained patiently, briefly wondering if Sakura had already forgotten his explanation. Instead of her face flooding with understanding, Sakura's expression became more negative. She stopped, turned to face him, and stubbornly put her hands on her hips.
"But Sai, it bothers me." Sakura complained with a concerned expression upon her face. Sai gave her a questioning look when she didn't offer an explanation.
"Why?" he asked in a neutral voice that betrayed his curiosity. Since when did his fake smile become a bad thing?
"Because it just...does." Sakura struggled to explain, biting her lip with confusion. Even she was having difficulty understanding why it bothered her so much, but she still wanted to find a way to put it into words. Somehow, getting her point across to Sai suddenly felt quite important and necessary.
"Today when I was getting my ears pierced...I felt like you smiled for real. Not only did you smile for real though, you laughed for real Sai! It was a nice change of pace, and it proved to me that you are capable of smiling." Sakura continued, facial expression still looking negative and riddled with concern.
"...Yes, and...?" Sai questioned, failing to see where Sakura was going with this. Sakura bit back the urge to stomp her foot with irritation. Little children stomp their feet when they're mad, not responsible teenagers such as herself. Instead, she removed her hands from her hips and folded them across her chest.
"Now that I know what your real smile looks like Sai, your fake one seems so sad!" Sakura said urgently, furrowing her eyebrows with concern, not anger. Sai said nothing. He merely looked at her with blank eyes and waited for her to continue. When she didn't, he tried saying something for himself.
"Sakura, it's just a habit of mine. It's not my intention to concern you, or anyone else for that matter." Sai explained, not knowing what else to say. His words were the truth. It was like Shikamaru's thinking hand sign, or Rock Lee's nice guy pose. Both were just habits that the individuals possessed and displayed in the appropriate situation. Sai couldn't understand why it bothered Sakura so much. Sakura furiously shook her head, unsatisfied with the answer.
"But you just said that a fake smile can fool almost anyone. But it doesn't fool me Sai." Sakura continued, pressing deeper and deeper into the subject. The smile that Sakura had seen today was rare, and she was happy that she was allowed to witness it. It proved to her that Sai wasn't emotionless like she believed he was. It made her think he was making progress, maybe even healing from past scars. And whether she would admit it or not, she wanted him to heal.
Seeing the fake smile after the real one...it tugged at something in Sakura's fragile heart. Something would grab at it ever so slightly, allowing the tiniest amount of sorrow to flood in. Expression dropping from concern to a small frown, Sakura gazed at Sai with a sadness set deep into her jade eyes.
"...Yes, I did Sakura but..." Sai started, though he really wasn't quite sure what he was going to say. It didn't matter though; Sakura didn't allow him to continue.
"But why do you have to try and fool me Sai? I already know a bit about you, and were on the same team now! There's no point in trying to fool me. So why do you want to?" Sakura asked in a hurt sounding voice. The thought that her teammate, whether they be close friends or not, wanting to fool her made her feel somewhat depressed.
"Sakura, I also told you it was my habit." Sai said patiently, unable to understand what was making Sakura so upset. "I'm not intentionally trying to fool you. I know you know I don't have emotions. So would I bother trying to fool you? What you see is merely my habit."
"But Sai! That's not true!" Sakura protested, clenching her hands into fists. Sai continued to stare at her calmly. "A person with no emotions wouldn't have been able to laugh like that today!"
"Sakura...that wasn't a real-"
"Don't try to tell me it wasn't real!" Sakura snapped, feeling irritation mix in with her sadness. "You wouldn't have tried to hide it if it wasn't!"
Sai grew quiet at this comment. She had a point, he did try to hide it. But why though? People laugh everyday. It's not like it was making a scene. But for some reason in the back of Sai's mind, he didn't want anyone, not even his teammate, to bear witness to his fit of emotion. Sai didn't give a response to Sakura's retort. He continued to stare at her, eyes painfully stoic and unfeeling.
"Sai...are you afraid of emotions?" Sakura finally questioned in a soft murmur, reluctant to ask such a personal question. She knew she had already pushed the subject too far, but there was no going back now. She felt as though she might as well keep pushing and see what she could find out.
But of course, none of it was out of nosey ness. Sakura was no busybody. No, she wanted to know because of her own genuine curiosity and concern. She didn't know how much she would be able to learn, but whatever amount that may be in this moment would be enough for now. Sai was silent for a few moments, careful to pick the right response. No, not the right response. The honest response.
"You can't fear what's not there Sakura." Sai replied in a voice just a soft as Sakura's.
Completely and utterly unsatisfied, Sakura opened her mouth to retort. What she was going to say she was not sure of, nor would she ever find out. Before a single syllable left her lips, someone called out to her in a loud, clear voice.
"Sakura! Saaakura!"
Startled, Sakura looked up to see her friend Ino running over to them, waving her hand enthusiastically and smiling broadly. Wincing, Sakura smiled weakly and reluctantly waved back.
"Oh, that couldn't have been worse timing." Inner Sakura growled, cracking her knuckles threateningly at Ino. Of all the times to come barging over and ruin a conversation...couldn't she take a rain check or something? Maybe she should just grab Sai's hand and run away to keep the conversation going.
No, wait. That would be stupid. She would surely catch up and wonder why they ran away. Then when Sakura wouldn't be able to offer an answer, she would have looked foolish. That wouldn't do at all.
Kage bunshin would work much better! So now all she had to was discreetly tell Sai to make one of his clones so they could slip away, and-
"Good evening...Ino." Sai said politely, stumbling over the greeting just a little bit. He had almost referred to her with the nickname he had chosen earlier. And that's what got him into the whole mess in the first place. Besides, the bruise from earlier was almost gone now. It would be terrible to get another one so quickly...
"Hiya Sai! Hello Sakura!" Ino chirped, sweetly clapping her hands together in an overenthusiastic manner. Sakura froze, immediately understanding Ino's behavior pattern.
"Oh shoot." Sakura thought to herself, biting on her lower lip. "She's acting overly enthusiastic and bubbly. That can only mean something's wrong! Damn!" Sakura cursed silently, though she forced herself to smile at her friend.
"Nice to see you again Ino." Sakura smiled, hoping that she was masking her concern well. She obviously was, because Ino's cheerful expression didn't falter. "What are you doing on the streets this late at night?" Sakura continued, hoping that Ino had just stopped to say hi and be on her way. Alas, Sakura had already used up all her luck today.
"Well, first of all it's hardly late at night...the sun hasn't even set yet." Ino stated, cheerful expression beginning to drop. "And secondly...I was actually...looking for you Sakura..." Ino admitted, tone dropping to a more serious voice. Sakura made no reply, merely raising her eyebrows at the last comment. Sai remained quiet, sensing that the situation didn't have much, if anything at all to do with him.
"I...wanted to talk to you about something. Are you busy right now? I mean, if you're in the middle of a conversation, I don't want to impose or anything..." Ino trailed off sounding sheepish and embarrassed. Sakura inwardly sighed and shook her head. If Ino had wanted to talk to her badly enough to hunt her down, it had to be important. True, she wanted to continue her conversation with Sai...but Sakura had her duty to Ino as her friend.
"No, I'm not busy. Me and Sai we're just about to say goodbye anyway. I'm free if you need to talk!" Sakura lied, making sure her smile remained firmly plastered on her face. Sai shrugged at the comment. He wasn't aware they were about to say goodbye, but then again it might have been a lie. Ino and Sakura were best friends after all. He could sense they needed to talk, and decided to let it go. Ino let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding upon hearing Sakura's comment.
"Indeed. Well then, goodbye Sakura. You too Ino. I'll see you both tomorrow." Sai said, the corners of his mouth tilted up into a tiny smile. That was all Ino needed to hear. Waving goodbye to Sai only briefly, Ino grabbed Sakura by the wrist and began to drag her away.
"Ino! You don't need to drag me or anything! I'm following you on my own free will!" Sakura exclaimed, taking her wrist back from Ino. Ino blinked, slightly startled. Nodding in consent, she continued to briskly walk.
"Then just follow me. We need to talk in private." Ino sighed, already looking exhausted with the thought of the conversation. Sakura nodded her head slightly, feeling uneasy with Ino's attitude. Sakura wondered what could have upset her so much.
The two girls only walked briefly. Apparently Ino's idea of a private conversation was in the entrance of the forest training grounds. It would have to do; the sun was starting to set now and it would be dark soon. It's not like there were any ninja hanging around training this time of day anyway. Even Rock Lee would have surely ceased his training for the day and have gone home by now.
Ino sighed again, looking tired and uneasy. With a weary wave of the hand, Ino gestured at Sakura to sit down with her on a nearby log. Sakura consented and seated herself next to her childhood friend. Sakura watched Ino calmly with a blank expression, waiting for her to begin. She didn't. Ino merely kept her eyes locked to the ground, unsure of where to begin.
Sakura patiently put her hands in her lap and waited for Ino to begin talking. If she needed a minute to compose herself and think, then Sakura was more than willing to give her this opportunity. After all, not doing so could result to a bad start in the conversation, and neither of them wanted that.
"Sakura..." Ino said softly after a few minutes of thinking. She seemed hesitant to continue with her speech.
"Yes? What is it Ino?" Sakura said calmly, encouraging her friend to continue. Ino slumped her shoulders and put a finger to a temple. It had to be said, it had to be said...
"...Sakura, do you trust me?" Ino blurted, mentally slapping herself the moment the query left her mouth. That wasn't what she wanted to say! Sakura's eyes widened slightly at the odd question.
"Uh...of course I do Ino." Sakura said, sounding bewildered and staring curiously at her friend. "Why would you ever think otherwise...?" Sakura asked uncertainly, her unease growing significantly. Whatever was causing Ino discomfort was clearly something she had done. Or perhaps something she hadn't done.
"Then..." Ino started again with difficulty. Why was it so hard to ask such a simple question? "Then...why didn't you tell me about your boyfriend...?" Ino asked anxiously, giving her friend a pained expression.
"WHAT?!" Sakura shouted at the top of her lungs, springing up from the log with shock.
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Startled, a large flock of tiny white birds awoke upon hearing Sakura's cry of shock. Alarmed and in a panicked flurry, they began to furiously flap their little wings and abandon the forest with great haste. Walking on a path near the forest, a certain paled eyed long haired Hyuuga jolted from his train of thought and gazed up at the sky.
"One...two...three...four..." Neji silently counted to himself, activating his byakugan and watching the little birds fly away. "...thirty two. Thirty birds." he quietly concluded under his breath. He was about to turn around and continue his quest home when one last little bird whom had gotten a late start, frantically flew up from the trees and desperately searched for his flock. Upon seeing them fly east, the tiny bird zoomed after them as fast as he could flap his delicate little wings.
"...Okay, fine. Thirty three birds." Neji corrected himself, watching the little guy fly away and catch up to his friends.
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"Ow! Sakura, not so loud!" Ino whined, covering her throbbing ears with her slender hands. Sakura stared at Ino, mouth hanging open slightly. Her lips moved up and down, wordlessly trying to form a sentence. Confusion whirled around in her head, blocking off her train of thought. Words world not come. Sentences would not be formed. Ino tilted her head to the side and gave Sakura an odd look.
"What? What is it?" Ino asked innocently, removing her hands from her ears. Inwardly, Sakura had passed out and Inner Sakura was now furiously shaking her back and forth, willing her to wake up.
Ino blinked in confusion and watched her friend stare at her in a stupor.
"...I have a boyfriend?" Sakura finally managed to ask dumbly. Inner Sakura growled and smacked herself in the forehead. Of all the stupid lousy ways to respond-
"Sakura..." Ino began in a disapproving voice. "Are you trying to play dumb with me? Cause you know, it's not gonna work...and if just makes me sad that you don't trust me...what, did you think I would be hurt or something?" Ino asked unhappily with a small pout playing upon her face. Mentally, Inner Sakura slapped Sakura to get her to respond.
"Wait wait WAIT. Slow down Ino! What in the world are you talking about?!" Sakura spouted with a look of disbelief. Ino gave her an accusing look instead of offering a response. With an annoyed groan, Sakura rolled her eyes and began to massage her temples. She could already feel a painful headache coming on...
"Look, Ino. I have no idea what you're talking about. Whoever told you I have a boyfriend needs to get their facts straight. Or get stabbed in the head with a kunai. Preferably the latter." Inner Sakura began to do the talking now. Ino dared to let out a chuckle at the thought of someone getting stabbed for provoking Sakura's wrath.
"Well, it's just...When I was working my families flower shop, some ladies came in and started browsing." Ino began, starting to feel some of the tension drain from her shoulders. "They were quietly talking...hey, don't give me that look!" Ino protested when Sakura began to chuckle darkly with amusement. "I wasn't eavesdropping! I'm just a very curious creature!" Ino defended herself.
"Anyway, like I was saying...they said that they heard from some lady in the gift shop...the 5th Hokage's apprentice has a boyfriend now." Ino explained, watching Sakura's face for some kind of reaction. "And unless the 5th Hokage has gotten a new apprentice lately, I only assumed she was talking about you." Ino concluded, putting a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "So...yeah, I probably shouldn't have assumed or anything but...Sakura? Sakura? Are you okay?" Ino questioned looking at her friend with concern.
"I...I can't believe someone started a rumor like that." Sakura said bluntly, sounding both hurt and upset at the same time. "I mean...is life really so boring now that people have to make stuff up to add some excitement to their lives...?" Sakura asked incredulously with a blank look on her face.
"Aw, come on Sakura, it's not that bad..." Ino said comfortingly, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It could have been a lot worse. People will stop talking about within a few days, just as soon as they decide to make up a new rumor. Then this whole mess will be forgotten." Ino tried to assure her friend, who briefly nodded her head.
"Sakura...?"
"Naa..?"
"...Um, I'm sorry I automatically assumed those gossipers we're right..." Ino apologized, rubbing the back of her head guiltily. "I guess...it just came as such a shock, I chose to immediately believe it...I really am sorry." Ino sighed, re-glueing her eyes to the ground. Sakura let herself smile ever so slightly and shook her head.
"No Ino, it's okay. If I had been in you're position, I'm sure I would have done the same thing." Sakura admitted with a shrug of the shoulders. "I'm not really offended either."
Ino sighed with relief at this. Not only did Sakura forgive her, she actually did trust her after all. And she didn't have a boyfriend. Wait, would it really be such a bad thing if she did? Ino supposed not. A shock maybe, but not a bad thing. Just...un expected. The sun had almost set now. There was hardly any sun left to guide the two girls home now. A couple reluctant fireflies had tentatively began to emit a soft glow of light and timidly float around the air. Content with the day, and ready to go home, Sakura stood up and brushed the dirt off her skirt. Ino followed suit, pausing for a moment to tighten her ponytail.
"Ah, but Ino..." Sakura suddenly piped up, seeming to pop back to life.
"What is it?" Ino asked, stretching her arms over her head.
"Who...we're they saying my boyfriend was?" Sakura asked, hesitating only slightly. Ino sighed contently and allowed her arms to flop at her sides.
"Oh, well that's what had me so worried." Ino admitted, putting her hands on her hips. "They said that you were dating Sai." Ino said casually rotating her shoulders to get some better circulation into them.
"WHAT?!"
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"Hrm, there sure are a lot of birds out today." Sai noticed, staring thoughtfully at the blank paper in front of him. Despite the fact that it was late, Sai still had not retired to bed. Instead, he sat in a quiet spot by a small forest near the outside of his home. It was like a nightly ritual. He could not go to bed until he had drawn something.
Despite this fact, Sai hadn't picked up his piece of charcoal, nor had he done a single stroke upon the clean white paper. He couldn't seem to focus on anything tonight. At first the sunset distracted him, then the birds flying away...oh look, and now fireflies were starting to come out.
With a small grunt, Sai shook his head side to side. Blinking and rubbing his eyes, he forced himself to focus. The longer he daydreamed, the longer he was going to be out here. And the longer he was out here, the later he'd get to go to bed.
"I could always just...skip drawing something tonight." Sai thought to himself, though he knew that he would never do that. It would nag him in the back of his mind all night, refusing to allow him any sleep.
But it's not like he could help it. Today was such an un ordinary day. Absentmindedly, Sai reached up and gently placed a hand over his chest. It was such a strange, unexpected thing. To actually laugh like that in the middle of the store; in front of Sakura none the less. And now of course, she was never going to let him forget it.
Sai sighed and picked up the charcoal.
A foreign feeling trapped in a forgotten memory. When had he really lost the ability to smile? Maybe he never forgot. Maybe he just never had the ability in the first place.
Sakura probably would have slapped him for that, and so would his brother for that matter. Realizing this, Sai couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape through his lips. Really, it was so funny. Such a small noise caused his world to turn completely upside down, just for a few brief moments. It was strange, and almost un welcomed for that matter. But reflecting upon it, Sai supposed he didn't mind so much.
"Hrm..." Sai pondered out loud, looking around for inspiration. The forest was completely dark now. There were many shades of grey and black shadows lingering around the forest. It would have been difficult to draw them just right. But if he did, it would certainly make a quaint drawing. Charcoal art was excellent for drawing such scenery.
Silently, Sai lifted up the charcoal and began to lightly sketch out a background. It's important to not press too hard when creating an outline. Doing so would prove difficult to erase or draw over later, thus making things look smudged and unclean.
Without meaning too, Sai's mind continued to drift back to earlier events. Thinking like this was making things difficult. On and off, his brain would slip between the fine lines of fantasy and reality, causing him to mess up quite frequently. Other times he would jolt from the stupor, and see a whole section of the drawing done that he couldn't even remember sketching out in the first place.
"That's not right!" Sai said with an irritated growl, reaching up and rubbing at the line with a small piece of bread.(3) Pausing for a moment, he realized that he actually growled just then. Blinking with surprised, Sai placed the bread down and drew a new line. Wait a minute, now he felt slightly surprised?
"Well, aren't I going through so many mood swings tonight?" Sai thought to himself, amused with the idea. Making sure to be careful this time, he began to shade the shadow of the tree farthest to the left. The moon was near that tree, causing the shadow to look brighter than the others. He had to be careful, making it look too dark wouldn't seem right...
A soft breeze picked up, causing Sai's hair to billow slightly out of place. The wind threatened to snatch up Sai's drawing and carry it away, but of course Sai didn't allow it to. Firmly weighing it down with his hands, Sai waited for the breeze to calm down and allow him to continue his art.
Faintly, Sai was aware of soft footsteps approaching behind him. They stopped for a moment, as if hesitant to keep approaching. But after a brief moment of in decision, they continued to step forward to Sai. Not willing to take any chances, Sai swiftly reached into his pouch and whipped out a sharp, silvery kunai. In a quick motion, he whirled around and pointed the kunai firmly in the direction of the footsteps. Jade eyes grew wide, and the kunoichi jumped back based off muscle memory alone.
"...Sakura?" Sai questioned after a few moments of silence. Releasing a breath, Sakura stepped forward so Sai could get a better look at her.
It was indeed, Sakura. She looked at him with calm, green eyes and hair blowing slightly in the wind. Tentatively, she took another step forward to come closer to Sai.
"Uh...evening Sai." Sakura greeted hesitantly, brushing a few stray locks of hair back into place. Sai relaxed and put his kunai back in its proper place. Feeling safer now, he turned around and sat down to continue his art. With a quick motion, he motioned at her to do the same.
"Um...have I come at a bad time Sai? We're you maybe going to bed?" Sakura asked, sitting down next to him and observing his drawing.
"No, not at all Sakura. I was just finishing up a drawing." Sai explained, continuing to shade the trees and shadows. Sakura nodded with understanding and began to watch with fascination. She had seen completed drawings done by Sai before, but she had never seen the actual process. It was interesting to say the least.
"Wow...Sai, you really are good at this, aren't you?" Sakura said, sounding impressed by Sai's simple piece of art. Sai shrugged his shoulders and continued with his work.
"Not really. I'm actually having a slow night." Sai commented, deciding that the shadow he just finished was too dark. "I'm just trying to finish this so I can go to bed. It's just a quick sketch." he commented, lightening the shadow with the dusty piece of bread. Sakura said nothing, but continued to watch him draw.
"If this is just a quick sketch, I'd love to see some of the art that you've actually put your heart and soul into." Sakura replied, noting the different shading techniques that Sai was using. After that comment, she chose to remain courteously silent. Artist's need silence in order to concentrate and have the picture coming out clean and nice looking. Sakura was merely content that Sai was allowing her to watch.
A few moments of silence passed as Sai focused on his drawing. For some reason, Sai felt more compelled to focus now that someone was watching his every stroke. It was strange to have someone actually watching with interest for a change, but it was a change that Sai welcomed. Art was one of the few things he was proud of, but never seemed to have anyone to show off to.
"Well Sakura, I don't suppose theres any in particular reason you came to visit me this late at night?" Sai questioned, only half paying attention to his art now. Sakura felt her face grow slightly warm with embarrassment. "Did you perhaps want to finish the conversation we were having before Ino had to speak to you?"
"Oh...no, not at all." Sakura answered, shaking her head side to side. She paused for a moment, wondering why she had even come to ask him this question in the first place. There was a good chance that Sai didn't even care about it, but her mind kept nagging at her to ask...
"Um...I actually heard about a rumor...and I was wondering if you knew anything about it..." Sakura mumbled, beginning to feel quite foolish. What on earth compelled her to hunt down Sai and ask him about something as childish as a rumor anyway? Sai didn't respond, but merely continued to finish his art. Carefully, he began to draw out the fireflies that were floating around.
"...Sai...um...Ino told me...that someone was spreading around rumors...that we were...dating..." Sakura trailed off, the last part of her sentence barely audible. Oh ye gods, how she wanted to smack herself just then. If she was going to ask a question, she could at least be up front about it. She sounded like a shy, flustered middle schooler who had just confessed her love to a boy that hardly knew her. Not at all fazed by what Sakura said, or the by way she said it, Sai put down his charcoal and looked over his art with a disapproving glance.
A few moments of silence passed before Sai decided to speak up. Sakura could feel herself become tense and flustered. She wished he would hurry up and say something on this so she could hurry up, go home, and forget she ever mentioned the silly rumor to someone like Sai.
"Dating." Sai said at last in a stoic voice. Noticing some obscure proportions, Sai picked up the bread again and erased at a few stray lines. "As in, two people in love, going out on dates, things like that?" Sai asked casually, finishing up the few last minute touch-ups to his drawing. Sakura was no longer looking at it. Rather, she gazed in a direction completely opposite of Sai. Not trusting her voice, she slowly nodded her head up and down.
With a small twinge of amusement, Sai suppressed a laugh that threatened to form in the back of his throat. Is that what had been bothering Sakura this whole time? She was obviously quite hot and bothered, it was apparent in the way she acted when she first approached Sai. Huh. So rumors have a tendency to upset Sakura. He made a mental note, not caring at all that he was part of a rumor that would have left most people embarrassed or angry.
"Sakura, would it really be such a bad thing?" Sai asked calmly without even looking up to see her face. Startled, Sakura emitted a strange squeaking noise of surprise and whirled around to face Sai. Caught off guard, Sai immediately chortled, doubled over, and put his hand over his face again.
"Sakura...!" Sai managed to protest between his short, shallow fit of chuckling. "Stop that!" Sai almost choked over the words, his entire body again quivering with the laughter.
"Sai...! What do you mean would it really be such a bad thing?!" Sakura exclaimed, feeling even more flustered and embarrassed than before. It was bad enough that such a rumor was going around, and now Sai was only making the whole situation worse. Sai couldn't offer up an answer. He was too caught up in his little fit of laughter for the words to come. Cheeks flushed red, Sakura hid her face in her hands and waited for Sai to calm down again.
"Ah...ah...Sorry Sakura. I formed that sentence incorrectly..." Sai said breathlessly, trying to recompose himself. Sakura removed her hands from her face to meet up with Sai's gaze. "I meant that in the sense of...even though such a rumor is spreading around, is it really such a bad thing? It will go away in a few days, and then no one will even remember it." Sai said with a sigh, feeling tired yet again from the effort of laughing.
Sakura groaned, and rubbed at her sore temples. What an emotional roller coaster she had gone through today. She could have sworn she had gone through every human emotion that she was possibly capable of feeling in a short period of 24 hours. Tired and no longer caring, Sakura stretched up her arms high over her head.
"You know..Ino said the same thing." Sakura mentioned as Sai began to scribble his signature and the date at the bottom of his drawing. "And I suppose you're both right." she admitted, rubbing the back of her head with one hand. She was beginning to feel quite childish and foolish again. "I guess...I'm still kind of childish for letting such petty things bother me. I'm sorry for bothering you over something so unimportant this late at night..." Sakura apologized, brushing off her skirt and standing up to take her leave.
"Don't worry about it Sakura, I didn't mind." Sai admitted, standing up with his drawing and looking up at the moon. It was a half moon tonight, one of Sai's favorite phases. Sakura nodded her head in acknowledgement, and turned around to take her leave.
"Well then, goodnight Sai. I'll see you tomorrow." Sakura bid him farewell, and began to walk away.
On pure impulse, Sai took a step forward and grabbed Sakura by the wrist. Not hard, but firm enough to keep her from walking away. Startled, Sakura froze in her tracks and didn't turn around to face Sai. Unsure of why he was doing it, Sai released her wrist and slowly began to approach Sakura.
Then again, maybe he did understand why he was doing it. Maybe he just didn't like admitting it. There are many things that Sai never liked to admit, and this was definitely one of those things. But in that brief moment, Sai wanted to express something to Sakura he hadn't expressed in a long time.
Gratitude. He was thankful for the day she had given him. Somewhere in his quiet heart, a small forgotten voice wished to thank Sakura for pulling him out of his shell. It wanted to express its deepest and most sincerest gratitude for coming into his little world, and pulling him out of oblivion, even just for a few precious moment. Though Sai could no longer hear this voice, it still compelled him to keep Sakura there for a few moments longer. Sai didn't, nor did he pretend, to understand what he was doing, or why he was doing it.
"Sakura? I want you to keep this drawing." Sai stated in a confident voice that hide his inner turmoil. Understanding flooding her face, Sakura turned around to face Sai. As usual, his face was blank and expressionless. But then again...
Maybe it was just the moonlight, but Sakura could have sworn that she could see a new kind of shine in Sai's dark, emotionless eyes. Even if it was just there for a moment, it was still there. And once again, Sakura was the only one that was allowed to witness such a rare sight.
"...Thank you Sai, but why? It's such a nice drawing, you should probably keep if for yourself." Sakura said kindly, trying to sound polite and calm. Sai merely waved a hand and shook his head at her comment.
"I draw something everyday Sakura. This is nothing special to me. But would it perhaps be special to you?" Sai questioned quietly, unsure where the question had come from. Sakura blinked at the unexpected query.
Would it be special to her? Many events had unravelled that day, leaving both Sai and Sakura with many thoughts and emotions to think about. Words were exchanged, scars of the heart began to fade, and new doors had slowly made themselves known to the pair of ninjas. Sai gave, and Sakura received. Or was it the other way around?
It was without a doubt, both ways. They had both given each other something that day, something that they probably wouldn't forget for awhile, if not ever. Sakura had given him a reason to laugh. And Sai had given her gratitude.
Such simple acts of kindness are always bound to lead to greater, more dramatic events in the future. But for now, this was all that was required. What may seem so small in someone elses mind, meant to something much greater to Sai and Sakura. Something they wanted to treasure and cling to for as long as they were able to.
Of course the drawing would be special to her. It would be a reminder that someone had helped Sai take small steps to breaking through oblivion that day. And it wasn't just someone, wasn't just anyone, it was Sakura. Not someone else, but purely and utterly Sakura.
It would also be a reminder of something even greater than that. They had began to truly create a bond with each other. A bond of understanding, accepting, and friendship. A quiet, yet strong bond that would help to ease the pain of bonds that had been lost or fractured from the past. A bond that would help to erase the agony of a brothers death and a cruel betrayal.
With a smile upon her face, and a faint tinge of pink set in her cheeks, Sakura slowly reached out and took the drawing from Sai's outstretched hand.
"Of course it would be something special to me." Sakura said softly with a warm look in her eyes, clutching the picture to her chest with gratitude. For the last time that day, Sai allowed himself to show his true smile to Sakura and nodded his hand.
"Thank you Sai. Really, I mean it. Thank you."
Without another word, Sakura turned around to face the other direction. Slowly, almost reluctantly, she began to quietly walk away and disappear into the night. It was time now for such a dramatic day to finally end, so that a new day could be born tomorrow.
And who knows? Perhaps the next day will give way to things much greater and more valuable than the previous day.
xXxXxXxxXxX
A/N: Oh jeez, my head hurts. I typed most of that out in one day. It's so good to finally be on winter break! I can type out as much as I want without having to worry about school, or homework, or issues with friends, or tae kwon do practice...(sighs contently)
But it's funny. When I work on Breaking through Oblivion, I want to work on My Guardian Wolf. When I work on My Guardian Wolf, I want to work on breaking through oblivion! It's like I'm never satisfied. (laughs) Oh well! Breaking through oblivion is all updated now and I can go work on My Guardian Wolf. That's a KibaHina incase anyones interested.
I do hope this chapter wasn't overly cheesy or fluffy, especially in the end. I don't have a lot of writing experience, nor do I have any real love experience. And that's all I have to say now. Drop a review if you feel like it. Sorry for the long update! It won't ever take that long again. But don't quote me on that! (laughs again.) Thanks for reading everyone.
(1)- I completely disagree with this statement! I only wrote it for the fic. I sew plushies all the time!
(2) It's true. For me, the average plushie takes at least 8-13 hours to create. But then again, maybe I'm just a slow at sewing. (laughs)
(3) Yes, that's right. I've heard that when doing charcoal drawings, a piece of bread is used as the eraser.