*Sniff* I just turned fourteen on 16th. And my exams are finished now, if it is 30th yet. Oh well. I'm finishing this damn story I'm getting bored with D: But I won't leave it incomplete!

Chapter 7

Psyche

They say that eavesdroppers always hear what they don't like. For me, it' s a tie.

The morning was the same…yet different.

I woke up to find myself in my white bed. The solitary lamp was out, and the room was filled with the soft and dim light from the window. It was dawn. No sun, though.

The gray walls, the old table, the battered collection of books, and the inky bathroom – all the same. For anything, this could be just another dreary and boring day in the asylum.

Yet I had never felt expectant. I did not know what I was expecting…Something like I had gotten free of this place or someone as coming to visit me…

That was impossible.

However, some forgotten dream was scratching at the surface, trying to be remembered, while I lay, tired and woozy, not able to get twelve hours of sleep.

Then the puzzles clicked into place. I was suddenly not sleepy anymore, and I jerked right out of my bed, throwing the covers off me and making the crib squeak.

Sakae!

Oh yes, the thing to be remembered was Sakae. I remembered now, that I had slept at midnight, and that she had promised to be here by afternoon…

Feeling considerately hopeful that today would be like yesterday, and I would not have to make a show of being okay and everything, I lumbered towards the bathroom.

I decided that since I had to wait for her until afternoon, I would take a shower. It was nice –whenever I had taken a bath here, I had always been so numbly ignorant of everything, preoccupied.

Now, I concentrated on cleaning, and really, the warm water felt excessively good as it cascaded down my back. It unknotted my muscles, calmed and refreshed my nerve impulse. When I came out of the bath in my towel, I was feeling much better. I opened the old chest of drawers, and found my three lone sets of clothes: one, the T-shirt and jeans I had worn yesterday, two, the furry cardigan I had to wear in winter and the last was a maroon turtleneck shirt and green pants. I always wore the same sandals, and sometimes the worn-out runners.

I chose the latter and quickly dressed; then I grabbed my pajamas and yesterday's wear. Laundry today, with Lily and other girls, I remembered, called Trudy and Lucille.

Anwww.

"Sakura, you're up already, dear?"

"Yes," I replied, almost cheerfully as I lifted the basket of clothes. When I turned, I saw that Dara looked a bit startled, but she quickly composed her face into a pleased smile, but her azure eyes were still cautious.

"Feeling better?" She asked as she handed me my pills and a glass of water.

"A bit," I told her involuntarily, and she, scribbling pleasurably on her clipboard, smiled again and walked out of the room. I rolled my eyes.

At breakfast, with the ten people of my block, everyone was chattering as usual. When I had come here in my early days, I used to tune out the conversation, so I didn't really make many friends. People tried, as naturally as they could – if they were right in their minds – I never contributed, though I worked with them with no track of any updates.

Today, I looked at each of them and tried to catch up with the conversation. Kira talked with me most, but the rest didn't really seem interested, though they smiled at me. During breakfast, I got to know about all the people. Kira was very gossipy, and she updated me with all the year's gossips around me.

Trudy was red-haired and nice-looking, and she was here because she had many psychological and emotional problems; though this reason did not justify her being her very clearly. Lucille was Dara's seventeen-years-old sister and had come to earn money, obviously, (Though I could not think of why she chose here). Lily and Kira were sisters, too: Lily had lost her memory in an accident, and she rarely talked; Kira was also sent here with her.

There was a boy named Ichiro – dark-skinned and with dark hair – and I saw that he was always staring at Trudy, and always absentminded. There was Ryuu, a very peculiar boy who was always kept separate from the other people because he had insanely killed his own grandmother. I shuddered when Kira told me this piece.

Rai was a very beautiful blond girl who had been kicked out of her house by very cruel stepparents and had been found drunk and wasted in an abandoned alley before she was taken here. A very tired looking near-adult boy, Wes, the corner most of the table, and Kira told me that he had symptoms of cerebral ataxia – nerve disease – and was very imbalanced in mind and body. The nurses and the asylum doctor gave him treatment and exercises. The last was a half-conscious little boy called Nami and I felt the most pity towards that kid because he had no sense of where he was and Kira told me that he was mentally handicapped.

All this made me sure that I was the only one here who had tried to commit suicide, and even having a sane mind, I had been locked up here because my father feared that I would do something rash.

But before I could go in that direction, I concentrated on finishing my peanut butter sandwich and milk and then hurried to wash dishes with Kira, Lily and Rai who always worked in the kitchen. Then, insanely hasty, I grabbed my basket and arrived at the usual spot of laundry where Trudy, Lucille, I, and much to his drunken pleasure, Ichiro, squatted down to scrub up the dresses with soap and detergents. Halfway, Ichiro nearly dumped all the powder on my pants as he continuously stared at Trudy and I, cursing him, jumped up to brush it off. When we hung the clothes on the line, he uttered a very fraud apology and before I could accept or decline, he had run off.

I walked into my room after the chores, and brushed my pink hair, tying them up in a messy bun. I made my bed, careful not to notice the time and start freaking, and arranged the few books on my table neatly. I set my three clothes in neat squares in my cabinet and moved back to inspect my work. The room looked grim, like no one lived in it. Too neat, too empty. The gray walls, the gray floor, white sheets. Couldn't I be let some paint? I would not kill myself!

"…Sakura, medicine." Miss Dara.

"What's the time?" I asked her, looking at the room wearily.

"Noon. Like always. Now, take these pills and the water…"

I obeyed, gulping it in hastily. WHY HADN'T SHE COME YET?

"Hey, Miss Dara…?" I started hesitantly.

"Yes, dear?" she asked, not letting her gaze wander away from her clipboard.

"Could you let me paint, please?"

Dara surprised me by chuckling. "What?"

"You know, my room looks quite grim and I wanted to have something on my hands until nightfall –"until Sakae came "– So I thought maybe –?"

"Paint?"

"Uh. Yeah. Uh."

"I'll talk about that with the doctor." Oh, why does she have to consult a doctor for letting me paint?

"Do well, Sakura," With that, she left.

I felt better now. I looked at the little alarm clock on my desk.

12.09

I decided to read Macbeth. I had borrowed it from Kira.

12.30

I looked at the door. No commotion. I could hear Rai and Lucille.

1.00

I dumped the book on the table. I had read half the book already. Well, I used to be a good reader and pupil before I came here.

1.30

I decided I could not wait any longer. I got up, smoothed invisible wrinkles in my clothes and tiptoed out of the room. The hallway was silent. All the kids were in either their rooms or maybe working outside.

As I walked down the never-ending dark hallway, I noticed someone sitting down, hunched against the wall. Boldly, I worked my feet forward, and my heart ached with pity to see Nami, the little handicapped boy balled on the floor. His sandy hair was what was visible of his head; he was dressed in yellow overall. He was making little moaning sounds: "Mommy. Where is Dad? Why is it lonely here? I hate dark…"

I reached out a hand suddenly, to pat his head, but my cowardly inner recoiled and forced me to keep walking on, my heart twisting with pain.

I walked and suddenly there were loud voices getting louder. I ran silently and found myself in front of the door to the doctor's office. The label clearly said in bold capitals:

DR. MINHO

THE ASYLUM, STOREY 4, CONTROLLER

Oh, so I was in storey 4. I walked a bit further, keeping myself near the door but away enough that if anyone came out, I would scarper. I could hear every word now.

"…Her mother wants her back. But her father was insisting that we have to keep her here until she's better." The doctor, maybe?

"What will an asylum do to her? Make her sane? She's already sane! It's just love…Just bitter memories that turn her unhappy!"

My heart skipped a beat: this lovely, musical voice was sure Sakae's…but rougher with anger. Whom was she talking about? Me?

"…She needs distraction! Let her live in the fresher world, not in your fucking dark padded cells that could so bloody shit make life fuck for her –"

Man, I had never heard her swearing. Then I remembered that we had only been together once. Strange how it seemed like a month to me.

"Sakae! Hold your words!" Dr. Minho shouted, stung by her profanities.

There was silence. I wasn't a bit shocked that they were talking about me; I was shocked that Sakae was angry, angry at the doctor for me. And I felt a warmth spread in my body from this discovery.

"Sakae. I understand that you feel empathy for her because she was dead brother's partner…But please talk reasonably and politely." I recognized this voice: Dara.

"Miss Dara, please, please" – now her words were shockingly polite and serene – "Ask Dr. Minho that he let Sakura Haruno out of the asylum…It's been a year…She's all right. If she has something to think about, something to do and make herself have fun, she'll return to her life. Though I don't know if she can recover about Sasuke, but she can do this."

"You don't know her psyche, do you, sweetheart?" The doctor spoke harshly.

"I'm not a doctor like you, Mr. Minho, but I sure know that if a person's thoughts are converged on one place…If Sakura's brain is converged only on Sasuke in this place…She can never excel in life. Do you want her to rot in your asylum?"

"Of course not."

"Or maybe it is about money?"

"How dare you!" The doctor's voice grew up to three octaves. "Dara…Jesus, what are you saying, Sakae! A doctor is never concerned about money, but about people! I can see that you are terribly upset about your brother's death –"

"Who told you that?" Sakae hissed. "Who told you that I'm upset about Sasuke? He was a self-centered, self-absorbed, overconfident little boy who never gave me the respect that I had right of…even though I loved him! Who cares about that? I have a brother, and he's so much better and caring than Sasuke! He –"sniffling sound "– is a brother, a real brother!"

"Sakae…" Dr. Minho's voice was anguished. However, each of Sakae's words, harshly defining Sasuke, was cutting through me. Was this how a sister thought of her younger brother who had died? I clutched at my chest, wanting to hear more, yet dreading the ache.

"…I care about Sakura because she's the one who's suffering due to my fickle bro! Just as my Mom, crying her eyes out…Just like my friends…Please, let her have what she wants, freedom! You're even locking her freedom!"

A long silence followed Sakae's words. Someone sniffled again.

"How do you think you can make her feel better?" The doctor asked gently.

"I know she likes me because I'm Sasuke's sister…But at least I can make life better for her here. As long as I'm in Konoha…"

There was a shuffling of feet. "Sakae, okay, go to Haruno for now. However, remember that I can take no action until her father gives me permission," Dr. Minho warned. "For now, do whatever you want, honey. Just keep calm. Everything will be fine."

I ducked into the black shadows, heart aching unbearably, as someone walked out of the room, closing the door behind.

Not someone. It was Sakae. Even in the dark, I could see her face…Because it was pale, shining like moonlight in the night. Her eyes were red rimmed and she was wiping her nose on her cuff. Tear tracks were wet on her cheeks. But despite that, she was still beautiful.

My heart lurched painfully when I realized that she was crying, crying for me.

O_O Wish me a late Birthday.