this week the trend
written by soiguessitsdemi
this version is by A. E. Stover
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this week the trend
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I am death.
I am the latest trend.
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Pretty girls don't die horrendous deaths like this. Pretty girls don't die, full stop.
Haruno Sakura wasn't dead-dead, but she might as well have been.
Her eyes — green, like her mother's — were glassy and only half-lidded, and her waterline, usually painted an unusual colour, was plain. Bubblegum hair which, on most days, would be styled in an intricate 'do, or would be twisted into pretty summer curls, lay limp at her shoulders, unwashed for days. Her whole body lay limp, her back propped against the wall, her legs sprawled on the mattress.
She'd left the door open, again. "Sakura-chan, I'm not going to ask again."
She glanced up at Naruto, no feeling in her gaze.
"Get the fuck up."
She leaned forward a little, so that her back no longer pressed against her bedroom wall. She looked up, again, and offered a feeble smirk. "I'm up. Happy?"
"Sakura-chan, you have ribs," Naruto pointed at the bare skin, just below the wire of her bra (completely ignoring the fact that his beautiful best friend was half-naked and lying on a double bed). "How long has it been since you ate?"
Sakura blinked emptily, as though she were contemplating something from the past. "When did he leave?"
"…Twenty-nine days ago."
"There we go, then," She let herself fall back onto the wall, closing her eyes and trying to puff out her cheeks, a bit, to give them some fullness. "It's been twenty-nine days since I ate."
The blond fell onto the uncovered mattress beside her, swinging an arm across her emaciated hips. He nestled his face into the crook of her neck and breathed in her scent — tea shops and bubblegum, and heavy vintage books with yellowing pages. He was pleased to know that she still at least smelt like the old Sakura. "Please eat. Eat something, cupcakes, ramen, shit loads of crap, I don't care what you consume, I don't care if you get fat, just eat."
"I'll eat when he's back."
"He's not coming back," Naruto whispered into her skin. "Sasuke's gone."
It had been twenty-four days since his name had been mentioned. Sakura gave him a glazed look, half-expecting him to beg some more.
"Alright, alright, I won't make you eat," The blond wagered, lifting his head to look her in the eye. "Do something, though. Don't just lie here on your bed. Go to Ino's, go to the tea shop…go out and get wasted."
The corners of her lips lifted into what could be deemed a smile. "Can I really get wasted?"
"Not — not too wasted. Don't do anything crazy."
Sakura hopped off the bed and, ignoring her near-greasy hair, began to rifle through her wardrobe. Naruto watched her; she was skin and bones, these days. Her ankles and wrists were twigs, her hips were skeletal. When she bent just the slightest bit, her spine would jut out, pushing against the skin, like wings.
"Sakura-chan, I'll bring him back."
And that was a promise.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES
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Hi! Demi here, or soiguessitsdemi. I'm pretty new on the scene, so, nice to, um, meet you all. 8D I'm really pleased to have been invited to work on this collab. I'm working with some pretty amazing people, and it's just awesome. I feel guilty for sullying this place with my failed knowledge of the Naruto fandom orz. But I still hope you liked it! c: