Disclaimer: (insert exceptionally good disclaimer here)
Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.
-William Dement
Powerful
Chapter 2
The music played softly as I walked down the aisle. The bouquet in my hands filled my sense with a sweet allure. I started off slowly, my heels clicking as I went. Now I was almost jogging, with my head held high and my cheeks flushed. At the end of the aisle was Sasuke, the man of my dreams. He was smiling at me, holding out his hand for me to catch. I could feel the power churning within me.
Just to keep you slow ones on the right page, this scene isn't nearly as romantic as I just made it sound. I'm warning you now: I can have a very active imagination at times. So, let me explain before anyone goes off the deep end jumping to conclusions.
The pianist is practicing the wedding march for the real wedding that was to take place that afternoon. I am walking down the aisle. The bouquet in my hands has to be placed in the vase on the altar for decoration. My heels clicked and echoed in the empty church. I start speeding up so I can stop this jumpy feeling I'm getting. Sasuke and Ino are talking at the altar, concurring about color coordination with the flowers and ribbons. Sasuke was not smiling; it was more of a smirk. His hand is outstretched, waiting for me to give him the bouquet. And I seriously doubt that that is power churning within me; it's probably my breakfast.
Just to make things impossibly clear: I am not getting married. Not to Sasuke. Not to anyone. Not today.
That's not to say there isn't a wedding today. There is obviously a wedding today. Why else would I be wearing painful high heels, an uncomfortable kimono, and a heavy butterfly hairclip in a church? Most ninja don't even recognize a religion, including me. But the damn bride just had to married in a church, so here we are.
"Here," I handed him the bouquet, and he took it without a word. He didn't even spare me a glance. It's been like this ever since…well, ever since he got back, I guess. I don't think he was this ignorant of me when we were kids. And I'm not sure enough to say this is a fact, but I think he's only this emotionless to me. It gets really annoying…
But mostly, it just hurts.
"Now," Ino said, "Originally, we were going to use red and dark blue ribbons, but the blue clashes too much with the curtains. I suggest we replace the blue ribbons with white ones. White goes with anything and it will go with Anzu's kimono."
Sasuke nodded his head solemnly. "Hn."
"Oh, Sakura, I'm so glad you're here! Could you run back to my shop and get the white ribbons? I need you to take down all the blue ribbons with the white! Hurry!"
Damn you, Ino! I just got back from your damn shop!
So anyway, I'm hurrying back out of the church and down the front steps when I see her.
You must know who I'm talking about by now. Anzu. She was wearing quite an elegant and expensive looking kimono. It was white silk kimono with a floral design. At the center of each flower was a beautiful, perfect pearl. Anzu was wearing a pearl necklace and pearl bracelets and had pear-laced sandals; even her veil had soft pearls at the top.
I hurried past her and her maid of honor, Urara. She had been Anzu's best friend in the Sound. I was not one to hang around them. I mean, they could be just fine, but I could never look Anzu straight in the eye. It was just too uncomfortable for me.
Looking down, I realized how plain I must have looked compared to Anzu. I had on a simple red kimono. I got it half-price when I went shopping with Ino last week. I'm sorta money tight right now. I'm also wearing Tsunade-shishou's shoes (she's the only one who shares a monster shoe size with me) and Hinata's necklace with a flower pendant of rubies. At least the hairclip was my own; it was a red butterfly clip my kaa-san gave to me for my fourteenth birthday. Then I had on a bracelet that Ino made me. I wear it a lot anyway, and it just went with my kimono.
"Sakura!" Ino called from behind me in the church door. "Before I forget to tell you, put some makeup on! You look horrible!"
Aren't best friends supposed to be helpful? I really need to point that out to Ino. She knows I don't wear makeup. I detest it.
Anzu and Urara started giggling behind me, sneaking little peaks at me. Apparently, they thought this was hilarious. Oh, how I wanted to—
…
…
…
I turned and walked away slowly, down the street and around the corner. I didn't look back. I couldn't. Then I would have to see it again. The famous Uchiha fan had been carefully sewn onto the back of Anzu's kimono, and it was killing me. Seriously.
I started walking, but not toward the Yamanaka Flower Shop. My feet carried me to my favorite little spot to just sit and gather my thoughts.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. It's not under some Sakura tree (too cheesy for me) or that damned bench Sasuke left me on (I haven't even been able to go near there for a long time). It was my old desk in the academy. This was the place where I was in complete control. I knew exactly what I was doing. Whether it was taking a test or studying or passing notes to Ino, I had always been safe here. It wasn't until after I had left the academy that my life became what it is today.
Lucky for me, school had already let out today. I work part-time here, so I have a key. Getting in was no problem. Not until I got into my old classroom did a problem present itself.
It was in the form of a ten year old girl sitting in my desk. She was crying hard and scribbling something down on a piece of paper. We were all alone.
As quietly as I could, I slid open the door. She wiped at her eyes furiously with her sleeve, desperately trying to hide her tears. But it was still painfully obvious with her red puffy eyes and her runny nose. I felt bad for her immediately.
"Ohayo," I said, not trying to sound cheerful this time. Honestly, I felt like crying too.
She stared at me thorough bloodshot hazel eyes. I'm sure they were beautiful when she was happy. "Ohayo," she answered, sniffling slightly. I don't think she really wanted company to see her at her worst. I didn't either. Oh well.
"I'm Sakura."
"Nahoko…"
"So Nahoko," I continued, pulling a chair up beside her, "Do you want to tell me what happened?"
She shook her head from side to side. So cute.
"I won't tell anyone, I promise."
"Sakura-san…why are you being so nice to me?"
"Well," I pondered…Why was I being nice to her? I was in a bad mood and she was in my spot. "Everyone needs friends, especially in their times of sorrow. And I have a feeling you could really use a friend right now."
"Honest?"
"Honest. Now, tell me why you're so down in the dirt."
Nahoko fidgeted around a bit before saying, "It's all Yurie's fault!"
"What did Yurie do?"
"She stole my Tatsuki away from me!"
"Tatsuki?" I questioned.
"Yeah," she continued, "Tatsuki is the guy of my dreams. He's perfect! He's so cute! And he's the best ninja in our grade! And he's so cool! And he—"
"Whoa, slow down," I cut her off, a sudden feeling sending goose bumps down my arm. "I take it you really like this boy."
"It's not like, it's love! I love him, and Yurie took him from me!"
"Okay…how?"
"Well…at lunch today, she asked him out, and he said yes…" I felt even worse when Nahoko let go of another sob she'd been holding in.
"Nahoko, it can't be stealing if he ever belonged to you in the first place."
"But I love him!" she cried.
I sighed. She was really like a miniature me with brown hair and beautiful hazel eyes. It was kinda scary, really. "Don't you think love is too strong a word? You're just a kid; you have your whole life to find someone whom you love and who loves you back. Besides, how well do you even know this Tatsuki?"
…Nahoko didn't answer; instead, she hung her head in defeat.
"Now, if you really like Tatsuki; it'd be a good idea to get to know him better. But if you just like him because he's cute or popular…well, those are just all the wrong reasons. You should like a guy for his personality and his character. Okay?"
"But he's the guy of my dreams…" she replied weakly.
"That's just it. He's the guy of your dreams. In real life, he could be the exact opposite of what you thought he was. It's never good to idolize someone like that. Then all you see are the things you want to see, not their flaws or the real them. Do you get what I'm saying?"
"Sorta. But I don't see how I can possibly love anyone else. It's always been Tatsuki."
"Don't worry about that. You'll have plenty of time to meet guys that are right for you. You can't rush love; it takes time."
"So…one day, I'll find someone else, someone better…if I try to get know them…and take my time?"
"I'd bet my last dollar on it. Give it a chance." A sudden thought entered my mind. "Here," I said, pulling off my bracelet, "I want you to always remember what I just told you, and remember that you always have a friend. If you ever need me, I'm here for you."
She stared at the bracelet I had just tied around her wrist like it was some great jewel. Then, surprising me, she sprang up and wrapper her arms around me. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I promise I'll remember!"
"That's good. And you know, I should probably thank you too. You've helped me too."
"Really?"
"Now, just answer one more thing for me. It's one that I've been wondering about. What are you doing here after school so late?"
"Oh," said Nahoko, "Iruka-sensei made me stay after class and write lines."
Leaning over, I saw the writing on her paper. 'I will not attack my peers.' It had been written on the page maybe thirty times. "He he…I started a fight with Yurie today. I beat her too."
I shook my head. God, this girl reminded me so much of myself. "Feel better now?"
Nahoko nodded her head. She was smiling now. "Yeah."
Glancing at the clock on the wall, I realized that I had to go. The wedding would be starting soon…
"Look, Nahoko, I have to leave. I'm about to be late."
"Will I ever see you again, Sakura?"
"Of course, I work here on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the little kunoichis in training.
"Okay then, I'll see you next time?"
"I'm sure we'll find each other."
"Okay. See you, Sakura!"
"Goodbye, Nahoko." With that, I walked out of the room. I had a smile on my face, a real, true smile.
I paused just outside of the academy, suddenly remembering the white ribbons and Ino and my job. I still had a mission (however unimportant) to do, whether I liked it or not. Sure, I perfectly hated the bride (maybe the groom too), but this was their wedding day. This was their day. Even they deserved a good wedding day. I would feel so guilty and ashamed knowing I let them down because of my petty feelings.
Although, come to think of it, only Ino was counting on me, I'm not sure Sasuke even cared. But I know I would want everything to be perfect at my wedding—that's if I ever get married though...
'Hurry! Hurry! HURRY!' my mind screams. I am now running up the church front steps, about a billion white ribbons in tow. I would have gotten here faster if I hadn't kept dropping or stepping on the damn ribbons that were trailing on the ground. Maybe I should have put them in a bag…
Anyway, I burst through the church doors to find…Ino tapping her foot impatiently. "Forehead girl, where the hell were you?!!"
"Uh, well…" I started, 'think of something, dimwit!' "I stopped for a smoothie."
Her face immediately twisted into this surprisingly sweet face. "Did you bring me back one?"
"No."
"You suck! Now, start taking down those ribbons! I took down the ones on one side of the room, so the rest should be a piece of cake."
I figure during the next 30 seconds, I had a really dumb look on my face. All the sudden she screamed at me, "Get to it, Forehead girl!"
And now I find myself ripping down the dark blue ribbons as fast as I can, not daring to look back to see if Ino is still there or not. She can really be scary…especially on her period. Can you say "major PMS?" Exactly.
Okay, now the easy part is over with. The only dark blue ribbons in this room are all piled onto this little trash can behind the last pew. Might I say they were rather awkwardly stuffed in there. The lid is about a foot higher than the top of the can. Whatever.
The idea for this ribbon decorating is to drape them all over the walls and tie them into little bows to put on the side of the pews. All of this is done with the use of some very handy staples and my trusty stapler (which isn't exactly mine). Then a small bouquet of roses is added to these little bows and draping ribbons and just random points on the wall. They're all around the altar too. Anzu must really love her roses.
I have to search the back storage room a little bit, but I finally found a stepstool. Curse my lack of height. Did you know that balancing on a stepstool while draping ribbons elegantly and trying to staple them to the wall is very hard? It is, especially in high heels.
I'm sure this comes as no surprise: I lose my balance (not that I ever had it to start with) and fall backwards. The stepstool bounces off the wall and crashes to the floor. The ribbon hangs to the wall just like it's supposed to; I must have gotten a good staple in before I fell. And I fall onto the hard—into someone's arms?
I look up, and there he is. Neji must a like "Sakura-is-trouble-sense" that tingles when activated. How else would he know when to be here?
When everything stopped spinning and I had time to register that I was in Neji's arms, I realized something else. Our heads were tilted at just the right angles; if I leaned a bit closer, I could kiss him. Not a kiss on the cheek or forehead, but fully on the lips. It would be our first.
Correction, it would have been our first. I was leaning closer and Neji was bending his head down some and then I heard a very rude—and close-sounding "Get a room."
Damn it! I though we were alone! I immediately found the culprit; he was standing two feet away with a very annoyed look on his face. And to my great surprise (probably not to yours), it was none other than Sasuke.
I swear, that man can find ways I could never imagine to ruin my day. I mean, how many ways can one man deprive me of the joys in life? It's truly a wonder…in a bad way.
Well, now I'm standing upright (Neji is too) and he has him arm around my waist. I think I might have been smiling if Sasuke hadn't barged in. Talk about bad timing. Come to think of it, I hadn't even known they were around until Neji caught me. Where were they?
And Sasuke is just glaring at both Neji and me; only God knows why this time. He speaks in this deep, deadly voice, "I was about to catch her, Hyuga. There was no need to shove me out of the way."
"Can you really call that shoving? All I did was sidestep you," answered Neji.
"I had the situation under control. I would have caught her easily."
"Maybe, but I think I'm responsible for Sakura's well being, not you."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really, she is my girlfriend."
"You're really full of yourself, aren't you, Hyuga?"
"I think you're the one who's full of himself, Uchiha."
"And you know what I think?!!" yelled Ino from across the room. She and Anzu had just walked in through the back doors. "I think this has to be the most pointless conversation you can have! We're getting ready for a wedding, people! Stop dilly-dallying around!"
As you can see, this is Ino's first time to be the official wedding planner.
This basically ended the age-old Uchiha v. Hyuga spat—for now, but the grudges seemed to have passed to the rest of the room's occupants. Sasuke and Neji were still glaring at each other. Anzu was glaring at me. Ino was glaring at everybody. And of all of this left me to stare blankly out the window and sigh.
And I thought things were finally looking up today...
Yay! A second chapter!
Alright, down to business. Forget about that whole poll thing. There are a few twists in the plot that you haven't been able to see yet. You can still tell me who you want to end up with Sakura, I just won't be counting any votes till I get in a few more chapters.
Another thing. I got 9 reviews!!! Yay! Maybe not my best, but I appreciate each and every one! What I'm confused about is how my story got barely 100 hits. Is my summary not appealing or something? Geeze, I didn't think it was that bad.
