Disclaimer: Okay, so I don't own Naruto. Why would I want to own Naruto? He eats way too much ramen and I spend most of my time an inch away from broke already.
Oh, there's a list later on. If you can't tell who's speaking/writing...well, it follows a pattern. Sakura writes the reason down and Ino always writes the first comment, and then it alternates. Sakura, Ino, Sakura, Ino, and so on. If you don't understand now, you should later on when you get to it. Sorry, but I did it with two different fonts on my computer and it turned out much better.
Powerful
I happen to feel that the degree of a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting attitudes she can bring to bear on the same topic.
-Lisa Alther
Chapter 6
I was extremely, extremely bored. That's all there is to it really. I guess it was just one of those days.
Ino and I were sitting (somewhat dozing) at the front of the classroom it the teachers' desks. It was late Tuesday morning, and, as we always do on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, we were working in the Academy. Our class was, as usual, the seven and eight year old kunoichis in training. The girls were taking a test right now, so Ino and I were left to be bored out of our minds.
So now, Ino was sitting beside me twirling her ponytail. Meanwhile, I was busy trying to fold a blank sheet of paper into a paper crane. Tch, origami. It's a lot harder that I thought it would be, seeing as I haven't had any success. I'm also trying to remember why I took this teaching job in the first place. And then I remembered, "Oh yeah, I really need the money."
I'm working three different jobs at the moment, all of which take up a lot of time. There's my job here at the Academy, being a medic nin in the Konohoa Hospital, and then taking missions as a ninja. I do all this, and I'm still short on cash. It sucks.
You want to know why I'm broke? Are you sure?
You see, there's this thing with my Kaa-san. She—
My thoughts were interrupted as Ino tugged the sleeve of my jacket. "Hey Fore-head girl, do you wanna make a list?"
"Sure," I answered. "But what do we have to make a list about?" Our secretly famous "lists" were just that. Lists. It could be a list of the hottest guys, best stores, or something like that; but mostly, we made lists of reasons why we should or shouldn't do something.
"About you, of course, getting over Sasuke."
I felt myself frowning. Now why would she bring that up? She knew I was sensitive about these things. "Anything but that, Ino."
"Aww, come on. We both know how much you need this. Don't deny it. It's not gonna make me back down."
"I know…"
"Great. So stop whining and we'll start our new list."
"No, I don't wanna."
"Quit being a baby!" she hissed. We both paused as the students looked up from their tests to us, then silently back down to their work. I guess we should be whispering.
"No," I whispered back.
"I won't stop bugging you till you do."
"Humph…fine…"
LIST OF REASONS
WHY I SHOULD
GIVE UP ON SASUKE
AND MOVE ON
Authoress: Sakura Haruno
With Comments By: The lovely Ino Yamanaka
1. Sasuke is married.
-Yeah, that might cause a few problems.
-Can you believe they've been married for only a month? It feels like it's been a lot longer.
-Time drags when you're down in the dirt.
-Whatever.
2. Sasuke's wife Anzu is now four months pregnant.
-Another excellent reason.
-She is such a bitch!
-I agree. Urara is too.
-The other day, I was down at the market buying cookie dough (Hinata and I were planning to make cookies that night). Well, I saw Anzu grocery shopping; so I said "Hey." She completely ignored me and kept on going!
-You and Hinata made cookies without me?
-You were on a mission.
-Oh, okay.
-And then, you know how Sasuke and Anzu are having a house-warming party? I wasn't invited!
-Oh yeah, I remember you telling me about that! Have you confronted Sasuke about this?
-No, and I don't plan on it. I'm attending the party as Neji's date.
-Even Neji got invited and you didn't? I thought for sure it would be the other way around. He and Sasuke have been at each other's throats a lot lately. More so than usual.
-I know. It gets pretty frustrating sometimes.
-I hope Anzu gets tons of stretch-marks that never go away and scar her for the rest of her life!
-Thank you, Ino. Next topic.
3. Sasuke is a cold-hearted bastard.
-Damn straight, Fore-head girl!
-Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!
-Um, you know, Sakura…ripping up paper into little teensy beensly bits isn't gonna help the matter…
-Grr.
-Although, I hear it helps to relieve stress! He he…
4. Sasuke and I have nothing—absolutely nothing—in common.
-Another great asset to our list! Oh, and I totally agree! You two are like exact opposites…like day and night or white and black. It could also be a fire and ice kinda thing. Point is, it would never work out.
-Thanks, Ino.
-You're welcome, Fore-head girl.
5. Class today is incredibly boring.
-Um, I agree and all, but what does that have to do with helping you get over Sasuke?
-Nothing. Just Saying.
-Next topic.
6. I'm with Neji now, and I have no business being in love with another man.
-Now that's a big problem. You've got to snap yourself out of it.
-I feel so bad about that. Neji's so great and nice, he deserves so much better than this!
-True.
-Hai! This is one of our best reasons yet!
-Oh really?
-Yeah, you see, this one gives me something to look forward to.
-Something to look forward to? Ooooh...
-Shut up.
7. I want to become friends with Sasuke.
-What do you mean by that?
-Sasuke would hate me if he knew I still loved him.
-Doesn't he already hate you?
-Wow, Ino-pig, you're so good at making me feel better.
-You're being sarcastic, aren't you?
-Obviously.
-Gomen.
-I realize he's never gonna love me; now I just want to be friends with him at least. I know he always thought I was annoying when I was crushing on him. Maybe if I was just trying to be his friend, he wouldn't dislike me so much.
-It's worth a try.
-Yeah, although it kinda felt weird at first to call him "Sasuke" and not "Sasuke-kun."
-Are you gonna start calling Neji "Neji-kun" now?
-I've been thinking about that, but I want to wait a bit longer. Just a little bit.
-Whatever you say, Forehead-girl.
8. Sasuke is just too dreary for me.
-How so?
-He's killed Itachi, been home a whole month, married, and has a baby on the way. He's completed both of his goals, yet he's still as cold and emotionless as he used to be, maybe more so.
-Do you think he's depressed?
-He shouldn't be. I mean, he has everything he ever wanted.
-That's it. Maybe he doesn't have everything he wants.
-Maybe, but I doubt it. He could just be naturally emo.
-Maybe. Or maybe he's just always going to be this way, no matter what. Oh well, it's not like I care enough to investigate. It seems Sasuke is always going to be this way, and nothing anyone does can change it.
-Agreed,. Next topic.
9. Sasuke betrayed me.
-Along with Naruto and Kakashi and the rest of Konohoa for that matter.
-I know…
-You were such a mess after he left; it was really depressing.
-Well, wouldn't you be a mess if the boy you loved knocked you out, left you on a bench, and betrayed you for Orochimaru after you poured your heart out to him?
-Yes. I understand why you were depressed and devastated and all, OK? It's just, I never liked seeing you like that. No one did. And that's why it's absolutely necessary for you to follow the list.
-I see.
-So I think you should forget about Sasuke and just fall head-over-heels in love with Neji.
-So you're already decided who I should fall in love with?
-Yes, I have. I never expected Neji though; I was thinking more about that man you always work with at the hospital.
-Ataru?
-Forget about Ataru! You and Neji are the cutest couple! That reminds me, would you two like to double date with Shikamaru and me this Friday for lunch?
-Sorry, we can't. We've already got a double date with Naruto and Hinata.
-Again?
-Yes, again. Why?
-Never mind.
-Okay, now for the last reason…I can't think of anymore.
-Really? Me neither. Well, not any good ones.
-Same.
-…
-Okay, I got one…
The bell rung, signaling the end of the young kunoichis-in-training school day. I looked up to find all of their test papers stacked neatly on my desk. I was so absorbed in our list I hadn't noticed the girls turn their tests in.
The little girls were already grabbing their stuff and running out of the classroom. A chorus of "Ja Sakura-sensei! Ja Ino-sensei!" was heard. A few came up to me and hugged me goodbye. Aww…so sweet.
"See you later, Forehead girl!" called Ino as she headed out the door. She was in a hurry today; she had a shift at the Yamanaka Flower Shop soon.
"Bye Ino-pig!"
Ino must have just remembered something important because she poked her head back in through the doorway and said "Follow that list! You hear me?"
"Hai, Kaa-san," I mocked.
I stared down at my new list. I had the tenth and final reason; I just had to write it down. Every list needed at least ten reasons, otherwise it would be incomplete. I sighed. This one would be a bit painful, but it was the truth. The very, very painful truth…
10. Sasuke and Anzu are in love.
Why else would they choose to have a baby together and get married? Sasuke chose Anzu, so he obviously wanted her. Which means he didn't want me. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Only she was good enough for him. She must make him happy; it's just that he doesn't show it to me or anyone else for that matter. Bottom line is: They're happy together.
I stapled the grand total of four pages together and slid the new list into my messenger bag, careful not to bend any of the corners. 'List, I'm depending on you.'
"Bark! Bark!"
…
"Bark!"
I narrowed my eyes. After a long, long morning of work (I've been up since 4:30 A.M. with hospital shifts and teaching), I was greeted with this.
"Bark! Bark! Bark!"
A small, yippy white dog. And it wouldn't shut up. Come to think of it, it looked a lot like Akamaru way back when. Of course, he's far too bigger now, so it's probably one of Akamaru's many puppies. I hear from Kiba it's over fifty now.
I scratch him thoughtfully behind the ears before sitting down. The dog jumped up beside me, barked some more, and snuggled his way into my lap. He was a friendly dog obviously, a little too friendly; but I didn't mind. I enjoyed his company. He cocked his head to the side as I scratched his soft ears some more. So cute…
I was sitting (however awkwardly) on the benches outside the Academy in the school yard. My shift was indeed over, but I would probably not leave this spot for a while longer.
You see, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Ino and I always wait for Nahoko (and possibly some of her friends) to get out of school too. Then, we would all walk home together and/or do some activity together. Since Ino has that shift, I would be waiting all my lonesome for the next hour or so. I could use this time to go run a few errands, but I seem to have no errands to run. What a pity. So now, all I had to do was eat lunch.
I crossed my fingers, murmured a small prayer, and opened my bento box to find—leftovers. Leftovers? Ino had packed me leftovers from last night's dinner of fish stew. Now, since Ino and I share an apartment, I am forced to stomach our cooking. Notice how I said our. Ino's dishes are absolutely horrible, and mine aren't much better. Mostly, we eat takeout or Hinata brings us some homemade specialty.
Unfortunately, Ino made fish stew last night and then packed it into my bento box this morning while I was at my morning shift at the hospital. Yuck.
Okay, I was definitely eating out today. I'll just drop by Ichiruku's for lunch. If I'm lucky, Naruto will be there. He's always there.
Thinking of Naruto reminded me of Neji, and our little predicament which isn't so little. The four of us had promised to keep it a secret. Since Hinata's mother was the one who slipped the plans onto to Naruto to warn him, Hiashi didn't know that we about the plans, which is good. We might be able to work this to our advantage. As so, I have yet to tell Ino this, though I have been dying to for a full two weeks. Also, the four of us can no longer speak of this unless there is a silencing jutsu activated. We can't take any chances.
I have no idea what we're going to do yet, but it better be something good. Neji did some research and found out that Kodama is a highly respected ambassador and has been for years. He possesses lots of wealth and power back in Mist Country. He even has the main office in the Mist Embassy in Konohoa.
Who knew fate would pit us against such a challenging opponent?
I held out the contents of my supposed fish stew to the small dog. Maybe my furry friend would find it stomach-able. God knows I didn't.
Well, he didn't either. He took one sniff of the substance before whimpering. He turned and jumped off the bench quickly before running down the street with his tail tucked in between his legs. Poor little guy…What was I thinking, offering the innocent Ino's loathsome dish?
I tossed the fish stew into the nearest trash bin and scoffed. "Not even a dog will eat your food, Ino-pig."
And that's when I heard it. It was a low, deep chuckle, definitely a man's voice. It stopped abruptly as I jerked around to where I thought it came from. No one was there.
The whole street was pretty much deserted, except for the shop owners and regulars. There was absolutely no one in the area which I am sure the voice came from.
After a brisk search, I knew the chuckle-er was long gone and without a trace. Must be a ninja. Oh well, it's not like it mattered that much, it was just a bit creepy.
With that last thought, I gathered my messenger bag and now empty bento box and started towards Ichiruku's. Thoughts of meeting Naruto by chance never left my mind, and certainly meeting someone else there never entered it.
Okay, another chapter done. I was planning on updating like a week ago, but than I had to set this down because three of my teachers decided to give us all projects. Also, I had a hard time ending it. Oh well.
Now, be nice and review!
