Finally, the third chapter…woo!! There's a slight change with the order of the chapter. I'm sorry but "The Phantom of the Opera" has been moved to chapter 4. It took me a while to write this for 2 reasons, one because I had been busy, and two because believe it or not, I've never watched Phantom of the Opera before so I had to do research first …it's not much of a research really, just a quick reading of the synopsis and some lines :p I also had a really hard time writing this since what I wanted to write didn't come out very well in English :(
And finally, to you who liked previous chapters and said so, thank you thank you thank you!!! I hope this chapter won't disappoint! This one is long, so don't say I didn't warn you. :)
Chapter 3: Sabaku no Gaara
I woke up the next morning, with a horrible feeling clenching my chest. Sweat covered my skin all over. My hair was damp and a mess. I had a dream again, but unlike the many nights before, something different happened. The words "I hate you" no longer came from me…
But…
I closed my eyes as I recalled the dream again…
I whimpered and my eyes widened in horror as the boy's face drew closer. I could hear him growling near my ears. "I hate you…I hate ALL of you…!!" his face grimaced with contempt as he said so.
That, of course wasn't what really happened in the past, but it still bothered me. As I sat completely still on the bed, those words kept echoing in my head, repeating themselves again and again, torturing me. It didn't help that the dream felt extremely real, even as I sat here completely awake, I could still 'feel' his weight on me, his breath on my face, his lips against mine, and him…snarling into my ear before pulling away…
"I hate you…" I muttered the words again. Three simple words, yet extreme meaning. I sure didn't know how truly painful it was to be on the receiving end of those words until I was put in the very situation. I couldn't believe it took me 22 years to learn my lesson and through a dream no less.
I placed both my hands on my chest as if to comfort it and drew a deep breath.
He must had felt horrible too, just like this.
I thought as my grasp slowly tightened on my chest. A feeling of guilt consumed me.
"Why this dream? Why today of all times…just when I am about to go see you?" I muttered quietly.
Are you going to really hate me for that? I suppose so… Although, why you kissed me…was a mystery for me, even till now…it couldn't be out of love, right?
I rolled my eyes and chuckled. Love? Stupid Sakura…that shouldn't even be called into question. Whatever it was that drove him to do that, it wasn't love. I am absolutely certain of that…
O really?
What do you mean 'o really'?! Of course I am!!
My inner self rolled her eyes in response, but remained quite.
Everyone knew he was a lunatic back then…and we all were afraid of him for that, but that still didn't give me – and all of us – the right to treat him like shit. He was a person too, a human being with feelings just like me. How could I be so cruel and insensitive? The ignorance of youth I supposed. All I ever experienced in my past was a happy life as a normal girl. What did I know about other people's pain and suffering when I had never experienced one as bad?
Accusing myself still, I got up from bed and walked towards the balcony on the right side of my bedroom. I lived on the 7th floor and the balcony was my favorite place in my apartment. I always found myself standing there, staring out into the beautiful view of Konoha during those sad and stressful time…you know, to make myself feel better. It always worked wonderfully.
I glanced at the clock. It was 8 AM and the sunlight was hardly visible outside. Shifting the curtain to one side, I stared out through the glass sliding door that led to the balcony. It was raining. The morning sky was cloudy and dark, and the repeated sound of the falling rain dripping against the glass only added to the gloomy and depressing atmosphere I've felt since I woke up. I shook my head and took another deep breath, decided to leave the dream alone.
It was Saturday and I was relieved I didn't have to go to work especially at that kind of weather, thus I had all the time to loiter around in my room for an entire morning and afternoon. Not that I planned to do so.
As I walked out of my room, passing a small wooden cabinet I used to display personal and family photographs, my unfocused eyes halted at a certain old photograph of me and Sasuke-kun. My eyes saddened.
How I wished I could go to Sasuke-kun's place or had him coming over, but alas…luck wasn't in my favor. Why was it that Sasuke-kun had to be so strict and hard-working? I somehow felt like, even with the two of us being together like this, it still didn't improve our relationship to a satisfying degree as I would have liked, at least emotionally. He was still – more often than not – cold and distant. I thought if we met and talk often, if I became his girlfriend, I could have shortened the distance considerably, but I was wrong. There was always something dark inside him that I couldn't pinpoint what, something that he kept hidden from me and everyone, something that built a wall between us. We might be close physically and happy on the outside, but deep down inside…I knew we were not. Unlike a normal happy couple, our emotions were – in one word – disconnected from each other. That was a painful truth that I didn't want others to find out and one thing that I wished we both could work out in time.
I sighed and scanned the other photographs briefly when a thought struck me. That photograph of me and Sasuke-kun was from 10 years ago and we took a lot of photos back then. Naruto, one of our childhood friends loved photography, and he carried around a camera everywhere he went, so that should explain the amount of childhood photographs I had.
My heart pounded with anticipation as I hurriedly plopped down on the carpeted floor and started searching the drawers for my old photo albums. Once I had it in my hands, I flipped the pages impatiently until I came across a photograph that caught my eyes in an instant.
As I thought…he was there…!!
My heart almost skipped a beat. It was a photograph of me and my classmates celebrating our victory in the junior gymnastic tournament at school. There, outside the yard, with his hands grabbing the chain-link fence in the far background was the red haired boy, watching us. I couldn't make out how his expression looked like as it was too far away and the shadow of the school building fell upon half of his face. Decided that there should be more, I put it aside and continued looking for more.
As I set aside the last photograph, I found out that there were 9 in total and I was amazed how I never noticed this before. I sprang to my feet and brought all the newfound photos to my desk for further observation.
As I sat there, the first thing that I noticed was how the boy didn't have any friend. There was no one around him. He looked so…lonely and neglected… It wasn't a problem for me back then, I didn't even notice it or care about him…but this time, the way it was captured in the photograph broke my heart, I couldn't help but felt sorry for him.
Is it just me or was he looking at us in all of the photos?
Not just you.
By us, I meant you, Sakura. Not Sasuke, not Naruto, not anyone else but you.
Now is not the time for your je…
My thought stopped instantly as I realized that what my inner-self said was true. My eyes wildly scanned the photos and widened in surprise.
We had a stalker. A little creepy, no?
I can't believe I never noticed this before. I shook my head nervously.
What I can't believe is the fact that we are going to watch our stalker acts in a play.
Stop it! You're creeping me out!
I was saying the truth!
But really… why me, of all people?
My inner self chuckled wickedly. I know why, we must be too hot and beautiful for his virgin eyes that he wanted to…
Oh please…would you stop? I was 12 years old and I definitely wasn't hot back then.
Well, if you don't think so, explain the kiss then.
I…!!! How would I know?!
See? We were special for him. Let's just hope that it's not 'special' in a bad way.
I sighed in defeat. I know what you mean.
As I began to gather the photos and store them away, I looked down at them again and noticed another thing that had escaped my observation earlier. The sand had trailed and followed him everywhere. It was as if his body itself was made of sand, leaving sandy foot-prints behind wherever he went.
The images of the past started to flood my mind. I recalled his fight with Sasuke. I recalled how he commanded the sand like commanding parts of his body. How Sasuke got thrown to the tree trunk so easily.
Monster…
…that was the first thing that crossed my mind when I saw his power. I could see the look of horror in everyone's face who saw that with his/her own eyes. That kid had never lost in a fight. I had never witnessed a human much less a boy like him before. Where that sand came from or where he came from or who his parents were, nobody knew…and nobody dared to find out.
I was finally reminded again of how creepy and scary the sand boy could be. Especially when he flipped out…yes, he got angry easily. I didn't know if he hated us or not since he was extremely unpredictable. One day he would just hang around and quietly watched us. Another day, he would forget about our existences and either constantly talked to himself or played around with his sand. The next day, he would threatened and picked fight with the other boys though he never badly injured people. Still, despite not being welcomed by most of the kids, he came to our neighborhood often for reasons unknown to me.
Could it be possible that he wanted to make friends but didn't know how?
Or maybe he just came to see you.
Stop it! It was nothing like that.
Do you just conveniently forget about the way he looked at you in those photos?
That still doesn't prove anything. I never know what his intentions were…
But you can't deny the fact that he was looking at you and not the others. And once again…the kiss! Helloo…
Whatever, all I know is he would certainly hate me after what I said to him.
Don't be so sure, it could be the opposite…heh heh…
Stop daydreaming please.
Sakura, just look at him! You have to admit he was cute –of course you dumb girl, I don't mean that twisted face of his-! Can you imagine how much he would have grown in 10 years? Remember what Ino said? He must be VERY HOT now! …and less creepy too. I wouldn't mind him stealing a kiss again! My inner self expressed her thought shamelessly.
No silly. I can't believe you are part of me!!! I have Sasuke-kun!! How could you even say…
Alright alright, instead of yelling, look at the clock. I'm hungry! My inner self cut me off before I had the chance to finish my sentence.
Oh God…
Slapping my head, I realized I hadn't even bathed and brushed my teeth.
How could I even call myself a true lady when I forgot doing things as crucial as cleaning myself? Dammit!
Ano…Sakura, a true lady doesn't swear…
Aww really…? Well, kiss my ass!
With that, I ran to the bathroom and came out in time record manner. While quickly making my way to the kitchen for breakfast, I switched on the TV as usual. Leaving it on while preparing something to eat. Apparently the morning news had ended. Shaking my head in irritation, I put down the coffee I was sipping at the moment and went to the front door to get the newspaper. Scanning the headlines quickly, a crease forming inbetween my eyebrows, no murder? Good. I sure would have thought something bad would happen under this kind of weather…"
My eyes glanced out the window, I had thought about grocery shopping in the morning, but the bad weather forced me otherwise. I had no other choice but to stay home until Neji-san and the gang pick me up later this evening. But then, maybe not just because of the weather…but also for my own safety, especially with me being alone and a psycho killer roaming freely in the city.
A sudden feeling of loneliness hit me then. I was alone…and Sasuke-kun as usual, never here when I needed his company…not even a phone call I had thought about calling him, but doing so only to hear his cold voice on the other end at his busy hours wasn't what I would do either.
Later at 5 PM, I got a call from Ino, it was the usual girl talk, and what to wear for the evening event. Actually it wasn't so much for the event, but more because Ino wanted to look her best for whom she claimed as her "future boyfriend", as delusional as it sounded. I didn't know if it was a joke or not, I hope it was. And of course she didn't forget to remind me about the "backstage plan".
Why did I even suggest that stupid idea to her? I don't want to meet him and If I met him there…I wouldn't know what to do or what he would do. I can't let it happen! I haven't forgotten about him in 10 years, so there's no reason to believe that he has totally forgotten about me either. I could be completely wrong though and IF by some freaky coincidence, the Phantom turns out to be some other guy with red hair and 'ai' tattoo who uses sand magic, I would SO laugh at my own stupidity for jumping at conclusion so fast, but… until then, I still have to be careful about this. I cursed inwardly, but my inner self cheered in return.
Me and Ino chatted a little more before we said goodbye to each other. I hung up the phone only to realize that for the umpteenth time, I forgot to ask Ino his name. I knew I would find out eventually, but still…
Well, there's no time to debate about this any longer. I should think about what to wear myself. I can't let him recognize me…if worst comes to worst, we met.
I searched through my closet for clothes or something that would give me the best disguise to conceal either my face or hair. Not too long after, I came up with a military style hat and a pair of shades. Trying them on, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled.
These should be enough.
My hair was only a little above the shoulder, not too long, so the hat was large enough to cover a significant amount of the 'pink'. But there was no need to put on the shades and hat just yet…since I would only need them for "close" encounters, otherwise, they would only get in the way of enjoying the show.
The time moved fast and the clock had already hit 7.30 PM. A distant sound of a vehicle's engine could be heard outside. Casually, I walked out to the balcony and peeked down to the parking lot below. A metallic blue car can be seen entering the lot. It was Neji-san on the driver seat and a woman I had never seen on the passenger seat. Not too long after, the car stopped and Lee was the first one to jump out and Ino's irritated remark followed. I giggled at Lee's antics before quickly went back to my room to get my long coat and bag, and headed to the front door. I shouldn't let them wait, as it would take quite a while to reach the theater from here.
As I got ready, loud foot steps and noises can be heard from the corridor outside my apartment door. It was Ino's and Lee's voices. Ino seemed to try to argue about something with Lee…as usual. I opened the door before they even had time to ring the bell.
"Tada! I'm ready!" I smiled widely and stepped out. "You guys were so loud, I could hear you from "miles" away!" I said to my two friends while my hands quickly locked the door behind.
"It has nothing to do with me, it's HIM!" Disregarding the greeting entirely, Ino replied defensively, pointing at Lee and looked a little annoyed.
I didn't know what had happened between the two. I threw Lee a look expecting an answer only to find him staring back at me. We stared at each other blankly for a while.
"What…? Something on my face?" I asked dumbly.
"…" No response.
…Lee? What is it? You seem dazed…" I asked again, waving a hand in front of his face.
Lee blinked his eyes and shook his head wildly, meaning to say 'no'.
"Sakura-san, you look so kawaii tonight!!! Please let me escort you to the car!!!" He quickly offered me a hand.
"That's enough, you baka!!" All of a sudden a fist connected with his jaw, sending him straight to the wall. "Heh! That served him right. Sakura, come!" With one swift movement, Ino grabbed my arm and pulled me to follow her, leaving Lee who was still twitching on the floor. Poor Lee, he seemed to always get on Ino's nerves.
We walked fast through the corridor, and when we reached the stairway, Ino yelled back to Lee, "Lee! If you don't move your ass fast, we're gonna leave you behind!!!"
Lee jumped up immediately and rushed headlong in our direction "Wait!!! You can't leave me behind!!!! Sakura-san! Wait for meeeee!!!"
… … … … … …
After that little incident, we were finally inside the car. Ino introduced me to the girl sitting on the front passenger seat next to Neji-san. Her name's TenTen, she's around my age and apparently she's Neji's girlfriend, or so Ino said.
It was a fun albeit extremely loud ride to the theater. TenTen really was a funny girl and humorous. Her and Lee told a lot of jokes that made us all burst out in laughter, even Neji-san had to hold his urge to laugh…as a result his 'laugh' came out weird and sounded like a fart…
"Neji-kun…you're so embarassing…" Tenten protested.
"A-am I? …hey…I wasn't farting…ok…? I was c…coughing…" Neji's nervous defensive replied followed.
"…nobody said you were farting." Tenten answered, her voice sounded like she strained to sound concerned.
"…All of you! S-Stop looking at me like that!!" Neji suddenly snapped, realizing that we were all forcing our faces to look serious.
"Neji-kun, you're so cute when you're angry like that…" Tenten's voice turned sensuous.
"I…I…" Neji looked away, back to the road. His face bright red.
Shrieks of laughter could be heard afterwards. I felt like some of the uneasiness and worries I felt all day since I woke up had ceased along with the laughs, and for once, I smiled at the fact that I might truly be able to enjoy the performance to the fullest. I looked up to see the moon shone bright above, showering Konoha with silvery light as our car rolled to the destination.
… … … … … …
We finally arrived just 5 minutes before the show officially starts. With all the activities and city lights, the theater district was extremely busy and jam-packed at this hour. It was filled with all kind of cars and vehicles, and I could see how the theater entrance was completely swarmed with people. Huge billboards were erected by the roadsides and attached to buildings everywhere displaying pictures and advertisement of the current popular plays in the city that were mostly Phantom of the Opera, but one billboard caught my eyes. It was the largest billboard portraying a young man with spiky red hair weared in disarrayed manner. His arms folded in front of his chest, standing dominantly and intimidatingly. Dressed in a classic nobleman dark red attire. He had a white mask covering half of his face. A red 'ai' tattoo carved on his left forehead, a complete contrast with his pale skin. His uncovered left eye had a dark ring surrounding it but did nothing to lessen his charming and dominant appearance. His lips forming a straight line, and he had an overall very distinct facial features. At that moment, the first thing that crossed my mind was…
"To say that he's handsome…is an understatement…" My inner self said in awe.
I nodded. For once, I had to agree with her…
I looked up at the billboard again, those deep and intense aquamarine eyes…I had seen those eyes before…
It………really was him.
Suddenly the uneasiness from earlier creeped up on me again. The billboard said "Sabaku no Gaara as The Phantom of the Opera".
Sabaku no Gaara? Gaara of the Desert? What a strange name…
…Gaara…is that his name? Completely unaware, I kept repeating the name under my breath over and over again until Ino broke my concentration.
"Sakura, what are you doing? C'mon…we have to go inside!" She and the others waved at me from near the theater entrance. I didn't realize I had separated myself from the group unknowingly. I quickly waved back at them, "I'm coming!"
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Phew…that's it for this chapter. I know this is slow paced but this time I'll update as soon as possible. Next chapter, the real Phantom of the Opera begins.