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12/6/15 – Tuesday

The next week past in a daze. People talked all around me, I got almost no sleep for three days, Sasuke has been away, Shika moved in on Sunday, The funeral is on Friday.

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Work- Well, it's different. It's been sold. The people are mean and nasty, but luckily they can't fire us.

I don't like work when Naruto and Sasuke can't visit the Batcave. It's lonely and sad and boring, I miss them.

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13/6/15 – Wednesday – got off sport to 'practise' debating.

Naruto came, we've stuck together more then anything (to Gaara's annoyance) since the car-crash, with Sasuke's absence both of us have just gone downhill.

"Hey, the funeral's on Friday, isn't it?" Sakura asked, as we sat on the table and played cards half-heartedly.

"Yeah." I answered dully, putting down an eight of hearts.

"Isn't the debate then as well?" Naruto asked sullenly, shoving a King on top.

"Mhmm." Sakura answered for me, adding her card to the pile.

We all sat up. "Sasuke isn't going to be coming, is he?" I say, going cold.

"Nope…" They answer, turning to look at me. "You up to speak first, Sora?"

"No…" I answered shakily. "I c-can't speak!" My stutter came back under pressure.

"you have to try, that's what fourth is there for, to be there when one speaker can't make it."

"I can't!" I say, feeling the card's slip out of my hands and flying to scatter the ground. "I-I stutter, and-d get Shy, and I can't talk!" I say, shakily.

"You have to try, Sora." Shika said, fixing his calm glare on my wild eyes. I took a breath, Shika has a calming effect on people I'd come to depend on it at home over the last week, it's been actually good having him stay with us.

I take a breath, and let it out. "Ok, I'll try."

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Not going to work, I'm 'sick'.

"Gaara," I caught up to him, we haven't walked together for ages, since I have sakura and Shika to walk home with now as well, Shika and Sakura have really hit it off and were now engaged in a conversation so I felt it was safe to slip away and catch up to my red-haired friend. "Wait up, damnit!" I puff.

"What?"

"Are you coming on Friday?" I ask.

"I dunno."

"You have too! You promised, I need you there!"

"Why? You've managed without me." I could tell he was hurt because I hadn't had much time with him over the last two weeks. I sigh.

"I'm sorry, but as you can tell, I haven't managed very well, Gaara, I need you there. I have to speak. Sasuke isn't going to be there."

He stopped and turned around. "Serious?"

I nod, shakily. "Yep. I have to speak."

"Wow, speaking in debating, who would have thought it?"

"Shut up. I'm serious, promise you'll be there?" I ask.

He nods, and I smile brightly and hug him, feeling better just to smell the comforting smell of Gaara. For a moment I even seem to think he hugged me back. But that's unlike Gaara.

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At home, with chocolate.

I really wish I could go to that funeral. Naruto is going, but I know Sasuke would kill me if we had to forfeit because I was leaving for him. He would never talk to me again.

"Why are you always buried in that thing?" Shika asked. I had him on a diet, mainly of fatty foods, and he only ate half of the amount. I'd told him before, don't eat to make us feel better, because I'd rather you didn't eat then you did and threw it up.

He seemed to be happy with this, and ate a little bit, I've given him healthy food smothered in fat (that he didn't notice) so he'd put on as much weight as possible.

I've also got Multi-vitamins to make up for lost sustenance; too, he seems to be fine with taking these too. I like to think I'm making a difference.

I look at my Diary, "What?"

"That book, your always writing in it."

"Oh, well, it gives me something to do."

"Oh, ok then."

Sakura has found a talent in cooking, and has changed electives from art to Food Tech, I'd told her about Shika when he moved in, and she had taken it upon herself too, she really has taken to him and seems to call this house her home as much as mine now. I guess even thought Mum left I still have family, family I've found myself. Well, Family that found me, really.

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Naruto came over.

He had dragged me into the other room, he looked worried. "Sora, I'm worried about Sasuke."

"Fair enough, his entire family, excepting only his brother who he hates has died, naruto, give him a break."

"No, that's exactly it, except Itachi, he is paranoid, he seems to think Itachi cut the brakes and murdered his family."

"What!? That's stupid!" I snort, but I still couldn't dislodge the feeling of unrest in my head, it was a possibility…. And that was scary enough.

"That's what I said, but he just got angry. He really thinks this, and Itachi has moved out and he is paranoid about beating him. I'm worried, Itachi's got a scholarship with Ataksuki Colleges and has moved out to the campus there."

I whistle. "He musta done good in his HSC then."

"He did, band Six, all the way. He topped the country." Naruto said. "Sasuke is obsessed with getting better results in his Higher School Certificate then him. You know how Sasuke obsesses."

"Yeah, he'll get over it. He is in shock. Just let everything sink in."

"But this is worse! He really just wants to destroy his brother's achievements. There's only one college better then Ataksuki, and even then it's only a marginal difference, and that's Sound High School and University. He's aiming for that I think."

"Well, after high school it is his choice where he goes." I say, sighing. "I know we'd rather him stay here, but still, it's his future."

"But he is my future." Naruto said quietly.

I look at him, hearing the pain in his voice. He is scared of Sasuke leaving. "It's two years away Naruto, anything could happen from now to then, maybe he'll change his mind." I say.

"You haven't seen him, I've never seen anything this bad, it's like he'd shoot Itachi if he had the chance. He really thinks his family's death is his fault." Naruto stressed the point.

I grimaced. "Just wait, let Sasuke recover."

Naruto shifted uneasily. "I don't know if he ever will. It's bad, Sora."

"Everything heals with time, he'll get over his parents death." I say. "We all do."

"No, not that, he can deal with that, I mean beating Itachi. I don't think he'll stop."

I shake my head. "Just wait and see what happens, I guess."

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16/6/15 – Before debate.

The days past quickly, and now I'm back in the familiar hotel with the Earth team, we had been introduced and now we're about to go into prep in 5 minutes.

I'm scared. Nervous. Gaara promised, I trust him. He knows how much this means to me.

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I can't believe him.

As soon as we finished Prep, I walked out and took the seat of First speaker, instead of my usual Fourth, I felt my hands shake. I immediately scanned the audience, and to my delight a blonde head stuck out around the brunettes common in Konoha. I waved 'subtly' and saw him wave back. Then continued to scan the watchers, there was more this time, about 30. Still, that's less then a 5th of what the hall could hold. My heart sunk as no obvious Gaara-look-alikes stood out, but I shook myself and assured myself he would come.

I stopped looking when the Chairperson stood, we listened to him announce the subject and the speakers and then allowed the first positive from Earth to give his speech, immediately I saw cards of rebuttal being pushed towards me and I wrote my own too.

"Now, Second speaker Sorano Takaski will give her speech." As I stood I was given another good look of the audience and immediately I dropped my cards and my voice froze up.

I felt my face go red and I shook as I gathered them, I was sure now. There was no red-haired comfort in the crowd for me to look at while I gave my speech. I laughed nervously and spent a whole minute re-organising the speech and ignoring the small laughter from the audience.

I took a breath and swallowed my nerves, fixing my eyes on Naruto. "Firstly, W-we would like to point out, the f-flaws in, erm, um… In- um.. F-flaws.." it continued like that for some time before I got the hang of speaking again.

As I sat down I hung my head and I felt sakura pat me on the back. I was shaking still.

Gaara didn't come. When I really needed him, he didn't come.

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17/6/15

When Gaara came over on Saturday I didn't answer the door at first, but then I sighed, stood and opened the door.

"Sora- I'm-"

"I don't care, Gaara, just go home." I said flatly "I needed you there, you didn't come. If your wondering, we lost."

"Oh…" he said, and I shut the door with one last look.

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