It's hard to believe that this is the end. After over 2 years it's kind of weird to think that I've managed to actually stick to this project. A million and five thanks to all of you readers out there whether you've reviewed and favorited and subscribed or not. It's been really insane but also really fun.
(100 points to the first person who can tell me which band's song the chapter title comes from.)
Fancy Footwork
Chapter 26: Last Scene
"Oh Kunio-san! I love you!"
"Ryoko-san, let's never be apart ever again!"
Popcorn spilled out of Kisame's mouth like a disgusting waterfall. Beside him, Sasori bit down so hard on his lollipop that he sawed the stick in two between his molars.
"What," Sasori said while the credits slowly rolled up the screen.
On the floor Sakura, who had been blowing on her toes to dry nail polish, froze with her cheeks still puffed out. She slowly lifted her gaze to the television and heard the slam of Itachi's coffee cup landing on the coffee table.
"How?" Kisame demanded as he pointed an accusatory finger at where there had once been two smooching characters.
"He cheated on her, yeah!" protested Deidara.
"And she went off and had another man's baby," added Sakura.
"But did he- just what… Did he propose to her?" Itachi inquired very slowly.
"C-section scar and all. I hope they don't plan to go to Fiji for their honeymoon," Sasori sighed while casting Sakura a pointed look. Rolling her eyes, Sakura shook her head.
"Whose idea was it to watch this stupid show, yeah? I want to punch him in the face," huffed Deidara. Itachi picked up the remote control and powered the screen off while everyone else screwed their faces up in deep thought. It took a moment and then Sakura twisted around to look at him.
"Wasn't it…your idea, Dei-chan?"
It fell silent.
"Stupid," Kisame finally snorted.
"Shut up, Anglerfish," muttered Deidara as his cheeks turned pink.
"Ugh. I don't even know how this show made it to 12 episodes. I would've pulled the plug after that episode where Ryuzaki-san found out his girlfriend was his long-lost second-cousin," Sakura complained as she resumed fanning her toes to help the nail polish dry faster.
"Really? I thought you liked sappy romances and stuff," Kisame chortled.
"If there's substance, yeah. But all these female characters are just crying and cheating and going after guys with money. Why does she have to date the rich guy? Why doesn't she just get a job instead so she can earn money?" Sakura argued.
"My-chan, you're undermining decades of patriarchal oppression of women in the media. It's not supposed to make sense, yeah," interjected Deidara with a snort of laughter. It was Sasori's turn to roll his eyes. He leaned over toward Sakura and Itachi.
"Ever since he took one class on gender studies, he thinks he knows everything," he muttered.
"Hey! I heard that! I'm telling you! I'm just taking these dumb classes to pick up chicks, yeah!" Deidara protested a little too loudly.
"Anyway, now that we're done watching that horrendous excuse for a show, what's next on the list?" Itachi interrupted over the sound of Deidara's half-articulated excuses. Kisame reached into his pocket and uncrumpled a list written on the back of an old receipt.
"Let's see. We did that, we did that…Oh! Next is visit the beach during the off season," Kisame read. Sakura and Itachi exchanged looks. Giving them a guilty smile, Sakura shrugged.
"Oh come on! You two mushy idiots have done like half the stuff on this list without us, yeah!" Deidara huffed. Sakura simply shrugged again.
"What's the whole point of this list anyway, Dei-chan?" she inquired, leaning back against Itachi's legs. Itachi smoothed his hand down her hair and then let it rest on her shoulder. Surprisingly, Deidara's ears grew a little red. He yanked the list out of Kisame's hands and quickly stuffed it into his pocket.
"I thought…this kind of stuff is on every girl's bucket list," he muttered.
Getting to his feet, Kisame dusted his pants off while everyone looked on with interest. He cleared his throat a couple times before fluttering his eyelashes and breaking out in his most high-pitched voice.
"I'll make beautiful memories with Sakura-chan and everyone so I won't cry myself to sleep at night about how lonely I am once she's gone," trilled Kisame.
"I'll KILL YOU, YOU DIRTY TURTLE!" howled Deidara as he sprang to his feet.
But Sakura soon placated Deidara with the assurance, "I think that's sweet, Dei-chan". Sticking his tongue out at Kisame, he plopped down on the floor again. A few seconds passed before Sasori suddenly stretched his arms over his head.
"Deidara and I need to get back to the studio. Thanks for the food and the coffee," said Sasori. He patted her cheek once before going off to get his jacket. Still looking a little grumpy, Deidara squeezed Sakura in a quick hug and stood too. There was the usual shuffling and bumping as they crowded in the foyer to put their shoes back on. Kisame joined them, sending Itachi the least subtle wink in the world.
As they stood waving in the doorway, Sakura tilted her head back so she could look up at Itachi's face.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Just looking," she hummed in response.
She found herself doing that a lot. It was hard to think that she'd have to go an entire year without seeing this face every day. He watched her for a moment before he just nodded.
"Are you hungry?" Itachi suddenly inquired. The abrupt shift in topics jarred her a little but as she watched him slip back into the apartment, Sakura had the strangest feeling that neither of them was being exactly honestly with the other.
In between school and play, Sakura found herself on the phone a lot. Sometimes it was with the study abroad office in New York and sometimes it was to deal with the paperwork for her visa to America. The other times, it was to talk to her mother or to Jennifer about various things. There was the matter of all her luggage and things to ship. After some thought, Sakura had packed up the things she wouldn't need to use immediately and mailed them off to New York so she wouldn't have to deal with the mess later.
One Saturday afternoon, she stood inside the dusty apartment she had spent countless years wandering alone while her mother worked. This was where she had done her homework. She had learned to do laundry and to use the rice cooker without turning the rice to mush. It was a place filled with ghosts, filled with the sounds of laughter from a father who lifted her into his arms long after she had grown too big for that sort of thing. And sometimes, in the corners where cobwebs had gathered, Sakura thought she heard the silent sighs of a single mother looking over bills and wondering where the money would come from. Sakura still didn't know how Kirie had managed to keep everything together in one piece. As far as she was concerned, her mother was the magical one in the family- not her.
Sakura had asked Kirie if she planned to sell the apartment. But Kirie refused so vehemently that it almost startled Sakura.
"What'll you do your sophomore year when you're back from studying abroad? Or were you planning to marry Itachi-kun right away and move in with him?" Kirie teased. Sakura blushed and avoided Itachi's curious gaze.
So the apartment would stay with the power and water shut off. It would wait for her.
And Itachi would wait for her too.
She could feel it in the light touch of his hand on her back as they walked. She could see it in the wordless laugh in his eyes if she caught him looking at her. His lips lingered a little longer; his pensive sighs were drawn out. During the quiet moments as she sat folding laundry, he would look up from his studies with a strange expression, watching her as if she were the most interesting thing in the world. And if their eyes met, he would always smile at her like they were sharing some amazing secret only known by them.
But she would be gone for a year. And they would be apart.
In the meantime, they filled their days with extra laughter, extra kisses and extra hugs so that the emptiness wouldn't seem so empty once it came. Their default poses came down to him studying on one end of the sofa and her sitting at the opposite end with her feet in his lap as she filled out forms and made phone calls.
She made her curry sweet and he liked his ramen a little undercooked. Grocery money was tucked into an old tin can at the back of a cupboard behind wine glasses. Their toothbrushes were placed in a mug in the bathroom- his light green, hers pink. They both showered in the morning, filling the apartment with fragrant steam while one of them cooked breakfast and handed off the spatula when it was their turn to wash. They took to buying coffee in bulk since both of them seemed to gulp down a gallon a day.
Their shoes were always lined up side-by-side in the foyer. Sometimes Sakura would crouch down to stare at them. It was nice, she decided. This way her shoes didn't look so lonely.
"You know, it's kind of funny that Sakura's the one living with her boyfriend," Ino suddenly commented one day after school. Hinata peered up at her with a quizzical expression as she took a sip of her tea. Sakura sat next to her blowing on her mug to cool her drink. After helping Sakura shop for a birthday present for Kisame, Ino had boldly invited herself and Hinata over for dinner. Rolling her eyes, Sakura sent Itachi a text to warn him. The rice cooker hissed softly in the background.
"What do you mean?" asked Sakura. She leaned back on her hands.
"When we were little, you were always the one blushing at the idea of even holding hands with a boy. And now, here you are. Living in sin," Ino declared as she gestured at her surroundings. Hinata looked thoughtful as she turned her gaze to Sakura. Sakura took in Ino's words for a moment before she shoved Ino with her foot, sending her friend toppling over.
"Shut up, Pig," she grumbled. Ino righted herself with a triumphant smile.
"You know I'm right. That's why you're not saying anything," Ino declared. Sakura pushed her over again before lifting her coffee to her lips.
"I'm not saying anything because you're being unbelievably stupid," Sakura snorted.
"But really…" Hinata said softly and the two stopped bickering.
"What's it like living with your boyfriend, Sakura-chan? I'd be so nervous if I was…"
Ino cocked her head to the side.
"That's true. There's a lot of stuff you can't do," Ino added. Letting out a big sigh, Sakura flopped onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. The soft rug cushioned her nicely.
"Like what?" she sighed. Part of her was genuinely curious as to what her friends were thinking. She hadn't really encountered anything particularly uncomfortable while sharing the apartment with Itachi. Though doing laundry together had been somewhat embarrassing (him seeing her clothes and her seeing his), that was something she had quickly overcome. But Ino seemed serious as she listed her complaints on her fingers.
"He sees you without make-up, first of all. And then you either show him all your unpleasant habits or step on eggshells the entire time you're at home with him so you're never really comfortable. When you get close to someone, you start to notice annoying little habits and get pissed off by them. Do you need me to go on?" Ino sighed. At this, Sakura sat up to look at her.
"I don't wear make-up anyway, he doesn't really care, sometimes we argue but then we work something out in the end," Sakura countered with a smug look. But Ino just scowled.
"He can't really be as perfect as he seems. The guy looks like he walked out a fairytale," Ino complained and Hinata nodded a little behind her.
"He's not perfect," Sakura quietly said.
"He's not perfect," she said again, "But he's a really, really great boyfriend."
As Ino and Hinata eyed Sakura and then each other with confusion, the front door swung open. Pushing his damp hair out of his eyes, Itachi propped his soaking umbrella against the wall next to the door. Eyes widening, Sakura hopped to her feet and scurried down the hall. She half-ran back to Itachi who was prying his feet out of soaked shoes.
Hearing her footsteps, Itachi straightened to look up at her through his bangs. Shrugging his coat off, he hung it on the rack to dry. Then he put his arms around her and gave her a frozen peck. Sakura wrinkled her nose.
"Your shirt's wet too!" Sakura exclaimed as she pulled back.
"The rain was kind of coming down sideways. Were you girls alright in the storm?" sighed Itachi. As he spoke, Ino slowly lifted her head and peered owlishly at him over her cup of coffee. Hinata waved timidly.
"It was just barely drizzling when we got here. It was fine," Sakura assured him as she shook her head. Of course Itachi would be on the brink of hypothermia and worried more about her well-being. She grimaced sympathetically when he laid his icy hands on her cheeks.
"Go. I started the bath," she urged as she pushed him in the direction of the bathroom.
"Thanks. I'll come help you with dinner when I'm done," he called while she gave him another shove.
"You don't have to. Now go before you catch a cold!" Sakura ordered. She heard Ino snickering before Itachi's fingers closed around her wrist and yanked her down the hallway so her friends wouldn't be able to see her. Pulling her closer by the waist, he planted a deep kiss on her mouth. With his tongue sliding against hers, it was difficult to gather her thoughts until Ino laughed loudly at something Hinata said. Starting out of her stupor, Sakura shoved against his chest with a frown.
"My friends are over!" she hissed but he just pulled her in for another one. Sighing, she humored him one more time before she pushed him away.
"Really. Go. You're freezing." Itachi licked his lower lip as he arched an eyebrow.
"Yes, dear," he responded with a smug look. Sakura tried to glower at him but it just dissolved into a smile. He turned away toward the bathroom but then paused.
"By the way…I'm home," Itachi greeted her. Even though it seemed like such a trivial thing, he always made sure to say it to her. It was because he knew; he knew that the years of coming home to an empty house was something she had never quite gotten used to. Putting her hands on his shoulders, Sakura rose on her tiptoes to kiss the tip of his nose.
"Welcome home," was her soft response. Itachi's eyes narrowed and then their mouths were connecting again.
"If only we had some privacy," he murmured against her lips.
"Bath," Sakura firmly repeated. She eyed him sternly until Itachi let out a resigned sigh. When Sakura rejoined her friends, Ino waggled her eyebrows until Sakura smacked her in the face with a cushion.
And true to his word, once he was done with his bath, Itachi joined them in the kitchen to help peel potatoes for the stew. Ino mouthed "he's perfect" over Itachi's shoulder so Sakura flicked cold water in her face while Hinata giggled. Seated around the round kitchen table, they laughed and shared stories while chowing down on hot dinner while the frigid rain continued to fall outside.
The end of the school year was rushing at her but at the same time every day felt surreal- almost like the perfect dream to accompany the perfect night's sleep.
It was made up of morning runs accompanied by the sunrise. She visited Deidara and Sasori to watch them run around finishing off the last details for their project. With Kisame she watched music videos on his laptop and then tried to make up new choreography that fit the songs better. And at night, with Itachi, she would take his hand and walk deliberately slowly in the dark. With the buzz of the streetlights hovering above them, they followed the concrete paths weaving through the city they both knew so well. Everything spun past in a blur of wild colors and explosions of music and there was nothing wrong with that. The fingers twisted around hers never slipped.
"You know, you've got a real talent for choreography," Kisame remarked one afternoon as he watched Sakura. She spun on the ball of her right foot to look at him. Blood pumped quickly through her veins. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears. But it was a good kind of thundering. She was tired but the best kind of tired. There were a million, billion nerves all humming at once under her skin. Flinging her arms up in an exaggerated shrug, Sakura smiled.
"You think so?" she responded with a proud grin. Kisame rolled his eyes.
"Don't get arrogant, Squirrel-chan," Kisame teased as he lightly bopped her on the head. Sakura puffed her cheeks out in an exaggerated pout until they were both laughing.
With all this free time to do whatever she wanted, Sakura found herself doing things she had never really done before. Standing at home, she had taken the time to stare at herself in the full-length mirrors mounted on the closet doors. She turned this way and that, eyeing herself for such a long time that Itachi, who had been sitting on the floor sorting clothes for laundry, reached up to poke her in the back of the leg.
"What're you doing?" he inquired. Sakura couldn't pry her eyes off the mirror. She slowly turned around, watching her backside as she moved. Itachi stared at her too until Sakura spoke.
"I…have lost a phenomenal amount of weight since freshman year," Sakura declared after some thought. Itachi blinked a couple times.
"But..." Sakura continued with a frown, "I haven't actually lost a single pound when I step on the scale." Squinting at herself in the mirror, Sakura prodded experimentally at her stomach. The small amount of squishy flab she had been used to was gone. By no means had she been overweight but now there weren't any places on her body that weren't toned from hours of dance and exercise each day.
"That's because muscle weighs more than fat," Itachi responded patiently. Then he tilted his head a little.
"Are you unhappy with your weight?" he suddenly asked. Sakura turned to look at him.
"What? No! Of course not! I just thought it was weird. The human body is sort of weird," said Sakura with a thoughtful expression. A huff snorted out of Itachi's nostrils. Sakura fixed him with a stern look.
"Are you laughing at me?" she demanded. With a completely innocent expression, he continued sorting the colored clothes from the white ones.
"The weirdest thing in this room is definitely you. Now help me with the laundry," Itachi sighed, tossing a bundle of t-shirts at her.
By March, Sakura had finished training Moegi to take the spot of President. Of course, the student body would vote on it but everyone knew that the vice president always moved up. Though she wasn't the same brand of tough, Moegi was not someone to be taken lightly. With Udon there to help with the technical stuff, the school would run perfectly fine. When Sakura had given Moegi full access to the drawer filled with rejection stamps, a cough of startled laughter exploded from the girl.
"Really? Hyuuga-senpai left these for you?" guffawed Moegi while Sakura tried her best to keep a straight face. But in the end they stared into the ridiculous drawer and laughed and laughed until their sides hurt.
For a few days, the seniors filtered back into the school in preparation for the graduation ceremony. Though some would have groaned at the prospect of being back in school, yearbooks were handed out and it suddenly became a mad dash to get everyone's signatures.
"Kyaa! Uchiha-senpai! Sign ours please!" Sasuke's usual fan club shrieked from outside the classroom. Biting down on the cap of her marker, Sakura shot the door a perplexed look before she bent over Hinata's yearbook.
"They're not even seniors. What'd they pay for a yearbook for?" grumbled Naruto as he leaned back until two of the chair legs were in the air. Of course it was Naruto that voiced what everyone else wasn't bothering to say.
"Probably so they could preserve their beloved senpai's handwriting forever," snickered Ino. She pressed her chin to Sakura's shoulder to watch her write.
"Your handwriting's so nice, Sakura," Ino sighed loudly while her eyes followed the rise and fall of Sakura's hand. The marker made small scratching noises as it moved across the paper. To be perfectly honest, Itachi often commented on her handwriting too. He always said that the way her strokes thickened and curved was very elegant.
"Unlike someone we know," he sometimes muttered, glancing pointedly at Deidara.
"It's an art form, yeah!" Deidara always protested while defending his chicken scratch.
"It's not that nice. Yours is just too messy, Piggy," responded Sakura without looking up. She let out a loud squeal when Ino pinched her side. This initiated a brutal tickle attack from Ino until tears were welling up in Sakura's eyes.
"Quit it, Ino! I can't breathe!" Sakura shrieked with laughter. Grinning deviously, Ino twisted her fingers up into Sakura's armpit. Naruto's eyes went wide as he stared like he was watching a particularly exciting action movie. Even Sai looked up from his drawing with visible interest. While Hinata giggled on the sidelines, only Sasuke seemed to take pity on Sakura's suffering.
"Okay, that's enough sexual harassment," Sasuke intervened. He hooked his arm around Sakura's waist while prying Ino off her with his elbow. Holding the two an arms-length apart, he fixed Ino with a frown.
"You ruin everything, you old man," Ino complained.
"I'm doing this for my own good. If I don't take Sakura's side, she'll make sure my brother and his friends give me hell later," explained Sasuke with a glower aimed at Sakura. Sakura smiled innocently.
"You've gotten so smart, Baby Sasu-chan," she cooed. When she reached out to pinch his cheek, he swatted her hand away with another glare.
"Hey! Where's the Prez? I want her to sign my yearbook!" a loud voice interrupted. Before anyone else could react, Sasuke immediately ducked behind Sakura, trying to hide even though he was a lot taller than her. Karin popped her head into the classroom with her yearbook clutched to her chest.
"Oh! There you are, Sasuke-kun! You can sign it too!" the red-head exclaimed in her usual boisterous tone. Sakura was taken aback.
"Really? You want me to sign?" asked Sakura. She picked up the marker again and resumed writing in the inside of Hinata's cover. Karin set her yearbook down on the desk next to Sakura's hand, as if to claim her spot as next in line. A startled laugh burst out of Karin, making everyone jump a little.
"Why not? You're like one of the coolest people here," snorted Karin so easily that it almost sounded like a lie. Sakura straightened to look at her. Sasuke slowly poked his head up over her shoulder to stare at her too.
"Coolest?" Sasuke repeated almost hesitantly. Crossing her arms over her chest, Ino leaned her hip against the desk and stared at Karin expectantly too. Completely oblivious to the suspicious glares from Sasuke and Ino flanking Sakura, Karin pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose before she spoke.
"You're just….real, you know? Like when you talk to people, you're just…you, I guess?" said Karin with a thoughtful expression. Warmth rose to her cheeks at the unexpected compliment. Sasuke slowly turned his head to stare at her and then grimaced.
"Gross. Don't…It's bad enough seeing you all giggling and blushing around my brother," Sasuke hissed, poking at her side with his elbow. Trying her best to keep a straight face, Sakura ignored him.
"Hey! Uzumaki! We've been waiting for Haruno-chan to sign ours forever! Get in line," one of the girls in class complained. When eyes turned to her, she stuck her tongue out at Karin.
"Yeah, Haruno-chan's our classmate so we called dibs," someone else chimed in. Swallowing down a confused laugh, Sakura signed her name with a flourish and then picked up Karin's book.
"Look at Miss Popular," Sasuke muttered under his breath. When she bumped her hip into his, Sasuke stared up at Sakura who just grinned back at him until his lips started to quirk upwards too. Before she could tease him, Sasuke fixed her with a look.
"Just shut up and write, Prez," he grumbled.
Graduation was a surprisingly cheerful affair. Sakura had half-expected tearful farewells and drawn-out sobs. She had told her friends that she would be catching her plane the next morning. Surprisingly, Ino didn't burst into hysterics and throw a tantrum and Naruto didn't pass out. The only thing they had done is make her promise not to leave without saying goodbye first. That being said, the lack of extreme emotions in the face of her departure felt a little strange to Sakura. Her friends had always been known for being volatile and overly emotional if anything.
The ceremony, as expected, was long. Konoha High was a big school and there were a lot of names to read and even more things to be said. As the principal stood reading off his speech in his usual booming tone, Sakura glanced across the row to meet Hinata's eyes. They exchanged smiles: Hinata's exhilarated beam matched Sakura's excited grin before they turned their attentions back forward. Everything was such a rush. The orchestra played, the teachers came up to speak, and then it was suddenly turn for Sakura to give her speech. She briefly felt for the few notecards in her pocket but then decided that she didn't really need them. She already knew what she was going to say. As she walked onstage and up to the podium, a loud cheer rose from her classmates. Naruto's whistle was the loudest, predictably.
As she looked over at the crowd of faces, a sudden and almost sickening longing punched her in the gut.
"I was going to start off with some clever joke about how Hatake-sensei's probably thinking about puppies right now but now that doesn't seem fair to embarrass him in front of our parents
There was a scattering of laughter.
"I'll start off with this instead: How proud are you right now? Of yourselves? Of each other? Because I'm really proud." Sakura paused to look around the gym one more time. All eyes were fixed on her, including the parents seated off to the side. She thought she spotted Gai-sensei dabbing his cheeks with a handkerchief in the back.
"Most of us have been in this city since we were in elementary school. I remember a lot of us missing teeth and scratching up our knees because we were just kids. Babies, really. Even now, it's kind of strange to think that we'll all be moving on after this. Some of us will get jobs. Some will go on to school. And maybe some of us will go travel the world. I don't know." This time Sakura had to pause because she could feel a little lump rising in her throat. Not because of her words. It was because Mikoto and Fugaku were sitting among the parents and Mikoto looked like she was on the verge of tears. Blinking quickly, Sakura turned her attention back to her classmates.
"Okay, look, I'm not going to give some pretentious speech about how we're such grown-ups or that we'll all become future leaders and reshape the world. I'm also not going to say that we're cogs in the system and that we're victims. Because we're not. We're us. I'm me. You're you." It was suddenly so quiet in the gym that the sound of Ebisu-sensei's tiny cough was thunderous. He looked embarrassed and quickly tried to stifle the noise.
"What I'm really trying to say is that you guys have made this an amazing three years. It's been really fun and it's also been a lot of money repairing all the windows the baseball club has broken," Sakura said. More chuckles arose. Kiba, captain of the baseball team, raised his hand in a joking apology. His friends thumped him on the back as they snickered.
"It's also been a lot of work trying to figure out why the pottery club still insists on a snack budget after three years of rejections." Several stares turned to Chouji who shrugged and silently put his hand back in his pocket to feel the potato chips he had stashed there.
"And I guess the best part was really getting to know all of you guys. And I'm sorry for all the people I don't know better because in reality, three years is just too short." The smiles faded now.
"It feels long, right? When you're in school, even that five minutes before the bell rings is so amazingly long. But really, you blink, and you're sitting here in these chairs waiting for a diploma." A few heads nodded and some people looked pensive. Naruto leaned forward in his seat, elbows on his knees and wearing an intense expression. A few seats away, Sasuke stared at her with an expectant expression. Their eyes met and she definitely saw him smirk a little.
"But isn't that amazing? In that one blink, you did all of this. Imagine what we can do with all the rest of our lives? Maybe you'll blink again and you'll have a family. Or you'll blink and you'll be the head of a company. We don't know what can happen in that short moment of a blink and that's what makes us so amazing. We have the potential to make our lives exactly what we want them to be. Maybe life won't go exactly in the same direction that you'd expect it to. There will always be detours and some bumps and maybe a big pothole or two but that doesn't matter. You started at the start. And you'll end at the finish line."
Sakura took a deep breath.
"This is the start. This is where we begin. And even though this is where most of us will part ways, that's alright. Everyone who finishes the race is a winner."
Shining eyes were fixed on her. Sakura smiled.
"And everyone who finishes meets at the finish line. So let's meet again. After we blink."
Throat thick with emotion, she slowly walked off the stage as her classmates erupted into applause. One of the guys from the basketball club began sniffling and his friends chorused in with laughter. Hands reached out to pat her arms as she walked back to her seat. There were the usual calls of "we love you, prez" and "great speech, prez". But the voices that truly mattered were quiet. She looked up and found Hinata with her eyes spilling over with tears. Naruto tried to hold his head high, biting his quavering lower lip. Sasuke dipped his head in a nod and from a few seats ahead, Sai smiled in his awkward but endearing way. Ino was ugly-crying as she tried her hardest not to smear her make-up but that was alright because she looked pretty anyway.
After the ceremony was over, the students rushed out into the courtyard to greet their families and to socialize. As soon as Sakura stepped out into the sunlight, she was met with the Uchiha family.
"That was a beautiful speech, Sakura-chan. We're so proud of you," Mikoto said rather tearfully before she enveloped Sakura in a motherly hug. Over her shoulder, Fugaku nodded solemnly. Sasuke looked vaguely embarrassed by the scene but didn't say anything and just shoved his hands into the pockets of his uniform. It was strange to think that this would be the last time she would ever see her friends wearing these familiar clothes.
"Take a picture of us, would you, Ino?" Sasuke half-requested, half-ordered as he tossed Ino his camera. Mikoto put her right arm around Sakura's waist and her left around Sasuke's shoulders. Fugaku stood to Sasuke's left, one hand pressed firmly to his younger son's shoulder. For an instant, it almost felt like these were her parents coming to see her. It was like she fit in so well to this family portrait that is scared her a little. But then the camera flashed and the moment was over and Mikoto's eyes were spilling over with tears again.
"You're such a wonderful young lady. I only wish Kirie-senpai was here to see you too," Mikoto sniffed as she patted Sakura's hair and then her cheek. Sakura bit the inside of her lip while she smiled.
"She'd be here if she could. She's pretty swamped with work right now," Sakura assured her. Mikoto's mouth opened but then it clamped shut again as her gaze fixated on something just past Sakura's face. Sakura was about to turn to see what Mikoto was staring at when a bouquet of white lilies was thrust into her nose. Letting out a yelp, Sakura just stared at the fragrant blooms until they slowly lowered and she was met with Itachi's face hovering just over her left shoulder.
"You came!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms. He smelled like printer ink and musty old books so she knew he had run straight from work. The sound of his deep chuckle rang surprisingly clear even through the chatter of families crowded around the courtyard. Depositing the bouquet into her arms, Itachi put one hand on his hip.
"I appealed to what was left to my boss' humanity. He let me go an hour early," explained Itachi. Sakura rose on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Sasuke sighed loudly when Itachi instead tilted his head to capture her mouth.
"Stop it. Your parents are watching," she whispered as she pulled her face away from his.
"Oh don't mind us, dears. We just hope you're being safe," Mikoto laughed.
"MIKOTO-SAN!"
"MOTHER!"
"MOM!"
"MIKOTO!" The last gasp came from Fugaku whose normally stoic face had turned very red. Mikoto only laughed harder while Sasuke looked ready to throw himself in front of the nearest speeding car.
"Oh look, it's Inoichi-san and his wife. We should go say hi," Mikoto suddenly said as she spotted Ino's parents. Taking her husband's arm, Mikoto steered him off, making sure to wink at Sakura over her shoulder. Slapping her hand over her face, Sakura let out a laugh that sort of sounded like a cry of pain.
"Our mother," Itachi and Sasuke sighed in unison.
"Now I know why Sasuke-kun's so strange," she sighed in response. Itachi tried to disguise his snort of laughter as a cough but Sasuke still glowered at him.
"Congrats on graduating, little brother. I'm proud of you," Itachi quickly said to steer the topic in a more friendly direction. Sasuke's frown faded a little. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets before shrugging.
"Thanks. It's not like I was in danger of not graduating though," Sasuke muttered nonchalantly. But Sakura saw the way his eyes darted over to his older brother a couple of times and she sighed. Even after years of growing until they were almost the same height, Sasuke still hadn't gotten rid of his secret brother complex. It was cute in a strange sort of way.
"Well I'm proud of you too, Sasuke-kun," she butted in with a grin. For a moment, it looked like Sasuke would roll his eyes but then Sasuke's mouth quirked up in a smile.
"Thanks, sis," Sasuke responded. Sniffing back the tears that suddenly pooled in her eyes, Sakura scowled as hard as she could.
"Stupid Sasuke-kun. I'll miss your dumb face when I leave," she admitted. As she rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, Sasuke let out a short huff of laughter.
"We'll both be in New York, idiot. We can meet up for dinner or something every once in a while," assured Sasuke in such a matter-of-fact tone.
"Well…not too often," he added after Itachi's eyes narrowed.
"What's this? Sakura-chan going on dinner dates with the asshole?" Naruto exclaimed as he threw himself at Sakura. Throwing his arms around her in a huge hug, the blond sighed dramatically.
"Oh fickle love," Naruto gushed.
"Don't be disgusting, moron Get off her," Sasuke snapped as he shoved Naruto aside.
"It must be his time of the month. He's being all pouty," Naruto stage-whispered to Sakura.
"Knock it off, Naruto. I'm not going to be around to mediate your stupid arguments this summer so you have to promise to be good," Sakura scolded half-seriously. Naruto saluted her with a grave expression.
"And you've got to take good care of Hinata-chan while I'm gone," she added and Naruto's goofy smile disappeared.
"I'd take good care of her regardless, Sakura-chan. I love her," Naruto said with a slightly wounded expression.
"I know. It's just me. I worry too much, remember?" she assured him. Naruto's grin returned.
"Yeah. Worrywart Sakura-chan. Have fun in America. I won't come see you off tomorrow because I'd cry and embarrass you," Naruto chuckled as he pulled her in for another hug.
"What! No fair! Naruto got here first!" Ino complained as she hurried over with Shikamaru in tow. As soon as Naruto stepped away, Ino hooked her arm through Sakura's. Lifting her cell phone up in front of them, Ino barely gave Sakura time to smile before she hit the button and the flash went off. Blinking rapidly against the spots of color waving in front of her eyes, Sakura shoved Ino with her hip.
"That's like sniping someone except with a camera. Besides, shouldn't we wait for Hinata-chan?" she scolded while Ino examined the picture carefully.
"Huh? Oh, Hinata-chan said she'd be here in a minute. She's trying to dump her old man on Sasuke-kun's parents so she can come over," Ino informed them. And as Ino spoke, Sakura caught sight of Hinata's shiny hair bobbing through the crowd toward them. As soon as Hinata joined their little group, Sakura and Ino threw their arms over Hinata's shoulders, squishing her between them.
"Where's Sai-kun?" Hinata inquired as she looked around once.
"Good question," Sakura responded. She turned her head to glance around for a moment before Ino cupped her free hand around her mouth and yelled, "HEY! SAI-KUN! WHERE ARE YOU?" Shikamaru muttered something that sounded like, "Loud woman."
"You're so embarrassing, Ino. Everyone's staring at us now," Sakura complained. But Ino shook her head.
"Nope. People are probably waiting to pounce on our dearest Sasuke-kun so they can ask for his buttons," Ino cackled while Sasuke's eyes nervously darted around. Clearing his throat, Sasuke took a few steps to the left until he was hidden behind Shikamaru. It was at this time that Sai walked over with a pleasant smile.
"I thought I heard a beautiful voice calling to me," Sai greeted them. Ino jabbed her pointer finger into his chest.
"Hey, jackass, Sakura told me you always mean the opposite of what you say. Are you calling me ugly?" demanded Ino with an extra poke. Rubbing at the sore spot on his chest, Sai looked to Sakura standing behind Ino. When Sakura shook her head in warning, Sai seemed to understand that his life was in danger.
"Of course not, Miss Beautiful," he responded. Ino scrutinized him for a while but then she shrugged.
"Ugh, Sakura-chan, you just lost me 1000 yen," Naruto grumbled. She turned to see him handing money over to Sasuke.
"He bet that Sai would get punched by Ino by graduation," explained Sasuke.
"Morons," Sakura muttered to Hinata. Though she looked like she wanted to defend her boyfriend, Hinata glanced back at Naruto's proud smile. Placing her hand on her cheek, Hinata let out a deep sigh. Ino patted the top of her head while Sakura put her arm around her shoulders.
"What am I going to do with him?" Hinata wondered out loud. Stifling their laughter, Ino and Sakura peered over their shoulders. Naruto's smile faded as he turned to Sasuke.
"What'd I do wrong?!" Naruto demanded. He seized Sasuke by the shoulders and shook him until Sasuke smashed his fist down on top of his head.
"How should I know, idiot?!" Sasuke yelled back just as loud.
"OKAY LET'S TAKE A PICTURE BEFORE ONE OF THESE KIDS GETS A BLACK EYE!" Ino loudly interrupted them.
"Here, we can use mine," Shikamaru offered while pulling a small camera out of his pocket. He glanced around at their group for a moment.
"Hey, Itachi-nii-chan, do you mind taking it?" asked Naruto. Shikamaru tossed the camera to Itachi just before Ino grabbed him and pulled him closer to their friends. At first there was some pushing and finagling to get everyone to fit into the frame comfortably. In the end, Sai, Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru stood in the back while Ino, Sakura and Hinata stood in the front. Though they tried for a more mature pose, Ino flung her arms around Sakura's neck and hung off her. In response, Sakura hooked the arm still holding the bouquet through Hinata's and threw up a V-sign with her free hand. Seeing this lack of decorum, Naruto shoved past Sasuke and threw himself on the ground in front of the girls, striking his best seductive pose with one leg bent and his head propped up in his right hand. The flash went off and captured Sasuke's attempt to not laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of his friends. Shikamaru, hands perpetually in his pockets, merely yawned. Sai's stiff and awkward smile hadn't changed either.
They took a few more pictures together and then Ino bossed the couples around for their photos too. It seemed that as soon as their photo shoot was over, a strange look came over Sasuke's face.
"Oh no," he whispered. Everyone stared at him.
"They're coming," explained Sasuke. Though everyone else still looked confused, Sakura heard something in the distance.
"SASUKE! THERE YOU ARE!"
"Help me," Sasuke whispered as he looked around at his friends. But everyone grinned and then shrugged.
"Sorry, man. You're on your own," Naruto said. As soon as he had spoken, Sasuke was smothered in a hug from either side. Squeezing him tight, Hozuki Jugo lifted Sasuke into the air, carrying his stepbrother with him.
"Where've you been, man? We've been looking for you!" Jugo boomed.
"Can't breathe, Jugo," Suigetsu squeaked out. Apologizing profusely, Jugo placed them back on the ground. Rubbing at his sore chest, Sasuke glowered at them.
"Get out of here. Whenever you two clowns show up, you always bring-"
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sasuke blanched. He automatically looked to Sakura who was busy laughing at his predicament. Itachi stood next to her with a knowing smirk of his own. Whipping his head around, he saw Karin running toward him with her arms outstretched. Before he could dodge, she flung herself at him.
"There you are! I wanted to get to you before all the other girls could!" she huffed, clearly out of breath from all her hurrying. Knowing where this was going, Sakura exchanged looks with Hinata and Ino who looked sympathetic and highly amused respectively.
"Sasuke-kun, can I have your second button?" requested Karin in a sweet voice as she pointed at the shining gold button for his school blazer. Naruto let out a loud catcall that Sai quickly cut off by stepping on his foot.
Sasuke stared down at Karin's finger. He looked up, watched her expression carefully, and then twisted around to look at Sakura and Itachi. When Sakura just shrugged, Sasuke scoffed and then turned back to Karin. Her red eyes sparkled with expectation as she waited for his response. Sasuke pondered before he grasped the button and, with a sharp tug, yanked it off to hand to her. Tears filled her eyes as the button landed in her outstretched palm.
"I guess if I'm giving it away, I might as well give it to you. You're probably the least annoying out of all those girls, Uzumaki," Sasuke grunted. Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth again but Sai lifted his foot. Sulking, Naruto stuffed his hands into his back pockets. Something glinted in Karin's eyes in that instant.
"Oh no. Poor girl," Ino whispered. Hinata clutched Sakura's hand. She had never been good at watching sad stories anyway. Sasuke's rejections were notoriously brutal.
"Sasuke-kun, I love you," Karin declared with her shoulders squared and her head held high. It seemed to go silent for a moment and a few nearby heads even swiveled to watch what was going on. Sasuke's eyebrows lowered and his lips curled downwards. But just before he could throw some cold-hearted insults at the girl, Sakura caught his gaze.
'Be nice to her!' Sakura mouthed. Though Sasuke rolled his eyes, he turned back to Karin.
"Look. Thanks. I'm flattered. But I'm going to another country so something like that wouldn't work out," Sasuke sighed. Karin was completely quiet as his words soaked in. Sakura braced herself for quivering lower lips and angry tears as she ran off. But then Karin seemed to brush off the rejection with her usual boisterous smile.
"That's okay. I figured. I just wanted to tell you since we're graduating now. Thanks for listening," said Karin. A queer expression came over Sasuke as they watched the red-head turn and walk off. Just as Sakura went to praise Sasuke on his civility, Karin turned around again.
"Oh, I almost forgot to say! I'll see you in New York, Sasuke-kun and Kaichou!" she called. Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other.
"What?" they both said back to her. Karin grinned.
"I was accepted to the St. John's pharmacy program so I guess you won't be missing me!" the girl laughed while running off. Sasuke looked like he might be sick. Patting the back of his head, Sakura stared disbelievingly at Karin prancing out past the school gates.
"Screw you and your family, Naruto," Sasuke muttered. For once, Naruto didn't return the insult. Scratching his head, Naruto stared off at his cousin.
"Aw I'm sorry, dude," sighed Naruto.
As expected, a flock of girls descended on Sasuke and Naruto to demand for the rest of their buttons and their name tags. Thanks to some quick thinking on Sakura's part, Naruto had already given his second button to Hinata before the chaos. Cradling the button in her hand, Hinata fawned over the trinket, seemingly oblivious to Naruto being torn apart by underclassmen. Sasuke, in a much less orthodox fashion, ripped the rest of his buttons off and threw them into the crowd of girls before escaping.
"They look like pigeons," he remarked as he hid behind Ino and Sakura some distance away. The distraction also gave a very battered Naruto the opportunity for an escape. He flung himself into their group, sagging against Shikamaru who probably just didn't care enough to push him away. Watching the girls peck at the ground in search of shiny buttons filled Sakura with a strange mixture of pity and amusement.
"Well while they're distracted, let's make a sneaky getaway. I'm thinking ramen?" Ino suggested with a wink. Naruto's head perked up.
"Ramen?" he repeated excitedly.
So, cheering and chattering, they made their way through the throngs of students and parents taking photos and crying together. Sakura looked back at the big white building where she had spent the last three years. Somehow, she had expected to be more depressed about leaving this place behind. But now, there was neither sadness nor relief. When he noticed that she had stopped walking, Itachi hung back too. Reaching over, he slid his fingers between hers, locking them together.
"Is everything okay?" Itachi asked in a low voice so no one else would hear. Snapping out of her stupor, Sakura looked at him with a smile.
"I think so," she slowly replied. Sakura looked up and found Mikoto and Fugaku approaching them with Ino and Naruto's parents in tow.
"Sasu-chan texted us to say we should all go out to eat. I'm guessing since Kushina-chan's here we should all get ramen," Mikoto said with a pointed look at Naruto's mother. Kushina laughed, full-bellied and loud.
"Fine but we're splitting the bill. I shudder to think how much we'll have to pay for Naruto alone," complained Kushina.
"Quit it, Mom!" Naruto yelled back.
"15 bowls last time, precious son!" Kushina hollered back just as loud.
Dinner was loud and took up most of the small restaurant. Sakura sat wedged between Itachi and Sasuke, spending most of the night yelling at Naruto to chew with his mouth closed and slapping Sasuke's chopsticks away when he tried to pluck the cherry tomatoes from her side salad. Sai took candid photos of everyone while they ate, nearly earning a black eye from Ino. Halfway through the meal, Sakura's phone buzzed. She answered the call without thinking and Deidara's voice exploded out.
"WE'RE SORRY WE COULDN'T COME, MY-CHAN, YEAH!" Deidara shouted, clearly on the very edge of sanity. Sighing heavily, Sakura exchanged a look with Itachi who looked like he was trying his very best not to start laughing.
"That's alright, Dei-chan. You and Saso-kun have the show tomorrow, right?" said Sakura in a soothing voice. It almost sounded like Deidara was actually on the verge of tears.
"We have precisely 14 hours until then. Hello, Sakura-chan. I've had about 9 cups of coffee in the past two hours," Sasori's voice serenely interrupted.
"Don't go overboard, okay?" she warned, just a little more than worried about Sasori's heart health. She wondered how much coffee it would take to kill someone. But Sasori interrupted her thoughts.
"What time's your flight tomorrow?" Sasori inquired. Deidara suddenly went quiet.
"YEAH, WHAT TIME?" someone interrupted.
"Kisame?" she and Itachi said at once. There was some booming laughter to answer.
"Came to offer moral support. Congratulations, Little Kitten. Sorry I couldn't make it but I'm taking an online exam right now and the studio has the best wi-fi on campus," Kisame explained. Sakura could hear him typing away as he spoke.
"That's okay. And thanks, Sakkun," offered Sakura with a little disappointment.
"But really. What time?" he inquired again. Sakura blinked. She had almost forgotten the question.
"Um, boarding time is 7 am. So I need to get there around 5," she responded.
"But you don't need to come see me! You should get some rest!" Sakura hurriedly added when she realized what he was planning.
"Shut up, My-chan. We'll see you tomorrow morning," Deidara snorted. There was a slight pause and then Deidara let out a loud sniff.
"Anyway, we love you lots. We still have work to do so we'll see you tomorrow, yeah!" Deidara blurted out. Just before the line cut off, Sakura heard him yell "FUCK YOU, I'M NOT CRYING, YOU UGLY FRESHWATER MINNOW, YEAH!"
Staring down at her phone, Sakura stifled a laugh. Itachi, who had leaned in to eavesdrop in on the rest of the conversation, let out a deep breath.
"He's going to be a crying wreck tomorrow too," remarked Itachi. Sakura just nodded and then went back to slurping down her ramen.
The families parted ways after dinner. Though all of them wanted to hang out for longer, Sakura still had stuff left to pack and an early flight to catch. There was a lot of hugging and some crying on Naruto's part. Well, to call it crying would be a euphemism. For Naruto, true crying involved snot and hiccupping and it just wasn't a pretty sight. Hinata managed to calm him down, but with his puffy eyes and red nose, he tried his best to hide his face while Sasuke tried his best to hide his smirk. Ino cried too, of course, smearing her mascara and giving herself raccoon eyes in the process.
"Call me a lot, okay? And send me lots of pictures! I'll kill you if you forget to!" Ino sniffled while squeezing Sakura in a tight embrace.
"Don't worry, Piggy. I'll send lots and lots of mail until I clog up your inbox," Sakura promised with a watery look of her own.
When it was Hinata's turn, Hinata burst into silent tears. Squishing Sakura close, Hinata shook with noiseless sobs.
"I'll miss you, Sakura-chan. Thanks for being my friend," Hinata managed to choke out. At this, tears began streaming down Sakura's face.
"Stupid Hinata-chan. It's not like I'll stop being your friend from now on. I'll call you too. And I'll send you mail and you tell me if Naruto does something stupid. I'll come beat him up for you," Sakura blurted out.
"Then you'll have to visit every day, girl," Ino chimed in as she wiped her face with the backs of her hands. Laughing and crying all at once, the girls hugged again.
Sai and Shikamaru offered their farewells too. Though Sakura and Shikamaru hadn't really spoken often throughout high school, they had gone to kindergarten together, as most of them had. With a heavy sigh, Shikamaru shook her hand.
"I'll take care of that mess so don't worry. You'll be fine on your own, Haruno. You're the toughest chick I know," drawled Shikamaru, jerking his thumb toward Ino still crying as she clung to an equally tearful Hinata.
Sai didn't shake her hand. He didn't offer any words of wisdom either. Because it was Sai. Human interaction was evidently still somewhat of a mystery to him. But that was fine. He smiled in his awkward way and then carefully observed her face.
"It's been fun," he finally declared.
"It has. I'll see you around, Sai-kun," Sakura agreed.
So with a few extra hugs and some bowing to the parents, everyone went their separate ways.
That night, Sakura sat on the floor of the apartment and stared at the few things she had left to pack into her carry-on suitcase. She had talked to Jennifer-san who had advised packing a few outfits in case her luggage was lost for a while.
"It's still a bit chilly here but it should be warm in LA. Think of early summer weather," she recommended.
As Sakura began folding her shirts, Itachi walked over with two mugs of coffee and set one down next to her foot. He picked up another one of her shirts and began folding too. They didn't say anything to each other. There wasn't much else left to say. They had crammed everything they could think of to say into these last few weeks. There was a strange sense of peace blanketed over the apartment. An odd feeling of numbness, really.
"When you get there, is there a ride arranged for you?" queried Itachi.
"Mhm. Mom's picking me up. She says she bought a car. Apparently lots of people have them in America," Sakura replied. Itachi handed the shirt to her and watched her arrange it among the other luggage. Tilting her head to the left and then to the right, Sakura picked up her phone charger and tried to find a spot to wedge it into.
"You might need to get a new phone just to use there," Itachi remarked. But Sakura shook her head.
"I talked to my dad and he said that I can sign up for a special plan so that I can make calls and use the internet there," she explained to him. Itachi nodded.
"I'll miss you."
Sakura's hands, which, at this point, had appeared so determined to keep moving, abruptly fell still.
"I'll miss you too," she whispered. Pushing the last piece into place, Sakura pressed down on the suitcase before zipping it shut. Their eyes locked.
They lay on the couch that night with their arms and legs twisted about each other. The TV volume was turned all the way down but the flushing lights from the screen illuminating the darkened apartment. The hum of vague voices from next door washed around them. In soft voices that barely dared to break the silence, they spoke until it was nearly dawn. Itachi told her stories of his youth, of brotherly fights and times he had butted heads with his headstrong old man. Sakura recounted early days spent in ballet with bruised toes and cracked nails. It seemed fitting to share these things- to know the bitter moments in each other's lives because it was these secrets that would bridge the gap between them for that year. He ran his fingers through her hair, tickling her cheeks with the ends of the strands. She smoothed down the wrinkles in the front of his shirt, wondering if she was making the right decision.
And then it was time to leave for the airport. Sakura showered, they ate breakfast, and then they were out the door with the luggage.
The ride to the airport was quiet too. It wasn't a stifling silence. It was sad. Not angry. Sakura pressed her cheek to her knee and stared at Itachi as he drove. The curl of his long fingers over the steering wheel and the way he let his head fall back against the seat were things she wanted to remember. Sunlight angled in through the windows and his hair sparkled with a faint tinge of blue.
"I'll call you," Sakura suddenly said when they were stopped at a red light.
"I know," he replied. His index finger tapped against the wheel.
"It's not really that long. I'll be back next May," she added.
"I could come visit you. You know, for Christmas, maybe?" Itachi remarked. Sakura lifted her head.
"You could?"
Words petered out again.
"Are you mad at me for leaving?" inquired Sakura as the light turned green. The car glided forward, merging into one of the lanes ahead. She watched his tongue dart out to wet his lips before he spoke.
"Just a little bit. It's going to be embarrassing moping around for a year because I miss you," he responded with a half-smile. At this, she smiled too.
They made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. With the usual procedures, Sakura checked her luggage to be sent off on the plane. She slung her backpack over her shoulders and barely rolled her eyes when Itachi claimed her carry-on suitcase to roll behind him.
"You're going to do that forever," she guessed.
"Until we have little hands to do it for us," Itachi quickly said. Eyes darting around, Sakura felt a blush rise to her cheeks at the implication.
"I hope you travel light. I only want two," she muttered. Before he could say anything else, Sakura turned around and spotted Deidara running over to meet them. In a shocking twist, Deidara was not perfectly dressed with equally perfect hair. Still in his pajamas, it looked like he had hurriedly yanked his locks into a topknot and thrown a jacket over his ensemble. Eyes rimmed red with exhaustion, he pulled Sakura into a fierce hug that almost hurt.
"Be good, My-chan! I'll miss you, yeah!" Deidara sniffed. Wiping at his eyes, he released her and took a few steps back to hide his face. Rolling his eyes, Sasori pushed him aside and pressed something into her palm.
"For good luck. Don't go cheating on Itachi in America. He'll probably commit suicide with a sword," Sasori calmly said. Ignoring Itachi's glare, Sasori hugged Sakura too and then went to help Deidara who was standing in a corner with his forehead against the wall.
"Bring me back a good souvenir, okay? You'll do great, Squirrely," boomed Kisame when it was his turn. His hug was smothering and smelled vaguely of saltwater. He had probably come straight from an all-nighter studying at the aquarium. Laughing, Sakura pulled away from him. To her surprise, Sasuke was standing just behind him. His hair was sticking up at odd angles and his clothes were rumpled. In fact, she had never seen Sasuke look so disheveled before. He had probably just rolled out of bed and caught a bus to the airport.
"What're you doing here?" Sakura asked. Sasuke, with his eyes barely opening from exhaustion, glared at her.
"I can't come say goodbye to my best friend?" he snapped. Sasuke wasn't a morning person.
"You can't. And I'll see you in a few months," she laughed. Rubbing his hand across forehead, Sasuke shook his head.
"No. It'll be different. We'll both be at different schools. Besides, if I didn't come, Mom would kill me," Sasuke explained with a weak shrug. They stared at each other before Sakura took a step forward and gave him a light hug.
"Well thanks, Sasuke-kun. I guess you're less of an asshole than you used to be," Sakura stated half-seriously. Back to scowling, Sasuke didn't respond.
"Come on, Sakura. You should get through the security checks if you want to catch your flight," Itachi murmured close to her ear. With one last wave at her friends, Sakura took his hand and began walking toward the terminal. Not even a minute later, she heard Deidara scream her name. She and Itachi turned.
"IT'S BEEN THE BEST DANCING WITH YOU, MY-CHAN! WE LOVE YOU, YEAH!" he shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth. It was Deidara. He didn't care that weary travelers were staring at the strange man yelling in his pajamas. When Sakura began to giggle, he waved his arms in exaggerated movements. Finally losing his temper, Sasori kicked Deidara in the backs of the knees, sending the blond toppling to the ground.
"Let's go before someone calls security," Itachi sighed. Nodding, they hurried off toward the gate and pretended not to hear the ruckus of security yelling at their friends.
"This is as far as I can go," Itachi declared when they got to the security checkpoint.
"I know," Sakura said without looking at him. Purposely not meeting his eyes, Sakura let her fingers slide from his. He handed over the suitcase.
"Sakura?"
She gulped hard. Taking a deep breath, she forced her most brilliant smile.
"I guess this is where we really say goodbye, right?" she said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.
"Sakura," Itachi sighed this time. Taking her face in his hands, he tilted her head until she was finally looking at him. Tears automatically filled her eyes that she desperately tried to blink away. His mouth opened as if he were about to say something profound to change her life completely. But he couldn't. He had already changed everything, turned her life on its head. She had friends now, deep friends that would do anything for her. She had a family; she had a place where it wasn't dusty picture frames to greet her after school. She choked on all the words she had wanted to say. There was really nothing left to tell him but:
"I love you," Sakura croaked out. A single tear welled up and trailed its way down her cheek until it hit his thumb.
"I love you too. Now go before I start crying too," Itachi said. They both laughed in short breaths because they were both holding back undignified tears that once they started would never stop. Mashing his mouths to hers in a short but fierce kiss, Itachi pushed her toward the line of people trailing off into a doorway. Biting her lower lip, Sakura squared her shoulders and began walking as calmly as she could. Just as she reached the end of the line, Sakura heard Itachi say her name. When she turned, he was smiling again.
"You'll still marry me when you get back, right?" he called. Torn between embarrassment and happiness because other people were staring now, Sakura scowled.
"Of course, you idiot!" Sakura yelled back. Turning on her heel, she tossed her hair over her shoulder.
"Good!" Itachi said.
And from somewhere far off in the airport, they heard someone yell, "FIJI'S STILL AN OPTION."