"Where is he?" Sakura wondered aloud to Sayuki. "It shouldn't take so long to grab some books and a drink." Sakura complained further. Sayuki just drifted off into her own thoughts as she sat there. Sakura was right. She couldn't help but worry about him. After all things were tough for all of them. They were all in the same situation. Then again everyone was in class, so it wasn't like they could go after him, right? They were safe.
"Maybe he got caught by a teacher wandering around?" Sayuki suggested, thinking on the brighter side of things. Sakura looked at her and nodded. She sighed deeply.
"I wish we had known his number so we could at least ask him without risking getting caught ourselves," Sakura mumbled as she checked the time on her phone once again. She looked towards where he had left them. It had already been twenty minutes.
"Sakura..." Sayuki barely spoke her name, but Sakura could hear the worry in her voice as she looked towards her. Sayuki looked up at Sakura from the grass where she had sat. Her eyes were wide and slightly glazed over in thought as she stared up.
"Don't worry, he's perfectly fine Sayuki. He probably got hungry when he passed the snack machine and chowed down. Guys get hungry at the randomest times. Some of my friends they can eat at least five burgers including fries..." Sakura rambled to distract Sayuki but she shook her head.
"No, not that. I wanted to ask about before." Sayuki explained quietly as she looked away and towards the gate that surrounded their school. Sakura looked at her questioningly and Sayuki could feel her stare on her back. Her eyes narrowed, out of Sakura's view as she spoke again. "You said your parents went away on business yesterday?"
"Umm yeah... why?" Sakura asked confused.
"No reason... just making sure they were gone..." Sayuki responded nonchalantly as her eyes narrowed further. Now she knew for sure. She wasn't going to let Sakura know; she knew she had her reasons for it. She turned back to Sakura and smiled, before turning her head back. They sat there in silence for the next few minutes.
"Maybe we should go check on Gaara." Sakura broke the silence again. "It's been too long now. This is becoming ridiculous." She crossed her arms in thought. Sayuki nodded and stood from the ground. She wiped her pants clean before she stood up straight. "He better not be goofing off... though I could hardly imagine him doing that."
"Let's just hurry..." Sayuki suggested worriedly as she began to quickly move towards the school. They pushed through the doors they had exited only to find the halls empty except for a few wandering students. There were no red heads sticking out though, and as she looked more, Sayuki grew more impatient and worried about him.
"Let's stick together and just search everywhere. We should look in our class first..." Sakura instructed as she began to walk back towards their class. Sayuki followed in perfect sync behind her, glancing in every class window just in case. Sayuki stood back as they reached their class and Sakura crept towards the door. It was closed. So she peered through the window. She only looked for a moment before whipping her head away from the glass.
Sakura ducked and came back to Sayuki. She shook her head with a frown. "He's not in there. I only got a quick glance before sensei turned around, but I never spotted him. His hair is hard to miss." Sakura sighed. "Where could he have gone? I really am beginning to worry..." Sayuki bit her lip.
The both began to wander down the halls as the bell rang. Sakura frowned. It had been way too long now. Something had to have happened. She couldn't imagine him just walking off on them with no explanation. He was mysterious and odd at times, but he wouldn't ditch. Not when they would be left so worried considering their situation. No. He couldn't have.
"We looked everyone in the school. The school isn't that big either..." Sayuki pointed out worriedly.
"Without Gloom Doom, they've got no one to protect them," Karin's sickly sweet voice passed by with a confident giggle. She paused and glanced back at them. "Not that he could have done much; he hardly put up a fight."
Sakura's eyes widened and she stormed over to the girl. She grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. Karin smacked Sakura's hand away and glared back at the Sakura, her eyes just as intense with anger. "Don't ever touch me with your filthy hands," Karin warned her as her eyes narrowed.
"What did you do to him?!" Sakura demanded an answer, her fist clenched. Karin rolled her eyes and let out a mocking scoff. She held up her books and her eyes narrowed with a smug smile. She tapped the hardcover of her book with her finger making a tapping sound.
"See these? I was in class the entire time." Karin informed her through a smile. She dropped the books back to her side. "So how do you expect me to have done anything? I saw you with him earlier skipping class. Aren't you the one who should be worried about what they did wrong?" Karin mused coyly. She looked at Sakura and then back at Sayuki who stood behind. Her eyes gleamed knowingly as she continued, "Or was there some reason you avoided the class?"
"Shut your lips before I staple them closed," Sakura threatened angrily. Karin's smile dropped slightly.
"Let's go. Let them go on a hunt." Karin commanded her friends as she stepped from Sakura's path and began to step down the hall. Sakura grabbed her shoulder again and Karin put her hand on Sakura's. She turned her head slightly. "I told you NOT to touch me." Karin repeated in a hiss as she dug her nails into Sakura's hand. Sakura snapped her hand back.
"Where. Is. He?" Sakura pronounced each word slowly as she held her hand in the other. The wounded hand was clenched in a tight fist uncaring of the cuts the nails had caused. Karin turned forward though and continued walking away.
"The area outside the art room is always so empty. No one ever goes out there." Karin spoke in thought to her friends as they continued walking. "Then again, that's where all the trash gets laid out." With that Karin turned a corner. Sakura began to follow up with an attack to the red haired girl, but was stopped by a small hand on her shoulder.
"We have to go to the art room..." Sayuki pleaded with Sakura with her eyes. Sakura's eyebrows rose from the glare they had been locked in. She blinked a few times to clear her head of Karin and the things she'd love to do to the girl. She nodded in agreement and without a word began to head towards the art room, bypassing all those who walked.
Sayuki and Sakura stood in front of a big red door. With no window they couldn't peer inside. Sayuki couldn't even remember being in the room ever before. She had no idea what was even inside. She had hardly even heard of anyone else going inside. "Maybe there's a class going on inside..." Sayuki whispered, somehow afraid they could be heard from those within the red door.
"There isn't, don't worry. It's only used for club activities and on two days of the week." Sakura explained as she touched the bright red color. Her hand moved down to the doorknob and she slowly turned it. Unlocked. She pushed the door open and peered inside only to see a dark room except for the small light that crept in from the hall. "See?"
Sakura flicked on a light after fumbling against inside the wall. A bright light flashed and covered the whole room, blinding them. Sakura stepped inside, followed by Sayuki's cautious steps. "It's so empty..." Sayuki observed in a quiet voice. The walls of the room were white and inside were a few large white cabinets and five white tables covered in old paint spills organized in an x position. There were only about 16 chairs. In the very back corner lay another door, this time a blue one. Sayuki immediately headed for it, but Sakura went passed her and pushed through it.
"Gaara!?" Sakura cried out for him loudly. Sayuki echoed her call as she went outside. They immediately spotted him sitting against a full tin trash can. He looked up at them with his emerald eyes before turning them to look the other way.
"What?" Gaara asked coldly as he spit in front of himself on the ground. They stepped towards him silently and stared at him. Sayuki immediately noticed the small cuts on his face and the growing bruise on his cheek. Her eyes widened at the mess he was in, but he sat there coolly. Sayuki stepped towards him and bent down to face him. He looked at her and repeated his first question. "What?"
"Did Karin and them jumped you." Sakura stated from behind Sayuki. She didn't need to ask, both Sayuki and her already knew. There was no one else who would stoop so low.
"Not so much." Gaara responded, a cold look in his eyes. He pulled out a cigarette as he spoke and then lit it with a lighter from his pocket. He hissed in pain as the end touched his lips. He licked the blood before he took a drag from the cancer stick. He breathed to the left away from Sayuki. "In a way, I suppose she was involved. Though it was more of your lover boy." Gaara glared up at Sakura.
"Sasuke is still after you too?" Sakura asked, ignoring the last words laced with hate from him. Gaara grinned coldly and nodded before he took another drag. Before he finished Sayuki snatched the cigarette from his lips and threw it to the ground before smashing it with a small rock.
"What the Hell did you do that for!" Gaara asked harshly his eyes widening. Sayuki frowned at him, her eyes wide and sorry. She quickly pulled her bag off her shoulders and opened it. She reached inside and pulled out a tiny box. She opened it and pulled out a square package.
"Don't smoke. It's killing you..." Sayuki lectured him quietly in a caring voice. She opened the tiny package to reveal a larger band aid. She pulled out another tiny bottle and cloth. She wiped Gaara's face gruffly as he just sat there. She dropped the cloth and picked up the thin package. Peeling back the plastic she revealed a band aid that she stuck on his lower cheek to cover the cuts.
"That stung." Gaara complained as he eyed the destroyed cigarette angrily.
"This is my fault." Sayuki and Gaara both looked up at Sakura confused. Sayuki opened her mouth to object, but Sakura continued. "I shouldn't have let you go in alone. I just never thought they would attack you..." Sakura twisted her lips to the side in frustration.
"It's their fault..." Sayuki whispered icily as she dropped her head. Her blond bangs hid the upper half of her face but Sakura and Gaara didn't need to see her face. Her voice was enough. "They're all cruel, hateful, wild animals. I didn't do anything... It was just an accident..."
"You're right, we should be the ones attacking them," Gaara added with a short cold laugh of disgust. He winced and grabbed his side in pain. His eyes were scrunched in pain and his laughter was cut between with short coughs.
"Don't talk like that." Sakura warned. Neither of the two looked up, stuck in their own thoughts of anger. The more things happened the more Sayuki's thoughts became less of her usual innocent self, and more dark. Sayuki herself didn't even notice, but Sakura did and it bothered her. She was breaking in two. She could see the tiny girl slowly twisting with the anger and pain she was beginning to feel on a daily basis. Sayuki shared little of her home life to her, but her scared eyes as she spoke of it told her enough.
"Why not? He's right." Sayuki sneered with rage. She looked up at Sakura; her eye's blazing with both fear and pain. Sayuki's lip twitched as she imagined what they would do next. If they would come after her one day when she happened to be alone walking somewhere. Even Sakura could be attacked. It could go even further than a few cuts and bruises. She didn't know where they would stop.
"If we start thinking that way, we'll follow that and it will end up true. We will have to strike back." Sakura foreshadowed. She narrowed her eyes and bent down to their level. She grabbed onto Sayuki's arm and Gaara's. Her grip was tight. "Promise me you won't think or do anything. You'll end up in more trouble if you do. Leave this to me. I can and will get her to stop." Sakura promised confidently. Sayuki watched her silently then nodded. Gaara said nothing but grunted and pulled his arm away.
"What can you even do..?" Sayuki questioned doubtfully. She bit her lip. They had just dodged them after the incident and without doing anything Karin attacked Gaara. She had basically told them the same was going to be coming for them. "What do you plan to do? Talk with her? She's not a normal person!" Sayuki gasped.
"Talk? Hardly... no talking will make up for this." Gaara spat out bitterly.
"We can change this. I will end this all. We don't need to stoop to her level." Sakura assured him. He smiled coldly and chuckled. He sighed after a moment and narrowed his eyes at Sakura. He began to roll up the sleeve of his black shirt before he began.
"You don't even know their level..." Gaara spoke with shaky words as he attempted to contain his anger. He continued rolling up his sleeve and when he stopped Sayuki's eyes widened. She grabbed Gaara's arm and turned it slightly to see scratched markings on the upper left side of his arm. She turned it slightly to reveal all of the chicken scratch letters carved into his arm. RIP FREAK.
"Gaara... How could they do this to someone?" Sayuki squeaked in shocked fear. She brought her hands to her head and dug her fingers into her hair pushing her hair up into a wild style. She squeezed and dug her nails into her scalp as she continued. "What else is there to do but wait it out? I can't do it... every day coming back to this school... her eyes piercing into my heart as she thinks of some other sick thing to do! You won't always be there for me!"
"It wasn't just Karin. Remember that." Gaara spit out at Sakura harshly. She shoved his sleeve back down, hissing as the fabric burned as it sharply rubbed against the fresh wounds. Sakura opened her mouth but Gaara stopped her. "You'll defend him, but to me he was the one who did this. He was in that group. They won't stop until we're gone; out of their sight for miles. I have nowhere else and I'll be damned if I let those assholes do anymore without a fight."
"Gaara..." Sakura pleaded with him. He said nothing and stood up from his spot. He brushed his pants off before realizing how futile it was considering the mess he already was. He grabbed his bag and slumped it over his shoulder with a gruff throw. He flinched from his sore muscles and oncoming bruises before he began walking away.
"Come to my house." Sayuki begged as she ran after him. He glanced at her with cautiousness. Her eyes seemed to sway from the innocent vulnerable girl back to the haunting dark girl that emerged every few moments. He looked at her and nodded.
"Let's leave it to Sakura to stop it until tomorrow." Gaara spoke mockingly as he waited for the blond haired girl to catch up. Sayuki glanced back from each of them nervously. "If she can."
"Are you going to come with us..?" Sayuki asked Sakura hopefully. Sakura shook her head.
"I'm going to end this." Sakura declared. She turned around and headed towards the art room door. As she entered she remembered her earlier meet up with probably the same group who had attacked Sasuke. No, they were just Karin's friends. Girls alone couldn't have taken down Gaara. Still, they were enough to attack Sakura, and definitely Sayuki. They had proven that earlier that day when they had done the same as what had happened to Gaara. Except she hadn't basically been branded like him. Not yet anyways; who knew what they had planned to do until more students had come.
Lying to Sayuki about her family hitting her was a small crime as long as she hadn't known. It was fortunate she had fought back against the girls. It was easier when she had the advantage of power too. If she hadn't of been attack earlier that morning poor Sayuki would have gotten dragged from her class. The girls from Karin's group had let that much slip. Sayuki would have probably been the one in Gaara's place or even been attacked along with him. She wouldn't of even had a chance of pushing them back like Gaara did.
"Now to find Karin..."