A/N: Hey, guys! Here goes the last chapter :( Can't believe we're already here!
This chapter is dedicated to…
EVERYONE! In the end I really want to dedicate this to all my reviewers, especially angelatmidnight who the story was originally for in the beginning! Love you all!
Sorry if people feel left out because they didn't get their own individual chapter dedicated to them :( I really do love you all! All of my reviewers are special :) Luv you all so much! Thank-you for everything!
Enjoy!
-x-
Honestly
-x-
I deserved better than this.
I deserved him.
After all that I've been through, I at least deserved him.
And he deserved me.
It wasn't fair. We were perfect for each other, and that…that thing tore us apart.
Why hadn't I listened to Ino? I tried, I really did. But in the end, I went after what I wanted. Was that such a crime?
I just…couldn't keep away from him. It was so evident that we were meant to be—our broken, jagged edges fit like they were parts of the same puzzle—we were hopelessly—perfectly—screwed over by the same people (our families), I couldn't express how perfect we were for one another.
How we could help each other.
How we could, in the end, fix each other in a way that no one on the Earth could.
We were perfect…
Honestly…
Chapter Seven: Everyone Knows Robots Have Force Fields
The last few days with the Uchiha had been bittersweet and confusing. Bitter because I knew I couldn't have him; sweet because we both mutually understood that each of us wanted the other so bad that we ached; and confusing because of the circumstances we ended up falling into because of the other.
I wanted so much for Sasuke to go away so that I wouldn't be tempted, so that I wouldn't have to see everything I wanted so close to me, yet so out of reach; but at the same time, I wanted to hold him more than anything else. I knew he felt the same way.
For the past few days, Sasuke and I had been sweet towards each other (disregarding the barrier the red-head model had made between us), but it was hard to always smile when I knew that after New Year's Eve, I wouldn't see him again—that my key lay forgotten on my bedside table.
Karin had ruined our relationship to the point that neither of us knew what to do around each other except for smile distant smiles that meant nothing other than the fact that for the fact that we were trying. So confused around each other, that there was a time that I sat right next to Sasuke, feeling the radiations his warm skin gave off—and not once did we touch.
Not once.
Then, on the night before New Year's, Sasuke was invited to a party at Karin's and dragged me along. Sasuke was forced to talk to Karin all evening, but that night when we got home, we ended up sitting right next to each other again, and we couldn't keep our hands off the other. We didn't kiss or do anything too intimate, but I rubbed Sasuke's back consolingly, and he pulled me into a hug so long that had Sasuke's strong embrace been the ocean, I would've drowned.
It was like for one night, the barrier was broken—and we were each other's again.
But that one night was over. And here I was, finishing up packing my bags to leave by mid-afternoon that day. I sighed. Part of me was glad I hadn't actually slept with the boy. That in itself was just something I didn't want to tamper with—an emotional bond that I didn't think I could handle.
All the things in my room were pretty much cleared out, and it was starting to look the exact same as when I had first entered the house—beautiful, but impersonalized, not me. I wasn't sure I liked it that way and wanted to cry every time I stared at the empty closet. I was sad and pitiful, and every time I saw the Swiffer, I wanted to clean the whole kitchen because that's what made me feel comfortable, made me feel like I still belonged.
But Kami knew I wasn't needed anymore.
I felt a presence come into the room and immediately tried to act professional, knowing it was Sasuke. Luckily the tears hadn't started down my face and I cleared my throat, trying to act natural as I continued packing my things. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sasuke looking around the room at the various boxes before looking at me. His eyes were hard, but…but sad—something I wasn't so accustomed to with the young Uchiha.
"Are you sure you won't need the moving trucks? I can still call them up if you do."
I tried forcing a smile and shook my head. "No, I'll be fine," I assured him, taping closed the box I was finished with and standing up. "What won't fit in my Escalade can fit in Kakashi's car. There isn't too much." I began packing my personals into the huge Louie Vuitton I had received from Sasuke. I resisted the urge to frown. I would give every single thing he gave me back, if I could just receive the one gift I wanted from the start.
Him.
"Okay," he said slowly. "Well, if there isn't anything else that you need me for…I'll be leaving soon." I paused for a second, hesitating in my packing, but I refused to look at him. "I have a photo shoot…in Suna," he added on bitterly. "And you know Asuma; he planned everything possible into one trip."
I bit back tears and dropped my bag, turning to face him. I knew at the moment my face was red, and ready to explode, I had fought off so many tears, but I didn't care.
I looked over at Sasuke. Even I could see the longing in his eyes. It hurt even more knowing that he wasn't scared to show emotion around me, as hard as it was. His eyes were pleading—as if goading me to let myself cry and feel emotion.
So I did.
I stopped fighting, and let the tears fall before running into his arms. I felt close to hysterics compared to his calm façade. He shushed me like he's done before, and whispered relaxingly into my hair. I wish this could last forever, and I knew he did too.
"I'm going to miss you…" I finally sniffled out, burying my head into his chest. "I'm going to miss you so much." It seemed as though words couldn't explain my feelings for this boy, so I kept repeating things.
"Sakura," he murmured into my hair before placing a kiss on my forehead. "I'm going to miss you so much it hurts." I felt my knees start to give out. He tilted my chin towards him so we were looking each other in the eyes, and wiped my tears with his thumbs. "But I can't say goodbye to you."
I looked at him questionably. But…he would have to.
"We will see each other in the future someday," he continued resolutely, his onyx gaze burning into my quivering jade orbs. "I promise," he said softly.
A new batch of tears came to my eyes and I saw him look at me with inquiry before I snuggled back into his warm chest.
What were the chances of me ever seeing Sasuke again? How could he promise such a thing? Our professions didn't exactly involve the other… I saw no reason that a medical student stuck in Konoha would have anything to do with a singing model that traveled the world. Unless one day during Sasuke's travels he had a heart attack near the hospital that I so happened to work at in the future, I couldn't see myself spending very much time with the Uchiha after this moment.
I tightened my grip around the boy as he tried to comfort my tears.
This wasn't fair.
We didn't deserve this at all.
Sasuke left not too shortly after. When it finally sank in that the closest I could get to the Uchiha was by buying overly expensive concert tickets, sneaking into Chanel shows, crying over blogs on the internet, or eating icecream while watching E!, the tears wouldn't stop coming. They seriously had a mind of their own. My only incentive to stop crying was that Tenten and Kakashi were coming to help me move out soon, and I didn't want them to worry over me like I knew they would.
When I heard the telephone ring, I quit my hiccupping and picked up the phone.
"Hello, Sakura Haruno speaking. Mr. Uchiha isn't in, but I am sure—"
"What? He's not there? Then, where is he?" shouted a feminine voice from the other side of the phone.
I sniffed and furrowed my eyebrows. "Ino?" I knew I probably still sounded really stuffed up from crying.
"Hey, Sakura!" she greeted. "Where's Sasuke?"
I scratched my pink hair and tucked a loose strand behind my ear. "He…he left for Suna already. Did you not know?"
She paused for awhile. "No, he's left for Suna already?" she queried. "And you're still at home?" The surprise was very apparent in her voice.
I raised an eyebrow, after realizing how the tears were slowly making their way back down my throat. "Well…yeah…" I answered.
"Ugh, that jerk!" she huffed indignantly. "He probably has you at home cleaning and what not, doesn't he?" I heard her continuing to grumble on the other side of the phone and almost chuckled. The way Ino acted when you got to know her a little better was almost comical. She seemed so soft-spoken and poised in all the magazines and interviews.
A small smile graced my features. "No," I mumbled softly. "I'm not…" I hesitated, the smile that had lasted only a few seconds fading slightly. "I'm not working for him anymore. I have school, remember?" I reminded her, my features taking on a more downcast appearance.
I could sense Ino's own sadness through the phone. "Oh…right…" she murmured. Her mood picked up, if only to make me feel a little better. "Well, Sasuke and I will definitely come visit you a lot," she chirped. "Sasuke makes a good boyfriend. Take it from someone who's been through the experience."
Way to make me feel a lot better.
I wrapped my arm around my stomach and leaned against the wall, looking down desolately. "Actually, Sasuke and I have decided not to be a thing anymore…" I said, once again threatening my tears to fall. I tried my best to sound okay with it since the last thing I wanted was for people to be troubled about me. It was all kind of embarrassing, actually.
"What?" she gasped and I winced, sensing her displeasure. "But you guys were…" She was silent for a moment, and then, "Karin…" she growled under her breath. "I hate that stupid bitch! I'll kick her ass! What the hell did she say this time, Sakura?"
"Nothing," I answered truthfully, shaking my head. "It's just as you said," I shrugged. "She's her shishou's favorite…" I trailed off, desperately trying to get a hold of myself again. I had better not shed one more tear today. My face felt so dry, and my eyes were still red and puffy from my last sob fest.
"Sakura…" started Ino tenderly. "No…no, it's different now." I bit my lip and closed my eyes, willing myself to be strong. "I'm no dummy, Sakura, I can tell when two people that are in love are making a mistake."
Love? Is that really what we gave off?
"Listen, Sakura, you have to go tell him that you love him. I know he loves you, too. Please, Sakura, this is a mistake," she repeated beseechingly.
"No, it's not," I argued insistently. "If I told him I loved him that would be a mistake." I knew what I was saying wasn't in my heart. But there are times when you have to squelch the commands of your heart with some good old duck tape and listen to the old noggin.
"Sasuke's worked hard to achieve his goals, and I'm not going to be selfish and ruin that for him just because I've taken a silly, childish liking to him," I corrected in a less-than-convincing voice. "I couldn't ruin his career, Ino."
"Ruin his career?" Ino scoffed. "Firstly, have you seen how famous Itachi is? I think Sasuke could live without the acceptance of his shishou, I mean, Jesus!" My lip was becoming more and more bruised by the second since I kept on biting it in thought. The blonde had a point. "Secondly, there are a million jobs Sasuke could have. Sakura, there's only one of you."
My green eyes widened for a split second before I sighed disappointedly. Even if Ino was speaking the truth, I couldn't see myself betting everything on that. The world isn't a big romance novel, as much as I would like it to be.
I shook my head again. "Ino, it's not going to work," I claimed, close to tears yet again.
"Sakura, yes it is! You just have to—"
I closed my eyes. "I'm sorry," I whispered, before hanging up.
It was then that I heard the doorbell ring, and quickly rubbing my watery eyes with my fists and checking in a nearby mirror that I wasn't too crazy looking, I made my way to door and opened it after taking a deep breath.
"Sakura!" I heard a voice squeal before I was being choked out by two rather strong arms.
I feigned a smile and wrapped my arms around my friend. The last thing I really needed was other people's sympathy, so I hugged the girl just as tightly as she was hugging me. She could know about everything that happened a little later.
"Hey, Ten."
She finally let go of me and beamed. "Holy shizz, girl, we've got too much to talk about! But, first, the little ladies room, if you wouldn't mind?" pleaded Tenten as she started doing the dreaded pee-pee dance.
I couldn't help but laugh at Tenten's antics. "Down that long hallway, you'll see a kitchen. It's the door right across from it."
A look of relief came upon the brunette's face. "I owe you one, Saku-baby!" she said as she sped off down the hall.
I took a deep breath and sighed, noticing a man getting out of the same car Tenten just hopped out of, a porn book practically glued to his hand. Now this is something I had to worry about. How was I going to hide something like this from my godfather? He knew every facial expression I made, the reason for all my bad habits. He had like X-ray vision into my head, or something.
Damn, I was screwed.
He started waving at me, his eyes crinkling—a sign that meant he was smiling behind his mask. It was then that I noticed I had been grimacing, so I forced a pretty nasty looking grin on my face to solve the problem.
Pfft; solve the problem... I look like a damn fool.
"Hey, Kakashi!" I welcomed my grey-haired godfather into a big hug and he chuckled warm-heartedly. I instantly held on tighter as his arms snaked around my waist. I had missed my godfather so much. He was close to everything to me.
"Hello, Sakura," he greeted, kissing my hair. "How is my little dumpling?" He said using my childhood name—a childhood name I thought we had long given up.
I blushed crimson and glanced around me as if anyone was around. "Kakashi!" I whined. "You're so embarrassing, dude!"
"Oh." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Is that not hip these days?" he asked, and I blanched before laughing and pulling him into another hug.
"Man, I missed you…"
He rubbed my back consolingly, and it helped me forget my problems for a split second. "I've missed my little dumpling too…"
"Honestly," I muttered, rolling my sea foam green eyes.
He tore apart from me and gave me a stern look this time. I could almost tell that his lips were in a straight line, and I cowered under his grey gaze.
"Sakura, what's wrong? You look like you've been crying."
Caught.
My eyebrows furrowed, and I could feel my lip trembling in fear. If it was one thing I hated, it was lying to my godfather. Lying in itself was pretty coolio, but this, my friends, is not.
"What—this?" I laughed guiltily, pointing at my face. "No! These are just my dust allergies!" I said, sounding a little too excited for someone that supposedly had a bad case of allergies.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "That excuse might work on your little rock head friends, but that will not work on me, Sakura Haruno." I shrunk under his stature again. Being scolded by Kakashi was always worse than being scolded by my actual parents for two reasons.
One, Kakashi was usually a pretty chill dude, so when he finally got to lecturing, it was damn scary.
Two, I wouldn't dare stand against Kakashi, the same way it was hard to stand against your parents when you were five. Kakashi—unlike my parents—took care of me my whole life, so it was like he was my actual dad.
"I'm not going to force you into telling me what happened, because Kami knows teenagers like to rebel against random acts of kindness from their elders," he stated tersely, and then his eyes softened. "But I will recommend it." And he walked inside.
I sighed and whimpered in despair.
There's a third reason I hated being scolded by Kakashi.
In the end, he always got what he wanted.
"Dude, that's not fair at all!" shouted Tenten, beyond outraged with the drama between Sasuke and I. And I sighed, blowing my hair out my eyes.
"Yeah, tell me about it…" I grumbled with a pout.
Suddenly Tenten's eyes widened, as if she had had an epiphany—a thought of importance. I waited to prove that the last statement I had just made about Tenten having smart thoughts was shown to be wrong.
"Awh, man, you guys should have, like, a drama series. I'd totally produce that for you, yo…"
Oh, Tenten. When I need you the most, you still never change.
I rolled my eyes and then glared pointedly at my friend. "What the hell, Tenten, stop trying to make money off of me and Sasuke's fucked up relationship!" She crossed her arms and put on a pouty face.
"I was just saying…" she mumbled incoherently, her eyes flicking towards the ground and then she looked at my sullen face and her moody expression diminished. "You're really not going to tear Karin a new one? I mean, she stole your guy."
I looked down, my eyebrows furrowing as my emerald orbs fixated on the hands in my lap. "I can't…" I whispered in a defeated tone.
She raised a chocolate eyebrow. "Well, why not?"
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "I had this dream," I answered, as if questioning myself.
"A dream? What was it?"
I hid my eyes behind my bangs in an attempt to not look in my friend's eyes. "Nothing. I'd rather not say…" I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. It would be an understatement to say that my dream had been pretty embarrassing.
This piqued Tenten's interest. "C'mon, Sakura, I tell you all of my dreams." The girl did not lie. I winced, thinking back to the time she told me about the dream she had of Neji down to every dirty detail.
I shivered.
Not even your most trusted girlfriend needs to know that much.
I sighed, closing my eyes. "It was a very long dream…" I started, my fingers twiddling nervously. "But to summarize, Karin and her robot army had finally taken Sasuke to the Motherland. She planned to use him as her sex slave forever," I admitted, eyes still locked with the wall, the floor, the desk—anything but her eyes.
Only my crazy, best friend Tenten wouldn't burst out laughing.
She looked at me worriedly, as if she could actually solve this problem, as if Karin and her robot army were right outside the door waiting for our next move. "Why didn't you just Karate Chop her in the face?" she voiced, cocking her head to the side. And I will admit my Baby Tenten looked more than adorable.
I growled. "God, Tenten! Everyone knows that all robots have force fields! What are you, stupid?" I exploded childishly.
She looked appalled, her appearance swiftly changing from concerned friend to fired up frenemy. "You're calling me stupid? You're the one who doesn't know anything! Aliens are the ones that always have force fields! I should've known you would fall asleep in Revenge from Space II!"
I scoffed. "Yeah, right! I've seen that movie ten times!" I huffed. "You seem to be forgetting what Ngika 2000, King of the Robots said in Revenge from Space III, you insufferable bitch!" I swore.
She sucked her teeth, giving me the hand. "Please, ho…"
It was silent for awhile, but before I knew it, we both broke out in fit of giggles. I couldn't stop laughing; tears were coming from my eyes and I held my sides. I forgot how much I loved Tenten; how I could only have the dorkiest conversation on earth with Tenten.
The brunette hummed before scampering across the room and bringing me into a hug. I hugged her tight, closing my eyes and feeling slightly at peace with my Tenten there.
"Don't worry, Saku-baby, everything will work out in the end," spoke Tenten quietly into my ear.
My eyebrows furrowed. "I hope so…" I whispered softly.
"Knock, knock!" rang a voice, the sound of knuckles tapping against wood breaking me from my best friend's embrace. I looked over to see a smiling Kakashi at the door, one of his dirty, orange books perched in his other hand. "Sorry to intrude on your girl talk, you guys, but Tenten, would you mind me having a word with my goddaughter?"
Tenten looked at me questionably before smiling at Kakashi. "Not at all!" She kissed me on the cheek and then made her way out the door. "See ya, girlfriend!"
My godfather waited awhile, looking around the room pleasantly, the hand not holding his book, behind his back. "This is a nice room," he observed, encasing his beloved porn in his pocket. "He spoils you."
I plopped down on the soft bed, letting out a dejected sigh as my gaze fell to the ground.
"Spoiled me," I exacted curtly, figuring that revealing my problems sooner than later was the way to go with the all-knowing silver-haired man.
He placed his hands in his pockets and took a step towards me. "So, he left you for that other girl…"
My face tightened angrily. "Karin," I supplied. See? I had never spoken a word of this to Kakashi and he already knew everything. It was futile to try and keep something like this from him. I wasn't sure that I wanted to. Kakashi always knew just what to say, and I knew that I needed his guidance.
He raised an eyebrow. "And you let him go? Sakura, that's not like you at all," he said, shaking his head.
I leaned my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. "I couldn't make him stay…" I said in a soft, sad voice; matter-of-factly.
He sighed languidly. "That's still not the Sakura I know." Looking up at the ceiling, he scratched his chin in thought. "If you like him, you should go after him, no matter the circumstances."
My mint-green eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Kakashi, you're a hypocrite! Every time you came down to my school, I saw you eyeing Anko-sensei. It was always apparent that you took a liking to her, but you never approached her. What do you have to say about that?" I protested, turning the tables. Sasuke was still a very touchy subject. And as much as I enjoyed the assistance Kakashi always gave me, it was making me feel uncomfortable.
Not only this, I began to doubt my decision. I felt as if I had thought for hours on what to do with Sasuke—whether to give him up, or keep pushing forward. Letting him go seemed the only logical way—and here came Kakashi tearing down my resolve piece by piece.
He gave off a surprised look. "Oh, you still remember that? Hm…I guess it can't be helped then…" The grey-eyed man gave me a knowing look and I stared at him through dark, troubled eyes. "If I ask Miss Anko out, will you go after this Sasuke character?"
I stiffened, my eyes widening for a mere second before I locked gazes with the ground again. I decided to remain silent. I couldn't…
I honestly couldn't bring myself to ruin everything he worked for, for…for what? For a relationship that could only last months, weeks? I couldn't imagine.
I heard Kakashi give a deep sigh. "Listen, Sakura. One time I saw this donut in a bakery shop." I cocked a rose-colored eyebrow in his direction. "I really wanted it, but I had planned to work out in only a little bit, and I was afraid if I didn't work out then, I'd be too lazy to do it later.
"But that donut was the last donut in the shop and I knew if I came back after I worked out, that someone else would've come to buy it.
"I contemplated buying it regardless of my workout, and just taking one bite, but I knew once I took a bite, I would end up eating the whole thing, so in the end, taking the safest path, I decided not to buy the donut," concluded the older man. I wanted to question the meaning of the story, but I hesitated, thinking that maybe the guy wasn't finished with his story.
When my godfather only grinned my way, I opened my mouth to speak.
"Kakashi…I'm not quite sure if I understand what this has to do with me and Sasuke."
His eye crinkled and I knew he was only smiling brighter as he crossed his arms. "I'm afraid you'll have to look underneath the underneath to figure this one out, Sakura." I exhaled deeply, mumbling something inaudibly to myself. "However, I will tell you that, while I ended up having a good work out, I was not totally satisfied. I still regret not getting that donut…" he said, as if reminiscing on the good old days.
I gasped, snapping my fingers as a smiled plastered itself on my face. "I get it!" I exclaimed. "Sasuke's like…he's like the donut! And the workout is like what I'm obligated to do—go off to school, refrain from getting into it with Karin, making sure to leave Sasuke's career intact." I sent a hand through my rosette locks. "What you're saying is that I should stop trying to always play it safe, and take the opportunity while it's there—that I shouldn't pass something so perfect up in the present, because I fear that it will mess up the future I planned for myself, right?"
Kakashi looked at me as if I had grown two heads for a second and then laughed.
"What? No, I was just sharing my morning with you! But, I guess that works too!"
I sweatdropped, my lip twitching a bit. "I'm mourning over the loss of my man, and you're sitting here whining about pastries? I oughta kill you…" I slammed my fist on the bedside table. "Aren't you supposed to be telling me what to do in this predicament?"
"You just told yourself what to do."
My eyes widened. Wait, what?
I thought over what I had said previously and I couldn't help but flush a bright pink. I felt like such an idiot. But as I thought over the things I could be sacrificing again, my hope faltered.
This was going to be a difficult decision.
Sasuke, you are the most difficult cookie I have ever reached for!
(Sasuke's POV, Third Person)
His detached gaze did not waver as he stared at the many reporters sending questions his way. He had been sitting here for what seemed hours answering these damn people, and he had been in his own world since the start. He couldn't think about anything except Sakura, and Karin's shrill and calculating voice beside him did not seem to comfort his rising anger. He only hoped he didn't try to kill her in public. Luckily, that thing she called her mouth was never shut, and he could refrain from talking to the reporters too much since the girl answered close to every question that was thrown at the couple.
The couple.
The thought made him want to vomit.
"Mr. Uchiha, where do you want to be in the near future?"
His teeth gritted and he began to ponder a way of escape. Another question directed at him personally. He would give anything to not have to say another word the whole time.
"Hopefully, I will be home. I'm tired as hell," he answered icily, eyes unlit and vacant of emotion.
The reporters broke out into nervous laughter and Karin sent him a forced smile, giggling her unbearably obnoxious laugh as well. Sasuke sank back into the depths of his own world again, narrowly missing the terse look coming from his shishou. It was plausible that if Sasuke had, in fact, caught his shishou's gaze that he would've simmered down, but alas, Orochimaru and Karin were the last things on his mind.
And Sakura was the first.
"Miss Karin, how was working with Mr. Uchiha and would you consider doing it again?"
A saucy smile crawled onto the red-head's lips. "It was a wonderful experience. I know Sasuke and I will work perfectly together in the near future." She paused, sending a shrewd glance his way. "With the support of our magnificent shishou, Orochimaru." The name slithered off her tongue like the snakes they were and Sasuke tried hard not to blanch.
The reporters hunger for a romantic relationship between the two seemed fulfilled, but then they turned their wondering eyes the Uchiha's way.
"And Mr. Uchiha? Your sentiments?"
Sasuke's jaw clenched, and he stared out at the crowd. He became aware of the expectant look in his shishou's amber eyes and how the older man tried to lead the young model to think that he was under his control. Orochimaru had had Sasuke squashed under his thumb for so long, sometimes he felt his shishou forgot to let in a little air.
In the crowd of hopeful reporters, a clear, sapphire gaze came through. It was Ino, and it didn't take a genius to tell she was worried for the young Uchiha. She was just as sad and distraught as he was, a true curse. Sasuke always felt that Ino was a direct vent of his own emotions. He had always kept his feelings bottled up, but Ino had never had a problem expressing anything. Sasuke could tell that the blonde model was feeling everything that he was feeling. He could practically feel her shaking at the rage rushing through his veins, and he felt horrible for bothering her like that.
He tried to calm himself down, but he couldn't. Every time he tried, Sakura's crying face entered his mind and every time he wanted to tear his shishou's face off for doing this to him.
No. It had not been his shishou, and as much as he wanted to blame it on Karin, it had not been her in the end either. It had been him. Why was he so weak? Why couldn't he have had the courage to defy his shishou for someone that cared so much for?
Someone that he loved.
His fists clenched.
"My experience with Karin was…"
…
…
…
…
"It was the most horrible thing I've ever been through." Gasps echoed throughout the whole room, and he instantly felt Karin's cold and surprised gaze on him.
"What?" she panted, groping for the right words.
Sasuke ignored her, keeping his eyes straight forward. He could feel the heated gaze of his shishou on him, but he chose not to look in his direction either.
"Karin is a conceited, manipulative, pompous bitch. It was obvious from the beginning that she was only using me for her own selfish claim to fame, and for the favoritism of our shishou." Flabbergasted whispers still circled around the room, but Sasuke continued. "She is a cheater, she is a liar, but what I will never forgive, is that she threatened the woman that I love, Sakura Haruno."
Cameras flashed, and questions were asked rapid fire.
Everything was drowned out when Karin let out a loud screech. "Sasuke! What the hell are you doing? Have you gone mad?" He disregarded the woman again and stood from his seat, starting towards the door.
"SASUKE!" she bellowed after him. "Orochimaru will not forgive you for this!"
Sasuke's teeth gritted. Forgive me, shishou, but I cannot carry on as your apprentice. It was a total disgrace to go against your shishou's wishes, and it would be especially bad when Orochimaru would disown him. People would doubt that he was still model material, and for awhile, even his singing career might not do so well.
But none of that mattered to the boy as he picked up his pace towards the exit that led to the lobby. All that mattered was his Sakura.
Reporters hastily tried to reach him, their video cameras, microphones, and recorders all at the ready, but before they could reach him, Ino and Asuma did, blocking the barrage.
After shoving a nosy news man out of the way, Ino tentatively placed a hand on the boy's arm, a smile gracing her perfect features.
"I'm so proud of you, Sasuke. I'm seriously speechless."
His face softened at her voice, but all he could do was shove the doors open wildly. "I have to find—"
He paused when he opened the door, only to see the back of a woman, rosy locks cascading down said woman's back. The woman was facing a TV that was set up in the lobby that showed what was happening in the room Sasuke had come out of and then she turned around, emerald eyes smiling.
"Sakura…" whispered Sasuke softly.
"Oh, Sasuke," she murmured, jokingly. "Your speech was simply touching. I think I would've liked it better had you talked more of my beauty, though…"
He was barely able to form an answer before the girl ended up in his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and he lifted her to him, kissing her forehead. He closed his eyes, memorizing her peachy smell, and then sighed happily, placing her back on the ground.
When he finally looked at her again, Sakura's eyes were sparkling with hope, and he desperately wanted to rewind back time, and actually insert how gorgeous she was in his speech before.
"Sasuke, I know it sounds selfish, but I seriously don't care anymore. I want you, and I only want you. I won't take no for an answer." She slid a hand in between them, fishing around in her pocket before she pulled out the key. Sasuke could've beamed as she bit her lip and raised an eyebrow his way. "So…?"
He smirked. "Hn," he mumbled, before grabbing the key from her and smashing his lips into hers for a passionate kiss.
The pinkette responded eagerly, smiling into the kiss and snaking her arms around the back of his neck, pulling him further into her mouth. When they broke apart, her eyes were still closed, and a contented look slipped onto her face as he kissed her nose.
"I love you, Sakura."
"I love you, too."
It was a clear of the throat from Asuma and Ino that brought the two back down to earth. Sakura covered her mouth and blushed a deep crimson when she noticed all the cameras around her, and Sasuke scowled at the snooping reporters, making sure there was no lipstick on his lips.
And instantly…
"Sasuke, is this the girl that you were referring to before?"
"Sakura Haruno, were you not this man's secretary?"
"Is there any info on the wedding?"
Sakura's eyes widened, but they did not stray from the many cameras that happened to be all in her beeswax. "Wow, they have a lot of questions," she remarked so that only Sasuke could hear.
Sasuke glared, stuffing the hand that wasn't around Sakura's waist into his pocket and looking off to the side with a sneer. "I know. They're so fucking annoying."
The medical student gave Sasuke a terse look, tisking his behavior. "Now, Sasuke, that wasn't nice at all." She put her hand on her hip and then continued to smile at the paparazzi. "Say you're sorry."
The Uchiha's eyes narrowed. "No." He looked at her out of his peripheral vision and then rolled his eyes. "And stop faking your smiles at the camera. It's damn ugly."
Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not faking! You're the one with the stick up his ass!"
"Well, right now with that pained expression you look like you have a stick up your ass."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, really."
"I hate you! You're such an ass!"
"Well, all you do is bitch and moan."
And they bickered the rest of the night.
But they did it with upbeat attitudes.
(Sakura's POV, First Person)
He blew a bubble and let it pop, eyes bored and unemotional. He pretended for the moment that my textbook was a lot more interesting.
"Please Sasuke!" I whined. "Please just tell me!"
He shook his head, his eyes flickering out the window. "You need to be studying right now…" he said, and I was instantly reminded of the exam I had in the morning, though I swore to myself that matters like those could wait when compared to matters like these.
My life was at stake, dammit!
My jade orbs instantly narrowed playfully as a coy smirk slipped across my face. "You weren't saying that when you caught me just getting out of the shower," I quipped, hands on my hips.
He was practically pouting. "Hn."
A look of mirth entered my gaze and I let out a laugh. "Ha! Got you, didn't I? Now, seriously, Sasuke, just tell me! I've been having a heart attack my whole life worrying about what I did that night when I was drunk!"
"You're overreacting," he drawled, and I found myself losing patience quickly.
"Sasuke!" I screeched. He remained silent, and I considered strangling it out of him. My memory went back to the first day I met him; I had tried to attack him in his limo, and it hadn't gone down so well. I quickly reconsidered.
"Sasuke, tell me!" I repeated for the umpteenth time. He slowly blew a large bubble, eyes still gazing out the window with an uninterested expression. Some might call that Sex God material.
I call it defiance.
I lifted my hand and swiftly popped the bubble he made with my index finger, earning a glare from my boyfriend. "Tell me!" I persisted.
His glare became more intense as he looked down at his once flawless bubble gum. "Would you mind extracting your possibly germy fingers from my gum?" he questioned around the chewing gum.
I closed my eyes with a huff. "Not until you tell me," I said stubbornly. He scowled at me before opening his mouth and leaving me with his soaking wet, chewed gum on my finger. I gaped openly at him before giving him a disgusted look.
"You suck!"
"Study," he ordered.
I sighed before pulling what gum I could off of my finger, and wiping the excess saliva on his cashmere sweater.
He was not so happy.
"You have to tell me, Sasuke! I'm not going to be able to study now."
He rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh of his own. "You really need to know now?" I nodded vigorously. He closed his eyes, his face hinting at a little more than slight annoyance. "I will warn you; it is quite disgraceful what you did that night, Sakura."
I visibly gulped. And loud, at that. Finally, after all this time I would know.
I bit my lip. But what if Ino was right? What if it was best if I just forgot everything and went on with my life? Was what I had done really that horrible?
In the end, I knew it would be a question that I would worry about for a long time, so I decided to let Sasuke continue.
"Well, after you stuck your tongue down Shikamaru's throat, you and your drunken crew stumbled up to a hotel room…" I stared at him blankly. Did he really have to say it like that? I mean, honestly. "You guys said you were having a party and invited me, and loving to mess with hammered people, I came."
"How rude!"
"Do you want to hear the story or not?" I could tell he was agitated so I quickly shut my mouth, eyebrows furrowing.
"Anyway, you, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Tenten ensued in an intense game of Twister. They were really drunk, way more drunk than you…and then you…" He paused, looking off into the distance and my face contorted into something horrible looking! That's just how anxious I was!
"What?" I shouted impatiently. "And then I what!"
He glared. "And then you…"
…
…
…
…
…
"And then you lost the game, and everyone passed out. The end."
I felt my heart stop. My face was warping into something, but I didn't know what. I was sure it was ugly.
"The end?" I repeated hoarsely. I was pretty sure I was foaming at the mouth. He only stared at me. "You tell me that I lost a game of Twister and then I passed out and that's the end?" He put another piece of gum in his mouth, blew a bubble, and then popped it indifferently.
I wanted to cry. All of that for nothing? "But, you said that what I did was disgraceful!" I accused loudly. "I hardly think losing a game of Twister is disgraceful!"
He looked at me like I was a crazy person (though I was pretty used to the look). "Sakura, it is disgraceful. You lost to two totally shit-faced people, clumsily, at that. You barely had three drinks." I only gawked at him. "If that's not embarrassing, I don't know what is…" He looked off, continuing to chew on his new, fresh piece of gum.
Are you…
Are you fucking kidding me? Did he understand what type of hell I went through for him to keep that secret?
I was still at a loss of words. "But, I…and you—and Ino…" I paused, trying to sort what I wanted to say out, an utterly distraught look plastered on my face. "You made it seem like I did something horrible—like killed someone, or even worse, slept with Naruto!" I screamed, pulling at my pink tresses.
He raised an eyebrow at me. "How is sleeping with your best friend worse than killing someone?" he questioned calmly.
"How is losing at a game of Twister worse than killing someone?" I inquired noisily.
"I never said it was," reminded Sasuke cooly. "I'm just saying that I'd be embarrassed…" he said, pointing at himself haughtily.
My eyes narrowed. "Well, you're a dickhead!"
He frowned slightly at my name-calling, before looking out the window again. "Hn." And he went back to popping his gum.
I couldn't believe him! That was so mean; did he even understand the things that could've happened? Ugh! Honestly!
I took a deep breath trying to calm myself down. If I thought about it, like I said, it could've been worse. At least it was losing a game of Twister, rather than losing my dignity. And if I thought about it some more…
I gazed at Sasuke.
If none of that ever happened, there was a huge chance I would've never met Sasuke. And he was honestly one of the best things that ever happened to me. If I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a thing.
I smiled at my boyfriend. Everything was okay—perfect, even. In the end, nothing like that stupid night actually mattered.
I tilted his chin towards mine and kissed his lips amorously.
Because in the end, who can complain when they get to have their cookie, and eat it, too?
Honestly.
A/N: Alright! There you are! I hope everyone enjoyed it! Omg *sniffle* it's over :( I'll miss this story, but it is definitely time to move on…thanks for everyone's support and again, a big thanks to angelatmidnight who practically made me make up this story in this first place! Luv you girl! I hope to see all of you in the near future!
Please REVIEW, I'm curious to see what you all think!
Luv you all!
Luving me's like…
-chewingonpearls
