Author's Note: I'm so sorry for this being so late (about five months since I last updated... so sorry!). Everything's been really busy for me since I've been in school, but now that I'm out until the fall I plan on updating more frequently! Thank you so much to everyone who has left reviews, and for sticking with my story for so long. You guys are the best!
Please let me know what you think about this chapter, and please forgive me for any grammatical errors if I made any. Also, feel free to point anything out that you feel might be inconsistent. Thank you!
When school finally ended on Friday, I met Hinata and Tenten in the classroom we usually had Yearbook Club meetings in to exchange Christmas presents. Although we were all going to Ino's party later that evening, we wanted to do this with just each other.
"Sakura!" Hinata beamed at me. "I was wondering when you would get here, you're not getting too popular for us, are you?" I could tell that she was teasing me, but it had some truth to it. After it had been announced that I had won the position of Student Body Vice President, a lot of other students had been approaching me - mostly members of the lesser-known clubs that I had talked about during my speech, but still. I was being noticed more.
Even the popular crowd couldn't ignore me. Sasuke had requested that I spend most of my free time with him so that he could explain my position to me and delegate tasks that the previous Vice President, Suigetsu, had been working on before he completely broke down from the pressure. It was pretty simple, really, I would be able to handle it. Especially since part of my job involved supporting Sasuke - I could definitely do that, especially since I had done it all the time when we were friends.
My newfound attention was not unnoticed by Karin, who looked like she was seething with anger every time I saw her. I knew what she was thinking, because I had been that type of person once - how could some pink-haired art freak suddenly be noticed by almost everyone in the school? Not to mention, the freak was working with her ex-boyfriend who she probably wasn't even over yet. If my life hadn't changed so drastically, I would have reacted the same way.
"It's more annoying than anything," I told her, placing one Christmas-themed gift bag each in front of my friends. I was totally lying - I loved being the center of attention.
Tenten rolled her eyes. "Let's get on with it!"
"Patience, grasshopper," I said, and Hinata laughed.
I went first, because I'm the most impatient and I already had their gift bags out. For Hinata, I got her a matching lavender knit scarf and hat, and a special edition copy of our favorite Jane Austen book, Pride and Prejudice.
"Sakura," Hinata beamed, studying the book, "it's so great! And thank you for the hat and scarf too!"
"I thought you might need it," I said, "for when you go on your family vacation." The Hyuga family always went skiing over Christmas break. It was a big ordeal, with all of the extended family too. "Besides, lavender is your color." I grinned.
For Tenten, I got her an assortment of hair accessories (clips, hair ties, etc.), and a digital picture frame. "So you can display all of your pictures!" I said brightly. "And you can always use more hair accessories."
Tenten smiled. "Thank you, Sakura."
From Tenten, Hinata and I were handed bags with a sketchbook and a packet of bamboo brushes. "I wasn't sure what to get," Tenten said, "you're both artists, so I figured this would be okay."
"It's perfect!" Hinata said, and I nodded. It was about time that I had some decent brushes for myself. I wouldn't have to mooch off of Hinata anymore during art class (although I know she never minded).
Hinata went last, pulling two canvases from a cabinet in the classroom. Kakashi must have let her keep them in his classroom for the day. The one she handed to me was a painting of the three of us, and a great one. Hinata had an art style that I could only describe as dreamy. While my paintings were made with harsh lines and colors, Hinata's were softer, and more delicate. In the painting, we were smiling - Hinata and I were beaming, and Tenten was smirking, like she did.
"Is this what you've been working on in art class!?" I said.
She nodded. "Do you like it?"
"This is great!" I grinned. "It's definitely going up in my room."
"What about you, Tenten?" Hinata said, I could tell she was a little nervous, probably from sharing her art with us.
"It's really good," Tenten said. She had been given a similar one of all three of us. "Thank you."
We went to my house after that to get ready for Ino's party. We were all riding together anyway, and I wanted to do everyone's makeup - it wasn't a formal party, but that didn't mean I couldn't touch them up a bit. Especially Tenten - ever since I had discovered Tenten's feelings for Neji, I was determined to bring them together before graduation.
We arrived at the party at the right time - when everyone was mostly there, but we weren't considered late yet. That was my favorite time to get to parties; not too early, not too late. I was wearing a red sweater dress with black leggings and black ankle boots. I thought it was festive enough, and it would keep me warm too. Looking at my friends, I was proud of myself. I had insisted on helping them get dressed, and I did a good job. Although she had initially fought me, Tenten ended up wearing a simple grey sweater dress (lent to her from me). I had also done her makeup in a way that made her look natural, but also accented her eyes. Her hair was down and curled at the ends.
Hinata, on the other hand, was wearing dark jeans and a blue sweater. It wasn't exactly what I had planned for her, but the party wasn't supposed to be too formal. Besides, she wasn't the one I was focused on for the night.
"Hey guys!" Ino greeted us at the door. She was wearing a short green dress, with a red Santa hat perched on her head. I laughed, "You look festive!"
She grinned. "Well I am the host, right? Tenten, you look hot!"
Tenten blushed and mumbled under her breath. I just grinned at her - she would thank me later.
Ino led us further into her house to the living room where most of her guests had already arrived. I looked around briefly - I could see Neji in the corner, talking to Rock Lee (they were strangely friends, even though you didn't see them hanging out very much in school), Shikamaru talking to Choji (his best friend) and Suigetsu, and Sasuke, who was sitting by Naruto. To my dismay, Karin and Ami were also there - glaring at me.
"Make yourselves at home!" Ino beamed, and hurried away - probably to get more snacks or something.
The Christmas party was pretty small, but that was the way I liked it. Big parties were for New Years Eve. Christmas parties were for groups of friends to hang out - it would have been even better if Karin and Ami hadn't been invited.
"Hey guys!" Naruto shouted from where he was standing with Sasuke. "Hinata, you look great!"
Hinata blushed and made her way towards her boyfriend. "Not so loud..." she said, "but thank you."
Tenten fidgeted and stayed close to me. Together, we followed Hinata over to where Naruto and Sasuke were. I could almost feel Karin's gaze burning into the back of my head. I ignored it - now that Sasuke was single he was free game. Besides, even though he didn't remember, he was my best friend.
"Hey," I said, "what's the plan for tonight?"
"I think we're all going to sit down and watch a Christmas movie," Shikamaru, who had appeared out of nowhere, said, "to start, at least. I don't know what else my crazy girlfriend has planned for the night."
"That sounds like Ino." I said. After all, it was what we had done last time.
"Did anyone say my name?" Ino walked back into the room, carrying two trays of snack food - it was a wonder that she hadn't dropped them yet. I watched as Shikamaru quickly walked over and took one from her before they spilled all over the floor.
"Sakura," I looked over to see Neji Hyuuga approaching me. "You did a great job on your speech this week. I've been meaning to tell you."
I was flattered. "Thank you!" I beamed. "But you know, a lot of credit should go to my friend Tenten here - she helped me write most of my speech, and proofread it to make sure I wasn't looking stupid in front of everyone." I gestured to Tenten, who looked like she wanted to run away.
Neji looked at Tenten, and looked like he was seeing her for the first time. "Well, you both did a great job." He said.
"Thanks," she said, sounding tiny.
"Did someone call me?" I said, even though I knew no one hadn't. I ignored Tenten's look of panic, and left to go back and talk to Hinata and everyone.
"Tenten's going to kill you." Hinata said. She had watched our whole exchange.
"She'll thank me for it later," I whispered. Already Tenten and Neji were in a deep conversation - both of them looked like they were arguing, but that was a start, right?
"Meddling in people's lives again?" Sasuke said. It was the first time he had talked to me all evening.
"Hey," I said, "I'm just helping my friends out. It's kind of what I do, Uchiha."
He just rolled his eyes, but he couldn't deny it.
"Besides," I teased, "you're just jealous that I haven't set you up with anyone yet."
"I don't think you would know my type, Haruno."
Wanna bet? I thought. But I only said. "We'll see."
"Okay everyone!" Ino said. "Find a spot, we're watching a movie!"
To my delight, Tenten and Neji sat together, still talking about something. It still looked like they were arguing, but a good kind of arguing. It looked like they couldn't get enough of each other. I smirked at Tenten, who was still refusing to look at me, and took a spot on the floor by the couch. To my surprise, Sasuke sat down beside me, in between Hinata and me.
"Ready to be bored for an hour and a half?" He said.
"Hey!" I said. "Watch it, I love Christmas movies!"
"That's surprising." He said sarcastically, but I could tell that he was teasing me. It was almost like I was talking to my best friend again. I wondered why there was a sudden switch in his personality towards me.
I could see Karin and Ami whispering on the other side of the room, most likely about me. Still, I ignored them. It's not like I cared about them anyway.
The movie we watched was a classic - I was glad to be around all of my friends (besides a few people), just spending time together. It was also nice to sit beside Sasuke in the dark. The urge to reach for his hand was almost overwhelming though.
When the movie was over, Ino turned back on the lights. When I looked over at Sasuke, he looked strangely tense.
"Sakura, do you mind helping me with these?" Ino indicated the leftover trays of food.
"Yeah, no problem." I picked up a tray and followed her into the kitchen.
Once we were in the room, Ino reached for a gift bag on the counter and handed it to me. "I didn't want to give you this in front of everyone," she said, "because I didn't get everyone a present."
"Ino, you didn't have to." I had gotten her a Christmas present too - a hat and scarf combination that I had given her the first time around - but that was more of a gift for hosting the party.
"It's nothing huge," she said, "but it made me think of you."
Inside the bag I found a pack of eyeshadow with glitter in it, and a small sketchbook. I laughed. "It's perfect."
"I knew you'd like it." Ino said. "The eyeshadow is a bit much, but I thought you could find a way to use it because it looked so fun. And the sketchbook is obvious, of course."
"Thank you," I said.
"Thank you," she said. "I know we haven't been friends for very long, but I'm really grateful for our friendship. You're one of the most... real people that I know. I can't believe we weren't friends sooner."
We were, I thought. Her words were touching, but I suddenly felt sad. "That's really nice of you to say that," I said. "So are you. I'm glad we're friends, Ino."
"Come here." She laughed, and gave me a hug. "We'd better get out to the party," she said. I followed her back to the living room, but stopped in the bathroom on my way.
For some reason, I felt the tears coming on again. Ino's words had made me feel strange. I suddenly missed my old life stronger than I had in weeks. It felt like I was grieving for something that I would never have again.
"Sakura." A familiar voice startled me. I screamed.
"I haven't seen you in awhile." I said, wiping away a few of the tears that had spilled down my cheeks. "Where have you been?"
"I've been busy," Konan said. I can't say I had missed her glassy blue eyes staring at me, but they were a familiar sight. It was sort of comforting, having someone around who actually knew what I was going through around. "You're making more progress, Sakura Haruno."
"Thanks." I said, still wiping away tears. "It's hard..." I sniffed.
"I never said it would be easy," she replied, "in fact, this will probably be one of the hardest things you will have to do."
"I can believe that," to my surprise, I laughed a little. This was all really funny - I was in the bathroom talking to a strange witch-lady that only I could see. One that could stop time if she wanted to. Was I just going crazy?
"For the last time," Konan said, in her strange, ethereal voice, "you're not going crazy."
"Can I ask you a question?" I looked up at her. She was a few inches taller than me, and there was something about her that made me feel like she was even taller.
"You already are, I believe."
"Why didn't you just let me die that night?" I said. "I mean... why did you give me a chance?"
"Like I said," Konan responded, "your willingness to sacrifice your life for your friend was selfless. It was noble of you."
"Noble," I snorted, "like I've ever been noble."
"You are upset."
"A little," I said. "I wish I had been different before... then maybe all of this wouldn't have happened. I didn't have to be such a horrible person. Even if I didn't love Sasuke like he loved me before, I didn't have to treat him like that."
"Do you love him now?" Konan's question struck me.
"Of course I love him." I said. "I think I always have, I just never realized it. And obviously, I've always loved him as my friend. He used to be my best friend." The tears started up again, I was a mess. "You told me before that he was going to be an important person... what did you mean by that?"
"That's information that I cannot give you." She said.
I sighed. Typical.
"I can't give away what is to come." said Konan. "It doesn't work that way."
"Of course it doesn't." I said.
"You're improving." She said. "I hope you can find comfort in that." And just like that, she was gone.
It took me a few minutes to collect myself after talking to Konan. If only I had made other decisions, I wouldn't be in this position in the first place. In some ways, I was glad to have the chance to go back and correct mistakes I had made in the past. I was thankful for Tenten and Hinata, and I was glad that I had discovered so much more about myself than I would have if I hadn't taken this chance. However, the feelings I had before - the grieving - didn't go away. Sure, I was making up lost time in my friendships, especially with Ino and Shikamaru, but how much of our relationships was I really going to gain back? I had lost years.
And Sasuke. I could tell that we were closer, but how could he love me after such a short time? I knew him - he could barely figure out if he liked someone after a couple of months (besides the strange incident with Karin). How would I ever succeed?
Still, I wiped my tears away and took a few deep breaths. I wouldn't let this spoil my night. Especially since it had been going so well before. Calmly, I walked out of the bathroom and back into the living room where it looked like everyone was saying their goodbyes.
"Sakura," Tenten caught me. "I think Neji's going to take me home."
"Oh really?" I raised my eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh shut up." She said.
"I expect details tomorrow!" I replied.
Hinata had driven us here, and I would be riding back with her and Naruto. Sasuke had taken Naruto, but would be leaving alone.
"Hey, Sasuke!" I called out to him, after saying goodbye to Ino and Shikamaru.
"What is it, Haruno?" He said once I had caught up to him.
"I just wanted to say goodbye," I said, breathlessly. "And Merry Christmas, if I don't see you before then."
"Have you been crying?" He asked, to my surprise.
"What? No, of course not." I said. He didn't seem convinced.
"Do you want a ride home?" He asked. "It's in the direction of my house anyway." How could I say no to that?
On the way back, we rode in silence for about a minute, until Sasuke broke it by asking me if I was okay.
"Why are you asking me that?" I said.
"You're eyes are red." He answered. "You seem... different."
"Why the sudden concern, Uchiha?" I was genuinely curious. He hadn't been this attentive towards me ever since we had been friends before the accident. It was confusing me actually. Like I said before, it was almost like we were best friends again.
He only shrugged. "I feel like I know you. You remind me of a friend I had once." He had told me that before, around Thanksgiving.
"Thanks." I said. "For caring, anyway."
"Do you want to explain to me what it is?"
"I wish I could," I said. "But you would just think I was crazy."
"I doubt it," he said.
"No, really." I said. He didn't ask me about it again.
When he dropped me off, before I left his car, he said something else. "We should probably meet this week, to talk about student council stuff."
Hanging out alone with Sasuke? Sure. "I can do that," I said, "just let me know what day."
He agreed, and I stepped out of the car. My mom had left a light on for me so I could find my way around once I was inside. At that moment, all I wanted to do was climb in to bed and try to forget everything, but once I was in bed, I couldn't stop thinking about what Sasuke had said. He had a friend once that I reminded him of. Could he be talking about me?