Volit.

Author's Legal Pad;

It's been a while. How has everyone been? Thanks for sticking around. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Naruto is Masashi Kishimoto's. And the inspired book for this story isn't mine either

For my reviewers:

- Anonnymous Blossom: Hi, thanks for reading. Glad you like my story and enjoy this chapter.

- lovely123: Really, now? I hope I didn't keep you with the suspense. Please enjoy!

- river of the sand: Great to hear from you again. Hope you don't get choked up on their emotions this time round too! xD Enjoy!

- ElitexD: I'm glad you get what I'm trying to portray. Anyway, here's the next chapter!

- NiikoInPanicMode: The Hippos are very happy. Itachi's coming up soon, so just hold on a little longer. Enjoy the chapter!

◊▫ 星の十字 ▫◊

Hoshina no Kurosu

Juuichi

改鋳

Kaichu

Two days later, Sakura woke up feeling as bad as she did before. Her eyes were still blotchy and bleary, her head reeling with nausea. Her hair felt greasy and stiff, probably matted from all the turning and tossing as well as the sweating from her sleepless nights filled with the same reoccurring nightmare:

A few seconds after the last word escaped Sasuke's mouth, Sakura's coiled fist had connected with his jaw, echoing with a sickening 'Crack!' sound.

Sakura watched, almost in slow motion, as the handsome Uchiha was sent hurling several feet away, his body dropping to the floor with a thud.

Sasuke remained on the floor, motionless. The rest of the room has gone pin-drop quiet, with the only sound coming from Sakura's frustrated pants and her sweating, angered face. Her hand was still locked in the position it was like when she punched him, her eyes blazing with a million fires.

Her hands still felt clammy and twitchy from the memory. She had walked out of the auditorium with her heart in her throat, humiliation and puzzlement printed on her face.

Sai was long gone, probably facing his own troubles and Sakura couldn't help but feel bitter emptiness without his company. Without anyone there to tell her what she should do – what she should've done.

After missing two days of school, she didn't know how she was meant to face Sasuke. Kurenai's furious face flashed back into her head. She didn't even want to picture the consequences to her actions.

Her hands were chilly compared to the harsh wind. Wisps and tangles of her own hair flickered around her form like whiplash. Sakura hadn't gone to the coffee shop this morning. Without her usual partner in crime, the place was just a chasm of caffeine, snobby girls and the occasional drama.

Her battered sneakers made silent thuds against the pavement along her journey to rehearsals. Every step she took clenched painfully behind her ribcage. Her mind boggled the different aspects she should use to approach those already there. Should she be calm? Sad? Confident? Nervous? It had seemed like every kind of approach was out of place.

'If Sai were here, he'd tell me to just be honest…' The peridot eyed girl admitted to herself.

She stood outside the looming double doors of the drama studio. It had never looked so intimidating in her life. In fact, up until now, it had always been the doors to sanctuary; the clear, open stage so wide and inviting. So why should she start to feel scared now? The Haruno had managed to pull herself together after two days of running away. Or maybe she had just placed her mind in a temporary state of numbness before she had to face all their faces, especially the Uchiha's.

But she knew partly that it was just because she was scared. Sakura thought back to the twitching, flipping, heart-thumping, lingering, crawling feeling she had the moment his lips touched hers. The same one she had when she saw him give her that slightly shy-arrogant smile – smirk? – the day after. In fact, thinking back to it and the dark eyed boy still made her toes tingle and back sliver. From what, Sakura didn't know. But it was obvious. What she felt then and what she felt now was similar. That feeling still hadn't gone away.

She stopped thinking when she recognized voices coming from behind the doors. As hushed and murmured as they were, she could instantly recognize her drama instructor speak.

"So, Karin, if you can just go from 'Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds', ok?" Her matured, octave voice commanded

Sakura felt her heart squeeze painfully, from both confusion and nervousness. She definitely recognized that line. Those were her lines. A gasp caught in her throat and she had to shove down the urgent feeling to throw up.

Of course! It had been so obvious. Mrs. Kurenai had warned her: if she jeopardized the production of the play, Sakura would immediately be cut.

Her legs were unsteady, her hands blindly shivering by her sides as the young pinkette stood in front of the double doors, not even wanting to think about what was shown behind them and on the stage. The urge to throw up, to scream, to cry, to go berserk slowly bubbled up in her as she pushed them down, taking a deep breath and clenching her fists.

'No. Kurenai-sensei would not do that… would she? I'm perfect for Juliet. I-if I just explain or something… I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding!'Sakura reassured herself.

Steeling her mind and slowly inching the metal door open, Sakura caught sight of Sasuke, as gorgeous as ever, standing on the right side of the stage, studying his script alone. Sakura felt her choke up again. If was different to be seeing him in her dreams - his falling figure slowly replaying in her mind. But after two days of not visually seeing him, Sakura felt her head throb. It was more painful to see him in person.

Sasuke's face was recovering miraculously. The swelling and bruising of his jaw were gone, none of the physical reminder present, only the mental scars.

His arms were gesturing to himself, perfect lips synching with the line he was reading to himself as he concentrated hard. He had never looked more beautiful. Or maybe it had just been Sakura's imagination, compared to how she saw him last.

However, that was not to sight that had Sakura's stomach burning like hot lava.

In the center of the stage was Karin, acting her heart out and holding a paper – the script, most likely – and dramatically gesturing while Kurenai was by her side, nodding enthusiastically, also holding a copy of what was in Karin's hand.

The red haired teenager took a pause, stopping for suspense before saying her last line:

"But Romeo's name speaks heavenly eloquence."

Karin whirled around, her bright hair flicks like real flames as she faced the older woman. She smiled wickedly, her arms gripped her script with confidence.

Kurenai cleared her throat slightly before speaking "I know this must be awkward for you, Karin, but I can't have rivalry between cast members. It's not fair for the rest of them…"

Sakura felt fury sweep through her figure. She was too angry for words. Never in her life has she felt more furious. White knuckles were hard against the metal panel she hid behind. And angry, invisible tears of frustration bubbled uncomfortably behind her eyelids. It was just too hard to watch.

'I have to stop this'

In a burst of confidence, Sakura pushed the door all the way before strolling in, her head high and an air of pride all around her. She steadily walked towards the stage. All eyes of the cast present were stamped on her lone figure. Dead silence followed her clicking of footsteps.

Sakura kept her eyes intently focused on a grim Kurenai and a suddenly nervous Karin. She managed a small smile, as she walked up the stage, as if she hadn't heard their prior conversation.

The rosette carefully let her eyes drift towards Karin. Whose are filled with embarrassment and guilt, but Sakura knew better than that. Behind those auburn eyes were feelings of hidden pleasure.

Sakura caught a glance of Sasuke as well, who were looking straight past her, as if she wasn't even there. But his expression was what hurt her most. They were blank, void of emotion. Something that he had never shown her before. When he had previously glared at her with boiling ill hate or resentment, at least Sakura knew he felt something. But this… it was too much. Almost like he didn't see her.

Sakura let out a sigh. She knew this was going to be tough, but she came here to do what she had to and by hell, she was going through with it.

"Sasuke-" Sakura said, but bringing her voice to even speak his name almost stopped her "-I'm so sorry-" Sakura continued, voicing all the sincerity she had within her "-I'm sorry I hit you. I was out of line. Way out of line. And I can't believe that I let my personal feelings towards you get in the way of my professional behavior. I'm ashamed and I hope you can find it somewhere within you to forgive me… because I really do feel bad about my actions."

The rosette took a deep breath to nervously glanced back up into his black-spinel stoned eyes. His are as blank as before, but he lets out a silent nod and Sakura felt as if the huge stone she had been carrying on her shoulders have finally been lifted off. However, it wasn't over yet.

Sakura's green eyes flicked over to meet her teachers.

"Kurenai-sensei… I owe you an apology too. I apologize for the way I acted yesterday even after you had warned me before about it. I won't let it happen again." She choked out.

Sakura studied the older woman's face closely. She seemed skeptic but lets out a smile.

"Good. Thank you, Sakura, and I hope you can keep a lid on your emotions in the future" She speaks responsibly.

The Haruno's pink head bobs in acknowledgement, happy that she had accepted her apology without trouble.

"Okay,-" Sakura breathed in "-so what are we working on, today..?"

From the corner, Sasuke coughed slightly and walked down the steps of the stage to stand by the bottom.

Karin bit her bottom lip while Kurenai looked at Sakura with an unreadable look.

"I've offered the part of Juliet to Karin." She declared.

Behind her ribcage, Sakura's heart stumbled and skipped. Painfully. The bile of feelings she felt before she walked in her came tumbling back up in such a strong force that Sakura felt that she might regurgitate it. Goosebumps flecked her arms and legs, the lights of the studio were almost blindingly bright while she struggled to gain composure. Her palms were clammy again and she felt as if she couldn't hear but when Sakura's voice spoke up again, it was almost as broken as what she felt.

"W-what?"

Kurenai continued to look at Sakura with the same expression, only now with a hint of pity.

"I said… I offered the part of Juliet to Karin – and she accepted."

A raging inferno blared up somewhere deep within Haruno Sakura. She turned to Karin with pure murder in her heart. But she can't seem to find the words which race through her mind. She wanted to scream, let out that thrashing, sorrowful voice behind her throat, to let her have it. All kinds of feelings that would express even an ounce on what she felt. There were so many feelings behind her. So many that her heart throbbed painfully, that made her head reel with dizziness. The pounding load of emotions, the feeling to throw up, the feeling to cry, the feeling to scream, the feeling to collapse, all drummed heavily on her. Never in her life had Sakura felt more ashamed of herself as well as angry, horrified, jealous, confused and devastated.

No words could place her thoughts. It was like she was oblivious to the world around her, deaf to all sounds.

And while she was as numb and blind as could be, Sakura could see what Karin had done.

'This… this has been what she wanted from the start…' A small voice told her. It made sense. The rumors that she purposely started was all to fuel up this one cause and Sakura could not believe that she had lost her part… to Karin.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but Kurenai-sensei thought it was better if I was Juliet, since I don't have the history with Sasuke-kun that you do…" Karin started, but stopped when she noticed Sakura's blank response.

The auditorium is dead with silence for just a heartbeat.

"Sakura…" Kurenai murmurs, sounding genuine. "I can't risk this production failing because of fights. I'd hoped that sparks would fly between you and Sasuke on stage but you showed that it was probably too much for me to ask. You're an amazing actress, but I think it's best for you to step down."

'Step down? STEP DOWN? What the hell!' She internally screamed. Pale fury soaring like lightning, impaling her body to stone to the point that the rosette couldn't move to do something to her teacher even if she wanted to.

Kurenai looked back at Sakura with pity and she knew she had no choice. The decision was made.

Sakura felt her anger go out with a light, only to be replaced by all the sadness and devastation she felt before. Sakura nodded back, not trusting herself to speak. The massive lump in her throat swelled and her body even feels painful to move. It was like drowning… slowly, painfully.

'I have to get out of here…'

The viridian-eyed girl ignored the river building up on her tear ducts, blearing her vision and swimming around her sight. Her lips cracked into a big, trembling grin that almost made everyone in the room to flinch.

"Well!" Sakura's voice cracks painfully with forced happiness. "I'd better get going! No sense in me staying here anymore..!" Her voice fades and ends with the emotions that she is trying so desperately to hide.

The cast and teacher watches as Sakura breaks into a full sprint, her arm coming up to her face to shield her eyes as her mouth curved into a sorrowful grimace. Tears start to spill downwards onto her cheek and her wrist rubs painfully onto her eyes, wishing that she was unable to cry.

Sakura's feet run down the stage stairs and past Sasuke, who is staring at his shoes, and out to the corridor, her voice whimpering quietly while Sakura fought control to hide the sound of her sobs.

As Sakura's shoes stumble and race outside, she could feel a voice shout behind her.

"Wait! Sakura! Are you alright?" Karin called out from behind, her high heels unable to help her catch up with Sakura's sprint.

'No chance' Sakura says inwardly. Her feet take her faster than ever, running away from the studio, away from Karin, away from everything behind her while she slowly broke down.

When the adrenaline from her emotions finally dies out, the pinkette notices that her own body has carried her to the heart of the Orchard – to her and Sai's secret place.

Sakura's head is still spinning as she collapse into a heap of grass and she finally – finally, lets out the devastated cry of her heart. Sobbing uncontrollably, her shoulders heaving and her crying eyes shut tightly as her hands fisted the place above her heart, hoping that she could stop the maddeningly painful beat of it. To numb it. To stop it.

Hear voice continues to crack with the sound of her cries. Only to be joined by the hiccups of her short breath and humorless chuckle at how broken she is.

When the cries start to subside into a quiet sob, Sakura noticed soft footsteps behind her. Familiar shoes stop by her side as the person sits down.

Sakura's blotchy, tearful eyes meet up to see Sai's.

"Hey…" His comforting voice speaks out.

Sakura felt her body tingle as her face breaks out into a true smile. She can't find the words to explain her happiness of his return but she suddenly didn't feel like she needed to. His pale hands reach out and pull Sakura into a brotherly embrace. He stroked her hair soothingly and patted her back. Now buried between his neck and shoulder, the Haruno breaks out into another wave of sobs, this time silently thanking the comfort that Sai brought upon his return.

Hope

You

Review