Author's note :
This chapter basically special addition scenes regarding the story but didn't make it to the previous chapters because it will make the chapters way too long or the ideas just abruptly came to my mind after I finished the story but I find them interesting and amusing to throw it away. So, enjoy, these additional scenes from Sasuke and Sakura during their high-school days and feel the growing passion between these two!Deleted Scenes 1: The Dustbin Scene
One afternoon, I was watching the MTV Video Music Awards live from Los Angeles, and at the same time, Panic! At the Disco was performing their new song titled "I Write Sins Not Tragedies." Unfortunately, my mother called me from the kitchen. "Sakura!" she yelled loudly, sounding like a military commander in Vietnam or something. I had no other choice and could only sigh deeply. No one dared to defy my mother's orders, or I'd be the next Turkey Curry for dinner.
"What?" I grumbled, folding my arms as I approached the kitchen.
"Did you forget your main task to take out the trash?" scolded my mother, being fussy.
I rolled my eyes and half-heartedly did what this queen ordered. Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of my house gate with a large bag of trash and walked clumsily toward the large trash disposal area in my neighborhood.
Surprisingly, I crossed paths with Sasuke, who was also carrying a bundle of garbage.
"H-hi," I stammered awkwardly.
"Hi," he replied coldly.
After he rudely mentioned there was no reason for him to love me and no reason for me to love him when I had just arrived from New York and gave him a souvenir, I became a bit reluctant to meet him. I felt awkward just looking at his face. So, I decided to pretend not to care and threw my trash into the large dumpster in front of me.
I realized the weirdo was silently staring at me from behind, and unfortunately, I was only wearing ridiculously short pants that almost exposed half of my butt.
Fuck! Such a pervert! But he dares to act all high and mighty with me.
With annoyance, I turned my body, and strangely, he didn't lower his creepy gaze and instead shifted to judging me from top to bottom.
"What?" I snapped unintentionally due to embarrassment and discomfort.
"Take out my trash too!" he ordered rudely out of the blue.
I furrowed my brows even more and pouted my lips. This damn jerk! He didn't even use the word 'please' when telling me! Who does he think he is? Prince Charles?
Grumbling, I took his trash and threw it away.
I noticed for a moment he smirked condescendingly at me.
Stupid Sakura! How could you fall for this arrogant, heartless guy?
At the same time, Mr. Kurosawa, a middle-aged man and our neighbor, was walking from the opposite direction and accidentally crossed paths with us.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Kurosawa," I greeted politely, bowing my body.
Oddly, this fool next to me didn't acknowledge our older neighbor at all. Absolutely lacking manners!
"Good afternoon, Sakura-chan," Mr. Kurosawa greeted with a flat expression, without smiling. He seemed very tired after working all day on a building construction near downtown Shibuya.
"How's your wife?" I asked casually.
"So far, she's still dead," he replied with a weary face, shocking me.
Gosh, so many things changed around me while I was in New York.
"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Kurosawa. I-I'm sorry for your wife," I said, bowing repeatedly out of regret.
"It's okay," Mr. Kurosawa replied with a forced smile. "See you later, Sakura-chan."
He then walked past us as if nothing happened.
I sighed and looked at Sasuke, who had been staring at me all this time.
"Why do you keep glaring at me like that?" I asked with irritation.
"No reason," he said flatly.
"If you have something to say, just say it now!" I snapped impatiently. "Fine, I'm leaving!" I excused myself lazily.
Sasuke suddenly grabbed my wrist, making my heart race.
"I want to apologize for that time," he said coldly.
"What do you mean?" I retorted, pretending not to know.
"About what I said to you," he said sincerely.
"Oh," I responded, pretending to be indifferent and turning my face away.
"And wear proper pants. Otherwise, some weirdo might stare at you," he said grumbling. Strangely, there was a burst of redness on his face.
"Ha! It seems like the weirdo is the one talking next to me!" I retorted loudly.
"Whatever. I'm leaving," he said nonchalantly and walked away ahead of me.
"Hey, you! Sasuke!" I shouted in frustration because I couldn't fathom his unpredictable behavior.
"I won't forgive you!" I shouted insincerely. It didn't hurt to test him a little.
Sasuke immediately stopped in his tracks and slowly turned towards me. Surprisingly, his smile looked bitter.
"You're truly damn annoying," he said sarcastically before truly leaving me behind.
Both of my legs suddenly felt weak, and I felt like dropping tears. But I couldn't cry in the middle of the street like a crazy person. So, I decided to go back home and run straight to my room.
Sasuke is truly a cruel man, and I can't understand why I fell in love with him when there are many other men far better than him. I really want to tear up the diary entry about my first love confession that ended sadly, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to do it. As usual, I can only cry with my face buried in the pillow.
...
Deleted Scenes 2: Basketball Affair
This morning, I made a significant decision that I will take complete control of my life and become the perfect modern woman. I will develop inner poise and a sense of self as a mature woman of substance, complete without a boyfriend, as the best way to obtain one. I will not be paranoid about being overweight and will learn to love my thighs, as they are just the kind many men enjoy seeing.
As I was strolling around the basketball court area during the break, I remembered the book 'Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus' that Ino had lent me.
I saw the snobbish Sasuke engaging in a basketball skill duel with other boys.
Look at them, arrogant, foolish, and sweating.
Sasuke dribbled the ball towards the hoops, trying to evade Shikamaru's almost successful attempt to snatch it from him. With a single throw, he passed the ball to Naruto. Naruto ran past Shikamaru before being blocked by Choji. Then, he quickly threw the ball back to Sasuke, "Over to Sasuke!"
Sasuke smoothly caught the ball and jumped perfectly as he aimed it towards the goal.
Although they are pretentious pricks, sometimes guys can be gorgeous.
Unconsciously, my attention was captivated as I observed Sasuke casually wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, just moments before he reciprocated Naruto's high five.
The girls sitting in the bleachers cheered excessively, chanting Sasuke's name as if he's a Greek God or something.
One of those crazy girls is Karin.
Ugh, what's so special about that boy? If only they knew that I once defeated him in karate class. Girls are stronger.
The game continued, but as I decided to leave this madness and walked away from the basketball court, suddenly the ball that the boys had been fighting over rolled towards me.
"Sakura! Come on, toss the ball!" Naruto shouted while waving his hands.
Confused, I picked up the ball and hesitantly threw it back to Naruto.
Naruto suddenly teased me, "Check out the girl's throw!"
Complete with an exaggerated, flirtatious flair, he mimicked 'my style' of tossing the ball, "Ah, ah," Naruto mocked in a comically high-pitched voice, perfectly imitating my supposed coquettish technique. The absurdity of it all left me in stitches.
Unfortunately, Sasuke let out a soft chuckle and sported a condescending grin, making me think he wasn't all that different from those obnoxious guys.
I loathed the sudden spotlight, not for anything impressive, but because everyone on the field started laughing at me like I was a circus clown, even though I hadn't done a thing.
I folded my arms with a grumble. That jerk! I couldn't let my dignity as a sophisticated modern woman be trampled by foolish men like them. I was determined to prove that I was more than they thought. A genius, in fact.
But when it came to basketball, it seemed to be light years away from my skill set.
"Hey, idiot! How about taking back those words?" I snapped, unwilling to be humiliated like that by Naruto.
"Check your newly manicured nails. We wouldn't want them to get scratched!" Shikamaru yelled, jumping on the bandwagon of mockery. Frustrated, I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.
Everyone burst into laughter again. Shameless pests. Just you wait! I would challenge those foolish men to a basketball match against me.
"If you're so confident in your basketball skills," I declared with full confidence, "How about one of you plays against me, one-on-one!"
The group of guys laughed again, except for Sasuke.
That cheeky guy once again smirked mysteriously at me.
"Fine, I accept your challenge," Sasuke said suddenly, immediately putting a halt to the laughter around us.
His teammates, including Naruto, could only widen their jaws in disbelief at what they were witnessing.
"Okay," I said with a smug smile. Challenge accepted.
I quickly tied up my hair and took off the cardigan I was wearing, tying it around my waist.
Sasuke stretched his fingers, making a loud cracking sound, as if wanting to showcase how strong his bones were now in front of me, before receiving the ball from Naruto.
"Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!" chanted the girls in the bleachers - ugh, and boys too.
Confidently, I sauntered to the center of the court. After all, I wouldn't cry over spilled milk, and I couldn't escape like a coward from this challenge.
I was determined to prove that girls like me were far superior to this arrogant man.
Kiba swiped the whistle from Shino's neck and blasted it, making Shino hastily cover his ears. Sasuke, with his stubborn grin, began dribbling the ball in my direction. I attempted to thwart his moves, but my ridiculously short and tight skirt turned my effort into a comical struggle.
Ugh, I should have changed into something more practical before challenging the seasoned captain of the basketball team. Sasuke moved like an express subway train, leaving me in the dust. In a blink, he was right in front of me, and I wrestled futilely to block the ball.
Sasuke tossed the ball behind me, and I instinctively spun to catch it. However, before I could react, Sasuke effortlessly swiped it back, and when I faced forward again, our faces were unexpectedly inches apart.
My cheeks burned as Sasuke intensely stared at me for a few seconds. He then chuckled softly, mocking me, before breezing past.
I stood there in shock, attempting to calm my wildly pounding heart. I sprinted and leaped towards the hoop, hoping to block Sasuke, who was poised to score. Alas, Sasuke skillfully kept the ball in his hands and, with a precise leap, scored, leaving me defeated.
Fuck! That rascal! The entire field erupted in cheers for Sasuke, regardless of gender. It seemed no one was rooting for a clueless girl like me.
Naruto, in jest, yelled, "Sakura! Watch out, your skirt might slip off!" He burst into laughter.
"You damn Naruto! Just wait; I'll break your jaw so you can't talk anymore!" I snapped angrily, pointing at him.
"Boo-hoo!" Suddenly, everyone collectively whistled, mocking me in unison. Gosh, today was a real comedy of errors!
The second round began, and Sasuke, in a laid-back manner, as if belittling my abilities because I was a girl and shorter, dribbled the ball towards me. He even tossed it into the air and caught it again, seemingly sure I wouldn't reach it.
Sasuke, I'll prove you wrong! I'll unveil the true strength of a Haruno, that'll make you kneel, just like in karate class!
Sasuke, with a mocking smile, briefly eyed the ball in his hands, challenging me to take it. Annoyed, I tried to snatch it, but Sasuke threw it high enough for me to reach, catching it perfectly again.
This cruel man seemed intent on playing and embarrassing me. Sasuke dribbled the ball past me, taunting, "Come on! Try it!" with a smirk.
Pretending to applaud mockingly, I seized the chance to grab his shirt collar while he flaunted his basketball skills. Sasuke lost his balance as I pulled his shirt, smoothly taking the ball.
"Fuck!" he exclaimed as he nearly stumbled. I sprinted as hard as I could, dribbling the ball towards the hoop. Unfortunately, just as I was about to jump, the cardigan tied around my waist came loose, revealing my ridiculously short skirt and precious thighs to the scrawny boys around me. Oh, beware if my underwear is visible when I jump! I'd better just kill myself!
I reflexively focused my attention on retrieving my fallen cardigan and wrapped it around my waist again. Foolishly, I handed the ball I was holding to Sasuke while adjusting my cardigan.
With a triumphant chuckle, Sasuke threw the ball from a distance, and it flawlessly swished through the hoop. "Idiot," he taunted in my ear.
The crowd erupted in cheers for Sasuke, intensifying my irritation. Suddenly, the arrogant man brought his face close to mine. Sasuke, why do you always make my heart race like this on purpose?
Taking advantage of my disorientation, his large hand sneakily touched my waist, discreetly untying the knot of my cardigan. Shocked, I could only let out a small scream and turn to him in disbelief.
Laughter erupted from Shikamaru and friends, but Naruto looked grumpy witnessing the unintentional closeness between me and Sasuke. Briefly, I glanced at the spectators in the bleachers and saw Karin almost fainting in Suigetsu's arms after witnessing the scene.
Unconsciously, my face flushed, and I bit my lip. Oh God! What did Sasuke just do to me? What does it all mean?
No! This can't be true! Why did I let an inhumane man intentionally touch my private parts and defeat me thoroughly in a basketball game? Haruno Sakura, this isn't fair! Somehow, I have to beat him soundly, or he'll keep doing as he pleases with me.
I released my hair tie and dramatically waved it. Kiba teasingly exaggeratedly mimicked my movements.
Sasuke smirked condescendingly before casually dribbling the ball towards me. This time, I won't let him embarrass me again!
In anger, I spontaneously nudged his belly so hard that he cursed silently. Swiftly, I snatched the ball from his hands.
Trying to speed up my steps while dribbling the ball towards the hoop, Sasuke suddenly ran towards me and abruptly embraced my waist. Shocked, I turned to him, and my focus shattered instantly. How dare he sexually harass me!
It seemed he was trying to take advantage of my liking for him to easily snatch the ball from my hands. My face turned as red as a boiled crab when our noses accidentally touched.
Suddenly, all the memories from the past flooded my mind without regard for time and place. Memories where our faces were close during karate practice, and he was above me resurfaced uninvited, like a curse deliberately sent to me by someone.
My heart seemed to leap out of my chest as Sasuke looked at me meaningfully and dribbled the ball past me.
Sakura! Focus! He deliberately diverted your attention so he could defeat you! He's as cunning as a snake! Be careful!
As Sasuke was about to jump to score, I, frustrated, tripped both his legs, sending him crashing onto the asphalt court.
"Hey! That's cheating!" Shikamaru yelled in disapproval.
"Sakura! That's against the rules!" Naruto joined in mocking me.
"Cheater! Cheater!" the people in the bleachers shouted, accompanied by mocking whistles directed at me.
"Sakura, you don't deserve that score!" Kiba mocked, joined by a chorus of laughter from Sasuke's teammates.
"Tch! It's not like he played fair with me first!" I yelled in protest, pointing towards Sasuke, who was trying to get up. "He dared to grope my belly during the match!"
"Sakura, it seems like your underwear is showing!" Shikamaru teased, folding his hands.
Embarrassed, I quickly adjusted my uniform skirt. I lowered my head and bit my lip. Somehow, being laughed at like this almost made me cry.
Why is my heart so weak? No wonder everyone enjoys taking jabs at me.
I walked away quickly from the group of boys before suddenly someone wrapped my fallen cardigan around my waist again. I was truly shocked when I turned and found Sasuke right behind me.
What is this guy trying to do to me, actually? Does he just want to play with my feelings?
"Sorry," he whispered in my ear so quietly that it was barely audible.
For a moment, my heart pulled off a disappearing act. What does he really feel about me? He's truly hard to figure out.
"Thanks!" I said curtly before walking away from him, leaving the court.
...
Deleted Scenes 3: The Hidden Sides of Sakura and Sasuke
(Author's POV)
"Sakura, how about moving on from Sasuke?" Ino inquired as the two girls entered a hiking training facility in downtown Shibuya.
"I don't know. Besides, his behavior is really hard to predict," Sakura responded wearily. She then followed Ino, who walked ahead to the reception area.
"Welcome," greeted a familiar male voice.
Sakura was surprised when she looked up and found Mike, who now looked much more mature, smiling warmly at her.
"Mike!" Sakura exclaimed spontaneously, a mix of surprise and amusement.
The long-haired blonde man smiled, "Ah, Sakura. It's quite a surprise to meet you here!"
Ino looked back and forth between Sakura and Mike, clearly confused.
"Ah, he's Mike. My sparring partner in karate when we were kids," Sakura explained, introducing the handsome man to Ino.
"Wow! I didn't expect Sakura to have such excellent taste," Ino teased, laughing while also impressed with Mike's mixed-race looks.
"I thought you had returned to Sydney, no?" Sakura remarked, making small talk.
"Yeah, I spent about a year there, but honestly, I prefer living in Tokyo," Mike replied amiably.
"Why is that?" Sakura asked with curiosity.
"Since my parents divorced, I decided to live with my mother's family here. Uh, there are many details that seem more comfortable to share with you if we hang out for a bit after this. What do you think?" Mike offered with a grin.
Ino immediately nudged Sakura's arm playfully, hinting at the possibility of a better man for Sakura.
Sakura looked at Ino with a hesitant grin, but she couldn't reject Mike's offer. After all, he's an old friend too.
"We're booking for one session, complete with equipment rental," Ino said, seeming to be a frequent visitor to the place. The ponytailed girl showed her membership card to Mike, who promptly scanned it and entered the data into the computer.
"Here," he handed the card back to Ino.
"Don't worry; this time, it's on me," Ino said, smiling at Sakura.
Sakura nodded reluctantly.
After Mike provided the hiking equipment, including climbing shoes, Sakura and Ino sat in one corner to put on the gear.
Sakura felt a slight discomfort when Mike helped her secure the safety ropes around her waist. It wasn't because the Australian guy was behaving inappropriately, but more about Ino's expression, which seemed to be continuously teasing her when she was with Mike.
While climbing a large iron board towering several meters high, Ino, who was climbing nearby beside Sakura, brought up the topic again, "Look at how he smiles and treats you, Sakura! I can't believe you'd just toss away a guy as cool and Ashton Kutcher-like as him!"
"Ino, we've been just friends since forever. Besides, I heard when he was my sparring partner, he already had a girlfriend in Australia. So just forget it, okay?" Sakura responded lazily, trying to focus on finding support above her.
"Oh, really?" Ino teased again. "But it seems he's single now, no?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. She really wasn't enthusiastic about responding to anyone trying to convince her to move on from Sasuke, including her own friend.
After completing the climb and removing their gear, Ino and Sakura sat for a while in the waiting area to rest.
Sakura's surprise was evident as Mike suddenly approached her, offering a bottle of water. Ino cooed playfully, nudging Sakura's arm again. Hesitant, Sakura took the bottle from Mike.
Before long, a fair-skinned man entered the shop and headed towards Ino, who warmly embraced him.
"Sorry, I'm a bit sweaty," Ino remarked with a soft chuckle, gently kissing Sai, her boyfriend.
Sakura couldn't help but cringe at their public display of affection, finding it a bit excessive.
"Oh, look at her! After moving on from Sasuke, she found a boyfriend who seems perfect for her," Sakura thought, feeling a twinge of envy.
As Sakura pondered when she would experience something similar with a boyfriend, she stole a glance at Mike, who looked back at her with confusion. "Should I move on with him? No. I definitely wouldn't want to date an Australian guy," Sakura thought again.
After Ino, who had been continuously wrapped up in her boyfriend's arms, bid farewell to Sakura, she deliberately left Sakura alone with Mike.
"How about we stop for some pork belly?" Mike suggested later. "Besides, it's been a while since I had it back in Sydney."
"Okay, that's not bad," Sakura responded with a forced smile. After all, having dinner with an Australian guy was much better than going home alone.
As Sakura walked along the sidewalk with Mike, who took advantage of a shift change for a dinner outing, she found herself struggling to come up with a conversation topic.
"How's everything going for you now? I-I mean, after your parents' divorce and all?" Sakura nervously inquired after a stretch of silence.
"Yeah, I won't sound like a latchkey kid, but my father hardly contacts me at all, especially after he married another woman," Mike responded with a sigh, expressing a sense of sadness.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Sakura sympathized. "It must be tough for you, right?"
"Yeah, definitely," Mike replied, softening the mood with a gentle laugh. "By the way, how about you? How's life been since you came back from New York?"
Sakura bit her lip, recalling intentionally ignoring Sasuke, not bidding him farewell due to his harsh treatment, and instead saying goodbye to Mike by phone before departing for New York three years ago.
"Well, it's going smoothly so far," Sakura lied, forcing a smile.
"And how about the guy who was your sparring partner before me? I mean, what's his name - I forgot," Mike pondered, still unable to recall the name.
"Oh, Sasuke?" Sakura responded with bitterness.
"Yeah, Sasuke. How about him? Do you guys still practice karate together?" Mike teased.
Sakura laughed sadly, "Definitely not. He's a baseball captain now, dabbling in photography."
"Oh, why the sudden career change?" Mike teased. "Was it because you left him, no?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Mike!" Sakura playfully hit his arm. "Clearly, he doesn't consider me that important in his life."
"But he seemed smitten by you, I guess," Mike argued. "Maybe I was wrong. But when Sensei announced me as your new sparring partner back then, he definitely didn't look pleased about it."
"I'm sorry, but you're making a ridiculous theory, Mike. Sasuke definitely isn't smitten by me at all," Sakura replied, laughing at herself while gently hitting Mike's arm.
"How about your girlfriend, Mike?" Sakura asked, changing the topic because she felt uncomfortable with Mike continuously bringing up Sasuke.
"Well, I'm definitely single now," Mike casually remarked.
"W-why?" Sakura asked in surprise.
"She cheated on me with her neighbor behind my back," Mike said, pursing his lips. "It's the first time I've been cheated on, and it makes me a bit traumatized to be in a relationship again."
"That's horrible," Sakura said with a sad expression, sympathizing with Mike's story. "I don't know why, but when we love someone so much, they just dump us like that."
"Well, you're not a hundred percent wrong," Mike smiled bitterly, trying not to deepen Sakura's sorrow. "Hey, did you know in Sydney, I once had a pet lemur?"
"Really? I thought you'd have a koala. Besides, they look so cute on TV," Sakura commented with a chuckle, lightening the mood between them.
"The government has banned civilians from keeping them now," Mike retorted with a laugh. "Actually, I was interested in having them because lemurs are very noisy!"
"Really? I thought lemur jobs were just sleeping all day like fat cats," Sakura commented with a louder laugh.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke crossed the street after a bowling match with a group of boys from their school. They had decided to part ways with the group on their way home because their houses were in the same direction.
"Have you heard about LeBron James breaking his leg when he was about to shoot? That's terrifying, man, because his bone literally crawled out of his skin or something!" Naruto exclaimed with excessive enthusiasm.
"I don't know about that," Sasuke replied nonchalantly.
Sasuke had no intention of listening to anything Naruto was saying until his attention was abruptly captured by the sight of a familiar girl. His eyes widened as he observed Sakura laughing and smiling with a guy he also recognized. "Mike Walsh?" Sasuke thought silently, "What the heck is that guy doing with her?"
"What's up, Sasuke?" Naruto inquired when Sasuke appeared focused on something else. Sakura and Mike continued walking ahead, completely unaware of his presence.
Suddenly, an image of Sakura in a wedding gown, accompanied by Mike towards the altar, haunted Sasuke again. Unfortunately, this time, they seemed perfectly suited to kneel in front of the altar. Sasuke bit his lip as jealousy once again engulfed him uncontrollably. Unbeknownst to him, his deepest fear, which he tried to deny, was losing Sakura to another man forever.
"I-I need to stop by the convenience store first," Sasuke said urgently, "You go ahead!"
"Hey, Sasuke, dobe! What's wrong with you?" Naruto shouted, confused by Sasuke's sudden panic. Sasuke intentionally pretended to be deaf, ignoring his friend's calls. He quickly and discreetly followed Mike and Sakura, who were a few meters away.
He even pushed some pedestrians blocking his way, apologizing anxiously when some of them protested being pushed. Mike and Sakura stopped in front of a pork belly restaurant and entered together.
Sasuke could only watch the two of them sitting at a table from behind the window. He paced back and forth like a confused person in front of the restaurant, contemplating whether he should go inside and join them or not.
Sakura seemed to be laughing when Mike whispered something to her, and Sasuke immediately assumed it was something intimate. In reality, Mike was whispering the name of a Japanese girl he was interested in at his school, "Her name is Yoshida Reiko. What do you think, Sakura?"
Mike then showed a photo of a sweet girl with curly hair on his phone to Sakura. She smiled and nodded, "Wow. She's stunning!"
However, Sasuke, already consumed by the fires of anger and jealousy, could only hit the restaurant window with his clenched fist. A mix of frustration and sadness on his face, he decided to leave the restaurant.
Unbeknownst to him, Sakura had noticed his presence behind the glass. However, she quickly dismissed it, assuming that Sasuke's appearance was just her imagination, as he hurriedly disappeared.
...
In his room, Sasuke scowled as he unlocked the drawer of his study desk and retrieved his old diary. Alone in his solitude, Sasuke flipped through the worn-out pages until he reached a specific entry, where his messy handwriting boldly revealed secrets he had desperately tried to keep sealed within the vault of his heart.
"Haruno Sakura... I... I like you," Sasuke had penned three years ago.
He then picked up a small photo of Sakura, taken at the Legoland photo studio. Memories of exchanging photos after their visit to the amusement park flooded his mind. With a pained expression, he gazed at the small image of Sakura, as if she were smiling at him. Though he had torn the photo before, he foolishly reassembled it until it became whole again.
Suddenly, Sasuke burst into loud laughter, sounding like a madman. His mixed and confusing feelings about the girl baffled him every time he dwelled on them. The laughter transformed into frustration, leading him to tear the page where he had honestly confessed his feelings. He crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into the nearest trash bin.
Frustrated, he banged his study desk and ruffled his hair. Why weren't his feelings for that girl fading away, despite his determined efforts to erase them?
"Love is just a bond that chains you up in the past. There's no use in continuously thinking about that girl, Sasuke!" he shouted in his mind.
Deciding to get some fresh air, Sasuke rose from his chair and went out to the balcony. The sky grew darker, and the full moon confidently nestled amidst dark clouds. Sasuke took a drag from his cigarette, observing the quiet residential streets. Standing with an empty expression near the balcony railing, a glimmer of life flickered in his eyes at the sudden appearance of someone.
The girl he had sworn to forget suddenly appeared, walking towards her house. Sasuke was momentarily stunned, and his heart raced irregularly. The girl always brought back memories of their past, unfortunately, all of them were happy memories.
Recalling their first-grade days during the Tanabata celebration, Sasuke remembered Sakura walking towards her home after visiting the night market with her father. Sasuke, always antisocial and a loner, chose to stay silent at home, further complicated by suffering from chickenpox at that time.
Once again, just like that time, he could only gaze at Sakura from a distance with a gloomy face and pursed lips.
Exhaling smoke from his recently inhaled cigarette into the air with a wistful look, Sasuke silently observed Sakura. Unbeknownst to her, she felt someone quietly watching her and reflexively turned back.
Disappointed not to find anyone behind her, Sakura decided to continue walking. Once again, her instincts urged her to check her surroundings, and she glanced up at Sasuke's balcony. Unfortunately, she found no one there.
In confusion, Sakura shook her head and continued walking towards her home, only a few blocks away from Sasuke's. Unaware to her, Sasuke was hiding, crouched behind the balcony wall. He couldn't reveal to her that he secretly smoked, fearing her disappointment.
"Fuck! Why am I still trying to maintain an image in front of her? Didn't I vow to forget her?" Sasuke muttered to himself.
Why was he so afraid of losing her? Until when would the chain of love continue to restrain him and make him weak?
Sasuke tossed the cigarette butt carelessly when he heard his mother's voice at the door.
"Sasuke, dinner is ready!" Mikoto called.
"Yeah, coming!" Sasuke replied grumbling, waving away the cigarette smoke around him. The tobacco smell wouldn't vanish so easily, and his parents, especially his authoritarian father, would surely punish him by striking both of his calves with a rattan stick—an old-fashioned but effective method that would prevent him from playing basketball for three days.
Sasuke swiftly stashed the cigarette pack, his diary containing a small photo of Sakura, into the drawer, locking it securely. He discreetly placed the key under the bedroom carpet and then spritzed perfume on his shirt to mask any lingering tobacco scent. Feeling prepared, he left his room to join his family for dinner.
However, just as he reached for the doorknob, Sasuke hesitated and returned to his study desk. He retrieved the crumpled paper containing his confession to Sakura, which he had impulsively thrown away. Attempting to smooth out the severely wrinkled paper, he carefully tucked it into the folds of an encyclopedia book rarely opened.
Sasuke ruffled his hair, perplexed by his actions. He had claimed he wanted to forget her, so why was he still entangled in such chaotic behavior? It seemed that erasing every trace of his feelings for Sakura, buried since childhood, remained an impossible feat.