🌸Cherry Blossom Palette🎨
🌸Chapter 5: Fading Veneer🎨
Written by EmtenDew
Edited by P. serrulata
Author's note:
ED: At this point I think I should just call my editor a coauthor considering how much assistance he gives me. I don't know how he can run through one of these chapters in a few hours and send it back to me for reworking. Our goal is still to stay at least six weeks ahead of each release, and I hope to finish the actual writing sometime in October. I think we are on track but I'm not sure how long editing will take.
This will make four chapters spent on June 21. I know it took a while to get here but the next several chapters will see the timeline begin to advance. Setting up just took longer than I thought it would but I think the editing process is working. Please be patient.
This chapter goes in a direction I originally didn't plan when I first started but I like how it turned out. I think it's at least possible. Please bear with it if it seems a little crazy.
Also, Sakura's date, the boy Naoto took on in the judo tourney, has been given the name "Nobuo Takata". Takata Nobuo for the proper order.
Ask us anything and we'll add a Q&A section in the next chapter. I would be happy if you ask questions.
Please enjoy what I wrote.
June 21, 2018
…
…
…
Senpai-kun…
A bright light greeted Naoto Hachioji's sight, and he squinted.
Wha…?
It came again.
Senpai-kun!
He opened his eyes fully.
"Senpai-kun!" Sakura called. "Where are you?"
He sat bolt upright, remembering where he was.
"Senpai-kun," she repeated.
Turning his head, Naoto saw Sakura just peeking from behind the bathroom door, one eye regarding him through the haze of humidity snaking its way out.
He jumped up, "Oh, sorry!"
He'd forgotten to get her something to wear!
Back in his room, he rifled around in his closet and soon found what he needed.
Sweatpants with a drawstring… some t-shirt he was given at a school event… his favorite winter socks…
It wasn't long before Naoto was back outside the bathroom door, and he skirted against the wall, making every attempt to not see or appear like he was trying to see Sakura in a towel or her birthday suit.
Hell, maybe her bra and panties were already dry…
Steam continued seeping from the opening; the smell of his mother's favorite shampoo and bodywash came with it.
He held the clothing by the opening of the cracked door, "Uh… here…"
Blushing in spite of himself, he felt the pile of clothes leave his hands and heard a small "thanks" before the door was shut.
Before the door's lock even clicked, Naoto was already shy of the bathroom, his mind moving like a broken threshing machine.
Oh, geez, oh, geez, oh, geez, oh, shit…!
He'd had too much time to think about the whole thing, and now he was getting as nervous as he'd likely ever felt in his life.
Sakura Inori, the school's blonde bombshell, was in his house, and she was staying the night…!
No… Get it together, Naoto!
The worst part of the night was about to be right in front of him, and he couldn't fail.
He just wasn't sure what to do. He had a tendency to overanalyze everything, and it was getting in the way.
Coming to the conclusion he'd just have to say what he felt was required of him… as a man and as a friend, he figured he was ready enough.
So… he waited.
…
…
…
Naoto, after what seemed like an indeterminable about of time, heard the fan in the bathroom turn off.
Okay, this is it… Courage, Naoto!
Now sitting at the kitchen table, he watched Sakura shut off the lights and exit the bathroom in his clothes and spare house slippers he'd supplied. The pants hung loosely on her, and she'd rolled up the cuffs to account for her height.
Sakura seemed… restored. Naoto had never gotten a look at her without makeup, and that was a little jarring, but she appeared her normal, laid-back but brazen self again, a tiny smile gracing her lips.
It seemed the frightened girl from earlier, fretting over all of this, was nowhere to be seen.
Naoto knew better, seeing her waft over to the couch. There was no faking what she'd shown him, just like the last time. She'd merely had some time to rally herself, just like the last time.
But this was nothing like the "stalker" incident…
Sakura had declined the wool socks, he noticed, her bare heels visible each time she took a step. With a contented expression, she sat down on the couch and made herself at home, flicking off the slippers. Hiking her legs up and stretching out onto her side, he saw she'd applied quite a few bandages to her feet. With a sleepy mumble, she flexed her ankles pleasurably and proceeded to scratch a spot on her leg with a toe.
Waiting a moment, Naoto thought, and he began, "Are you hungry, Sakura-san?"
Yawning and resting her cheek on the ball of her hand, she casually said, "No, thank you, Senpai-kun~…"
Another pause; Naoto asked, "You had everything you needed? Are your feet okay?"
"Yes, Senpai-kun, thanks," she burbled. "I'll have to watch out for a blister or two, but they're fine… Do you have an extra toothbrush and stuff I could use~?"
She was acting like nothing unusual had happened! And she'd fallen back on that wheedling, coy tone she normally used.
He kept his wits about him, trying to find an opening, "My dad insists on keeping a whole box of new toothbrushes, so I'll get you one and some toothpaste."
"Okay…" she yawned again.
This was slow going…
Sakura was the one to break the silence this time; rolling onto her stomach, she rested her chin on both her hands, eyeballing Naoto, "So… can I just crash here on the couch? I'm beat…"
He had one better, "The guest room's the second door, right after the bathroom. It's set up for you."
The gal shone, "Oh, that sounds nice~."
She stood up, feeling her way back into the slippers, and made a beeline for the kitchen.
Okay… this is it… Just do it.
The time was now; Naoto braced himself, "Sakura-san."
Turning her head to where he was sitting, she cooed, "Yes, Senpai-kun~?"
"Please… stay a few minutes," he requested.
"I just wanna go lie down…" she hummed, unplugging her phone and revolving towards the hallway. "But could you please get me that toothbrush first, Senpai-kun~?"
Naoto stood, blocking the path, and she froze, incredulous.
He said, "Sakura-san, we need to talk."
"W-w-what?" her semblance wavered, and she tried to peer past him.
"What happened with your date?" Naoto challenged, keeping in her field of view; he wasn't beating around the bush on this.
Sakura's jaw twitched, "I… I'm going to bed. Please move."
The syrupy quality she gave to her words had just evaporated, and Naoto didn't fail to notice.
When she made to duck around him, he placed his hand against the wall, cutting off her route.
"What happened with your date, Sakura-san?" he insisted.
Sakura tried something else, crossing her arms and projecting an air of "chill".
"Don't worry about that guy," she unconcernedly stated, though she was rapidly becoming anything but. "I broke it off tonight with Nobu-kun."
Nobu-kun?! What the Hell kind of nickname is that?
At least Naoto could remember the guy's name now… Nobuo Takata.
"I think he'll keep his mouth shut," Sakura contended. "I doubt he wants this getting out any more than I do."
"…?!"
Her arrogance flabbergasted Naoto! Was this the Sakura he knew?! This was… sick…
Naoto persisted, gulping. "What happened with Takata?"
"Stop asking," she retorted. "It's over, and it's none of your business, Senpai-kun."
"Sakura-san…"
"Will you stop?!" she could no longer hide her frustration. "Nothing happened."
He couldn't help himself, and he used a couple of strong words, "You were running through that storm like someone was trying to rape or kill you, and you say that's nothing? Is that why you were all scared and crying? Why you wouldn't let me give you first aid? And you say it's not what it looks like! You think you can sweep this under the rug? You're not fooling me with this!"
She had no response for that, and she began to falter, unused to such behavior out of him.
"Don't act like this is normal!" Naoto sputtered. "It's not alright! Stop acting like nothing happened!"
"You…" Sakura's irritability visibly rose.
"What did you do?" her senpai demanded. "You're gonna tell me."
She stumbled, shrinking, "W-why don't you just-?"
"Tell me!"
"Why don't you just stop?!" she yelled. "Don't worry about it!"
"I sure as Hell am gonna worry!"
Sakura's arms so crossed that she was practically hugging herself, "Leave me alone…"
What a weak thing to say…!
Naoto was done with this, and he went for the throat, "You were leading him on! You screwed with his head and put out! When he went for it, you ran off 'cause you got scared!"
Sakura had turned crimson; she… couldn't hide it.
Naoto could tell that's exactly what happened, and it wasn't a pleasant truth. He knew she'd done this many times with many different boys; this was just the first time it backfired so badly, apparently.
He kept at it, "I know I'm right! I can see it! This is just like last year with the Game Club!"
She scrunched up, wanting to become as small as possible.
"What you girls did with the Game Club? That was stupid!" he reprimanded. "Did you even think about what might happen? And you? You never figured it could happen again? You didn't learn anything from that?!"
She scoffed, rebounding, "If it was so stupid, why'd you go along with it?!"
"Because I was stupid!" Naoto acknowledged. "I didn't think it was that big a deal! But things could've gone much different! And things tonight could've been much worse!"
"…" Sakura wouldn't look at him.
"You were toying with him! Did Takata even do anything wrong?! What do you think was going through his head when you ran off like that?!"
It took a few seconds to get anything back, but…
"I messaged him…" Sakura answered with some composure. "He knows what's going on."
Naoto was flummoxed by her ability to turn down the dials so quickly; she'd nearly been yelling seconds earlier. It was maddening!
"But how do you think he feels?!" he didn't mean to raise his voice, but it happened anyway. "For all you know, he might've thought the police were looking for him earlier!"
"…" she glowered.
"You can't mess with people like that!" Naoto's voice cracked. "Think about things! Grow up! Stop treating people this way! It's not right!"
"Shut up!" she cried out. "I don't care!"
She said that, but…
He knew in his heart she didn't mean it. She did care, but she wasn't having it. He'd be unconsciously holding back something, but…
"Sakura-san," Naoto labored to find words. "What would your friends think? Our friends?"
That stuck in her craw, and he could tell it hurt, but she wasn't giving in.
"They're not finding out," Sakura dismissed, trying hard to avoid his scrutiny. "It's none of their concern anyway…"
"You don't think it would bother them?" Naoto continued; even asking this upset him. "You really don't…?"
"…"
Many men—many people—would've already given up at this point, but Sakura's senpai wasn't some run-of-the-mill boy.
Naoto grasped at straws, and he let five words slip from his mouth, "What would your dad think…?"
…
Oh…
Immediately, he realized he'd hit a nerve, and it wounded her.
Sakura dropped all pretenses, her normally enticing manner falling to that of a cornered animal.
This was anger—real anger—something he'd never seen out of her in all the time he'd known her. He'd probably never even heard her raise her own voice until just moments before.
She thundered, her features vicious and strained, "DON'T YOU DARE BRING MY DADDY INTO THIS!"
He certainly would, "How do you think he'd feel if he knew the kind of danger you were putting yourself in?! That you were even doing this kind of stuff?!"
"I'm leaving!" she asserted, so angry her eyes were watering. "Get out of my way!"
"Oh, no, you're not!"
"MOVE!" she shrieked.
"I'm not letting you leave," he avowed.
When she tried to weave through again, he seized her by the wrist.
A panic rose in Sakura; she moved away as fast as she could.
"Don't you touch me!" she snarled, wrenching out of his grasp.
He followed her as she retreated.
Sakura, finding herself backed into the kitchen chair closest to the wall, forcing her to sit in it, tucked up her legs, "Stop it!"
"No!" Naoto hollered, guarding against her attempted kick, unable to get closer. "You're gonna listen to me…"
Pulling off one of the slippers, the only thing in reach, she swatted him repeatedly, livid, "Fuck you!"
Caught off guard, Naoto moved to protect his face, and Sakura escaped, moving under his arm. But she didn't get far, tripping on the overlong cuffs of the pants she was wearing and taking a spill.
Before she could up and run, Naoto was on top of her. As he tried to get ahold of her, she was scratching his face, her thumb pulling painfully at the corner of his mouth.
His eyes shut, he somehow got her by the wrists, rolled her flat on her back, and pinned her upper body.
Seething, she struggled to kick and pull him over and off of her.
In response, Naoto pinned her legs using his own, shifting his weight further back onto her pelvis, and all she could do was scream and writhe, growing redder and redder in the face.
"Cut it out!" he shouted.
Her chest heaving, she stared daggers at him, struggling for all she was worth, "Get off, you asshole!"
"I won't," was his response.
"Get off!"
"You're gonna listen to me," he panted.
Practically howling, Sakura raged a moment, only succeeding in tiring her arms; she huffed and puffed, ultimately burning herself out.
Once she'd stopped thrashing around, Naoto asked the wheezing girl, "Are you done?"
Hawking, she spat in his eye.
Naoto grunted in surprise and irritation, the thick stream of saliva already running down his nose and onto Sakura's collar.
Wiping his face as best he could on the shoulder of his t-shirt, he glared at her.
She paled, shocked at her own action. The winded gal… realized she'd made a mistake.
But Naoto wasn't that kind of a man.
He had trouble keeping his left eye open, his eyelashes a mess of spittle, "Now are you done?"
His reaction surprised Sakura more than if he'd struck her.
Her mouth opened and shut as she continued breathing hard, and it took a few seconds to form words, "What's your deal?!"
Naoto didn't answer; he just looked at her, unsure of anything, an awful twinge in his stomach.
Presently, he saw a realization of some sort gradually spread across Sakura's features; it was an ugly and deviant thing. She leered.
"Oh… I see…" she giggled nastily; it came out raspy. "You think you're gonna become a man tonight, huh~?"
Struck by the unpleasant tenor he'd just heard emerge, not to mention the way she was looking at him, Naoto's insides were in knots. He was disgusted and lowered his gaze, unable to hold up. Was she…?!
Realizing he was teetering on the brink of something, she touted, "You know, you didn't have to go through all this trouble. You? All you would've had to do was ask~…"
This isn't right…
"Senpai-kun~…"
No…
"Or should I call you… Virgin-kun~?" she coughed, a devilish grin showing.
This isn't you…
"I'll tell you a little secret, Virgin-kun~," she susurrated, a heavy blush rising. "I think you'll like it."
Stop…
"Whatever you might think about me… whatever you might hear… there's something you should know."
I don't wanna know…
"Want me to tell you?"
Please… stop…
"Contrary to popular belief… I'm a virgin, Senpai-kun~…" she imparted.
…!
"I really am~."
…
"You think you're ready to be a man," she blustered. "But are you man enough to make a woman out of me~?"
…
"Can you take that kind of pressure? Senpai-kun~?"
She drew out the -kun, tightening her buttocks and pressing her womanhood upwards towards his manhood.
…!
"So, Virgin-kun…" Sakura breathed. "What'll it be~?"
Several seconds passed, and Naoto's eyes returned to hers; they drilled into her.
It scared her.
Whatever she'd been doing… feeling… fell off like a rotten tree branch in a high wind, "…Senpai-kun?"
"…"
Sakura's voice shook a little, her eyes twitching, "What are you doing…?"
Again, he didn't answer.
A stricken demeanor crossed her countenance; it was a gruesome comprehension.
Fresh tears sprung up, filling Sakura's vision; she gasped, "What are you gonna do to me…?"
"…"
She felt his hands tense around her wrists, "Senpai-kun?"
"…!" he gritted his teeth.
"No…" she gulped.
"…!" Naoto's nostrils flared.
With that, Sakura threw out all her impudence, giving into a raw and woeful terror.
"No!" she bawled, struggling in vain. "Please! No! Don't, Senpai-kun!"
Turning her head to the side, she sobbed feebly, body exhausted and succumbing to his overpowering her. She had no strength left to fight.
Naoto hadn't been ready to say anything yet, but… the fact Sakura even thought he'd…
He felt his heart break for her.
Never!
"Do you really think that I'd do that?" he exclaimed.
For the second time that night, Sakura was stunned into silence; she blinked, bewildered, her vision returning to center.
"Really…" Naoto couldn't hold back the sob. "Is that really what you think about me?"
"…" her streaming, frightened eyes told him nothing.
"I'm worried about you!" he cried.
"…"
"…"
An entire moment seemed to pass, and all that could be heard was their diminishing panting.
Sakura was sooner able to speak.
Still in tears, she once more turned her head back to the side, "…This isn't your business…"
This again?!
Naoto roared back, "YOU'RE STUPID IF YOU THINK IT'S NOT MY BUSINESS!"
"It's not…!" she forced out, a fresh sob strangling her.
"IT IS MY BUSINESS, YOU IDIOT!"
"Screw you!" she was crying again. "It's not your business! Why would it be your business?!"
"Because I'm worried!"
She bristled, raising her face as close as she could to his, "Why would you worry…?! WHY?!"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE MY FRIEND, AND I CARE ABOUT YOU!" he blurted out.
…
Sakura fell back, an emptiness coming over her.
Then, Naoto observed something new arise in her. Something was cracking.
"This isn't you, Sakura-san…" he declared. "Please… I want you to stop."
"Senpai-kun…?" she barely mouthed it.
He wept, "If something happened to you… and I knew about all this… I couldn't face our friends… your family… I couldn't live with myself…!"
"I…" she murmured.
"Please, Sakura-san… stop doing this…!"
"…" her eyes widened.
Naoto could see it:
Something clicked, somewhere behind those big, soft, brown eyes… Something snapped.
And it all just spilled out. Sakura broke.
Naoto rolled off of her, sniffling, and they lay side by side on the kitchen floor. Sakura's haunting wails tore through him, and his heart hurt for her. His vision clouded by his own crying, the lights from the ceiling appeared muddled and far away.
To his right, Sakura had turned his way, body tucked as she sobbed into her forearms.
He couldn't leave things like this. Not having far to move, he shimmied over and found her hands. The second she realized he was there, she latched onto his arm, pouring her sorrow into his shirt sleeve. Following what his instincts said, he rolled towards her and put his other arm around her back, his fingers lacing into her hair. She responded by burying herself in his bosom.
Face to face, the two lay there in their strange embrace.
After a time, their tears began to subside, but it was a while before they would sit up again; the both of them had dozed off, spent and exhausted.
…
…
…
"We didn't have an umbrella, so the two of us went to that all-night manga café near the library… It got us out of the rain, and we figured on just staying there until it let up, so we bought a couple of cans of coffee. I decided to get comfortable, so I took off my shoes and jacket to rest on the couch we got in one of the rooms."
It was later, and Sakura had begun to relate the story of her night, she and Naoto sitting shoulder to shoulder against the kitchen cabinets.
She groaned, "I… teased him… Nobu-kun. I thought he was too nervous, but when I… 'invited' him in after a kiss, he didn't even hesitate. I wasn't ready… Not for that or for him to try anything… It's never happened before. No one's… ever called me on it."
Naoto just listened, letting her take her time. This was awkward, but it wasn't any more so than waking up face to face with her on the tile, his right arm completely asleep.
Shaking slightly, Sakura pulled her legs to her chest, hugging them, "I… told him 'no', but he thought I was playing around… He… wasn't wrong to think that. It's what I always did with him."
"…"
"No one came to see… when I yelled for help. I think there was only one person working, and we were the only customers. We'd shut the door, so maybe no one could hear…"
Naoto cautiously asked, "That's when you ran?"
"Yes… I got scared when he grabbed me, and I just ran away. I just panicked… I left behind my jacket, shoes, purse… That was when my blouse tore; he was holding onto it when I tried to get away."
"So, he didn't do anything wrong…" Naoto figured.
Sakura shook her head, "Never… He was never anything but nice to me… and I…"
The young man only nodded; she didn't need to say it.
She nearly whispered, forehead touching her knees. "I just thought… if I could… just seem sure about everything, then things would finally be okay."
Naoto felt Sakura's body wrack, and she resumed weeping.
"I don't know what to do, Senpai-kun…" she cried. "I can't do this anymore! I… I don't wanna do this anymore! I just want someone to like me for me…"
He wasn't sure just what she was talking about. He wasn't even sure what to do or what she should do. He had no idea how to move from this or how she would cope! He wasn't even sure if this was real! It still didn't feel too real…
But he knew Sakura was his friend, and she was beside him, crying. He knew she needed him, and he'd be there for her.
In the heat of the moment, earlier, he'd forgotten himself. He'd thought nothing of his anxiety towards girls, being so worked up. But now… it came back! Before him was a pretty girl… and he was scared of her!
Still, a man does what is required of him; that's what it is to be a man.
Trying to push down his nervousness and almost succeeding, Naoto slowly and gingerly put his arm around her and pulled his friend close. She responded in turn, clasping his hand, draped over her right shoulder, and soon found solace.
Feeling her calming down, he eventually checked the clock in the kitchen:
2:03 a.m.?!
The night had really gotten away from them.
"Are you hungry?" asking Sakura, Naoto realized he was, and he gently uncoupled from her.
She blinked at him, a rather blank stare greeting his question.
It suddenly seemed like a strange thing to say, right out of the blue, and Naoto was embarrassed. He felt like an ass, "ruining the moment", but his query didn't go off one-sided.
At the thought of food, Sakura nodded eagerly, looking better than she had for most of the night.
She rubbed at her eyes, "I really am, Senpai-kun, thanks."
"…" Naoto beamed; sometimes he managed to hit the nail on the head.
She rewarded him with a sad half-smile, brushing a stray tear from her cheek, "What have you got?"
He sighed, trying not to give the impression he was too disappointed.
He was giving away his delicious leftovers, after all, "I've got pizza, fried chicken, and these pretzels nobody else seems to like."
Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading!
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