Chapter 27 - Imperfection
'Knock'
Sasuke rose his head up from his couch in his room and looked over at the door then sank back down again. He couldn't believe it...Sakura was actually with that eyebrow freak!
Flashback
"Sakura-chan, I got our drinks!" Lee called as he came up to Sakura.
She diverted her gaze from Sasuke and looked at Lee. She then smiled and took the drink from him and held Lee's hand. Lee seemed to be overjoyed by her action and curled his fingers around hers.
He then looked past and suddenly saw him and waved.
"Oi Sasuke-kun!" Lee said cheerfully. Sakura silently cursed him in her mind and looked over curiously at Sasuke's reaction.
Sasuke just stared at them coldly and slightly jumped as Bara clung to his arm. Sakura's eye slightly narrowed.
"Who's that Sasuke-kun? And wasn't that girl at the mansion before?" She asked.
"Hn whatever, lets go." He said monotonously and started walking. Bara just sighed and followed. She just wishes he would open up to her more but then again, the media always said that Sasuke had a cold exterior with a warm heart. She guessed that's what made him hot and she just has to accept that fact.
Later that day, to Sasuke's luck they met up with each other again and this time he saw Sakura gave Lee a peck on the cheek. His eyes widened and looked away wanting to see no more. He hated Lee more than anything now. As much as he hated to admit it, he was jealous.
Yes, little Uchiha Sasuke was once again jealous but this time the only difference is that he and Sakura were no longer together anymore.
End of Flashback
"Sasuke-kun!" Bara's voice rang behind the door.
Oh shit, not her again...
Bara had wanted to spend time with him non-stop ever since he broke up with Sakura. And it was annoying Sasuke to hell, it's like she's...obsessed with him or something!
He checked around his room too see if there's anything that had to do with Sakura, or else Bara would get suspicious when she comes in. All the pictures have been put away under his bed. He sighed and dragged himself to the door. Taking a deep breath he opened the door and was instantly bombarded with hugs and attempted kisses.
Good old Sasuke had so far managed to avoid the kisses.
Flashback
They got back to the Uchiha Mansion and Bara entered the main building first. Carefully she took off her high heeled boots as Sasuke just carelessly took off his. Although he finished the task way faster then she did, he had to wait since Bara was blocking his way.
He impatiently waited and when Bara was done, he could not stop staring at her.
Oh my god, he's checking me out! Bara thought happily.
Oh my god, she is like a foot shorter without her boots! Sasuke screamed in his mind.
And so from that day on, Sasuke learned that Bara was shorter than Sakura.
End of Flashback
He was actually grateful that Bara was shorter than he thought. Otherwise he might never had avoided her kisses.
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked in a polite way.
"Sasuke-kun! You forgot already! Today is your school's graduation party, and Mr. Fugaku said that I could go with you!" Bara said enthusiastically and self-invited herself into his room.
Sasuke sighed and suddenly saw a little chibi Sakura beside his pillow. Oh shit! The doll!
He quickly sprinted past the busy Bara and dived for the doll.
"What's wrong Sasuke-kun?" she asked, looking up from Sasuke's collection of photos.
"Uh, nothing. I just-"
Woof!
"Ahhhh!" Bara screeched as Shadow went on top of her and licked her face.
"Get off!" she screamed and kicked the dog in the abdomen.
"Shadow!" Sasuke shouted at his whimpering dog. He quickly stuffed the doll under his pillow and went to his dog. He couldn't believe she kicked his dog!
"What the heck is that thing!"
"It's a dog....and he's my pet. I would prefer it if you call it Shadow and not a thing." Sasuke said steely.
"Ugh..." Bara cried out and furrowed her eyebrows as she wiped off the saliva from her face.
"He didn't mean it."
And he probably won't ever go anywhere near you again, since you kicked him!
"Well I just hope he would leave some distance in the future." Bara said glumly.
"In the future?" Sasuke echoed.
"Yeah, when we get married and start a new family." She replied dreamily.
The idea sickened him. Starting a family and etcetera etcetera.
"I'm sorry about this; dogs just don't mix well with me. I like them from a distance but I can't stand them up close. Plus I never knew you had a dog." Bara apologized.
This sucks shit...first I broke up with Sakura, than my stupid dad forced me to date this girl who can't stand my dog and kicks him! Why can't she be braver...I hate girly girls...I hate my life...
Sasuke didn't reply and gently rubbed Shadow's abdomen.
"Well I better get going and dress up! The party is only a few hours away!" Bara chirped, trying to act cheerfully. Then she sped out and went into her room.
Oh no...what have I done! I made Sasuke-kun mad...I should be braver and not kick his dog...I am so stupid! I hope I can cheer him up later...I have to make up to him some how...this is going to be harder than I thought...
Bara felt like crying, she thought everything was going to be perfect when her dad told her that Sasuke wanted her to be his fiancé. Something is affecting him and she knows it, and she's going to find out what that is if it's the last thing she does. Then she'll achieve true happiness with Sasuke...maybe?
Kakashi quietly observed the graduates behind his all time favourite book. Everything was just perfect except for two people. He was surprised to find Sakura coming into the gymnasium with Lee and felt as if the picture was wrong. As for Sasuke and Bara, well he already knows the news and expected them to come in as a pair.
Just by looking at his students or should I say, former students since they are about to graduate, he could tell that Sasuke and Sakura would not happy. Of course, he was not the only one who knew this. Anyone could tell just by looking at them, well at least on Sasuke's account. But one, who have not have known Sakura have to look harder to see past that fake, happy expression plastered on her face.
Shuffling his book away, he walked up to Sasuke who was with Neji and Naruto. Hinata was introducing herself to Bara since she felt sorry for her for not knowing anyone in the gym. Even though she was the reason why Sakura was hurt, Hinata felt that it isn't really fair to judge her as the enemy because of that reason.
It wasn't her fault that she was Sasuke's fiancée. Now Hinata was smart, and knows that in order for an arranged marriage to happen, one have to have the consent of ones parents.
In the mean time, let's go back to Kakashi. He walked up to Sasuke who was with Neji, Naruto, and technically also with Bara and Hinata. He grinned under his mask and made his greetings.
"Hey Kakashi-sensei! Who's your date?" Naruto asked slyly.
"Tsunade made a rule that staffs are not allowed to bring a date to the party, so don't think about mocking me. Also I'm not your teacher anymore." The former teacher answered smoothly.
"You were our teacher, and we're used to calling you sensei, sensei!" Naruto scowled and pouted.
"Hm, well how are you Sasuke? And I see that you have a very pretty date." Kakashi commented, acting as if nothing has ever happened.
"Hn." Sasuke replied with a short answer without even a slightest reaction while Bara blushed to hell. (Is that even possible?)
"What's your name?" Kakashi asked friendlily.
"Fuyu Bara." She replied shyly.
"Mines Hatake Kakashi, the former teacher of most people in the gym. Anyways, I better go see how Sakura and the rest of the bunch are doing. Bye!" he said, knowing that he had just spoke the magic word to make Sasuke's senses perk up. Then he left towards a group of girls on the opposite side of the gym.
Bara went back to chatting with Hinata unaware of the current situation. She still has no idea who Sakura is and guessed that it must be one of the other students. Hinata just pretended to listen to her while also keeping up with everyone else.
Sasuke and the rest excluding Bara followed Kakashi with their eyes until they eyes landed on the girls. Neji and Naruto found nothing new since they arrived earlier than Sasuke. But Sasuke on the other end found that Sakura was dressed as beautiful as always but the only thing that kept her from achieving perfection was the fake expression on her face.
He frowned slightly as he noticed that she was not happy and a vein popped out as he saw that stupid furry eyebrows talking to Sakura again.
She's not yours anymore so chill down, or else you're going to lose your reputation is you blow up suddenly. She's a dummy, and she would be better off now anyway. Just go back to the time when you guys were at war. Sasuke thought to himself and instantly let out a deep breath and leaned against the wall as if nothing has happened.
Wow, that was fast. Both Neji and Naruto thought in unison as they were amazed at how quickly Sasuke calmed down.
"Uh huh." Hinata answered without interest and noticed that Sakura has been taking secret glances at Sasuke. She sighed mentally and made an excuse to go to the bathroom. Sasuke also excused himself and left out the door to get some fresh air, followed by Bara.
Inner Sakura: I don't like this! That Bara is following Sasuke everywhere! Jeez, give him some space! He doesn't like it when people who are overly obsessed following him!
Sakura quickly shook her head and got rid of her cruel thoughts. How could she think so badly of her? She hasn't even talked to her and she's already judging her.
Inner Sakura: Hell no!
She couldn't help thinking...when was the last time she had used hell no instead of hell yeah? Probably never...
Inner Sakura: Sasuke is truly a jerk to make you feel like this...
Yeah I know, he's a jerk that's hard to let go... Sakura thought to herself.
"Yo." Kakashi suddenly appeared and interrupted her thoughts.
"Oh, hi Kakashi-sensei." Sakura answered with a smile.
"How are you?" He greeted, the same way as he did to Sasuke.
"Good..." she said hesitantly.
"And how's Lee?"
"Never better!" Lee said loudly, from behind Sakura.
"You sure sound happy." Kakashi noted.
"Of course! I had finally won Sakura-chan! My hard work has finally paid off!" Lee said proudly.
"...That's nice..." he answered after a few seconds.
The distasteful awkwardness had arisen between them and they all fidgeted around except for Lee who was too dense to know anything. Ino, Shikamaru, Tenten, and Katie were a few feet away chatting while giving them secret glances. For the day and evening they had successfully avoided talking about Sasuke that whole day.
They stared suspiciously at Kakashi wondering what he was planning this time. Awkwardness seemed to have risen around them and they were surprised that Kakashi just walked off after saying a friendly goodbye-for-now. They thought he was going to do 'something', whatever that 'something' is.
Suddenly Tsunade got the microphone and announced that the graduation ceremony would be starting soon. Parents were starting to enter the door and into the auditorium. Later on, after the ceremony the banquet will begin. That morning was just a get-together among the students and the parents weren't allowed so that they could chat freely and have their last words with each other before they separate their ways and go to collage.
Sasuke heard Tsunade inside the gym and sighed mentally for the millionth time that day. The whole graduation thing was such a bother and later, seeing his father would be even more annoying....
But not as annoying as Sakura... Sasuke smirked inwardly at the thought. He didn't know why, but deep down, it seems as though the only annoyance he actually liked was Sakura's. As for other girls, he just can't stand them...Bara was ok though...he think... she wasn't annoying to the point where she was just like Sasuke's fan girls. But annoying enough to make Sasuke uncomfortable around her.
To sum it all up: she just wasn't his type. She's nice and not bratty but he feels that she just wasn't the one.
His inward smirk gradually turned into a frown. No, she's far away from being the one.
"Sasuke-kun, I think we should go in." Bara said in a tiny voice.
"Hn."
Sasuke stood up and started walking in with Bara close behind. Just as he entered those gym doors he had a feeling that the rest of the day was going to be like hell.
"And as for the top achievers or the year, I would like to present Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke! Tied for being number one in the school." Tsunade said loudly over the microphone. Everyone clapped loudly and even whistled as the schools hottest pair...scratch that...hottest individuals walked up the stage.
They stood together, beside Tsunade with a little distance between them. They gaze only focused on Tsunade and no one else.
Inner Sakura: Shit...my heart is beating like crazy! Why does he have to be smart!
Grr...this is so annoying...why can't that old lady just call us one by one! Doesn't she know the current situation that we're in! Sasuke thought angrily.
"And I now present the First Class honor roll. Congratulations! You make Fiery Leaf High proud." Tsunade continued and handed them each an honor roll that was tied up in a pretty blue ribbon.
"Thank you." Sakura said as her volleyball coach handed her the roll for paper and hugged her. Sasuke on the other hand, just nodded his thanks and shook hands with her. Everyone clapped again and cheered for them.
They walked down the aisle and back to their seats. Fugaku was surprised that an average girl like her would actually placed first in academics with Sasuke. He wasn't surprised at Sasuke's rank since it was expected. He's an Uchiha after all and his brother was the top achiever when he graduated too.
Mikoto hugged Sasuke as he sat down and Bara said congratulations to him and wrapped her arms around his arm. Fugaku just shook hands with him and went on listening to what Tsunade had to say.
He doesn't even look happy...che some father...I bet he expected me to be first place... I hate my family name and its cursed reputation...Sasuke thought blankly. Whatever, as if I care about this whole thing...
Seeing the girl with pink hair suddenly made Bara oddly jealous. She recognized this Haruno Sakura on the day when she was at the mansion. She began to wonder who she was and tried to determine whether or not Sasuke had any connections with her.
The ceremony went on as different teacher's made their speech. Sakura just zoned out as she heard continuous droning from the mouths of the speaker. Her parents weren't even here to attend the graduation, and she was alone again. Everyone had somebody special and if she just died suddenly, she doubted that anyone would remember her. Maybe Lee would remember her. Lee was special, but she didn't feel anything like she did when she was with Sasuke. She only think of Lee as a friend.
"And now, the teachers would like to bid a personal goodbye to the graduates. Would all the graduates come up to the stage, single filled." Kakashi announced.
Suddenly the amplifiers connected against the walls began to play a song.
I will remember you,
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memories.
Sakura's eyebrow archedas she heard the song.
Inner Sakura: Do they play this song whenever there's a graduation? It sound so good but yet so sad...
Why did they have to choose this song! Especially at a time like this! Sasuke scowled.
Remember the good times that we had?
I let them slip away from us when things got bad
How clearly I first saw you smilin' in the sun
Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one
It reminds me of him...
It reminds me of her...
Those times, those memories, when everything was perfect...
Already people were crying as they hugged each teacher one by one. They are finally leaving Fiery Leaf High, their school. Their place where they communicate and have social lives. Their home for the past four years...It's a place where cliques and popularity exists...and for that to be over...it was just shocking...its also a place where there's friendship happening among teachers and students.... Those special factors are something that universities and collage will never have...
I will remember you,
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memories.
Suddenly Sakura started to cry as she hugged an unknown teacher. She didn't know why but she just started to cry. Maybe it was the song, maybe it was the memories that was kept on flooding into her mind. She looked over at her friends behind and saw that Ino, Hinata, Katie, and Tenten were crying too. But she guessed the reason why their shedding tears is because they're finally leaving high school. The boys: Naruto, Neji, Lee, and Shikamaru had grim expressions on their faces. She guessed they must be sad for the same reason.
Suddenly she remembered the first time she had kissed Sasuke, which happened to be her first too. It was so long ago, they were mysteriously locked up in the closet and she had accidentally tripped on something and her lips accidentally landed on his.
Inner Sakura: Damn this stupid song... 'Weep not for memories!' gahh..... It's making me remember the things I want to forget! God is too cruel... I need to stop crying! Damnit! Why won't I stop crying!
I'm so tired but I can't sleep,
Standin' on the edge of something much too deep.
Its funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word,
We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard.
Yes, its funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word and we're screaming inside but we can't be heard. Can somebody just stop shut this song up! I hate these songs...Sakura is crying...should I go to her?
No, you and her are NO LONGER together anymore! Don't you remember! You're the smartest guy in the school and you forget about these things.
But I don't have to comfort her as her boyfriend...
You're pride Sasuke! Pride! Reputation! Uchiha! Bara!
Her again...she'll get suspicious and maybe end up getting jealous of our past...and maybe even harm Sakura just like Ino before she had changed...Sakura is a strong girl...she'll get over it without my help...for Sakura's sake, I won't go to her.
But I will remember you,
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memories.
I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to lose,
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose.
Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night,
You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light.
I will remember you,
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memories.
Weep not for the memories....
The next day...
"Dude, it's so obvious that you miss her!" Naruto said loudly as he dug under Sasuke's bed, pulling out pictures of the Sakura and him.
"If you keep on ignoring Fuyu, then you're going to have a lot of troubles in the future." Neji stated and looked at Sasuke's chibi Sakura doll.
"This is so troublesome...why can't somebody just go: you, the girl over there and you, the boy over there, go and be a happy couple! Things would be less troublesome and we wouldn't have this kind of problem right now." Shikamaru said with a sigh.
"Well if that happens, then the world will be a boring place." Naruto answered.
"Will you guys just shut up? I didn't invite you guys here just for this..." Sasuke groaned and sank deeper into his bed while covering his eyes with his arm.
Bara had requesting to go shopping alone that morning so he thought he could tell his friends to come over to help him forget about EVERYTHING. Yet, the only thing they did was tell him stuff that he already knows. To make things more worse, he's suppose to go to this coffee shop and meet Bara there. He's the unluckiest guy in the universe!
"It's not our fault that you're depressed, we were just restating the facts." Said Neji.
"Yeah, Bara is nice and all but we prefer Sakura more. Plus, she and fuzzy eyebrows does not look good when they're together. When you and Sakura were together, you guys looked like a painting." Naruto mused.
"I appreciate your descriptions and all but don't you think I already TRIED stopping my father!" Sasuke said, emphasizing his words.
"But, you're not happy and she's not happy. Nobody is happy! Even Kakashi - sensei!" the blond cried and put aside a photo album.
"Hmm now I think about it, yeah Kakashi-sensei didn't look to happy." Shikamaru recalled.
"Whatever."
Sasuke got his pillow and put it against his face. Seriously, their not making him feel any better.
"I think you should tell Fuyu the truth about Haruno and break up with her. Then, go and get back with Haruno! Things will be much easier from then!" Neji said in annoyance.
"Neji! I never knew you can be so rotten!...But I like the plan." Naruto complimented.
"Pfft, whatever."
"Not you too Kakashi!" Fugaku cried out and paced around in the Uchiha Mansion.
"I just don't think this good for Sasuke!" Kakashi reasoned.
"Is there anyone in the world that would agree with me!" The father shouted out in frustration.
Kakashi was tempted to say no, but knowing his position, he wouldn't want to anger one of the most important men in the world.
"I'm just doing this for the good of Sasuke's future! Think about it, if he married that Haruno who is just an average girl in everyday life my company will surely fall! And if that happens, what can my future generations depend on?"
"How will it fall? The only thing it does to the company is keeping its current status and not making an extra ally! Sasuke is responsible enough to keep the company going! I know that because I have been his private tutor ever since he was three! Sasuke doesn't care if he gets to control one more company in the future!" Kakashi said in an angry yet calm tone. But he was never so angry in his life, except for the time when he lost his father. But that's a different story!
"Hatake Kakashi, I don't care if you have a teacher-to-student relationship with Sasuke! But know your place; do you know who are you talking to? You may not agree with me now but you WILL! My companies are the best in the world and I want to keep it that way for the next decade! No, not decade but forever! My ancestors have worked hard and so have I to keep it going. In each generation the company only got stronger! Not the same or weaker but STRONGER!" Fugaku said angrily.
Kakashi then kept his mouth shut, seeing that their was no way to make Fugaku change his mind. All he can do now is hope Fugaku was right.
Sasuke trudged his way to the coffee shop down the main city. He didn't want to drive his car nor did he want to ride his motorcycle. Driving the motorcycle would force him to let Bara hold his waist and he just wasn't ready to make any contact with her yet. As for driving his car, well, he didn't want to create attention.
Or rather, he didn't want anyone to know that he was with Bara. If a Viper (car) drove down the street almost everyone would stare in awe.
Arriving at the coffee shop, he saw Bara sitting by the window waiting for him. She waved and he sat down across from her with his hands in his pockets.
"Good afternoon Sasuke-kun! How was your day?" Bara asked cheerfully.
"Hn, it was ok."
"Great, by the way, I have a present for you!" she chirped.
Sasuke restrained himself from furrowing his eyebrows, why was Bara so cheerful today? Not like he wished for her to be unhappy but he had just replied a dull answer to her and yet she was still as happy as ever. But most of all, she had a present for him! What could it be? And why would she give him something? He was confused...yeah that's it, confused.
Bara got the bag that was beside her chair and placed it in front of Sasuke. The bag was small and it had some paper stuffing inside so he couldn't see what was inside.
"Um....thanks...."
As much as he hated to use that word, he had to say it because if he just nodded thanks then it would surely hurt her feelings.
"Well go on, open it!"
"Uh...I prefer to open my presents at home, in private...b-because then I can enjoy it more and I can be more surprised..." he lied.
Ugh, how he really hated to use all those words...those words doesn't fit him at all! He hated his father more than ever now. He can't even act natural to the girl that the old man chose.
Bara seemed dense though, for she still kept her happy smile and her bubbly attitude.
"That's ok Sasuke-kun, you don't have to open it now. I can't wait until you do though." She said enthusiastically.
Sasuke just nodded slowly in reply. Suddenly Bara noticed a gold chain dangling around his neck. A part of it was covered up by his hoodie. (Sweater with a hood) She had noticed it right away when she saw him up-close for the first time. But she never got the chance to ask him about it nor had she ever seen the other half of it since part of it was covered by his clothes.
"Sasuke-kun, what's dangling from that chain?" She inquired. For all she knew, it might just be a single gold chain with nothing dangling at the end of it.
"This chain?" he said boringly, while pointing to the only accessory he was wearing. Bara nodded curiously, waiting for his reply. "It's just a chain with a key dangling from the end of it." He replied dully, giving her the simplest answer he could come up with.
He got annoyed when he remembered that key was the key to Sakura's house. Why did Bara have to bring it up? Of course, he couldn't really blame her since she was just curious and that she wouldn't have asked if he had decided to take it off after he break-up.
"Can I see it?" she asked with enormous puppy eyes.
Sasuke sighed mentally and pulled out the rest of the chain from his hoodie.
"Why do you wear that key around?" She questioned even more as she studied the simple silver, jagged metal.
"Because...it brings up memories." He answered. At least that answer was half true, but even he didn't know the true reason. He just didn't felt like taking it off. Although it was lame to say, but the key was kind of a part of him now...or rather, it was only real connection that he had with Sakura now.
"What kind of memories?"
"...."
"Bad memories?"
"....."
God, so annoying...stop asking me personal questions...
Seeing that Sasuke isn't going to reply anytime soon, she decided to stop and then started asking questions about his personality which Sasuke reluctantly replied and occasionally lied when she really got too personal.
Finally after hours of hearing non-stop blabbing from Bara, she decided to leave the place and go back to the Uchiha mansion to hang around for a bit.
They walked silently down the busy street, earning attentions from strangers. The couple looked so perfect together that it was hard for them to ignore. Both had jet black hair while having dark mesmerizing orbs and the flawless complexion. Bara walked closer to Sasuke feeling very good and special. Although she doesn't like to boast very much, she can't resist letting other people see that Uchiha Sasuke was hers alone, and that they would marry and have kids in the future.
They turned around the corner, and noticed that the street had suddenly turned silent with hardly any civilians at all except for a beggar in the corner. Sasuke ignored the sudden change while Bara just stared at the beggar pitifully before dropping a coin in his torn hat.
She then dreamed about the never-ending future possibilities, and continued walking with Sasuke by her side.
"Lee!" Sakura cried as she ran over to him.
They were just on their way back from a date when a group of 5 ugly gangsters tracked them down in the alleyway. The bozos got angry when Lee struck down two of their companions and decided to give him a good beating.
He was thrown against the wall by the leader of the gang and his head smashed against the wall. Sakura quickly checked his pulse and was relieved that he was still alive.
Behind her, she could hear snickers and taunts and she angrily stood up from the unconscious man.
Inner Sakura: How dare they do that to Lee! Stupid jerks!
"Shut up." She said hotly.
The guys made a whistle and started to woot which pissed Sakura even more.
"So little pinky, want to get a booze and later-"
Before the leader could finish, Sakura angrily punched him in the face and glared at him as he staggered backwards. She smirked as his nose started to bleed.
"You stupid son of a bitch!" he shouted.
"F.Y.I, I'm a girl not a 'son' as you can see. But I don't blame you for not being able to tell a female apart from a male, hot-shot." She replied sarcastically.
"GET HER!" he commanded and soon, two guys started for her.
Shit...why did I have to taunt them! Now I'm in big trouble...
Inner Sakura: Kick there butt girl! They deserved to be taunted! Guys that's lower than shit deserves a good beating!
One lunged for her and she ducked quickly, causing him to fall over. The other one crept up from behind and suddenly held his arms around her preventing him from moving.
"Yo, get your butt off the ground! Stop acting like a sissy!" The guy who held her shouted. The fallen guy stood up, faced her, and spit on the ground looking at Sakura with anger.
"You are going to get it missy!" He spat, and cracked his knuckles to intimidate her.
Sakura squirmed around helplessly hating the fact girls will always be weaker than boys. So with some quick thinking she quickly stopped wasting her energy and kneed the guy in front of her at the part where it's most delicate. Clutching his thing between the legs, he fell down wishing he had worn more underpants.
Quickly she then dug the tip of her heels on the person's shoe, behind her.
Inner Sakura: Hell yeah! One down! High heels rock! A great fashion device as well as a superb weapon! Great for every woman's need!
The guy let go of her and screamed his pain, seizing this chance, she delivered one of her punches at the guy's face and kicked the guy's privy as hard as she can like she did with her other one. He fell down and started convulsing badly.
"Oops...I kicked too hard...oh well; it's his fault that he got beaten up by a girl." Sakura said triumphantly and looked at the two guys on the ground. She had no idea where she got the strength but was thankful for it.
Suddenly she saw a great shadow in front of her, realizing that there was one more member of the gang: the leader that she had punched earlier. She gulped down her saliva and turned around meeting a full grown man that was ready to punch her to death.
"Time to say buh bye pinky!"
She squeezed her eyes shot and prepared for a direct blow...
Inner Sakura: Ok this is weird.... It's already been 5 seconds...how come I'm not being punched to death now?
She opened her eyes and her jaws dropped as she saw Sasuke in front of her, restraining the guy with one arm. She had rarely seen him so angry before. But thing that shocked her most was his eyes. There was a tint of red in it...is that even possible?
"Uchiha..." the guy growled with clenched jaws.
The leader made another move to punch him with his other arm but Sasuke blocked it easily.
"Your face looks like shit, Sez." Sasuke remarked coldly before quickly letting go and punched his bloody face. It only took one punch for Sasuke to bring down a hulk which made Sakura wonder about him. He seemed to know him too, which made Sakura even more curious.
Sasuke turned around and looked at the surrounding. Two guys were holding onto their rods as if they're afraid that it would fall off. While another three men was unconscious. He suddenly smirked at the scene and looked at Sakura in the eye. They had no clue as to how long they were staring at each other, but broke their eye contact when Sakura suddenly saw Bara behind Sasuke.
She felt awkward seeing Bara and quickly remembered Lee. Scolding herself mentally, she rushed to Lee's side and shook him by the shoulder.
"Lee, wake up!" Sakura nearly shouted, but he did not stir.
"Lee!" she continued calling out to him as the two behind her just silently watched.
"Sheesh...Lee, if you don't wake up this instant I'll shave off your eyebrows!" She threatened. Just then, Lee's eyes miraculously opened and he sat up, rubbing his temples. He looked around and rested his eyes on Sasuke then at Sakura.
His face immediately fell as he placed the pieces back together. He was not stupid; Sasuke must've saved Sakura from the gang while he was knocked out.
I'm so useless...
Sakura cleared her throat to break the awkward silence. Lee snapped from his reverie and looked at Sasuke who was staring intently on him and Sakura. There was a girl whom he presume is Fuyu Bara. He got rid of his thoughts on the new girl and focused on the Uchiha.
"Sasuke-kun, thank you for protecting Sakura. Next time, I promise you that I'll take a better care of her." He thanked quietly, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. Then he started walking away. Sakura looked at Sasuke for a moment before quickly following Lee.
"Sigh...let's go." Sasuke muttered and started for the Uchiha mansion again.
Bara obediently followed and couldn't help but feel hurt.
Flashback
She and Sasuke were walking home when they suddenly heard a commotion in the front. They ignored it and kept on walking until they passed the entrance of the alley way. Walking past she saw a girl with two gangsters. The scene was unclear though, since she only saw it in the corner of her eye.
But there was a sudden flash of pink which made her think that she was hallucinating. Why would the colour pink appear in a place like that? Unless the girl was wearing the colour pink. She pushed that thought out of her mind since she saw no importance in that matter. Although she wanted to help the girl though...
That was when Sasuke suddenly stopped and ran back to the alleyway. In the process he dropped the little unopened present she had gave him earlier.
"Sasuke-kun!" she called and picked up the present. But he didn't answer; he just kept on running until he reached the alleyway. So she ran after him, seeing him pause for a while before going in to help the girl.
Arriving, she saw a very angry Sasuke and a girl in pink hair. The pink-haired girl that she had seen so many times in her life, but never talked to, was the one and only Haruno Sakura. Seeing her only made her remember her name even more.
Why was she here? Why was she at the mansion on that day? Why was she at the graduation ceremony? Why is Sasuke so angry is, she not just a girl that needs help? Why does she feel that Sasuke and that girl have some connections? Why am I soo pretty? (A/N: Ok, ok she did not say that but I just wanted to loosen the tension around here. :P Now on with the story...)
She stood in the back as Sasuke brought down the biggest guy in the gang. It made her fell more in love, just by looking at him and his strong physique. Now she will feel safe when somebody attack her since her Sasuke-kun will protect her. But as she observed her fiancé, she also noticed the eye connection between Sasuke and Sakura.
Curiosity was just boiling inside her body. No, not just curiosity...but also anger, jealousy, and pain.
End of Flashback
Sasuke still haven't asked for his present yet...he's forgotten about it...Bara thought sadly. They arrived at the Uchiha mansion already and both have gone separate ways to their room. She stared at the little present that she had bought this morning. Suddenly a tear rolled down her cheek. Quickly, she wiped it off with her hand and clenched her fists.
She must be strong; Sasuke-kun must not see her cry! She must live up to her name, for a rose has thorns and it shall not wither away like the cherry blossom.
Sasuke replayed the scene over and over again in his mind. He couldn't help but smirk as he thought of Sakura fighting both of the guys. Hell, he didn't even know that she could fight! Although he almost lost Sakura if he hadn't shown up at the right time.
At first he just thought it was a gang fight, but then he saw a flash of pink. He continued to walk though as he suddenly realized that the flash of pink wasn't a hallucination, and it might be Sakura.
Running over, he found that it was indeed Sakura beating up two guys.
Knock
The sudden sound broke his train of thoughts and made him look at the door. I wonder who that is...
"Its not locked." He said monotonously.
Bara appeared behind the door, clutching onto the present she had given him earlier. Sasuke mentally slapped himself as he saw it. How could he have forgotten about it?
"H-Hey Sasuke-kun."
"Hn."
"You dropped this earlier and I want to return it to you..." she said quietly.
"Oh...thanks..."
He got the present from her and held it, not sure what to do next.
"...." The awkward silence again. Finally Bara took a deep breath and summoned up all her wits.
"Sasuke-kun, I have a question for you." She said steadily. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue.
Gathering up all her courage once again, she proceeded. "I want to know about Sakura, and your connection with her."
There, she said it.
Sasuke's eyes widened for a second and sighed. He had been doing a lot of sighing lately. He knew Bara would eventually ask, and he saw no way to avoid the topic this time.
"Sakura came to Fiery Leaf High this year, around early spring. At first she and I didn't get along too well and we started to wage war against each other. But it wasn't like a serious war; it was just a series of pranking and such. Then for some reason, we started going out a few months ago and then we broke up just recently. So as for your question on my connection to her, well she's my ex." Sasuke explained and lied down on his bed, staring at his ceiling.
Everything made sense to her now, and she did not like it. She did not like it at all. He had explained everything all too well.
"S-So you guys aren't together anymore right?"
She had to make sure.
"Yeah...we're not together anymore." He said slowly. "If I was, then why would I be with you now?"
"Ohh..." She blushed at his comment, and looked at his handsome face. "Sasuke-kun, can you open your present now?"
"Sure."
He got up and started opening his present with no interest and saw that it was a silver chained necklace with a little arrow dangling from it. So that's why she asked me about the necklace earlier...
Bara didn't know whether he was speechless or thinking that the present was bad.
"So, do you like it? It comes in a set, see, I have a necklace with a heart on it and the arrow just slides into the heart perfectly." She explained and showed him.
He nodded his thanks and slowly put on the necklace without taking the other one off. Bara's feelings suddenly lightened and she quickly gave him a hug, making him jump a little.
"Night, Sasuke-kun." She said with a smile and disappeared. He quickly locked the door and took the necklace off. He felt guilty when he wore it. He didn't know what he was guilty about but the necklace didn't feel right.
Sasuke let out a deep breath and climbed out the window. Landing gracefully on the ground he went to the east garden where Shadow was. Since Bara couldn't stand him, he had to tie up his poor dog to the tree and let Jin take care of him.
"Hey boy..." he greeted and sat down beside his pet that was licking him to death. He untied the chain and leaned against Shadow as he looked at the stars. Sometimes he just needed spend time with someone close.
Sakura strolled around in her house not knowing what to do. She had done everything possible! Cleaning, watching TV, chatting on the phone with Ino, to playing with Yuki. She was bored. She couldn't go bother Lee now since he was resting. It was 1-o clock in the morning already. And she couldn't sleep either.
With absolutely nothing to do, she went out to her front yard and climbed onto the roof of her car. It was a stupid thing to do, but she just felt like it. Yuki bounded after her and together they sat on her car and looked at the stars.
"Do you see the big dipper Yuki? It's right over there." She said as she pointed to the sky. Yuki just purred in response.
"Oh and there's the-"
She stopped as she saw a figure staggering on the sidewalk. Then she heard coughs coming from the person. Holding her breath, she looked at the person quietly, as he walk past her house. As soon as the person was a few distance away, she continued to observe the sky again when Yuki jumped down from the car.
"Hey! Where are you going!" She hissed. Her gaze followed her cat and out to the sidewalk when she noticed something red on the ground. She got curious and went over to the spot. The red stuff was everywhere and she followed the trail to the guy who just disappeared.
"Its blood!" She cried. "I bet it belonged to that man that just walked by! Yuki, we have to help him! Judging by the amount of blood on the ground, he must've been pretty injured!"
Running down the street in her pajamas was a weird thing to do, even for Haruno Sakura. But an injured person was at hand and she need to tend him first, or at least help. The person was gone though so she turned around the corner.
Inner Sakura: He couldn't have gone very far...
Just then she saw him and ran full speed to him. The guy had his arm placed on the metal of the lamp post and it looked like he was resting. He coughed up more blood and he quickly wiped it away.
"Excuse me, mister." Sakura called out hesitantly from behind.
"Leave me alone." The guy answered in an icy voice.
Inner Sakura: You're such a rude jerk! I was just trying to help you know!
"But you're hurt!" She protested and placed a hand on his shoulder making him flinch.
"I said leave me-Sakura!" He blurted in confusion.
"Sasuke!" She cried out in shock.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I should be the one asking you!" she shot back.
Great, so this is how it's going to start huh? We finally talked, and it ends up to this.
Just then he coughed up more blood due to the excitement.
"Look, why don't you just come over to my house and I'll tend your wounds." She said worriedly and placed his arm around her shoulders, guiding him to her house. He didn't argue and coughed up more blood.
"You've been fighting again haven't you?" Sakura asked the obvious; remembering the time when he was also in a state like this.
"..."
"So how many did you fight this time?" she asked again as they went into her kitchen.
"Twenty." He replied casually.
"Twenty! What did you get yourself into this time! Last time you fought ten! But I suppose you won again right?" she fussed and brought out her first aid box.
"Yeah." He said with a smirk while enjoying the attention he was getting from Sakura. Ignoring the stings from the medicine, he studied her house closely; it's been like ages since he had come here.
"Meow."
"Long time no see." He greeted with a grin and stroked Yuki who had just jumped onto the table.
"There I'm done, but the cuts are more serious than last time. You should go to the doctor tomorrow, but for now I cleaned it and managed to stop the blood from flowing."
"Hn, I never go to the doctors besides my wounds will eventually heal."
"You and your pride." She said with a sigh.
"What's that suppose to mean!"
"Nothing, but why do you always get yourself into these kind of stuff?" she questioned looking at him.
"I dunno, those lowlifes asked for it. I was just walking around in the streets and some idiots just came up to me."
"None of this would've happened if you haven't been walking around in the streets. It seems to me that you go downtown in the middle of the night is because you want to get into a fight. You knew that people are going to pick up fights with you especially what happened this afternoon." She argued thoughtfully.
"....."
Sasuke sort of hated how easily she found him out, but also kind of glad that she understood him perfectly.
"How did you know?" he blurted.
"Duh, I know because earlier today you knew the guy's name which means that you had a lot of fights with them or even have been a part of their gang at one time. I'm not a dummy you know." She grinned.
"Whatever, you'll always be a dummy to me. Anyways, I better get back now." Sasuke said and got up to leave.
"Wait, eat this when you get home." She said hurriedly, "It's a pill that will replenish your blood loss. You coughed up so much blood already."
Sasuke did his famous nod-of-thanks and gulped down the pill.
"You don't need water!" she said in awe. Sasuke just smirked once more and went out the door.
"You know Sakura; you shouldn't help every stranger you see outside in the middle of the night. They could be faking their injury for all you know." He said over his shoulders.
"But you're not a stranger, and you were really injured." She said quietly with a smile.
"Whatever."
"Sasuke, thanks for helping me earlier!" She called out to him who was just about to disappear in the night.
"Likewise."
"Sasuke-kun, you seem to be cheerful today." Bara noted as they entered the movie theaters. Sasuke wasn't exactly smiling but he wasn't frowning either. She couldn't feel his dark aura today, which made her really happy. Perhaps Sasuke was warming up to her.
"Hn."
Sasuke was indeed feeling better than he had for the past few days. He even didn't feel the slightest bit annoyed when Bara held his arm too tightly causing his arm to sting a little bit because of the injury. He wore a baggy, black jacket today that covered his bandaged arms and long black pants to cover his legs.
They went inside the theater and sat on the second to last aisle. Bara quietly munched on her sweetened popcorn and they waited for the movie to start. They were watching the 'Skeleton Key'.
Sasuke knew that this movie was rated as a horror movie and wondered why a girl like Bara would chose such a movie instead of romance. But then he presumed that she must've like scary movies.
The lights dimmed as the movie started and the audience watched in silence. A few of the people were terrified by the middle of the movie while the rest just sat there. The movie wasn't scary at all, except for a few scenes, but that was about it.
Sasuke looked at Bara who was cowering beside him, holding his hand very tightly. His eyes then went back to the movie, as he found out that she was just like any other girl.
After the movie ended, they walked out the cinema and entered the mall which was connected to the theater. They walked down the shops when suddenly, Bara slipped. With fast reflexes, Sasuke quickly held onto her waste and prevented her from falling down.
Bara panted and grabbed onto his neck. Because of the position they were in, Sasuke had a difficult time getting up and Bara seemed to be paralyzed or something and was not making an attempt to stand up.
"Can you-" He was cut off when he felt lips pressed against his own. What the hell!
His eyes widened as he just let the girl kiss him. He was too shocked to do anything. Bara finally broke the kiss and smiled shyly at him.
Sasuke looked around and saw people staring at them. He felt heat rising up to his face and looked away, ending up coming face to face with Sakura and Lee.
Oh my god...did she saw that!
He saw a slight frown on her face but she quickly wiped it off and pulled Lee away. He watched as they disappeared into the crowd.
"I think we should go Sasuke-kun." The black haired beauty whispered, and tugged his sleeves. Without a word, he allowed himself to be dragged away.
"You can't do that!" Mikoto shouted. "I don't want Sasuke to be like us! I want him to choose freely!"
"It can't be helped Mikoto." Fugaku sighed.
"But he and Bara are doing just fine, Sasuke isn't doing anything wrong! What more do you want of him? He already followed your orders and spent his time with a girl he only met a few weeks ago. Why are you doing this to our son!" the mother cried with tears in her eyes.
"It's not like he actually has to start now. We're just doing everything early." He reasoned.
'Knock'
"What is it?"
"Sir, the young master has arrived."
"Very well, go fetch him Jin, and makes sure that he comes alone. We can tell Bara later." Fugaku ordered and Jin disappeared only to reappear with a very annoyed Sasuke.
"I don't like this." Kakashi commented dully.
"Be quiet Kakashi, I only invited you here so that you I don't have to explain what my plans are."
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked rudely.
"Where's your manner boy? Anyways, we can fix that later. But now I have some news for you."
What! I don't need anymore fricken news ok? I don't need my day to be ruined anymore! Can't I just be content for once!
"Hurry up, and get to your point." Sasuke said bitterly.
"On March 28...."
Hey...isn't that Sakura's birthday?
"So?" Fugaku inquired, waiting for his reaction.
"What?"
"What do you think?" The father asked.
"About what?" Sasuke questioned innocently.
"About the marriage!" His father shouted, getting annoyed himself.
"MARRIAGE!" He nearly screamed while choking on his saliva in the process.
"Were you even listening? You and Bara are going to get married on March 28, which is two weeks from now." Fugaku repeated.
"I'M GOING TO GET MARRIED! BUT I'M ONLY FUCKING 18!" Sasuke exploded.
"I won't allow such language in this mansion. I thought we raised you better Sasuke! But on to the point, yes we know that your 18, but just let me explain. Being married doesn't mean you have to have kids right away. I'm just stating that you guys get married earlier than most and do whatever you want in the future. I already talked to Bara's parents and explained to them about the situation and they agreed." He explained.
"What situation?"
"The situation where you and Bara will have a stable life in the future!"
Oh I get it, so in translation you mean that no one will get in our way and we will be a happy couple in the future. As if old man!
"Why are you doing this to me! I'm already dating a girl whom I have no feelings towards or whatsoever, and I already got rid of the people in my past life like you ordered me to! What more do you want from me?"
"There's always the possibility of you and that Haruno running off in the future." Fugaku said quietly knowing that he was a bad father for accusing his son of this. But its better be safe than sorry.
Sasuke's jaw dropped, he couldn't believe his own father would think he would do such a thing. Sasuke himself would be tempted to do so, but as much as he hated it, he was a guy who would keep his promises.
(AN: For those who don't know, if two people married than that means that the couple had promised to be together for all eternity.)
He had no idea that Fugaku would think of him to be so low.
"I hate you, do you know that?"
With that, he ran the room and out of the Uchiha grounds.
I know...Fugaku thought sadly. But it can't be helped...
Sakura went over to her mail box and checked if there was any mail. Sure enough, there were two mails. One from her parents and one that had no address on it, the second mail were oddly decorated with beautiful designs and the envelope was the colour red.
She decided to read her parents mail first and opened it up with a knife. Her breaths quickened as she read on. Finishing it, she opened the second mail. She dropped it the mails and ran over to the phone.
Hello?
"Lee? I need you to come over quick." Sakura said quickly and hung up. Just as she did, her phone rang. She picked it up and it was from Ino, Tenten, Kate, and Hinata. They had used the five-way calling so that everyone can chat on the same phone line.
"OH MY GOD, SAKURA-CHAN!" Ino shouted.
"Calm down Ino." Tenten said on the other line.
"I-I can't believe this...." Hinata trailed off.
"Did you all get it too? The red envelope?" Katie asked and panicked.
"Yes...." They all answered except for Sakura.
"S-Sakura-chan did you receive it?" They asked.
".....Yes...."
"Well what are you going to do? You must stop it!" Ino screamed.
"Ino...I can't exactly stop it...I'm just an a-average girl..." Sakura sobbed, unable to control her tears anymore.
"But you can!" Tenten encouraged, "You caught his eyes before, so that means that you're not just an average girl!"
"I c-can't believe they're doing this...." Hinata whispered.
"Yeah...Sasuke is going to get married...."
One week later
It seemed like he invited everyone to the wedding...even Sakura...I wonder how she is now... Sasuke thought with no emotion.
Bara had gone back to her family for the two weeks to prepare and spread the news about the wedding. Of course, she immediately agreed after hearing the plans despite the fact that Sasuke didn't even proposed.
"Sasuke?" Mikoto called from behind Sasuke's door.
"Hn."
Slowly, Mikoto turned the handle and walked inside.
"How are you feeling." She asked worriedly.
"Nothing." He replied.
"Everyone is so busy for the past few days...and your father has gone to the states again because of some emergency meeting." She informed.
"Oh..."
"Son, I want you to do whatever you think is right..." Mikoto started and stopped her speech, unsure whether she should go on or not.
Sasuke just waited silently for his mother to continue. Making up her mind, she spoke out her thoughts.
"And if you don't want to get married, then don't. Go to Sakura and tell her that the wedding has been canceled. I'll stop the wedding." She said without hesitation.
"What about dad?"
"I'll stop him too...so what do you think?"
"You're my number one."
"Sakura-chan, please cheer up." Lee pleaded the woman that was sitting beside him. But she just wouldn't stop crying. They had met in the park that morning and they had a long conversation.
Then unable to fight her tears again, Sakura started crying. He asked if she wanted him to take her home, but she just shook her head. So the only thing he could do now was try to cheer her up.
After seeing his attempts was utterly useless he stopped and just let Sakura cry on his shoulder.
"You still love him don't you?" Lee whispered sadly. Sakura wiped her tears away and nodded. Her eyes were puffy and red. She stood up and faced Lee who had followed her actions.
"Thank you Lee, for everything." She said hurtfully and hugged him. She had known that he had always known the truth, but just kept on denying it. She felt sorry that she couldn't love him more than just a friend.
"You're welcome, but just know that I'll always be chasing you incase you chase your mind." He joked while crying on the inside.
Neither did the two know it; a figure retreated from the distance knowing that he had seen enough to make him change his mind.
"Mother..."
"Sasuke! You came back so soon!" Mikoto said in surprise. She thought that he went over to Sakura's place.
Biting his lips hesitantly he spoke, "I would like the wedding to proceed."
"WHAT! A-ARE YOU SURE! Sasuke, are you OK!" She exclaimed.
"Yes."
"So you want me to not cancel the wedding?"
"Yes."
"And you decided to marry Bara?"
"....Yes...."