Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Thinking About You
(8.6)
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"/699/17.1"/
Sakura suddenly opened her eyes.
The darkness of the room convinced her that she could still go back to sleep so she scrunched up her face and lazily turned to her side. She then found herself face to face with a green dinosaur. Her eyes slowly closed as is still felt heavy. She adjusted the blue comforter so that her nose was under it.
But then she realized that the alarm that woke her up in the first place was still going off and now that she had recognized the sound she could no longer ignore it. Sakura began feeling for her phone but for some reason no matter what direction she stretched her arm towards she couldn't find it. She groaned in frustration as she finally sat up.
And that's when she understood why her bed seemed wider than usual. She wasn't on her bed. She wasn't in her house.
['N-No way! I fell asleep? It's probably gotten pretty late.']
Sakura quickly got out of bed and frantically searched for her phone that automatically went to snooze.
She found the lone item on top of the desk.
'05:04 pm / Sun, Sept 06'
She was suddenly startled when her alarm went off again and then she was reminded what the alarm was for.
'Wake-up-call:USasuke'
"Sakura?" Rin suddenly opened the door.
"Nurse Rin." Sakura was overwhelmed with embarrassment. "I- I'm sorry. I fell asleep and… W-Why didn't you wake me up? I've spent the night over."
"You looked really tired. But don't worry. I called your house."
"I-Is that so?"
Rin nodded.
"I… I'm sorry did I wake you up with that alarm?"
"No. I'm usually up at this time. Obito has also left hours ago."
"R-Really?!"
"Yes. So~ Breakfast?"
"I… No thank you… I have to get home." Sakura started smoothing down her dishevelled hair.
"You haven't eaten since yesterday right? I'm sure you're terribly hungry."
"I…"
As if on cue Sakura's stomach growled.
"I'll drive you home later. For now, let's get you something to eat. Okay?"
.
.
.
"I hate doctors.", said Mebuki.
"Okaasan?". Sakura was a bit startled to find her mother inside her room. "W-What are you doing in here?"
Mebuki was seated on Sakura's bed while reading one of her medical books. "Psychiatrists... to be more specific."
"…"
"I once dated a man who wanted to be a psychiatrist. We broke up /obviousl/y. He ended up marrying a florist instead."
"Eh?", Sakura was taken aback.
"And then, they had a daughter."
"EH?!" Sakura was now shocked.
Mebuki put down the book, stood up and walked towards the balcony where she lit a cigarette.
Sakura slowly followed behind her.
"I was always rather nice to Ino wasn't I? … Always complimenting her. Always smiling at her. Argh~ Boy was it exhausting. … But I had to do it. I didn't want her parents to think that I was still bitter about it. … Except, clearly, I was.", said Mebuki as she smoked her cigarette.
Sakura was leaning on the door frame as she listened to her mother's story in considerate silence.
"You know, your grandmother never let me live down how I ruined my chance to marry a successful man. … Not even when I started dating your father. Not even after we got married. Not even after we had you. … So~ whenever Ino innocently brought up her father, I was extremely… unsettled. It was upsetting enough that she was so much like him. … She wanted to be a psychiatrist too." Mebuki sighed.
"The more Ino talked about her parents, her home, her life, the more it became apparent to me what I had missed on. The life that was supposed to be mine. The life that I should be living." Mebuki took another quick puff at her cigarette. "Don't get me wrong. I love your father. But, you know! Envy. Insecurity. Discontentment."
Mebuki held her cigarette over the balcony railing and tapped it to knock the ash off. She then turned to Sakura, crossing her arms carefully and positioning them in a way that she won't burn herself. "You were a simple girl. You wanted simple things. All you wanted was new books to read… but I- I hated it whenever you were compared to Ino. I didn't want you losing to her. You were definitely smarter but… I wanted you to be prettier. I wanted you to dress better than her. I wanted you to act and talk nicer- … I wanted to- I wanted everyone to think that your father and I were the better couple. That we were the better parents. /We weren't/. … I wasn't. … I- I- I never meant for you to think like you weren't good enough."
Sakura moved from her position and joined her mother by the railing.
Mebuki turned around again to continue smoking her cigarette. She leaned her elbows on the railing.
Sakura mimicked her position.
"When you said that you wanted to be a doctor…" Mebuki sighed. "My initial thought was; the world must be… fucking with me."
Hearing her mother cursed made Sakura uncomfortable. She pressed her lips together and shifted in her position.
Mebuki smirked. "Boy was the joke on me."
"I'm sorry.", said Sakura.
"You're sorry?", Mebuki was surprised. "What for?"
"I never gave you a chance. I never tried to understand you. I… I'm sorry."
"No. I'm sorry. I lied to you."
Sakura was puzzled.
"I eloped with your father so your grandmother disowned me. I never got any support from her ever. This bathhouse wasn't passed down to me. When your father was forced to an early retirement he bought this place with his retirement money. I was determined to never ask your grandmother for anything until… you decided that you were going to become a doctor. But your grandmother… She just laughed at my expense."
Sakura lowered her head in guilt. She could only sympathize with her mother.
"The truth is, we never agreed to anything. We couldn't come to an agreement. … She offered to help you but in return she wanted me to apologize and admit to her that I made a mistake for choosing your father over her. I walked away from her then and there. I left without looking back.", Mebuki said proudly.
Sakura was surprised at what she had just learned but at the same time she was really impressed with her mother.
"Stubborn. Rambunctious. Hot headed. /You're just like me/. … That's primarily the reason why I was so against you becoming a doctor. I thought you were doing it all for Sasori. I didn't want you to end up like me. … The truth is, I've been saving money for your college all this time. I just made up that deal so I can see your determination. I wanted to make sure that you were going to become a doctor because that's what you want to do and not because that's what he needs you to become."
…
//"Maybe there was another option all along. Sakura they're your parents. Parents do that. They find ways to support their children. I find it hard to believe that they haven't been doing anything at all to figure a way out to help you the whole time."//
/"Do you really think so?"/
//"I do."//
…
Sakura suddenly felt a weight of her chest.
"I knew nothing about you.", continued Mebuki. "I guess you and I were blindly running circles around each other. We both thought we were better. I was wrong about you and I was very glad to be wrong- Err… Sakura?" Mebuki was startled by Sakura hugging her from behind.
"Me too! I'm glad I was wrong about you all this time. I'm really sorry for saying you were just happy to be relieved. The truth is, I've actually been dreading the day that I will leave for college. I was scared that when that day comes, you would just be happy to finally see me go and that I would never ever want to go back home. The only thing I truly feared was running out of time to make you proud of me."
"Silly girl. I'd be an idiot to not be proud of you." Mebuki retorted. She turned around carefully so she wouldn't burn Sakura.
Sakura loosened her arms around her mother so that she could move freely.
Mebuki started patting Sakura's head shyly but Sakura went for a tight embrace and didn't relax until Mebuki gave in and returned the hug with her only available hand. She eventually warmed up to the hug and smiled.
Sakura was smiling victoriously as well on her mother's chest.
.
.
.
Sakura was in the woman's bath, soaking in the hot tub.
She overhears some of the customers talking.
…
"It's been about a decade since this place was last renovated. Are the owners not planning to upgrade their facilities?"
"That's right. Lately it's been only us old people, ne? Sento nowadays is struggling to stay relevant. If they don't continue to upgrade their facilities they will slowly lose their customers."
"But doesn't it cost a fortune to renovate a bath house?"
"It does."
"For the past nine years, that couple haven't had any day off. Maybe they're getting tired of it. Maybe they'll be closing soon."
"Their daughter doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with this work either."
"But I hear that the owners are determined to keep this place running as long as they can."
"Then they should start planning a renovation to allow this place to continue for at least another decade."
…
Sakura was suddenly concerned for her parents. She slowly sink herself into the water.
['I have that scholarship grant now after all. Maybe I should let Okaasan use that money she saved to renovate the bath house.']
…
/"…By my endorsement, Tokyo University will provide a full scholarship covering your academic fees plus allowance."/
/"Just her academic fees? What about her accommodations and other miscellaneous fees? … How will you properly attend school if you don't even have a place to stay? And what about projects, seminars, workshops and other off-campus programs you will encounter while studying?"/
/"Your mother has a point. I'll see what I can do about it…"/
…
['I'll have to think of something too just in case.']
.
.
.
Sakura came back to her room after the bath. Now clad in fresh clothes, she walked towards her dresser while drying her hair. She then noticed the box that Orochimaru gave her. The untouched box was sitting on her dresser.
Sakura's phone suddenly rings and her attention is immediately diverted to it. She then picked up her phone.
"Hello.", she answered "Oh. Hi Ino… Eh? Seriously? That's a lot of homework! I was only absent for one day. … T-Thanks. Sorry for your trouble. Temari and Tenten too! … You're already nearby? … Okay! … I'll meet you downstairs."
Sakura ended the call and went out of her room.
.
.
.
It was already late in the afternoon when Sakura returned to her bedroom.
She glanced at the box that was still sitting where she left it and then at the paper bag she was carrying.
She walked pass her dresser and moved towards her study table. She then immediately started on her homework.
.
.
.
A few hours later;
It was already getting dark inside her room. She now had her table lamp on as she continued to work on her assignments.
Her father suddenly knocked on the door.
"Come in.", said Sakura.
Her father opened the door and peeked inside her room. "Sakura- It's dark in here." Kizashi turned the light on for her. "Dinner's ready."
"Okay. I'm coming."
Sakura stood up just as Kizashi retreated into the hallway. On her way out, she couldn't help but to take a glance at the box again.
.
.
.
It was past midnight when Sakura was finished with all her studying that night. She closed her notebooks and did some stretches before putting away her things.
She then turned off her lights and got to bed.
No matter how tired she was, she couldn't seem to fall sleep that night. She kept tossing and turning until at some point she ended up dozing off.
.
.
.
'04:38 am / Mon, Sept 07'
Sakura awoken with less than half an hour before her alarm would go off. But she didn't feel like getting more sleep. She sat up and found herself staring at the box that had suddenly been piquing her interest since yesterday.
…
/"…Maybe one day you'll look back to this day and feel like everything was just a waste of time. A wrong decision you made that lead to a very horrible consequence. You may come to regret it deeply.
You might be angry at Sasuke-kun. You might be angry at yourself. Maybe you're angry at him and yourself. My suggestion… Keep this. Hold onto it but don't open it until you're ready to forgive whoever it is that you need to forgive. You'll understand when that day comes. I promise you… You won't regret it."/
…
Sakura got out of her bed and walked towards her dresser.
…
/"…Sakura I beg of you. If you truly value your friendship with him. If you truly value the times you two spent together then please… Please forgive Sasuke. Forgive everyone who had to lie to you. /Forgive yourself/."/
/"Please. This is not-"/
/"It doesn't have to be right at this moment but please~ For him. For all of us. For yourself. Be happy Sakura."/
/"Please get up. It's okay now. I'll be okay now. I'm going to be fine. … I… Thank you. Thank you for telling me everything. I truly appreciate it."/
…
/"Sasuke-kun really was a wonderful person. He was so kind. So beautiful and captivating. I love him so much. I really, really love him. The truth is that even after everything he said to me I still do. And I'll probably love him for a little longer too… Please tell him that… I'm really glad I fell in love with him."/
/"He knows. It's Sasuke-kun were talking about here after all."/
/"And please tell him that I'll do my best so, whatever happens he must absolutely become happy too."/
…
Sakura sat down on the dresser stool and pulled the box closer to her. She then carefully unwrap the box.
She hesitated for a moment. And when she thought that she was mentally prepared to find out what was inside the box, she removed the lid in one swift motion.
Inside the box was a thick envelope. Outside and on top of it, was a folded letter that had two words written on the exposed surface.
'Thank you'
Sakura was moved by these two words alone.
She slowly picked up the letter and unfolded it to reveal what's written inside.
I hope that you're no longer angry as you read this. It would be upsetting if you end up throwing these away. There is money inside the envelope. DON'T GET OFFENDED. Don't worry, it is money you earned. The truth is if no one has already told you yet, that I had no financial obligation to Otogakure whatsoever so you weren't actually working to pay off any debt. I thought it would be a good opportunity for you to earn some money which will prove useful when you move to Tokyo. I hope that this can help you as you begin your new life there. I'm sorry for having kept a lot of secrets from you. I'm also very sorry for turning you down in such a horrible way. There is no excuse for acting that way towards you. I wished things would've turned out differently but before I even got the chance to know you, I had already made commitments. In all honesty, you becoming a part of my life is actually enough for me to want to change the way things are. But it's also because I met you that I finally understood my brother and this is why I must fulfil my commitment to my grandfather's company no matter what. I won't go into details but I want you to know that I had chosen to stay with you for as long as I could because that is how much I have come to cherish you. That is out of my own selfishness and should never ever give you a reason to feel bad about yourself. I'm sorry I couldn't thank you properly for everything you have done for me just like I promised. I hope things work out for you and that someday you find happiness.
Sincerely, Sasuke
Sakura fought her tears. She had a gentle smile hidden behind her left hand the whole time she read the letter.
P.S. I once took a moment to read something from that book I gave you. I still remember each and every word to this day. I'm not an expert. This may or may not be relevant information as the author had meant to put it in there as an anecdote but it certainly left a mark on me. 699/17.1
...
Sakura blinked. It took her a while to figure out what the numbers represented.
...
"Could it be?" Sakura stood up from the stool and walked over to her study table. She pulled out the thick book from her shelf and searched for a specific page.
['Six Ninety-nine.']
Sakura laid the book down on her desk. She used her left hand to hold the book open then drag her right pointer fingers across the page.
['Seventeen point one.']
'The hearts of a man and woman in love will begin to synchronize after the couple has gazed into each other's eyes for three minutes.'
Sakura's eyes widened. She found herself recalling a memory of a certain night.
…
/"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun! … If you're in such a hurry then don't bother! Just go home-"/
(Sasuke suddenly stopped and Sakura ended up running into his backpack. She almost fell backwards so she tried to grab his bag in an attempt to stable herself. At the same time however, Sasuke turned around on reflex and reached out to hold her in place. Sakura didn't fall. She was able to move her left leg back to secure her stance because her right hand caught Sasuke's left hand. Sasuke's right hand was stretched out, holding her by her waist. He realized that she was still bent back a little so he gently pulled her to help her straighten herself. His actions caught her off guard and she lost her balance so in order to keep her nose from being planted on his chest, she held her hands out instead.
She felt and heard Sasuke's heartbeat. Then she was aware of her own heart beating really fast. Blood rushed to her head. She blushed heavily and shut her eyes so tight.)
/"Are you in pain?"/
(His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She pushed herself back a little to look up at him and lost herself in his eyes.
Sasuke was carefully studying her facial expression, like he always had - as if all the answers he needed from her would be visible on her face. A car drives by. The headlights shone on them for a moment, illuminating Sakura's blushed.
Sasuke had a good look at her vulnerable expression and then, he was suddenly more aware. His eyes widened in realization…)
…
The tears she once was able to control could no longer be held back. Sakura's teardrops fell on the pages of her book.
…
…
…
A/N: The bathhouse problems and the (anecdote) were based on something I read on the internet.
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"/699/17.1"/
Sakura suddenly opened her eyes.
The darkness of the room convinced her that she could still go back to sleep so she scrunched up her face and lazily turned to her side. She then found herself face to face with a green dinosaur. Her eyes slowly closed as is still felt heavy. She adjusted the blue comforter so that her nose was under it.
But then she realized that the alarm that woke her up in the first place was still going off and now that she had recognized the sound she could no longer ignore it. Sakura began feeling for her phone but for some reason no matter what direction she stretched her arm towards she couldn't find it. She groaned in frustration as she finally sat up.
And that's when she understood why her bed seemed wider than usual. She wasn't on her bed. She wasn't in her house.
['N-No way! I fell asleep? It's probably gotten pretty late.']
Sakura quickly got out of bed and frantically searched for her phone that automatically went to snooze.
She found the lone item on top of the desk.
'05:04 pm / Sun, Sept 06'
She was suddenly startled when her alarm went off again and then she was reminded what the alarm was for.
'Wake-up-call:USasuke'
"Sakura?" Rin suddenly opened the door.
"Nurse Rin." Sakura was overwhelmed with embarrassment. "I- I'm sorry. I fell asleep and… W-Why didn't you wake me up? I've spent the night over."
"You looked really tired. But don't worry. I called your house."
"I-Is that so?"
Rin nodded.
"I… I'm sorry did I wake you up with that alarm?"
"No. I'm usually up at this time. Obito has also left hours ago."
"R-Really?!"
"Yes. So~ Breakfast?"
"I… No thank you… I have to get home." Sakura started smoothing down her dishevelled hair.
"You haven't eaten since yesterday right? I'm sure you're terribly hungry."
"I…"
As if on cue Sakura's stomach growled.
"I'll drive you home later. For now, let's get you something to eat. Okay?"
.
.
.
"I hate doctors.", said Mebuki.
"Okaasan?". Sakura was a bit startled to find her mother inside her room. "W-What are you doing in here?"
Mebuki was seated on Sakura's bed while reading one of her medical books. "Psychiatrists... to be more specific."
"…"
"I once dated a man who wanted to be a psychiatrist. We broke up /obviousl/y. He ended up marrying a florist instead."
"Eh?", Sakura was taken aback.
"And then, they had a daughter."
"EH?!" Sakura was now shocked.
Mebuki put down the book, stood up and walked towards the balcony where she lit a cigarette.
Sakura slowly followed behind her.
"I was always rather nice to Ino wasn't I? … Always complimenting her. Always smiling at her. Argh~ Boy was it exhausting. … But I had to do it. I didn't want her parents to think that I was still bitter about it. … Except, clearly, I was.", said Mebuki as she smoked her cigarette.
Sakura was leaning on the door frame as she listened to her mother's story in considerate silence.
"You know, your grandmother never let me live down how I ruined my chance to marry a successful man. … Not even when I started dating your father. Not even after we got married. Not even after we had you. … So~ whenever Ino innocently brought up her father, I was extremely… unsettled. It was upsetting enough that she was so much like him. … She wanted to be a psychiatrist too." Mebuki sighed.
"The more Ino talked about her parents, her home, her life, the more it became apparent to me what I had missed on. The life that was supposed to be mine. The life that I should be living." Mebuki took another quick puff at her cigarette. "Don't get me wrong. I love your father. But, you know! Envy. Insecurity. Discontentment."
Mebuki held her cigarette over the balcony railing and tapped it to knock the ash off. She then turned to Sakura, crossing her arms carefully and positioning them in a way that she won't burn herself. "You were a simple girl. You wanted simple things. All you wanted was new books to read… but I- I hated it whenever you were compared to Ino. I didn't want you losing to her. You were definitely smarter but… I wanted you to be prettier. I wanted you to dress better than her. I wanted you to act and talk nicer- … I wanted to- I wanted everyone to think that your father and I were the better couple. That we were the better parents. /We weren't/. … I wasn't. … I- I- I never meant for you to think like you weren't good enough."
Sakura moved from her position and joined her mother by the railing.
Mebuki turned around again to continue smoking her cigarette. She leaned her elbows on the railing.
Sakura mimicked her position.
"When you said that you wanted to be a doctor…" Mebuki sighed. "My initial thought was; the world must be… fucking with me."
Hearing her mother cursed made Sakura uncomfortable. She pressed her lips together and shifted in her position.
Mebuki smirked. "Boy was the joke on me."
"I'm sorry.", said Sakura.
"You're sorry?", Mebuki was surprised. "What for?"
"I never gave you a chance. I never tried to understand you. I… I'm sorry."
"No. I'm sorry. I lied to you."
Sakura was puzzled.
"I eloped with your father so your grandmother disowned me. I never got any support from her ever. This bathhouse wasn't passed down to me. When your father was forced to an early retirement he bought this place with his retirement money. I was determined to never ask your grandmother for anything until… you decided that you were going to become a doctor. But your grandmother… She just laughed at my expense."
Sakura lowered her head in guilt. She could only sympathize with her mother.
"The truth is, we never agreed to anything. We couldn't come to an agreement. … She offered to help you but in return she wanted me to apologize and admit to her that I made a mistake for choosing your father over her. I walked away from her then and there. I left without looking back.", Mebuki said proudly.
Sakura was surprised at what she had just learned but at the same time she was really impressed with her mother.
"Stubborn. Rambunctious. Hot headed. /You're just like me/. … That's primarily the reason why I was so against you becoming a doctor. I thought you were doing it all for Sasori. I didn't want you to end up like me. … The truth is, I've been saving money for your college all this time. I just made up that deal so I can see your determination. I wanted to make sure that you were going to become a doctor because that's what you want to do and not because that's what he needs you to become."
…
//"Maybe there was another option all along. Sakura they're your parents. Parents do that. They find ways to support their children. I find it hard to believe that they haven't been doing anything at all to figure a way out to help you the whole time."//
/"Do you really think so?"/
//"I do."//
…
Sakura suddenly felt a weight of her chest.
"I knew nothing about you.", continued Mebuki. "I guess you and I were blindly running circles around each other. We both thought we were better. I was wrong about you and I was very glad to be wrong- Err… Sakura?" Mebuki was startled by Sakura hugging her from behind.
"Me too! I'm glad I was wrong about you all this time. I'm really sorry for saying you were just happy to be relieved. The truth is, I've actually been dreading the day that I will leave for college. I was scared that when that day comes, you would just be happy to finally see me go and that I would never ever want to go back home. The only thing I truly feared was running out of time to make you proud of me."
"Silly girl. I'd be an idiot to not be proud of you." Mebuki retorted. She turned around carefully so she wouldn't burn Sakura.
Sakura loosened her arms around her mother so that she could move freely.
Mebuki started patting Sakura's head shyly but Sakura went for a tight embrace and didn't relax until Mebuki gave in and returned the hug with her only available hand. She eventually warmed up to the hug and smiled.
Sakura was smiling victoriously as well on her mother's chest.
.
.
.
Sakura was in the woman's bath, soaking in the hot tub.
She overhears some of the customers talking.
…
"It's been about a decade since this place was last renovated. Are the owners not planning to upgrade their facilities?"
"That's right. Lately it's been only us old people, ne? Sento nowadays is struggling to stay relevant. If they don't continue to upgrade their facilities they will slowly lose their customers."
"But doesn't it cost a fortune to renovate a bath house?"
"It does."
"For the past nine years, that couple haven't had any day off. Maybe they're getting tired of it. Maybe they'll be closing soon."
"Their daughter doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with this work either."
"But I hear that the owners are determined to keep this place running as long as they can."
"Then they should start planning a renovation to allow this place to continue for at least another decade."
…
Sakura was suddenly concerned for her parents. She slowly sink herself into the water.
['I have that scholarship grant now after all. Maybe I should let Okaasan use that money she saved to renovate the bath house.']
…
/"…By my endorsement, Tokyo University will provide a full scholarship covering your academic fees plus allowance."/
/"Just her academic fees? What about her accommodations and other miscellaneous fees? … How will you properly attend school if you don't even have a place to stay? And what about projects, seminars, workshops and other off-campus programs you will encounter while studying?"/
/"Your mother has a point. I'll see what I can do about it…"/
…
['I'll have to think of something too just in case.']
.
.
.
Sakura came back to her room after the bath. Now clad in fresh clothes, she walked towards her dresser while drying her hair. She then noticed the box that Orochimaru gave her. The untouched box was sitting on her dresser.
Sakura's phone suddenly rings and her attention is immediately diverted to it. She then picked up her phone.
"Hello.", she answered "Oh. Hi Ino… Eh? Seriously? That's a lot of homework! I was only absent for one day. … T-Thanks. Sorry for your trouble. Temari and Tenten too! … You're already nearby? … Okay! … I'll meet you downstairs."
Sakura ended the call and went out of her room.
.
.
.
It was already late in the afternoon when Sakura returned to her bedroom.
She glanced at the box that was still sitting where she left it and then at the paper bag she was carrying.
She walked pass her dresser and moved towards her study table. She then immediately started on her homework.
.
.
.
A few hours later;
It was already getting dark inside her room. She now had her table lamp on as she continued to work on her assignments.
Her father suddenly knocked on the door.
"Come in.", said Sakura.
Her father opened the door and peeked inside her room. "Sakura- It's dark in here." Kizashi turned the light on for her. "Dinner's ready."
"Okay. I'm coming."
Sakura stood up just as Kizashi retreated into the hallway. On her way out, she couldn't help but to take a glance at the box again.
.
.
.
It was past midnight when Sakura was finished with all her studying that night. She closed her notebooks and did some stretches before putting away her things.
She then turned off her lights and got to bed.
No matter how tired she was, she couldn't seem to fall sleep that night. She kept tossing and turning until at some point she ended up dozing off.
.
.
.
'04:38 am / Mon, Sept 07'
Sakura awoken with less than half an hour before her alarm would go off. But she didn't feel like getting more sleep. She sat up and found herself staring at the box that had suddenly been piquing her interest since yesterday.
…
/"…Maybe one day you'll look back to this day and feel like everything was just a waste of time. A wrong decision you made that lead to a very horrible consequence. You may come to regret it deeply.
You might be angry at Sasuke-kun. You might be angry at yourself. Maybe you're angry at him and yourself. My suggestion… Keep this. Hold onto it but don't open it until you're ready to forgive whoever it is that you need to forgive. You'll understand when that day comes. I promise you… You won't regret it."/
…
Sakura got out of her bed and walked towards her dresser.
…
/"…Sakura I beg of you. If you truly value your friendship with him. If you truly value the times you two spent together then please… Please forgive Sasuke. Forgive everyone who had to lie to you. /Forgive yourself/."/
/"Please. This is not-"/
/"It doesn't have to be right at this moment but please~ For him. For all of us. For yourself. Be happy Sakura."/
/"Please get up. It's okay now. I'll be okay now. I'm going to be fine. … I… Thank you. Thank you for telling me everything. I truly appreciate it."/
…
/"Sasuke-kun really was a wonderful person. He was so kind. So beautiful and captivating. I love him so much. I really, really love him. The truth is that even after everything he said to me I still do. And I'll probably love him for a little longer too… Please tell him that… I'm really glad I fell in love with him."/
/"He knows. It's Sasuke-kun were talking about here after all."/
/"And please tell him that I'll do my best so, whatever happens he must absolutely become happy too."/
…
Sakura sat down on the dresser stool and pulled the box closer to her. She then carefully unwrap the box.
She hesitated for a moment. And when she thought that she was mentally prepared to find out what was inside the box, she removed the lid in one swift motion.
Inside the box was a thick envelope. Outside and on top of it, was a folded letter that had two words written on the exposed surface.
'Thank you'
Sakura was moved by these two words alone.
She slowly picked up the letter and unfolded it to reveal what's written inside.
I hope that you're no longer angry as you read this. It would be upsetting if you end up throwing these away. There is money inside the envelope. DON'T GET OFFENDED. Don't worry, it is money you earned. The truth is if no one has already told you yet, that I had no financial obligation to Otogakure whatsoever so you weren't actually working to pay off any debt. I thought it would be a good opportunity for you to earn some money which will prove useful when you move to Tokyo. I hope that this can help you as you begin your new life there. I'm sorry for having kept a lot of secrets from you. I'm also very sorry for turning you down in such a horrible way. There is no excuse for acting that way towards you. I wished things would've turned out differently but before I even got the chance to know you, I had already made commitments. In all honesty, you becoming a part of my life is actually enough for me to want to change the way things are. But it's also because I met you that I finally understood my brother and this is why I must fulfil my commitment to my grandfather's company no matter what. I won't go into details but I want you to know that I had chosen to stay with you for as long as I could because that is how much I have come to cherish you. That is out of my own selfishness and should never ever give you a reason to feel bad about yourself. I'm sorry I couldn't thank you properly for everything you have done for me just like I promised. I hope things work out for you and that someday you find happiness.
Sincerely, Sasuke
Sakura fought her tears. She had a gentle smile hidden behind her left hand the whole time she read the letter.
P.S. I once took a moment to read something from that book I gave you. I still remember each and every word to this day. I'm not an expert. This may or may not be relevant information as the author had meant to put it in there as an anecdote but it certainly left a mark on me. 699/17.1
...
Sakura blinked. It took her a while to figure out what the numbers represented.
...
"Could it be?" Sakura stood up from the stool and walked over to her study table. She pulled out the thick book from her shelf and searched for a specific page.
['Six Ninety-nine.']
Sakura laid the book down on her desk. She used her left hand to hold the book open then drag her right pointer fingers across the page.
['Seventeen point one.']
'The hearts of a man and woman in love will begin to synchronize after the couple has gazed into each other's eyes for three minutes.'
Sakura's eyes widened. She found herself recalling a memory of a certain night.
…
/"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun! … If you're in such a hurry then don't bother! Just go home-"/
(Sasuke suddenly stopped and Sakura ended up running into his backpack. She almost fell backwards so she tried to grab his bag in an attempt to stable herself. At the same time however, Sasuke turned around on reflex and reached out to hold her in place. Sakura didn't fall. She was able to move her left leg back to secure her stance because her right hand caught Sasuke's left hand. Sasuke's right hand was stretched out, holding her by her waist. He realized that she was still bent back a little so he gently pulled her to help her straighten herself. His actions caught her off guard and she lost her balance so in order to keep her nose from being planted on his chest, she held her hands out instead.
She felt and heard Sasuke's heartbeat. Then she was aware of her own heart beating really fast. Blood rushed to her head. She blushed heavily and shut her eyes so tight.)
/"Are you in pain?"/
(His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She pushed herself back a little to look up at him and lost herself in his eyes.
Sasuke was carefully studying her facial expression, like he always had - as if all the answers he needed from her would be visible on her face. A car drives by. The headlights shone on them for a moment, illuminating Sakura's blushed.
Sasuke had a good look at her vulnerable expression and then, he was suddenly more aware. His eyes widened in realization…)
…
The tears she once was able to control could no longer be held back. Sakura's teardrops fell on the pages of her book.
…
…
…
A/N: The bathhouse problems and the (anecdote) were based on something I read on the internet.
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