Chapter one - First meeting

Four-year-old Sakura was toddling into the woods away from her house. Her parents were fighting, again. Over what this time, nobody knows, and she certainly didn't care.

But it goes something like this: what will Sakura's future be?

Well, in Sakura's opinion, it's really stupid fighting over something she very well intends on deciding for herself. Although, she hasn't given it much thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a voice in the distance. Approaching, she found herself on the edge of a clearing. It had so many objects thrown around, from weird looking knives to weird looking star -thingies, to battered and odd looking dolls.

Scrunching her eyebrows she tried to think if she had seen these before, but she found nothing, not even in any of the books she'd read when she couldn't go out while her parents were arguing.

She sighed. She hated being in the dark about something. Pouting, she looked around even more; to see if something would pop up. That's when she noticed him. He was a boy with long brown hair. How did she know it was a boy with long hair? Well, he was shirtless. She doesn't know why only males go around shirtless. She has never seen a woman walking around shirtless. Is it some kind of unspoken rule? She would have to ask her dad about it.

Anyways, back to the boy. He seemed about her age. He was standing at an angle where mostly his back was facing her and just a glimpse of his face was available. He was moving around as if he was training or something. While his movement was fluid and graceful, a slight shaking in his shoulders made the movement look funny. She cocked her head to the side, watching him with her wide emerald eyes and trying to figure out why and how that was happening.

'Well, the shaking of the shoulders is an indication of two things: 1. Crying, 2. Laughing'. Supplied Inner.

Just then the boy fell. She was by his side without even really thinking about it.

"Oh my God! Are you okay?! Did you hurt yourself?!"

He raised his head to look at her with a startled look on his face.

That's when she saw his eyes. Pale lavender. Is he blind? But they're so beautiful! No, wait. He's looking directly at her eyes, he can't do that and be blind!

'Pay attention, you dolt! He's talking to us!'

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said: who are you? And what are you doing here?"

Sakura frowned.

She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind and then closed it just as quickly when she noticed the tear streaks on his face.

'He's been crying.'

Sakura knelt down to sit on the floor in front of him.

'Great! Now you're going to get all sentimental! Can't you be a normal person and leave him be!'

Ignoring her Inner, Sakura stuck out her hand to him and said, "Hello. I'm Sakura. I was taking a walk when I heard you."

The boy just stared at her hand. And then as if his manners kicked in he shook her hand and said, "Neji."

Cocking her head to the side she asked, "Are you okay?"

He scowled.

"Of course I am! I'm a Hyuuga!"

Sakura furrowed her brow, "What's a Hyuuga?"

The look of shock on his face made her want to giggle, but it didn't last very long.

His scowl deepened, "My clan! How do you not know one of the biggest clans in Konoha! Every Ninja knows to tell their children about Konoha's clans, especially the noble ones!"

Sakura, head still cocked to the side, blinked.

"Ninja?"

Was this girl trying his patience?

He looked pissed, so much so that Sakura couldn't help but start giggling at his expression.

The look of anger vanished to make room for confusion on Neji's face.

Sakura smiled at him and asked, "You're from a Ninja clan?"

Neji deadpanned, "Yes."

If Neji hadn't seen it, he wouldn't believe that it was possible that someone could have his eyes lighten like this girl had.

Aren't her ridiculous hair color and her bright emerald eyes enough? Does she have to light up like that?

"Can you tell me about ninjas? Please!"

He looked at the girl like she grew another head.

"Your parents aren't ninjas?"

"Not really. Outo-san was a Jonin, but he quit when he married Okaa-san. He doesn't really talk about it though."

Noticing the look on Neji's face she asked, "What's wrong?"

"At least you have parents."

He had a far away look on his face and tears started gathering on the edges of his eyes that it broke Sakura's little heart.

Without really thinking about it, she reached out and hugged him around his neck, and she didn't let go even when she felt him stiffen.

"Don't feel sad! I didn't mean it! I ... I'm so sorry! Please don't cry!"

Neji was beyond shocked. His own clan, the same one that he is always proud to be a part of, never ever cared if he was sad or not, but here was this girl that he met not more than 20 minutes ago trying desperately to not have him in tears.

And this realization is what triggered his reaction.

He hugged her back, as hard as he could without crushing her, and buried his head in the crook of her neck and cried his little heart out, all the while Sakura was rubbing circles on his back. She hoped it was as soothing as when her father did it for her.

She felt so bad for him, even if she didn't know exactly what happened to him, but it's obvious that he lost his parents from that last comment he said.

When the body-wrecking sobs subsided, he lifted his head to look at her and was surprised to see tears in her eyes. He felt that this girl will have a big meaning to him in the future, and although he promised himself that he wouldn't let anybody in, that no one is worth the risk of being hurt, he felt that this girl is the exception to that rule.

"You feel better?"

Yes, he decided, she would be the only person to see the real him, everybody else is to be blocked behind his stoic facade.

"Yes." A pause. "Thank you."

He gave her a small sincere smile. And she gave him the brightest smile he'd ever seen on anyone.

After that, the two moved to sit under the shade of a tree, and Neji began to tell her about his parents, how his father died, then he obliged to her request and began telling her about being a ninja, what is required, the types of attacks, and so on.

She asked a lot of questions, she really seemed interested in this.

He doesn't know why he asked it but it was out of his mouth before he could really think about it, "Would you like to train with me?"

She paused.

He guessed she was thinking very hard about something.

Then her whole face lit up.

"Yes! I would very much like it if you trained me! I would become a ninja! Just like you! And we'd fight together! And I'll be strong so those bullies at the park can't hurt me anymore! And my parents would stop fighting over my future!"

His head was spinning with all the things she said. He didn't know all those things about her. She didn't really tell him a lot about herself.

Before he could even frown, she tackled him.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Ummm .. You're welcome?"

She pulled back and gave him a bright smile.

Giving her a small one in return, he decided to ask her about it, "Hey Sakura, don't you think you should tell me about your life?"

Her smile never faltered as she chirped, "Of course!"

And for the rest of that day he listened to her telling him about her life, her parents, the bullies, asking questions every once in a while.

When the sun began descending she stopped, "Oh, I ... Umm ... I think I should head home now, it's getting late."

His manners kicking in again, he said, "I will walk with you."

She just smiled at him.

When They arrived at her house they could hear her parents' voices from outside.

Neji frowned. He looked at Sakura to see her smiling away like it was normal.

Well, he thought, it probably is normal for her.

She thanked him, said goodbye and went in.

Neji turned around and smiled slightly.

He could finally say that fate brought him something, or rather somebody, and that fate is not all that bad.

"I'm home!", called Sakura when she entered the house.

Her parents stopped arguing (read trying to chop each other's heads off) and looked at her weirdly. She never announced her arrival this loud, and she was never jumpy despite being a four-year-old girl. She was more of the silent, shy type. What even bewildered them more was her continuing without waiting for a reply.

"I have some great news to tell you!"

Her parents glanced at each other, then at her, and it looks like she took that as her signal to continue.

"I found a solution to our problem!"

At the confused stares she received, her Inner deadpanned, 'Oh, really now? How cute. They don't even realize that they have a problem.'

Tuning out her Inners rant –'You've been doing that a lot lately.'- she continued, "I know what I want to be when I grow up!"

She exclaimed jumping up and down with excitement.

Her father gave her a gentle look accompanied by the soft smile that she loves, and crouched down to her level with open arms. She jumped right into his embrace. She was always daddy's little girl.

"And what's that sweetheart?"

"I want to be a ninja!"