I couldn't really come up with a chapter for one of my other stories so….here's a new one!

Commoner Troubles

"Sakura! Go fetch some bread from the baker!" Sakura's mother shouted in her shrill voice. Sakura entered the tiny cottage in rags. Her mother was stirring a stew. It smelled of herbs and beef. It was a rich brown color. Sakura's pink hair was in ratty pig tails. Her green eyes were dull. Her smile was non-existent.

"Fine…where's the gold coin?" Sakura asked dumbfounded.

"Oh it's right on the table." Sakura's mother's frail hand pointed to a wobbly worn table where a single gold coin was. Her mother flipped her dark black hair behind her ears and continued stirring.

"Thanks! I'll be back before dinner! When will father be back?" Sakura asked worried.

"He'll be back tomorrow in time for the funeral, don't worry." Her mother's black eyes saddened as she spoke of her late mother who had recently died of old age. That was the funeral the Haruno family was going to.

Sakura nodded and went out the dusty oak door. She heard the usual "thump" as she closed it. She started walking down the long dirt path that led to the market. Sakura's shoes were brown and they were her grandmother's before she had died. She felt guilty that she was wearing them but her mother insisted that she wear shoes. Sakura was now 16 and her mother always pestered her about her not being married yet. She was supposed to marry some old fool two years ago but Sakura accidentally gave him a heart attack. No one talks about it anymore and no one actually knows that it was her. She felt proud that she got away with it but her mother will sometimes bring it up and tell her to be more ladylike.

Sakura finally reached Akimichi Bakery. They had the best bread and sweets in the entire village. The Haruno family has known the Akimichi family for years. Sakura was once told to marry Choji the baker's son. Sakura refused and said that she was going to marry someone else but that was of course a lie.

"Sakura-chan! What can I do for you?" Choji asked politely as she entered.

"Could I get a loaf of bread?" Sakura asked.

"Oh sure! I'll give you the freshest bread!" Choji smiled.

"Oh no! Please don't trouble yourself. Our family can live with day old bread!" Sakura told him.

"It's alright. Here. One gold coin!"

"Here you are." Sakura smiled.

"No problem and thanks." Choji grinned and waved good bye.

"Thank you so much Choji-kun!" Sakura waved and started walking back to her cottage. Choji may not have been marriage material but he was a good friend. He was on the pudgier side but he was a good guy. Sakura was glad that her village was peaceful and not full of bandits like villages in Sound.

"I love Konoha!" Sakura blurted out loud without thinking. She was still in the market and people were starting to stare at her in weird ways.

"Sakura-chan!" A loud mouth boy shouted. He had bright blonde hair and shockingly blue eyes. He was the one and only Naruto Uzumaki.

"Yes, Naruto?" Sakura asked clearly annoyed. He was one of her best friends but still he was annoying.

"Can I come over for dinner?" He grinned brightly.

"I'll ask…come on…" She sighed.

"Hinata left the village with her family for vacation so I can't stay there. Neji would probably kill me if I did." Naruto laughed.

"Sometimes I wonder if he hates you." Sakura replied sarcastically.

"Ya think?" Naruto started to ponder this "What if he does hate me?"

"Don't worry just keep doing what you're doing." Sakura told him.

"You're right! I should only care about what Hinata-chan thinks of me!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hey…why aren't you staying at Choji-kun's or Shikamaru-kun's of Kiba-kun's or Lee-san's?" Sakura asked him.

"Shikamaru is going away too…Choji and me get in fights about food when I'm over and he won't steal me free bread for a week when that happens…Kiba…is a jerk….Lee does exercises 24/7 and I can't handle that. I could go to Sasuke's!" Naruto told her.

"Don't! I hate that bastard! If he's your second choice then you're staying with me." Sakura said darkly.

"We're here…Sakura-chan?" Naruto turned to Sakura to see her face paler than usual.

"The soldiers are at my house…they don't come unless someone has died…" Sakura started sprinting. She pushed the three young men that were probably only 20 out of her way. She cranked open the door and rushed inside. She put the bread on the frail table and started to look for her mother. There her mother was weeping on the old wooden chair. The sobs were loud and long. They showed pain and loss.

"Mother? Wh…What…happened…?" Sakura managed to say.

Her mother stopped crying and looked up at her daughter "It's your fault he's gone. If he didn't have a daughter to look after then he wouldn't have…died. IT'S YOUR FAULT! HE'S DEAD AND IT'S YOUR FAULT! WHY WERE YOU BORN? LEAVE THE HOUSE! I HATE YOU!"

"Mother calm down. It will be okay. I'll protect us and get money. You and I will be alright." Sakura hugged her psychotic mother. She was pushed away.

"Get out of my house you filthy wench. Go die like your father! Leave me!" Sakura's mother started hitting her and grabbed an old plate and threw it at her daughter. Sakura easily dodged it once she got out of her mother's hitting range.

"I got your damn bread. I think it'll be best if I leave the house for awhile. I'll be staying at a friend's." Sakura walked into a small room. It was very dusty yet neat. There was a small bed in the corner with a bureau next to it. There was a candle holder on top of the bureau. Sakura opened the old bureau and grabbed some clothes. All she had was a bunch of rags. She had two nice dresses, one for a funeral and one for special occasions. Sakura rarely wore them but still her mother insisted that Sakura was proper. Sakura saw the money she'd kept over the years. She had at least 30 bronze coins, 22 silver coins and 5 gold coins. Sakura had amazing luck when it came to finding money or finding sales.

"I forgot! Naruto!" Sakura raced out of her room leaving her clothes and money behind. She saw him sitting outside near the dirt path.

"NARUTO!" Sakura shouted. She ran up to him and helped him up.

"I thought you forgot about me. I was ready to go home. So…what happened?" He asked concerned.

"Um…my father died. He's gone and I'm kicked out of the house because it's my fault as my mother says." Sakura told him.

"I'm so sorry. He was a good man. You aren't kicked out, are you?"

"I am…mother says it's my fault he's gone." Sakura said sadly.

"It's not! Sakura you can cry….It doesn't matter. No one will see." He told her.

"Naruto you know I haven't cried since Shiori passed. It's alright. I'm fine!" Sakura smiled.

"Go and get your stuff…I'll go to Ino's house and tell her you're coming." Naruto turned but Sakura caught his arm. She hugged him. Naruto started blushing "I h-have H-Hinata…"

"I know but…I need this…" Sakura let go of him and went to grab her things.

She packed everything into a run-down blanket. It was a faint brown and it was sewn by her great grandmother. Sakura's family was very poor. Almost everything in the house was second-hand except the food. Now her mother wouldn't even be able to do that without her father. Sakura was worried that her mother wouldn't be okay but she didn't dwell on it. She hid the money on the inside of one of the dresses and got out of the house as fast as she could.

Sakura hummed a sad song and headed to the Uchiha Woods. They were owned by Sasuke's family. Sakura knew she had a small chance of running into him or his brother but she had to make a pit stop in there. Sakura stepped into the woods with sadness. She headed to the heart of the woods. She saw the log that had started decomposing and sat down on it. She started to cry softly. Nobody knew that this was the place where Sakura cried everyday. She didn't want anyone to think she was…weak. She cried for half an hour until she got up and started running to Ino's. Ino has been Sakura's best friend since they were 5. They always managed to cheer each other up. Ino was engaged to Naruto's friend Shikamaru. Shikamaru was lazy but Ino always got him on his feet.

Sakura knocked on Ino's rich wood door. Ino lived in a large home in the richer area of the village. Yamanaka family was well off and they knew the Haruno family very well. They were all best friends. Ino yanked open the door and squealed "Naruto told me there's big news! Tell me!"

"Uh…It's not good news…" Sakura told her best friend sadly.

"Come in!" Ino rushed Sakura inside and they ran to Ino's room. It was three times larger than Sakura's room. It had a lavender color on the walls. She had silk sheets imported from some foreign land. She had a bookshelf on the wall. A carriage was out front waiting for Mr. Yamanaka.

"Where's your father going?" Sakura asked Ino after she had put her bags down.

"Oh Daddy? A trip to the castle! He's talking with the queen!" Ino smiled. Sakura was amazed at how Ino spoke of her father so casually.

"That's nice." Sakura smiled faintly.

"Where's your father?" Ino asked.

Sakura's eyes widened, she didn't think talking about him would affect her this much. "He's…gone. He died earlier today. My mother kicked me out of the house so I was wondering could I stay here for the time being."

"Oh my! Of course you can stay! I'm to be married in two weeks so…you won't be able to stay too long… I must tell my mother immediately!" Ino raced out of her room to tell her mother.

Sakura sighed as she looked out the window. The sky was fading away. It was time for bed soon. Ino's room had many candles to light it up. Sakura grabbed the one burning candle and started to light the others. She saw a flash of green streak by the window but decided it was nothing.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" A voice yelled through the window.

"Lee-san?" Sakura asked bewildered. She opened the window.

"I heard the news of you being kicked out! You may come live with me!" Lee said exuberantly.

"Lee-san it's improper for a lady to live a man's house before she is married…I think…"

"Sakura-chan! How long are you able to stay here? Not long because Ino-san isn't here much longer!"

"Lee-san! Ino's coming! I'll talk to you later!" Sakura closed the window as Lee left swiftly.

"My mother is going to your house first thing tomorrow." Ino told Sakura.

"Okay," Sakura sighed. 'Maybe Ino's mother can fix everything.'

'I seriously doubt it.' Inner Sakura laughed.

'Why?'

'Ino's mom is a follower. She'll take your mother's side and you'll be kicked out.' Inner Sakura told her.

'You're right! I don't know what I'm going to do.'

'Ino's mother must keep up her appearance so she'll find other arrangements. Don't worry we'll probably end up at Tenten's or Hinata's.' Inner Sakura sighed.

'I just hope you're right!'

"Hello? Sakura?" Ino was waving her hand in Sakura's face.

"Oh, sorry! What were we talking about?"

"Sasuke! I saw him! You know how he left his manor for the castle with his brother? Well they're back! They've been gone for a year! He's back and hotter than ever!" Ino squealed.

"Oh so that's what Naruto meant by going to Sasuke's!" Sakura said without thinking.

"Now I know why you're friends with that idiot! He can get you to Sasuke!" Ino giggled.

"I'm friends with Naruto because he's a good guy not because I'm using him to get to that bastard!" Sakura told her.

Fine, whatever." Ino rolled her eyes.

"Madam, you have a visitor." The servant came in and told Ino.

"Thank you, you're excused." She said dully.

"Very well," The servant left and had the door open. Ino grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her to the front foyer. Sakura gasped as she saw Sasuke Uchiha right in front of her.

"Hello, Yamanaka-san." Sasuke spoke dully.

"Oh! Sasu-kun no formalities!" Ino squealed. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Yamanaka-san I'm here to ask for your hand in marriage." He said unexcited.

"I regret to inform you that I'm already engaged. I'm to be married in two weeks to Nara Shikamaru." Ino told him with a smile.

"I see and you, Haruno-san?" He asked Sakura when she wasn't paying attention. Ino had already went back to her bedroom.

"Huh?" Was all she could come up with.

"Are you married or engaged?" He asked again annoyed.

"Uchiha-sama I'm sure that you don't care so why don't you just leave me alone and not bug me for an hour." Sakura rolled her eyes and started inspecting her nails. They were grubby looking and she hadn't bathed in two weeks. She needed one.

"Haruno-san, I'm asking for you to be more direct. Are you married or engaged?"

"Yes because I look like the type to get engaged." Sakura snorted.

"Who are you married to?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"No one you moron. Sometimes I wish the world was free of Uchihas no wait…I always wish." Sakura corrected.

"Not very ladylike now are we?" Sasuke smirked.

"Shut up, you pompous ass." Sakura glared at him.

"Sakura what happened to when you loved me?" The Uchiha smirked once more.

"I was 8." She retorted.

"You still act the same and you're what 16?"

"Go.To.Hell.Uchiha." Sakura was ready to slap him but Naruto came bustling through the door.

"Sakura-chan! Your mother killed herself!" Naruto whispered so that only she could hear.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother had killed herself. She was the only one left. She had a picture in her mind of her family. They were all smiling. Sakura's father with his black hair and blue eyes. Her mother's black hair and black eyes shining and Sakura with her unusual pink hair. The girl that didn't belong. Sakura ran out of the house. She sprinted to her crying place. She collapsed once she reached her destination. She sobbed and sobbed. It started to rain. Sakura heard some soft footsteps and turned.

"Are you alright?" The voice was smooth yet coarse. It was perfect.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked.

"I'm Itachi Uchiha and you?" Itachi asked. He looked just like Sasuke with the dark eyes and the navy hair. His face was older and more defined though. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"I'm Sakura Haruno," She stated.

"I have heard of you from my little brother. You stalked him when he was 8. I heard he did something really cruel and you've have hated him ever since. I also heard about your parents…they were good people. I really don't see why Sasuke didn't want you stalking him though you're very pretty."

"Um thanks," Sakura was blushing really hard.

"Well I suggest you hurry on back. Your friends are waiting." He patted Sakura's head and disappeared. Sakura started running back to Ino's house. She saw Ino inside. Sakura also saw Shino making out with her!

Sakura opened the heavy door and stepped in. She was soaking wet. She ran for Ino's room and opened the door. There was Ino and Shino making out. Sakura glared in disgust. She was friends with Shino but she was better friends with Shikamaru.

"Ino, I'm so sorry." Sakura frowned as she saw Ino look up in horror. Shino's eyes had obviously widened.

"Don't…tell…anyone." Ino huffed.

Sakura grabbed her things that were still neatly unpacked and ran out.

"Sakura wait!" Ino screeched.

Sure cheating on your fiancée is wrong but is it any better for you to tell on your best friend? Sakura ran for her house. She saw many people crowding around. It was still raining and it was very dark out but the Sakura's mother and father were very good people.

"I'm sorry but could you do this in the morning?" Sakura asked them. The people turned around and walked away. Sakura saw Naruto waiting for her.

"You're house is in pieces," He told her.

"She was throwing things around when I was still here so I guess it got worse. How did she kill herself?" Sakura asked him.

"She jumped into the river. Me and Kiba saw it while we were fighting. She waved and then she just jumped. We called after her but she was already gone. I'm really sorry."

"It's not your fault," Sakura smiled sadly and patted him on the back. Sakura went inside her house soaking wet and started to clean.

TBC…

YEAH! I couldn't think of anything for my other stories so I did this….sorry…Vote for which guy you want Sakura to end up with

Oh and currency goes like this:

10 bronze coins 1 silver coin

5 silver coins 1 gold coin

Sasuke-0

Itachi-0

Lee-0

Neji-0