A/N: Hello everyone! It took me like 5 minutes to think of a plot for this new story of mine. :] I know I haven't finished the other four stories, but this idea couldn't possibly wait. AND I have news…

GOOD NEWS: I'll be working on You Came? You Went? I Hate You! More often now. I'll also try to work on Not too Bad.

BAD NEWS: Because of that, I'll be putting Yin and Yang and Thanks a lot Tsunade officially on hold, and I won't be working on them until I finish at least one of the stories in the "Good News" section. SORRY!!! :[

Disclaimer: I don't anything from the original Naruto. I only own the plot in this story and the characters I might make up later.

"You know, this place has a secret… If you decide to work here, that means something special to you will be taken away. Once you agree to it, can't quit until it's decided that you may leave."

If you had heard those words spoken to you, no doubt you would probably turn around and walk the other way. No doubt you wouldn't be stupid enough to fall into the grasp of that place, along with the other poor souls stuck in there. I also would've done the same… WOULD'VE… doesn't mean I did…. BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE!

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"Cough! Cough!"

Once again, I awoke from a near sleepless night to her deep, wet coughing. I sat up from my bed mat, rubbed my head to relieve a pounding headache, and winced at the sunlight coming in from the tiny crack coming in from the covered window.

For the past few weeks, my life had taken an unexpected turn. My mother had caught an unknown illness, spread to her by the 3 other citizens who had gotten it before her. That meant she could no longer work. Then, I lost my job because the stand I'd been working in burned to the ground, after somebody had accidentally caught their scarf on fire, dropped it on the wooden table, and ran outside.

As bad as that all was, nothing prepared me for what happened the following week. My older brother left home to fight in the current war that was going on between the Hikari and Yami races. He figured that it would provide him with a reasonable salary so that it would be enough to support him, me, my little sister, and our mother.

Although, no money had arrived for us yet. We were already near starving and my mother needed to get treatment, FAST! That's why the previous night, I decided to travel to any neighboring village to find a decent job.

I slowly stood up, both of my knees cracking as I did so, and made my way to my mother's room. My white, wolf-like ears (complimentary to being part of the Hikari race) twitched as I heard every cough she mustered.

When I arrived, I saw that she was sitting up and hugging her knees to her chest, with a look of sheer agony on her face.

I looked over to the little mat in the corner where my little sister slept, curled up in a little ball, undisturbed by all the ruckus.

"Okaa-san," I whispered with a soft smile on my face.

"Ah, Sakura-chan," my mother acknowledged me in a hoarse voice.

Her long, pink hair was unkempt, slowly coming out of the braids my little sister had done for her yesterday. Her slender, white ears hung limly from her head. What caught my attention most were her brown eyes, which had lost their luster when my father had abandoned us. Today, the seemed even darker and more lifeless.

I walked towards her, my feet lightly touching the ground, and sat dwon next to her.

"You're leaving today, aren't you?" she asked with a soft smile that was identical to my own.

"Hai," I replied sadly. "Are you sure you'll be okay here without me?" I asked in a voice overflowing with concern.

"Hai, hai Sakura. Besides, I've got Nina here to take care of me," she gestured to the sleeping form of my little sister. "Demo, I feel bad that she has to have such a big responsibility at such a young age."

I nodded in agreement since Nina was only 7 years old.

"You shouldn't blame yourself, though," I added.

My mother smiled sweetly at me, as though to say, "I know, but it's my fault nevertheless."

"Well," my mother started, changing the subject, "you better get ready now if you want to get to the village before nightfall."

With another quick smile and nod, I stood up and quickly made my preparations.

In only 30 minutes time, I was all packed and ready to leave. I had a small bag, enough to fill with clothes and a small amount of money, slung across my body. I changed into a red, sleeveless dress that came down to right about my knees. A black ribbon was tied in the middle.

I bade my mother and sister a sad farewell, and started my journey to the village.

It was somewhere around noon and the sun was pounding down on me. I took a quick rest and found a nearby stream to take a drink from. Then, I was on my way again, ignoring my violent hunger pangs, since I knew I wasn't even half-way to the village.

I continued at this monotonous pace until about sunset when…

"Well, well, well, aren't you a pretty little thing," a rough, slimy voice came from behind.

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A/N: CLIFFIE!!! I wonder what'll happen next! Oh, the DRAMA!!! R & R PEOPLES!!!!