Hello, I got the idea for this story while writing another chapter for a story I am already writing. I don't know how I got it, I just sort of thought of it. I hope you like it! Also, since her mother's name was never reveal I chose Aimi which means beautiful love. Sakura's mother is beautiful in this story.

Chapter 1

Light, classy music played as people swayed around in the ballroom. Women and men who were not dancing were sharing a drink of sweet wine as they conversed about local gossip, women in their most elegant gowns and men in their fancy tuxedos.

"Sakura, darling, don't you want to dance? I heard from quite a few of the upper classmen here that their sons have found an interest in you. You should be glad that I decided to help and tell them about you. They wouldn't have noticed you all the way over here by yourself." Aimi said as she approached.

Sakura sighed, resting her head in her hand while balancing her arm on the table. She sat quietly in the corner of the room, purposely sitting far away from anyone in the room. She wasn't interested in any of the men here; they all searched for a fabulous girl who follows all of the rules while keeping the house clean.

"Sakura, answer me. You know, you look gorgeous! Your dress was fitted for this occasion. You must go show off your beauty, Sakura. How are you ever going to get married when you aren't even trying to look for a husband?" Aimi asked, looking at her daughter hopefully.

What Aimi said was true though, most of it anyway. Sakura looked absolutely stunning in her beautiful pale pink gown. It fit her perfectly, showing off every curve she managed to gain over the years. She didn't have too much but she didn't have too little. There was a perfect amount of make-up that covered up the few flaws on her almost perfect pale skin. Her pink hair was a shade darker than her dress, and it was put up in loose curls that framed her face well.

Sakura hated it all.

She wanted to be like the other girls she saw around town with the skinny jeans and loose fitting shirts. The colored converse and the big headphones were something she always admired. The tons of eyeliner girls put under their eyes intrigued her. The thing that interested her most was the choices of men other girls seemed to have. They went for the bad boys who dressed in baggy jeans and big sweat shirts.

"Are you listening, Sakura? Ugh, what am I going to do with you? You can't follow the simplest of rules and you can't clean to save your life!" Aimi sighed and shook her head.

"Sorry mother, but I really don't want to be here…" Sakura replied quietly.

Aimi scowled, "You will go dance with one of those fine men or you will get no more journeys outside of the castle!"

Sakura gasped, turning and glaring at her mother, "I don't like any of the men here! They all expect too much of me! They are no fun! I just want to be normal!"

"They expect everything a woman is supposed to do, nothing more!" Aimi calmed herself, "You shouldn't want to be normal, honey. All of those common people have a hard time in life but you don't have to worry about a thing. You are lucky." Aimi said, stroking Sakura's cheek soothingly.

Sakura turned away and groaned, looking out the window behind her.

"I know that I need all of this but… I'm just so curious about what's outside those gates." She said, gazing out on the fine town of Konoha.

Aimi sighed, "I know Sakura, but one of these days I know you will realize that what you really want is right here in this castle."

When Sakura did not respond, Aimi decided it was best to end the conversation. She strolled away, back to her friends at their table, all sipping a fine brand of red wine.

Sakura placed her hand on the window, imagining being one of those girls out there with their boyfriends, cell phones, and tight jeans.

"Tonight is the night…" She whispered to herself, "Tonight is the night that I get out of here. I will explore without a bunch of guards and carriages taking me to only the fancy places around Konoha. I want to see everything." Sakura nodded to herself, the hand placed on the glass forming into a fist.

She stood from her seat, gathering the attention of her mother who smiled, thinking her daughter was going to dance. To her dismay, Sakura waved to her, mouthing the word 'bathroom'. Aimi frowned but nodded, watching as her daughter walked a little too quickly down that hallway. She shook her head, forgetting about it and turning back to her conversation.

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Sakura knew she didn't have much time. Her mother would realize she was gone and send guards out after her. Maybe if she was lucky, her mother wouldn't notice, having been distracted by her friends when Sakura had left.

She didn't have time to change, that much she knew. How far would she get in Konoha? She didn't know that but at the moment she didn't care.

Sakura ran down all of the levels of stairs, happy that all guests were upstairs instead of roaming the halls. As she made her way to the huge entrance doors, she saw guards waiting both inside and outside. She cursed under her breath, giggling slightly at the bad words she had never been allowed to say.

Sakura turned into the first bedroom, looking around for another escape. Her eyes fell upon the window and she smiled.

Running to the window, she undid the lock and pulled the window wide open. She glanced around, noticing a group of large trees leading around the guards. Sakura pulled herself through the window, making sure not to tear her dress in the process, and sank low to the ground. She walked slowly behind the trees before she sped up behind the cover of the large oaks.

She stumbled, giggling quietly at how much fun she was already having. The trees and grass were damp, giving off a musty but relaxing smell. Sakura loved it all.

As she made her way to the end of the woods, she slowed down so the guards wouldn't hear her as she snuck past. Pulling up her dress, Sakura stepped through the taller grass where the gardeners hadn't bothered to cut since it marked the end of the castle grounds and the beginning of old Konoha streets.

Sakura smiled triumphantly. She was getting pretty far. When the lights of the city came into view, Sakura walked out onto the sidewalk. She had never walked on the sides of the street; her mother always insisted that she go by carriage even if everyone else in the city went by car. Sakura spun around happily, spreading her arms wide. She heard yells and cheers from down the street and saw a big parade happening. She beamed, running clumsily to the street.

There were floats of all kinds with different colors, themes, and sizes. Sakura was stunned. It was all so beautiful. As the parade ended, Sakura continued her walk down the street. She stuck her hand absentmindedly into her pocket, realizing she had money there. She pulled it out, glancing around for anywhere to buy stuff. She saw a wonderful looking store with all of those great things people her age had in Konoha. She grinned and ran into the street, not noticing a car speeding right for her.

The man in the vehicle slammed on his brakes. He pressed the button for his car horn.

Sakura spun to the side, staring in shock at the car coming straight for her.

A strong tug at her arm sent her falling backwards and out of the road, narrowly missing impact from the car.

"Are you ok? You shouldn't just cross the street like that all of a sudden…" A man's voice sounded behind her. She attempted to stand up, only to slip on the wet ground and fall. The man was there to catch her, though, and he helped her to her feet.

When she looked at him she saw the most beautiful man in the world, dressed all in rags but he seemed clean.

"Hello? Can you speak?" He asked.

"Oh, yes, I am fine. Thank you for saving me." She replied.

"So, who are you? Someone dressed as nice as you shouldn't be out at this time at night."

"Sakura… Sakura Haruno. Please, don't call the palace and tell my mother! I just wanted to enjoy a wonderful night in this beautiful city."

"Don't worry, Sakura. I can understand why you would want to leave a place like that. Don't worry, I don't have a phone anyway, let alone any money to pay for a payphone."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Nah, I'm used to it. Oh, by the way, the name's Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."

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Hope you liked the first chapter! I really thought that this would make a nice story so I decided to share it with you. Thanks for reading!

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