A/N: So i deleted Guardian Angel. This is now the remake of that story. Basically same concept.
I'm in search of an editor. ;)) Anyone who can help me?? leave a message.
LEGENDS:
BOLD: emphasis or inners.
NORMAL: dialouges
ITALICS: thoughts.
Second best.
Second best.
That's all I will ever be to them.
Two steps behind is all I'll ever be. Their backs always guiding my way through the thousands of missions. They always thought I needed protection. They never gave me the chance to prove them wrong. They thought just because my name meant cherry blossom it necessarily meant I was fragile, weak, annoying and useless.
Tsh. But what could you expect?
From the moment I graduated from the Ninja Academy and was put in the same team as Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, I felt something was going to go wrong somewhere along the way.
Call it extreme case of bad-timing or whatever but my fangirl senses started to kick in and I managed to crush that feeling at the sight of Uchiha Sasuke.
Mission after mission, they treated me like a little child who needed protection all around. Haven't you noticed the way they surrounded me whenever we were walking through enemy territories. Kakashi-sensei walked ahead of us always leading the way. Sasuke and Naruto were always at my side ready for any attacks that would come our way.
Where did leave me, you ask? In the middle of it all, duh. Like the little weakling they thought I was, I was placed at the center of my boys.
Am I really that of a burden to them? That I am always needed to be protected? Aren't all my years of training enough to satisfy them? Am I always going to be 2 steps behind them? Always?
CHAPTER ONE: And She Smirks
Pant.
Just one more try. Pant.
Pant. I need to get this right. Pant
"Don't you think you've done enough training, Sakura?" a stern voice asked me.
I wiped blood from the corner of my mouth with the back of my palm. "Please sishou, a few more minutes. I need to get this right."
Despite the fact that I knew Tsunade-sama better than anyone else and I knew she wouldn't grant me a few more minutes, I clung to that small glimmer of hope that maybe this time she would understand how much I needed to get everything perfect. I couldn't leave even a tiny room for mistakes.
I was panting so hard, my chakra levels were depleted beyond normal capacity. I knew I needed a rest, bad but what could I care less? No pain, No gain. I won't ever be as good as them if I don't work hard for it the way they do.
"Sakura, enough is enough!" Shisou's voice boomed through the whole training grounds. "What you are trying to do is kill yourself. This is not training anymore! This is suicide!"
My muscle joints were telling me to listen to my mentor. My brain was commanding me to STOP. My heart and breathing rates were beyond average and I knew that I had to stop NOW if I didn't want to die….but what if I already wanted to give up?
What would I do?
"Sakura, stop it ri-"
What was that Sishou I can't hear you anymo-
BLACK.
Everything was black. I couldn't see anything yet I could hear this constant humming of something and the nostalgic drip, drop sound….the hospital.
I knew this place better than anyone else. I practically spend all my free time here.
"Sakura, I know you're awake."
Shoot! I disobeyed Sishou yet another time.
The moment I opened my eyes, instinctively I covered my eyes to shield my eyes from the glare of the hospital lights.
"Yes Tsunade-sama?" I was not surprised to find my voice hoarse and almost inaudible but I was used to it. After all it is the sound that greets me everytime I wake up from my black out spells.
Surprised? This isn't the first time that I've been confined in the hospital for severe chakra depletion, multiple injuries and abnormal breathing and heart rates.
After an hour of, yet another round , scoldings from my mentor, I was eating the icky hospital food when suddenly ANBU ninjas came running in to my room and I started to feel the ground shake.
Down the hall, I could hear Tsunade-sama screeching. "I want my apprentice secured right away. Keep her safe!"
"But Master Tsuna-"
"That is an order! Now go!" I few breaking glasses. "I will follow her later! Get her safe!"
I wanted to hear more of Shishou's conversation with the current ANBU captain bit I wasn't able to since one of them knocked me out before saying, "I am very sorry, Sakura-san but it is the Hokage's order."
What on earth is happening?
Ugh.
What the heck? I couldn't feel anything. I guess I'm still numb from what the ANBU did to me earlier.
I looked around and saw nothing but rocks. Am I in a cave or something? I wanted to talk or to at least catch the ANBU's attention but all that came out was a groan. "Ngh…"
Within seconds I came face-to-face with an eagle porcelain ANBU mask. "Sakura-san?" the anonymous ninja helped me to sit up against the rock. "I'm glad you're already conscious. We were worried that the numbing spell we put on you might've been too much. Wait a moment let me get the antidote."
I gave them a weak smile which meant "Thank you." A few seconds later, I started feeling things again, like how cold the rock behind me was. The numbing started to wear off, finally.
"What happened?" I asked once I found my voice and for the first time I realized that there were 3 more ANBU ninjas inside the room.
They were silent for a few minutes. "We cannot tell you much because at this point only the Hokage is allowed to give out any information but there has been an invasion."
Oh shit!
"I request you to bring me to the place where the Hokage is right now." I said. I don't care if I'm under house arrest or something I needed to know what the hell is happening outside this cramped cave.
They ANBU team looked at me as if weighing their options, one, they could follow my orders as the hokage's apprentice and have a 50/50 chance of loosing their ranks or, two, they could ignore my request and suffer the outcomes of my anger.
"I order you to bring me to the tower as the hokage's apprentice" I said.
"All right."
Thank goodness!
Oh my god.
This is an invasion?
I turned around and looked straight into the ANBU's eyes. "Are you joking me?"
"Excuse me?" one of them replied.
"Are you joking me? I thought there was an invasion? All I see is a vast land of trees and greenery?"
"Look closely, Sakura-san."
Huh?!
I can't see anything…
All I can see are trees!
And then at a very edge of the land…I saw trees flying and blurs of red orange, gray black white and blue.
Then it hit me! The Saninns were fighting.
Oh my god.
I have to go help Tsunade-sishou. What if she gets killed?
Damn it!
"I have to go he-" I turned around to find no one. I was all alone on a cliff watching from a far as blurs of color continued swishing around. I began to gather my chakra and poof-ed my way to the place where trees were flying.
I just hope I can stand my ground through it all because if my intuition is correct-which is always Jiraiya-sama's and Orochimaru-sama's apprentices are also there.
A few seconds later I found myself on top of Katsuyu's head beside Tsunade-sishou and face to face with Jiraiya and Naruto on top of Gamabunta and Orochimaru and Sasuke on top of Manda.
"Didn't I tell those ANBU men to keep you safe?" Tsunade asked me.
Damn. I'm so going to get it from her.
"Oh you know how persuasive Sakura-chan can get, Tsunade. She is your apprentice after all." Orochimaru smirked.
I snapped my head to their direction. "At least I don't live in an underground cave full of hormonal men who's only after my body, right Sasuke?"
"And I see she's got your temper too." Orochimaru continued.
"Are you seriously going to take that Sasuke-teme? And from a girl no less." Naruto teased.
You're not off the hook, Naruto.
"Hmm…and how 'bout you Naruto?" I asked shifting my gaze to the loud-mouthed blond boy. "I'm actually surprised you still have eyes. I actually thought those ladies you've been 'observing' might've have helped your little case of perverted-ness." This earned a chuckle from my mentor.
"Ooh…she's got you there perverted dobe." Sasuke smirked.
"Shut up you gay bastard." Naruto fumed.
"Hn."
God. Don't they ever stop? "You know what I have a better idea. Why don't I just shut up completely? Hmm…any suggestions, hormonal gay jerk and peverted loud-mouthed ass?"
"And you forgot Orchimaru…Sakura also got Tsunade's tongue." Jiraiya said laughing.
Their actually talking? This is something new.
"Knock it off you old bimbos." Tsunade said. "You have no idea what you're getting in to…"
"Protecting your apprentice, Tsunade-baachan? " Naruto asked smugly.
"As weak as ever." Sasuke smirked. "After all these years…I can see you're still as annoying as ever, Sakura."
From the corner of my eye I saw Tsunade-sama sigh. Man, these boys don't know what they're getting into.
I took a deep breath. Control yourself, Sakura. They're not worth it. Keep your cool. "You haven't seen anything, Sasuke so don't go judging me. After all you might be comparing to some bimbo you've been training with. What's her name again?" I pretended to think really hard. "Siren-Karin? Was that it?"
"Why do you want know, Sakura-chan? Jealous?" Orochimaru smirked. "Don't worry sweetheart, I never allowed Sasuke any sexual or emotional contact with that piece of shit and that poor excuse of a kunoichi."
"Don't damage the poor girl's mind you traitor." Jiraiya said in a joking manner. "We have no idea what she's capable of…yet."
"You know you two, at times like this, I find it better to just give Sakura her space." Tsunade said as if challenging the other Saninns. "Like you said, she's got my temper."
"Oh, its no problem Tsunade-sishou." I said in my sugary-sweet voice. "I honestly couldn't care less if I found out that Karin is actually Sasuke's concubine. After all without a hot girl like me in sight…Sasuke has to make do with what he has… in a house full of hormonal gay ninjas."
"You, hot?" Sasuke asked smirking. "You have gotta be kidding me."
I was almost going to aim a chakra-infused punch at his pretty face when a hissy voice beat me to it.
"Actually you brat, you're teammate over there is one hot girl." Manda, Sasuke's or Oroichimaru's snake said.
"Thank you." I smiled at the humongous snake.
Sasuke looked at me with his pirecing onyx eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, annoying girl."
"And don't think too highly of yourself you brat." Manda hissed. "Don't think for a second that I don't hear you calling out her name every night."
"Aww…is my Sasuke-kun having sweet dreams about little Sakura-chan over there." Orochimaru chuckled. "At least my apprentice is all grown up. How 'bout your student, Jiraiya?"
I almost giggled at the sight of Sasuke blushing. "Shut up you pathetic snake." he mumbled.
"Now, don't start with me you prick." the large snake hissed. "For 3 ½ years all I hear is you calling out her name and whispering how much you-"
"Now, now don't reveal Sasuke-kun's secrect, Manda." Orochimaru said patting the gigantic head of the snake.
"Can we stop talking now?" Naruto asked. "I'm craving for Konoha ramen at Ichiraku's"
"Wait a minute. The 4 of you didn't come here to start some kind of war with Konoha?" I asked. "You're all here to come back?"
"Pretty much." Naruto answered. "Now can we all cut the chit-chat and go back home?"
Home.
They actually still consider this their home? Well, maybe for Naruto that is.
With Sasuke, I'm still not sure.
"Sishou, you really should talk to those ANBU ninjas of ours." I said.
"Why?"
"Because they keep on giving out the wrong information." I replied. "I was actually worried that something might've happened to you with you being around these lunatics no less."
I heard Naruto sigh. "Like I said, can we all cut the chit-chat and go back home?"
"I have already said my decision for my teammates." Tsunade said with a hidden smirk. "The decision for you and Sasuke lies with your teammate. Why don't you ask Sakura?"
I was actually glad that Tsunade-sama left the decision solely up to me. I'm so going to make the two of you beg. You're going to be at my mercy. I smirked inwardly. Its my turn now, you're going to be wrapped around my pinky finger.
I looked at them with an evil glint in my eyes and I could've sworn I saw them shudder.
Hmm…how about I make you suffer a little more?
Perfect.
TBC.
A/N: so how was it?? Reviews, Constructive crticism are accepted. And any potential editors there leave me a message!