Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

I never saw myself in the way that they all saw me. They told me I was just as my namesake: a blossom, but I couldn't believe them.

It wasn't until the lights blinded me and that gorgeous silhouette met my eyes that I, for the first time, felt beautiful.

We flew into those burgundy skies together, my angel and I, and although my glass slippers fell off midflight, the wind chilled me to the bone, and I might have fallen to my death at any second, I smiled and felt all the love I've missed in my life fill me.

That love was overflowing.

I saw, for once, a happy ending.

Or perhaps a happy beginning…

Chapter 1
Newt

It was raining.

That was all she could recall from the day before. Everything else seemed to be a blurry haze through the terrible headache she was experiencing. In fact, as she slowly opened her dull green eyes only to squint them tightly shut again, she realized that she couldn't even recall where she was.

After a few minutes of unfamiliar, hushed voices echoing around her aching skull, she pried her poor eyes open and stared up into the extremely bright fluorescent light.

The sound of screeching tires and those beautiful, panicked eyes begging for life invaded her vision and she jolted upright, terror gripping her wounded chest.

"Haruno-san! You mustn't sit up yet!" A nurse with light brown hair tied into a tight knot on her head rushed over to the terrified pink-haired girl and slowly encouraged her to lay back down as she double-checked the wounds in case they accidentally tore open again. With a sigh of relief, the nurse jotted something down on her clipboard and excused herself for a second.

Sakura slowly realized she was in the hospital and in terrible pain. Her eyes scanned the room slowly. Where was her father? Surely he was here with her to help ease her mind from the traumatic events from the day before. Perhaps he went to grab a drink or use the restroom. He'd never leave his precious little girl alone in the hospital for more than a few minutes. She wished for him to return soon. She felt terrifyingly lonely.

Maybe the nurse went to go get him? She thought hopefully, closing her heavy eyelids.

She opened her eyes again and found a worried, puckered face above hers. The dark red hair could only be Haruno Chiharu, her step-mother. The woman smiled brightly as Sakura finally awoke.

"Thank goodness you're awake," Chiharu sighed, sitting back in her stool next to the bed. Next to her was her biological daughter, Karin, whose bright red hair was only matched by her equally red eyes behind thick-rimmed glasses. They both looked worriedly at Sakura as the nurse helped the her sit up comfortably.

Sakura accepted the glass of water from the nurse with a hoarse 'thank you' before looking around the room again. Her headache felt significantly less painful than it was earlier.

"Where's papa?" She asked still looking around. She took a sip of the water and looked expectantly at Chiharu and Karin.

They blinked at each other before the older red-head took Sakura's free hand and looked seriously into her green eyes. "Do you remember what happened?"

Sakura nodded slowly, watching the door as she waited for her father. "I was in a car accident."

Her blunt statement shocked Chiharu and she pitied the girl for the first time since she had joined the family. "Sakura, Kizashi is…"

The pink-haired teen smiled. "Is he coming right now? I want to see him."

"He's gone," Chiharu continued, sucking in a quick breath in anticipation for the realization to dawn on poor teen.

Sakura looked confused. "Where'd he go?"

Karin never heard someone as pitiful or as irritating as Sakura was being right now. She normally hated her step-sister and the annoying laughter that jingled 24-7, but at this moment she knew she couldn't dare be rude to her. Not when the last of her biological family had…

Chiharu gripped Sakura's hand tighter, forcing her to look her in the eyes. Sakura's innocent look was beginning to falter, fear settling in once more.

"Sakura," she began slowly, knowing it had to be said. "He was the one driving yesterday… He… He died instantly."

She must have been too shocked to process this information. She was pushing the idea away with her irritating laughter. "No! That can't be right. He just went to use the restroom a little while ago. I'm sure he'll be back soon," Sakura rambled on, smiling cheerfully until the silence around her told her that yes, Chiharu was right.

Her laughter quickly turned to sobbing. "N-no. That's not true! He's… outside! See! He'll be in the doorway right now! Just watch!"

Chiharu didn't let go of the girl's hand, even as the 16-year-old's iron grip began to cut off her circulation, she would be a pillar of strength for her in this time of need.

Sakura's pitiful cries echoed throughout the hallways for the next hour, long after the step-family had to leave and other patients were being released

from their temporary pains, Sakura wept and wept.

She was in the hospital for another week, missing the funeral and the memo that Chiharu and Karin had bought a different house for the 3 of them to live in. It was on the complete opposite end of Konoha, way out of the bus route for her high school. She didn't have a car and there was no way Chiharu would drive her all the way to Konoha Prep every day.

Sakura hesitantly brought this up as they pulled up to an unfamiliar driveway. Her eyes scanned the lush, green lawn and rose garden definitely left by the previous owners. She almost laughed at the pitiful tree that seemed to have only recently been planted there, but her ribs were still healing and laughing was the most painful thing she could do right now, both physically and emotionally.

Chiharu smiled cheekily in the rear-view mirror. "Oh! I almost forgot, I got you transferred to Karin's school. It's within walking distance from here and Karin says you'll fit right in there."

The excitement in her voice frightened Sakura. How could she just transfer her without getting her consent! That wasn't fair! She had friends there at K-Prep and was in an incredible program that would get her into North Konoha University, which was one of the top ranking medical schools in the country!

She was about to voice her protests, but Chiharu was already out of the car and was walking towards the front door. Sakura shuffled painfully slow out of the vehicle and hobbled towards the door as well. The house was only slightly smaller than their previous one, but it still had two stories and a very cottage feel to it. In fact, if it wasn't for the past week's events, she probably would have adored it, but it just seemed to rub salt into her fresh wounds at everything taking a 180-degree twist in her life.

"Where's my room?" She asked curiously.

Chiharu appeared from the kitchen entranceway to the left of her and motioned upstairs. "Karin had first pick of the rooms, so I guess you're left with the tower."

"We have a tower?" Sakura asked in astonishment.

"Well, no," the older woman stated slowly, "it's the attic, but I thought it'd sound cooler if I called it that."

Well, there was more salt in the wound. "Aren't there any more rooms? This place should have more than two."

"But where will my work-out equipment go?"

She wasn't even surprised at this point. Her and her step-family never did hit it off. She secretly felt that if Chiharu could, she would throw her ass out on the streets, and she was desperate to keep that from happening.

"Here you go!" Chiharu exclaimed excitedly. The attic was actually a decent size, as long as the low ceilings throughout most of it were ignored. It wasn't as dusty as she had expected, but the heat was immediately unbearable.

"Where is all the rest of my stuff?" Sakura asked as she eyed three boxes lying haphazardly on a small mattress. She had a room full of trinkets and books and a closet filled with clothes at her old place.

When no answer came she turned and realized that Chiharu was already downstairs.

So much for that.

The following Monday found Sakura in front of Konoha High School in a white blouse and light blue skirt with her long hair braided and silver headband to keep her bangs where she wanted them; hiding her large forehead and sad eyes.

Trudging towards the entrance and avoiding contact with all the strangers around her, she rushed up the steps and searched for the main office.

The principle was very kind to her and the teachers helped her get a hold of the student president to have him show her around. His name was Hyuuga Neji, a tall senior with long, dark brown hair and the lightest lavender eyes she'd ever seen. She was instantly mesmerized, but couldn't stare for long as he immediately began the curt tour.

"And that hallway leads down to the cafeteria. Students are allowed to go off-campus, but there isn't really anything nearby so very few students do leave. Do you drive?" He asked.

Sakura nodded and added shyly, "Yes, but I don't have a car."

Neji nodded in understanding. "Then you'll just want to stay on campus. Lunch is 50 minutes long and you can find almost anything in the market stand set up in the cafeteria anyway. It isn't too bad. I advise you to stay away from the ramen stand, though. Most people end up in the infirmary after eating there."

She took a mental note of that. She glanced around at the other students and the standard uniform they all wore. She saw Karin laughing with a few other girls and waved a little at her, but the red-head merely glanced at her before turning around and walking away with the other girls.

Sakura slowly put her hand down and looked down at her feet.

She barely registered that Neji had begun speaking again. "… - first class is just down this hall and to the right. You don't need to worry about punctuality. Your homeroom is with Kakashi-sensei. He won't come to class until 15 minutes into your first hour anyway."

"Really?" She asked in amazement.

Neji sighed. "Yes, and the principle would have fired him a long time ago, but his classes always get the best grades in the school when it comes to exams." He suddenly looked away and narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me just a second," he said politely before yelling "Uzumaki!"

Sakura suddenly feared that he was yelling at Karin, since she decided to keep her original last name legally, but when she spotted a familiar blonde head her heart instantly lightened.

"How many times have I told you to wear your uniform properly!"

"S-sorry Neji! I woke up late and rushed to change and-"

"Just like every day for the past two months you've woken up late?"

Uzumaki Naruto fumbled with his shirt to fix the buttons before the Hyuuga's wrath was released when he noticed something a bit out of place. He pointed past Neji. "Hey! But that girl isn't even wearing her uniform! You sexist bastard!"

Neji's eyebrow twitched. "She just transferred here. She'll be in your class so why don't you meet her and make sure she finds her classes." He motioned to Sakura and she rushed over. Naruto's eyes lit up suddenly when he finally saw her pink hair and glittering green eyes.

"Sakura-chan! What are you doing here?" He exclaimed gleefully as he flung his arms around her. Sakura was so happy to see a friendly face she nearly cried.

"We moved a few days ago and I had to transfer schools," she explained. Naruto squeezed her a little tighter but quickly let go when she hissed and hunched over herself.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" He freaked as he watched her take deep breaths. She nodded and smiled slightly.

She stood straighter and rubbed her ribs. "It's okay. I was…" She faltered. "Uh… I was injured a week ago and am still recovering a bit, so please be careful of my ribs."

Neji, having been long forgotten by the two, cleared his throat to gain their attention. "Well, I see you two already know each other, so I'm going to go check in at the office and make sure your uniform order is sent off immediately." He turned to Naruto. "And if I catch you still looking like a mess later today, I'm going to write you up."

Naruto saluted him playfully and lightly placed his arm around Sakura's shoulders, mindful of her injuries now. "How'd you get hurt? And how did oji-san let you come here? Weren't you going to that preppy-ass school on the other side of town? God damn I'm so happy to see you!"

Sakura laughed softly at his exuberant nature. Of course she'd known Naruto for a while, as he was her step-cousin and often had play dates at her house when they were in elementary school, when her step-family had brilliant smiles and her father was twirling her around and sneaking them all cookies from the cookie jar none of them could reach.

Karin, Naruto, and her used to always hang out when they were younger and Kizashi had barely married Chiharu, but once middle school happened they all seemed to grow distant from each other. Karin began wearing make-up and calling her mean names, and Naruto simply stopped showing up to her house. She was distraught that her blonde best friend disappeared from her life and Karin seemed to be replaced by a completely different person.

She was reluctant to talk about her accident and the mention of her father brought a lump to her throat. She was grateful when Naruto's attention had been shifted to entering the classroom and gesturing widely to the other students. Leave it to Naruto to create a scene, she thought fondly. He hadn't changed a bit.

"Hey guys!" He shouted to the other students. Some of them groaned and others told him to keep quiet, but he kept smiling and motioned to Sakura, who suddenly felt the weight of all their stares and blushed.

"This is Haruno Sakura! She's one of my childhood best friends and is super smart. Everyone say hi!"

Sakura was about to shush Naruto when, surprisingly, a few voices actually begun calling out a "Hi Sakura" with a long sigh. Naruto whooped when he succeeded in introducing her to the class and tried to pull her as gently as possible towards the other side of the room, where a group of students were talking animatedly.

"Hey guys! Guys! This is Sakura!"

A girl with bright blue eyes and long, bright-blonde hair tied up into a high pony-tail sighed dramatically and flicked Naruto's forehead. "We know, stupid. You just announced it to the whole world." She was sitting on a desk and slid off delicately and ignored Naruto's loud protest at being flicked. She smiled at Sakura and held out her hand. Sakura took it shyly and was surprised at the firm handshake the other girl gave her.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino. It's nice to meet you, Sakura-san." She pulled her into her arm and motioned with the other to the students in front of them. Akimichi Chouji was a plump student who was munching on potato chips gingerly and gave her a kind smile from his seat. It was his desk that Ino had been sitting on. In the seat next to Chouji's was Nara Shikamaru, who seemed to be napping with his spiked, brunette head shoved into his folded arms on his desk. In front of him was a laughing brunette named Inuzuka Kiba, who had a smile identical to Naruto's as they laughed together about some unknown subject. He gave her a cool "Yo" and returned to chatting with the hyperactive blonde.

Ino let her go and resumed her perch on Chouji's desk. He didn't seem to mind and merely continued chomping on his chips, smiling in content. Sakura felt a little awkward just dropping into their circle of friends, but didn't want to seem rude by just leaving them.

The pretty blonde smiled sweetly at Sakura. "Feel free to hang out with us anytime. I know what it's like to move to a new place and a new school in the middle of the year. It sucks." She laughed and the sound lifted Sakura's spirits. She smiled back, thankful for the kindness they were showing her. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here.

"Oh!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed and rushed away from them. Sakura watched him curiously as he seemed to ambush a poor girl whose porcelain skin turned beat red at his surprise attack. Her hair reached her hips and was a deep shade of purple. Beneath her perfectly cut fringe were the same exact eyes as Hyuuga Neji.

Naruto nearly dragged the girl over to them, shouting excitedly. "Hinata-chan! Look! This is Haruno Sakura, one of my bestest childhood friends ever!"

Ino groaned. "He's going to do this all day."

"Probably all week," Kiba added.

Naruto ignored them. "Sakura, this is Hyuuga Hinata, the idiot president's cousin."

Hinata's blush never faded as she held her hand out politely and stuttered out a kind greeting. Sakura had never met someone more shy that herself and felt the need to placate the short girl's anxiety.

"Hinata-san, your hair looks so pretty," she told her honestly. It really was. Sakura almost wanted to look at it for the rest of the day to see if it kept that silky sheen and texture.

Hinata's blush increased and she bowed her head slightly. "Th-thank you, Sakura-san. I love the color of your hair."

"It's completely natural!" Naruto said excitedly, happy to show off his old friend.

Hinata told Sakura that there was an empty seat next to hers in the back if she wanted to sit by her and the pink-haired girl accepted the offer thankfully, grateful to sit next to someone who didn't seem like they would try to talk throughout the whole class-time. At her other school, she sat next to a boy named Hirano who believed everyone should know about everything he did the day before and would tell everyone at least twice.

The bell for homeroom rang, but nobody seemed to pay any mind to it. Sakura felt anxious to sit at her seat and glanced around for some sign that the class was going to quiet down and she could get on with her day.

The chattering around the classroom didn't die down until, as Neji had warned her, a teacher with silver-gray hair that she swore defied gravity, a face mask and eye-patch that scared her slightly, stepped in 15 minutes after homeroom ended and first period begun, then finally everyone settled down.

Well, except Naruto.

She learned that Kakashi-sensei didn't really care to lecture much and deemed it a self-study day.

Surprisingly, everyone seemed to comply with this and appeared to be studying diligently.

The rest of the school day went by slowly without any other notable events, other than Naruto's bucket of tears when she politely refused to eat ramen with him during lunch.

She met a few other students that day, such as TenTen and Rock Lee, who was scarily similar in appearance to their phys. Ed. Teacher, Might Guy, who frightened her with his declarations of "Youth!" and "Sportsmanship!" After watching the other students run the 2 miles he demanded of them, she made a mental note to bring extra cash and water bottles to keep extra hydrated.

She passed by Karin a few times during that day and attempted to greet her, but the red-head ignored her every time.

Oh well, Sakura would see her at home anyway, not that they would really hang out anyway.

After school, Sakura received a lock for her new locker from the office and Naruto accompanied her to open it for the first time.

They were surprised to find a piece of folded paper inside.

"Is that a newt?" Naruto asked curiously, pointing at the amateur sketch and green scribbles covering it.

Sakura turned it slightly, confused as to how he came with that idea. "I thought it was an alien."

Naruto laughed at her. "That's funny, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura giggled, too. "Why a newt?"

He shrugged. "Maybe it's because you're 'new'?"

"That's ridiculous."

A/N: Hello there. This isn't my first fanfiction, but it is the first and perhaps only one I will post on here. Reviews and stuff are appreciated, but not required. I simply wanted to share my own ideas to those who may want a little extra to read.

Forgive me for any grammar errors and such. I have proofread this, but I know I'll catch something later on. I do promise to fix them eventually, though.

This story will have many chapters, so expect many updates, however don't expect them frequently.

Thank you again! I hope you enjoy future chapters as I do enjoy experiencing them as I write.

Ja ne~at'