This just popped up in my head while listening to FF Versus XIII's theme Somnus. (Which I personally think fits SasuSaku very much :D) Please note that if there are any grammar mistakes, blame my native language not being English. Thank you.

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me; otherwise it would be rated M. ;D

Chapter 1: Bus 121

"And so, the young woman slain the demon spawn, and as his lifeless body hits the ground, the woman's legs fail her and she falls beside him-"

"No!" the child cried as she snatched the book from her mother's hands and closed it with a loud 'thump!' "I don't wanna hear it!"

Her mother smiled, slightly surprised by her daughter's sudden outburst. "But honey, the ending-"but she was once again interrupted by the little girl, shaking her head and holding the books so tightly as if her life depended on it.

"N-no! They…they will…"

The mother let go a soft sigh and took the book from her, cupping her cheek. "Maybe it's time for you to sleep, no?"

"But mommy! Please!" The little girl grabbed the soft sheets that covered her petit body fiercely, her voice full of anxiety. "Please, please, start from the beginning?"

The woman was ready to say no and end the discussion there but as she looked at her child, the corner of her eyes wet from stubborn tears, her heart ache. She sighed once more.

"…fine." She sat down on the small sized bed, a smile featuring her lips as the little girl jumped in excitement. "From the beginning then."

"Took you long enough."

…crap.

She stopped on her tracks, a frown slapped across her face. Well, there goes trying to get to school earlier. "I know you're avoiding me, Sakura."

…crap.

Her mother stopped from whatever she was doing, her golden locks waving as she opened the kitchen's window. "Listen," she gracefully spun around, her mouth open but no words come out and Sakura wondered for a second if she was searching through her mind for things to say. "I know…I know things between us aren't at best terms. We barely see, talk and do stuff together, and you know how-"

"-hard your works is, yes mom, I understand." Sakura understood. She really did. She knew her mother was a very dedicated person when it came to work and how she seemed to forget everything around her because of it.

Forget her.

Sakura understood. But that didn't mean she liked it. But none of that did really matter. She rolled her eyes. "So, why are you here, anyway? You always leave to work before I wake up?"

An unreadable, misty emotion in her mother's eyes caught her off guard. "It's your birthday."

A simple 'oh' escaped the young girl's lips. Did I really forget my own birthday? Eh. Seems like mom's bad habits are starting to affect me, too…

Tsunade's breath hitched as she reached her pockets, presenting Sakura with a thin envelope and approaching her in slow but steady steps. Sakura remained frozen in her spot, gazing her mother impatiently. Money? She wasn't the type to give her money as a birthday present nor did she ever give her a present, really. She was either busy being the well-known doctor she is or didn't bother with it, simply congratulating her, that is, when she was home to do so, anyway.

"It's not money." the blonde woman spoke softly and her daughter wondered if she had somehow read her thoughts. Reaching the small present, the pink haired girl wondered yet again, what could it be if not money? A note perhaps? She mentally snorted. Unlikely. What kind of gift would that be, anyway. Sakura was about to open it, curiosity motivating her, but a hand quickly grasped her wrist, alerting her. "Don't open it just yet, though," The blonde quickly continued. "Open it when you feel…ready."

What the hell…?

Her arms went limp and she lazily stored the envelope in her bag, ready to leave. The sooner I get out of here, the better."Sakura, I'm-" Sakura, however, did not stop when her mother called her again, leaving her house and making her way to her destination. Tsunade looked down on her feet, defeated. She didn't blame her. She could never blame her.

"…sorry."

As she walked down the street, she couldn't help but examine her gift suspiciously, wondering just what the heck made it so important that it needed her full readiness to be opened. It didn't look special and had nothing on it with the exception of her name neatly written on the back. But she, unfortunately, couldn't think of anything. Her mother made it clear; it wasn't money. Well, I'll be damned if it's a gift card. Sakura continued to look at it as she arrived at the bus stop, and when she sat down on a bench, it took her a full minute to realize there was no one awaiting her. TenTen wasn't there, which took her by surprised, as she was always there when she arrived. She looked at her surroundings and found it odd to see no one there; it wasn't a busy stop but there was always someone there, aside from TenTen, reading a book or listening to music.

She relaxed and closed her eyes, releasing a heavy sigh. You're over reacting, Haruno. She'll b here in no time.

The temptation to opening the envelope invaded her. Surely, her mother wanted to make it more fun (she didn't see how, though) by making her wait and just die from curiosity and Sakura was anything but patient.

Sakura really, really, wasn't patient at all.

Her fingers touched its corners and she questioned her sanity, if she really could wait any longer. Her tapping feet against the stoned road filled the silence and the need to shred the paper to pieces was building up by the second; to add to the tension, the bus was awfully late and she had no idea what time it was. I'm ready to murder someone, anytime now.

Her short, pink hair floated as the spring wind blew softly against her.

And something snapped within her. I feel I'll go mad if I don't open this right now.

Looking both sides (wouldn't her mother by right at the corner, making sure she didn't do what she wasn't suppose to do; call me paranoid ), she carefully opened her present, making sure she didn't rip anything, and taking a deep breath, she peeked inside and she was sure she felt her heart ready to burst from her mouth.

She blinked once. Twice. A third time. W…what-?

She looked again, as if she had missed something, flipped it over, shook it and even bit it to pieces. It's empty. Nada. Niente. Nothing.

Nothing?

…

THERE'S NOTHING INSIDE?

"ARGH!" Sakura stood up as quickly as lightning and out of rage, kicked a nearby lamp post and she couldn't help but laugh like a maniac. All this tension and craziness over an empty envelope. Ha. Haha. Loneliness is really making me go mental. Shit, even a 'YOLO, hun! Love, mom :)' would be better than…an empty stupid, piece of-

Sakura threw away what was left from it and blankly watched as the little pieces danced in the air, only to vanish seconds later. Did it just-

She jumped and almost fell over the road when she heard the bus arriving, and, composing herself, she wondered just how long she waited for it. Fixing her blue skirt and checking if her black leather jacket didn't have any remaining piece of paper stuck on her, Sakura took one step back and gazed the vehicle that was now stopped.

The bus' doors opened slowly, more slowly than usual, and Sakura was greeted with a sight of a young, sly looking man, and although he looked attractive – really attractive -, he wasn't the usual driver. Nor, now that see looked with further attention, her usual bus; the windows are tinted in black…? "Hey, lady," Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the man in front of her, her mind slightly out of place. "you gonna get in or what? I ain't got all day."

"I, uh…"Crap. She was chocking up. "I-I don't think this is my-"

The man eyed her confused and rested his chin on his right hand, waiting for her decision. He gave her a faint smile as he gestured her to get inside and she was sure her whole face had a nasty shade of red. What's with this creep? "I-I'm sorry, I'm waiting for a friend." As she said that, the smile on the driver's lips soon disappeared, replacing it with a sneer. Sakura was ready to leave when she felt something pressing on her back and she looked back, only to find nothing. The pressure continued there, an invisible force forcing her to move forward and she could only stare in shock as her whole being got sucked inside of what she had thought was her ride to school.

A.N: So, what do you guys think? I thought this was a good place to stop, just to maybe leave some suspense in the air? It's a little short, forgive me XD Anyway, tell me what you guys think with a review, no matter how small it is? It always help and keeps me motivated knowing that someone likes the story and what I'm doing with it so far. And please forgive me if there are any grammar mistakes or if I'm rushing it; I got really excited to write this.
Who do you think the bus driver is? For those wondering, it ain't Sasuke. xD
Anyway, I'm already halfway done with chapter 2, so I'll release it around this week. Thank you for reading!