Word Count: 963
A/N: Just a little something I wrote after I decided I needed to explore Sakura a bit. She really does have more dimensions than most people think. Either way, I hope all you Sakura fans and not-so Sakura fans (like me), enjoy this. Thanks for reading.
It took Sakura many years to figure out where she belonged in life.
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When Sakura was six she wanted to be a florist; just like Ino's beautiful mother who gave her daisies on Sundays, and just like Ino herself, who was so confident and pretty and so not like Sakura that it made her perfect.
When Sakura was seven, she still wanted to be a florist, and she could be seen day after day in the woods, brow furrowed and nose buried in a book of flowers, pink hair (that was beautiful) blowing in the wind.
When Sakura was seven and a half, she wanted to be a ninja; just like her pretty chunin landlord, and just like that Uchiha Sasuke, the boy she saw in the woods training and blowing balls of fire out of his delicate, not like Sakura mouth. Yes, Sakura thought then, she'd be a ninja. The next day, she returned her floral books to the library.
From then on, Sakura wanted to be a ninja, and not just any ninja, she wanted to be Sasuke's right hand (meaning she would have to be good, but Sakura never meant to be a ninja). Sakura wanted Sasuke for herself.
And so Sakura trained and studied and trained some more. She trained until she fell asleep from exhaustion and woke in the morning aching in places she didn't even knew existed (she would have to study more, she needs to know everything).
When Sakura was nine, she first saw Naruto. And promptly turned her head in disgust. (That was what everyone else did afterall, and Sakura always did like to fit in.) She hated the way he acted up in class in an obvious cry for attention, it was pathetic, and why didn't his parents reprimand him?
When Sakura was ten, she first started seeing results, Iruka-sensei told her what a good student she was in front of the whole class, and she beamed as she recited the Effects of Chakra Stimulation for her end of the year examination. (Sasuke actually looked at her!)
When Sakura was thirteen she became a ninja (though she wasn't good, Sakura wasn't meant to be a ninja), and was put on a team with the devil and his footstool (but he was just Sasuke to her). She didn't particularly like Kakashi-sensei ("You're Late!"), but she tolerated him; because Sasuke tolerated him, and because Sakura needed to be strong.
When Sakura was thirteen she had a morning routine, she would wake, shower, dress ("Do you think this shade of red clashes with my hair, Mom?"), apply lip gloss ("Hell yeah! Sasuke will notice me now!"), and make a bento for her and Sasuke ("I wonder what he likes?"). When Sakura was thirteen she lost sight of what being a ninja was.
When Sakura took the Chunin exams her hair was cut short (just like everything else) and she went home and cried. Sakura was weak, she knew (was she ever meant to be a ninja?), but she didn't know what to do.
Then, when Sasuke and Naruto nearly killed each other and every thing went to hell, she had no reason to be a ninja anymore (she never was meant to be a ninja). Sasuke was gone and it hurt.
When Sakura was fifteen, her hair was still short but she could now create craters with her fists (and she thought she should be proud). She was older now, and wiser (she was sure), and that much closer to being a ninja Sasuke would be proud of (if only Sasuke were here).
When Sakura was fifteen, she began to appreciate Kakashi-sensei, because Kakashi-sensei was always there, and Kakashi-sensei never changed (on her fifteenth birthday, Kakashi-sensei would be the last one to see her cry for herself, Sakura would not be selfish, Sakura would be strong).
When Sakura was fifteen, she began to love Naruto (in a way, she thought she always did), Naruto was her sunshine; which was alright with her, all things being considered, she figured she'd seen much too much rain in her lifetime anyway. She still hit Naruto (and this time, Naruto didn't have to pretend that they hurt) and she still hated Naruto (but they were family), but she loved Naruto, because she knew he would keep his promise.
When Sakura was seventeen, Naruto dragged Sasuke's sorry ass back home. The first thing Sakura did was slap him, the next thing Sakura did was cry (but not for herself).
It was the first time they had all been together (her, Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei) for four years and Sakura was sure she had never been happier in her life. They all piled in Kakashi-sensei's cramped apartment (where the dusted picture of all four of them lay) and drank tea (Kakashi even removed his mask).
The atmosphere was tense and stifling; until Naruto said something stupid, Sasuke called him an idiot, Naruto started a fight, Sakura hit him over the head, and Kakashi sat back and read his porn.
Team Seven's blood is thicker than water.
By the time Sakura was eighteen years old, her hair had grown long (she could now decimate a mountain with one punch) and she saved peoples' lives on a daily basis (as a medical ninja, she was excellent).
And as she sat in the park with her team (and they would always be her team), she realized that she knew where she belonged (she always did); and it wasn't being a ninja, although, now, she was a damn good one (because, Sakura was never meant to be a ninja).
It was right here,
-- "Shut the hell up, Sasuke-bastard! Kakashi-sensei, tell him about my awesome new Rasengan! Dammit, I'll kick your ass!"--
with her boys.