A Lesson Well Learned
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, although I wish I did, the credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto.
Rated M: Violence, lemons, angst, and Naruto's humor lol .
This is my first fanfiction so bear with me. I've put a lot of time and thought into this. This is a Sakura/Sasuke pairing story so if you dont like them, then dont read it. I hope you enjoy!! REVIEW!! I really want to know what you think since this is my first one! I dont care if its good or bad.
Also, the words that are italized, thats inner Sakura talking.
A Lesson Well Learned
Chapter 1: A New Beginning
"The World is round, and the place that
may seem like the end, may also be
the beginning"
-George Baker
Gazing out, I viewed the fresh new scenery passing me by. Trees; so many trees. It's like the middle of nowhere. Not like the bustling New York City streets I grew up on. This place looked so peaceful and wondrous.
I had a feeling this was going to be an experience I'd never forget.
My name is Haruno Sakura. I just turned 18 years old, born and raised in New York City, now I'm on my way to my new home in Konoha, Japan. (A/N: Yes, I know there's no Konoha in Japan just play along .) My father being a very important business man, got a request for a company partnership here in Japan, and him and his new partner were going to have their headquarters in Konoha. So I was forced to leave my home, my friends, and everything I knew and loved behind.
Angry? Yes, I am. But I'm happy for my father. This was good for us. With this partnership, his company is now a multi-billion dollar corporation. And secretly, I've always wanted to go to Japan.
Now, my mother was less than happy. She was downright furious. She's an American and she has lived in the States her whole life, so this was a very hard thing for her to go through.
My mother met my father when she went in California on a not so welcomed trip, and she met him through a mutual friend, named Brian. It was love at first sight. My father was actually doing a college internship in San Diego that was assigned to him while he attended Tokyo University. There he met Brian who was doing the same internship along with him. Brian was the best friend of my uncle on my mother's side of the family, before my uncle was involved in an accident and was taken away from this world, which was the reason my mother was in San Diego.
My Uncle Jacob, was driving in his car and unfortunately was hit and killed by a drunk driver. The driver never stopped, and he got away. To this day no one knows who the killer was. Brian and Jacob were best friends from high school and were roommates in college. But when Jacob died, Brian was like a brother to my mother. In a way he replaced the emptiness in my mother's heart after the loss of her brother. That is until she met my father.
Brian introduced Katherine, my mother, to Magoichi, my father, and they hit it off. They've been married for twenty years now.
"Pretty, isn't it Sakura?" My father said to me. He was sitting next to me in the limousine. I was sitting by the window because I loved looking outside and watching things pass me by. My mother was on the opposite side of the limo, because she was still furious with my dad, and they weren't on speaking terms right now.
"It's beautiful, dad. I've always wanted to come to Japan. I just never thought I'd be living here." I replied back with a little sadness in my voice. "I just am going to miss my friends so much. And I'm really bummed that I have to change schools right before my senior year. I was hoping to graduate with Cassile, Mary and Kat. But I can always visit right? Plus, I'm still going to follow my dream and go to Harvard and be a doctor."
"Of course you can visit them. Especially since I got this partnership, we'll have so much more money; I'll be able to send you anywhere you want to go!" He hugged me then, and kissed my forehead, which I hated because it reminded me of how big it is.
"Humph..." My mother mumbled as she crossed her arms and looked outside her window.
"I wish you would forgive me already. You know how sorry I am for taking you away from your home. But you have to realize this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. Fugaku and I have been talking about this for years and you knew that. You have to forgive me at some point. I only want to have what's best for you and Sakura. And I keep my word; you can go back at anytime. Just please don't be so upset anymore." Magoichi pleaded with my mother.
"Humph..." Katherine said again.
My father and I sighed and sweat dropped.
The limousine came to a halt, and I jumped up with excitement. We waited until the chauffeur came and opened the door. My father was the first to be let out, followed by my mother. Then I stepped out with help from my dad. I bent and straightened my skirt and looked up and that's when my jaw dropped.
My new house, no scratch that, my new MANSION, was gorgeous! It was Japanese style with three stories and an avenue of cherry blossom trees lining up to the door. I heard a trickling of water and noted to myself that there must be a spring somewhere on the side of the house or behind it.
In the middle of nowhere, but I'd rather be no where than anywhere if this was where I was going to live.
"Wow!!" My mother and I both exclaimed.
"See, I told you that you'd like it. Come on; wait till you see the inside." Magoichi started walking to the door following the butler that had come out to meet us. My mother and I followed after we were able to regain our composure. Meaning picking our jaws off the beautiful blossom covered ground.
The butler rushed ahead and opened the door for us. "There you are Mr. Haruno, sir." He bowed. We all walked in, and realized that my father was right. If you thought the outside was gorgeous then the interior was designed by the angels themselves. It was absolutely stunning. It was all Japanese tatomi mats and sliding doors. There were three pairs of slippers next to the door.
"Go on, take your shoes off and put those slippers on and we'll take a tour of our new humble abode!" My father smiled as we changed our shoes. The butler taking the shoes we were wearing before and put them in a closet near the door.
A portly woman came and greeted us right after we changed our shoes. "Konichiwa, Haruno-san, Katherine-chan, Sakura-chan." She bowed each time she said our names. "I'm Rin, your housekeeper. Now please follow me and I'll show you around." And with that she started walking.
The first room we entered was the living room. It was beautiful; a bamboo coffee table embellished with gold was in the middle with a fireplace on the north side. Scattered chairs and a love seat surrounded the table. Next, was the dining room and kitchen. The dining room was exactly how I'd always imagined. A low table with ten cushions surrounding it on all sides. Purely Japanese style. The kitchen was just like a cut out of a kitchen magazine, with cherry wood cabinets and granite countertops and all stainless steel appliances.
"I've always dreamt of a kitchen like this!!" My mother said in awe.
We ascended to the second story where we were shown two guest rooms and my bedroom. My bedroom was painted pink with a futon on the floor off to one side of the room, and all my belongings from New York were scattered around.
"Gomen, Sakura-chan," Rin said, "we didn't know how you would like to arrange your room so we just unpacked your things and decided to let you arrange it the way you want."
"Oh, I love my room though! It's so much bigger than my old one. And I've always wanted to sleep on a futon!" I replied.
My bathroom was almost as big as my own room. It had a step-in corner shower and a huge bathtub set in the very center. My dream of having my own bathroom and a huge bathtub had finally come true!!
Next, we went to the third floor which had two more guest rooms and my parents' room.
Lastly, we were shown to the back of our house. And I nearly passed out. My backyard was a beautiful Japanese orchid garden, with rock fountains and…
"Is that a...a, a HOT SPRING??" I squealed.
"Hai, Sakura-chan." My father replied.
I couldn't contain my excitement anymore. I jumped up like a little girl and ran into the garden.
"Sakura!! Don't get lost...ugh; sometimes she can be so troublesome." My father shook his head as he followed Rin and mom back inside.
"This is the most beautiful place I have ever seen!!" I said to myself. I followed the trail that seemed to never end. It was beautiful with wooden bridges over the little stream that led to the hot springs, and orchids and cherry trees fully in bloom everywhere. "I could get used to this."
I continued walking for half an hour just exploring my enormous new backyard. I had to be the luckiest girl in the world. With a new home and gorgeous backyard like this? All that I left behind in New York was forgotten.
As I continued walking, I came across a little bench under the largest cherry tree. The wind blew, and I closed my eyes and took in a huge breath, letting the sweet air hit my lungs. Savoring the fresh air that was so new to me. The scent of the flowers, the fresh grass, the orchids and the sounds of the spring trickling over the slimy rocks as it followed its path. As I opened my eyes, I was shocked.
Before, I didn't notice that the bench was occupied but a man with black hair was sitting there now, with an annoyed look on his face. He had one leg crossed over his knee and was resting his chin on the hand that was resting on his leg.
"Hn... and I thought I'd be alone out here away from the annoyances. Guess I was wrong." He muttered, seemingly talking to himself rather than to me.
"Excuse me? This is my backyard, and... And I am NOT annoying. Who the hell are you anyways??" I glared at him.
"Omai wa uzai." He grumbled. "It doesn't matter who I am, because you'll be leaving now." And with that he did a "shooing" motion with his hand.
"I am most certainly not leaving! Now you will tell me who you are right now because it's rude to just lounge out on someone else's property and not introduce yourself. Who are you?"
He lifted his head up a little. Apparently, he was surprised that I didn't listen to him. "This, for one, is MY property. And I was here first." He said.
Humph...a man with few words huh?
The nerve of him. But now that he lifted his head I had a better view of his face. Could it be possible that Adonis stepped onto Earth and is now sitting before me? He was slightly tanned, with deep onyx eyes that looked as if they could see into my very being. He was wearing a black shirt with the collar up which showed off his broad shoulders, with white shorts that revealed nice well-toned, muscular legs. His face was perfectly shaped, and his lips were pursed in annoyance, but you could tell they were not to thin but not to full.
Perfect for kissing...my mind thought.
Wha..?
"Hello?!" He glared at me.
I shook my head and realized I was staring at him.
"Are you going to leave yet?" He stood up this time with his hands in his pockets and gave a commanding look with his eyes that said get the hell away from me.
"I... I... uh... I will once you tell me who you are." I mentally kicked myself for stuttering like an idiot.
"Hn..." He grunted. "Guess I'll leave then. And I better not see you here again." He started walking away then.
"Wait!" I cried. He stopped, but didn't turn around. "I... I... I'm Sakura Haruno. I guess I'm your new neighbor then."
"Hn... baka." He said still with his back to me, which irked me to no end. Then he turned around and next thing I knew my back was forced up against a tree with my arms above me. The man was holding my arms above my head and his body pinned me against the tree. He looked at me and leaned down to my ear. I could feel his breath against my neck and I shivered. I was scared.
"Omai.Wa.Uzai." He whispered into my ear with emphasis on each word. He dropped my arms and removed his body from mine. I crumpled to my knees trying to regain my composure. I looked up and he gave me a warning look, then turned and started walking away.
After a couple steps, he turned his head a little. "Don't come back here again." He said over his shoulder and walked out of sight.
Still on the ground, I was so confused. I stood up and brushed the dirt off my knees. And looked forward...
What the hell just happened?...
And that's the first chapter. A little boring, gomen, gomen . I just had to introduce the characters and that's always boring.
Also for a lesson in Japanese:
Konichiwa..Hello
Gomen... Sorry
Hai...Yes/okay
Baka...Idiot
Omai wa uzai...You are annoying
Please Review!! I want to know what you think!!
Coming soon!! Chapter 2: Konoha Academy
