Sakura cracked her eyes open and sat up in her bed. She scratched her head and tried to pat down her inevitable bed-head. Sighing and lazily getting out of bed, she looked over at her clock and yawned, 6:40. She walked over to her dresser and took out her school uniform. It consisted of a knee length black checkered skirt and a white blouse top. Sakura quickly got changed and headed down the stairs. Rubbing her eyes as she entered the kitchen. When opening them again she was greeted with the sight of Hinata sipping on a cup of coffee and Gaara eating an apple.
"Well, good morning you two. Why so quiet?"
Gaara nodded his head in acknowledgement and Hinata spoke up an answer.
"C'mon, Sakura, you know the two of us aren't conversation starters! That's what you're for!" Sakura laughed lightly at Hinata and headed over to the coffee machine to get herself a cup. She sat in-between the two non-talkers and started up one of those early morning conversations that helps you wake up. They had just finished discussing what they were going to do at school when Ino came bounding in.
"Hey guys! What's up?"
"Probably the moon. Its 6:55, we should go and wake everyone else up."
"Aw man! Fine, as long as I don't get Temari. Last time, she nearly ripped my head off!"
Hinata laughed at Ino and quietly stood up. As she left she called out "I'll get Temari. Ino, you get Tenten and Sakura, go get the last one! Gaara, you know what to do with Kankuro…" and with that, Hinata left, walking to her doom. Ino sighed, getting up and mumbling to herself that Tenten could be just as bad as Temari sometimes. Sakura laughed again and stood up.
"Don't hurt him too much Gaara. We still need him around!" She watched as Gaara did his usual "Hn," and nod while walking out the door to wake up his unsuspecting brother. Sakura went up the stairs and took a left. As she headed to the girls side of the mansion, she stopped in front of a bright red door. She knocked politely and waited 5 seconds. When she didn't get a response, she kicked the door down. As she walked over to the bed to wake the sleeping redhead, she was surprised to see her already up. The girl looked over at the rosette and glared.
"Was it really necessary to kick down my door? I was already getting up, you didn't have to rush me."
"Oh, shush, Karin! Get up, because I'm heading back out to fix breakfast!" With the mention of the most important meal of the day, Karin shot out of bed and raced towards the door. Sakura laughed as she dodged her deranged sister and watched her run down the hallway to the kitchen. She walked slowly towards the kitchen as well, thinking about her messed up life. All the girls were sisters, just not biologically. Actually, they all came from abusive homes.
Tenten came from a physically abusive adoption center. Every day since she was five she was slapped and beaten by the owner. It always happened when he was very drunk, so it would usually escalate to higher levels. Meaning that he would do things, such as bang her head against her bed post, and do them repeatedly until there was blood flowing down her face. That was when he would drop her like a dead weight and leave the room. Tenten finally worked up the courage to run away at the age of fourteen. She had runaway to Temari's, since she was like a big sister figure for her. Temari took her in and basically used her money to erase her from the past, giving Tenten a completely new start.
Hinata came from a verbally abusive home. Her mother had died when she gave birth to her little sister, and her father for some strange reason, had blamed her for making her into such a weak state of health that she couldn't survive the second child birth. He called her useless, weak, and a bitch. Her father had never been kind with the insults, and he would often enjoy seeing the tears on his oldest daughters face. So he continued this behavior until Hinata was twelve. Then he got much crueler, saying that she didn't have what it takes to be the CEO of Hyuga industries, that she was unfit. He actually tried to kill her twice, just to be able to hand the company off to his prized nephew. One day he finally got fed up with her, he slapped her across the face and said she was banned from ever coming on Hyuga property every again. She ran over to Temari's as well, and began a new life just like Tenten.
Ino came from a sexually abusive foster home. She was the only girl in the establishment. When she was eight, three of the nine boys who lived with her approached her and grabbed her arms and legs, covering her mouth so she couldn't scream for help. They took her into one of the far back bedrooms and tied her to the bed. They put duct tape over her mouth and raped her, over and over again. The boys were about fourteen, and each of them had come to take their 'turn' with her. Every day, three of the boys would come and take her to the room, and bring her back out after four hours. She couldn't escape because there were locks on every door. She went through that torture for another five years. For her fourteenth birthday, the foster parent decided to take them to the park and then ice cream for her birthday. She seized this chance and when no one was looking, she jumped the fence. By the time they had realized it, she was already on a bus heading to the large town of Konoha. She lived by herself behind the high school until Sakura found her. She got Ino to trust her and took her over to Temari's also, and she bonded with all of the girls instantly. She also got a new start, and she's taken advantage of it for anything and everything.
They had found Karin in an ally way beside a bar, with most of her clothes ripped off and laying on the ground looking very hurt. They had rushed her to a hospital and got her immediate care. She would have died if they hadn't been passing by, and when she did get treated, they found out that she was in a coma. Each girl stayed by her for a different day, already feeling a connection with the mysterious redhead. Temari had her family pay for it, so she would get the best treatment. She finally woke up after being in the coma for two and a half weeks. The first person she saw was Sakura, who was busy calling everyone else telling them that the girl had awakened. She started to ask the usual questions of 'Where am I?' and 'Who are you?' which Sakura gladly answered. When Sakura said her name, she asked for the girls. She was a little hesitant at first, but when Sakura flashed a bright smile, she smiled back and happily said her name, what had happened, and who she was. She said her name was Karin, that she had been raped by her adoptive father after he had taken her to the bar, and that she was an orphan, since before he left he had said that he would disown her. Sakura had seen bruises on her when they had first found her so she asked. At the mention of them, Karin burst into tears, saying that they were from the abuse she had been dealing with over the years. Sakura calmed her down and told her that they were all of her friends were like that, and that they would help if she let them. Karin had eagerly agreed, glad to have finally found a friend who understood. Karin moved into the Sabaku mansion as soon as she was let out. She got a new life, and learned to love it.
Temari's story was probably one of the worst, though. Her father had abused her little brother Gaara and had actually gone and carved the kanji for love into Gaara's head when he was five. That's was where Temari had drawn the line and had started to stand up for her little brother. With the help of Kankuro, they guarded Gaara for eight years. Their father would come and beat them senseless for protecting a 'demon' like him, as his father had loved to call him. They would take the beatings in pride, though, because they knew they were doing something right. When Temari turned fifteen, their dad left them for another woman. He said that he had had enough of them, and since Temari could now be their guardian, he left. They came from a rich family, so money never mattered. When she found out that there were others around her that went through what she did, she took them into her home without a second thought. This was where everyone was living now, as one big family.
She thought of what she went through, and how she was the first to run away to Temaris. She and all of the other girls were her best friends. She had grown up with Kankuro, Gaara, Tenten, Hinata and Temari, and had created a strong bound with both Ino and Karin. They all shared each other's pain, and comforted one another when they hit a bump in the road. Although everyone's lives were harsh, they all agreed that Sakura's was the worst. Her road of life had not been smooth, and was filled with pot holes and cracks. She had come from the same adoption center as Tenten, and had also gotten abused alongside her. When she was eight, she was moved out and sent to another orphanage, one for mentally insane kids.
When she had got there, she was terrified. She didn't know if this orphanage would be like her last one or worse. She remembered her first day like it was yesterday…
Flashback!
Sakura swirled her head around frantically, looking for potential friends in her new home. She had just finished checking in, and was looking for somewhere to belong. She noticed a boy kicking a blue bouncy ball against the wall looking a little sad, so she went over to him. When she tapped him on the shoulder, he cringed and tried to run away. But she held on tight to his shoulder. He whirled around to face his attacker, and was shocked to find it was someone he had never met before.
Sakura studied his aqua blue eyes, and noticed they mirrored hers. She took in his whole appearance, from his spiky blonde hair to his ridiculous orange shirt. Sakura studied his face one more time to find it filled with confusion. She smiled the first real smile in a long time, and asked him the textbook question for all children eight and below.
"Do you want to be my friend?"
She watched in amusement as his face lit up in happiness. She barely heard his reply before she got tackled to the ground in a hug. They laughed loudly and got back up. They started to kick the ball in between each other, and continued to do so until the late afternoon, only stopping for lunch. They were about to head in for dinner when a dark blue haired boy approached them. Sakura looked at Naruto with a confused expression, but it all went away when she saw the terrified look on his face. The boy stopped about a foot in front of Naruto, and slapped him right across the face. Sakura stood up, enraged that her new friend had just gotten hurt, and walked up to the bully. When she stopped in front of him, the boy raised an eyebrow.
"Leave. Him. Alone. Or you WILL regret it." The bully just laughed and raised his hand to slap her as well. Naruto watched in horror as his first friend was about to get hurt. Sakura closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable blow. However, it never came. She opened her eyes and stared at what was in front of her in shock.
There was a boy in front of her, with spiky orange hair, and purple eyes that almost looked like they had rings around them. He had caught the boy's hand, and had twisted it behind the bully's back. There was another boy, with red hair and amber eye's, that was holding the bully's chin and whispered what sounded like a warning. The orange haired boy had just let go when a flash of silver happened and the boy was ten feet away. There, where the bully had once been, was a boy with silver hair and pinkish purplish eyes. Sakura saw a flash of blue from the corner of her eye, and whirled around to come face to face with the smiling face of a blue haired girl. The girl opened her eyes and Sakura found herself lost in a sea of hazel. She almost didn't notice that she had started talking.
"Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" the girl asked with concerned tone I her voice. Sakura shook her head no. She turned around and saw a boy with green hair and with half of his skin darker than the other helping Naruto up. She looked over at the bully and saw a blond haired boy, a blue haired boy with light blue skin, a black haired boy with grey skin and with what looked like stitches all on his body, and the silver haired boy from earlier all standing over the bully. She watched as Naruto came running up to her and gave her a tight hug. She patted his back and felt something getting her shirt wet. She lifted Naruto's head up and saw that he was crying.
"Naruto, why are you crying?"
After a few sniffles, Naruto was able to respond. "Be-because my first friend nearly g-got hurt because o-of m-me…" near the end, Naruto had started to cry harder. Sakura pulled the boy into a hug and rubbed her hand on his back in a soothing motion. When Naruto had finally calmed down, she turned back to where she had last talked to the blue haired girl. She was surprised to find that, had not only the girl had stayed in place, but four others had joined her. Two of them were the orange haired boy and the red haired one from earlier, but the other two had black hair. One had short spiky black hair and wore and orange face mask that showed nothing, the other one had shoulder length black hair and had on a neutral expression. She looked at the blue haired girl confusion evident on her face. She was greeted with another bright smile.
"I'm Konan. This," she pointed to the neutral black haired one. "is Itachi. He," She pointed to the other black haired boy. "is Tobi. And these two," she pointed to the redhead first and then the orange haired boy. "are Sasori and Pein. Can I ask what your name is?"
"I'm Sakura, thank you for what you did. I didn't want anything to happen to my new friend so I jumped in between them without a second thought. It was dumb, I know."
"It was stupid. You're now on their hit list, and judging by what just happened, I don't think you'll be able to defend yourself." Sakura looked at Itachi with anger in her eyes.
"It was dumb, but Tobi is sure that Sakura had a good reason for it!" Sakura looked over at Tobi next.
"Good reason or not, she's still in trouble." Sakura watched Sasori with hurt filled eyes.
"Yes, even if Naruto here fights with her, they wouldn't stand a chance." Sakura looked at Pein, anger in her eyes again.
Konan looked at her boys in disapproval. How could they not see the easy solution to all of this? "Then she'll just have to stay close to us." All of the boys looked at Konan in shock. They hadn't let anyone else in their group since they formed it. So why was their only girl suggesting to change it now? "Well, if their by us, the bullies will stay away, Naruto here will have more friends," Naruto's face brightened at that statement. "and I'll finally have another girl to talk to! You wouldn't mind that, would you Sakura?" Konan asked with hope in her eyes.
"Well, if it wouldn't be a problem, I would very much appreciate that." Konan gave a little squeal and gave Sakura a big hug. After Sakura and Naruto were introduced to the others, they all headed to dinner. Sakura sat next to Naruto and Konan, and sat across from Pein. They all started to have small talk and soon, full blown conversations were going on at the table. With all feeling of shyness gone, she had agreed to have a sleepover with Konan. Pein took the cue that Konan sent him and invited Naruto to spend the night with the rest of the guys.
Konan and Sakura went to Konan's room. They invited the guys in after they were all dressed and ready for bed. It was around nine o'clock when Hidan had suggested they play truth or dare. Kisame pulled out a bottle from what looked like thin air and waited for everyone to gather around in a circle. When everyone was situated, Kisame put the bottle in the middle and gave it a spin. When it finally stopped, it had landed on Sakura. She gulped and quickly selected truth.
"Alright, how about this? Do you have a special talent?"
"I guess…does singing count?" Kisame shook his head yes. "Then yes, yes I do."
The questions continued and every now and then, someone would chose dare, but they were never really bad, considering how they were all eight year olds. The worst one was probably when Kakuzu dared Hidan to run around without his shirt on, which Hidan quickly did. By nine thirty, they had each learned a lot about each other. Like how everyone in the Akatsuki, the name that Pein liked to call them, were all dropped off when they were four, on the same day, at the same time. Talk about fate.
Everyone one started to yawn and it was agreed that there would be one last spin and then they would all go to bed. Konan spun the bottle and it landed on Sakura.
"You know what? –yawn- Just to let this game end on an exciting note, I pick dare."
Konan smiled and yawned once too. "Fine, then I dare you to sing us a lullaby."
Sakura turned pink and stammered out an okay. She sat up straight and waited for all of them to grab their sleeping gear. When everyone was situated, Sakura began to sing a tune that just flowed out of her mouth, almost as if she had learned it before…
(Once upon a December from the Disney movie Anastasia)
Dancing bears
Painted wings
Things I almost remember,
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December
Someone holds me safe and warm,
horses prance through a silver storm,
Figures dancing gracefully,
across my memory,
Everyone started to nod of at this point.
Someone holds me safe and warm,
horses prance through a silver storm,
Figures dancing gracefully,
across my memory,
Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart used to know
things I yearn to remember
and a song someone sings
Once upon a December
Most of them were asleep, but some fought back the tired feelings so they could hear the end of the song.
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December
Everyone that had been fighting sleep finally gave in and went quickly into a deep sleep. Sakura looked out over her friends and smiled at the sight. She got up and went over to sleep next to Naruto. She got under the covers and snuggled up next to him, instantly loving the warmth he emitted. Sakura let out a final sigh before falling in to a deep sleep.
Every night since then, Sakura sang them asleep with the same tune.
Flashback end!
Sakura had loved her time with them, but things turned worse. Naruto had gotten adopted when she was ten, and while she was happy for him, she was sad that her best friend was leaving. Before he left, he gave her a hug and promised to never forget her. She watched him leave in the car and kept watching until they were out of sight. She stuck close to the Akatsuki after that. But they left too, after her twelfth birthday. They had all gotten adopted by the same man, but he could only take ten so she was left behind again. She had tried to get a family too, but all of the people interested in her where men in their late twenties. When she would go to their home for the ten day trial period, they locked her in a room and raped her every night, and then they would drop her back off and say she wasn't worth the trouble. She went through six of those before she started to turn down any and all offers. She was constantly harassed by the bullies that hadn't been adopted, since there was no one to protect her anymore. She finally ran away after her fourteenth birthday. She had run to her school friend Temari's house and had broken down. She was comforted by all of the girls in the house so far, which were Ino, Tenten, and Temari. She decided that night that she wanted her life to be erased.
All of the girls had gotten rid of their old lives, thanks to Temari's family's money, and had started over. Even Temari joined in, and each girl changed their appearances. They saw no need to change their names since they were common enough. Each girl took the same last name, giving the idea that they were all sisters.
Their name change worked to help another thing as well. Sakura, Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and Temari were all rock stars. They had started the band last year when they found out they were all prodigies when it came to instruments and singing. One day, Kankuro had the strangest idea to make an instrument shop, being the 'special' person he is, but gave up when he saw how much work it was. The girls had been chatting about a new movie when they saw them. They decided to mess around and had each picked an instrument to play. Tenten took drums, Temari the base, Hinata the keyboard, Ino took the tambourine and back up microphone, Karin took the other back up microphone and the saxophone, while Sakura took the electric guitar and the lead microphone.
They started to play a new song on the radio, and really got into it. They almost didn't notice Kankuro and Gaara clapping in the background. Kankuro told them they were great, and that they should try out as a band, which is what they did. They called themselves 'Blank Page'. They went to a battle of the bands competition and brought the house down. A woman instantly approached them as soon as they had got of stage and offered them a contract. They had accepted, and later found out that the woman's name was Tsunade, and that she had become their manager. She became a mother to the girls and each one respected and loved her as well. Well, at least when she didn't have too much to drink.
When Sakura finally got to the kitchen in what had seemed like forever. When she was there, she immediately set to work fixing breakfast. When she was done fifteen minutes later, everyone had a large buffet to choose from. The choices ranged from French toast and waffles to sausage and bacon. Everyone eagerly grabbed a plate and started to get in a line. Sakura looked at her watch. 7:20 am. She sighed and shook her head.
"Guys, eat quickly. We have to go…get ready." Each of the girls looked at Sakura with an understanding look, and quickly finished up breakfast. When they were done, they stood up and put their plates in the sink and headed towards their shared bathroom. When they stepped inside, they each went to their respective vanities and started to get ready for the school day.
Sakura put on her blue colored contacts and waist length brown wig, and took out some fake box glasses. She took out a hair band and tied her brown hair up in a ponytail.
Ino took out her mid back red wig and braided it before putting it on. She took out a special make up tool and gave herself freckles.
Temari took out a short auburn colored wig and hazel contacts. She put on some fake braces and put in some earrings.
Karin took out a shoulder length silver wig and green contacts. She put the wig into pig tails once she was done. She also took out some slim silver glasses and put them on.
Tenten took out a short platinum blonde wig. She didn't think it was necessary to put on fake contacts, since black was a common color.
Hinata took out a waist length dirty blonde wig. She put some blue green contacts over her silver eyes to hide them.
Each of the girls looked each other over and laughed at how different they looked.
"S-so how do I l-look?" Everyone turned to look at Hinata, and Sakura took a whole five seconds before she burst out laughing. Just the idea of Hinata stuttering was hilarious, because it went against her actual character in so many ways.
"You do know you actually don't have to stutter, right?" Temari asked, just to be sure.
"I l-like it. It m-makes me feel like a n-new p-person." Hinata smiled at them.
Tenten shrugged and looked at her watch. "Well, it 7:35 now. If we don't want to be late for our first day of school, I suggest we get our things and go, now." All of the girls nodded their heads and went back into the kitchen to get their things. When they were all set to go, they went into the garage and grabbed their bikes. They waved goodbye to Gaara and Kankuro, seeing how they were taking a car. They didn't want anyone to know they lived together, so the girls took bikes.
Living five minutes from school had its perks. They parked and locked the bikes in the bike rack, and then proceeded to head into the court yard. Sakura looked across the space to find a nice sunny spot with no one else nearby. She turned to her sisters and smiled, turning again to walk over to the spot. She placed her blue book bag on the ground and sat cross-legged beside it. Her sisters followed her example, causing them all to end up in a small circle.
They compared schedules, and laughed when they found out that they all had two classes together. Gym and Foods, the first was a favorite for all of them, but Foods was going to be an adventure, seeing how only Sakura could cook. Gym was third period, while Foods was last. Sakura looked over her schedule one more time before dully noting that she had no other classes with her sisters.
"Hey! Ino, me and you have dance together!"
"Really? That's great Karin! What about you Hinata?"
"I got theater in second p-period…"
"Hehe, Hinata, you almost lost it there!"
"Sh-shut up Tenten!"
"Hey Hinata, I have theater with you!"
"Don't forget me Temari!"
"Awww, you guys are so lucky! Hinata, you have Tenten and Temari, and Ino, you and Karin are together. I gots no one! All alone…in this big wide world…no one to be in class with! Oh, the pain!" Sakura placed her hand to her forehead and tilted her head to make it look like she was fainting. The girls laughed at her, and she joined in too.
"What do you have anyway Sakura?"
"Honors Algebra II."
"Really? Geez, I'm only in geometry!" Tenten said with a huff.
"Gosh, if you were in the dumb classes like the rest of us we'd see more of each other!" Ino joked.
Sakura laughed lightly but stopped when she heard the loud sound of the bell. She slowly stood up and waved goodbye.
"Well, it's off to hell for me!"
"Haha, good luck girl! Don't overwhelm the math teacher like you did last year! She had a nervous breakdown after you corrected her on exponential long division!"
"That's wasn't on purpose and you know it!"
Temari waved her off. "Whatever, just get your ass to class! Remember, you're on the other side of the building."
"….sugar and salt!" And with that, Sakura was running down the halls a mile a second. She reached the door to her class room and entered right before the tardy bell rang. Letting out a sigh of relief, she headed towards a random open seat in the back. Today may have been the first day of school, but she could already feel that things were going to happen…
