Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine… unfortunately.

A/N: Another converted work. It's pretty old, but I made it… better? Well, maybe not better, but it's more current, I guess. And this is a SASUSAKU, NARUHINA, NEJITEN, AND TEMASHIKAINOSAI fic.

Enjoy.

Beautiful World

Prologue


Ow, my shoulder… I thought to myself, rolling my shoulders back. I rolled my head back for good measure. Why did Tsunade-shishou (1) have to make me rewrite that entire textbook? I can't feel my brain, damnit.

And it's not like I wanted to drop that glass of water all over that girl's lap! Stupid boss making me work overtime. I'm so tired.

Stupid part-time job always left me tired, so why am I complaining? My future mentor didn't help my aching limbs either, so hell.

Sigh. At least it was a nice day, right?

It was a typical spring evening, I guess. The sun was just beginning to set in the horizon, and the sky was bleeding sweet shades of red, yellow, and tinges of blue and orange. I breathed in; the air seemed so much sweeter now that I was out of that stuffy café. I reached into my skirt's pocket and checked the time on my phone: 6:07pm, March 28th, 2xxx. I looked at the horizon again. I shook my head.

"It's spring time and the sun is setting so early. Man, winter is a bitch."

Clutching onto my bags, I dodged oncoming crowds of people on the sidewalk. I shivered from the cold slightly - I forgot to bring a jacket that day - and rushed past more people on my way home.

I bumped into someone. I gave a quick, "sorry," as I looked into two pairs of pearly eyes. One kindly smiled back -

"Hyuuga, Hinata," clack, clack, "Age: 17. Hair color: black. Eye color: N/A. Height: 165 cm. Weight: 46 kg. Notes: Hyuuga clan heiress."

- and the other gave me a look.

Clack. Clack. "Hyuuga, Neji. Age: 18. Hair color: brown. Eye color: N/A. Height: 175 cm. Weight: 55 kg. Notes: Hyuuga, Hinata's cousin on her father's side; part of the lower branch of the Hyuuga clan."

Normally, I would have glared back, but I was too tired to deal with an asshole. They were from Konoha Academy (my school's more… proper sibling), or that school for rich upper-class people, too. I didn't want one of them hiring a hit man to kill me or something…

As I continued homeward, I saw one of my senpai (2) from my high school coming my way. She was laughing with one of her friends, whom had made it his personal mission to get to know me.

I crept closer to the windows of the shops to my left.

Don't let him see me. I am tired, I'm about ready to die on my bed now, and I am trying to be incognito here!

As the twosome got closer, I could hear their conversation becoming more clear.

"Lee, stop worrying! You'll do fine at the tournament tomorrow!"

"I do not doubt my youthfulness, dear friend, but I'll be going against my most youthful rival! They say he's the best in Tokyo's Konoha Acad-!"

"You'll definitely win, Lee."

"Thank you for the kind words, my sweet Tenten! But Neji is-"

They walked by me without a word. I sped up a little and turned to see if Lee had noticed me, but instead it was the girl-

"Nakamura, Tenten. Age," clack, clack, "18. Hair color: brown. Eye color: brown. Height: 166 cm. Weight: 49 kg. Notes: N/A."

-looking back at me. After a silent wink, she just smiled as she continued to walk without stopping with Lee chatting furiously at her side. I stood still for a moment. A smile bloomed from my mouth as well, mentally thanking the girl who had just saved me fifteen minutes of useless chitchat. Feeling a bit happier, I went on my way.

I glanced at a few stores and passed even more. After a few minutes, I ended up being stopped by a stop light. I patiently waited for the cross signal to light.

A girl walked up next to me. She didn't seem to notice I was standing there (how she couldn't, I will never know - hello, pink hair?) and kept herself preoccupied with her pretty face in her compact. Her creamy peach skin, those eyeliner-framed baby-blue eyes, and blonde hair made me wonder if she was more attractive than me.

Well, according to the two boys staring at her (boobs), that would be a yes. I rolled my eyes. I looked down and dusted myself off. My blue and white uniform was simple, and it wasn't exactly trendy compared to the short shorts, white tank top, tan shrug, and fur boots the neighboring girl was wearing.

Then again, I never was a trendy girl-

"Yamanaka, Ino. Age: 17. Hair color: blonde. Eye color: blue. Height: 167 cm. Weight: 48 kg. Notes: Yamanaka clan heiress."

- even though I tried. (If you were to size me up to this chick, the trendiest thing I ever bought was a tank top. That's just great.)

I took a slow, easy stride when the sign to cross sounded. A taller boy - one I unfortunately knew - quickly pushed pass me, and yelled an apology when I was bumped into once again by an older gentleman (Gentleman, my glorious ass!) who was yelling,

"Uzumaki, Naruto. Age: 17. Hair color: blonde. Eye color: blue. Height: 171 cm. Weight: 54 kg. Notes," clack… clack. "orphan; living by himself; son to deceased Prime Minister."

"NARUTOOO. GET BACK HERE, YOU OWE ME SEVENTY-FIVE HUNDRED YEN'S WORTH OF RAMEEEEN." (3)

"I PROMISE I'LL PAY YOU BACK TOMORROW! I SWEAR IT!"

"YOU SAID THAT YESTERDAY!"

I stopped for a second time to stare at what just happened. I rolled my eyes. "Of course I have to be the one to know him…" I muttered to myself when my feet decided to get moving again.

"God, he's so annoying." I looked at the blonde this time from the corner of my eye. She was putting away her compact, and making a face at the disappearing Naruto up ahead.

A boy then came up beside her. I immediately noticed his narrow eyes and ponytail. "Eh, Naruto is always like that. We've been friends since we were little; he hasn't changed a bit."

"Shikamaru! Would you stop that?"

"Stop-"

"Nara, Shikamaru. Age: 17. Hair color: black. Eye color: brown. Height: 178 cm. Weight: 56 kg. Notes: Nara clan heir." Clack, clack.

"-what?"

"Sneaking up on me! Sheesh." The girl grabbed the boy's arm and began dragging him towards the curb. "Now make it up to me by coming with me shopping!"

"What? Argh, you troublesome woman-"

A light sprung up in my head. I remembered where I've seen the boy before: he's in my class.

Guess I didn't recognize him because he's always with his chubby friend. I've never seen him with a girl before…

Speaking of Shikamaru being a girl, the one he was with seemed strikingly familiar, but with all that make-up and perfume, I just couldn't recognize her. The street clothes didn't help either.

But before I could try to ask her if we had met before, she turned to the left after crossing the street with Shikamaru, and vanished with the other stylish girls shopping with their male companions.

A little disappointed, I begged to just be zapped home by someone.

I yawned and put my feet on auto-pilot. I let my eyes go out of focus and stare at the ground. After doing this hundreds of time over my high school career, I knew where I was going, and I knew there was nothing to see.

Buildings everywhere. To my left, to my right, behind me, in front of me. The smell of car exhaust and late afternoons. That guy with the slick hairdo will come out of his workplace with a bun that he eats with a bottle of water, and the hobo will beg that lady from the daycare across the street for money, in which she will hesitate, but give a 100 (4) yen anyway. Then that Chinese restaurant will be explode into nonsense because I can't understand Chinese at all, and the family there is constantly arguing.

I sighed. Typical.

A few feet from my building's entrance, I look up from the ground just in time to see a dark-haired boy walking the other way. I stopped. He looked up a second after, his pitch black eyes staring forward. The sullen orb then turned towards me with a blank expression, and my heart stopped.

Oh my God.

Electricity flew up my spine; I let out a silent gasp-

"Uchiha, Sasuke. Age: 17. Hair color: black. Eye color: N/A. Height: 174 cm. Weight: 54 kg. Notes: Uchiha heir; lives alone."

Pale features, high cheek bone, and delicate strands of ebony blessing the sides of his face. His nose had the most perfect curve and angle and his eyebrows looked really good with his eyes with their arch. The boy's dark figure loomed over me with a uniform-clad body. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, his posture somewhat lax.

I bore my green into his black eyes for that split second, watching my reflection in them move very slowly.

He has the loveliest eyes I've ever seen, I thought when he looked away and went on walking.

My eyes followed his form, until he was out of sight. It wasn't until then that I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Konoha Academy…" I whispered, finally realizing that the boy's uniform was exactly the same as the white-eyed guy's I had bumped into.

That meant that tall, dark, and handsome was not only tall, dark, and handsome, he was rich.

Which also meant he was way out of my league.

I mentally slapped myself and walked into my apartment building. Of course he was way out of my league! That face was way too symmetrical and hot and handsome and sexy and absolutely PERFECT for anyone in my reach. I'm the bookworm, the nerd, the, "otaku" of my class. Hot doesn't even come close to my datable subjects.

Using my key, I pulled out my mail, and began shuffling through them on my way to the elevator. Bill, bill, junk mail… more bills… I drew my eyebrows together when I got to the last letter of the bunch. I shoved the others under my armpit, and pressed the button for the sixth floor.

The odd letter was in the process of being opened as the elevator closed its door. The small thing began its journey up.

I took my time analyzing my new mysterious object. Its front read my address, but there wasn't a return address, nor was there a name to specify who it was to. I opened the piece of paper inside, but I quickly closed it again when the elevator opened to my floor.

I found myself holding my breath again as I turned the corner.

"O-Orochimaru-san!" (5) I whispered. "Good evening."

The man nodded, passing by me for the open elevator. He bent down in the corner of my eyes, picking something up. I kept up my pace, until a deep, somewhat silky, voice called, "You dropped… this…"

I turned around without a sound and stared at the small flash drive in his pale hand. Orochimaru looked at it, then at me, and a strange smile appeared on his lips.

I don't know why but he's always… I continued to stare at the long-haired man on the hall. He simply stared back, and that's what was creepy. His eyes - so light in color they almost look yellow instead of brown - and the purple rings under them… Crept me out. Why am I so scared? He's lived in the same building as us for years.

I made my way back to him and took the drive from him. I thanked him with a small bow.

"Thank you…"

"Of course… do be careful, that must be important…" he whispered in that Dracula-on-sex-drugs voice. "Have a nice day…"

I merely nodded before walking, jogging, then running to my apartment's door. I kept looking behind me as I struggled with my bags, the letter, the mail, and the actual keys.

I only need two keys, but I still have that key from my parents that I kept for no particular reason! C'mon, find the right one! GAHH, don't drop the box!

Once inside, I dropped everything on the kitchen table and locked the door. With that done, I let out a sigh of relief. I was home safe.

I put my stuff in my room, excluding one of the two bags I had been carrying this entire time. I left the mail on the table as well, but I ignored it for the bag.

Taking out the content of it - a box - I went rummaging for utensils and plates in the kitchen. I placed them all together, and as I walked towards the loneliest part of my house, I let everything go,

(school stress, my part-time job, all the money problems, my shame, the feeling of being alone, a mysterious letter with no return address, neighbors I believe should in a mental institution for being overly creepy, beautiful girls that could have anything they ever wanted, the fact I'm the only one in my grade who hasn't gotten her first kiss, the boring everyday routine, dreams of a better life, and prettypretty boys with the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen)

-so that when I opened the last door in my home's hallway, and say, "Dad?" I make it seem like life is perfect.

"Dad, look, I bought some cake for us!" I chirp to the unconscious man on the bed. I took the seat next to the bed. "My boss said it was okay to take them; they were going to be thrown out anyway."

The gray-haired man says nothing.

Opening the lid to the white box, I take out two small slices of strawberry cake. Using a fork, I plop one onto one of the plates.

I place a piece onto the nightstand next to my father, and I place the other one on my lap.

"Anyway, school is going pretty good! I got an A on that test I mentioned yesterday. It was really hard, but I got it! Oh," I paused, smiling, "and I made friends with this girl! She always comes by the café to get some cake and water! I almost tripped and spilt water all over her today though! It was really funny."

In reality, I really did spill water all over her. And she was no where close to being my friend. The friends I had were pretty forgettable and don't ever go to eat at the café I work at.

I took a bite of the cake. It was good. "Mmm! This is good. We haven't had cake in a loooong time!"

Once again, silence.

I continued to chat happily about my day (lying as I go along) until I found nothing else to talk about except for…

"Hey, Dad?"

I stop for a moment like he answered with a gentle, "Hm?"

"I got this really strange letter in the mail. It's addressed to our address, but there isn't a name for who it's for. And there was a USB that came with it. Do you think maybe an old friend of yours from your computer-engineering days sent it to you without knowing you're…?" I stopped again. "Ah, never mind. It's nothing anyway."

I finished up my cake, and got up to clean. I gathered everything and placed it in the box to clean later. All that was left was Dad's portion of cake.

Picking up the box filled with dirty dishes, I leaned on my hand to kiss my dad's forehead (the one I inherited, apparently). I placed our matching foreheads together and smiled as I said, "Good night to you, Daddy, and happy birthday to me."

I quietly left the room, closing the door behind me. I dropped the box onto the kitchen counter (I'm not in the mood to clean.) and as I exited, I glanced at the letter still folded up.

I snatched the USB and the letter with me into my room, where I placed it beside my computer. I took the next few hours to finish up some homework, and to get ready for bed.

When I managed to get into my bed, I buried my face into the pillow. Exhaustion overwhelmed me. My eyelids dragged as memories of a seven year-old girl hummed in my head, and how she celebrated her birthday: with her parents and friends, and with the sensation of being… full. The need to cry for some particular reason came up, but my eyes slid shut, and suddenly, I was gone.

"We got her." Clack, clack.

"Who?"

"Her! His child!"

Surprise. "Really? Let me see!"

"There she is."

"Oh, wow, she looks just like-"

"Her mother, I know. But that forehead is her father's; I'd know it anywhere. And her eyes are definitely Fuya's."

"… I miss them, but I don't want to bring their children into this…"

"I know. But we can't stop now - she just have to enter her in, and it will only be a matter of time…"

"I want to save this world too, but to force a bunch of children…? It's so wrong." Shame. "…Will you, or should I…?"

"…"

"Look, I'll do it for you, Number One, if you can't-"

"No, I'll do it. I was the one who loved Fuya, and let him go… and I know it's selfish of me, but if I can just get one piece of him, I'll drag anything, even this innocent girl, into our world!"

Click. Clack.

A USB jerked towards the edge of the desk it sat on.

Click. Clack.

Click. Cla- swoosh.

The small flash drive fell onto the carpeted ground, where it continued to move around on its own. The creature-like machine was searching for something.

And when it managed to throw off its covered connector, apparently it found it. The drive then shot itself straight for its desired location.

Click! Snap.

Suddenly, the computer flickered on. A young woman with cherry blossom-pink hair lay asleep only a few feet away; a single trail of tears marked her face. The sound of muted cars and music and angry shouts were blocked out and disappeared as noises erupted from the speakers of the machine.

"-ra? No - n't - dr - m - dau- in - is! Pl - se!"

Flash. Flash.

The screen began to display strange characters and words that made no sense, and it continued until finally, the screen shot out an eerie green light. The light focused itself into a thin vertical line and zeroed in onto the closest human form.

The strange voice went on at it, the sound beginning to resemble a human man's voice. The tone got more human as the words came out more understandable and the tone more desperate.

Flashing once again, the monitor read: "Scanning…". The light began at her feet, where it bled through the blanket and her clothing. It slowly waved over her, ending at the tips of her hair. Then the light dissipated.

"I'll - any - ing - just - on't - ake - her!"

Flash, flash.

The speakers cried out one final word before the screen faded back to black and the USB reappeared right were it was placed: "SAKURA!"


Name: Haruno, Sakura. Age: 18. Hair color: pink. Eye color: green. Height: 165 cm. Weight: 45 kg. Notes: Master's daughter.

"Sakura." A pair of green eyes looked up.

Black stared intently on her. "Huh?"

"Are you coming?"

"…where?" Her head tilted slightly.

A pale hand stretched towards her. "To the world you were meant to come back to, obviously. We're waiting for you in paradise."

Those viridian orbs looked at the owner of those lovely black eyes and hesitated when she lifted her hand to take his. She stared at her hand going closer to his. The light shining from behind him became blinding the closer her fingertips got to his, the shadows of several others becoming more define. They kept calling her name, over and over.

Paradise? she thought, Do I even want paradise? Green mixed with black once more.

His stunning onyx eyes told her yes.


Welcome to our world.

A/N: …I wrote all of this in a few days. It may have errors, it may not, so… yeah. Sorry. D:

(1): -shishou is similar to -sensei, but it's more like a mentor at a job rather than an actual teacher.

(2): -senpai means that whoever is being mentioned is an upperclassmen in school or in experience.(3): Yen is the currency of Japan. Naruto ate about seventy-five American dollars' worth of ramen, give or take.

(4): About one American dollar.

(5): -san is generally used for someone one doesn't know too well, or as a sign of respect.