Chapter 1: A Birthday Filled With Suprises

A girl with solf pink hair stands in the rain under a tree...

'It's this dream again.'

Another person was there...his back turned to her...dark hair that's tied back... He turns around to reveal red piercing eyes...blood

'I don't want to see it again..'

The girl's body trembles as she cry, trying to say something but couldn't get the words out.

'I don't want to remember..."

The figure turns around and gives the girl a weak smile...then..

his body dissolves into darkness...

Sakura wakes up from her nightmare with cold sweat. 'Why did I dream about that time?' Following that thought was many others, and she soon drift back to sleep.

"Gooood Morning, Sakura-chan! Happy Birthday~!" Naruto shouted while bursting into Sakura's room with a familar foxy grin.

"Don't you know how to knock before going into a girl's room?" Sakura said plainly to the spikey hair boy.

"Opps...Sorry" Naruto chuckled.

Sakura walks out of her room to the main hall with Naruto following her.

"What's up, Naruto? You don't usually do this."

"Well...Ousama wanted me to tell you something..." Naruto takes a big deep breath and continues. "We are getting a new shinobi member today...and he's going to be your new bodyguard too."

Sakura stops in her track. "Why do I need a bodyguard? I can take care of myself." Sakura said coldly.

He frowns at her. 'I knew she was gonna be unhappy about this...'

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I know Itachi's death is hard for you, but you need someone to protect you. You're a princese and my best friend! I don't want you to be harmed."

"Then why didn't my dad assign you as my bodyguard?"

"He said I wasn't eligible enough for the job..." Naruto shifts his vision to the ground.

Just before Sakura was about to open her mouth to say something, there was a loud ringing noise throughout the palace.

"Crap! Just what we need in the morning!" Naruto hissed. He dashes down the hall and disappears in a leap.

'An intruder in the morning? Today is sooo...wats the word...? Think like Shikamaru... Oh yeah. TROUBLESOME.' Sakura turns around and walk the opposite direction that Naruto headed towards. There was a weird atmosphere on that side of the hall that she was heading to. Without noticing that she was being followed by someone, that person grabs her, pulls her to a corner, and covers her mouth immediately.

"Sakura-chan...sshhhh." The person lets go of her before all hell break loose.

"Lee? Let me guess. You're the intruder..." 'He's been the intruder for I dunno...2 weeks now?'

"Sakura-chan," Lee got down on his knees and take her hand into his. "I will ask you once more. Please marry me~"

"I already told you...No, no no! I'm too young to get married..."

"But your father said that you have his permission to get marry once you're 18 years old"

"Well, that's just some stupid family tradition that I don't want to follow!"

"Heh-heh...But if you did follow the tradition your father would be happy..." Lee chuckled. "Uh oh...I'm late for training."

Sakura stares at him coldly with a sweat drop. "So you came here just to ask me to marry you? You could have just saved your butt from getting kicked by Gai-sensei for 2 weeks instead of coming here..." Sakura stared at his black eye and noticed that he had some broken tooth when he gave her an embarrass smile.

"I shall come every day and ask you, my love." Lee hops out a window nearby and lands firmly on a tree branch. "Someday, when you can't take this world anymore...you will come to me looking for a new meaning in life..and I shall embrace you with my strong arms and keep you there forever~~~" Lee disappears in a smoke after the last line.

'That was scary...' Sakura shivered, but brushes the hair-raising feeling off her shoulders immediately.

Sakura walks outside to the garden and sits on the grass. A white cat approaches her and sits on her lap.

"Shiro-chan," Sakura pets the cat and then gently strokes his back. "You know...I'm getting a new bodyguard. I hope that person likes cats. Itachi-kun and me always play with you when you were lonely...Do you miss Itachi-kun, Shiro-chan?" Sakura pauses and listens to the calm purring of the white cat. Then his ears suddenly perk up. A cloud of smoke appeared in front of Sakura. "Hyuga-san?"

"Hime-sama, Ousama would like to have a word with you." Neji said kneeling down loyaly.

"Alright." Sakura lifts the white cat off her lap and left with Neji.

Sakura and Neji walks quietly to the throne room. Suddenly there was a loud crack. "What the-?" Neji falls into a hole under the floor boards.

Tenten walks over to Sakura. "Sakura~ it looks like the trap you told me to make worked." Tenten giggled.

"Yup it did. But it caught the wrong person. Too bad I didn't lead Lee over here before he left." Sakura peered down into the big hole and watch Neji panic in the dark. "How deep is this hole, Tenten?"

"100 ft. deep. It's supposed to make the person who falls into it panic in the dark...and that part is working too."

"Tenten," Neji shouted from the bottom of the hole. "How am I supposed to get out of this hole?"

"Ooooooooooh...that part. I don't know. Hehe..." Tenten sweat dropped.

"Um...Neji. I'll just go see my father now...you don't have to escort me." Sakura said waving "bye" to Neji from the top of the hole. "Tenten...I think you should try and find a way get him out"

"OK~" Tenten said delightfully. "Neji, can't you just climb out?"

"Hell no! It's way too deep to climb out...and what the hell is the slippery stuff on the wall of this hole? It smells like baby oil!"

"You know how baby oil smells like?" Tenten said puzzled and crouching down next to the hole.

Sakura sigh and left them to figure out the complication.

Sakura enters the throne room and slowly approaches her parents.

"Sakura, I'm glad you came." Her father said in a gentle tone.

"Honey, please don't be upset with this. I'm sorry that your father and I made this decision without hearing what you have to say." Her mother worried.

"It's okay. I've made up my mind and I'm fine with it" Sakura gives her parents a weak smile.

Her father stands up. "Our new shinobi member, please come out and introduce yourself."

Sakura turned around and watch the giant entrance door open slowly.