Chasing Emerald
Written by dryingtears

Prologue – Casual Routine

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

I remember her eyes from when we were young. The first time I saw them, they were sparkling with the happiness of a thousand smiles and laughter, but that was when we were both young and naïve. I remember looking into those eyes, forgetting all my sadness and all my sorrow, and I let the shimmer into my body. I remember that every single day, I longed to see those eyes. When I walked out of the house, and when my mother asked me why, I my reply would remain the same as always – "I want to see her eyes". The last time I saw them, they were sparkling with the sorrow of a million tears, but that was when we were in our preteens and more mature. I remember looking at the river of tears crawling down from her eyes, like waterfalls erupting from her beautiful base. I remember all the pain and sorrow that I forgot when I looked into her eyes. Then I remember that I felt warmth erupt through my body, one last touch, one last feel, one last look at those eyes. And then they were gone.

A punch was dealt back to reality as the last bell rang to signal the end of the day. Students hastily gathered their things as the sound of the last bell continued to reverberate through the hallways and through the classrooms. When they were done, they scrambled out the door to go home, or research at the library, or practice for their sport. It was casual routine for an aging teen to watch as his classmates left the classroom.

It was a casual routine he had gotten accustomed to.

However, this boy, Uchiha Sasuke, had grown accustomed to another casual routine. Instead of being the pimp he looked like he was, able to pick up any girl he wanted from his drop dead gorgeous appearance, he worked as a spy, as his parents were head of a top secret company, namely Uchiha (oh, very top secret...), where workers, namely spies, were sent off to complete dirty work, like assassinations and whatnot, for their clients. Indeed, Uchiha was definitely not a corporation to be meddled with, especially with its top assassins and speedy information gatherers. Getting on Uchiha's bad list meant saying goodbye to your dear life.

Sasuke was head on the information department, him being the head of all spies and information gatherers in the whole company. He was also the heir to the company as his parents were currently the heads. Once he was old enough to work for Uchiha, he stopped going to school, and his parents had made him into a spy for information. After several missions with complete successes, he was recognized for his natural instinct for finding information. Be it in a yucky old town with the stench of liquor where he had to pose as a drunk, or be it in a fancy mansion where he had to pose as a servant, he always found more information than what he needed to find. Because of his natural talent in being a stealthy spy, his parents promoted him to head of information, knowing he would be best fit for the job. And indeed, he was.

Fortunately for him, being head of information was a huge benefit. He was on a secret mission, a mission only his mother and his closest friends (but he liked to refer to them as 'colleagues') knew about. The mission had instantly begun when he was promoted head of information. It was the kind of mission that was a side-mission, but at the top of the priority list. Uchiha Sasuke still performed missions assigned to him by his parents, but his own mission that was assigned to him of his own accord held more importance to him than anyone could imagine. Because of this mission's importance and secrecy, it held a codename only his mother and his closest friends (again...colleagues) knew of. Codename: Chasing Emerald.

Only his mother knew of the story.

"Mom, where are you going? Are you going back to work?" A young, six-year-old Sasuke asked.

A woman with long, silky raven hair looked down at her youngest son with her kind, onyx eyes. A small forced smile was present on her usual mellow lips.

"Yes, Sasuke. I have to go work with your father. Why don't you play with Itachi?" Her soothing voice suggested.

Sasuke's lips were forged into a frown as tears began to form on his onyx eyes.

"But Itachi's out with some friends! He never plays with me anymore, mom. I'm always all alone."

His mother looked sadly upon him, her forced smile beginning to form into a frown. Seeing her youngest son so lonely and pained stabbed her heart. She didn't approve her eldest son's leaving his younger brother behind for some friends, but she knew that some things could not be helped. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, her other one gently rubbing off the now falling tears.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. But I have to go work with your father. You'll find something to do. Next time, I'll make sure that Itachi's home with you, so you won't be lonely."

Giving him a gentle kiss on his cheek, she slowly got up and left the house, leaving her pained son behind.

And loneliness became Sasuke's best friend.

However, all his loneliness disappeared while he was sitting down in the park near his house. He was overlooking a gentle lake surrounded by blossoming flowers and trees; people passed by him with happy glints in their eyes. He heard their gentle laughter and sensed their happy smiles, envying every moment he heard the laughter and sensed the smiles. More so, he envied the children spending quality time with their parents. He envied their jubilant laughter and their true smiles. But most of all, he envied the glint in their eyes; though he knew he would never have the same glint in his. He had no friends in this world.

But his friendship status changed when he felt a tiny hand on his shoulder. He slowly turned around, and was met with the most beautiful girl he had seen in the world. Her emerald eyes were sparkling in the sunlight, and her abnormal pink locks were dancing around her as the breezes controlled them. A cute smile played on her rosy lips as she looked at him.

"...Did you...need something...?" Sasuke whispered.

The girl's eyes widened, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry...you...just looked so lonely...and I thought you might want to play with me," she replied.

It was Sasuke's turn to faintly blush, but a tiny smile began to form on his lips. Her carefree voice reminded him of his mother. But he became lost when he looked into her eyes.

"...S-sure...thank you. I'm...Sasuke."

The girl happily smiled, and held out a hand for him to take.

"I'm Haruno Sakura!"

Sasuke took her hand, and he smiled. Finally, a new friend.

Sakura and Sasuke both enjoyed the day together. Sasuke had gotten rid of his own friend loneliness, and Sakura replaced it. At the end of the day, they lay side by side on the grass under the sky. The sun had begun to set, leaving the sky in a beautiful orange-pink hue, giving off a tranquil air.

"Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura looked over to her new friend, and smiled, a small giggle emitting from her lips.

"You're welcome, Sasuke."

Sasuke smiled, his eyes beginning to close as he began to contemplate the new joys of his life.

"Sakura..."

Sakura once again looked over to her friend, her pale skin glowing in presence of the darkening sky.

"I like your eyes."

Sakura blushed, and a new smile was emitted.

"T-thank you."

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked into her eyes, all his loneliness fading as their warmth leaked into his body.

"Stay with me forever."

Sakura's face turned a tomato red, loving the fact that Sasuke's eyes and his face were a dead giveaway that he was dead serious. She softly giggled, and cuddled next to her friend.

"I promise."

Every day, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura would meet at the park and play. Every day, their bond grew stronger and stronger.

However, Sasuke's mother was getting quite suspicious with her son's change in attitude. Before, he was so sad and so quiet, but she could see the new glint in his eyes. On some days, before she left for work in the morning, she would notice Sasuke walk out the door and leave, only muttering a small good-bye.

This day was one of these days. She was sitting at the table, drinking her green tea and reading the newspaper carefully, when she noticed her son walk by her. Before he could leave, she stopped him with her calm voice.

"Sasuke, dear, where are you going?"

"I'm going to the park."

"Why? You'll be all alone there. Someone might try to get you."

The look her son gave her was so sincere it almost brought tears to her eyes. And then, he smiled. She inwardly gasped, her heart bloated with ecstasy. Her son...smiled.

"I want to see her eyes."

Sasuke looked at his mother a while longer, before closing the door behind him. Unknowingly, he left his mother awestruck, tears of joy flowing down her gentle eyes.

"Oh...I'm so sorry, Sasuke. I hate leaving you home alone when I have to go work at the company, you know. I just hope...that you're happy. And when you grow older...you'll understand why you've been alone all these years," His mother whispered.

The same routine continued for years and years...six years to be exact. Everyday, his mother would ask him, "Sasuke, are you going to the park again?"

And with one loving mother-to-son glance, he would always reply the same.

"To see her eyes."

However, casual routine stopped one day. Sasuke was waiting at the normal meeting spot, when he noticed something was wrong. Never was there a day when Sakura was a second late, nor was he. These meetings between them were sacred. They loved each other as plain as day.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned around, and was met by a tear-stained Sakura. Her eyes were red and puffy, her skin sticky and freshly wet from a new batch of tears.

"Sakura?"

Sakura hugged him with all her might, crying into his shirt.

"Sasuke! I can't see you anymore! My parents...they're making me move away from here! Sasuke..."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and he slowly returned the embrace, gently soothing her by his touch. Sakura continued to sob for minutes, but they soon died down into hiccups.

"Sasuke! I'm so sorry! I don't want to go...I don't want to leave you."

Sasuke remained silent, his hand soothingly rubbing her back to stop her hyperventilating.

"I don't want you to go either. I'll miss you. You're the only friend I ever had," He whispered.

Sakura's eyes flared with new tears again, and louder sobs were heard this time.

"I don't want to go, Sasuke! I don't want to go! I love you, Sasuke!"

Sasuke's eyes once again widened, and they closed, a gentle smile playing on his lips. He gently let go of Sakura, leaving her bewildered as she stared as his hand dug into his pocket. When he had fingered the item within, he gently removed his hand from his pocket, and revealed a small, velvety box. He handed it to Sakura, and she slowly took it form his hand.

"...Wh-what's this?"

"Just open it."

Following his orders, she gently opened the box, and gasped. It was a silver necklace. A silver cherry blossom charm hung in the middle, with green emeralds carved into the silver.

"I-it's..."

"Just like you."

Sakura's eyes began to tear again, and she burst out crying into his shirt. Sasuke gently took the necklace out of its box, and clasped it around her neck.

"There. So you'll think of me when you're gone."

Sakura continued to cry, but her tears slowly dried as he wiped them away with his thumb. When she had completely stopped, Sasuke yet again dug into his pocket. This time, though, he revealed a necklace with a ring surrounding a cross, and held it in front of Sakura.

"Kiss it."

Sakura stared at him bewildered. She stared at Sasuke, but knew he wasn't joking when she sensed the dead-serious aura around him. She obliged, and kissed the cold metal of the cross. Sasuke then clasped the necklace around his neck, and smiled.

"There. And now I'll think of you when you're gone. And I'll remember your eyes."

Sakura blushed and smiled, happiness momentarily taking over her pain.

"SAKURA! COME ON! WE NEED TO PACK! WE'RE MOVING TOMORROW, YOU KNOW!" A voice boomed in the background.

Sakura turned around frantically, her heart longing to buy more time.

"Sasuke..."

"SAKURA! WE NEED TO PACK! HURRY UP!"

Sakura's eyes began to water, her brain ignoring the voice.

"I know that I already told you..."

"SAKURA! HARUNO SAKURA, GET OVER HERE! SAKURA!"

Rivers flowed from Sakura's eyes, as she knew that there was no more time she could buy.

"I will love you forever, Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke stared wide-eyed, as she was able to smile through her tears.

"HARUNO SAKURA! IF YOU DON'T GET BACK HERE, I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE, GIRL!"

Sakura could no longer hold in her tears, and they came onto her skin full on. She gave Sasuke one last bone-crushing hug, a quick peck on the lips, and turned off and ran. Before she was out of sight, she turned around to face him one last time.

"I promise to love you forever, Uchiha Sasuke!"

And that was the last time he saw her.

Since that day, it has been casual routine for Uchiha Sasuke to chase emerald, his biggest motivation being the words plastered over his heart and glued into his memory.

"I like your eyes. Stay with me forever."

"I promise...I promise to love you forever, Uchiha Sasuke."

A/N: Thank you for reading the prologue! A new idea just kind of sparked into my brain, so I thought I'd write a fanfiction about it. Even if the first few chapters will be in a high-school sort of setting, it is not going to be a high-school fic. It's probably going to turn out to be one of those mysterious, action/adventure type things. XD

Also, because this doesn't take place in the kind of area where (Japanese) Honorifics are used, I won't be using them. But I'll try my best to keep everyone in character. Thanks again for reading, and reviews are much appreciated. (: