Prologue
Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The story is based on the fairytale Cap O' Rushes by Joseph Jacobs.
"OUT, YOU MURDERER! I don't ever want to see you here again, are we clear?" with that, a heavy oak door was slammed in the young girl's face.
Trying and failing to hold in her tears, the girl picked up her impossibly small suit case and walked away.
After hours of walking and door knocking with no result, the heavens saw fit to add to the young girl's misery. Dark clouds loomed above, and buckets of icy cold rain were unleashed, showing no signs of mercy or stopping. The young girl scampered to a nearby cave that she encountered on her journey. There, she wrapped herself up in as many things that she could find and eventually fell into a dreamless sleep.
Next morning, after much thinking and debating, the girl decided to make a cape out of the little fabric she had. That way, it would shield her from the cold, as well as hide her bright shock of pink hair. That would be for the best, she thought. No one would like to house a weird, homeless girl with pink hair.
With her new cape and her newfound confidence, the girl continued on her journey. Not long afterwards, she looked up to see a dark figure looming above her. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that it was a palace, and a grand one at that. The huge mahogany doors and walls that looked almost golden left her mouth hanging and speechless, observing this magnificent structure that she never thought to see in her entire lifetime. After a few stunned seconds, her mind started to work again, and she walked towards the side door closest to her. A few knocks and the door swung open to reveal a young girl around her age staring out at her. She had eyes as blue as forget-me-nots and long blonde hair that was tied perfectly in place.
"What do you want at this hour? Don't you know that people are sleeping?" a yawn escaped her mouth.
"I am so, so sorry for interrupting your sleep, but I was wondering, do you need a maid? Or anything like that? I will do any job, and without pay. All I ask is for somewhere to sleep at night and food to eat when I am hungry. I don't mind sleeping on the floors and eating leftovers."
"Sleeping on the floor?" the blonde-haired girl made a face. "You must be really desperate if you are willing to sleep on the floor. It is very clean, but freezing cold. Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure."
She sighed, "Come on in then."
Bowing her head in gratitude, the young girl scampered inside. It was a kitchen, she realised. Not a single thing was out of place, and everything shone with the signs of constant polishing.
"You will just have to sleep on the floor for now, but I will see if I can sort something out for you tomorrow. I will tell you what your job is tomorrow too. For now, just worry about getting your beauty sleep."
"Thank you…?"
"Ah, just call me Ino. And you are?"
"Sakura."
Author's note: There is my first fanfiction! Please leave a review. It would be greatly appreciated. I will update as often as I can, maybe in a few days. Thank you for reading!