~ QUOTATION MARKS ~
By iNk'-'Cr0w & Torishiro

Hi!
It's my first ever fan fiction and I still don't exactly know how the whole shebang of getting-fanfics-up-and-published works! And I've gone back a couple of times to make sure that there are 0 mistakes (maybe 0.1, if I missed anything)
Please be nice! Leave a review too...? I know people probably wont read this since there's a gazillion more sasusaku fics out there and there's a very sound chance someone's got a similar plot to mine.
Torishiro: Oi! Crow, you better be posting up updates on time instead of eating window putty all the time!
Hey! I DO NOT eat window putty! I'll try to update on time as long you stop watching them Nanny McPhee movies!
Torishiro: *pokes his tongue at Crow*
That was Torishiro, my writing buddy :) It's annoying and wont shut up.
Torishiro: Who yah calling 'IT'? Hay? Hay?!
Anyway, Non-massacre, set in the age period/time period when team 7 were little kids. I hope this is a much better edition of the first chapter! I kept on face-palming every time I saw my mistakes!
Torishiro: Yup. You sounded like such a dork.
You know what? I should just call you Remi, or Chet...or Bumblebee
Torishiro: e_e Don't you dare! Now shut up so people can read!

Summary:

Sakura Haruno, a kind-hearted, smart and bright girl is sick and tired of being pushed away by her one and only love, Sasuke Uchiha. When her effort is blown off for the last time, Sakura decides to give up. Little does she know that there's a special little someone. Someone just like her. Someone who, acts like her, talks like her, thinks like her and looks just like her?!…And... lives in an alternate universe that's much like Konoha?!

This mystery-man (teen!) is called Daisuke, who claims to have the exact same life problems Sakura has! For example:
1. Is always pushed away by his child-hood crush: Ruka.
2. Ruka's a very beautiful girl with long, flowing black hair, but has an arrogant, stuck-up, un-sociable personality on the inside.
3. Considered to be a very feminine guy even though he works hard to become stronger just because he has freaking PINK hair!

What happens when these two collide worlds? Will they work together to get attention from their loved ones? Or will they fall for each other in the process?

Chapter 1

"Sasuke-kun! Do want you a drink?"

"Would you like some, Sasuke-kun?"

"Sasuke-kun! Have you eaten?"

Sakura Haruno miserably blew a lock of pink hair out of her face. It was late afternoon and the park was empty, a chilly breeze dishevelling her well-cared for hair. The sun was looming down closer and closer to the horizon, making Sakura's shadow stretched and long across the dusty concrete. She sighed. Here she was again, alone. Usually she would come here after failed attempts to win Sasuke's heart, think up of something new and try again the next day.

Only this time, she wasn't planning something new. She was broken-hearted.

All she ever wanted was his approval - his attention. She had hoped that he would have warmed up to her in time to trust her enough and allow her to see a hidden side of him. And that she got, but not the way she dreamed of.

It was a normal day, like any other. Kakashi-sensei had called the three of them for training, like they did on days when they weren't assigned to missions. Sakura was at it again, being an absolute angel to Sasuke and an all-out banshee to Naruto. Maybe it was that she had asked one too many questions concerning his well-being after training. Or she was in his way again during a spar. Whatever it was, it finally made the ever stoic Sasuke Uchiha to lose his cool. And he snapped. Big time. He shouted in her face with such anger she or anyone else in team 7 had ever seen before. He was quite aggressive too; throwing his hands up in the air, leaning into her personal space and throwing his kunai down to the ground aimlessly as he roared harsh words, barely missing his sandals. And even then Sakura's attention was on how close the kunai was to spearing his foot.

"-don't ever talk to me again, Sakura. I don't want to see your face so close to me! Stop being such a stupid brat and leave me the hell alone!"

14 years old and she was called a brat. He practically spat her name and raised his voice at the last part in his tirade. And that broke her heart. She was somewhat glad that they had just finished training when he snapped. She wasn't sure if Naruto or Kakashi-sensei would've chased after her or if they made Sasuke apologize, although he wouldn't. She knew that now. He made it so clear that he really hated her. The revelation had her in tears before she even made it to the park. When she was seated, she cried all the pieces of her broken heart out and stayed there. No one came looking for her.

"I'm such an idiot." Sakura muttered to herself probably for the millionth time that afternoon.

"All I ever wanted was … "

"…to make him happy."

"…to make her happy."

Sakura blinked. Though it was faint, she was sure someone had echoed her statement. Either that it was the wind or someone else was there. She paused for a bit before scratching her head feverously when she heard no other indication of another person.

"Aaargh! I'm going crazy," she huffed, her head in her hands.

There was a ruffling or leave in the trees surrounding the park, but there wasn't any breeze. Sakura heard a grunt and raised her head slowly. In between the gaps of the canopies, she saw blurs of movements. Nothing moved that fast except for a ninja, she knew that much from her days in the academy. The person moved from the right side of Sakura's vision, coming out from the forest that connected the park and a section of the training grounds. They were coming closer. Though Konoha was very safe and guarded, the person approaching could be someone from team 7, and Sakura didn't want to see anyone at the moment. She instinctively tensed and breathed in deeply, but slowly as to not let the other nin know she was readying herself. But just as she clenched her fists, there was a growl, followed by a colourful word, which was abruptly ended by a shout when the person slipped off the branch of the tree and fell to the ground with a thud. A leg was protruding out from the bushes where they fell and it stayed still for a long moment.

Sakura blinked at the clumsiness (because no ninja should be that clumsy except for Naruto). But since the leg wasn't orange-jumpsuit-clad, it couldn't be that knuckleheaded idiot. Sakura stood from her spot and warily walked towards the person, who still didn't move. Just when she was about to reach forward, they startled her and she fell on her butt.

"Ouch."

Sakura blinked.

She opened her mouth to ask if they were ok when she interrupted again. By a sob. Then there was a sniffle, followed by cry.

"I'm such an idiot! I knew I shouldn't have said that! Or done this! Or did anything! Of course she hates me – why didn't I listen to anyone, dammit?!"

Sakura merely raised an eyebrow. A boy (because what kind of girl has such a…boyish voice?), was crying about a girl, in a bush in an empty park, without bothering to see if anyone else happened to be there before spouting self-pity on themselves.

Sakura got to her feet and tried to say something again when the person suddenly stood up and knocked her down, not even noticing her when he turned and headed back in the direction of forest.

"Whatever! She must be playing hard to get! All girls like her do that, don't they? I mean, do they think insulting is like teasing? She-" he didn't get very far until his foot rolled on a stick and he hit the ground again.

A pause.

"What am I saying?! Of course she doesn't like me! Who would?! Who would like a stupid klutz like me?!" the boy put a hand to his face. Then he paused and got up to sit on a bench before continuing to cry.

Sakura could have face palmed if it wasn't for what she was seeing. Partly because it was a boy crying, but mainly because…they had FREAKING PINK HAIR! Sakura must've squawked or something because the boy looked up and she saw confirmation: their eyebrows were pink. Which meant the hair colour was natural. He had a cute face too.

The boy wiped tears from bluey-grey eyes and cleared his throat.

"Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were there. Um…" he looked away, embarrassed.

Sakura snapped out of her stupor and laughed shakily.

"Erm, i-its ok. I, uh…" She stuttered as she sat down on the other end of the bench.

"That was…weird, wasn't it? Seeing a boy cry…pathetic right?" the boy's voice rose up a chord at the last few words as he hung his head in hands again.

"H-hey, it's ok. I was just...surprised! Yeah! I was just surprised." Sakura repeated with more resolve in attempt to convince him and gingerly placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. He was probably about the same age.

He looked up at her before turning away, only to make a double take on her hair.

"You have pink hair?!" he exclaimed, suddenly coming out of the sulky mode.

"Yeah, so do you." Sakura said warily. People used to tease her about having an odd hair colour.

"That's…that's so…"
Sakura braced herself.

"So cool! I mean, how can you have the same hair colour as me? Are we like, related or something?"

Sakura breathed and smiled at him.

"I know, huh. At least our eyes aren't the same." She said. He laughed. It was a light and melodic for a boy, but it fitted nicely with his voice. "My name's Sakura. What's yours?" She introduced herself and noticed him glancing at her hair. Yes, her parents had the gist to name her something so fitting.

"I'm Daisuke." He smiled.