Hello people of Fanfiction, and thank you for choosing to read this.

This story is rated T+ for some graphic bloody violence, mild language, and possibly some suggestive themes. Depending on your morals, you may consider it rated M, though I personally don't think it's that bad. If you think I should up the rating, tell me. I have not yet decided whether a chapter will be rated M (or MA, depending on how you look at it). Basically, if you're 13+ you should be safe.

One more clarification, THIS IS SAKURAXGAARA. Yes, in the beginning there is an implied SakuraXSasuke, but to all of you Sasuke haters out there, he's not too bad when he's in play and the romance goes NOWHERE, I assure you.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I apologize ahead of time for any spelling or grammatical errors. Writers and writers, not editors.

Full Summary

The world was in turmoil, demons and monsters wreaking havoc on humanity, as it had been since before anyone could remember. But there was still hope. A prophecy spoke of a princess who would restore balance to the world, and, on her sixteenth birthday, Sakura learned she was this princess. Sheltered and protected within the walls of Konoha all her life, she is forced to face her destiny, to redeem her country, and save her world. But nothing is ever that simple. With the world's demons coming after her and deceitful plots around every corner, there is no one who can be trusted. And, to make matters worse, the one person who was meant to protector her might end up being her downfall in the end, that is, if he doesn't kill her first…

Prolog

***From*The*Desk*Of*Tristen1497***

I sat perfectly still, concealed in the shadows the city walls created. I chanced one last glance through the open gates; looking upon the village I had called my home for so many years.

Night encroached, the city that glistened in the sun all but disappearing from the world, consumed by the darkness. The huge, green trees surrounding the land looks as if they were swallowing my home hole, never to release it. It saddened me to think I would never see Konoha again.

I wiped away the single tear that escaped my eye, erasing the tear track in its entirety. Looking back to what lay beyond the village's gate, I saw nothing. Nothing but the giant trees, black and menacing stretching to the sky, going on for miles.

Those branches. Those leaves. They were all so threatening. They all screamed they were out to get me.

It was dark, no light at all visible through the branches. The shades of black, so close to the same, blended together, making my eyes play tricks on me. I saw shadowy figures that were not there, glistening eyes from my imagination staring back at me. But most of all, I saw the horrid monsters that roamed the lands stalking towards me with intent to kill.

I shivered in fear rather than from the cool night air. How much longer did I have to wait?

Then I saw them. Three red eyes shinning through the dark. They met my gaze and my heart skipped a beat; I felt the adrenalin rush to my feet telling my body to run. In the same second my irrational fear faded. The three red eyes, two close together, one further apart, blinked twice each, paused, then blinked once more. That was my signal.

I walked forward, clutching the single kunai knife I was permitted to carry. The only defense I had, and I didn't even know how to use it. Oh, how I wish they had let me learn, especially now as I walked towards the eyes.

My black ninja uniform scraped gently against the brush as I entered the encroaching forest so close to the village's wall. The cloth felt uncomfortable as it hugged the skin of my body. This was the first time I had ever worn something other than a dress, and it felt unnatural.

I gasped and almost screamed as two figures fell from the forest's canopy, landing in front of me. My hand flew to my heart, trying to calm its erratic beating.

"It's alright," the first figure whispered, laying a strong, protective hand on my shoulder to comfort me. I took a calming breath.

"How about you loosen your grip on that thing?" he said, nodding to the kunai knife I carried. "We don't want you to end up stabbing your eye out." Kakashi laughed lightly, his since of humor shinning through even in the most serious of circumstances.

Kakashi Hatake. Jounin level ninja, former onbu black ops commander, and the current leader of Squad Seven, made up of him and three other shinobi from our village.

"You don't have to worry," the young man at his side said quietly. "We've been protecting you for years. We certainly are not going to fail you now, on the night our final mission is to be carried out."

He ran one of his pale hands threw his blue-black hair, slicking it back like he always did. A habit. It moved strait back to they way it had been, hanging in his face.

Sasuke Uchiha. Currently a chunin level ninja, on paper, though he was probably stronger than even Kakashi. He was the first member of Squad Seven, and until recently my crush. I'd loved him for as long as I could remember, but now everything had changed…

A harsh wind blew through the forest then, rustling the leaves, making the branches creek. I shivered in the cold.

"Here." Sasuke said, pulling something out of his pack. Before I could reach for the clumped, black mass he was handing to me, Sasuke had stepped forward, draping it around my shoulders. Lately he did everything for me. Now that I thought about it, he'd always done a lot for me…

He fastened the clasp under my neck, laying the black cloak neatly on my shoulders and lifting the hood over my hair, hiding it from view.

"Let's move." Kakashi said. His head turned to scan the deep wood we would be running into. Sasuke did the same thing, his red sharingan eyes swirling and growing brighter.

"Yes, let's. It's best to move quickly, especially considering how close the beasts have been coming to the village lately." Sasuke commented. Then he turned to me, his red eyes piercing. "Remember, I'll be on your left, Kakashi on your right. Whatever you do, keep moving forward, no matter what. Understand?"

I nodded.

"No matter what." He stressed.

"Y-yes." I whispered, hoping with all of my heart that it would not come to that. I could not bear to see one of my friends hurt because of me. Oh why did I have to be who I was?

Sasuke nodded, convinced by my lie.

"You must use your training now. The endurance preparation from this past month was not for nothing. Run as fast as you can. Don't look back." Kakashi reminded me once more. Once again I nodded. I would do whatever they wished me to do. Anything to help lessen the burden of my comrades. If they were to fall because of me…

"Alright. Let's go." Sasuke said, grabbing my arm and running into the forest. He hoisted me up into the trees, running along the branches, leaping from tree to tree. It took me a moment to get used to dodging everything, but once I did Sasuke released my arm. Kakashi-sensei ran along with us on my other side.

I forced my feet to move as fast as they could. I'd never done this before, not outside the village, but I'd been practicing. Hopefully I'd make it to our destination before my energy ran out.

We could not afford to stop, not now that we had started. Beasts, monsters, and demons of all shapes and sizes stalked the woods, the mountains, planes, and the deserts of our world, just waiting to attack and kill any human daring to enter their domain, especially me.

So far the demons were isolated, living only in the most remote places in the world. They roamed the giant forest we were traveling though, but they rarely moved outside of the very heart of the forest. We were still in the outer rim of the woods, but wouldn't be for long. Soon things would get dangerous.

It was only highly trained and skilled shinobi that could travel through the demon's territories. The caravan roots and traveling paths went around these areas, protected by traps for the beasts if they dared to get close, which they didn't do often.

There were still attacks, those who never made it back alive, but lately the monsters had been less fearsome. The last sixteen years or so had been surprisingly quiet, more so than it had been in centuries. But silence is not always golden. The monsters had been preparing, watching and waiting.

They'd know we were coming and exactly who I was. They'd since it before any of us could hide it. They'd probably already caught on though we'd probably only gone about ten miles, maybe twenty if we were lucky.

"They're coming!" Sasuke said in his hard tone. My eye widened with fear and I looked to Kakashi. Already? I thought we had more time…

Kakashi simply nodded. "They'll be upon us in roughly ten minutes."

"Odd. We aren't anywhere near the forest's center." Sasuke said, keeping his eyes focused on something far off in the trees that I could not see. "Would you like me to go ahead and take care of them?"

No! Don't let him go! Not by himself! There was no way of telling how strong they were. He could be killed! Just let them kill me! As long as they didn't take Sasuke!

"No," Kakashi responded and I felt my heart soar. "Keep to the plan. We stay with the target. When they come close, then we can break into battle formation." He looked to me then, talking with a serious and stern look I'd rarely seen from him. "Run as fast as you can without wearing yourself out. We've got to cover as much ground as possible before they attack."

I swallowed hard. I could do this. I knew I could. I gave him a small, determined smile and a stiff nod. This was the last thing I could do for him as his student, my last chance to make him proud, and I would not let him down.

My feet pounded against each tree branch with more intensity, rocketing me further forward with the help of my newfound adrenaline. I had to do my best for the sake of their lives, for the sake of all our lives.

Oh how I wished Sasuke would talk to me, or Kakashi. Just to hear their voices, but neither said a word. I could tell Kakashi was deep in thought, probably mapping out battle possibilities in his head. Sasuke appeared to be doing the same.

With their voices absent from the space around me, I heard nothing. My feet moved noiselessly over the branches as did the others. I had to focus in on the sound of my own heart beat to stop the silence from giving me a panic attack.

I counted the minutes as they passed. Five. Seven. Eight. Nine.

I gasped with realization as the last second ticked by. Ten minutes had passed. But still, my commander and comrade remained silent, their red eyes focused in front of us, looking nowhere else but strait forward. The silence was broken then when Sasuke smirked.

"Hem." He grinned.

"What? What is it?" I asked, frantic for an answer as my feet continued to propel me through the trees.

"The demons cut around. They were going to try and attack us from the front." He smirked again. "Guess they didn't expect be massacred. Don't scream." He added as a command.

I was about to ask him what he meant when suddenly a huge demon appeared in the path in front of us. I covered my mouth to stop from crying out, remembering Sasuke's command. The demon was dead, smashed against the trunk of a tree. We passed it, Kakashi and Sasuke not giving its dead body a second glance. I did not remove my eyes from its form until it was too fare behind us to see without stopping.

I turned my head back around, away from the dead demon behind me and to the path we were following. I gasped again. All around us, hanging from every branch, below and above, scattered upon the ground far beneath our perch in the trees were the bodies of dead demons.

"I knew it was a good idea to send him along first to clear the way." Kakashi smiled under his black mask.

Sasuke nodded, keeping his gaze forward. The blood stained the bark and leaves, shinning even in the dark. I covered my mouth, afraid I was going to be sick. My steps faltered and my pace slowed.

"Don't slow down!" Sasuke commanded. "It's not over yet."

I looked to him, shocked by the expression on his face. His red eyes contrasted greatly with his dark hair, light skin, and the blue of his shirt. But in those hard eyes I saw something. Fear, fear, not for himself, but for me. Why couldn't he have looked upon me with such concern and care under different circumstances? I knew it would not be appropriate given who I was, but still…

Then the words he had spoken sunk in. It wasn't over, not yet anyway. We still had a long way to go, and the enemy was probably still closing in on use. I nodded to him, speeding up again and looking forward with determination. I had to do this. For him, for Kakashi-sensei... for the world.

I didn't know how much time passed, but everything between us returned to silence, only this time it was different. It was too quiet. The feeling something was wrong started to eat away at my insides, refusing to cease no matter how many time I told myself everything was alright. Sasuke and Kakashi would know if something was up.

Finally, when I couldn't take it anymore I turned my head towards Sasuke, watching him as he ran along beside me.

"S-Sasuke?" I whispered.

Crash!

It was so sudden I wasn't sure of what had happened until many seconds after. A demon, more fearsome and evil than any of the corpses we had seen so far had leaped down from the canopy above, wielding its huge clawed hands like a weapon. It came strait for Sasuke, its great hand cutting through the torso of his body before his eyes had even moved to view his attacker.

I watched in horror as the blood spewed from his body, a body that was almost cut completely in half. Sasuke's broken form fell from the trees, crashing towards the ground. That's when I lost it. I screamed as I had never screamed before, stopping dead in my tracks on a large tree branch.

Then the demon that had been Sasuke's end was in front of me. Its claws, still covered in my comrade's fresh blood, came down to hack away at me; I couldn't even close my eyes I was so scared. I didn't even move, anchored to the stop in fear. But then the demon stopped in mid swing, its mouth gapping to roar, though no sound came out.

I looked away from the demons eyes, down to his chest where a huge shurikan was sticking out. It collapsed, falling on its side, and there was Sasuke, standing behind the fallen demon, very much alive with his eyes blazing.

"Run!" he nearly screamed at me. When I did not immediately respond Sasuke grabbed both my shoulders and shook me hard. "You must run! Now!" he insisted, pushing me off the branch. He had used such force that I landed on the next branch, and somehow after that first motion my body continued to leap on from one giant tree limb to the next.

All I could think of, all I saw in front of my eyes was the demon that had almost killed me. Great and huge, twice the size of a man with gray, ashy skin, black eyes and dark brown hair covering most of its body. It walked on its hind legs and had arms that hung at its sides. I'd never forget that face, shaped somewhat like a cross between a man's, a wolf's, and something else I could not identify.

The demons kept appearing, coming at me from all directions, but my protectors fulfilled their missions. Sasuke on my left dispatched them before I even knew they were coming; Kakashi did the same. I ran faster.

I kept on, determined to keep my eyes focused straight ahead. I knew if I looked to one of the sides I might have seen how close to me the demons truly were.

I put my hands out in front of me to push aside a patch of leaves and run through them, but what meant me beyond the leaves stop dead in my tracks. Another demon, just as fearsome as the dead one whose face I now carried with me in my memories, stood before me. This one was on all fours, ready to leap for me and tear out my jugular.

There was a brief flash of another body colliding with the demon's, then both were gone.

"Run!" I heard Kakashi and Sasuke holler at me, and so I did, my thoughts consumed with that great demon I was sure was going to come back and get me at any second.

There was an ear shattering crunching sound to my side as something came crashing through the canopy. Thinking it was a demon like last time I screamed.

"It's just Naruto." I heard Kakashi's voice explain.

I did a double take, only to come to the conclusion that it indeed was Naruto, leaping from branch to branch on all fours, taking up position right by my side. I'd barely recognized him.

He wore a black T-shirt and black pants, an outfit dissimilar to the one I had seen him in every day since I could remember, but that was not why I did not recognize him. His yellow hair was spiked up more than usual and the lines on his face were more defined, like an animals whiskers. He had fangs and claws like all the demons around us, and, lastly his eyes glowed red with the power of the monster he truly was.

Naruto Uzumaki. The second member of Squad Seven. Like Sasuke he was a Chunin on paper, but in actuality was much stronger. I'd thought, just as strong as Sasuke until the truth about him had been made known to me a few months ago.

It all clicked into place then. Naruto was the one who had massacred the ones before, to buy us time. I didn't like it when Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke kept things from me. I'd thought Naruto was staying behind; a silly thought really considering his soul purpose for being created was to be my protector.

He looked at me then, as we continued to run from the ever-advancing monsters behind us. He smiled at me, his red eyes turning upward as they would do if they were blue.

"Surprised to see me?" he asked.

"No," I lied.

"We've got about five hours left until sun-up. We'll have to hurry if we want to reach our checkpoint on time since I'm expecting we're going to have a few more delays," Kakashi muttered, slicing the head off the last demon perusing us.

"Right." We all responded, picking up our speed.

I don't know if it was because of his demonic powers or because my worried emotions were leaking out of me, but somehow Naruto knew how on-edge I was, just as he always knew how I was feeling.

"Don't worry," he whispered to me, his red eyes locking with mine. "I'll protect you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Sakura."

Sakura Haruno. The last member of Squad Seven. A trained medical ninja rather than a fighting shinobi, what they called an off-field ninja since I never partook in missions or battles. An average sixteen year old girl of no extreme significance. At least, that was who I was, until a few months ago, on the day of my sixteenth birthday…

END

Well, there you go. One complete prolog. Please note, this will be the only chapter written in first person, as it is not my strong suit.

Please review, whether you thought it was good or not. Both praise and constructive criticism are welcome, just no bashing please.

Next Chapter - Chapter 1: Forgetful Friends This will be posted: Suday the 22nd at around 11:00 AM, Eastern Time

Until next time,

-Tristen1497