Author's Note: Alright, it is 2:20 A.M. and I'm still up working. Seriously, I have no life. No life at all. Anyway, this is the backstory of the new school story I was talking about. I may end up changing it after I reread it, you know, fixing what's out of order and stuff, but I am in desperate need of feedback, so criticize all you want, just no flames please. Be mature about it. And I like this new Sakura. She's so much like Sakura Kyouko, whom I'm becoming attached to. Anyway, I had this spur of the moment idea, and had to write it. Thsi will be the "better" version of "Dirty Laundry", as you all should knwo that I decided to discontinue "Dirty Laundry" due to lack of ideas, so this popped out of me to replace it. Anyway, feedback is needed, so please review. I will change what needs to be changed. And also, I will not be writing in third person the entire story. I only did it here because it is an introduction, not that it means anything. I found it fun, and something different. Plus, I don't really know how to write from a seven year old's point of view. Sorry. Anyway, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I take credit for my fanmade characters, such as Tamura Misaki, Tamura Natsu, and Nakamura Haruhi. I do not take credit for Kishimoto Masashi's work. Arigatou.
She never was calm. She never was placid like the other girls her age. And even though her name meant "spring field of cherry blossoms", she didn't really have a green thumb. Haruno Sakura was a tempestuous spitfire of a girl, with a temper as big as the Slug Princess Tsundade's assets. She'd shout and scream and kick at anyone who stood in her path of getting the first batch of natto at the village's sweets shop. And not only that, she didn't really like boys either.
Being as angelic and beautiful as she was, like the blossoming flowers she was named after, boys courted her relentlessly as she proceeded through elementary school. Billows of long and luminous strawberry pink hair that swung out behind her like a scarlet curtain in the setting sun. Jade green eyes that would sparkle and glitter in the morning dew that would reflect from the blades of grass at her feet in the starlight. Soft and smooth skin as painted with undertones as pink as the flowers that became her namesake from her day of birth. Haruno Sakura was beautiful.
And as she grew, her beauty became even more and more potent, convincing many of the parents that knew her, such as Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto to gaze upon her in envy. Only they weren't jealous of her looks. They wished their children would look like her. Only, if they'd been girls. The two of them had given birth to two boys in the coming months after March 28th, the day Sakura had been born and had started crawling around on the floor soon after.
July 23rd had birthed Uchiha Sasuke, the hero of this story as well as Haruno Sakura's love interest. Onyx eyed and raven haired, even keeled with a laid back attitude, Uchiha Sasuke's name was quickly known as the handsomest boy in Konohagakure, and thus the beginning of the starving fangirls. Despite having his family constantly around him, Sasuke was a quiet and shy little boy growing up. He nurtured a strong dislike for sweet things since birth, and held that characteristic close to him all through his first seven years of life. That is, until he met Haruno Sakura.
October 10th arrived soon after, bringing Uzumaki Naruto into the world. Hyperactive and energetic, Naruto always jumped around and played pranks and tricks on the villagers in his spare time when he wasn't courting Haruno Sakura. The villagers often complained to his father, Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, who restricted Naruto to only leaving the house to go and return from school only. His mother, Uzumaki Kushina didn't like this rule, believing that the young boy had to be socialized and chose to accompany him whenever he left the house.
And yet, despite those constant threats to his social life, Naruto had met Uchiha Sasuke, and had befriended him in a weird sort of way. Naruto and Sasuke became inseparable, playing together in the lake outside the Uchiha Clan residence while their mothers watched over them from the dock lying in chaise lounges while their boys romped and frolicked in the lake or practiced their jutsu for the tests in the academy. Naruto and Sasuke were best friends. And nothing could come between them, not even a girl. Seriously. Not even a girl could pry them apart.
Haruno Sakura, on the other hand, had grown up in a quaint little house, on a quaint little street, with a quaint little family. And by little, she only had a father and a mother. She was raised the old-fashioned way, girls did all of the house work and all of the shopping for the father, and helped the mother with the chores upon their return from wherever they had gone and such things like that. Despite being brought up properly, she was gentle and kind on the inside, but out of the house, she possessed a rebellious streak and often spoke her mind, not afraid to say what she was thinking at that moment right then and right there.
And thus, through her proper upbringing, her beauty had blossomed tenfold. Her mother had taught her how to take care of herself and how to make herself look more attractive whenever Sakura had asked for advice. They'd go shopping whenever Sakura wasn't in the candy shop or helping out around the house, and buy clothes that made Sakura look like a young Lolita, which Sakura felt made her look too "dolled up" at the time. But overtime, she'd come to like her gothic Lolita style look. She'd come to like it just as much as her long hair and snapping emerald eyes. And let's not forget her wide forehead.
It was no wonder that day in and day out; she'd be asked out by the boys in the village because of her blossoming beauty. And day in and day out, she'd turn them down. No one knew why she'd act this way. No one understood why she'd get turned off by a boy her age barely even suggesting that they should go out. No one understood that. Everyone understood the fact that she was only seven years old, and, despite being beautiful, she wasn't interested in boys.
She was more interested in the different kinds of candy the village of Konohagakure's shop offered. She'd spend hours on end in that quiet little shop, buying handfuls of candy and sweet food before heading over to Ichiraku's to have sustenance in her stomach. Her parents would happily buy her whatever she wanted, but surprisingly; Haruno Sakura didn't turn out to be spoiled.
She made it her personal mission to assist whoever needed help or comfort, and tended to make more friends than she could keep track of. Almost all of the girls looked to her as a role model, with the exception of Yamanaka Ino, who was her best friend as well as rival in her studies as well as for the love of Uchiha Sasuke, who Haruno Sakura seemingly no interest in whatsoever, let alone the fact that she'd never even met the boy before.
However, being only seven years old, Haruno Sakura had no clue how much her life was going to change once she finally met Uchiha Sasuke. It was the same day that Haruno Sakura took to tying up her long hair with a ribbon as black as his swirling onyx irises. It was the day that Uchiha Sasuke decided that he didn't like sweet things like natto and candy as much anymore. It was the day when their romance had begun. The blossoming relationship had begun with that day, that hour, that minute, that second.
Seven year-old Haruno Sakura swung her arms out alongside herself as she skipped down the street, unaccompanied by any of the boys in the village. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she was alone. All by herself. No one tagging along with her. She lived for these moments, the moments when she'd be alone and didn't have to worry about being bogged down by boys asking for her consent to date them. She knew that she seemed antisocial and therefore "stuck up" because she didn't give them the right answer, but she didn't care. And that was just fine by Sakura.
Besides, she felt that she was too young to even be interested in boys, let alone crush on one. And on the other hand, none of the boys she had met interested her. Aside from Uzumaki Naruto. And maybe Nara Shikamaru. She'd always thought that the latter's lazy and laid-back personality was attractive, and had taken to talking to him more often whenever she saw him walking around or simply "cloud watching" under his favorite oak tree in the park.
But Naruto…He was the complete opposite of her. He was outgoing, and kind, and gentle all around. He liked to play tricks, yes, but he didn't mean to hurt anyone by them. He was just that playful by nature. And Sakura liked that about him. In fact, she thought that it made him "cute", and thus harbored a small crush on him, despite how much his romantic advances annoyed her.
And so she continued on the path to the candy shop, the place where her capable feet would carry her most often. She was in need of a mint lollipop. Her mother had told her that she could only have one a week, since money was a little tight at the moment and Sakura usually adhered to that rule without so much as a "hn" of complaint, but for some reason, her mother had decided to reward Sakura.
Sakura was now able to get a bag full of candy this time around, and the bounce Sakura's step was evident enough that her mother's reward for Sakura's obedience had her happy and peppy. And as she approached the candy shop, Sakura's spirits lifted even further. The smell of fresh natto and pocky wafted into Sakura's nose as she pushed open the door to the shop, her jade eyes closing slightly as she inhaled deeply.
The store was small, and yet held as much power of Haruno Sakura as the nightmares she'd had back when she was six and afraid of monsters lying in wait under her bed. The candy shop was her heaven, and she blended right in. Stacks and shelves of peppermint and fruit flavored candies lined the walls, the center of the store dappled with tables filled with taste testing products and samples of products yet to come. Sakura usually ventured through those sample tables, and tried everything she could find, and she became the shop's official tester because of her frank and direct opinions, unlike most girls her age.
The sole female worker in the shop, a slight and cheerful sixteen-year old girl who went by the name of Tamura Misaki, noticed Sakura's presence and smiled out from behind the plate of natto she was carrying. "Hey, Sakura! What great timing! Could you try this for me? It smells kind of off, but I asked my brother Natsu if it tasted alright and he said it was okay. But I'm still not sure," she asked politely, kneeling down to be at Sakura's level.
Sakura blinked once, and nodded. "Of course! I love taste-testing for you guys!"
"Thank you, Sakura," Misaki smiled and handed the little girl a piece of the natto she had on the plate, and dropped it into Sakura's hand. Sakura in turn popped it into her mouth, and chewed.
The taste was a little off to the girl, but it wasn't off in a bad way. Blessed with a splendid sense of taste and palette, Sakura chewed and chewed, struggling to figure out the new taste in her mouth as well as what could've caused it. She flung around ideas like honeysuckle and ginger, but quickly shot them down. The village didn't have any honeysuckle or ginger, at least at the moment. Confused, and too bewildered to continue using her head, she swallowed and turned back to Misaki.
"It tastes different, somehow. What did you add to it?" Misaki blinked, and lifted up her left index finger, shutting one eye playfully.
"I added cinnamon! Does it taste good like that?" Sakura nodded enthusiastically. It tasted wonderful now that she had identified the mystery taste of it.
"Yes! I love it! You should make it like this every time!" Sakura replied, reaching for another piece. Misaki narrowed her brown eyes, and broke off a slightly larger piece for the little girl, and handed it to her with a soft smile.
"Your mother would not be happy with me if I let you have more than she lets you have," Misaki pointed out, rubbing Sakura's head affectionately. Sakura happily chewed on the piece she'd been given, and ignored the sound of the door opening again.
"Misaki, is Natsu in today?" A familiar voice called. Sakura turned toward the door, and narrowed her eyes as she chomped down on her natto. It was only Natsu's girlfriend, Nakamura Haruhi.
Sakura hated Nakamura Haruhi. Her hatred for her had started when Sakura's mother had hired Haruhi to babysit Sakura when she was four years old while Sakura's mother and father had gone out on a business trip for the whole day. Haruhi had taken over the whole house and forced Sakura to come to her beck and call, which had pissed off the girl to no end. Sakura had cried and complained to her parents upon their arrival back home, and they'd taken the appropriate action in Sakura's eyes. They'd fired Nakamura Haruhi. And since Haruhi had been fired from being her babysitter, Sakura was satisfied.
And so, she stood there, crowded around the center display of candied apples and the abandoned natto that Misaki had made and asked Sakura to try. At the sound of flurried footsteps, 20 year old Tamura Natsu had emerged from the staircase in the back left hand corner. His hair lay in disarray, and his blue eyes held heavy purple bags underneath them, revealing that he'd had little to no sleep at all in the past night, but the hurriedness of his footfalls frightened Sakura.
"I'm here, Haruhi, what is it? Did the new order come in today?" he asked as he crossed the room, carefully pushing Sakura aside so that he didn't trip over the short cloud of crimson pink hair. Sakura threw him a disgusted look as he wrapped his arms around Haruhi upon reaching her, and chomped down on her natto. Haruhi nodded, her eyes forlorn.
"Yes, Natsu. The order came in late last night. I stayed up all night arranging the stacks of rock candy and ribbon candy as you asked. The sugar cane is in there as well," she pointed out, holding onto him tightly. Sakura snorted, turning her head away. Haruhi noticed, and stuck her tongue out at the girl, which did not go unnoticed by Sakura.
"Alright! Let's bring them in! Misaki, keep an eye on things here, okay?" he asked, throwing Misaki a sidelong glance as Haruhi began dragging him out the door into the blistering sunlight. Misaki nodded, throwing her hands up into the air, over exasperating.
"Why not? I do almost everything around here, so why not help my brother out even more and slave away in this stifling shop?" she replied playfully, Natsu smiling sincerely.
"Thank you!" he managed to burst out before Haruhi shut the door behind him. Misaki shook her head, and sighed.
"Honestly, that girl is nothing but trouble for him…" she mused, Sakura nodding whole-heartedly.
"Haruhi is a little sk-" Misaki threw Sakura a glower. Sakura slapped her left hand onto her hip, and gave Misaki a sidelong glare out of one blazing emerald eye. "-piece of work. That better?"
Misaki smiled and nodded. "Much better."
"Honestly, you sound just like my mother," Sakura started, narrowing her eyes and scrunching up her face as if she'd bitten into something sour. "She's always saying, "Don't talk to people that way" or "You say anything like the immature boys at school in this house, I'll take away the candy shop" and stuff like that. I personally think it's a bunch of crap, because-"
"Sakura! You are talking about your mother here, right?" Misaki asked, suddenly towering over the girl. Sakura merely gave the sixteen year old girl a one eyed, half interested look.
"Your point?" she challenged, Misaki's eyebrows twitching out of sudden annoyance. This made Sakura's lip curl up.
"I know that Sayuri-sama taught you better manners than that, Haruno Sakura. Watch your tone when you speak to your elders next time, alright?" Sakura sighed, and shrugged, the beginnings of a smirk twisting her face.
"But I wasn't speaking to my mother, Misa-chan," Sakura drawled, leaning her head back and lifting her chin haughtily, tilting backwards with her right hand lifted. Misaki slammed her into her face.
"Referring to her counts too, Sakura," she pointed out, struggling to keep her annoyance out of her voice. Misaki knew the little girl had a bit of a rebellious streak, but normally she was more controlled. Still, that didn't stop Misaki. "Even if you aren't talking to her directly, you should respect her even if her back is turned. That's how a daughter should act if they were raised right, which I know you were."
Sakura lifted her index finger to her left eye, and stuck her tongue out. "Of course I was, Misa-chan! If I wasn't, I'd be slaving away in this shop just like you!"
Misaki stiffened and sighed, face-palming again. "Oh for crying out loud…"
"It's alright, Misa-chan. Most people think that I'm pretty hard to handle, if I do say so myself," Sakura answered proudly, puffing out her flat chest. Misaki sighed, and cradled the side of her face in her left hand.
"I don't doubt that," she answered tonelessly. Sakura snorted, and chomped down on the last bit of her natto, chewing noisily.
"Suit your own self," Sakura spat with annoyance, turning toward the candied apples with sudden interest. Misaki gave one glance at the defiant seven year old, and sighed again.
"Why don't you find yourself a crush, Sakura?" Misaki suggested, her voice lighter and happier with the fact that subject had been changed. Sakura turned her head slowly, unsure of where this conversation was headed.
"Why do you ask?" Sakura replied smoothly, her distrust glittering in her jade irises. Misaki plopped down on one of the stools placed at the sample table next to the two girls, and smiled.
"Because, you're pretty enough to get whomever you want," Misaki pointed out, Sakura's eyes softening. Sakura knew she was pretty, but that had to be an exaggeration. At Sakura's silence, Misaki continued. "And you wouldn't have to hang around here all day!"
Sakura slammed her booted foot onto the edge of the stool Misaki was sitting on, startling the teenager. "But I like hanging around here all day! And none of the boys interest me!"
Misaki blinked and rolled her eyes. "So you're into girls?"
"What?" Sakura cocked her head, confused. Misaki sighed, and waved it off. Sakura wasn't old enough to understand.
"Never mind. But seriously, there's gotta be someone you like. C'mon Sakura, you can tell me!" Sakura shook her head, putting her foot back down on the floor softly. It was true, no one interested her. At least not yet anyway.
"I don't like anyone, Misa-chan. But I'll tell you when I end up liking someone, alright?" Sakura suggested cheerfully, lifting her right pinky. Misaki smiled, and shifted from her perch, holding out her pinky.
"Sounds good to me, Sakura," she answered, as they locked pinkies and shook. Sakura sighed, and pulled her pinky back, watching the sun dance off her finger lazily.
"I wonder if I ever will like boys. I mean, obviously most of the boys I know are per-"At Misaki's glare, Sakura was forced to rethink her next words, "immature and unattractive."
Misaki winked at Sakura's glare. "You'll find one, you'll see. Trust me, I used to be like you. I thought I would never find a guy, and then I met Daisuke…"
"Yeah? And where did that end up?" Sakura shot back, an annoyed scowl twisted upon her face. Sakura hated when Misaki droned on and on about "Daisuke this", and "Daisuke that". Misaki fumed.
"Drop it," she ordered, hopping down from her stool at the sound of the door opening behind her.
Sakura snorted in her direction, her eyes burning with the sharp retort that was on the tip of her tongue. "You're the one who brought it up, Misa-chan." Lowering her voice, she added, "Like always."
Misaki heard the comment, and chose to ignore it, turning to their customers. "Uchiha Mikoto-sama! What a pleasure it is to see you! How are you today?"
"I'm alright, and yourself? It's an incredibly hot day today. I'm surprised you haven't keeled over yet!" Mikoto replied, tilting her head. Misaki huffed, and rolled her eyes.
"It's the usual. Natsu's girlfriend comes along, and it's Let's-ditch-Misaki-in-the-shop time," Misaki complained, sighing wistfully. "Anyway, what's brought you here today? How can I help you?"
Mikoto shifted, pulling something or someone out from behind her. "I brought my youngest here today to try natto again for the first time in years. My oldest and husband keep messing with him for it, and so he wanted to try it again, for some reason. You know kids," Mikoto answered with a soft smile. Misaki threw Sakura a swift glance that was for her and her alone.
"Oh yeah, I know kids alright," Misaki grumbled, Sakura throwing her a glare back as she lifted her small fist, one that clearly said, "Right back at 'cha!" Misaki ignored the glare, and stepped out from behind the counter to find the natto. "Well, I made a batch this morning, and the shop's official taste tester said that it was pretty good, so I guess he could try that?"
Mikoto nodded and smiled. "Sounds good. That alright with you, Sasuke?"
"I guess so," the small boy mumbled, Sakura taking a few steps toward the boy, sizing him up as she covered some ground.
Small and meek, this Uchiha Sasuke didn't seem to be much of a threat to the young girl. She could've easily beat that boy down to the ground in seconds if she'd wanted to, but there was something in his eyes that held her gaze, something that stopped her from tightening her right fist. As she moved closer, she picked up some pocky from the display next to her, and watched his onyx irises dance back and forth, the sun shining off the luminous raven hair that jutted out from the back of his head like a chicken's butt. Sakura smiled cruelly. Chicken haired brat.
"Here you go, Sasuke," Misaki said as she handed Sasuke the bit of natto that was left on the plate. "If you don't want it, I can hand it over to Sakura here."
Sasuke shot Sakura a glance. "Sure."
"No complaints here," Sakura replied, her steady jade irises firmly fixed upon the boy in front of her. His onyx eyes watched and analyzed her every movement; slight flicker of the eyes, hollow breath. Everything. He was like a hawk.
After he bit into the piece of natto, he scrunched his face up. "Ick!"
"What's wrong? Did I mix something incorrectly?" At the young boy's silence and scowling, Sakura leaned forward, her left hand on her hip.
"No," she started, curling her lip up maliciously, just to spite the black haired boy. "Chicken Butt here isn't man enough to satisfy his sweet tooth. He barely even took a bite!"
Misaki gasped, and turned to Sakura. "Haruno Sakura, you apologize immediately!"
"What can I say? It's not like I'll mean it or anything," she answered coolly, lifting up her palms. Sasuke gave her a controlled Uchiha glare, and took a few steps toward her.
"Well then, Forehead. How about you show me how it's done?" Sakura smiled arrogantly as Sasuke stopped about a foot away from her. "Since you seem to think you're more man enough to eat natto."
Sakura nodded, and smirked. "Gladly. Misa-chan, can I have the piece he didn't finish?"
"I said you could, didn't I?" After taking off the piece Sasuke had bitten, Misaki dropped the natto into Sakura's waiting hands.
Sakura held the piece out and waved at around Sasuke's nose teasingly. "Watch and learn, newbie."
Sakura lifted her right hand to her hip, her left hand slowly bringing the piece of natto to her lips. Sasuke's onyx eyes watched Sakura carefully as she popped the entire piece, his entire body flinching out of disgust as she chewed it as nosily as she could, taunting him harshly. His eyes widened as Sakura leaned forward, and licked her lips as she smirked back at the annoyed boy, her ruffled skirt rippling in the wind that blew through the open door.
"That's how you eat natto," she pointed out once she finished chewing, her long crimson hair falling past her shoulders as she leaned her face close to the young Uchiha's. "Got it, newbie?"
Sasuke snorted. "Whatever. It's just a breakfast food." Sasuke and Mikoto turned away, after Misaki swiftly apologized for Sakura's unruly behavior. Sasuke stopped by the door, and turned back suddenly. "Oh, and by the way…Sakura, was it?"
Sakura nodded for him to continue, smirking all the while. "I'm listening."
"You should tie your hair up. It looks all sticky." Sakura turned and looked down at her long strawberry colored hair, and sure enough, it was all sticky and full of natto toppings. But she didn't flush out of embarrassment. She smirked, and owned it.
"Thanks for the advice, Chicken Butt," she pointed out, her right hand on her hip. Sasuke closed his eyes in acknowledgement.
"Anytime, Forehead," he replied, as the door shut behind him, leaving Misaki and Sakura alone to tend to the shop.
Sakura smiled out satisfaction. She'd enjoyed every second of that confrontation. Not only had she made him flinch, but he'd responded to her insults and jabs without hesitation, with so little hesitation that they seemed inhuman. No one had ever argued with her like that before. Not even Misaki. And Sakura liked that about Uchiha Sasuke. So much so, that she wanted to see him again. And soon.