Disclaimer- I DON'T own Naruto. NOR do I own THIS story...at least not yet.
The original version of this story is by XxRussia-s-GirlxX. It was then adopted by MiyatheEarthninja who was so kind to let me write my own version to it as well. So in summary this is NOT my idea, I am the third person that I know of to continue "Sakura Haruno Reborn" and as such own little to zero credit for what you are about to read. :P
(No flames plz)
If that's okay with you, then read on!
Haruno Sakura Reborn (3rd Version)
Chapter 1
Betrayal is a Double-edged Sword
3 years ago
"T-those bast-uhhh . . . jerks! How could they?! H-How could they do this to me?!
"I-I thought we were closer than f-f-family..."
The pinkette's scream turned into wet, muffled sobs as she plopped her face into her pillow. The Akatsuki she knew wouldn't have done that to her. Wouldn't have utterly betrayed her by ditching her the moment she - the slutty girl with her two-faced acts - strolled through the door. Damn Hikari!
She could scream and cuss all she wanted at the girl but even now she couldn't bring herself to badmouth her boys - her boys no longer.
"...S-Sakura? As in Haruno Sakura? Is that really you?!"
"Um...Yes...?"
It came out as a question even thought she hadn't meant it to. She dragged her wrists out of his painfully tight grasp and smiled hesitantly at the strange piercing-clad guy as he stuttered and apologised for hurting her.
"Good to see you look well," he said finally and pink eyebrows knotted together in confusion.
"Um...you look well too...I guess...but, uh, do I know you?"
Haruno Sakura stared at him as he recovered from his shock, ducked his head ashamedly then lifted it again - the hurt not quite gone from his eyes.
"Look, Sakura. I told you I am really really sorry. We are really really sorry. Can't you forgive us already? It's already been 3 years since -"
"- What do you mean?"
Her seemingly innocent question had him falling back into shock, mouth slightly open, his gray-purplish ringed eyes wide and utterly confused.
"Sakura!" A high feminine voice called out just as someone else shouted out: "Saku-chan!"
She turned around in response to the voices, eyes brightening and lips curving into a gentle smile that stunned the male further.
Had Sakura always seemed that...soft?
"Yuki. Suimari," the pinkette greeted warmly.
The girls skipped merrily to her side, faces faltering as they saw the bright orange-haired boy still standing in shock before her. Yuki took Sakura's arm and dragged her protectively behind her back while Suimari stepped forward angrily prodding a finger into his chest.
"Look here, dude. I don't know who you are or what you want but stay away from our Saku-chan. One look at you tells me you're better off forgetting whatever you knew about her in the past 'cos she's not the same person. Get it? Then get lost!"
Pein backed away not because he was hurt or afraid but because of sadness and disbelief.
Sakura didn't remember who he was!
Sakura had never been very good at holding long-time grudges. She always gave in to them at the drop of the hat - forgave them.
So she couldn't be serious, could she? She couldn't have forgotten about him, about them so quickly could she?
But if he knew anything about Haruno Sakura he knew she wasn't faking it. Sakura had never been good at acting or lying either. Her fingers would tremble and her emerald eyes would always twitch whenever she was lying. He had always thought it was funny.
Now it wasn't so funny.
'Cos Sakura had forgotten about them.
A well of memories opened up his mind and he recalled some of the good times they had had together: Sakura snorting in that cute adorable way of hers, laughing uncontrollably as Tobi and Deidara tackled her into the ground, her short bubblegum hair splayed out on the grass, pearly white teeth gleaming in her trademark cat-like smile; Sasori and Itachi coming up from behind with tiny smirks plastered on their faces, surprising her into a full-body blush by picking her up bridal-style from the ground; Sakura hiding her bright red face in Itachi's bare chest, closing her eyes and sighing contentedly as he wrapped a secure arm around her shoulders.
She had looked so warm; so sweet. And...
She had been theirs.
Pein clenched his fist until his knuckled turned white, recalling how she had smiled so gently at the two girls. The damn tomboy had the nerve to call Sakura 'ourSaku-chan'.
He frowned.
It didn't matter that he could hardly recognise her. Her bubblegum strands had grown long to hips that swayed when she walked - she had developed curves where there previously were none, she had lost her sharp edges and that light dusting of freckles on the bridge of her nose and grown to be a perfect picture of femininity.
It didn't matter that Sakura had changed. It didn't even matter that she had forgotten them.
Because no matter what...
Sakura was theirs.
"What are you doing in my house?"
They flinched at her cold words, Pein did too but at least he did not stare at her in shock. They deserved her anger. It was expected.
But he saw that her knuckles were white, that her nails were digging in to leave angry red marks into the palm of her hand. They had hurt her. He was ashamed of the fact. They had hurt Sakura. They should have known that this was no ordinary betrayal - that they meant a whole lot more to her than the parents who had never cared for her did.
It had been the betrayal of the worst kind.
"For the last time...What are you doing in my house?"
Her voice was eerily quiet but her cool anger did not go by unnoticed.
Pein opened his mouth and let out four words that he had never in his life thought he would say:
"Sakura, I'm so sorry."
Bright green orbs widened in shock and he knew he had said the right thing. (He ignored the astonished gazes of everyone else around him.)
Her face was carefully blank right now, but he knew what she was thinking anyway. That he, Ame Pein, Fearless Leader of the Akatsuki, had just apologised - apologised! - to her, Haruno Sakura, the disowned daughter of Haruno Daichi and Momoko who owned a multimillion business company.
"Why?"
Why did they betray her?
No one answered. No one could. He didn't know why himself.
Still he thought she'd take a minute to recover then forgive them. And she did. Take a minute to recover that was. But she never forgave them.
The tiny flicker of distrust in her eyes was all the clue he had.
"Get out. I don't have time for this bullshit."
He didn't know what rendered him unable to move. The fact that his sweet Sakura had actually sworn at them or the fact that she no longer trusted them and was ordering them to get the hell out.
Pein stood in a stupor even as Itachi grabbed her wrist and said "Sakura, don't do anything you'll later regret" and red anger flitted through her eyes, leading to a loud slap that echoed around the room.
"Get your dirty hands off me..." he thought he heard her mutter under her breath. But then she was laughing as if it was April Fool's except the next words that came out of her mouth were no joke. They cut like a knife. As if she hadn't just slapped Itachi but all of them.
"That felt damn good."
She slammed the door in their faces narrowly missing his nose as the others dragged him back in the nick of time.
Still he lingered at the doorstep to see if she was crying behind her door. Instead all he heard was her calling for her maid. "Kairi, go get my bags for me and put them in my car. I'm done with these stupid idiots. I'm done with Konoha."
"Yes, Sakura-sama! The earliest flight is due in half-an-hour."
Pein stiffened. She was going to leave Konoha.
He strained his ears, trying to catch any last words. Any destination.
But there was nothing.
She didn't even say goodbye.
All she said was...
"Come after me, Akatsuki, and I'll never forgive you."
Hey guys, if you have read the original or 2nd version by MiyaTheEarthNinja you would have noticed that I played around a lot with the structure. That's only because I wanted to make the timing more dramatic ;), but you can pretty much guarantee that it's still the bare bones of the Sakura Haruno Reborn.
If you haven't read the original then that's okay...keep reading. :)
PLEASE REVIEW!
