Fortuna Di Amore: Fortune of Love Chapter 1, a naruto fanfic

Title: Fortuna Di Amore: Fortune of Love

Summary: Not long ago, there was a civil war of great bloodshed. Amongst the death, rubble, and chaos lived a girl named Sakura. By her side, was the unit of soldiers named Shinobi. Sakura makes friends and overcomes her demons with the the men of Leaf, all the while discovering the fortune of love…(sakucentric)

Disclaimer: I hope this wasn't terrible!!! I didn't really look over it too much; also I don't own Naruto, in case you planned on suing me any time. R & R

The wind played with her hair as she opened the window gingerly. Rays of sunlight bathed her smooth pale skin, her eyes glittering like emeralds. Even though the weather was sunny and a few nomad clouds passed by happily, all was not well.

Poor Sakura was only too aware of the growing crisis in this lovely town she called home.

Various trees' branches swayed with the wind's dance, the shadows mirroring their movements.

Within these shadows stood a group of men in uniform with the lord of the land, all had grave looks on their faces, speaking in hushed tones.

Sakura was no general, and was only a servant in this household but comprehended the scene perfectly.

Within this country lay a deep faction between two political parties.

Civil war had been expected for some time, it was just a matter of when and where.

Her home town, Konoha, was famous for its left wing party known as Leaf. The other party was known as Sound, and was a right wing party.

Rumors of various bloody scuffles had proceeded for some time, in fact ever since she was a child she could remember hearing the tales of the tales of villainous Sound members.

Revolution was now, at 18, a fact of life for Sakura.

As Sakura looked onward at the men, she knew that war had been officially declared.

It was written in their faces, postures, and heavy lines that were etched into their skin. Before, this political disagreement was nothing more than a lifestyle for them. Obviously it was more than that now.

"Sakura! Get the damn water already! My bath needs to be ready, were going to have guests soon!" Ino was the daughter of the Lord.

Her voice was shrill and banshee-like, which contrasted against the background of her stunningly beautiful features. Her blonde head appeared near the top of the banister, "Did you hear me, you stupid girl!I have to look perfect!"

Sakura said nothing as she left to the well.

Gingerly, she moved the bucket into the well, then attaching it to the pole used to carry a bucket on each side. It was funny how normally the male servants were the ones to do this tedious chore. The buckets themselves weighed about ten pounds each, not including the water plus the carrying pole. For a girl of Sakura's size, which was 5'2" with a small frame, the physical strain would be staggering. She sighed resolutely.

Why did she listen to Ino again?

She cracked her knuckles and noticed how calloused her hands were. Hmmm, that's why.

These hands of hers were not of royalty, her worked hands were testimony to that. And that was why she listened to Ino, because she had to.

Sakura come from a poor background. As an only child, she was sold to a brothel at age 5 in order for her parents to pay off their rather large debt.

According to the Head Whore of the time, her parents were paid quite a sum.

Although she didn't realize at the time, men would pay a hefty price to be with a virgin.

Sakura's expression faded into a sad one as she attempted to haul the second bucket over the well's edge.

Thinking about her past made her sorrowful. Instead she skipped that nasty part and thought of her task at hand.

She attempted to get under the pole and let it rest on her shoulders. Using all her might, she pushed her thighs upward.

No such luck. The buckets didn't even lift.

After ten more minutes of struggling, Sakura began to grow worried.

Ino would surely get mad and pull out the leather strap, then she would be in for hell once she got back.

"You need help Miss?" A man's voice asked.

His voice was a deep one, and before she could even turn around to look at her visitor, the heavy weight was lifted off her shoulders.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing a job like this, eh?" She finally got a glimpse of the man with the deep voice, and let's just say she wasn't disappointed.

He must've been around six feet. He was blonde with the brightest blue eyes ever. She felt like she was drowning in them.

Her teenage feelings were cut down as a flash of the brothel and the evils that lay within it toyed her mind and soul.

As quickly as it had come, she tried to end it, gathering herself together and tried to reply smoothly.

"Uhh…uumm…thanks…eh…"was her composed response.

She blushed in embarrassment. Either he was dense or didn't notice her struggle with words, he went on.

"Uzumaki Naruto's the name. What's yours?"

"Haruno Sakura." Sakura felt a bit embarrassed, and suddenly was conscious of her appearance.

Her hair was tangled a bit, and hadn't been brushed since two days ago.

She tried to flatten the wrinkles and brush at least some dirt out. In the back of her mind, she scoffed at her attempts to look better.

There's no way a guy this ridiculously good looking would look at her any other way besides to order around or in the brothel.

"Kawaii! Your name fits you perfectly." He grinned at her.

It was then she noticed the scars on his cheeks; three lines on each cheek. He must've noticed her staring and responded, "I'm a soldier for Leaf. You could probably tell though," he motioned to his scars.

"Is there a base you are headed to?"

"Yeah…me and…"

"Naruto!" another, just as deep voice called.

"Oi, bastard! Over here!" Through the clearing appeared another soldier. Sakura swore the world stopped moving as he revealed his face through his bangs. Onyx eyes looked at the two of them with an emotionless fashion.

Yes, although she was emotionally scarred by her trials at the whorehouse, and having a terrible childhood there as well, she was still a teenage girl. Her hormones were in working order.

"I'm talking to Sakura chan bastard, no need to try to jump in."

"Shut up dobe. Sakura right? Can you tell us where the Konahogakure mansion is?"

Sakura blushed as Naruto called her Sakura chan. He acted like they had known each other forever, yet at the same time; she kind of liked his straightforwardness.

It meant she didn't have to try too hard to try to talk to this guy, and just like that, she felt at ease with him.

Then when his friend came out, her blush increased.

First off what was this guy, a Roman god of sorts? Second, this one scared her more than Naruto. Third, were they friends, because Naruto just called him a bastard.

"The idiot got us lost." The back eyed boy explained.

"HEY! BASTARD!" Naruto spoke before Sakura asked quietly…

"Umm…uh…may I ask why you want to know this?"

"That's where our meeting is, you know, since the war was declared and all."

"Souka,"

Naruto offered to carry her load since she offered to lead them to the mansion grounds. Sakura learned that Narutos friend's name was Sasuke Uchiha. Both were part of a special unit of soldiers called out in only desperate situations, so there schedule was pretty relaxed.

As Naruto explained, their unit was comprised of 10 men total, including them. However their medic died in battle not too long ago.

Sakura felt bad for the blue eyed boy as his faced turned somber when he mentioned their medic, Iruka. Sakura, politely and quietly gave her condolences, in turn the blonde hugged her as thanks. She nervously tried to return it. Sakura tried not to pay too much attention to Sasuke.

"The meeting is an underground one below the mansion." Naruto ranted. Sakura just nodded, not really listening.

"Sasuke, where are the rest of your team?" Sakura asked him, not wanting to make him feel isolated. Sasuke looked at her, the butterflies in her stomach acting up (in apprehension or something else it was hard to tell), and he replied by nodding to the left.

Both Sakura and Naruto turned towards their left and there they stood. Sakura tried her best not to stare. WHATS WITH THE RIDICULOUSLY GOOD LOOKING MEN IN UNIFORM! She thought. It made her nervous to be around men in general, good looking or not, but the fact that they were incredibly good looking made everything 100 times worse. Guess some habits can never be broken.

She guessed it was ok to be around just Sasuke and Naruto. Two men she could handle, and besides, Naruto's warm personality made her feel quite safe. Unfortunately, her luck seemed rotten, and circumstances just had to change. 9 men was...a lot...

"Sakura chan, this is Shikamaru Nara, our tactician and lazy ass. Kiba Inuzuka, our tracker. Neji Hyuuga, our eyes on the team, but he can be a bastard at times. Kakashi Hatake, the mega good fighter slash pervert. Itachi Uchiha, the genius and bastard's brother. Gaara no Sabaku, his specialty is sand, and Sasori, he's just here cause he was bored." Neji and Sasori were glaring daggers at Naruto, while Kakashi's eyes were glued to Icha Icha Paradise as Shikamaru looked like he was about to fall asleep. The rest looked apathetic.

"Naruto, did you find the mansion yet?" Kakashi spoke through his mask. His eyes never left his book.

"Uhh…well…you see…I got lost and now Sakura-"

"I should've known he'd end up asking for help." Kiba muttered. He had been good friends with Naruto since diapers. Naruto getting lost was only too characteristically accurate when describing the blonde.

"-chan is going to lead us there right Sakura chan?"

Sakura was too afraid her voice would start to crack in emotion, and opted to nod. A fake sort of smile she gave them as well, trying her hardest to ground her feet and not run away.

Sakura's anxiety was increasing dramatically. This was way out of her comfort zone, she forced her feet to move, counting the steps till she finally reached the mansion. Lord knows how fast her heart was beating, how frantic, how scared she truly was. What if they cornered her and...she forced herslef to stop thinking and start counting her steps.

It was only a few more minutes of walking through the dirt paved trail did they reach the mansion.

They had parted ways since the special troop apartments were behind the mansion, and Sakura had to go through the side door through the Kitchen to give Ino her water. With Naruto's help of course, she lugged the water through the mansion till they met the carved door of the bathroom.

"Phew, sure you don't need any more help Sakura chan?" He spoke directly to her. His eyes were concerned, and honestly, the mix between this and his incredibly good looks had her flustered. Maybe it was because of his personality she didn't fear him. His aura wasn't menacing, his voice was like a lullaby of sorts. Whatever was the reason, she wished she could stay around him more often. It made her feel calm and like a normal girl.

"I'm good Naruto, you helped in more ways than one. Thanks so much. I owe you one." She gave him a bright smile, and she vaguely noticed his pink tinted cheeks.

Hmmm…wonder why he suddenly turned bashful?

Her thoughts were interrupted when a door slammed the wall violently.

"Sakura, you filthy bitch! I knew you'd been slacking off! Never thought I'd find you whoring around though!" Karin was the head maid of the mansion. She oversaw everything. For some reason, she always had a personal grudge against Sakura.

Karin yanked Sakura by the hair, and then raised the other to smack her. Her plans were cut short as a strong arm stopped her from doing so. Karin seethed. She turned around to face the Blonde soldier. Then she finally took this young man in.

"Oh…and who might you be…do you need anything? I'd be happy to oblige – " She said. Her voice sounded like a conniving snake's to Sakura. It was sultry and seductive.

"I want you to leave Sakura chan alone." His eyes were fierce and protective. There was no way he'd let his friend be treated like that.

Karin faulted for a minute.

The cow with makeup who clearly had identity crisis and thought she was a beautiful swan (aka Karin) was left speechless!

Sakura felt speechless too. Someone had called her a friend. Someone cared! Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno's friend. She liked the sound to that.

The joy was overwhelming. Sakura acted impulsively and hugged Naruto with all her might.

"Thank you." She whispered. He blushed into the shade of a ripened tomato.

"S..Sa…Sakura chan." His words came out all funny, and his heart melted with an emotion he couldn't name. Sakura, still in her own little happy place, kissed Naruto innocently on the cheek. She had a friend!

Karin seethed once again. Ino was not going to be happy. It wouldn't tae an idiot to see that one of Ino's gurests had a crush on the pin haired servant.

Ooooo. Not happy at all.

That night in her bed, Sakura felt no regret doing what she did. The scene replayed in her mind over, and over again.

Sakura acted impulsively and hugged Naruto with all her might.

"Thank you." She whispered. He blushed into the shade of a ripened tomato.

She smiled again. Maybe there'd be a nice man out there, that wasn't like the ones at the brothels. One that would treasure her for who she really was. And he wouldn't try to take advantage of her, and use her.

Much like Naruto was. She giggled happily. Naruto was her friend! He had called her a friend and stood up for her! No one had ever been nice to her, besides Tsunade, let alone any man she had ever met.

She was so excited to see Naruto tomorrow. Vaguely, she thought of Sasuke and the others. Were they like Naruto? Would they be her friends too? They wouldn't try to rape…

Sakura couldn't finish that sentence. The R word was too painful to speak.

But maybe, just maybe, if Naruto had declared himself friends with her, then his friends might too? She hoped so.

Little did she know how right she was.

A/N: This is the first chapter to a fic I'm not quite sure how may chapters will be. I've got some plot worked out for the next few chaps but we'll see if anything changes. I hope you like it and some advice on what you think should happen next would be nice. This is a Saku centric by the way. This chap just starred Naruto more. Later on I'll have a poll out as the pairings narrow down. Also…

REVIEW……. Please?