DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO. KISHIMOTO DOES AND I AM NOT HIM.

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There was no escape from this world. Of this she was certain. If there was a way, she would have found it by now. Her father was her world now.

"Sakura, get down here now!"

The girl quickly jumped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. It was a good thing she'd just rinsed her hair free of shampoo. She clutched both sides of the towel closed around her body and raced down the stairs as quickly as she could to face her father.

Shivering, she stood in front of the drunken man she called 'father'. Father in blood and name. She kept her gaze directed at the floor, knowing if she dared look him in the eye, he'd think she was defying him and beat her.

"Make me something to eat, I don't care what." he snapped.

Sakura nodded. "Is-"

She fell to the hardwood floor with a loud thud. Her father had smacked her and sent her flying.

She ought to have known better than to speak.

Every time she spoke, she was beaten.

Sure enough, he was kicking her now. In the stomach, in the legs, on her head.

Sakura lay still, knowing that if she fought back, it would only worsen the situation.

Finally, her father decided he'd punished her enough and returned to his previous position on the couch.

She made fried chicken for her father one-handed. He would never allow her to get dressed if it would postpone his meal and she needed to keep the towel closed.

Her father was not pleased with the food she'd made.

"I didn't want fried chicken!" he spat, smacking the plate from her hand and sending the chicken flying. The plate fell to the floor and shattered.

But-

Sakura opened her mouth to protest then clamped it shut quickly.

Her father had seen her open her mouth to speak and grabbed her by the hair. He shook her head violently "You bitch!"

Tears welled up and overflowed in her tightly closed eyes as he slammed her against the wall.

Please. Let me out. Let me out. LET ME OUT!!! She wailed in her head.

Her father finally released his hold on her and she slumped to the floor, sobbing silently.

***

"Class, we have a new student today."

Sakura didn't bother looking up from her desk. A new student was of no concern to her.

"Sasuke, introduce yourself, please."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha."

His voice sounds so cold. I wonder if-

Sakura lifted her head just enough to peek at the new boy from beneath her bangs.

He's lonely, too. The pain and sadness his eyes expressed was enough to tell her that. Many people would overlook that simply because he was goodlooking.

She looked to her left and, sure enough, Ino, Karin, and Temari were already plotting how to corner him and ask him out.

Idiots.

"Sasuke, you can sit by-" Kakashi's eyes swept across the classroom, scanning for an empty seat, "-Sakura. Sakura, raise your hand so Sasuke knows where to sit."

Sakura raised her hand into the air quickly then set it down again.

"Sakura doesn't talk much, so don't be offended if she doesn't say anything to you." Kakashi told the Uchiha as he carefully stepped over backpacks and purses on his way down the aisle. He reached Sakura's table so quickly she hadn't even had time to clear off half of it for his use. She slid her books and notebook over to her side and piled them up.

"You could have left them where they were. I don't need much space, just enough to take notes." Sasuke informed her. Sakura simply gave him a small smile by way of reply.

For the next hour and a half, the class worked on grammar packets Kakashi had passed out. Sakura finished hers with ease and picked up the book she'd been reading in her spare time at school. At home, her father kept her in his sight almost constantly, only allowing her out of his sight when she ran errands or was in the shower.

To her right, Sasuke was nearly finished as well, which surprised her. His grammar and punctuation were flawless. To her left, Ino was leaning out of her seat to cheat off Sakura's packet. She copied the answers she had memorized into her packet and leaned over again, but a little too far this time. She fell, with a noisy crash, out of her chair and hard onto the tiled floor.

Sakura couldn't suppress the giggle that passed from her lips as everybody in the room turned to stare at whomever had fallen.

Ino shot her a death glare. "I'll see you in the halls, bitch." she whispered, returning to her seat, face red with embarrassment.

Sakura returned her gaze to her paper, angry at herself for making a noise. She had learned long ago that talking and laughing only made people mad at you and got you hurt.

Sasuke gave her an inquisitive look. He was clearly puzzled as to why there was an angry look on her face when only a minute ago she had laughed.

She ignored him and gathered her stuff into her backpack in preparation for the bell.

It rang and she shot out of her seat quickly, beating the rest of the class to the door.

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A/N: R&R please? This is my first fic.