Chapter One - Young Love

What is love? Is it the discomfort in my chest? Or the look in your eyes? What sort of love do I feel you for you? It is the same as my comrades. No, it is different.

This story is about love and the strength it brings to one young girl. It is about how she learns the different types of love. Most prominently, the feeling that she gets when she is with her true love.

Sakura Haruno was born as the daughter to a family of bakers. Akira Haruno and Hanae Haruno welcomed her on June 1st. The only complication of the birth was that is was three months premature. Sakura was born with a slight heart murmur. She slept in an incubator for three months. Her parents visited her everyday and sometimes spent the night at the hospital. Akira and Hanae would chuckle. Three months went by quickly, she got stronger and healthier. Soon Sakura grew to be an adorable four year-old.

At four she was full of energy. She would play outside with Mika. Tag was a favourite. They would enjoy Konoha festivals.

Konoha was the name of their village. It also goes by the name of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was a home for Shinobi, ninjas. Sakura saw them often flying through the air as they jumped from housetop to housetop. She would watch them go by with wonder and curiosity. They were magical to her. There was moment during a festival that started a fire in Sakura.

Sakura and Mika were watching a festival performance by the Shinobi. They created a dragon out of water. A flame erupted out of a mouth. Some ninjas did acrobatics. When the show ended, Sakura ran home. When she stepped through the door the first thing out of her mouth was, "I want to be Shinobi!"

Sakura snapped her soft pastel green eyes open. She sat up on her bed and touched her pale forehead. Her eyes looked to her calendar. This day was marked as orientation day. She leapt out of bed with a grin. Her eyes were wide with excitement. Sakura put on her red hoodie and navy blue leggings. She strapped a weapon kit to her thigh. Then took a ribbon and tied a small half ponytail to the side of her head. Some of her light pink hair was up in the side ponytail while most of it was left down. Sakura hummed to herself. Then she leapt again.

"I can't believe today's the day!" she exclaimed to herself.

She ran downstairs with a great big smile. Sakura hugged her mom tightly, as well as her father. She looked at them with a gentle gaze.

"I start my dream today, Mom, Daddy!" Sakura spoke as she looked at the clock.

Orientation would start in ten minutes. She gasped, Sakura got her lunch from her mom. Before she left she turned to her family and said, "goodbye, I love you!"

Sakura soared in the sky. She leapt from housetop to housetop. She stopped once to say hello to Ino, one of her best friends. She walked with Ino to the academy. Ino could not stop talking about how she dreamed of being on a team with a boy in their class, Sasuke Uchiha. The sole survivor of the Uchiha clan massacre, this was a fact unknown to Sakura and Ino. Sakura did not care much for Sasuke. She was one of the only few girls who saw him as just a classmate. Ino was held over heels for him. When Sakura walked through the door Ino immediately went to Sasuke. Sakura went to Hinata. She sat down and chatted with her amiably. What none of girls noticed was Sasuke's soft gaze that followed Sakura and watched her chat with Hinata. Sasuke felt a tug in his chest, it was uncomfortable and warm when he looked at her. He knew what it meant, and looked away.

Sakura did not notice his gaze. He did not look at her again during the orientation. Iruka, their teacher, at the academy came in and congratulated them on their graduation from the academy. He assigned each student to teams of three. When he got to team seven he called out the names of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke's heart skipped a beat and he hid a smile. Naruto complained about being on a team with Sasuke, mainly because he kissed him a few moments earlier. Sakura simply smiled and prayed that she would get along with her teammates. She knew Naruto, and talked to him sometimes, she didn't talk to Sasuke at all. She wondered if they would get along okay. Her mind went to the worst-case scenario, then imagined him hating her. She went through solutions and could not find one that would help.

After the teams were announced there was a break for lunch. Sakura went to Naruto and asked, "would you like to eat lunch with me?"

Naruto rejected her offer; he wanted to eat lunch with his crush, Izumi Ichi, who was in love with Sasuke. She bullied Sakura often, who struggled with standing up to her. Once she was in a bad mood there was no winning against Izumi. Sakura focused on her friends, to her that was enough. Izumi wanted to eat lunch with Sasuke who went off to eat lunch alone in a secluded room.

Sakura smiled at Naruto, and did not say anything, she knew that Hinata felt something toward him. She could not find it in herself to support his decision. Sakura decided to go eat with Ino and Hinata. She did not notice Sasuke was eating in a room across from their high spot.

They opened their lunch boxes at the same time. They talked about their teams and their concerns about getting along with them. The girls told each other how they wished they were on the same team.

"I'm glad it is Sakura and not some other girl on Sasuke's team," Ino said.

"I don't have to worry about Sakura she does not even like Sasuke."

"Well, I don't really know him," said Sakura.

"You don't have to, don't force it with him he is a private guy," Ino responded.

"Anyway, I got to go. I can't believe I'm on a team with Shikamaru, and Choji. Can it be any worse?" Ino said as she chuckled at her last line.

She packed up her bento box and hugged her girls goodbye. Hinata and Sakura chatted for a little while. Something moved out of the corner of her eye. She looked and saw Naruto. She followed his movement and saw Sasuke relax his body against an open window. He was eating a rice ball and did not notice Naruto pounce. The window closed from the impact. Sakura stood up and watched. Hinata focused on her eating her lunch and did not notice Naruto's attack. Sasuke leapt out of the window in little time. Sakura still felt something was off. She leapt from her spot to the window, then she opened it to see Sasuke tied up. Sakura took out a star and approached him. Sasuke heard her footsteps.

"Is that you Naruto? You freak." Sasuke said with a cold voice.

Sakura cut the rope. Sasuke seemed surprised and saw Sakura reaching her hand out to help him. He fought hard to hide a blush that was creeping on his face. Sasuke got up on his own he said with a gentle voice, "thank you".

Sakura smiled at him, Sasuke smiled back and put his hand on her shoulder as he walked by her. Sakura felt her heart warm quickly and felt a tug in her chest. Her cheeks blushed. Sasuke jumped out of the window. Sakura was in a daze. "W-what?" she whispered to herself.

Author's Note: I hope I got all the mistakes and errors. I edited it, but I may have some errors left. I hope any one who reads this found it enjoyable. I reimagined Sakura's character as cheerful and positive, yet a little naive and a little anxious. I did plan for character development.