A/N: Just a quick little note before you start reading. This is complete randomness. It's just some shots I took from the life of Sakura Haruno. Set in modern times, of course. It has no point whatsoever. After I wrote this I didn't bother to go back through and read it, so it probably sucks and I don't know it. XP But thanks for reading anyway!!

x.x.x

Disclaimer- No.

x.x.x

The Panda Box

Sakura traced the small black ears and cute little nose of her treasured box of knickknacks. Some of her most precious possessions were stored inside this bamboo munching panda. It was set far back on her dresser, and she always made sure it was (paranoia), because her charming little trinket box would shatter into a million tiny pieces if it fell from its' place. She smiled, thinking of her father.

'Daddy, I miss you. Please come home soon.'

He was away on a three year trip to some foreign place, and it didn't make his daughter and wife feel any better that they weren't allowed to know where or why he had gone. Some secretive little mission. But he wrote every now and again, and that helped. Mrs. Haruno had each and every one of his letters neatly stacked and tied with a ribbon on her vanity. Every night she would see that stack, smile, and know another day had passed; one day closer to the return of her husband.

Sakura had been given her Panda Box the day he left. She kept it clean, kept it safe, and held it dear to her heart. This was her fathers' promise that he would come home. He told her so. He said he would bring something back with him to put in the little panda, a coming home present.

Sakura lifted the lid and set it aside. It had been two years since her father had left. Ever since that day she had been filling the box with special trinkets, things that meant something and would always mean something to her. But she always made sure she would have room for her fathers' coming home present. She sifted through the contents, smiling at every object, remembering each and every reason why they were in her special box.

First, a seashell. It was pure and white as fresh fallen snow with a pearly inside that reflected light in rainbows. The only mark on the flawless shell was a thin red circle on the outside, a sort of inverse of her family symbol. She had been at the beach the day before her fourteenth birthday with all her friends, laughing and smiling and playing in the surf. She received her presents that day, because she was spending her real birthday with her mum and dad. Naruto was the only one who hadn't given her anything, but he said he wanted to give it to her on the real day of her birth. The next day a small white package arrived in the mail, and Sakura opened it to find this beautiful little shell. Naruto sheepishly wrote he had found it on the beach, and its' beauty reminded him of her. He had a little crush on her then, but everything worked out in the end, and they were still good friends.

The next thing that came out of her Panda Box was a deep blue ribbon. Sakura wrapped it around her pointer finger absentmindedly, smiling to herself. Sasuke tied her hair back with it on their first date. She shifted awkwardly afterwards, not being the romantic type, but Sakura hugged him and promised that it was the best first date she had ever been on. 

Sasuke's eyes softened, which was his way of smiling, and he took her hand, not saying a word. Sakura had received a few more gifts from the Uchiha since then, and all of them were precious, but not all of them fit in her Panda Box. A year and a half since then and the boy still took her breath away.

Sakura set aside the ribbon and picked out a folded note, already knowing what it said inside. This was the first decent conversation she held with Ino since their falling out over Sasuke. It was written back and forth during Chemistry, which was a least favorite class among most of the sophomores. After school Sakura had a sleepover at Ino's house, and the two watched sappy movies and bawled and apologized until Mr. Yamanaka grouched that they had better get to bed or he'd be a bear the next morning and ban them from the mall. What a horror.

Finally Sakura pulled out Sasuke's class ring, the most recent addition to her Panda Box. It didn't have a lengthy story behind it like the others, but that ring was precious. Almost as precious as the box that cased it. Sasuke gave it to her the night of a big soccer game played under the field lights. They were facing off against their biggest rival, The Sand Spirits. Sasuke took her behind the bleachers, and asked her to stay with him even after they graduated. And for the first time ever, he went into a beautiful monologue about how he needed her, and when she was around he was more compelled to do his absolute best. She promised her heart to him, and that night their team won the game by an insurmountable landslide.

Sakura twisted the ring around her finger, watching as the light glinted off polished silver and a deep blue stone. Their senior year was almost upon them, and a small twist of nervous fear and excitement tingled in her gut. She was excited to finally be an almighty senior, but the knowledge that it was her final year in high school was a bit frightening. College and the real world loomed on the horizon like a thunderstorm fast-tracking in her direction. She slipped the ring off her finger and set it back in the Panda box, gently replacing the lid.

She hoped her father would be home soon.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Sakura was two-thirds of the way through her senior year when a phone call shattered her heart.

Her mother was out grocery shopping, completely unaware of what had happened. Completely, blissfully unaware that she had recently become a widow.

Sakura still gripped the phone, even though the caller had hung up almost ten minutes before. During the night, while she was content and sleeping, dreaming of wonderful things, a drunk driver and slammed head on into her fathers' car, killing him almost instantly. Sakura choked out a strangled sob, and screamed into the silence of the house.

"Dear God, no!! Not my daddy! Please let it be a mistake!" She wailed and sunk to the floor, dialing the first phone number that came to her mind. She didn't want to be alone.

"Hey Sakura." She bawled, trying to speak through her anguish, but failing. "Sakura? What's wrong?"

"P-please, Sasuke, I don't want to be all alone!"

"I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and Sakura curled into a tight little ball on the floor, her back pressed against the counter.

Minutes later the door slammed open, and Sasuke's voice echoed into the house.

"Sakura? Sakura, where are you?" He walked into the kitchen, and he spun in the direction of the muffled sobs.

He saw her, curled up against the counter, her face twisted with agony, the white-knuckled grip she had on the phone.

"Sakura?" Sasuke dropped to his knees and picked her up of the floor, cradling her against himself like a child.

She could only clutch his shirt and cry. For the next hour he sat on the floor with his shattered girlfriend, hugging her tightly and humming softly in her ear. By the time Mrs. Haruno got home Sasuke still had no idea what was going on, only that he had to be there for Sakura.

Mrs. Haruno practically floated into the house, smiling all the way into the kitchen with bags of groceries in her hands.

"Sakura dear! Come help--oh!" She turned to set her bags on the table when she saw her daughter and her boyfriend, huddled on the floor. "Sakura? Sasuke, what's going on?" She dropped her things and swooped down to their level, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Sakura turned her head so she could look up at her mother. Her heartbroken green eyes spilled an endless river of tears, and Sasuke gently wiped them away with a napkin from the basket on the table.

"Oh, mum. Mum." She hiccupped, her voice small. "It's…it's daddy. He's…he's…." Her face crumpled, and she sobbed. "He's not coming home."

Mrs. Haruno dropped to the floor from her crouched position, her face completely blank. She took hold of Sakura's hand, gripping it tightly.

"What do you mean, 'not coming home'?"

"Last night, he was…and this drunk driver…he, he…oh, mum!" Sakura sobbed, and Mrs. Haruno gathered her daughter up in her arms, hugging her tightly.

The women of the house sat on the floor for a long time, Mrs. Haruno rocking Sakura back and forth and humming old lullabies. Sasuke wandered around the house, staring at old pictures of Sakura and her family. Pictures of her father. He remembered meeting Mr. Haruno once, way back in third grade when the man was a chaperone on a fieldtrip to the zoo. Sakura wasn't embarrassed by her dad, and she kept telling everyone he was her daddy. She had been a daddy's girl, no doubt.

When Sasuke returned to the kitchen the girls were sitting at the table, their hands clasped and not saying anything. Mrs. Haruno had tear tracks shining on her cheeks, and her eyes were glittery with tears she was trying to hold in. The Uchiha silently began to heat water for tea. Whenever his mum had had a fit, his father would make her some chamomile tea, and she's calm down. Sasuke didn't think it would get rid of the sadness that cloaked the house, but at least it would help.

For the rest of the he stayed, cooking dinner and putting away the groceries and trying to be a comfort. He knew what it was like to lose a parent. He'd lost two, and then his brother just up and left a few days later. Sasuke was only eight and all by himself. The authorities kept trying to send him off to live with uncles and aunts, but he refused. Finally his quiet little old grandmother came to stay at the house so he wouldn't have to go. She was still around, though older and creakier, she still watched over him and did the best she could in her eighties.

That night Sasuke carried Sakura up to her room, and when he tucked her in she grabbed his wrist with cold fingers.

"Please stay." He nodded and lay down on the sheets beside her, wrapping his arms around her tiny body.

She curled up into a ball against his chest, her eyes red and puffy. She fell asleep minutes later, exhausted and ready to escape from reality.

Meanwhile Mrs. Haruno sobbed into her pillow, trying not to let her daughter hear her. She was never going to see her husband again. She would go to sleep every night, alone. And the letters from him? They would never leave her dresser, and she would frequently return to the pieces of paper wishing them love and hoping to see them soon.

The next morning a box arrived. It had been sent from a postal office out of country, and before anyone even opened it they knew who it was from. Mr. Haruno had sent their coming home presents, and they arrived a day after he was supposed to.

The box was opened in the quiet of the kitchen; the only sounds were that of the knife cutting through the packing tape. Mrs. Haruno pulled out the first wrapped gift, and it was addressed to Sakura. The next package was for Mrs. Haruno herself, and in the bottom of the box there was a letter addressed to both of them.

To my girls,

I don't know if this will arrive before I do, but it shouldn't. I want to see the looks on your faces when you open the gifts I bought you. I'm sure you'll love them! I've finally finished my work, so I'll be coming home early. I should be there already, so this isn't news to you.

If I don't get back before the box, the surprise has been ruined. But I'm happy all the same! I've missed the beautiful smiling faces of my daughter and wife, and I'm anxious to see you two again. I'd better go, or I won't make my flight!

Lots of love,

Dad

Mrs. Haruno was in tears by the time she finished reading the letter aloud, and Sakura was biting her lip to keep from crying.

"Well!" Mrs. Haruno choked out, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "We should…probably open these."

The two tore away the wrapping paper, and in seconds of seeing the coming home presents they were crying, with Sasuke hugging Sakura and rocking her back and forth on her feet. She had received a beautiful silver necklace with three panda bear charms on it, all of them holding sticks of bamboo but in different poses. There was a matching bracelet, and a set of panda bear earrings.

Mrs. Haruno opened her package to find a gorgeous light blue sundress and a white shawl stitched with blue flowers. She clamped her hand over her mouth, and the tears spilled out of her eyes. She spun on her heel and ran upstairs, the sound of her bedroom door slamming reverberating through the house.

For months after the funeral the Haruno women were clammed up in the house, with relatives and Sakura's friends visiting frequently. Sasuke was over almost every day. He didn't want Sakura to feel so alone like he had when his parents died, even if her mum was still there.

Years passed before Sakura could talk about her father without crying, and she wore the panda jewelry set almost everyday.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Sakura was a junior in college when Sasuke proposed to her. He wasn't much of a romantic, but he really went all out for the event. Sakura was at his house on one of the rare occasions she got to see him between her college duties.

They were snuggled up on the sofa watching movies when Sasuke got up to get some more popcorn.

"Extra butter please!" Sakura giggled and watched him walk to the kitchen, rolling his eyes.

"You're going to get fat."

"Hey, popcorn is a healthy snack, Sasuke!"

"Not when you load it with tons of butter, Sakura."

"I'll work it off." She huffed and crossed her arms, staring at the TV screen.

Ten minutes had passed and Sasuke still hadn't come back. Sakura paused the movie and walked to the kitchen, her brow furrowed.

"Sasuke? Whaa?!" A blindfold descended over her eyes, and she flinched. "Sasuke, what's going on?"

"You'll see. Just hush." He whispered against her ear, and she shivered.

Sasuke led her out the back door and out onto the porch, where he untied the blindfold. Sakura gasped.

There were candles everywhere; leading down the porch steps, all over the yard, in the branches of trees, crowding together on the railing and floor of the small gazebo, and lighting the path from the porch to the gazebo. There were white rose petals covering the path and the porch and yard. Bouquets of the beautiful roses were set in glass vases on the stairs of the gazebo. It was stunning. Sasuke guided her down the steps and to the gazebo, giving her hand a little squeeze. She couldn't speak.

"Sakura." They came to a stop in the middle of the gazebo, candles shining and a breeze stirring the white rose petals.

"I love you. I don't say it enough, but I do. I'm not known for being an emotional guy, or even a nice guy most of the time. I'm territorial, overprotective, and a complete ass sometimes. Most of the time. But I'm trying. I'm trying to be better at 'opening up' to people. I want to be better for you. I don't want people to feel bad for you when they see you with me, the cold-hearted Uchiha. I want you to be proud when we go out. And most of all," Sasuke dropped to one knee, pulling a velvet black box from his pocket, "and most of all I want you to be proud of being my wife. Will you marry me, Sakura?"

She had her hand cupped over her mouth, her eyes shining with tears. Sasuke squeezed her hand, and she finally found her voice.

"Yes, Sasuke, I will. I would be the proudest girl on earth to be your wife!" Sasuke slipped the ring on her finger and stood, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Sakura hugged him fiercely, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. He smiled softly and stroked her hair, whispering her new name over and over again.

Sakura Uchiha.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Sakura picked up the Panda box off her dresser and smiled at the wave of nostalgia that washed over her. There were so many memorable trinkets stored in the belly of the bear. Just looking at it made her think of her father, almost five years gone.

She was packing all her things in boxes to take out to the car. She was finally (finally!) done with college, and now that it was over she was moving in with Sasuke. Their wedding had been two days previous, and the newly weds had just come from the Uchiha residence to box up Sakura's things. Her mother was flitting in and out of the room, bringing a plate of cookies and constantly asking if the two needed any help.

"What's that?" Sasuke was standing behind her, looking down over her shoulder at the Panda box.

"It's a going away present I got from my father when he had to go out of country for work. He gave this to me the very last time I saw him." She murmured, and Sasuke hugged her from behind.

"You still miss him."

"Yeah." She sighed. "But hey, look inside. I still have the ribbon you tied my hair up with on our first date." She smiled and pulled out the blue piece of ribbon. Sasuke chuckled.

"So you do. Here, give it to me." He took the ribbon form her and stepped back, gathering her long pink locks up in his hand and tying them back with the ribbon. "You're still as beautiful as you were on our first date, too."

She turned and smiled, her fingers grazing the tip of her ponytail.

"I'm glad you think so."

"Hn." He rolled his eyes, but he was still showing off a tiny smile.

"Come on, let's finish packing." She wrapped the Panda box in bubble wrap and set in one of the cardboard boxes on her floor.

Sakura stood for a moment by the box, staring at the bubble wrapped Panda. She smiled. It would forever hold memories of her teen hood. She promised to herself that when she was an old woman she would spend some time looking back and remembering where she came from.

"Sakura, packing."

"I'm coming!"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Well, there you go. My random peeks at the early life of Sakura Haruno. Just so you know, I took the proposal scene from an actual proposal some guy did. It was on the MSN news because the guy didn't put all the candles out afterwards and their gazebo burned down. XD I thought it was really cute though. So, tell me what you think! I've decided that since I write so many SasuxSaku fics I'm just going to keep adding them on to this post and make a collection. If you have any fic requests, just say so in a review! Thanks for reading! (And trust me, the next one will be better. I promise! I'm actually trying humor. Again. XD)

Mistoffelees Shadow