Okay I was hit by inspiration to actually try to do a story that is AU. This is my first AU so please be gentle! I'm not sure if this will even be that good.
Well, here it is anyway.
Duck, sweep, jump, parry, repeat. Duck, sweep, jump, parry, repeat! Jump, flip, slash, checkmate.
The panting servant with a sword at their neck panted in exhaustion. Sweat trickled into his eyes as he nervously swallowed. "Perfect as always, Hime-sama. Would you like another opponent?" he said in a bit more calm of a voice as the practice sword was pulled away from his exposed neck.
"No, I would not but thank you for sparing with me. None of the others like to spar much anymore." the girl answered. A small smile was on her face as another servant handed the girl a towel. "Was Uchiha-sama here early? Do you know what he wished to see me for?" she asked.
The servant made sure not to make eye contact. "Iie, Sakura-sama. He did not say why."
Sakura nodded, a few strands of her black hair falling into her face. The long locks were mostly held by a bandage but some did not wish to stay in. "Send a message to him. I shall be to him within the half hour. Go."
"Hai, Sakura-sama!" the servant said before disappearing. It was not good to delay a direct order.
Sakura calmly walked into the small room with a built in shower. She stripped her black training clothes off and stepped under the hot water. As the water cascaded down her black locks, she could not help but laugh a bit. Her eyes traveled downward, towards the proof that her hair was not truly black. It would have to be re-dyed very soon. Sakura didn't like that her hair needed to be a neutral color but Uchiha-sama had ordered it.
Sakura stepped out and quickly dressed in her short white yukata with the black tied around it. Only the neck held it up and two sleeves that loosely hung around her arms floated in the slight wind. Two strips wrapped around her fingers that had been painted a blood red. Sakura pulled her hair into a tight bun with two sticks before walking out towards the main buildings.
She knelt before lightly knocking on a door. Sakura heard a quiet "enter" and she walked inside. "You wished to see me Uchiha-sama?" she lightly said.
"Hm." the tall boy said as he sat at the low table. His back was against a window frame, facing away from her. "Do you remember when the Uchiha took you in?" he asked.
Sakura nodded and thought about it.
A small girl wearing only a long shirt over her malnourished body was crying in an area that was unfamiliar to her. She didn't know how she got here!!! She didn't even know who she was.
"Over here! I heard something!" a voice with a slight accent yelled.
The girl froze up and tried to push herself into the rocks, not wanting to be found.
A man with pitch black hair came around the corner and saw her immediately. "Over here!" he yelled before walking over to her. "Little girl, are you alright?" he asked in a softer voice. "Why are you out alone in the Barren lands?"
"I don't know where I am!" she cried, throwing herself into the man's arms. Her small body shook.
Another man came around the turn. "Hey! Get away from Fugaku-sama!" he yelled.
"Quiet." Fugaku snapped. "Can you not see this child is distressed enough?" he asked.
The man immediately started bowing and apologizing. Fugaku waved and he stopped.
"Send for a healer. Now." Fugaku stood and started towards his home. "Little girl, can you remember your name?" he asked.
"Sakura." she said automatically without even thinking about it. Sakura blinked in shock.
"Sakura, eh?" Fugaku said. He reached up and fingered some of her hair. "It is fitting. But the hair color is not, not if you will stay with us."
"Huh?" Sakura said.
"I live in a place called the Inner City. All of us have been nicknamed "inners" due to the city. But there are people living past this Barren land, called the outer bound. They have been shown as different to us, not the same as everyone in the city. They aren't one of us. Do you see now child?" Fugaku heard soft breathing. The girl would learn.
"Well?" His voice broke through her thoughts.
Sakura started. "Hai Uchiha-sama. I remember."
A small laugh escaped his lips. "Haven't I told you before? It is Sasuke. Not Uchiha-sama." Sasuke turned and lazily looked at the girl.
"Hai, Uchi………Sasuke-sama." Sakura quickly corrected herself. It had become such a habit.
"Look up."
Sakura slowly met Sasuke's eyes and she quickly dropped to her knees at the sight. The memories came rushing back into her mind.
Sasuke smirked, the black tomoes spinning in his now red eyes. "Good. You still know your place. Get out of my sight."
"H-hai, Uchiha-sama." Sakura stuttered out before running out of the room. She ran to the room given her and curled on top of the bed, her lessons coming swimming back.
CRACK!!!
Sakura bit her lip, trying to cry out. If she did he would hit her again.
The Uchiha teacher glared down at her. "Repeat your lesson!" he said.
"We are the strongest people there have ever been. The Uchiha's are my masters, I will serve them. My life I pledge to them, to protect the blood of the clan. They are the strongest of the Inner City, pledged to make life peaceful for all of us. As long as the Uchiha clan lives, we shall prosper." Sakura managed to get it out without any mistakes. If she had, Sakura would've been whipped again.
"Fine. Repeat the outers and inners lesson."
Sakura nodded. "We are the inners, those who live in the safety of the walls. We are the strongest who will always prosper. The outers are those who live in the Barren lands and who create the monsters that plague our fair city. There are main differences between us. Those of the Inner City are have mostly black and brown hair, with the elders white, and with a rare few blonde. The outer bound have hair that is strange, that is different. They are unaccepted due to attacking our founder oh so long ago." It wasn't fair to make an eight year old memorize all this.
"Go. You shall be late for your next lesson."
Sakura thought on the monsters. They were gruesome things, having no true form (think hollows from bleach but without the masks and the hole in the chest). She had her own weapon for defeating them, one that everyone called strange.
Sakura sighed and turned over to sleep. If there was an attack she would need to be rested.
Sasuke stared out his window as the sun sank down. He thought back on his earlier confrontation with Sakura. It had been 10 years since his father had found her and a little over six years since he had become head of the family. Sasuke calmly smirked before the room became dark.