Disclaimer: I do not and, most likely, never will own Naruto and its related whatever.
--
In a decapitated dump in the southern area of Konoha, a petite teenage girl sat amongst the garbage. A frayed bag, which seemed to be her's, and several pieces of furniture were scattered haphazardly around her. Her skirt was torn at the hem, her shirt at the sleeves and dust and grime everywhere. She was a runaway. Very common in Konoha. Once you knew where to look.
Smiling sadly, Sakura Haruno gave the last of her stale bread to a passing kitten and sighed. It had been another long day. There was nothing worth scavenging here. Not even an old book! She had been counting on this dump site. It had been one of her last options. Now she had to put a cross on this spot on her map. Where can I go next…I'll try the city. Haven't been there in a while…Trying to be optimistic, Sakura smiled but failed miserably. Who could smile when you ran away from home to find out about your past?
Sighing again, Sakura reached for her bagpack and gripped the familiar rectangular box. The box that held her locket. Correction: the box that used to hold her locket. She sniffed forlornly and looked up at the white full moon, as though waiting for something.
"Naruto…I…miss you," she started to whisper, "More than a best friend should…I miss my mom…I miss the house…I…argh! Why is this so hard?!" For the seventh time since she left, Sakura started to cry. She cried softly, barely making a sound. She cried of forgotten promises, of sadness and of worrying about Naruto Uzumaki.
They had met in his house, a vast mansion of a house. Sakura's mother had started to work there. A simple cleaning woman. She had brought Sakura along with her since she was too young to be left alone at home.
The employer didn't mind.
In fact, Mr. Jiraiya, or Pervy Man, had encouraged her to bring 'little Sakura'. He said it was good for his nephew to have a 'girlfriend'. He winked in an impish way that Tsunade Haruno couldn't help but laugh. That was the beginning of Jiraiya's ever-increasing hints of Sakura and Naruto marrying.
So Sakura and Naruto met. The beggar and the heir, as local housewives, vicious gossipers, liked to call it.
Haruno and Uzumaki soon started to become friends and slowly became best friends. Soon, they were inseparable. Naruto only left Sakura when he had to go for his lessons and Sakura only left Naruto when she had to take care of her tired mother. This friendship lasted for more than seven years; a feat that had the locals impressed. They had thought that Naruto would get on Sakura's nerves and vice versa. But they didn't. Sakura and Naruto, anyway.
At nine, they would argue about everything and nothing. Who got to play on the swing first, who could trip the chef, who won the race and the like.
At ten, they would play more violent games. Like seeing who would fall out the tree last. Naruto always won.
At eleven, they would argue about school. Sakura went to the local comprehensive while Naruto was home-schooled. Sakura always won these arguments.
At twelve, Sakura's hormones started kicking in and she would start to blush every time Naruto touched her. Naruto stopped hugging her spontaneously after that.
At thirteen, it was Naruto's turn and Sakura would make fun of his voice changing and how klutzy he had become. She would ignore the face that she was just as clumsy as him, if not more.
At fourteen, Sakura would start to play their games less and talk more. Naruto always got bored of this but conversed anyway, to stop making her 'beat him up', he had said. Tsunade and Jiraiya had seen through his ruse and, wisely, said nothing.
At fifteen, Sakura had to stop hanging out so much with Naruto and start helping her mother. Since Jiraiya refused to hire other maids, no one knew the reason why, Tsunade's work was cut out for her.
At sixteen, the year before all this madness, as Sakura had put it, Naruto had finally reached the age where he was to attend meetings and other boring things, as he was to own Uzumaki Corporation, his deceased father's legacy. Sakura and Naruto met less after that, with what Sakura's 'work' and Naruto's 'education'.
At seventeen, Sakura had to now find work to pay the ever-increasing bills and Naruto had to start looking for colleges so he could take up his legendary Dad's mantle.
Sakura and Naruto used to meet after six in the evening and it would always take its toll on Naruto. He would insist to go and pick up Sakura from wherever she was, to 'protect her' he had told Jiraiya secretly. Sakura would giggle or get angry depending on her mood when Naruto arrived looking around furtively and then they would go to Naruto's home, talk about their day, laugh about their friends' social and romantic pursuits and drink hot chocolate. Naruto would then drop Sakura home, giving her an awkward one-harmed hug and watch her wistfully as she gracefully left the car. He would wave and she would smile, looking utterly relaxed.
This pattern continued for a while until Mr. Jiraiya's health started to decline. He had always been fragile or 'medically challenged' as he liked to call it. Naruto had long expected it and soon quit his lessons and meetings with Sakura to continue taking care of his beloved pervy Uncle. Sakura helped too, when she was there, because she actually liked Mr. Jiraiya and because it was the only way to continue being with Naruto.
As the clouds slowly began to block out the full moon, Sakura dropped the box back into the bag and reached for her blanket. She used an old and broken cushion as her pillow, put it in the correct position and laid down. She pulled the blanket over her, covering her face, and steadily stopped crying. It was useless. Crying – absolutely useless. She wasn't helping anyone. She never did. Being a burden is a hard life, she thought wryly.
The full moon was soon hidden from view and what little light there was, too, disappeared. Just like her hope for finding that accursed locket. Stupid locket… She shut her eyes angrily and wrapped her arms around herself. It was freezing tonight.
As always.
--
In another part of Konoha, somewhere in the northern side, Naruto Uzumaki, sat behind a computer, in an enormous library, and looked up at the navy sky. Another day gone. Another day wasted.
Sakura could be anywhere and he was stuck here. In this wretched house with his stupid nanny! Like he even needed a nanny! He was seventeen! Almost a man! He didn't need her; Uncle Pervy didn't even need her!
Suddenly, he chuckled darkly. Look at me. Naruto Uzumaki. Heir to the coveted Uzumaki fortune. Future CEO or what'cha macall it. Worrying about how old he is. And how he has a nanny.
He was supposed to look for Sakura! Not brood over nothing! He continued berating himself for a short while and then took a deep breath. He resumed his scanning of the giant map of Konoha. Where could she have gone…? He tapped his fingers over the wooden desk impatiently.
He had already checked her house. His house. He checked the places they had gone together. He checked the places she wanted to go to. And the places he wanted to go to. The places she would've have gone. The places he would have gone. But not one hint of Sakura Haruno.
Almost unconsciously, his hand reached towards his sweatshirt pocket, extracted and opened the letter she had written to him, the day before she left to God-knows-where, and read:
Naruto,
I'm sorry.
But I have to find out about my father…and why my mother gave me this code number before she left…And ths stupid locket!
It's…fate. No…I'm not using Neji's catchphrase.
She, my mom, said that it would explain my past, present and my future.
So I have to find the locket and get it back.
I'll return, someday. I promise.
I'm sorry. I hope Jiraiya get's better.
Love,
Sakura.
As Naruto read the last part, his heart did its familiar squeeze. Love. She said love. That meant she loved him, right? More than just a friend? Like a crush?
Or maybe it was just a passing enclosure. Something you wrote to your best friend. Not your crush. Or your…whatever.
The old antique grandfather clock started to strike twelve and Naruto abruptly got up. Midnight. He had to go and check on 'Pervy Master' before he started to flirt with the bed table again. Always getting delirious at night…heh.
Naruto hurried from the room, tripping over papers, maps and books, pausing only to lock the door behind him. He stuffed the keychain into his sweatshirt's pocket and took the winding stairs two at a time. He sped past the butler, giving him a brief smile. He playfully stuck his tongue out at the Head Chef and started on the next flight of stairs. And he flipped off the replacement cleaning woman. Loser. Wait till Mo- I mean, Tsunade comes back!
Old pictures merged together and flew past him as he ran up the wide stairs to his Uncle's room, a mosaic of colours. Brown, red, bronze, gold. All a slew of colours that meant nothing to him.
As he reached the hallway leading to Jiraiya's room, he stopped when he heard the nasal tone of his 'nanny'. He quickly hid behind one of the many ancient statues lining the hallway and craned his neck to see his redheaded 'slave master'.
She was wearing a silk bathrobe and holding her hands to her chest, a fake shocked expression pasted on her green cream-covered face. "Really, Jiraiya, I had no idea. Anyway, I won't do it again. You sleep well, now, okay?" She spoke quickly, shutting the door almost immediately. She adjusted her hairnet, squared her shoulders and walked past Naruto without a backward glance, smirking slightly.
It was obvious she saw him! She could even have sniffed him with her hawk nose! Naruto shook his head in wonder as he now walked to his Uncle's room. Then why the hell did she ignore me…? He paused slightly in front of the mahogany door, to hear Jiraiya's snores. Nope, not snoring. Naruto chortled slightly. If Jiraiya had been snoring, Naruto could've heard it from a mile away.
He walked inside, whistling tunelessly. "Hey, peeping tom." He flashed a smile. "How you feeling?"
Across Naruto, in a king sized bed, covered in blankets, lay Uncle Jiraiya, Naruto's guardian until Naruto became of age. "Fit as a fiddle!" He tried to get up but the wires across him stopped his movement. "Now let me out of this death trap!" he complained.
"No way, Jose. You're there until you get better." Naruto grinned warily. He had been through this before. He sat down in the closest armchair, near to the bed.
"Then I should be out by tomorrow!" Jiraiya said cheerfully. And then I can start to look for Tsunade and Sakura…
As though Naruto was reading his thoughts, Naruto spoke quietly, "No leads. I checked all day. I even went to the theme park to look for her! Sakura said she wanted to go there…" Naruto drifted off, deep in thought.
Nodding gravely, Jiraiya commented, "I was going to look there after I got freed. Tomorrow I'll help, son." He flinched internally. He had been saying that every night for the past two weeks.
"Sure, Uncle, sure." Naruto smiled gently. "Uncle, what did 'nanny' say to you about 'having no idea'?" Naruto did air quotes and made a face after he said 'nanny'.
"Oh, her? Just apologizing for giving me the cold sheets, instead of the warm ones."
Naruto snorted, "Yeah right."
"Serious."
Shrugging, Naruto admitted defeat and waved, "Well, I'm beat. See ya in the morning."
"'Night, kiddo."
--
Outside, away from the luxurious Uzumaki mansion, located in a dingy building on the 'hobo' side of Konoha, in a room filled with overflowing cabinets and papers, two men stood against the wall, drinking coffee. They were private detectives, hired by Naruto and Jiraiya to look for Tsunade and Sakura. The very few people Naruto actually trusted.
"Any leads?" asked the head detective, Asuma Sarutobi.
"Nope. I even went through her youthful father's file." His young assistant Rock Lee looked up from the notes in his hands.
"And?" Asuma stubbed the butt of his cigarette on the nearby ashtray.
"He's dead. Or disappeared. It said 'unknown'."
"Gimme that record later, I wanna vet it. Could have something useful."
"Sure."
"Sad time for the Uzumaki family." Asuma commented
"I know." Lee shook his head sadly. "Poor Sakura…we have to find her…" Lee didn't state the reason to why he had started to tear up suddenly and Asuma didn't ask.
"I know, kid, I know." Asuma said gently.
Lee started a different topic, "I went to TenTen and Neji's house today and TenTen was a wreck."
"You know the Hyuugas'?" His superior looked up in interest.
"Yeah, TenTen and Neji've been my best friend since kindergarten." Lee looked lost in thought but then continued, "Anyway, I went over to see how they were taking it…and…" Again, Lee looked excessively troubled.
"And?" Asuma repeated.
"TenTen's been crying on and off all day and Neji looked as though he wanted to punch someone. Preferably me." Lee grimaced.
"I heard they were close with Sakura and Naruto." Asuma looked for his cigarette box. "Hmm…they married young, right?"
"At eighteen." Lee confirmed. "Why?"
Asuma ignored the question and continued, "Gimme their address, I'm going to their house tomorrow."
Lee looked shaken but nodded, he knew from experience not to meddle with Asuma's way of taking a case, "'Kay, it's…"
--
The next morning, a dreary cloudy morning, Sakura got up to the sounds of a dump truck. Aw, crud! She was supposed to have woken up early, so they couldn't find and arrest her! She knew Naruto would be looking for her and…How could I forget, how could I forget?! Argh! She jumped up and quickly started to collect what little things she had. Her bag and the blanket. She jumped and quickly hid behind the nearest pile as the dump truck made its way closer.
Odd…shouldn't it dump its rubbish in the other pile? Sakura wondered. The truck continued nearing towards her and then abruptly stopped. The driver jumped down his side and shouted, "Oi! Sakura, is that you?!"
Sakura cursed but slowly stood up from her crouching position with a calculating expression, "Kiba?"
This has to be the most revised thing I have ever written.
Kill me?