A/N: Newest edit of this chapter is 1/3/13.
My name is Haruno Sakura. I live in the Hidden Village of the Leaves.
If it even deserves to be called that.
See, ninjutsu and all of that good stuff is starting to fade away. Technology from America is starting to come in. Machine guns, bullets, grenades.
Weapons of destruction.
See, here, in Kohona, we don't need fancy shmancy equipment and machinery to kill people. We use our bodies. I don't mean us going and tackling people and throwing them down cliffs, oh no, but we use our ninja skills. I, myself, am a kunoichi. Scratch that. Shinobi is a better word here, it just refers to as 'ninja' anyway. So many of my comrades and pupils are ninjas. Now, well, not so much. Sure, technology is great. I love it. Computers, iPods, the American stuff is pretty great, right? Not so much. Everyone is forgetting about being a shinobi. Mostly everyone. Some decide to combine technology and ninjutsu, using shurikens then deciding to pistol whip. Not many people in the Villages have guns.
But I do.
I knew about this stuff way before they did. I always have. How, do you ask? "Oh Sakura, beautiful and smart kunoichi, who heals the best in the whole Village?" Oh, yes, I know! Thank you, thank you. No need for those compliments, which help my esteem ever so much! I bet you want to know.
Well, I'm half Neko.
That's right. You heard me. I'm half cat.
You're wondering how that happened. No, my mother didn't have sex with a cat. You're also wondering what it has to do with technology.
...That's just messed up. Animal abuse is not cool, kids! Anyway, the Realm has had this technology for a while.
Moving on, I'm half Myth, short for Mythological Creature (this is where the half cat part comes from). You might be thinking, "Hey, you're mythological! That means you shouldn't exist!" Right?
Nope, you're completely wrong.
All of the Myths live in the Mythological Realm, which is right above the Realm I'm in right now. The Human Realm. I don't have to explain why it's called that. There's a Realm right below the Human Realm, which is either called the Badlands, or just the Underworld. It's not really an Underworld, like the one you're thinking of. It's more of a desolate, ghetto place that's all torn up from all the bandits and rogues entering it. The Myth Realm is much nicer, but there are still lands where you shouldn't go. We have every Mythological creature you can think of. Centaurs, Minotaur, Succubus, Nekos (guess who?), Usagi (basically, rabbit people), Ino (wolves), and all that good stuff.
As you can imagine, it's a very big place. If you're wondering, there are different languages for each creature, and they're pretty ancient. I'm pretty sure there are different dialects, but I don't know any of the languages. Each Myth has a race, yes. Usually from where the Myth is from. For example, Centaurs and Minotaur would be Greek. Nekos? Japanese. There can be different variations, though. If you're half human like I am, you can be mixed. That reminds me...
Different species can have children, but the one with more dominant genes in terms of species is what the child will be. It's all very complex, so I won't go into detail about that. I bet you're wondering what this place looks like, how modern it is..I'll tell you about that later, though.
Oh, by the way..I go to Leaf High.
Y'know, the local high school. I don't go on missions much anymore. There are more fun things coming in, like malls and stuff like that. Cement, cars, new buildings. There are still the ramen shops (Naruto was very particular about this...). Instead of the Academy, there's Leaf Elementary. Then middle school. The kids still have to do shinobi things, though, which is good. If you're good enough, you get to go to college in America.
Or..you can stay.
Here, of all places.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Slam!
A groan escaped from the pinkette's lips as she cracked an eye open from her slumber. Making what could've been classified as a noise from Bigfoot, slamming her fist down on her poor alarm clock.
...Beeeeep.
"Kami fucking damn it, shut the fuck up you damned piece of shit!" The Haruno hissed out, sitting up and grabbing the digital alarm clock, throwing it against her wall, efficiently breaking it.
Hearing sweet silence, she slumped her head back on her pillow and shut her jade orbs.
"Just for a second.." Sakura muttered, not remembering her phone alarm was set to go off in five minutes.
The annoying tune of the "Gummy Bear Song" shrieked loudly through the disoriented teenager's ears, waking her up once again. She wanted to scream. Very badly. Sitting up, grabbing the piece of technology, jamming it open and shutting off the alarm, she slammed it down on her nightstand. What time was it? She could be late for school.
...It wasn't like there was anyone there to wake her up.
She lived alone. Her parents gave her away when she was a baby, to adoptive parents. They were good to her, sure. But her real parents abandoned her. It didn't fare well on her ability to trust many people. She had few friends. Only one from the Myth Realm, who was the one that brought her up there. That was the only real friend she had, there was nobody else she could trust. Sakura managed to get by and be polite to people, but that was only because of her adoptive parents. It was difficult to make friends. All the girls at her school were gossipy anyway.
Living alone, without a car, trying to juggle school on top of that, and trying to pay her tiny apartment's rent with her job as a nurse. A few things from the old village life stayed. The ramen shops, sometimes the missions, the Hokage. The system was basically the same.
Sakura sighed. She lived a content life with her adoptive parents. Why did she want to live on her own? Oh, right. Independence.
It seemed like such a small thing, now.
What was she doing, sitting there on her bed? She had to get to school.
7:56 am
"Crap! Damn!"
Sakura scrambled out of her bed with her shoulder length, bubblegum pink hair, almost falling flat on her face. Running into her tiny bathroom on to the left of her and barely brushing her teeth, rushing to find clean, non-wrinkled clothes. Jeans and a t-shirt always worked, right? Spitting out her toothpaste, throwing water onto her face (albeit getting it all over her pajamas) and attacking her hair with her comb, randomly picking out some dark blue jeans with a black t-shirt. Throwing them onto her body over her undergarments, she grabbed her school bag and ran out the door. What time was it?
She forgot her phone. What if someone tried to kidnap her or something? It was her only form of communication! Hastily fishing her keys out of her bag pocket and roughly slamming it into the lock, retrieving her phone, and running down the stairs, she set off.
Sakura's POV
8:15 am
I ran into the room, huffing and puffing. It was a good thing Shizune-san liked me, or else I would've had to sign in. Or maybe it was the fact that the principal was my mentor, I don't know. She was my boss at the hospital too, but who the hell cares? I was already late.
"Haruno. You're late."
"Iruka-sensei, I apologize! I had no time this morning-"
He cut me off. "I don't want to hear it. Go sit at your seat and pay attention to the lesson."
"B-but.."
"Go sit in your seat or I'm giving you a refferal."
"Yes Iruka-sensei.."
I heard snickers spread across the room, but I only saw a smirk from the red headed guy I sat behind. Gritting my teeth and glaring at him, I stomped to my seat. Iruka-sensei was supposed to be the nice one around here! What was up with him?
"Class, we're going to have a test in three weeks. No re-takes, this is important. Study. Don't say I didn't warn you in advance."
Everyone groaned in unison, mine being one of the loudest. I had gotten here late, and we're going to have a test soon? Great, just great. I didn't hear a groan from that red head, though. What was his name?
Sasori.
Inner, what now?
You asked for his name. I answered. And damn, he is one hot piece of-
Shut up, pervert.
It's my job to be the pervert around here, ain't it? And you know he is!
Okay, maybe he's attractive, but-
He's one fine piece of Akatsuki, Outer! Why don't you ever-
I tuned out my Inner and Iruka's lesson, temporarily. His class was always so boring, I already knew what I needed for this class anyway! Observing the back of this "Sasori"'s head, I did have to say, he was pretty good looking. All of these girls fawned over the Akatsuki for being good looking anyway, and I do confirm that. He had deep cherry red hair, and from what I heard, his eyes were an auburn color. Usually, I didn't get a good look at him-
You should. Oh, so much more often. All of the Akatsuki. They're very much so gorgeous, and, and-
Inner, I'm not interested in hot men right now, I have to work at the-
Hospital, yes, blah blah blah! You need a love life!
Who says that you control my life?
Nobody! But I do it anyway!
I hate you.
How harsh, Outer! I know. I love you too! I'm just trying to better you.
I don't need it.
Yes you do.
No, I don't. Shut it.
Ouch! Fine then, I'll go away..For now.
Thank you.
All I heard was sweet, sweet silence. In my head, at least. Everyone else was deciding to be loud during Iruka's pointless lesson. Again, except Sasori. All he was doing was sitting at his desk, staring forward. Shouldn't someone like him be skipping class?
"Iruka-sensei, may I go to the restroom?"
"Of course, Sasori. Take the pass, but don't interrupt my lesson next time, alright?"
"Yes, Iruka-sensei."
Iruka turned back to the board and continued, now humming, and..grinning? What the hell? Is this guy magical, or something?
I bet you he is...in bed.
Augh, Inner, stop thinking like that! Didn't I tell you to go away?
Didn't you hear me say "..for now", Outer?
I could hear the voice in my head snicker as I inwardly shushed her, giving a small sigh and letting the noise of the classroom back into my ears.
It was not pleasant.
Looking back to Iruka and his oh-so-interesting lesson, I saw Sasori looking directly at me. He gave me a smirk, with his, may I say..lovely auburn eyes, his black t-shirt fitting perfectly against his toned body, with dark jeans to match, his wine red sneakers strutting him out of the room in a perfect rhythmic motion! In my moment of wonderment of observation of this perfect creature, a paper airplane soared above my head, hitting my forehead. Gripping at the airplane menacingly, my mouth twisted into a scowl, my head's muscles whipping around from the direction whence it came. My eyes locked with a group of girls huddled together at one desk, as they growled at me, motioning to the airplane. Raising my pink eyebrow, I opened it.
Stay away from Sasori, slut!
Oh no they di'n't.
Yes, they did. And they do not know who they're messing with. Me? A slut? I've only had one boyfriend! Such a douchebag, by the way! Sasuke Uchiha. And of all the nerve, he asks me to keep a secret for him. Since I'm such a nice person, I have, but he didn't even apologize for what he did. Naruto had to. Ugh.
I looked that group of girls straight in the eyes, smirked, and gave the note a disgusted look. Ripping it up slowly as shock swept across their pretty little faces, I walked over to the trashcan by the door of the classroom, and walked back to my seat in triumph.
"Sakura," Iruka-sensei said, giving me a look.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei?"
"Did you just interrupt my lesson, by going up and throwing away something?"
"Yes, I did, I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei. It needed to be thrown away, it was trash."
Hearing gasps from behind me, I felt the right side of my lip curve up slightly.
You go guuuurl!
Thank you, thank you Inner.
"Haruno, you're getting a refferal."
"...What?"
"You heard me. I told you to sit down in your seat and pay attention. You got up."
"It's no problem, Iruka-sensei. Sakura just needed to do what she had to," A third voice entered our conversation, coming in the classroom.
Sasori.
Iruka-sensei glanced over to Sasori and raised an eyebrow, giving him a look.
"It's alright, Iruka-sensei..I'm sure she didn't mean to...Right, Sakura-chan?"
More gasps came from behind me. Even more than before. Why was he referring to me this way? I've never met him before, personally.
"..Uh, right, Sasori..kun?"
"Alright, Haruno, I guess you're home free. Sit back down, you two."
"Hai, Iruka-sensei," I replied, Sasori saying nothing and sitting back down.
Hearing whispers from behind me, I rolled my eyes at them and tapped my fingers on my desk, waiting for this day to be over.
"Pinky."
Looking up from my desk, I tried to de-harden my glare from that accursed name people called me, gritting my teeth at the voice. That voice full of mystery and wonderment, it was so suave and smooth. His voice rolled out of his throat so, so..so..amazingly, it was just..
"..Yes?"
Surprisingly, I kept my voice from wavering, keeping it straight in this red head's presence. Why do I fawn over him? He's not special.
He's in the Akatsuki. That makes him special. They rule this school, Outer. Gorgeous, deadly men ruling this hellhole.
I don't know about gorgeous, but they're deadly, I know that..That one guy..what's his name? Z..Zasu? Zetsu. That's it. He likes blood. And he's black and white. What's up with that? K..Kaka? Whatever, I know that he looks like some kind of sewn up freaking zombie. Pein..he's just scary..all of his piercings. Euch. H..Ha..Hayden? He's just a plain delinquent. K..Kisame? He's..weird..he looks like a shark..That one guy..Tobi? He wears a mask! What? That one guy..Day..he looks normal.
But they're all so sexy, Outer! What is wrong with you?
I have a voice in my head. How am I supposed to know?
Touche.
I heard the bell ring, interrupting Inner and I's convo, I gathered up my things (which wasn't much) like a speeding bullet, then ducking out of the classroom.
Oh, would this day ever end?