6 years ago

A gentle breeze flew across the park, picking up loose leaves in the current, taking them away and rustling the two rows of lively colored bushes that went down a straight line, a small pathway in-between them. It was easily one of the more peaceful days the quiet city of Konoha has ever experienced, and a young Sakura Haruno was feeling the effects of it. The ten-year-old girl hummed to herself, small teeth lightly nibbling on her rosy pink lips, one hand gripping the strap of her Strawberry Shortcake bookbag that was almost too big for her lithe body, while the other was gently holding onto an older woman's hand.

She was feeling happy and playful, and all she wanted to do was run ahead and have her beautiful mother follow after her, laughing all the way at her child like she usually does. But the girl knew better than to do that now. There was something wrong with her today. She sent a small glance up at the woman, bright jade eyes gleaming with curiosity. She could tell she wasn't happy. Was she not happy with her? Did she do something wrong?

Her teeth suddenly latched onto her bottom lip harshly at the thought. What could she have possibly done to upset her mom? Did she get a bad grade? Did one of her teachers call her to complain? She couldn't remember ever doing anything to displease any of her teachers. If anything, they all loved the shy girl. She tried her best in all of her classes, and she was a straight A student! She never got in trouble. She did get bullied a bit because she was a bit of a smarty-pants in school, but it wasn't too major since she had Ino and Hinata by her side. So her being confused was an understatement. What could have possibly happened that caused her mother to be sad?

The pink haired girl was so lost in thought, she didn't even notice that they walked out of the park already, and were walking inside her favorite ice cream shop. Her eyes instantly brightened up when she saw the brightly colored walls that she was oh so familiar with.

"Iruka-san!" The girl called out happily when she saw the young teenager that worked there part-time when his uncle was away.

Said teen gave her a lazy smile and waved the mother and daughter duo over, "Haruno-san. Sakura-chan! Nice to see you two again." He lightly teased them with a small chuckle at the end since it hasn't even been two days since the two females had come over to get their daily doses of the sugary sweet they were very much fond of.

Sakura giggled softly, before she lightly squeezed her mother's hand, turning her eyes to look at her, to which she was given a much more relaxed smile. She watched silently as her mother talked to Iruka for a moment, before ordering their usual order. The teen was quick to get two waffle cones, both covered with chocolate on the edge, and scooped one ball of strawberry ice cream and smashed it to the bottom and then another of mint on top, and then a last one of vanilla on top. Sakura squealed happily as she was given her favorite ice cream cone ever and spoke happily, "Thank you, Iruka-san!" She bowed her head respectfully at the teen, who just flushed slightly and waved his hand nonchalantly.

"If you need anything, just shout!" Was what he called out to their retreating backs, watching as mother and daughter sat down at their usual spot – a small circular table with a red and white plaid tablecloth and two chairs perched across from each other.

Sakura was the first to sit down, being careful to not drip anything on the table cloth, knowing how much her mother would scold her for being dirty. Once the small girl succeeded, she leaned against the chair, licking away at the sweet, cold taste of the vanilla. She hummed happily, a bright smile settling on her small lips, but her happy expression easily washed away when she saw her mother, who had unshed tears brimming at the edges of her eyes. The little girl was quick to reach over and tug at her hand, "O-okaa-san…why are you crying?" She asked quietly, having never seen her mother like this. Well, that was a lie. She's seen her like this once or twice. When she and otou-san would argue. Sakura gulped slightly as she waited for her mother to answer. "Okaa-san...-" she started to say before said female finally started to speak, having been quiet since she picked the pink haired girl up from elementary school.

"Sakura...baby, we need to talk. Yeah?" Mebuki Haruno sighed softly to herself, her dirty blond hair falling slightly in front of her eyes, hiding them away from her daughter. She doesn't want her to look at how she was falling apart, in such a public space. At least there weren't many people there – it was only two in the afternoon, and kids wouldn't be getting out until an hour later, so she had plenty of time to break the news to her daughter.

Mebuki sighed softly as she leaned back against her chair, not looking into the curious eyes of Sakura, and instead focused her attention on the sweet treat that was currently clutched in her hands, not even noticing how some of it was starting to drip, edging closely to her tan fingers. Even if it were to touch, she would barely notice the cold sensation as she was raking through her head, trying to find a way to unjumble her words and spit it out.

"Sakura, otou-san won't be with us anymore."

Sakura blinked slightly in confusion, surprised at the sudden blurting of her mother. She was unsure of how to react to what she said. Father won't be with them anymore? What?

Mebuki could see that Sakura was trying to rack her brain, trying to figure out what she meant by that, and she knew she would figure it out. She was a smart girl. She just needs to give her time to figure it out. And she prayed to Kami-sama that she wouldn't react in a way that involved her babygirl sobbing loudly and asking why he was leaving.

She honestly dreaded that question. Here she thought their marriage was getting better. She thought there was more trust, more passion in their marriage. She didn't want to divorce her husband, that's why they went to marriage counseling in the first place. But, at the end, it was all for nothing. He was leaving. Leaving her. Leaving their daughter. Leaving their family to shatter. Leaving so he can spend his time with another. She knew about them too. She knew her husband was leaving them for another family. She's seen them together before. He was completely smitten with a younger woman. At least ten years younger. She wouldn't be surprised if she was barely eighteen. Young, tan, body to die for, and completely pregnant. That's right. Kizashi ended up impregnating a younger girl than her and has decided that they matter more than them. It broke her heart, honestly. She had never expected him to be like that. She always thought marriage was forever. Til death do us part, right? Apparently not. Her lips trembled slightly at the thought and she was quick to rub at her eyes with a balled fist, too strong and proud to let herself cry in front of her daughter.

But Sakura could see through her façade. She knew her mom was breaking apart. She knew why her otou-san was leaving now. She knew the word for it as well. Divorce, was it? She had a feeling it was. She has a couple of classmates who've said in the beginning of the school year that their parents were divorced or not together anymore. The girl never understood why a mother and father would end up leaving each other, as she was actually very into the thought of spending the rest of her life with someone to cherish her, just like her otou-san cherished her okaa-san. But it didn't seem that way now. She should have seen it coming. Those classmates of hers once confided in Ino, who was sitting next to Sakura at the time, who couldn't help but digest their words eagerly, that it first started with the arguing. Then, they would start to notice that one of their parents were coming home late at night, and that would cause even more arguments. It was like a war zone in there, one boy said sadly. But another had said that one of the other would start to buy you more gifts as if trying to buy you or something like that. Sakura knew her otou-san did that. He would come home late, especially on the weekends, but he would always buy her a stuffed animal or those big headphones that she loved so much and she would instantly forget that he was always away, hardly even paying attention to her even when he was there.

It all clicked perfectly, and no matter how much she tried to pinpoint sometimes where her otou-san and okaa-san were happy together, all she could muster up were blurry memories. The girl looked down at the melting ice cream in her hands, a puddle of the liquid treat forming under it. But she couldn't make herself care. She didn't care about that. All she cared about was the fact her father was leaving her. Them. He was leaving them.

It started out with a sniffle, which gradually became consistent, but to Mebuki's surprise, Sakura didn't sob. She did let out a couple of tears but she could see her daughter was keeping it in, just like she was a few moments ago.

"Sakura?" She murmured softly under her breath, reaching over to place a small hand on the shaking girl's shoulder, but she stopped short when Sakura breathed something out that just broke her heart.

"Why doesn't otou-san love us anymore, okaa-san?"

Mebuki let out a startled gasp, her own jade eyes widening slightly at the question, and she slumped back against the chair, the area around them deathly silent. The only thing she could hear were the small sniffles that came from Sakura and her heartbreaking. Mebuki placed a shaky hand on her forehead, trying to calm herself down as she whispered out,

"I don't know, sweetie. I…don't know."

Mebuki sighed tiredly as dragged her aching feet against the pavement, jade eyes looking ahead of her tiredly. She had just finished talking to Sakura at the ice cream shop, and it all took an emotional toll on her. She was expecting to feel like this, but it was much worse than she thought. She winced at the thought of the expression Sakura looked at her with once they both stopped crying. She never wanted to see her that sad. Never. It was so painful to watch but she had to hold her head up high and be there for Sakura. From now on, she would have to become her mother and father. She would have to teach her from right and wrong, about the birds and bees. She's going to have to protect her from boys when she gets to that age. She's going to have to teach her how to defend herself against someone if it ever led to that. Just thinking about it caused her headache to worsen. She let out a small huff of air, stopping just a few feet away from their apartment to adjust the sleeping Sakura in her arms when she noticed an unknown car in front of their driveway.

Her heart lurched harshly against her chest as she watched a beautiful, pregnant woman walk out of her house, a happy laugh escaping those rosy red lips as a man's arms wrapped gingerly around her tummy, his hands pressing firmly, yet gently, a genuine, happy smile settling on his lips.

Her lips trembled at the sight, her body frozen in her spot as she watched the man she still loves with all of her heart walk out of her life – forever. He seemed to have been getting all his things, boxes littering near the trunk of the woman's car.

She didn't want to watch him leave. But she couldn't move. She was paralyzed and so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice that Sakura had woken up and was out of her arms, moving close to where her otou-san is.

The pink haired girl walked straight to the male, the whites of her eyes tinted red from all the crying she ended up doing, but it just caused her eyes to look sharp and much older than she actually was.

The tall man by the name of Kizashi noticed the patch of pink hair from the corner of his eyes, and he stiffened slightly, his lips pressing into a small, thin line as he watched his daughter walk towards him. The girl stopped in front of him, watching him silently with those same eyes that belonged to his soon to be ex-wife, ones that he used to be so in love with, but now ones that he could barely even look in without feeling resentment. He could feel his girlfriend tense next to him, and he slithered an arm around her waist, trying to keep her relaxed.

"You don't deserve okaa-san." Was the only words that slipped from Sakura's lips, her face void of any type of emotion.

That single sentence snapped something inside of him and he narrowed his eyes at her, but he stopped himself from lashing out on his first born child. "You need to understand, Sakura. We weren't happy anymore. You know this."

Sakura faltered, her eyes downcast as she looked at the concrete under her sandals, before she whispered softly, "I know. I figured that out today. But…you hurt okaa-san. You hurt me. You're leaving m-me..." She whimpered at the end, her eyes wide and filled with tears. Her lips trembled slightly before she looked up at him and she whispered, "Don't hurt us anymore. Please. Leave. Y-you…don't deserve us."

Watching his daughter basically run him out of her life hurt him down to the core. He could already feel the familiar stinging in his eyes, but he tried to hide it as he turned away from her. He couldn't bear looking at her. He couldn't break down. Not now.

"As you wish." He spoke in a cold tone, before he pulled his girlfriend towards the car, ignoring her protests of going back to talk to his daughter herself. That – he did not want. He didn't want her near Sakura. He couldn't and wouldn't hurt her anymore. Just like she wanted.

He turned his head back towards his old house, looking with hard eyes at those big jade eyes he once loved. Mebuki was staring straight at him, watching him with sad eyes as she carried a still Sakura in her arms, holding her protectively.

"Leave."

The wind carried her last words towards him, and without giving him the chance to answer, she walked inside and slammed the door, sounds of the lock being turned filling the air.

Kizashi eyed the house that he stayed in for more than ten years with remorse in his eyes before he turned and got the last of his things in the car before he drove away from their lives. Forever.

'Forgive me, Sakura. I will always love you, my daughter.'

Years seem to have pass by quickly for Sakura, who was now sixteen, going on seventeen in the eleventh grade in Leaf High School. The once small child has finally grown into a beautiful young lady, in her mother's words of course!

Gone was the little pink haired know it all that somewhat annoyed people back in elementary school. Yes, she was still smart, but she didn't speak up in class unless she had to. She's gotten into the habit of not really liking speaking in class, unless she had friends in that particular class. Her soft pink hair has grown all the way past the small of her back – never once has she even thought of cutting it short. Not yet at least. She grew into her large forehead and her body filled in quite nicely. She didn't really notice it much, but her friends would always tease her about the way her male classmates would look at her, which just made her blush heavily and deny it, not wanting to believe them. She had more friends now, which included a boy. Something that was rather surprising to her mother and all her friends, but they were glad Sakura at least had one male friend to be there for her. Everything about her seemed to have changed for the best, but there was one thing that pulled her back.

It was her shyness around males.

She's always been that way, from elementary through all of middle school and now even in high school. She didn't want to blame him, but she knew it was because of her father leaving in the last year of elementary school. Ever since he left, she has had no contact with him whatsoever. But that didn't stop her grandmother from talking to her about him. She told her everything. About the wedding, the ceremony, about her supposedly cute new half-brother, and now the woman was pregnant again with her father's baby. She wanted to be happy for him. She wanted to be able to see her new siblings. But she couldn't. She doesn't want to be weak. She doesn't want to have anything to do with him, although her mother did encourage her to speak with him.

All her mother received was a blank stare and a sad sigh, and she didn't mention it ever again.

Sakura wasn't one to point fingers towards anymore, but she has long since decided that her shyness around guys was because she didn't have her father around, who was the friendlier and outgoing between him and her mother. She didn't ever mean to become this way.

It just. Happened.

But her father leaving her mother didn't stop said woman to continue and move on. She ended up finding happiness. And Sakura was so happy for her.

Her mother managed to find love in this great man. His name was Fugaku. Fugaku Uchiha.

She knew he was part of the police force in her city, and honestly, her mother was a sucker for the tough, good guys. Always had a strange fascination in cops. Weird, really.

But, overall he was a good guy. Treated her mother so good. He made her really happy. He wasn't the most emotional, her mother couldn't get a smile out of him for the first two months of dating. But nonetheless, they managed to fall in love.

And now they were engaged.

Sakura sighed softly, eyes turning to look up at the bright full moon that was beaming down on her, giving her body a small glow, jade eyes twinkling with too many emotions.

She was happy for her mother. More than happy, really. She deserves to be happy with whoever she wants, as long as the other treats her right, of course. She wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize their engagement. There was just one thing…

Fugaku has two kids.

Sons at that.

And apparently, they both go to her school. Which was weird because she knew she would have at least known someone with that same last name, but she couldn't remember anything.

A small shiver ran down her spine as a gust of cold wind hit her body, making her wrap her arms around her body gently, trying to cover herself from the winter breeze.

Christmas break ends in about a week, and this upcoming weekend, she and her mother would be moving into the Uchiha household. Apparently, they already have a room empty for her, and her mother would be sleeping with Fugaku in his room.

Sakura nibbled on her bottom lip, a habit she picked up back in middle school. Her eyes gazed upon the stars, silently wondering to herself,

'Are they going to like me? What if they hate me? Will they try to ruin okaa-sans engagement? What if they think I'm weird? What if-'

Thoughts and thoughts just piled up on top of each other, causing her heart to start beating wildly against her chest, and her head to pound at all the possibilities.

With a groan, she tilted her head back but her eyes were still staring up at the stars.

'Please. Oh please, let this end okay. Give me strength, Kami-sama.'

This is my first ever story on here in such a while. I remember a few years ago I think – I created this Akatsuki x Sakura fanfic lol Sakura Haruno Reborn? Idk I honestly forgot the name of it but all I knew is that it was strangely somewhat popular for some weird reason. I liked the concept of it but I read it once about a year ago and I instantly cringed at how I wrote. I probably still write kinda like that but I'm hoping that I at least improved somewhat from back then. okAY anyways. just gonna do this once because I can – but disclaimer. I do not own Naruto nor anything that involves with the anime and manga, but a person can dream, right? lol anyways yes I hope you enjoy this story! Also, the person that Sakura ends up with will ultimately be your decision so vote vote vote! I'll have the list of guys on my profile. (: bye. also I wrote this disclaimer way before I wrote the chapter so beware if it's rather long – other chapters won't be that long wooPS