Disclaimer: I donot own Naruto anime or manga; they belong to their respective owners.
Summary: Sakura ponders about her first love minutes before her wedding. AU. Slight OOC. Please Review.
The first spring in a cherry blossom's life
Everyone falls in love at one point in their life; I did too. Here as I stand in front of my own reflection, a bouqet of tulips in my hand,indeed an usual choice for a bride's bouqet,but then again I've always been doing things differently. So much so that I always stood out awkwardly amongst the crowd. I say awkwardly because that's always how it had always been; you couldn't fit me into those stereotypical definitions of a personality.
Right from my childhood, I've been this tomboyish nerd; who loved to study, always got straight-A's. But then again I loved sports; all kinds of them, soccer being my favorite. I wouldn't want to call myself a nerd, rather I'd prefer 'intellectually advanced',even though my fellow classmates would often call me that. I was not like the usual geeks who'd spend an entire day with their faces buried in books; I was an avid reader,yes, but I also spent an awful amount of time playing 'Call Of Duty' and 'Motocross'. I could easily mix up with guys. I loved rock and heavy metal and also I was a WWE fanatic. I had more guy friends than girls. But I wouldn't call them my friends because they only hung out with me because they wanted some kind of help with their assignments or homework.
So I was kind of an outcast who was neither a nerd nor a tomboy, or probably both.
My father had to travel to a lot of places because of his job, me and mom used to tag along with him, wherever he went. So our family always stayed together and close to each other. I remember the time when we shifted to Konohagakure, I was in second grade. Memories of the first day flash past my eyes when I first met him. I was transferring to Konoha Elementary School, I remember my first day at school was a boring one. The Homeroom Teacher, Iruka-sensei introduced me to the class. The kids stared at me wildly, I guess my pink hair always grabbed attention. I stared at them back with large green eyes. Their midterms were over and the results were going to be announced that day. Yeah, I had joined school mid-session.
I remember a girl walked up to me and introduced herself as Ino Yamanaka. She had pale blonde hair hair and purple eyes with rather large we were talking as if we'd known each other since forever.
Iruka-sensei then started to distribute the report cards.
"Hyuuga Hinata."
A rather timid looking girl with short dark hair stumbled up to the teacher's desk.
"Nara Shikamaru."
A black haired rather intelligent looking boy walked up to the teacher; he gave off an air of confidence and I could tell he was proud.
A series of other names later Sensei cried-
"Yamanaka Ino."
Ino went ahead to take the report card, she had a look of disappointment on her face as she read it, but it disappeared as soon as it had come when I looked at her apprehensively, and she sent a grin back at me sporting a victory sign.
"Uchhiha Sasuke."
A raven-haired boy walked up to Iruka-sensei. He was one of those cold mysterious types, who liked to remain quiet.
As he took the next report card, Iruka-sensei's face broke into a smile and he called out, "Uzumaki Naruto."
A deep blonde haired boy with cerulean blue eyes walked up to Iruka-sensei.
"Congratulations Naruto, you've done well. You're the class topper,again."
The boy broke into a smile as he rubbed the back of his head.
Yes, this was the 'him' I was talking about. I hadn't realized it back then, for we were always competing with each other in everything. After the final exams of the second grade, I remember I had replaced him as the class topper and for some reason he hated me for that. Since that very day we became arch rivals.
Be it in gym practice, in the playground, in the classroom or even outside school he would always compete with me. He would often give me death glares, look at me angrily or pull off some prank on me. He was a notorious prankster and even the teachers could do nothing about it.
In the third grade our Homeroom Teacher was Uzumaki Kushina-sensei. Yes you guessed it right, she was Naruto's mother. But, inspite of him being her son, she treated all her students with equal love and care. Once, during the class president elections, I had won by a few votes and Naruto was so furious that he pulled a hideous prank on me. My hair smelled like rotten eggs for a week. I remember Kushina-sensei punished him infront of the whole class. I knew he deserved to be punished but I did not feel too happy about it either. He later said sorry to me and things were set right between us, at least for the time being.
There's always this fond summer memory that brings a smile on my face. I remember that some construction work was going on in the school playground and it was made out-of-bounds territory for every student. I had reached school an hour early so that I could beat Naruto's record of being the first one to enter the classroom. No matter how early I got there, I always reached second. He'd then give me a smug look and I'd simply glare at him. But to be honest I really liked this game of rivalry between us. I actually loved his company, even though we were only competing. The only other friend I had in class was Ino. Sasuke was Naruto's best friend and even though they were two people with completely different polarities, they were inseparable.
That day too he was early than me. I saw him balancing himself on a pile of bare bricks laid down with incomplete wall formed a long chain of bricks that ran throughout the entire length of the playground and seemed quite fun and alluring. The bricks were not that high, yet. But I restrained my desire to get on those bricks since students were strictly told not to go there.
I said concernedly, "Hey, we are not allowed to go there you know. A teacher may see you and you might actually fall down."
"I'm sorry Ms. Class President, if you're too chicken to try something as fun as this." He stuck out his tongue at me.
Instantly my competent senses kicked in and I dashed towards the incomplete wall of bricks. I remember I had managed to balance myself quite well on the bricks and really I was having the time of my life playing with him. At that moment both of us had somewhat forgotten our deep-rooted rivalry.
He was enjoying and was happy too, I could tell from the look on his face.
Suddenly he cried, "Sakura! Iruka-sensei! Get down, quick!"
He quickly got off as soon as he warned me. However I was so entranced in having such a great time that I startled when he called out my name and lost my balance and fell down. The world went black before my eyes all of a sudden. When I regained the light I was on the ground, blood gushing from my right arm and knees.
That day we had an English test and it was also the day our summer vacations were supposed to start.
I remember the frightened and panicked look on his face as he stood before me. The pain was unbearable, tears were stinging in my eyes and I started to cry. He looked at me concernedly, "Sakura, be strong. I know you're tougher than this. You're my rival of course. Don't cry I'll call the teachers and get first aid for you."
I wanted to stop him because informing the teachers would mean detention for both of us. But the pain was so stinging that I could not utter a word. He left quickly, I decided to walk to the staff-room and say that I fell down the stairs, so that I could save both of us from being punished for trespassing. But as I tried to get up my right knee gave away and I fell down with a thud, hurting myself some more.
The teachers came rushing in soon after. Kushina-sensei cleaned my wounds and tied bandages around them. She checked for broken bones or torn ligaments. The Headmistress, Tsunade Senju was also there.
"How could you, Haruno Sakura being the Class President do something so careless and reckless? Do you understand that we are answerable to your parents for your safety, young lady?", she cried.
I kept my head low, looking at the ground, saying nothing.
"No, no, you got it all wrong, Tsunade-obaasan, she didn't go there herself. I-I a-asked her to, in fact I dared her to do so… I'm sorry." Naruto left me speech less.
The entire day I couldn't sit down because I couldn't fold my knee. I stood all throughout the test and wrote my answers keeping the sheets at an arm's length. But, inspite of all the difficulties, I felt very warm and happy inside, after all who wouldn't, summer vacations were starting! There was also something else that added to the feeling,except I didn't know what it was.
The year passed by with me and Naruto being rivals as always; him leaving no opportunity to prove me wrong or embarrass me infront of everyone and me returning the favor. But amidst all of that, I could tell there was this strange comfort in each others company, which I obviously couldn't decipher at that age; but I loved spending time with him, even though we were only pulling each other's legs. He made me feel happy whenever he was around, his mere presence would give me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
In fact Ino always said that when we grew up she'd marry Sasuke and I'd be Naruto's wife!
At the end of the year, I remember we had our annual school play. I was narrating, while Naruto was playing a fisherman and Hinata was his wife. Sasuke was a policeman and Ino was playing a nurse. There were other characters as well, I remember Shikamaru being pretty offended when the role of the doctor was given to Kiba and he had to play a security guard.
I was pretty jealous of them because all of them were playing important roles and I was doing nothing other than just narrating from backstage. More importantly I did not like the fact that Naruto and I were not competing like before, now that he spent most of his time with Hinata rehearsing their lines.
I was so sad and depressed that on the final day of the play I sat in a corner in the backstage, crying and all alone. I had never felt so dark and gloomy before. These negative emotions which I experienced for the first time were so overwhelming that I thought I could never snap out of it. I could hear voices looking for me and crying out my name, for the play was about to start.
I sat there in the dark quietly shedding tears when suddenly I felt a hand on my head.
"There you are," Kushina-sensei smiled at me, "What happened? We've been searching for you for over an hour. What's wrong Sakura dear?"
I hugged her tight and sobbed, my tears stifling my voice as I spoke about the cause of my distress.
She gently pulled herself away from me and took my hand in hers and said, "Come let me get you ready for the play. After all you're the most important character in the play. All the other characters wouldn't know what they'd do if you weren't there." She smiled at me reassuringly.
I looked at her questioningly but at the same time wanted to believe what she said.
At the end of the play we all took a bow amidst loud cheers and applaud.
At the end of that year my father got transferred again and I studied at various places, not being able to make friends anywhere. I didn't meet any of my old friends again. I slowly started curling myself into a shell and stopped talking. Throughout the fifth and sixth grades, I rarely spoke. My parents thought that I had probably lost the power of speaking. By seventh grade I had completely withdrawn myself from all contacts of the outside world. People thought me to be some kind of weirdo who never spoke. My parents were overwhelmed by my increasing withdrawal from all social contact and decided to consult a psychiatrist.
I had grown increasingly conscious of my privacy over the years and loved to keep my fond memories, as well as bad memories to myself. So I decided I had to talk, but I wouldn't allow anyone to cross this wall that I built around myself.
Soon suddenly and weirdly I had become this chirpy, talkative and energetic girl who talked and talked. But no one actually got to know the real me. It was like I was wearing a mask, and slowly I got so adept in hiding myself, that the boundaries blurred into one and I couldn't distinguish which was the real me. The wall I had built around me was so strong and so high that I doubted anyone could save me from the restraints I had created around myself.
The only companions I had were books. I read all sorts of books, crime to romance to adventure to fantasy to science fiction, all of them. I found reality blurring into fiction and often I would daydream about my past.
It was in ninth grade I realized that I had actually fallen in love with Naruto. Those inexplicable feelings were of love. It was a tender age and I was too naïve to understand any of those feelings. He was my first love; the first spring in Haruno Sakura's life.
As years passed I grew up to pass high school and then college. I had an exceptionally uninteresting adolescence, for I didn't indulge in any of those things that girls of my age did. I had quite a few friends, but then again they only stuck around because they needed my help for something or the other. I didn't have what my classmates called 'a love-life', they found me strange and boring that I was twenty and didn't go on a date yet.
I guess fate wouldn't let me have it that way. I guess fate wanted me to remain loyal to Naruto; for I was willing to wait for him throughout my life. I knew it was silly for an eight-year old to 'fall in love', but from the moment I realized that he was my first love my heart longed to be with him, to meet him, to see if he too remembered me as vividly as I remembered him, to fall in love with him again.
As his memories flash past my eyes my mom looks at me with tears in her eyes.
"I'm proud of you." she says.
My father gives his arm and I take it, as we walk towards the aisle. The door opens and I slowly walk towards the priest and my groom.
As I look straight ahead, a pair of deep cerulean blue eyes meet my emerald green ones. He runs a hand through his deep blonde hair and breaks into a wide grin.
As I stand beside him, the priest starts the wedding ceremony.
"Do you Uzumaki Naruto take Haruno Sakura to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
He looks at me with warm and soft eyes, "I do."
"Do you Haruno Sakura take Uzumaki Naruto to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
I smile and say,"I do."