Grieving for what's lost

Sakura Haruno, a girl of thirteen, walked down a familiar road. She had pink hair and emerald green eyes that highly contrasted with her pale skin. Sakura rounded another corner, finding a park. This park is where it all began. When she met her first true friend, the friend that had told her nothing could ever make her hate Sakura, yet that all had changed.

Flashback

A pink haired girl leaned against a tree, trying to catch her breath. She was tired and sore; she had been running for awhile now, trying to get away from all the kids that followed her into this forest she was now in. It had taken a long time to lose the girls chasing her, and she didn't know if they knew she was there or not, but she didn't want to find out.

Why can't I be normal? She asked herself, a tear slipping from one of her emerald eyes. She slumped down the log even more as she began to sob.

"All I… ever wanted… w-was to be… n-normal…" she said in between sobs.

They all picked on her because they thought she was different, weird and stupid. All because of her pink hair and what they thought to be an over average sized forehead. Sakura cried harder, she never had any friends, they would all tease her, and all they would see is appearance. But really all she wanted was acceptance. To know that even if she had no friends, noone would tease her, that they would just leave her alone. Yet she knows she's asking the impossible. Sakura sat there underneath the tree, and stared at the ground having cried herself exhausted. A twig snapped on the right and Sakura's eyes bolted open, she tried to get up and run, but she couldn't find the strength. As she sat there she realized she was caught, a shiver ran down her spine. What would they do once they caught her? Would anyone hear if she screamed? Would anyone care if she was murdered? All these thoughts ran through her head and the bushes beside her shook. Sakura held her breath waiting for something horrible to happen to her. But all that came out was a girl her age, with light blonde hair and sky blue eyes.

The girl looked around as if looking for something… or someone, after a moment she seemed to notice Sakura cower as she drew near.

"Hi there…" she started in a loud voice. "Where did everyone go?"

Sakura made a noise.

"You shouldn't be talking to me…" she told the girl.

"Why?"

"Because… I'm forehead girl… nobody likes me!" She started crying again.

The girl stopped for a minute, then smiled sadly.

"So, you're forehead girl huh?" Sakura cringed but nodded, "Well it is kinda big, but you have your bangs hiding it and that's probably why they tease you, because they can tell it bothers you." The girl explained. "Here, come back tomorrow, I've got something for you. She turned around, then as if remembering something she turned her head and looked at Sakura. "My name is Ino, by the way." And she walked off.

Sakura sat there in wonder.

As promised, Ino met Sakura in the same place she had first seen the girl.

"Ok…there!" Ino cried happily. Sakura blinked. All she did was put a ribbon in my hair…

"That ribbon is a sign of friendship ok? And as long as you have it, I'll always be there!" Sakura nodded, her first friend, she was happy.

After that they had been inseparable, noone teased her anymore, she finally got what she had always wanted… until that fateful day. Sakura had told Ino she liked a boy and it happened to be the same one Ino liked. So Ino declared them rivals from then on, and Sakura had lost her best friend.

Now she was alone again, well she had Naruto, Sasuke, and her sensei, (Teacher) Kakashi, but they just met so they were only team-mates.

Sakura now knew what she had to do, she had to go back to apologize to Ino, who was there in the beginning.