Author's Note: It's almost 4AM, I'm bored, I have a report to do, it's cold as balls in my room, and I figured I'd get my creative juices flowing by doing this. 'This' is an idea that hit me about a week back, but I didn't get time to write it because I had to catch my bus and get to school. So, yeah. Enjoy, I hope.
I actually don't like Sakura that much, which is why I think it's weird that I tend to focus on her the most. I think it's because Sakura has a lot of potential that Kishimoto hasn't tapped into. She's easily the most underdeveloped main character in Naruto, and that just doesn't make any sense. Sakura could be a lot cooler than she is. (C'mon, Kishimoto, get your shit together...)
Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The only thing I own is the plot and, let's be frank, it's not the greatest plot. I just nightwrite too much.
The relationship between young Sakura Haruno and just about any male her age could easily be described as vitriolic. Pretty much anyone in Hidden Leaf Village could tell you this. It was fairly common knowledge. Fifty percent of the time, her presence could be heralded by exuberant yelling and or someone being punched- through a wall, perhaps.
Honestly, it was a miracle she didn't cause more property damage. That being said, she occasionally caused a fair amount, not as much as Naruto, but enough to have a few people annoyed at her. But that wasn't exactly important right now.
"Shannaro!" The loud cry broke through the unusual peacefulness of Team 7's usual meeting spot, reverberating in the air, before being overcome by the sound of Naruto skidding face first along the dirt path.
Kakashi sighed, pocketing his Icha Icha Romance novel. Team 7's dynamic wasn't being helped along at all by Sakura's habit of rejecting Naruto- unnecessarily forcefully, he might add- and coming on too strong to Sasuke, who clearly wasn't interested in romance at all. He'd thought that maybe having a peaceful gathering where they did nothing but get used to each other's presence would help them along, but he guessed not. It started with Naruto saying something to Sakura, he didn't know what, and it escalated quickly from there.
As always.
"Alright, you three, time's up," Kakashi called out blandly, turning away from his squad. "You can go home or whatever." With that, he shunshin'd away, leaving nothing but a brief cloud of white. Sasuke snorted derisively and climbed to his feet, brushing off the dirt that had gathered on his clothing before walking past the other two members of him team, ignoring them.
As always.
"Sasuke-kun!" The shrill yell made him flinch imperceptibly and the brunet boy quickened his pace. He just wanted to go home, away from the annoyances, until he had to deal with them tomorrow. Hopefully, Kakashi would actually train them. He had a goal to fulfill, afterall.
"Sasuke-kun, wait up!" Sakura hurried in the direction of her crush, trampling over Naruto (who had just gotten up from Sakura's first assault, clutching his broken and bleeding nose) in the process. Unfortunately (for her and Naruto) she tripped over the orange-clad boy and landed face in the dirt, re-breaking the blond's nose as her crush went out of sight.
Naruto yelled into the ground as his blood began turning the dirt to mud. It had just started healing, too.
"Naruto, you idiot!" The pinkhead pushed herself to her knees just as the boy turned over and sat up, clutching his nose fearfully. "You made me miss my chance with Sasuke!" Naruto looked at her disorientedly just in time to see an angry fist come his way. "Sakura-cha-" His vision was abruptly filled with stars as Sakura's fist connected forcefully with his jaw, sending him head first into a tree.
Naruto was lucky his skull didn't crack. As it was, he rubbed his dislocated jaw and clutched at his broken nose, moaning in pain as Sakura angrily stomped away.
Sakura, meanwhile, was heading towards the center of Konoha, the hub of business and market. Maybe buying something nice would help her calm her rage.
"There she goes again," Amaterasu remarked wearily, watching the shimmering pond displaying the scene that had just played out. "That girl has such a temper. It's not that which bothers me, mind you, but that she takes it out on the worst people. Although, Naruto's social skills aren't the best..."
"Neither are hers," Inari snorted, crossing his (at the moment, anyway) arms. "It might be because I admire the blond's creativity, but the girl just rubs me the wrong way."
"Creativity, you call it," Amaterasu teased, swinging the sleeves of her summer colored furisode. "Most would just call it pranking."
Inari turned to his current social partner, smirking and shaking his head in a manner reminiscent to that of a teacher with a disruptive, though amusing, student. "Pranking is an art, little sun." He turned back to the pool, watching the pinkheaded girl browse through shops, looking at small trinkets and admiring them.
Apprehensiveness grew as the sun goddess watched him. She didn't like the look growing in the fox god(dess)'s eyes. It reminded her of the one she'd seen in the eyes of gods of the other pantheons. Something was going to happen.
"What are you going to do?" Wariness colored Amaterasu's tone and she narrowed her eyes at him. She had a bad feeling.
"Oh, nothing terrible." Inari rebuked with a smile that screamed of untrustworthiness. "I just feel I should pay our dear rosette a visit, don't you?"
Amaterasu's blood ran cold. "No," she said quickly, "No, I don't." It appeared that whatever she said wouldn't matter, for Inari switched genders in that moment. Normally that wouldn't be a cause for worry, but the purposeful smile on the god's face as she did it was.
"Relax, little sun," Inari soothed, still smiling as she stood, vibrant red kimono dragging on the polished floor as she cheerily walked away. "I said nothing terrible would happen."
As he disappeared from sight, Amaterasu sighed. "Oh dear."
Sakura hummed happily as she looked through the Konoha forum. Small stands and boutiques were set up in the marketplace this time of year, ones she hadn't seen before, and looking at their baubles was a joy.
The pinkhaired girl set down a small ceramic kitten, smiled and nodded at the clerk, before nearly skipping away to the next shop.
"You there! Little rosette girl. Perhaps I'd have something you'd like?" Sakura stopped and turned her head in curiosity to see who had addressed her. She was the only one present that could be addressed as 'little rosette girl.'
What she saw would have made her stop in her tracks if she wasn't already standing still. As it was, she did gape a little.
People were crowding a single stall, preventing her from seeing who had called her in the first place. It was literally impossible to see anything passed the large assembly of people. Cautiously, Sakura approached the market stall, staying just far enough back to not get sucked into the flock. The commotion was nearly deafening. People were attempting to bargain, fighting over things and slinging lewd flirtations at... someone. She didn't know who, but it was definitely the same person.
"Beat it, folks! You can come back later. I assure you, everything will still be here. Now get lost!" Surprisingly, people obeyed the command, slowly filing away until Sakura could see what the big fuss was about.
And what she saw was fuss-worthy, indeed. Glistening jewelry, foreign snacks, and interesting curio lined the large table. Bright colors shined in her vision as she admired the merchandise. It was a miracle nobody had stole anything!
"Are you just going to stand there and stare, sweetheart?" A voice broke her out of her reverie. It was a low, sultry one, and Sakura turned her attentions to it's owner.
When she did, it was obvious what had caused half of the commotion. Voluminous, vibrant red hair hung loosely around the shoulders of the stand's owner, half-lidded golden eyes pinning Sakura with an unmoving gaze. A smirk was formed on the woman's full lips as she crossed her arms, drawing the pinkhead's attention to her chest.
The kimono the woman wore wasn't completely closed and it showed absolute cleavage, the top hanging off of her shoulders, the sleeves almost grazing the tips of her fingers, and it closed at the waist. Everything from the woman's shoulders, collarbones, the crevice between her breasts and stomach were bare.
All Sakura could wonder was why, the woman couldn't have been older than twenty two, but she caught herself before she asked. "Um..." She began. "You wanted me?"
"That's right," the woman said, smirk widening. "I've got something I think you'd like." The strange woman reached into a hidden pocket of her kimono and pulled out a small, ornate red box. She held it out for the other to look at.
"Pretty, isn't it?" The woman commented as Sakura looked at it with awe. The stranger opened the box and inside was a small piece of... sakuramochi?
"Err, what?" Sakura stared at the piece of confectionery. It was sakuramochi, alright, but it wasn't like anything she'd seen before. It wasn't a glutinous pink ball at all. It was a white roll.
"C'mon, it's mochi. You've had it before, haven't you?" Sakura nodded slowly. "Well, this mochi is made using the style of the western countries. You can't get it anywhere here, unless someone from the west countries moves here. And for you, it's free."
"Err, what?" The pinkheaded girl repeated herself. Mostly, what she wanted to ask was, "Why keep mochi in such a nice box?" but she refrained from doing so. "Um... thank you?"
"You're welcome, rosette." The bizarre woman smiled at her mischievously. "Ta-ta, now."
Sakura went on her way, occasionally casting odd looks at the stall. What a weird encounter. Nonetheless, she continued her window shopping spree, before finally heading home as the sun began it's daily descent.
Dinner was progressing as she entered her home, so she made a quick trip up to her room to lay the box on her bed before coming back down. "Something smells good, mom!"
It was an uneventful but tiring affair, and the lone girl of Team 7 trudged her way back up to her room an hour or two later. She turned on her lights collapsed onto her bed stomach first, breathing in. Her arms moved along the soft fabric of her sheets before coming in contact with something cold and hard. She turned onto her side, recognition filling her eyes as the box came into view. "Might as well eat you, I guess."
She opened the box and picked the piece of confectionery from its spot, her fingers on the sakura leaf. Sakura took one bite out of it, leaving only half, and reveled in the taste. Azuki bean paste was always the best, and this mochi's was nice and creamy. Chewing until she was content and swallowing, she then took another bite, and wasn't as careful with it as she had been previously.
Something cold slid down her throat as she swallowed, and Sakura nearly choked. When the sensation was over, the girl put the cover back on the box and set it on the ground before turning off her lights and drifting off to sleep.
Sunlight streamed through her curtains, awaking Sakura from her sleep. Yawns filled the air as she ran her fingers through her hair, moving sleepily towards her bathroom. She flipped on her lights and picked up her toothbrush, squirted toothpaste on it, and began brushing.
There was a boy in her mirror, she noticed. He had sleep in his eyes, but his eyes were a pretty light green, so that could be excused. His skin was pale and creamy looking, and his hair was bouncy and pink. He was cute, Sakura thought, even if he was sorta feminine looking.
Sakura giggled and the boy mimicked her action, laughing himself. She stopped, and the boy stopped, too. Her toothbrush fell to the ground. So did the boy's. A look of horror crossed her face, and she opened her mouth in a head-splitting scream.