A/N: Sooo here's a new story I just randomly decided to start! I'm just writing it for fun while I work on my more serious story, A Million Pieces of Eight. Since I've been focusing a lot of my time on that (as far as content and plot goes), this story will be waaaay less developed, and honestly just for my own entertainment haha

Konoha here is supposed to be modeled after Manhattan/NYC. I don't live in Manhattan but I often visit a friend who does, so I know a bit of the area (I love Central Park), and some of the experiences will be my own (but very few)

Rated M for language, drug use, and sexual themes

I hope you enjoy!

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Into the Wild

by Miasmic

Chapter I: Hell

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"This summer's gonna hurt like a mothafucka… fuckaahh," Sakura hummed, silently jamming out to the deafening music from her earbuds as she stretched her calves against a nearby rock. It was a hot summer day in the city of Konoha, the sun shining liberally through the clear sky and beating down on the masses of runners lining the paths of Memorial Stone Park.

Just 30 minutes, you can do this, she self-motivated, eyeing several joggers effortlessly zip past her, It's so goddamn hot out though, like how the hell are these people not dead? Fuck this, I need to join a gym or something, I'm going to have a heat stroke... No, that's such a waste of money. You're too poor for that. Oh my God, I'm already sweating and I haven't even moved!

Sakura swung her arms and jumped in place in an effort to pump herself up and not seem like a lazy-ass to the couple sitting on one of the nearby benches, who had undoubtedly been scrutinizing her fifteen minute long "warm up" routine. Her long pink hair was pulled tightly back into a high pony tail, a thick black headband pushed along her hairline to prevent any loose strands from invading the frame of her face for what was sure to be a grueling workout.

You look so legit, at least if you pass out people will think it was because you were being a badass bitch, Sakura thought, swinging her arms one final time, Yeah, a badass motherfuckin' bitch.

With a reassuring nod Sakura exhale heavily, stepping out onto the gravel road and letting herself become completely consumed by the beats of her workout playlist, which had been artfully engendered just hours before.

"This summer's gonna h—"

Merely seconds after stepping onto the path Sakura felt the wind knock out of her chest, the impact of bone against bone pulsating through her body and forcing her onto the ground, earbuds and all. She winced, tiny pebbles sticking to the palms of her hands and arms as she attempted to gather herself, not knowing exactly what had just happened. The whole left side of her body ached with pain.

Did I just get hit by a car?! Sakura hissed, gaging the cuts on her elbows and patting away any lingering gravel.

"Are you fucking blind?!" A deep voiced barked, and Sakura knew it was directed at her. She was vaguely aware that she had stepped directly in the path of a fellow runner— who had been running like a fucking Olympian— and that it was almost entirely her fault. Even so, Sakura couldn't help but feel incensed at his words. Who the hell did this guy think he was, talking to her like that?

"Hey! I have 20/20 vision thank you very much!" She seethed, whipping her pink head around to glare up at the man, "And don't blame me because you couldn't stop your fat ass in time before you almost—" The retort that had so easily begun to pass through Sakura's lips suddenly caught in the back of her throat, replaced instead by a thick glob of saliva as her eyes finally scrutinized the person towering above her.

She wasn't sure if their collision had had any effect on him whatsoever, since he was now standing completely upright, not a single scratch or blotch of dirt visible on his body. He was shirtless, a thick layer of sweat glistening over his ivory chest, muscles tensing with every labored breath he took. His shaggy ebony hair was slicked back with sweat, revealing a myriad of striking, perfectly proportioned features— a chiseled jaw, a widows peak, a straight nose, and piercing eyes, to name a few.

Holy shit, marry me? Sakura prayed, gulping the buildup of saliva along with all of her dignity.

Were it not for the scowl marring his gorgeous face, Sakura might have forgotten all about his insolence and proposed right on the spot.

"Yo bastard, what the fuck? Let's go!" A voice called from further down the road.

Sakura's eyes searched for its owner, spotting a blonde boy, roughly the same age as her assailant, jogging in place no less than 40 feet away. He was also shirtless and equally as sweaty— go figure— and it suddenly occurred to Sakura that maybe she did get hit by a car and was now in heaven. Not gonna lie though, if this is heaven I'm a little disappointed. Like, only two of them?! Where did I go wrong?

The dark-haired man growled under his breath, snatching Sakura's elbow and roughly pulling her to her feet. He gave her a once-over, dark eyes briefly locking with her emerald ones— in that instant Sakura swore time stopped— before running off towards his blonde buddy.

The fuck? He's leaving me?

"Asshole!" Sakura shouted, her lower lip jutting out crossly, "You owe me an apology!"

The handsome prick, without bothering to turn around as he and his friend proceeded to sprint down the road, raised his right fist and offered her a single middle finger.

"Yeah fuck you too," Sakura mumbled, kicking the gravel. Her palms stung, blood dripped down her elbows, and the relentless sun was even hotter than before, causing beads of sweat to drip down her temples. Not to mention the finest man she had ever laid eyes on had just escaped her clutches before she could even put a ring on it.

Heaven? Yeah right, more like hell.

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Sakura was panting as she reached the entrance of her apartment, tiredly retrieving her keys from the tiny pocket of her leggings. She had successfully finished her 30 minute run in the park— a feat that was by no means easy for her, requiring several mid-run breaks to cool off from the grueling sun—by the end of which she was shamefully exhausted, even more so when she realized that she had to travel up four flights of narrow stairs before reaching a cold shower.

Oh my God, what has college done to me, Sakura frowned, opening the apartment door, I'm so out of shape it's ridiculous.

Stepping inside, Sakura's frown only deepened, having forgotten yet another crucial detail of her apartment: no working air-conditioning.

It's not that Sakura was a very forgetful person, per se— actually, she was quite the opposite— it was just that she was still getting used to this new setting. She had moved to Konoha a few weeks ago, a sense of independence and a strained relationship with her parents driving her away from her home town and her old days of community college. Come fall semester, she would be attending Konoha University as a rare senior transfer student. Although it was her first time on her own financially, and in an unfamiliar place, she couldn't be any happier with her decision. Life in the city was so much more exciting than life back home.

Her shabby old apartment— which in reality wasn't that shabby, considering it was located in one of the wealthiest districts of the city— was cramped, but in a way that made it surprisingly homey and space-efficient. The kitchen was small and nestled in a corner to her immediate left, a door leading to the bathroom just a few feet adjacent the refrigerator. To her right was a metal spiral staircase, which led up to two bedrooms— if you could even call them bedrooms— and a quaint rooftop terrace. Furthest from her was a living area several feet lower than the foyer, adorn with several couches and a long dining room table, well-lit by massive, rusted windows.

All in all, Sakura was very pleased with the apartment, and was especially grateful for having scored such a good deal on it. Normally it would have costed thousands of dollars a month to rent out— mainly because of its location— however, through friends of friends, she was able to get it for only a fraction of the price.

All she knew was that an affluent man by the name of Danzo owned the entire apartment, and had decided to let some relatives use the space since he was never there anyways— likely off doing rich people stuff in his other homes across the world.

Sakura didn't really care for details about the guy— as long as things continued the way they were with her portion of the rent, he could murder someone and she wouldn't give two shits. Well, that's a little extreme. Danzo probably wouldn't murder someone. But he may hire someone to do it for him.

Sakura sighed, letting her hair out of its ponytail and collapsing on one of the couches. What a long day…

Absently, she checked her iPhone.

10:12 am

Sakura groaned, leaning her head back and lazily throwing an arm over her forehead. She inhaled the stuffy air through her nose, closing her eyes. It was way too hot. She felt sticky and gross— a feeling she thought she could escape by fleeing indoors. Evidently that would not happen, since she was too unwilling to hire an HVAC repairman and too inexpert to do it herself.

"You smell really bad."

Sakura cracked an eye open, glaring at the newcomer. Sai.

She hadn't realized he was home. Sai was her roommate— her only one, luckily— that occupied the bed-space above hers, on the same level as the rooftop terrace where she often saw him painting the city skyline. She hadn't talked to him much— whenever he was home he was busy drawing— but she had gathered that he was an aspiring Konoha artist who had been a resident there for quite some time. She also gathered that he was an extremely blunt person, more so than anyone she knew, and his inability to comprehend social ques was somewhat disturbing.

"And you look really bad, too," He added, descending the steps connecting the foyer and living room.

"Yeah, probably not looking my best right now since I just got back from a run," Sakura said through her teeth, watching as he moved to grab a few of his art supplies that had littered the dining room table.

"Couldn't tell."

Sakura scowled, though the boy was routinely ignorant to her exasperation. If it weren't for his quiet, rude behavior, she would have thought he was a relatively attractive human being. For a homebody, he had a decent build; wide shoulders and visible muscles in his biceps, though nothing compared to the man she had run into today. His skin was very pale and his short hair nearly the opposite— very similar to black ink on paper. It was fitting considering his hobby (and profession). Though none of this was what intrigued Sakura the most when she first met him.

Upon introducing himself, Sakura distinctly noticed how suave and soothing his voice was. It was elegantly masculine, daresay 'artsy', despite often lacking emotion. She could let him talk for hours if he only knew how to talk.

"Do you have a girlfriend, Sai?" Sakura roused nonchalantly, knowing well that her banter would not be received the way it should.

"No." He responded, uninterested.

"I can see why," She deadpanned, and Sai just smiled— one of those infuriatingly fake smiles he would give her when he didn't know what else to say— before heading up the spiral staircase.

Sakura rolled her eyes, forcing herself up. It wasn't even 11am; there was so much time left in the day, yet she didn't exactly know how to fill it. She had yet to make any friends that could show her around, aside from Sai if he could even be counted as one— besides, he couldn't help in that aspect; he knew very little about 'what to do' and 'where to go'.

On top of that, her job-hunt thus far had been fruitless, the money saved up in her bank account only dwindling with each week of unemployment.

I really need to get my shit together, she thought, running a hand through her hair. And make some friends other than that Pinhead upstairs.

Sakura quickly showered, silently wishing for some miracle as she prepared to go out for the second time that day. Hopefully this time, if she ran into a hot guy, he wouldn't run away like a little bitch, and at least give her his number. But alas, that was wishful thinking. Everyone in this goddamn city always seemed to be in a rush to go somewhere, she'd be surprised if any held a conversation with her for more than a minute.

Exiting her apartment, Sakura turned to head downstairs, stopping short to read a red and white sticker placed above her neighbor's doorknob.

"DOG INSIDE," It read, "In case of fire, please save our dog."

Sakura had noticed the sticker when she first moved in, but didn't think much of it since she had yet to see or hear her neighbors, presuming they were out on vacation. However, as she stood there now at the top of the stairs, Sakura could faintly hear a 'bark' sound from behind their door.

Huh. Maybe they were never out on vacation, she sulked. I'm so stupid… I never even knocked.

Making a mental note to do that when she got back, Sakura proceeded down the stairs and out the building, hurriedly ambling toward the center of town and failing to notice two familiarly sweaty, shirtless men approaching from the opposite end of the street.

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A/N: Damn, I really enjoyed writing this! I'll probably update very soon, hopefully within a few days, but if not then by the end of the week for sure!

If you liked it please leave a review! I love hearing back from you guys, it makes me super duper happy :)

Also, the song Sakura is listening to in the beginning is a remix of Maroon 5's song, "This Summer's Gonna Hurt". I was imagining The Him remix, but it really doesn't make a difference if it's the original or remix since the lyrics are the same. HOWEVER, if you like remixes as much as I do, then check out that remix!

See ya soon loves,

Mia