Breathing heavy a small child runs through the forest. The child is being pulled along at an alarming pace that he can't seem to match. His mother was frantic and in tears, horrified for reasons unknown to the boy. The woman seemed to have tripped and the boy stopped and looked at his fearful mother.

"Run. Just run. Don't look back and run as far and as fast as you can."

"But mommy…" The boy thought for a second then realized what his mother was implying. She'd implied she was sacrificing herself for him.

"No I'm not leaving you."

The mother and her son heard a vicious screech, it could only have been made by a large creature; A very large and bloodthirsty animal.

The mother shoved her son forward and screamed as she stood and got into defensive position. The boy did as he was told. He felt tears well in his eyes and knew he would never see his mother again. Unfortunately, for at least a few hours the only thing he could hear was his mother. At least, his mothers shrill screams and cries of mercy. But soon he heard a gurgled screech and he knew his mother had not won the battle.

He was alone.

After a few more hours of running as fast as his feet could carry him he felt his lids drooping and knew he'd have to find a safe hiding spot. He settled for a soft patch of dirt in the middle of a very large bush. It was bare in the middle so he could sleep there and be covered by the thick leaves surrounding him.

At least, he hoped.


AGHK

"Good morning, Tsunade-sama." Sakura said in a sing-song voice.

"Ah, Sakura. I have someone I'd like you to meet." Her sensei replied.

With that she felt a light tug at the end of her red shirt. She looked down and blinked at the small boy.

"Hello, Ms." He said in a surprising monotonous voice.

Sakura smiled at him and kneeled down to his eye level. She ruffled his auburn hair and asked, "You are a very handsome boy did you know that? What might your name be, hm?"

"Ukemi Hissori."

Tsunade smiled at them as she watched the two click. Sakura tucked a few strands of the boys hair behind his hear and looked into the contemplative eyes. His eyes held such great intensity for such a young boy.

Sakura stayed like that, talking with the boy for a good half hour. She'd completely forgotten her sensei was there, even that she was in the Hokage's office.

"Sakura I need to speak with you alone."

Sakura had spent the past five minutes having a mental conversation with the boy through looks alone. She looked away from Tsunade and back to Hissori.

"'Sori-kun, please go outside, I'll be out in a little while."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

With that the boy went for the door.

"Sakura, that boy, he was found a week ago and since he arrived he's acted strangely for a child. I'm sure you noticed, he is very mature, but he is only five."

"I did notice. Do we know what happened to his family? Why he was near the village?"

"We believe he was living with his mother and she was attacked. They fled and she was killed. We found the remains of a woman and we believe it's his mother."

"Do we know what attacked them?"

"No."

"Well what do you plan on doing with him then?" Sakura said.

"You can watch over him until the council and I make a decision. But you have a mission in Suna so you might want to go and prepare for a journey."

"Is Hissori-kun coming with me on the mission?"

"Yes, it's not a dangerous mission; I just need you to inform the Kazekage that we have the child, because we believe he is from Suna."

"Oh." Sakura turned and opened the door, but she was assaulted. Her leg was losing circulation as the small boy squeezed her.

"'Sori-kun we need to go and pack, now."

"Where are we going?"

"Suna, we're going to talk with the Kazekage."

"Gaara-sama?"

"Do you know him 'Sori-kun?"

"He knew Mommy, Mommy didn't like him, Mommy said he hurt Papa."

Sakura and Hissori had already left the tower to pack. She could sense in his tone that he didn't believe that his mother was right.

"Why don't you believe her?"

"Mommy loved Papa a lot. Papa didn't love Mommy, Papa wanted to leave Mommy, but they stayed together. It's a great disgrace to divorce when you have a child, you know. So Papa just went on a lot of missions, so he could be around Mommy and me as little as possible. And then he died. It wasn't Gaara-sama's fault. But Mommy thought it was. Mommy didn't wanna believe it, but I think she knew Papa didn't love her…or me."

"I see." Sakura looked over at the boy who was looking straight ahead with no sadness in his eyes.

"You are a very intelligent little boy. Are you gonna grow up and be a great ninja?"

"I don't know. Mommy said I shouldn't, but I want to."

"I could teach you, I could help you train to be a ninja, if you wanted. And you can see if it's what you want to be. If not then when you're 6 I'll tell Tsunade-sensei not to enroll you in the Academy. Sound good?"

Hissori looked up at her with his intense gaze and smiled.

"Thank you, Sakura-hogosha."

Sakura heard the new name and enjoyed it. He saw her as a guardian. That felt nice. She saw him as more of her own child than she did anything else.

She leaned down and picked up the boy and positioned him, motherly instinct guiding her movements. One arm was under his butt, holding him up. The other arm lazily placed on his back, simply meant as a comforting hand. His head rested gingerly on her shoulder.

They walked like this until they reached her house. She set him down and walked inside.

Quickly Sakura shoved a change of clothes, kunai, shuriken, a few scrolls, and other things into a pack. She then picked up Hissori and lead him out the door. They went to go get him a change of clothes and then they set off.

Sakura was to leave as soon as possible.


AGHK

Most of their time was spent discussing various topics and giggling over childish things. The instant bond had almost overwhelmed the pink-haired kunoichi. She felt that this little boy was a brother, or maybe even an adopted son.

One night she sat at the camp they'd set up.

The boy was not sleeping but he had evened his breathing and had a calm aura emanating off of him. She looked over to him, eyes flicking directly to his face. Only then could she see the remnants of lack of sleep, scattered across his features. Dark circles were beginning to form around his eyes, not quite dark yet; only visible to someone who knew what to look for.

"'Sori-kun. Why haven't you been sleeping? It's not healthy."

The boy shifted and turned his head to look at Sakura. His eyes shone in the moon like an animal, but he soon shifted and his eyes lost their glow.

"I'm not supposed to sleep. When I sleep…I…"

"…What? You, what?"

"It's nothing, Sakura-hogosha. I'm just not all that tired, and I can't sleep."

"Don't bother lying to me Hissori."

"I...I have nightmares. They are scary and I don't want to talk about them."

"I understand 'Sori-kun. I just worry about you."

"Don't worry about me. Just rest, it's not good for you." He said smiling at her. He crawled over to her and wrapped his tiny arms around her. And then she fell asleep.


AGHK

After about a week Sakura and Hissori made it to Suna and went straight to see the Kazekage. They didn't get to speak with him for about an hour though.

"The Kazekage will see you now." An obnoxious blonde teenager called out after snapping her gum loudly. Sakura glared at the girl and walked Hissori into the office.

She walked into the room and saw the Kazekage doing paperwork. He had his head rested on a hand propped up, and the other writing and signing boredly. He sighed and then opted to look up at his guests.

"Hello, Kazekage-sama. Bored with paperwork?" She smiled and walked forward.

"Hn." He was about to turn back to his work when he stopped. His gazed was directed toward the small five-year-old boy.

"Hissori? Why are you here?"

"Gaara-sama, mommy was murdered. They found me and now we have to ask questions."

Sakura nodded and smiled warmly to the little boy. "Yes, questions like: Does he have other family?"

Hissori turned a hopeful gaze up to Gaara. "Gaara-sama was the closest I had to family. Everyone else doesn't like me. They act like I'm bad just because I wasn't mommy's real child." Hissori had his head leaned downward looking at the floor, and his auburn hair had fallen loosely in front of his face.

Sakura kneeled down and pushed the hair back away from his eyes. His grey eyes were intense she noted again as she observed the flecks of blue. "'Sori-kun," Her voice held a protective edge and she was giving him a look of warmth and care "you are a wonderful boy, you're smart and sweet, and if it's what you want, I'm sure you'll be a wonderful and amazing ninja someday. Anyone foolish enough to dislike you is completely insane. I don't want you to ever think about that again…ever. Understood?"

He looked Sakura in the eyes and seemed stern, he nodded. Sakura smiled wide and hugged him.

Hissori felt odd about the exchange but nonetheless was happy it happened. He smiled up at Gaara who had turned away from the scene and went back to paperwork. He wondered how things may have been if that had happened to him when he was younger. If someone had reached out to him and told him he wasn't a monster, and that he was wonderful all his own. That was a path Gaara preferred not to think about, he knew, if that had truly happened…things would definitely be a lot different.

"Is that all Haruno?"

"No, I also have to inquire about his living arrangements. Is he to continue being a citizen of Suna, and be sent to an orphanage, or is he to be a child of Konoha?"

"Under normal circumstances, he would be sent to an orphanage" Gaara saw the terror that welled in the small boy upon saying this and continued ",but seeing how he already has such a connection with the village of Konoha, more so than here, he will remain in Konoha and the papers will be filed."

The terror was still upon the face of the boy. "But that doesn't mean anything. He will just be in an orphanage at a different village. Gaara, erm…Kazekage, it doesn't matter what orphanage Hissori is in, it doesn't change the fact it's an orphanage. Children deserve family." Sakura stated looking Gaara in the eyes determined and ready to fight for Hissori's right for a good life.

"Then maybe you should adopt him. Children may deserve good lives, Haruno, but we both know that very few get them. Perhaps Hissori could be one of those few, more likely than not, he will be adopted one way or another." With that Gaara turned back to his paperwork and Sakura along with Hissori, left the room.


AGHK

Sakura and Hissori were to stay in Suna for about two weeks to finish all the paperwork. She and Hissori had a small apartment that was paid for by the Hokage, they were to reside there until all the paperwork was finished.

Sakura had finished each document Gaara gave her, papers upon papers upon papers of absolute shit. After she finished each paper she would go out with Hissori and they would shop, play, or train.

Sakura sat high atop a tree and watched as Hissori wandered about below her not knowing where she was. Hide and Seek, she really did miss playing this game.

Suddenly a stick came whizzing past her head, she looked down to see Hissori smirking at her. He'd not only found her but caught her off guard and almost landed an attack. She was pleased with the training she'd gone through so far. Simple and subtle training that he wouldn't even know was helping him until he decided to go to the academy.

She already knew, as she looked down at the child, that she would adopt him. He was to be her little prodigy. She smiled at the thought alone.


AGHK

Sakura awoke that night to screaming in the room down the hall. When she walked in Hissori was sleeping. He was laying on his stomach in the middle of the floor. Sakura calmed, but went rigid after she examined the rest of the room. The window was open, and there was blood everywhere. She turned Hissori over and he opened his eyes slowly.

"I had a bad dream. I told you I shouldn't sleep."

"Hissori…" She trailed off as she continued to look around the room then she looked back to the boy and noticed he was drenched in blood. He reeked of fresh blood. "What exactly did you dream?" Sakura asked very sternly, an edge of panic to her voice.

"I dreamt of a lady."

He was not fully answering her question. "What happened to the lady?"

"…She died."

"Who killed her, Hissori? Tell me. Who killed her?" She was staring him in the eyes, refusing to look around the room and see the evidence of death, to look at his body and see the gore, to look at his tiny hands and see the proof that she already knew the answer to the question she was frantically asking him to answer.

There was a pause, a pregnant pause that lingered for a long while. Then slowly, The small boy regretfully answered the question.

"…Me."


TBC.

Authors note:

Alright, so this is chapter one, it's short and it felt very rushed to me, but yea, I'm not exactly patient. I meant to write it long and have this in the next chapter, but I really didn't feel like writing out days of blah. Her filling out documents and building a bond with Hissori, or back in Konoha, her shopping for him. Describing what the clothes look like. Stuff like that, just imagine them in your head. I'll be explained later maybe. I'm sure you also have your own idea of what's up with Hissori.

And if you are suspecting it, no, Hissori is not related to Gaara, and is not Gaara's son. They have a strong connection for very good reasons. They have things in common. Sakura and Hissori have a strong bond because she was his fated guardian and mother. Nothing more to that.

You want more, read. I'd like some comments though. Thanks. And feel absolutely free to give me ideas for what to do later on, or in the next chapter. They'd be greatly appreciated.