New chapter. This is the revised version. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Even if I'd like to, I don't own Naruto.

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my story, the Uchiha murder never happened. Sasuke continued living happily with his mom, dad, and sibling, even if they didn't really get on. If you don't like it, then don't read it, but this is my story and I do what I want to, so deal with it.

The arc in the manga, about the Uchihas planning a coup d'état (illegal seizure of government) never happened either.


Chapter 1: Under The Sakura Tree

Sasuke Uchiha, age 17, was walking home. It had been a really, really long day. He just wanted to get home, have dinner and maybe read a few scrolls before going to bed. He was thankful the weekend was nearing. Tsunade hadn't given him any missions, so he would just rest and train occasionally.

Sasuke Uchiha. The young Uchiha prodigy (though not as much as his brother Itachi). The top of his class. The most handsome guy in Konoha. The best genin in his whole year. All that had been left in the past (except his title of the hottest guy, of course). He was already a jounin, the same as Naruto and Sai, his teammates. Naruto was a really extroverted person, who really loved ramen and didn't miss a chance of going to Ichiraku's, the best ramen bar in the whole of Konoha. Sai was very different. He was quiet and shy. He loved drawing, and his sketchbook was his greatest weapon.

Genin teams always consisted of three people, usually two boys and one girl. But he, Naruto and Sai had been an exception. Not enough girls had passed the academy test that year, so it was just boys, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki and Sai (he didn't have a surname, or at least he hadn't told them.). And of course, their sensei Kakashi Hatake, who was constantly reading some perverted book. But even if he did all sorts of weird things, like constantly arriving late or wearing that strange mask he wore all the time (his students suspected he kept it on even while he slept), he was a really powerful jounin. He even had the Sharingan, a special eye technique, which only the members of the Uchiha clan could use. He wasn't an Uchiha, but as he had once explained Sasuke, Naruto and Sai, how his best friend, Obito Uchiha, had given the Sharingan to him before he died. Naruto was crying by the end of the story. Sai and Sasuke were quite indifferent.

"Noooooo… Why did Obito have to die? He should have continued living! Even if he was an Uchiha!"

BONK!

"TEME!! What was that for?!" Naruto yelled at Sasuke.

"Dobe, don't you dare insult my family or I'll KILL YOU."

Naruto decided to stay quiet. The Uchiha glare was famous for being lethal, and he really didn't want to experience the consequences.

--

Sasuke yawned. He was part of the ANBU, but he hadn't had any missions recently. When he didn't have any assignments he worked with his dad in the Konoha Police Office, which was where most of the Uchihas worked anyway. He hadn't really done anything- mainly paperwork- but he had been for several hours in front of a desk, without eating, drinking, or sleeping, so you could say he was tired. He really wasn't that exhausted, but his dad insisted that he go home.

Sasuke was wondering if he would be given any missions soon, when he stopped walking. He realized there were two ways of going home. The first one went directly to the Uchiha compound, but he had to walk right through the street where the Ichiraku bar was. The dobe would probably be there, along with his ex-sensei and the artist, and he didn't want Naruto to see him. He would probably force him to sit down and do nothing while he, Kakashi and Sai talked about god knows what, and devoured bowls of ramen. Then they would probably run away, and he would have to pay for their food. He really wasn't up for that, as he was just starting to realize how much he needed a shower. So he decided to take the second route. It went through a park, a really beautiful one. It wasn't the kind of park where kids played, but more like the one where couples liked to walk around holding hands, and then kiss sitting on one of the benches. The route was a little bit longer than the other one, and he didn't really want to walk around disturbing all the private romantic moments. But that was surely much better than being forced to watch people gulping down ramen, and then paying for it. So he decided to take the second way.

He walked by quickly, trying not to be seen. But, surprisingly, he didn't see anyone, so he decided to slow down. It was already night, and the moon was beautiful in the sky. He slowly made his way. It was early spring, and the nights were still quite cold, but he didn't care. He then arrived to the center of the park. There, shining under the moonlight stood a sakura tree. It was still the beginning of spring, and the tree was starting to blossom. It was supposed to be the most romantic place of the park. Sitting under a sakura tree was said to be lucky. The couple that did that was bound to have good luck.

But that day there were no couples.

There was a girl under the tree. She seemed to be around Sasuke's age. She had a petite, slim body. Her hair was a light pink color, and it went down to her waist. She was dressed in a white kimono with a cherry blossom pattern, which matched her hair color. She was lying on the floor, sleeping. Sasuke smirked. She had probably fallen asleep waiting for her boyfriend. But he felt sorry for her. It was quite cold, and she didn't seem to be wearing warm clothes. He didn't know why, but he walked up to her and shook her gently, trying to wake her up. Her kimono was soft, probably made out of the best materials. She didn't move. He shook her with a bit more force but she didn't respond. Sasuke checked her pulse and breathing. She was alive, but her heartbeat and her breathing seemed to be a bit slow. Her skin was really cold. She had probably passed out. Sasuke thought about what to do. Would he leave her there? Okay, he wasn't a bad person, so he wouldn't abandon her where she was. Maybe knock on some random door and leave her there? No…it was too late. Take her to the hospital? He didn't think so. A mission had come back that day with several injured ninjas, and all the medics were exhausted. He sighed. The only thing left was for him to take her home. His brother would probably piss him off, his mother would worry, and his dad would pretend he didn't care, even if he didn't really like it.

Sasuke looked at the girl. Maybe when her boyfriend arrived, he would worry. Well, if he was stupid enough to let his girlfriend freeze in the first place, he surely didn't deserve her.

He carried the girl on his back. She was very light. She must have starved herself to death or something. It wasn't normal for someone to be so thin. But then he realized he had never seen her before. He would have noticed her. Well, he would have noticed her hair. It really stood out. You don't really see people with pink hair every day, do you? Well, maybe she had dyed it or used some kind of jutsu. What if she was a ninja from some other country? But she wasn't wearing any hitai-ate (1). How confusing. He tried to do some hand seals to take him directly home, but it was complicated having an unconscious girl on your back. Plus her breasts were pressing against his body, and it was really distracting. He gave up. It wasn't that far off anyway. It was late and there wouldn't be people to see him carrying a girl (they would probably misunderstand the whole thing). So he headed home.

Luckily, he didn't find anyone on his way.

Just before going inside his house, he checked around. His brother wasn't training in the garden, which was good. He could slip into the house without being noticed. He silently went through the back, and entered through the kitchen door. As he had known, his mother, Mikoto Uchiha, was there. She had already finished preparing dinner, and was watching her favorite soap opera.

"Mom?"

His mother turned around.

"Good night Sas… who's that?" she was shocked. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"It's not what you think. Come with me, please."

They went up to Sasuke's room and laid her on his bed. Sasuke told his mother the whole story. Then his mother nodded.

"I want you Sasuke to know one thing." she seemed so serious.

"Erm… what?"

"I want you to know… you're the best son I could ever have!" she practically threw herself on Sasuke, and it caught him by surprise. "You're such a gentleman! Helping a poor girl like that on a cold, dark night! You're a hero!"

Sasuke sweat dropped.

"Okay…sure mom. But please, do me a favor."

Mikoto nodded enthusiastically. Sasuke thought she looked like a five-year old.

"Don't tell Itachi about this. He'll probably make fun of me and then the whole of the village will think I took advantage of her, or something."

"Okay, I won't tell him, but I need to tell your dad. He's the leader here, and we can't keep her here without his permission."

"That's fine with me."

"Okay, now go and have a shower. Don't worry; I'll take good care of her!"

Then Sasuke realized how much he really wanted that shower. And needed it.

--

Sasuke went out of the bathroom, already clean. His hair was damp, and he had changed into more comfortable clothes. Black clothes, of course. He went to his bedroom. The girl was there, still lying on his bed, in the same position he had left her. She hadn't woken up. His mother wasn't there. His eyes scanned the room.

Floor: Normal

Walls: Normal

Bed (besides from the girl laying on it): Normal

Desk: Normal. No, wait. He saw a folded paper on his desk, together with some covered plates. He opened the note and read it:

Sasuke,

Sorry for having to go. Your father and Itachi have just arrived, and I can't let them know she's here. Don't worry, I told them you weren't feeling okay, so you can stay in your room. I've brought you up some food for you. The plate with rice soup is for her. We don't know if she will be feeling okay.

Mom

Sasuke felt like laughing. Did his mother honestly think he would feed her or something? He uncovered the two plates. One was a steaming bowl of rice soup. He supposed that that one was for the girl. The other one had a few beef dumplings with miso (2).

He ate the dumplings and the miso. After all, he had been working and he was hungry. When he was finished, he opened the door and left it outside. He then moved his chair beside the bed, and watched the girl. She was certainly beautiful. And hot. And cute. She seemed perfect. He had his own fan club, mostly girls (and some boys, too), but he thought she must have one, too. She probably wasn't from Konoha, and maybe all the boys from her village, or city, or whatever, were all crazy over her. Lost in thought, he didn't notice the girl was stirring. She moaned something incomprehensible. Sasuke looked up, and he met the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Even if they were half opened, you could tell they were green, just like emeralds, or like the leaves of the sakura tree she had been lying under.

"Where…am I?" her voice was dry and raspy.

"Shhh, don't talk right now. I found you unconscious in the middle of a park. I've taken you to my house and I'm taking care of you, okay?"

She nodded. Sasuke went to the bathroom and poured her a glass of water. He helped her drink it. She didn't say anything, but her eyes expressed gratitude. He sat her up. He then asked her.

"What's your name?"

She closed her eyes, concentrating. She was taking her time. Sasuke was starting to get impatient. Was it that difficult? Was asking her name such a complicated question? Her eyes flew open. Then she answered, in a trembling voice:

"I…I don't know."


(1) A hitai-ate is just the headband ninjas wear with the symbol of their village.

(2) Miso is a kind of side dish for Japanese.

What did you think? Please, read and review.

COC