Five years old, eyes wide as the sky and innocent as the angels who live there. At least, that's what Sakura was. She was tiny and pink, fluffy and adorable. She was doted on and loved. She had the perfect life, like a little princess. She had a father who worked hard and always had time for his little girl and a mother who was there for her and getting into the local education system. She got most of what she wanted and everything she needed. Her life was simple and wonderful and never ever would it be upset. It was stable. Her biggest worries were her lunch when her mother took her on a pick-nick to the park one sunny Friday morning.

She pulled at her mothers skirts, begging to know what the blond haired woman's plan was. Said lady smiled and laughed and held the basket just high enough to be out of the child's reach, saying words of teasing comfort. Finally, in a last ditch effort to see the contents of her mother's box, the little girl threw herself at the adult, who feigned surprise and rolled onto the grass, careful to keep the wicker weave away from her daughter's prying fingers. In a tumble of dust, grass, and joy they rolled around for a few minutes, laughter booming in bell-like peals from the little girl as the blond abandoned the basket in favor of tickling her daughter to death.

What seemed like only seconds later they were seated on the thick blanket that burst from the weave, food laid out before them. Sakura munched happily on her sandwich, tuna fish with sweet relish and melted cheddar, while her mother fixed herself a large salad. Before the woman had even taken a bite her cell phone rang and with an annoyed 'humph' sound the blond got up and moved away, reminding the pinkette not to talk to strangers. On the other side of the tree that shaded the small pick-nick she pulled out the offending machine and turned off the ringer, moving the speaker to her ear.

Sakura always did what she was told. She would never talk to strangers because she was a good girl and she always behaved herself. Her emerald eyes were watchful as she downed another large bite of her sandwich, taking in the tantalizing flavors of a mothers tuna melt. She nearly chocked when a bright voice behind her piped up. She whirled, hair like a large sash of pink fabric swinging in waves around her shoulders.

"Wha'cha eatin'?" Asked the blond boy, eyes clear and blue with his funny sounding accent. She turned up her nose at the boy squabbling in the dirt. His jeans were ragged and torn up in several places, his shirt had holes and stains. His hair was matted, though fairly clean. Scars slashed his cheekbones under small sapphire eyes set into dark tan. Or maybe that was the dirt.

"I'm not talkin' to strangers. Momma says no." She insisted, already turning away from the new boy. He was a stranger, and not to be trusted. She knew that very well. Sakura always payed attention. But to her wild shock the boy appeared on her other side, bare mud caked feet on her quilt and dirty hands poking at the covered basket.

"Got neethin' extra?" He asked with a kind-hearted grin. Sakura's eyes were wide as saucers with outrage and embarrassment. What was he doing?

In a fury and panicked state the pink haired girl grabbed his dark wrists before he could open her mothers box and flung him away, feeling his greasy-sandpaper skin against her delicate palms. "Don't touch that!" She yelled at him, high pitched voice alarmed and angry. But the boy took it all in stride, smiling easy at her from the corner of the blanket where his dirty rump had landed after her outburst.

"Sorry. Not gonna do 'gain. Just got no food." She blinked at him and he turned his attention from her to a figure approaching over her shoulder. The little pink hairs on her neck stood up and she wondered if her mom was going to yell at the little boy for getting her blanket so icky and brown. But the voice was not her mothers, it wasn't even adult. It was the voice of another little boy.

"Naruto, don't bother girls." came a scowling voice. Sakura turned to look over her shoulder, fearing the worst. Another dirty wild child or a monster. But it was neither. It was a boy. A beautiful boy. He had dark hair that stuck up near the back and swept forward with grace, falling into flat black eyes set into pale features. He wore buttons and rich clothes. Rich boy. He was a rich boy.

It was funny that they were all there, gathered at the edge of her mothers yellow blanket. The street urchin with his dirt covered features, the rich boy who somehow knew the other boy's name, and her. Sakura was somewhere in the middle, not swimming in green, but not living on the streets. And her eyes were big and widely focused on the boy behind her in shock. He gave her a disdainful look, already mastered at age six. He was already a stuck up money filled bastard and it almost made Sakura sad, or it would have if she had known. Instead she just stared.

"Why?" Whined the blond beaten boy, dragging the word out long and high to give it the correct importance. Honestly curious he bent and grabbed Sakura by the arm, clutching to his new 'friend' like a life line and sticking out a little tongue to the other boy. She was too surprised to complain as he got her red tee-shirt soiled with dirt that chipped off his wrists and dusted her denim skirt. The side he had grabbed was now thinly layered in filth, not that she had the time to mention it as the darker boy with pale features spoke.

"Girls are gross. Don't you know that?"

Sakura's jaw dropped, forming a little 'o' and her eyes grew fiery. With a poisonous green glare she hissed back at the other boy, ignoring the clinging Naruto. "I'm not gross." she insisted fuming. "I'm Sakura."

"Named after a flower." Snorted the other boy, turning a pointed nose up at her, "Weak like a flower." She opened her mouth to protest when her blond leech interrupted her.

"Oi, Teme, no i'sult Sakura-chan." The boy said, letting go of her arm. Sakura realized as the feeling came back that he had been holding on harder then she thought. With an annoyed glance she tried to move away, but Naruto had transferred himself until he was almost in her lap, craning his neck around her body to see the other boy better, and the little girl could not wiggle free. The dark haired boy looked on, his stuffy face suddenly relaxed. He looked on at the way the blond was so free with something like jealousy and reverence, but the looks was quickly gone. Sakura wasn't even sure she saw it. He was back to glares and brooding.

"Why are you liking her so much anyway?" complained the pale boy, shifting his weight from one relaxed stance to another. He glared pointedly down his nose, but it had lost some of its fire, more whinny than disdainful.

"Cuz I'm better then you." She shot back before Naruto could answer. The dirty boy made sounds of protest though, and slid carefully away from the girl. His eyes were pleading and wide, blue and sparkly.

"Naw, Sasuke-teme is be'n me bestest friend fer ever 'nd ever. He bringin' me food lots n' I get a kid to talkin' to." The blond insisted quickly, causing Sakura to blink. She had to think about his words carefully before she understood them. His strange and uncultured cadence confused her. Sasuke, who was the dark haired boy, made a sound of exasperation before explaining further.

"Naruto is my friend. I come every day to make sure he is okay and so we can play."

Sakura was impressed, and her cheeks warmed slightly as she looked on him with new eyes. His stance was guarded, not unfriendly. His eyes were protective, not angry. His voice was worried, not disdainful. And her admiration grew for the boy. Naruto interrupted her thoughts though, his brazen voice speaking in a round about way that forced her to focus.

"Sakura-chan, you gonna pl'y wit us ov'r there by them forts?" He begged, grimy fingers tugging her clothes in the general direction of the large play structure in the middle of a patch of sand. Before she knew it his hands had lifted her up and thrown her off balance, and as she whipped her arms around to steady herself another arm appeared on her elbow. Sasuke stopped her from falling.

"Don't knock her over." He commanded. He looked annoyed. Before she could assure Sasuke that she was fine or insist that she ask her mother first the blond of the group had her over at the edge to the sand pit. With a cry of joy he pulled her into the shadows below the wood fort, dodging other kids their age. Sakura quickly found herself relying on her new friend for guidance through the running children. She couldn't see Sasuke anywhere, she could barely find the blond mop of grease in front of her.

And then she was laughing. And Sasuke was on her other side, eyes rolling and mouth twitching into a tiny grin. His hand found her other one and they ran in a line through the crowd of children, Sakura and Naruto laughing with a smirking Sasuke not far behind. Sakura met some new friends, colors of all kinds flying over her eyes as Naruto greeted children who came to that park often by name and they called back to him.

For ten minutes they ran like that before her mother found her. With frightened anger in her cool green gaze she told off her daughter, who stared back in shock like all little children do. It was a week before she was allowed to go to the park again, and she was overjoyed when she found Naruto and Sasuke sitting in a patch of grass waiting for her. Naruto demanded to know where she went and Sasuke rolled his eyes and told her off for being gone. And she never missed a play time at the park again, her boys would be upset if she did.

On her sixteenth birthday she demanded they throw a private party, just the three of them, at that park at midnight. By then she knew that Naruto never really had a home or a blood family. She was there when Sasuke's parents divorced and his brother died. She knew her family was so tame, she knew there were evils outside the walls of her bedroom that she could never get rid of. But on her sixteenth birthday she told them she was their family. Naruto was speechless for once and strangely enough it was stoic Sasuke that responded, annoyed.

"You didn't know that? Tch."