My thanks to my beta, PeinSaku. :)

Innocence

Once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl.
The boy wanted a friend.
The girl wanted love.
..But life is never fair.
Everything comes at a price,
And once you pay it, you can never get it back...

Two years have passed since that incident. It has been twenty-four months since Sakura cut off her ties with Naruto. Many things have happened since then. In the span of these two years, Sakura has made friends. She has bonded with these people and shared happy memories together. Nothing would be able to break their friendship with her...or so she thought.

An eight-year-old girl with rose pink tresses skipped into the playground, wanting to tell her friends about an epiphany that she'd had. She grinned as she saw her playmates.

She yelled to them in excitement, "Hey guys! Guess what? Yesterday, I met a really cute boy! I think I like him!" She giggled. "Can you g-"

"Is it Sasuke again?" asked a brown haired boy warily.

Sakura blinked in surprise. "H-how did you know?"

One of the girls (who wasn't affected by Sasuke's charms) snorted.

"Are you that dense?" she harshly asked. "Almost every girl in the village likes Sasuke. It wouldn't surprise me if you become one of his single-minded stalkers..."

"H-hey!" she defended weakly.

"Ne, Sakura-san."

"Yeah? " She turned to one of her nicer friends.

"Ino-chan likes Sasuke, too. If you like Sasuke, does that mean that you and Ino-chan would compete for his feelings?"

This question caught the others' attention.

"Yeah, Sakura, what would you and Ino do?"

Pink eyebrows furrowed. That thought had never occurred to her.

"Well, Hana-chan..."

"Hey, Ino!" greeted the same boy who interrupted her earlier.

The blonde smiled in their direction and walked towards them.

"Hey!"

Then, she noticed Sakura's expression. "Hey, Sakura! What's wrong?"

"Sakura-san likes Sasuke too, Ino-chan...," informed Hana.

"Oh..."

Looking back at her jade-eyed friend, she said, "Well, that's fi—"

"No, it isn't!" she burst out.

"Sakura-chan?" Ino asked in surprise.

"Sasuke-kun is just going to like one of us. He can't like two people at the same time..."

"That's alright, we can share ideas on how to get his attention.."

"You don't get it! He can only like one of us!"

"What do you mean Sakura-chan?" Tears welled up in Ino's bright cerulean eyes.

"I mean that if he likes me, h—"

"That's enough!" cried out the brown-haired boy.

"Ichiro-kun, I—"

"You've been bugging us the whole year! We're fed up with you, Forehead!"

"B-but.."

"And then there's your stuttering! Who are you? That Hyuuga girl?"

"I—"

"Oh, shut up," one of the girls snapped. "You've already made Ino-chan cry. Just get out!"

Sakura stood there in shock. She didn't mean to make Ino cry. She knew that they were comforting the blonde, but shouldn't someone care about her? Weren't they her friends, too?

Looking at the sniffling blonde, she called out an apology.

"Gomenasai, Ino-chan...," she said quietly.

The blonde nodded but didn't look at her.

"Just leave, Sakura-san," Hana murmured, not wanting any more conflict.

And with that said, Sakura left, her tiny feet carrying her out of the playground.

A blond boy walked out of the Academy with his sensei at a leisurely pace, talking about the different exotic flavors of ramen. He chatted with his teacher animatedly, making exaggerated hand gestures, and Iruka laughed at his student's obsession, mirth shining in his eyes. Who knew how funny Naruto's description of noodles could be?

"Today, Sensei, I think I'm gonna get the miso ramen. It has the right amount of saltiness, and the soy adds such an awesome flavor! Actually, I heard that it's kinda healthy too...so if I eat miso ramen, can I stop eating vegetables, Iruka-sensei?"

The academy teacher looked down at his student, observing the boy's look of mischief and childish hope. Though frustrated by his careless attitude (as seen in class), he had to suppress a smile.

Putting on a straight face, he thought of a simple and concise reply. "No."

Naruto stared. "…So if I eat the vegetable ramen, can I not eat the vegetables yougive me?"

Iruka laughed. "Am I that bad of a cook, Naruto?"

Naruto pulled a face, making his mentor laugh harder. He sidestepped a puddle and snickered. He liked having these conversations with his sensei.

A rose-haired girl ran through the streets, drops of tears streaming down her face. Pink bangs covered her eyes as she evaded several civilians and vendors.

Hot tears blurred her vision, but she hastily wiped them away. Running faster, she gasped as she bumped into someone. She yelped and fell backwards.

"Are you alright?" asked a slightly monotonous voice.

She looked up and saw onyx eyes glance down at her in concern.

"H-hai." A hand extended to help her up.

She took it gratefully. She glanced at the face of individual helping her. He looked quite familiar...

"Aniki! Aniki! You promised that I could train with you today! Hurry up!"

A hint of a smile graced Itachi's face as he glanced behind him, responding to his little brother. "Be patient, Sasuke."

Sakura's eyes widened in realization, her face burning in mortification. She'd bumped into Sasuke-kun's brother. Oh, no. She'd bumped into his brother. What would he think of her? She wouldn't be able to bear it if he started to hate her. She hurriedly murmured an apology towards the older brother.

Not wanting to humiliate herself any longer, she ran away. Again.

Sasuke watched, bemused, as his pink-haired classmate darted off. Why was his brother talking to her anyway? Did she want training from him, too? Glancing at the pink blur that was swiftly making her way, he mentally shrugged. Oh, well.

He turned to his brother. "Can I train with you now?"

Itachi raised a brow and smirked, poking his little brother on the forehead. "Patience, otouto."

"Hey! Sasuke! Sasuke!" Itachi saw the kyubi jinchuriki call.

He smirked in amusement, observing his younger brother blatantly ignore his loud classmate.

"Heeey! Sasuke, stop ignoring me!"

Said person finally looked back at the blond boy and demanded, "What do you want, dobe?"

"Teme!" Naruto retaliated as he scampered toward him.

Iruka sighed, walking at a slower pace, and nodded at his student's elder brother. "Itachi-san."

Itachi inclined his head in his direction. "Iruka-san."

"I'm sorry for Naruto's rudeness, Itachi-san."

The Uchiha prodigy eyed the blue-eyed boy bickering with his brother. "I apologize for Sasuke's behavior, as well."

The sensei smiled. "Of course, Itachi-san."

Sakura decided that this was her worst day ever. This called for a short cut, if ever one was needed.

It can't get any worse than this, she thought gloomily.

Sakura had never been more wrong in her life.

Several hasty steps later, a familiar, quaint little house appeared within her vision. She let out a breath of relief. She couldn't remember ever being so happy to be home.

She sighed sadly, recalling the day's events as she reached for a key in her pocket. Staring at the smooth oak door, she placed the key in the knob only to find it unlocked. She stared at it, puzzled. Kaa-chan and Tou-chan always locked the door.

The pale rose-haired girl mentally shrugged. They probably just forgot.

No sooner had that thought crossed her mind, a blood-curling scream echoed throughout the house. She froze. Kaa-chan? The paralysis wore off as quickly as it had started. She bolted through the door, immediately regretting it the moment she came inside.

A metallic scent invaded her senses. Blood was splattered all over the walls and floor. Her mother's dead corpse lay at her feet, glassy unseeing eyes staring at nothing.

Sakura paled. It took all her will not to just throw up and desecrate her mother's body. She sank down on her knees.

All of a sudden, a mixture of fear, loss, and horror shot through her as her mind began to comprehend the gruesome events that had just occurred.

Tears ran down her ashen face as she gently closed the eyes of her mother. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps as hyperventilation settled in. She closed her eyes tight, murmuring to herself that this was a nightmare.

*crash*

Terrified emerald eyes peaked open as she heard glass shatter. Shakily, she stood and headed towards the direction of the noise. Some sense came into her, and she grabbed a porcelain vase to use a weapon, gripping it tight as she prepared to throw it at the murderer.

Puffy eyes flickered to where shadows moved and watched as a figure stumbled. Her eyes widened, and she rushed forward to help the man.

"Tou-chan!" she half-whispered.

Her father's eyes met hers and grew wide; he winced as blood streamed down his head.

"Run, Sakura-chan!" he urged as quietly as he possibly could. "Hurry, hide!"

A sadistic chuckle resonated throughout the room as another person appeared.

"Well, well…Who's this, Tsuro?"

Tsuro stiffened. His eyes pleaded with her to run, to get to safety.

"That's rude, Tsuro. After all we've been through, you still ignore me?"

The menacing voice grew harsher.

"Maybe, if the girl…."

"No…please," her father begged.

"Oh?" A knife whizzed by and cut her cheek, blood trailing down her face and mingling with her tears. She let out a pained gasp.

"Tou-chan…"

"So, she's your daughter?" The shadowed man made a disapproving sound as if reprimanding a child.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsuro-baka, you should know not to keep secrets from your best friend…"

Tsuro raised his eyes to look at the taunting male.

"Please….spare her….please…."

"Now, why would I do that?" he mocked.

"…I was your friend once, please do me this favor..."

The desperate father's words were barely audible.

Silence ensued for a moment, and for that moment, the killer thought about it.

"…You—"

"No."

The man who Sakura's father once called his friend slowly approached, savoring the terror in the air. His hand was posed at the ready, raised as if preparing for a strike. A glint of light revealed itself.

Sakura was confused. What was he going to do? She felt uneasy as dread pooled in her stomach.

And then, it occurred her that she was going to die.

Her life would end in one precise stroke. She closed her eyes tight. She hoped it happened fast.

She fell. Something had hit her, and the force knocked her down. It took her a moment to realize that she was still alive. Still breathing. She looked to see what had been thrown against her.

She regretted the action. It wasn't a what. It was a who. Nothing was thrown. It was to protect, not to harm. Her father was staring at her with sightless eyes, a knife impaled in his stomach.

Sakura screamed.

She saw the light leaving his eyes. Her father was dying trying to protect her.

"…Sa…ku…ra…," her father whispered hoarsely. "…Run…."

His eyes, eyes that once shone with life and joy, finally closed. Sakura watched, tears once again trailing down her cheeks as the life escaped her father. She gently pulled out the bloody knife.

"...Tou-chan…Tou-chan…"

She refused to believe it. He wasn't dead. He wasn't. No, he was just sleeping. This is all just an elaborate, cruel joke.

"Well, isn't that sweet?" A cold smirk appeared on the face of the intruder. "You haven't changed, Tsuro-baka…"

Sakura watched him mock her dead father. The one who sacrificed his life for her. She looked at his face — the murderer's face. She saw cold satisfaction. Mockery.

Rage surged within her. Not the hot rage with which you lose control of every action, but the cold rage with which every move is calculated.

She slowly stood up.

"Aw, isn't she a brave one?"

She hated that voice, wanted it to just shut up. Her eyes scanned the room, for anything, anything at all.

The broken vase she dropped earlier. A picture frame on the table. The bloody knife, laying on the floor beside her father.

A plan formed in her mind. She turned to the broken vase reaching to gather the little pieces, looking as if she was desperate to put everything back together, to put her life back together.

He chuckled. "What are you doing, little girl? Sakura-chan, is it?"

He reached for her chin, yanking her face upwards. With a screech, the red-stained pink-haired girl threw the broken pieces of the porcelain vase at his face.

"Argghh!" the apprehender screamed. "Why you little…."

Blood covered his vision, and the next thing he knew, a picture frame hit him squarely in the head, disorienting him for a moment.

A moment was all little Sakura needed. Adrenalin surged through her veins as she ran towards her father and grabbed the blood-coated dagger. Without a second thought, she threw it in the direction of her parents' killer and watched as the weapon impaled itself within its owner's body.

Her father's once best friend glared at her as his body slumped on the floor, his last breath leaving him.

Sakura watched with cold eyes.

A few moments later, everything hit her at once, as if she was only now registering what had happened. She sat on the floor and hugged her father's body, crying for all that she'd done and all that she'd lost.

She'd killed someone. She'd taken away a person's life.

Sakura didn't know what to do anymore, and so she buried her head into her father's bloody chest, waiting to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

Naruto and Sasuke were walking and bickering with one another, their companions trailing behind them. The route they were taking passed by a familiar quaint little house.

"Teme, let's eat ramen!"

"No, it's unhealthy.

"Says you."

"Yes, says me." He smirked.

"Te—"

"Ahhh!"

They all looked around, wondering where the scream had come from. Itachi, as an ANBU, immediately located the source of disturbance and urged for his little brother to stay safe while he investigated the situation.

"Iruk—"

"Sakura-chan!"

Naruto ran screaming. He knew that house. He knew that voice. He knew that she was in trouble.

"Sakura-chan!" He hurtled inside, his panic rendering him blind to the blood-splattered walls — to anything but her.

"Sakura-chan!" He made for the next room. "Saku—"

The crimson-drenched girl looked up as she heard a frantic voice. He glanced at her blood-soaked clothing.

"…Naruto."

"Sakura-chan!" He bent forward and hugged her, trying to figure out what had happened to her.

She cried into his shirt. "Naruto…."

"I'm here. I'm here."

Note:

Words that you should know:

Ne- like a Japanese "umm…"

Gomenasai- Sorry.

Hai- Yes.

Aniki/nii-san- Older brother

Kyubi- nine-tails

Kaa-chan- Mother

Tou-chan- Father

Baka- stupid

Teme and dobe- insults which you might be better off not knowing.

*Sakura's father's name is Tsuro, which means vine. Just in case you're wondering.

Please review. :)