DISCLAIMER : I don't own Naruto

CHAPTER 3 – Friends

"Somebody, help. Please, can anyone hear me? Please…ugh"

She was holding back her tears, from the searing pain.

She kept looking around her as darkness began to fall. Hoping someone would hear her desperate plea.

Time goes by, and she only can hear nothing.

She almost gave up in this filthy mud and was about to close her eye in an attempt to regain her energy a bit, when a faint shout caught her hearing. The sound echoed her name. Once, twice.

"Sakura-Chan!"

"Who's there? Help, I…I'm here. Please…"

And the savior, hearing the faint desperate voice, rushed towards the direction and found her, dirty and filthy in the mud, soaked to her bone in this rain.

His eyes showed that he was panicked, terrified, worried, and angered.

"Don't move! I'm coming to you!"

He climbed the concrete wall of the bridge and run to her, and saw her sprained ankle, bruises and small wound, probably from falling.

"I swear. They really had taken it too far! I'm gonna punched them in the face!"

"Why did you need to bother yourself…with them?"

"Because I promise you that I will protect you, aren't I?"

The rest of the conversation went blurred. She couldn't grasp on what she was talking or what was the boy's words.

His intense gaze bore himself into hers. She was lost of words. She never saw such look from him.

"That eye. I've seen it somewhere…intensed. It's…that guy…"

She gasped. She sat up straight, trying to grasp her speeding breathing. She could felt the cold sweat forming at the brink of her forehead. Sakura glanced around and slowly, put one of her palm on her face, trying to remember what she had just saw now. Was that a dream? She thought, and tried to verify her initial assumption; the faint, fruity smell, the nicely temperature of the room, and the fresh pillow and bed cover which she was sitting comfortably with a nice comforter covering her. True enough, she was having a dream, and a peculiar one, which felt almost as real as it can be. The memory of the dream became fainter, and was replaced with question as to why she was here. She was having a grand party, supposedly to celebrate her first appearance as an heiress. And then…was she being attacked?

"Sakura, you have awakened? Oh, thank goodness!" Mebuki rushed to her daughter when she was opening the door to check her daughter's condition, and saw that Sakura finally regained her consciousness. She enveloped her in a hug, while Sakura was still in this confused state, trying to digest her situation.

"Mom, I'm fine. Really," Sakura told her and softly loosen up the embrace. "What was actually happened, mom?"

"You don't remember what had happened last night?" Mebuki asked with a curious tone in her words.

"I…do. No…well, I mean, I'm not sure. We're having a grand party, and then…" her words trailed-off as she was trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

"You were…attacked. Remember, honey?"

"So…it did happen. I was being…attacked…"

"Thank god, he didn't hurt you anywhere. But why he didn't, that confused me to no end until now, honey," Mebuki told Sakura her own part of curiosity. Sakura wouldn't dare to tell what actually happened, the 'silent attraction' kind-of-thing that occurred, which eventually -actually- put a stop to the assassination process.

"I am thankful too, mom. How's dad taking it?"

"Well, he's…taking it fine, dear. I'm sure he is calmly thinking on how to avoid such crisis in the future right now."

"I hope he is, and not overdoing things," Sakura exclaimed.

"Well, now take a rest, Sakura. You don't need to go to school for today, I know given all the shocked, you probably need some time to feel okay."

"Wait, mom. I think I'm fine, I can go to school. I feel better already."

"But you just had a rough night, honey. Are you sure?" Mebuki can't hide her worrisome tone.

"I am, mom. After all, I have no injury whatsoever, I was just surprised and a little exhausted, but I am better now. Really," she tried her best to convince Mebuki. Mebuki was a little hesitant at first, before finally gave in and give an approval nod.

"Ok then, let me talk it out with your dad first, see what we can do. In the meanwhile, you should get prepared, I'll tell the cook to make you some breakfast. Do you have anything particular in mind?"

"I guess anything simple and a bit light will be fine," Sakura replied with a smile. Mebuki returned the smile and closed the door behind her quietly.

After taking some time to prepare herself, Sakura was walking towards the dining area. But before she even reached the stair to descend to the lower level of the mansion, she was able to faintly overhear her parents' conversation inside her dad's study room. It seemed that her mother probably half-lied to her about her father was taking it fine. Mebuki sounded like trying her best to tone down and talk some sense into Kizashi.

She knew, the outcome of their conversation would result in either her freedom will be retracted or, an alternative, probably weird method to make her go to school, while not being at school or something like that. She strongly suspected the first option to pop-up, so while being a little irritated with her father's over-protectiveness, she was also felt a little saddened that sooner or later, she will be caged in once more. Sakura was unsure whether she would felt happy or terribly frustrated with the treatment. And so, she was waiting quietly while munching down her breakfast. And then, the long-awaited moment came. Her mother makes her way towards her, and taking her place beside her daughter, her expression was as if nothing had happen.

"So, mom. Dad…what did he says?" After a moment of silence, she asked to ease away the awkwardness she felt between them. Her mom look a little bit surprised, but she did anticipate that.

"Well, I guess there is no hiding the truth here, isn't it." Mebuki let out a small sigh before looking straight into her daughter's eyes, serious but assuring. "It was a hard bargain, honey, but everything's fine. You can continue going to school, although I suspect that your dad would try his hardest in protecting you."

Hearing it didn't put Sakura's mind at a complete ease. Now she needs to worry (a bit) of what her father's intention would be. "Well, I guess that was way better than spending my days like some damsel in distress." Mebuki laugh a bit at her daughter's preferences. Never had she thought that Sakura can be like this. Probably being in the outside world had begun to rub off some good energy to her and shaped her character. For this, Mebuki felt a little grateful.

"So it seems, honey. I am really happy to see that you finally talk what you really felt just now," Mebuki gets a little teary stating this.

"Mom," Sakura said softly, upon realizing that she being a bit too…'talkative' a moment ago, huffing a little and gave her mother a little smile. Mebuki quickly wipe away her tears and seems to be filled with 'want-to-pry-it-out-of-her' expression in her eyes. "Now, tell me. How was it your experience in school so far? Was it fun? Did you manage to have a crush? Maybe two?"

"Mom!" Sakura now officially surprised and a bit embarrassed. If Mebuki was surprised to see her daughter's change of attitude, so did Sakura. She had never thought that her mom was this kind of person. Well, not that she dislike it whatsoever, it was just it caught her bit off-guard and all.

Mebuki laughed seeing how her daughter's face flushed. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, dear. It seems my eagerness had gone way over my head. It's just, I am really happy to see you change, Sakura. And don't hold back anything anymore. Tell me, your dad, and everyone of your complaints, your thoughts, anything. Don't keep it to yourself anymore. And, I want you to make friends, and lots of it. Promise, me, okay?"

"I promised. Thank you mom, I couldn't ask for anyone better as my mom."

"My child really has grown up." Mebuki gets all teary again. "But seriously, Sakura. Not even one lover?"

"Mom!"

"Alright class, that's it for today. Now, make sure you submit those quadratic function homework by tomorrow morning, and to Kiba and Shino, no virtual homework, telepathic homework whatsoever for the millionth times."

"Aww, man, you are as boring as ever, Kaka-sensei." Kiba retorted.

"Thank you for that compliment. Now, class dismissed." The bored-looking teacher, Hatake Kakashi, went out of the classroom in a leisurely pace.

"Well, what should we have today for break? Should we went to the café and buy something?" Tenten asked the group of the usual girls.

"I'm having bento for today," said Hinata, showing her pack of boxed lunch.

"Wow, that's quite a lot for you alone, Hinata." Tenten gave a look at the pack.

"Well…yeah, today I supposed to give half of it to Nii-san, but he already refused it this morning, showing his own store-bought lunch."

"Well, then, that settles it. How about I took the other half for you? It would be a waste and from what I see, there was no way for you to finish it all alone."

"Okay."

"Ino, what about you?"

"Well, it seems that would leave me the only one to go to the café and buy something. But before that…" Ino turned around and faced Sakura who was busy putting away her books and stationery.

"Hey, Sakura. Would you like to join us?"

Hearing her name was being mentioned; she was a bit surprised and looks up. Ino was standing a few feet away from her table, looking at her with a smile and had a little hopeful expression. For a moment, Sakura was still and trying to process the invitation. Seeing Sakura was being a little stiff, Ino laughed a bit and continued, "Well, I don't think that you need to be that way, Sakura. It's going to make mixed impressions for the people around you. You can only say yes to this situation." Ino even make a somewhat funny gesture, something like when a teacher was trying to state the fact firmly, in hoped that that would ease the stress away a bit.

Forceful and straightforward. A piece of Ino's image began to reappear in her mind. Was she Ino? It seems like her. From the way she talked. She then remembered her promise to her mother this morning. It was kinda funny to her, like her mother was having some sort of psychic power and had insight for events that was happening to her today.

"Well, is it…okay to you guys? I…won't be a bother?"

They were like hitting a jackpot or something. The girls were like, overly eager - in their own way - since this was practically the first time they had such conversation with her. Seeing her respond, Ino was relieved. Sakura was still Sakura, in a way. She had to admit, she really missed that girl, her best friend. Ino gave a happy laugh hearing what Sakura just say and immediately answered it, "Of course you won't be a bother, Sakura. Why would you be? We actually would love to have your company. It will be boring if you just stay put and not mingling around. Well then, what are we waiting for? To the usual spot! Let's go, Sakura." Ino, held out her hand. Another flashback of her memory of Ino came. Same gesture, same expression, only smaller. Now Sakura was very sure of it. She just got her best friend back. The same was felt by the blond girl.

Back at Haruno's Mansion…

"This won't do. I thought, they had stopped, I thought they had been caught every last one of them. Why now?" Kizashi was contemplating, monologue to himself. His hand reached to the phone, but stopped a few inches from it, shaking hard. He had promised, not only to his wife, to Sakura, but to himself as well, that he will do his best in protecting them, and getting out of his own fear. He didn't have the heart to call the school, and gave another hard time to his family. Enough was enough. He needed to find another way, to keep away those attackers from his family. But how?

An idea came, and he quickly dialed the number he had in mind. A trusted connection that could provide him with what he need.

- The End -