02.

Late Thursday afternoon, Sakura trailed down a moss-cracked sidewalk passing countless bars and stores, most owned by druggies and drunks. She soon reached where she needed to go–a drug store owned by a pervert named Jiraiya. This drug store also happened to be the one Naruto worked at. As she opened the store door with a creek, she spotted Shikamaru. His spiky hair was tied on top of his head and his eyes looked bored and uninterested. He leaned over the cashier countertop, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. "Where is Naruto?" Sakura asked, walking up to him.

"The back," He said nonchalantly, the cigarette in his mouth making his voice sound muffled. His finger traced over the countertop drawing what seemed to be an imaginary cloud on it.

"Can you go get him?" He let out a sigh, leaning back against a shelf before shaking his head.

"Lazy as ever," She grumbled. Shikamaru was around her age, in the same grade, and went to the same school. He slept most of his classes and failed almost all of them. The only thing he seemed interested in was drugs. He was best known for the weed he planted. He was also the go-to guy you get 'the good stuff from. She guessed the only reason he worked at this shitty place was due to Naruto and so he could get free chips for his friend, Choji. Sakura gave him an eye roll before walking to the back, ignoring the 'employees only' sign. The back held many unopened boxes, many she guessed were held with liquor of some sort. She found Naruto and his perverted boss sitting in a small corner holding a magazine full of nude women. "Look at the honkers on this one, kid!"

Naruto turned his head from his magazine to Jiraya's before shaking his head and grinning, "Nah. This girl who works at one of those handy hooker places has bigger."

Jiraiya looked down at the women once more before letting out a long 'hm.'

"You're both disgusting," Sakura hisses, grabbing the magazines out of Naruto's hand. He looked at her startled. "Hey!" He paused, realizing it was her. "Oh. Uh, when did you get here Sakura?"

Sakura ignores his question, tossing the magazine on the lone desk there, only to find pages from other magazines of women ripped and taped onto the wall above. Her eyes found an accruing factor among the women. "Why are most of them blonde?" She asked, disgustedly.

Naruto stood next to her, shifting his head to the side. "Shikamaru likes blondes," he shrugged.

"I do as well," Jiraya pitched in a chippy voice. "You know, there was this firecracker blonde I went to school with. 106cm of pure beauty. Your beauty of a friend here has many similarities."

Sakura groaned, watching Naruto's eyes skim over her chest. "There are many differences too."

Idiot. Sakura grabbed Naruto by his ear, the sound of his protest and yelps of slight pain was music to her ears after that smart comment. She dragged him outside into the humid air of June. The city buzzed with noises of trains, construction, and an annoying alarm of a car. Night was brewing, and stars were starting to come visible in the sky. Once she released his ear, he started to rub it and grumble about how rude her assault was. He stumbled a bit making her guess he might be a bit tipsy or at least smoked something not too long ago. "Now can you tell me why you are here?"

"I need to know where Sasuke is."

He rolled his eyes, leaning against the window of the store. "You couldn't wait till Friday night to see your dear Sasuke."

"No, Karin wants me to talk to him." It would be a lie if she didn't say she wanted to talk to him too, but Naruto didn't need to know that. "Now, where is he?"

Naruto let out a huff. "I know a few places. Sasuke is like a snake; he is all over the place, sometimes even under your boot."

"Naruto you make no sense." She tried again, "Seriously, where is he?"

"Hm, let me think." Sakura watched Naruto trace his mind. He scraped his foot over the sidewalk, eyes on a small pebble on the ground. "Well, the only place I could imagine him being is that run-down park. You know, the one with that statue that people draw di-"

"Yes, I know what they draw on it," Sakura rolled her eyes. "And I also know the park." She quickly patted his arm and gave him a quick 'thank you' before she broke out in a sprint. She heard his snickers as she hurriedly left. Sakura ran, legs pumping while her mid-length hair blew in her face. She knew this park as it was one of the first places she went to when she moved to the South. Her father had taken her in an attempt to show her that this place wasn't that bad. However, it only proved him wrong. She wondered why Sasuke regularly went to this park. She felt a bit giddy knowing that she would see him in a place other than the rooftop, and she also felt like she discovered, or rather Naruto gave her a piece to the puzzle that was Sasuke.

Sakura quickly turned the block, almost tripping over a homeless man and then almost getting hit by a car when she crossed the street that led her to the entrance of the park. The park was as she remembered, if possible even worse. She had hoped that since Sasuke went there regularly that maybe the park had got some funds in it and it had improved, however obviously that wasn't the case. Sakura took in the smell of garbage and the sight of graffiti. There in its glory lied the statue Naruto spoke of, Sakura shakes her head with a slight smile, spotting what was painted on it. Sakura then starts to swiftly move across the lawn searching for Sasuke.

When Sakura turns a right she finally spots the familiar raven black hair of Sasuke poking from a bench overlooking a dirty pond. She fixed her hair which was all tangled from the wind before walking over to the bench. She was unsure what to exactly say or how to say it, however, she didn't care. Before she was able to speak, Sasuke's head turned, his eyebrows knitted with confusion at the sight of her. Sakura lets out a nervous sign, sitting next to him on the crummy bench. Very romantic, she thought. However, this was the status of romance here. She wanted to laugh at that, however, with Sasuke's eyes burning into her, the laughter boiling in her stomach quickly retreats.

"Interesting scenery." Sakura tries to break the awkwardness, however, she ends up sounding more awkward. Sasuke scowls, "Why are you here, Sakura?"

"Why come here?" She asks, ignoring his and carrying genuine curiosity in her question. Sasuke's eyes change from being glued to her to then being glued to the ground. He is quiet for a moment. She wonders if he will tell her. Even on the rooftop, Sasuke did little sharing, so she wouldn't be surprised. Maybe he only came to this park cause he was bored, or maybe–

"I used to come here with someone," He paused, taking the place in. "Back then, the place was nicer," He says simply and sadly. "That's gone too though."

Sakura stared at him, her teeth resting on her lip as she took in his words. She wondered who this someone was and how they had such an effect on him. Maybe a friend, a past lover? When she got here, many years ago, this place was still a dump. It made her wonder how long ago he had come here with that person. Also, what had he meant by 'gone too?' So many questions and thoughts ran through her mind, all about to spill from her lip when he again asked the question, "Why are you here?"

"Karin," The name tenses his body with annoyance and disgust. She smiled slightly at that. "She needs you to get your fancy, expensive alcohol by tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?" He sighs. "I can't."

"Why?" She questioned

"Naruto. The loser is going on a business run with his boss. I need him for the runs. Without him, I can't get it," Sasuke let out a huff, raking his fingers through his inky hair. "Well, why do you need him? What does he do to help you?"

"He distracts." When Sakura gives him a confused look he adds, "He distracts the people while I get the alcohol and load it up."

"You steal it?" He chuckles darkly at that. "Hm"

A dark thought crept into her brain. "What kind of distractions does he do?"

"Whatever he has to do. Create a scene. Joke with people. Flirt. Whatever," Sasuke said, confused about what she was getting at. Sakura considered this, considering what she was about to offer. What would happen if she got caught?

"I'll do it." This way Karin would be happy, and Sasuke wouldn't get in trouble with the Sound. And lastly, she could spend some time with him.

Sasuke stood up in an attempt to flee. "No."

Sakura stood quickly grabbing his long arm in an attempt to stop him from leaving. "Listen, Sasuke. I'm smart, you know that. I can do it and this way you'll make your gang or whatever happy. And besides, if you are worried about money, you don't have to pay me to help you."

Sasuke stared at her for a long second, not budging. "I can do it, Sasuke."

"If you're caught, your chances to get into that college will be gone," Sasuke murmured. Sakura looked at him stubbornly. Why would he even care? And besides she didn't even know if she would be able to go there, to begin with, and she trusted that she wouldn't get caught. "Naruto and you never got caught."

"We know what we are doing, you don't."

A sudden raging passion filled her stomach. There was one thing she hated and that was being underestimated. "Just because I have lived here less than you doesn't mean I am less South Side trash than you. I know that I hate the fact that my life is here, but I'm not some Northsider who never stole a candy bar. I can do this. Plus I'm good at talking. So don't underestimate me, Sasuke."

Sasuke listened to every word that spilled from her mouth, he stared at her for a long minute. "You're annoying."

Sakura was caught off guard by the statement, she stared at him with wide eyes. "Fine I'll let you help me. If you mess up, you better be able to run. Meet at the rooftop tomorrow at 4:30. On the dot, no later." He started to walk away with his hands in his pocket before he turned his head abruptly. "Wear something nice."

Sakura smiled with confusion. "Like a dress?"

"Yes, an expensive one." Then he left. Sakura watched him go with a sort of wonder in her eyes. She ignored the fact that she was going to commit a crime and that she needed an expensive dress when she had no money. All that mattered was that she needed to prove she could do this. To him. To herself.

The next morning Sakura found herself setting a plan for the day as she grabbed clothes that had been thrown carelessly on the ground of her bathroom, quickly stuffing them in the laundry stack before heading to her room. Her room was as small as a closet, only big enough for a bed. A single large window was at the side of her bed that, if opened, led to a staircase to the other apartments below. Due to how small her room was, she was forced to crawl onto her bed to get to her closet. She yanked a burgundy tank top off one of the metal racks before putting it over a bra that had the wire poking out of the side. She cringed at the tag of the tank top scratching her back. She slipped into a pair of shorts and then walked back to the bathroom searching the cabinet. "Dad! Where is the deodorant?" Sakura frowned at no reply.

Sakura stalked her way to her living room to find her father sleeping on the couch, bottles of beer on the coffee table. She groaned, grabbing a garbage bag and tossing the bottles into there. Noticing the small remains of beer in one of them, she threw the liquid onto her father. He snapped away letting out a hiss at the sudden wetness. "Sakura?"

"Deodorant?"

"Uh, forgot. Didn't buy none," He rubbed his head, eyes glassy with confusion about his surroundings. Sakura bit her lip as she gave him a glass of water and a few pills before she slapped down a few bills on the table. "For the electric bill."

"We have to pay that already?" He grabbed the pills ignoring the water. Sakura used the fridge as a mirror as she ran her fingers in her hair to straighten her flyaways. "Yeah, Kurenai reminded me. Did mom get a new job? I heard her get up this morning."

"Yeah, some Bartender job, I think. Hell, maybe we can start paying her credit card debt off this way," Her father grinned, sitting up. Sakura doubted that since her mother never kept a job for too long. Usually getting fired or quitting. Then after, Sakura would find her sobbing about how sorry she was before getting drunk with her father. After they lost everything three years ago and moved here, her father soon fell into an addiction to medications and of course alcohol. She knew once they came here they lost hope, this place wrung them out of everything they had. It left them in a shell of the former people they were.

Sakura gave her father a farewell before heading outside and rushing down the stairs of her apartment building. On her way to the subway station she passes two drunk men fighting under a train bridge, the distance 'fuck you, pig' follows her as she makes her way to buy her ticket. Digging through every pocket of her pants for spare change, she finds a quarter on the ground giving her just enough. She made a mental note that she would need to borrow deodorant and some money for her way back. Sakura stares out the window of her cart, watching as the view of the South Side fades into the horizon of city buildings. She soon reached where she needed to go. This part of the city was where she used to live and it also happened to be the place her best friend lived. Her friend's house felt bigger than she remembered, a house above a popular flower shop in which her friend's parents also owned. This was the plan Sakura had come up with to get an expensive dress.

Walking into the shop, the smell of flowers sends Sakura in a slight daze. It was a drastic change from what she was used to. The place was well kept and as she took in the vibrant colors of flowers, she realized the dullness she had lived in for the past few years. She could tell a good amount of money was put in this place to keep it nice. The tile floors were a tan color and the walls were an eggshell white, vines hung overhead while fans spun on the ceiling of the shop. Sakura noticed a particularly beautiful pink flower. She traced her thumb and index finger over the light waterdrop of a petal, breathing in the floral air. Finally, she went over to the countertop that held an older lady behind it. "How can I help you?" The woman smiled though her eyes skimmed over Sakura's clothes with a sort of disgust. She ignored her, shifting her head trying to spot her friend. "I'm looking for Ino."

"She's upstairs in her room. Let me go get–"

"I can get her myself. I'm her friend, Sakura Haruno," Sakura said with a smile but her voice held a sort of venom. The woman gave her a dirty look before nodding for her to go. Sakura trailed up her friend's stairs, satisfied. Ino's house inside was equally nice as the shop below. The house had a modern look to it with everything in place. Sakura remembered as a kid she would run around the house, she shook her head remembering the horror of protests Ino's mom would say. Sakura made her way to Ino's door lifting her fist to give it a slight knock. In a matter of seconds, the door was thrown open and Ino stood holding the door with an annoyed expression taking over her features. However, once she realized it was Sakura her face filled with a realization before fixing to glee. "Billboard Brows!" Ino yelped, throwing her slender arms around Sakura. "It has been so long since I last saw you." It had been a few months since she saw Sakura since she would only really see Ino when she decided to rebel and go to a South Side party. Naruto would always make fun of her for her Lulu dresses and how she tried to act Southside. Naruto would joke, "Hey, it's Ino. It's really gonna be a party now!" But what got Naruto really going was watching her flirt with Sai.

"You really need to get a phone so we can chat more." Sakura ignored the fact that Ino knew she couldn't afford one and instead agreed with her. They both took a seat on Ino's very purple bed, she noted how much bigger it was compared to hers. "And what the hell are you wearing? That outfit is from like six seasons ago!" Sakura ignored that comment too.

"I need your help with my wardrobe obviously," Sakura held out her hands, showing off her outfit. "I have an event in a few hours and I need to look really put together and fancy. Do you think you can help?"

Ino smirked, standing. "Bitch, I can make miracles happen." She rushed to her closet skimming through the selection of dresses. Then she suddenly paused. Ino turned, her blonde hair whipping around with her. A wide grin was plaster on her perfect skin, blue eyes staring into Sakura's soul. "Wait a damn minute. Are you going on a date?"

Sakura's face heated up, her eyes widened. Well, it wasn't really a date in the sense unless you counted stealing liquor with your crush a date, however the thought made her blush. Ino knew who Sasuke was and would flip her shit if she knew she was going anywhere with him alone. "No, I'm not going on a date." Ino rolled her eyes not fooled by her. Ino added smartly, "Just use protection."

"I'm not-"

"I'm doing your hair and makeup too cause you need to look your best for this mystery man," Ino giggled, continuing her search for the perfect dress. Sakura listened to the clink of the racks as she insisted, "It's not a date–"

"Perfect!" Sakura watched as Ino turned with a dress in hand. Sakura's eyes lit up, staring at and imagining how the dress would make her body look. The dress was in fact perfect, surely to distract the people there…Maybe even catch the eyes of Sasuke. In the matter of hours Sakura wouldn't look like another girl from the South Side. In a matter of hours she was going to prove to Sasuke she could do this, and maybe look good while doing it.

"Perfect," Sakura confirmed with a smirk.

A/N So I hadn't reveled what the dress looks like just yet but you'll find out the next chapter. I have already started to write the next chapter and it is quite interesting so far, so stay tuned for that. The next chapter will revel some things about Sasuke past since Sakura doesn't know what Sasuke's last name is or what his life was before he went to the South Side. I also hope you enjoyed learning how Sakura's home life is like. Please review and tell me what you think cause I'm super curious. See you in the next chapter!