-A/N: Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Nartuo series

Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head

Love of Elements

Ch. 1 Amnesia

The pinkette's eyes went horridly wide as more fiery explosions continued to go off throughout her home and the beautiful city before her started to crumble. She struggled to get up as she heard people scream but it was futile. Her vision fogged and her body couldn't lift itself as more blood continued to run down her face. Angry tears came to her eyes as she laid collapsed near a cliff with her body tattered; her blood decorating the beautiful flowers around her. Her moment of weakness would be her demise. She couldn't believe they used a child. They stooped so low to using a child as a pawn of war to distract her so she couldn't defend herself.

She gave a small groan of pain as a nearby explosion caused the ground underneath her to shake and she could feel the cliff behind her beginning to crumble. She struggled to get up again; she could hear pieces of the cliff behind her splashing into the ocean deep below her; it was useless. The child they used poisoned her and led to the painstaking wounds now decorating her body. The pinkette gave a small glance up as she noticed a dark figure walking towards her; her heart trembled as he raised his hand in her direction.

All she could feel was white, hot pain as the ground was obliterated under her and she was sent flying backwards. A few tears cascaded from her eyes and she fell through the air and she got one last blurry look at her home; it was destroyed. Her body cooled as she landed in the cold ocean, but her wounds quickly stung. She had no energy, she was going to drown. She had to do something, anything. Her eyes flickered to a piece of tarnished wood starting to float back to the surface; she reached for it as her vision started to darken. The pinkette could feel her end coming. She grabbed the piece of wood, but her body grew numb and her vision went black. She closed her eyes.

_three days later_

Sasuke sighed as he walked across a bridge in his kingdom; Naruto just wouldn't give it a rest. Naruto gave a desperate look at his best friend as he walked beside him, "Tell me why Sasuke! You just annihilated an entire kingdom, an entire race. How is that okay?"

Sasuke refused to make eye contact, "I told you it wasn't my decision."

Naruto lifted his hands in confusion, "How is it not your decision?! You're the king of the Land of Fire!"

Sasuke gave a small snarl at his best friend, "Danzo went behind my back, okay! He took my own bloody soldiers to attack them. I had no involvement."

Naruto took a moment to absorb the information before his face filled with anger, "I hate that monster! I don't understand why you let him keep his position at court."

Sasuke continued walking towards one of the balconies of his kingdom, the only facing the sea, "He was my father's favorite advisor and offers great military strategy. His disobedience won't be tolerated though, I told him if he does anything without my approval again I'll imprison him till he dies and that he has the next few months in exile to think about his actions."

Naruto gripped his hands into fists, "Why not do it now? He just massacred the entire Earth Kingdom, Sasuke!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he continued walking. It was true; Sasuke was left a report that all people in the kingdom at the time were dead, even children. The most beautiful kingdom in all the lands was now burnt to a crisp. He was sure there were some away from the kingdom at the time but the Earth race was essentially dead. The Earth and Fire Kingdom had been at bad ends for years and Sasuke was considering conquering it but he hadn't planned on massacring them. Sasuke had become quite cold over the years but he had intended on letting some live. He would've just had their powers sealed; something very few people could do and he happened to have two of them, "I'm aware. As unfortunate as the events were brought about, it does benefit our kingdom."

Naruto stared at him for a moment flabbergasted, "How? How does killing off an entire race benefit us? Everyone knows we're the most powerful kingdom around. We're at peace with the Lightning Kingdom, Air wouldn't dare oppose us, and Water keeps to themselves because they live in the ocean. It's not like anyone would dare attack us; even though we had a bad relationship with the Earth Kingdom they weren't going to attack us!"

Sasuke kept his face stern, refusing to apologize, "It's always good to remind your enemies of your power, my father taught me that. I don't like how things occurred but we do have one less enemy in the world now."

Naruto's heart tightened knowing Sasuke was thinking how his father would be proud. His father was a cold king; King Fugaku's coldness ended up leading to Sasuke's older brother killing him. Itachi disappeared after that and Queen Mikoto later poisoned herself unable to take the emotional pain of her tortured family, "Sasuke…I know you're trying to do things that'd make your parents proud. You know I'm trying to do the same, but you can't be so cold you turn into your father."

Sasuke glared at him. It was true Naruto understood the hardship of losing his parents; he lost both of them young when the Kyuubi ran rampant through the kingdom, but Sasuke couldn't help but get angry at anyone who talked ill of his family, "My father was a great man and I'll be an even greater man."

Naruto face saddened as they got to the balcony and looked out to the sparkling ocean, knowing Sasuke refused to see his father for the tyrant he was, "I'm not saying he wasn't, but you know how harsh he was and what happened because of it. Be a king everyone loves, not just fears."

Sasuke's expression hardened as he looked out at the sun reflecting off the ocean; he refused to answer. Naruto sighed as he leaned against the marble railing and looked out at the shore; they used to play there as kids. Naruto opened his mouth to continue his speech but narrowed his eyes at something cast upon the shore, "What's-"

Sasuke looked over as Naruto quickly transported, a talent inherited from his father, before he even finished his sentence. Sasuke looked down at Naruto and curiously did the same; learning the transportation magic from Naruto. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Naruto pulled a crumpled young woman into his arms with concern; there was blood on her. Naruto quickly checked for signs of life; he gave a sigh of relief, "She's breathing…"

Sasuke glanced around the young woman to find a chunk of wood near her with some blood on it, "She must've hung onto the wood till she floated to shore."

Sasuke took a step closer analyzing her features as Naruto took off his navy jacket trying to wrap her cold body in it. She had pale, alabaster skin and pale, pink hair that ran down to her waist. Her clothes were too tattered and characteristics too unique to know where she was from. She seemed their age, twenty-three, and had long eyelashes. Sasuke narrowed his expression and Naruto lifted her up in his arms, "What are you doing?"

Naruto gave a confused look as he started walking, "Taking her to the infirmary, what else?"

Sasuke gave a small glare as he followed him, "She could be a threat."

Naruto gave a small glare back, "She's dying! She can't be that much of a threat with these injuries; you can question her when she wakes up. I'm not going to just sit here and let her die."

Sasuke gave a small growl as Naruto transported himself and the pinkette to the infirmary, not caring for Sasuke's opinion. Sasuke gave a small sigh as he looked at the blood stains on the sand and decided not to stop him; he'd let her live, but he would question her when she awoke.

_the next day_

Everything was hazy, all she could feel was a dull pain and how heavy her eyelids were. It's like she'd been swimming in darkness for as long as she could remember. She shifted a little until her eyes finally fluttered open. She stared at the ceiling waiting for her vision to become clear. Where… Her mind was cloudy as the dull pain amongst her body became stronger; she struggled to sit up.

Her eyes slowly flickered over as she felt someone help her sit up. It was an older woman; she seemed concerned. The pinkette slowly shifted her eyes in front of her and saw four figures. She narrowed her eyes trying to make in their details. There were two men in black armor standing in front of two more elaborately dressed young men. One had striking blonde hair, navy slacks, black shoes, and a puffy white long-sleeve shirt with orange detailing. The other had jet-black hair, black slacks, black shoes, a navy long-sleeve collared shirt with silver detailing on the edges, and a dark grey cape hooked on his shoulders with silver clasps. The pinkette continued to stare at the dark-haired one; he seemed…hostile.

Sasuke eyed the pinkette with blurry confusion written across her face; her eyes were beautifully jade. He'd never seen anyone with her characteristics before. He took a step towards her but with his guards still in front of him; it was a time of elemental magic after all. She could be a threat, "Who are you?"

The pinkette let his cold voice and question sink in; she thought about it for a moment. Who am I? She instinctively put a hand to her neck and noticed a necklace; she looked down at it. It was a small cherry blossom flower made of jewels that hung from a silver chain, "Sakura?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her confusion over her own name, "Where are you from?"

Sakura looked back up at him and searched her mind as much as she could, nothing, "I…I don't remember…"

Sasuke's expression narrowed; she seemed completely puzzled. He watched her as she put a confused hand to her head. Her body and especially her head was adorned with bandages; she must've taken a serious blow to the skull, "Do you remember anything?"

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows as she thought long and hard but was only met with an ache in her head. She shook her head slowly. Sasuke gave an irritated sigh and glanced at the nurse, "Check her head."

Naruto turned to him with mild alarm, "Sasuke!"

Sasuke glared at the nurse. The nurse gave a fearful look and obeyed. The older woman let white flames decorate her fingers; memory flames, a very rare power. Sakura hazily looked up with her heart starting to pound as the old woman closed in onto her head. Sakura uncomfortably jerked as the woman brought the white flames to her head and an intense burn began in her mind. She whimpered a little as the older woman let her flames search through her mind and the pain continued to grow. Naruto glared at Sasuke, "Is this really necessary?!"

Sasuke continued to watch the pinkette's face twist in pain, "We need to make sure she's not lying. I won't let a possible threat in my kingdom."

Naruto frowned deeply as the older woman finally let go of Sakura's head. Sakura gave a deep sigh of relief and let her breathing calm. The nurse gave a quiet frown and looked at her king, "She has no memories, Your Majesty."

Sasuke's expression furrowed; without memories she shouldn't be a threat but there was a risk she would remember and become one. One of his two guards in black armor looked over to him, "What shall we do Your Majesty? Lock her up?"

Naruto looked over to his cold best friend, "Sasuke…"

Sasuke stared intently at the pinkette as they made eye contact. Her jade eyes looked alone and afraid, like a lost child. The look on her face resonated with a memory he wished to forget from when he was younger. He tried to push away the memory but the look on her face summoned a little sympathy from his heart, "Give her a job in the castle."

With that sentence he walked out and his guards followed; Naruto smiled. The pinkette's eyes lingered where he walked; he decided to spare her. It was true he was unkind about interrogating her, but he could've put her away for the rest of her life. She glanced up at the blonde who seemed to give a friendlier vibe, "Who was that?"

Naruto gave a warm smile at her, "That annoying jerk is King Sasuke. You're in the Land of Fire now."

_a week later_

Sasuke walked quietly down a balcony hallway and stared at the floor below him; he carefully watched the pinkette. Sakura had begun her maid job a couple days ago and he had been keeping a secret eye on her. Sasuke decided not to lock her up but was far from trusting her. He stood in the shadows as he watched the pinkette carefully dust a table, she seemed nervous. Naruto had visited her every day since she washed up on the shore; he told Sasuke she was harmless, but Sasuke knew how trusting Naruto was. Naruto had a very good judge of character but Sasuke also considered him too optimistic for his own good. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as the pinkette confusedly looked around; she was lost.

Sakura fiddled with the end of her long hair and tried to remember which way she came in; her heart rose a little in panic at the idea of someone saw her standing around doing nothing. She picked up her cleaning supplies with worried eyes and glanced at the numerous stairs and hallways around her. Sasuke eyed her curiously knowing she was trying to decide a pathway to take. Let's see if you're as innocent as you seem.

Sasuke focused his eyes on the doorway she chose; he made a ball of fire spark at her from midair. Sakura gave a small yelp as fire quickly burst in front of her face, she stumbled backwards. Her chest heaved as the flames in the doorway disappeared as if they were never there. Sasuke focused on her more making sure to take in every detail of her expression.

Sakura's eyes went horridly wide as a stream of fire started circling around her; she dropped her cleaning supplies. Sasuke watched the genuine fear on her face. Sasuke knew if she had any magical abilities now would be the time to use them; Sakura believed nobody was watching after all. Sasuke made the stream of fire circle closer around Sakura and watched as she whimpered. Come on…

Sakura pulled her arms close to her chest as the fire got closer and closer, tears came to her eyes. I'm going to get burned! The fire's going to kill me! Sasuke's eyes widened a little as tears started to spill down her cheeks; she was terrified. A small twinge of guilt erupted in Sasuke's heart as he heard the sobs trapped in her throat; he dismissed the flames.

Sakura took a deep breath as the flames disappeared, inches from touching her. She trembled a little and looked around; she had no idea what just happened. Her legs gave out and she sat on the floor as she wiped her tears; she'd only been awake for a week and could've died. She gave a small sniff, "I don't understand…"

Naruto tried explaining to her how people in this world could be born with elemental magic, he even showed her his wind magic, but she didn't understand. She didn't understand how everything worked and if fire could act on its own or if somebody was being cruel to her. Sasuke watched from above and tried to push away the small sense if guilt in the bottom of his heart; it appeared she was innocent as Naruto said. Sasuke gave a small sigh, it was possible he had just been cruel. "What do you think you're doing!?"

Sakura looked over as a guard came marching into the room. He came up to her in his black armor, "Quit with the tears! You should be working!"

Sakura's lip quivered but she stood, "I-I'm sorry, I couldn't remember where to go a-and fire was about to burn me…"

The guard gave her a small glare, "I don't see any fire or anyone who would've manipulated it. Pick your stuff up and I'll take you back to the other maids!"

Sasuke watched as she gave a scared nod and picked up her things after wiping her eyes once more; she really did seem harmless. Sasuke sighed as she went off with the guard and fear still written on her face. Naruto would fiercely scold him if he saw what happened. Sakura knew nothing but what she had seen and heard the past week. She knew nothing about herself and was struggling to do what she was told in a completely unfamiliar world full of strangers. Sasuke began walking off towards his library; he supposed he could cut her some slack.

_a few days later_

Sakura hustled up some castle stairs to dust some sculptures; she was finally remembering her way around the castle. After what happened with the flames a few days ago she had spent her time paranoid and terrified not to succeed at her job. She could be in a prison cell after all. Naruto had visited her off and on and she had begun to feel comfortable around him; she had yet to see Sasuke again though. The pinkette began dusting over the regal sculptures and continuously did so down the hall.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to see the handsome king again; he decided not to lock her up but he still scared her. Her whole situation scared her. She felt like a little kid who had no clue about what was going on around her; all she truly understood is that she was in a kingdom known for fire wielders and they were all capable of engorging her in flames. She cringed at the idea; she would rather be in a place full of people who bended air like Naruto. Apparently Naruto could manipulate fire too but preferred his air abilities since he was one of few in the kingdom who could do it. Sakura quickly moved to the next sculpture in the hall; she wondered what other kinds of abilities there were.

She slowed her pace as she got near an intricate glass door. Her eyes became memorized by the view before her; it was the royal flower gardens and probably the most beautiful thing her forgetful eyes had ever seen. She slowly dropped her dusting tools and made her way through the doorway. Her eyes looked at all the brilliantly colored flowers along the paths of marble and silver fountains. She was practically hypnotized as she walked further and the flowers glittered under the sunlight shining through the glass walls and ceiling. A smile rang upon her face as some of the flowers burst sparkling lights into the air; it was like colorful stars in the middle of a blue sky.

She slowly spun around as she took in the beautiful scenery around her…it felt like home. She kneeled down to some flowers and smelled them; it made her feel at ease. Sakura lovingly gazed across at the arrangement of vibrant flowers; her gaze stopped when she met a pair of feet in dark boots. Her eyes widened a little in surprise and she looked up. It was Sasuke. She quickly stood in alarm and took a few steps backwards. He caught her slacking on the job; what if he burnt her as punishment? She looked down and straightened her maid's uniform, "I-I'm sorry Your Majesty. I didn't mean to stray from my work; I-I just saw the gardens and-"

Sasuke raised his hand, motioning for her to stop talking. He'd been watching her; he noticed the royal garden doors left open and stepped in to see who had gone inside. Much to his surprise he saw the pinkette twirling around with sparkling azalea dust floating through the air. He'd never admit it but the sight of her joyously twirling in such a scene was stunning, but he quickly tossed the thought aside. He kept an eye on her nervous state; he could tell she was scared of him. Sasuke reveled in that thought a moment; it was best a possible enemy was scared of him. Still…he stared longer at her shaken form; after the cruel fire trick he did a few days ago it was hard to see her as a threat. Someone with no memories should hold no threat to his kingdom…that was unless she grew negative emotions toward him or his kingdom. Sasuke pondered over that for a moment as Sakura apprehensively waited for him to say something. Sasuke stared at her with his kingdom's safety in mind, "You like gardens?"

Sakura stood confused for a moment at his sudden want to socialize, "Y-yes, I mean…it's the only one I've seen since I woke up."

Sasuke gave a small nod; that confirmed she still remembered nothing, "Is there anything else you like?"

Sakura tried not to give a puzzled look over why he wasn't yelling at her to get back to work like the guard, "Um…the palace is very beautiful…and Naruto seems nice. I haven't seen much else."

Sasuke almost corrected her on what to call Naruto but didn't bother. Naruto was a man of title and should be called Lord Naruto by anyone but it didn't surprise Sasuke that Naruto told her to call him by name; the blonde probably didn't even tell her about his title, "I see"

Sasuke began walking towards the pinkette, she tensed. Sasuke carelessly walked past her to go further through the gardens; he waited till he was a few meters in front of her before looking back. He looked at the confusion written over her jade eyes, "You coming?"

Sakura blinked in surprise, he wanted her to go with him. Her heart fluttered a little with excitement; he was going to show her something. She quickly started following him, forgetting the fear she had moments ago. Sasuke put all his attention on the pinkette as he led her further into the gardens; he wanted to sense every emotion she gave off. He wanted to be able to tell if she gave off any sign of being a danger. Sasuke stopped after a few minutes and watched the pinkette's jaw drop; he brought her to the royal gardens rarest plant. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked up as the thirty-foot tree; it was adorned with sparkling cherry blossom flowers and gold leaves. The trunk even shimmered under the sunlight; she took a step towards it, "It's beautiful…"

Sasuke glanced up at it; it was his mother's favorite, "It's the only one in the kingdom. Probably the last in the world."

Sasuke lowered his voice at his last sentence; the only reason it could be the last is because it came from the Earth Kingdom. When the two kingdoms were on better terms it was offered as a gift, but now…now the Earth Kingdom was obliterated.

Sakura smiled dreamily at it; it somehow felt comforting. She watched as a flower fell from the tree and floated right to her hands; it shined as if it was made of crystals. She smelled it and smiled as the transcending, sweet smell filled her senses. She looked over at Sasuke, "Thank you Your Majesty…for everything."

Sasuke looked at her from the corner of his eye; she truly seemed innocent. He started to lose interest feeling she wasn't worth suspicion anymore, "Hn"

Sakura shifted awkwardly after a silent moment; she wasn't really sure what to do. She wasn't quite scared of him anymore but she wasn't sure what else to say. She played with a strand of her hair for a second and looked over at him, "I guess I'll get back to my work…is it alright for me to come back here?"

Sasuke looked over at her, she was asking his permission. He thought about it for a moment; the royal garden wasn't a place for maids. He would be ridiculed and told he was offering favor to a stranger; it would cause other workers to start a fuss. Still…he looked at the hopeful pinkette, he felt a little guilty about his cruel fire trick the other day. Sasuke felt a little agitation towards himself for not being cold; he already offered her a life in his kingdom, he wasn't obliged to give her more. He frowned knowing Naruto would scold him for such a thought. Everyone in the kingdom did seem to like Naruto more; perhaps offering a little kindness would do him good. He tossed a few ideas through his head as he stared at the pinkette; he glanced down at the shimmering necklace she wore, "Yes, but not as a maid."

Sakura gave him a puzzled look, "What do you mean?"

Sasuke took a few steps towards her and pointed at her necklace, "That necklace implies wherever you're from you hold title or power…I've decided to treat as so. You are now a guest in my kingdom Sakura. I'll have the maids prepare you a room and wardrobe."

With that Sasuke walked off, leaving Sakura with her eyes wide. Sakura blinked a few times as Sasuke disappeared into the distance. Did he… Sakura's jaw dropped a little as it rang over her; she was certainly not a maid anymore. She rushed out of the gardens to ask for an explanation but he was already gone. She glanced around as she caught her breath; he just gave her freedom across his castle with as much power as someone with title. She could now do as she pleased without having to do anything for it. But why? Why would someone who came off so cold give her so much? Sakura gripped her hands in her apron and lowered her face sheepishly; was it possible she misjudged him? She gave a small smile and made her way down the hall. Maybe he's nice after all…

_author notes_

I'm back from the literary dead! I know it's been several years, I'd considered off and on whether to start writing again, but this draft I started in 2014 finally won me over. I feel my writing style and preferences have changed since I was last active so I haven't decided what do to with my abandoned stories yet, BUT I've already written over half this series and most it's ending (been periodically working on it since early 2018). I wanted to be sure I was committed to finishing before sharing since I know how frustrating abandoned fanfics can be.

The idea is a cross between avatar bending and jutsu, resulting in "magic" so it frees me to pursue more abilities. The dress attire is similar to renaissance/medieval times (but with a fantasy twist), with some cultural variations per kingdom. Tech wise I'd say it'd be in the spot the early Naruto series was, so no technology.

Thank you to those who read my stories years ago and are reading now, and welcome to those who haven't! I hope you've enjoyed the beginning and what's to come.