CHAPTER 2 (redone)

Beginnings

Sakura, Naruto and Kiba walked out of their middle school doors with a light feeling. More than a few other kids joined them in their departure. Naruto jumped down the rest of the front steps that led up to the entrance with a sudden spark of energy that had been lacking since the last stretching hours of school before summer break. Kiba grinned and rushed down the rest of the stairs; smacking bodily into his friend with a cheer. The two did a little can-can type jig that was easily laughed off. No one could say these two boys weren't happy about school being finally over.

Sakura rolled her eyes at their antics but had a pleasant smile on her face. She was glad school was over too. Although she did feel a bit nervous about next year. They were going to be entering a new school; high school at that, and in a completely different location that was closer to Kohona City's famous central park. They would have to take the train just to get there everyday. Something Sakura was kind of nervous about but thankfully Naruto's earlier promise to go to and from school together eased her. She watched as the two rowdy boys started shoving each other playfully then attempted to put the other in a headlock. Boys. She sighed deeply as if she was their babysitter and made her way down the last step to stop beside them.

"Come on, I want to show mommy my end of year report card."

Both Naruto and Kiba stopped mid motion at hearing that; Kiba with his arm locked around Naruto's head and Naruto with his jaws clamped over Kiba's exposed right forearm. The two boys exchanged a look before refocusing on the blonde female of their trio with disbelieving expressions. "What?" came the duo's question.

Sakura flushed pink. She huffed and pushed the two boys making them almost topple over.

"STOP THAT! It's not weird to wanna show my parents how well I'm doing!" She marched past them and turned the corner at the gate to walk down the block that led to her house which was thankfully only five blocks away.They can get lost for all I care!

The two straightened themselves out, taking a bit longer thanks to Naruto's extra wiggles, but once their limbs were their own they rushed to catch up with their friend. Kiba was a bit slower than Naruto as the latter was the one who cared more about a minor offense to Sakura's feelings than the other boy. Kiba's lips formed a wolfish grin just before he took a deep breath and promptly shouted after the two. "ROMEO'S COMING, PRINCESS!" He grinned stupidly at the duo shout of; "SHUT UP KIBA!"

It was just too easy, really.

Sakura's mother, Mebuki Haruno, opened the door upon hearing the doorbell. An amused smile had already formed on the woman's lips when she heard the commotion of the infamous trio before they came into view. These three never failed to bring excitement to each day. Mebuki always found it rather cute how each of them had a different set of eye color; her daughter with green, Naruto with blue and Kiba with brown. One day she was going to get them to squish their cheeks together so she could get a picture of their eyes close together. She was artistic and the sight was always warming to her painting nature. It was also a bonus that Naruto's mother would squeal over the photo and offer up one of her cooking recipes in order to get a copy.

"Hello children, enjoy your last day of school?" Mebuki greeted them while stepping aside to let them in. Naruto offered his usual wide grin, Kiba almost matching it but with a growing rugged look to it that Sakura's mom had a feeling the brunette boy will have perfected in a year or two. Her own flesh and blood daughter remained on the doorstep though looking nervous all of a sudden. "Sakura?"

"Um...I got my end of year report card, mom."

"Oh you silly girl, you had me worried there for a moment. Come inside, there are ice pops in the freezer." Mebuki's words were cut off while shutting the door behind her daughter at the sudden crash and thump that sounded in her kitchen. " BOYS!" She scolded loudly followed by a shake of her head two muffled versions of swift apologies came from the pair. "Shall we see your card, love?"

Sakura led her mother into the living room, not wanting to get between Naruto's and Kiba's mini wrestle match over who gets first pick, and slipped off her pink backpack. She fished inside for a moment before taking out the folded slip of paper and handing it to her mother with growing green eyes. A sight Mebuki had to chuckle at. "Relax, Sakura. I'm sure you did very well."

The top of the paper stated Sakura's name, grade, classroom and teacher's name along with the issued date of the report card. Sakura snuggled into her mother's side as the older woman read over the information with a tone of pride in her voice. Mebuki pressed a kiss atop the little girl's head. "You did excellent, darling. The only low mark was gym but that's not too important right now for an active child like yourself.'

Sakura beamed up at her mom feeling a rush of warmth at the words. Of course the moment had to be ruined by the sudden form of Naruto jumping over the back of the couch to flop down onto the remaining space beside her. She shot the other blonde teen a glare that went completely ignored thanks to Kiba tumbling over the back of the couch and landing upon Naruto making the boy yelp out in surprise.

"Argh! Get off you heavy mutt." Naruto shoved at his friend who felt the need to spread out over the blonde in a move just to be a jerk whilst looking highly amused. "I was here first damn it!"

Mebuki's own amused expression turned semi stern at the curse word. Her stare caught Naruto's attention by some other worldly means. He swallowed and mumbled an apology that was cut off at the end thanks to Kiba's elbow digging into the blonde's rib. "Alright boys, settle down. I know you're excited to be finally free of school but you are still inside so indoor voices and watch those limbs."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at the two as her mother spoke. They of course did it right back despite the humorous sight they made sprawled almost hazardously upon the corner of her couch.

"So, Sakura's mom, can I stay for grub time?" Asked Kiba as he finally moved off Naruto to nudge himself into the space between the other's legs and couch's backrest much to the other boy's annoyance.

"Of course, as long as your mother knows."

Naruto shifted his legs so they rested over Kiba's thighs, bending at the knees some so his shoes didn't touch Sakura who looked like she was ready to rip his precious black and white converse shoes, that he had personally spent a whole afternoon coloring the whites in orange, if they even as so much brushed her. "Me too? Mom said she had to work late at the animal clinic and dad's plane got delayed."

Mebuki nodded her head from over her daughter's own. "Your mother called ahead. Now, I think you two boys should freshen up and Sakura," here the woman set her gaze upon her own child, brushing her fingers down the shoulder length blonde hair that matched her own. "be a dear and help me set the table?" It may have come out as a question but the young female knew it was a request. Sakura nodded as Kiba pushed off Naruto's legs along with the rest of the boy's body, making Naruto tumble off the couch onto the floor with a carpet muffled thud.

The brunette merely laughed out and stepped over his friend as he headed for the bathroom. Kibda was forced to pick up speed when Naruto gave chase in response. Sakura really had no idea how their friendship managed to last this long with how much they went at each other. But then again if it wasn't for those two she'd still be the shy, easily upset little girl she had been when she first met Naruto.

"Sakura, dining room, please."

She nodded to her mother and set off to the mentioned room.

Summer had been bliss.

And if Sakura didn't know any better she'd say Naruto was the very season personified. He had been more lively and somehow had an even more contagious smile than normal. Sakura had enjoyed every day of it. Minus the time when Kiba had distracted her with a small prank of a pretend bug in her hair so Naruto could switch her water bottle with one filled with warm tomato juice with actual grass in it. She had gotten back at them though by eating the last remaining ice pops in front of the window before them after locking them out of her house.

"Man, I can't believe summer is already almost over!"

Sakura turned to look at the blonde laid out beside her. Naruto brought his hands up to wiggle them in the air for some unknown reason with a clear pout on his lips that made her giggle. "What are you laughing at? It's terrible news to hear, Sakura!" Naruto stated in a matter of fact tone, turning his own head to the right so they were face to face upon her pink quilted bed.

"You are, blondey. Aren't you excited to start high school? School somewhere new and-"

Naruto clamped a hand over his friend's moving mouth."Sakura, let me list a few things for you that you seemed to have missed, hm?" Sakura didn't get the chance nor option to reply as the blonde went on anyway. "One, you're blonde too. Two, when have I ever been excited for school?" Here he raised a brow at her to which she just rolled her green eyes to. "Three, our new high school is still located in the same city. Not at all somewhere new."

A sudden pillow whacked into the blonde's head made his hand move off the other's mouth.

Sakura's lips parted to tell the other to quit being a baby when Naruto's earlier statement sparked a reminder in her head. She sat up suddenly and climbed over the blonde who sputtered in surprise for a moment before following the rest of her movement with their eyes. Sakura made her way to her dresser and pulled open the top drawer and shuffled around in the top drawer before reaching her arm deeper and pulling out with a happy exclamation. "Here it is!"

Naruto stared at her with a confused but curious face. "What's got you so happy? And don't say school or I'll vomit on your floor. I swear."

"Don't be gross, Naruto. Anyways, I forgot I got this stuff." Here Sakura moved back to the bed and sat down on the edge before shoving a glossy paper box into her friend's face and shaking it a bit. "It's hair dye!"

"Yeah, I can see that you know. I'm not stupid, Sakura." Naruto gave her a pointed look when she immediately opened her mouth to say otherwise. "Why's it pink though?"

"And you said you're not stupid."

Naruto glared at her.

"Fine, fine, sorry." came the most unapologetic sorry ever to leave the girl's mouth. Far as she knew the blonde deserved it after all the times she had been made into the butt of a joke or some prank for his and Kiba's amusement over the years. "As you can already tell, I'm gonna dye my hair pink."

"Why pink though?"

"Because I want to pay homage to my namesake." Sakura stated in the same tone of voice Naruto had used earlier when giving his numbered list.

He gave her a once over. "Couldn't you just wear a pink dress with sakura flowers on it?" The blonde tilted his head a bit not really getting the point.

"I thought you weren't being stupid, Naruto."

"Alright, alright. Geez, just asking."

Sakura 'humphed' but opened up the hair dye package with an excitement that held none of the brief annoyance she felt for her friend's unnecessary questions. Inside was an instruction paper with a pair of flimsy plastic gloves to protect the hands from getting dye on them, two bottles, one empty and one full with a pink splat color on the label and two small packets. She pulled out the contents, turning around to kneel on her floor so could drop the stuff onto the bed. She slapped Naruto's hand away when he tried to pull off one of the gloves. "Don't even think about it, Naruto." There was an amused grin in response but the blonde didn't go for the gloves again.

A pleasant silence filled the air within the pale pink painted bedroom as Sakura read over the instructions in her head and Naruto killed the time by counting the glow in the dark stars they had stuck to her ceiling when they were 10. He lazily brought a finger up to trace over the scars on his right cheek; the healed skin indented from the scarring like the ones on his left cheek. He couldn't remember vidily how he got the scars and his parents refused to go into detail whenever he had asked them. All Naruto knew was that some crazy person who had an obsession with the number three had kidnapped him but the cops had arrived in time before anything further could be done to him by the man's blade. If he really tried to recall it, the blonde could remember the man muttering about putting tally marks all over his body in between distorted explanations about the importance of threes.

Kiba had at one time spent a whole lunch period staring at Naruto's face only to claim that the slightly jagged and faintly uneven scars on the blonde's face looked like whisker marks. Sakura had agreed and said they looked kinda cute; a comment that made Naruto fling his mac and cheese at her with his spoon leading to the first food fight at Leaf Middle School.

"-ruto. Naruto..NARUTO!?"

"Ack, fuck, what woman?" the addressed blonde rubbed at his ear, moving his blue eyes to look at the slightly angry expression upon Sakura's semi flushed face.

"If you had been paying attention you would've known, idiot!" Sakura chucked the empty box at his head. "I said, you're gonna have to dye my hair for me. I can't see the back and I don't want to mess up on this."

Naruto blinked. "Me?"

"Yes you."

A groan sounded in response. A lengthy groan that didn't seem to end until Sakura picked up the discarded pillow and smacked the boy with it again. "Why can't you just have one of your girly friends do it?"

"I don't have many since you and Kiba scared them away with your cooties, gross boyness-ness and those stupid pranks." came the stern reply.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." denied the blonde while turning their head away to hide the faint upturn of their lips.

"Uh-huh."

Sakura gathered the instruction paper and pink dye bottle together in one hand and grabbed her unwilling friend with the other and headed to the bathroom once more. She shoved Naruto into the white tiled bathroom and shut the door behind them. Naruto leaned against the sink's countertop with a displeased expression upon his tanned face. Of all the things to do, playing hairdresser at 14 with a girl wasn't anywhere on the list. Not at all. Not even in the future.

"Stop that and put the gloves on. You're doing this; besides you owe me for copying my homework a few times."

"You're lucky I like you, Haruno." The blonde muttered with a half-assed glare as he did as told, wiggling his fingers once the lamley made gloves were on. "Now what?"

"Now, you put the dye into my hair like you're washing hair. I don't have a hair dye brush thing so this way of doing it is gonna have to do."

The two got into position. Sakura straddling the toilet seat facing the wall with the lid down and Naruto standing behind her squeezing the dye bottle until a chunk of deep pink rested on the palm of his gloved hand. He set the bottle down, nudged Sakura's head down a bit, and worked the stuff into her hair. There were a few sounds of pain from her that went ignored as did the curses to his being when his blunt nails scraped her scalp a bit hard. After 20 minutes the dye was all in and staining Sakura's blonde hair a slightly dark shade of pink.

"Don't hate on me if it turns out like shit, Sakura."

The addressed teen merely rolled their green eyes while putting on a shower cap. She jabbed the blonde in the side at the first sound of a laugh. "Just for making fun of me, I get to pick the marathon tonight."

"WHAT!?" came the exclamation. "I didn't even make fun of you, woman!"

"Oh, but we both know you were thinking it, blondey." Here, Sakura tugged down her lower right eyelid and stuck her tongue out before slipping out of the bathroom before Naruto could do anything.

A half hour later, one episode of spongebob and a quick shower for Sakura to wash out the product, the two seated themselves upon the makeshift bedding of layered pillows upon the floor directly in front of Sakura's bed so they could see the mounted screen and rest their backs comfortably. After all, Sakura's mother may still allow Naruto to sleep over but sharing a room was no longer allowed.

"Summer really is almost over.."

Naruto nodded his head, his blue eyes moving away from the screen to Sakura's face then to her freshly dyed pink hair. It was still something to get used to but he found that the color actually looked good on her. He blinked at that thought but didn't linger as a yawn took over. He stretched out a bit to get some movement to his immbolie limbs. It was almost 2 am in the morning and watching the hours marathon of Sakura's choosing was getting boring in the blonde's opinion. After all, there was only so much girl-power a boy could take. Stupid powerpuff girls.

"Hey, Naruto."

"Hm?" humed the slightly zoning out teen.

Sakura shifted so her right side leaned against the blonde's left. She nudged her head against his pink stained shirt. Naruto was never, and most likely never will be, a guy who could stay clean no matter what he was doing. Sakura buried her face into the boy's side to muffle a laugh at her own thoughts.

Naruto poked the top of her head. "Were you about to tell me that I can change the channel?"

"No." She shook her head and tugged her face away. The blonde's blue eyes were lowered a hue or two thanks to the lack of lighting and a slender brow was raised waiting for her to continue. "High school at a new place is going to be scary, you know…"

Naruto snorted. That was the funniest thing he ever heard. "That's really funny, Sakura. You watch too many of those fake high school dramas." Sakura's expression turned stern. Her green eyes boring into Naruto's without wavering, making the latter blink. "That worried about it, eh? Look, I'll be there too so it's fine." He commented with a wave of his hand that was opposite to the side she was leaning against.

"Hmm… true." Sakura suddenly sat up, turning to face her friend fully. Her legs shifted so they were tucked up underneath her in a way Naruto silently questioned how that didn't hurt. She grabbed his hand and focused all of her attention onto the blonde that Naruto just stared at her in surprise. Sakura squeezed the tanned hand. "In that case, promise me you'll always help me out and vice versa, no matter what."

"Er, serious?" came the slightly disbelieving toned question.

"Yes."

Naruto shook his head at his friend. Her seriousness on this was rather amusing to him. With an exhale, as if humoring her, he shifted his hand within her own so it was now gripping her smaller hand in a handshake position. "I promise."

"You better!" Sakura whispered into his ear before giving his cheek a kiss then refocusing on the powerpuff girl show.

The big day finally arrived.

Kohana High School was a rather big building. With six floors, a front yard and an inner lush grassy courtyard within the square space made by the four buildings with lining flower beds along the edges. The school used to be a factory in the late 1800s then it was made into a university in the 90's. However as the university's success grew and with it came an influx of those who wanted to enroll there was no option but to abandon the building for a bigger one. Thus it was changed from a number one ranking college into one of the best high schools within Kohana City.

So it was understandable that Sakura had frozen up when she finally saw the school in person. Naruto had no real reaction compared to her's. Sakura had been nervous for a solid week before school was to start up again and just seemed to grow now that they were standing before it. So much so that Sakura's grip on Naruto's arm was at the point where the blonde was trying to slyly get the girl's hand off or else he'd lose all feeling in the limb. She hadn't been like this on the first day of middle school. Given that their old school building was only two floors and they barely ever had to go upstairs unless they had art or wood shop class.

"Sakura, it's just a school, for F's sake."

"Don't curse."

"Don't curse?" Naruto blinked at the girl then stared at her. "Don't curse? I didn't but I will if you don't let up on my arm before you make it fall off."

Here Sakura finally realized how tightly she had been holding her friend. She flushed somewhat and quickly let go, crossing her arms over her white t-shirt clad chest and turning up her nose. Naruto rolled his eyes at her but slung his arm over her shoulders and guided her into the building. They passed a few other students, none they knew even though Naruto spotted a few he had seen in their middle school days, but the most of them were new faces. There was a group of girls hanging out a few lockers down from a drinking fountain. The blonde spotted the sign to the girl's restroom just across the hall from it. Go figure. Even older girls liked to hang out by the bathroom.

"I'd never understand girls."

Sakura laughed lightly, feeling a bit more at ease with having Naruto there. "I'm sure girls will never understand you either. I know I don't and I've known you since kindergen."

"You hurt me so, Sakura." Naruto sent her a mock pained look to which she just nudged him for.

The two checked the classroom numbers looking for their assigned homeroom room. It was their luck they had ended up in the same one. Sakura wouldn't say it outloud but she was very happy when she found out that little bit of information on the night before school was to start. Of course Naruto hadn't taken too lightly to having his bookbag dumped after having just packed it by his mother's instructions just so Sakura could ease her nerves a bit.

He was going to tell her.

At some point.

"There it is!" Sakura's voice exclaimed.

Naruto blinked, turning his gaze away from another group of students; one guy had the most interesting piercings he had ever seen. It was probably for the best though as the guy, an orange haired male with obvious purple colored contacts in, looked ready to glare Naruto into submission if those blue eyes didn't move off him. "Oh, well that's cool." was the joyous response.

The pink haired girl huffed at her friend before taking his hand and dragging the boy into the room. Her green eyes rolled over the room, gaining back that nervous feeling when a few eyes stared at her; namely her pink hair. "Um...maybe I shouldn't have dyed it."

"You start caving in now, you'll be really living like one of those stupid girls in your crappy tv school drama show."

"Shut up Naruto."

The blonde merely shrugged with one shoulder as he dumped his bag at an empty desk one desk away from the doorway. Naruto liked his exit of the torture room (classroom) close as possible. It was too bad that another already had their bag and hoodie upon the desk he would have preferred. Sakura mimicked; claiming the desk beside Naruto's then joining her sole friend by the doorway to check out the other students. She could see a few cliques already. The rest from what Sakura could see were those that didn't set themselves into labeled groups or hadn't found one yet. She wondered if she'd join into one of the cliques or just be one of the crowd without a place.

However before Sakura could get herself worked up or even semi worried about not belonging in this new environment Naruto's voice shouted out. She jumped in place, jerking her gaze to the blonde boy, only to startle again when he swept out the door without a word. "NARU-!" Sakura quickly cut herself off though when she noticed a few eyes flicker over to her and stare. Her cheeks heated up in embarrassment. She was going to whack that boy so hard with her binder when he came back. She stood by the doorway, looking down the hallway and easily spotting her friend's blonde hair that seemed to be a shade more sunnier than the other blondes in the area. Sakura's eyes widened when she noticed Naruto was about to bodily run into someone.

Someone Sakura happily recognized as Kiba Inuzuka when she was able to get a good look at the person's face. The pink haired girl moved out of the doorway and started after the two with a smile playing on her lips. The worries and nervousness seeped out of her as Sakura closed in on the rowdy boys that were of course already gaining the attention of many within the packed hallway with their overly enthusiastic greeting. She put up zero protest when Naruto yanked her into a group hug with the dog lover. It'll be just like middle school again.

A/N: Quite a few time skips but necessary to get to the main of the story plot without losing backstory details. If it was confusing for some to follow I apologize~