Note: I'm glad my prologue was so intense because that was what I was going for. I'm sorry that it confused some people but that's kind of the way the story is written and you'll see why at the end! Oh yes, one more thing, I realize the chapter titles may not match each chapter but that's because their lines from a poem I wrote.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor do I own the Naruto story line.­­

Part I

Chapter One:

Broken, Beaten, and Battered

Exactly three days after Naruto's and Gaara's had fought we were sent out on another mission to take out one of the top ninjas in the Hidden Sand Village, including his family. I remember when Naruto came to tell me about the mission. I was sitting in the village's flower garden on a white wooden bench in front of the rose bushes and jasmine flowers.

The flowers' scents swirled in the air together tickling my senses inside my nose. I can't remember why I was in the garden- perhaps to think.Yes, I believe that was what I was doing at that very moment, because I remember looking at one rose that hadn't blossom yet while the rest were in full bloom. For some reason this rose reminded me of someone, but now I can't think of whom.

"Sakura," he said as he sat down on the bench next to me, "What are you doing?"

The clouds above us rolled across the sky casting a shadow over those below; I couldn't answer him at first, but then I said, "Nothing really."

"Oh."

Things had become slightly awkward between us, not by my own fault, but because he was shamed that I had seen the nine tail fox demon that co-existed in his body.

"We have a new mission."

I nodded my head, my mind on the rose bud, for some reason it seemed to be- I don't know if this is the right word- hypnotizing. For some reason that tiny little insufficient bud had carved its image inside my brain, and wouldn't be erased. You think I'm crazy, don't you? But I'm not.

"Do you want to know what it is?" I noticed he wasn't wearing his headband that represented our village, nor was he wearing his orange ugly type jump suit thing. Instead he wore a simple black shirt along with a pair of black pants; I noticed he still had a small bandage across his cheek, where Gaara had injured him, three days prior to Sasuke's betrayal, as I have mentioned.

"Naruto," I couldn't seem to get the rose bud out of my mind; I couldn't help but wonder why it hadn't bloomed with the rest. Maybe it was sick? Even now I can't say why that tiny little bud had bothered me so much. I guess it could be the fact that winter was coming and I feared it wouldn't bloom, but instead would die. It seemed like a waste of a flower and a waste of a life, if flower's have "lives" that is.

"Sakura, hey Sakura," Naruto's voice cut into my thoughts, making my attention go to him.

"What is it?" normally if he had repeated my name continuously like he had, I would have been consumed by rage, and would have probably hit him. Why do you act so surprised? Well don't worry- I didn't hit him. That particular day I really didn't have the energy to do too much; I just had this looming feeling of despair that I couldn't place a reason to.

He sat down on the bench beside me, "What's wrong? You seemed depressed."

"Nothing, I just have a bad feeling, like something's gonna happen," he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, if you know what I mean, but still his instincts were superior to most. I'd wish I'd known now, what I didn't know then maybe I could have stopped all the events that happened.

"A bad feeling?" his blonde hair fell into his face as he placed his hands on his knees and stretched his legs some; I remember thinking he had gotten taller since we had become teammates, which at the time, and even now, seemed so far away.

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid," which could have been true; but it wasn't.

"Don't worry about it, your probably just tired," he stood up from the bench and stretched some more. Naruto was always the optimist when it came to missions and his friend- I miss him now- but anyways he never seemed to get down about anything. I honestly can't think of but a handful of times that he wasn't smiling or wasn't getting on my nerves from his endless supply of energy.

"Yeah probably," I still couldn't shake the feeling; it was embedded in my mind like that stupid rose bud across from me.

"So do you want to hear about the mission or not?" his face still had a smile stretched across it.

"Okay, but lets walk I'm tired of sitting down," I stood up and began to exit the garden, the rose bud still on my mind.

We were- what do you mean why did the rose bud bother me so much?

Didn't I already state that the reason why the rose bud was bothering me at the time was currently eluding me as of the moment?

Should I continue or should I explain some more of the things that I have already said?

I don't like repeating myself so pay attention or I wont tell you what happened.

Can I continue?

Yes I can?

Good, then I will if it isn't inconvenient for your ears.

As I was saying we were outside the garden when he said, "Our mission is to go to the Hidden Sand Village, tract down and kill Shik, and need be, his family."

I couldn't believe what he was saying, this was our first class A mission since the war had started, but the fact that we had to kill Shik along with his family bothered me, "Why his family?"

"Don't worry about it," Naruto laughed, "We have information that tells us his wife and daughter are going to be out of the village when we are scheduled to assassinate him, so we don't have to kill them."

I still didn't like the fact that we were being sent off to kill a man, who many in his village believed him to be the second strongest person next to Gaara, "Why is this mission ours? Why isn't Kakashi Sensei or Gai Sensei taking it instead?"

"Because they already have missions," he informed me, "Besides we can handle this, no problem."

For some reason I stopped walking, the feeling of invisible doom washing over me in a flood, and for an instance I couldn't breathe.

"What is it Sakura?" he asked coming back to my side, "What's wrong? Are you sick or something?"

He was worried, I could hear it in his voice, but I couldn't seem to respond as the feeling became even stronger than before.

"Hey, Sakura," he shook my shoulders some, "Hey Sakura snap out of it!"

The feeling left as quickly as it came, "Huh? What?"

He let go of my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes with his blue ones, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked pretending that I didn't know what had happened to me, "Come on already."

I noticed, periodically, he would glance at over at where I was walking as if to check on me.

"Is Sasuke coming too?" I managed to ask as we passed a roman shop; I have to be honest with you I was surprised when he didn't freak out over the shop like he usually does when roman is around.

"Yeah," he answered, "We have to be at the bridge in an hour and we will receive further details there."

"Whose the leader of this mission?"

"Kakashi Sensei will tell us that before he leaves for his mission."

"Oh."

"Hey I'm hungry wanna get something to eat?" he was already turned around and headed for the roman shop that we had just passed.

"Yeah sure," I said as I followed him into the building the rose back on my mind.­­­

An hour later we were on the red bridge, that our sensei had instructed us to be at, but of course as usual he was late. Sasuke was already waiting for us; the curse marks no longer covering his pale body.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto yelled, as I have said before, he had a lot of energy.

Soon afterwards sensei appeared and his first words were, "Sakura I want you to lead this mission."