Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and everyone knows it.

Volume One of the Sinners and Saints Trilogy.

Rating: M, for violence and sticky situations.

Setting: Author's Universe.

Aurthor's Note: Well, I'd like to say I'm pretty happy with this chapter. I usually don't like high school stories with Naruto, but I can guarantee it doesn't last very long before the action starts! Yosh!

Volume One - Revealing

Chapter One: "Sakura Haruno"

"Think that you've worked it out, then BANG! Right out of the blue, something happens to you to throw you off course... and then you break down." – Jem "Just A Ride"

Sakura Haruno was very excited as the last bell rang. School was out, and the weekend called to her like an old friend she hadn't seen in years. She hurried out of the class room and dashed down the hall, weaving her way through the traffic of Konoha High. Sakura aimed straight for her locker. The faster, the better.

"Sakura! Sakura, wait up!" Sakura stopped in her tracks, causing a random freshman to collide into her back. Sakura muttered an apology, but the kid glared and darted off before she could finish. "Sakura, hey, what are you doing tonight?" Forgetting about her collision, Sakura smiled at the blonde walking up to her.

"It's a secret," Sakura slyly replied. Ino grinned and batted her eyelashes playfully. Sakura crossed her arms and smiled.

"Is it for my birthday?" Sakura couldn't help but grin. Ino linked arms with her and they walked in-step down the hall. Sakura adjusted her textbooks before frowning at Ino.

"Ino Yamanaka, you will not con me into telling you your birthday gift." Ino pouted.

"But why?" She drew out the 'why' like a childish whine. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Because what fun is opening a present that you already know what's inside?" Ino huffed and jutted her chin in the air. Sakura smiled. Ino always did that when she was pretending to be mad.

Ino was considered one of the prettiest girls in the sophomore class. She was tall, slender, and nicely built from all her years as a gymnast. Her hair was blonde, straight, and reached her hips. She mostly kept it swept up into a ponytail, letting the ends curl up like a horse's tail. Her eyes were an ocean-blue, but covered party by her bangs that crossed over her forehead at an angle. She was simply beautiful. Like a model.

"I'd rather know than torture myself wondering what it is!" Sakura chuckled as she reached her locker. She quickly spun the dial without giving the combination a second thought. 7-13-4.

Ino slouched against the neighboring locker and gave Sakura another pout. "Forget it, Ino. You can wait a week. Shikamaru is doing just fine waiting, and you can too." Sakura shoved her Geometry book on the top shelf, trading it for her Biology book. She sighed as she gently placed it among the rest of the homework in her bag.

"No, I'll die. Plus, Shikamaru is too lazy to care if it's his birthday." Sakura disapprovingly stared at the blonde. Ino finally sighed and threw her hands up. "Fine! Just kill your best friend! It's not like my life matters to you." Sakura slammed the locker door shut and grabbed Ino by the shoulders.

"You are not going to die, Ino. For the next seven days, you will survive the anticipation of my super awesome present." Ino narrowed her eyes.

"It doesn't help with you calling it 'super awesome present', you know." Sakura playfully shoved Ino forward. She slung her bag over her shoulder, letting the rest hang down her back.

"You know me, I love torturing you." The girls laughed at themselves and headed towards the double doors that led to the outside world.

The sun made Sakura squint as they walked into the courtyard. Clusters of kids stood in huddles, waiting for their parents to pick them up, standing among the carefully planted trees and shrubs. Sakura spotted a boy with brown hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, sitting on a bench in the shade. She smiled as they made eye contact.

"Ino. Sakura." He beckoned them to join him. Sakura jeered the reluctant Ino in his direction.

"Hi, Shikamaru." Sakura beamed at him. He lazily nodded in response. Shikamaru Nara was a man of few words, and a man of fewer talents. He did nothing except read mystery novels and play war strategy games on his laptop. A simple life for a simple person.

He had a narrow face with sharp features and warm, brown eyes. He wore a single, silver hoop earring that he never replaced since sixth grade. He was tall, skinny, and built just like Ino. His hair was to his shoulders, but pulled back into a small ponytail. Girls might find him attractive if he actually put effort into his looks. He wasn't popular, and didn't talk much to others outside their clique. He never had a girlfriend, which was a shame. He was a nice, honest boy. Sakura never understood why he didn't bother with girls. He claimed them to be troublesome, but Sakura believed he was just too lazy.

Ino shifted her weight from one foot to the next. Sakura didn't get why Ino suddenly became so awkward around Shika. He was their friend since elementary. What could possibly be different now?

"So, what're you doing tonight?" Sakura asked, trying to direct the conversation away from the unsettling silence. Shika shrugged and leaned back on the bench.

"What I always do." Sakura nodded.

"You're coming over...to my house?" Ino stuttered out. Sakura raised an eyebrow. Ino never stuttered. Ino was the cool one. The popular, confident one. Something about her stuttering didn't set well with Sakura. It was just too out of character.

"I was counting on it." Shika looked past them. Sakura followed his eyes. Her eyebrows knitted together in disapproval.

"Hey, Shika." The way she said his name was enough to make Sakura want to punch her. She noticed Ino tense as Keiko glided towards them.

Keiko, a grade eleven, was by far the only girl besides Ino who could make a man drop to his knees and beg for mercy. She wore her hair in a retro, 80's side ponytail. She was a red head with dark eyes. She had a fake, brown tan and stylish hip huggers that didn't hide her curves along with her black baby tee. Her nails is what intimidated Sakura the most. Long, sharp, and manicured. She could do some serious damage with those things. Even the senior girls stayed out of Keiko's way. Keiko's father was a powerful man and funded his daughter endlessly with ridiculous amounts of money. She was spoiled.

Keiko made it her personal mission to make high school as horrible as possible for Ino and Sakura. She didn't like Ino because Ino could actually rival her, and Sakura embarrassed her their freshman year when she noticed and announced loudly that Keiko had started her period in her white, P.E uniform shorts. Keiko knows how to hold a grudge.

Shikamaru's family was well off, too. At a yacht club garden party Shikamaru's mother dragged him to, he met Keiko. Both were equally annoyed and together they shared in the 'just kill me now' attitude. Thus, a creepy and strange friendship was born. And much to Sakura and Ino's horror when the school year started.

"Yo." Shika kept his demeanor calm, but Sakura definitely noticed he was suddenly alert. She also noticed Ino noticed.

"I'm having a party tonight. My dad's out of town, and I was hoping you'd show up." Sakura coughed, Keiko glared at her out of the corner of her eye. Shika sighed and rubbed his temples.

"I don't like parties. They're loud." Sakura smiled. She knew Shikamaru would never be caught at a party. Especially a party thrown by Keiko. They were notorious, the talk of the school.

"Then you and I can hang out in a quiet room." Ino uncomfortably shifted her weight again. Her eyes were boring holes in the cement pavement. Sakura squeezed her arm. Ino looked up at her and suddenly, her lips curled into a twisted grin. Sakura frowned.

"He can't." Keiko huffed, placing her hands on her hips. She didn't even turn to face Ino.

"And why is that? Are you babysitting him?" Ino smiled at the back of Keiko's head.

"Actually, I am." Sakura smiled at Ino, but Ino was glaring at Keiko who was now turned around and sending Ino flames from her black lined eyes. Her make up was always perfect, but it made her look like she had just got done cocaine.

"Oh? Is that so?" Keiko didn't sound very amused. Shika narrowed his eyes.

"Back in the day, Shika's parents and my parents made a deal. Every time one of them were out of town, the other kept an eye on their kid." Ino let the words sink in. "That means, he'll be playing Scrabble with my parents and me. Safe and sound, in a house three miles from your party." Sakura was thrilled. Goodbye stuttering Ino, and hello the best friend she loved. The confident one.

"How very exciting," Keiko replied, in a sarcastic, dull drawl. Shika rolled his eyes. Sakura knew he didn't care that Ino was killing his invite to the party, he would have turned it down himself. But something about the way he frowned made her uneasy.

"Scrabble can get pretty intense in the Yamanaka house," Ino retorted smugly. Keiko rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned back to Shikamaru.

"If you get bored at your... Scrabble match... call me." She pulled out a feathered pink gel pen and yanked Shika's hand towards her. She jotted down her number with a seductive smirk, winked, and then strutted away. But not before sending Ino a warning with her harsh eyes.

"What a bitch," Sakura stated as they watched Keiko rejoin her group. Ino might have been pretty, but she didn't stand a change among those girls. They were like wolves, and Sakura and Ino were just rabbits trying to survive in the same forest.

Sakura was the type of girl who tried her hardest to not get caught up in cat fights with fierce girls like Keiko. Girls like that could ruin girls like Sakura. Though, being Ino's friend had helped Sakura harden her backbone. She wasn't so awkward anymore, and she spoke up more. Just being in Ino's presence made Sakura feel ten times tougher.

"She's not that bad." Sakura gasped and Ino glared. Shika shrugged his shoulders in a fluid motion. Every movement he made was graceful, regardless of the fact he was a lazy bum.

"How can you say that? That girl has always made our lives hell." Ino narrowed her eyes, darkening her usual light eyes. "Traitor." It was Shika's turn to glare.

"I'm not a traitor, Ino. She's never made my life hell, so why should I have a problem with her?" Sakura crossed her arms in defiance.

"But she made OUR lives hell. That should be enough for you to hate her," Sakura retorted. Shika sighed, as if he were explaining evolution to three year olds.

"We're not in middle school, ladies. Enough with the drama."

"Drama? Is that what you call it, huh? It's more like war. You'll never understand how girls work, Shika." Ino shook her head in shame.

"I'll never understand, because I'm not a girl." Ino frowned, obviously not finding his remark funny. Sakura chuckled, using her hand to muffle the sound so she wouldn't anger Ino any more than she already was.

"You like her, don't you? You like that fake, wannabe?" The anger was rising in Ino's voice. Shika looked away, his eyes portraying his lack of interest.

"Would it be a crime? If I did?" Sakura sighed, feeling the tension between them grow.

"Yes! You're supposed to be on our side! But no, you're chasing that.. that... spoiled brat!" Sakura watched as Ino's face distorted in rage and betrayal. Sakura knew Ino could get mad at Shikamaru, but it was never this serious. Something between them changed, something Sakura couldn't put her finger on.

"Keep your voice down, Ino. Not only are you giving me a headache, but people are starting to stare."

"You seriously don't care that you're betraying us?" Us? Sakura blinked. Since when did she get caught up in this?

"I don't care, because I haven't." Shikamaru's usual calm face was now shadowed with frustration. Sakura suddenly wished Choji was here to help her. She seriously doubted she had the ability to stop a train wreck. Choji was the fourth and final member of their clique. He was the fun-loving one who made everyone feel better. Ino called him her 'feel good medicine'. But unfortunately for Sakura, he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"She's our enemy, Shikamaru! That makes her your enemy too."

"No, it doesn't. I can like whoever I want, Ino."

"I knew it! You do like her!"

"I didn't say that!"

"You can just forget about coming over tonight! And Scrabble! I don't want to see your face, I'm so sick of you!" Ino spun on her heel and stomped away. Sakura's jaw dropped. Before anyone could say another word, Ino turned back around and glared dangerously at Shikamaru. "Don't come crying to me when she leaves you for the next piece of ass with more money." With that said, Ino strutted towards the other end of the courtyard.

A stunned silence wrapped around the two as they watched her slam her bag down and lean against the school, her eyes still flaming with the heat of her anger. Sakura looked back at Shikamaru, who was still staring at Ino. His eyes didn't give away how he felt, but Sakura had an idea.

Shikamaru and Ino were friends way before Sakura came into the picture. Their parents went way back, their fathers actually. Choji, too. They were babies when they had their first play date. Since then, they were inseparable. Ino was the playful, spunky one. Shikamaru the sensible, bored one, and Choji was the calm, loving one. They were perfect for each other.

Sakura used to feel left out whenever they hung out in a group. It was them and then her. But that feeling soon melted away over time. Now, she felt as if there never was a time when she wasn't among them.

When Ino announced Shika was no longer allowed to play Scrabble with her, it cut him deeply. It was their tradition. Shika's parents often went out of town on business, leaving him with the Yamanaka's. Ino would pull the Scrabble box out of her closet and they would play for hours. Laughing and teasing each other. Sakura was invited a couple of times, but it felt wrong invading their game. It was a Shikamaru-Ino thing, and nothing was supposed to tear that apart. Except Keiko.

"Maybe you should go talk to her," Sakura suggested after a moment of silence. Shika sighed, letting his gaze drop to his feet. His shoulders slouched in defeat.

"No, she'll only yell at me." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You just don't want to bother." Shika looked up at her. Sakura smiled sweetly, knowing she hit the truth in the gut.

"She's loud when she's mad. I already have a headache. I'll call her later." Sakura frowned. Sometimes, Shikamaru's mellow attitude really got under her skin.

"You think ignoring her is going to solve things?" Shikamaru said nothing, but stared at the sky instead. The clouds rolled like fat caterpillars across the clear blue sky. Sakura waved her hand in front of Shika's face. "Hello! Are you listening to me?" Shika sighed and stood up, swooping down to grab his bag.

"Sakura, I'm sorry to cut this short, but my ride is here." Sakura crossed her arms as she watched him stride to a large, black truck waiting by the sidewalk. She squinted into the sun watching the truck drive away. With a sigh, Sakura plopped herself heavily onto the bench. She buried her face into her hands. My friends are going to be the death of me.

"Sakura? Are you alright?" Sakura smiled, recognizing that voice immediately.

"You just missed it, Choji." She looked up at the boy standing in front of her. "Another Ino-Shika death match."

Choji Akimichi was a heavier set boy with rusty red hair and a round face. His eyes were small and glassy. He was currently munching on a snack size bag of chips, the crumbs falling and landing on his chest. Sakura grinned and patted the space next to her. Choji complied and sat with her.

"What did he do this time?" Sakura giggled, swinging her legs and enjoying the company.

"You remember Keiko? Well, Ino flipped out. It was... well, the usual. She's over there, maybe you should talk to her?" Sakura turned and watched Choji stare at Ino. His hand crumbled the empty bag of chips and frowned. Sakura raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" Choji's frown grew.

"Nothing, it's nothing." He stood up and brushed the crumbs off his sweatshirt. "It's okay, I'll go talk to her." Sakura looked over at Ino. She was still staring off into space, her face still wearing the same look of disgust.

"Sure. I need to go home anyways." Sakura gathered her things and started walking in the opposite direction. She glanced over at her shoulder to see Choji walking up to Ino, whom immediately seemed to brighten. That was the magic of Choji. He could lift any spirit.

Sakura smiled as she kicked at a rock, sending it rolling through the dying September grass. A breeze tangled her hair, cooling her face. She stared off into the distance. The multi-colored trees lining the streets, the cars driving past her, and the endless blue sky, Sakura truly loved fall. Taking in a deep breath, filling her lungs with sweet air, she started in the direction of home.

Walking down Main Street was never a favorite of Sakura's. She always felt over exposed as the lines of cars zipped past her in a state of rush, walking just feet away on the safe sidewalk. She held onto the straps of her book bag as she shuffled down the cracked cement. She grinned as she caught sight of her destination.

Standing between a bakery and an antique bookstore stood the Haruno business and home, Haruno Studio of Martial Arts. The air was that was thick of scents of icing and bread. Sakura would purposely leave her window open just to fill her room with the sweet smells. The main door led to the studio. Thick, black print decorated the windows and read the hours and types of classes you can take. The second door, hidden in the shadow of the bookstore, was Sakura's small but cozy home. Traveling up a flight of noisy stairs, Sakura reached a plain and worn door.

Successfully unlocking the door and getting inside, Sakura dumped her bag next to the door and kicked it shut. Happy to be home. She glided into the living room, glancing around before departing for her room.

The walls were littered with sad but beautiful boys from the latest alternative bands, pictures of Ino, Shika, Choji and herself lining her mirror, and a string of Christmas lights that snaked along side the ceiling. Her curtains were a pale yellow, softly tossing and turning from the breeze. Her floors were wooden with a giant shag carpet in the shape of a flower. Her bed was a mess of blankets, pillows, and clothes. The chair in the corner was submerged under the different outfits Sakura will cycle through before deciding which one fit her mood that day. A cluttered shelf and desk stood next to each other near the window, and her dresser drawers were spilling open, revealing Sakura's undergarments. Her closet door was wide open, show casing random arrangement of shoes, clothes barely clinging to the hangers, and old stuffed animals her heart couldn't part with. She smiled. This was her haven.

Flinging herself on her bed, Sakura sighed and stared at the ceiling. Everything in her life was in order. (Minus the occasional zit and drama with Ino.) It was almost too in order.

She sat up, staring at the mirror reflection hanging on the wall. Her eyes glittered a bright green, her hair a soft, flower petal pink, and her skin pale. Her breasts weren't small but weren't anything to fuss over either. She had curves and a slender stomach. Her neck was a little skinny, and her ears might have been slightly larger than normal, but besides that, she couldn't complain.

She sighed. Sakura was the only girl she knew with natural pink hair. She wondered where she got it. Her parents told her was it passed down from a dead grandmother, a grandmother she had only seen in pictures. She had been teased about it for years, but it slowly died down by middle school. Now, she only got the occasional gaping stare from strangers. Sakura used to hate her appearance, but she eventually matured and decided it was something to be proud. Seriously, how many girls can say their hair is naturally pink?

"Sakura? Are you home?" Bounding off her bed, Sakura scooted into the living room. A woman with dark hair and light green eyes stood in the kitchen, arms filled with groceries and a smile plastered on her motherly face. Sakura grinned and waltzed over to her mother.

Ayame Haruno was the strongest and most beautiful woman Sakura ever knew. She could balance a checkbook and perform a flying sidekick. She ran the business's finances and also helped her father teach the younger children. She volunteered to help with the adult classes, but she usually stuck to the little ones.

She had nice round eyes that were a cucumber green, not so bright like Sakura's. Her skin was naturally pale, and took ages to tan. That much, Sakura could claim her mother passed down to her daughter. She had the best figure for over thirty in town, not an ounce of fat to be seen. The boys in Sakura's class even nominated her the "Boner of the Month", something that only got them knocked upside the head for by Sakura's temper.

She placed the bags gently on the counter and swept away a stray piece of hair. "How was school?"

"Fine." Casually poking her head into the bags, Sakura moseyed around the kitchen before seating herself on the over-sized couch.

"You'll have to find something to do for dinner. Your father and I are sparring with some friends." It might have been odd to have both her parents being martial arts' instructors, but Sakura actually found it amusing. It was always fun to tease the boys who tried to get a little too fresh. "My parents are trained martial artists, you better watch out."

"That's fine." Sakura watched her poke around the house, cleaning the empty cans on the living room table, picking up her father's dirty socks, and checking the answering machine.

Sakura smiled, happy and content. She cuddled up on the couch, hugging a throw pillow to her chest. She rested her head on the back of the couch, feeling warm and safe. Nothing could go wrong here in her home.

Her father walked through the door, sweaty and smiling. He was a tall man with light black hair that looked purple in certain amounts of light with large green eyes. He was built with toned limbs and hard muscles. Both of her parents could be super models with bodies like that.

Ryuu Haruno playfully hugged his wife from behind, wiping his sweaty forehead all over her nice sweater. She punched him softly in the arm and scolded him. He used to be in the army, working as a martial arts specialist. But that was before her met Ayame and turned in his dog tags for a wedding ring. Now, he runs his own martial business with his wife. Still doing what he loves with whom he loves, killing two birds with one stone as he put it. Sakura grinned and closed her eyes, listening to them playfully bicker back and forth.

Her parents loved each other and their only child unconditionally, she had the best friends in the world, and she was passing all her classes. She didn't always get what she wanted, but her luck wasn't too bad. Her pockets always had spending money and she never knew what the word "hunger" really meant. She didn't have a boyfriend, but then again, Sakura's parents wouldn't allow it anyways. Sakura had a pretty good life.

Of course, Sakura didn't always make note of that. She picked and whined about how unadventurous her life was. It was always the same thing everyday in her eyes. Wake up, school, come home, eat, homework, and then fall asleep to repeat the cycle again the next day. Her parents were corny and out of style, her best friend nagged 24/7, and school was the worst thing ever. Sakura sighed. Her life was plain. Plain and just down right dull. She wished something would happen, something cool and exciting.

"Be careful what you wish for," Sakura softly reminded herself as she slipped into a nap. Peaceful and tired, Sakura dreamed of a life that had a little more oompth to it. Blissfully unaware of the terrors that oompth could bring.