AN: I'm alive, jk xD; been busy with university but now I'm back and I hope I won't have year long hiatus again.

I DO NOT own the characters ONLY the plot

So on with the story and I hope you enjoy

* Haruno palace; Sakura's room, dawn

Irritation. That was the only feeling that plagued Sakura after hours of pacing around her room. No matter how many times she tried she couldn't come up with a single theory for King's behaviour. Every time she tried to piece gathered information it was a lost cause. Her brain just decided to shut down in crucial moment and leave her on square one with pieces of information that didn't make any sense. At least to her it didn't. Because, in her book, the King was a good king. And throwing everything in the wind just because someone decided to say something against him was also one thing she wasn't willing to do. Or so she thought.

Sleepless night got to her as she slammed her fist on vanity table. 'Damn it all why can't I think of something, anything!'. Then collapsed on a chair in front of it only to stare blankly at her reflection. First time after many years, of not doing so, Sakura wanted to cry. Not out of sheer helplessness, sadness and anger like the last time but out of pure frustration that build up over the last few hours. In her case want to cry didn't actually lead to crying so she was surprised to see one tear rolling down her cheek and slipping on her nightgown. Suddenly, after recovering from the shock, she saw her reflection contort with anger. How could she cry over something so foolish. Her hand reached her cheek and wiped the trail that the lone tear left behind.

'Like hell I'm going to cry over something as stupid as this.' Sakura thought.

'You know that's not the reason you wanted to cry.'

'So now you decide to show up and I have no idea what are you talking about.' She played on the oblivious card but it didn't work

'Come on Sakura I may be the most pathetic, whiny and stuck up inner in history but I'm the one that knows you the best. You haven't shed a single tear in years now. We both know for whom you cried or smiled the most.'

'Shut it! Don't you dare to speak of it now!' Anger raising once again.

'Alright. I'll let it go for now but you'll have to face it sooner or later though I bet on the former.' She sighed in defeat. She knew her inner was right. So change of subject was in order.

'What should I do? I mean title of a noble and privileges and luxury that comes with it...that is my whole life, the only thing I know, that I am.'

'Sakura you and I both know that you are not the one that acts the role of a noble, of a spoiled rich brat, of heartless person that will stop at nothing to get what she wants.' '

But you are me.'

'Yes, that I am, but only the part of you. Don't forget that you are the one in charge. Luxury and privileges were never your thing, but you did, you still live that life and those things don't define you. They may be the only things you know, but you know them as me. You are so much like your...our mother and if I know something that will help, it will be this.'

'Yes, but that still doesn't tell me the answer on what should I do. I decided it was too much of a risk to get involved, to ask questions and if I return to the Lower Ring today and find that Yahiko is connected to the rogues...What will I do? What am I supposed to do? Give the information to the King? The King that supposedly already knows about them and does absolutely nothing about them. To my father? He hasn't even told me that he was promoted. To that Councilman? That person doesn't have a single good bone in his body, he's just waiting in the shadows for the King to slip up so he could take the reign-'

'Sakura, have you thought about not telling anyone? You're not actually concerned with finding and disclosing some information we both know you can keep your mouth shut. You're worried about the title. But think of it this way, along with privileges, title of a noble also brings responsibilities and that has to mean something as well. You are not stupid you know what am I talking about.'

'Losing that very title just to answer some questions, that no-one ever asked or did but they ended up in the Royal Dungeons...I guess what I'm trying to ask is will it be worth it?'

'Deep down you already know the answer to that question, but the real one is are you ready, no are you willing to let the title dictate your life or better yet are you willing to get the answers you want even if the price you have to pay is your title.? For once stop calculating the possible outcomes and just do what you do the best. Follow your instinct and that is telling you something if it comes from me.'

'Thank you I appreciate it...' As great as civil conversation with your inner can be Sakura didn't like whole out of character behaviour of her inner so she did something that was ought to bring her inner to scream bloody murder. 'Oh my, I'm so sleep deprived. I can't believe I'm actually holding a civil conversation with you.'

'...You mean as in haven't slept, not a wink?'

'You're seriously asking me that?'

'I'm going to murder you!' Sakura smirked, it worked like a charm.

'Now that's better, but there goes civil and what's the big deal anyway?'

'What's the big deal, what's the big deal she asks! You're an idiot! Do you have any idea how do you look like with no sleep!?' Her inner screamed as predicted.

'Keep it up and you can pass as banshee.' She replied bluntly.

'Oh, Kami, that's it we're done for. With you looking like that we can send our social status to hell!'

'Drama queen.' Sakura teased.

'Oh shut up! Me a drama queen?!

'...'

'Ok, maybe but it comes in handy when you need 'I'm little, stuck up, rich brat' act. Now that aside and to attend more pressing matter. Go to bed this instant, you little b-.'By this point she was greatly amused, her inner started to curse.

'-Nah ah ah, language. Where's your 'a lady does not speak in that manner' phrase?' If looks of your inner could kill Sakura would be dead on the spot. 'Ok, ok, I'm going just stop looking at me like you're going to bite my head off.'

'Great then, good night.' Inner said cheerfully.

'What are you bipolar?'

Silence was her answer as she climbed on her bed only to be pulled in the dreamland the second her head hit the pillow. Before she fell asleep she made a decision. Decision which will lead her through many hardships, sadness and sleepless nights filled with silently shed tears; but will allow her to make true friends, share laughter and adventures with them and most important of it all it will help her to find her true self.

* Haruno palace, 5 hours ago

Sakura was crawling down the passageway. And let me tell you something. If you're planning a mission that involves crawling in dark and dirty places wear something that will not be easily noticed or missed if torn. Like Sakura's light pink nightgown that was slowly becoming brown and was torn on sleeves and knees.

Passage was narrow, paved with stone and covered in dirt. Darkness and narrowness of the passage created the type of pressure that seemed to weigh down on your very soul. Air only added to it. Moisture, like on those days when you expected heavy rain to pour down from heavens, and stale scent, that only got stronger as she advanced, prevented her from breathing normally. In spite all of that Sakura didn't stop moving forward. After all she had a mission to complete.

After few minutes, which seemed to be as long as hours, Sakura crawled to the end of the passage and started to tap blindly over a wall in front of her. She pressed a stone in left down corner and the wall slid open. She welcomed change of scenery as sight of a path, between two tall and massive bookshelves mounted into the wall, greeted her. Sakura crawled out of the passage and wall started to close behind her. Before it closed she marked the stone, she pressed, by lodging a piece of wood over it. Last time she was around she found the trap door by accident and it wouldn't do her any good if something were to happen and she forgot what to press in case of need for quick escape route. 'I wouldn't mind if there were no complications at all, but it's not as if I can choose when I know what am I about to do.' With those thoughts in mind Sakura turned around and started to walk towards her destination.

'Well slap me with a fish and call me peasant. Talk about complications.' She thought as she eyed giant bookshelf that covered a wall in front of her. Sakura expected to find some kind of trap door again but that was not what she had in mind. 'Should have thought of that. This is a library.' According to schedule she 'borrowed' no-one should be near that part of the library that night but she knew she couldn't take that for granted and if her calculations were correct she had no more than four minutes time to take action.

Three minutes. 'Now Sakura what would you do if you were your father?' She thought as she paced back and forth in front of the bookshelf. It was the habit she got from her mother. She always paced when nervous, excited or thinking. 'It has to be something simple...' She stopped pacing and looked back at the bookshelf and noticed it was divided in three parts.

Two minutes. She darted to the right one and started scanning through stacks of books when her eyes caught the sight of something she would write off as normal if she wasn't looking for it.

One minute. 'Have to hand it to him it's quite clever.' She smirked as she stood in front of middle of the shelf that was filled with books that focused on battle and battle tactics. 'But not if someone knows you the way I do.'

Thirty seconds. 'Ten rows, twelve books each...top five are out of the question because it's not practical...then top or middle?'

Fifteen seconds. She started pulling out every book in the middle but nothing happened. 'So it is the top...'

Ten seconds. Sakura repeated the action and reached the end of the row with one book left. 'Let us hope I'm right, if not...better not to think about that.' She thought as she grasped top of book's spine and pulled.

Five seconds. Shelf started to open with the sound of cracking and squeaking of old hinges. Sakura grabbed the shelf before it completely opened and almost threw herself inside of the room, puling the shelf to close behind her.

Zero. Sakura sighed in relief but she knew she was far from safe. She had two hours to get at least some lead on...well anything that is happening right now. 'A lot of time to find something...as long as I find the right thing. But it's not like I know what that something is.' She sighed again but this time because she knew that there's gruelling task ahead.

Archive was triangular shaped room with high ceiling. It was arranged as kind of work study with long, wide mahogany table with five chairs on each side, which were padded with midnight blue velvet, in the middle. A wall on Sakura's right was entirely covered with a tapestry. It was woven with gold and silver threads that ended in all four corners of the tapestry and made the Haruno family's emblem. A wall behind her was covered with the same type of bookshelf that was outside and along the one on the left were all kind of shelves an cupboards which were filled with papers and files. There were three torches in every corner and a candle in front of every chair.

'Oh Kami...I knew this is going to be hard, but this is ridiculous. Just how many papers are there? It'll take weeks just to take a glance at every paper!' While thoughts ran through her head she was standing with her back turned to the tapestry. When she entered the room the tapestry captured her attention and she walked closer to take a better look. 'And why in the name of bloody hell there's not even one label on the files-' She cut her mental rant off when she noticed a lone file on the table. As she took the first step towards the table she was greeted with familiar creak and squeak of old hinges.