The Mission

Chapter 1: The Day Off (PART A)

"Sasuke!" Haruno Sakura sat up in her bed. She was breathing hard, sweating, and her short, pink hair was in her face. Sakura suddenly looked sad, and broke down in tears. After a while, Sakura lay back and stared up at the ceiling.

"Why did he have to go?" Sakura said, "Besides, it's been four years. He should be back by now……."

'No! He can stay there and rot in a sack for all we care! We hate him!' Her inner-self said.

'I know, but-'

' "But" what?! You're still attracted to him? I think not! You need to get your mind off of Sasuke. You need a date, like that hot Sand guy.'

'Who? Gaara?'

'Noooooo!!Kankuro! Who wants to date some crazy demon-freak?!'

'Well, Kankuro? I think not….'

'No!?Why not!?'

'Because, that bandaged thing on Kankuro's back is pretty much a demon, too.'

'…'

'Look,I don't want to date anybody right now. Go back to the corner from whence you came, and leave me alone.'She wiped her eyes with her pajama sleeve, 'I'm taking the day off, and I'm not gonna think about Sasuke.' Sakura stuck her tongue out at her inner-self, and walked over to her wardrobe.

'Hmm,'she thought as she looked through. 'I need something that looks good, and feels good when I wear it. Something like….this!' She put on a black mini-skirt, a hot pink halter top with black cherry blossoms around the bottom, and put some fishnets on her legs and arms. Last, she put a cherry blossom clip in her pink hair and slid on some black shinobi sandals. She surveyed herself in the mirror, and left for Uzamaki Naruto's apartment.

(at his door) "Naruto!Otouto! Open up. It's me, Sakura." There was a crash and a thump, and Naruto opened the door.He was smiling, Sakura noticed, but there was something wrong with him. His hair was messier than usual, his pajamas were ripped along the chest and the sleeves, and the reek of the mixture of body odor and perfume was drifting into the hall. He also had the door open so that Sakura could only see him and the apartment ceiling.

'He's hiding something from me,' she thought.

'Someone.'

"Hey, Sakura-san! What can I do you- I mean, what can I do for you?"

Sakura gasped and asked, " Naruto, what are you hiding?"

'Or who!'

'Oh, shut up!'

Naruto sweat-dropped and scratched his head. "What do you mean, Sakura-san? I'm not hiding anything."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and said, unconvinced, "Of course. In that case, can I come in?"

"NOOO!!! I-I mean……of course….just let me tidy up a bit, first."

"Okay-OW!!" The apartment door had slammed shut in her face as Naruto had run into his bedroom."

Through the door, Sakura could hear Naruto whispering to someone, and when that person replied, they had a stutter. Sakura gasped again in disbelief and rage. She pounded on the door until it flew off of its hinges. She ran into Naruto's bedroom. "I knew it!...!? Hinata, why are you in Naruto's bed?!"

Hyuuga Hinata, who was sweaty, had messy hair, and had a blanket gathered around her, looked at the floor and began to cry. "I'm s-sorry, Sakura-s-sama! I-it's just th-that Naruto-kun p-proposed t-t-to me last night. W-we were j-just s-so happy! P-please forgive us, S-sakura-sama!!" Hinata, who had stood up, sank back into a chair and covered her face with her hands. Sakura gasped quietly. On Hinata's left ring finger was a pearl engagement ring.

"It's alright,"Sakura said. "It's alright."

After helping Naruto (who had fainted) and Hinata to regain their composure, Sakura headed to Yamanaka Ino's home. On the way, she suddenly stopped and looked around. Nobody was there. She had the strange feeling that somebody was watching her.

At Ino's, Mrs. Yamanaka answered the door. "Why, hello, Sakura-chan. What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Mrs. Yamanaka. Have you seen Ino?"

"I'm sorry, dear, but I haven't seen Ino since this afternoon when Shikamaru picked her up for a date. Why?"

"Oh, no reason, Mrs. Yamanaka. Thanks, anyway."

"Goodbye, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura waved over her shoulder as she ran to the one place that Ino could be.

At Shikamaru's new house new house, Sakura knocked on the front door. "Ino-teme! Bokomono! Shikamaru! OPEN THE DOOR!!!"

'Try the windows.'

'Oh my gosh! Did you just give me some good advice?!'

'Back to my corner….'

'Fine….teme.'

Sakura made her way into the backyard, and to what looked like Shikamaru's bedroom window. She reached out and touched the glass, only to recoil quickly.

"Eww! Yamanaka Ino, you PIG!" Sakura wiped her hand on the grass. She looked at the rest of the window. It was all foggy. Sakura pounded on the window, and soon, Shikamaru appeared. His hair was down, out of the usual ponytail. He appeared to be drunk by the way he just stood there staring at her.

" Get Ino!" Sakura cried. Shikamaru grinned and staggered back into the darkness. A moment later, a drunken form of Ino appeared in the window. She waved, squinting.

"Hey, Kiba! Where's Akamaru? Doesn't matter…come on in! There's plenty of me to go around!" She took a long drink of sake.

"Ino, you pig! You teme! Bokomono, Ino! Retard!" Sakura cried.

Ino stared into space sleepily and closed the curtains.

Sakura looked toward the sun and sighed. It was setting, now. 'So much for a day off,' she thought. She rubbed her temples.

"Oooh…I need some sake…"

'Can you make it a double? I'm tired of smoothies.'

'SHUT UP!!!!'

'….'

End of Part A of Chapter

There, the end of the first actual chapter of The Mission. Sorry that I haven't updated….alot of things to deal with. Also, the reason that I put this chapter into two parts because it's pretty long…..arigatou or reading and please update!-Kuro