CHAPTER 1 (redone)

Childhood Friends

Sakura Haruno scrunched up her nose at the boy.

She was not impressed.

All she had wanted to do today was show her mother her sand castle. It was currently a lump but that was more so thanks to the stupid blonde boy who kept bothering her. He always seemed to be talking to himself and laughing. At first Sakura thought maybe he had stolen her friend, the one only she could see, but when she accused him he just looked at her funny. Stupid boy. Of course she had tried to ignore him. It worked for a while until it started to rain sand. The grains got into her blonde hair and almost into her eyes. She spun around after grabbing a handful of sand, marched the few short feet with vengeance, and promptly dumped it all onto the boy's head ignoring the exclaimed shout.

"YOU'RE RUINING MY SAND CASTLE!"

The blonde boy shook off the sand while looking from Sakura to the spot he had seen her playing in. There was no castle there, just a weird triangle shaped thing. He made a face and crossed his arms. "What castle?"

"That one, you poo-face!" Sakura swung her hand out to point at her "castle" with such force her arm almost smacked the boy's chest. Seeing the other about to make that funny look again she huffed. "It is a castle! You keep messing me up!"

"Me?"

"You're too loud."

"Well you're weird."

"You're stupid."

"You're a girl."

Sakura blinked at that. "So?"

"Girls are stupid- and gross!"

Tears welled up in Sakura's green eyes. Her face went from angry, to hurt, then back to angry. She shoved at the boy and walked away not caring when he landed on his butt. "I hate you, you dummy!" She returned to her sand castle. Her green eyes staring at the mound of sand with a sting behind them. It really did look nothing like a castle. She sniffled. All she wanted to do was make one for her mommy. Like we do at the beach with papa. Sakura glanced at where her mother had last been. There she stood talking to another older lady with red hair. It was then she saw the blonde boy again. He was walking toward the redhead woman. She glared at him as he talked before jerking her eyes away when he was about to turn around. I should tell-on him! However before Sakura could do so she felt a tap on her shoulder; her gaze narrowed into a glare at the boy. He had his hands behind his back and wasn't even looking at her but she knew it had been him. "Go away."

"My mom said I was wrong...and to.." the boy seemed to shift on his feet. "I'm sorry."

A small humph was the only response she gave before turning back to her sand castle. She'll show that jerk. Her castle is going to be the best that there ever was! Before her fingers did more than sink into the nearing sand there was another tap to her shoulder. She jerked her head to tell the boy to go away again only to startle backward at the pile of mud so close to her face. That's what he had behind his back? Was he going to dump that on her? "What is that!?"

"A mud pie." The boy answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's for you."

"I don't want it."

"I made it for you." He nudged it closer to her face. "Take it."

She shook her head no.

It was pushed closer, the boy even taking a step closer, making Sakura shuffle away. The thing smelled weird. It looked gross and she wanted it away from her. Her eyes began to water as the pushy blonde boy kept moving the icky stuff closer. Even when she was leaning away! YUCK! Sakura didn't understand why this stupid boy didn't seem to understand that she didn't want it. She didn't even like mud! "NO! I NO WANT IT!" She finally shouted, making the boy jerk back in surprise.

The two barely noticed that the mud pie had made contact with the wooden planks that lined the sandbox. The boy looked so startled that he looked toward where Sakura's mother, and his own, were before he took a nearby red bucket and promptly shoved it on his head. In his head if he couldn't see his mother then surely she couldn't see him. The action was so silly to Sakura though that she stopped mid call for her mother. Green eyes blinked at the boy. Curious now. She peered at the plastic bucket on the blonde's head before slowly shifting closer, completely forgetting why she was so upset seconds ago, and taped the bucket's surface gently. "What are you doing?" The bucket-head boy shook their head making the girl puff out her cheeks in response. She grabbed the sides of the red bucket and made to tug it off the boy's head only to have tanned hands slightly bigger than her own pale ones clamp down over hers to keep the bucket in place.

"Stop that."

Sakura tilted her head, not that the boy could see, she was confused as to why the boy wanted to hide. She looked around thinking there might be a monster. Her mother was talking to a red haired woman, both laughing whenever they looked in Sakura's direction, and the other parents were sitting around or playing with the other kids in the park. Nothing scary there. She refocused her attention onto the boy. "Are you hiding because there's a monster?"

It took a moment of silence before the boy crossed his arms over his head and turned his head with a tilt that was hard to notice due to the bucket but visible enough. "A monster? You're too loud."

The kid version of an offended look overtook Sakura's features. I'm loud?! She slid the bucket upward until she could see blue eyes looking at her. His eyes looked a bit purple from the surrounding red of the bucket. It was pretty. The two looked at each other, not saying another word for a moment. Sakura took in the slightly worried expression on the boy's face when he shot a look over to where her mother was before taking off the bucket fully despite the boy's protests. Something about his mom coming over to yell at him. She looked to where he kept glancing and realized the redheaded lady must be his mom. She turned to look at him. "You look silly." The blonde's reply was to wiggle his nose before pushing down the bucket over his head again. Some part of her didn't want to see those eyes go away prompting her to apologize quickly. "I'm sorry." Sakura gently pulled off the red bucket and let it drop onto the sand beside them. The boy's blue eyes were the bluest she had ever seen, her voice unknowingly whispering her thoughts aloud. "So pretty…"

"Huh?"

"You have pretty eyes. I like them!" Sakura suddenly pointed to herself. "I'm Sakura."

"Naruto." the boy replied with a small smile that didn't do much to take away from the confusion he felt at the moment. Girls were definitely weird. He glanced at his mud pie-less hand. "You don't like pies?"

"Pies?" Sakura repeated whilst looking confused.

Naruto leaned down to pick up the splattered remains of his mud-pie and made a mini version of it with two hands before showing it to Sakura who blinked then gave a lengthy 'Oh'. He watched as she shook her blonde head with a big smile forming and took the mud pie making Naruto look at her in surprise. "I thought you didn't like them."

"I thought you were just being mean." Sakura apologized with a sniffle which the boy returned oddly enough followed by giving her a smile that made his blue eyes disappear behind his eyelids.

Naruto's happy expression was startled out into one of surprise when the girl suddenly yelled out "NO!" to him and shook his shoulders making his head jerk back and forth a bit. "What?" He blinked at her, eyes wide now.

Sakura's own face mirrored the blonde's. "Your eyes went away...I didn't like it." Naruto made to touch his eyes but Sakura reached up and clamped her child sized hands on his cheek making him freeze in place as he stared at her. The two looked at each other, jade green eyes boring into sky blue. It was an odd thing to see two very young kids standing in a sandbox just staring at one another with only a few inches in between them- kids being kids.

"You have pretty eyes too." the boy said after a while, his stance shifted as the limit of his willingness to stay still was reached. He reached up and touched Sakura's face only to feel something slimy, cool, and mushy like. "Your cheek feels funny."

Sakura blinked then glanced down. She squealed when she saw brown stuff on her face. Naruto jerked back again and Sakura let go of his face to paw at her own, yelling about yucky gross stuff. Naruto opened his mouth to tell her it was just mud but she got up and ran away to her mother. With a confused expression he got out of the sandbox and made his way to his mother while eyeing a now bawling Sakura who was pressing into her own mother's legs. His mother slid her fingers into his hair once he was close enough and tugged him against her side; his right hand coming up to grip at the hem at the back of her shirt as he looked at Sakura.

"Naru, why is that pretty little girl crying?" Naruto turned his blue eyes up at his mother, her red hair looking a shade lighter thanks to the sun beaming down upon them. Her eyes were just as warm looking though with their soft mothering expression. He smiled at seeing her but then furrowed his brows once he remembered her question. He shook his head, not really sure. "Did you apologize earlier?" His mother asked him while stroking his hair.

"Naruto, is it?" Sakura's mom this time spoke to him, making Naruto press a bit more into his own mother but nod in reply. "It's okay, Naruto. Sakura doesn't really like mud but I'm sure she liked the pie you made her."

Sakura sniffled and slowly looked at the blonde boy who was now looking at her. She nodded slowly in agreement to her mother while rubbing her eyes on the back of her hands before giving a smile that seemed to relax the boy. "Muds just yucky!"

"But pies are yummy!" Naruto replied which had Sakura nodding vigorously.

The two shared a grin in which their mothers laughed at before setting up another time for their children to meet up. Sakura and Naruto met up almost every day that summer and once it was realized they would be attending the same kindergarten, seeing as Naruto had just moved into the area at the start of summer, they became very good childhood friends. Becoming nearly inseparable over the coming years.

YEARS LATER

Sakura bent over at the waist, hands on her hips as she stared down at the dozing tanned face of her best friend who for some reason thought the front lawn of her house was an ideal place to take a nap. She took a moment to let her eyes take in the boy's appearance. Choppy blonde hair, freshly cut by her own mother, naturally tanned skin that could rival a surfer's and a build that was a little under average for a 15 year old. Of course he would still be lazing around before school. Taking in a deep breath, after making sure no one was around of course, Sakura let it all out. "NARUTO UZUMAKI! WAKE THE HELL UP, YOU BLONDEY!"

A single eye that easily reflected the clear sky above them stared up at the upside down image of Sakura's slightly frowning face. Naruto yawned openingly before revealing the most beautiful hue of blue eyes Sakura had ever seen. She had never seen the same shade of blue on anyone else apart from Naruto's father. "You're a blonde too, ya know."

Sakura huffed down at her childhood friend. Now if only his voice didn't sound like a growling puppy. What an opposite from his relaxed gaze and he unfortunately had the hyperactive energy of a puppy too when fully awake. She was silently thankful her friend didn't become a functioning person until sometime after their first class. She shook her head fondly at him and flicked him on the forehead. "Just get up or we're going to be late."

A soft wind breezed past them ruffling Naruto's spiky soft hair along with her own. He laid there for a bit longer until the breeze fully passed. He paused once he was sitting up. His lips pulling up into a smirk that made green eyes narrow at him faintly. He offered a grin while making a comment about how Sakura's green and white striped panties matched her eyes. The blonde promptly booked it when her scream of rage sounded. The two ran all the way to their middle school. Naruto laughing as Sakura gave chase; fully intent on beating her friend til he forgot what her panties looked like.

"YOU IDIOT!"

First period found Naruto groaning in pain as he rubbed his abused head while remaining slumped over his desk. Sakura could really pack a punch for a girl. He shot a glare at her that went ignored as her attention was zoned in on homework review. What a teacher's pet…and yet she has no issue beating up people. He rolled his eyes with an annoyed grumble. "Bitch..."

"Who? Sakura?" Asked someone with a somewhat similar voice to Naruto's own.

"Yeah." Naruto replied as he lazily preformed the greeting handshake. "You work the kennel this morning, Kiba?"

"Just a lil bit." Replied the brunette with a muffled yawn.

Kiba Inuzuka was Naruto's other best friend. They had met at the start of 4th grade and just seemed to click. The two were very similar with their personalities and likes. Kiba loved to mess around and joke and Naruto enjoyed a good prank and a laugh. If Kiba didn't have bronzed skin, shaggy brown hair and a different facial structure the two could've been twins or at the very least brothers. Sakura had hated Kiba at the start, mainly because she hadn't wanted to lose her place with Naruto, but Naruto liked the guy too much to just drop the new friendship so with the forced interactions Sakura got to know the new boy too. In the end the three of them became a close trio that did nearly everything together.

"I don't get why you hang out with her, man." Kiba glanced over to the blonde haired girl, Sakura's eyes now focused on a fashion magazine another girl had come over with. He shook his head and blinked at the look on Naruto's face. He quickly held up his hands in surrender. The look shifted into one of mild curiosity which Kiba thought was better since his friend seemed to have some kinda of sister complex or something when it came to Sakura. He had guessed it was a childhood type thing. He couldn't relate however as he grew up with his family on a farm with a lot of dogs before moving into the city. Naruto had been his first friend since the move and the first friend he considered a best friend as his old friends couldn't always keep up with him. Kiba guessed that growing up with lots of dogs changed one's energy levels or something. "What's the face for?"

"What do you mean by what you said?"

"Well...I mean, she's a chill girl don't get me wrong and it's fine when we all kick it, but to be honest, I feel like there's something about her that's uh.." Kiba took his seat and took out his homework as he fumbled for the right words to use only to come up short. "I don't know yet but it's a nagging thing, you know?" He shrugged a bit helplessly. "A dog always trusts its instincts, man."

Naruto raised a brow then gave a snort before pulling out his notebook for class as the teacher greeted everyone while walking in. "You're not a dog even if you eat like one." Kiba's mock offended 'hey' was drained out by the scrape of chairs as the rest of the students got into the seats once the teacher called for attention. Kiba stuck his tongue out at the blonde who merely grinned in response before attempting to pay attention; both boys doing so without much luck.

A/N: Short but I did not want to rush into the story. I was originally going to start it off with Sakura already being an addict but then I realized it wouldn't explain as to why her and Naruto were even such good friends to the point that he'd be there for her so strongly.

Chapter 2 will be posted soon along with the rest of the chapters up to Chapter 14 once those have been redone. I apologize for the 2-3 year wait; I sincerely do. Too much has been going on and there have been a lot of personal life changes I've gone through- excluding Covid- which oddly enough gave me the down time I needed to get back into writing.

1* - Sakura in my story is born with blonde hair and I honestly won't be giving anything away when I say she does dye her hair pink.