A collection of one-shots about the secret lives of our favorite characters. I'll be writing one every day or every other day. If you have any requests for new characters to do, please input it into a review. I may or may not do the character depending on my feelings about the character. Leave suggestions, critiques, flames, etc in a review, and I'll reply when I have time to.

After years of fighting to the death with each other, they each thought they knew each other. But did they really? Everyone has their own secrets, and the Rookie 12 are no exceptions. Collection of one-shots. Dark. Mentions of cutting, rape, abuse, etc. Ratings may go up.

.:The Secrets Within:.

.:Sakura: Abuse:.

No one had to tell me for me to guess what they thought of me. I already know. After all, my brain was the only real advantage that I have, although it was clouded by my ignorance and self-pity. I know that Ino thinks that I'm annoying and unworthy of Sasuke. I know that Naruto hates how I treat him like dirt, hitting him every chance that I get. I know that Sasuke thinks that I'm simply weak—an annoyance and hindrance. Hinata—bless her heart—glares at me behind her bangs whenever she sees me hanging out with my blonde teammate, and every time I pound him on the head.

"She's so weak, Naruto. Why do you even like her?"

"Don't say that, Ino-chan. Sakura's punches make me feel alive."

The platinum blonde scoffed. "Alive my ass. She's such a bitch. Why do we keep pretending to be friends with her?"

I can't help but be so harsh towards the idiot. I care for him, I really do. No one else might believe that, but I'd like to think that I'm telling the truth.

"What do you think of Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto suddenly brought up.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "She's a pest. A shallow, typical fan girl that only likes me because of my looks."

"I agree..." he trailed off, not wanting to say more.

Everyone thinks that I like Sasuke just because of his attractive appearance and dark, mysterious aura. That's not true at all. I'm not thick-headed like they think I am. Maybe when we met younger, he didn't remember me; I was just an insignificant civilian girl, after all. But I remember him. I remember every detail, because that day, the young, naive six-year-old me, experienced love for the first time.

"Mommy, look at the fireworks!" Sakura shouted, tugging on her mother's matching, violet kimonos with a detailed cherry blossom pattern. When she looked back up at the person she expected to be her mother, a stranger was in her place. "Mommy...?" Where could her mother have possibly gone? The two had gotten separated in the enthusiastic crowd of the spring festival. "I will be brave, I will be brave, I will be brave," Sakura murmured to herself, almost like chanting a mantra. However, she already felt tears threatening to pour out from her emerald orbs.

Suddenly, a small, warm hand grabbed hers and untangled her away from the hordes of people. "You're safe," a little boy around her age said proudly, "now that you're with me!"

Sakura stared at him admirably with wide, sea green eyes. "Sugoi! You're like my hero," she gushed. "Thank you," she added quickly.

"I'm Sasuke." He puffed his chest. "Are you lost?"

The pinkette looked down sadly and nodded. "I wanted to look at the fireworks, but then mommy disappeared and I tried to be brave, but I was scared, because I was alone..." she ranted.

"Well, I thought that you were very brave," Sasuke complimented. "You didn't cry like some other people would."

Sakura blushed. Suddenly, a familiar figure came running towards her. "Saku-chan!" her mother cried, tears in her eyes. She knelt down and embraced her child, forcing Sasuke to let go of her hand.

"See? I told you some people would cry," Sasuke whispered into her ear when her mother released her, causing her to stifle a giggle.

"Young lady, where did you go? I was worried sick!" her mother reprimanded.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, embarrassed, and quickly looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, mommy. I was really excited. I won't do it again." She looked up and added hastily, "Sasuke's my hero! He protected me from the herd of people!"

The said boy blushed proudly as Sakura's mother ruffled his hair. "Oh really now? I guess a thank you is in order, Sasuke-san."

I was foolish. We were little kids; I was a little kid. I didn't know what love was. My affection for Sasuke was nothing more than a puppy love, a first love, a crush, a one-sided love. He never cared for me, never even taking the time of the day to ask me if I was okay whenever I dragged myself to the team meetings, dirty and battered with dark rings under my eyes. He never looked at me in worry when bruises started magically appearing on my flesh. Hell, I can't even seem to remember the last time we spoke.

My name is Haruno Sakura, and I am a kunoichi with no special kekkei genkais or demons or clans backing me up. I am a weakling, an interference, a waste of time. I represent the unwanted and the unwanted represent me.

"Sakura! Hurry the hell up, you little bitch!" a booming voice echoed throughout the house.

Sakura slipped on her fingerless gloves before swallowing a lump lodged in her throat. "Y-yes, father!" she shouted back half-heartedly.

Within ten seconds, she was downstairs, getting supplies out so that she could cook breakfast. "You're late," he stated with a dangerous look in his eyes. Sakura muttered an apology and set to work even faster. Her father sat at the end of the table, drinking coffee that she had prepared for him—black with two tablespoons of sugar, just how he always liked it: bittersweet,—reading the latest shinobi news in the papers.

After letting the oiled pan heat up for a few minutes, she cracked an egg open and proceeded to frying it sunny-side up. Within five minutes, her father had a decently cooked breakfast of three sizzling bacon strips, eggs, and toast. She sat down anxiously at the other end of the table, waiting for her father's critique. He slowly dug into his breakfast with a fork that she prepared for him. Sakura watched him chewed, a stern, harsh look permanently plastered onto his face. "The egg is raw," he said flatly. She flinched. "Useless bitch. Can't even cook a decent meal. Why do I even keep you around?" he asked, more towards himself. She stayed quiet, staring at the spotless floor that she cleaned every day in fear of her father's wrath. "USELESS BITCH, ARE YOU MUTE NOW, TOO?"

"N-no, sir. Sorry, sir. It won't happen again." Her father lunged around the table and harshly grabbed her arms. She winced, already feeling bruises appearing. "D-Dad," she cried out.

WHACK! He had slapped her hard, causing her to fall onto the ground. She held her stinging cheek in pain, but didn't say anything further.

"If only Shiori was still here, you murderer. She cooked the best meals, and she was good in bed." The man that once was her father had kneel down on his knees, his eyes leveled with hers. "Do you know how lucky you are that I kept you instead of throwing you away like the garbage you are?" She nodded frantically. "Che, maybe it's time that you start to feel what it's like to be an adult. It's the least you can do to repent for your sins, you monster."

Sakura trembled and would have fallen, if she were not already on the floor. Her father left the house quickly, making her the only occupant left. That day, she had skipped the team meeting, knowing that no one would ask her about her newly formed bruises or her tear-streaked face. She spent the entire day in her room, hugging her knees, and smothering herself in the comfort of her tears.

I had once thought that my father was a demon of another level, but then I realized that he was right: I'm the monster. I've killed so many lives. I deserved to be punished by him.

"Ne, Sakura-chan," Naruto started.

"Hmm?"

"Why do you hit me so much?"

Sakura stared at him with shocked eyes. "I only hit you when you're being stupid, idiot," she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Naruto scrunched his eyebrows together in distress. "But that doesn't mean you have to hit me, Sakura-chan!" he protested with a large pout on his face.

Sakura blinked. "It doesn't?" But her father hit her because she was stupid and useless, didn't he? She was simply doing what she was taught to do... Sakura didn't understand what was so wrong about that.

My name is Haruno Sakura, and my darkest secret—the secret that I want no one to know—is that my mom died because of me.

Third chapter done. I was looking forward to writing this one the most. xD In fact, I finished writing this one even before Sasuke's chapter. Just two chapters and I've already gotten over 162 views. I'm sad, because I haven't gotten a SINGLE review yet, even though over 55 of those hits were of people with accounts. Come on! It's just pressing a button and typing a few words... ; - ; If you guys don't review, I'm not gonna have motivation to write, which means I'll probably update slower or stop updating at all...

Next Chapter: Hatake Kakashi

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