Sakura was drunk. No, she reconsidered. Mildly intoxicated. She looked down at her empty drink and sighed. Groaning slightly she raised her hand to get another one. The other seven glasses looked so lonely she decided. Sakura placed her head in her hands and sighed. Today had not been a good day. After her little bout of self-pity Kakashi and Tsunade had led her to a room, where apparently she was going to meet everyone who knew about this and get the whole low down. Sakura had gracefully tripped into the room and landed on her face. When she had righted herself she had looked up and saw. Well, almost everyone she worked with. All of the Konoha twelve- minus Sasuke and her of course- Iruka sensei, Gai sensei and Hana Inuzuka. A chorus of sounds had meet her arrival
"WHAT!"
"Sakura- Chan is the princess!?"
"Impossible"
"I-I don't think Sakura San is capable"
"It can't be!"
"I thought we were here to meet the princess!?"
She blinked around the room. Her eyes zeroed in on Naruto at once.
"What is this?" she asked Kakashi. He swept his arm around the room
"These are your handmaidens, Ino, Hinata and . . . lee- don't ask. The rest are to be your bodyguards, potential mentors and attendants if necessary. Well, except Naruto, he has a different job"
"No, I mean, why did all of my friends know about this except me?"
Kakashi shifted and coughed uncomfortably "um"
Her eyes were locked on Naruto's "Naruto?" she asked tentatively "you knew about this?"
His cerulean orbs slid away from hers "Sakura Chan-"
""You didn't tell me? You didn't mention the fact that you knew I was a prin- thing?!"
"We didn't know sakura Chan- honestly!"
Her eyes scanned the room again "even so, I am the Hokages apprentice, why did all of you except me know? Was I not important enough? Why aren't I here?"
Sakura gazed moodily into her sake anger gripped her stomach again how dare they? 'hell yeah- bastards!'inner sakura agreed enthuthiastically.
Ino looked at her and said "forehead-"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Sakura had screamed, attention on Naruto. "why didn't I know? Naruto? I thought you said I was your sister?" he flinched "sakura Chan- I"
Numbness swept over her. She reveled in it, it left no room for anger, sadness or disappointment. Tsunade touched her shoulder "sakura, don't you think you're over reacting-"
"Don't touch me," she said coldly "what else don't I know?" there was some scuffling of feet, and a long enough silence for Sakura to get the point. She whirled around and toward the doorway
"Sakura chan" Naruto called from behind her "don't leave"
She straightened in the doorway. A single tear slipped down her cheek she closed her eyes "I would have told you" she said frigidly. Then she walked off.
Sakura scowled into her glass. A tiny portion of her mind that suggested she was overreacting just a smidge was quickly squashed. Her friends hadn't told her, naruto hadn't told her. She wiped away a tear angrily from her eye. It hurt- she was the Hokages apprentice, why didn't she know? of course- she didn't know what she didn't know but now her best friends were her servants!- and an entirely disbelieving ones at that. Which had stung as well the way everyone instantly rejected the idea the she might actually be who they were looking for. She could possibly be the prin- thing. Sakura refused to say that word. Its all a dream she told herself a very messed up, crazy dream. No one can control water, and there's no way im a princess. A sudden overbearing presence made itself known.
"hn"
"go away sasuke" she said, not looking up
"its Gaara" she looked. Jade eye s met hers, rimmed in black kohl. The kazekage- of course sakura groaned this is is a dream, why not add an kazekage as well?. He sat down stiffly. She raised her head and gulped the sake down.
"so- you're a princess" he said unexpectedly, causing her to choke. He pounded her on the back. She raised bleary eyes and shrugged.
"it hurt, didn't it?"
"huh?"
he looked her in the eye "when they told you, an hour ago my sister and brother decided to reveal I was a prince. I know I'm not very close to them but it still hurt, when I found out- it was like everybody I cared for knew and I didn't. it hurt, so now im pissed"
sakura gazed at him in shock that was the longest thing I have ever heard him say to anyone. And he understood. Sakura burst into tears and impulsively hugged him. he stiffened immediately from the contact. She withdrew and looked at him, sniffling attractively.
"you understand" sakura said "you didn't know" she gave him a small wobbly smile "since you didn't know, want to be my friend?" his eyes widened with shock. She giggled and pointed at him "your eyes are pretty"
"you're drunk" he said
"nah- mildly intoxicated"
"you're drunk"
"im not hearing that-" she sang to him "im hearing mildly intoxicated". She grinned crookedly at him, then slumped onto the wood table. "anyway, it dosn't matter, this is a dream"
"you think you're asleep"
"duh, of course, in the space of one day, I awoke from a two week coma, yelled at sasuke, who had returned, he apologized, then I threw water at him, found out I'm a princess, and all my friends knew about something I didn't and I just became best friends with the kazekage, who tried to kill me once" she sighed "conclusion- this is a very messed up dream"
"I'm your best friend?" he asked, sounding like he was choking on something. Probably his own spit, he hadn't drank any sake yet. Sakura deduced
"cha, why not? I like you, and you didn't lie to me, plus, you found me, and I doubt the others are even looking for me, and since this is a dream I might as well add the fact that you've only tried to kill me once, and you're pretty cute, to boot. So yeah"
Gaara could only gape at the petite pink-haired kunoichi in front of him. she giggled at his face, then sakura held out a slender hand "do you, Gaara, promise to be my best friend, and never lie, no matter how much the truth hurts, and protect me with your life?- and I to you?"
Gaara stared at the hand, then shook it " I do" at the very least he thought it will be amusing to see her face when she figures out this isn't a dream.
"Great! Now, more sake!" she called "we have to celebrate!" he frowned and grabbed her hand "Time to go" he said.
The next morning. . .
Sakura awoke with a start she lay in her bed, smiling softly at the weird dream she had had. Throwing on a white robe, she failed to notice she was still wearing a grimy hospital gown. She trudged to the kitchen and sighed. Grabbing a glass from the cupboard and filling it up with water she ran her tounge against her teeth. He mouth tasted like sake- weird she thought. Sakura zoned in on the cup. It was full of water. Tentatively she raised her hand. Just like in the dream, it followed it, curling up into the air. Her mouth fell open- if i can- that meant- oh my god
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed, her voice ringing through konoha. The doorbell rang. She rushed over and flung it open. Gaara stood there, watching her uncomfortably and she sagged and panted demonically. A glimmer of amusement and sadness lit his blank eyes up. she stared at him, jaw on the floor.
"um- you asked me to meet you here" he said, by way of explanation.
"HOLY SHIT" she screamed "IF YOURE HERE- THAT MEANS" she zoned out for a minute, recalling everything she had done. Suddenly she snapped back and ran into her apartment "AHH, I HAVE TO RUN, RUN FAR FAR AWAY!"
He looked at her, his chest gripped with sadness. He had expected this reaction, but it still hurt. It was sad- he'd really gone home feeling almost cheerful.
"LIKE SUNA!" sakura continued, dragging Gaara back to reality. Huh? Suna? Why would she want to run away from me and go there? He wondered
"GAARA, DON'T JUST STAND THERE! HELP ME PACK!"
"Why are you running away?" he asked. She stopped screaming and running and looked at him "I attacked sasuke, and won, thus, he's going to kill me! now, help me pack for Suna, we're leaving"
A sudden inexplicable weight flew off his chest. She wasn't afraid of him, she still wanted to be his firend. She resumed running round and screaming
"Remember" he said suddenly
"What?"
"The pact- I have to protect you"
her green eyes widened comically "yeah! And you almost won last time!"
He was grabbed by the arm and dragged out of the doorway.
"Come on! We have to kill Sasuke before he kills me!"