Author's Note:

wintry:

Hey, so this is the first chapter. It may be a bit crappy but bear with me. Thanks for those who read this, whoever you guys maybe, it really means a lot to me. Also, I would really love to here your reviews and comments, or maybe even suggestions. I'll do my best to reach your expectations minna-san!

Arigatou!

(Right, words that are italicized means flashbacks. The bold ones means it's emphasized, and the bold & italicized ones means they are talking to themselves or their inner)

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden, they belong to the owners... Besides, if I did, Neji would be mine and Sasuke would be cooler. (Just kidding ;)

-yumi-yumi-yumi-yumi-

CHAPTER 1- HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOT SO HAPPY!

Sakura watched the children as they danced and laughed and play around the playground, they seemed so happy, so innocent, so at peace... But she knew that when they grew up, the fake world they thought they lived in would be shattered, and then everything would be completely different.

"A penny for your thoughts, birthday girl?" Sakura turned to look at her lavender-haired best friend, Hinata who sat down beside her, face content. Sakura smiled at the girl and looked up before answering her question with a shake of her head.

"It's nothing important, I was just reminscing about the past, that's all." Hinata looked up as well, the trees covered the sun so it wasn't that blinding but Sakura noticed a tear roll from Hinata's eyes. However, she ignored it, she knew how hard it was for Hinata, being the heiress and all, loving a person who doesn't even seem to know she existed and of course, the pressure she got from everyone. Sakura smiled, it wasn't a bitter or taunting or happy smile, it was that filled with sadness.

"Do you miss them Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked, wiping the tears off of her cheeks to remove any trace that she had cried again. Sakura nodded before answering, her voice a bit mellow and sad.

"I do, but being busy kept me from thinking about them." Sakura said a bit truthfully, it wasn't any secret as to how she was treated by everyone around her. A fragile china doll that needed protection and she was always the dead last, even Hinata had a bloodline that made her prominent, as long as she became confident in her abilities.

"I wonder what Na-they are doing right now, where could they be? Did they meet someone there? Are they happy?" Sakura smiled, it was obvious that the girl hadn't gotten over her crush on her blonde teammate. It was no secret that Hinata was in like with Naruto, but he was oblivious and stupid as ever that he never even noticed that simple fact.

"I'm sure he's fine Hinata-chan, you don't need to worry about him, besides, it's only a pseudo mission, in actuality it's a part of their training regime." Sakura said, unaware of the horrified look that crossed the heiress's eyes as she told her the truth.

"I- I thought that the reason you were l-left behind was because i-it was a very grueling m-mission." Sakura smiled, this time a fake one, she seemed very talented in faking smiles now, that unless you look really closely, you wouldn't notice any difference.

"Ie, it was my fault actually, if I weren't such a deadweight then maybe they wouldn't have to leave the village to train. So, don't worry, I'll train hard until they won't have to leave any more next time because of me." She said smiling again, though Hinata noticed that she was faking it.

"I'm sorry for making you remember about those things, and it was supposed to be your birthday." Sakura stood up and smiled at her friend who was looking at her worriedly. She placed her hand atop her head and ruffled her hair a bit, a clear sign of affection.

"Don't worry, besides, birthdays aren't that special to me. It's just a sign that I have grown and so I don't give it much notice." Saying this she hugged the girl before waving goodbye, she needed to train and get her mind off of her teammates.

~Hinata~

Hinata stared at the retreating back of her roseate friend, even though she didn't show it, Sakura was broken. She knew how much it hurt to hear her very teammate call her weak, to call her a dead weight and to act as if she couldn't even protect herself. She had watched Sakura turn from a helpless girl who knew nothing about killing to a cold-hearted killing machine, yes, Sakura was kind and gentle towards them but she had seen how Sakura could be if her enemies didn't listen to her or provoked her. She remembered the time when she went with an A-rank mission with Sakura, they were the only two who were at their camp as the rest of the team had been sent to scout ahead. The enemy decided to ambush them for they were only two young ladies.

"Why don't you give it up now, kitty, it's such a shame to ruin that pretty face of yours." The missing nin said as he dodged Sakura's kunai, Hinata activated her Byakugan, alert if others were waiting for them to lower their guard.

"Stop calling me kitty." Sakura said coldly that even Hinata feared to look at Sakura that time. Her usual cheery emerald eyes were dark and sinister, her smile was replaced with a sneer and her aura wasn't the bubbly one, it was deadly as if she wanted to tear the man's throat.

"Ohoho, feisty, I wonder how you would be in bed." Sakura growled and tried to punch him but he caught it easily as if she was just playing around and whispered something on Sakura's ears that caused him to wish he was dead. Hinata was horrified when she saw Sakura draw her hand back and remove the gloves and motioned for the guy to come get her. The man smirked and before Hinata could warn her, the man was lying on the ground, spewing blood. His eyes were wide with fear but Sakura smiled and sat him upright on a tree and crated chakra chains that bound him to it before she healed his stomach.

"Why did you do that?" The man asked, his voice hoarse and confusion evident on his eyes. Hinata was surprised as well as she looked at Sakura, flexing her hand again.

"Don't be flattered, I did it because you are still of use to us. Now, if you answer my questions truthfully, I won't hurt you, but if you don't you'll regret it." The man steeled his resolve but that was a big mistake as Sakura grabbed a kunai and stabbed him on the leg, leaving it there. Hinata cringed as the man cried in pain, she turned to look at Sakura who was looking at him without any emotion at all.

"Let's see, will you answer my questions from now on?" She asked, the man nodded and Sakura removed the kunai lodged on his leg causing him to scream in pain again but that was over as soon as she healed and closed the wound off with her healing chakra.

"Who sent you?"

"Bitch!" Sakura smirked again and placed a finger on his temple before abruptly sending chakra to his nerves causing him complete agony.

"Alright! Alright! The man you were escorting earlier sent me, he told me that he was interested in that girl and that I get rid of you!" Sakura removed her hands, Hinata didnt know if he was telling the truth but Sakura did, whatever method she used to determine it. She remembered the horrified looks of their teammates when they saw the man tied to a tree, unconscious but otherwise fine. There was a lot of blood splatters but when they checked him over, he wasn't damaged in any way, Sakura had fixed him up after she got what she wanted. But before that, he was beaten and tortured that he screamed to be killed, but Sakura told him that he had information and she wouldn't let him die.

"Naruto-kun, why'd you have to go?" She whispered to no one in particular.

~Sakura~

Sakura looked curiously at her teacher, she wanted to point out that it was her day off and that she wasn't supposed to be near anything that had something to do with a mission as it was her seventeenth birthday, but she stopped that idea when she noticed the dark bags and the worried look in her eyes.

"Shishou, you called for me?" The older woman looked at her and motioned for her to take a seat. Doing so, she faced the older woman again who was sighing depressingly as if there was something she was dreading to tell her.

"Sakura, I don't know how to tell you this..." Sakura frowned, it couldn't be about her teammates now could it? They were just fine from the last letter and report they sent the Hokage so they shouldn't even be harmed for now, unless they met some kind of accident.

"Shishou, don't tell me that Naruto-kun, Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun have been..." Tsunade looked up and shook her head slightly, confusion evident on her face. Sakura sighed in relief when she learned that nothing had happened to them, even though they were far, they were still her teammates and she couldn't help but worry about them.

"Why did you summoned me here then, Shishou?" Sakura asked, her eyes searching the answer in her eyes, but none found. When Tsunade opened her mouth however, Sakura nearly stopped breathing.

"Sakura, you are engaged." As if her birthday couldn't get any worse than it already is, she just had to learn that she was engaged to someone she probably didn't know. Sakura resisted the urge to grab the sake bottle from her shishou's table and down it in one shot. She wanted to protest, but the only words that came out of her mouth where two words that proved her disbelief.

"Come again?"

Author's Notes:

wintry:

So there it is, what do you guys think? Enough to satisfy or just plain boring? Tell me and I might be able to fix it or you could state the mistakes that I have, it would really be a helpful guide for me. Thanks!

Luv you minna-san!