Title: Silver

Summary: How to deal with hallucinations. 1. Freak out very mildly because even if it's cool you feel crazy. 2. Realize you aren't hallucinating and then freak out some more. 3. Figure out how to use this as an upper hand over your team. 4. Feel good when they get pissed and annoyed and for once Sasuke and his stupid "annoyed" can suck it and you're now way more awesome than him even though you have a crush on him. 5. Automatically become the new it Kunoichi because Sasuke can't see through you and everyone can see him interested in you. Duh.

At the age of six, Sakura decides she would like to be a ninja.

"A full-fletched ninja mom!"

Her mother looks worried and amused at her daughters choice of words and her ambition.

She is all fragile with her light pink hair and chubby cheeks, puffing with air and determination.

"Please?"

When she's asked why, her answer is: "Because ninja protect, and are cool."

The next time she is asked, her answer is that "- with super long black hair, and red eyes and he is so cool okaa-san."

And the time after that "- All the girls there are so pretty and all the boys like them."

And her mother knows she is just making it up each time because Sakura doesn't like dresses, rarely brushes her hair and doesn't bother looking at boys.

As for Sakura, she doesn't know why either. She just has a very faint feeling within her mind that she can't explain. She needs to become a ninja, because then she can... she can what? She wants to protect her mother, she wants to be like that really awesome black-haired ninja, she does want to be pretty but not now 'cause boys have cooties... but why else? Why? She wants to be... to be... closer? Closer to what?

The feeling is fleeting and disappears as soon as it comes, leaving her scrambling with words that do not impress her mother any more than her excuse to be just like the shinobi Princess with blonde hair who can do whatever she wants whenever she wants.

"There he is Sakura! Isn't he so handsome?"

The blonde beside her was overcome with glee, her lower eyelids and the sides of her eyes scrunched up, hands on either side of her face and legs swinging madly. At ten, Sakura had become rather good friends with Ino, the blonde taking an instant liking to the shy young girl and took it upon herself to 'transform' her into someone with confidence. That however, also meant introducing her to Konohas cutest heartthrob, the brooding and handsome Uchiha Sasuke.

Truth be told Sakura didn't think he was all that good-looking. Very black obsidian eyes and features she could stare at all the time, but she honestly wasn't attracted to him. Until of course Ino started pointing out all the things he did and all the very positive things about him.

"Look at that shaggy black hair Sakura! Doesn't he just look so CUTE?"

"He's such a good shinobi Sakura-chan!"

It didn't work that fast, Sakura prided her little self on not being shallow and liking all the cute guys in her class and year immediately without any kind of background.

At ten and a half years old, Sakura was more observant and smart for her age. She understood that she was different from the shinobi around her, from Ino and all her classmates at the academy. She needed to work hard in the academy because she didn't have shinobi parents. She liked her history of Konoha, enjoyed researching anything and everything that quelled her obsession for knowledge, and was utterly fascinated by the ninja around her. Equally as enthralled with the fact that one day she would end up like one of them. As fast and cool and amazing at everything.

The academy was a place she explored herself and her capabilities. Classes were a breeze and physical training, while not as natural to her as it was to some -Clan children-, it was something she continued to strive for.

"Throw it straight Sakura, that way it hits the target one hundred percent."

"If I throw it straight, it won't hit the target at all sensei."

She could hear Sasuke scoff at her from a distance, but she bit her own tongue when he failed anyway and his brother watched him.

Serves him right.

When she sees him again, this time in the library, she has to take a quick breath. Because this time, he is actually just so cute. And she doesn't like being shallow but that sunlight hitting his head reminds her of angels and one other thing she can't remember, his hair is longer and so, so black, and his skin is so bright and pale and white she can't help but become yet another fangirl.

She doesn't give him chocolates, or chases after him. But she does go up to him at breaks, to sit with him and winces when he just leaves. She brings an extra bento and when he scoffs at her again, she gets mad and hands the damn bento off to a random guy in her class.

As such, she ends up being as much a fan girl as Ino is, but maintains a quiet façade. By the time she's twelve, she decides that she really doesn't like him even though she does because he is such an. ASS! AND he is rude and not nice and she gets him chocolates ONE TIME and he calls her annoying again. It's not like she asks him out on dates or stupid things like that, he just assumes because she has a mild mild crush on him, spurred on by the infatuated Ino so it never really ends, that she is automatically lower than him on whatever thing he measures them on.

She still brings bentos because hey, she and Ino have agreed on bi-weekly rotations and breaks and lunches where they have their own turns that is now more or less a habit. She still hands of her bentos to random males in the class whereas Ino now dumps them off onto Shikamaru and Chouji. As such, by the time it is the week they graduate, Sakura is more or less know as the-nice-girl-who-gives-us-good-food-every-other-week. As long as you return your bentos nice and undamaged, she is happy.

"-suko"

The voice is melodious and familiar, like tinkling bells and sweeping winds. She feels refreshed and protected. It's not something she understands but she feels herself rushing to the voice, this was important.

Liquid silver eyes, eyes the color of coagulating blood, beings that were blurry and ethereal.

"Handsome isn't he?"

And there is Ino's voice, bright and high-pitched with a certain quality about it that reverberates and grates her eardrums sometimes.

She has a faint recollection of someone saying that before. A different voice. A voice that is slightly husky, as if layered in multiple pitches, all soft, all at the same time.

"He is family, my family."

He was dark. And sparkly. With skin that shimmered and features she couldn't quite see.

Sakura couldn't remember much of her dream. Her only conscious thought being that she had a really good imagination.

Pah your imagination.

And there was the bane of her entire, beautiful mind. The one thing in her head that was seriously not beautiful. Her inner.

I'll have you know I am gorgeous. With hair longer than you could ever imagine and a better mind to boot!

Not really. Sakura had hoped she was just a projection of her anger issues. Maybe a representation of how bad she was with her anger management, and maybe when she learned to speak her mind more often her inner would go away.

Wasn't working yet, maybe in another eight years or so.

Sighing, she got up and brushed her hair. Today was her last day as an Academy student. Hello real world.

She put on a bright blue skirt and a wine-colored, sleeveless top that had her family symbol on it. Big day.

"- most beautiful ninja, I was obligated to take his flowers you know?"

Sakura smiled and nodded, listening to yet another one of Inos long rants about the male population of Konoha and how they really weren't up to par. Except for one of course.

"The only one who really matches up would be Sasuke-kun you know? I'm the number one Kunoichi in our year, no offense Sakura-chan but you know, clans, and Sasuke-kun is the number one rookie of our year, we're perfect for each other, and OH MY GOSH SASUKE-KUUN!"

Her squeal was several octaves higher than usual and Sakura wondered privately if Ino would ever consider a professional job breaking glass and doing banshee like things. She glanced over to the direction Ino's eyes were at, rolling her eyes at the guy's swagger. How did he even do that? Ino was so streetsmart, and here she was with glazed eyes and a drippy nose because she sat out in the rain waiting to pounce on her love.

Sakura had to admit, she did find him attractive, what with the mussed hair and his great ability at throwing kunai accurately, but besides that, the guy had the personality and social skills of a rock. Hell even a bull would have better communication skills seeing as they grunted in different tones.

Never mind she had the teeniest, tiniest crush on the dude.

Well well well, while she was lost in her thoughts, Naruto decides to have a sweet kiss with Sasuke eh?

"At least he's blonde Ino, you're one step in."

But Ino wasn't listening. Steam was very likely puffing out of her ears and her face was reddening all the way up to her ears.

Poor Naruto.

Thank god Iruka-sensei came in at such a good time.

Aaand... she took her last sentence back completely.

Fine, she could forgive her abominable choice of teammates, really Naruto was brave at the very least and skilled if she wasn't trying to compliment him, and Sasuke at the very worst was intelligent with good skills. Nevermind they both were ridiculous in their own ways, who the hell decided it would be fun giving her a sensei that was freaking Sharingan Kakashi?

First of all, she had read his damn report so she knew that he didn't freaking pass anyone and he sure as hell was annoying. Always three hours late, perverted with no taste in literature, not to mention he graduated at the lovely age of five, chuunin at six, jounin at thirteen and for the love of all that was lovely he was an ANBU at age seventeen. This guy was a freaking fantastic and rocked at being a ninja, so what was he doing as HER SENSEI?

WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?

This guy was a killer. Well they were all being brought up to be killers but this guy was like, a killer of killers.

She was kind of a little bit, very scared. She highly doubted someone that respected in the shinobi world would want to be their sensei and if, very likely, so, what got him to be her sensei?

Not to mention now he hated them and was going to kill all of them -okay maybe not Sasuke because he was an illustrious Uchiha- but she surely didn't stand a chance.

Why Naruto? Why did you do something so stupid and reckless and brave but will get us killed?

"My first impression of you guys is... I hate you." He said, with a deadpan and a monotone.

Not that that was an issue anymore because "I am Hatake Kakashi. I have no intentions of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream... I have few hobbies." And we needed to introduce ourselves now. Great.

Naruto bounced up and down in his seat, readily volunteering his information.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen. I hate the three minutes you have to wa-i-t whi-le th-e-"

In the distance, or maybe it wasn't the distance, a tree moved. But it didn't. Its branches seemed to come even more alive than it even was, a being or entity uncoiling itself from... the tree... with all the flowers and leaves upon it.

Was she hallucinating?

Pretty...

The being had an ethereal quality to it, which was kind of expected but still. Female, with short red hair that came to a point above her head, held there by some magic while the rest of the hair fell softly, giving her hair the shape of meringue. Her skin was the palest shade of green, almost cream and glowed, both from the inside and from dozens of tiny little dew droplets. Dark green eyes with an amber gradient, pupils that were white with a ring of black, and lashes that framed these eyes.

Like any normal human being pulling themselves out of bed, she pulled herself out of the tree with no effort. Legs first, arms supporting her from behind. As each limb sort of, appeared from the tree, the girl's skin morphed from bark, to varying shades of brown and green before finally settling on the same shade of green her faces was. Her clothes, if they could be called clothes, were just diaphanous green and brown fabrics, swaying much like the air around her. The only thing really covering her modesty were leaves and flowers in strategic placement.

The being hopped out, treading air has she landed and sashayed past her team. Her eyes flickered to Sakura and with her head cocked to one side, continuously eyed Sakura before disappearing into the water.

Giving me the weird look? Has she looked in a mirror lately?

I don't think you're hallucinating.

Of course I am, you'd think someone would have noticed her by now, but no. No one here has noticed her. I'm sure that if Naruto saw her, he'd freak. She's pretty much naked hello?

I think they've finished talking, and are looking at you weird now. You've kind of been in a trance.

Oops. I have?

Yeah.

Well now wasn't that just a little bit awkward?

"Huh?"

"It's your turn."

Oh. OH.

"Ah... I- I see. Well my name is Haruno Sakura and I like... my friends and food I guess?" This was harder than she thought it was, "I like hanging out in the flower gardens... I dislike... stereotypes and unnecessarily mean people... my dream is... to be a really good shinobi... as for hobbies... I like to read and swim."

As Sakura walked home after her instructions from Kakashi to meet at an ungodly hour, she realized something. There were a lot, and she meant, a lot, of strange beings walking around. Some of them had no legs, just some kind of mist or smoke , barely human in shape. They weren't particularly scary, in fact, they behaved a lot like normal human beings. Mothers with black or silver or green or any color of hair would pile their strands onto their heads, walking around with smaller versions of themselves and laughing and running around.

Or running through people and said people not noticing.

At first, she thought she was seeing ghosts. But if she were seeing ghosts, shouldn't they look.. more normal or frightening? Or did dying and going to heaven or hell - no discrimination here- give souls and spirits some kind of pass to go crazy with their looks and hairstyles?

Cause if that did happen... well Sakura couldn't do anything since she already had pink hair but she wouldn't mind having shiny water droplets on her collarbone.

Among other areas.

If she didn't make eye contact, the spirits didn't seem to notice her. Walking along as if this was ordinary, daily life. And then a little green haired boy with red eyes and red-tinged skin looked at her. And he waved. She nearly waved back but she didn't want a repeat of what had already happened.

When she moved out of the areas filled with people, she began to notice something else. These beings... crowded different areas. She spied several females with gold hair and skin at the top of a house, or rather on some kind of mist that hung above a house. A few males with silver skin and black hair hung around trees and disappeared into the asphalt. She even saw a tanned girl, all muscles and long brown hair walking... in a cat. Disappearing in and out of the cat as they headed down to the random forest openings around Konoha.

For some reason, she didn't feel intimidated. Just quite a bit embarrassed because all these beings seemed to really not give a damn about clothes. The closest thing she had actually seen to clothes was a very sheer, very large petal of sorts, in long layers around the girls waist. Clothing was more for fashion than modesty apparently.

Very nice taste in jewelry though.

When she noticed a being with floaty gold chains around her waist, forming an intricate pattern around her back and down to her finger tips, then connected to more sheer most-like clothing.

She was almost home when she saw a very petite girl ahead of her, walking with a boy. Both more or less naked, with shining skin and gradiating yellow-brown hair. Hand in hand frolicking until they reached her garden.

Holy shit her garden. These random beings, had just gone to her freaking garden. With the strawberry plants and cabbage and the one rabbit that ate more carrots than likely possible. Oh and now they were happily touching and making out... were they? Were they just going to go at it.. right.. here? In the middle of nowhere where everyone could see the- oh.

Oh okay so they sank into the grass. Sakura pretended not to notice the girl pointing at her, before smiling at the guy and walking up to her... and oh this was just absolutely great, through her. She couldn't actually feel anything but... oh no she could feel a tingling sensation.. now an actual hand, complete with fingertips touching her arm and hair. The being just laughed and pulled the guy with her into thin air.

Well... that was a bit.. odd.

It was when she was preparing to sleep that Sakura thought she heard something.

A scrape... a fluttering of whatever, and when she looked out of the window, she realized that a bird had come to rest on the lower roof, right beside her window. Then it transfigured into a female, with blue-black hair and purplish skin. She couldn't see her face, but her skin had patterns around them, in whites and golds.

"Sakura dear."

Sakura turned back, noticing her mother come in. Would her mother see the girl?

And then the girl started singing. High-pitched with lilting, honeyed tones. Her voice went very high up the musical scale, never once actually forming words, just one continuous sound that didn't end.

Surely her mother could hear the girl?

"Yes okaa-san?"

"You better go to bed soon, since you have such an early start tomorrow."

"Okay," and just as a test, "Can you hear that okaa-san?".

If she couldn't... well she could just pass it off as the wind.

"Yes, I can. Very lovely sound isn't it? I wonder what sort of bird it is?"

It sounded like a bird to her mother? It sounded very, very human to Sakura. The girl would probably make a world class singer, if she wanted.

The bird slash human, never once stopping to sing, looked behind her, staring at her mother with silvery eyes and preening at the compliment. Sakura made sure to keep her eye on the bird instead of the humanoid figure next to the bird.

Then another bird flew over. Lilac skin with very short, wavy hair in different strands of corn. Instead of being fully humanoid, large black wings with white tips on her feathers spread out behind her. One wing closing behind the girl with darker purple skin.

Aww.

So cute.

The girl with darker skin stopped singing and moved over to press a kiss on the other girl. Her own long dark hair acting like an arm and coiling around her shoulders. They began nuzzling noses and sang together, in different harmonious tunes.

She felt a bit bad staring at an adorable couple in what was obviously an intimate moment. So she moved back, closed her window, closed the door behind her mother and went to sleep.

Birds officially have a better love life than you.

Shut up.

And there you have it. Results of my overactive imagination.

Review it, speculate. All is welcome.