Author Note:

Okay, I went back and looked at this story. I realized . . . I was a horrible writer. When I started, that is. I do pray I have gotten better.

2nd Note | I went back for a third time. I realized . . . I wasn't as horrible as last time but it still needed some serious RnR so here I am, give me love (pwease?) and don't forget Book Two: The Engagement Date

Info

SummarySakura Haruno had a big problem. A problem that involved fancy invitation cards, white doves, and wedding bells. And it was all her little sister's fault. How could Hinata be marrying before her? And worse. What could possibly be worse? A mother that would never let her live her single or common life down.

Original Cast | Ryuu Kino | Akio Takahashi | Akira Tanaka | James Tanaka | Leigh Tanaka | Mebuki Haruno

Note It takes place in the "World of Naruto" but it is modernized.

Warning Suggestive Material | Brief Violence | Brief Language [ Rated T ]

Chapters: 19

First Date | Chapter One | | Shattered Dreaming

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Her life had changed. Changed a lot over the years. She had changed who she was inside and out. Well, the eye color and hair color had stayed. Everything else had changed. She was slim and a couple inches taller than the last huge change. She was smarter. Much smarter than everyone knew her to be. She had made a life for herself. A life that was far away from her family and far away from her home.

However, that didn't seem to be far enough if this envelope that she held in her hand was anything to go by. She had thought she was far enough away. Far enough for it to really count. She had been wrong. So very wrong.

She held the envelope that proved it.

Sakura Haruno could no longer run from her past. And once again, she held the envelope to prove it.

She bit her lower lip and pushed the sandwich further away from her. This was not how she had planned her morning. A little fifteen-minute exercise, followed by a nice shower. She had the morning off - she was ahead of her own schedule so what better way to treat herself than with a little primping?

Sakura had finished her morning routine and had moved to make a sandwich. She had been halfway through making the sandwich when she had apparently gotten the bright idea to look at the mail. It wasn't bright. It was stupid. And it had ruined her appetite. That wasn't fair! Sakura had a ninety percent reassurance that the sandwich was amazing. Okay, okay. She sneaked a bite or two before finally reaching this letter.

She let out a soft sigh and did her best to ignore the envelope on her desk as she looked out of the window. A soft breeze swept in once more through the open window. She had opened the window the moment she had sent the letter. A claustrophobia had swept over her and left her breathless. Everything had seemed too small, and yet so large. It towered over her, holding her hostage.

Lower back length bubble-gum pink hair floated around her as the dry wind came in through the open window. The sun grazed over the living room from the sky-rise apartment in Suna. Emerald green orbs glared scathingly at the parchment paper in front of her.

It was an invitation. She knew what was inside that envelope. That was the only possible reason she would have been tracked down. She made sure the only one that she had kept in contact with was her stepfather.

She drew in a shaky sigh. This was unbelievable.

Sakura yanked at her hair slightly. She bit her lower lip as she finally opened the envelope. Her flinch could be heard in the silence that filled the walls of her apartment. Sakura bit at her lower lip. This can't be happening. She gulped slightly. Sakura sat at the kitchen table – facing the living room – in her medium-sized apartment. It was nice. And yes, she could have had better. But it wasn't about the glitter of the object from other's opinions. It was how she viewed the objects.

The parchment was cream-colored. Baby blue swirls had been painted around the edges. A soft inset script gave way to words she never wanted to read.

This had to be wrong.

Her emerald eyes glared at the parchment. The letter stared back at her. She pulled her pink lower lip into her mouth and worried it.

There was a small sticky note attached to the invitation card. Its words repeating like a mantra in her mind.

-'Hi sis, I'm getting married in 3 months and
you are going to be 'the maid of honor' so get
your butt down here now, ok, luv yas.-

She just stared at the letter. Sakura couldn't believe it. Her sister was getting married before her. There was no way her mom was going to let her live that down. Geez, how am I going to get through this? Sakura continued mulling her thoughts over, wondering what she was going to do. If she went alone then it would only make matters worse.

She couldn't really think. Words did not really seem to form in her mind, let alone fall from her lips. Sakura was lost, that horrid invitation flashing in her mind with bright neon red signs glowing around it.

With a start, Sakura pushed herself away from the table and stood tall. She wobbled for a moment at the force. Sakura let out a deep breath and moved in search of her phone. When she was lost and had no idea what to do . . . Sakura called her best friend. She snatched her phone off of the low coffee table in the living room and dialed the phone number she knew by heart.

"Sakura?" He groaned and rolled over from his former position. "It's so early!" He whined before mumbling a few choice words as the sheets tangled around his legs. "What could you possibly need at this time?"

Sakura gave a small not even remotely lady-like snort. "Naruto, it's one in the afternoon." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. He was absolutely unbelievable at times.

"So?" Naruto grumbled and scratched at his blonde-haired head. "Sleep is sleep, no matter what way you want to look at it." He let out a loud yawn and stretched as best he could while keeping the phone next to his ear. "But I'm no longer asleep so . . . ?"

Silence. She wasn't entirely sure how to start. Where did you start a conversation like this one? How did you start it? And was there a chance this was all just an awful dream? Please let it be a dream.

Sakura wasn't that lucky.

"Well . . ." Sakura gave a small sigh. This is going to be harder than I thought. So much harder. "You see," she licked her lips. Where were the words when she needed them?

"Your tone . . ." Naruto grimaced as he flung the covers back. A chill covered his spine as the cold air clung to his once-warm skin. "What happened?" Naruto groaned. "You only use that voice when your family is involved." He chewed on his lower lip. "Answer me!" He let out a hysterical laugh. "It's never good when your family is involved."

Sakura exhaled deeply. She bit at her lower lip. At least Naruto has an idea of why I am calling. "I got . . ." She swallowed. "A letter came." A tremble started low in her spine and her belly wobbled as the envelope flashed in her mind once more. "It's from Hinata."

Silence.

"And. . ." Naruto goaded gently. He needed to get the words out; however, he didn't need her going into a catatonic state because of whatever was in said letter from Hinata.

Sakura let out a long-winded whine before her cheeks puffed out. "I might be in need of a huge favor." She paused; Sakura licked her lips before she continued. She headed back towards the kitchen suddenly dry. "Hinata is getting married."

"Absolutely not!" Naruto butted in before she could go any further. "Do you remember what happened last time?" He groaned and flung himself back down onto his bed. There was no possible way he could go through those memories or have this conversation standing up. "Should I refresh your memory about last time?"

A giggle was heard from the other line. Sakura pulled the phone away as fast as she could – trying not to let Naruto hear her.

"That was not funny!" Naruto shrieked – almost confirming what her parents had thought of the blonde-haired boy. "Sakura!"

"Well, it actually was," Sakura smirked as she heard a snort. "Hey, it's not my fault . . ." She defended herself. She giggled silently as the boy gave a strangled scream. It was not her fault. He used her pink nail polish to paint his toenails.

"I am not gay!" His voice was high and scandalized. "You know that!" He shook his head. Not caring that the bubble-gum colored hair girl couldn't see him. Naruto released a manly growl. "Sakura!"

Sakura heaved a small sigh. "But I need your help." Her lower lip jutted out. "Naruto," she whined – knowing he would give in, he always did. "Please!" She begged. Sakura would have been on her knees with her best puppy eyes if Naruto had been standing in front of her.

Naruto groaned. Dang it! She always plays that freaking puppy-eyed card. I don't even have to see her to know! "No?"

Sakura smirked at the question in his voice. Naruto was caving. Yes! "Seriously," she half-faked a sniffle. Sakura was very sure that real tears weren't that far away. "Is there anything you can think of?" She was even starting to lean towards life-threatening diseases. Maybe even contagious ones . . .

Silence. It was heavily weighted with the fear of the unknown and the unthinkable. A silence that smothered and cloaked everything in its grasp.

"Well," Naruto trailed off slowly. "There is one thing that has come to mind." He bit at his lower lip. "I'm not really sure if you would even like the idea." He swallowed softly and sat up in bed once more.

Sakura squealed. "Really?" Happiness colored her voice as she squealed once more. At this point, any idea was a good idea.

"Shush." Naruto wiggled around in his seat for a second or two as he got ready. This was going to go one of two ways. And one of those ways was not going to end well for Sakura.

Sakura giggled, "Sorry".

Naruto cleared his throat. "I have this friend." He paused as if he was collecting his thoughts. Which, he was. There was a certain way to tell others about friends with these kinds of jobs. It was a delicate matter that needed to be held with more finesse than really possible. Especially for Naruto.

"He has a side job . . ." Naruto's brows furrowed. Gaara will kill me if I'm not careful. "Well, I think he might own half of the business." He licked his suddenly dry lips as he stood. He needed a drink and as much as he would like to forgo the water and get something else with the same color palette. It was too early for that. "They actually have an ad in the yellow pages." He chewed on his lower lip. "I think there are even a few commercials and I know there is a website." His face just isn't on the cover because he doesn't really do this part of the job.

Her appetite was returning. Naruto had always been there to help her out when things went downhill at 250 miles per hour. And he had especially been there when her family decided to rear their ugly little annoying head.

Naruto was her hope. If Naruto didn't know what to do . . . She wasn't sure she would survive. Tenten – her second best friend – wasn't the best with ideas that needed to be fully carried out without fail.

Sakura sat back down at the kitchen table and pulled her grilled chicken sandwich back to her. "Stop worrying and tell me." She swallowed another bite of her sandwich. "I'm pretty much desperate." Sakura snagged a sip of her Snapple peach tea. "What's it called?"

"Love Connections . . ." Naruto cringed. The name was beyond cheesy. The female in the partnership had come up with that name. "They connect you with a guy who has the same qualities as you . . . to see if you connect on that love level." Naruto swallowed and let out a shaky breath. "You've seen it?"

Sakura swallowed quietly. "Um . . ." She blinked slowly.

"I can see if they do like fake dating . . ." He shrugged. "I believe they do a couple of other things besides that matchmaker side." Naruto shifted awkwardly. "I mean – you would have to pay for it. Most likely a lot more than if you were trying to actually look for true love."

Sakura tapped her hands on her kitchen in thought. Hire a guy to be my date for the wedding? Her lips pursed as her nose scrunched. She had never thought of that. But could she even pull it off? Sakura swallowed. "I'm not sure . . . I suck at acting Naruto." She flinched as a memory of her sixth grade play flashed in her mind. "You know that."

"Yeah," Naruto chuckled softly as he moved to flop down on the couch in his untidy apartment. "But if he's good . . . It would be easy." Gaara is finally going to pay me back for that trip with Temari. "I'm not sure how much though. That will be weighted by how long and what you want him to be to you." You owe me big time Gaara – now you too Sakura. "But I can't tell you what he will look like."

She let out a long frustrated sigh. "Nothing?" Sakura bit down a little too roughly on the unsuspecting sandwich. "That is not fair!" A muffled whine fell from her lips as she spoke around her food. Sakura didn't have to use that many manners when she was alone in her own home. "I need something to go off of!" Her nose scrunched. "I don't really want to throw out a bunch of money and not get to see who will be with me." Sakura bit at her lower lip. "It would be awkward if we didn't get to meet first."

"Sorry Princess," Naruto smirked as he used her old nickname. "Life is not fair."

Sakura squawked over the line. "There is no reasoning with you!" A pout was evident in her voice as she let out a huff over the phone. Sakura slumped back in her chair. "There has to be something you can give me?"

"Nope," he popped the p loudly and smirked. Naruto chuckled softly at the whine at that Sakura let out once more. "All I can do is say that I will call you with details once I give him a call and see who he can find for you."

Sakura let out a frustrated sigh. She bit her lower lip and wiggled back in her seat – kitchen chairs were not that comfortable. Sakura's lower lip jutted out slightly. "I guess that will have to do . . . I don't really have a choice." A pout formed on her lips as she glared down at the invitation on her kitchen table. "Okay, well I will wait for your call back."

"Yes, I'll hang up and call him now." Naruto smiled. "No worries, we will come up with something."

Sakura hung up the phone a few seconds later and finished her sandwich. Worry was evident in her features. She sipped at her peach tea as she listened to the clock tick away above the stove.

Next Day | Tuesday

Her breathing was deep and slow. Emerald eyes which sparkled in the light were hidden behind closed eyelids. She lay peacefully in bed. Her dreams were sweet and calming. A soft and peaceful getaway from the nightmare that seemed to plague her while awake. A respite she wasn't sure she would receive.

Ring, Ring.

Sakura groaned as the sound beat against her ear drums. She didn't like that sound. There was no reason for that sound. It was too early and she had no reason to be up this early. No reason at all. Her dreams were cut short. She groaned. A frown marred her features.

The phone on her nightstand table continued to ring. The awful sound would grate on anyone's ears. Especially to those who had been sleeping.

She jolted into an upward position. Her fuzzy mind began to clear as it registered the sound of her phone. Sakura grumbled under her breath. She reached for the lamp and flicked it on. She moved sluggishly, her hand resting on top of the phone. Sakura picked up the cordless phone and held it up to her ear.

"Hello?" Sakura mumbled over the line. With bleary eyes, she blinked the numbers into focus on her alarm clock. 5:25 Am.

Silence.

"Is there something you need?" She grumbled. Her emerald eyes narrowed as she was greeted with silence once more. "At this early in the morning, you should have a really good reason. And you should also answer when spoken too." She hissed into the phone. Sakura was starting to lose it and it was too early.

No answer.

Her brows knitted together as she waited. Nowhere near patient enough this early. "Hello?" She growled. "You had better answer me!"

By now she was just plain angry, whoever this was had the nerve to call her so early waking her up. Then they had the gall to not even bother answering her when she answered the phone. She waited a few more minutes. Sakura huffed out a breath before hanging up. Next time, speak and I won't hang up.