Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I am just a fan having some fun and exploring my own writing style.

Author's Note: I am not used to writing fan fiction for Naruto so I can't guarantee the characters will be done justice but please bear with me. If I am honest I am a bit nervous about posting this!

This is a Naruto and Sakura fiction…just thought I should mention that first as there are many who don't agree with this pair and so may not wish to read on. I hope those of you who do like this pair like this story.

From the Heart

Chapter 1

When did it start? That was a question that she tried to find the answer for herself. She could not be certain, but as she thought about the past and all the events that led up to this moment she figured she would find her answer soon enough. She glanced over at the photograph of team 7 that sat on her desk. Lifting it in one hand she stroked the picture with her thumb and sighed.

She placed the frame down on her dresser and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair had gotten a little longer and she wondered if she should cut it short again. Since the war had ended and peace filled the lands it may not be necessary for her to take part in combat any as much. Although there would still be missions or criminals to catch she was needed elsewhere. Plus she still had her work at the hospital to do too… She ran her hand through her hair and twisted it a little at the end. She found herself wondering why she wanted it long in the first place.

Sasuke she realised with a sigh. How naïve she had been when she was a child. She had grown her hair long because rumour had it that Sasuke liked girls with long hair. Thinking about it now, where did that rumour come from? Sasuke sure as hell wouldn't have said anything about it himself. He was so indifferent back then and couldn't really care less what a girl's hair looked like. She sighed to herself and a small smile came to her face. She had so desperately wanted to impress him that she fell into the same trap as other girls and before she knew it she was competing with Ino and trying to look pretty to gain his attention.

She should have known better. From the start Sasuke was not the type of guy who cared about looks. In fact, as she thought about it, the only time he appeared to acknowledge her, or any girl for that matter, was when it came to being useful in a fight or on a mission. Naruto however, he was different, she didn't have to do anything for him to notice her. It seemed that everything she did to try to impress the dark haired Uchiha was only ever noticed by someone she tried to avoid and ignore.

She thought back to the moment she first became aware of the knuckle head…

*Flashback*

"Don't go near that child" a mother warned her son.

"He is a demon" a man muttered to another man.

Sakura stood behind her parents and held onto her mother's top. She was uncomfortable and a little scared. The way the adults were talking made her think that something terrible had happened. She gripped tighter onto the material in her hand in fear of being lost amongst the crowd. She was not completely sure as to what was happening, but as the crowd slowly cleared she finally found the courage to look beyond her mothers legs. What she saw was no beast. No monster. He was just a little boy about her age. His hair was a little ruffled and he had a bit of dirt on his nose, but it was the expression on his face that shocked her most. He looked so sad and scared. She stared at him for a moment. His fists were clenched and she could tell he was trying to fight back tears that threatened to fall. She caught his gaze momentarily and noticed that his eyes weren't as scary as she thought they would be. They were a piercing blue and the moment they met hers his expression changed. He seemed to relax a little. She wanted to smile at him to cheer him up, but at that moment her parents decided to move on and she was forced to follow them reluctantly.

*End Flashback*

It was not long after that when Sakura started to notice the blonde haired boy in her class at school. He had been moved from group to group. Apparently not all of the teachers were able to handle his mischievous behaviour. Sakura had soon learnt that Naruto Uzumaki was much more than he appeared to be. On occasion she caught him on his own and he always appeared sad. Most of the time his actions were purposely aimed at pulling pranks on the grown ups. It was years to come before she would realise that his efforts were to desperately try to gain attention and recognition. He didn't care who from or how short lived it was, he just wanted to be noticed. She sighed, it must have been really hard for him growing up. Biting her lip she suddenly regretted all the times she shot him down. It was stupid because her actions were not always what she was really thinking inside.

Sakura knew that the person she was back then would never have made anyone aware of how funny she found Naruto at times or how she wanted to reassure him. She was the type back then who wanted to fit in and so when the other children made comments or passed judgement on him she followed suit. That and she knew all too well what it was like to be picked on. She didn't want to end up going down that route again. She was grateful to be the type of woman now that did not cower away from things. If not for Ino, Naruto and Sasuke she may not have gained such confidence in herself.

Thinking back to her blonde haired team mate Sakura couldn't help but recall how Naruto was known as the prankster and idiot of their class. Nothing much has changed there, she thought with a smile. His behaviour had been embarrassing and hard to watch at times and she had often scolded him. Everyone's opinion of him back then was not high and she had to admit that she had once believed him to be inferior to herself and not worth her time. In fact it was partly because of Naruto's competitive streak that she noticed Sasuke more and more. Sasuke appeared to be 'cool' and 'aloof'. He was smart and talented, someone she admired and hoped to be like one day. Naruto would get easily jealous and embarrass himself against Sasuke, which in hindsight only ever made the latter appear more intriguing and mature and the former look like an idiot.

She picked up her hair brush and started running it through her locks. As she tied her hair up into a pony tail she found herself thinking back to the time she was announced to be part of team 7. She laughed softly to herself as the memory of Naruto and Sasuke kissing flooded her mind. Back then she was so angry with Naruto and horrified at the image before her. Yet now she realised how funny the scene actually was. For a second she allowed herself to picture a similar scene with the two guys now. It was only a fleeting moment but she soon stopped her thoughts as she noticed her cheeks heating up a little.

Shaking her head she came back to her senses. She picked up her head band and studied the leaf symbol on it. Biting her bottom lip, she remembered her 12 year old self. How irritating she must have appeared, fawning over Sasuke so much. She could barely get two words together when in his presence. Yet at the same time she had to admit she had some resolve which has stuck with her throughout the years. She had learnt pretty quickly that she too could be a little competitive and would strive to do her best to impress the one she liked.

She recalled being envious of both of Sasuke and Naruto. They were strong and always seemed to be several steps ahead of her. It was a long time before she could catch up to them and she had a lot to learn about herself on the way. Sasuke was a proud guy. He knew exactly what he wanted and what he had to do to achieve his goal. That level of ambition was admirable. In the end he even reached that goal, even though others may have deemed it unforgivable, he lived by his code. She was in awe of him. Thinking back it was probably this that drew her to him in the first place. He was something she wasn't. Confident and self assured.

Yet Naruto was also the complete opposite of her, although with regard to their sense of humour she had to admit they had something in common. He was confident, proud, out going, impulsive and the class joker. It took a long time before she was able to gain the confidence to interact with others, if not for someone like Ino she would have probably been as shy as Hinata. It was in that respect she realised that even though she shunned Naruto, in the end she was the same as him. She too acted against her natural personality to gain attention from others, well from mainly one person in particular. She had learnt quickly to keep her aggressive and opinionated personality to herself and to try to act more like a lady. Hiding her true self behind a mask, inner Sakura developed.

"Hmmm" she mumbled to herself as she tied her head band to her head. Removing strands of wandering hair from her line of vision, she moved her head from side to side and checked out her appearance. Standing up she adjusted her outfit a little and reached for her weapon and medic pouches…They may be at peace for the time being but she was still going to be prepared just in case. Picking up her medical uniform she headed out of her room and down the stairs, grabbing some breakfast on route.

As she munched on the sweet dumblings she glanced out of the window and reminisced a little more. Naruto and Sasuke both had ambition and drive. A reason to fight and a destination to reach, but what was her goal? Back then Kakashi had asked each of them in turn and she had failed to answer him sensibly. Instead she was too caught up with boys than thinking of her own future. "I still don't really know what I want" she realised, speaking out to no one in particular.

Over the past few years she had focussed her attention on a goal; The same goal as Naruto's - to get their friend back. She had trained so she could protect the people dearest to her and not let them down or hold them back, yet at the same time she often wondered how much of this she was doing for herself. She had thought her reason selfish at first, but Naruto had helped to keep her hopeful that not all was lost and it wasn't impossible. But despite his steadfast personality and the fact he never went back on his word, she realised she did not hold the same ideals as him. She had been willing to give up on that goal, that dream, and it was at that moment she had realised that she needed to search deep down within herself to figure out what it was she truly wanted.

Well I am not going to figure it out just sitting here, she scolded herself and got ready to leave the house and head to work.

….

"Morning bill board brow" a familiar voice chirped sweetly. Sakura knew immediately who it was and smiled to greet her friend.

"Morning Ino pig" she said, although with less venom as she did a few years ago. The two were no longer competing for Sasuke's affections but still held a little competitiveness between them. They were unable to let go of their pet names for each other that easily.

"Off to work again?" the blonde asked. Sakura nodded. "You sure you aren't over doing it a little?" she continued.

The pink haired girl shrugged and shook her head, "There are a lot of people who need our help" she explained.

"Yes the war hit us pretty bad casualty wise, but still, you have been working long shifts and on a daily basis, you should take a break once in a while" her friend pointed out.

Sakura looked around the town and watched the men and women as they continued to rebuild Konoha. It wasn't completely back to normal yet but she was hopeful that it would give them all the new start they looked forward to. "I will rest when they do" she commented, nodding in the direction of some familiar figures.

Ino followed the gaze of their lead medic and saw their blonde hero trying to compete with their male friends on how much they could carry. Naruto slumped as Lee lifted about the same as him and more so. Each kept adding weights until Choji enlarged one of his arms and out shined them by a mile. "Hey that's cheating!" Naruto complained.

"Isn't that Sakura?" Lee asked, dropping his load onto Naruto's foot without realising and waving over to the girls. Sakura and Ino waved back. It was nice to see them all acting normal for a change, "boys…they never grow up" Ino muttered, gaining a small laugh from her friend.

"Ino" Sakura's voice was soft and she stopped in her movements, watching the others from a distance. Naruto brushed himself off to save face. He and Lee made an attempt to approach their female friends and were pulled back by the collar by an irritated Shino. That guy had a scary side to him that never wanted to be explored.

"Hmm?" Ino responded.

"Do you ever think about the first time we all met?" she asked.

"You mean when I helped you get over your complex?" Ino replied with a grin.

"No…when we first were made into teams" Sakura replied.

Ino nodded and looked over at their friends. Shikimaru approached the group with his hands in his pockets and a yawn big enough to fit a tree inside. "Yeah, I do" she admitted, "Shikimaru was so lazy and Choji just ate all the time. It really drove me mad!"

"And now?" Sakura asked with a slight smile on the corner of her lips.

Ino shrugged and turned away, walking past her friend, "They haven't changed" she stated, then paused in her steps before saying; "Although my opinion of them has". Sakura smiled, not letting on that she noticed the blush on her friends cheeks appear.

"Who would have thought that Shikimaru would have proven to be so smart" the pink haired konoichi acknowledged. After all, his strategy and logic saved them on numerous occasions. Hell, if not for him the boys may have never made it back in one piece when they first went to chase after Sasuke.

"Choji turned out to be more reliable than I thought too." Ino continued, "I was pretty surprised how cute he was when he lost all that weight."

"Cute?" Sakura teased, picking up on her friend's choice of words. Ino ignored her and walked on.

"What about Sasuke and Naruto?" The blue eyed girl changed the subject but took note of the look on Sakura's face.

"I guess the same as you…I used to think Naruto was annoying and only ever tried to get in my way, but I was wrong. Before I knew it he proved to me that I shouldn't be so quick to judge others." The medic explained with a soft smile.

"So it is safe to say your opinion of him changed…well that's normal considering he managed to change everyone's thoughts of him in the end."

Sakura nodded, "Yes he did."

Ino tilted her head to look at the woman beside her as they walked in the direction of the hospital. She noticed the day dream expression on the girls face, "So what about Sasuke?" she asked. Sakura's expression changed from thoughtful to a little…guilty?

"Let's just say, my opinion of him changed too" she finished.

Ino was curious to know how but thought better of it at that moment as they bumped into Hinata.

"Hinata, walk with us" Ino demanded.

"Um, okay" the raven haired female was a little surprised at her request. It was rare that the girls spent time together without the guys around.

"Hinata, we were just having a talk about what we thought of our team mates when we first met…what did you think of Kiba and Shino when you first met them?" Ino pried.

Hinata studied both females for a moment before looking at her hands and then at the sky and street in front of her, "Well…Kiba was friendly and nice to me, I admired his energy." She explained honestly.

"What about Shino?" Ino continued the conversation, interested to know more.

Hinata suddenly appeared a little nervous. It was as if she felt guilty for thinking something, eventually she spoke up; "Shino…he scared me at first, but as I got to know him I realised he isn't that bad. He just doesn't like being left out of things" Hinata finished.

"Has your opinion of them changed over the years together?"

"I don't think so…they are still my friends" Hinata said thoughtfully.

"I should have known you would say something like that" Ino sighed. She wanted gossip, but Hinata's feelings weren't going to change over night.

"My opinion of Neji changed in time though" Hinata continued as she thought on, "and of Sasuke"

Her comment caused the other two girls to look at her curiously, "How so?" they said in unison before sharing a look.

"Well, Neji hated me and I desperately tried to fight against that feeling he had. I managed to in the end, thanks to Naruto. As Neji began to let go of his hate I finally got to see the caring person he was and I am glad to have been able to get to know him better." She explained. It made sense to the other girls. They were both there to witness Hinata's fight with Neji in the chuunin exams, not to mention Naruto's fight with him. That was when the truth came to light.

"What about Sasuke?" Sakura asked, intrigued.

"I never really knew Sasuke before. We barely ever spoke and so I wasn't sure what to make of him. I knew he was Naruto's rival and friend and that he had a good side in him, otherwise he wouldn't be surrounded by so many people. Yet he scared me more than Shino or Neji ever could. There was something about him that I couldn't trust." Hinata's statement surprised the other two.

"And now?" Ino asked.

"I don't know. He still makes me anxious, but I find myself wanting to try to get to know him a little better."

Sakura and Ino shared a look between themselves and both smiled. It was reassuring for them that they were not the only ones to have seen a good side to Sasuke. A side they knew was still there within him.

The three girls continued to chat as they walked through the town. They reminisced about their time at school, their entrance exams and theirs adventures with their team mates. Looking back it almost seemed like a dream, like someone else was living the life for them. Yet listening to the girls talk helped to distract Sakura from what was going on in her mind that morning and focus on the day ahead. She was no longer the only person whose thoughts, feelings and opinions had changed over time. Just knowing that made her feel a little more at ease.

…

A/N: It is just a short beginning, I am warming up! I hope to be able to try to cover all of the NS scenes from the manga from Sakura's perspective. She will recall them as part of her daily life and will have conversations with many of their friends.

Please let me know what you think and fill me in on any scenes that you deem a must be!

6