"Hehehe…" The pinkette giggled maliciously as she wobbled from her position on the tree branch. "Sasuke-kun will never see me coming!"

Even at the young age of six, Haruno Sakura had her life planned out.

Today, she would capture Sasuke-kun's heart and laugh at the look on Ino-pig's face.

At sixteen, she would have Sasuke-kun's hand in marriage.

At twenty, she would become the mother of his children.

And...everything was ambiguous after that. Who knows. Who cares? One way or another, she'd be living out her days with Sasuke-kun, so the details didn't matter.

"Oh, here he comes!" She stifled her giggles behind her palms as the object of her affections approached the tree she was hiding on. Without muscle strength, Sakura had hoisted herself onto a branch with the sheer determination of capturing the Uchiha's heart. She was to leap onto him when he walked by and shove him into the lake. When he struggled in the water with surprise, she was to pull him out of the water and perform mouth-to-mouth CPR, successfully saving his life and making him hers forever.

This plan would conceive a 92.6% chance of success.

Oh, look at the way he walks! He's so cool! With a barely concealed squeal of mirth, she threw herself off the branch and towards her target. "Oh, Sasuke-kunnn!"

As she gained speed and flew toward the boy, she could almost see the numbers shifting in her mind. 92.6%. 93.1%. 95.7%. 98.2%.

98.9% chance that Sasuke-kun will be pushed into the water!

However, an unforeseen variable disrupted her impeccable procedure.

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke was whisked away to a further location, leaving Sakura plunging toward the lake with nothing to stop her acceleration.

Eh…? The plan that had been so clear just a second ago was abruptly destroyed by the simple action of a boy with a long ponytail and the Uchiha insignia on the back of his shirt.

Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke-kun's older brother, became the 1.1% chance of failure.

Taking her green eyes off the Uchiha brothers, she looked in front of her and took in the sight of the still lake water.

Operation: Push Sasuke-kun into the water and make him fall in love with me! FAIL.

Outcome: I will fall into the lake.

I will fall into the lake…

I will fall into-

"Help-!" Sakura managed to shout, but the rest of her words were cut off as she plunged face-first into the icy water.

She was only six. She didn't know how to swim.

"Help…" She tried to yell, yet the water took the chance to enter her mouth and lungs, smothering her senses as her eyes began to water. Or were they just burning from the lake water? She couldn't tell; she was already losing feeling in her fingertips. How long had she been in the water?

How long did she have left to live?

I don't want to die.

Chances of survival: 74.1%. 48.8%. 21.9%.

I don't want to die!

0.0%.

Haruno Sakura...

She couldn't open her eyes.

Age six, born as the daughter of Haruno Kizashi and Mebuki.

Who was talking to her? Was she at the hospital?

Cause of death: drowning.

Her eyes snapped open.

But there was nothing.

Her eyes darted every which way but only continued to meet darkness. Her voice refused to speak the words she wished to say.

Tell me, small one, were you happy in your life?

No! Let me go back! Sakura tried to yell. Where was she? She couldn't feel anything nor could she move her body.

Your death was an unfortunate one. You could not even help yourself in your last moments.

Be quiet! She thought. I need to go home! My parents must be so worried!

But you did not suffer long. The deep voice echoed in a chamber she could not see. You smiled every day. You knew love. It was a good life.

Sakura felt her regrets creeping along her spine but was relieved rather than scared. This was the first thing she'd felt since she became conscious. At least her body was still intact!

Now you can move on.

"Shut up," She said. Surprised by the sound of her own voice, she covered her mouth in shock. Surprised again by her ability to move her limbs, she patted herself down to make sure the rest of her body was intact.

The voice was silent.

"Let me go home already!" The girl was beyond irritated at this point. Who dared to talk down to her like that?! As an only child, she was her parents' princess, and even her parents had never scolded her before. "Where am I? Who are you!?"

Interesting. The ground beneath her feet began rumbling. Very interesting indeed...

Sakura gasped as every nerve in her body lit on fire. Crying out in pain, she fell to her hands and knees, writhing and rolling on the ground. Hot tears forced their way from her eyes and down her cheeks.

Here's a soul that refuses to give up!

Choking on her own gasps and tears, Sakura felt the ground leaving beneath her but could do nothing in response.

Or is she just a little girl who doesn't know how to accept the truth?

Sakura was sure now that she was levitating in the air.

I have a task for you then, little blossom.

Sakura whimpered as the burning encompassed her senses.

Don't waste this chance that I've given you.

She passed out from the pain.

"Sakura? Oh, Sakura! Kizashi, she's breathing! Thank goodness!"

The pinkette awoke to the sensation of pressure on her chest. Blearily opening her eyes, she found herself gazing into a pair of darker ones framed by long eyelashes.

Their lips were touching.

Today cannot get any weirder...

The boy perched on top of her blinked.

She coughed water into his face.

He promptly removed himself from his position and allowed her father to scoop her into his arms and pepper her with kisses. "Oh, Sakura, my daughter…"

Said girl glanced around warily at the rather large crowd surrounding them, noting that her mother was bowing profusely to a flustered black-haired woman who was trying to stop her.

She met Sasuke's wide eyes.

Nope. No more. I've gone through enough for you.

Sakura buried her face into her father's chest and pretended to fall asleep.

"Your mother tells me you saved a civilian from drowning today," Uchiha Fugaku was facing the window, showing his back to his oldest son who entered his office.

"Yes, father," Itachi confirmed. "She had already stopped breathing when I reached her so I performed CPR and revived her."

"What was the girl's name?"

"Haruno Sakura. She is Sasuke's classmate and seems quite fond of him."

"And it is my understanding that your action garnered quite a bit of attention."

"Yes, father. Haruno Sakura's parents thanked mother profusely and there was a large crowd of civilians watching me revive her."

His father said nothing. The view outside the window was not so dark that Itachi could see his father's reflection on the glass.

"...Father, have I done something wrong?"

"No, son." Fugaku turned around and met his son's worried eyes. Although his heir was already perfecting his stoic expression, his eyes conveyed his worry and desire for approval.

His oldest son or not, Itachi was only twelve and he wanted his father's praise.

"You did well. If the civilians spread rumors of your actions, the Uchiha clan will be cast in a good light." He placed his hand on Itachi's head. "As expected of my son."

Sakura blossoms bloomed in the young Uchiha's chest.

"...Thank you, father."

Itachi was dismissed before he could decide whether or not to disclose the strangest piece of information to his father. He had witnessed the little pink-haired girl shoot into the lake like a cannonball, but he had not jumped in to save her. No, that was not the case.

At that moment, he was frozen with shock by the sight of a hand made of water lifting the girl from the lake and placing her on the shore. Glancing around, he noted that nobody else was in the vicinity and the duty to revive her would fall on him. Not even Sasuke had seen what he did.

...But maybe I was just seeing things.

He really hoped that was the case.