A/N: HI EVERYONE! This is my first story, and I hope you all enjoy it! Please don't be so harsh on me, this is my first time doing something like this! Thanks!
Disclaimer- Nope, Naruto's not mine, sadly.
Chapter One
Through Green Eyes
.:xXx:.
Nobody really accepted me. They said I wasn't normal. But I was. I wasn't a demon or anything, and it wasn't like I had fangs protruding from my lips or claws dripping from my fingers. No, I was just an average, human, peasant girl who enjoyed doing things other teens my age did. I liked hanging out with my friends, I liked visiting the bazaar, and I liked to drool over the butcher's hot son. Essentially, I was just like a regular, sixteen year old girl. I liked things that everyone else liked. Was that so wrong?I guess nobody really ever looks past appearances. Or should I say, they don't look past my pink hair. Yes, you heard right. Pink hair. Mhmm. When I was born everyone thought I was some kind of demon, but after visiting several gypsies and midwifes they concluded that I was just as human as that pauper boy down the street. Unfortunately, with no evidence to explain the cause of my abnormal hair tone, people just naturally assumed I was a witch or something.
But of course I'm not. My name is Sakura Haruno, and I'm just an average village girl living an average, every day life. I live in the village of Konoha, which is a prosperous town despite the numerous impoverished families littering the streets. Fortunately, I'm not homeless, albeit my family borders on the edge of peasantry and poverty. We (My mom, big brother, and I) live in a small cottage in the southern part of town and own a small medical clinic. It's nothing too fancy, and even though my mom is a doctor, we're still poor. It's because of those damn higher-ups in the palace who instantly appear out of nowhere to snatch up all your pennies. And then you have to work extra hard to make up for the lost money.
And that's what I was doing right now. Working my ass off in some field, weeding and softening the earth. All for what, two pennies a day? Pbfft. Life is tough, my friends. Off in the distance, I can see a small girl run towards me,
"S-Sakura," Hinata says as she stops to catch her breath, "K-Kurenai says w-we c-c-an stop n-now."
"Mmkay," I say, "You go on ahead. I need to wash up a little first."
Hinata nods and trots away.
I smile at her retreating back. She's such a sweet, timid little thing. After spacing out for a little bit, I lean back, stretching the aching muscles in my back that has been burning under the hot sun all day. Then I head over to the well where a fetch a bucket of fresh, cool water.
I sigh and run my fingers through my short, cropped tresses. One look at the rapidly darkening sky and I could tell that it was almost supper time, which meant that it was time to visit them.
"Hey, I'm home!" Sakura called as she entered the small cottage her and her family live in.
"Hey," her older brother Haru waved two fingers in greetings.
"Welcome home, dear," Shizune smiled sweetly at her daughter.
"Yo," Kakashi repeated the same action as Haru.
Sakura rolled her eyes, "Can't you give me something a little more familiar? Like a 'How was your day?' or a 'Good to see you?'"
"Nope," Kakashi says.
His daughter made a funny face but kissed him on the cheek nonetheless. "Mom, I think I'm going to take my dinner out again today."
"Again?" Shizune looked flabbergasted, "But Sakura, that's the fifth time this week! Why don't you eat with the family once in a while?"
"Sorry," Sakura pouted, "But I've got something to attend to, so just wrap my dinner up and I'll be off. Please, mom?"
Shizune pursed her lips.
"I don't mind if she's gone," Haru snickered.
"Haru!" the black haired woman looked expectantly at her son, "Don't say such things."
"Please?" Sakura tried again.
One look at her puppy face told Shizune that no was not an option, "Oh alright," she sighed, "But be home before 8, understood?"
"Thank you!" Sakura cheered and hugged her mom.
A few minutes later and Sakura was all set to go. She kissed her mom and dad goodbye (giving Haru a raspberry instead) and left.
Shizune watched as Sakura disappeared down the road, "Do you think I spoil her too much?"
"Nope," Kakashi says as he flips through another page in his book, "Not a bit."
Shizune's eye twitched as she grabbed the book from his hands.
"Hey!" the silver haired man protested.
"I thought I told you to stop reading this junk!"
"But it's good junk," he whined.
Shizune's face turned as red as Haru's hair she started beating the living daylights out of her poor, defenseless husband.
"I TOLD YOU TO STOP READING THIS AROUND THE CHILDREN; IT ROTS THE BRAIN AND SET A BAD EXAMPLE! WHY I OUGHTA WRING YOUR NECK FOR THIS!"
Haru just snickered as he sat at the table, eating his dinner and watching the scene with great amusement.
Sasuke and Naruto are two demons whom I have taken into my care. Of course, nobody knows that. If they did I'd be dead on the spot. Naruto was a fox demon, while Sasuke was a bird demon. Those two could have passed as normal humans, had it not been for the fact that Naruto had a huge, orange tail, whiskers, and fox ears; and Sasuke had a set of shimmering, onyx claws and a gigantic pair of sleek, raven wings.
From my vantage point I could spot Naruto's huge, bushy fox tail wave eagerly through the window. I giggled. That was always my favorite feature of his- that gigantic, puffy line of fur. My favorite feature of Sasuke's was his wings. Those large, elegant wings. Each one was adorned with silky, obsidian feathers that shone with sort of a midnight glow under the moonlight. It was really enchanting how beautiful yet deadly these demons were.
Sasuke and Naruto were capable of destroying whole towns and cities- possibly even countries if they tried hard enough. About four years ago, a day known as Great Destruction happened. For seven days and seven nights it was constant chaos- you couldn't tell if it was daytime or nighttime because the skies were always ablaze and nobody was able to get even a wink of sleep. Many lives were lost, and homes were desecrated, whole landscapes ripped apart so that plains turned into mountains and mountains flattened into plains. But what caused all of this?
Two demons.
That's right, just two. Two gigantic demons battling it out- a nine-tailed fox and a winged serpent with scarlet eyes.
And who were these two demons?
Sasuke and Naruto.
I found them four years ago in a giant crater near the outskirts of my village. Both were passed out, yet you could still see a menacing chakra aura emit from their bodies. Foreboding filled me and my mind told me to just turn around and run in the other direction, but my body wouldn't move. Something was tugging deep inside my chest, telling me to go down and help them. So I did.
Flashback
Sakura ran down the crater, nearly tripping over her skirt several times and managing to rip it in a few places. But she didn't stop. She continued to sprint down that hillside and as soon as she managed to make it down as best as she could, she ran towards the closest body, which was Sasuke's.
The twelve year old stopped to catch her breath.
"What am I doing?" Sakura panted, "I should be back at home, helping everyone rebuild their homes or something…" Great Destruction had passed about a week ago, and everyone was just beginning to get on their feet again. She really should get back to the village
But her body wouldn't listen as it started to move on its own accord. Sakura began to shake with anticipation and fear. Who were these two? What if they were demons or something? I mean, their chakra levels were so high you could literally see them! And one of them had a tail, too! Wait, are those…wings on the other one? Sakura gulped. Now she had no doubt they were demons.
"Perhaps I should turn around now," Sakura gulped.
Suddenly, as if her whispering had awoken them, the one with large, black wings stirred.
Sakura screamed lightly. As soon as it left her lips, she instantly slapped her hands over her mouth. 'Shit, shit, shit!' she thought, 'What have I done?'
Before she could react any further, the one with wings slowly lifted his head and glared at her with narrowed, crimson eyes that radiated death. The pink haired girl froze. Then, the demon began to take in his surroundings and everything suddenly came into focus.
Instantly, he leapt on all fours and bared his teeth, a deep, guttural, and almost animalistic sound vibrating form his throat. With one hand he flexed his claws, but as he did so, he winced. Sakura could tell by the numerous gashes and bruises all over his pale body that he was still in pain.
"I-I…" Sakura stuttered, "A-Ano, it's-s o-okay…I'm n-not going to h-hurt you…"
For a minute the demon seemed to soften, but then froze up again. "Nobody can be trusted," he growled in a low, unearthly tone, "What is your business, girl?" Before she could respond, the demon had reappeared behind her and started sniffing her up and down, his wings flapping suspiciously. Sakura squeaked indignantly. Was this even proper? But Sakura knew better than to open her trap and kept quiet.
With a few more sniffs, the demon huffed, "You smell mostly human. But there's something else, too…" Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. Abruptly, his hand snapped forward, claws wrapping around her throat.
"W-Wha-?" Sakura gagged, "What are you d-doing?"
"Anbu!" Sasuke shouted, "You're an Anbu, aren't you?"
"A-Anbu? I-I don't know what you're t-talking about!"
"Lies," he hissed. But then, he let go of her and clutched at his stomach. A wound seemed to reopen as a few droplets of blood leaked between his claws.
Sakura's face softened, "…you're hurt… Here, let me help you." Her mother was a doctor, so naturally Sakura had been taught a few things in medicine.
"Don't come any closer!" he slashed her across the shoulder.
Sakura cried out in agony and grabbed the wound. Sasuke's eyes widened. Anbu wouldn't have been that affected…she should have been able to dodge it…But what if she spoke the truth? Was she really not an Anbu?
But as she fell back, she felt two arms wrap around her waist, breaking her fall. Sakura groaned and cringed. Her arm burned like hell. Pain clouded her mind, delaying the realization that some stranger was holding her around the waist. Then, something warm and moist darted out and licked the wound.
"Mmm," Naruto closed his eyes and savored the taste, "Her blood is sweet." He grinned, revealing four very, very sharp fangs. So the other demon has woken up, too.
Sakura squealed and wormed away from his grasp. She skidded back to a safe distance away from the two demons. "W-Who the hell are you guys?" she sputtered.
"Isn't it obvious?" Naruto grinned, "We're demons!"
An unsure emotion crossed Sakura's face. But where they demons that could be trusted? Sakura let her hand travel up to her shoulder, where chakra started to flow into it and heal the wound.
Sasuke's eyes widened, "You say you're not Anbu… are you a ninja then? Do you work for the Hokage?" his eyes narrowed as he got into a defensive position. No normal human would be able to control chakra like that, and judging by how skillfully she healed that wound at that age she must have had exceptional chakra control.
Sakura frowned. The wound was too deep and severe to heal all the way. All she managed to do was numb the pain and patch it up a bit. No doubt it will scar. Shizune would have to look at it when she got home.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura said, "I'm not Anbu or ninja or whatever it is you said. I just want to help you."
"Why?" Naruto perked up, "Don't you know who we are?"
"I…um…not really…"
Suddenly, a large grin spread across Naruto's face. He puffed up his chest, "Well, I am the great Naruto Uzumaki! Remember it, because someday I will be-"
"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke growled. But before he could do anything further, everything went black and he slipped into unconsciousness. Sakura leapt forward and caught him before he fell.
"Don't worry," Naruto smiled bitterly, "He'll be fine…" Suddenly, Naruto copied Sasuke and passed out too. Sakura caught him and set him next to Sasuke. She looked at the both of them in distress. What was she going to do now? I mean, she couldn't just leave them here like this… Maybe she'll just drag them into a nearby cabin or something and patch them up a bit. Yeah, that sounded good.
End Flashback
Initially, I only intended to care for them a week. But then it became obvious that those two were in much worse shape than only a week's care would be able to treat. So that week turned into a month, and that month into a year. So now here I am, four years later, still taking care of them. Sasuke and Naruto are no longer wounded, but they thought it better to just remain in hiding. Sasuke had told me that he no longer needed me to continue visiting regularly, but Naruto protested and wouldn't let me go.
We formed quite the close-knit family. Over time Sasuke and I sort of made a silent agreement that he'd let me continue visiting me if I kept their location a secret. It wasn't until a year ago that they finally revealed they were the ones who caused Great Destruction.
Flashback
"Would you stop moving so much, Naruto?" Sakura huffed as she tried to keep him still and wrap a bandage around his arm. The blonde whined childishly. Sakura was watching Sasuke through the corner of her eye. He looked unsure and was fiddling with his fingers. Something was troubling him, she could tell.
"Sakura," Sasuke said, "We have something to tell you."
Naruto tensed visibly.
"Hm?" Sakura said, "Well, whatever it is I'm sure you can tell me."
Naruto frowned slightly, "I'm not sure we can…"
"Why not?" the pink haired girl pouted, "You guys can tell me anything."
"Yeah, but this is something I'm pretty sure you don't want to hear."
"She deserves to know, dobe."
"But I'm not sure she can handle it!" Naruto protested.
"We can't keep her from the truth forever," Sasuke snapped back.
Sakura's brows knitted together, "You guys, I'm sure whatever it is it can't be that bad…right?"
Naruto remained silent while Sasuke shifted unsurely.
"Are you familiar with Great Destruction?"
"Yes, the day that happened three years ago," Sakura stated smartly. "Mother said it was the day Heaven fought Hell."
"Not exactly." Naruto scratched his head.
"What do you mean?"
"It wasn't necessarily a fight between Heaven and Hell…"
"Then what was it?"
"…" Naruto turned away.
"…Us." Sasuke whispered.
"Us?" Sakura echoed?
"Us. We caused it. Sasuke and I." Naruto finished
"It was a battle spawned form rivalry." Sasuke said. He turned away so he wouldn't have to look at Sakura's face, "Naruto and I aren't exactly demons, but we aren't humans either. We used to be humans, but when he was infant Naruto had a demon named Kyuubi sealed inside of him, and I was given a cursed seal. Our demons seem to have some sort of natural rivalry, so when we met after 12 years, for some reason our demons activated and we fought, causing Great Destruction."
"…" Sakura was silent. She couldn't believe what she just heard.
"Please don't look at us that way, Sakura," Naruto's brow creased with worry as he pleaded with her.
She just continued staring at a certain spot on the floor.
Sasuke was in the corner, his wings folded partly as if he was trying to shield himself from the world. His face was hidden in shadow.
"…"
It was silent for a long while, before Sakura finally decided to talk again.
"Is this… Is this true?"
"You can leave if you want," Naruto's face darkened, "We understand."
Confusion filled viridian eyes. Sakura looked at Naruto, who was sitting on his bed with a regretful expression. He knew this would happen and didn't want Sakura to know, because now she was probably afraid of them. She'd probably leave now and never come back. But… he didn't want Sakura to leave.
Sasuke had his back turned to them. But she could see his fists clench like he also felt guilty.
Sakura fell to the floor. The weight of the situation finally sinking in. The two demons that tore apart families, slaughtered innumerable people, obliterated whole countries… she was helping them this whole time. The two demons everyone hated so much- Sakura was caring for them! Feeding them and giving them medical attention! Nausea swam inside her stomach as Sakura grabbed the bedpost. She felt like she was going to throw up. Essentially, she had been betraying mankind for three years by helping these two monsters.
Without a word, Sakura stood up and walked dazedly to the door. Silently, she opened it and stumbled out weakly into the forest.
Inside the cabin, Naruto bared his fangs and pummeled his fist into the wooden floor, creating a decent sized crater. In his corner, Sasuke flexed his wings and slashed the wall, creating two large gashes that you could see through. Naruto felt hot, salty drops of water well up in his normally bright, azure eyes. Sasuke couldn't identify it, but there was this weird lonely feeling eating up inside of him. They both watched as Sakura hobbled away, confused and dazed. Remorse filled them. This was probably the last time they would ever see her… and they didn't even manage a goodbye.
End Flashback
Of course, I couldn't just leave my two adorable little demons alone, could I? After three weeks I returned, much to their surprise. I'll never forget Sasuke's stunned expression- it was priceless.
Those three weeks were like hell for me. I couldn't focus- my mind kept traveling to the both of them. I remember returning home that day, my face pale and eyes as wide as saucers. My family asked me what was wrong, and for once even Haru was considerate, but I couldn't tell them what I had just experienced. I couldn't work properly that week, and my pay was deducted as a result. People started to worry because I had not said a single thing. My mind was too hot in debate.
Should I return to them, or should I not? They were the causes of so much chaos and destruction so many years ago- and we still haven't even rebuilt a third of all that damage.
…But they couldn't be all that bad. I mean while I cared for them, we were like one big family. They caused no harm. We were so happy… and I missed that. It was the last night of the third week when I stood on a cliff, looking up at the stars. In my hand was a penny. I played with it unsurely.
After a few moments, I decided to settle myself with a coin toss. I saw all the other kids in the village do it, so I thought I'd try it too.
'If it's heads I'll go back to them, and if it's tails I'll forget they ever existed.' Then, I clamped my eyes shut and flung it in the air, catching it and flipping it over on my hand. I took a deep breath, 'Here I go…' Slowly, I lifted my hand and peered under.
Twenty minutes later I was at the cabin door, flustered and panting heavily. Hurriedly, I composed myself as best I could, but in the excited state that I was I probably made myself look worse. Then, confidently, I wrapped my fingers around the doorknob and stepped in.
I remember my initial reaction was "WHAT THE HELL?" The place was a mess. Everything was broken, overturned, or ripped apart. On one wall there was a large pile of junk, and opposite of it was an identical pile, except that pile had feathers. I smirked and placed my hand on my hip. Those lumps were Sasuke and Naruto. I rolled my eyes. How childish.
I strode over to Sasuke's lump and tapped lightly. I squeaked as clawed hand shot out and nearly missed chopping off my nose.
"Go away, dobe," Sasuke grumbled, though his voice muffled by the trash surrounding him.
"I am away," Naruto returned gruffly.
"No, you're standing right next to me, I can sense it."
"Huh? I'm in my junk fort- I don't know what you're talking about."
"Lies."
I giggled. The boys must of heard and recognized, because for a second it was silent, before the both of them burst out, wide eyed and all. I tried to keep a mad face on to scold them for making such a mess of the place, but I couldn't help myself and started cracking up. They were covered head to toe in trash and looked like such hobos.
"Geez," I choked out between tears, "I was only gone three weeks and you guys have managed to make a mess out of this place."
"S-Sakura…" Sasuke whispered.
"Sakura!" Naruto shouted, "W-We thought you were gone for good!"
I smiled, "Why on earth would I leave you guys? You're my best friends…" I whispered and placed an arm around each of their necks, "I missed you…" Though I couldn't see it, I knew their faces softened.
"Thank you…" Sasuke said and returned the hug. That was extremely uncharacteristic of him, but when you've been reunited with something you miss I guess you act differently. Naruto practically pounced on me and started licking my face; animalistic instincts taking over.
I laughed, "Okay, okay get off me. Phew, you guys stink. And this place is filthy! Do you know how hard I have to work now to fix this place up for you?"
"Ne, ne," Naruto grinned, "We'll help you too! Right, teme?"
"Hn."
Since then things haven't changed. I still visit Sasuke and Naruto periodically, and we always manage to have the time of our lives. Its so much fun being with them- they're sort of like brothers to me. I love it. If I didn't have them, I'd be just another depressed village girl with barely any friends. But luckily, I'm not. And for that I'm grateful.
As I stop at the door to the cabin, I can hear Naruto and Sasuke arguing inside. Something about Naruto accusing Sasuke of stealing his nightcap. I sigh. Well, I'd better get in there and break it up before things get too nasty.
"Alright," I call as I enter the cabin, "What's going on here?"
"SAKURA!" Naruto shouts as he throws himself onto me, his bushy orange tail waving excitedly, "Didya get me some more ramen? Huh? Huh?"
"Dobe." Sasuke snorts.
I laugh and ruffle Naruto's hair. Yup, we're just one big, loving family.
And I like it that way. I feel like I belong here.
Little did I know that things were about to change.
A/N: Was it too long? Did I do okay? Yes, I know they were out of character, but please bear with me. I hope you enjoyed it, and if not please tell me what I did wrong. By the way, if anyone's interested you can vote for pairings. The choices are
SasuSaku and NaruHina
NaruSaku (In this case Sasuke would have to die, since I can't bear to palce him with anyone other than Sakura)
NaruSakuSasu
Thanks! Oh, and do leave a review!