A/N: Hey Guys~! :D My other story has hit a road block (sorry to anyone who has actually read the prologue to my HP story...^_^' ), but my creative juices for this one have been flowing nicely. Hope ya really like this! Oh, and don't worry, this story won't be constantly in angst (don't know how I'd cope with a story that had nothing but angst. Can't read something without at least a bit of cheerfulness). It shall have its funny moments and awesome fight scenes and the like too. It will be sad for a bit though, at least until our leading woman gets some sense knocked into that noggin of hers! Which will hopefully be soon. :3

Disclaimer: Oh, how I despise thee...*sighs* I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. I merely own my OC whose name will be revealed probably next chapter and her family.

Enjoy, my lovelies~!

My chest burned and my legs ached with fatigue from running for so long, but I took no notice of it. My life meant more than being tired, and I knew for a fact that I wouldn't be safe to stop for a while. The ninja that were after me had no mercy, if any emotion at all. They had proven that when they murdered my family right in front of me, not acknowledging my cries.

The pain in my chest soon became unbearable for me, so I had to stop momentarily to catch my breath. I had never run like that. So desperately, so frightened… I had only now become aware of this sadness that clutched at my heart, a sadness that had made me feel so numb to everything until it had sunken in, until I had realized it was real. I would never again smell my mother's home made miso soup. I would never again hear my little brother's and sister's laughter as they played in the backyard. I would never again see my father's proud face as I mastered a jutsu.

My family was dead, and I couldn't do anything about it. They were gone, and as reality sunk in, I collapsed, now feeling horribly weak, and cried harder than I had when the Hokage died. He had broken me.

In the end, Orochimaru had done what he said he would. He had broken me.

Eventually, I could no longer find the strength to move, and so I laid down in a small clearing in the trees, some of the taller blades of grass tickling my tear-stained cheeks, my fiery locks splayed about. My amber eyes gazed blankly up at the sky that was a light blue. Clouds floated by, unaffected by the events of the previous night. I wish I were a cloud…then I'd have no worries, no regrets, no sadness. I smiled cruelly at the thought. I was not fortunate enough to be like a cloud, drifting where the wind took me, not endangering its loved ones. Of course, clouds didn't have loved ones; they were clouds.

Maybe it would have been better if I had been born a cloud. If I had, then maybe my family would still be alive and well. Maybe then I wouldn't be lying in this field, exhausted physically and emotionally, deep in a sadness so great, that not even news of the Third Hokage really being alive could cure it.

Those thoughts were the last that ran through my mind before darkness finally overtook me, though it was not merciful enough to allow me a dreamless sleep. My dreams were nightmares, filled with the horrors of my family's death, making me wish I had never fallen asleep.

I slowly began to wake up as I heard a soft rustling in the trees near by, but I was too tired to care what it was. If it was the men who had taken my family's lives, then I would allow them to take me. Maybe they would take me to Orochimaru, and then I could take my revenge upon him. Maybe then this aching in my chest would go away.

My mind was foggy with thoughts and images of a time that seemed to have happened just moments ago, when in reality, it had happened probably a day or two ago, so I took no notice of what was going on. However, I perked up when I heard footfalls coming closer towards me, and my heart beat quickened. What if it was Orochimaru's men?

I faintly registered voices speaking worriedly, figured they couldn't be Orochimaru's men if they were worried, and I could only assume that they were speaking about me. I mean, I probably looked horrible, covered in blood that was not mine, seemingly passed out in the middle of the forest; who wouldn't be worried? Even if the voices were worried, they had no reason to be. Yes, I was wounded, but not in a way that would kill me quickly. Physically, I was perfectly fine besides being extremely tired and having a few scrapes here and there (courtesy of my rush to get away).

The feeling of arms wrapping around my weak body engulfed me and I temporarily lost myself in the comforting feeling of them. The feeling reminded me so much of my father's hugs, the hugs he gave me when he was proud, relieved, or simply welcoming me home. Hugs that I no longer could receive.

I cracked my eyes open just a little bit to catch a glance at who was carrying me, to see who reminded me of my father. It was a man who looked to be somewhere in his twenties with gravity-defying silver hair and sleepy eyes, which at the moment had a serious look about them. He wore a mask over the bottom part of his face, so I couldn't really tell much more about him, except that he was wearing a frown. I tried to open my mouth to speak, open my eyes further to glance about my surroundings, but I couldn't find the strength to do so. Instead, darkness overtook me once more, and this time I was granted the mercy of a dreamless sleep.

A/N: Sooooooo...How was it? Did ya like it? Hate it? Think it was totally awesometastic? Whatever your opinion, I'd love to hear it! And sorry if it was a bit corny. I tried my hardest to not make it corny, but I'm not sure I succeeded or not. Tell me in a review! ...Please? Also, any suggestions are appreciated! Until next time, my lovelies~!

1000WTBS