At the age of twelve, going on thirteen soon, Haruno Sakura didn't know much about love.
She knew love from and for her family and friends. She knew the bond and platonic love they shared. But she knew nothing about true love or the feeling of falling love. She'd read the novels and stories and someday, she hoped she could feel the same: the feeling of a heart beating fast when said special someone came near.
Sakura sighed, looking at her face in the mirror. Frowned and adjusted her ninja headband on her head again. She patted her pastel hair to make sure her arched bangs weren't going to fall anytime soon. As per usual, she frowned when she saw her overly large forehead but there was nothing she could do about it. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and instantly picked up the fake pink blush on the skin.
Her mother said she was their pretty little girl.
She was pretty just as her best friend, Ino was pretty. She knew they were both pretty enough for anybody to notice them—and they sometimes compete to see who could score more boys or girls. But the attention they got was never enough to match hers.
Uchiha Satsuki.
The most beautiful kunoichi in Konohagakure… according to the votes the girls's club's votes result. Most of the students vote for her. Ino simply burned with jealousy but the Yamanaka knew she would never be able to beat the Uchiha unless the latter suddenly had some sort of skin disease that would corrode her skin.
Sakura was jealous too but she just never showed it as much. How could anyone not be jealous of her natural beauty?
Satsuki's hair was messily cropped short and it looked like a duck's butt most of the time, she didn't have make-up (Sakura doubted she knew the meaning of such a product) and she didn't fawn or gush over teenage loves.
All her eyes had space for were training and getting stronger.
Training. Getting stronger: these two words reminded Sakura that she was on the same team as Satsuki. Which meant that her weakness would be even more abstract.
The Uchiha hadn't been happy that they'd been grouped together and the only reason she hadn't snapped yet was because they had another teammate coming from outside the village.
Sakura sighed again before she slapped her cheeks to regain more confidence—it always made girls prettier, Ino always says—then she stepped out of her room to face a new day.
Sakura's enthusiasm drained a little when she noticed that she was alone. She wavered, the self conscious her doubted that she had heard right and that she was silly to wait alone here for people who might never show up and what if its a prank—
Sakura relaxed immensely when a familiar figure came into view. Satsuki spared her brief glance before she settled herself underneath the shade the tree provided, closing her eyes and leaning against it. Sakura had to tear her gaze away from the sight, her cheeks flushed. She wondered what was wrong with her?
She wondered if this was what people called falling in love.
Tentative footsteps approached them. Sakura glanced up and all thoughts of Satsuki drained away to be replaced by a boyish, handsome, tall blonde girl. She studied the girl intensely, noting the odd markings on both her cheeks: thin three whisker marks on each cheek, leaves and petals decorating the line in a way that reminded her of morning glory. Blue eyes the epitome of the bright sky above their heads now, healthy tan skin, and a head full of golden hair. The princely girl has flowery decorations on her face, had her hair tied back with a pink hairband and what was that thorny long stem of a rose curled around her body?
"Uh, hey," she clapped her hands together as if nervous to face the two girls before her. "I'm your new teammate. My name's Senju Naruko and someday, I'm going to be a Hokage!"
Senju? Sakura snuck a quick glance at Satsuki's face, noting that she was alert and studying the newcomer with an unreadable emotion on her face. She knew history; heck, everyone knew the long and complicated history between the Senju and Uchiha clan. Sakura swallowed thickly when she realized she'd be stuck between two powerful individuals. Undoubtedly, the Senju was powerful as well despite her down-to-earth (haha) personality.
"So…" her warm blue eyes examined the two girls, her future teammates but Sakura didn't miss how her gaze lingered particularly longer on Satsuki—people, Senju or not, tend to do that. She struggled but words failed her and the three stared at one another.
A long silence ensued.
The Uchiha gave a soft 'hnn' before turning away. The Senju pouted at the negative response she received. "Will it kill you guys to introduce yourself?" She whined.
"We're girls," Sakura spoke up sullenly.
"Fine—may I know your names know princesses?" Naruko amended, rolling her eyes.
"I'm Haruno Sakura," the pastel-haired girl said, smiling tentatively. She chanced a glance at the icy Uchiha and knowing that the Uchiha scion wouldn't be introducing herself anytime soon, said, "And she's Uchiha Satsuki."
Naruko studied her Uchiha counterpart. "Are you mute?" She asked innocently. "Why won't you talk to me?"
"I only talk to people worth my time," Satsuki sneered, turning away, paused and turned back to her. "That doesn't include you."
"But-but you're talking to me now aren't you?" Naruko persisted. "Doesn't that mean I'm worth your time?"
"…Get lost, Senju."
"You know my name!" Naruko cheered sarcastically, clapping her hands with a bright (everything about her was simply bright) grin. "Great job!"
Slowly, almost mechanically, Satsuki turned her head to fix the tomboyish blond with a deadly glare. She didn't seem intimidated but the grin faltered slightly when she had to raise her hand to deflect the blow.
Sakura blinked before she gave a soft gasp of alarm; Satsuki lunged again and struck the blond with punches and kicks.
Naruko laughed as she dodged. "Bring it on, I'm looking for a challenge anyway!"
Sakura opened her mouth, about to warn the Senju as to just how strong Satsuki was when the need to do so died down. The Senju didn't have a problem pacing herself, dodging most blows, deflecting and counter-attacking the Uchiha. All the while, under the heavy and rapid assault and even when Satsuki managed a grazing blow, she grinned as if the fight and Satsuki's annoyance excited her.
It was then that Sakura knew one thing about the Senju: she was nuts.
Naruko launched a roundhouse kick but Satsuki dodged and jumped back, landing on a tree branch. Naruko's eyes glinted mischievously.
"Ya sure ya want to stand there?" She asked, laughing as she clasped her hands together as if in prayer.
Sakura glanced between Satsuki and Naruko. Her head snapped back up to the former when she stumbled. Satsuki glanced down in alarm and the two girls gaped as the tree branch began to move.
Sakura yelped. "It moved! The tree moved!"
"Not completely," Naruko agreed, eyes cool and sparkling with mischievousness. When Satsuki jumped down a few feet before her, she grinned again. "Not bad, ya did there. Not many can dodge it."
Satsuki showed emotion for the first time since… a few years back when Satsuki was still what Sakura could call a friend; she scowled heavily. And for the first time, spoke. "Senju," she acknowledged grudgingly but she didn't seem to have anything else to say. Saying the blond's clan name as if to confirm what she'd really seen. Under her breath she muttered, "Mokuton."
"You got it! Where's your Sharingan, Uchiha?"
Naruko stopped grinning when she noticed how the girl's face darkened. "Not yet…?" No one answered but the silence was enough for an answer. "Oh. Well, I'm sure you'll—"
"I don't need your pity or petty reassurances," Satsuki said coldly, crossing her arms and turning away.
Naruko looked guilty, slightly sad. She approached where Sakura had jumped back three feet the moment the tree started moving. "Hey there," she said glumly as if she expected Sakura to dump her a bucket of icy treatment.
Sakura beamed up at her, her cheeks flushing pink but the handsome girl didn't seem to notice. "Hi… um, don't mind Satsuki, she's always like this."
Naruko brightened when she didn't brush her off like their other teammate did. She plucked the rose from the vines surrounding her and presented one to her, a smile on her face. "A pretty rose for a pretty lady."
"Hush, you." Sakura's cheeks warmed pleasantly as she accepted the flower. It had been a pale shade of green and white in the Senju's hand but when she took it, it changed to azure blue. "Is it…?" she didn't know what could describe the color-changing flower.
"Huh… you're a water-nature type! That's cool, mine's wind and earth and water—though I kinda sucked at the latter two!" Naruko pointed to the roses and when Sakura looked closer, she noticed that the pale flower had shades of blue and brown as well. She turned abruptly to face Satsuki's curious eyes. She handed her a flower. "Here!"
Sakura added the trait of generosity to the reason why she liked Naruko. She couldn't wait to introduce her to Ino, she would be so jealous!
Satsuki hesitated, clearly uncomfortable but she accepted the flower anyway. It turned the shade of a normal rose then at the bud, bloomed a yellow shade. She tilted her head to the side inquiringly and Naruko answered dutifully. "Fire and Lightning," she delivered in a sing-song voice.
Satsuki glanced at her flower then she dropped it.
"Hey!" Naruko cried, outraged that someone would treat her rose like that. "Why did you do that for?" She picked the flower up, dusting it off gently before pinning it on her chest; the rose returned to the pale mixture of colors it was before.
"Well," the Uchiha looked completely befuddled. "What else am I supposed to do with it?"
"Keep it, put it in a vase," the Senju ranted. "Or, even better—here!" Quick as lightning, she placed the rose Satsuki formerly held into her hair.
Before she could bat it away or punch the Senju or do both, a masculine voice chuckled from above the three. Sakura looked up; a lone grey eye glanced down at them. The shinobi, the Jōnin who was supposed to be their sensei, was pale-skinned and rather tall from this vantage view. His gravity defying hair
stood out even more vividly with the shade of white—it made Sakura imagine an old and withered face underneath the mask.
He waved a hand at them. "Yo!"
"You're late!" Sakura said, pointing her finger at him rudely. Inner Sakura snarled, cheering her on. Yosh!
Hatake Kakashi ignored her; what an infuriating man. Instead, he held out his hand towards the subdued Senju. "May I have one of those curious flowers you have there?"
Satsuki pulled the rose out of her hair and threw it up at the white-haired man, agitated.
Naruko scowled when she saw how Satsuki handled her precious gift without any care. But her words of protest died when she saw the rose turn a multitude of colors. Five of them to be exact. "You have an affinity for all chakra nature?! Sweet!" Naruko was totally taken by their teacher it seemed.
Sakura and Satsuki didn't seem to share the same sentiment.
Kakashi chuckled, swiftly placing the rose back in his black-haired student's hair again. Satsuki bristled, snatching the rose and throwing it without a thought on the ground.
Naruko yelled. "Hey!"
"Can we get rid of her, Sensei?" Satsuki asked coolly, ignoring the blond, irked and agitated.
"That does it, Uchiha," Naruko spat, reaching down to pick up the fallen flower. Sakura watched in a mixture of horror and awe when the rose disintegrated in Naruko's hand. "I was willing to play nice with you but—"
Kakashi clucked his tongue disapprovingly.
"We're not here to argue," he said, cutting in before the Senju-Uchiha rivalry could get in between all the training and tests they should be doing. "We're here to see whether or not we can be a team." The answer is most likely no, he thought to himself cheerfully. Yay, that means he won't be stuck with some brats.
The Senju and Uchiha tossed another poisonous glares before they turned to their teacher.
Sakura shook her head in exasperation, not knowing that it was the start of something they all did not want to be part of.