AN/ Yes, this is the new Softer than Scarlet. I ask that you please review, fav and alert if you enjoyed it.

Disclaimer/ (laugh) No! I don't own Naruto and I don't think I ever will. So, you can stop asking me now.

Chapter One

I

"Somewhere I Belong"

"Just pay and find your seat sir. Thank you," A young man in a tan jacket stated in a dull tone.

Underground men in tan jackets collect money as occupants crowd the piled bleaches. The work was fast and secretive. Underground fights are, after all, illegal. Many of the men and woman in the room made some sort of profit from the underground business and were in no way, ready for that extra income to be brought under justice. That, and virtually everyone in the room had blackmail on their name from the Kazekage and his staff.

The few working lights in the room flickered as vibrating speakers and amps pulsed with music that flooding the entire arena. The stale yellow light fell over a crown of faces, all eager and anxious. The cause of the excitement was a set of opening doors on opposite sides of the room. Breaths were held as shadows were pushed back to illuminate two strong appearing figures emerging on their cue. The music blast out, increasing the tension of the room.

(When this began)

I had nothing to say

And I get lost in the nothingness inside of me

(I was confused)

And I let it all out to find

That I'm not the only person with these things in mind

(Inside of me)

But all the vacancy the words revealed

Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel

(Nothing to lose)

Just stuck hollow and alone

And the fault is my own,

And the fault is my own...

The roar of the rowdy crowd flooded a well sized circular room with a caged boxing ring in the middle of it all. The steel beams stood tall and strong, some even dawning splatters of blood from less fortunate occupants. The two entries on opposite sides opened up letting two rivaling opponents enter. Seeing the two fighter enter the ring the roar of the crowd grew louder than before.

Woman and men alike screamed at the top of their lungs with no fear of the shouts escaping the sound proof walls around them. A few men in the tan jackets came off their work shifts to see the fight between champions many had been waiting months for. East met west and tonight only one would walk out with the title Female all Suna champion. The highest the violent desert city had to offer to it's female fighters.

Both figures wore silky robes with hoods pulled down over their faces. One's robe was a dark red while the other one was a navy blue.

The one wearing a navy blue robe tore it off and shouted holding the garment over her head fueling the roar of the crown. She had dirty blond hair gelled into a Mohawk with the rest of it cut short. She had piercing on her lip, eyebrow and nose giving her a cold hard look. She beat her navy blue boxing gloves together eager for a fight. Her skin was nicely tanned from the desert's ever blazing sun and a tattoo of a blue Chinese dragon crossed over her shoulders and disappeared down her back. She looked to be somewhere around the age of twenty, maybe less. You couldn't really tell with all the runing around she was doing. No one could get a good look at her.

The figure in the red robe bent her shoulders back and let the garment fall back onto her wrists. Taking it into one gloved hand she tossed it to the side. The young girl had bright pink hair pulled back into a tight French braid, the twisted locks falling to her shoulders. She cracked her neck from side to side before beating her light pink boxing gloves tighter just like the other fighter had and took her place opposing her opponent. Here eyes were hard but calm, ticking the other girl off a bit.

The roar of the crown died down as the two began to circle. The two pulled their gloves up to their chins while the blond haired girl added a bounce to her steep. The gleam in her eye was so familiar to the pink haired boxer. It was that gleam that shouted 'I'll do anything to win' and Sakura knew this girl would. The navy blue boxer sneered and lunged for Sakura's head missing it just by a hair.

Sakura veered off to one side and jerked to the other, missing an array of fast jabs. In any other fight, the boxers wouldn't be going for your head so publicly, but this was an underground fight. People died in the cage every other night an no one raised a question to the justice of any of it. So you could guess that the illegal fighters were high quality, having to stay alive in such a brutal business.

Sakura dodged and back stepped back from the attacks saving her energy while her opponent threw punch after punch aimed for the head and chest. The tanned boxer physed Sakura out on one attack and landed a perfect blow to Sakura's face sending her reeling back in pain. The girl took this chance to jab her in the rip and punch her till Sakura fell down on to her face, blood pooling down her nose and trailing out of the corner of her face. The lyrics of the sing in the background didn't miss a beat with their irony as the band sang about landing on your face.

And I've got nothing to say

I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face

(I was confused)

Looking everywhere only to find

That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind

(So what am I)

What do I have but negativity

'Cause I can't justify the way, everyone is looking at me

(Nothing to lose)

Nothing to gain, hollow and alone A

nd the fault is my own,

And the fault is my own

The crowd cheered loudly starting the countdown from 10. Sakura coughed and wiped a bit of blood off her glove and pulled her knees underneath her body. She looked up at the crowd and saw the ones that were her fans cheer her on urging her to get up. She saw the ones that weren't her fans shout at her to stay down. Her opponent only sneered at her as she continued to wave wildly to the crown like she had already won.

The metallic taste of metal tasted bitterly on Sakura's lips as she frowned deeply at the proud display. She wasn't down yet, even though she knew that was a hit that could knock a normal fifteen year old out cold. Her opponent was forgetting that Sakura was not an ordinary fifteen year old girl.

Sakura glared angrily and forced her legs to lift her up. Her opponent turned towards the pink haired boxer as the crown stopped the countdown at 5. The green eyed boxer was quick to ascend to her feet and put some distance between herself and the tanned boxer. This time Sakura was ready for the attacks and dodged them all using as little energy as possible. She held her arms up to block a few blows and when she felt an opening she fired a powerful cross to her opponent's ribs.

The volume of the crowd's cheering only increased ad Sakura could feel everyone's eyes on her. The music continued to blare and Sakura could feel her breathing increase with excitement and adrenalin. Once she really got going, there was little man or woman alike could do to stop her. This was what made her so powerful in her fights.

The music went into an extended mode that allowed the fighters to exceed a three minuet time limit.

The crowd cheered as another shot missed Sakura's head. She counter attacked with a shot to the ribs. The pink haired female was the younger of the two and the clear underdog. Sakura could feel their gazes linger on her willowy form as she side stepped to he right preparing to attack. All eyes were on her as her opponent stumbled back before regaining her footing.

Sakura could clearly recognize the hurt expression on the girls face, but I wasn't her ribs that were hurting as much as it was her pride. Sakura smirked to herself when she saw the other boxer's expression. While she had been waving to the crowd wasting her energy with boosting shouts and cheers Sakura had wisely been saving hers, building it up. Now her opponent had close to nothing left while she was still close to full.

A single bead of sweet rolled down her face snaking down her cheek before falling off her chin. Sakura shook her head a bit, letting another bead of sweet drop. Her body was heating up from the workout and now it wanted to move some more.

There was a clear shot right before her and Sakura took it. Sakura pulled back and let loose one of her famous one shot knock out punches. The fans had dubbed it the five finger death punch, since she used it when she fought without her gloves.

Lunging forward Sakura smiled wildly as her fish connected with the stomach of the tanned woman. Sakura could feel the wind leaving her opponent's chest as the beat boxer gasped out in pain falling forward onto Sakura's glove. Sakura flipped her wrist sending the limp body onto the floor starting the countdown. The crowd was on it's feet now, screaming like no tomorrow. After seven minuets and thirty eight seconnds, it looked like there would be a winner.

...5...

...4.…

...3.…

...2.…

...1!!

They cheered as an opening on the side of the caged ring lifted letting in the girl's medic and a spokesman. Sakura breathed heavily as the song continued to play it's last lines.

I will never know myself until I do this on my own

And I will never feel anything else, until my wounds are healed

I will never be anything till I break away from me

I will break away,

I'll find myself today

I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong

I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong

Somewhere I belong...

The spokesman lifted Sakura's arm up above her head increasing the roar from the crowd. A gold badge was placed around Sakura's neck and she smiled at the female's devision trophy now in her possession. There was no doubt in her mind that she would win. But still, it felt good to finally dominate the east and west side of the desert city.

North and south belonged to the male division and was awarded to a young red haired lad named Sasori of the red sand. Female vs. male fights weren't too popular and never official, so there was no hope of Sakura ever dominating over Sasori of the red sand. On top of that, she knew most males to be stronger than the majority of woman she fought.

The only reason she came so far was her endurance. She could take a hit that would normally kill a person.

Her friend Tamari came up with a bright smile and helped the tired boxer untie her pink glovs. "I so knew you would win."

"We all did, I think," Sakura replied as her friend undid the laces. "I'm just disappointed that Gaara and Kankoro had to miss this."

"I know. And they feel just terrible about it. Gaara was ready to kill someone when he heard you were going up against Azuel, the blue dragon of the east. The last fight she was in, they found a rusted nail in her glove. Her opponent died from the poison a few days later."

"You know I wouldn't let something like that touch me. Poison or no poison."

"Yeah, well she had you there for a good five seconds. I though I was going to pass out from worry. I though you were really hurt."

"I was," Sakura replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "Remember the blood?"

"I mean really hurt. Like, no getting up hurt," the blue eyed girl replied, handing Sakura her gym bag and pink gloves.

"Come on Tem, you know that's not me. I wouldn't fall down like that in front of all these people. I'm never making that mistake again."

"I know, I just keep seeing you two years ago, rolling into the hospital with blood all over your face. Can you blame me for wanting to look out for my younger sister?"

Sakura smiled and slung the gym bag over her shoulder. "I guess not. But I did make a full recovery and was able to fight in another three weeks again."

Temari lost her smile then and Sakura heard the older blond sigh deeply. "You were a really good street dancer. It's so much safer. Won't you quit this and came back to dance with me?"

Sakura smiled but shook her head. "I know fighting isn't your thing, but it's mine. I love dancing, but this pays better and I'm good at it. Maybe one day, but for now, this is where I'm heading."

"But you've dominated all of the Suna female fighters. You're the best of the best as of today. You have no one else to beat," the blue eyed female stated with a index finger raised in the air.

Sakura stood still, a moment in though. Looking down she replied with a quit voice. "I'll think this over. Right now I just want to go home and rest."

"Okay Saku, I'll see ya' around."

Sakura raised a slightly shaken hand in farewell and exited the dome, coming out to a small crowd of men and woman congratulating her success. After a few handshakes and thanks, Sakura walked away from of the ring, only stopping at the booth near the door where a man handed her a heavy wad of cash. Her winnings. With a grateful nod and a quick thanks for the congratulations, the pink haired boxer stuffed into her gym bag along with her pink boxing gloves.

Temari waved from the group of female dancers she was friends with and Sakura waved as well before pulling a hooded jacket over her red and white tank top.

Alone on the streets, The blond's words kept repeating in her head.

"But you've dominated all of the Suna female fighters. You're the best of the best as of today. You have no one else to beat,"

Sakura glanced back over her shoulder at the empty street she walked many a time. It seemed to be he same thing over and over again, so routine. She fought, she won, she went home. She needed to break the mold, she needed to leave.

"I think it's time I moved." She mused walking out into the dark streets of the desert city. "I don't belong here."

The hooded girl's name is Sakura and she is a underground fighter.

The burn mark of a leaf on her shoulder proves that.

It's a mark that ties her forever to the world of drugs and blood.

A world of darkness that will always cling to her like a personal shadow.

Another normal day in the City of Fire. The breezes were calm, the temperature warm and soothing. On the surface everything seemed so normal and peaceful. You would never except such a day would harbor a surprise that would rock the underground organization like there was no tomorow.

A girl with long, bleached blond hair pulled back into a ponytail skipped into the classroom with a giddy smile on her lips and squealed when she saw who she was looking for.

"Sasuke kun!" she cried, skipping up to the back of the classroom where a dark haired boy with piercing onyx eyes sat slouched in his seat. "Hi Sasuke kun how are you today?"

The said boy only grunted a 'hn' without even looking up at the second annoying blond.

The first annoying blond was, believe it or not, his best friend Naruto. He was sitting next to him with a pair of large headphones slipped over his ears. He had bright cerulean eyes and a messy mass of blond hair framing his cheerful face. A pair of knife scars lined his cheeks giving him a foxy appearance. His uniform was messy, with the jacket open, his shirt ruffled, and his tie loosely hanging around his neck.

Naruto was sitting on Sauke's right side while the ever calm Neji sat the left of the Uchiha.

Neji was wearing a light green jacket over a plain white shirt that matched his pearly white eyes. His tie was neatly in place around his neck as he sat properly. His long chocolate brown hair was pulled back at the end with a white headband wrapping around his forehead. He also 'hn-ed' Ino before closing his eyes once again.

"Sasuke I have to tell you what Shikimaru found out Friday night when he was cleaning out he principle's office for detention!" Ino squealed, sitting down backwards in front of the dark eyed boy.

He only raised an eyebrow signaling her to continue.

"He was cleaning up the papers on his desk when he saw acceptance papers!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Naruto asked, pulling off his headphones and entering the conversation. Ino had a bad habit of speaking over his music whenever he didn't want her voice in his head.

"Were, getting a transfer student!" Ino squealed happily.

"Ino you know that it most likely not true, most likely just a rumor," Neji sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"No, it's true! Shikimaru saw the papers," Ino protested with a pout. "I hope it's a cute guy."

"Ino no one wants to come to this school," Naruto laughed. "It's too close to...you know."

"But he saw them," the blue eyed blond girl whined pouting a bit. She was looking forward to impressing Sasuke with her info. This was the edge she needed to beat that Karin girl that was always drooling of Sasuke. How dare the red haired, glasses wearing freak of nature breath the same air as Sasuke kun!

"Ino, no one is transferring to our school," Sasuke finished with a deep velvety voice that would send females of all ages swooning.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than their teacher, Iruka walked in. "Good morning class I have some very interesting news that I think you'll all find exciting."

A few student's shifted in their seats giving their teacher heir full attention.

"From now on we'll be having a transfer student!"

Sasuke's jaw dropped followed by Naruto's and Neji's. Ino was doing a little victory dance in her seat.

"Her name is Harouno Sakura and she came all the way here from Suna. I hope you all make her feel welcomed." he stated with a cheerful grin.

As soon as he said her name a girl with perfectly almond shaped emerald eyes and cherry pink hair tied up in a messy bun entered the room. She was wearing a red and navy blue striped shirt with long sleeves that were solid blue and a pair of baggy black pants. She was wearing at least four different necklaces and a hooded black jacket with a red patchwork bunny on the back. She must still be waiting for her uniform to arrive like all the first timers, so her choice of clothing was fine with the rest of the teachers.

"Would you like to tell us something about yourself, since you're new and do not know anyone?" Iruka asked.

There was a brief moment of silence after the question was asked, causing almost everyone in the class the believe she would say nothing. But after a few seconds she parted her lips and began to speak in a polite, elegant tone.

"Hello, my name is Harouno Sakura, I am fifteen years old and a second year. I was born in this city but moved away to Suna when I was very young. I hope to get along with everyone her very well."

She nodded to the class and Iruka told her she could find a seat to sit down in. She bowed her head and headed towards the back where she found a seat in the back row tucked away in the coroner. She set her bag down by her feet and rested her head on the back of her hand as Iruka began his lecture.

"Told you." Ino whispered back to the three boys who were just now getting over their shock.

There it is the first chapter of the NEW and improved 'Softer than Scarlet.' I hope you like the minor changes I made in the first chapter. The rest will be completely redone. (evil laugh) I am looking forward to revamping the whole thing.

And for those of you who are missing Pages of Ecstasy, I'll try to make this as romantically humorous and exciting so you will not be too deprived. I hope you all enjoyed it and will review. I love it when you guys tell me what you want in a story or tell me you like my writing. I really enjoyed writing this and hope to do a lot more with this fic if you like it. You know how easy it is to review it's just click type click. So simple.

Now for the pairings. I know I am redoing this and should have some sort of idea, but ...yeah. You know how it is. I don't have an idea about how I want this to turn out so I want to hear what you guys think. An yes there are other guys I'm introducing in the next chapter. And, No. I won't tell you who they are 'cause I'm mean like that. You need to review.

Ja ne you guys!