K I swear this is the last time I'm updating the first chapter. I've pretty much revamped it into an older more mature Sakura (as I'm getting older too, so it's hard to relate to characters who just started high school).

Disclaimer: Do not own.

Chapter 1:

Hiding her face behind a large menu at the service counter, an Ichiraku employee occupied herself with a rather heavy looking textbook propped up against her lap.

Head ducked, her eyes swept swiftly across the page, silent words forming at her lips.

The Japanese have created their own unique herbal medical system and diagnosis. Kampo uses most of the Chinese medical system including acupuncture and moxibustion but is primarily concerned with the study of—

"Pink."

Said girl jerked her head up, clumsily knocking over the menu that she was previously hiding behind.

"I'm not paying you to just sit there and look pretty. Table 4 is starting to get impatient - get over there and put some of that prettiness to good use."

She slid her textbook under the counter and straightened up her uniform. "Prettiness my ass." She muttered to herself, heading towards the small table of men playing cards, their lit cigarettes merely contributing to the already polluted restaurant atmosphere. She was just unlucky enough to be one of the few females to step into this ramen shop, desperate for a job. Although undeniably seedy and testosterone filled, it did offer Sakura quite a large sum in tips each night (perhaps for just that reason), which kept her from quitting the first time someone had shot a pickup line her way.

She put on a bright smile when she approached, and winked at Table 4's occupants.

"Hi guys, I'm Sakura. What can I get for you today?"

To:Yamanaka Ino (ladysparkleatkonohadotcom )

Sent: March 26, 4:39 PM

From:Haruno Sakura (misscherryatkonohadotcom)

Subject: oh woe is me

Life's been a real fairytale this year. Minus the prince waiting at his castle with my glass slipper. The mice that I'm pretty sure have moved into my building need to get off their asses and make me a gown (so I can like, sell it for money).

I got fired from Ichiraku's today. I know I've constantly complained to you about that place. And if I hear another cheesy pickup line, I'll gag. But at least it made me some good money...

At this rate, I'll need to win the freaking lottery to pay my student loans, the rent, the hospital debt...

Urghhh.

And while you ponder up some nice comforting best friend advice, I have to go study for the calculus final.

Life's a bitch.

Love,

Sakura.

To:Haruno Sakura (misscherryatkonohadotcom)

Sent: March 26, 10:21 PM

From:Yamanaka Ino (ladysparkleatkonohadotcom)

Subject: A little dramatique, aren't we now?

Ok, how the hell did you get fired from a ramen shop?

But whatever, that place was sketchy anyway. The manager actually makes you guys flirt with the customers to cover up his otherwise terrible service, for god sakes.

Forehead, I know you're all for the "independent woman" act, but please just let me help you with some of the debt. Or at least come live with me? I don't know how I feel about you rooming with a family of mice...

And I don't want everything that's happened in the past year to take your med school dreams away from you. You can totally pay me back after you become Konoha's best onco-something-doctor and get those fat lottery-size paychecks (Maybe then, your unnatural devotion to studying will actually be, dare I say, "cool")

Which brings me to my next point.

What the crap? Our calc final is like, two weeks away. And who studies for MATH?

Yours truly,

Ino

To:Yamanaka Ino (ladysparkleatkonohadotcom )

Sent: March 26, 10:42 PM

From:Haruno Sakura (misscherryatkonohadotcom)

Subject: Only for you, darling.

Clearly you don't. I saw your last calc midterm when Iruka-sensei handed it back. As if you actually answered the multiple choice questions by repeatedly circling ABCD…

I want to be an oncologist, Ino. Cancer doctor. And I'm sort of against the top medical shinobi over in Senju Estates for that "best oncologist" title. Plus it's going to take me at least 12 more years just to get all my qualifications... Our shithole of a school barely offers any prerequisite courses, let alone a reputation that medical schools will care about. I'm actually kind of hoping to start up a clinic just in the Konoha Valley for the the villagers in the meantime (once I can scrape up some funding). Argh why must money be so important?

And thanks for the offer but I already owe you for this year's tuition. And my apartment has too much sentimental value from my childhood to move out. I remember when I finally figured out how to tilt the shower head so it doesn't make that weird gurgling sound, or how vacuuming and microwaving at the same time will make the microwave short-circuit...

I'll just ask for extra hours at the clinic and start applying for another job!

Love and such,

Sakura

P.S. How did I get fired from a sketchy ramen shop, you ask? Some creepy customer wearing a cloak (a cloak) kept trying to come on to me so I may have accidently dumped a bowl of ramen into his lap. My manager clearly didn't see the justice of my actions...

To:Haruno Sakura (misscherryatkonohadotcom)

Sent: March 26, 11:02 PM

From:Yamanaka Ino (ladysparkleatkonohadotcom)

Subject: I'm flattered. Really.

Whatever, the midterm only counts for 20% of the final mark. And it's not like I'll be using derivatives when I become an internationally renowned movie star. But for your information, I switched to just circling C's halfway through the test.

Omg Sakura, please stop working so much. I barely see your helicopter-landing-pad of a forehead anymore, except when we study at the library. The last time we partied together had to be homecoming... (hahaha homecoming. Kind of explains why you stopped drinking so much though [winkyface])

And 12 years, really? Why anyone would choose to stay in school for that long is beyond me. My mom's friend's coworker's son graduated from Senju University's med program and got a job at the hospital within a year.

But then again, it's Senju U. If only we could go there... Imagine all the rich guys!

Ino

To:Yamanaka Ino (ladysparkleatkonohadotcom )

Sent: March 26, 11:46 PM

From:Haruno Sakura (misscherryatkonohadotcom)

Subject: Don't be.

How dare you bring up homecoming week. I thought I swore you to secrecy.

Ugh, are you kidding me? I don't think I can even afford to step on Senju U's immaculately trimmed field of European-imported grass they call a "lawn". I think I'll take my chances with my 12-year plan and spend the rest of my school life not living in a cardboard box.

And besides, Senju students are snobs (no offense to your er, mom's friend's bro's...whatever.). They're either just ungrateful offspring of rich families or people born with those special shinobi skills. Or both, I'm sure. None of them earned what they have themselves, so screw them.

P.S. Using the library's wifi to play games on your iphone isn't considered "studying at the library together" by the way...

Sakura looked up from a particularly difficult math problem and rolled her eyes at Ino, who was busy playing Candy Crush on her iPhone.

"Ino, your addiction to Candy Crush is seriously unhealthy." She nudged Ino's unopened textbook closer to her when Ino didn't bother to answer. "If you don't start studying, I'll stop sending you those stupid Candy Crush lives."

Ino gasped at the threat, and reluctantly put her phone down.

"By the way, have you seen the colour Karin dyed her hair recently?" She whispered, glancing around the quiet library. " It's such an ugly shade of magenta."

Influenced by the flamboyant japanese Ganguro fashion empire many years ago, unusual coloured hair suddenly became a widely popularized trend worldwide, and had managed to survive through the last decade of the fashion cycle. Sakura ran her fingers through her hair and smiled. She remembered being constantly scrutinized for her natural pink locks, so she was thankful that she was finally able to blend in. Ino's own platinum blond ponytail (natural, she claims) swung dangerously close to a poor passerby's face as she suddenly turned excitedly toward her companion. Sakura sighed defeatedly and put her pencil down. Why did she still bother studying with Ino? Said girl grinned and leaned in closer.

"So I was doing some research on Senju Estates..." Sakura raised her eyebrow at that. "-Hey! I am offended by your lack of confidence in my researching abilities."

"Ino, you based your research paper on Wiki Answers..."

"It's a very reliable resource." Ino glared at someone nearby, who had the nerve to shush her. "Anyways, besides governing Konoha politically, the Hokage also owns like, half of Konoha's industries. You know the Uchiha Police Force and Hyuuga Hospital? They all report straight to Senju Tsunade! I totally didn't know she had that much power."

As long as she could remember and dig up from history books, Konoha had been segregated into two main sectors. The civilians lived mostly low and mid-class lives in the Konoha Valley, with a mediocre government and normal things like iphones and Candy Crush. Across the white walls that stretched along the edge of Konoha Valley, however, sat Senju Estates in all its grandeur.

Sakura grimaced. "Not only is the Senju clan practically the royal family, they actually own half of our public services? No wonder our healthcare sucks."

"Wow that is so not my point." Ino rolled her eyes at Sakura, who clearly did not share in the enthusiasm of her profound discovery. "Anyways, the Hokage did a brilliant job with the Senju Candidate choices so I think she's doing pretty well. I'll have Uchiha Sasuke's children any day"

Sakura stared back blankly, slightly disgusted at Ino's profession of love. "Who's Uchiha Sasuke?"

Ino looked appalled.

"Oh my god, Sakura. Do you live under a rock?" She flipped open her laptop and quickly typed into a search engine, before turning the screen around to face Sakura.

A photo of what appeared to be 3 male models stared at her from the screen, framed in an abundance of virtual glitter.

"Oh geez, it burns!" Sakura jokingly shielded her eyes. "You're wasting my precious study time to fill me in on the latest celebrity gossip?"

"Sakura. They're not just celebrities. Ok the Senju fangirls get a little carried away with their fansite..." Ino crossed her arms defensively. "But I'm just trying to help you integrate back into society here. Pop culture is valuable life knowledge that you, as a social hermit, forgot to include in your heaping pile of things to study."

Sakura waved off the blatant insult that Ino shot at her. Ino was constantly trying to get Sakura to go out more and keep up with the latest gossip, and her secret weapon of targeting Sakura's so called "social hermit" lifestyle was getting old.

"Ino, the celebrities you worship literally copy paste some brainless lyrics like 'I got da power' 20 times and then autotune the crap out of it into a Billboard Top 10 song."

"...I'm going to let that one slide because it's kind of true..."

Triumphant smirk.

"But it makes a killer clubbing song, you can't deny. Wait, back to the Senju Candidates."

"I know who they are, Ino. I'm not that far gone from the media." Ino pretended to look shocked. "They're like...those candidates that the Hokage picked to be her successor right? I just don't follow their weekly tabloid appearances like a stalker. Nor..do I know their names. But whatever, it's not like the Senju clan gives much of a shit about us either."

Although responsible largely for the entire city's public services, most of the Hokage's recent efforts have been focused on cultivating shinobi for—what the people on the streets have been murmuring about—a rumoured threat of war.

"True... but can't you manage to dig out some teenage fangirl in your otherwise men-are-dead-to-me heart and focus on what's important here?"

Sakura smiled wryly. "Okay, okay. Try me."

"Well you know they aren't like, actual celebrities that sing, act, or model as a career—"

"So like, the Kardashians?" At Ino's glare, Sakura stopped chuckling. "How about you can tell me all about their enthralling life stories after my chem final in a few days?"

"Foreheaaad. We've been here for hours and I need a break. Come on, I'll get you an iced coffee?"

"You owe me an iced coffee." Sakura pointed out, but she reluctantly obliged and grabbed her laptop from her pile of study material. During exam season, students got very territorial with the highly demanded library space, and left their books and school supplies at the tables as placeholders.

Students like Sakura, that is. Ino couldn't care less...

People literally camped out at the Konoha U library as they crammed for their weeks of finals, dubbed Hell Month. Sakura had brought a blanket to her overnight study sessions more than a few times since she had started at Konoha U.

"Uh you're planning on coming back?" Ino frowned, gathering her belongings and stuffing them into her bag.

Sakura groaned in response. "Are you kidding me? There's so much left to study!" She followed Ino out, who led the way to the library cafeteria. "Why, Are you done?"

"Kind of?" Ino absentmindedly scanned the cafeteria for familiar faces (or attractive male ones, either worked). "My next exam is english, which I can't really study for anyway. Maybe I'll hire a C-rank shinobi to get me the answers..."

"And risk getting kicked out of school? I see you like to live dangerously."

"I'm kidding, obviously. Sort of. I know it violates a bunch of shinobi laws. It's just...there's a clubbing event tonight and it's gonna be huge! I have to go and claim Shikamaru before that Temari bitch gets to him first." Ino tapped her foot impatiently at the large amount of caffeine-deprived students lined up at the Starbucks counter. "Hey you should come too. You haven't gone out with me in ages!"

Sakura shook her head. "No thanks. I don't understand why there's even clubbing events going on during Hell - Exam month. Or how Shikamaru goes and still manages to get decent marks."

"Me neither... Maybe I can absorb some of his geniusness if we make out enough." Ino said, with a sly grin.

"Wow you slut."

"No shame."

Ino gave their coffee orders and paid the cashier, after a brief deliberation between the chocolate chunk cookie and the oat fudge bar (she decided she was feeling more fudgey that day).

"So when are you ending your no-boys fasting period?" She broke off a piece of her pastry and handed it to Sakura while they waited for their drinks.

Sakura happily accepted and shrugged. "I think I've had more than my fair share of guys and the party scene for awhile."

"Not all guys are like Him, you know. Shikamaru, for example, is a perfectly great guy who doesn't put me on an emotional roller coaster all the time, and lets me live my life the way I want to."

Sakura's expression darkened at the allusion to her ex, but her voice was light. "Does he respect your life decisions before or after you guys hook up?" Ino made a face at her. "But I agree, not all guys are douchebags. I just don't think my trust issues have sorted themselves out yet. Not before I figure out what the hell I'm doing with my life..."

"Amen." Ino agreed. "University is about having fun anyways."

They finally grabbed their drinks and found a small table by the window. Sakura glanced over at her best friend who was busy replying to a text on her cellphone. Sometimes she envied how carefree Ino lived her life and how active she kept her social life. Although not in the ranks of the rich Senju Estates inhabitants, Ino's family was fairly well-off for a non-shinobi household. She could afford the iPhone and Macbook that Sakura could not bear to splurge on, and her just-barely-passable GPA wouldn't matter in her pursuit of stardom.

Sakura, on the other hand, was scrambling to put away any extra pocket change she had towards her future medical school funds, living expenses, and paying back debt. To top that off, she needed to maintain a 90% average to have any hopes of getting into med school in the first place.

As a struggling middle-class citizen, Sakura really did harbour a mild disdain towards Senju Estates, the richer and shinobi-inhabited section of Konoha city. Mind you, she respected the work that the city's shinobi did. She knew that they trained extensively at Senju U and beyond, but she couldn't help feeling jealous at their God-given abilities and how easily they could rise in the city's ranks. She especially couldn't stand the wealthy families that bought their way into Senju Estates, and the neglect that was given by the government to the villagers and middle-class in the Konoha Valley. Some of the villagers, like a boy she knew from grade school, came to discover shinobi talents and were quickly welcomed into the Senju Estates. Everyone treated them as the pride of the village, but Sakura personally wouldn't live there, where she'd never fit in.

"Shikamaru says there's a war brewing." Ino finally said, putting her phone down to take a sip of her drink.

Sakura snorted. A war was always around the corner, according to the Feudal Lord. That's how he justified the amount of government time and money spent on military measures. Konoha, or more specifically Senju Estates, was the headquarters for the country's defence department, so most of Fire Country's military shinobi were trained within the walls of the Estates. Most of Konoha Valley, like Sakura, were non-shinobis who weren't of much use to the war, so they were generally kept in the dark about the country's national defence details.

"That means they have to pick a Senju Successor soon then." Ino mused. "Sasuke-kun is the most likely candidate, of course. But Naruto-kun and Neji-kun are definitely not too far behind. I mean, they're all beautiful male specimen, but apparently Sasuke is a better shinobi or something, I wouldn't expect anything less of him. He's definitely the most dark and boyishly handsome of the three candidates, and he's just so charming." Ino rambled on, more to herself than to Sakura, who still had no idea who any of the aforementioned people were.

Sakura took a long sip of her Venti Iced Coffee (she was going to need the caffeine for her study session later). "Ok you won me over with the drink, please enlighten me with your abundant knowledge of the guy you want to father your children." She was, admittedly, a little curious about these candidates who made Ino squeal more than usual.

"Yay! I was actually going to spam your email but I kind of know you won't read it..." Ino flipped open her laptop once again and pointed to a photo on the same fansite that she had previously shown. "Behold Uchiha Sasuke. He is perfect. And only a year older than us, which makes him like, so much more attainable." The photo was candid, of a handsome young man gazing past the camera, black bangs framing what Sakura could only describe as a very blessed set of genes. His equally black eyes were slightly narrowed in annoyance, but could easily be interpreted (by Ino and the rest of his fangirls) as a smolder.

"He is very good looking." She agreed, nodding in approval. Exactly her type, actually, if she had seen him a year ago. But his expression also looked guarded and cold, and her experience with his type in the past had left her with a few emotional scars and a general mistrust for men.

"I know right?" Ino exclaimed, clicking through a few more photos to further her point. "He's also the second son of the Uchiha Clan head, so he's super rich too."

Sakura couldn't care less about how lavish his lifestyle must be, but she was still curious. "Second son? So he's second in line to take over the Uchiha police force?"

Ino shook her head, opening up a blank tab and typing in another unfamiliar name.

"This is his brother, Uchiha Itachi. He's the current Commissioner General, so I guess Sasuke is first in line to take over. I don't know what their mom was eating during pregnancy, but dayum."

Sakura had to agree on his looks, but she was more curious about why she had never heard about Uchiha Itachi being the commissioner general before. Although the Uchiha Police force primarily dealt with Senju Estates, they still had a division patrolling the Konoha Valley. She'll just have to look this up when she had some time (Ha. Free time. Maybe in a month?).

Beyonce suddenly blasted out, interrupting their conversation. Ino reached into her purse and pulled out her iPhone.

"Heey!" Pause. "Obviously I'm going tonight, it's gonna be huge! I heard it's a Konoha-wide university event." Pause. "Oh definitely, where do you want to pre-drink?"

Sakura glanced at her watch impatiently, and motioned to Ino that she was going back upstairs to study.

Ino rolled her eyes. 'See you later' she mouthed, giving her a quick hug.

Sakura shouldered her bag, parting with a small wave to her friend, who appeared to be in the midst of digesting a scandalous piece of gossip. "No way, she wouldn't dare!"

It was sometimes surprising even to herself how her and Ino remained such good friends for so long. Sakura had definitely undergone a big change in the past year, but they still managed to get along well and meet up regularly to catch up. She couldn't even remember how they met, with Ino growing up in the wealthier part of Konoha Village, while she was raised by her single mother for the most part, in a small rundown apartment. Nevertheless, they ended up going to the same university, where they became a lot closer. Partially because Sakura had also shared in Ino's love of partying (now that was in the past), but their strong personalities also clicked well. Sakura felt truly blessed to have a friend like Ino, who had been so supportive when Sakura's mother passed away last year, and also during the Sai fiasco.

Ugh, Sai.

Sakura hadn't let herself say that stupid name for such a long time. She couldn't help cringing every time she thought about her foolish younger self and all the ridiculous drama she got herself into. He had pretty much screwed up her life less than a year ago, and Sakura was still licking her wounds.

Ok she needed to stop with the self pity.

Now, back to some nice, comforting, math problems to shut out everything else from her thoughts.

God, when did she become such a nerd? Maybe she really did need to get out a little more. (wouldn't Ino love to hear that...)

TBC.

A/N: Please please let me know how you like it. I've seriously been dwelling on the story since 2008 (oh god i'm getting old) so it'd be really great to hear some feedback on something that I hold pretty close to my heart.

For example, I've hidden a lot of back stories in the first chapter, but let me know if it's a little confusing or you want me to explain more on certain things.

More will come soon, I swear!