Hide-and-Seek

Summary: Where love and hate mixed with passion and danger equals an exhilarating game. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." The dagger gleamed in the light. "Someone wants to meet you..."

This shall be a different type of story. It will sometimes have angst themes in it, but won't be entirely depressing. It might have a happy ending. I'm not sure, yet. There will be more SasuSaku in it than my previous stories, though. Which you'll probably like. Hopefully.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I pwn him.

The chase tends to be quite breathtaking. "I fail to see how this is considered fun."

"Take note, my dear blossom, that I never said it was going to be fun."

Her haggard breath came out in small, white puffs during the chilly December. Footsteps pounded against the cold concrete, running at a panic-induced speed. Frantic eyes kept searching behind her, begging, pleading that he didn't show up. She shivered uncontrollably as the harsh winds sliced through her thin sweat-shirt. A light shone dimly through the opaque night, calling out to her frightful eyes. She quickened her gait slightly, hoping that she'd make it. Quiet footfalls made themselves known directly behind her. Her breath caught in her throat once more, and she full out sprinted towards the door. Quick, steady breathing behind her was heard, one showing no panic, no trauma. Just calmness and tranquility.

Oh how she despised him. How she hated his being, his existence, his mind. She simply loathed that wretched mind. The one that made her understand his thought process, made her think things that she shouldn't, made her feel things that she can't. And his gorgeous face doesn't help her resolve much, either.

She shuddered slightly and blamed it completely on the wind.

Rushing up to the cabin door, she knocked furiously, knowing fully well that he was right behind her, ready to grab her and force her away from the strong shelter. Her poundings grew louder as the seconds ticked by. Any time now, he'd tackle her to the ground and whisk her away to his dungeon. She could sense him coming upon her. The knocks became urgent and her eyes grew wide with fright. Suddenly, the banging stopped. It all stopped. The only thing heard was the wind whistling in her ears, both loud and soft, portraying darkness and innocence. She froze when she felt heavy breathing down the base of her neck, and she knew that it wasn't the wind's doing.

She whimpered softly as his tongue glided down the side of her throat. It continued its trail until it reached the scoop between her neck and her shoulder. Immediately, he started licking the sensitive flesh, and it took all of her willpower not to moan. She was starting to feel drowsy. His heat enveloped her from behind and her mind started to drift. Droopy eyes slowly came to a close as she succumbed herself to him. Without warning, he bit sharply on her neck, causing her to jerk awake and come back to her senses.

"Miss, are you alright?"

She took a large intake of breath, still feeling slightly out of it. She took in her surroundings, only to find a small, elderly man staring up at her expectantly. She looked behind her, and realized that her chaser was no where to be found. Sakura then looked down at her neck, and saw no puncture wounds at all. Her puzzled mind couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Was it all just her imagination...?

"Um, miss? Would you like to come inside? It seems awfully cold out there."

She was snapped out of her musings by the man's questions, and forced her head down to look at him. She grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment for being caught spacing out.

"Oh, yes please. I'm sorry to disturb you. You see, I, um, I needed, well..."

Sakura trailed off, wondering what her excuse for pounding on an elderly person's door in the middle of the night should be.

"Would you like a room? It's only 15.00 dollars per night." (A/N: Sorry, but I really don't know how much hotel rooms are. And I'm currently too lazy to look them up. lol..plus I believe that it would cost less since it's so far into the country)

Sakura blinked once, then brought her eyes to the large sign that read, "Anraku's Inn." How she could have missed that was beyond her. But, in all fairness, how could one truly observe their surroundings when a psychotic hottie was trailing after you?

Her mouth immediately curved into a bright smile and she nodded her head gratefully.

"Yes, I'd like a room, please."

"Of course, please come in."

She trailed after the small man, stepping into a bright home filled with lights and soft colors. Sakura immediately noticed the fridge, and her stomach growled with hunger. A red blush quickly spread throughout her face, and she mumbled an apology. The old man smiled and his eyes twinkled with kindness.

"Would you like something to eat?"

Sakura's stomach grumbled louder, and all she could do was laugh sheepishly and nod her head, while trying to cover up her disruptive stomach. It wouldn't exactly comply.

"Okay, you head up the stairs and find the first room on the left. I'll bring you the food when it's done. What would you like?"

"Ah, anything is okay. If you have instant ramen, then that would be just fine."

"Right away."

Sakura slowly made her way up the steps. She reached the room, opened the door, and found herself staring at a pitch black area. She flipped the switch, and a bed with blue sheets immediately came into view. Splashes of various shades of blue covered the walls, which were decorated with pictures of different kinds of flowers. One picture in particular caught her eye, and she diverted her attention towards it.

A pink cherry blossom swirled on top of a flowing river, while others cascaded down the glistening waterfall. It almost seemed like it were real, like it was actually happening right now. It looked completely ethereal. Sakura slowly walked up to the picture and slid her finger over the cherry blossom. So immersed in the picture, she didn't hear the squeak of the door opening, nor did she feel the other presence in the room.

Silent footsteps made their way to her at the other end. Quiet, soft, slowly making a beeline toward the pink haired teen. It stopped a few feet from her form. It wasn't until after shallow breath was heard in the room did she freeze. Her heart seemed to leap up into her throat, and it was all she could do not choke then and there. Her eyes grew wide with terror, and her posture stiffened into a straight line. Slowly, Sakura turned her head toward the voice, prepared for the worst. What her green orbs met was nothing of the sort.

The kind old man stared up at her with confusion written on his face. It was probably due to the fact that she was as stiff as a board, and her eyes had just previously searched around the room for a possible escape. Once she met his gray orbs, though, she let out a sigh of relief and immediately relaxed.

"Here is your ramen, miss."

To say that she was relieved was the understatement of the year. Her eyes shone with such happiness and her face glowed so brilliantly, that he could only stare in wonder. She gratefully took the ramen and set it down on the table.

"Thank you. Really. I extremely appreciate your kindness towards me, Mr..."

She trailed off uncertainly. He immediately understood.

"Ah, the name's Anraku, my dear. And I would just like to say that it's not any problem at all. We hardly get any customers here, due to the inn being so far out of town. (Aha, see?) So anyone is graciously accepted. If there is anything else that you need, please ask. I'm just below, the first door to the right."

"Thank you, again."

The elderly man turned around and walked out of the room. Sakura turned away from the picture and walked over to the food. After she was done eating, she padded over to the bed and started pulling down the covers. In the middle of getting ready for bed, she heard footsteps come up the stairs and stop directly in the doorway.

"Do you need anything, Anraku?"

A pause, deliberate. Silence reigned the room. And although it was quiet, it seemed to scream something else. Suddenly, a smooth, sultry voice echoed through.

"I think you have mistaken me for someone else..."

Ooh, cliffy. Well, how was it? I hope you liked it. As for the old man's name, it's just "Comfort" in Japanese. Reviews are really graciously accepted. If I don't get any feedback, how am I supposed to know how to improve on my writing style and technique?

Panic