Another SasuSaku idea I had stuck in my head for a while. This one is a little bit older, though, since I've had this story in the back of my mind since two years ago. I hope you guys like it! …hopefully.

Ugh… I should probably write down all the first chapters to ALL of my story ideas and post them because I have these old story ideas that pop up every now and then and I always forget about them.

This story is going to have more of a mysterious, and a little more dark feel to it; misunderstood, as well, if that's a feel, anyway. Later on, it will also have a lot of fluff. A LOT. Ehem. INSTA-FLUFF. xD

And, well, I made Sasuke this way because… I love it when he's in THAT form. XD.

Enjoy?

Started on: 4-21-11

Prompt: Crazy-Sasuke in SasuSaku is one of the things I can't find these days. Neko-Sasuke is cute in SasuSaku, and also hard for me to find. Put them both together…? X3.

Summary Attempt: The acute ears atop his head twitched, eyes glimmering and tail swishing. He needed her; he needed her now. He let out a piercing yowl and disappeared into a flurry of leaves; gone.

Disclaimer: I have said this many times, and I will say it once again. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

Author: CiiCiinREX.

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I remember the first day I saw him…

I didn't think anything of his glaring eyes, or of his bared teeth.

All I could think was, "He's so cute! He needs a friend!"

And despite my mother's warnings, I dashed over to him.

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His Never-Ending Radiance

"You're so blinding… it's almost sickening."

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Chapter 1

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That first day she saw him…

"Mommy, mommy, look!" A little pink-haired girl giggled, swishing back and forth on the swing. "I'm swinging on a big kid swing! All by myself!"

"Good job, Sakura-chan!" A more mature replica of the girl praised the girl, clapping her hands together for emphasis. Her wide blue eyes glittered in the summer as she ruffled her daughter's hair, even when the small child let out a squeal of protest. She knelt down as Sakura slowed her swinging speed so that the coral-haired girl could look her straight in the eyes. "I knew you could do it," The older woman grinned, her perfect white teeth shining as the child looked at her mother's appearance in awe. Unlike an older kid - preferably a pre-teen or a teenager - who would keep their opinions to themselves, the six-year old girl blurted out, "Mommy, you're so pretty!"

The older woman blushed, rubbing her cheeks, an action little Sakura usually spotted her mother in act whenever she let out her opinions. "You really think so?"

"Un!" Sakura nodded enthusiastically, jumping off of the swing and landing safely in the grass next to her mother. "I wanna be as pretty as you when I grow up!"

Her mom laughed, patting the pink-haired girl on the head affectionately. "Oh, I bet you'll be even prettier than me!"

"Really?"

The woman whose hair was several shades darker than her child's nodded, smiling assuringly. "Of course!"

"I can't wait to grow up!" Sakura nearly shrieked, flailing her limbs in excitement at the thought of being pretty and her attractive knight in shining armor whisking her away as other boys muttered in contempt at her being taken. The woman laughed again, cheekily smiling when she felt an object in her pocket vibrate. Pulling out her cell phone, the older woman peered down at the object, the artificial light caressing the outline of her heart-shaped face before she told Sakura, "Go on and play, I have to take this call. Don't wander off too far, and don't approach anyone that looks strange."

"Okay!" Sakura called out childishly, running off in the direction of the sandbox where she saw other kids happily sifting and creating landscapes and the like. She hesitated, however, when she saw how they glanced at her, whispering to each other and openly pointing in her direction, and the little pinkette instantly felt unwanted. Peering around when her mom unfortunately wasn't looking, she instead found a path between the brambles and tall trees. Curiously, the little girl walked down the path, her eyes flickering everywhere to drink every detail in.

("Don't wander off too far-")

"Sugoi!" The pinkette said to herself when she spotted a colorful butterfly hovering above her, its wings glistening in the bright sunlight. As it fluttered down, Sakura held out her one finger, waiting for the butterfly to land on her finger, which it eventually did to rest. Sakura giggled as she observed the way the small birds hopped on the tree branches, whistling a happy tune near their nest. Fluffed and chattery, a squirrel dashed from an opening in the brambles to Sakura's right, climbing up the tree frantically. The birds chirped angrily and the rodent snapped back just as agitated, and Sakura watched in fascination as the animals communicated. Tilting her head, she wondered what would cause the squirrel to become so frantic when it caught sight of her and stared at her with its beady eyes. Sakura smiled, thinking it was a friendly gesture, when the brown squirrel leapt off of the tree where the birds still squawked over to other trees, away from her.

When a shadow flickered in Sakura's eyes and she felt the weight of her finger lighten, the pinkette cried out to the butterfly, chasing after it, "Wait up Mr. Butterfly!"

A loud yowl echoed throughout the forest and the chattering of the birds silenced, Sakura halting in her tracks as she shivered at the beast-like noise. At first, she stood frozen, when a second roar resounded and all the birds fluttered from their nests into the air in fright. The sound was filled with so much anger and agitation that it scared every living thing within range of hearing it, all forms of life other than vegetation scampering off hurriedly and leaving the child all alone.

Frantically looking around, the pinkette rubbed her arms and called out in a hushed tone, "H-hello?"

She squeaked when a third yowl echoed in the forest, this time causing the leaves in the trees to shake, some breaking off of the branches and floating to the ground. Falling on her bottom, she couldn't help but wonder if something like a wolf or even a mountain lion was out there, waiting to pounce on her. When she heard no footsteps, she stood up to hear another cry, only this time it was filled with something along the lines of plea and desperation - emotions that the pinkette wasn't able to hear in the first roars as the anger covered it up.

Curious with the want to help a struggling soul, the pink-haired child shakily walked over to where she had heard the sound, "Hello?" She called out again, brushing away a few large leaves in the way of her sight. Hearing muffled grunts and growls, she walked forward into the brambles, when she spotted a light coming through the vegetation. The struggled shuffling became louder with every step, and all fear was abandoned once Sakura brushed away the leaves from her sight. A large pond lay in front of her, the sunlight stretching in through the canopies causing the radiant, blue waters to glitter magically. Sneezing when a leaf caressed the under part of her nose, she sauntered forward, and the roar resounded again, albeit this time it didn't sound so threatening but more frustrated. As the little pinkette came closer, she caught sight of acute, black ears and a long tail twitching around, along with the grunts of protest that filled in the silence of the space between each cry.

"Kitty!" Sakura couldn't help but cry, and she leapt forward in excitement, only to stumble backwards and squeak when the dark form in front of her snarled, jumping in the air with its sharp claws extended. She screamed, the dirt scraping her exposed elbows when she heard a choking sound.

"Oh!" She said when she spotted the form flailing around, a tree root wrapped around its ankle. It roared again and turned away from her, whimpering as it paced in circles but halted and froze when he saw the little girl move from in front of him. Wide, red eyes stared eerily at her form, unwavering. Maybe it was a big kitty?

Sakura stared back and took in the sight before her. The form she had saw wasn't really a cat, but a boy with sticks and leaves poking through his dark, spiky hair, with ears and a tail twitching. She saw that even his hands and feet were covered in what seemed to be paw-gloves that covered his hands all the way to the end of his elbow. Because he had been thrashing around in the pond in a frenzy (probably panicking as cats hate water?), the dark-blue, high-collared T-shirt clung to his skinny torso, as did his white shorts to his muscular legs. His appearance was out of the ordinary not just because of the cat qualities he had, but also because of his apparent physique that most guys would inherit at the age of twelve; barely any fat showed except for the babyish features on his narrowing face. The dark, spiked mess atop his head was unkempt as if he had been through a windy storm - the branches entangled in it didn't help him at all - and the lengthening bangs caressed his face as he gazed at her openly, alertly. The pinkette was silent for a moment before she jumped up in surprise, pointing at the bristling boy.

("-and don't approach anyone that looks strange-")

"Kitty boy!" She cried out, clapping her hands together. "Neko-channnn!" She sang out, and the glaring boy adopted an annoyed look, as if to say how dangerous it was for her to shift moods so ignorantly without knowing how dangerous the situation was. Also, he seemed agitated because of the little girl's sudden outbursts and bright mood; what was she so happy about?

The moment the bumbling, giggling child waddled his way he snarled like a wild animal, red eyes blazing in anger as he backed away, feeling vulnerable being trapped with the root on his ankle. Sakura flinched and halted in her tracks, also backing away a bit when he reacted a little more violently than she had expected. However, sparing another glance at the branches in his hair and the tree root wrapped around his ankle, she stubbornly pushed the screaming alarms in her mind away and trudged forward to the growling boy. His thin eyebrows furrowed dangerously, his lips curled up - the pinkette was aware that his teeth were more pointed than hers, but youthful ignorance left her thinking it was nothing but a physical quality - as he walked backwards on all fours when the tree root yanked on his foot again. Seeing that the girl was unwavering in her goal to approach him, he began to thrash around wildly and without aim, desperate to get loose.

The Haruno blinked as the strange boy flapped around in the water, but no matter what direction he took or what method he decided - jumping, clawing, dashing - he couldn't achieve the trophy of freedom that was being dangled in front of his face temptingly. This time with care, the little girl inched forward towards the tree root, closer, even closer, reaching out with her hand until she gripped a solid hold on the root. With all of her might, she pulled, and the boy - feeling the yank - leapt towards her instinctively and swiped with his claws, effectively slashing the upper-back part of her hand deeply, as well as the stretched root. Crying out in pain, the pink-haired toddler fell back in the water, cradling her injured limb as the dark boy flinched back as well, catching himself before he flopped on the water.

The neko-boy flickered his ears restlessly, pacing in a circle, testing the ankle that had been trapped. A purr lit in his throat when he saw that he was free; finally! The sobbing of a child caught his attention as he turned to the pink-haired girl that dared to approach him, as observed as she wailed in pain, the water around her turning a slight pink color. If he were completely human, he would have felt some emotion akin to guilt, wouldn't he? But, since he was obviously not whole, he could not decipher the strong feelings when he stared at the hurt girl. He was free physically, but now he was shackled emotionally. Ears flicking back into his spiky hair - blending in - he fought the urge to ran away instantly and stood in the shallow waters, confused - yet it did not show.

Ignorance does that to you; has you curious and makes you reach out, only to get burned-

Grunting and perplexed, the boy cautiously strolled closer to the girl who cradled her hand and curled into a ball, even if she were in water. She didn't seem to notice his lurking form hover over her own as he hesitantly inched nearer, nearer, until his shadow covered her whole form, blocking the sunlight out of her eyes. It was then that she seemed to note his proximity and she froze in fear, shaking as his hand - or paw? - brushed against her injured one, and for a moment she reveled in the strange sensation of the covered hand on hers. The paw pads were warm, alive, and the fur was soft on his whole elbow; his touch was gentle, his persistence rough when she instinctively attempted to pull away, and she noted that the long, sharp claws she had seen before had retracted.

Observantly, he stared at the four deep slashes on her hand, the red blood pouring out quickly and in large amounts. She had been lucky that she wasn't close enough that he cut deeper into bone - or worse, slicing her whole hand off. Pulling the hand to his face, the boy didn't hesitate in opening his mouth, his tongue lapping at her deep cuts. Sakura's teary eyes widened in surprised, and again she tried to yank her hand back but his hold was steel, "Itai!" She cried, furrowing her eyes in hope the pain would go away soon. Sobbing, she sought comfort and instantly latched onto the boy, and he stiffened and paused at his ministrations at her one armed hug. His dark bangs covered his face for a while until he continued in his actions, although his red eyes were now a little clouded in thought.

She shakily inhaled, a little calmer as she curiously peered at the boy whom seemed to notice her insistent staring, his thin eyebrows twitching as he lapped faster. The pinkette had stopped her sniffling and rubbing her wide eyes, only watching innocently as the boy whom hurt her also nurtured her gently. He confused her. She wanted to help him, yet he hurt her; when he hurt her, he came to tend to her wound. What did he see her as? She desperately hoped he would be her friend, as all the other kids she knew either ignored her, stared at her, or pointed and called her 'forehead girl' or 'pink-haired freak'. So once the boy halted in his licking and she felt the throbbing of the slashes go away, she embraced him despite his obvious distaste in physical contact. "Thank you, Neko-chan!" She beamed at him, and he merely snarled in an annoyed manner, peering at the brambles where she came from as she snuggled him. She didn't even ask for his name and dubbed him 'neko-chan'. Strange girl.

Perking up his ears, he stared off in that direction when Sakura waved her hand in his eyes. "Moi, Neko-chan!"

The 'neko-chan' scowled, inwardly confused as to what the girl really wanted and why she hadn't run off in fear after he swiped at her.

-but, be happy, because that's what led you to me.

Suddenly, he jumped back, making the little pinkette stumble forward clumsily as the body she had been hugging slipped out of her hold somehow. Looking off in his direction, his sharp ears were acutely pointing towards the entrance of the forest, and Sakura tried to strain to hear what he was hearing and a panicked, far-off, "Sakura!" met her ears.

When she saw the boy shuffle at the corner of her eye, she turned to him, instantly calling out, "M-matte!" Surprisingly, he stopped and peered at her with cutting, red eyes, tail flicking back and forth quickly and she gulped down a breath, the earlier fear coming back, but this time for a different cause; last time it was for her life, now it was for losing a person who could be her friend, even if he did try to hurt her - but that was because he thought she was trying to hurt him, she childishly bantered in her mind.

"C-can I see you again?"

You help me, I help you.

But I warn you,

there is a cost.

The shuffling became louder, and Sakura watched in fascination as the boy's ears flickered back and forth rhythmically, and she knew that it was the time when he had to leave. But she didn't want him to leave so soon! "Sakura?" The pinkette could hear her mom call out frantically, stumbling in the forest in the correct direction of her location. The boy glanced at her, and Sakura stared at him pleadingly, hoping he would give her an affirmative on her request - at least vocally. Slowly, he raised his limb and placed his sheathed paw on his chest - where his heart should be - the dark-blue shirt crinkling under the large limb, when the wind picked up. The pinkette gasped as it cut in her eyes and made them water, rubbing at them furiously.

When she peered where he had been with clear, emerald eyes, she was met with empty space.

"Sakura!" She felt her mom crouch down to her level and place her hands on her shoulders and embrace her, obviously panicked and flustered. "I told you not to wander off!"

For several moments she heard her reprimand her with an obvious waver in her voice, showing how relieved she was to find her. But little Sakura ignored that, and cheerily cut her mom off to tell her the news.

"-the kids at the playground said you didn't come over to play with them-"

"Mom! Mom!" The pinkette wiggled in her arms in excitement. "I met Neko-chan!"

The older woman slacked her jaw, discontent that her daughter interrupted her in the middle of her lecture, but furrowed her brows. "Neko-chan?"

"Un!" Sakura nodded, pointing to the spot where the neko-boy had disappeared. "He was standing there, but he went 'poof!' when you came here!"

At first, the woman shook her head, thinking that the little, squirming pinkette was talking about her imaginary friend. It wasn't uncommon; several children her age also made up companions straight out of their imagination due to the fact that they feel lonely, feel they don't have friends or strive for attention. However, when she gave her and her daughter's surroundings a once-over, she paled, immediately pulling her babbling daughter up with her. She picked up Sakura in her arms and fled the scene, despite Sakura's puzzlement. "Mom!" She cried indignantly, unhappy that she was leaving already.

Pouting, she looked into the treetop to see red eyes staring back at her unwaveringly - not cold or glaring like they had been before.

Never did she see the large splatters of red painting the shadowed parts of the pond, deep claw marks embed into the bark, nor did she see the three corpses of giant bears laying in a neat-organized - yet bloody - pile.

The moment you helped me,

and the moment I helped you,

I marked you.

Now, you're mine.

Mine mine mine.

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Uhhh... yeah. xD

I just wanted to post this.

Since I'm still waiting for the files to be TRANSFERRED, and it's taking LONGER THAN IT SHOULD, I decided to write some stories I already had ideas for and this came up.

And I'm not sure if this should fall under the HORROR or SUSPENSE category. For now, I'll just put it as SUSPENSE since there aren't any gory parts, but if I change my mind on the feel of this story, it'll become HORROR. ;P

Ughhh, I'm not sure what to think of this, but whatever, I don't wanna gripe about it. -_-

Anyway, QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER!

I have my own personal opinion on this, but I wanted to ask:

1) Should Sakura be in a high school setting? (I recently thought of using this idea, and I have to say, it fits.)

or

2) Sakura be a psychiatrist? (The old idea, but it could still work. I just have more to work with since I don't know what it's like in an asylum and what not TT^TT)

Please, read and review!

Reviews make me write.

Without reviews, I forget to write.

And when I forget to write, I think back on it and sulk. (xD)

See you guys soon!

~CiiCiinREX.