It was my full intention to post the next chapter of Mist Maiden instead of adding onto this story but……..well I don't really have an excuse. This just kept nagging at me and nagging at me until I literally just had to sit down and type it up!
Many thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter! I highly suspect it was you guys who motivated me to post this so soon when I should be working on my other story. Heh, what can I say? I'm easily swayed.
Aslans'WhiteWitch: I'm so glad you agree with me! Don't worry, the boys are going to have to work hard to get her affection back. I don't want to give too much away early but rest assured that there are going to be some possessive males in the picture when the boys get home.
les-liaisons-dangereuses: Thanks for the feedback!
Michiru's Mirror: Thank you! I'm glad my story makes you curious. I strive to please.
Skyward: Don't worry, I will. This story is incredibly demanding, it forces me to keep adding to it when I have other things I really should be doing - chores, scholarships, summer reading, socializing…..-.
harunosakua: Glad you like it! Here's the next update.
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On."
Robert Frost
Somewhere in the Fire Country…..
Four figures could be seen making their way through the trees at a leisurely pace. Leisurely for highly ranked shinobi that is. Closer inspection of these individuals would make any self-respecting woman drool.
At the far left corner of the group was a stunningly beautiful male. His jet-black hair and ebony colored orbs provided a sharp contrast to his smooth porcelain skin, the combination serving to highlight each feature. And what fine features they were….
A delicate face - which would make even the most gorgeous of women green with envy - was saved from being too overly feminine by a nicely shaped, strong jaw.
His face, however, was only part of what made him so eye catching.
The man's body - firmly toned and muscled from frequent, rigorous training - moved with a deadly grace, leaving no doubt in any observer that this was a person not to be taken lightly.
The males name?
Sai.
Though one could easily spend the rest their life happily viewing this specimen, there were three others just as - if not more - breathtaking shinobi to ogle.
Next to this male resided a man who could easily be mistaken for his twin. Mentioning this fact to either of them, however, would severely shorten the foolish speaker's lifespan.
While it was true that several similarities existed between the two, some noticeable differences were apparent. Sasuke - the male in question - had stronger features and a more prominent jaw. Though his bone structure was still slightly feminine, it was less delicate than that of Sai's.
His body was also of a sturdier build than his counterpart. While both shared a similar height, Sasuke possessed wider shoulders and larger muscle mass than his more slender "twin".
Regardless of the dissimilarities, both individuals were definitely lady-killers.
Next in line was the senior member of the group, a silver haired heartthrob. His passive demeanor was at complete odds with the ever present tension present in his shoulders. Tension that could explode into violent action at the slightest hint of danger.
He stood a hairsbreadth or so shorter than the previously mentioned two, but the deadly aura he projected made such a discrepancy unnoticeable. His lone visible eye radiated wisdom, wisdom that was earned through several years of continuous trials and hardship. Something that his younger companions were well on their way to acquiring.
His body, wiry as opposed to the buffed torso of Sasuke and the lithe one of Sai, had various scars splayed across it. The scars - differing widely in size and location - served as a testament to his will to survive, a drive that kept him alive as others collapsed into death's arms all around him.
The final member of the party was a towering, blue-eyed blonde. As the previous statement suggests, he was the tallest of the four at a whopping six feet six inches. A fact he never failed to rub in his companions faces.
He was the heaviest built of the group, a virtual monument of muscle. He was prevented from being impressively imposing, however, by his bright sky blue orbs - that always seemed to shine in happiness- and his sunny, golden locks. These features both served to paint a picture of a loveable oaf. A clever deception.
The Kyuubi's container - as he was known by some- could easily be the most dangerous of them all. He was friendly and easygoing - especially when compared to the two stoic dark haired introverts on his team - but he transformed into a juggernaut of power, capable of destruction of epic proportions, when he even suspected that any of his precious people where in danger.
In all fairness, this could also be said of the other three.
"How much longer till we get there Kakashi?"
"Not long now Naruto, about two days. One if we hurry and travel through the night."
"I wonder……..what do you think Sakura-chan looks like now?" The previously pensive look on Naruto's face was promptly ruined by a perverted grin.
The blonde's - questionable- musings were cut short by a swift uppercut, courtesy of one irritated Uchiha.
While viewing Naruto's impromptu flight, Kakashi felt obligated to at least attempt to reprimand Sasuke. "…..was that really necessary? If you had waited a little longer, the trees thicken up ahead."
Well, it was never mentioned that the reprimand would be about hurting Naruto.
"Hn. He annoyed me." Sasuke had never been one for small talk.
"As much as I hate admitting it, dickless has a point. Sakura has grown up during the time we've been away, her appearance has probably changed at least a little." Sai, who had pretty much ignored the proceedings up until then, decided to add his two cents.
"Yeah Teme," Naruto had recovered by this time, though he was still gingerly rubbing his throbbing head, "I know you're wondering about it too!"
Kakashi decided it wise to intervene. The severe bodily injuries the boys would give one another if the argument was allowed to escalate would slow them down considerably. And after having spent six years away from his little flower, that was simply unacceptable.
"The faster we reach Konoha, the faster we can find out for ourselves." The bickering among the three came to a stop. After all, there really was no arguing with that line of reasoning.
"It's been so long since we last saw her. Do you think……do you think she hates us? We just left her there…… without even telling her why."
This was a question that had been haunting them ever since their departure. They hadn't wanted to leave her. In fact, had they had their way, she would be permanently attached to them. Her safety, however, always overrode their personal desires.
They didn't think her weak. It's just that they never wanted to her to be in a position were she could be hurt. Sakura was their blossom, a beautiful and precious thing to be protected at all costs. The mere thought of her in pain was enough to blind them with rage. Anyone or anything foolish enough to hurt their girl would soon discover just why team seven was called legendary.
Sasuke, with darkened eyes, answered. "She would have every right to."
The question was more personal to the Uchiha than it was to the others. He had abandoned her first for a far more selfish reason and in a far crueler manner than the rest. If anyone deserved her hate, it was him.
"Well, we'll just have to win Ugly's forgiveness." Sai's tone rang with finality. A future without Sakura's love was not one he cared to be a part of. They would regain her affections, the alternative…….the alternative was not worth thinking about.
"You're right! Sakura-chan's ours and nothing can change that! We'll just have to show her how sorry we are and everything will be okay!" Naruto's enthusiasm was underlied by a steel layer of determination, a determination that had proven itself time and time again.
That single thought echoed through the minds of Konoha's most highly revered shinobi.
An annoyingly persistent prodding sensation penetrated the pleasant haze of a certain pink haired kunoichi's slumber.
Maybe if I ignore it it'll go away.
The prodding increased in intensity.
It's bound to get bored.
The prodding was joined by a shaking.
Anytime now.
The blanket she had cocooned herself in was torn away.
I was getting overheated anyway.
Her reactions, or lack of them, were apparently irritating her assailants. The thing - or things, she hadn't bothered to check - hoisted her up and she soon found herself flung over the shoulder of a humanoid figure.
That was enough to get her attention.
Sakura bleary, fury filled, eyes shot open. What do I have to do to get a freakin day to myself! Don't I deserve a break?! Don't I?!
The kunoichi glared at the blob behind her and started aiming chakra-less punches on her carrier's back. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing! Put me down you bastards!" Her words were punctuated by a flurry of continuous blows.
"Should have known she'd be troublesome. We go through the trouble of saving her from the rain and all she does is insult and attack us. What a drag."
Wait…..I know that voice.
"Us?", the incredulous voice of the one carrying her responded, "I'm the one receiving all the blows and it's my ear she's screaming in. There is no us."
I know that voice too. Hm…….maybe they aren't bad guys.
Come to think of it the rich chocolate strands brushing against her face were also vaguely familiar. Chocolate strands……a person who used the word troublesome….it was on the tip of her tongue…….oh………well this was embarrassing.
Focusing her eyes on the figure in front of her, she finally made out the form of one displeased, slightly soggy Shikamaru Nara. That meant……she craned her neck - painfully - back at an angle and saw a mirroring expression on a an equally wet Hyuuga prodigy.
Wait…..wet?
It was then that her drowsy mind finally registered the light rain that was showering the trio. I must have been dead asleep she thought otherwise I never would have missed something so obvious. With this revalation, comprehension finally set in.
They came out here to get me a blush appeared on her cheeks and I went bezerk on them her blush deepened, along with her shame it looks like I have some apologizing to do.
She stretched out her hand towards the back she had been unjustly bombarding and pumped her healing chakra to the area. Neji, immediately noting the lack of pain, shifted her from his shoulder to a more comfortable position in his arms.
"Feeling better now?" The inquiry was accompanied by a sardonic smile that had her rethinking her apology.
"Well, if you two had just woken me up instead of kidnapping me, I would have far more understanding," her indignant response made both men look at her in disbelief.
"Woken you up! What do you think we were doing earlier? Interpretive dance?" Shikamaru's frustration was easily discernible.
"He's right Sakura," Neji's calmer voice interjected, "you were sleeping like a log. Nothing could wake you. Believe me, we tried."
Fuzzy recollections of the earlier annoyanced tickled the back of her mind. So that's what that was she thought a bit guility well, no use crying over spilt milk!
Turning a dazzling smile towards the two, she innocently chirped, "Thank you soooo much for rescuing me! You guys are the sweetest, most thoughtful, and most caring friends a girl could ask for!"
The duo shared a resigned look before leveling her with a look that clearly stated they were not amused. The matching blushes - which Sakura spotted with glee - that lightly stained their cheeks, however, told her she was forgiven.
"So…..where are we going?" The roseate female's question caught her companions slightly off guard. Something she quickly took note of.
Taking pity on them, and still feeling guilty about earlier, she decided not to call them on it. Besides, both of them would fiercely deny it to their dying day. Both men were, after all, known for their meticulous planning. She felt pity for anyone - excluding her- who suggested that they were anything other than brilliant, both were highly sensitive.
"It's been a while since just the three of us were together. Let's go back to my place to dry off and then Neji can make us lunch."
Shikamaru seem to find the proposal acceptable and Neji, though slightly disgruntled at being volunteered without his permission, also nodded in agreement.
So, with a definite plan of action, the trio made their way to Sakura's apartment for a quiet lunch and, most likely, a few games of shogi.
Ahh...another chapter done.
The number of significant males in Sakura's life seems to have increased. The males of team seven won't be happy. Muwahahaha!! I say let suffer! Well...at least till I think they deserve Sakura's love again. That could be a while since I like to hold grudges. They'll have to be realllllllly great.
Well, until next time!