2nd chappie is here. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: own nothing

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It was past midnight when Sasuke placed a sleeping Sakura on Tenten's arm in their sleeping bag. He pushed a strand of hair out of her face and zipped up the sleeping bag. He then slipped into his own and layed with his back to Neji. He didn't want to wake up to those eyes. He didn't know how Naruto did it.

"Watch yourself, Uchiha. That's all I can say." Sasuke stiffened. So he had been watching...

Sasuke could only nod stiffly.

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The two points of solid warmth around her shoulders and beneath her knees told her there were arms around her. The slight floating feeling told Sakura she was being carried. The only thing her half-sleep dazed shinobi senses couldn't tell her was who was carrying her. The grip was too tight to be Naruto's. He was gentler and he was home, in Konoha. Sasuke? No. She could feel long strands of hair touching her cheek. Long hair? Neji...

Itachi? No. He would've killed her. It couldn't be. Then who? Neji?

Yes, Neji.

Why?

Sakura's eyes opened and she struggled against the steel grip. "Sakura...Sakura...! Stop!" She did. Her eyes opened but she couldn't even see his face, not far from his own. "Just a moment. Hold still. Be quiet!" he whispered. He set her down on the ground and she sat, suddenly afraid of her friend. She felt him take her wrist and he moved it down. She felt something warm and soft. Cloth? Neji released her and she felt his jacket being placed around her shoulders. There was a rustle of leaves and Neji must've moved a branch because suddenly light flooded the small space between the trees. Sakura looked down and her heart almost stopped.

"I thought you should see her first."

Sakura stared. Before her, flooded in white moonlight, lay a little girl.

Long black hair was thrown across the ground. She was on her stomach with her face to one side. A long dark blue dress covered most of her body. She could only have been 5 or 6 years old.

Sakura quickly pulled the unconcious girl into her lap. She had a split lip and her hands and knees were skinned but she was mostly unharmed. She must've collapsed and gotten scratched up by bushes and trees. She had obviously been running through the forest for a while before collapsing in exhaustion.

"Is she from Kumokagurke?"

"..." Sakura searched the girls feet and arms. She searched everywhere except her back, just behind her last rib, where she knew there would be a small cloud. "I don't see any marks." Sakura cradled the small child in her arms and stood. "Let's bring her back. I'll take care of her."

"Sakura..." Neji said warningly, but Sakura was already walking off. He stepped in front of her, effectively stopping her. "Think about this, Sakura. If this is a Kumokagurke child then it's better to give her to me while she's sleeping." Neji reached out and layed a hand on the girls' pale throat. Sakura stiffened. "Hyuga Neji...if you don't get your hand off of this child I'll slice every tendon and every muscle in your arm." the cold steel in Sakura's voice made him draw back and he sighed. He took her arm and turned her around towards the camp.

Sakura poked through her bag and took out a handkerchief and some bandages. She sat by the river and placed some bandages on the child's scrapes. She washed her face and neck gently, along with her legs and arms. The dark blue dress came to just below her knees and covered most of her arms. Sakura looked up at Neji who had appeared next to her. "Where will she sleep?" he asked, not hiding the fact that he was uneasy about this.

"With me."

"And Tenten?" They both glanced at the girl. She was spread out and snoring in the sleeping bag.

"Uh...no. Definetly no. I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Sakura said. An idea struck her. "Neji? Why don't you sleep with Tenten and we'll sleep in your sleeping bag?!"

"No."

"Huh? You're not even going to consider it?"

"No."

"Neji-kun, it makes sense. We won't tell anyone. Anyway, it's not like there's anyone here who doesn't know about you two." Sakura was given the rare chance to see a bit of color touch the Hyuga's cheeks. "Puh-leeeeease Neji-kuuuuuun?" she pleaded. Neji sighed and turned around, grabbing his jacket off of Sakura's shoulders. Sakura smiled, knowing she had won. She stood and strided over to Neji's sleeping bag. As she layed the child in the sleeping bag she glanced at Neji. He was currently moving Tenten. Sakura watched in amazement at the mastery of Neji's touch. under his hands Tenten instantly moved in her sleep to accomodate him. Neji slipped in next to Tenten and the girl instantly found a warm place against his heart to sleep. Neji looked down at her a moment before noticing Sakura looking. He glared and she grinned. She didn't know which he was more embarassed about-getting caught with her in his arms or getting caught liking her in his arms.

Neji's sleeping bag was not only a lot roomier without Tenten but it also had the added benefit of being close to a sleeping Sasuke. She admired the way his pale skin glew and almost giggled girlishly. Sakura layed down next to the child.

Sakura curled up next to the girl. The little one's hands reached out, her fingers clutching air and searching for something. Sakura let the girl grip the front of her shirt and she instantly curled up against Sakura. Sakura's arms curled tightly around the girl. She closed her eyes, tired from the long day and was asleep quickly.

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Sakura's eyes opened slowly the next morning as light flooded over her. The weight gripping at her stomach woke her also. She still had one arm wrapped protectively around the girl.

Sakura woke to a welcome sight. Sasuke was sitting up and rubbing the bridge of his nose. He yawned and glanced at Sakura. He rose an eyebrow at finding her next to him but didn't say anything. Instead his eyes slid down. They focused on the black mess of hair sticking out of the cloth. "What...is that...?" he said. Sakura looked down at the girl who was shifting now. Thin arms reached out of the bag and stretched while she yawned. Sasuke stared wide-eyed at the small being.

"This...is troublesome." Shikamaru said from behind Sakura. Sakura sat up and the covers fell down her hip a bit, revealing a bit more of the girl. Sasuke stared still.

"Explain..." he said.

"Neji found her in the woods. I couldn't just leave her out there!" Sakura picked the girl up into her arms, she was slowly fighting back to conciousness. "You can't keep it Sakura!"

"She's not an it!"

The child was fully awake now. They all looked down at her. She sat up. "Mama? Mama? Where's mama? Where's my mama!?" the child was growing very aggitated. Shikamaru tried to reach for her to try and talk to her but she quickly pulled away with a cry of fear. She jumped up and ran away from Sakura towards the forest. Tenten reached out and grabbed the child around the hips, scooping her up in one arm. "Who's this?" she asked, a toothbrush hanging half out of her mouth. Neji peered over the Tenten's shoulder. Bad idea. The girl shrieked in fear at the sight of Neji's white eyes and started flailing her small body.

Sasuke was growing annoyed. It was way to early to deal with this. he walked up to the girl and grabbed a thin arm, pulling her out of Tenten's grip. He held her up by that arm and said "Shut up." close to her face. The child stared in fear at him, no longer moving of screaming. Sakura yelled his name and grabbed the little girl out of his hand. "Sasuke! You're scaring her!"

"That's the point. You have to make them believe you're actually going to hurt them. If there smart they'll shut up."

"You are devoid of cuteness." she glared. She held the child to her chest, shaking from fright and disoriented. "Hey, it's alright. Noone's gonna hurt you. Sasuke's just a meanie. My name's Sakura, like the tree. Because my hair's pink, see? What's your name?"

"N-Niya." (n-I-yuh) Long I.

"That's a pretty name. Do you have a surname too?"

"N-no."

"That's ok. Tenten doesen't either." Tenten shot Sakura a glare and she returned it for a moment. (do you know her surname? I don't either so this explains it) She turned back to the child and smiled. "Sakura..." Sakura looked at Sasuke and Niya pulled closer to her, shaking once again. The three boys had formed a semi-circle around her. Neji looked only vaguely interested in what was happening. She noticed Sasuke was holding a kunai knife. She took a step back and into Tenten's arms. Tenten turned Sakura behind her and glared at the boys. "What do you think you are doing?"

"You know our orders." Shikamaru murmured.

"This child isn't witholding information from us. She is no threat."

"She is from Kumokagurke."

"I don't care!" Sakura said. "I won't let you! I'll-I'll-I'll ask Tsunade herself when we get home! But until then..." Sakura eyed the kunai. It was slid back into it's holster. Shikamaru mumbled something about maps and walked off. The semi-circle dispersed. Sakura cleaned up her things with Niya in tow.

At about 6 a.m. Shikamaru called the gang together. "Alright. We're going home. The problem is, even though it seems kind, the trip might kill her. We have 3 days to get back. That means minimum stopping, going as fast as we can. You can't carry that child that whole time Sakura."

"I'll help. I'll help you Sakura-chan." Tenten said quickly. She looked beseechingly at Neji and he nodded, unable to refuse his girlfriend's wishes. Shikamaru sighed and threw his hands up. "Fine, fine. You guys carry her. I hope you have money too because we need supplies for her too." The girls smiled and nodded.

Sakura knelt down to where Niya was clutching her shorts. "Niya. You're gonna come with us, okay? It's not safe here." Niya was quiet for a moment. Her large dark blue eyes stared up at Sakura, unfocused.

"My mama's dead, isn't she?"

"W-why would you say that?"

"Mama's gone." the girl started to cry and Sakura picked her up. She hushed the girl and rocked her.

"Hey. If it makes you feel better...I'll be your mama." The girl pulled away to look at Sakura.

"You will?"

"Yeah! Of course!" Niya smiled through her tears and nodded.

"Mama."

Behind Sakura, Sasuke frowned and then dissapeared into the trees with the others in tow.

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2...a.m...SLEEEEEP...

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