Here is the next chapter, guys. Hope you like it. Please review. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter Four xx

"I love the lake," Tenten said, seeming distracted as she kicked off her sandals. "It's very relaxing."

"Yes," Neji agreed. Tenten sat at the edge and dipped her feet in.

"Are you going to meditate again?" she asked him. He nodded and sat beside her, crossing his legs and closing his eyes.

"Careful," Tenten giggled. "Don't get too into your own little world. We don't want that creature coming back."

"If it even was a creature," Neji murmured, eyes still closed. "It could've been a person."

"An invisible person?" Tenten asked. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Anything's possible," Nehi said. "Now stop speaking to me."

Tenten sighed at his cold attitude and kept her eyes focused on the lake. As she watched the colours from the sky reflect upon the lake's beauty, she noticed a random flash of red. Tenten blinked, sure she was seeing wrong, but again, there was that blur of red.

"Neji," Tenten whispered. "Neji."

Neji didn't reply, so Tenten's voice grew louder. "Neji!"

She glanced back at the red blur in the water. It was either coming closer or growing larger. She couldn't tell. She whipped her feet out of the lake as fast as she could, sending drops of water splashing towards Neji. His eyes snapped open. "What the hell?" he barked.

"Neji, look!" Tenten cried, pointing at the red thing. Neji swore and stood up, staring at it as it swam towards them. It seemed to be growing bigger.

Neji shook his head in slow realization. "Tenten," he spoke. "It's not going to harm us."

"What?" she cried. "How do you know?"

"Because it's not some kind of creature," he replied. "It's blood."

XXXXXX

I was about halfway back to Konoha when I realized I'd left my headband back at the lake. I turned around and made my way back, Sasuke never once leaving my head. His words echoed endlessly into my skull; "You and I won't ever happen. It will never work. I've broken my bonds with everyone. I'm alone."

Alone. Alone. Alone.

That's all he ever spoke of. Being alone. In solitude. Isolated from everyone who ever loved him. Detached from the world of love and hope.

Alone.

My fists clenched in anger. He didn't have to be alone if he wasn't so determined to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village. He could come back. To Konoha. To me.

With his beloved brother Itachi gone, I understood that Sasuke truly felt alone. It wasn't fair. He has fallen so deep into darkness; he's almost at the bottom. When will he give up his no-mercy murderous spree and go back to his arrogant but regular self?

Another thought crossed my mind. Who said he was even going to give up his no-mercy murderous spree? For all I know, he could keep spinning further and further into darkness until there was nothing left, and Sasuke Uchiha became truly evil.

Familiar voices snapped me out of my thoughts. "Lee!" a female voice cried. "Wake up, Lee!"

Tenten?

"Lee, I swear to my father's grave if you don't get up I'll-"

Neji?

"Tenten?" I called. "Neji? Is everything okay?"

"Sakura!" Tenten cried. "Come quick, Sakura! We're by the lake!"

I sprinted to the direction of their voices and gasped when I saw Tenten and Neji kneeling over Lee's bloody, motionless body.

"What happened?" I asked.

"We found his body in the lake!" Tenten told me. "We have no idea what happened!"

"Move over," I demanded. "I'm a medic ninja. I can take care of this."

As I worked on Lee's body, Neji stood with a blank expression while Tenten was clutching his arm and sobbing into his shirt.

If Lee weren't dying, I would've considered the situation to be cute. After all, they seemed like an adorable couple. Maybe I could set them up later.

"Well?" Neji snapped at me. "How is he?"

"Cool the attitude," I told him. "He'll be fine. He just needs rest. He was definitely attacked, though. This was no accident, and it didn't happen too long ago."

At the same time Neji and Tenten diverted their attention elsewhere, Lee's eyes opened. He looked at me. "Sakura-chan…?"

"Yes, Lee, it's me," I said to him soothingly. "Are you okay? Can you tell me what happened?"

Lee swallowed, voice weak. He struggled to speak. "I…I went out looking for you, but instead found…S-Sasuke…"

My blood ran cold. "And what happened?"

"I told…told him I was looking for you and…h-he got m-mad…" Lee trailed off, took a few deep breaths and caught my eye. "He said I have no business s-searching for you and then he…he attacked…me." With that, Lee's eyes closed and he fell unconscious again. I swallowed hard. Sasuke did this to him? I shuddered at the thought.

"Neji," I spoke. He looked at me. Tenten was no longer crying, but she still had his arm locked in a death grip. It was cute the way she was holding on; it looked like she felt that if she let go, she'd get lost or something. "Take him to the hospital. He needs to rest."

Neji nodded and hoisted Lee over his shoulder. All three of them left, but not before Tenten muttered a thank you.

Sasuke-kun…

I can't believe he did this, but at the same time, I can. I bit my lower lip in thought and nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard someone behind me say, "Sakura."

I wheeled around and gaped. "Sasuke?" I squeaked. "What are you doing here? I thought you left. And why did you hurt Lee?"

Sasuke closed his eyes for a few seconds and when he opened them the sharingan was activated. He looked, to put it mildly, pissed off.

"Why was he looking for you?" Sasuke snapped. At the same time he was walking towards me, I was walking back. I slammed into a tree.

"I don't know," I said. "Maybe he was worried about me because he actually cares. Why…why do you even mind that he was looking for me?"

Sasuke-kun was so close, he was either ready to kiss me or kill me. I was pretty sure it was the second one, though, because of the deadly look in his eyes.

He leaned so close to me I couldn't resist the blush that crept up into my face. "Tell him," Sasuke began, voice low and dripping with venom. "Tell him I better not see him around here again, or I'll kill him for sure. Remind Sai that too." His fists clenched. "They're just asking to die."

"Sasuke-kun, you're being ridiculous!"

"Did they touch you?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"What do you mean touch me?"

"Did they…" he paused, thought carefully of his words, and spoke again. "Did they touch you that way?"

I stared, completely dumbfounded. "That way?"

"You know," he snapped. "Did they feel you up?" he practically spat out the words.

I gasped. "No! That's-what? No!" Sai and Rock Lee feeling me up? Gross.

"If you care about them tell them not to come around here anymore," he said in a low, murderous tone. "I won't hesitate to end their lives."

I gaped. "Sasuke, that's not-"

But I couldn't complete my sentence because he'd already disappeared, wind whipping psychotically.

I stared at the spot he'd been, so close to me seconds ago.

XXXXXX

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted. "Hinata-chan, where are you?"

"O-over here!" she called back, straining to speak loudly. Hinata was usually a very quiet person.

He turned to look at her, grinning and embracing her in a nice, warm hug. "Where were you?"

Hinata opened her mouth to answer but didn't get to because he placed a soft kiss on her forehead and led her into the kitchen. "You made ramen?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, well, I know that you-"

"Thank you Hinata!" Naruto shouted, giving her lips a quick kiss.

They both stopped moving when they realized what he'd done. Hinata had wanted their first kiss to be more…romantic? Maybe a bit longer? And not over some ramen?

As if reading her thoughts, Naruto turned to her and kissed her again, except this time his lips were hard against hers, and she was in his embrace, and they were kissing, kissing, kissing, for what seemed like forever. The kiss was so soft yet so passionate, sparking fire in both of them.

"Naruto!" a manly, angry voice snapped. Hinata and Naruto jumped away from each other and Hinata blushed a deep red when she saw Neji and Tenten standing there.

"Oh, uh, hey Neji," Naruto said sheepishly. "Sorry about kissing your, uh, you know, cousin."

Neji glared at him. "I don't know, Neji," Tenten interrupted. "They're pretty cute together!"

Neji turned his glare onto Tenten. "How can you say that? My cousin with Naruto? That's repulsive."

Tenten crossed her arms over her chest and turned away in a huff. "At least Naruto can tell when a girl really likes him." Which was not true, really, but she needed to say something to get him to notice.

"What?" Neji asked, still clueless. "What do you mean?"

Naruto dragged a hand down his face when Tenten left, slamming the door behind her. "And I thought I was stupid," Naruto muttered.

Hinata shook her head and sighed, lips still tingling from the kiss. "Neji…isn't it quite obvious?"

Neji stared at her. "Is it supposed to be? I have no idea what you are talking about."

"If you weren't my girlfriend's cousin, I'd kick you out without another word," Naruto said, moving towards Neji, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him out. "But since you are, I'll simply show you out the door and explain to you that Tenten is in love with you. Thank you for visiting. Have a nice day." With that, Naruto slammed the door in Neji's face.

Neji stood there for several minutes, wondering if they were joking or not.

Yeah, Neji's clearly stupid when it comes to girls. Reviews would be appreciated. Thank you. Love xx