A/N: First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, subscribed, and faved this story since the last update! I cannot tell you how happy I am to land 100 subscribers. I know that's just a skinflint's number compared to other amazing fanfics out there, but for me who's been figuring out how to go about this story for two years now, that's finally a milestone. Knowing that a hundred people are out there waiting for updates on this baby is enough to push me to write. You guys are precious!

And finally, the most awaited (two years! f*ck me!) spar/revenge/round2 chapter!


Round Two


People were staring at her.

That was the first thing she noticed on Monday morning. Sakura worried if she had bits of omurice still stuck to her face from breakfast. She checked herself in the nearest reflective surface she found. Her face was clear. Was it her hair? No, her ribbon was in place and not a stray strand in sight. Her clothes then? Nah, she ironed and pressed them very well last night and did so again by morning, she was fastidious like that. There was never anything remarkable about her clothes anyway. No patterns, no accessories; nothing that would clash and merit comment from the more fashionable population. The only colors were either lavender (for Hyuuga servants) or grey (for Infirmary attendants). Her clothes were plain and simple; servant clothing.

Oh, maybe that's why.

Then again Sakura knew she'd be used to it by now; labeled as a servant, one of the lucky few to be in the academy and Tsunade's apprentice no less. She had her fair share of stares, and whispers exchanged behind hands as she passed. But none of those were ever as worrying as this.

Not only were people staring and pointing; they were also frowning at her. She didn't mind it at all in the academy, but in the hospital?

What did I do now?


Neji was cleaning his sword in his study on Tuesday evening before supper when someone knocked on his door.

"Who is it?"

"Uhm… it's me, Sakura. I wanted to ask permission for something."

Neji opened the door to let her in and went back to his sword. "What is it you want?"

"I-I was thinking if… you know; if it's alright with you and Hizashi-san… If I could- if you would let me-"

"Spit it out, Haruno."

There was mumbling.

"What?" Neji was beginning to get irritated at having his personal space and alone time intruded upon.

More mumbling.

"I'll have to cut out that tongue of yours since you don't use it." He shifted his sword towards her.

Sakura gulped and mustered her courage and asked her question with a bow. "I-I came here to ask permission to train in the dojo tonight. If you will allow it."

This sparked Neji's curiosity. He knew the girl was trained by her own father in kenjutsu since childhood, but this was the first time in the months she's spent in Konoha that she showed any signs of wanting to train again.

"You want to practice?"

"Hai" she had not yet straightened up from her bow.

"Why?" he wouldn't allow her without a viable reason.

"I realized it has been ages since I have practiced my kata, and I thought it wise not to put it off any longer."

Neji agreed that that made sense, however, "Why now? It is almost nightfall, dinner will be served soon, and you have duties to Hinata-sama to attend to."

Sakura silently huffed in her position, it has indeed been so long since she trained at all that her back was tiring from holding her bow. "It is of personal preference that I train at night; I have decided to forego dinner, and have asked permission from Hinata-sama which she allowed me to."

"Odd, the best time for training would be daytime, isn't it?"

"H-hai. I agree, but-" Sweat was forming on her brow.

"And isn't foregoing food unwise?"

"I move quicker when I feel that my body is lighter."

"I suppose you would also use the excuse of protecting Hinata-sama to be allowed to train."

"No, not at all! It is my duty and not an excuse!" she was starting to feel disheartened. Sometimes Neji was just too tough on her.

"Stand up straight, Haruno." And so she did; hiding all traces of disappointment from her face. Neji regarded her for a while and she resisted eye contact.

He's just gonna send you back to your room.

I need to be able to train at least once before tomorrow, or else I'm doomed.

He turned away and resumed his chore. "The dojo is on the farthest end of the south wing. Take spare lanterns with you, it gets really dark there."

Sakura lit up immediately. "Arigatou Neji-san!" and she turned to leave.

"Haruno!"

"Yes?"

"Don't use my bokuto."


Even during summer semester, the Koryu was always busy on Wednesday mornings. The afternoons were reserved for the Daimyo and his Imperial guards for their training and weekly inspection, so people wanted to cram in as much practice and lessons as they can before the area is cordoned for these sessions.

To Neji, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, just another day of men perfecting their kata, wrestling each other to submission, and whacking their opponents with wooden swords.

He made his way to two of his comrades over at the well after completing his kata. The class had called it a day and hung around before leaving for lunch. They were heavily discussing something, he could tell by the expressions on their faces and hand gestures that it was rather big news. It should be; his men never wasted time over trivial matters.

"Well yeah, I say that's a stupid rumor!" A man with face tattoos threw his bamboo cup to the ground and fixed a scowl at another. "What kind of soldier are you, believing rumors from school girls?"

Then again, he wouldn't put it past them to gossip.

"Inuzuka," he called, and the tattooed man stood in attention, "stand down."

"Hai, taicho!" Kiba Inuzuka sat back down not without throwing a glare at the other man.

Neji greeted the rest of his team around the well before turning back to Kiba. "What's gotten you all riled up that you had to get up in Aburame's face for?" he referred to the other man Kiba had argued with.

"It was nothing, Taicho."

"It didn't seem like nothing. All of you here are deep in conversation about something, and as captain, I demand to know what." He pressed on as he leaned against the mouth of the well.

Kiba gave in with a huff. "It's Shino; he's been listening to gossip all the way from the Academy, sir. And he's defending that it's true."

"I keep my word, it is." The bespectacled man swore solemnly.

"Bullshit! That's never happened for us and we're in Koryu! How'd one measly scholar get that chance?"

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"Whatever it is, I say it's true." A female voice interrupted and all three men faced the approaching figure.

"Tenouji-senpai!" The two lower ranking men stood to bow while Neji fixed her a questioning look.

"Tenouji, What brings you here? Your weekly inspection isn't until this afternoon." He extended a hand for her to shake, only to be bodily embraced.

"Oh, Neji. You sound silly calling me that. Whatever happened to 'Tenten'?" She giggled at his unamused face. "Anyway," she patted Neji on the chest and took a seat beside Kiba on the bench. "I've overheard these two's conversation, and Kiba, I can assure you that what you've heard is true."

"WHAT?!" Kiba unceremoniously jumped onto the bench and yanked at his brown hair in disbelief. "NOOO! It can't be?! Where is the justice?!" and then he swooned back down on his seat, disgruntled.

Neji palmed his face as Tenten giggled. "Well, you're not dramatic at all."

"Tenouji-"

"Tenten."

"-please spare me. What is going on and what is this rumor?"

"There was a rumor going around since Saturday that a student, a scholar at that, had challenged the Daimyo to a duel."

Neji scoffed incredulously.

"Let me finish." She scolded. "And they also said that the Daimyo accepted right away."

"That indeed sounds like a rumor to me." Neji dismissed.

"No, it's not!" she defended. "And besides, would you ever doubt any information that comes from Shino?" She patted the silent man on the shoulder. "He may be blind in one eye, but he makes up for it with pretty good hearing. There's a reason why he's on your team."

"Hmm… I cannot deny that truth. But all this sounds ridiculous to me. Who in their right minds would challenge the Daimyo, and why on earth did he accept? There are dozens of other men here who would be worthy of the opportunity to fight him. My men," he gestured to Kiba and Shino, "are on the shortlist for recruits on the new batch of Imperial Guards."

Kiba nodded vigorously at this.

"It's an ambition of theirs to fight His Highness, yet they'd never dare to challenge him for the sake of their honor."

Kiba nodded again. "Right you are, Taicho."

"You," he gestured to Tenten, "are the only female member of the Guards, which is a great honor in and of itself, yet you've never sparred with him. I myself had to graduate first and achieve a secondary rank before His Highness saw me fit as a sparring partner."

"And to that I salute you, sir." Kiba clapped his shoulder heartily and offered him a drink of water which he gladly took.

The group fell into a contemplative silence, letting Neji's words sink, as they quietly drank their water.

"What does this simple scholar have that my men don't?" he added as rhetoric.

Tenten wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "Apparently she has guts. Either that, or she's severely concussed."

Three pairs of eyes, one half blind, landed on Tenten.

"She?"

She clicked her tongue and pointed at Shino. "You, my good friend, may have excellent hearing to the point of deciphering insect's voices, but you lack the privilege of hearing first hand details exclusive to the Imperial Guards!"

Neji rolled his eyes and wondered how he could've forgotten his best friend's gossip side. "Now's not the time to gloat, Ten."

"Very well," she took a deep breath, "I've overheard the same rumors Shino did from the Medicinal Wing, which were further substantiated by details I've overheard straight from Kakashi-senpai during a conversation with Naruto. The duel is scheduled this afternoon in the main dojo, and they've personally met the challenger, and it's a tiny little thing with pink hair and goes by the name Sakura!"

Neji swears that had Kiba not grasped his arm on time, he might've fallen backwards head first into the well in a swoon.


"Are you sure about this, Sakura-chan? I mean I could go out there and tell Sasuke-teme that you're not feeling well." Naruto offered as he did his best to assist Sakura into her gear with only one hand, the other still in a sling.

He lent her one of his gear sets that were too small for him already, and his own swords were at her disposal. They were in the locker room moments before the match; Naruto was in charge of preparing Sakura, while Kakashi was with Sasuke in a different room.

"Yes, Naruto, I have already decided on this, and no, you won't be doing that." She said sternly as she tightened the Kore and Tare around her limbs.

"Oh! Oh! I have an idea –ttebayo!" his face lit up like a child's, and it was so endearing, Sakura found it difficult to be too hard on him.

"I have a feeling it won't work, but let's hear it out, shall we?"

"Well, how 'bout I go out there, pretending to be you and fight Teme in your place!"

"Like I said, it won't work." She sighed, "Nice try Naruto."

"No! No! You see, you'll be wearing armor, right? So no one could really see your face! How would they know it was you?"

"Not gonna work, Naruto." Sakura went back to readjusting her Bogu. "You're injured! And even with you bragging about your quick healing factor, they haven't healed completely yet. Besides, did you think that even with your face covered, Sasuke wouldn't recognize the difference between us? You're basically a head taller than me. You think he'd just believe that I grew up in the last four days?"

The blonde scratched his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But even if Teme did recognize me, at least the audience won't and still think it's you."

Sakura stopped halfway in pulling on her Men.

"Imagine how cool it'd be if I defeated that bastard, and people will cheer 'Sakura! Sakura! Sakura!'" He chuckled under his breath, clearly impressed by his own ideas. "Man, you'd be popular for years –ttebayo!"

"What. Do. You. Mean. Audience?" the color had drained from her face; and her eyes wide and narrowed at the same time.

"It'll be so awesome! People will drop to their knees when you walk by, you'll probably surpass Baa-chan as the scariest person in Konoha –eeek!"

Sakura unceremoniously pulled him by his collar, pinning his face against the metal bars of her Men. "Are you telling me," she seethed, eyes alit with flames, "that there are people out there?!"

"Uhm-" Naruto unconsciously averted her glare. At this point, with angry green eyes behind metal bars, she wasn't that different from a tiger in a cage.

"Naruto!" She visibly shook him this time.

"Yes!" the blonde squeaked, and was immediately released, rubbing a hand over his injured forehead.

Sakura sat down on the armor box and buried her masked face in her hands with a groan. "How did that happen? I thought this was just between the four of us! Did you tell anyone?!"

"No! of course not!" he defended, looking slightly hurt. Sakura groaned again.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I did mean that."

Naruto gingerly approached his friend and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry too. It turns out someone may have eavesdropped on our conversation last Saturday. It's spread pretty quickly after that."

Sakura thought back to that day and wondered who might have been around to hear. Miako-san. She groaned inwardly. That explains the bad looks she got from the hospital, the other woman obviously spread it among their colleagues.

"Kakashi-sensei is also concerned, and Teme's not too happy about it either."

Hearing that, Sakura felt a new resolve sink in. "Oh, he's worried, isn't he?" she glanced at him with a smirk. "Doesn't want people to see a girl kick his noble ass?"

Naruto frowned. "You really have no clue who he is, do you?"

Sakura stood and patted herself down, making sure the fastens of her Men were tight. "Nope, not at all! I don't care if he's rich. He's probably just another heir to Daddy's business empire, squandering all those hard-earned riches, kicking people around to serve his royal ass."

"You're right about one of those things." Naruto said thoughtfully.

"Besides, a deal is a deal, and your friend's a stubborn one, he doesn't look like the type to back down from a challenge."

"And right again." He laughed.

Someone cleared their throat, Sakura and Naruto turned to see Kakashi at the door. "Are you all set?" he asked Sakura who nodded curtly. "Good to know. Now, I expect that you are already aware about our… little mishap for today."

"Yes." she said darkly.

"No need to be so glum about it, Sakura-chan." He approached and adjusted her Men a little. "These things happen, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Right?"

Sakura smiled at him. "Hai."

"There's a good girl," he patted her head lightly, "Now, because of our latest developments, I've decided to get help from some friends. Gai and Asuma will be refereeing the match with me, and you," he turned to Naruto, "Will serve as crowd control along with Choji."

"Do we really need crowd control?" Sakura asked.

"Trust me, you will need it."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?" She squeaked.

"Ah! Eh- that's because, Sakura-chan, if you win this match, you'll definitely become very popular! People will want your autograph and crowd over you! Hehehe! Say, why don't you go pick out a sword already?" and pushed her non to gently towards his Bokken stand. When she turned her back, Naruto fixed a glare at Kakashi.

Don't scare her like that. He mouthed, to which Kakashi merely shrugged.

"Is there anything else you need before I go?" he asked Sakura when she came back with a bokuto.

"No, I'm all good." She offered him a smile.

"Good luck then, Sakura." With that, he was out the door


Sasuke stood facing a full length mirror as his men Genma and Raido assisted in putting on his armor, behind him in the reflection, the shoji doors slid open and Kakashi entered.

He bowed, "Everything is all set. A lot of people have come to watch but my men are around, dressed in civilian clothing, they are on standby should anything happen."

Sasuke nodded at him through the mirror. "And the girl?"

"She's only waiting now."

"Hn." Genma and Raido finished fitting his helmet, then stood to the side while he tightened his fastenings and patted down his armor.

"Sakura doesn't have any idea who you are." Kakashi said gravely.

"None at all?" he said nonchalantly as he reached for his iron wood bokuto from the stand. "I thought she was smarter than that? She is Tsunade's apprentice, isn't she?"

"She is new to Konoha and may have priorities she finds more important than the Daimyo's identity."

"Ah."

"But you are aware of hers."

The smooth sword slid from his grip and clattered to the hardwood floors. Genma rushed to it but Sasuke brushed him off and picked it up on his own. "It is hardly of importance."

"Why did you accept her challenge, Sasuke?" Kakashi's voice was hard.

"Genma, Raido." He didn't need to say more as the two bowed and left him alone with his retainer.

"Answer the question, Sasuke."

"You should avoid speaking to your Daimyo in that tone." He slipped his sword in his blue sash; Sakura would be wearing red.

"Right now I don't see a respectable Daimyo, I see a young boy with so much power in his hands yet his first act as a nation's leader was to strip the captain of the Imperial Guard of all his power and possessions as an act of petty revenge."

Sasuke faced him and their dark eyes clashed, one apprehensive and the other calm. "You see what you wish to see, Kakashi, but this match will happen. You asked to be referee and I allowed you. You may twist this game whichever way you like, but it will happen."

"She isn't her father, Sasuke. His mistakes are not her own."

"I am aware of that. I simply want to see for myself what the Great Kizashi has made of his only child."

The seconds seemed long as Kakashi processed what his charge had just said. "What happens to her if she loses?" There was concern in his voice.

"It is just a game, Kakashi. If she loses, she simply lost." Sasuke walks past him and made for the door. "However," he looks back at the older man as he exits, "what happens after that will depend on the judgment of my people."


The main dojo was a large hall most often utilized as a classroom; it is also used as a combat hall and a number of fights can be held in unison. The ceiling was high enough to accommodate a second level serving as a spectator balcony.

This was where Sakura and Sasuke's match will be.

She had hoped for a more private affair, instead, the entire room was packed, the balconies were overflowing, and yet more people wanted to get in, only to be turned away by senior Koryu students who had taken crowd control into their own hands.

Regardless of the din caused by the number of people present, Sakura's eyes were set only on the person sitting across the mat from her; her opponent. Sasuke.

They sat in meditative silence, waiting as the three referees conferred on something in the middle of the room. Behind her, a few paces away, stood Naruto leaning on a crutch acting as the only barrier between her and the rabid audience. If she listened to what they were saying, she would've heard invectives, and names they've made up just for her, none of which were pleasant. But all of Sakura's senses had been isolated to focus on the match alone, for all she knew it was only her and Sasuke in the room.

Finally, the three men dispersed. The other two; Gai and Asuma, made their way to opposite sides of the room to referee the match from different angles. Kakashi remained where he stood and gestured for them to approach.

Finally…

As they halted in the middle, the crowd fell silent, and then Kakashi cleared his throat. "This match will follow a point based system with a maximum of three points. However, points will not be garnered from the number of hits and strikes but from successfully pinning down the opponent. The goal will be to pin the other person to the mat three times. Any strategy observed in Koryu may be employed to achieve this; use of underhanded tactics will result in a demerit of one point. Every time a player scores, the game will restart in the center and the next round begins. The only weapon allowed will be a bokuto and one's own body. There will be no time limit; the match will only stop once a victor is announced."

The entire time the rules were read, the two players had stared each other down. Both frowned at the other, hands clenched, patiently waiting to unleash their strength. Seconds felt like minutes as Kakashi gave the command to bow to the audience and then to each other. It felt even slower when they were commanded to pull out their swords and stand on guard.

Sakura's vision tunneled to focus on Sasuke alone, and when she felt her instincts take over her body, she knew she was ready.

She would win this.

I will win.

"HAJIME!"

The first major blow was to the back of her head. She had been slow in retreating after her spin kick and exposed her blind spot to Sasuke. She stumbled far enough to avoid the follow-up strike, but it had taken its toll; there were spots in front of her eyes and her focus wavered, then something solid hit her square in the chest, forcing the air out of her.

She saw Sasuke's smug smirk behind metal bars before a foot connected with her torso and her back hit the mat.

There was a shrill whistle, and Gai raised a small blue flag. "Pin!"

The crowd roared unintelligibly around Sakura; no doubt majority of them cheered for her opponent. She snuck a look at Naruto, he wasn't cheering or booing, he just stood there with a frown. He cupped his one available hand around his mouth. "Get up, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura managed a smirk and her head didn't spin for too long after that, and when she got her bearings right, she took the outstretched hand offered by Kakashi (as if Sasuke would ever help me up), and got herself ready for the next round. It was carelessness on her part that Sasuke was able to score. A simple mistake which cost a lot. She wasn't in hot water just yet; there were still two points left for him, but three for her. Kakashi commanded them to stand on guard. This round she would repay Sasuke the favor. The command to start reverberated in her ears like a shout would in a cave and she pounced like a cat would on a mouse.

Sasuke blocked her from above and side stepped to slash at her neck, but she blocked and pushed at him, earning her a few feet of space enough for her to stretch her leg. She spun, and her heel successfully collided with the side of his head, and if she guess correctly, directly on the right ear. Sakura knew her turning kicks were powerful and a padded helmet may dull it slightly, but the blunt force was enough to disorient. She didn't have enough time to celebrate though as Sasuke recovered quickly and his sword made a beeline to her head.

They parried continuously, matching blow by blow so accurately, that the sound of clashing wood assumed a staccato rhythm, reminding Sakura of her Father's tendency to count for her as she did her kata, and how her Mother tapped her closed folding fan against a post to keep her in rhythm as she practiced a dance that challenged the dexterity of her feet.

"Keep your grip firm, Sakura-chan. Your sword may be your only shield."

He pushed his sword against hers and she was losing her stance by the second. Her palms, as the rest of her body, had begun to sweat, but she wouldn't dare let it slip.

"Music is everywhere around us, my dear daughter. Music wills us to dance as the wind wills the bamboo to bend. Let yourself be the bamboo, bend without much resistance."

Sasuke had locked his knees securely and there was no point pushing him back, instead she let him push her down, surprising him. She caught his stomach by her feet and tossed him overhead before he could pin her with his weight. Before he could get up, Sakura had tackled him from behind, sat on his back and pressed his face to the mat.

A whistle. "Pin!" Sakura turned to see Azuma raise her little red flag. But unlike Sasuke's, there was no raucous cheering from the crowd, just polite clapping here and there, and of course, Naruto.

"WHOOOOO! Way to go, Sakura-chan! Ha! Take that, Teme!" Sakura was about to wave at him when something shifted from under her butt.

Oh right… Sasuke. Sakura quickly scampered up, and being the nice person that she is, automatically offered him a hand, which he purposefully ignored and repaid her with a glare instead. Sakura couldn't blame him to be so grumpy; she had just evened the playing field, and now they were back where they started.

As Kakashi readied them for the third round, Sakura recalled a conversation with her mother years ago as a child.

"Dancing isn't only memorizing the steps, dear. It is showing emotion physically. You have to feel it in order to show it."

"But what should I feel, Oka-san?"

"What do you think this dance tells you?"

"Hmmm… I don't know, but I keep skipping about like ants are crawling on my feet."

"Do these ants hurt you?"

"A little bit, but they tickle a lot." She giggled.

"Then skip like you're being tickled happy."

This dance was an angry dance, but what she felt was determination, and she would show it. Once more, she made the first move, darting left and right, aiming to hit every inch of him with her sword and kicks. She could see Sasuke's expression beneath his mask and Sakura knew he was beginning to feel overwhelmed; instead of retaliating, he had resorted to blocking and avoiding her blows. She dared to smirk. It was time for a trick move.

She knew by now he was aware of her favored attacks, and was very much familiar with her kicks, so when she posed to turn on her heel for a kick aimed supposedly for his head, he reflexively moved to block from above with his sword. Sakura saw this split second window, and fell back on her hands, her legs outstretched with the momentum of her feint kick, swiped her opponent raven haired off his feet. Both scrambled to get to the other first, but Sakura was smaller, quicker. She dropped her sword and charged, catching him in the midsection throwing Sasuke on his back with her straddling his waist. He made to get up when she let out an awfully ear piercing kiai-

"SHANNARO!"

-followed by a palm strike to his head.

Sasuke's head fell limp on the mat with a groan and there was a collective gasp among the crowd. Sakura's eyes widened when she heard the whistle and "Pin!"

I'm ahead by a point!

She was so excited about it that she forgot about getting off of Sasuke, arms still poised after her strike. Sakura let out a small laugh. She looked around and saw frowns on the audience's. She didn't really mind it, but before she could wonder why Naruto was also frowning, Sakura was forcefully pulled back on her feet.

"Hey!"

"Stand down!" A man with shoulder length brown hair pointed his bokuto at her.

"Why? What's going on?!" She stepped forward and was immediately pushed to her knees, the wooden sword digging into her neck.

"I said stand down!"

Sakura didn't understand what was happening. Two men, dressed similarly like the one detaining her went to assist Sasuke. From where she knelt, she could see men had surrounded the combat area. They were dressed differently but the way they stood ready with their swords half unsheathed, she figured they weren't civilians. The people around had clamored, some wanted to see what was happening behind the wall of guards, those from the balcony could see very well, and their disapproving looks were directed at her.

"Genma. That's enough. The match isn't over yet." Kakashi was behind her and never had she felt so relieved to hear his voice.

"Forgive us, Taicho, but we cannot simply stand by and watch His Majesty be dishonored in front of his people."

If Sakura was nervous when this man Genma had pointed his sword at her, then she was frightened by what he had just said.

His… Majesty?

"Then you should've done a better job at controlling the number of people who came to watch. Why do you think I personally refereed the match?" Kakashi's voice was hard.

"I apologize Taicho. I only had the Daimyo's well-being in mind."

Sweat broke out in torrents on her forehead. She must've been hit in the head harder than she thought. She was hearing things. His Majesty? … Daimyo? … Sasuke?!

"This is a duel, Genma. Well, it was before you interfered. Sasuke was bound to get hurt some way."

Sasuke. Kakashi simply calls him Sasuke. He couldn't be the Daimyo.

"Now let Sakura-chan up and you attend to His Majesty."

Mother of-!

She was on her feet now, but her body numb and her mind was floating. Her eyes surveyed the room in frenzy; most of the people had been forced out by the guards and only a number were left. One of them, she saw, was Neji, his pale disapproving gaze was directed at her, and then he was lost behind a throng of people. Then she saw Sasuke recover, his men surrounded him as he pulled off his helmet, and his eyes, dark and unreadable, landed on her.

Her breath hitched and she took a step back but she was unable to look away.

Her heart seemed to have shot up to her head and each beat echoed inside her helmet like a monastery brass gong.

What have you done, Sakura?

Sakura…

Sakura…

Sakura-chan…

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan!" Dark eyes were replaced with the bright blue of Naruto's eyes. She didn't even notice his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

Before she could even feel glad about his concern she remembered that Naruto, her only other friend after Ino, knew who Sasuke is. Naruto, whom she knew for almost a month now, always talked about 'Teme' but couldn't be bothered to tell her who that was. Naruto, whose fantastic idea was to pit her against his friend, the Daimyo, as his sparring partner. Naruto, who basically got her into this mess, was asking her if she was alright.

"Sakura-chan?"

"This is your fault." She looked away as tears were pooling into her eyelids.

"Wha- what? Sakura-chan, what are you talking about?"

She pushed his hands off of her and stared him directly in the eye, the boy visibly flinched. "Stay away from me."

Sakura didn't get to see the look on Naruto's face as she turned heel and ran for the nearest exit, but the guards were quick to block her way. She was pushed back on her knees with one arm twisted and pinned to her back. "NO! LET ME GO!"

"Let her go!" Naruto shouted, but Kakashi held him back with an outstretched arm.

"You are under arrest for assaulting the Daimyo!" the man named Genma spoke as he approached from behind. Sakura couldn't see him but she heard clinking metal knowing he had shackles at hand.

"I didn't know who he was. Believe me!" Sakura had never felt so humiliated and defenseless at the same time.

"That would be your own fault."

"Please! It was an honest mistake!"

He was already there behind her and heard the shackles unlatched to bind her wrist, but as the cold metal touched her skin, it was taken away.

"Let her go."

Huh?... The all too familiar voice was just behind her, its owner casting a shadow above Sakura.

"B-but, Daimyo-sama!"

"I do not wish to repeat myself, Genma."

There was a beat.

"Hai, Daimyo-sama."

The second the grip on her arm loosened, Sakura pushed herself on her feet and bolted for the door.


A/N: 5,500+ bloody words. Although I've written longer than that in another story, this is the longest chapter yet! Weeee!

Was planning to update this last week, but i got delayed with the fight scene, it simply is not my forte (and yet I write a samurai inspired story, I'm just fantastic that way). I had to do 'research', which was watch a couple of movies I had in my hard drive that had fight scenes I could use for this chapter. Most notable were the RK movie series (of course) and the Pacific Rim spar scene (my movie list does not contain a lot). Then when I got a little hopeless when it came to translating actions into words, I found, buried in my aunt's study, a copy of Memoirs of a Geisha! That's where I got the idea to simply forego most detailed action scenes and describe them through feeling and emotion instead, which also applies to Sakura's flashbacks here with her parents. The Geisha aspects were also very very very helpful as etiquette, and tradition play a major role in future chapters, I cannot wait to write them!

Alright, so there's a little bit of drama and mystery in this chapter. I wanted to pepper in some plot with all the action. I hope you caught on to those. And maybe I made Sakura react a bit too harsh towards Naruto here, but I only based it off on how I would feel if the same happened to me. My new friend single handedly (geddit? Coz the other is in a sling! *snort*) turned me into Public Enemy No. 1, when all I wanted was to be a wall flower! Who wouldn't be mad?

There was so much more I wanted to say and talk about, but I sorta forgot since I am soooo sleepy, it's 3:30 am where I am right now. So I'll probably save it for later, or re-update this A/N next time. Not that anybody reads this shit, hahah! Goodnight!

*Hajime - Start/Begin

Love you guys!

-Rei 3

updated: 11-12-15