Every time Sakura tells this story she forgets to mention my part. Caught up in her memories of Lee. I had as much pain and sorrow in this as anyone. If not more. I lost two people I loved, and had to watch them move on without me.

I still liked Sakura the day we were paced in that shelter. It was more like a prison. The funny thing was, I tried for so long to convince myself it was only a crush. Immature feelings that would never go anywhere. She only felt hate for me, and love for Lee.

Everyday I had to watch in silence, as she grew closer to him. He was so smooth, acting like he just wanted to comfort her, but all he really wanted was to make her love him. Sasuke's death meant nothing to him. The time they spent together, planning, plotting, only made them more competitive. This was right under my nose and couldn't say a word about it. Sakura wouldn't believe me anyways. Then she would hate me even more. I couldn't bear the thought.

That morning she left the shelter, I was watching. She only thought I was asleep. I became stronger each day, pretending I was else where, when really my eyes were always on Sakura. Watching, waiting. Waiting for something that never came.

The nights they spent together, I saw them. Each night I walked to her bed, just watching. Watching her sleep. Then she started sleeping in Lee's bed, with him. I watched her there too. Every night I tried my hardest to ignore the other man who held her in her arms. The man that wasn't me. I watched her sleep with her new lover, and I did it every night.

Breakfast was routine. Sakura sat to my left, Lee to my right. Holding hands underneath the table, as if I didn't already know. As if I wouldn't have found out. Secret smiles across the table when they thought I wasn't looking. Each day my heart broke a little more.

Then one day, Sakura wasn't there. Lee said she was still sleeping. I didn't trust him, but I knew I couldn't go see her then. As much as I wanted to, but eh seemed to be watching me the same way I had been watching her. Every move documented inside his memory. He knew. Somehow he knew I still felt for Sakura. He knew it was stronger than it had ever been before, grown into a deep passion and strong enough to threaten what they had.

"I've seen you. The way you watch her."

We were interrupted. The Jonin were here. But why? It was to early for food. It had only been a week since our last supply. There must be something wrong. Something very wrong.

There was. Kurenai-sensei came in quickly and glanced around with the worst pain in her eyes that I had ever seen. There was guilt written all over it.

"Where's Sakura?"

"Still sleep-- Oh, no. There she is."

Sakura came into the kitchen and sat down with the both of us, as we listened to the news.

"The Jonin have been sent to every shelter. There is an emergency. We're regrouping."

The look on her face told me that she was no more prepared for this than we were.

"Where?"

"Here. It's the safest location, the farthest away from where it happened."

My eyes grew wide. The something hit all of us. The sound were involved in this. Lives were in danger. Something was going on that couldn't be stopped without the Genin?

"Yesterday,"

Kurenai started. Tears formed in her eyes as she tried to continue. All she managed was a stutter before tears started falling down her delicate face.

"The sound. They found us. Kiba, Hinata, and I. We couldn't save her. By the time we had our own opponents killed, they had already had Hinata bound, and on her way to … there."

Kurenai put her head in her hands and let all of her emotions out. Then there was a knock. 6 others came inside. Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru, Asuma, and 2 other Chuunin that I didn't recognize. Soon after, the rest arrived. Of the leaf Nin who were in the ranks for the chuunin exams, only 10 of us were left. So many were gone…

Then Asuma stood up. He was the only one left who was capable and willing to be a leader now.

"You all know what they'll do to her. We need to get her back. Now."