To Remember You

by Dirty Chiban

sasusaku nejisaku naruhina She was a mermaid princess, he a naga prince, betrothed to unite the kingdoms, the two lovers are thrown apart and memories are lost. Now they must journey back to the sea before it's too late...

10. Chapter 10

AN: WOW THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE REVIEWS! THE RESULTS WILL BE REVEALED IN THIS CHAPTER! I HAVE ANOTHER POLL….

WHO SHOULD QUALITIES OF THEIR TRUE FORM NEXT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HAKU?

SASUKE

NARUTO

HINATA

MAJORITY WINS!

ALRIGHT, EVERYONE IS GOING TO HATE ME FOR THIS BUT I'LL JUST SAY THAT YOU LEARN TO REALLY APPRECIATE SOMETHING ONCE IT'S GONE….SO DON'T WORRY, BUT REMEMBER THAT IT HAS TO GET WORSE BEFORE IT CAN GET BETTER….

Losing her

Neji sprinted with such speed that it rivaled the wind. He could not afford to be slow. The life of the woman he loved teetered on the edge of a double edged blade. Looking down at her now, he could tell that her condition was worsening. She was extremely pale. She didn't have much time. Without a second thought he picked up the pace straining every ounce of energy he had. A few seconds later Sasuke caught up to him and was actually keeping up with him. Neji was impressed, although he would rather die than admit it. It took a lot to keep pace with him. Neji saw that at every free chance, the Uchiha kept his eyes on Sakura, his eyes betraying his deep worry. Neji scowled. Just because the retard was starting to realize that Sakura was a precious person, did not mean in any way that he would allow any kind of chance for his rival. He was going to crush him this time.

Meanwhile, Sasuke's heart was racing and it was not because of the almost inhuman rate at which they were running. Sakura's health was depleting rapidly and there was nothing he could do to stop it. And what was this nonsense of bringing her to this lake? How was that going to help her? She needed a doctor. For the millionth time, Sasuke cursed himself for not watching her more carefully. If he wasn't so cold and self absorbed then maybe he would have noticed her condition. What was he going to do? He couldn't lose Sakura. Any sense of good that was left in him would die right along with her.

If it was possible, Inner Sasuke was more worried. His mate to be was obviously suffering because she was gaining more of her true heritage, and with that came a need to be in the water. He knew what to do, but he was limited only to yelling at his other self who was completely clueless and did not trust the advice that he was giving him. This frustration barely covered the jealousy that still raged with the knowledge that Sakura was in his arms. If only he could be freed from this infernal prison. Everything could be set right then. It was good to note that everyday he was getting stronger in regards that he could take back and unite with his mind.

After another ten seconds, Neji halted in front of the lake in question. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a spectacular sight. A waterfall was the centerpiece of the luscious secluded paradise. It was more like a lagoon with unfathomable depths despite the clarity of the water. At the sight, Sasuke felt an immediate tremor of déjà vu. Flashes of a previous life in his dreams played before him. Memories of him and Sakura together flooded his mind. More specifically, the images and feelings of her and the way her lips felt against his. Inner Sasuke's feelings were so intense that it shocked him out of his trance. Still, Inner Sasuke knew exactly what this place looked like, and it made him long for Sakura all the more.

It wasn't long before Kakashi, Naruto and Hinata arrived. Immediately, Kakashi went to Sakura's side. Instantly, his eyes went to her legs. It was strange. Faint almost diamond shaped lines had appeared on her legs. That indicated that Sakura didn't have much time let.

"Neji give her to me, and take Sasuke and Naruto with you when you leave." Kakashi said in his most commanding tone. He didn't have time for Neji's temperamental crap. Sure enough, he was going to get some anyways.

"What, no! I'm never leaving her." Another unconscious growl erupted from the Uchiha. Needless to say, Naruto and Hinata were getting freaked out. Whatever was affecting Sakura was having other effects on Sasuke as well. Kakashi remained stern, yet at the same time, there was a poof and Kakashi had reverted back to his naga form.

"Neji, her bottom clothing has to be taken off before I can help her." He explained. Sasuke's growl grew louder and unknown to him, because of his state of emotional upset, inner Sasuke was starting to take over. But because of this, there was a side effect. The fingernails on Sasuke's right hand had lengthened and had turned into razor sharp claws. Sasuke or rather inner Sasuke for the time being was about to protest but Naruto beat him to it.

"Oh heck no you freaking nasty pervert. You're not undressing my Sakura!" he hollered pointing an acusing finger at him. Kakashi looked insulted.

"I never said I was. Hinata is going to undress her." Kakashi answered defensively. The boys still looked hesitant. Reluctantly, Neji handed her over to the naga.

"Don't make me regret this decision," he warned. Kakashi nodded and aited as the boys left. Once alone, Kakashi set her down, and Hinata went to work on her skirt etc. while Kakashi turned away. He was a gentleman after all. Sakura was like a daughter to him or more like a neice. He didn't think he was that old yet. It was weird seeing her legs like how they were now, but it did not deter Hinata from her mission. Once the pink haired princess was stripped Hinata took off her jacket and wrapped it around Sakura's waist for dignity's sake.

"Alright Kakashi, you can look now." She informed softly. At this time, all three boys raced back into the clearing. Apparently, they hadn't ventured out of ear shot. Still, they had the decency to keep their eyes on her face even though her lower half was technically covered. Slowly, Kakashi approached and lifted her into his arms. With the utmost care he slithered down to the water's edge and proceeded down in the water until the water stopped at Sakura's chest which was at Kakashi's chest. The four other teens followed yet stayed at the water's edge curious to see what was going to take place.

Then, it happened. The change was small at first but grew more noticeable as the seconds ticked by. The faint bruises that looked like faint tattoos became more pronounced. What were once milky white legs started to shift in color to a silky sea foam green color almost bordering on white. The three Konoha ninjas stared on in frightened awe. What was happening to Sakura? Whatever it was, seemed to be pointing to something that certainly wasn't human. The next stage of her transformation solidified that theory. The patterns of lines raised and iridescent sea foam green scales replaced flesh in a matter of seconds until both of her legs were completely covered. It was eerie when scales from one leg jumped from one side and latched onto the other leg. This occurred until both of her legs had merged into one limb. From there, her actual feet flattened and elongated until they had transformed into transparent fins. (think little mermaid) After that, the transformation seemed to stop, and then Kakashi fully submerged her in the water, so that her entire body would be replenished.

The transformation was completed. Sakura wasn't human. She was a mermaid. Silence permeated the air and the tension was so thick it was almost literally tangible. Soon, Kakashi raised her upper half out of the water again being careful to keep her tail submerged. Kakashi felt even more relieved when her health condition seemed to rapidly improve. The color had come back to her face and she was no longer deathly pale. Her breathing had evened out, and she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She would need that rest for when she woke up. Just because the first level of the curse seal had worn off did not mean that she had regained her memory. No, this only meant that she would have to revert to her mermaid form at night so that she could travel as a human in the day like Neji.

Kakashi sighed. The princess was safe. There was no telling how close to death she had just come. He was just glad that there was a lake nearby. In the future he would have to be more careful. Hinata's time of change must surely be coming up soon as well. He would have to take better precautions this time around. Absently, he wondered how she would take the news. There was no telling with Sakura. The only thing that he could surmise now would be that she would be sad because she wasn't human like how her beloved Sasuke was. Her reaction would really depend on how Sasuke reacted. Kakashi cringed. Things did not look good.

Hinata looked down at her best friend with compassion in her eyes. Hinata was a sharp girl. There was really no denying it now. She wasn't human either. To be honest, she didn't think that anyone of them was. It all made perfect sense now. Those dreams were probably actually reality. That meant that she was the princess's attendant. Hinata smiled. She liked that life from what she had seen so far and was not afraid to accept it. Heck, she was with Naruto. Still, Hinata feared for her best friend's reaction. It would be mind blowing to find out that you weren't human when you woke up.

Naruto just looked down in awe. In this form, Sakura looked like some kind of water goddess. Yes, the tail was a little strange at first, but somehow it seemed to suit better than legs. Besides, Sakura was Sakura. She would always be the same on the inside. He would always stay by her side no matter what. Believe it, he was Naruto Uzamaki after all. It was strange; the way he was looking at her now was not how a lover looked at his beloved. It was more like how a brother watches over his sister. Protective and concerned. He knew that the same could not be said about either of his male companions. The way they gazed at her was totally different. Especially Sasuke, Naruto had never seen Sasuke gaze at her openly with such concern and tenderness. Little did he know that the Sasuke that he knew was not in control.

Inner Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off of Sakura. This was the form in which he had fallen in love with. This was the Sakura from his past. This was the girl that he had fallen in love with. She was gorgeous. In her mermaid form, she radiated beauty and natural elegance. This was his mate to be. This was the girl he wanted to make his queen, and spend the rest of his life with. He was so entranced with her that the inner didn't realize that for this moment he was in control and was whole with his rational self. It seemed that rational Sasuke was just as taken with Sakura at the moment as his inner self was. How he wanted to go to her, wanted to wrap her up in his arms and hold her impossibly close. Unconsciously, he started walking towards the water's edge. He was in a one track minded trance. He needed to be with Sakura. Nothing else seemed to matter. Everyone seemed to watch him as well almost paralyzed to where they stood. Neji saw this and was about to protest when the unexpected happened and he didn't have to.

Still in the trance, Sasuke was about five steps away from her. Surprisingly, at this time Sakura was staring to awaken from her slumber. This excited Sasuke yet his pace slowed. He was directly at the water's edge when he stopped. Nervously, he raised his right hand to brush the hair out of his eyes. Wrong move. When his hand came into view; Sasuke could see the razor sharp claws on each finger. Inner Sasuke was greatly surprised at this sight, and in that slight moment of hesitation, the rational side of Sasuke split fromhis inner half once more. The sight of his claws terrified him. Claws meant that he wasn't human. It was all he could do to not scream out. His whole body shook. He was a monster. He was a…

"Freak," he whispered. When he heard a gasp, Sasuke looked up from his hand to see that Sakura was looking at him with tears in her eyes. Apparently, she hadn't noticed her transformation yet, but still thought that he was talking to her. Speaking of transformation, Sasuke looked one last time at her tail. Sakura wasn't human. What? When did that happen? Any memory he had of the last minute while he was in a trance had just been shattered. Then that meant… that he wasn't… No! It can't be…Still, the claws on his right hand didn't lie. Angrily, he clenched his fist trying to hide them before anyone saw, ignoring the pain as his claws dug into his palms causing them to bleed. Without further thought he dashed away into the woods.

Naruto couldn't believe what he just saw and heard. Sasuke had just called Sakura a freak. Naruto was ticked off now. How could he? Oh no, Naruto wasn't going to let him get away with that one.

"Sasuke! Sasuke get back here!" Naruto hollered chasing off after him. To make matters worse, it was then that Sakura just happened to look down at where her legs used to be. A deafening scream could be heard though out the entire forest. Violently she thrashed against Kakashi as he attempted to keep her still. Her tail thrashed water everywhere getting Neji had Hinata wet.

"What happened to me! Don't look at me! I'm a monster!" Screams of that nature proceeded on for about an hour. It got to the point that the only reason Sakura calmed down was because she was too tired to fight any more. Eventually, Kakashi was able to let her go and she just sat in the shallows staring blankly at her sea foam tail.

"So, I'm this now" Sakura said in a deadpanned tone. Hinata and Neji were silent leaving Kakashi to answer. He had stayed in his naga form the whole time in hopes to comfort her. He too sat in the warm waters. He sighed. This had turned out a lot worse than he had hoped, but at the same time, admittedly, he knew it was going to happen. Sasuke wasn't a fan of change. Still, that whole incident with Sakura had turned out disastrous. Kakashi shook his head.

"No, you were always a mermaid." Kakashi struggled with his next words. Why did this have to happen? Why did Orochimaru have to ruin everyone's lives? If he hadn't attacked that night, then they would have never had to come to the human world. There would be no curse seals, and Sakura would not be sitting here heartbroken because the love of her life had just rejected her. If there was no Orochimaru, then Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto and Hinata would still be in love. If Orochimaru didn't exist, then he could have been at home with Anko and finally starting a family with her. Still, Orochimaru did exist and they would have to deal with the present. That meant that he couldn't fully tell them the truth yet, for fear of them regaining their memories too fast.

Kakashi stared blankly at the setting sun.

"There were just…circumstances…that altered that for a bit." Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"Circumstances? What do you mean circumstances?" she questioned. Hinata looked eager to hear this information as well. For a moment everything was silent. Kakashi looked down avoiding their gazes.

"I can't tell you that." Sakura's temper flared.

"What do you mean you can't tell me?! First, we find out that you're not human, and then I…I wake up like…like this, so I think I deserve to know what's going on here!"

Kakashi was about to answer, but Neji beat him to it.

"Yes, you deserve to know, but please, trust him when he says it is for your own safety." His voice rang out soothingly. Kakashi was dumbstruck, although he would never show it. He was an ex anbu after all. At the sound of Neji's voice Sakura seemed calm. Whether that was a good thing or not, Kakashi couldn't decide. Suddenly, a crash was heard a ways off. With their heightened senses, Kakashi, Neji, and now Sakura, could here the distant yell of Naruto screaming insults. That only meant one thing. Naruto and Sasuke were fighting. Kakashi and Neji scowled.

"Are those two trying to get us all killed," Kakashi muttered angriliy. Those two were seriously going to be punished this time. He had had enough of their crap. He didn't care if Sasuke was the prince or not, he was going to learn a few lessons.

"Hinata, you're coming with me. Neji you stay with Sakura," Kakashi ordered. Both pale eyed teens nodded while Kakashi slithered out of the water and reverted back to his humanoid self. In a few seconds the two were gone leaving Neji and Sakura alone.

Previously, Sasuke sat panting at the base of a large tree clutching his right had like it was a lifeline. There was no mistaking it now. His worst fears had been confirmed. He was one of those…things. He was one of those…snakes. Those dreams, were they really true? How long would it be before it was his turn to turn into some kind of monster? Unconsciously, he unclenched his bloody right fist preparing to see the blatant sign of his lack of humanity. However, it was not to be. When he looked at his fingers, they had somehow miraculously reverted back to their human form. Sasuke let out a sigh of relief, and leaned more heavily against the tree. He knew his time was coming, but at least it wasn't right now. He could only imagine the terror Sakura was going through right now. Sakura…The way she had looked at him in fear when he said the word "freak," it was heartbreaking. She didn't know that he was only calling himself a freak and not her. Man, he felt like crap. Somehow, he always managed to screw up everything.

Sasuke couldn't think anymore because Naruto had just landed in front of him. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that the blonde was way beyond ticked off. He had a right to be. His best friend was just insulted for something she couldn't help. Still, Sasuke didn't want to deal with Naruto right now. He had his own problems to deal with.

"Go away Naruto," Sasuke said patiently. A strange thing happened. Instead of blowing up like he usually did, Naruto remained quiet, his fist clenching so tightly that his knuckles were white.

"No," he growled out behind clenched teeth. Sasuke glared back at his best friend. As the wind blew, an eerie silence permeated the forest, the silence that promised a brawl.

"Why, why did you call her that," Naruto accused in a low demanding tone as he advanced on the Uchiha. Said ninja rose to meet the unspoken challenge. Sasuke's temper flared. Suddenly the roles reversed and Naruto was the calm brooding one and Sasuke was the angry loudmouth.

"Shut up, Naruto. What would you know about anything?" Sasuke yelled defensively. Naruto's scowl grew.

"I know that you're a cold hearted jerk that couldn't give a crap if he just hurt the person that loves him the most," Naruto spat his tone icy with restrained rage.

"Shut up!" Sasuke screamed louder backing away from him. He didn't want to hear how he had hurt Sakura. Naruto didn't understand. He didn't know what it was like to be turning into a monster. Besides, he didn't say that to Sakura.

Naruto didn't care. Sasuke needed to hear the truth, no matter how painful it was for him. He couldn't just treat Sakura like that. Didn't he know what a prize he had just to have Sakura's affections? He didn't know what he had. Naruto did. He had pined for Sakura for so long. He had wanted her attentions, the special treatment that she reserved only for Sasuke. Over time, secretly, he had come to face the fact that she would only see him as a brother. And as a brother, he only wanted what was best for her, and Sasuke was just not cutting it. She deserved someone who loved her like he did. Naruto smirked, still advancing.

"But you know, I do know something else. I see the way that Neji and Sakura look at each other. She's starting to look at him the same way she looked at you. And you know what else," Naruto's cutting voice lowered to that of a whisper. "I hope you lose her to him, so that you'll finally know what you lost."

That was it. Sasuke stopped, his eyes filling with rage, and he charged at Naruto with all he had. How dare he say that! Why was he betraying him like that! All of the pain and anger he felt about himself, and the confusion with Sakura all built up until he couldn't take it anymore. The comment about Sakura and Neji was the catalyst that pushed him over the edge.

Sasuke charged Naruto, throwing a punch. Naruto quickly dodged it. Yeah, they were going to have it out. This was their way of arguing. This was Naruto's way of showing his friend how wrong he had been. Naruto countered and threw his own which Sasuke blocked. This was the pattern, throwing kicks punches and low level jutsus, whatever it took to get in a hit.

"Shadow clone jutsu" Naruto shouted and about thirty clones appeared all charging the Uchiha. When they all got close enough, one fire dragon jutsu destroyed them all. Both boys were panting now, yet unwilling to back down.

"You don't deserve her!" Naruto screamed.

"Shut up!" Sasuke screamed in between pants. In a second both were charging at each other again with renewed strength. But before either one could land a punch both found themselves suspended in the air a clawed hand tightly clasped around each of their throats. Both boys were shocked to see Kaskahi in his naga form, growling, while hold each of them like they were weightless.

"You both will stop…now." That was the last thing both of them heard before Kakashi threw them both in different directions with such an intense force that when they crashed into the trees that left huge dents while instantly knocking them out cold. He was sick of this crap. He was not going to let their stupidity kill them all. Slowly, he went to each unconscious boy and then picked them up. Hinata just stood back in scared shock. She had never seen Kakashi like that before. So when he glanced over at her she involuntarily shivered.

"Hinata, I need you to help me go set up camp and help tend to these two, can you do that for me?" Shakily, she nodded her head. She felt bad for Naruto, he had only meant to help. But she could see how they were supposed to try to be inconspicuous. She sighed. This was one stressful journey and they had had only one enemy so far.

(Again, I apologize, but here it goes… By the way, parts of this conversation will be taken from the song, "If I was the one")

Meanwhile, Sakura still sat in the exact spot that she had been sitting in for the past two hours. At this point in time, she was trying to hold back tears for the tenth time. She just couldn't help it. Her mind kept rewinding back to the moment she had woken up. She knew she felt strange. Her legs felt like they were stuck together. She also felt better than she had in a long time. However, she dismissed the thoughts when she caught sight of Sasuke beside. She would never forget that face for the rest of her life. It was full of disgust and fear. She had not seen his hand. She only saw his eyes, and the repulsion that was so evident there. His sole word tore her heart apart.

"Freak." She remembered it vividly that it was then they she caught sight of her legs or what used to be her legs. There in place of her legs, was a long sea foam green fish's tail. It was frightening to think that she could even feel the tips of her fins or the way the water would run along each one of her scales. No one wonder he was disgusted. She was a monster. He would never love her now. Her heart broke. Who could ever love some kind of beast like her?

"I am a freak," she whispered dejectedly as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

"No…you're not," Neji's strong firm voice sounded beside her. That's right; he had stayed with her this whole time. He was still standing on the bank a scowl marring his perfect features. Sakura looked away.

"But he said…" Sakura started before Neji roughly cut her off.

"Is he all you can think of?" Sakura was flabbergasted. No one had ever spoken to her like this before.

"What?" she asked ignorantly. Neji snorted and then locked eyes with her.

"I'm not blind, Sakura. I see the way he treats you. I can see the tears that he's causing you. And you know what, it makes me mad. He doesn't deserve you. Can't you see that?" Neji said trying to convey his frustration to her. Sakura gazed up at him with eyes full of sadness.

"But look at me, I'm not normal anymore." Neji smirked and shook his head.

"Yes, you are normal, and besides, what's so great about normal? And for the record, I'm not exactly normal either." Sakura's eyes widened. What was he talking about? But that thought flew right out the window, when she saw him remove his shirt. Sakura blushed bright red, though her eyes couldn't help but be glued to his lean muscled perfection. Her eyes roved slowly across his firm chest and down to his abs. When she realized where her eyes were at she looked away quickly. She could hear Neji chuckle from behind her.

"N…N…Neji, what are you doing?" she asked trying to get a hold of her voice. His tone was obviously playful. He had caught Sakura staring at him and it pleased him to know that she like his body because the fact of the matter was that he liked hers a lot.

"Do you mind if I take a swim?" he asked the amusement evident in his voice. Unable to speak, she merely nodded. A few minutes later she heard him and felt the vibrations as he stepped into the water and then diving in. A few seconds later she heard him surface.

"Sakura, you should come and swim with me, the water's great," Neji called. Sakura looked down ashamed.

"Wouldn't you rather not? I mean look at me, and besides, I don't really know how to swim like this." Another chuckle was heard.

"It's all right, I'll teach you." Sakura's eyes widened. Sure enough, she found him swimming out in the deeper part of the pool. In the clear water, she could see his long turquoise tail trailing behind him. Sakura was speechless. Partly because she had just found out that he was a merman, and the other was because he looked simply breathtaking in the moonlight. The moon's rays almost made his pale skin glow, and his hair shone with the tiny droplets of water that dripped from his bangs. Slowly, he swam over to her until he was sitting right next to her. He held her gaze with such intensity.

"I wasn't lying when I said I wasn't normal, but then again this is normal for us." His smile was contagious and so Sakura found herself smiling form his kindness.

"So you don't think I'm a freak?" she asked innocently as she found the scales on his tail suddenly very interesting. But his fingers gently lifted her chin so that he locked eyes with her.

"Never" he whispered so tenderly that she believed it with all of her heart. A pink blush stained her cheeks.

"Why are you so good to me?" she whispered. Neji smiled, his hand leaving her chin and gently stroking her cheek. Sakura unconsciously leaned towards it reveling in his attentions. For now, Sasuke was the farthest thing from her mind.

"That's easy. It's simply because I love you." There he had said it. Years of pent emotions had finally been released. He had finally told her. Sakura's eyes jerked open.

"What? But how can you? I mean, we've only just met," Sakura whispered. Neji shook his head.

"No, we've known each other for a long time. You just don't remember, and for right now you can't remember or you won't be able to make it home. Believe me, I want to tell you everything, but I can't. If you regain your memories to fast then you won't be able to use your human form anymore, and you'll be in danger," he ended softly. Sakura nodded that made sense. That was what Kakashi had been referring to before.

"So you love me?" Sakura asked timidly. She didn't know what to make of this. Neji nodded.

"Yes, your love is the only thing that I've ever wanted. Sakura, I wish you could know how much. Listen, if I was the one that loved you, the only tears you'd cry would be tears of joy. And if I was the one that was by your side, then you'd never know one lonely night. And if it was my arms that you were running to, I'd give you love in these arms of mine. If I was the one in your life. Can't you see that all I want to do right now is to kiss away your tears and hold you?" All the while he was saying this he was coming closer and closer to her leaning down so that he could capture her lips.

In that last second, her inner self screamed that this was not Sasuke, and that she loved him so she couldn't do this anymore. Mentally, Sakura shook her head. Sasuke doesn't love me and you know what, maybe my prince charming is right here…I'm sorry Sasuke, I can't wait for you anymore. With that last thought, she lifted her head so that she soft hesitancy of his lips. Shyly, he pressed his lips to hers careful to be gentle with her. Shyly, she returned his kiss leaning into him and massaging his lips slowly with hers. She could feel him gasp against her, and she smiled as he gained more confidence. This was new territory for both of them, and the excitement of this new feeling was overwhelming.

Neji's heart soared. Sakura was kissing him. Not Sasuke! Him! All of those years of loneliness had finally come to a close. In the kiss he gently sucked her lower lip and tried to convey her softly how happy he was at the moment. After another moment, the two broke away for air. Neji rested his forehead against hers taking pleasure in the satiated look in her eyes. He had pleased her. The thought alone was intoxicating. In moment of joy he lifted her in his arms and twirled around smiling brightly. Sakura giggled.

"Neji!" she exclaimed like a giddy school girl clutching on to him like a lifeline. Slowly, he lowered her back down in the water, and he playfully gave her a peck on the lips. Sakura blushed bright red.

"Come on, I think it's time I taught you how to swim," he chuckled holding her close. ( I know Neji is ooc but hey, you do crazy things when you're in love)

Meanwhile, a few hours later, Sasuke woke up with a splitting headache. It felt like someone had hit him with a brick.

"Ugh…" he groaned sitting up. He found himself laying against a log. He looked around. It was night time, and he was at their temporary camp for the night. Hinata was holding Naruto's head in her lap, his body still unconscious. Across the campfire, Kakashi sat in his humanoid form reading Make out paradise. Stupid pervert. Kakashi didn't even look up form his book.

"You're finally up," he staed in his usual lazy tone. Then the days' events came back to him. His hand, Sakura, the fight with Naruto, the ticked off look on his sensei's face. Sakura! He had to find her and apologize.

"Sakura, where is she?" Sasuke asked not caring when Kakashi's eye narrowed. When the silver haired ninja saw that his student was not going to give up, he sighed and consented.

"About a minute that way, she's still a mermaid; she has to stay that way for the night, before she can revert back in the morning. However, I don't think you should go." Kakashi's words fell on deaf ears as Sasuke sprinted off in said direction. Kakashi sighed shaking his head. I'm sorry Sasuke, but you waited too long…

Meanwhile, Sasuke ran with all of the speed he had. He was going to apologize to Sakura, and then everything could pretty much go back to the way it was supposed to be. However, when he reached the lake, his blood ran cold. There in the shallows, Neji sat with Sakura curled up next to him in what was obviously some kind of lover's embrace. Their entwined fingers and the contented look on Sakura's face did not lie. He wasn't shocked when he saw that Neji was a merman or the fact that Sakura tail was resting slightly over his. The only thing that his mind could process was :I've lost her…

MAN, SASUKE TOOK SOME REAL HEAT IN THIS CHAPTER! LIKE I SAID BEFORE, IT HAS TO GET WORSE, AND NOW THAT IT HAS IT CAN GET BETTER! AN UCHIHA DOESN'T GIVE UP THAT EASILY. REMEMBER TO REVIEW ON WHO SHOULD REVEAL A LOT OF ASPECTS TO THEIR TRUE FORM IN THE BATTLE AGAINST HAKU.

SASUKE

NARUTO

HINATA