RW here :) A happier (hopefully!) and funnier chapter. I've been chuckling to myself about the whole hospital bed scene for a couple of days now. :) The next chapter will be even funnier, with our favorite stalkers and irritated OC (or as TigerKiss put it, mystery lady, which I love) go on a road trip.

You head me right, a road trip.

And--well, I don't want to give it away, but let's just say that there's a young lord involved, Naruto becomes furious to find his friend in the hospital, and a generally pissed off, angry Kakashi... ;) Hee, hee... There's some lines next chapter I really like:

"Why are you two shadowingme?" she gritted her teeth.

"There's someone after you," Sasuke replied coolly, the two of them looking every bit as deadly as they were at the moment.

"Well, DUH! What have I been saying?" she shouted angrily.

"Besides us," Sasuke amended.

I wanna laugh every time I see that scene in my head. hee, hee... Furious Naruto, angry dark!Kakashi, the young lord (enter name in next chapter), battles in a different country, the love-whatever-its-shaped adds another side (but just for a chapter!) and... well... let's just say that the next chapter has a little bit of everything, including everybody's favorite cricket and a stick. ---shifty eyes--- That's all I'm saying, but if you liked the whole "pink unicorn" joke, sessha thinks you'll like this. :)

Reviewer's Responses:

PimpTroyce: Aww, you make sessha feel so lurved:) Thank-you SOOOO MUCH! Your reviews are always so wonderful :) I'm glad that you enjoyed the last chapter! I still don't know what to make of it, since it was totally different... : > I think it was the result of binging on Rurouni Kenshin... or something... BUT YOU SO TOTALLY ROCK! THANK-YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR REVIEWING!

Lady Crymsyn: As always, much love for your reviews. :) Sessha tried to put some humor in here for ya, and happy holidays, especially Happy Chanukkah:) SESSHA THANKS YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS!

Angel-Rage: Yep:) And the worst for her isn't even over yet. ---clamps hands over muse's mouth--- heh, heh... Vash the Stampede? Huh. Never really watched that anime. I was searching for a Naruto-esque character model, but one still distinctly his own personality. We'll definitely be seeing him more in later chappies, which sessha loves, because sessha loves Sora-kun! ---huggles--- Think similar appearance to Sora of Kingdom Hearts, only with slightly less spiky hair. Still spiky, just not as... tall? ---sessha bangs head over poor description skills--- Yay! Gaara goodness:) Sessha's trying to keep Gaara In Character, but... he's a hard character to write. :( Oh well! YOU ROCK! THANKS SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING!

TudeDeluxe: THANK-YOU SOOO MUCH! You're so sweet:) Sessha tried to update as soon as humanly possible for ya! ---gets teary-eyed--- My first cliffhanger! > : ) THANK-YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING Shield and Sword! You are such an awesome reviewer!

sugarycandlelight: Yes, fear me! BWAHAHA! Just kidding. :P And sessha means "this unworthy one" or "this clumsy one." It is a term of humility and respect towards others. Sessha's gotten in the habit of calling herself that since becoming a RuroKen addict back in the day. :) I got, like, 10 DVDs last week at Half-Price Books, which makes me HAPPY:) There seriously need to be more RK-Naruto crossovers. :) And sessha loves thanking you wonderful, WONDERFUL people! Don't worry, Sora-kun's not destined for sadness! I luvvels him too much. :) And I have no intention of dying until I finish all of the stories in my head... which means u (great!) people aren't going to be rid of me for quite awhile... > : ) I have another Kakashi/OC fic I'd like to tackle after I finish OUT but never fear, I plan a sequel to this... SESSHA LURVES YOU!

TigerKiss: Sessha read your kewl profile. :( Much better than sessha's... :P SESSHA IS BAAAD! BAD SESSHA! BAD SESSHA! ---bangs head--- Sessha should have made it so much clearer that there would be definitely, beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt never Sasuke-OC story. ---sobs--- Can you forgive sessha:(

Ankle-Biter: Sessha has already chosen a name... I just won't be revealing it until the final chapter. > : ) Yes, I'm evil, but I was going to reveal it last chapter and it just didn't feel right. So I'm sticking with my original plan and saving it. :) Sessha hopes she cleared up why Naruto wasn't there last chappie! (strange little thing that it was...) And I promise a lot of Naruto in the next chapters:) Sessha is SOO HAPPY that u liked the Christmas story:) You make sessha feel so lurved! --cries happily-- THANKS SOO MUCH FOR REVIEWING TWICE!

To all of my readers/reviewers: YOU GUYS ROCK!


Once Upon Tomorrow

Chapter Eight: Hospital + Stalkers Doom

They cursed their doujutsus now.

Sasuke still saw her as the car hit; he would, literally, never be able to forget it. The Sharingan never forgot anything that it copied; the knowledge was with the user forever.

So, whenever he closed his eyes, he would still see her bloodied body thrown back—

Neji had a different horror.

While he didn't have the Sharingan, the Copy-Eye, his Byakuugan had shown him in terrible, oh-so-clear detail the damage to her body. He saw the bones snap, the internal damage that threatened her life.

It may not have been burned into his memory forever, but he had seen it in such horrible detail, that it was hellish enough.

Gaara, the slightly narrowed eyes the only indication of his worry, held her cradled in his sand, the three men racing to the hospital, fighting the clock for this girl's life. Slamming the doors open, they ignored the tired medic-nin's startled looks, or the fact that more than one intern dropped something seeing the Sabaku no Gaaracradling something in his sand, which hitherto had only been seen as death.

It almost could have been tender, except that if one looked too closely, they could see the sand absorbing the blood into itself—as if it was feeding off her pain.

Most chose to ignore that.

"What's going on?" a familiar voice demanded.

Neji's jaw was clenched so tightly it was beginning to ache, but he ignored that. If she could feel even a fraction of the injuries he knew she'd endured, even in an unconscious state…

Well, a headache was laughable compared to that.

"What happened?" Haruno Sakura demanded, already lifting her onto a gurney, examining her more thoroughly than they had dared to. Sasuke met her eyes, his own black ones filled with a sort of desperate, unspoken plea for her to make everything all better.

"She was hit by a car," he said hoarsely, scarcely even believing all of this was real, that it was happening to her.

"There are shuriken and electrical wounds on her," Sakura shot him a hard look, almost a glare.

They were racing down the hallways to get her into surgery, Sakura in the lead. Sasuke's eyes narrowed; he'd have to get that information, but that could wait.

"The traitor didn't do it, Haruno, if that's what you're inferring," Gaara replied coolly, ignoring the gawking stares of staff and patients.

Sasuke suddenly stopped Sakura before she could get the girl on death's door into the surgery room.

"What are her chances?" he demanded.

He was almost afraid of the answer.

"Get out of the way, Sasuke-kun," Sakura growled, clenching the fists at her side.

"What are her chances?" he shouted.

"None, if you don't get the hell outta my way! Sasuke-kun, I love you, but I will punch you so hard I'll send you back to Sound if you don't get out of my way."

All of sudden, Sakura was a wolf with a scalpel in her hands and death in her eyes.

And, heaven help him, he was in between her and the door.

Moving out of the way with that natural grace that other women had swooned over and one woman had laughed at, he leaned against the wall opposite the door and waited.


And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Gaara had scared off anyone brave enough to ask them to leave, so even that distraction had gone. Neji had closed his eyes, sitting motionless in the uncomfortable plastic chair in some form of meditation.

Either that, or the bastard had gone asleep.

If he had…

Well, Sasuke'd just make sure he never woke back up.

The door squeaked open, Sasuke and Neji jumping to their feet, anxiously scanning Sakura's weary eyes and shaking hands for any sign. Gaara remained leaning against the wall, jade eyes watching her from under blood-red bangs, head cocked to the side. The only way anyone who knew him (which could be counted on one hand) would see that he was worried was the way the sand shifted restlessly in his gourd, and the utter stillness in him.

He was dangerous when he got that still.

"Well?" Sasuke demanded, fists so tightly clenched that Gaara wondered idly if they'd soon start to bleed. Sakura gave them a tired, tight smile.

"It was tough, and it's still a little touch and go. She suffered a lot of internal bleeding, and she lost a lot of blood," Sakura plopped exhaustedly into the chair Neji had been sitting in, rubbing her head with her hands.

"But?" Gaara prompted, the sand in his gourd settling down a bit, some of the still tension leaving him. Sakura had a feeling that some terrible danger had passed, and breathed a sigh of relief.

All she needed was a psycho tanuki-boy/insomniac on the loose while Naruto was away on a mission…

"She's a fighter. She wants to live. I don't know all the details," she glanced over at Sasuke from the corner of her eye, "but I believe that she has the strength to pull through this. We've shoved a massive amount of healing chakra in her, but she'll need a lot of rest—and no anxiety or stress—for awhile before she fully heals."

Closing her eyes briefly, Sakura sighed and propelled herself to her feet through sheer force of will, giving the men a long, skeptical look.

"I don't know what's going on, and I don't want to know. But," she wagged a finger towards them (one that could have kicked their butts), "I do know this. If she ever is back in this hospital, I will personally hand you over the Hokage and work you over until not even Tsunage-shishou herself could put you back together. Do I make myself clear?"

They wisely chose to nod.

"Good. Now, I am tired, so goodnight. Stay out of her room."

Staggering off, she headed towards the nearest doctor's lounge to get some much-deserved sleep. She nearly fell, but soft sand caught her and brought her to her feet.

"At least someone here is a gentleman," she grumbled, giving him a smile. He gave a short nod in return, making sure she managed to make it to her destination, and then promptly left the hospital.

He had some investigating to do.


Sasuke hadn't left the hospital for two days straight now. Well, with dawn breaking, it was technically the third day, but he was too tired and too worried to give a damn.

Sighing, he rubbed his aching eyes, continuing his silent vigil. Neji had been sent on an A-Rank mission soon after the first day, and had only just returned. He was waiting to visit her the moment he got news that she was awake.

So Sasuke had been alone outside her door for the greater part of two days, and been awake for most of them. He wasn't used to sleeping around other people (it'd been hard enough to do that when he'd started missions during his genin days), so he'd simply daze off and then wake up.

Getting a little tired of this, he opened the door to her room cautiously, taking in her still form with an aching heart. The only sound was her soft breathing and the noises of the various machines she was hooked up to. Suddenly, he was tired, more tired than he'd ever felt in his life.

So when he carefully climbed in next to her, mindful of how she had turned to lie on her better side, breathing in the sterile scent of the hospital and the gentle fragrance of her shampoo, it had been nothing more than his desire to rest—and for comfort.

For himself, as much as for her.

He felt all of the tension leave his body, relaxing for the first time in a very, very long time. He gently put a hand on her stomach, the thin hospital gown's material telling him she was cold.

Putting his arms around her, one arm still resting on her stomach, he pulled the sheets over them and sighed, falling deeply into sleep.


She couldn't remember where she was.

She guessed, from the sounds, that she was in the hospital and vaguely remembered how it might have happened, but the how and why escaped her at the moment.

And then she felt the hand.

Unfortunately, (or perhaps fortunately) she didn't know that for a shinobi to let his guard down enough to sleep with another person (and just sleep), it meant a deep trust and vulnerability. Sasuke was trusting her enough to let his guard down completely, letting himself be vulnerable with her.

So, being ignorant of that, she focused on what she did know, like where the hand was

No one, except them, will ever know if it had drifted higher or lower in the night, but needless to say it was now in… inappropriate territory.

"AAAAAH! GET OFF OF ME, YOU PERVERT!" she screamed, shoving him out of bed to a hard landing on the cold tile floor. He'd grabbed the sheets instinctively, as though they had been his kunai, his face red from the hard slap she'd given him.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason why his face was red.

"I didn't mean—!" he scooted back like a flash… all of seven feet. Desperately trying to look anywhere but her, his blush deepened.

He felt like an idiot.

But at the same time, his eyes were trying to direct themselves back to her. Because while the gown didn't open up at the back, it wasn't very long; in fact, it was rather on the short side, giving him a teasing, tempting show of perfectly shaped leg and thigh…

He had to stop hanging around Kakashi-sensei.


Sakura, having heard her shout, had ran into the room…

To stare in wonder at Sasuke-kun blushing.

Sasuke. Blushing.

This had to be a sign of the apocalypse, the fifth horse; muttering a prayer, the felt her anger steaming up (she had told him to stay out of her room!), Sakura marched over and punched Sasuke so hard he flew through the door he'd been inching towards, where he landed in the hallway…

On Hyuuga Neji.

"AND STAY OUT!"


Shoving the traumatized (and agitated) Sasuke off of him with a muffled curse, Neji glanced at the roses he'd brought to give her.

Crumpled and ruined.

They weren't a total loss, though; smirking, he saw Uchiha glaring at him, picking out thorns.

No, most definitely not a loss.


Yamanaka Ino had always loved it when men came into the flower shop.

Freely admitting her enjoyal of this torture, she felt her ears twitch when the bell jingled softly, indicating customers.

Ahh, more victims…

"Hello, what can I—S-S-Sasuke-kun? Hyuuga Neji-san?" she managed to croak out.

God help Sakura if they were getting flowers for her…

"H-how can I help you?" she recovered enough, though she still felt dazed. From the way the two prodigies were glaring at each other, she guessed that they were getting flowers for the same girl.

Ino felt her eye twitch.

"We're just looking," Sasuke grunted out brusquely, already shoving past her. Completely ignoring her, Neji headed for the first flowers he saw. They were white (which would subtly remind her of his eyes whenever she looked at them), grabbed them and headed to the counter, slapped some yen down, and promptly left.

Blinking, Ino noted that he had overpaid and deprived her of her favorite amusement. Of course, that left Sasuke…

Alone…

In her store…

Completely.

At.

Her.

Mercy.

If she'd been Kyuubi's jinchuuriki instead of Naruto, she would have fox ears popping up right about now.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, are you looking for any certain… type… of flower?" she had hesitated just enough to get him nervous, just enough for him to vaguely sense danger.

Mentally waving it off, (after all, she was barely chuunin, although Shikamaru and Chouji had always said with horror to never, ever go to her flower shop, muttering something about torture) he remained silent.

Damn.

He didn't know a damn thing about flowers.

Roses? Roses were expensive, and girls liked roses, didn't they?

Orchids, maybe?

Or… those other flowers? The pinkish ones?

"I'm sure Forehead-Girl would adore sakura blossoms," Ino cooed sweetly, the picture of angelic innocence and good will.

His eye twitched.

His self-preservation was beginning to tell him to just pick a damn flower and get out of there before she ate him alive.

"I'll take a half-dozen black roses and three red ones," he tossed some yen onto the counter next to register and impatiently waited for her to finish arranging them. Glancing up from her graceful movements (she'd always prided herself on her ikebana), Ino had to hide a faint smile.

She may want to kill the girl who'd stolen her Sasuke-kun's heart, but she just couldn't deny the adorableness that was a nervously in-love Uchiha Sasuke.

"So who's the lucky girl? Sakura? Ten-Ten? Temari?" she asked softly, sounding more like a noblewoman than a kunoichi brushing up her torture and interrogation techniques.

"It's no one you would know," he replied freezingly.

Well, that ruled out the majority of the male population of Konoha—and their girlfriends.

Hmm…

What a wonderful mystery.

"Here you go, and have a wonderful day, Sasuke-kun!" she called out sweetly as Sasuke slammed the door shut so hard it shook the shop.

Ino grinned.

She loved a good hunt.


Uzumaki Naruto, stretching, shouted for joy as the great Gates to Konoha grew before him. Spotting a patch of flowers, he stopped for a moment.

Maybe that girl he'd met last Christmas would like them. Didn't the sub working at the ramen shop on weekends know her?

He was pretty sure what's-his-name did.

Grinning, he grabbed some purple ones and some yellow ones, haphazardly arranging them into something resembling a rather ragged bouquet, and ran off, eager to find the girl who'd been so kind to him…


R & R, please! Sessha will lurve you for it forever! Good night:)