okay, this is really just the second part of what was originally chappy 13, which i thought had gotten too long.

"talking"

thinking

inner

~X~

"Ca-a-a-tie..." He/she/it persisted in all that blasted poking.

"Go-o awa-ay." I mumbled, mocking the way he/she/it said my name.

"But, Cate...." He/she/it leaned down and laid his/her/its hand on my shoulder, and spoke in my ear. "I don't want to. You haven't given me my good night kisses yet." I had to stifle my laughter.

"Kisses? Plural? My, but aren't we cocky." I said, still facing away. "And I couldn't care less what you want. Go away, before you lose something important." He/she/it chuckled in my ear.

"Silly Cate. I don't care if you care. I will get my kisses. Now turn over, woman." I rolled my eyes and pushed him/her/it off the bed, then curled up more, sliding my hand under the pillow to grab hold of the kunai I had hidden under there. Surprisingly, it was not there.

"Can I have my kisses now that you have no weapons?" He/she/it asked, twirling the kunai around his/her/its finger.

"No. Get away from me before I throw your ass out the window and your head takes the door." I said, angry now. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I was pulled onto my back roughly, and found myself staring into the face of Uchiha-who-acted-like-Kira-chan.

"There's no real threat here. Just words." He/she/it smiled. "Now I'm willing to leave if you give me just one kiss. But I want at least that." He/she/it said sternly, and I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Fine. But only one, okay?" I said softly, trying to look as submissive as possible, and hating every minute of it. The only way I could stand it was knowing that he/she/it was completely misled and I would soon throw him/her/it out the window. I reached up, trailing my fingertips over his/her/its cheek, and he/she/it leaned down. Suddenly, my fingers found hair, and I pulled as hard as I could and jumped to my feet and threw the person/clone out the window. I growled territorily and turned back to the bed.

Just as I got back to being comfy...

"Ca-a-a-tie..."

I shot up in bed. "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" I gasped, looking around. Chest heaving... Room dark... Heart pounding... Massive headache.... Desire to break something strangely not present.... Yeah, I had a nightmare...

"Cate? Whass wrong?" Kira-chan asked sleepily, and I sighed.

"Nothing."

"Didn't sound like nothing." Came a voice from the corner, and I jumped a little, before scooting backward on the bed until my back was firmly pressed to the wall.

"Just a strange dream." I said, leaning my head back against the wall.

"It sounded like you were being murdered." Came a different voice, from a different corner.

"Or at least like you were getting felt up in your sleep." replied the first voice.

"In your dreams, Moron-sensei."

"How mean." He pouted. I sighed, when suddenly, something fell on me.

"Cate-chan... You worried me." Uzumaki whimpered, wrapping his arms around my neck, and I stroked his back soothingly.

"No need to worry. I'm here, no one got killed, and we're all safe." I said softly.

"...My mom says that." Akira said softly, clearly getting home-sick.

"Where do you think I got it from? Geez."

"Why're you in such a mood?"

"I'm just pissed. I normally don't react that way to bad dreams."

"Bad dreams?" Kakashi repeated, and the blood drained from my face.

"I meant strange dreams, of course." I said, trying to diffuse the damage. To no avail, of course. I felt another person sit on the bed and crawl over next to me.

"Aw, poor little Catie. Did you have a scary dream? Do you need a hug to make it all better?"

"You wish, pervert." I said, but hugged Uzumaki-kun tighter for a split-second. He had fallen asleep, and was probably drooling on me, but he probably got so little peaceful sleep, what with him being so tense and wound up all the time, that I decided to let him sleep. I started massaging his neck, and was so amazed at the size of the knots that I paused for a moment.

"So what was it about?" Asked the last voice, the only one that I was a little tired of, to be honest.

"None of your business. Just Akira-chan fucking with my head, as usual." I told him sharply.

"Was Sasuke in it or something?" Kira-chan asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"You're awfully defensive."

"Hmph."

"Oh great. Another one who speaks 'Uchiha-ese'." Akira said, and I could tell that she was rolling her eyes.

"Like you don't speak it, too?" I pointed out.

"Not the point."

"Hey, question. How did you boys get in here, anyway?"

"The door wasn't locked, Catie."

"I mean so fast. Were you, perhaps, already in here?"

"Of course not. But maybe we should all be in the same room anyway. You two act like enough like boys that it really doesn't matter."

"Oh, how the neighbors will talk." I sighed.

-x-

When I woke up the next morning, it was later than usual, and I knew the reason as soon as I opened my eyes. Akira had covered all the windows so that no light got in. But one of the covers had slipped off the window, and now light was slowly reclaiming the room. Judging by the amount of light, it wasn't much later than usual, so it made little difference. After all that, I noticed my immediate surroundings. Uzumaki was asleep on my lap, with his head on my shoulder. My arms were around him, cradling him like a baby. I looked to my left, and saw that Moron-sensei was sitting next to me, so I had probably fallen asleep on his shoulder. Uchiha was not in my line of sight, so I just shrugged and settled for waking up my... bedmates... God, that sounds so wrong...

"Uzumaki-kun... Wake up, honey..." I said, touching his shoulder. He woke up slowly, his eyes widening when he found himself lying on my chest. He jumped up,

"Sorry, Cate-cha-- AAH!" And fell down, having tripped over Moron-sensei's foot. His yell woke up the Copy Nin.

"Hmm? What happened?"

"You boys invaded the room and then crawled into bed with me, and fell asleep all over me." I said. I stood up and stretched, stiff from falling asleep while upright. "Ah, shit... I need a bubble bath." I heard a low chuckle and then felt a hand rest on my shoulder.

"Aw, does the little girl need to be pampered?" I elbowed him in the gut only, I presume, because he let me. Such is the way of shinobi.

"I'm just tense, is all. From my night of sleeping in an upright position, you know."

"I'm sorry, Catie." He said, and kissed the top of my head, ruffled my hair, and left the room. I shook my head, rubbing my back.

"Men." I grumbled as I went to take a shower.

-x-

The next morning, I was taking a walk, vaguely looking for Uzumaki-kun, when I suddenly bumped into Haku.

"Hello." I said, minimum politeness, and then tried to go on, but I felt my wrist get caught. Again. "What?"

"I was wondering, did it hurt?" He/she asked me. I was sort of depressed, and wanted to get hit on for the ego boost, so I asked...

"What?"

"When you fell from that tree a couple of days ago." He/she clarified. Oh.

"I don't even remember that."

"Amnesia?"

"No, I just get injured so often that unless I'm close to death and or bleeding, I hardly notice." I replied.

"That's no good. A young woman shouldn't get hurt that often." He/she said reprovingly, and held his/her hand out. I looked down at it, then at Haku. Finally, hesitently, I laid my hand in his/hers. He/she lifted it and examined the back of it closely, with my luck, looking at a very dangerous blood clot that would make me shrivel but wouldn't be life-threatening.

"I want to die." I mumbled, depressed beyond reason, and Haku looked horrified.

"Why?"

"I'm exhausted, I'm depressed, I'm alone, I'm in pain, and I'm irrational." I said, hanging my head. He/she lifted my head and looked deeply into my eyes, as if trying to look into my mind. Then, surprisingly, he/she hugged me tightly, proving that he's a he, kissed my cheek, and then walked off. I watched in shock, one hand rising to touch my cheek.

What the... Who the hell does he think he is? No one hugs Catherine Fuji and gets away with it!

Check again, bitch, because the cute Mist Nin is getting away with it.

Shove it, Inner Bitch.

"Hey you!" I called, but to no avail, because he didn't look back.

"Cate-chan!" I turned, braid whipping around, and saw Uzumaki running up and Uchiha following closely behind.

"Did you guys see that... That guy who just h-hugged me?" I said, so surprised that my voice squeaked on the word 'hugged'.

"No."

-x-

That day passed in a blur, with much training and eating and competition amongst the others and much confusion with me. I went through my day mechanically, trying to figure out just what the hell was going on with me. And, evidently, Inner Sakura has a thing for random signs of affection, because Uchiha's arm over me as I woke up that morning, and Naruto's constant hugging, and Kakashi's hair-ruffling and head-kissing, and waking up yesterday with my head on his shoulder, and Haku that morning and his random hug-kiss-and-escape kept playing in my head.

"Goddammit." I said angrily as the sun went down, and my hand went through the rotted wood I had punched. Suddenly, I stopped, and ran up a path and to a cliff-edge that over-looked the ocean and had a guard rail. "Oh, wow..."

Akira looked at me.

"What?"

"Look at this!"

She stood and walked over, leaning heavily against the rail.

"Fascinating." She said sarcastically. "This is why you came out here so late?"

"Yes."

"For the sunset? I thought you were above this kind of girliness."

"Not for the sunset, for the reflection it makes on the water. See the way it's all red over by the horizon? It looks like the sun is bleeding out." I told her, captivated by the scene before me. She just shook her head.

"You're whacked, and I'm going back to the house and getting some food." She told me.

"You'll regret this, Akira-chan, when I start training with Lee because you don't appreciate a good sunset." I said. "I'll bring Uzumaki tomorrow."

-x-

I yawned widely.

"Geeziu, I'm tired." I said.

"That's what you get." Akira told me. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"For what?" Kakashi asked.

"For staying up to watch the sunset on the ocean." I replied, daring him to say anything. We arrived at the bridge, and discovered that half the people from yesterday had quit. Sasuke 'hn'ed, and we seperated. I went straight to the eastern side of the bridge, and watched the sun begin its daily death march.

"Watching the sun rise?" Uchiha asked, coming to stand beside me.

"No. Watching the sun's reflection on the water. The sun, in and of itself, does not concern me."

"So, what is it about the sunrise and sunset that interests you?" He asked.

"I like the way the water sparkles. It almost gives me hope that things won't turn out the way I think they will." I said quietly, hands gripping the rails, and I could hear a minute sadness. "Eh heh, that came out wrong..." I said, stepping back and letting go of the rail. He turned and looked at me. I gasped. The sunlight somehow lit up his hair and eyes, making him look ethereal.

"What is it, Cate?" The simple question, spoken in his deep voice, broke my preoccupation.

"What?" I asked, having missed the question.

"Why are you staring like that?"

"Nothing, just... the sun makes your hair, uh, blue, and your eyes sparkly. You looked... strange... for a moment." I told him. He frowned, but turned back to the sunrise. I followed his example.

What the hell was that about? Am I having 'special' thoughts about UCHIHA?!?! I asked myself, crossing my arms across my chest and gripping the rails again, leaning down so that it wasn't a stretch. I stared impassively out over the water, I know, because Uchiha didn't say another word. Inside, I was screaming as loud as I could.

"Cate."

I jolted from my daydream.

"Huh? What?" I asked.

"I was wondering if you were going to be watching the sunset tonight." He asked.

"Yeah, obviously."

"Hm." He turned back to the sun, and I shook my head.

"Weirdo Uchiha..." I mumbled.

"Can we please get to the worksite now?" Tazuna called, and I sprang up from my place.

"Right, right. Coming!" I called, and ran to catch up.

When we got to the worksite, I swallowed. "That's... a lot of... Blood..."

The quiet statement seemed to trigger a haunting laugh that filled the air.

"I'm so glad you think so, little girl."

~X~

sasuke--...//// my eyes are sparkly

naruto--hah! sasuke, you said I'd never sleep with a girl, and I did just that!

Sasuke-- stupid, i meant sleep with as in--

cate-- *punches sasuke* shut up

kakashi-- aw, catie...

cate-- is that your favorite line, or something?

bells-- this chappy is all effed up (HA HA THATS THE THIRD HAH HAH HAH CUZ I CUT THE LAST ONE IN TWO PIECES)

cate-- ALL OF YOU GO TO BED, DAMMIT.

all assembled-- gnight, cate *kiss*

cate--*super-angry-kill mode engaged* RAWR!!! D:

haku-- please read and review.