"The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."

"Who did this? "

A washed out voice, hollow and disbelieving.

Haruno Sakura turned with a questioning eye to Kiba, waiting for an answer.

Grudgingly, Kiba scowled deeply, his fist rammed against his bruised side. But it was a gesture of confusion, not pain.

Sasuke hadn't really… done his job at all, hasn't he? He didn't fight properly—if he had, the Inuzuka selected would not be standing here in a bad mood like this. Kiba knew how violent the young selected could get when he was in his "element," but the Sasuke back at the clearing was too calm, too calculating. As if he was watching himself from overkill.

In return, he received some bad blows from Kiba who hadn't been exactly returning the favor. Still, even after he received those blows, Sasuke did not lash back.

That was the source of his confusion. Why?

"…No one in particular. "

"It was Sasuke…. wasn't it? "

Sakura took another weary glance at the catastrophic scene before moving on to overlook the casualty. Kiba was about to growl back—why did you fucking ask if you already knew, Haruno?—but checked himself when he saw her squeeze her eyes shut, in tears.

Damn, he hated crying women.
"I didn't want to believe it…but I guess it is true, huh? Lee was telling me the goddamn…truth. "

"You got only yourself to bla… "

"Did he fight you too? Sasuke? Did he? "

Haruno suddenly clung to him, her mint green eyes blazing with tears and something he recognized as terrified jealousy, if such a thing existed. He cringed at her misery and stepped away.

"…he did. "

Kiba muttered, trying to ignore the bright tears fresh on her face. She had been mumbling something under her breath, but spluttered out in indignant rage at his reply.

"For her…? "

There, Kiba finally got what had been bothering her.

He exploded at her:

"For SHAME, Haruno! Is that all you can think about? You landed in our hands more casualty than a band of Hyuuga would in a day—don't you dare shirk from this, you know this wasn't Sasuke's fault!"

"I know it wasn't his fault, it was the naïveté's! "

At this, Kiba roared and clamped both his hands on to Sakura's shoulder, his lemon yellow eyes glaring. He brought his face closer to hers and growled:

"I will kill you if you say more, I swear, Haruno—I will! "

"…Kib…"

She clamped her mouth shut, her huge eyes glaring back at his. A prolonged moment passed without both of them moving, until Kiba flung his hands away in disgust.

"…you… go do your job, Haruno. There are patients waiting for you back there. Broken ribs, crushed legs, cuts and bruises—go work your fucking magic. "

He turned swiftly away, his hands slightly trembling in anger.

"…and don't breathe a word about this entire fiasco to anyone else. It will be the death of you. "

"Where…are "you" going? "

Kiba's head swiveled back an inch. He had not taken down his transformation, and his eyes still glowed lime.

"To retrieve Sasuke. "

White Nights: Summer Solstice

Chapter 3- Summer Solstice

(Session#5– Refine and divide)

"Doom and gloom, Temari. What's happening with this year's White nights anyways? "

Kankuro moodily eyed the back of the room where Hinata sat meekly. Sasuke was outside, brooding.

"I'm guessing there are other factors involved, but just looking at the bare facts, it's not a healthy start. "

"Tell me about it. "

Kankuro kicked his boots off and stretched out on the shelter's sofa. He muttered wearily:

"I am so looking forward to dealing with the elders with this one… great. They are going to murder us alive. "

"It's Shikamaru alone who is going to have to deal with this, and I'm not in for that. "

Temari snapped at Kankuro, her lithe arms crossed indignantly across her chest. She took another glance at Hinata who was wilting—poor dear was obviously thinking this was all her fault. Temari softened.

"Don't look like that, honey. We know it's not your fault. "

Hinata's head snapped up, her lavender eyes huge. Temari continued with a dark look:

"It's "somebody's" fault, true, but it's not your fault. A someone with an inclination for the Uchihas. The only problem I have with this is that Shikamaru will not have a clue of what's going on when he arriv…"

"I won't have a what? "

All three of them flinched and turned to the doorway. There stood the current watcher with a light frown betraying his normally stoic nature, his eyes scanning the room. His tall frame threw a lanky shadow across the room, its spiky top reaching to where Hinata's feet lay frozen. His eyes widened slightly as he processed the information.

"…what's this then? … "

He stepped into the room quietly and questioningly eyed Temari and Kankuro, both of whom were averting their eyes. Temari attempted to explain, but failed to find the correct words:

"There was a …glitch. Somebody on the Uchiha side brought Hinata into the dome…and…"

Shikamaru closed his eyes and rubbed a knuckle across his forehead.

"Well she seems okay, no injuries. "

"Yes, but…"

He yawned then crossed the room and settled on the sofa with a tired look on his bleary eyes. His hands went to the back of his head and crossed themselves casually.

"As long as nothing else happened—this, we can deal with. "

"Well there …is actually something else…"

Temari lilted off, her expression uncertain.

Shikamaru glanced up at her, shaking his head. He muttered hollowly:

"…no. Don't tell me it has something to do with "him" outside the window, eavesdropping at this very moment. I knew something was up at the Uchiha sector…!"

With those words, a shadow leapt up from the floor and swung open the window so fast that it almost caught Sasuke on the face. He scowled tremendously at this treatment.

"…that was not necessary, Nara. "

"And was whatever you did necessary Sasuke? "

"I was not eavesdropping. "

"You know I wasn't talking about that. "

Hinata blinked at the scene.

It was unnerving to see Sasuke seem the protesting one and Shikamaru the angry. It was almost as if they had changed places. For the first time, she saw Nara senpai's hard coating of impassiveness melt away—in its place, a tired cynical teenager's persona emerged. Shikamaru flipped up his middle finger as his lowered his head resignedly.

"…well, fuck you, Sasuke; I guess I will have to dance like a bitch in heat to drag you out of this one. "

Hinata blushed and Temari stifled a smile. Sasuke glowered as he swiftly slid inside through the open windows.

"Now, what was it that you did? "

(Uchiha sector)

Kiba seethed in dark humor as he hacked through the forest grounds. He was too het up to curve and follow a path—he kicked down whatever got in his way.

It would have been a fine thing if anyone from the Hyuuga line were to cross his path. Then, he would have something to vent his anger off, but there was no one, except:

"Whoever the fuck has been following me for ten minutes straight—you better get out before I drag you out. "

Kiba grumbled at a bush two steps behind him. Among the greens stepped out a pig-tailed Uchiha, Miharu to be precise. She stepped out pertly with an odd smile on her face.

Kiba spat. Her impish smile grew wider.

"What a nice welcome—but I come in peace today. "

"Likely story, brat. Go off before you drive me so mad that I have to attack my own line."

At this, Miharu's eyes gleamed.

"Like my dear brother had done this afternoon? To you?"

Kiba's head snapped back as he glared at the girl, his eyes glowing.

"Too bad Itachi isn't here so that you can run off to him to report. "

He growled. She tilted her head triumphantly though as she informed him:

"White nights is going to be over sooner or later you know. And try thinking what might happen then. "

Kiba grimaced at this. He knew all too well how Itachi liked to run things in their line—with a heavy hand. As long as they kept within the rules, it was fine, but Sasuke had done more than cross the rules. He was literally going to get locked up if not worse.

"You didn't just come here to inform of me your brother's misfortune? "

"No, I come with a compromise. "

Kiba turned around completely and eyed Miharu with incredulous suspicion.

"You? Compromise? …what do you have to even compromise with? "

"Information. And a plan. "

She answered with a sweet sickly smile, her eyes narrowing.

"I'm a very good eavesdropper…and you happened to talk to the person to blame just moments before. "

Kiba frowned, and then started at the obvious fact before him.

"My god, you'd been listening to me and Haruno? "

Miharu's nose pinched as if she had smelled something rancid.

"Yes…Haruno."

She grounded the heel of her shoes into the dirt, her eyes flaming like red coals.

"I really don't get why their family gets treated as part of our line at all. They're simply useless. "

Kiba was still furious with Sakura, but having Miharu in front of him—whom he despised more—it was hard not to back her up. He racked his brain and blurted out the first good-and probably the only-thing about Sakura.

"Haruno is a good healer. "

Miharu scoffed with genuine contempt.

"Ino is a good healer—or can be, if we teach her well. Even I can heal. And that's just beside the point. The point is that all Haruno Sakrua had managed to do is create more trouble, and for her own selfish needs. What more do I need to say? "

Kiba frowned.

"…say it. "

Miharu stepped towards him, looking up at his 180 plus form as she approached.

"I blame it all on Sakura, and Sasuke comes out of this unscathed. "

Kiba's eyes hardened.

There was no easy way out of this predicament. He knew one way or the other, there had to be a sacrifice on somebody's part. But Miharu just wanted to turn it all on Haruno Sakura alone, which was going to be no easy feat.

"…and how are you going to accomplish that? Because I doubt Itachi would buy it. "

Miharu rolled her eyes at this question and crossed her arms with a smirk.

"The beauty of this, is that you were the only one present at that fiasco with Sasuke…the only one who came out of it "conscious" anyways. You can say Sasuke was in the biggest fit he's ever gone through. And those other people who got injured-say that they got concussion or something and that they're memory can't be trusted. As long as you testify what I say, I'm sure I can bail Sasuke out of most of his trouble…just leave the bitch to me. "

The Inuzuka selected was lost for words as he gouged what the Uchiha messenger was saying. He started to speak, stopped then spoke again in an unnerved tone, the lemon hue finally gone from his eyes.

"Look, Sakura was indeed stupid for bringing the naïveté girl in—she was short sighted, foolish and vain. I don't deny that. But it's Sasuke who turned on our side and attacked; "that" was his own choice. "

"And I thought you two were friends. Or did you secretly bear some animosity towards him? Do you want to see Sasuke chained again? "

Kiba threw a heady punch at the tree beside him, glowering at the pert figure in front of him with venom.

Like to see Sasuke chained? Like hell he would. He remembered rather clearly the first time he met the Uchiha selected—only then, Itachi was the selected, since he had not graduated yet. He'd heard from elders that Sasuke used to be a meek mellow type of kid, couldn't hurt a fly and all that. But when Kiba arrived at the Uchiha estate, the damage had been done and Sasuke was already a brooding vitally angry person, prone to violence. Basically a fuckhead.

And whenever he was riddled with his "fits," his own kin chained him up in a dungeon type room that Kiba initially thought only existed in the 18th century. No windows, no light.

"…"

At last, he met Miharu's eyes with a question:

"…what has she ever done to you? "

Miharu smiled again.

"…she exists. And she is pathetic. "

She held up both her tiny hands and gestured.

"If this means anything to you, Kiba, I will spell it out for you: opportunity. "

"…opportunity for what? "

She smiled angelically.

"Getting rid of pests. "

(Hyuuga sector)

"I don't like this. Neji, just forget it! "

"I have to check this out for myself, Ryuha."

Ryuha held back, shaking his head skeptically.

"There's no way Hinata's in here—say "we're" malfunctioning. I mean it. "

"All I'm going to do it check. Come on—with flitting it wouldn't take a minute."

Neji impatiently hurried the hesitant Ryuha, his form already crouched as if to sprint. Ryuha merely stepped back a step and help up a hand:

"It means interfering with our dear Shika; we sensed her in the neutral territory. We don't want minus points with the watcher team, Neji. Not during the White Nights."

Neji stood up straight again and sighed. He eyed the abundant greenery obscuring his vision, and then back at Ryuha's face. He flung his hands.

"Fine. "

"You're not going? "

"No, I am going. But you can stay. "

"Neji…"

Ryuha grimaced at the adamant look on his cousin brother's face.

"You're really going to go, aren't you? "

"Yeah. "

Ryuha sniffed, then shook his head with a frown. He crossed his arms and sighed, crouching down on a tree stump.

"Well I hope I'm malfunctioning. "

"Not that again, Ryuha…"

"Nah. It's just that…"

Neji turned to find Ryuha's byakugan activated.

"…I sense the Uchiha kid in the neutral sector. "

(bloodiedsugs words on WNSS-)

SasuHina will be here. I swear to god.

Just….taking care of the overwhelming plot that I'm not too skillful at writing out.

And…

Ha. I'm back.

Does anyone even remember me? Or this story?. ... huh. (lol)

Bear with me. )