Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Hello! I'm back after so long! I've just been occupied as always. With a little more side issues than I'd ever want... Oh, and even though I don't like the situation I'm in right now, I think it's pure GOLD! I just had an experience that will help me enhance my writing in romance! If you're curious you can contact me. It would actually be kind of nice to be able to talk to someone about it too. Since almost all of my friends would blab about it.

The Sight beyond the Window
Chapter 21: Sleepless Beauty

I struggled out of Lee's grasp, slapping away his hands as he tried to restrain me. I ran to Sasuke's side immediately, and brushed away a stray strand of his onyx black hair.

I was taken by utter surprise as I felt his lips crush themselves against mine, in a passionate, yet desperate kiss. My heart skipped beats, and I could feel his hand weave through my hair, pressing my face against his more.

I kicked and pushed away from him, but he continued, and everyone around just stood around, staring in awe.

When he finally pulled away, his eyes flickered between crimson red, and obsidian, as his hands rested on my shoulders. His breathing was labored, and his eyebrows knit together as he continued to exert more energy.

Neji wrapped his arms around my waist and gently pulled me away from Sasuke's grasp.

"What—what is he?" Lee asked, trembling as he saw Sasuke's eyes continue to flicker.

Neji and I looked back at Lee, and only Neji seemed to know. He looked down, unable to find words to speak.

"I'm an immortal, you brat." Sasuke muttered in hate, "That's why I didn't want you to come to my mansion. It's a pain in the ass to explain everything all the time."

Lee's face became pale, "Impossible…" he whispered in disbelief.

"Think so?" Sasuke challenged, "I bet you wouldn't have guessed that Neji—that guy," Sasuke started, pointing to Neji, "is a vampire."

Lee fell over, and to help Lee feel better about his sanity, Neji bared his fangs to Lee.

"That's what you get for being so damn persistent." Sasuke stated, glaring at Lee.

"You're in my territory now, so you play by my rules." Sasuke stated, dark amusement playing upon his gorgeous features.

Lee's expression suddenly hardened, "I accept your challenge, Uchiha."

Lee bowed, looking at Sasuke expectantly. Sasuke just nodded slightly and smirked in acknowledgment. "Settle yourself in any of the rooms in the mansion aside from the ones on the second floor." Sasuke said, propping himself up on his hands.

I already knew that Sasuke was planning something. Whatever it was, I did not know. I watched as Lee walked off toward the mansion, a bag in his hand. Sasuke watched him with amusement in his eyes, and Neji continued to hold me in his arms.

"You can let me go now…" I whispered, allowing my hands to rest on his pale ones. His hands were somehow beautiful, yet not feminine in any way, but his hands lacked warmth. His fingers twitched at my touch, and slowly, his grip on my waist loosened. I turned to face Neji, and I smiled slightly.

Sasuke's heated, firm body pressed against my back, startling me. I jumped at his touch, and fell forward onto Neji, who caught me in his firm grasp once more. Sasuke grunted in dissatisfaction as the palm of his hand rested against the top of my head. His fingers wove into my hair slightly, and he pulled me backwards, into his warmth. My hair stuck up a little with his hand still on my head, and first, he shot Neji a warning look, but his expression changed quickly as he looked down at me.

His sharp features softened as he looked at me, "Cute." Sasuke stated, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. I blushed, and stayed silent as he began to comb through my hair with his fingers. Whenever his hand would reach the tips of my hair, he would ghost his fingers along my skin, leaving a trail of warmth behind, along with an odd tingle.

Neji watched for a moment, turning away when Sasuke began to glare at him between moments. "Sakura… I'll see you around…" Neji said, taking a few steps into darkness, before disappearing into thin air.

He did not even give me a chance to reply properly, but then again, I was probably too distracted to do so anyways. Sasuke's fingers trailed down the sides of my arms on both sides, and his breath was sending shivers down my spine as he silently exhaled against my ear. "Sakura…"

I leaned into his embrace, and looked up towards his face. I reached for his face with my hands, cupping his face gently. Sasuke smiled, his hands coming to rest on mine. "I don't remember…" I mumbled solemnly, pouting at my miserable situation. Sasuke chuckled lightly; the sound of his voice was like dark chocolate, bittersweet…

"You needn't remember…" Sasuke replied, covering my eyes with his left hand, as he nestled his head in the crook of my neck, and dropped his right hand to the curve of my waist.

I paused to think about his words, and realization seemed to wash over me… "Is there something you don't want me to remember?" I asked, bringing his hand away from my face, as I turned to face him, falling out of his grasp like a leaf from a tree. The wind began to howl, and my hair was whipped about my face as we continued to gaze at each other with silent intensity.

Sasuke's expressions were equivalent to that of a guilty child, caught in the midst of a bad deed. Slowly, his eyebrows knit together, and his expressions became more suited to his features. His expression was one of frustration, "If you remembered everything, I don't know what would happen to us, to our—relationship…" Sasuke muttered, "I'm just not confident about anything right now, I'm stressed, Sakura."

"I see…" Was my reply, and my words were cold enough to give even me the chills. I sighed and looked up at him once more, turning away to begin my walk to the mansion.

Sasuke did not follow me, and when I walked through the doors of the mansion—I was greeted by an eerie silence. I wandered about the mansion, tracing invisible lines with my fingers into the walls, trying to remember everything I saw. Suddenly, I heard a voice, "Sakura, is Sasuke with you?"

The voice was vaguely familiar, but when I turned around—I just saw an unfamiliar face. She looked pale, almost more than Neji… almost—translucent… "Who are you?" I asked calmly, tilting my head to the side as I dug through my memories.

"I—I'm Hinata. Sakura, don't you remember me?" Hinata looked nervous, and her voice was trembling. Hinata played with her fingers, looking away and downward, but still stealing glances at me every so often.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember you, but I don't have many memories at all right now." I said quietly, hoping to give the girl at least a little comfort. All seemed quiet in the room, and I was wondering if Hinata was actually a figment of my imagination, as she faded into the scenery, invisible.

I turned around to continue searching through the mansion, but a not-so-friendly face greeted me. I gasped in shock, falling backwards into an undignified pile on the floor. Whoever that girl was, could not be my friend.

Her face was twisted into a nasty expression, "I bet you're all up in the skies now, huh?" The girl asked condescendingly, crossing her arms as she looked down at me with disparagement. "You have—what, three guys bowing at your feet?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, sitting up and glaring at the blond haired girl. Her eyes were a deep shade of blue, and she was dressed in gaudy clothes. Her wrists and arms were adorned with thin, silver, bracelets. I stood up and put my hands on my hips, "Who do you think you are, huh?" I asked furiously.

She looked at me as if I had lost my mind, but I had already grown used to that look after seeing it for about the tenth time. Her golden hair, tied in a loose ponytail fell over her shoulder as she leaned forward to look me right in the eyes. "You… you've lost your memory." She gasped, falling back to her original position as she flipped her hair over her shoulder slowly.

The information sunk into her brain, and a smirk formed upon her lips. "I see, so that's what it was…" She mumbled; her hand on her chin as a devious plot seemed to form itself in her mind. "Sakura, I'm Ino, a psychic, sorceress, magic user whatever." Ino said, waving her hand about as she spoke. "To tell the truth, I'm not exactly sure what I am, but as long as you get the general idea, it doesn't matter right?"

Her voice was dripping with honey, and her smile was fake, "Sure, I guess…" I mumbled, unsure of what she was planning. Ino clapped her hands together and winked as she disappeared into a violet bubble, streaked with gold. I stumbled backwards, and when she disappeared, I understood why.

Sasuke had just walked in front of me as he turned the corner, "If you're looking for your room, you don't have one yet," he said.

"Oh…" I muttered under my breath, avoiding his gaze. His onyx eyes were hazy with an emotion I could not identify, and as he neared me, I had to ignore the urge I had to step away from him. Sasuke wrapped his arms around me, and he pressed me against his chest.

"Sakura, I'll tell you… I'll tell you about your past." Sasuke whispered.

He released me from his embrace, and led me to his room. I had a memory of his room, and it was just how I had remembered it when I stepped inside and looked around. The navy-blue silk sheets on the bed, the black marble floor, and the frigid air that never grew warm. It felt like I belonged there…

Sasuke took a seat on the bed, and he motioned for me to take a seat beside him. He started out slowly, telling me about minor things that happened while I was at the mansion, and he gradually eased into the memories he did not want me to remember. He told me about the fight I had with Ino, he told me about the time Neji had to stop him from killing me, and then— he told me about all of the 'embarrassing' moments… from hugs to kisses, to crying and screaming…

I blushed when he told me about the entire romance etcetera that happened between us, but he just turned away, probably thinking that I could not see his blush. I smiled at how he tried to hide from me, and when he finished, he exhaled deeply.

"I guess I can understand why you wanted to hide those memories from me, but even if my memories aren't the best—they're memories all the same…" I said quietly, smiling sadly as I stood, tears escaping my eyes. I was about to reach up to wipe away my tears, but Sasuke caught my hand in a tight grip.

He pulled me down, and he lay on his back, on his bed. I was flush against him, and my head rested against his chest. He effortlessly switched our positions, rolling over so that I was below him. He kissed away the tears that had fallen, and breathed against my ear, "It's alright to cry…" he said, letting his fingers rest just behind my ear.

I could feel his heart beating in unison with my own, and the fingers of his free hand traced tiny circles along my left arm, slowly inching their way to my hips. His fingers seemed to dance across the flesh of my legs, and I involuntarily sighed in pleasure. His actions were a little too cliché, but I let myself bask in his attention while I could.

I could feel my face heat up immediately, and I pressed my hands to his shoulders in an attempt to get him to stop. He smirked devilishly, and allowed his head to nestle into the crook of my neck, just as he had done previously, "I don't want you to leave," he said. "I want to stay like this…"

I cursed under my breath, "I don't want to stay at all." I said, wriggling beneath him. "Get off, pervert." I muttered, irritated.

Sasuke grunted in dissatisfaction as he removed himself from me, "You can take the room next door," he said.

"I'd rather not." I said, walking out of the room. I continued to wander the hallways in search for a nice bedroom to settle into; opening each door I passed by. All of the bedrooms on the second floor looked the same, so I made my way to the third floor. Opening the first door, I gasped in embarrassment, tumbling backwards onto the floor.

'I should have knocked!' I yelled in my head, covering my face with my hands. I had accidentally walked in on someone—a boy with hair that was like fire. I heard him approach me, and I curled up into a ball, completely mortified by the situation.

"Next time—knock. Unless you intended for this to happen," he said, standing right behind me. I shot up into a standing position, shocked by his words, and utterly humiliated.

"I—I'm so sorry!" I shouted, bowing quickly before immediately turning away from him and making a run for it. I stopped at the end of the hallway, trying to catch my breath.

Sighing, I had completely forgotten my resolution to knock before entering, and I walked right into Neji's room. He looked a little shocked to see me, and I was just as shocked to see that he was inside of the room. Apologizing, I left once more, searching for a bed to rest on after running around for so long.

My day was hectic, and I guessed that it was probably around nine o'clock at night by then, but Neji stopped me from leaving, taking notice of my exhaustion. "You can stay here for tonight," he said. "I doubt that you would want to have to set everything up in a new room now. If you found a new room you would have to put all the sheets out and everything." He said.

I paused to think about his reasoning, and eventually, I ended up sleeping on his bed. I asked him about where he would sleep, and he just motioned toward the large sofa that was against the wall with the closed window behind it. I was about to protest, but he pressed his finger to my lips, effectively silencing whatever I was about to say.

Sleep claimed me in a matter of seconds, but to my dismay, I was awake a few hours later, wide-awake. I stepped off the bed, trying to be as quiet as possible as I walked towards the window. I reached my destination easily, but when I opened the curtains, I was pulled down to the couch by a strong hand. I found myself sitting in Neji's lap, the curtain swaying back and forth, leisurely coming to a stop.

Neji quirked an eyebrow at me, "What are you doing awake at this hour?" He asked suspiciously, wrapping his arms around my waist. I took his gesture as one of just friendship, as I settled myself into his lap.

"I was going to look at the sky… I can't sleep," I said, adding the last part on as an afterthought. I touched his hands, playing with his fingers languidly. "What time is it?" I asked.

"Time for you to go back to bed," he replied, a smile in his voice. He rested his chin on my head, leaning back into the couch with a sigh of contentment.

"Oh, very funny," I muttered. "I can't sleep though…" I mumbled, intertwining my fingers with his.

"Just close your eyes." He whispered, taking my hands in his as he placed a kiss on the top of my head.

"I told you, I can't sleep." I said, slightly irritated.

"Shh… Close your eyes, it'll help you to relax," Neji whispered, brushing his thumb against the center of my hand.

I felt pleasurable tingles along my spine, and my face had probably been just as red as that boy's hair… Thinking back to him, I closed my eyes and pictures how he looked. I could not make out much, but I knew his hair was like a burning conflagration… I could not resist asking Neji about him.

"Neji…?"

Neji shifted in place a little, letting me know he was paying attention.

"Do you know the boy down the hall…the one with the red hair?" I asked, curiosity taking over my voice.

Neji grunted in what seemed to be slight dissatisfaction.

"His name is Gaara…"

End of Chapter 21

How do you like the ending? Cliffhanger--I know. It's still a good place to end a chapter though. Anyways, I'll see you next time, so thank you for reading, please review!