This is filler building up to the next chapter. Do not hate me. Next chapter is better, I promise.

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Ch.43: Divided (Hand in Hand)

It was spring. Birds chirped and the sun shined brightly, but that joy didn't reach the cafeteria.

It was a few weeks after the Tayuya/Neji incident. After that, the group silently agreed to be split to console their friends until they could handle being near each other again. It was…strange, to say the least. Each day was quiet; each day was forced, and each day seemed to be dimmer than the last.

Sakura looked at Tenten whose eyes were still as lifeless as yesterday. A sigh threatened to escape her lips. She wished she could say she understood, but with a working relationship with Sasuke, she'd be lying to Tenten's face. But one look at the girl made her want to tell her all the lies she needed to get back on her feet.

She looked up and saw that the guys weren't faring any better. Neji had become quiet and withdrawn and from what she heard for Sasuke and them, he was an emotional wreck at home.

She absentmindedly stirred her bowl of udon and looked over at Hinata who offered Tenten a napkin and sighed. No, she wouldn't worry about Neji. Sasuke could take care of it; she had a full plate of her own. She looked up to see Hinata and Megumi dig into their bags to pull out two bars of chocolate and hand them to Tenten, who smiled for the first time in days. She felt a silly grin grow around the spoon in her mouth. If she couldn't lie, she could help her friend the only way girls knew: Chick-flicks and ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.

Footsteps clicked on tile and the girls looked up to see a malicious sneer. Megumi glared. "Tayuya."

She smirked and looked over to the shrunken brown-haired girl. "You know, Tenten, after you left, me and Neji had such a great time at the motel. You won't believe how great he is in bed." She saw Tenten clench her fists and grit her teeth and let a look of satisfaction flit over her features before continuing. "You know what he said to me? He said he couldn't believe you fell for that and you're the most pathetic thing he's ever seen. I think he might even feel sorry for you," she cooed.

"You BITCH!" Tenten roared, lunging at the girl.

They fell to the ground in a flurry of clawing and scratching. Tenten had Tayuya pinned under her and fury rolled off her in waves as Tayuya laughed. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

"Tenten, that's enough!" Megumi said pulling her friend up. Tenten panted heavily, exerted from her emotional flood and looked around dazedly. Tayuya smirked and wiped the blood from her lip. "Hey Megumi, fight me."

She placed Tenten's arm around her neck and helped her stand. "No," she answered.

"Aw, scared? I always knew you were weak," she mocked.

Megumi looked stoically over her shoulder before scoffing. "No. You'd just be a waste of my time."

Megumi gripped Tenten's arm and began walking her towards Sasuke and Lee when she heard a snarl and felt a weight knock her from her feet. They landed on their sides and she saw Shikamaru and Sasuke help Tenten up before turning to the girl who just charged her. Tayuya smirked triumphantly. "Scared yet?"

Megumi smirked back, her expression, cocky. "Oh, was I supposed to be?"

Tayuya screeched and dove forward, clawing at anything she could find. Megumi kneed her, but it did nothing to stop her. Suddenly, she felt hands grip her throat and her head hit the tile floor. Dizzy. She felt dizzy, but before she could relax, the hands gripped her throat harder. She coughed.

"Am I a waste of your time now? Huh? Huh?"

Megumi gasped for air, coughing harder. Her lids lowered and she moved her leg, kicking Tayuya off of her. She sat up, hacking and wiping the saliva from her mouth when she saw Tayuya charge for her again. Arms grabbed her and the two looked around at the crowd that had formed around them.

Megumi looked up and saw familiar faces. A triumphant Minami and Mayu smirked, their hands resting on their boyfriends' shoulders. Tayuya's eyes darted wildly around at them and lashed out her legs, hitting nothing but air. Minami motioned her head and Megumi gasped for air, nodding thankfully at her old rival before escaping through the side door.

Wind rushed to meet her, air seeping into her open cuts. She felt warm blood trickle down her skin and felt the sting of her wounds. She slowed her jog, stopping as a series of coughs burned her throat.

She looked around and saw a series of trees. Outside. She was outside, near the forest by the school. Briefly, she wondered when the sun had disappeared behind the grey clouds that now painted the sky.

Tired, she crawled over to a tree, leaning against it as she panted. Pain. It burned her throat and she reached up to soothe the bruises she knew were there. Exhaustion crept up her system, numbing the pain and she let her head fall back on the tree trunk. Not long afterwards, she heard footsteps and looked up. "Kakashi-sensei?"

He smiled and knelt down, placing a small first-aid kit by his side. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit," she said with a smile. He chuckled and opened the kit. Taking out a cotton ball and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, he faced her. "This is going to sting." She nodded briefly and let out a hiss of pain as he dabbed the scratches on her forearm. He worked in silence and Megumi stared at the greenery over his head as he placed a bandage over it. "…so…how does she look?"

"Who?" he asked dabbing the scratches on her legs.

"Tayuya," she said hoarsely.

"Better than you; that's for sure," he chuckled as he placed a bandage on her knee.

"Darn," she said smiling and he chuckled before placing a final bandage on her cheek. He reached further and brushed aside the curtain of raven locks and winced at the deep bruising on her neck. "Jeez…"

She simply smiled wryly like a veteran who just came back from yet another battle and coughed harshly. His gaze narrowed and he swept back her hair to see the extent of the damage. She heard him sigh as she tied her hair back to give him more purchase and let it fall against her back. "Why is it every time I find you, you're in some kind of trouble?" he asked, a mix of exasperation and worry in his voice.

She shrugged. "Maybe—"

"Don't talk. Your throat's already sore enough," he reprimanded.

"Well, I wouldn't have to talk more if you had let me say what I wanted to say," she croaked.

He sighed and fell back, sitting cross-legged in the grass across from her. "Fine. I'm listening."

She smiled warmly, seeming wiser beyond her years. "Maybe it's because you're good at saving people."

"No, I'm not."

And she smiled again, the same smile as before. "Well, at least, you're good at saving me."

He sat in silence, mulling over her words in the peace of the meadow, but she coughed and he remembered her throat. "We should get you to Shizune."

She nodded, he stood. He picked up the kit and extended his arm. She took it, bracing herself on the tree as she stood up shakily. He waited, demanding nothing from her and she steadied herself, smiling up at him. He nodded at her readiness and began guiding her to the nurse's office, hand in hand.