Chapter 3
"So, I'm the first one to arrive huh?!" she thought. She jumped on the low branch of the nearest tree. Then she decided to warm up herself while waiting for her two other teammates. She was about to start when she suddenly felt that someone or something is approaching. Then suddenly bunch of kunais and shuriken rained over her, but she just dodges it by swaying her body, she looks like she is dancing.
"Ohayou" she whispered to his ear. "Sasuke-kun…" she said to him. She pointed her kunai at his nape. All of a sudden she throws shurikens to her left side with her left arm, and then she strike Sasuke who is in front of her with her kunai then with a poof it vanished. She runs towards the real Sasuke, and then she fade. Sasuke stop for a while to feel her presence, but still he can't feel her. He finally decided that he should activate his sharingan.
"I never thought that I will use this to her" he thought. And with a blink, his onyx eyes turned into blood red pair of eyes. Finally she emerges from her hiding place. But its too late, she is faster than he expected, she pushes him to the nearest tree and pinned him there. She puts her arm at his neck and she deepened the kunai that she is holding to the bark of the tree. But suddenly something touch at the back of her neck then she drops her kunai and raised her hand.
"Nice warm up, Sasuke" she said to him.
"You've gotten stronger and faster" he smirked.
"Thanks for the comment, for the first time you gave me a good comment. sigh Now I have to collect my weapons that I just used before. You wait here okay Neji might arrive now. Ja ne." she walked towards the field where they fought just a minute ago.
"I never imagine that I will use my sharingan to her even if it is just a sparring." he sat on the branch of a tree while waiting for her.
"She got stronger right?" Sasuke said. He felt his aura behind him.
"I'm early enough to saw your fight. She is not a feeble shinobi you and everyone used to know" Neji appeared in the bushes and sat down under the tree
"Hn"
"I remember when we first sparred, I'm almost got defeated if it isn't because of her lack of stamina." he reminisces. After the long silence, their kunoichi teammate finally arrives and broke the ice between the two shinobi.
"Wow!!!! For the first time in the history you're little bit late now!! Neji-kun!!!" she teased him. "Ohayou!!" she greeted him
"Ohayou Sakura" he replied
"Let's go. Are you sure you've got all the weapons??" Sasuke asked her
"I think so, I'm not sure" she answered.
"Ahhh… wait!! Neji-kun have you eaten your breakfast?" she asked him, but no reply.
"sigh as I expected every time we are going on our mission you always missed your breakfast, I don't know if you intentionally forget your breakfast. Now!!! Wait here… I have something for you" then she opened her bag to give him a lunch box.
"We are not going if you're not going to eat!! How about you Sasuke?? I assume that you also didn't take your breakfast!!! Here…" she said gave him another lunch box. "Good thing I made two breakfasts, one for you and another for Sasuke" she said. "You know, you shouldn't miss your breakfast just because of training" she lectured them, while they're eating.
"Thank you…Sakura-chan" Neji utter
"Sakura-chan??? Wow!!! You're really appreciating the meal huh?!?… Because you called me SAKURA-CHAN… well your welcome Neji-kun" she smiled warmly at him.
"Arigatou for the meal Sakura" Sasuke said to her.
"its nothing!!! I used to do that when we are going on our missions... you know sometimes I think that I'm already spoiling him" she giggles.
"You're lucky Hyuuga!!" Sasuke thought, deep inside in him he really envies him. Actually he also wants Sakura to treat like what she treat Neji, but he knows that's very impossible maybe it would happen only in his dream. He knows that he'd done and said foul things to her.
After the two lads eat their breakfast, they go on their mission. When the night approaches they stopped for a while to prepare the camp.
"I think we should camp here" Sasuke said.
"Where are you two going??" she asked.
But no one answers, Sasuke walked towards the deep forest and Neji to the opposite side.
"I'll prepare the tents Ok." Sakura stated to herself. She was busy arranging the tents when she felt that someone is approaching she readied herself and never let her guard down but she still look calm outside. When she finally distinguishes where her attacker possible hiding, she runs towards it and throw a kunai but he already escaped and left his mask. After she assures that everything was okay she continues her business.
"Impressive… She already felt my presence even though I'm too far away from her. I think that copy-cat really trained her hard and constantly." a man wearing a cloak watches her and a small smirk was formed on his lips.
"what took them so long" she said irritably, she didn't notice that fall asleep while waiting for them.
"uhhh" she opened her wearily eyes.
"Ohh Sasuke-kun finally you've back!!! What took you so long" she noticed Neji doing her work. He is cooking their meal. (Actually it's just roasting a fish)
"Ohh Neji-kun I am the one who supposed to do that" she stand up, but something caught her attention. A black piece of fabric wrapped around her, she gives a questioned face when she saw it.
"Is that yours??? I found that wrapped on you when you're still asleep." Neji stated to her.
"Huh?" she is still confused.
"Iie. This is not mine" she lifts the cloth "this is not even considered as a blanket, and I don't like black as a colour of my personal things" she looked at the 'blanket' and she saw some patterns there. A red clouds on it; it is kindda familiar to her it seems that she already saw that designs. "This is a cloak" she still looks intently on the cloak trying to remember where and when she saw that cloak. "Neji-kun have you seen this kind of pattern?" she shows to him the cloak. She was surprise because Neji suddenly wear a shocked, terrified, and then prepared look on his face. "A..kat..suki" he mumbled. "Where did you get that Sakura??? It means that some Akatsuki members are here somewhere here!!!" Sasuke readied himself. "Akatsuki?? So!! I mean that, that he is an Akatsuki" she stated. "How can I be so careless!! But I wonder why he ran away"
"What did you say Sakura you met him?"
"Not actually Sasuke"
"You should be more careful… what if something happened to you" he burst out and said this to her unintentionally
"Huh??!? Sasuke?? I did not actually met him I just felt his presence.. that's all!! Thank you for your concern…but don't worry I can take care of myself"
"huh?? I didn't say I am concerned of you… Its just that you are my teammate and your knowledge in gen-justu can help a lot in our mission" he walked away from her. "Why did I say that fucking thing!!! Do I really care for her?" he asked himself.
"I don't know what his problem…is I just say thank you that's all" she put her arms on her hips. Hmmmppp…
"So! Uchiha has a liking on her… No doubt!!! But I wont never let you win her" Neji was on a deep thought. He can't allow that he will have her heart again and also he won't allow that he will hurt her again. He saw all the pain she was into when Sasuke left her, and he won't let it happen once more.
After the fish is served, Sakura is busy approaching her hungry stomach, while her other comrades are busy with their own business.
"Hmmm… smells good!!! The smell makes me hungry…" Sakura exclaimed. While Neji and Sasuke didn't mind her 'coz they are busy on their glare contest. Suddenly she intrudes their so-called 'contest'.
"hn?? Neji-kun?? Sasuke? Dinner is ready" she interrupted them. She waves her hand on the eyes of Neji, which makes him blink.
"Sakura?? What do you think your doing?" he growled. She giggles when she heard his answer, she is absolutely she annoyed him once again. She changed their topic; she is sure that Neji is irritated because he loses in their 'match' with Sasuke.
"Let's eat, I'm hungry yah now!!!" she handles them their foods. Sakura noticed the dark surroundings her dream in the consecutive nights rewind in her mind. She stopped and stared on her food, "I can't help thinking it, what if it happens in reality, and what if-" she keep on thinking.
"Sakura are you okay?" Neji asked her with worry on his voice.
"I'm okay. Nothing to worry about" she gave him a smile to ensure that she is okay and returned her attention on her food and start eating. She decides that she shouldn't think that senseless dream.
"Hey!!! Who's going to stand by for the whole night?" she asked them excitedly.
"Hmm? Nobody cared to answer? Now I supposed that it's my duty!!" she sighs. "I can't think that they let me be the one who will stand by for the whole night!!! I can't do it anyway!!! HELL YEAH!!!! I'll do it" her inner Sakura beam. Sasuke and Neji have their own worlds and are out of their minds that's why they didn't even react.
After they eat their dinner, Sakura jumped to the branch near in the camp. Sasuke is irritated because he is the one who should do the guarding not her, but since it already there he'll keep himself awake for the whole night. Its not that he didn't trust her but he want to make sure that she is alright. Before Neji enters his tent he noticed that Sasuke is kindda unease that Sakura takes the first guarding
"Don't worry! She is used to it. Whenever we have missions she is the one who always stand-by. Trust her."
But even though Neji assured him that it's ok to let her awake for the first night. He keeps himself awake, but later Sakura suddenly talk
"Sasuke sleep now tomorrow is a tiring day. Don't worry I can manage. Trust me." she suddenly said
Sasuke feel that Sakura can manage it, but still he didn't sleep deeply.
Sakura is actually only taking a nap, she envelopes the campsite with her gen-jutsu so that if someone or something invades the site even the slightest move she can immediately prepare an assault for that unlucky thing.
But far away from the site, one pair eyes are unwearyingly watching her peaceful face, suddenly Sakura stand up and look in the direction of her spectator, she looks at him sharply that everyone wouldn't know that the one with those sharp eyes is Sakura. A smirk formed in the lips of her stalker and then vanished. Sakura alert herself and her barrier more than before, because it's her instinct that told her that the man watching her just a minute ago is indeed a serious and strong ninja that needs all her attention and also a dangerous one.
"I can't believe that she possesses those deadly eyes on that angelic face of her" the mysterious shinobi said to himself "I must report this to him, I'm sure he'll be glad is he knows this."
The morning is fast approaching, Sasuke wakes up first and he found out that Sakura is missing, he suddenly felt nervousness he can't help thinking about the possibilities "what if someone kidnapped her, or what if someone… NO!!!!!!! It can't be!"
He searched around the campsite if she is only taking her walk, but he didn't find her. He tries to maintain his coolness but he is really worried about her. Then he heard the rustling water, he decided to wash his face before continuing his search, beside he still feel sleepy and maybe the cold water will wash away his sleepiness. Then he saw a silhouette of a woman, he walk towards her just to clear it out: he's not peeping!!!.
But before he takes another step, a kunai blocked his step. The girl rose from the water and grabs her towel.
"Sasuke?" Sakura was stunned to see Sasuke in front of her.
"Sakura?? It's not what you think…" he immediately reasoned out. Sakura on the other hand is blushing when she found out that Sasuke is there and reasoning out why he is there.
"I'm looking for you, because when I woke up your not there" he added.
"Worried?? You shouldn't be!! I supposed to do this early in the morning because I can't take a bath when you guys are already awake. Neji is used to it!" she finishes her bath.
"You know at first Neji did the same too!! He told me that he is worried about me because I'm not there. Kindda weird 'coz I'm not expecting that words would come from a mouth of Hyuuga, especially from Hyuuga Neji" she giggles "But you know when he did that 'peeping' thing worse things happened I hit him hard, and throw anything I have near me. Good thing I didn't rained him shurikens and kunai. You know he got black eye and bruises but he didn't get angry at me that time." she dresses up herself after she took her bath.
She tapped his shoulder, "C'mon. Neji might be awake now, and wondering where the hell did we go" she holds his hand and drags him. Sasuke was shocked and freeze for a while at the sight of this, he didn't expect Sakura would do such actions, besides it his first time to hold a hand of a girl and vice versa but he is glad that the girl who first hold his hand and also his heart happens to be her, Sakura. Sakura looked back at him, at first she wears a questioned face but later on she smiled at him as if it is a sign of assurance that it's ok. Then a rare smiled also oddly formed on his lips, he let her pull him all the way.
A. N.
Thanks for all those who gave their reviews, I really appreciate it!!!
Also thanks to ..... those who enlightened me and open up my eyes to what the beta-reader really means!!!!!!
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