Reveries of Life, Love, and Revenge

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Author's note: Okay! We're at chapter eight! Things will have to get a little fluffy around Zeo and Shikamaru, but nothing too serious in magnitude. This chapter will have a bit of confrontations in it, a few… depressing moments, maybe? I think I'll get Kabuto and Nikko hooked up in a few chapters; things are getting comfortable with them, along with Zeo and Shikamaru, and Sasuke and Mitsa. But I'm forcing myself to avoid getting too fluffy around pairs that are supposed to get together on a certain chapter. Meaning, Sasuke and Mitsa can't do anything too fluffy before chapter ten, and the same thing applies to Delana and Gaara except the chapter for them is twelve. I'm enjoying making all these battle scenes, really, and the way I have this story set up includes quite an amount of fighting. But I know you all eventually get tired of just fighting scenes, right? I thought so. So in this chapter, I'll be offering you some other…. Good-ness… Of stuff. And this 'good-ness' will last for a few chapters, but for their own particular reasons. Um, for your reference, Delana and Gaara are going to fight… or at least begin to until certain events…. therefore I won't introduce them in this chapter 'till near the middle. I'll be able to make up for it, though. Um, what else… Oh, yes. It has come to my attention that after I read the chapters, some of the characters are a bit OOC. I apologize; it's hard to maintain their original personality yet make them develop feelings or something of the sort at the same time. This has become especially hard for Sasuke and Gaara, who, I noticed, is VERY OOC. So yet again, I apologize very much. And gomen nasai for the delay.

Anna: I LOVE the Hinata and Naruto pairing… and with what I have planned, that coupling shall progress gradually. What I'm afraid of, though, is that I'm not exactly doing Hinata or Naruto correctly when it comes to being in character. Oh well, there's time to improve and such.

Angel Suzuka 13: Thanks for reviewing! Your website is awesome, by the way. Oh, and I'm waiting for YOU to update your fiction with the original character pairing…. Though… jealousy… is… rising…

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Chapter 8: Fun and Games, Literally

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It had only been a mere four hours or so since Nikko had been kidnapped. Indeed, she had seen the face of her captor. It was once, maybe twice, through the night that the candles had actually enlightened his face. And when they finally did, it left Nikko heart broken and confused upon seeing the person. Yakushi Kabuto, well, Kabuto to her, was her kidnapper. Not only did this baffle out dear spectacled ninja, but left her pondering upon as to why he ever was her supposed 'friend'. It was the belief to her that this was simply a game. Like chess. She was the pawn, and was being lured forward in a strategy. So basically, all dear Nikko thought was that she was being used.

Technically, given the circumstances, that was a reasonable thought.

But that doesn't mean thoughts are necessarily true. Yes, she was a pawn. But to Kabuto, she was a friend. Never in his career as Orochimaru's apprentice had he ever really warmed up to people as much as he did Nikko, and that's rare. And when I say rare, I mean rare. The room was pretty much dark, and if you were looking at it from a side view, you'd see a small sort of figure tied up to a chair while another leaned on the wall. Clearly and simply put, Nikko and Kabuto were most likely the only ones awake and were the only living beings in the room.

"I trusted you?"

"That you did." Kabuto pushed up his spectacles, then pushed up the fourteen-year olds also. She flinched slightly, taking the silver-haired medical-ninja by surprise a bit. "Don't take this too personally. If I wasn't working for Orochimaru, this wouldn't be happening." Nikko thought about that slightly for a second. Her brows furrowed as she went into deep thought, processing what was happening through her head over and over again. Her dirt-blonde hair rested on her shoulders and she hung her head, still quite upset that KABUTO was the one who had kidnapped her. Twitching slightly, Kabuto looked over, "…Hey, I'm basically saying I'm sorry, okay?"

"You say you're sorry. It doesn't mean that you actually mean it, you bastard."

Standing in the doorway of the main office in Sound village, where Konoha's assigned ninjas. Indeed, they were all in a ready position, ready to fight. Mitsarugi, of course, was the one who had said the previous comment. Sure, she wasn't exactly old enough to have such colorful vocabulary. But I guess infuriation blocks out the conscience in one's head who tells them to keep a clean mind of words. Kabuto had averted his gaze towards the ninjas, examining them. It was them again. He'd have to get his scalpel hands working again…

Alona was cursing herself on the inside. She had forgotten her flute today, which could have easily been the one weapon that got them in and out of this building with Nikko. Yes, they would have gotten back to Konoha without any injuries. And the mission would be done successfully and quickly. But no, she had to have left it in her closet. The rubicund hair had been hiding her face right now, but if you looked closely, you could see the emerald eyes gazing upon the pink haired ninja next to her. Sakura. Sakura was shaking slightly, though the grasp on her kunai was firm, indicating she was a little tense. It was funny… she never seemed this uptight. In truth, Sakura was scared to death. Sure, she felt safe knowing Sasuke was there, of course. But he never really promised her verbally she'd be safe. Naruto was the one who had always assured her safety. Countless times, he'd say, "I'll protect you, Sakura-chan!" And honestly? That was the real thing that made her feel safe and secure. But she knew with what they had planned, they'd be out as soon as possible.

Shikamaru looked down at Zeo, who knew it was her turn now to help out. She'd be the one who'd get them out quickly, really. Though he knew, for sure, after thinking over two hundred possible moves, he'd easily be the one who could help them out, she deserved a chance. The ex-mist-nin was already plotting out plan or so. He squeezed her hand lightly, then looked back up at Kabuto. Sasuke had already gotten his Chidori ready, the Sharingan eyes thus showing their trademark red glow. Mitsa gave an aggressive nudge in his shoulder. They'd have to be discreet. If they attracted attention to the room, they were… well, in Naruto's terms, 'screwed'. So backing down, Sasuke gave an agitated grunt and ceased his powerful skill. The brunette's eyes quirked; it was obvious she didn't have much of an impact on the Uchiha, but he yielded otherwise. Maybe he wasn't being such a muscle-bound now that Naruto wasn't here… maybe the blonde was his one-way excuse whenever he fucked up? She couldn't see Sasuke pulling a, 'Naruto did it.', though. That was more Sakura-like. "Shikamaru-kun…" The snow-haired ex-nin said softly, "Get me upset. Again. Like you did last time."

"What the hell?"

Silence was the only reply given to the rude inquiry. "Just do it." Now, the Naara had a tendency to act by instinct. With an agitated grunt, he shook his head, muttering something about it being 'too troublesome'. This initiated anger. "Naara Shikamaru, if you don't get me upset I'll---" Slap. She seemed surprised, now with a red mark burning painfully into her right cheek. And the rain began drizzling outside. But they needed more than just drizzle right now. What they needed… was a thunder storm. Something to attract Kabuto's attention for just the slightest second. Slap. The rain increased. Sakura was surprised at the Naara's actions, along with the brunette… Alona didn't seem to be paying attention to anyone but Nikko, and Sasuke didn't seem to care at all. Nikko looked outside, along with the silver-haired medical ninja. "It wasn't raining awhile ago…" he said quietly, amused, soon to be frozen in his spot. That was the cue. A thick, red liquid ran down Kabuto's neck as he tried hard to move his body, only failing in the attempt. Nikko looked up, "… Barb wire." Barb wire had been Mitsa's trump card for the longest time, and it worked semi-effectively. Hands had already swiftly begun untying the rope around the dirty blonde, causing Kabuto to make and agitated grunt. "D-Dammit…" Sasuke looked up from the ropes for a second. His eyes had already converted automatically to sharingan, possibly due to frustration. "Sasuke, hurry up!" The familiar, frantic voice his mind had once forgotten rang in his ears, "The barb wire shouldn't have much more effect!" Well, technically that's my fault… I didn't pack enough senbon to use it on such a mission… I didn't want to waste it when we could just run away. Just run away. This awkwardly took a shot at her pride. Paint Mitsarugi's life in front of her; what do you see? Her pride diminished. Jerking back to reality, she felt a hand tug painfully at hers, "Dammit, Mits, go!" Sasuke. She recognized that voice. Nodding, she took in what was around her: Sasuke running behind her, her feet moving on her own, Nikko lugged over Shikamaru's back, Zeo holding the Naara's hand, Sakura tripping over the wet streets, then practically breaking her neck from falling off the branches, Alona just acting calm and making her way, all the while rain pouring onto them with the occasional lightning streaking into the atmosphere. The brunette shook her head, don't let the lightning effect you… don't let… it… effect you… Sasuke quirked a brow, then rolled his eyes. Oh, right. She hated thundering and lightning.

"Quit being a baby, Mits, it's just lightning."

Just lightning? I think not. "R-Right." Hopping on, she didn't bother to look back at the Uchiha. All they needed to worry about right now was a girl who got captured previously, not a shaking rookie who couldn't stand a bit of lightning. Zeo looked at the dirty-blonde, "Did he hurt you, Nikko?" She shook her head lightly. "Nope. Not the smallest bit. I think, though, if ya wanted to go by the lines of hurting without realizin' it, it'd jus' be when he tied me up to the chair. But that's 'bout it." The ex-mist nin, smiled ever slightly, nodding. Well, good. They wouldn't have to waste their first aid on any wounds. Sakura was already flying off trees as it was. They'd probably need most of the bandages for HER, anyway.

And Shikamaru. Chances were, when they got back, Nikko would hop off his back. Ouch.

Somewhere in the Chuunin exam practice clearing, the following day, 7:10 PM

"Sandy-booooooooooy!"

Gaara looked up. Now, he didn't exactly say anything. But words were easily manifested into actions, and for Gaara, he tended to be an expert at representing things through actions more than speaking. An annoyed blonde huffed, whipping out her fan at an amazingly fast rate, "Aa! Gaara! It's that Delana girl! Want me to blow her to Timbuktu?! Please?!" The raven haired kunoichi blinked. "Oh come ON, I'm not THAT bad… hey, what'd I ever do to you, anyway?" Temari froze and blinked for a second. The answer to that question? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The blood haired ninja gave a look up, "Aa?" Delana grinned, placing her hands on her hips, pointing accusingly at the Sabakuno, "Battle! Now!" Kankuro looked down at Gaara for a second, then rubbed his head. Let's see. Festival or fight. Festival or fight… festival or fight… Temari huffed and stomped her feet; couldn't she SEE that they were in kimonos and gis? The black haired girl had already stormed ahead, throwing random kunai and shuriken, barely even scratching Gaara's sand, causing her to wince. "Not right now. There's a festival in town. I'm going." At the last sentence, he somewhat hissed it; personally, Sabakuno Gaara was not a fan of public events. But when your gourd is on the line, though you know you can kick your sister's ass, you tend to give in. Delana blinked, "…Festival..? Oh! Dammit! I forgot all about it!" She had been wearing her kimono, though, upon seeing Gaara, she completely forgot. With her kimono of a deep, blood red and dark violet hibiscus flower designs, she picked up a kunai and held it up threateningly to the Sabakuno, "Aa! Gaara! I'm coming with you!"

Oh hell.

Temari adjusted her pink kimono, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder, "No! It's just going to be me, Gaara, and Kankuro!" Delana shook her head violently, stomping, "Nooo! I'm coming with you!" Kankuro had backed up. Very very far away. He preferably didn't want to take part in catfights. Poor Gaara. The mood of the argument was left in his very calloused hands. "…She can come, Temari, quit making a fit about it." It was clearly obvious from his facial expression that he was quite annoyed, but decided to make everyone happy anyway. Besides. Maybe he could drop Delana off one of the roller coasters. Temari huffed, fixing Gaara's red gi with the black wrapping, "Fine… she can come, but she's hiking herself right back home whenever we decide we want to leave." Nodding, the cutesy, violet-eyed ninja clung to Gaara's arm. Twitch-twitch. Maybe he should have denied her coming after all. They began walking to the fair ground, however.

Fairgrounds, 8:15 PM

"You know, Nikk, the point of coming to a fair is to wear a KIMONO, not jeans and a shirt."

"Show some sympathy, I'm in a WHEELCHAIR, dern you." The dirty-blonde, indeed, wore a green t-shirt with deep blue jeans that appeared darker due to the darkened atmosphere. Mitsarugi, however, had worn the appropriate attire: a black kimono with a gold waist wrapping and white lotus designs. Her hair was tied up into a low ponytail with a deep blue ribbon that had an Uchiha fan on it; she had found it a few years ago while exploring the ruins of the Uchiha estate. "Not my fault someone decided to not pay attention on our mission." Nikko pushed up her glasses, then got tempted to roll over Mitsa's foot, only to be stopped by Zeo, who was in a pure white kimono with blue snowflakes. "Don't go killing each other, please." Shikamaru shook his head, "How troublesome…" Sakura giggled, clinging to Rock Lee's arm, who had gotten out of the hospital for once to walk around from his operation. "Ne, Lee-kun, let's go to the ferris wheel!" Dragging the poor boy over to the machine, she had an unfamiliar blush making way onto her face. Shikamaru… yet again, shook his head, "How troublesome."

Sasuke, who was dressed in a deep blue Uchiha gi, had chosen to remain silently while a familiar brunette clung to his arm. Hey. Ino and Sakura had originally been bugging him about who he was going to the fair with, so he resulted to the Urashima who… well, hadn't EXACTLY agreed to being his fair 'date', her eye being set on Kiba, but… she was such a wonderful buddy, and he needed a date who would make him actually enjoy the night. Yes, Sasuke wasn't exactly the best sweet-talker kami-sama had ever made, but he appeared to be working on it. "Aa, Sasuke, I'm going over by the lake." Nodding, she waved slightly to the raven-haired Uchiha, letting go of his arm before walking over to the, what appeared to be, deep black lake. To Mitsa, apparently, that seemed more interesting than the Ferris wheel, or the prizes. Or the chocolate cheesecake on the stick. Which Nikko had already been munching happily on. Shrugging, the Uchiha just followed behind. He didn't exactly want to be left with Ino and Chouji, who went together.

Because if Ino saw the fact that Sasuke was alone, she'd grasp the chance and maul him over to the tunnel of love, then proceed to rape him or something.

Shikamaru and Zeo had already made their way over to the Ferris wheel, the whole idea being Zeo's pretty much, sitting in the seat while looking up at the sky. Well, the young Naara was more interested in getting the hell out of the seat then focusing on the sky at the moment. But Zeo had better things on her mind. "Shikamaru…" she whispered softly, turning his head a bit, the same scowl on his face. "What is it—" Closing her eyes softly, she softly pressed her lips onto his, shutting the annoyed twelve year old up for a bit. Pulling back, she smiled a bit, then went back to looking at the stars. She slightly brushed some white hair strands out of her face, then blinked when the ferris wheel made a jerk. Shikamaru looked down, men shouting to the passengers that the wheel was just undergoing some technical difficulties. The black haired ninja proceeded to bang his head on the Ferris wheel seat, "You've." Bang. "Got." Bang. "To be." Bang. "Kidding me."

"Hey, stop making such noise up there!"

And it was thus known to Shikamaru that, yet again, he'd have yet ANOTHER bad day.

"Running away from your fangirls?" the brunette's semi-high pitched voice commented quietly. The Uchiha just shrugged. "You constantly have girls who just like you because of your looks chase you around all day, then we'll talk about that." Mitsarugi smirked, running her hands through the water of the lake, "Aa." Sasuke sat by the younger ninja, looking at the water, "Why'd you want to come to the lake, anyway? There's games out there I'm sure you'd be the one dominating." She shrugged. Silence. That was her usual reply to everything around him. Just silence.

"I guess I just don't like social events that much anymore."

That was an acceptable reply, right? Not everyone always has to be fond of fairs and things of the like, right? That's not a reply I'd expect to hear out of you. Shrugging, the Uchiha looked away from the Urashima, "Aa." Before he knew it, a hand had pushed him into the darkened waters. And in instinct, his hand grabbed the nearest thing after his brain registered that what he was plunging deeper into was quite cold. And that thing just happened to be Mitsa's foot. "H-hey, Sas-Sasuke! What the--?!" And she fell into the icy waters too. Damn.

She KNEW she should have brought towels.

Grabbing land, Sasuke, completely drenched, made his way out of the waters, a cold brunette huddling up next to him, shivering. "H-hey… T-That… Wasn't… Funny…" Clinging to the Uchiha, she decided to ignore his somewhat angered look on his face. Can't be angry now. Have to search for body heat. So agitatedly, he wrapped his arms around the shivering Urashima, her arms making their way around his body too. This was TOO easy; she had him wrapped around her finger. Though she honestly wouldn't be doing thing if he hadn't decided to drag her in with him… "What was THAT for?" he hissed slightly, causing her to wince. "S-Sorry… I just wanted to get you w-wet, that's all…" Great. Now she was turning into his stutter dummy. "Well, looks like you ended up getting yourself wet in the meanwhile. They have towels, right?" She shrugged. "I'm not sure." Double damn.

Hinata blushed at Naruto, she was still in his hospital room. "Anou… Naruto-kun… I brought you some ramen… 'tou-san said it would warm your bones up a bit…" Well, to be more specific, Hiashi had said something a little ruder that that, but that's beside the point. Nonetheless, the blonde hade graciously accepted the ramen, downing it in almost no time flat, causing the white-eyed Hyuuga to smile. "Thank you, Hinata-chan!" he said with a grin, causing the petit girl to smile even wider.

"No problem, Naruto-kun…."

'Anou sa, anou sa! Did the nurse say anything about the festival tonight?! I want to go, but I don't want to result to jumping out of the window just yet." Hinata shook her head, "Iie, she hasn't said anything…." This caused Naruto to grin his trademark grin all over again. "Well! Then I'll just have to break outta the hospital!"

A/N: And now I'm tired and don't feel like writing anymore. Sorry guys.

Preview of the next chapter: Delana grinned at Gaara, "Hey! Sandy-boy!" This caused him to look over a bit. "Aa?" Tossing her hair slightly, she placed her hands on her hips, then continued to grin deviously at the Sabakuno.

"I challenge you to riding THAT roller coaster over there with me over and over! The first one who pukes wins!"

Confidently, he looked over to examine the roller coaster. Fuck. The loops on that roller coaster were killer, including so many drops and the speed didn't help much. In his mind, though very un-Gaara-like, he whispered slightly:

Help.