Author's Notes: Mild warnings for this chapter. Vague references to sex and attempted rape. Nothing over PG-13 however.

ACT IV

Scene I

Sakura had spent the most of the stormy night trapped in her room, waiting to hear that the fight under the bridge had been called off. At any moment, she thought to see Lee at her door, brimming with news that neither Naruto nor Neji had fought. As the hours passed though, she began to think that her hopes were destined to be crushed. In her anxiety, she even called Neji's loft hoping to hear Tenten's musical voice on the other end but had to hang up after letting it ring more than twenty times. She tried telling herself that perhaps they weren't answering because they wanted privacy, or maybe they hadn't come straight back. The feeble wishes didn't sound true even to her. Neji always answered his phone incase there was an emergency.

No, she had a dark feeling that something terrible had happened, a notion that was reinforced when a knock at her door brought her Sasuke, drenched and covered in blood.

"Sasuke," she said, stricken, and reached out towards him as he half stumbled inside, falling heavily against her. She put her shoulder under his arm and helped him towards her bed. When he was seated, she hurried to her bathroom and returned with a large towel, her pale face in sharp contrast with his crimson clothes.

"What happened? Where are you hurt?" Her hands fluttered over him nervously, her breath hitching in her throat as she knelt before him, ducking a little to look up into his face.

His eyes were blank.

"Sasuke," she said, her voice more controlled than she thought possible, "Did Neji hurt you?"

There. Something flickered in his eyes and he seemed to finally see her. His voice was rough. "It's not my blood."

There was such a welling of relief she almost couldn't think clearly. "Whose is it then?"

"Naruto's." Her eyes widened but he didn't allow her to ask. Now that he had started, he seemed determined to get it all out. "I tried to stop him. I told him not to, but he brought it anyway. The knife… he shouldn't have had it."

Something like a scream was rising in Sakura's throat, burning it's way out of her body as she struggled to tame that thread of fire that was making tears well in her eyes. He couldn't be saying what she thought he was saying. It was a mistake. Sasuke had stopped the fight. He had to have. She believed in him.

But his eyes were telling her something else.

"Sasuke," and this time her voice cracked, sharp and high, "are you saying Naruto stabbed Neji?"

For the first time since entering her apartment, Sasuke raised his head and looked her straight in the eye, raindrops sliding down his cheeks like tears.

"No. I did."

The world tilted oddly and Sakura's heart jumped sideways painfully, that scream working its way out through her clenched teeth as something like a sob. She put a hand over her mouth immediately and leaned back. The towel fell to the floor.

That blank look had come back into Sasuke's face. "He stabbed Naruto and I stabbed him. That girl of his came and took him away. I don't know if he's alive or dead."

She could only whisper. "And Naruto?"

"I took him to Tsunade. She's a doctor and a friend of Kakashi's." He shrugged but she could see the effort it cost him. "I left before she could tell me if he'd make it."
His head bowed again as if the weight of the night was too much for him. Silence fell and she simply sat there on the floor of her room, empty and grief-stricken and horribly angry at a world that would let this happen.

Then she leaned forward between Sasuke's knees and kissed his lips, cold and sweet with rainwater. She didn't think about it, just knew that if she didn't do something she was going to shatter like glass. It a took a minute for Sasuke to react but when he did, his hands came up to grip her shoulders tightly, possessively, and he deepened her kiss, sliding off the bed to push her back into the carpet.

With his larger body over hers, she turned her face to the side, breaking their kiss enough to whisper into his ear. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault." A shudder ran through his body and she kept up the mantra as she stripped him of his wet clothes, reinforcing her words with kisses along his neck and collarbone.

Maybe, if she said it enough, he would believe her.

Scene II

Tenten climbed the apartment steps slowly, her determination unwavering as every foot brought her closer and closer to confrontation. She was cold and tired and the night's events had drained her emotionally, but her spine was straight, her eyes clear. She had lived through tough times all her life and would see plenty more. For years she and Neji had fought to protect themselves and those they loved, and she would not stop even thought her heart wished to be elsewhere. No, she had to take care of this now that Neji could not.

Reaching the landing, Tenten raised a hand and rapped on the door three times, keeping her breathing even as she heard footsteps inside. Even though it was well before dawn, there was still someone awake. Tenten was not surprised. She had expected this, counted on it.

Sakura answered the door.

The younger girl took one look at her bedraggled state, the blood on her clothes, the dark circles under her eyes and one hand flew to her mouth in shock. "Tenten, what…?"

"Where is he?"

Sakura's face paled, green eyes widened. She seemed incapable of speech so Tenten brushed by her into the apartment, gaze roving over the darkened room. Seeing that it was empty, she crossed the carpet quickly and pushed open the door to the bedroom, ready to draw a knife in a instant.

The bedroom, too, was empty, the sheets rumpled and the window open. Tenten turned slightly to find Sakura still be the door, completely frozen.

"Where is he, Sakura?"

"Neji," the girl whispered, "Is he…?

Cold anger flared but Tenten leashed it savagely. It was her fault, really. She had argued with Neji about letting Sakura see Sasuke when he didn't agree, had stood up for the girl even though everyone else seemed to have misgivings. She had allowed Sakura to believe that she could have a relationship with Sasuke, would even have given it her blessing.

She had been a fool.

"I'm asking you where Sasuke is, Sakura," she said, every word short and hard. "If I have to repeat myself again I will be very angry."

Sakura's hands visibly trembled and she linked them together to still them. Tenten was beyond caring. "He's not here. He left an hour ago. I…I'm supposed to meet him later." She took a step forward unconsciously, her voice pleading. "Please, tell me, is Neji alright? Sasuke said he wasn't sure…"

Irrationally, Tenten was incensed by Sakura's question. Who was she to worry about Neji when her lover had almost killed him but a few hours ago? Who was she to ask anything when she had allowed that man into her bed fresh from a fight where her only family had fallen?

Tenten snapped. "You…" But her fury was so great that she couldn't speak, could only stand there and glare with rage and grief, angry tears filling her eyes. She swallowed and somehow managed an infuriated whisper. "You have no right…no right…to ask me anything."

Tears trailed down Sakura's cheeks but she stood her ground, her voice quavering only a little. "It was an accident. Neji hurt Naruto, Sasuke was only defending his friend. It was all an accident. Tenten, he didn't mean for any of this to happen. He wouldn't even have been there if I hadn't asked him to go and stop the fight!"

"So, his reward for stabbing your adopted brother was a romp in your bed?" Tenten asked coldly, watching as Sakura bit her lip. "You seem to know what happened at the bridge so he must have told you, and yet you still slept with him? Even knowing that he might have killed Neji you gave yourself to him?" She took a ragged breath, exhaustion of every kind threatening to stop her before she could finish. "I have never been more disgusted with someone than I am with you at this moment."

Sakura sobbed and suddenly burst out, "I love him! I didn't ask to, but I do! He wanted to be forgiven and so I did! Neji's and Naruto's injuries were the result of this useless war! It's not Sasuke's fault but if you need someone to blame then blame me." Her voice quieted. "I love him, Tenten, and I won't give him up."

There was a moment of heavy silence as the two women looked at each other, both in love and both trying to protect someone. Then Tenten staggered, suddenly so drained she could barely stand. Sakura darted forward and caught her reflexively, steadying her with hands on her arms.

From the door there came a heavy pounding and an commanding male voice. "Police! Open up Ms. Haruno! We need to ask you some questions!"

"Oh god," Sakura whispered, stricken. Tenten was finding what had to have been her fourth wind of the night and backed out of Sakura's reach, eyes on the door.

"Where are you suppose to meet Sasuke?"

Sakura's head whipped around and when she saw Tenten's face she almost wept again in gratitude. "At the basketball court near the train station in an hour. If the police question me, I'm going to be late. Will you…?"

Tenten pressed her lips together and turned, heading for the bedroom and the fire escape. Sakura closed her eyes briefly and whispered to her retreating back.

"Thank you."

Scene III

Tenten walked the dark path to Kakashi's store alone, shivering in the morning cold, sleepless and beyond being tired. She saw very few people and fewer still saw her, a silent shape of a woman bent on going unnoticed. One line kept running through her head as she walked, head down through enemy territory.

Into the lion's den. Into the lion's den.

A lone Falcon in the wrong territory was easy prey, especially after the events of the night. The Lions would be on alert, edgy. She would need to be very careful.

"Careful," she muttered to herself, and shook her head. What she was doing was absolute foolishness. She wasn't even sure she understood it herself, only that something in Sakura's eyes had convinced her. That girl really did love Sasuke, the kind of love that Tenten recognized because she knew it as well.

And even Neji would understand that Tenten had always been a champion of the heart.

Once the decision had been made, it was made. That was the kind of woman she was. She hated worrying over something until it lost all meaning. She liked doing things, not talking about them. If Sakura wanted to meet Sasuke and run away, let them. It was probably the best way to stop all this ridiculous feuding. Tenten would go in, tell Sasuke that Sakura had been held up, and then she would turn her back for good. She'd go to Neji and they would leave this place, as he had wanted. They would find a new home, a better home.

The thought brought her new energy and she lifted her head, throwing back her shoulders as she opened the door to Kakashi's store and stepped inside.

The Lions were waiting for her.

It seemed all of them were there except for Sasuke and Naruto. Every pair of eyes turned to her and stayed there, silence falling like a heavy stone. Reminding herself of her mission, she took a breath to steady herself.

"I have a message for Sasuke."

"If it isn't Neji's whore," Kabuto spoke up, almost casually. She gave him a cool eye and said nothing. His glasses flashed at her as he smiled. "What are you doing on this side of town, my lady?" He took a step towards her and the whole group moved with him. "Lost?"

"Can't you hear?" she bit out, her stomach twisting as he took another step forward. She never had been able to stand Kabuto. Something about him made her feel nauseous whenever he was near. "I must speak to Sasuke."

"He's not here," Shikamaru drawled from a corner. Next to him, Kiba frowned, his voice almost a growl.

"What can you have to say to him anyway? Trying to lead Lee to him, are ya?"

Tenten hid the flicker of confusion that tried to cross her face. Lee? What did he have to do with all this? She hadn't seen him since the fight. Could he have gone after Naruto and Sasuke? Surely he couldn't have found them, not if Sasuke had been with Sakura.

"I'm here to help. Let me pass," she said, and she moved forward, brushing past Kabuto.

It was a mistake she knew she had made almost instantly. Kabuto turned and grabbed her arm, throwing her back against the glass window of the ice cream cases. She hit her head hard and was stunned for a brief second, just enough time for Kabuto to be on her with a yell to his companions.

Bodies pressed in around her and hands tore at her clothes, pulled at her hair. She grit her teeth and bit Kabuto on the lip when he tried to kiss her, laughing something about how he liked women who fought back. By then his hand was inside her shirt and she tried to knee him in the groin but found she had no room. There were too many people, most of them trying to hurt her, though she did hear a few of them shouting for the rest to stop. It wasn't any good though. Kabuto had pushed them over the edge, something he must have relished doing with Naruto out of commission.

Angry and frightened, she kept struggling and didn't stop until a bell chimed, signaling a customer, and Kakashi walked into his store, his very presence stopping everyone cold.

"What's going on here?" he asked calmly, hands in his pockets. His eyes were alert though, and not fooled as Kabuto and the rest backed away from her. Blessing whatever luck was with her that night, Tenten straightened and shakily smoothed her ruined clothes, finding some composure in the face of what she was about to do. She no longer cared about Sasuke or the Lions or the Falcons, even. She was done. Completely and utterly done.

"I came with a message for Sasuke," she said bitterly. "You can tell him that Sakura won't be meeting him. Lee found out about them last night and shot her."

And with that, she pulled the last threads of her dignity around her and stalked out the door, slamming it behind her.

She didn't look back.

End Act IV.