"Don't accept rides from strange men, and remember all men are strange."-Robin Morgan

"No…" The young man standing before her snickered. Emiko stumbled back barely missed by the door as it swung open on its hinges, colliding into the wall with a thunderous crash.

'Ow my ears,' Emiko winced, one hand covering her ear as she tumbled to the floor. She hastily sat up, moving quickly to guard the supplies as Sasuke wordlessly stood, hands in his pockets as he stared at the boy.

A thick grey hood covered most of his face and his bad posture didn't help and Emiko estimated she was at most a few centimeters taller than him. 'Haha he's short!' She found the little victory and clenched to it, mentally poking fun at the person as she strained to keep herself from smiling. 'Crap why do I have to smile at everything!' Emiko thought to herself as her lips twitched.

"Go away." Sasuke ordered his eyes focused coldly on the boy. Instead he stepped forward, a daring grin on his face as he lifted the hood just enough to reveal his eyes.

"Or what?" he challenged, the simple retort causing Emiko to groan.

"You're so unoriginal. "Or what?" That's pathetic, try and stretch that raisin sized brain of yours to find something witty on your way out the door." Emiko met his glare eagerly, her hands itching to smack him as he took another step in.

Sasuke strode forward stopping inches away before he retracted his fist and punched him, sending the boy stumbling back.

"You're pathetic." Sasuke spat as his hand dropped back to his side. Emiko grinned, studying the boy now clutching his face as he tried to regain his breathing. He stepped back and Emiko felt a small sense of victory rising as she assumed he was leaving. The thoughts died as she noticed a flash of silver break in the light, her mind instantly recognizing what she'd seen often in her school.

'Shit.' Her stomach dropped, eyes widening as she tried to call a warning to Sasuke.

Before a syllable could pass the boy lunged, the six inch long metal knife gleaming in the feeble light as he slashed at Sasuke.

Emiko let out a weak yell as she watched them, beyond anxious as she tried to think of someway to help. The boy continued to slice into the air, small hisses of air following his movements but Sasuke always seemed a step ahead, staying calm as he fluidly avoided each attack and retaliated every few attempts.

'Crap! What should I do!' She stared as Sasuke dodged another attack, his eyes flickering between the blade and the attacker before he grabbed the boy's wrist, immediately twisting it. With a clear rattle the knife dropped to the ground, the boy now writhing in attempts to accommodate for Sasuke's hold. The Uchiha straightened up, wordlessly forcing the boy to follow as he jerked the wrist sharply prying a small shout of pain from the former attacker.

Sasuke smirked, his eyes bearing into the hood shielding the young man's head.

"You leave Gideon's and now you're better than me?" Voice hissed out from under the hood and Emiko blinked, looking hastily between the two. Sasuke's lips were set in a firm line as he glared at the being before him, apparently agitated by the person as his grip tightened painfully on the wrist.

"Think again." The boy cackled and everything blurred as the boy contorted in Sasuke's grip, almost disappearing before he appeared behind the Uchiha, a smirk evident on his lips as he aimed a gun at Sasuke's head, the lips of the end kissing the raven locks maliciously.

Time stopped and Emiko gathered her breath, fear raging in his body as her hand shook. 'They're willing to kill for a competition?' Noises croaked in her voice as she tried to think of something. Sasuke stood calmly, his eyes set firmly on the door as the boy laughed malevolently behind him.

A shaking laugh escaped her lips as she shook in her shoes, staring at the gun gleaming with cruel pride in the light. Immediately she felt gazes bearing into her as her hands clenched into fists, her fingernails digging small trenches in her palms.

"N-nothing says overcompensation like a gun." She stammered, wondering why she was still smiling insanely through the situation. 'Oh god stop laughing Emiko!' She roared mentally, her eyes widening further than ever before as she noticed the finger placed delicately on the trigger flinched.

'STOP! Run! Hide! Stop laughing!' She'd always thought years in dangerous neighborhoods would have prepared her for something like this. But to see someone use a gun, over a competition and on someone she loved. Knots burned in her throat as she tried to swallow, her eyes never leaving the trigger separating Sasuke from death.

"J-jackass! You wimp! Fight like a man not some skinny rich boy who's too scared to get his hands dirty! G-guns are weak!" Yelling seemed to blanket her shaking voice as she reprimanded him, her lungs burning as she tried to keep calm. A frown formed over his lips, instantly turning to a dark scowl.

'Oh god…' Tears sprung behind her eyes as she was greeted by the barrel of the gun, a sinister smile on the boy as he aimed at her.

"HEY!" Emiko closed her eyes, her hands covering her head as she crouched down a loud crash ricocheting through the room paired by a gun shot. Peeking one eye open she saw Naruto standing proudly in the room, a wide grin on his face as he stared at the boy sprawled on the ground before him. Emiko stepped back, breathing shallowly as she tried to calm the nerves jumping through her body. Her hands shook violently as she wrapped her arms around her stomach, her eyes staring at the loud mouthed blonde.

Letting out a low sigh of pure relief Emiko took another step back. Her stomach jumped as the floor slipped beneath her foot and she crashed to the ground, landing painfully in the middle of the supplies with an audible ruckus.

"Emi-nee-chan? Are you okay?" Naruto's face poked into her view as she groaned in embarrassment. "I didn't see you there." Emiko forced a small smile and sat up, shifting to remove cans of food from her side before she nodded.

"Yeah…I'm okay." She acknowledged, taking Naruto's offered hand and standing slowly. "Is he unconcious?" She motioned to the boy sprawled out on the floor with her eyes.

"Yep! I came in at the perfect time!" Naruto beamed proudly.

"You were late." Sasuke retorted, his arms crossed over his chest as he stood before the unconcious teen, his eyes hardening with each passing second as he regarded the male.

"I was not!" Naruto yelled angrily, brandishing a fist in his rival's direction, his blue eyes blazing in sharp contrast to Sasuke's vacant stare. Emiko sighed, rubbing her temples before she ran a hand through her hair, frowning faintly as she felt the tangles already manifesting in her locks.

'Damn…' she strode to the door and closed it quietly, recognizing the familiar shadows as she snapped it shut, fingers running through and fastening each lock. Turning around she stepped towards the vicinity of the two still exchanging short words of distaste. A thin line of pressure pressed into ankle and her lungs caught as she heard the screech of metal against the floor seconds before she felt Sakura's trap spring.

'This just sucks…' Emiko groaned into the silence, the strident sounds of the crash still echoing through the small compartment. She shifted under the metal shelf, ignoring the small stab of pain from the nuts and bolts shoving into her side.

"Someone help." She groaned seconds before she felt the structure lift from her and she sat, once again moving supplies off of her before she felt someone grab her arm and hoist her to her feet.

"Naruto, where's Sakura?" Emiko asked quickly, realizing the familiar girl was missing. The hand held to her arm in the darkness as she spoke.

"We got split up, I thought she'd come back here though." Naruto's voice quivered slightly as he seemed to remember Sakura.

"Come on, we'll go look for her and Sasuke can stay here to guard, okay?" Sasuke released her and she took his silence to mean a yes as Naruto unlocked the door, opening it just enough for them to slip through.

Familiar clicks sounded behind them to signal the door had been locked and Emiko flickered on her walkie talkie, checking with Naruto before setting it to the correct channel.

"Did you try to call her?" Emiko asked as she jogged up the stairs, playing for a second with the buttons.

"Yea!" Naruto declared defensively, sprinting behind her. "She didn't answer but I figured she'd know to come back." Emiko nodded silently, her mind racing over possible situations.

'That one boy brought a gun, are the others as desperate?' She hoped for her friend's sake they weren't, she couldn't bare to think of Sakura staring down the barrel of a gun. 'Why are they so cut throat? The kid's from Gideon he doesn't need the money.' Her mind continued to mull everything over as she reached scanned the level.

People were non-existent as they had all seemed to have found rooms on the floor. It breathed like a vacant, unused building, almost like a haunted house. Emiko sighed before she turned to naruto who was scanning the room thoroughly.

"Should we split up?" She suggested, continuing up the stairs.

"No! That's how Sakura disappeared." Naruto insisted, his steps hastening as he took the lead up the stairs. Emiko nodded quietly, smiling faintly as she heard the ring of determination in his voice. 'He probably feels bad for loosing her,' Emiko mused forlornly, her eyes training on his orange back as she followed him up the stairs.

"Alright then." Naruto pumped a fist into the air and leapt forward, landing on the level with a perceptible thud. A beam lit his face before Emiko swatted at him, frowning.

"They will have heard that!" She pointed out quietly, pointing at a door, a shadow disappearing swiftly from the small window. Naruto's grin turned sheepish as he scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously.

"Yea but then Sakura can yell for help." Naruto explained honestly, sprinting to a door and peeking openly through the window. Emiko felt her legs weaken as she felt a desire to simply fall over, watching as Naruto peeked through each window. 'We'll never find her like this…' Emiko thought dismally as Naruto returned to stand before her.

"I didn't see her." Naruto reported, glancing at the rooms as their inhabitants glanced out the windows.

"Naruto," Emiko groaned. "She might not be that easy to see."

"She has pink hair though." Naruto replied calmly as he returned to the stairs, taking the lead once again as he bounded energetically up the stairs. 'Good point,' Emiko admitted silently as she followed him up the stairs. 'Sakura, you better be okay.'