Light Shaded Dream

Chapter 2 – Nightmare

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

-:-

The ANBU squad from Konoha jumped from tree to tree, silently cutting through air as they made their way to their destination. Even Naruto, the loudest one of them all, and Ino, the bossiest one, remained quiet. They had their common sense on their missions; noise could give away their position and get themselves into an unwanted battle with the enemy. Shikamaru and Neji led the way, followed by Ino and Tenten, while Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata held the rear. Hinata and Neji were scanning the area with their Byakugan, while Tenten had her weapons at the ready if needed. The day was quickly withering away as nighttime neared. Hinata and Neji chose a spot in a small forest clearing surrounded by dense forest, almost positive that nobody could attack them without one of them noticing first. They made camp, and made a small fire to cook their food. Shikamaru and Ino were arguing their hearts out, Naruto and Hinata were talking about the best and worst kinds of ramen, and Neji and Tenten were speaking of weapons. Sakura watched her friends enjoy each other's presence, and she sat alone, away from the rest of them.

I don't get it. Why did Tsunade-sama have to send me on this mission? I mean, sure, it's probably an S-ranked mission, and someone is bound to get hurt and needs my medical skills. But still...I hate him. I don't want to see him. Not now!

Don't lie. You love him. You want to see him so bad. You wouldn't even care if he killed you.

Shut up.

Don't deny yourself. You loveee him. You want him.

You're annoying! Shut up!

I'm your inner, of course I'm annoying.

Oh...Well, for your information, I don't love him, I hate him.

Don't deny it, you miss him.

YOU---

"HELLOO? Earth to Sakura? Hellooo?" Tenten yelled, waving her hand in front of her teammate's face.

Sakura snapped back to reality after her argument with her inner, and she smiled to reassure her teammate.

"Oh, I'm sorry Tenten! I guess I was over thinking," She said.

Tenten took a seat next to her, and had her eyes on Neji fuming over Naruto talking to his cousin. Sakura looked at her, confused on why she would want to talk to her. She followed Tenten's gaze to Neji, and smiled.

"Sakura, is something wrong?" Tenten asked, changing her gaze from Neji to Sakura.

Sakura looked bewildered. She had faked happiness so well. How did Tenten know?

"What are you talking about, Tenten?" She asked, keeping her calm.

Tenten looked into Sakura's eyes, and frowned. She sighed, and looked away, her gaze shifting to Neji once more.

"Don't act like you fake everything so well, Sakura. If I can see through Neji's wall of ice, I can definitely see through your wall of faking. So, Sakura? What happened?"

"I...don't know," Sakura said, giving in.

She knew her friend's ability to see through deception.

"Yes, you do know. What happened Sakura?"

"Memories."

"Of Sasuke, right?"

Sakura nodded, her eyes staring at the ground.

"Ah. Do you still love him, Sakura?"

"..."

"I see. You must be lonely...I'm sorry for bringing this up Sakura. I remember when I was...just like you. I lost my family, I had no surname...it was horrible. I didn't understand it at all. Then, I met Neji, then...well...I guess I wasn't as lonely as before, but I was still lonely. And when he left on that long mission...do you remember how ridiculously depressed I was? It was crazy. Is that why you lost the glisten in your emerald eyes? Because you acknowledged your loneliness?"

Tenten had hit the mark. Sakura was unable to bring herself to say anything else, and merely just nodded, fighting hard to keep back her tears.

"Don't hold in your tears, Sakura. Everyone has to cry," She said.

Tenten gave Sakura her best smile, gave her a hug, and got up, deciding that Sakura needed her time alone. She walked away, forming evil plots on how to get Neji.

"...Everyone has to cry..."

Flashback

"Sasuke-kun! I don't get it! Why are you always an emotionless heartthrob?" Sakura asked, following her crush.

Her crush stopped for a minute, cooling down his rage, and continued walking. He paid no attention to her ranting.

"Sasuke-kun! I don't get it. Don't you have to cry? Even if you have nothing to cry for, don't you cry for your clan? Your memories?"

Sasuke stopped, and turned around to face her. He gave her his coldest glare, clenching his fists, doing the best he could do not to kill her.

"I mean, everyone has to cry...you'll never live bottling up your emotions all the time! It'll just keep building up, until you have a breakdown!"

Sasuke continued glaring at her, and through clenched teeth, managed to speak to her.

"Crying is a sign of weakness. It makes you weak. I never show emotion because a ninja should never show their emotions. It shows weakness. I hate being weak," He said.

"But Sasuke-kun, you're not..." She stopped, seeing that he turned and began walking after he had finished his statement.

"But you're not weak..." She whispered to herself.

She took one last look at him, and turned around, heading home.

End Flashback

Sakura looked at her friends, living their lives to the fullest, and she smiled her first real smile in so many years. She thanked Tenten, and continued watching. Ino and Shikamaru were having an argument about something, and Ino ended up hitting Shikamaru. Naruto was making Hinata laugh, and Hinata ended up turning tomato red when Naruto accidentally held her hand. It's not like either of them let go, though. Tenten was holding back Neji from unleashing his fury on Naruto for making a move on his cousin, and was eventually cooled down when Tenten did the inevitable. She kissed Neji!

"Tenten, what was that for! I'm trying to protect my cousin if you haven't realized!" Neji yelled.

Tenten tried her best to keep hold of the boy; his body held much more strength than she possessed. She leaned over, and kissed him. They broke apart, both blushing like there was no tomorrow.

"Sorry, you were going crazy overprotective..." She said.

He smirked at her, and nothing else was said between the two. Not like anything else had to be said...at the moment.

Sakura was laughing her butt off, seeing Tenten and Neji blush the way they did. But she silently congratulated them, knowing that their love would soon blossom into something more. In ways, she envied their blossoming love. She longed that Sasuke had never left Konoha; she wished that he had never left her. But she accepted that leaving was part of his destiny, and that destiny was inevitable. However, her being herself, her emotions soon got bottled up inside, and she was no longer to emit the same happiness she was able to before he had left Konoha. She grew stronger and became one of the top ninja in the village, along with Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji, Hinata, Ino, and Tenten.

"Sakura, it is time to sleep. I suggest you get some rest. Tenten said that she'd take over your watch. I'll be having the first watch with her. You'll need sleep. We'll be hitting it hard tomorrow," A voice said.

Sakura looked up, and found herself staring into Neji's Byakugan eyes. She nodded, and began walking to the makeshift shelter they had made themselves. She thanked Neji, who nodded in reply, and lie down on a mattress of leaves, closing her eyes and dozing off into a deep slumber.

Tenten and Neji sat on opposite sides of the camp, making the possibility of enemy ninja passing them lower. Tenten looked over to her teammate, asking him something in her eyes. He understood, and nodded. She got up, and quickly did hand seals, casting a protection jutsu over the camp. This ensured that no ninja could get out or get in. Tenten moved to where the campfire once lay, and began to look up at the stars. Neji, after several moments of hesitation and battle with his conscience, joined her.

"Neji, do you...feel sorry for Sakura?" Tenten asked, whispering.

Neji looked up at the stars above him, and closed his eyes. He was still alert, but he needed to rest them for a few minutes.

"Hn."

Tenten frowned, and sighed.

"Neji, I know that a ninja must not show emotion...but..."

Neji opened his eyes, and peeked at her from the corner of his eyes. He took a deep breath, and sighed.

"Yes, Tenten. I feel sorry for her. She is like a caged bird..."

"How so? Aren't you a caged bird?"

"Sakura is lost within herself. Her emotions confuse her. She is probably torn from hating or loving Sasuke. However, it is possible that she both loves and hates him, which is understandable. But she no longer shows the same side of her as we see it. She is constantly training and working hard. I suppose she remembers when Sasuke called her weak."

Tenten was surprised that Neji had opened up and actually gave his opinion for the matter. She looked at him, and sat up.

"I don't understand her. She is chasing for something she may never acquire."

"She has her reasons to, Tenten."

"But I don't...understand."

Tenten's eyes began to water, but she quickly shook them away.

"One doesn't have to understand why they do things, Tenten. Sometimes, it is merely the mind and heart working on their own, regardless of their owner's will."

The two remained silent afterwards; everything that had to be said was said.

-:-

Sakura lay on her leaf mattress, a dream clouding over her mind.

-:- Dream Sequence: Sakura's POV -:-

Why am I always running? Running into this deep abyss of darkness. I don't understand it. I'm running for something. But what am I running for? Where am I going?

I continued running, running in this emptiness. Then, I saw a figure. I noticed the shape of its silhouette, and I stopped. I stopped in pain, I stopped in surprise. I was not running for this traitor. He was not the reason for my efforts.

"Sakura."

I screamed bloody murder in my mind.

"No."

"Sakura."

My heart was wailing for me to just leap into his arms, leap into my eternal bliss.

"No."

But I knew that leaping into his arms would bring the death of me. No. He was not worth it.

"Sakura."

He was not worth anything.

"No."

My mind was screaming for a release. I didn't want to be stuck here with him. I'd rather be stuck here with a bloody murderer. ...Wait, wasn't he a bloody murderer?

"Sakura."

This was it. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Get away from me! I hate you!"

Sakura? Sakura! Wake up! Sakura!

-:- End Dream Sequence / Normal POV -:-

Sakura awoke in the middle of the night, finding herself upright and sweat rolling down her face. She found Ino looking at her with worry, and Shikamaru staying in position.

"Forehead-girl! Are you okay? You were screaming bloody murder..." She asked, concern drifting out of her voice.

"Y-yes, Ino-pig. I-I'm fine. Just a bad dream..."

"Sounded more like a nightmare. You should get some rest, later on is going to be a long day," She said.

She gave her best friend a reassuring smile, and Sakura obliged.

"Ino, what time is it?"

Ino looked clueless, and turned to Shikamaru. He looked up at the moon, and gave Ino a number. She nodded, smiled in thanks, and turned back to Sakura.

"Shikamaru said it's around midnight. Get some rest now- don't worry. We're all here for you."

Sakura nodded, and lay back down. She closed her eyes, and heard Ino walking away from her. She silently thanked all of her friends for having her back, and drifted off into an uninterrupted slumber.

It was just a light shaded dream...It was just a dream...

"...don't worry, we're all here for you..."

Just another dream...

-:-