Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and Kudozaki Lucine. The rest belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

Uchiha Sasuke

After we completing all our D-ranked missions, I noticed Naruto glaring intently at me. Although he is always annoying, today he has been acting especially annoying. He has been trying to compete with me on everything today, but failed in everything, as he is clearly incompetent.

After Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, I saw Sakura running up to me with a bright smile, asking me if I wanted to train. I rudely told her off, even saying that she was weaker than Naruto, which was most likely true and that was saying much. She seemed hurt by my answer if the tears welling up in her eyes was anything to go by, which I didn't really care for as I was too busy watching Naruto who had suddenly approached Lucine.

"Lucine-chan, I was wondering if you wanted to go get ramen with me today at Ichiraku? My treat!" I heard his painfully annoying voice yelp for everyone to hear. Registering the meaning of his words I tensed, feeling my blood gradually start to boil at the implication. No way. He wouldn't dare.

Naruto was there grinning so innocently as he was almost in Lucine's face. It wasn't that hard for him, since they were about the same height. Seeing him so close to her made my face wrench into a twisted scowl, and I noticed Sakura giving me a weird look. For a second all I saw was red as I struggled to keep my breathing under control. Naruto, perhaps the worst and most annoying person I had ever met, dared to even breathe the same air as my Lucine, yet alone ask her out on a date.

"I don't want to eat at that amateur restaurant." Lucine said with obvious disgust at the mere suggestion, which instantly calmed me down, relieved at her rejection. Of course she would deny him, she knows she is mine. Watching Naruto's grin immediately waver made me grin with sick satisfaction, thrilled to see his hopes be so ruthlessly crushed. But apparently, Lucine wasn't done. "I'll cook instead, my ramen tastes a hundred times better than the crap they serve there."

Every drop of blood in my body went cold.

Naruto immediately exchanged the crestfallen expression with a surprised one as he gasped dramatically, "Better... better than Ichiraku? Even miso ramen with roasted pork fillet?! That's impossible, no way!"

Lucine had never let anyone eat her cooking other than me. Never. And yet she dared to offer to share something that belonged to me alone, with the abomination that is Naruto? Deciding that was the last straw, I harshly brushed past Sakura, kunai in hand ready to dig it into Naruto's throat. I wanted to see him choke on my blade as I stared down at him.

Before I even got to them, a loud, shrill voice made me halt in my tracks. I froze, too focused on Naruto's boldness that I hadn't even noticed the two strangers currently standing mere meters away from Lucine and Naruto. "Hey, midgets! Move, you're blocking the way!"

It was a boy dressed in black with purple paint on his face that had spoken, but there was a girl next to him with blonde hair in four spiky pigtails and blue eyes. They looked like shinobi, judging from the way they were dressed and the large weapons on their back. I frowned, analyzing the situation and trying to identify them. They were from Suna, so what were they doing here?

Sakura, who apparently had been standing next to me the entire time, suddenly spoke up, "There's enough space for you to pass by without us moving."

"Yes, but we want to go through here." The guy said with a supercilious smirk. I noticed the girl behind him sigh tediously, not seeming remotely interested in neither stopping or joining her companion. The male eyed Naruto and Lucine thoroughly, looking them up and down. "You really are short. I hate short midgets like you." He walked up to Lucine, immediately making me tense and made me tighten the grip around my kunai. "Even though this one is almost adorable. What's your name, cutie?" Lucine just stared at him blankly, not seeming like she was gonna answer his question anytime soon. "Look at you, playing dress up. You think that you can become a real shinobi with that face? You look like a doll that could shatter at any moment." Suddenly he grabbed her collar and pulled her up, her feet now hovering over the ground. "Annoying." he sighed, "It'll be such a waste to kill you, you could have been a cute pet."

"Let her go now!" I growled and already had my kunai aimed at his head, but before anyone could as much as blink, the boy had a kunai dug into his arm, and it wasn't mine. He hissed out in pain and gripped his wounded arm, in the process dropping Lucine so that she landed soundlessly on her feet.

The guy stumbled some step backwards as his female companion looked shocked at the sudden turn of events. Quickly taking advantage of the moment, I grabbed Lucine's hand and pulled her to my side, "Lucine, are you alright?" I asked with true concern.

Lucine didn't answer, instead she kept her gaze on the wounded guy who she had just attacked with her kunai. Hadn't I been so used to her speed, I wouldn't have even see her pull out the kunai and stab him. Speed had always been her forte, since she was so small and had a delicate build, she usually relied on speed, flexibility and agility instead of raw, brute strength. Since she couldn't rely too much on her chakra reserves, as they weren't naturally vast, she had to find another way to make up for it.

My chest warmed with pride, she had managed to defend herself without my help, and she did so swimmingly. I heard Sakura and Naruto let out awed sounds from behind us.

"I-I'll kill you...!" the now wounded guy said through gritted teeth, the anger in his eyes now looking more malicious than before. It was obvious he had gone from teasing to serious. I protectively gripped Lucine's wrist again once I saw his hand behind his back to reach for whatever was tied on his back and unwrap it from its bandages.

"Are you going to use Karasu?!" the girl who hadn't spoke until now asked with disbelief. She didn't look like she was going to stop him since she just sighed and shook her head, "Whatever. I'm not taking responsibility for your mess."

It was deathly quiet as the guy kept unwrapping the object, although he never even got halfway, as a dark, ominous voice halted every movement in the vicinity. "Kankuro, stop."

Taken by surprise by the sudden voice, I quickly looked up to where it had come from. Only to see a guy about our age hanging upside down from a tree, attached to a tree with chakra. He had red hair and the kanji for 'love' on his forehead. For some reason, just looking at him gave me cold chills down my spine. The aura exuding from him was sinister and gave off a malevolent feeling, it was almost demonic. I didn't even sense his chakra there.

"G-Gaara..." The wounded guy, now known as gasped, freezing completely as he looked up at the redhead. If I had been unnerved by his presence, Kankuro looked completely terrified, and had frozen completely in place. The blonde female was no better off, as she stared petrified at the redhead.

"Why do you think we came all the way to Konoha?" The newcomer asked coldly, his eyes even colder, in fact... everything about him just seemed cold. "You're a disgrace to the village."

"L-listen, these guys started it and-" Kankuro started defending himself with obvious fear in his voice, but the redhead didn't let him finish.

"Shut up. I'll kill you." He threatened nonchalantly, and if the frigidity of his eyes were anything to go by, it was definitely not an empty threat.

He just threatened to kill his own teammate in front of us, he cannot be normal Instinctively, I gripped Lucine's hand tighter and looked down at her. She didn't look visibly shaken by his presence, as we had both concealed our discomfort, but I saw her briefly look up at me. That was all the confirmation I needed to know that she too had sensed the dangerous aura.

"I was at fault. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry." Kankuro apologized sincerely. If anything, it seemed like he was apologizing to his teammate instead of us.

"Excuse my siblings, you guys." The redhead said monotonously, moving his gaze to us again. I noticed how his gaze lingered for a second too long on Lucine, which made me grit my teeth together tightly. Why is he looking at her? Defensively, I tried to pull on Lucine's wrist to move her behind me, which she reluctantly allowed. It was not the time to argue now.

The redhead, much to everyone's surprise, suddenly morphed into sand and landed on the ground next to his teammates, turning back to his original form. "Let's go. We didn't come here to fool around."

"Yeah..." the Kankuro mumbled, wincing suddenly as he held his wounded arm where Lucine's kunai was still sticking out. Despite his obvious pain, they all turned around to walk off.

"Wait." Lucine suddenly jumped in, stepping up from behind me and surprising everyone present. I frowned, almost wanting to yank her back to my side, but already knowing that would not end well. At her interruption, the three Suna ninja stopped and looked over their shoulder. Lucine tilted her head to the side as she eyed Kankuro blankly, and then said blankly, "Give me back my kunai."

I sighed tiredly. Only Lucine.

Kankuro looked taken aback by the request, and he briefly looked at his redheaded teammate as if asking for his permission, and when he nodded, Kankuro reluctantly pulled out the kunai, hissing at the pain, and handed it back to her. "Brat..." he murmured under his breath as he held the injury to prevent the blood from gushing out.

As Lucine strapped the kunai back into her kunai pouch, after very casually wiping away the blood on her sleeve, she turned back to me and was about to walk away.

"What's your name?" That same cold voice called out from behind her, stopping Lucine in her tracks. I frowned in both annoyance and concern as I gave the redhead a wary look. This could never be a good thing.

Turning around again, Lucine looked back at the redhead with an equally aloof face as his, and without hesitation she gave her name, "Kudozaki Lucine."

The redhead stared for her for a long time, there was a lustful look in his eyes... most probably of blood lust, or in this case: Lucine's blood.

"And yours?" I asked through gritted teeth, considering the pros and cons of engaging in open combat right now. This guy is dangerous... and he's targeted Lucine. If he tries anything I'll rip him to shreds.

He gave me a blank look, seemingly not intending to give me a reply. And just when I thought he was never going to answer, "Sabaku no Gaara."