~Tenshi's POV~

I was in Sasuke's hospital room while Tamotsu and the others were at the second exam. To think, just a few days ago, I was a girl who had a crush on a great guy, who acted like he didn't care around others. And now, I'm going out with the guy, who has won my heart. Sasuke Uchiha…is my mate. Well, partially. Right now, I'm lying in his arms as he ran his fingers through my hair. The smell I get from hugging Sasuke is soothing to me. It was the smell of cinnamon and ash. Though I'm not surprised about the ash, his chakra nature is fire. I woke up and looked at his left hand that was on my right. I moved it and intertwined out fingers together. I felt him kiss my head and smile.

"Haven't you gone to sleep?" I asked him.

"I was a bit…distracted," he said to me. I could just hear the smirk in his voice. I couldn't help but giggle a little bit.

"And what was this distraction, may I ask?" I asked smiling.

"A beautiful angel with long silver hair and mesmerizing purple/blue eyes," he told me. I blushed a little and he chuckled.

"And 'angel', huh? She's one lucky girl to win your heart, isn't she?" I asked jokingly. He lifted my chin up and I looked into his eyes.

"Not as lucky as I am to have her," he said to me. My blush darkened as we leaned in closer, when his lips touched mine, I felt the fireworks again. He was gentle with the kiss, like I might break. When we had to break apart for air, I was a little sad we had to stop. That's when the door opened.

"Did I interrupt something?" A male voice asked. I turned my head and saw Tamotsu with a smirk on his face. I blushed furiously and hid my face in Sasuke's chest. I felt it vibrate from his chuckling. "When did this start?" Tamotsu asked.

"A few hours ago. Why? Jealous, Tamotsu?" Sasuke asked him. Tamotsu growled jokingly.

"Don't push it, Uchiha. Just because you won my sister's heart, doesn't mean I won't use you as a chew toy!" Tamotsu joked. I lift my head and giggled a bit as Sasuke chuckled. Tamotsu smirked once again…this can't be good. "When's the wedding? Will there be pups soon?" Tamotsu teased. Sasuke and I both blushed furiously at this. I got off the bed and chased Tamotsu around the room.

"Get back here, you nosey mutt!" I shouted at him. He just laughed as Sasuke tried to suppress his laughter at the sight. I caught Tamotsu but he rolled over and pinned me. He then started licking my face and neck to tickle me, throwing me into a fit of giggles. "S-stop, T-Tamo! N-not the n-neck!" I laughed. I looked at Sasuke. "S-Sasuke, help m-me!" I begged. He smirked and shook his head.

"Nope, this is too entertaining," he smirked at me. I playfully glared at him and noticed that Tamotsu stopped. He looked at me with a happy grin and he had is tail wagging. I scratching him behind the ear earning a canine purr. I stood up and sat by Sasuke again.

"So, who won and who lost?" I asked Tamotsu.

"You'd be surprised. The match that was after Sasuke's was Shino Aburame VS. Abumi Zaku. That was an interesting match," Tamotsu told me. My eyes widened.

"Zaku?" Sasuke asked. Tamotsu nodded. I saw Sasuke grit his teeth and his hands were in fists. Sasuke then looked at me. "The bastard that dislocated your shoulder, I wish I fought him instead, I would have killed him for even laying a hand on you," Sasuke growled. I grabbed one of Sasuke's bawled fists and gently rubbed them until they relaxed.

"Sasuke, I'm fine, my shoulder is healed," I told him. He sighed and nodded. I looked at both Tamotsu and Sasuke. "We do have to be careful around them, however. I get the same vibe from them as I do Kabuto. I think they work for Orochimaru," I concluded. Tamotsu nodded with Sasuke.

"You and me both. It's a very cold feeling…and slithery. I wish I could just kill him right now," Tamotsu growled. I couldn't help but agree. "Anyways, Shino's body is filled with bugs which is what helped him win the match. That and Zaku lost his arm!" Tamotsu said happily. I shook my head with a small smile. "After them was Misumi Tsurugi and Kankuro, Kankuro won…of course. He tricked Misumi thinking Kankuro was losing while the 'Kankuro' he grabbed was the puppet, and Kankuro came out of the puppet wraps a got him with chakra string. I think Misumi died…it was interesting," Tamotsu told us. Kankuro, you've really gotten the hang of using puppets. "And get this! Sakura Haruno, our Sakura! Battled against Ino Yamanaka…can you guess how that went?" Tamotsu asked. I sighed.

"They fought over Sasuke…it ended in a tie, didn't it?" I asked. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know?" He asked me.

"They are both of equal strength. They've trained together and were friends as kids, if I remember correctly. Both are too stubborn and were bound to beat each other until they passed out," I told him. Tamotsu nodded.

"Yup, that's what happened. Damn! Right on the dot too!" Tamotsu exclaimed. I giggled and Sasuke smirked. "Next was Temari and Tenten, Temari won and Lee had to jump in to save Tenten, that battle last about a minute and a half," Tamotsu informed. Temari, she was always good with a fan, she's bound to be stronger now. "After them was Shikamaru Nara and Tsuchi Kin, that female Sound Ninja. Shikamaru ended up winning using his Shadow Possession Jutsu, it was quite interesting to watch. Kiba Inuzuka and our blond headed idiot, Naruto Uzumaki, were next. Surprisingly…Naruto won that battle. He turned into Kiba and then when he was punched, he turned into Akamaru which tricked Kiba into punching the real Akamaru, knocking him out. Naruto then used his Shadow Clone Jutsu and took down Kiba…I must say, I'm proud of the Squirt," Tamotsu explained. I couldn't help but giggle at the last statement. "And then, the next battle was family against family…Hinata Hyuuga and Neji Hyuuga. Honestly, I wanted to murder Neji for how he treated Hinata," Tamotsu said. I frowned sadly. Hinata is a nice girl, sure, she's really shy but she's really nice. She loved Tamotsu and always brought him treats. "They used they're Byakugan against each other. Naruto kept cheering Hinata on, giving her more strength and confidence, it was impressive, she was all bloodied up and beaten, but she kept fighting. Even with that horrible strike to the chest, she kept fighting. Hayate tried getting Neji to stop, but with Neji's hate for Hinata, thinking she's weak, he kept going until Kakashi, Hayate, Kurenai, and Guy stopped him. But…" Tamotsu trailed off. I was getting worried and felt tears prick my eyes.

"'But' what, Tamotsu? What happened to Hinata?" I asked him. Sasuke was trying to soothe me. Tamotsu sighed.

"She suffered cardiac arrest," Tamotsu told me. I started sobbing as Sasuke brought me into his embrace.

~Tamotsu's POV~

I was watching Tenshi cry as I told her about Hinata's match, just remembering it made my fur crawl. I wanted so much as to rip Neji in half.

FLASHBACK

"In the end, a loser is a loser, they cannot change," Neji told us. I growled at him while glaring.

"You lousy, son of a bitch! That's your cousin! How can you be so cold hearted when all she did was care about you!?" I shouted while growling. Guy and Kakashi had to hold me back so I wouldn't rip him apart. Lee even had to stop Naruto from hurting him. I then heard rapid thudding. I looked at Hinata and my eyes widened. "She's going into cardiac arrest!" I shouted. Kurenai called for a medical team and they got to her. I looked at Neji and growled which made him flinch. "You tried to kill her! Your own flesh and blood! You don't even deserve her as family you, low-life scum!" I shouted at him. Naruto even told him that he was going down for what he did. I jumped at him and pinned him to the floor. "Your luck I don't just rip you to shreds with my teeth! I would take joy in it, especially when it comes to scum like you," I growled. I got off him and went up to Kakashi.

FLASHBACK END

~Tenshi's POV~

After hearing what Tamotsu told me, especially the part where he threatened Neji, I couldn't help but cry. How can someone like Neji exist in this world? I calmed down and Tamotsu continued.

"After that…incident, Gaara and Rock Lee when next. Every time Lee attacked, Gaara's sand protected him. Even with Lee's fast movements, the sand stopped him. Believe it or not, Lee had weights on his ankles, Guy told him to take them off, Lee become even faster than before. Not only that, he was stronger as well. He made it through Gaara's sand that time and land a good kick on him…and a few more after that. The weird part is…Gaara's skin cracked and leaked sand. The thing is, it was getting worse. I was actually getting worried, and when do I actually get worried unless it has something to do with you!?" Tamotsu exclaimed. He's right, the only time Tamotsu is worried is when it comes to me, but to be worried when it came to someone else, that's rare. "Lee then used his bandages and wrapped Gaara up in them, trapping him," Tamotsu told me.

"Initial Lotus," I thought aloud, Tamotsu nodded.

"The thing is, it was a Sand Clone. Gaara attacked him using a sand like wave, Lee, luckily, blocked it. Lee was then told to use the Extreme Lotus," Tamotsu told me. I nodded.

"Only someone like Lee would be able to learn that. He had not only the strength, but the heart to be able to do it," I smiled admirably. Tamotsu nodded and continued.

"Gaara ended up using Desert Coffin on him, shattering his left arm and leg. Gaara was going for the kill until Guy stopped him. Gaara won in the end though," Tamotsu told me. Tamotsu looked down sadly. "Lee may never be able to be a ninja again, the damage was too great," he told me. I was disappointed in Gaara, he was so sweet when we were kids, what changed? I nodded and closed my eyes while bringing my pointer and middle finger in front of my face.

"Taiingan!" I called. I looked for Gaara and entered his mind. We met in an area with nothing but darkness surrounding us. He was freaking out wondering where he was. "Gaara, calm down, this is part of the Taiingan. I can enter people's minds," I told him. He nodded and calmed down. I looked at him with sad eyes. "I heard about your match from Tamotsu," I told him. His eyes widened and he looked down.

"You hate me now, don't you?" He asked me. I shook my head and walked up to him.

"I don't hate you, I could never hate you, Gaara. I'm just…disappointed. The Gaara I knew was a sweet kid, the one I see now…likes to kill, and that disappoints me," I said to him. I started to walk away until he stopped me.

"Why do you care about him?" He asked me.

"Lee is my friend, of course I care. I care about all my friends, even you. But, Gaara, head my warning, if you try to ever hurt one of my friends again, I'll take you down myself," I warned him. I then got out of his head and moved to Uncle Guy's. He didn't have the same reaction as Gaara, I've done with all the Jounin before.

"Why are you here, Tenshi?" He asked me. I walked up to him and hugged him.

"I heard about everything from Tamotsu, I'm so sorry, Uncle Guy," I cried. He hugged me back and I could feel him shaking. "If Tamotsu could, he would help," I said to him. He pulled back and smiled sadly at me.

"You're a sweet girl, Tenshi, don't lose that spark or your youth. I'm glad to have you as a niece as are all the Jounin," Uncle Guy said to me. I hugged him again and said good bye. I was then back in Sasuke's room and closed my eyes.

"Who'd you talk to?" Tamotsu asked.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked him.

"Having the Taiingan, you not only can communicate through mind reading, but you can have a psychic link between someone. You're able to see them and touch them," Tamotsu informed Sasuke. He then looked at me. "Who'd you talk to?" He repeated.

"Gaara and Uncle Guy," I answered. "What was the final matches?" I asked.

"Choji Akimichi and Kinuta Dosu, Dosu won, it was a very short match," Tamotsu told us. "Then there was Kyouda no Tora (Tiger of Strength) and Karitoriki Fushichou (Reaper Phoenix). Karitoriki won the match. He's very deadly, considering his name. I want you to be careful," Tamotsu looked at me. "You better get back, your needed," he told me. I nodded and looked at Sasuke.

"I'll be back soon," I said to him. He nodded with a small smile. I kissed him and left with Tamotsu. I met up with dad, Naruto, and Sakura. They all smiled at me.

"Hey, how's Sasuke doing?" Sakura asked.

"He's awake, but he's sore. Of course, he's going to need major healing after that sealing we had to do to him," I told her. Dad nodded with Sakura.

"Aren't you going to tell them?" Tamotsu asked me. I blushed.

"Tell us what?" Naruto asked scratching the back of his head.

"I'm dating Sasuke," I mumbled quietly.

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

"I'm dating Sasuke!" I exclaimed blushing furiously. They were all wide eyed.

"You and Sasuke?! But you- and him-he's a- you're a-huh?!" Naruto stuttered.

"I get it, you don't like Sasuke very much, but we are dating," I blushed. I felt a hand on my shoulder to see Sakura smiling. I was shocked, I thought she would hate me.

"Well, as long as you're both happy, then great!" She grinned.

"I thought you would hate me, Sakura," I said to her. She smiled and hugged me.

"We're a pack, remember? You're my strength too. I think of you as a sister, and I want Sasuke to be happy. He's happy with you," she told me. I felt tears in my eyes and hugged her back.

"Thank you, Sakura," I smiled. I then looked at dad. "How about you dad? You okay with it?" I asked. Dad and Naruto looked at each other and nodded.

"He better take care of you or we'll kill him!" Dad said calmly as Naruto shouted. I nodded while laughing. I love my team, they truly are my pack. We made our way to the Hokage and I stood between Naruto and Temari. I looked at Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. They looked back at me to see me with a disappointed look.

"Next time you three want to kill, go on S Rank missions. You guys may be my friends, but I will stop you from hurting my friends here," I told them. Temari and Kankuro were shocked, Gaara already knew. We were given out numbers, I was number ten. Uncle Ibiki showed us the board. Naruto was up against Neji, Gaara was up against…Sasuke, Kankuro was up against Shino, Shikamaru was up against Dosu and Temari would battle the winner, and I was up against Karitoriki. After everything was done, Sakura and Naruto met up with me and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Karitoriki.

"You're going to pay for what you did to my sister, Ookami no. I won't be taking it easy on you," Karitoriki threatened. I remained unfazed.

"Why don't you back off!" Naruto shouted. I held a hand up to Naruto.

"Then I won't be either, bring everything you've got and I will as well. I look forward to our match, Karitoriki," I said to him. Sakura and Naruto left with Tamotsu and I went back to Sasuke. I went to his room and smiled. He smiled back and I sat next to him. I held his hand as I kissed him.

"Who are we up against?" He asked me.

"You're up against Gaara…"I trailed off. He looked at me worried.

"Are you okay?" He asked me. I shook my head and hugged him.

"With what he did to Lee, I'm scared the same will happen to you," I said to him. His arms tightened around me and he kissed my forehead.

"I'll be fine, you don't have to worry," he assured me. It didn't help me one bit. "Who are you up against?" He asked me. I sighed.

"Karitoriki Fushichou," I told him. He was running his fingers up and down my arm as he sighed.

"You'll beat him, I'm sure of it," he told me.

"He and Natsumi are siblings, he wants to kill me because I beat Natsumi. I remember hearing about him from my clan when I was younger. He's the Reaper Phoenix, just like his name, his chakra nature like the rest of his clan is fire, but his is different, his fire is black and cold as death itself. He can bring your worst nightmare to life," I said to him. He ran his other hand through my hair to soothe me. He knows I'm worried. The truth is, I'm worried for the both of us…please, mom, make this bad feeling go away…