Disclaimer: I own nothing… Except the plot of this, since it has gotten so totally AU it's out of this world…. Or any world...

Author's Note: Back from the dead with another chapter, since I've been getting begging. Sorry to make you guys wait so long! But I am in the middle of graduation, finals, and moving up to college among other random drama. Bear with me? Please? There are other stories with just as many beggars who don't get nearly this many updates...

Chapter 16: Preparations

"You?" Neko looked shocked, and her mouth had not closed since Tsunade had made the announcement. The Hokage nodded and looked down silently. Neko was still staring in surprise and Kakashi seemed reluctant to get the two talking. "So… that makes us…"

"Cousins," Tsunade finished for her. "My mother was older than yours, and their parents were cousins."

"Wow…" Neko shook her head in disbelief and ran a shaky hand through her hair. Tsunade? Her cousin? Yet another blow of family history knocked her senseless, almost as bad as the Uchiha one had. Kakashi had a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

Tsunade nodded, almost sadly. "I'm sorry for keeping it from you, but there is always a time for these things."

"Yeah… A whole year later is a great time," Neko glared at her and Tsunade seemed to understand her annoyance.

"Well, we will at least be able to help you with your challenge against Hinata and Hanabi," Tsunade finally said. "And trust me, the more you know about your Neko side the better."

XXX

"Neji, what's with Neko lately?" Lee asked as they worked on their aim, Gai was not satisfied that they were quite up to par. Naturally, now Lee was working on throwing several kunai at once instead of just the basics Gai had asked for.

Neji landed three kunai in a perfect line on the tree, looking strangely like the constellation Orion's belt. He tried not to imagine how happily Neko had congratulated him the first time he had done that.

"Neji?" Lee was standing next to his teammate, looking smug. Neji realized he was smiling and quickly forced the mirth from his face and regarded Lee casually. "That good, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Neji aimed around Lee and shot a few more projectiles at the tree. He missed all but one, which hit just below the target.

"She seems twice as busy and stressed today, she's training like her life is on the line," Lee raised his eyebrows dramatically. "There's something neither of you are telling me. I'm your teammate, we should be friends by now."

Neji's white eyes searched Lee's clear, dark gaze. He was right, they were friends. Neji had just thought Neko would be the one to tell him. Over ramen at lunch, when he got to training, he never thought he would be the one sharing it.

"She is busy, and I guess to some extent her life might be on the line…" he trailed off, checking that he wasn't betraying the wrong emotions. He didn't want Lee getting any outrageous ideas. "Last night there was a meeting between the Uchiha clan and the Hyuuga clan. It was to discuss… a union."

Lee's eyes widened. "Someone's getting married? Wait a minute…"

Neji shared a rare smile, and Lee's jaw dropped. Neji thought the boy had actually been struck speechless, but he suddenly changed his mind when the boy literally screamed with joy. Lee hugged Neji tightly, the sudden embrace startling the Hyuuga into activating byakuugan.

Lee finally set down his friend and calmed down enough to consider the rest of the explanation needed. "But… Why is she training?"

"Sasuke would only let her marry if I were taken as an omuko-san, to part with me they had to agree to one condition: Neko must beat Hinata and Hanabi in a competition. Separately."

"Really? Do you think she'll be able to?"

"I believe she can," Neji nodded, and he tossed a shuriken. It embedded itself deeply into the tree.

XXX

"You look exhausted," Sasuke said bluntly when Neko stumbled into the kitchen and crashed into the closest chair.

"Shut up…" she grunted and rubbed her eyes. Her head ached, and she closed her eyes as she ran fingers over her temples. Sasuke pushed a plate of dinner, ready and hot, in front of her. She smiled gratefully, and looked up to notice Naruto there for the first time. The blonde was grinning like a demon.

"Congratulations, Neko-chan," he said. "You've finally got Neji all to yourself."

"Not just yet I don't," she replied tiredly. "I've got to beat Hinata and Hanabi first."

Naruto's face darkened somewhat and he looked up at Sasuke. She wondered if her cousin had told him the whole story or just the good news. She chose not to reveal anything, Sasuke seemed on edge.

"Easy champ, it's only the first day," Sasuke muttered and joined them at the table. She grinned at him and ate the meal in silence.

Naruto slept on the couch, as usual, and Neko sat on the rock outside the window to her room. It had a great view of the fountain just beyond and it was a peaceful place to just sit and think. She didn't have to look to know that Sasuke had just come out onto the porch and was watching her there.

"You could announce yourself once in awhile," she told him.

"What? The psychic is losing her touch?" he mocked. She laughed emotionlessly. He didn't know how right he was, she had seemed to have lost her touch. She used to be able to feel his presence, she always knew how he was feeling. It was like there was a wall between them now. She hadn't noticed until the meeting last night, normally she should have known more of what was on his mind. That wasn't the case anymore.

"I don't know if I can beat them both," she admitted, sitting her chin on her knees and watching the moonlight reflecting off the water in the fountain. "They're his family, I don't know that I can bring myself to do it."

"I think that is what they're counting on," Sasuke said grimly. "They don't want to lose their prodigy. The girls will understand, they want what's best for Neji."

"Am I what's best for him?"

"Why not? You've known him the longest, and the best, I doubt anyone else has that kind of connection with him," Sasuke said. As Neko listened, she slowly realized that he had stopped talking about her awhile ago. "You just have to fight for it, just fight for what's right for you both."

"Sasuke… You should really follow your own advice…" she said and stood up on the rock to crawl back into her room and shut the window. Sasuke fell into an annoyed silence, staring quietly at the only pink flower by the fountain.

Two weeks later…

Neji paced nervously, looking up every time a Hyuuga hurried past him. The day had come, today was it. Neko was to face the Hyuuga heiresses, ready or not. He felt incredibly nervous for her, no doubt Hiashi had been working on training his daughters as well. No doubt advanced forms of gekkai genkai wouldn't be allowed, since we wouldn't want either Hinata or Hanabi mentally scarred for life.

The Uchiha clan-- the whole two of them-- were late. Neji bit his lip and continued pacing. Many people from the village were being escorted into the sides of the arena where they could have the best seats. Supposedly even Tsunade wanted to be here.

"Neji," Naruto's voice rang clearly down the hallway. Neji looked up at him, as though coming out of a gaze. With Naruto stood the rest of team seven--minus Sasuke. Where on earth were they?

"Hello Naruto," he said and nodded politely to the others.

"Ready to see the cat fight?" Naruto said in mock cheer. He likely didn't want to see Hinata hurt either, Neji had too much riding on this for it to matter anymore.

"Sure… Have you seen Sasuke?" Where was Neko? was what he wanted to know.

"Nope, he said he'd see us here," Naruto answered and scratched his head, Neji noted that Sakura had visibly paled. Something was going on here.

"Alright then, you should go find somewhere to sit," Neji gestured towards the entrance. It was weird, his home had been transformed into an arena. Naruto smiled his thanks and went in with the rest of his team. Neji returned to pacing, but not before seeing Sakura pull away and leave the Hyuuga home.

An hour before…

"Sasuke!" Neko pounded on his door, her knocks growing ever more persistent. She grumbled and tightened her robe around herself. "Sasuke! Open up! I need you to tell me what I'm supposed to wear!"

It still struck her as odd that she needed her male cousin to tell her what was customary for her to wear.

"Fine! I'll just get dressed and eat breakfast without you. Don't you try and tell me what I ought to be wearing!" she shouted and left the silent door.

Her heart was pounding as she forced down the little breakfast she prepared. She feared that should she eat more, the butterflies in her gut would kick it right back up. She also found herself leaning back in her seat to watch for Sasuke, and straining her ears for the familiar sound of his emergence from his bedroom. The house was deafeningly silent.

An hour later, at the Hyuuga household…

Sakura burst out from the front doors, looking around for some kind of indication of which way the Uchiha household was. More specifically, where Sasuke was. She knew there was a reason he was gone, she knew something was wrong from the look in his eyes the past week. It hadn't been the Sasuke she knew, it was some spirit haunting him. Holding him back.

The wind blew, and she saw a few dark leaves blow past towards the left. Sakura's expression hardened, and she started running.

The Uchiha Household, an hour earlier…

Neko walked to her cousin's room as she put up her hair into her usual buns.

"Sasuke," she sighed and pushed her bangs out of her eyes. Neko felt the butterflies in her stomach multiply, this would not do. "That's it Sasuke, I'm coming in." She took a deep breath and opened the door, ready for whatever arsenal he launched at her.

The door creaked open. Nothing else happened.

She walked in, confused and frustrated. "This isn't funny," she called out and searched the room. "I'm the one engaged here, remember? You shouldn't be the one with cold feet."

She opened his closet to find it half empty, as usual. Neko's eyebrows drew together in confusion, and she went through what remained in the closet. Something was missing. Suddenly she looked up, and it hit her.

His mission pack, it was gone.

She looked over at the window, and watched the wind blow the curtains into the room. Suddenly Neko felt sick. He was gone. Sasuke was gone.

Right before the tournament, at the Hyuuga Household…

"Neji-nee-san?" Hinata approached him from behind.

"Hinata-sama," he greeted her calmly. She stepped closer, seeming oddly uncomfortable in her outfit. Hiashi had both of his daughters dressed in traditional sparring attire, something they had rarely worn before. It was a loose robe over a black shirt with black netted sleeves and short black trousers.

"S-She's not here y-yet, is she?" she wanted to know.

"No, not yet," Neji said, and they both jumped when the door slammed open. Several pairs of eyes widened in surprise to see Neko holding open the doors, and panting. Her hair was in disarray, as though she hadn't finished putting it up or the bobby pins had failed her.

Automatically, she and Neji walked towards each other while everyone else just stared in surprise. She took several deep breaths to calm herself, but Neji could see in her eyes that something was seriously wrong.

"Neji… He's gone…" she breathed.

"Gone?"

"Sasuke… He's missing, I checked his room. The window was wide open, the bed was made, his mission pack was gone…" she gasped for air and leaned forward to grab Neji's shirt.

"Tenten, there has to be a reason--"

"I can't, I don't know, I can't…" she rested her head on his chest. "… do this, without him…."

Neji's throat tightened. So that was the way this worked.

XXX

She came to a halt at the bridge, the only one leading directly out of Konoha. Sakura panted heavily from the desperate run, the only carrying her only on faith. But there he was, a lone black figure leaving and never turning back.

"Sasuke-kun!" she cried out and ran after him. He barely paused to acknowledge her. She caught up and spun him around to face her.

"What do you want?" he said coldly.

"What do I want? What about your cousin? Your family?" Sakura demanded. "How can you leave today of all days?"

"You mean… You knew I would leave?"

"Some families have more in common than hair color," she said, with hardened green eyes. "Please, don't go."

"And why not? There's nothing left for me here," he turned to go, but once more she pulled him back to face her.

"What about the people that need you? How many would be dead now without you?" Sakura was angry, but she couldn't keep the hurt from her tone. "Don't you care about anyone?"

His glare cut her deeply, dark eyes that might as well have been stones stared right through her.

"You don't get it, and you never will. Neko's taken care of, she'll be happy," Sasuke spoke acidly.

"And how do you know? You won't even see it," she retorted. He ignored the remark and continued to walk. She was struck by the way he was so callous, she had thought he had changed in the time Neko had lived with him. It seemed he had hardened once more.

"Sasuke-kun…Sasuke-kun, please, I love you!" she pleaded, finally releasing the pent up tears.

"…Thank you," he said. She glanced up, but he was gone. She gasped suddenly in pain, he had just delivered a blow from behind. She collapsed instantly and blacked out.

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A/N: Someone throw ideas at me, it helps the chapters move faster. Thanks!