Third chappie to HideandSeek. Up until now, it's really just been the start of the story. Now we're starting to get into the main conflict. And there's also a special guest in this chapter. Well, not really a guest. More like another permanent character. So, yes, on with the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I pwn him.

Beautiful blue skies. Small, humble abodes. Happy, joyful civilians. All of these things describe one place in particular. Sky Haven Village. It was a reasonably large village with citizens bustling around in a frenzy. Yet, it somehow gave off a very peaceful vibe that made you want to close your eyes and smile.

The sun glowed down on the village, warming up the frost-bitten ground. Dew slowly melted from the bright green blades of grass. Cheerful faces could be seen everywhere. Nothing could get better than this.

A breeze of air flowed through the streets and swarmed around me. An aroma of juicy hot dogs wafted up to my nose and I inwardly drooled in response. It smelled so good!

I quickened my pace slightly, already tasting the delicious food sinking into my teeth. As I speed walked down the streets, I passed a window from a shop and saw my reflection. My trot slowly turned into a sluggish walk, until I stopped completely. Dark, jet black hair met my vision and I sighed in slight disappointment. Sure, the black hair didn't look completely bad on me, but I would have rather kept my startling pink tresses. It made me different from the others. It made me unique. Now I look just like the rest of the civilians. But compared to my other choices, I guess this was the best way to go.

I continued on my journey until I got to the hot dog stand. After paying for the meat with my still full coin purse, I turned toward the direction of my temporary home. A small hotel slowly came up from the horizon and I pouted slightly. What I wouldn't give to go back to my actual home. What I wouldn't give to get back to my friends and family.

I was awoken from my wishes when I felt a slight jerk from my pants, and my pocket feeling reasonably lighter. I furrowed my brows, confused, and turned my head, only to meet the back of someone running. In his hand was something black and seemed to be stuffed to the brim with round things. I touched my back pocket, only to find it empty. Realization hit me like a ton of bricks, and I squawked in outrage. That freak just stole my coin purse!

I gritted my teeth in outrage while clenching my fist. After throwing down the hot dog and silently mourning my squashed lunch, I took off sprinting, trying to catch the thief. I ran past a group of kids playing, and almost slipped on the red ball that rolled into my path. I jumped over it at the last second and continued on my pursuit. I saw the thief up ahead turn a corner to the left, and I dashed forward. Just as I dove around the corner, a hand reached out and grabbed my upper arm. I was slammed into the brick wall, forcefully hitting my head. Black dots slowly swam up into my vision as I tried to regain my balance and composure. I could taste the metallic bite of blood filling my mouth. A deep chuckle filled the narrow space and I winced.

Blinking, I slowly regained my vision and brought my gaze onto my captor. He was tall with red, spiky hair. An outfit of black with a long hood covered his face, hiding all but his mouth from my view. His lips twisted into a sneer, mocking me at my current predicament. I glared in response.

Just then, he gripped my throat, sliding me up the wall to reach his vision. I choked slightly, not enjoying my air supply being cut short. Low gasps could be heard from my throat and I tried to keep consciousness. Darkness was already starting to set in.

"Well, look who we have here. It was so nice of you to drop by. You can stay as long as you like, but we wouldn't want to hold you up."

I snorted at the bad pun, but kept my eyes set on the thief, clawing at his strong grip. He narrowed his eyes at my obvious distaste for his lack of comedy skills.

"Looks like we got ourselves a critic, boys. Maybe we should teach her a lesson?"

Suddenly my cell phone in my pocket started vibrating in the quiet alley. My captor reached into my pocket, ignoring my yells of outrage, and opened the phone. After a brief second when the person on the other line asked for me, the thief answered, "Sorry, but she's a little...held up at the moment..." He chuckled darkly.

I tried to sigh in exasperation, but his hold on my neck made it slightly difficult. What was with this guy? Couldn't he just stick to his original role and be the bad guy? Because, honestly, he's not cut out for the whole comedian thing. And couldn't he at least have the decency to use a different pun? He used holding twice! Just as I was about to continue my rant, his words sunk in. Boys. I looked around, only to be met with several pairs of eyes that I wasn't aware of before. A squeak rose from my throat, and my eyebrows drew in worry. Well, crap. This might be a little harder than I had anticipated.

I sucked in as much air as I could and rasped out, "What do you want from me?" This seemed to cause a reaction from them, since he smiled again, yellow teeth poking out.

"Oh, nothing much. Just all of your money. Maybe some cooperation for a ransom note. That's all."

My eyes squinted in puzzlement. What were they talking about? They already had all of my money. And a ransom note? My parents had been dead for five years, killed in a car accident. Who would they send the note to?

He noticed me confusion, because he added, "Since you already have this chunk of money just for change, you must have more. And if you don't, then you are going to get more. I don't care how. Stealing, killing, anyway that you can. And if you don't..."

His obvious threat was drawn out, snaking around my arms and crushing my ribcage. How was I going to get out of this? I couldn't possibly win, with my current position, even against good odds. But seeing the number of thieves with built bodies was a huge disadvantage. And I'd rather gnaw my own arm off than steal from an innocent citizen, let alone kill them.

Only one thought entered my mind, and I groaned in defeat. I was screwed.

He smiled in contempt, happy that I would go with his plans. Just as I opened my mouth to agree to the deal, something big crashed into the man, effectively pushing him into the floor. His grip on my throat passage fell completely and I greedily inhaled as much air as I physically could. As I was catching my breath, bent over on my knees, my savior was busy knocking every single thief out. Once I had regulated my breathing pattern, I looked up, only to find all of the thieves on the ground, out cold. I could only stare in amazement. I was shaken out of my daze when a hand came into my vision. My coin purse, the one that caused this huge mess, was plopped into my hands. After staring at the black object I looked up.

The first thing that came into my mind was, "Sasuke." But upon further inspection, I noticed that it wasn't him at all. It looked almost like an older version of my "stalker", with long, shiny ebony hair and a set of black orbs. His face was flawless as Sasuke's, but with a twin set of lines drawing from the tip of his eyes to the middle of his face. Although the lines looked like wrinkles, it only enhanced his true beauty, making him look, dare I say it, dashing. Or many drool-worthy would be the appropriate term. A hunkscicle? (A/N: Sorry, had to put that in there. When my friend developed a crush on a boy, her sister said that she thought he was a hunkscicle. Lol It caused many embarrassing situations for her, along with amusement for us. Everyone won! Well, sort of.)

I dismissed my fan girling thoughts, once I realized that I had been staring. I squeaked in embarrassment, hiding my red face behind a curtain of black hair. A low chuckle caused me to rise my head again. A small smile graced his lips, and I couldn't help but blush even more. He looked absolutely gorgeous. Maybe if Sasuke could smile like that...

I quickly stopped my train of thought as soon as it came. Who cares if Sasuke smiled? I didn't care about him. He was a cold, ruthless monster. He didn't deserve any love, not even my thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Yet again, my savior shook me out of my stupor. I nodded my head frantically, ashamed at being caught day dreaming again.

"Oh, yes, I'm alright. Thank you, thank you very much for saving me. I mean, I wouldn't have been able to get out of that, but then you come along and save me. And I thought that I was a goner for sure, so you helped me very much. I am eternally in your debt. Whatever you want, you got it. Well, with the exclusion of some things, but as long as it doesn't really cross the line, I'm yours! Wait, well, no, I don't mean it like that nor do I mean it literally. It's just that...um...thank you."

With my face set in a sheepish grin, I chuckled nervously. I was making a complete fool out of myself. In front of a very hot guy! Oh the humiliation!

But instead of giving me a weirded out glance and walking away, he just twitched his lips up even more. He must get this often, because he wasn't stalking away, muttering about "fan-girls". So that's a good sign, right? It's still a possibility, I still have a chance, I still have...

Nah, I'm hopeless.

"...Well?"

I froze on spot, my shoulders stiff. Oh dear Lord, he wasn't talking to me all this time, was he? Oh my God. OhmyGod! Ooooh crap. He was. He's expecting an answer. What do I say? Lord, if you have any justice at all, please help me through this!

"Um, of course! I mean, who wouldn't?"

There was a lengthy pause. He just stared at me questionly, not really understanding my answer, I guess. Shoot, maybe my answer called for a "No" and I just completely messed up any chances I had with him. Add to the fact that this was my third (THIRD!) time that I was caught zoning.

After much hesitation, the boy in front of me slowly responded.

"I had asked what your name was."

My dull blush that had previously seeped into my skin now flamed with full force. He asked for my name?! MY NAME?! And I answered with an "Of course"?!

I brought my gaze to the Heavens above, feeling completely betrayed. Those "miracles" that everyone talked about were in short supply when it came to me.

"Oh...I'm sorry. Heh, um, my name is Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

"What a pretty name. But that's only to be suspected for a pretty girl, such as yourself."

I coughed in embarrassment, while desperately trying to hide the bright smile that threatened to curl on my lips.

"I must be off. Please, remain safe. It wouldn't bring me any happiness if one of our lovely flowers was hurt by a low-life thief."

I could only gaze in wonder as he walked off. He was doing it with such style without even meaning to. It was like the world was created just for him to walk on. And his voice. His voice made me want to swoon right there at his feet and plead for him to take me. I wonder if he would. Then we could get married and have kids and live in this wonderful home and-

I was snapped out of my pondering when I realized something vaguely important.

"Oh, I didn't catch your-" A breeze flew past me, ruffling my black tresses. All that greeted me was an empty alley wall. "...name." I sighed in dejection, turning my head down to the ground below me.

As I started walking toward my new home, a dark shadow came across my small form. Before I could comprehend what was happening, I bumped into a strong chest, almost losing my balance. I looked up, shielding my eyes from the blazing sun, and met my least favorite person on the entire Earth. Dear God, not again!

"Hello, Sakura. Long time no see, ne?" My surprised look still stayed on my face.

"How did you find me?" I questioned, flabbergasted. It didn't make sense. With my new hair color, I should have blended in. Along with my head start and all of the people rushing around. How could Sasuke have caught up to me so fast?

My bewildered look etched onto my face seemed to amuse him.

"You're forgetting, my dear Sakura, just what I am. I always know where you are. I can track you. I can smell your scent."

My already wide eyes still managed to grow considerably. A big gust of air was drawn to my lips as I gasped in surprise. So that's how he always found me, even as I desperately tried to run away from him, hide from his form. I closed my eyes in despair, knowing that it was futile. I could never escape him, now matter how hard I tried.

Just after squinting my eyes in defeat, I popped them open, feeling a ticklish sensation at the top of my head. I looked up in amazement, only to find Sasuke. Sniffing my hair.

I began to give him a "Wtf?" look, until my puzzled form soon became stiff with fright. He was growling, and it wasn't the playful type, either. Although, does Sasuke even doplayful? Nevertheless, he was growling deep within his throat, his chest rumbling with rage. Two pairs of onyx eyes bent down to my level and glared into mine.

"You were with someone. I can smell their scent." He spat hatefully, one lip stretched upward in a snarl. I shivered slightly at his cool breath hitting my face. His close proximity was almost too much to handle, and his glare wasn't exactly helping, either. I could only stare at him dumbly, not quite processing his words.

"Who were you with?" Sasuke demanded, glowering at my small form. He towered over me with an air of superiority, waiting for my response. But I couldn't have given it to him even if I had thought of one, because in the next second, another form stood beside me. He also towered over me, but it wasn't rage that was pulsating from him, but amusement. I looked up in wonder, only to greet the same boy that had helped me earlier. He opened his mouth to say something, only to shut it when sidestepping a blur of black. My mouth dropped as I full out gaped at what I saw. Sasuke was glaring hatefully at him, a feral grimace on his flawless face. He seemed to spew out distaste toward my savior.

Sasuke jumped into stance, ready to attack the boy again, and I had to wonder if this rivalry wasn't just because of me. There had to be a deeper meaning for all of this.

My intent to help my savior, along with my curiosity, finally got the better of me, until I blurted out, "Do you know this man, Sasuke?"

"Know him? Of course I do. He's my brother."

My eyes opened in realization. No wonder they looked so much alike. They had to be related somehow. That must be why I kept thinking about Sasuke. His own brother just saved me! But, wait, if he saved me...and that was his brother...then...

"WAIT!"

I dove in the frenzy, trying to stop the fighting. My arms were outstretched toward the two feuding brothers as I squinted my eyes, ready to receive pain. But the pain didn't come, only growling to my left and silence to my right.

"What are you doing, Sakura? Get out of the way! This fight has nothing to do with you!"

"Although I hate to agree with my foolish little brother, (Sasuke glared at him, daring him to call him that again.) I have to admit that he is right. You shouldn't jump into a battle like that, Sakura-chan. (Sasuke spluttered slightly. 'Sakura-chan?!') You could potentially harm yourself."

Two different reasoning's, two different responses, one same meaning. While one showed rage and anger, another showed calmness and disappointment. I had to wonder which one annoyed me the most.

"Like hell I'll let you two fight! With as much stamina and anger and whateveryou both have that's fueling you, you'll probably kill each other! And whether or not I'd be okay with Sasuke dying, this is still a village. With civilians. Who are innocent. I won't let you two get the chance to harm them, even if it would be an accident. And besides, you two are brothers! Sure, there's going to be some disputes here and there, but not a full fledged war! Really, I can't believe you two!"

With my proclamation reverberating through the still air, I held my ground. I glared defiantly at Sasuke's outrage, and narrowed my eyes at the other boy's look of disapproval. I wouldn't back down.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the boy to my right sighed in defeat. It looked like he wasn't used to backing down from a challenge, but his nice demeanor held him from defying and hurting a girl.

"Very well."

"What are you talking about? You're just going to let her decide for you? I demand a fight! You need to pay for what you've done, you bastard!"

I gaped disbelievingly. What had caused this much hate for Sasuke to want to literally kill his own brother? It just didn't make any sense!

"Now, now, Sasuke. Not in front of a lady." The boy smirked slightly, pearly white teeth glimmering in the sun. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from squealing. "I have places to be, so I must be off. It was a pleasure meeting you a second time, my fair Cherry Blossom. Until our next encounter, which I hope to be very soon." And with a flourish of arm movements, he was gone. I blinked in surprise, turning my head every possible direction to help find some hint on where he had vanished to. I had never seen someone disappear into thin air. Nor had I seen someone quite like him. He saved me, then listened to me, then became incredibly gentleman-like. It was like he was too good to be true!

...Which meant that he probably is.

So caught up in my fantasy world, I didn't notice the pair or orbs narrowed in hatred. Once a low, "Sakura..." was growled, I woke up from my trance. I looked over to the younger image of my "Future husband" and grinned slightly.

"Um, sup, Sasuke-kun." He stopped seething and blinked, causing me to inwardly cheer at my brilliance. Sweet, it caught him off guard. Now if only I can sneak out of this somehow...

Another thought caught me unaware, and instead of taking the time to think the conversation through and how it could turn out disastrously, I decide to plow through with my inquiries. "What's your brother's name?"

Right after the thought left my mouth, I knew that I had made a terrible mistake. His face full of surprise turned into one full of anger and hate. His upper lip trembled as he resorted back into his animalistic growl. But this time, he was more feral. It seemed like he was out to kill, not really knowing what he was doing, and could possible hurt me in the process. I gulped in fear, taking tentative steps back and making sure that I wouldn't get caught by him again. I was treading dangerous waters, and one slip up could cause me to sink and drown.

"That, I believe, is none of your business. And what did he mean by a second time he met you?"

I shifted my eyes uneasily to the right and left, looking for another escape route. Maybe I can get out of this without having my head chopped off. It's possible. I can make it work...

A sudden grip was felt on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Sasuke staring down at me. He looked impassive, and I couldn't distinguish the raw emotion in his eyes, nor what he was thinking. He opened his mouth, ready to say something, probably one of great importance. And for the life of me, I just couldn't think of what it would be.

"You are coming with me. I'm taking you back to my house. And I'm not letting you out of my sight."

...Oh God.

Not very much of a cliffy or good ending note. I just wanted to stop there since I was getting kind of tired. And I still have homework. (Ugh! I think I have every subject except for reading, which I already did. Grand!)

Aren't you proud of me! I wrote a lot more than I usually would. Although there isn't as much fluff in this chapter, but I need to somehow get her in the house. The whole conflict in this story will make sense, later. You'll get it, I promise. (And I'll have a lot more fluff in the next chapter. I mean, she's going to his house. Where she'll be around him all the time. How can there not be fluff?!)

Oooh, and I wonder what Itachi's doing! (Lol not literally, I already know what he's doing, but do you?) Feel free to take guesses, I don't really care. It seems to me that there's trouble brewing between Sasuke and Itachi...and Sakura just got caught in the middle of it. Along with having an attraction to the older Uchiha. Hmmm...(Snicker)

Review! Because reviews make me happy!

Panic