Well, here's chapter 2, for those who are still reading, thank you--keep reading because it only gets better from here on! This is Zerolr saying bai, bai! Until next chap! If you like what you're reading check out my other fics! -"

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Chapter two - Floating Thoughts

On some streets of Konoha, rainwater rushes down to lower elevations while in other spots puddles form. There not too far yes, some sparrows hidden inside a roof's sturdy tiles seeking refuge from the rain. Some children are playing ball in the alleyways not even thinking about the risks of catching a cold. Three cats, a small brown spotted dog, and Shizu's pig running about.

Huuguya Neji continued to strain more but the truth was, he was tired…dead tired. Standing on one hand for 10 hours was not easy but it was the ultimate stamina training. Not too far from him were Tenten and Rock Lee achieving the same goal. Gai sensei stood watching. He had set the record of ten days and ten nights on one hand. Tenten was wobbling, Rock Lee determined and Neji, well fed up. However Neji reactivated his vision and decided to keep practicing.

Well there's … no wait…

"Naruto?" spoke the deep warm voice.

Gai looked up. It was true, Uzimaki was making his way down the road to enter the city. He raced desperately, his clothes and hair drenched in rain.

"Oiiiiiii, Naruto!" bellowed the green suited sensei.

The spiky blonde stopped. He looked curious to who called him, and when he spotted them, he cheesed and gleefully waved back.

Naruto… Neji thought

A loud thump, and a moaning Tenten collapse defeated to the ground.

"No more…" she whined.

"Hey, what's up you guys?" Naruto in a heart's beat was already among their presence.

Droplets of rainwater mixed with sweat trialed down the faces of Lee and Neji as they looked up at him from their upside down point of view.

"We're training!" boomed Lee.

"Even though we're chunin and Neji's jonin, we are all still training together just like the old days!" Tenten grinned while wiping her forehead. All of her clothes were muddy and scratched.

"That sounds awesome!" Naruto replied, "Next time, I'll train with you guys!"

"Next time?!" Gai piped, "Why, you can join us now!" He stood energetically, excited by this possibility, "I'll show you how my teachings are a million times more effective than that damn Kakashi!!"

"Gomen, gomen" sighed Naruto nervously, "But, actually I'm supposed to somewhere right now… I think I'm late?" he scratched his head.

"Doke!" Fool!

Naruto turned his attention towards Neji. His eyes were sharp piercing with anger.

"Don't just stand here! You shouldn't have ever stopped by us in the first place! Go!"

Okay, okay" Naruto scratched the back of his head feeling ashamed, "Gai called me and I just wanted to come up and greet you guys…you are all my friends ya know?" and with that, Naruto raced off.

"Friends indeed!" Lee cheered after him. Naruto still running waved back with a bright smile.

Figured I couldn't talk to him. At this point he's very much free… How much farther had he progressed with his view of the world? I've learned so much from that simple battle against him, so long ago. He opened and shed light into my darkness, I can see, perfectly see. However, this light he shed cannot take away this iron cage that has me trapped…I'm dying…slowly.

Warm brown eyes framed by a thin face, gazed toward the blackboard. Hand resting on the chin, the heavily distracted student continued let his mind wander.

"So can anybody tell me the answer to this question?" The algebra teacher took one quick glance at the seating chart. "Kurosaki Ichigo." She called calmly

She's up there somewhere recovering slowly…but it's been some time. Rukia. He sucked his teeth remembering.

"Is that a no?!" cried the teacher indignation.

"Huh? Ichigo forced his attention to the world around him and noticed that every one was around him looked at him funny as well as the teacher with chalk in hand, bouncing it about her fingertips. "What I didn't…" he looked left and right feeling completely lost.

The teacher just sighed, "Pay attention next time, Inoue Orihime." She called once more.

"Hai," she replied politely.

"The answer?"

Ichigo sighed. He drifted off again but he couldn't seem to control it.

She left a certain emptiness. It's just not the empty seat next to him, or the space inside my closet. It was inside of myself. And I hate to call it "love". Even if it was love, I hate to give it that title. I don't want to hold or kiss her for that matter. I just missed it all, that interaction. Her annoyance, the corny drawings everything. Now, as a substitute reaper, they'll just call me when they need me…

Sakura just sighed, still waiting here alone the situation didn't look like it was improving. But lo and behold, Sakura spotted Ino racing, her long blonde hair getting wet. She had a grin on her face. Most definitely she was coming to give her what she promised to all the girls.

"Hey gurl!" cried Ino.

"What's up chick!" she replied with glee. She was really happy to see her.

"You're coming over to the sleepover right?" The blonde asked with a cheese

"Totally!" boomed Sakura with a smile, "What about everybody else?" Ino had a backpack slinged on her back and she took it off her shoulder so she can dig her arm into it. "I already talked to Tenten and Hinata and they said 'yes' without a doubt. I've received a letter reply via bird mail from Temari saying that she'll arrive the day before to make sure she can get there on time."

"Temari too!" Sakura squealed.

"Hell yeah!"

The two girls danced both holding each other's hands. Sakura's umbrella fell to the ground forgotten by it's owner.

"Here."

"What's this?" asked Sakura when she received the strange futuristic apparatus .

"A digital camera," whispered Ino with jazz in her voice.

Her eyes widened, "Where did you get this?" In her mind she imaged the old fashioned pictographs that were commonly used.

"I got connections with Gai sensei." Ino spoke in a low tone, "he orders weird stuff like this all the time—from," she looked left and right before speaking again, "whispers the other side…"

"But isn't that forbidden?!" she countered with an equally hushed tone.

"The way I see it," began Ino with a nonchalant attitude, "Is that eventually this world will begin to integrate with the coughs outside world coughs because of all the advance objects that it offers"

"Yeah but—"

"Nothing. There is only so much that we shinobi can do to keep protecting those open rifts a secret… I heard that there are even more openings as we speak."

"Really… oh my goodness," breathed Sakura in shock.

"Yeah," replied Ino shrugging her shoulders, "No doubt those are the inner workings of the Akatsuki…"

Sakura looked down at the silver camera that glinted in the light.

"But don't feel bad," uttered Ino in a tender tone as she place a hand kindly on her wrist. "Rumors say that only certain classified ANBU are allowed to make use of the outside world technology, which means that the hidden villages may one day allow everyone to use that kind of stuff." She lifted Sakura's downcast face with the tip of her fingers. "Everyone in spite of the rules don't care and lots of people place order in the black market which are actually run by Danzo, head of ANBU Root.

All of this was completely new to Sakura but it relived her and allowed her to without guilt, hold on to the camera. She just had to make sure that Tsunade will never find out about it.

"There—just remember your mission," she winked.

Oh yeah…

"For the sleepover this weekend, you MUST have ready sexy pictures of Sasuke and Naruto!"

"Shhhh! Shhhhhh!" Sakura hushed harshly.