Sorry if there are errors, its one o'clock in the morning and I just wanted to post the chapter!
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The room erupted in a fit of inane laughter at Sakura's face, she'd expected the worse for the blind date but she never expected Lee, she would have never thought to see him again yet there he was grinning at her like the energetic boy he'd always be.
"Are you ready for our date Sakura-Chan?" Lee swerved his hip to the right a gesture that showed how at ease he was with his surroundings.
"E-Er y-yeh j-just let me grab money."
The mullet haired-boy grinned again, "Why my beautiful flower, everything is my treat!"
Sakura chuckled in spite of herself, "That's sweet, where are we going?"
"Right here!"
The brunette gagged, the brilliant date she thought he was, soon faded to not the most creative date.
"Oh, wonderful."
The two took a table at the back corner of the restaurant away from her giggling friends and her former love. She might as well enjoy herself, although she didn't like to admit it Lee actually made her laugh and his company was always enjoyed, maybe he would be a ray of a new beginning?
Sasuke's face had registered shock when Rock lee had walked through the door but it had been quickly replaced with a blank stare. Did the boy still have a hopeless crush on Sakura this whole time? The raven-haired boy looked over at the table where the two were sitting, laughing at something that had been said, was it still hopeless? Maybe Lee had a chance? Sasuke scoffed, yeh in a thousand years he would! Shrugging he turned to look at the redhead across from him attempting to shake off the feeling of slight jealousy.
"Is he for real?"
The Uchiha boy stared at her blankly trying to register whom they were speaking of; Artemis shrugged, "Rock Lee, that's his name right?"
"Hn. He's as real as green spandex will ever be."
Artemis let out a hearty chuckle a strange sound to his ears, "I don't see green spandex."
"You should be glad that you don't, at least he's semi normal now."
"We all have to be, it's the best for our safety."
Their expression hardened at the thought of the danger they lived in, how could they carry on with life acting like nothing was wrong when people were dying around them.
Life was too fucked up.
"I need air."
With a shrug of her shoulders the redhead watched as the Uchiha boy walked out of the restaurant and on to the balcony.
A pair of intrigued blue eyes followed the raven-haired man as he walked out of the restaurant; with a little excuse from the table she made her way to follow him.
"What do you want Yamanaka?"
Ino jumped realizing that he knew all along that she was behind him.
"Don't be shocked, after all an assassin can't be careless."
Shivering at the mention of his heartless job the blonde woman spoke the words she had been meaning to tell him for a while, "You cant keep playing her.""
His onyx eyes never blinked, "Sakura?"
"She hurts every night, tears that have been kept inside for so long always threaten to spill, you can't fuck with her!" Her baby blue's flashed dangerously at the tall man before her.
"I don't 'play' with anyone, I don't even like her so why should I waste my time." Sasuke stared past the blonde nonchantly, she could see through his lie easily.
"Liar. Stop hiding from the truth Sasuke, or else one day you're worlds going to crumble and what are you going to have left?"
With a final warning Ino walked back to the restaurant leaving Sasuke alone to ponder on her words, crumble? He didn't need anyone to save him, not now not ever, why were people so thick? With a hefty sigh he proceeded back to his table at the ramen bar, Artemis had left the table and was in deep conversation with Neji. Today was not his day, getting riled up by his emotions was not something he enjoyed, but ever since he met the redhead and was reunited with his old gang everything just seemed so confusing, even he was having trouble keeping himself in check.
The movement of Artemis and Neji getting off their chairs and walking towards the rest of the hotel interrupted his thoughts. Glancing over towards the panda bear haired woman he suppressed the urge to chuckle at her fuming face.
"That idiot, hes looking for trouble associating himself with that bitch." Tenten turned to glare at the Uchiha blaming him for her love interests divided attention.
Hinata glanced nervously at her friend, " Tenten I-I b-believe cousin knows what he is doing."
"Just wait till she starts on Naruto! You will be eating you're words out of my hand."
With a huff the brunette left her friend in a blushing fury to go and sharpen her weapons, a good training was in order, she didn't care about being in secret, she needed to loosen up her anger.
"Troublesome. All of you, don't you find all of you're secrets tiring? All of the lying and the hiding, I would get tired of it." Shika shook his head in disbelief and left to his room, "Just thinking about it makes me tired, im going to sleep,"
Hinata glanced nervously at the Uchiha prodigy being alone with him was uncomfortable to her, "I-I shall find N-Naruto-kun." With a bow she left Sasuke alone at the table,
Just the way he enjoyed it, in silence, with no one to disturb him, he might as well enjoy it before…
"OH MY GOD KUWAII! Lee it's going to be so much fun!"
The silence was gone…
"INO, NARUTO, EVERYONE! LEE got us admitted into the new NIGHT CLUB downtown!"
Sasuke glared at Sakura whether out of jealousy or because of her extreme tendency to be loud he didn't want to find out.
"GET THE GANG READY! TONIGHT IS A NIGHT TO PARTY! Even Sasuke-Teme and his equally ice blocked girlfriend will have to come and have fun."
Sasuke winced; Naruto was just as loud as the brunette Kunoichi, a scowl was placed on his handsome features as he replied to Naruto's yelling, "Im not going dobe, and Artemis is not my girlfriend."
"OH SHE"S NOT? THEN WHY ARN"T YOU GOING? Doing something tonight?" Naruto gave the ebony locked man a perverted wink.
"Fine. We are going." God, anything to make the blonde idiot shut up
"Going where?" Artemis walked out with Neji in tow both looking slightly out of breath and flushed.
Questioning looks were shot through out the Ramen restaurant, just what were they doing all that time?
"TO A CLUB! WE ARE Going TO PARTY ALL NIGHT LONG!"
Sasuke and Artemis winced again," Sasuke let's leave before I go deaf."
The Uchiha prodigy nodded and proceeded to exit the Ramen bar giving a curt nod goodbye to Sakura. He wanted to leave as well but for different reasons, staring at Sakura and Lee gave him a burning sensation, was it jealousy?
"BYE ARTEMIS-CHAN SASUKE-TEME! See you tonight!"
Cringing, the two ran the rest of the way home hoping to escape the plaguing voice of the blonde brat.
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Tenten groaned as she released her bronzed curls from their buns and left them to flow elegantly behind her back. No make-up was placed on her picture perfect face except a light shade of red lip balm. She donned nothing extravagant just a plain pink and black-stripped shirt that had no back only held together by single strings at the neck and her dark jeans fit comfortably not too tight yet not loose enough to sag. The russet haired girl decided against heels and placed black ballet pumps instead, as much as she didn't feel like going out to the night club she needed to or else Artemis might make a move on Neji again and she couldn't let him slip from her grasp not again. All those years without knowing where he was or whether he was safe and alive haunted her, sleepless nights followed with endless battles for her life tired and added years to her still young life.
'Feelings need to be admitted before it's too late, before we are too dead inside to feel anymore.'
Softly she made her way down the old staircase of the hotel and towards the little sitting room where the rest of the gang was waiting.
"Tenten what took you so long? Time wastes youth!"
Giggling softly at her former team mate's antics Tenten quietly slid herself in between Neji and Lee feeling calmer then she had in years.
"Neji…" She didn't know what to say, she wanted to say so many things yet no words would be able to describe any of them.
"I know what you're thinking, worried about me associating with Artemis, but we didn't do anything,"
"Oh? Then what was everyone talking about? Both of you coming out all flushed and sweaty!" Tenten's face reddened a furious red, how did he know what she was thinking about?
"We were simply having…"
The door of the sitting room opened to reveal two dark teens; ebony-locks were left to frame his rugged features he wore nothing but a plain black t-shirt and black pants that sagged held together by a black studded belt; the crimson hair of the man's companion hung loose with the parting set to cover one of her luminous brown eyes. Her eyes were lidded with black eyeliner and grey shadow contrasting perfectly with her clear full lips; she donned a black tank top that flattered her toned abs and black leather jeans held with a belt identical to the ebony haired man except in white, they both wore black converse, she smirked as the group gaped at them.
"Sasuke-Teme Artemis-Chan…" Everyone turned towards the blonde to hear his thoughts, "You look EMO!"
Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, "Emo? What the fuck?"
"OH! I KNOW SOMETHING YOU DON'T KNOW!" Naruto began to bounce around until Sakura calmly hit him on the head.
"Calm down idiot, we must leave now before the line to the bar gets too long." Sakura brushed her hands along her white knee length tissue skirt to smoothen the material and began to walk out the door with Lee in tow.
"EMO! EMO!"
Artemis death glared Naruto sending him cowering behind Neji, "Well you look like a fucking Halloween pumpkin so I wouldn't be talking."
His smile now gone Naruto sulkily followed the gang out the door turning only to pause and look at Ino, "You sure you don't want to come Ino-Chan?""
"Positive Naruto, I'm tired I will see you all tomorrow morning."
Naruto nodded and happily bounced out the door to catch up with the others, his bright orange shirt receiving questioning looks from pedestrians.
Never once did he think back on the blonde left behind in the hotel, he had more important things on his mind like Hinata drunk on a table dancing.
Oh evil wonderful thoughts.
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The club's atmosphere was misty and crowded, not an inch of the red floor was visible due to the hundreds of feet dancing and drinking in the small club. People giggled and screamed as heavy music blared through the speakers, glasses were seen smashed against the floor and girls threw themselves shamelessly on passing men.
"I hate Clubs." Uchiha Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disgust as a woman latched herself on to his well-built arm. Carelessly he flung her to the ground and stepped over her drunken body, shoving his hands deep into his jean pockets he followed Artemis to the bar.
"What don't you hate Uchiha?" Sakura jokingly poked him receiving a smirk from the raven-haired genius.
"Shut it Haruno." He simply continued walking leaving the brunette girl with Lee, "Come on Lee let's dance!"
The mullet haired boy's face instantly brightened, "Oh yeh I'm the king of dancing!"
Giggling they hoped into the stuffy dance floor and began to sway and twirl to the music letting the beat carry there souls into the pounding melody.
Sasuke watched from a distance glaring at them pointlessly, a glass filled with vodka and red bull was shoved under his nose, he began to push it away but it was shoved back into his hand.
"Drink it. Helps you relax, being jealous tenses you're muscles." Artemis smirked at him gulping hers down in a nanosecond then accepting another one from the bartender.
"Since when are you such a party girl?" Sasuke stared at her blankly confused at her sudden change in mood.
"What girl does not enjoy a party? You have to admit you're feelings Sasuke."
He sipped his drink rolling the taste in his tongue, it was sweet with the faint taste of the vodka hidden within its depths, he chugged the rest down, "I don't have feelings towards Haruno."
"I thought you were a smart man Uchiha you must be blind to your own emotions." Artemis leaned towards him her eyes now level with the man sitting before her, "I'm not very good with these things but come on how more obvious can it be?"
"Its not obvious because it's not true."
"Is too."
"Is not."
"Is too."
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"You're being childish!" Sasuke glared at her as she gave him a sincere smirk, "Who me? I'm just admitting the truth."
"Oh yeah?" He stood from the bar stool challenging her eyes with his dark ones.
"Yeah. Prove me wrong then."
Her smirk was soon wiped away as his lips came crashing down on hers engaging their mouths in a heated battle for dominance, unwillingly she moaned into his mouth, pulling away he smirked down at her, "There. That prove you wrong?"
"What the fuck was that! That doesn't prove anything!" Angrily she stormed off into the dance floor leaving Sasuke behind staring at her bemused.
Sakura and Lee had stopped dancing and had decided to go for a drink grabbing two beers she was stopped by the sight of Sasuke kissing someone who looked a lot like Artemis. Although she didn't want to admit it she loved him still and seeing him kiss her had hurt a lot more then expected.
Green eyes met black and she had to force herself to look away, he could not see her tears.
Shaking his head to rid his body of the deep pang of guilt he proceeded in ordering another vodka/red bull, he never believed in getting drunk but he didn't mind in getting slightly lost tonight, his head was fucking with him and emotions weren't something he enjoyed.
On the other side of the bar Tenten watched as Neji danced with Artemis their bodies swayed towards each other, smoke could be visible from her small ears as Artemis moved her hands to Neji's neck. Having enough of watching them together she moved towards the couple and forcefully broke them apart.
"Mind if I cut in?"
Artemis chuckled at the jealous brunette. "Of course not darling he's all yours."
Tenten huffed at the redhead's cool demeanor and began to let the music soothe her; Neji smirked at his fuming ex teammate.
"Slightly jealous Tenten."
"Shut up and dance Hyuuga."
It was a good enough answer for the longhaired man so he complied with the feisty woman and began to dance with her.
Hinata and Naruto were sitting at a table, to Naruto's dismay Hinata would not accept alcohol saying it was against her better judgment, talk about crushing a man's dreams. Too bad he spiked her water! The girl had begun to dance on the table shamelessly letting her dark purple skirt fly around her and her white shirt soaked with dribbling water. They had attracted quite a crowd as Naruto stared up her skirt in perverted wonder. Too bad Neji had to come in and ruin all his fun; he felt the black haired boy's white eyes pierce his back in fury.
"Im going to fucking kill you. How dare you bring the Hyuuga's clan heir to shame?"
Tenten held him back as he began to lunge for Naruto, but he escaped her firm grasp with ease and knocked the blonde to the floor with a punch in the nose Blood began to pour helplessly down his nose and on to his orange shirt.
"I wont take you're shit Hyuuga! Believe it!"
He counterfeited the attack with a kick in the stomach but it was blocked with ease, both of them knew not to use any Jutsu it was too risky. The blocks and punches poured down each of them receiving fair blows and bruises. Neji glared at the blue-eyed Shinobi and began to form hand seals his anger taking the better of his judgment a fist square in the nose stopped him from furthering the attack.
"Stop it. Both of you! Have you lost you're mothefucking minds?" Her brown eyes flared with hidden anger and fear, "Party time is over. Neji collect you're inane cousin, Dobe find Sakura and Lee we are leaving."
Artemis wiped her blood covered fist on Hinata's white skirt ignoring the death glare she received from Naruto and Neji, "Now."
The two reluctantly obeyed and soon the group left the club's premises each deep in though of the night's events.
Never aware off how twisted everything was about to become.
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The ramen hotel was silent, not even a cricket was heard throughout the white endless walls. The door opened and the lights flickered slowly on only to reveal the horror they had left behind. Blood was left in a trail towards the sitting room; gasps were made as they followed the foot trails, opening the door horror were placed before their eyes.
"Ino…" Shika's breath caught his throat as he ran to the bleeding body on the floor. Her clothes were slashed and cuts were seen throughout her stomach and neck, her arms and legs were left unharmed only slightly bruised as if she was kicked and beaten.
"Is she dead?" Sakura's green eyes widened in fear for her best friend's life.
"No. There is still pulse." Sasuke's expression remained blank yet his stomach was in turmoil. Who had attacked them? Was it random? Were they targeting? Why didn't she fight back?
Sakura's voice was shaky, "Naruto run and get me my medical kit."
Naruto nodded and ran off towards the storeroom where Sakura hid her supplies.
"Neji take Hinata back to her room she is no state to be here, Sasuke, Artemis I need you're help. Shika. Tenten, and Lee start cleaning out the blood around the house we cant let people know anything has happened."
Everyone stood in shock; Artemis was the first to react. "Come on people, cant you see you're friend is dying? Move it!"
Funny how their world has plummeted.
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Well there you go, ended somewhat dark, Please review! Its only 26 people's story alert list and not everyone out of that 26 has reviewed, not to seem whiny or anything im just saying.
Kisses
xx