Chapter 5:

A Little Bit of Romance

dream land

I don't know exactly what was happening, but I could feel someone's hands brushing against my neck and cheeks. The sensation was odd but welcomed... it felt so soothing and gentle. Then I felt something brush against my lips and it lingered there for a while, it took me a few minutes to register that I was being kissed. I imagined that it was Yukihiko - he had always held a special place in my heart. My eyes opened slowly as the kiss began to break, I hoped to see Yukihiko's solid onyx eyes, hoped his waist long blue hair would be mixing with my pink hair . But when I opened my eyes I didn't see Yukihiko's handsome face... I saw the face of my rival Hyuuga Neji! My find sent my mind into over drive, and mentally I began screaming and I tried to stop moving closer to him, but my body wouldn't respond...

end dream

I opened my eyes finding myself back in my bland room, but thankfully my dream... no, my nightmare was over and done with. I looked for my clock - it read 6:47 AM - at least I got a few hours of sleep. Yawning I decided that it would be best to just get up seeing that I'd probably be up in a little over an hour, so yawning I got out of bed, dressed in a clean red outfit (A/N: yes just like in all anime/manga she has a never ending supply of this outfits and any others she may get/wear.) I grabbed my weapons pouch, a few sealed sealing scrolls, money, and left the apartment; but not before leaving a note that said I was going out. Kami knows what a disaster it would be if I didn't leave it for them.

So walking aimlessly through the mostly empty Kohona streets I found my way back to the training grounds again. I now stood in the middle of the training ground and decided whether to stay or not to stay and meditate or go and look around some more. "Well look what we have here," a voice behind me said I jumped slightly before grabbing a kunai and spinning to attack the mysterious person.

My move seemed to be too little to late though since my wrist was grabbed and I was forced against a tree a kunai against my throat the voice that had spoken was so familiar I just couldn't name it... "Ain't it great to see each other again, Sakura?" oh Kami-sama please forgive me for whatever I did and don't let it be her. "..Oh Sakura you're so silent aren't you going to try and fight me ... or are you just going to admit you're weaker than me." Aw shit... no one told me Etsu would be here.

Etsu was Fuyumi's right hand girl, they were both stupid hoes... well in my opinion anyway. They were also 'Shadow Seekers'. They thought it was a cool name, I think it's retarded; honestly it sounds like something to come out of a freakin' Harry Potter book. I broke Etsu's hold and stared her down, I looked her over for a second - she had a new scar just under her eye, making her look even more boyish. Her hair was cut short like a boy, and she also had a blue Mohawk, too much black eye shadow, wore to much black, and was way too thin to look healthy. Her skin was a ghostly pale, and she reeked of cigarettes and blood - one of the foulest odors I have ever come across. But my real question was how the hell did she end up in Konoha?!

"How the hell did you get here?" I asked, too curious to bother with the fact that we were from rival gangs. Etsu grinned wickedly and said, "Like I'd tell you!" The fact that she was here got other questions shooting through my head. "Is Fuyumi and the rest of you here?" I asked, glaring at her. "I really shouldn't tell you this, but unfortunately, Fuyumi had to stay back for a trial on arson, so I got my fucking ass stuck with Okito and Hideya... but Fuyumi did tell me that if I saw your stupid ass to kick it all the way to the fucking moon!" Grinning wickedly she charged at me, and I quickly dodged and dug out a switchblade, slicing her arm. Wincing slightly she grabbed her arm and inspected her wound. She glared at me again before saying, "Love to continue this, but I gotta go. Ja ne!" With another grin she darted into the trees and before I could blink, she was gone.

I stared at the area where she had disappeared, astounded. That had happened really quickly, and I hadn't even gotten answers! The only thing I knew was that Etsu, Okito, and Hideya were here in Konoha. What about the rest of the Shadow Seekers - and what about my friends? I sighed, rubbing my head. This was all so confusing. Why the hell would the most idiotic and dangerous people in the Shadow Seekers be here? Why not my friends? I hated to admit it, but I suddenly felt extremely angry with the elders - what in Kami's name were they thinking? Sending idiots like Etsu here to Konoha. I hardly doubted that they would do as we were sent for – spreading the Sight. But why else would they be here? I pondered these things as I absentmindedly wiped the blood off of my switchblade – like I would leave Etsu's blood all over my prized blade!

Now my mind got back to my original reason for coming to the training ground, and I shoved my switchblade back into my pocket before leaving. I was only stopping by to look anyways. I glanced at the sky – the sun had shifted a bit. I must have been out longer than I thought. Sighing, I headed back to the apartment. More than likely Naruto and Kyo-sensei would be up, and I was anxious to tell Naruto about my encounter with Etsu. When I did reach the apartment and went inside, Naruto was sitting at the table, a bowl of cereal before him.

"Hey Sakura," he said sleepily, waving at me. "Naruto, I have something important to tell you." He must have sensed the urgency in my voice, because he sat up a bit straighter and set down his spoon. I quickly told the happenings of the morning, finishing up with Etsu's leaving. "Holy shit! What were those senile old people thinking?!" he yelled. "They were thinking about giving them a second chance," Kyo-sensei emerged from the kitchen, "Or they just wanted to get rid of them." Kyo-sensei finished, handing me a bowl of cereal.

I once again got back to my original question with Etsu. "But why are they here? Why couldn't the elders give them a 'second chance' back home?" Kyo-sensei shook his head at my question, leaving me even more irritated. "Hurry up and eat, we have a training session." I let out a groan. Please, dear Kami, spare my life. I did as was told, and Naruto followed suit, finishing his cereal before darting off to get dressed. "Don't forget about Ami's outfit! Wear that!" I called after him, taking my things to the sink.

He came out a few minutes later, and I was happy to see that the orange jumpsuit was gone. Instead, the replacement was still orange, although looking a lot cooler. There was an orange jacket with blue stripes going down the sides and long sleeves, orange shorts with blue stripes at the bottom of them, and the same ninja sandals. "Alright, let's go!" Naruto said cheerfully. "Wait," I told him, and then I unzipped the jacket, revealing a black shirt with an orange seal that was also on his stomach. "You look better that way," I told him, and he nodded before unzipping my jacket, saying, "Same for you."

"Ok, let's go. This is getting kinda awkward for some reason." We followed Kyo-sensei out of the apartment and down to the training grounds. "Alright, today we're going to be working on-"

"Yosh! It is the youthful cherry blossom again, come to see me in all my youthfulness!" Dear Kami. I'd recognize that voice anywhere. I turned around to see Gai-san and his team, coming towards the training ground. I groaned. We were in Training Ground 10 – the same place where they trained! It wasn't really Lee or Tenten that bothered me, it was the Hyuuga prick. I forced a smile and waved. "Hello, Gai-san," I said politely. "What do you want?" A harsh voice told me, and I let my smile be replaced with a scowl aimed towards Neji.

"We're training here!" Naruto said from behind me, making me jump. I had nearly forgotten about him and Kyo-sensei! "Oh. Right. Uh, Lee, Tenten, Neji, Gai-san, this is Naruto. He's also from my village, and he's my best friend." Naruto gave a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. "Nice to meet you Naruto-san," Lee said, formal as always. "Naruto-san? What's with that?" Naruto murmured into my ear, and I shrugged, still glaring at the Hyuuga. Naruto looked at me, due to my lack of response. Then he turned around, walked away a few steps before turning around. He charged at me, yelling, "Gross Jutsu!"

I stopped and said, "Naruto, wait! Stop!" But I was too late, and he pounced, tackling me into the ground, and licked my face. EEWWWWWWWW!! I kneed him in the stomach, kicked him off, and proceeded to use a summoning jutsu. "Summoning Jutsu!" I yelled. Naruto's eyes got wide, and he tried to scramble away. "EAT HIM!" I yelled, pointing at the blonde. Three lion summons, at least three times the size of normal lions, jumped out of the smoke and went after him. Naruto started screaming, and I felt very, very satisfied. The summons pounced on him, and proceeded to lick him too, and it must have been horrible, because their tongues must have been at least a foot long and three inches wide. "Gross!" He yelled, struggling as he tried to get away. "Alright guys, that's enough."

Then they got up from Naruto and trotted obediently over to me before sitting at my side. Kyo-sensei sighed, shaking his head, and said apologetically, "Sorry for interrupting your training." He glanced over at Naruto and me before shaking his head again. "That was incredible! I've never seem someone so young able to summon something like that!" The look on Gai's face proved his words to be true. I glanced at Neji, and amazingly, his jaw was open at the sight of my lions. 'Ohhh, look at our hot Hyuuga guy! He's so amazed by our mad skills. I wonder if he is as good at kissing as he is in our dream?' She let out a fangirl-like scream in my head. A horrified look came over my already beet red face, and I proceeded to whack my head against the tree.

"Sakura-san, why are you hitting yourself? Don't do that, my beautiful cherry blossom." I shot Lee a weak smile before my inner did the most stupid thing she could have done. She managed to jump right out of my body into a fake one of her own. "Ack! Nooo, get back in!" I yelled, lunging for her hand. It was too late. She did have my speed and agility - after all, we were the same person. A horrified look came across my face. "You have to help me! PLEASE!" I pleaded.

Naruto had already gone after her – he had dealt with my inner a few times before. Then I sprinted after her. Naruto lunged forward and caught her, and then I ran straight towards her, lunging to grab hold of her arm. Our bodies fused together almost immediately when I touched her. Letting out a sigh of relief, I got up and dusted myself off. Naruto and I both pretended that nothing had happened and calmly walked back to Kyo-sensei. Meanwhile, my inner was having a rant inside my head - all the while flashing pictures of what Neji may look like shirtless or pieces of my dream from last night. Kyo-sensei bowed and said, "Please forgive our distractions." He then led us away from the training grounds, my three lions following closely behind.

-End-

TBC...OR NOT!

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