Author's Note: Oh my gosh. It's been forever and I'm sorry! Chem and precal are keeping me busy but I promise I'll try to start updating faster! School is awful, seriously; especially in little supernerd private schools . It's only my sophomore year, but I already can't wait for high school to be over! Oh, and in my previous chapters, I have noticed some grammatical errors and akward wording though I tried so hard to avoid it, so forgive me. But from now on I'll try to make it better. Anyway, here's chapter 7.

Disclaimer: I don't think these things are necessary every time you write a new chapter, but I am a person of habit so I will. I find it necessary to say once again that I do not own Naruto, which is sad because I'd be filthy stinking rich if I did. Oh, well. Now read, please =)

Chapter 7: A Double Abduction

Hinata went as fast as she could, jumping from alley to alley, trying to stay in the shadows. She didn't want to involve civilians in the chase, and she didn't want to alarm anyone. Her best bet was the forest, where there was plenty of cover. Should worse come to worst, she would use her Jyuuken. Hinata did her best not to use it unless absolutely necessary, but right now she was being chased by a rogue ninja for no apparent reason. This was a necessary time.

Sasuke sped after Hinata, marveling at her speed. Huh, it's actually taking some effort to catch her. Impressive, Hyuuga, but you will not get away. They hopped from alley to rooftop and rooftop to alley, all across Konoha. The civilians who happened to be in the area saw only colored blurs that disappeared only a second later.

The green treetops were just visible and Hinata went faster, encouraged by the sight of them. She could lose Sasuke there, she was sure of it. Thankfully, nobody below knew what was going on above their heads. She jumped onto a branch of one of the first trees in the forest, and took a second to look behind her. But Sasuke wasn't there. Was I going that fast? Oh who am I kidding? He's waiting around here somewhere.... Hinata took a defensive position and used her Byakugan to scan the area. Still nothing. What on earth...Uchiha-san is not the type of person to abandon a chase. But if he is here, why can't I see him? There was a flash and she could have sworn she caught sight of someone, but the flash was gone as soon as it came.

Sasuke was on a tree branch belonging to the very same tree Hinata now stood on, but above her head. He smirked down at her. He had masked his chakra in such a way that she could not sense him. He was also standing in the Byakugan's only blind spot.

Hinata deactivated her Byakugan. It tired her to hold it for too long. And in that split second, Sasuke jumped down from his tree branch right on to hers, directly behind her. Hinata shivered and turned around. In another second she was unconscious in Sasuke's arms. Sasuke smirked again. He had learned a jutsu that could painlessly, without any physical harm, knock someone out, and he had been itching to test it. Obviously, it worked. He turned around and sped deeper into the forest with Hinata in his arms.

Sasuke wondered to himself why he was doing this. Since when was he interested in running off with random girls? This girl was just...different. She never fawned over him in their genin days, and for some reason that bothered him. Because now, he wanted her to. And it pissed him off that she could sit and smile at Naruto of all people, and not be interested in him at all. Normally that would have been a relief, but this was a special case. And he needed to know why. He needed to talk to her. So against all reason, he continued on his way through the forest.

Kabuto on the other hand, did not have so much emotional conflict. He knew three things: 1. Betraying team seven during the chuunin exams had made him feel horribly guilty, something which wasn't exactly normal for him. 2. He liked Konoha. He would have loved to stay there, but he couldn't as long as he was Orochimaru's slave. 3. He was attracted to Sakura Haruno. He liked her innocence, and he liked the way she looked at him, without disdain. That meant a lot to him. And he really did love her hair.

With these three things in mind, Kabuto knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to apologize to team seven, and he wanted to stay in Konoha. Most importantly, he wanted to win Sakura's heart. He wanted to make her his. And as he walked beside her, making small talk and watching that adorable face grow pinker and pinker as he showered her with compliments, meaning every word, he knew that the feeling in the pit of his stomach was not hunger. At least, not hunger for food.

Sakura's mind was barely functioning. The poor girl's brain had turned to mush. This good- looking stranger was complimenting her in the most chivalrous way, and being the perfect gentleman that Sakura had always wanted. She couldn't stop smiling and blushing. They came to a cute tea shop with a red tiled roof, and he nodded at her, silently asking her if she minded eating here. She nodded back, and he opened the door for her.

They walked inside together. It was a charming place. The floor was cherry- colored bamboo, and there were beautifully painted screens placed artfully around the room. The tables were low to the ground with short stools tucked under them. A lady in a traditional kimono led them to a secluded table in the corner. Kabuto pulled out Sakura's chair and she sat down, beaming at him. He took the chair opposite her and the lady asked, "So what would the happy couple like to eat?"

Sakura blushed. "We-we're not..umm actually..." Kabuto held up his hand to stop her stammering and said, "Could we start off with some jasmine tea?" He looked at Sakura inquiringly, but she did not protest. The lady left, looking back at the two over her shoulder. What a cute couple, she thought to herself.

Kabuto turned his gaze back to Sakura and gave her a dazzling smile. "I never caught your name."

"Ha-Haruno Sakura"

"Sakura...how pretty. Just like the Sakura blossoms. Very appropriate"

Blush. "Thank you. Uhm so what's your name?"

"Look, if I tell you, will you promise not to move, and keep your mouth shut until I can explain?"

"I don't see why not, but why do I need to-"

"Kabuto Yakushi."

"What? What! Oh my God! Oh my... mmph.."

Kabuto clamped his hand down over Sakura's mouth. "I'm sorry Sakura, but im going to have to take you into the forest with me for a little while. I'm not taking you hostage and I will let you go after I get a chance to talk to you."

With that, Kabuto and Sakura disappeared. The teashop lady came back with a teapot of jasmine tea and two cups. She gave a start at the empty table. Young love... She smiled, shook her head, turned around, and headed back to the kitchen.

Endnote: So that was Chapter 7! I'll try and get Chapter 8 out this weekend. Feedback would be encouraging. Thanks!

love,

the hybrid :)