Chapter 3

Sakura woke up late the next morning, 9 o'clock? 10 o'clock she wasn't sure.

"morning." the calm and seductive voice rang in her ears.

"Neji? What time is it? You didn't wake me up for watch duty." Sakura sat up in her sleeping bag.

"I think it's about 11am, I would have woke you up but the idea of making you wake up after hearing how Ino reacts put me off a little." Sakura was a little annoyed, but she giggled anyway. "besides Kiba took over for me."

Sakura was standing up now. Her green eyes drifted around the camp to search for Kiba, but there was no sign of him.

"Where is Kiba?" She looked back at Neji

"He's gone to collect some water for him and Hinata. Here." Neji handed Sakura her flask which prior to this morning was empty, but now she could tell from the weight of it that it was completely full.

"you did this?"

"yup" Neji looked up at her and smiled, His smile was warm, it made her feel...happy...she didn't think it possible for her too feel even a glint of hope since Naruto died...But here she was... Smiling on the inside and on the outside thanks to the kindness which she could see in Neji's smile.

Kiba ran up the steep slope to the camp. He was panting and Akamaru was running next to him.

"Guys! We have to get out of here now!" The whole team looked at him, Shikamaru had been asleep but as soon as he heard Kiba yelling he jumped up instantly.

"Kiba! What the hell happened!" Shikamaru helped Ino up and ran over to Kiba.

"I smelt someone. No. I smelt someone covered in blood. I sensed that they had a killers instinct! I'll tell you about it when we're safe, but now we have to move! Pack up your stuff!" He threw Hinata her water container and grabbed his sleeping bag. Neji helped pack all of Sakura's things in to her bag. He of course was packed at dawn.

She ran. He ran. They ran together. The cold wind was biting against her skin like needles, it was so painful, it was winter what else could she expect.

Sakura yelled the orders.

"Kiba see if you can still smell them! Hinata see if you can see them! Neji keep looking forward check to see if there are any enemy's in front of us!" She wasn't going to let anyone get hurt! No matter what happened to her she would protect them!

Hinata ran up to keep level with Sakura too tell her what she knew.

"The enemy is slowing down! I think they are going to try and find a different direction and cut us off!"

"Neji?! Is there anyone in front?!" Neji shook his head, Sakura sighed in relief. She spoke too soon...

"There coming!"

Two ninjas attacked. One from the left, one from the right. A third sped towards them from the front.

Sakura knew what she had too do. She sped forwards towards the on-coming ninja and built up her chakra in her hand. She was ready to punch. The ninja saw her intentions, but it was too late for him to stop. She hit him square in the gut. He fell to the floor.

She looked behind her too see if the others were aright with the other two ninja, Kiba and Shikamaru were attacking one with there jutsu and Neji and Hinata were dealing with the other one, Where was Ino?

"Sakura look out!" too late. The ninja who she had punched had got back up and was standing behind her, his kunai was at her throat.

"Shit!" Sakura closed her eyes and prepared to die.

"I don't think so ass hole!" Ino was standing behind the ninja with the kunai to Sakura's throat. The ninja turned around. Ino looked him directly in the eye and did the strangest thing... she smiled... Ino got her hands in her position for her jutsu.

"Shinten shi no jutsu!" Ino fell to the floor and the kunai came away from Sakura's throat.

"Ino!" Shikamaru saw Ino's falling body and caught it as it was falling from the tree it was resting on.

The ninja which Ino had taken over was controlled and made to somewhere where he would be easy too attack. Ino released her jutsu. Sakura made her way over to the cowering ninja.

"prepare to die jerk" She gave him the finishing blow and made her way back to her team mates. Everyone was okay; Kiba had a few scratches, but nothing serious, Shikamaru had a cut on his cheek and Ino had a deep cut on her arm where she fell. But as she had expected, both Hyuuga children were uninjured.

Sakura got too work on healing the wounds which people had got. Ino helped cure Kiba's scratches after Sakura had healed her arm, and Sakura went on to heal Shikamaru's cheek.

"Why do you think they were attacking us?" Sakura sat next to Neji and drank the remainder of her water.

"Don't know, maybe they were friends of Karin and wanted revenge" All of the chunin were sitting around a camp fire which Ino and Shikamaru made. After making the fire they both quickly fell asleep, Kiba and Hinata had also fallen asleep not long after Ino and Shikamaru. So it was just Neji and Sakura left too talk on watch duty.

Neji looked in to Sakura's eyes.

"Why with you can't I tell what your thinking? It's been bugging me for a while... Whenever I look in to someone's eyes I can read them, see what there thinking...But with you...I can't" Sakura looked back in to Neji's eyes confused.

"I don't understand what you mean..." Sakura stared blankly at Neji's clear eyes.

"Tell me Sakura, what are you thinking?..." Sakura looked up at the sky it was the same as the night Sasuke left.

"Revenge..."

"you know your life shouldn't revolve around revenge...It ruined my life...And my life being ruined made Hinata's a living hell... I'll never forgive myself... You need to learn how to appreciate life, look at the little things and make them mean bigger things. You could be a great ninja Sakura, you know you could. You just need to move on from Naruto. From Sasuke. From everything which is making you miserable."

He looked at her and smiled again, that same smile which he had smiled earlier that very same day. And at that very moment she felt happy, when ever he smiled, she felt warm, she had found her someone who she could talk to, someone who she could relate too, but she never thought it would be Neji.

She fell asleep at some point and slept right through the night. She woke up the next morning. The sun hadn't fully risen yet. It was probably only about 5am. Shikamaru was sitting up watching the stars fade and the clouds appear.

"Morning Shikamaru, watch duty?" Sakura walked over to him. She picked up her water, It was full again. It was probably Neji again, She smiled happily and took a swig then she handed it to Shikamaru. He took it and drank it gratefully.

"yup. I've been up since about 4am, Hinata woke me up too take over from her. She said she had something that she needed too do, She should be back soon I think." now that Sakura took a look around camp she realized that Hinata was in fact gone.

"Wonder what she had too do..." Sakura looked around cautiously. Shikamaru laughed and continued speaking

"She's probably just gone to get some food. I wouldn't worry she did yesterday morning. But she ended up barley eating anything anyway 'cause she insisted that Kiba ate most of it. I'm gonna bet that those two get together soon. They so close that it's scary!" Sakura looked back at Shikamaru and gave him a sceptical look.

"Ha! Look who's talking Mr-Here-Ino-Take-My-Jacket" Sakura stuck her tongue out and laughed. Shikamaru joined in the laughter, and so the morning began.

Hinata came back about half a hour later carrying her backpack which she had completely filled with nuts and berry's. She handed some to Sakura and Shikamaru and then ate some herself. She made sure that her bag was still very full of food for Neji Ino and particularly Kiba.

Sakura and Shikamaru thanked her. Then Shikamaru asked a question which stunned Sakura... partly because there was no conversation at all since Hinata had come back but mainly because it shocked Sakura!

"Are you in love with Neji?..." ...Love?... The only love she had ever felt before was to Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke was just a childish crush and she loved Naruto like a brother. This type of love was on a whole other level... She thought of the past two nights... The way he smiled... The way he let her sleep on his shoulder... The way which he had been there for her for the whole of this mission and agreed to go on the mission in the first place.. She knew he cared for her... She knew that she cared for him... The only answer she could give was something that she thought she would never say... She looked in to Shikamaru's eyes and gave her answer.

"Yes...I think I am..."