Ok you guys, I'm actually trying to plan out this story. I have all the clues and stuff some what sort of organized. I'm on like a 10 day vacation, this is day four. I most likely have my numbers wrong, but, I'll try to make this chapter good and memorable in case I decide to go all hiatusy again. (I know that it's not a word, but, it describes my lazy busy schedule in relationship to my writing. Thank you for reading so far, you've been very good to me. Enjoy!
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I have to toughen up
That's the only way I'll live
Life isn't a joke
It's not meant for little kids
I'm gonna work hard
Kick the crap till it's gone
I'm sorry Mystery man
But, I've got my hands on the gun.
It's my trigger
I'll do what I like
I'll be the one to determine
If I want to die or fight
It's my life
Deal with it
From MMG
Sakura flew through the streets of Konoha at Hyper speed, her bright pink converse barely visible in the bright light of the 10:00 sun. You would think that a person would be left disturbed and shocked by the events that had played at the Haruno house hold last night, however, Sakura was a girl that was good at blocking out bad memories. It's the character trait of hers that kept her moving through each day. When Sasuke rejected her, when her mom died, when Naruto got hurt, she lived though it all.
When she had woken up at 6:00 this morning, and found that she craved a get away from her life, she decided that The Spot was where she needed to go. A stressed out Sakura was an unfocused Sakura. So, throwing on her usual black Spandex training shorts, a white tang top, putting her hair up in a pony tail, and choking on some toast, she proceeding out of the door well on her way to her favorite training spot.
She ran along the side walk, her breathing was heavy, her skin smelled of lilac and honey from her favorite lotion. The wind blew fiercely through Sakura's hair as she ran off into the forest, leaving the path of terrified and knocked over people in peace. A smile adorned her features and she physically relaxed, taking in the green shrubs and flowers on the way to her Spot. Her face was red, wind whipped and satisfied, her lungs were filled with the cool fall air. The smell of the sweet plants was every where. A couple more minutes and she would be there. She recalled fond memories of falling asleep at night in her favorite field. She would always bring a book and some snacks. Right after she finished training she would read and eat, and enjoy her tranquility. The world would always disappear.
Inner Sakura: We have some things to think about before we start training. It's better to get rid of mental Junk before we do what we usually do.
Sakura: I agree, it wasn't too long ago that I figured out that you were my Blood line Trait. Who would have thought that such an annoying voice in my head was the Haruno Clan secret?
Inner Sakura: Although, It has been ages since someone has processed it. It was very odd, I was with your great grandmother, then, your mom almost had me, but, her life span was destined to be too short, so, I ended up with you. And let me tell you, your no cake walk either.
Sakura landed on another branch and stopped for a moment. She let out a small sigh. It was true, her mother had died. But, that was a story for another time, not right before her training. She continued along, getting closer and closer with each step. Her heart rate increased. Once she reached the isolated open space, she would release inner Sakura, and battle her self, her fears, everything bottled up inside her would fight against her. She basically went to the clearing to fight her self. She continued again, rushing forward, in hast to finally arrive.
Sakura: So the suspects are; Sasuke, the quiet former crush. He always has something on his mind, but, he never says anything about it. Then Gaara, nearly killed me last year, supposedly misunderstood, and most definitely has a fixation with me. Lastly, Neji, the self righteous bastard that hates my guts. I would love to help that guy right over a cliff.
Inner Sakura: Gaara said maybe, maybe not. It could be him. He seems to like you, or, at least, he seems to very curios, you know, like a Rubix Cube. You do anything you can to figure out how to solve it, even if it means twisting it and playing around with it.
Sakura: True. What about Sasuke and the letter?
Inner Sakura: Oh yeah! I forgot about that! He could be responding to the letter in his Emo mystery man type way. He never was a person to just tell you what was going on in his life.
Sakura: He would have defiantly done something by now.
Inner Sakura: Not entirely.
Sakura: OK, ok, but what about…..
Sakura finally broke into the clearing, her heart skidding to a stop. Her eyes widening into saucers, time froze, Pigs flew, the earth erupted, and inner Sakura fainted.
Neji……………..
There, in the middle of the clearing, stood none other than the Hyuuga God….genius himself. He was in midair, leg out, launching himself at the one tree in the middle of the football field sized clearing. His hair was in its' usual pony tail, but, he was dressed much different than usual. He landed a solid kick to the tree, holding back, not wanting to damage it. He bounced off, and did a back flip, landing almost too gracefully on the ground. With a satisfied grin, he turned and fixed his opal eyes on Sakura, pinning her in place with a look of annoyance.
"Haruno", he said in calm greeting, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He seemed very good at hiding his true emotions; Sakura knew that he was just dieing to slap her. She had the feeling, that if he had the chance, he would push her over a cliff. Actually, twelve cliffs, with jagged rocks protruding from the sides of them, with bull dogs at the bottom, angry bull dogs, with rabies. She froze at the thought.
He walked towards her slowly, observing her training attire, realizing she had come here with the intention to spar.
"……………………" speechless, Sakura just stared at him with a dumbstruck expression.
"Like wise", he responded, "I am quit surprised to see you here myself. I thought I was the only one that knew about this place." He was about five feet away from her, she could see him forcing the small talking, trying to be polite.
"Yeah", she said softly looking down at the ground for a moment. Two people couldn't train in the same area, unless they wanted to reveal there techniques, which she doubted he would want to do. She looked at him more carefully this time, observing him and taking in his presence.
He wore casual black sweat pants that hung low on his waist, on the left leg in white, it said Genshin. They exposed that guy like muscles that she couldn't understand. The muscled looked hard a rough covered in a thin layer of sweat. His shirt was blank like hers, except his was a lot tighter, it clung to his chest and abs, high lighting his stomach muscles. One could only dream to look as good as he did. His award winning smirk was plastered on his face, he crossed his arms, flexing his surreal arm muscles, basically flaunting his sexiness in her face. Over all, he was pretty intimidating.
With his Byakugan activated, he could sense her fear, and intimidated state. He knew that she knew that he knew she was scared.
"Tonight, the competition will be much harder, I would bet there will be at least one death now that every one has seen each others combos and fighting style.", he spoke, loosing his calm tone. His eyebrow twitched in agitation.
Sakura could see in his eyes that he was mocking her, or maybe he was testing her. His whole expression and body language just emanated his superiority.
Inner Sakura: Lets teach this guy a lesson, he thinks you're weak, prove him wrong.
"Your wasting my time Haruno, if you have something to say, say it or leave." He half yelled at her, hatred dripping in every word. He glared at her now, obviously impatient.
"Hyuuga, this is my spot, and you're in it. I come here every day! How dare you make me leave!" she half yelled back, loosing her patients as well. Her fear was replaced anger now. It swelled within her, growing and multiplying into genuine hatred.
One point for Haruno.
"I got here first Haruno, so, technically, it's my spot, and I train here every night. So, you should be the one to leave!" he yelled at her this time, his calm demeanor totally lost.
One point for Hyuuga.
"Damn it Hyuuga, what is your problem! You've been very short tempered since Naruto beat you last year", she said calmly, a smug grin on her face. She crossed her arms, glaring at him, and taking his same exact stance.
Inner Sakura: You tell'em girl!
Two points for Haruno.
"At least I made it that far!" he retorted bitterly, recalling the memory. You could almost see the vein in his forehead.
Two points for Hyuuga.
"Why you little…" she hissed, balling her hands up into fists. She was cut off by his final words.
"I tend to loose my cool when weak, ugly, little girls like you, think they can intrude on my training." he said,
Three Points! Hyuuga Wins!
"Rrrrrrrgh!" Sakura screamed. Her fist flew at his face in blind rage. He caught it, squeezing her hand, and pushing her back with great force. She dug her finger in the ground to stop the momentum.
"So that's how we'll settle it then." he said, taking his battle stance, raising his arms. His ninja sandals dug into the fresh green grass. His face was set with a determined look. His eyes glared shuriken in Sakura's direct.
Sakura ran at Neji with blinding speed, she had to test him. Not knowing the strength of your enemy is a grave mistake. Neji stood readily watching the stampeding pink haired girl. For a moment an amused look crossed his features, all the tension in his face was gone. Sakura jumped into the air summoning her chakra to her left leg. She blocked the sun for a moment, casting a shadow over Neji. He looked up and let out his held breath. Moving to his left, he narrowly avoided a huge crater that was blasted into the earth.
"Your gonna get it Hyuuga!" an angry voice came from in side the crater.
Everything went silent. Neji stood still with a calculating expression on his face. He looked around; his Byakugan saw nothing resembling her chakra flow. A cool breeze blew by, rolling though the calm field. The ground beneath him shifted the tiniest fraction of an inch. Neji tensed, and jumped into the air. A slender hand busted through the grass right were Neji had been standing. Dirt flew every where, as Sakura landed on the ground with cat like grace.
Neji watched her as he fell from the sky, he say her angry expression, taking note of her height, speed and all of his prior knowledge of her attack styles. She had been weak previously, it genuinely shacked him when she had him in his toes in the heat of battle.
He could see her chakra surrounding her, it swirled and churned. A smooth look on his face told Sakura, that she would need to step up her game if she wanted to keep her favorite training spot.
Earth style….impressive. She's gotten stronger.
He landed 4 feet away from her, once again in his battle stance. Sakura took hers a well, motioning for him to attack. His eyes turned to slits of white, and he let out a grunt. This time it was his turn to charge. In a millisecond he was in front of her. Sakura's eyes opened slightly, but, other wise she showed no other signs of shock. He threw a punch at her head.
She blocked it.
He launched a punch at her stomach.
She blocked that as well.
Picking up speed, he began to throw multiple combinations at her. Every thing he did, she countered. He stepped forward, she stepped back. He punched left, she moved right. They moved in a whirl, dancing around each other with lethally graceful steps. The Earth it self seemed to watch the pair in awe as they flowed in opposition and harmony.
Neji did a round house kick, on the ground, knocking Sakura off of her feet. Just as Neji came with a kick to her side, she did a hand stand pushing off the ground, and landed a solid kick to his chest. At the same time, he got a good hit to her stomach. They both flew in opposite directions. A loud crack was heard and Sakura gasped in pain. Both she and Neji's pulse quickened at the noise.
Who got hurt?
While still in the air, a shadow clone appeared before Neji, it got about ten quick hits in before Neji grabbed it and used it as a base to flip him self back to his feet. Sakura blew through a tree and landed on the ground.
She felt a ripping pain travel through her body. She tasted the metallic flavor of blood in her mouth. She looked up to see Neji already standing, giving her a disgusted look.
Get up! I have to get up!
With some pain, Sakura stood again. She formed a few Chakra sighs, and prepared to release her Blood Line trait.
Her hair sprawled over her shoulders; her face was enshrouded in its thick curtain. A small stream of blood ran down the side of her mouth, every thud of her heart quickened the pace of its movement. Searing hot waves of pain surrounded her chest.
Sakura can't stop inner Sakura from coming out. Once they both had decided upon using her. Her entire body had to begin multiplying it's cells, and increasing its heart rate. Everything doubled. If the soul within was not released, it could mean instant death.
She drew in a quick breath and yelled out "Release!"
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From across the field Neji looked at her with dead seriousness. His brown hair disheveled, and barely in its pony tail holder. His shirt had a huge foot print in the center of it, and he was pretty sure she had sprained something in his leg.
That wasn't the only problem however. He hadn't hit Sakura that hard, at least not enough to produce the amount of pain she seemed to be in. Neji stood still, pondering for a moment whether or not he should take her to the hospital. The spot definitely wasn't worth her death.
He was about to walk over to her and help her when suddenly……..
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A large burst of chakra came ripping out of Sakura. Her heart stopped beating and she threw her hands to her head, grasping it for dear life. Her chest convulsed, her bones began to crack, and finally she stopped moving. As if in slow motion, she plummeted to her knees, simultaneously, a figure appeared to be ripping its way out of her. With in moments, Sakura was on the ground, and a much taller, black haired version of her appears hovering over her.
Neji's composure was completely broken now, his eyes were in shock, and he had no idea what to do. Was this a jutsu, was something wrong?
"Hyuuga, you messed with the wrong chick." The black haired girl said. Her presence was demonic, completely and totally evil. This was Inner Sakura's real from. She was a lot more, plump, mature, ummm… I hope you get the point. An utterly mischievous look painted its way across her face. She helped the original Sakura up, and they both stood there together. Sisters in chaos and peace. That's what it meant to be a Haruno, double edged, sweet and sour.
"Are you sure you don't want to give up?" Sakura said smugly " Its not too late to walk out of here with out any scars.
"Just a bruised ego." The other said, her emerald eyes locked onto Neji.
"I don't think so. You could multiply as many times as you wish, but, you still can't beat Me.", he said evenly, as if nothing in the world could best Neji Hyuuga.
"I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see!" Both Sakuras said in unison.
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(You didn't think I'd let you see all the good stuff too early!)
(20 Minutes Later.)
The field was filled with building sized craters, and multiple chakra filled holes were splattered every where. The trees in the surrounding area were smoking and the ground was singed. The air smelled of blood and fire, while the sound of battle filled the air. The skies them selves, the witnesses of this whole ordeal could still not believe that two people could create such havoc upon the Earth's mighty crust.
Neji held Inner Sakura by the collar, lifting her up and thrusting her into the air. Before he could use his attack on her, the time limit ran out. Her body melted into small orbs, and flew towards Sakura, knocking her over onto the hard ground.
Neji stood a reasonable distance away from her, his arms scratched, and body bruised, shirt no where to be found. His hair hung over his shoulders, Byakugan disappeared, chakra lost. Frustration played out upon his features. A thirty minute battle. He had no idea that anyone could have sustained hand to hand combat for that long. Even after he had successfully blocked her Chakra flow, Sakura still fought. He smirked to himself, wiping blood from his lips.
Maybe she's not so weak after all.
Sakura sat on the ground, maneuvering her body to stand, with much difficulty. Her muscles screamed in protest and agony. Her legs were scratched, her arms were equally as brushed as her opponent's, and she had gotten dirt and grime all over herself. Her hair was matted and knotted; her lips grimaced at the thought of combing through it. Now that she was fully standing, she breathed in the smoky air. She looked with terror towards her favorite tree. Luckily, it was still there, not a single scratch on it.
"You look like you have one good punch left in you Sakura." He said, lightly. His breathing was even and calm now. His face relaxed, but, irritated beneath the surface. He knew that they had to later on today; hopefully, the medics at the Hyuuga compound could have him back in tip top shape before tonight. He better end this before both of them did any irreversible damage.
Sakura was slightly shocked that he had used her first name, drawing in a final calm breath, she gather all her chakra to her fist "That's funny Neji" she used his first name as well " You look like you have nothing left in you."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see!" he gave a genuine smile when he relived he had used her own words. He recalled the black haired girl, and the way she had spoken to him. Chills went down his spin, when he thought of the power that Sakura possessed.
Sakura returned the smile "I guess so."
They both charged at each other, way to fast for the injured states that they were supposed to be in.
However, the second before, they collided, Neji stopped and took out a kunai, and he took Sakuras fist in the palm of his hand and pulled her towards him. Sakura had been so shocked by this action that she released all the charka and became virtually powerless. With a quick movement of his arms, Neji crushed her back to his chest, and gently pressed the Kunai to her neck. Her head fit snuggly into the crook of his neck. Her eyes opened wide in realization, and his mouth formed an amused and playful smile. There hair intertwined brown on pink, a total contrast.
"You cheated" she said weakly, her world beginning to spin.
"Now why would you say that?" he whispered in her ear. She could feel his hot breath on her cheeks as she fought to remain conscious.
"No weapons." she replied, closing her eyes. Her breath slowed down.
"When did we agree on that?" he said amused once more.
"It was implied", her voice faded with each word until she became silent.
Quickly putting the kunai away Neji picked up Sakura, not quit sure what to do with her next.
I better take her back to my place. Hinata can heal her and make sure she's rested, after all He looked to the sky, it's only noon, and we have till 11:00 to be back at the arena.
With that, he took off in the direction of the Hyuuga estate carrying a battered sleeping beauty in his arms.
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"N-Neji, what did you do!" Hinata half fainted when Neji came in through the door shirtless covered with bruises and carrying her pink haired friend. Hinata rushed over to him, sliding across the wooden floor in her socks, taking Sakura from his grasp.
"I didn't do anything." He spoke, and began to walk off in the direction of the marble stare case leading to his room. He continued when he reached his large door, "She chose her fate."
When she decided to challenge me. I must admit, I'm unsure who would have won if I had let her throw that final punch.
Hinata's eyes observed his weary expression, and questioning gaze. She had a small suspicion, but, she dismissed it. It was way too absurd to be true. She gazed at her peacefully sleeping friend, grimacing at the cuts and gashes on her body.
"Neji did y-you r-really have to do t-this?" she asked, an impatient look in her opal eyes. They looked at each other for a moment. She heard his answer even though he hadn't said it. She smirked, and now it was his turn to grimace.
"Take her to our medics; she needs to be healed and ready for later tonight. You should also begin your preparations as well." He said in a dismissing tone, some what threatened by the knowledge he knew Hinata had found out. Once done speaking, Neji disappeared into his room.
"She almost beat you." Hinata whispered to her self, and started off into the direction of the medical ward.
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Sakura awoke to the smell of honey and the feel of strange chakra flowing through her body. She felt it healing her sour muscles and weak tendons. It pulsed through her as it soothed her aches and pains. Her eyes slowly opened to find Hinata looking down at her with a worried expression. Her vision was blurry and shaky.
"Hello there Hinata, nice to see you", she said, peacefully unaware of the battle that had taken place about an hour ago. She flashed her friend a cheery smile and closed her eyes again, loosing consciousness once more.
The next time Sakura awoke she was on a soft futon, her body was clothed in a satin sleeping yukata. She shifted to her side, and gazed at two dark figures out side of a door screen that was painted a soft hue of blue. She closed her eyes and listened in to what the two figures were saying.
"No Neji, y-you can't see her, y-you'll p-probably get her upset and u-undo all of t-the healing Conozco-san d-did. And, s-she's sleeping." Hinata said defiantly, Sakura could almost visualize her eyes as she spoke.
WOW, when did Hinata get so tough?
"She should be fine. I'm healed she should be up and moving by now." The deeper voice of the second figure spoke. Her face twisted in anger at the sound of his mildly sarcastic tone. Sakura squeezed her hands , making fists, the skin on her knuckles turned pale.
Sakura's eyes flew open and every detail tidal waved back to her.
The Spot, the tree, Inner Sakura, the smell of smoke," I guess we'll just have to wait and see" , his warm breath on her ear, then darkness.
The two figures stopped moving when they heard a gasp of realization from around the screen door.
"What did I t-tell you?!" Hinata said.
"What ever." Neji replied, not in the mood to deal with his cousin at the moment. He had other business to attend to.
Neji was just tall enough to reach over Hinata's head and open the screen door; he peered into the sun light room and found him self paralyzed for a moment. Not paralyzed, but simply struck. Thought his eyes, appeared a clean and bandaged Sakura , her hair combed and straightened, falling softly onto her shoulders, she had just moved the futon cover, giving him an ample view of her soft well shaped legs and supple thighs. He followed the curve of her Yukata to her neck line were he say just a bit of cleavage, not an indecent amount, but, hey, it was good enough for him. His gaze finally rested on her face, her soft cheeks were a complete contrast to her harsh jade eyes.
"Neji Hyuuga, you cheater. I demand a rematch", Sakura spoke. She was voice harsh like a frog had been launched in her throat. Despite her vocal problems, she still managed to seem threatening.
"We'll discuss that some other time, as of now, the maids have put together a small lunch and would appreciate it if the guest would attend." His voice was bland, showing no implication that he cared if she came or not. He looked away from her for a moment, as if he was fighting some sort of inner thoughts. Hinata walked over to Sakura and helped her up, knowing her legs would take about an hour or two to fully recover.
"Would you join Sakura, I'll show you to the bath house and lend you once of my formal Kimonos." Hinata offered with an uneasy smile. Sakura looked from her, then, to the unmoved Neji.
"I'd love to" she said to her friend, giving her hand a friendly squeeze. By the time she looked back at the door way, Neji had vanished leaving to two women alone.
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By the Time Hinata had finished, Sakura looked breath taking.
"Wow Hinata, you should consider becoming a beautician!", Sakura whispered in surprise as she looked into the mirror at her self.
"Thanks" Hinata replied softly, a smile etched on her lips.
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"Welcome Lady Hinata and Lady Haruno" one of the young maids said to both women at the top of the stare case. The bright lighting above the dinning hall was fabulous.
"Please call me Sakura" Neji heard a familiar voice from the top of the Grand Marble stair case. He looked up to be struck once again, but, he didn't show it as much this time. Coming down the stairs along with his cousin was the girl he had nearly killed. His facial expression softened upon seeing her.
He popped a grape into his mouth as he watched her descend in his direction.
Her hair was loose over her shoulders once again, but, this time part of it was held back by a borrowed diamond clip. A few bangs just barely touched Sakuras eyebrows, and a smile clung to her face. Her softened emerald eyes were fixed on him. Her kimono was simple and satin, almost like the yukata she had worn earlier. The red fabric wrapped nicely around her body, twirling as swaying with her graceful steps.
They both arrived at the table. Sakura marveled at all of the food. All of it smelled so good. She closed her eyes and took in the euphoria. Neji watched her curiously.
The large low wooden table held about 14other Hyuuga family members. Sakura bowed and said a polite greeting to every one and took a seat in between Hanabi and Hinata.
Sakura observed him as well, seeing he was dressed nicely. He wore black satin dress pants and an equally nice white shirt, just like his uncle who was sitting next to him. His hair was straightened, reaching mid back, it flowed freely to his arms. His intense gave was set on her, daring her to do something stupid like curse at him, or jump over the table and attempt to strangle him. Despite his personality, he looked simple and handsome, the way a man was supposed to look. She smiled at him, not wanting to show her grudge openly at a table with other people.
The meal went by seamlessly, and by the time it was over, most of the occupants at the table were under the impression the Neji and Sakura were close buddies, they had exchanged conversation and smiled at the right moments.
When the meal was over Hinata escorted Sakura to the door.
"Thank you Hinata. I had fun at lunch.", She smiled, opening the front door , the warm wind blew in suddenly, causing her hair to fly over her shoulders. Her smile deepened. The moon light up her emerald eyes, and she began to glow softly.
"Definitely w-we'll have to do this some other time" her friend stuttered, returning the smile.
"Yes, we'll have to have a rematch some time soon", he said, a smug look on his face. His long hair pulled back neatly now. Neji peered at her , standing a little bit too close for comfort. He was dressed in long white pants and a black short sleeved shirt, he crossed his arms again, flaunting his arm muscles.
"Go to hell Hyuuga." She said politely, and she made her way through the moon lit roads to her home.
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"Sakura ! Were where you all day!" Came the cry of a very loud Naruto. He threw his hands in the air and raced to embrace his friend as she came up the Stone steps to the upper level of the arena.
"None of you business!", she yelled and whacked him over the head. A bump appeared.
"Ouch!", he yelled, forcing a small giggle from Kakashi who was leaning nonchalantly against the wall. His eyes, well, eye was curios. She gave him a smile before walking over. She wore black spandex Capri's with a white kimono top. The shape of the sleeves allowed for the storage of scrolls and lethal weapons. It also provided her with the element of surprise, no one but her knew what she had. On her feet she wore black knee high leather boot, also concealing several Kunai.
"Sakura…" , Kakashi said, looking at her face. " The out fit is a very nice cover up, but, really, what have you been doing all day?" Kakashi said, noticing the healed scars on her face and lower thighs. The only parts of her body exposed besides her hands and face.
Sasuke, who had been leaning on the wall next to Kakashi, looked up at this remark. He eyed her suspiciously. Sakura felt all of their gazes on her. Her face grew hot.
Lie Girl, make something up.
"Umm, I was sparing with a friend?", she offered uneasily. Sheen of sweat appearing on her forehead. She looked into the deep onyx eyes of her teammate; she found her breath stolen by them as they had done countless times before.
"What type of friend would attack you that intensely?", Sasuke interrogated, his face grew dark with deep suspicion. Sakura tensed her nerves on end.
"Ummm well, you see! " she stalled "It was sort of my fault, ummm." She paused thinking desperately for some sort of lie. "I have secret that I need to tell you guys.", she said quietly, offering as bait. She turned her features serious trying to act as best as she could. They all looked at her even more intensely.
"What is it….", Naruto's worried voice was cut off by Anko.
"Welcome once again! I see every one has managed to arrive here on time", she spoke, Kakashi once again staring at her chest. Sakura looked at him, she sighed once his attention was off of her. She looked at Naruto, who easily had lost his attention span as well. It was only the pair of Onyx eyes that stayed adamant tin their quest.
Sakura gulped, and turned her gaze to Anko who stood in the middle of the arena, next to a very large screen.
What is that for?
Inner Sakura: I don't know.
Sakura: Your back! I never thought I'd be happy to hear your voice!
Inner Sakura: Like wise. What happened with the Hyuuga?
Sakura: Rematch.
Inner Sakura: Good.
"Now, tonight's challenge is not a test of strength, but a test knowledge and team work. You will each be placed at random into groups of three. Once placed, the teams will enter a maze. Together you all must solve the riddle, and this will lead you out of the maze. If you fail to solve the riddle" Anko put her hand to her neck and made the cut throat symbol.
Gasps were heard around the arena.
"Quit!" Anko continued. She signaled to a ninja in the back of the arena to pull the lever that activated the selection system. The names began to spin. Sakura's heart quickened, her eyes watched for her name.
Please don't let me be with Neji….
Not Neji!
Not Neji!
"The first group is, Sasuke Uchiha, Neji Hyuuga and"
The third name rolled to a stop.
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Leave your reviews at the door. I tried to make up for my time delay with action, I hope you enjoyed it. I also sorta kinda tried to edit. (grins in semi satisfaction) Happy New Year!
Love, Kiba
