Naruto: Lost in the Dark
Mission 4: fight or flight
So that was the test. The nine questions on the paper were testing our ability to collect information without getting caught. Great for spying missions, and we all passed. There were two Chunin hidden with the Genin, and we'd had to gather their answers without figuring it out.
During an information gathering mission, being caught when collecting information would be death. If someone was cheating and caught, that meant that they would put their team at risk during a real mission.
Of course, Kabuto was to thank for my answers.
The "tenth question" was questioning our ability to make difficult decisions in the face of a no-win situation. It was our test to decide whether or not we would worry about our own lives over the lives of our teammates.
I looked up at Kabuto and grinned widely, my pride in myself clear in my smile. He smiled back, his gaze warm and reassuring. He gave me another thumbs up and I had to smile at him again.
As the window shattered, I looked to the front of the room, where there was a woman standing in front of a maroon cloth banner. I blinked at her sudden appearance.
"Heads up, ladies and gents! I'm your next proctor, Anko Mitarashi! Anyone who's ready, let's go, follow me!"
Everyone just stared.
Ibiki's head poked out from behind the banner. "You're early once again, Anko." Her face went flat as her cheeks turned a bit red.
She took a look around the classroom. "Woah. Ibiki, you let all these kids pass? You must be going soft if everyone here got past you. Just how many are there?" she demanded, glaring at the scarred man.
He shrugged. "Maybe they're just stronger than usual."
Anko pursed her lips. "Nah. They don't look strong at all." She smirked suddenly. "Well, when I'm done with them, there'll be less than half of these maggots left. Believe me, I'll put them through the mill."
I glared a little and clenched my fists. I was prepared for anything she decided to throw at me.
At least… I was prepared mentally.
The next morning would be the most challenging morning of the Chunin Exams.
=Yakushi Kabuto=
Phase two of the Exam was simple. At least, for Kabuto, it seemed to be. Survive five days in a place known as the Forest of Death. Get two different scrolls, the Earth Scroll and the Heaven Scroll, and fight to survive.
He stood next to Kayuki, who looked fearful, but determined as she filled out her consent form to take the second part of the Exam, which indicated that the Genin acknowledged the risk in taking the Exam. He tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and grinned a little, attempting to silently reassure him that she would be okay.
Taking this as a promise, he nodded and turned away, focusing once more on the Chunin Exams.
All twenty-six of the teams taking the Exam were set up at one of the forty-four gates which led into the forty-fourth, preparing to head into the Forest of Death and start the second part of the Chunin Exams.
It was a test of complete survival.
Kabuto was prepared. He knew that he'd have to continue containing his skills if he wanted to continue being there.
But he wouldn't last forever.
He might as well have enjoyed it as long as he could. He was, after all, completing his mission in watching over Kayuki. He didn't know why he'd been asked to look after a specific girl. But as soon as he met her, he knew something was different about her. Something had set her apart from the others taking the Exams.
"Kabuto. Should we hand in our consent forms?" she asked, looking up at him with her dark eyes.
Kabuto nodded slightly, leading her and his other teammate, Yoroi Akado, over to the stand. The team of three Leaf Genin walked over to receive their scroll and gate. Their gate number was number 38.
As soon as the gate opened and the Exam began, Kabuto, Kayuki, and Yoroi dashed forward, preparing with everything they had. They knew what they had to do. All of them were just looking for somewhere safe so far.
The three of them were preparing to take down who they could. Kabuto knew enough to know what to avoid in the Forest of Death. It was all up to chance after they knew this.
As they landed, Kayuki looked over to Kabuto and asked, "Should we see our scroll now?" Kabuto nodded a little and reached into his bag, reaching for their team's scroll. His hand stopped and he smirked a bit.
"Heads up, Kayuki. We've got company."
Her head snapped up. She stood up straight. "Gotcha. I'll take this one, Kabuto. Leave them to me." She began to make several different hand signs, using symbols for a wind jutsu. She leapt into the air and spun, flinging Kunai all around the small clearing around where they had stopped.
Out of the bushes leapt one of the few Sand Nin left in the Exams, thankfully not one of the three Sand Siblings or Kabuto would have had to use his full power. He watched as she summoned her Cloud Dragon, smirking.
She kept finding ways to surprise him.
The Dragon wrapped itself around the Sand Nin, squeezing him tight. The shinobi let out a gut-wrenching scream, yelling in pain. She quickly moved her hand, having the Dragon throw the other shinobi into a tree.
Kabuto turned. "She'll be fine. But Yoroi… I'm leaving you here. I'm taking her and bringing her to find the rest of her friends." The silent shinobi nodded. "You need to rest up for your match… when we get out of this crap."
In a flash of speed, Kayuki returned, a small slash on her arm. Blood trickled down to her hand as she knelt on the ground, panting a little. "Wrong scroll. I had the roots of the tree tie him up."
For some reason, Kabuto wasn't surprised that Kayuki didn't finish him off, kill him, when she had the chance. "Good job, though. You took him down on your own!" he cheered softly.
She looked proud of herself. "Thanks. I think I felt myself getting stronger, too."
"Yeah, your speed is a lot better, but it seems like you're still a little weaker than most in terms of your physical strength." At this, she looked put out. "Ah, but that's nothing we can't fix with five days in this place."
With a frown, Kayuki replied, "I'm not sure how long we'll last here. I think we should just find that scroll and get out of here."
Kabuto smiled a little and patted her head. "Yeah, but wouldn't that be too easy? Besides, this way we can make sure that you're strong enough for the third part of the Exams." Sighing, Kayuki submitted to his reasoning.
=Uchiha Sasuke=
He nearly groaned at the pain in his leg. It was a dumb move, stabbing himself in the leg so he could force himself to move and get Sakura away from that Grass kunoichi without them getting too hurt.
After a moment of sheer pain, Sasuke ripped the kunai from his thigh, letting it fall from his grip. Blood dripped from his leg. He placed his hand over Sakura's mouth, keeping her from speaking unnecessarily and getting them both murdered by that insane Grass Nin.
He was so deep in his fear that he didn't even notice the giant snake behind him.
Sasuke barely had time to dodge as the snake bit down on the tree, coming after him with vicious eyes. "Get away from me!" he yelled furiously, tossing several shuriken into its head.
But even though it was dead, from its skin came that Grass kunoichi.
He was terrified. That woman knew how to play games with his mind. Sasuke, for once, didn't know what to do. He was actually scared. As the woman slithered up the tree he was in, a crazed laugh coming from her mouth, Sasuke let out a scream.
There wasn't anything he could do. He couldn't even bring himself to move.
But something stopped her. Four shuriken and a kunai were embedded in the tree in front of her.
"As I said, the hero always arrives late!" Sasuke turned to see the orange clad shinobi a few trees away from him. "Oh, yeah! Uh, what was that stupid password again?!"
For once, Sasuke was glad to see his greatest rival. Maybe it was the desperation of the situation, but he knew Naruto's unpredictability might just have been their greatest ally in the current situation. Even so… he couldn't risk it. Not a chance Sasuke would just let him die.
He managed a pained, twisted grimace. "Naruto, leave! She's dangerous, you don't have a chance! Run while you still can!" But Naruto made no move to leave. He just yelled at the Grass kunoichi, telling her to leave while she still could. It was dumb, and Sasuke knew it.
He knew that there was no other choice. "Here. Take it." He pulled out their scroll, the Heaven Scroll. "If you want the scroll, you can have it! Just take it and leave us alone!"
Sasuke was sure that they were questioning his sanity.
"Hey, what're you doing?!" Naruto yelled. "You're insane! What're you thinking, just handing the scroll over?!"
Whirling around in complete anger, Sasuke snapped, "Shut up and stay out of this!" He knew what he was doing. He was the only one who knew he was.
=Akane Kayuki=
I jumped back once more and brandished my kunai again. "Man… this is painful," I complained, grabbing at my arm, where a gash was lain into my skin. Kabuto leapt in front of me with his own kunai.
"Don't get distracted," he ordered, his voice soft but gentle. "Please be careful, Kayuki. I can't let you be injured." I nodded and made several more hand signs, once again relying solely on my chakra and my mother's jutsus.
Fox Fire Jutsu.
The fiery fox appeared between my hands and leapt forward, through the air. The fox landed on our opponent's clothing, swirling around him in a vortex of fire. It was at this point that he started to scream. I panted again, holding my arm once more in pain. Blood trickled from my arm.
Kabuto grabbed my arm gently as I winced in pain. "It looks like this hurts. I have to make sure it's not infected. Let me stitch that up before you really get hurt." I just nodded in reply.
We sat in silence as Kabuto's needle pierced my skin, stitching up my wound before I could truly get hurt and infected. "Ouch," I muttered as he pulled just a little too hard on the thread.
"Sorry," he muttered an apology, biting down on the thread and tying a knot in the stitches. "Alright, I'm done. It's not infected, just be careful." I nodded again, tears welling up in my eyes. Kabuto frowned a bit. "Hey, c'mon. Don't cry, you did great."
I shook my head. "It's annoying… my weakness." The frown on his face was pulled a bit deeper. "I'm just a nuisance to you and I know it. I can't do much on my own. We were attacked by one shinobi, and I got hurt taking him down. But then it was two on two, and I still failed you…" Tears started leaking from my eyes. "I'm sorry…"
Two hands placed themselves on my shaking shoulders. "No, Kayuki. It's not your fault at all, I promise you. You're strong, stronger than most Genin." He tapped the symbol on the headband that was tied around my arm. "You see this? You earned this because you're strong."
For some reason, Kabuto's words made me feel… better. Not completely better, but I felt like I needed to stop crying over my own self-pity. Letting out a small laugh, my vision began clearing again. "I should know that, I don't know why I'm still crying," I admitted, rubbing the tears from my face.
Kabuto gave a slight smile. "You're a great kunoichi. How about this? When we get out of here and prepare for the third and final part of the exam, I'll train you the best I can, okay?"
I nodded slightly. "Promise?" I asked, my voice small and weak.
Childishly sticking out my pinky, I extended it towards him. He just chuckled a bit and linked his pinky with my own. "I promise." He stood, pulling me up with him.
It was then that a scream rang out through the forest. My eyes went wide. "That… sounds like Sasuke!" I exclaimed, suddenly worried. "We have to find them, please! They… they're…"
"Your friends. I know. Let's go."
Grasping my hand once again, he led me through the forest. I watched as he led me through the trees, his face determined and stony as he continued to leap through the forest.
=Orochimaru=
As a familiar voice reached his ears, Orochimaru opened his eyes, a sick grin widening over the melting face of the Grass Nin. "Hello there, Anko. It's been too long, dear."
His former student stepped forward. "Skip the small talk! You're an S-Class criminal now, and you're wanted all over! It's time for you to be taken down! I suppose it's fitting that it's me!" He saw the needles appear in her hand. "After all, it was you who taught me everything."
The snake Sannin's grin widened exponentially. "Well… not everything." Before Anko could even make a move, his snake-like tongue was already attacking. Even though she managed to dodge, it followed her, dragging her down once more.
Even as it had a hold of her, she yelled, "Striking Shadow Snake!"
He didn't feel any pain as the snakes she controlled took a hold of him, pulling him from his sanctuary. She slammed him up against the tree behind her, pinning him with one hand as she prepared to end it with the other.
"You're finished," she concluded wearily. "Now, if you don't mind, give me your left hand…"
His eyes widened. "That… that is…"
She nodded, a wary grin on her face. "It's over. You and I are dying here, together." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Orochimaru just laughed, although the laugh seemed to come from all over. "But Anko, you'll die here alone." From behind her, Orochimaru stood, ripping off the rest of the Grass kunoichi's face. "That's correct, simple substitution."
As the fake Orochimaru melted, Anko shook in defeat. She yanked her kunai from the tree bark, turning and tossing it. It only took him two fingers to catch it.
"That's not going to work." He froze her in her tracks and dropped her kunai.
She looked up as he advanced. "Why… why are you here?" she panted, a glare that might have put down one of the Genin taking the Exam aimed at him. Orochimaru just laughed.
He grinned, baring his fangs. "Why Anko, I'm disappointed. I expected… a warmer welcome after all those long years apart."
Almost immediately, she jumped to a simple, obvious conclusion. "Don't tell me… you're here to assassinate Lord Hokage, aren't you." It wasn't a question. Once again, he laughed.
Shaking his head, the Sannin replied, "No. Not just yet, anyways. I have far too few followers for that. But this village has had its good points, and I've heard many good things… so I thought I'd take it for myself."
=Akane Kayuki=
Yoroi had been left alone, in hiding. We'd been moving for hours now, but the screams of pain had stopped. We had no way of tracking the rest of my team. I knew that something bad must've happened. I frowned, somewhat frightened of what had happened.
"Kabuto… we should stop for a while, take a break," I muttered. He looked at me, eyes somewhat widened. "I know, I know, it's my team. But I can't risk you, too…"
He frowned, but nodded reluctantly. "But it's…" I shook my head. "… very well, Kayuki. I'll do my best to make sure that we get to your friends." I nodded once more.
=Yakushi Kabuto=
Kabuto was sure that Kayuki hadn't gotten much sleep. The worry had most likely kept her awake. But what he didn't expect was for her to have left after he'd fallen fast asleep that night, but had yet to come back, even at daybreak.
He frowned as he saw the empty spot she'd been only hours before.
Running a hand through his hair, Kabuto sighed in complete exasperation. Her personality was to sacrifice herself for those she trusted. He was just glad he was on that list. But she could've woken him instead of just fleeing.
"… idiot girl…"
=Akane Kayuki=
After hours and hours of running through the dark woods, I finally found the rest of my team. I'd been looking for them all night, and there they were. At daybreak, I found my friends.
I saw Sasuke and Naruto, unconscious on the floor. I saw Sakura, sleeping soundly while sitting up. Frowning, I kept hidden, just in case there were hidden shinobi that I wasn't yet aware of.
They would make their presences soon, I knew it.
I also was sure that Sakura had been taking care of Sasuke and Naruto all night. She must've been worried about them. But she had to sleep, too. I couldn't blame her for succumbing to her weariness.
Sakura was the first up, gasping for air, as if she'd been dreaming a nightmare. Some rustling in the bushes below me caught both of our attention. She drew her kunai. It was only a squirrel though, but I swear that I saw something else.
There was a paper bomb attached to the squirrel.
My eyes narrowed; there was definitely something else going on there.
=Hyuuga Neji=
He wasn't looking for trouble.
He found it though, in the form of three rookies. There was Chouji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Ino Yamanaka. He just walked away though. He'd actually been looking for Kayuki.
Neji remembered seeing her with her mysterious teammates, but he needed to find her, just in case.
He stopped walking as he saw something behind him. "If you raised your fist at me… I suppose that means that you want to fight." He heard several protests from behind him. He growled a little and continued to walk away as they fled.
… fools.
=Akane Kayuki=
I frowned as the three Sound Nin, the ones who had given Kabuto a tough time right before the first Exam, appeared before Sakura, who was still dazed. I growled and jumped down next to her.
"Sakura. I'm here," I muttered. Her arms were bruised, but at the sound of my voice, she looked relieved. "Focus on protecting Sasuke and Naruto. I'll try and keep them distracted for as long as I can."
A frown overtook her face as worry sparkled in her eyes. "… Kayuki…"
I shook my head and sent a small glare at her. "Don't argue with me. I'm the least hurt of all of you right now."
"But you'll…!"
Drawing my kunai, I smirked a little. "Don't you worry about me, Sakura. I can handle myself… and I'll never let these creeps near you, Naruto, or Sasuke."
I was sure I sounded a lot more confident than I felt. I remembered Kabuto's words to me the day before. My strength at that moment came from those words. They echoed in my mind as I pulled my own strength from them. I was strong… and I'd earned my headband.
Kunai in one hand, I made several hand signs. "Diamond Mist Jutsu." A cover of thick mist enshrouded the area around the seven of us. I grinned as they jumped towards us, but a new voice beat me to another jutsu.
"Leaf Hurricane!"
Jumping from the trees came Rock Lee. I grinned a little; he was one of Neji's friends.
With a broad smile, I stood next to Lee in the mist. "Hey, Lee." He looked towards me a little. "Listen. I'm trying to protect Sakura, just like you." He turned a little red from embarrassment. "So help me out here. I can't take them by myself," I admitted, knowing it was true.
"You are… Neji's friend, are you not, young lady?" he wondered aloud, not moving from his defensive position. I just nodded, making discreet hand signs again. "Then I shall help you. Neji would be very unhappy if I made a foolish decision."
I grinned once more, narrowing my eyes at the three enemies.
Looking back at Sakura, I ordered, "Don't get up. You can't fight right now." My wolf appeared next to me, fading in from the mist around us, the mist swirling into the form of him. He growled. "Hey." The wolf looked up. "Let's take care of these morons once and for all."
I leapt forward, kunai in hand. I knew I didn't stand a chance in terms of physical strength, but I also knew that I had to do something else. The mist wolf quickly swirled around the second shinobi, I think his name was Zaku, and obscured his vision. I grinned and tossed the kunai before leaping back.
The kunai slashed his leg and he let out a small shriek of pain. I grinned a little, but it soon turned to a frown. With both of us fighting to protect the three incapacitated ninja of Team 7, we didn't exactly stand a chance. I knew I had to fight to protect them… but I also had to get someone to help us.
There was only one person I knew that I could count on at this moment.
I began making more hand signs as Lee unwrapped the bandages around his arms. "Flower Beetle Jutsu!"
=Hyuuga Neji=
As he ran through the forest, his eyes caught everything.
One thing he caught made him stop. His eyes widened as he noticed the small, red flower blossoming only a few feet away from him. "Tenten." She stopped as well as he knelt in front of the flower.
From the blossoming flower came a small beetle, which began to duplicate itself as the pollen of the flower spread. Neji frowned; he realized that it was one of Kayuki's jutsus. Red… meant danger.
The beetles continued to move around on the ground in front of him. They moved until they spelled out a message.
HELP.
Neji growled a little. The beetles then rearranged themselves into a second word.
LEE.
This only made his frown grow deeper as the beetles moved once again.
SOUND.
From this, Neji put together the three words. He knew that she was in danger. He knew that Lee was with her. And he knew that the Sound Nin were attacking the two of them.
Looking down once more, there was one more word that the beetles formed.
TEAM 7.
From this, Neji gathered one more bit of vital information. He gathered that Team 7 was in the midst of this danger… with Kayuki.
=Akane Kayuki=
I let out a loud scream as I was hurled into a tree. I slid down the trunk and panted as Zaku stood over me, a threatening grin on his face. Wiping the blood from my face, I chuckled dryly.
"So… that's all she wrote, huh?" I spat wryly.
He grinned more. "You bet."
I looked over to where Lee was. He was completely on his knees, the sound waves that the sound nin were emitting were already affecting him. I frowned. At this rate… Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were as good as dead. I had nothing left… my arm was bleeding again, worse this time.
With my other arm, I lifted my kunai again and tossed it at the back of Dosu's head. He just leaned to the side to dodge it.
Zaku turned back towards me and used his own sound waves. I could feel the vibrations running through my body and I let out a scream. My scream echoed through the forest as the waves caused my body to react in such a way that I never knew I could.
My eyes started crying blood.
I fell to my knees once more before there was nothing.
=Haruno Sakura=
As the kunai ripped through her hair, Sakura realized just how… pathetic… she had truly been all that time. She'd claimed that she loved Sasuke, she'd continuously lectured and scolded Naruto, and she'd pushed Kayuki away at first.
But Sasuke, Naruto, and Kayuki were always ahead of her in leaps and bounds in terms of their ninja training. Even when any of them were knocked down, they refused to give up and give in.
They were always protecting each other… and protecting her. Even though Sakura had never done anything to help them, they'd risked everything to protect her on more than one occasion.
And of course, then there was Lee. Sakura thought of him more tenderly… He barely knew her. He'd known her for only two days now… but even so, that didn't keep him from risking his life to protect her.
Now he was lying on the ground, injured and bleeding. All because he gave up everything for her. He'd nearly killed himself to keep his promise of giving his life in order to protect her.
It was her turn to protect all of them.
No longer was she Sakura Haruno, the kunoichi in the background. She was Sakura Haruno, the kunoichi in the front lines.
She wasn't going to hide behind them anymore. She didn't want to ever watch them get hurt again. That just meant that she'd have to become strong enough to protect them, too.
It'd be a long, tiring road… but it'd be worth it.
Her long hair had been something she took pride in for the longest time. She'd started to grow it out several years ago because she thought that Sasuke liked girls with long hair. It'd made her pretty. But being pretty and being strong just didn't go together.
At this point, she didn't care about anything else… all she wanted to do was make sure that the people she cared about, the people that made a point of caring about her… she wanted to make sure that they were safe.
She was all that was left.
=Hyuuga Neji=
When Neji and Tenten arrived on the scene, Neji first noticed the girl with long, dark hair lying unconscious on the ground. She was covered in blood and bruised all over. Something snapped in Neji's mind.
"Well. Not only did you make a punching bag out of our teammate, but you hurt someone very important to me."
It was clear how angry Neji was as he prepared to attack. But he frowned and instead leapt down to where Kayuki was still out cold. He gathered her in his arms, holding her crumpled form to his chest and squeezing her hand.
He stroked her hair and muttered, "They'll pay for doing this to you."
At that very moment, Sasuke awoke, standing dangerously. His chakra was out of control, almost frightening. Even Sakura was scared of him, hiding from his angry form.
He stood over Sakura for a moment, exchanging words that Neji couldn't hear. The only recognizable feature about him was his crazed Sharingan eyes. The rest of his body was covered in tattoos that looked like they belonged in a cult book.
Immediately afterward, Sasuke appeared before Neji, who immediately shielded Kayuki out of instinct. "I'm not going to hurt her. I just want to see… what they did to her… and how much I pain I have to pay them back for."
These words made Neji look up and shift a bit, Kayuki beginning to rise from her pained state. Her eyes opened slowly.
Sasuke stared down for a moment. "Kayuki…"
"Sasuke…" Her eyes were fixed on him and her voice was raspy. Tears welled up in her eyes, quicker than Neji had seen before. "I… I'm sorry. I failed you again… I'm so sorry…"
A hand landed on her forehead. "Stupid." Sasuke had knelt in front of her. "I'll kill them for hurting you."
Sasuke stood, his attention focused now on the three Sound Nin, all three of them staring at the swirling mass of chakra that was once Sasuke Uchiha. The marks spread even further on his body and his power grew even more. He was powerful beyond anyone's belief.
Even Neji was forced to flinch at Sasuke's power.
Kayuki's head turned toward Sasuke. She just watched as he practically began to rip the Sound Nin apart, injuring them with everything he had. His speed, his power, and his thirst to kill… they'd all been increased tenfold.
Her eyes widened as she was forced to watch Sasuke torture his opponent, toying with him, but not bothering to kill him. Kayuki staggered to her feet as Sasuke moved forward threateningly.
Sakura was completely frozen. Neji attempted to hold Kayuki back. She just shrugged him off.
She moved forward, still moving a bit unstably due to her injuries. But she stopped right in front of Sasuke. He stopped as well, his chakra slowing down, even as it swirled around him. The two stared at one another for a moment.
Kayuki made her move first, moving forward. She pushed through the dark chakra and stopped again, this time only inches away from Sasuke. Her next move was so simple, yet so intimate. She leaned forward slowly, her forehead landing on Sasuke's shoulder as she fell.
Sasuke's arms wrapped around her to keep her from collapsing even further. He knelt down, taking her with him. The black marks that had appeared all over his skin suddenly faded away, his chakra slowing to a halt until Neji saw that he was once again the Sasuke Uchiha that he'd met in the Exam Hall.
A soft look was etched on Sasuke's pale face as he stared down at Kayuki's sleeping form. "You're hurt so badly, but you keep me from losing myself and killing them…" he muttered. "Thank you."
Kayuki didn't move and Sasuke frowned a bit. She was out cold again.
It was at this point that Neji stood and knelt beside the two. "I'll take her if you want to finish killing them," he said quietly, disregarding what he had said only moments before.
Sasuke just shook his head, not looking up at Neji. "No. She wanted me to stop. I'll leave them alone for now." That was his only reply before picking up Kayuki and walking off.
Neji's eyes narrowed as he watched the black-haired boy walk away with his best friend limp in the younger boy's arms. He didn't like how the boy had looked at her, not at all. Neji knew, at that moment, that Sasuke Uchiha would be trouble in the future, especially for Kayuki.
He'd die before Sasuke hurt her.
=Akane Kayuki=
My eyes opened slowly to see a worried-looking Sakura leaning over me. Her face softened to a relieved look and she looked over her shoulder before calling, "She's awake, guys! Kayuki's awake!"
I tried sitting up, but my shoulder throbbed in pain. Letting out a small cry of pain, I grasped at my shoulder, moving my arm which was injured. I just wanted to keep crying from pain. It hurt all over.
A hand was placed on my back and my stomach, their touch gentle. "Hey, don't push yourself, you got really badly hurt," a familiar voice ordered, pushing me back down and forcing me to lay on my back once more. I pushed past the pain to open my eyes and I saw Neji, a small, relieved smile on his face.
"Neji… you're alive, too," I rasped, moving my hand slowly to grab his. He squeezed my hand lightly, his smile growing a bit wider. "I'm glad… that you're okay…" I moved my head slowly, looking around a little. "How about… everyone else? Sasuke…? Lee…?"
Neji frowned a little. "Lee needs a little time to recover. But he'll be okay. I think that he and Sakura might have a little thing going for them, you know." He grinned slightly. "I thought that the girl had a crush on Sasuke, but after what happened between you and him… well, I guess she kind of felt the need to give up."
I frowned, a little confused. "Eh?"
"You managed to stop Sasuke… and his face when you did… he looked as if he was happy… you know, that it was you." Neji's face was somewhat serious as he did so. I frowned even more.
My head turned to look at the cave ceiling. "Can you please bring Sakura in here?" I asked quietly, my voice still raspy. Although he frowned a little, Neji nodded and stood, leaving the cave.
Only moments later, Sakura appeared next to me, looking happier and more alive than I'd ever seen her. "Hey, Kayuki. I'm glad you're awake," she said. Her voice sounded sincere, for one of the only times that I'd ever heard such sincerity in her voice when she talked to me. "What did you want to speak to me about?"
I didn't want to beat around the bush. "You didn't give up on being in love with Sasuke because of me, did you?" Sakura's eyes went wide. "I… Neji just told me… that you… seem to have done so."
She looked down and fidgeted for a moment.
"I… I should've given up long before that. Sasuke would never fall in love with me, and I know it." Her eyes were no longer trained on me, but on the ground below where she knelt. "I'm weak, and I know how weak I am. You're so much… stronger." She smiled weakly. "Sasuke pays special attention to you. You know, there's this quote… and I decided to take it to heart."
I frowned a little before reciting the quote I thought she was talking about. "If you love someone, let them leave. If they come back, then they're truly yours."
She nodded slightly, finally looking up with a slightly teary smile. "I'm letting him leave. And I… I don't really want him to come back. He cares about you a lot." She smiled a little bit. "Just do me one favor, okay, Kayuki?"
Nodding, I replied, "Sure. What would you have me do?"
"Don't… don't hurt him, okay?" she requested.
I smiled a little. "You know… I don't like Sasuke in a romantic way. At least, I don't think I do. But if I ever did, and if you're right that he cares about me in that way… I would never hurt him."
Looking satisfied, Sakura smiled again. "Thank you."
Reaching over, I grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "Sakura. He cares about you, too. Maybe not in the way you want, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't care about you at all." Her eyes widened a bit.
"I… you're right." Her smile grew wider, more relaxed. "Thank you again, Kayuki. And I'm sorry that I treated you so terribly a long time ago."
"As you said, it was a long time ago," I replied, relaxing as well. "It's fine, Sakura. I don't blame you at all."
Sakura pulled her hand from my grasp and rested the back of her hand on my forehead. "You feel a lot better. I think you'll be okay by tomorrow, but you won't be able to push yourself like you did." She paused, pulling her hand back. "Oh… by the way, thank you. You didn't have to risk your life like that for me… but you did."
Shaking my head once more, I gave a weak smile. "Sakura. You're my teammate. You shouldn't worry about that. I'll always be ready to sacrifice anything for any of my friends."
Her eyes widened a bit, but she quickly fell into a smile. "You're… amazing."
"No… I'm just a kunoichi."
-cocking of a million guns by the hoards of SasuSaku fangirls-
WAIT DON'T SHOOT LET ME EXPLAIN BEFORE YOU SHOOT ME.
-...-
I had Sakura give up. Yes. Don't shoot! Wait, hold your fire! So Sakura gave up because 1) for plot reasons -and plot reasons alone- I have her paired up with Lee and 2) Sakura and Kayuki have technically been rivals for a while now, and although Sakura's rivalries are settled within the Chunin Exams, I wanted this one over with much sooner.
... is she OOC? Maybe she is...
Ah, but although she's backed down against Kayuki for the true affections of Sasuke, she hasn't given up on flirting with him. The flirtation between Sakura and Sasuke (although he doesn't exactly flirt back) will continue. And not much more will be changed in terms of the SasuSaku relationship. But I don't hate Sakura. She and Kayuki have one of the main relationships of Lost in the Dark that makes this fic.
The Sakura/Lee thing is more or less my inner fangirl. I like the pairing because I think how Lee is willing to give up everything for Sakura, especially when he doesn't really know her, is just so sweet. Although Sakura is, at first, repulsed by his look, I'm going to have her become more attached to him as he helps her pick up the pieces of her shattered self once certain events transpire. I always thought that Lee was too good a person for Sakura, but I learned to like Sakura much more than I thought I would. So Lee and Sakura will become a "thing."
Sakura vs. Kayuki was another relationship I wanted to touch base on here. Sakura and Kayuki have never hated each other. In fact, Kayuki is too much of a pushover to hate anyone in general. Although she shows signs of hating someone here... But she never hated Sakura, and Sakura never hated her. Sakura didn't like Kayuki. Mostly because Kayuki was put on the team with Sasuke, so Sakura considered her a threat. Plus, Kayuki's weird, and weird is shunned when they're at this age.
Hope you enjoyed, please continue reading!
Oh! Shout out to "Miss Luny," who sent me the nicest PM. Thanks sweetie, I updated because that PM inspired me to keep going!
Reviews are welcomed!