Here's the next chapter! Please review, and i hope you guys like it!!! :D

Chapter 4

I had the strangest dream.

I was standing on the edge of a large waterfall, the water rushing in torrents down to the pool below. Two statues were there, on each side, facing each other. Their faces were stony, emotionless, and yet staring at them made my heart ache in sorrow, in a sense of regret that made me even more confused.

I felt myself falling down, almost floating down, until my feet touched the water's surface, creating small ripples that spread over the glassy surface of the pool. I found that I didn't sink, instead standing on the water like I would a sheet of glass.

It was all so strange…I looked around in confusion.

I heard something behind me, and saw a tall, lean boy standing with his back to me. His spiky blonde hair stuck out messily all over his head, and his black and orange outfit made me want to smile, but at the same time seemed to fit him. That was even more odd…because I didn't know who this boy was, and yet I felt as if I should know him.

I blinked, and spoke quietly, my voice echoing in the silence, the rushing of the waterfall muted in the background.

"Um, excuse me, I–"

But before I could finish, he began to walk away, the long straps of his headband waving in an invisible breeze. I began to run, feeling the same feeling that his name was at the tip of my tongue, and yet still evading me.

Why did I suddenly feel so afraid?

I ran even faster, my heart pounding. I could see a shroud of orange fire enveloping him, and he hunched over himself, tails sprouting from his back. His screams of agony tore through my soul.

Fear twisted in my gut, and I felt something slam me backward, and saw with shock that it was that black haired boy, his dark eyes emotionless as they stared at me for a moment before he continued to move toward the blonde boy.

No…don't go near him. You'll die! Please, don't go any closer!

The blonde's skin peeled away to reveal twisting black skin that pulsed and throbbed with pure evil, and I screamed a name so loudly that everything shattered around me, and I felt the vision fading, my eyes closing as the light enveloped me.

"- - - - - -!"


My eyes opened with a jerk, and I sat up hurriedly, putting a hand against my chest in an attempt to slow my racing heart. Sweat gleamed on my skin, and my breath came in gasps. I felt tears still rushing from my eyes, and I hurriedly wiped them away, struggling to regain composure.

Why was I crying? Was it because I was afraid for the dark haired boy?

The dream had been so clear…so vivid. Who had the blonde boy been? And why was I dreaming about that bastard of a guy when I only met him two days ago?

Wait!

Memories of the beating rushed back, and I looked around to see that I was in the boy's room once more, in a new set of black clothing, bandages wrapped around my torso and arm. I winced as I twisted to look at my ribs, but they were taped tightly and didn't hurt as much as before. Then I noticed the cold hardness of the surface I was lying on, and noticed that the pristine bed before me was empty.

He had dumped me on the floor…again.

That stupid bastard!

I jumped up, and immediately regretted it. My leg throbbed, and I groaned, sliding down the wall, struggling to remain upright. White spots whirled in front of my eyes, and I took deep breaths before pulling myself up again.

"Idiot."

My head snapped up, and I found myself staring into the dark onyx eyes of the boy. He was standing by the bed…wait; he hadn't been there before, had he? His hair was tousled from the wind, and his face was emotionless.

I glared. "Oh really? You're the idiot for dumping me on the floor, bastard!"

He didn't answer, instead turning to continue to polish his gleaming sword. I scowled, and limped over to the nearby table for support.

"I'm surprised you didn't leave me there, heartless as you are. I guess you just didn't want to have to scrape my body off of the cafeteria floor…"

Again, no answer.

I sighed, and decided, since he wasn't going to answer me anyway, to continue. "I mean, what kind of base is this anyway? I just went in to eat, and what do I get? A welcoming committee that tells me that it's somehow payback for someone I don't even know to beat me up, to get back at my savoir or something. Is that how you deal with grudges too? Hm, somehow I don't think so. You would…" I studied him carefully. "…probably just cut off everything you had with them, leaving them all alone. Am I rig–"

A knife suddenly brushed my cheek, landing in the wall right beside my ear, quivering slightly. I froze, heart racing, as the boy moved quicker than my eyes could follow, until he was inches from me. His face was calm still, but a flicker of anger was beneath the surface of his mask, his eyes icy as he glared at me.

"Shut. Up."

I narrowed my eyes, but wisely kept my mouth shut. The boy slowly reached next to my head, and with a thunk, retrieved his knife, and retreated back to continue polishing his sword.

Heartless bastard, go to hell, damn you, fuck you…what else do I have?

I scowled to myself, and the boy continued to ignore me, the cool mask in place once more. It was strange, in that brief moment where he had been so close to me, there was a second in which his dark eyes had glinted with life, an anger that finally revealed that he had feelings behind that stony exterior.

I frowned, and asked. "Hey, can I at least know your name?"

"Why?"

His voice was calm once more, and I clung to the opportunity to make him talk.

"I'm going to be your roommate, don't you think it'd be good to get to know each other?"

"No."

I laughed nervously, trying to ease the awkward tension. "Uh, okay, scratch the 'getting to know each other' thing, let's just start with the whole 'addressing each other' thing. If I want to ask you something, I'd rather not refer to you as 'Arrogant Bastard' in public."

"I don't care."

I groaned, and leaned against the wall. "Okay, fine. I'm Li– Uh, I mean, I'm Hikari."

Again, silence.

"Argh, you're impossible!" I stomped my foot in frustration, blinking back tears, and stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

***

Sasuke allowed himself to sigh in relief when the girl slammed the door, her loose ringlets of blonde hair whirling behind her like a tornado before it too was blocked off from his sight by the wooden door.

Finally…some peace and quiet.

She was annoying, even worse than Sakura had been, because this girl wasn't scared to death of his rejection. She wasn't like Sakura, she didn't cling to him like a puppy does its mother, didn't use every opportunity to try and woo him into feeling anything besides shallow friendship towards her. This girl didn't hang on every word Sasuke said like it was a word from God…she wasn't satisfied with one word answers, she wanted more.

Sakura had never tried this hard; she had never tried to get to know him, she had loved the shell of Sasuke, she knew that was all she was willing to try for…

Sasuke scowled, and his lapse in concentration cost him his even stroke of the polishing rag, causing the sharp blade to slice into his thumb. Sasuke was used to pain, it was part of his everyday life, and he watched as blood beaded up and trickled down his thumb.

It was strange; the blood ran slowly, painfully so, like the cut was crying tears of crimson blood…

Sasuke wiped the blood away hurriedly, scowling even more deeply.

The boy stood with a shake of his head, and was about to leave the room when he heard something in the bathroom. He leaned his head toward the door, and listened. His eyes narrowed as he heard the muffled sobs of the girl.

Pathetic.

And yet he did not feel the exasperation that he expected to feel, as he had felt when Sakura had cried on him. It was different, somehow. He knew this girl was strong, much stronger than Sakura had been.

Yet that made absolutely no sense. Sakura was at least a trained ninja, while this girl was less skilled than a five year old. Maybe it was the way she held herself, the way she stared him straight in the eye, the look in her deep blue-gray eyes when she yelled at him without fear of pain or rejection.

Sasuke sighed, and quickly opened the door.

She was sitting on the toilet, and she quickly wiped her tears away when he came in, glaring at him. Around her eyes was slightly red, and there were tear marks on her face, but her deep blue-gray eyes were just as angry and fierce as they were before. She turned her face away from him, crossing her arms.

"What do you want, Arrogant Bastard?"

"It's Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."

Her face perked up so quickly that he was tempted to roll his eyes, but he forced himself to remain motionless. It was like the sun coming out, her eyes brightened, and a smile lit up her face.

"Sasu…It's a nice name." She said, sniffling a bit, and Sasuke turned on his heel, and spoke again.

"I'm your new teacher, so follow me."

Sasuke waited for the yell, and felt a smug amusement when it rang out a second later.

"What?!"

"Orochimaru assigned you to be my new pupil, so hurry up."

"Wait, but you're my age! How can you be–?"

"Shut up…"

The girl growled in frustration, but Sasuke sent a glare over his shoulder, and she reluctantly lapsed into silence as they made their way down the hall that led to the training grounds.

Sasuke's room was on the top floor, but the hallway that led to the other rooms sloped downwards, underground, and it took a few minutes to reach the stairs that led to the outdoor training areas. The stillness grew as they walked in silence, and Sasuke was glad for it. He had nothing to say to her; what would he possibly say? And she probably had plenty to say to him, most of it including curses and complaints, but she mercifully remained silent.

They passed several female servants, and the girl smiled at them, and Sasuke saw that they were shocked to receive anything other than harsh cruelty from ninja, and one of the women was going to smile back, but she saw Sasuke, and quickly ran away.

The girl had glanced at him with those calm, blue-gray eyes, and he had turned away from her, walking even faster.

They reached the outdoors, and the girl grinned, and took a deep breath. Sasuke ignored her, and quickly walked to one of the hidden ones that he reserved for his use alone. It was far into the woods, and he knew that the girl was impatient, but she didn't say anything.

Another difference from Naruto; she actually had the sense to keep quiet once and a while.

Finally, he stopped in the center of the field, and turned to look at her carefully. She was still recovering, so he would have to start with something simple.

"Alright–"

"Hey, what're those?"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched as she pointed to the blocks of wood used for kunai targets, and he glared.

"Aiming posts. You are to address me as Uchiha-sensei, as I am your teacher now."

"But–" Sasuke's glare cut her short, and she growled. "Fine…Uchiha-sensei."

"Since you got yourself injured, you start with kunai."

Sasuke held up a kunai, and she studied it with curious eyes. Sasuke briefly examined the uses of a kunai, and how to handle and throw it at a target, and then passed it to her. She held it cautiously, and looked at him in confusion.

"What do I do?"

"Throw it at the target, the same way I did."

The girl frowned, and hesitatingly shifted her fingers into the proper throwing position, and let the kunai fly.

It flew straight and true, and landed with a thunk into the center of the target. Sasuke scowled, and retrieved the kunai as she beamed with delight. Orochimaru's voice slithered into his mind.

"I think you'll find that she's more unpredictable than the others. I have a feeling that she will become a great kunoichi…maybe even better than the great Sakura Haruno. I've heard that Sakura is quickly surpassing Tsunade-chan, an amazing feat…"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, and gave the girl the kunai once more.

"Do it again."

"But I just did it perfectly!"

Sasuke allowed himself a small smirk. "It might have been a fluke. To master anything, you need to do it until it's second nature. So do it until I tell you to stop…"

The girl glared at him, but did as he asked, throwing the kunai. It was thrown badly, carelessly, and it skittered into the ground harmlessly. Sasuke smirked again, and leaned against the tree to watch her progress, silent even when she failed again and again.

He could've been like Iruka had been to him a long time ago, pointing out every mistake, but he found that it was better to be left to their own devices, it made them work harder, and it allowed them to find ways that suited them, not just the way that was generally accepted.

***

I glared at the kunai in my hand as the sun beat down on my bare shoulders, and I glanced fleetingly at the empty trees, wiping away the sweat that was slowly dripping down into my eyes. The Uchiha had gone to train by himself, and had told me to keep practicing. Yes sir…the bastard didn't even deserve a sir, much less Uchiha-sensei.

I now hated everything about the stupid kunai, and holding it made me want to hit something. It would've been better if that stupid Uchiha would've stayed to watch, but no…he was far too important to watch his own student.

I threw the kunai again, smiling when it hit the center. I must've been doing this for at least six hours…or maybe my sense of time passing is seriously screwed up. I sighed, and sat down under the shade of the nearest tree, sighing as the breeze blew gently through my hair, cooling my sweaty face. I leaned my head against the hard bark of the tree, and stared up into the large leafy branches of the tree, thinking.

Was I happy here?

I didn't know, really.

I felt happy, and yet uneasy. Being around the Uchiha made me hesitant, wary, and afraid that he'd suddenly snap, and chop my head off or something. I couldn't even say his name, because I was too afraid. I mean, I was already having trouble dragging my little teenage hormone ruled mind from drooling over his gorgeous face and body, saying his rather pretty name would tear me to pieces.

Ugh, and I didn't even like the guy. And I knew that he didn't like me, but I didn't really know why. He just seemed to not like me, for reasons unknown to anyone but himself. When he looked at me, it was always with the same piercing, cold eyes that made me want to shrink into myself. There was no warmth in this boy, only the cold darkness of anger and vengeance. It frightened me, and yet at the same time made me impossibly sad. He was so unsocial that he was cocooning himself into a shroud of solitude, and the very thought made me pity him.

However, I knew better than to reveal the pity I felt for the Uchiha, because something told me he wouldn't appreciate pity, or any kind of warmth from me.

It made me want to hate him, just a bit.

"I assume you're done."

Speak of the devil…

I opened my eyes to find the Uchiha staring at me with expressionless eyes, and I forced my eyes away from his bare chest that was revealed as the breeze made his robe billow around him. I sighed, and scowled at the kunai that was still in my hand.

"Yes."

The Uchiha put a hand on his hip, and he spoke tonelessly. "Show me."

I sighed, and looked up at him briefly. He was already walking toward the area beside the targets, turning to stare at me, and after watching him for a second I glared at the kunai, slowly getting to my feet as I did so. I was going to complain, but I could see that it would fall on empty ears. Well, not empty, exactly. He would hear me, but he would choose to ignore me, or just tune it out unconsciously. Maybe a bit of both.

I was in pretty good shape, but the sun still took its toll on me like any other person. I let my hair down out of it's loose ponytail, hoping that it would somewhat shield my neck and shoulders. I frowned.

How strong were ninja supposed to be, anyway?

I guess I'd find out.

Ugh, I hate how cheesy that sounded!

***

Sasuke watched as the girl shook her head furiously, and made her way over to where he stood, letting her hair out of the ponytail that had held back her hair before. He wondered why she did so, but it was a weak curiosity, he had learned to curb such useless wonderings a long time ago.

The girl took a deep breath, and carefully positioned her fingers into the proper kunai holding position. At least she learned fast…that would save a lot of time.

She let it fly, and it hit the center so hard that it splintered a bit.

Sasuke could see that she was struggling to adapt to her new environment, and the unnecessarily hard throw was to show him that she was strong enough to handle it. Either that, or she was simply lacking in the concept of conserving her strength.

She looked to him expectantly, wiping her forehead on her shirt, tucking sweat dampened strands of blonde hair behind her hair unconsciously. Sasuke nodded approvingly, and she grinned, punching the air.

"Hell yeah! How's that for my first day, huh?"

Sasuke was taken aback at the images that poured through his mind at the sight of her grinning in happiness, and for a single second her hair seemed to shorten, become unruly spikes. Blue-gray eyes became ones of bright cerulean blue, shining in excitement.

The same cerulean eyes that pierced his memory, eyes had had bled to crimson, eyes that had streamed with tears.

"W-What are you" A dark haired teen stammered, eyes wide as he took in the blonde boy that was radiating power, orange chakra so overwhelming that it flattened the water around his feet.

Crimson eyes, streaming with hopeless tears, had flicked up to stare at him. A voice that was hollow with anger and regret…with sadness.

"Your friend…"

The girl looked over at him, and she slowly quieted, staring at him. He couldn't find the will to look away, and he felt something unfamiliar suffocating him as he stared at her. Why was this girl so…infuriatingly familiar? Why did she bring back so many pathetic emotions?

She didn't speak, and neither did he. They just stood, staring at each other as the seconds passed into minutes.

Finally, Sasuke came to himself, and he looked away from her, towards the late afternoon sky. "We'll do this again tomorrow, along with shuriken."

"Shuriken..."

"Yes." Sasuke turned on his heel and began walking back towards the base, not bothering to see if the girl was following him, but a small part of him knowing that she was indeed following.

Sasuke would not allow himself to break now, not when he was so close to attaining his revenge. She was just a useless, pathetic girl. Why was he so worried?

What could she, a weak, untrained excuse for a kunoichi, do against him?

Sasuke's eyes darkened.

This girl could do nothing, just as those lost bonds in Konoha had done nothing.

Sasuke felt the girl's confusion, but chose to ignore her, as he always did. Yes…she was nothing at all. The harder he trained her, the sooner he'd have her off of his hands.

That was the most important thing.