Here's the next chapter everyone! Sigh, I am so pleased with how easy this story is to write, and how intense Hikari is becoming. I love her to death!

oh, and I have found a picture on that I think correctly displays Hikari's dark inner conflict quite well, and is exactly how I imagined her physically.

Okay, for the link, subtitute [dot] for .

Hikari: http:/s603[dot]photobucket[dot]com/albums/tt111/CrimsonLily12/?action=view¤t=&newest=1

Chapter 18

I let my eyes scan the forest once more before turning to Neji, who was staring at me with a slight frown on his face. I stared at the two of them for a moment before realizing that Neji had asked me a question.

I turned away from the trees, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, what was that?"

Tenten's chocolate brown eyes flickered behind me, and she answered after a moment of scanning. "Where you're from, do they measure skill in levels labeled with names like genin, chuunin, and jounin?"

From Tsunade's explanation back in her office, I understood that the Land of Sound was not an ally of Konohagakure, and that ninja from that land were often taken immediately as spies, and eliminated. So obviously I wasn't going to go around yelling, Oh yeah, back in Sound, we do all that kind of stuff. But that's not all; the jounin often rape defenseless women and kunoichi prisoners, and chuunin murder lower level ninja and pass along their evil teachings to the genin, who are often only eleven years old, sometimes younger.

I'm sure that Tenten and Neji would be pleased to hear that. They'd find it quite entertaining, and gather around the other authorities of Konoha so I could spill the beans to them too. And then I'd probably get either killed on the spot or taken to the torture chambers. Probably the second one first, and then the first one after that.

How stupid do you take me for? Okay, I'm setting myself up for that one, so just forget I said anything…

So, being the wonderfully intelligent person I am, I smiled and answered. "Oh yeah, our system is kind of similar. What are you two? Level-wise?"

Tenten beamed proudly, and shifted her scroll on her back slightly, as it was slipping. "I'm a Chuunin, and Neji here's a Jounin."

"Jounin, huh? That's pretty impressive…seeing as where I come from, most…don't make it to jounin until they're…older."

Neji sensed my hesitation, and I turned away from him as Tenten nodded, smiling proudly at her teammate.

I suppose I couldn't judge their skills by just knowing their rank, seeing as Konoha and Sound were two totally different worlds. In Konoha, you had instructors holding your hand and advising you along the way, while in Sound…you were on your own from day one. There was no Hokage or role-model to base your goals on, because all of the jounin who managed to survive through the ranks of chuunin and genin – out of seventy genin, only five managed to become jounin, seven at the most. And it wasn't because most decided to stay at chuunin…it was because of the relaxed attitude about murder and ninja dying in action – were so warped by the experience that it left their souls twisted and in the place of honor and pride there was only cruelty and bloodlust.

Well, I guess I was an exception. Sasuke told me that if he were going to measure my level, it would be at the level of a jounin, but how was that anything to base it on?

I smiled slightly. "Uh, this might come off as weird Tenten, but can I fight you?"

Neji shifted slightly, and I felt his pale eyes boring into the side of my face as Tenten nodded cheerfully. I glanced at him, and found him completely emotionless, except for the fact that he had taken the tiny step that put him slightly in front of his teammate. Ooh…someone's a bit protective, wouldn't you say?

"It's nothing serious or anything, I just want to see what level I am in your village's standards. My village doesn't really classify them by name."

Tenten nodded once more, and smiled confidently. "I hope you're not one of those kunoichi whose afraid of getting her hands dirty, cuz I cant stand fights where my opponent is more concerned with their hair than the actual fight.

Oh, gee, thanks for leaving me with plenty of options!

But thankfully, I could answer honestly. "Well, you're in luck, because I am quite honestly the opposite of that."

At least…I hope I am. I am, right?

Tenten glanced around. "Okay, for boundaries…how about we stay within the clearing, so that means no going into the trees or anything."

I glanced around, and nodded. Neji backed up until he was standing near the main gate, and his pale eyes missed nothing as Tenten and I faced each other. I stared at her, and my eyes lingered on that large scroll on her back.

Tenten looked strong enough to hold her own in a fight mainly using taijutsu, that much I could tell by glancing at her. But as a general rule, it's quite foolish to carry around large items like that scroll, as it notifies the opponent that that item is a main component to their attacks and/or defenses, and that one has to get rid of that item in order to effectively disable them. In Tenten's case…I would be willing to bet that her scroll was one of summoning, though to see what it summoned I would have to be patient.

Tenten didn't look very fast, which could prove to my advantage, seeing as I was almost as fast as Sasuke now, and he was widely known as the fastest person in the base, or as I liked to call him, the Speedy Emo Child, or SEC. You know, like, be back in a sec (shortened from 'second')! You get it? Anyway, Sasuke never likes it when I call him that…I don't see what the problem is; it's just stating a fact.

Tenten smirked, and hefted the scroll into her hands, leaving me no doubt that this scroll was her main weapon, which was basically a loud warning accessorized with bright lights and trumpets. Um, ever heard of subtlety?

I braced myself as Tenten suddenly pulled out the scroll's first layer, wiping a bloody thumb across the page. I crouched as hundreds of kunai and shuriken suddenly were flying towards me at inhuman speeds, and I smirked as I straightened.

So she specialized in weapons…what a pity for her that I knew plenty of jutsus that could nullify that specialty in no time at all.

I put my hands together, and concentrated on my chakra element – something I had learned only just recently, a week or so before leaving the base – willing it to bend to my will as I spread my hands in front of me. I made a large sweeping motion towards Tenten, and with smile, I watched as a huge gust of wind surrounded me, and I used my chakra in that wind to not only to stop the blades, but to turn them around and send them right back at her, at the same speed as they had come.

I ran towards her as she managed to dodge most of the weapons, and was in front of her before she could react. My fist slammed into her cheek, making her stagger backward before she could put up any defenses. She struggled to block my kicks and punches, but most of them hit my marks, and I was holding back.

She managed to jump away, and wiped blood from her mouth before unleashing a weapon of the scroll once more, this time a huge shield that seemed to ripple and move along with her movements.

A chakra shield? I didn't know what this was…but testing it was the only way to find out.

I put my hands together, and made the signs as fast as I could, staring at the shield before letting my hand drop, while the other raised to my mouth, and I sucked in a large breath of air, feeling the chakra coat my throat and mouth, and pool in my stomach as a raging fire appeared, and I sent in the direction of Tenten. She smirked, and raised her shield, and the weapon absorbed the blow as if it was nothing.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Tenten called out playfully, but I was past the time of screwing around with her. I had gained the information that I needed to know; all I needed to do now was to get that scroll away from her, and she'd be defenseless.

I made several clones of myself, and ran towards Tenten, my eyes flickering around to try and find something to substitute myself with. I saw a rock just behind her, and focused on it as I let myself disappear. It was just as well because just as I disappeared, Tenten's shield formed a spike and sliced it through the place where I was not a second before.

It shattered the rock into hundreds of pieces, and I leapt at Tenten from behind, and pulled her into a headlock, and twisted so she was sent rolling in the opposite direction. I leapt after her, and grabbed the scroll that she held in her hands, easily pulling it out of her dazed hands. Her brown eyes flicked up to mine in shock, and I smirked, leaning down, a kunai at her throat.

"I think I did a bit better…if I may say so myself."

Tenten was heaving for breath, and I think some of it was in panic at my tone. I realized that I was using a genjutsu to keep her still, one of the ones I had learned from dealing with the demented jounin back at the base. There was fear in her eyes as she saw what I had seen when facing them, the most horrifying images known to man, and it was even more gruesome because I had been there, I had seen it with my own two eyes. I quickly cut it off, backing away, revolted at what my mind had instinctively done to keep her motionless.

Neji was there in a second, and he was kneeling by his teammate, who was staring blankly up at him, as if unable to recognize him. Then, with a jerk, she came to herself, and she did something that made Neji and me both blink in shock. Tenten started to cry, and she sat up to wrap her arms around Neji's neck, and for a moment Neji didn't know what to do. But then he gently hugged her close, his face looking up to stare at me with an expression of anger that was frightening in its intensity.

"I don't know where you came from, but mark my words, if you ever, ever use genjutsu like that again on Tenten, or anyone in this village…I will make you very, very sorry you ever entered the gates of Konoha."

I felt my heart squeezing at the sobs that ripped through Tenten's frame, and Neji tenderly lifted her up so he was carrying her bridal-style, with her arms still around his neck.

"I-I…I didn't mean to do it, it was just–"

Neji turned back to glare at me. "Are you trying to say that you don't have any control over yourself? That is no excuse, Hikari…you knew exactly what you were doing…"

And with that, he disappeared, and I sank down to my knees. "I wasn't trying to hurt her…it was just what I was taught. I didn't know…I didn't know…" I felt tears filling my eyes, and I pounded my fist against the ground in fury.

"I didn't mean to hurt her…I didn't mean to…" I whispered to no one in particular, and felt my entire body shaking as the wind blew fiercely around me, and it was then that I realized that I did mean to hurt her. My head had been pounding with that instinct to survive, and in order to do so I needed to eliminate the threat entirely. There was no other option…and that's what terrified me.

The sky darkened as I sat there, and I ignored the discomfort…I ignored everything. The thought came suddenly many hours later, and the realization made my heartbeat quicken.

I was a monster; that was the only explanation. Who was I to think that I would ever find a place here in this village? Who would ever want me around when I couldn't even control myself? Mothers would hide their children from me, ninja would glare with dark eyes, hands on their weapons as I passed. There was no hope for me, no chance for salvation.

I was doomed to die, alone and hated…

My head was spinning as I felt my body hunching over, and my heart was beating so fast that it felt like a hum, and the blood sounded like it was echoing in my ears, and I cried out as the panic twisted in my chest. !

My breath was coming in quick short pants now, and my eyes fluttered shut as the most peculiar feeling of being weightless filled my mind, and everything seemed to be blurring into a mass of color. I was going to die alone…I was alone…

I felt warm fingers on my shoulders, and I screamed. The sound was soft in my ears, but I could feel it vibrating through my entire body. No one should be touching me, they would get hurt. I should die right here…right now.

There was no point…

…you knew exactly what you were doing…

I was pulled into the darkness, and there was no escape for me. No hope for a lost soul like mine. My breathing was so fast that I couldn't distinguish individual breaths anymore. My head hurt, my chest was constricted painfully.

A low voice spoke in my ear, but I felt only the vibrations on my skin, and I screamed.

"I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"

The voice spoke again, and another scream was ripped from my throat. Hands were trying to restrain me, but I flipped out a kunai and sliced at this invisible enemy, screaming bloody murder. There were no restraints on my mind, and it lashed out and reacted like an injured animal.

"None of this matters, I'm so fucked up that no one will ever give a damn!" A low voice snarled, and if it wasn't for the fact that my mouth was moving at the same time those words were spoken, I wouldn't have known that it was me speaking.

The other voice was silent, and my vision was blurring as I swayed on my feet, and I felt two cool hands on my face, and I was staring into two dark, onyx eyes. I was so surprised that the panic flitted away for a split second.

"Sasuke." My voice was not surprised, but my mind was reeling. How had he–

But then those dark eyes closed briefly, and I was pulled into a solid chest, as a clenched fist slammed into my abdomen. The pain was dulled in my state of anxiety, but the solid form slipped away into nothing, and I was left standing for a long moment – it felt like an eternity – as the wind blew against my skin. I looked up to see a dark falcon flying in the sky…it's black wings…so bright…like the sun…

My vision was fading away, and the last thing I heard before hitting the ground with a hollow thud was my name…called out behind me. It was an unfamiliar voice…bright and annoyingly loud in my silent world. But at the same time, I felt my mind flicker in recognition.

"Hikari!"

My body was turned over, and I was staring into bright cerulean eyes, and that voice was continuing to yell my name.

Who…?

But then my world went dark, and everything slipped away.

Sasuke was perched outside the hospital window, using a jutsu to make him invisible as he stared into the dimly lit room, decorated with a single sick bed and a bedside table with button on it…so the patient could summon the nurses.

That is…if the patient was awake.

Hikari was unconscious on the bed, under the covers and clothed in one of those heinous hospital gowns. An IV was attached to her arm, as well as a clear oxygen mask was tied onto her face, covering her nose and mouth. The only sign that she was still alive was the shallow rise of her chest, and the beeping of the machine beside her bed.

The door opened and several nurses came in, as well as the boy who had discovered Hikari after her encounter with Sasuke. Naruto's cerulean blue eyes were worried as they took in the girl on the bed, and the nurse turned to the boy.

"She had a panic-attack, from the looks of it. You were lucky to find her when you did…otherwise the lack of oxygen might've done some real damage. But don't worry, now that she's being cared for, she'll be out of this place before you know it. She might even be able to leave tomorrow, but we'll have to wait and see."

Naruto nodded, and the nurse patted his arm comfortingly before quickly leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Naruto seemed to hesitate, and then he approached the bed with a sigh, his eyes flickering around the room for a moment. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the object he held in his hands.

It was a single flower – a snowdrop: a slender-stemmed, delicate flower with elegantly drooping petals that jutted outward – in a small vase of clear glass that was patterned with flowers and leaves. Naruto stared at the flower for a moment, and then set it gently on the small table beside her bed, and sat down in one of the trees. Sasuke was surprised at how serious Naruto looked in that moment, his eyes calm as they stared at the girl on the bed.

"How could you be real? I mean, I've dreamed about you! Crazy, huh? And what's even weirder, how did I know what training area you were at…and how the hell did I know that you were in trouble?"

Sasuke frowned at that, and remembered Hikari's mention of dreaming about Sakura…could Naruto and Hikari be connected in some supernatural way? No…it was impossible…

Hikari didn't answer, and Sasuke felt a strange pleasure in the fact that she did not make a single move to let the blonde idiot know that she heard him, not even a twitch of a finger.

Naruto laughed quietly, and sighed as he let his head drop into his hands. "It's funny too, that today, when I found you in the field, your eyes were exactly like his when I fought him two years ago. Sasuke's eyes were the exact same…they were so lonely and so lost. But you wouldn't know him, it's stupid to try and compare the two of you…"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and then he noticed that the sun had set behind him, and the room was so dim that Naruto's figure was hard to make out. The door opened, and the nurse's voice softly whispered.

"Visiting hours are over, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto nodded, and put a beaming grin on his face to cover up the melancholy sadness in his eyes. "Yeah, yeah…whatever." He leaned over to pat Hikari's hand optimistically. "I'll come see you tomorrow, Hikari-chan!"

The two of them left the room, and less than an hour later, the hospital was completely silent. Sasuke waited for a few more minutes, and then easily picked the lock on the window, silently slipping into the room.

The moon was coming out, and it lit up the room with its silvery glow. Hikari's hair was strewn around her pillow, and Sasuke stood over the bed for a moment.

Why was he still here? Hikari was obviously much better suited here…why was he even bothering to follow her around?

Even so, the urge to stay was stronger than the urge to leave, so he silently sat down in one of the plastic chairs, purposely avoiding the one that Naruto had seated himself in.

His dark eyes watched her as she slept, and he couldn't help but remember the way her face revealed her hurt when that Hyuuga told her how her instinct to protect herself was her fault. That foolish boy didn't know what he was talking about…if he knew anything about Hikari at all, he would understand that her automatic shift to immobilizing the enemy was a necessity in Sound, where spars were often fights to the death, not weak little skirmishes Konoha ninja like to call spars. If that Hyuuga knew Hikari at all, he wouldn't be so cruel as to blame Hikari's unlucky position on her own decisions, he wouldn't assume that she had done it out of malice.

Sasuke was not merciful towards people who thought they knew everything about a person – such as his two annoyingly persistent teammates who continued to pin their dreams on a past that was no longer reality…they were both so caught up in their childhood image of Sasuke that they failed to recognize that that childhood image had been shattered two years ago. If his teammates cared about him at all, they would stop trying to compare him to that foolish Uchiha boy of two years ago, and they would actually try and understand the path he had chosen. But they were so stuck on their past dreams that that idea didn't even enter their heads, and so there was no way that they could ever be strong enough to match him.

As long as they were unable to let go of the past, they would never be strong enough to face the present.

Sasuke sighed, and slowly glanced at the moon outside before standing without a sound. He leaned down, and whispered three words, exerting some of his chakra so that he would be sure that it was imbedded in her thoughts.

"Choose your path."

Hikari's hand shifted as she reached out, searching for something in her drugged dream, reaching out for something that had spoken those clear words.

But her slender fingers met nothing but air, and after a moment her arm fell back down to the blanket, a frown creasing her brow as a sigh escaped her lips.

The room was empty, and the window was locked as it had been before.

But after a moment, there was movement beside the bed, and in the light of the moon, the top of the flower fell off, leaving nothing but a cleanly cut stem where the once whole and delicate flower had stood upright in the vase. The flower head fell to the floor, and the petals were strewn out, pure in the light of the moon, but no matter beautiful the flower was in these few moments…its life ended the moment that the kunai sliced through the stem.