"Mommy?"

I reached my hand out before me, groping around in the dark. I know I shouldn't be out of bed. Daddy and Mommy would shout after me, but I just had a bad dream and the dark was scaring me.

I kept fumbling around until I reached the door. I stretched up, unto my tippy toes and turned the knob.

The hallway was quiet and the lights were dim. I stepped out from my room. Where was everyone? Where was Mommy and Daddy and the servants that are always running around? Why was everything so quiet? Were they playing hide and seek?

My heart leapt at the thought. I love hide and seek!

I ran out, running right past the little mirrors my mommy had put out for me. She always said I was a vain little girl and that it was both a good and bad thing. I didn't know what vain meant. I just knew I loved looking at myself in the mirror and playing with my white hair.

I kept running, leaving the memory of the bad dream behind. Maybe if I won Mommy would treat me.

I rounded the corner and stopped. The servants were all sleeping. One was bent over the back of the couch, his eyes wide open. I looked away. My best friend, Dan slept with his eyes open. Although not as wide as that, those looked almost scared.

Everyone else was sprawled out on the ground. There was red liquid everywhere.

"Mommy?" I called out, getting scared again.

A scream ripped through the air. I jumped, clutching my nightdress tightly. That sounded like Mommy. Was she in trouble?

Not stopping to think I ran to where the scream had come from.

"Mommy!" I shouted.

"Stop! Don't come nearer baby! Run!" Someone was holding her by her hair and he dragged. She screamed out in pain. "Run!" she said again.

"There she is," the man said. I whimpered and took a step back. He looked scary. "You finally came out of hiding."

"Run, honey!" Mommy shouted again. The man tugged on her hair again and something flashed in the night. I looked like a weird shaping knife.

"Let her go!" I screamed at him

The man laughed loudly. "If you're stupid father couldn't take me, you think you can!?" He laughed again.

"Honey, baby, run. Please." Mommy was crying now. I felt like crying too.

"Where's daddy?" I asked her.

"He's dead!" the man shouted at me and I flinched.

"Honey, don't listen to him, get away from here!"

The man made a weird noise. "I'm tired of you now." The knife flashed and my mommy dropped to the ground.

I screamed.

//

Sasuke's POV

The pain just wouldn't go away. I clutched my neck, gasping for breath. Sweat was running down my face and it felt like I was drowning in it. The ritual had felt like years and it felt like there were no results. The mark wasn't gone and the pain was as strong as ever.

I rolled over, looking up at the ceiling. I know I had gone crazy out there, but the power ... the power had felt so good. Do I really want this mark gone? This could mean a giant leap in my plan. Is it wise to get rid of it?

I had no time to think of it because someone started screaming. I bolted upright. Someone was in the room with me.

I looked around and saw that the scream was coming from someone lying on a small hospital looking bed in the corner. The scream grew louder and more insistent.

I groaned. A headache was beginning to form on top of the pain I was already feeling. I got to my feet and limped over to the bed.

It was Lea. As soon as I saw her clearly I rushed forward. She was thrashing on the bed, her hands and feet going wild and her scream blaring.

I shook her vigorously. "Lea! Lea, wake up!"

She jolted upright, gasping loudly. Her red eyes were red and teary and she looked around with complete fear.

"They're dead," she said, grabbing my shirt and pulling me forward. "They're dead. They're dead. They're dead. They're dead." She started sobbing into my shirt, saying it over and over again.

I didn't know what to do. It was the first time I was presented with such a situation. My hands were held awkwardly up in the air. Slowly, I brought them down.

"It's okay," I said, patting her back stiffly. "It's okay now."

She continued soaking my shirt and I eased unto the bed, wrapping my hands more securely around her. I kept saying "It's okay" until her sobs finally died down.

"Are you okay now?" I asked her. She sniffed and nodded, letting me go. She kept her head down.

"Sorry about that," she said, her voice cracking.

I nodded, feeling awkward again. "It's no big deal."

She sniffed again and wiped her hand across her nose. She spared a glance at me and I saw her face. It was red from crying and her eyes had grown puffy.

"You look horrible," I said without thinking.

A laugh escaped her. "That's the perfect thing to say to someone after they just finished crying. Thank you so much." She smiled and finally looked at me and I smiled back.

"Why were you crying?" I asked, curiousity getting the best of me.

"Bad dream?"

"That must have been a pretty bad dream if it got you screaming and crying like you just were."

She laughed softly. "You found my weakness. I'm not as tough as people think I am."

"Oh, I knew that a long time ago. That's no secret." I leaned my head against the wall, sitting firmly on the bed now.

She raised a brow at me. "Oh really now? You sound pretty smug with yourself."

"Who wouldn't be? After they found out that Ms. Bad Girl isn't as bad as she thinks."

This time she laughed out loud. "Ms. Bad Girl? You are so bad at names, wow!"

"Hey, I have the skills to make up for them. And so do you apparently."

Her face fell. "Oh yeah the fight. I don't know what came over me."

"No one did. You almost killed him. He's in critical condition but no one cares about that. What everyone wants to know is what happened to you. You're hair turned black, you had this crazy strong red chakra surrounding you. And you were so fast I didn't even see when you moved. It was like you teleported from one place to the other. And you're strength. It was unbelievable," I concluded with a shake of my head.

She was staring at me with a mixture of horror and awe. "That was all me?"

"Yeah. But the worst part was your face."

Her face screwed up immediately. "Are you calling me ugly?"

"No, no," I said quickly. "It's just - your face was completely devoid of any emotion. You sounded extremely angry but you're face. It was as if I could have killed your whole family in front of you and you wouldn't even care."

She sighed. "I was that bad?"

"Everyone was scared."

She cracked a smile. "Except you of course."

I smiled back at her. "Except me of course."

Her smile grew wider and my heart leapt. She leaned forward and my heart threatened to beat right out of my chest. Her face grew closer to mine. I clutched the sheets. Was she going to...?

She rested the back of her hand on my forehead. "You're burning up, Sasuke."

She hopped off the bed and I looked at her bewildered. Damn it, me and my wild thoughts.

"You should get some rest. It looks like you're getting the flu. Your face is so red."

That's right, I thought, think that.

"I'm heading back out." She flashed me a smile in farewell and left.

I rested my head on her pillow, inhaling her scent and cursing my idiocy. It took me a while to notice that, while talking to her, I hadn't felt any pain.

Lea's POV

I felt surprisingly stronger. The last time this had happened I had felt so weak I could barely move. This time I felt much better. I have no idea why but at least I got to see the remaining fights.

"Hey Lea! You're alive!" Naruto shouted alerting every one of my presence.

Everyone rushed over to me. And by everyone I mean, Naruto Kiba and Sakura. Everyone else just walked slowly, curious I knew, but not wanting to show it.

"What happened to you?" Kiba asked.

"That's the same thing that happened when you were fighting Orochimaru," Sakura said. "How comes you can walk?"

"Fighting Orochimaru?" Naruto jumped up. "You fought Orochimaru? How comes I didn't know about this?"

I raised my hands to ward off any more questions. "Stop badgering me will you?" I brushed past them and sat on the ground. "Okay, you may speak."

"What happened to you?" Kiba asked again.

"I have absolutely no idea."

"You were awesome out there, Lea-chan! Especially the part when your chakra went crazy." I smiled at Naruto.

"How did it do that?" Sakura asked me.

I looked at the pink haired girl then turned to everyone. "Okay listen. I have absolutely no idea what happened down there nor why it happened. So I suggest you take your questions to someone who probably knows more than I do. Like Kakashi."

"Kakashi what?" Kakashi said stopping in his tracks as he was passing. "What about Kakashi?"

Sakura and a few others turned to him and began questioning him. H shot me a glare and I shrugged at him, smiling.

"Hey, Naruto. How was your fight?" I asked. "Sorry I missed it."

My blond friend grinned at me. "That's okay! I kicked his butt!" He pointed to Kiba. I raised a brow at mutt boy.

"That's because you used your butt, you baka!"

"All's fear in love and war," Naruto said, crossing his arms and walking away. I snickered into my hand. I'm sure he had no idea what that meant, only using it because it had the word 'war'.

Kiba looked at me intently. "You have no idea," he said to Naruto's retreating back.

"What are you looking at mutt boy?"

He sighed. "Would you stop calling me that?" Akamaru popped out from under his hood and barked. I flinched, raising my hands to karate chop anything that came near.

Kiba laughed. "Little Ms. Big Shot is afraid of little pup-"

I kicked him in the stomach before he could say anything else. "Shut up."

He clutched his stomach but grinned. He scooted over to rest his back against the wall beside me. "I'm glad you're okay," he said quietly,

"I'm glad I'm okay too."

He smiled. I stared out at the fight before me but I couldn't concentrate. I was too busy wondering what Kiba was up to and why the ever loud dog lover was so quiet.

"So Lea, I was, uh thinking and I was wondering of - uh - we could, after this is over - um- you know - uh-"

"Good to see your better Lea," Neji said, sitting on my other side. Kiba broke off and glared at him. I looked over at Neji to see him glaring back.

"Okaaay. Thanks? Please don't ask me what happened because I honestly don't know and I don't want to think about it."

"At least you won the fight."

"That's all you really care about, isn't it? Winning."

"Losing isn't something I care for, no."

"Didn't you see us talking, Neji?" Kiba asked through gritted teeth.

"Now Lea and I are talking, so run along. Go play with your dog or something."

"You think just because you're smart you can come and step over someone else like that?! Newsflash Neji: we're not that far apart."

"As a matter of fact we are. I would never allow a loudmouth brat like Naruto to beat me."

"Hey, hey whoa," I butt in. "I may have no clue as to what's going on here but do not bring Naruto into this."

They completely ignored me. "You know what I mean! We both want the same thing."

"And you're not getting it!" Neji shouted, getting frustrated.

I was getting frustrated. I had absolutely no clue what they were talking about and I was too annoyed with the both of them to stay and figure it out. I got up and walked away. And they didn't even noticed had left.