Okay, so chapter 2 is here! Yay! This story will feature:

SasuSaku, LeeSaku

NejiTen, LeeTen, SasuTen

NaruHina, KibaHina

ShikaTem, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Dead Sea, Tower of Ruin – Chapter Two – In a Loss of Sorrow

(Normal POV)

She rolled over on her side and breathed heavily. Batting her lashes slowly, she smiled and toyed with a lock of loose russet hair. Her toes gently glided over the silk surface as her fingers trailed the silver lining.

A faint knock on her door ran through her ears. Her sweet smile expanded as she replied the call with a soft tap on the wall.

The door softly sashayed open and a figure appeared at the frame. "Tenten-hime," the voice was deep and recognizable. She smiled upon his arrival near the bed frame of the mattress where she lay jadedly.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, placing his bandaged palm against her forehead. The temperature of her temple was an even range of warm and cool – she smiled.

"Neji-sama. Aren't you supposed to be watching Naruto-san?" the girl questioned, grasping his wrist, pulling it away yieldingly.

The boy smirked. "I trust him. He guarded Hanabi-sama, didn't he?"

Tenten smiled and heaved herself up with her elbows. Neji sat at the edge of the bed. She slowly crawled over to him, being it that her oversized chemise flung over her shoulders, revealing bare, creamy, porcelain skin. He watched her with intent, making her way past the bedspreads, resting her head on his broad shoulder.

"Neji-sama, who is my protector now?" she asked, wrapping her loose fingers with his.

He rested his chin on her skull and smirked. "Me."

Her body was overwhelmed with joy and fear as cold pricks shivered their way up and down her spine. Tenten smiled and felt the cold trinket dangle in between her chemise.

Her right hand flew up to her chest in a fist as she felt the icy temptation in between her touch.

"Neji-sama?"

"Hn?"

"What happened to Lee-kun?"

Neji frowned and let loose her hand. "His days as a shinobi are over." He informed her. She gasped and cradled herself in his shoulder.

She chocked back the tears and bit her lower lip hard enough to taste her syrupy blood. "He's not dead?" she hoped pleadingly.

Neji placed his index finger under her chin, forcing to look her square in her chocolate brown eyes. Smirking, he replied, "Iie, Tenten-hime, iie."

Sakura glowered out the window, upon seeing maybe thousands of Konohanders, walk their ways separately in the peach lighting the sun was casting down on. The sunset edged its way down the rolling hills, greeting the arrival of nighttime.

"We're almost there, Sakura-chan, sit still," Kankuro advised the stirring kunoichi, excited upon visiting the new city.

Her pink hair stopped bobbing and she turned to face him, smiling. "Hai, Kankuro-kun." She replied generally, paused, and then continued staring out the window.

Kankuro rolled his eyes and smiled. "Sakura-chan, you will meet very important people, be sure to keep yourself in place, not like last time," he pressed on briskly. "You will meet the Hokage, the three mistresses, – Ino-sama, Tenten-sama, Hinata-sama – their protectors, – Neji-sama, Shikamaru-sama, Naruto-sama – the saviors of the three mistresses, - Shino-san, Lee-san, Neji-sama along with Kiba-san – and Konohamaru-san."

Sakura nodded slowly, fading out everything but names. She chanted in her head, Ino-sama, Tenten-sama, Hinata-sama, Neji-sama, Shikamaru-sama, Naruto-sama, Shino-san, Lee-san, Kiba-san…

"You will also have a protector, as the mistresses do. His name is Uchiha Sasuke. A hypocrite." He hissed. "Remember, he once went to Gaara, because he-"

"Found the broken shard of the kodachi," Sakura finished for him, smiling teasingly. Kankuro nodded in approval. "Although I didn't see him, I could hear him." She told him. "He sounded pretty harsh, ne?"

The boy shook his head with closed eyes. "Evil one, I suppose." He inquired and frowned. "Sakura-chan, there is a change in temperature in Konoha,"

She looked at him quizzically. Kankuro moved on.

"Gaara wants you to wear this yukata, for meeting the kage," Kankuro counseled, pulling out a pink fabric, embedded with pink petals below the magenta obi.

Sakura glared aghast. "Nani? For me, Kuya Kankuro-kun?"

Kankuro smiled, tossed her the dress and continued. "Be aware though of Tenten-sama."

The girl stopped hugging the dress. She stared at him with wide shock eyes. "Doshite Kankuro-kun?"

Kankuro glared at her, frowning, he gazed out the window. "Because Lee-san cannot be her protector anymore." He said bitterly.

Sakura kept her gaze locked on him. "Doshite?"

"Lee-san is in the hospital in a very dangerous condition. If you mention his name around her, she will release."

Her eyes widened – she dropped the yukata – tears forming. "So…I am not the only one?"

His gaze averted from the window to Sakura. Kankuro smiled warmly. "Hai, you are not." he reassured her. "Tenten-sama, Hinata-sama and Ino-sama are like you."

Sakura returned the gesture. "Kankuro-kun…if I am fire…what are they?"

He smirked. "Time will tell. You will find out on your own sooner or later. Just…be careful. Tenten-sama is the most powerful from what I know. She has…" He paused. "More than what her powers can depend on. She has determination. A lot of it Neji-sama has told me. Tenten-sama should be older than you by a year Sakura-chan,"

The pink haired girl smiled. "So…is she the leader?"

Kankuro smirked once more over. "If you want her to be. I also know that Ino-sama is earth. Not sure about Hinata-sama and Tenten-sama though."

Sakura smiled again. "That's alright. I'll ask them myself."

Kankuro's lips curved into a frown as his brows knitted together. "They don't know either."

The girl returned the frown. "Then I'll help them figure it out themselves!"

TBC