Chapter 1
It was a warm summer afternoon; one that lured the children out into the streets and their mothers out into their gardens. Some people had the unfortunance to be shut up inside despite the gnawing want for the sun to kiss their skin. These were the ones cooking, cleaning, and doing paper work for their jobs. They were people like Sayuri Nara, who was hurrying around cleaning up her home for an expected guest.
She was on her third march around the small apartment. Going through the checklist in her head, she made sure the guest bed was made, the bathroom cleaned, the living room tidied, the kitchen cleaned up, and the fridge stocked. She stopped, her arms crossed over her chest, and decided her home couldn't get anymore spotless. Smiling to herself in satisfaction, Sayuri flopped onto the couch in order to reward herself with some much needed rest.
Unfortunately, it was short lived as a knocking on the front door beckoned her up.
"Hello," she greeted while opening the door with a smile. "I wasn't expecting you so on time. I just finished cleaning."
In the door way stood her twin brother, Shikimaru.
"Yeah, well you know I prefer to be late, but Tsunade needed me to do some more preparations for the Chuunin exams."
"Well either way I'm happy to see you. Please come in, just really fast," beckoned Sayuri.
Sayuri and Shikimaru are only twins by genetics. While Shikimaru was known for his laziness, Sayuri took initiative with any task she was given. While he was a Jounin, she was raised by her mother to be the perfect stay at home lady; someone who was a keeper of the homestead.
Their likenesses were also similar enough, yet different in subtle ways. Their hair was both brown and their eye color the same, but Shikimaru's eyes had a slight squint in their shape as if he were always cotemplating someones next move; a natural born ninja. Sayuri's eyes were round and open to all those around her, an obvious kindness within them that drew many people near.
"Mom," a small voice chirped suddenly from a top Shikimaru's shoulders. "I won Shogi! I won Shogi!"
Riding on Shikimaru, beamed a young boy of almost three years old; Sayuri's son, Ichirou. His large smile squished the rest of his face and gleamed through any strands of his dark, raven hair that fell in front of it. He spoke rapidly, exclaiming his achievements to his mother with pride.
Due to her small stature, Sayuri stood on her tippy toes to grab her boy.
"Uncle Shikimaru took you to play Shogi? That sounds fun," Sayuri exclaimed. "Hmm, looks like there's no scratches. You're getting better at watching him."
Shikimaru chuckled at her tease.
"Of course I'm getting better. I'm the best uncle in the world," he boasted.
Sayuri rolled her eyes playfully causing Ichirou to mimic her like any young child in the age of learning.
"Did you take him to the Shogi Shack," She questioned. "That's not really a place for kid's."
"It is for that one. He's more advanced then a set of blocks."
Suddenly, he leaned in and muffed Ichirou's ears with his hands.
"He didn't actually win though," Shikimaru confided. "Old man Tanaka pretended to lose for Ichirou's sake. The kid wouldn't leave until he thought he won. It was such a drag."
Unmuffing his ears, Shikimaru did admit to Ichirou being able to grasp some basics of Shogi, though, despite the artificial win.
Sayuri felt proud of her son, kissing him on the forehead tenderly.
"Reminds me of someone," she said, an inkling of melancholic woe showing itself in her words.
"I was thinking the same thing," Shikimaru agreed. "He's got the wit of a Nara and the stubborness of an Uchiha."
"He turns into more of an Uchiha everyday, just look at him," she chuckled lightly.
It was quiet as they both looked at Ichirou. From the color of his hair, to his eyes, to even his facial expressions, he was a spitting image of Sasuke Uchiha. The older he got, the more this seemed to show and with his looks, even his actions were beginning to be more like his father's. These tendencies came simply from Sasuke's genes for not once in all of Ichirou's life had he ever met his father.
Ichirou was wiggling around in Sayuri's arms, to old to remain still and too young to even want to try and understand the 'adult' talk. She set him down, letting him bolt off to the toy box.
"I'm sorry," Shikimaru stammered, trying to sympathize with his sister. "I bet that's hard for you, to, you know, see him turning more an-"
Sayuri shrugged and cut him off sharply, sparing Shikimaru from anymore floundering.
"It is sometimes," she admitted. "But I just have to handle it like the adult I forced myself to be. Now I actually know what it means to say, you reap what you sew."
Shikimaru smiled light heartedly at his sister seeing how much she had out grown him, how wise she had become in just a few years. But he saw that some things still remained unchanged. She still held her arms tightly at her side and kept her spine straight when it came to discussing topics that brought about emotions she deemed unnecessary. He knew Sayuri was still an awkward teen girl somewhere inside.
Placing his hand on Sayuri's shoulder as a sign of consolence, she only stiffened more.
Shikimaru couldn't help but laugh, "I should go now. I'll see you soon. Ichirou's birthday is next week right?"
"Yes, His birthday dinner will be here at six," Sayuri nodded before turning towards Ichirou.
He sat on the ground wrestling with a shinobi action figure and a stuffed turtle.
"Come say goodbye to Uncle," she urged.
Ichirou shot up and waddled over to Shikimaru as quickly as possible. Hugging his knees, Ichirou pouted.
"Awh, buh-bye Uncle Shiki," he said before turning to plant a sloppy, wet kiss on Shikimaru's pant leg. "Mwuah! I love you!"
Shikimaru couldn't help but turn to a mushy, softy inside as he looked down at his nephew.
He patted Ichirou on the top of his head, "Yeah, I love you too Ichi. I'll see you soon."
"Okay," he shouted, jumping back to go over and complete the unfinished business with his toys.
After Shikimaru left, Sayuri went to sit down with her son. She loved to just watch him play. Seeing how he smiled and talked to himself warmed her heart like only a connection between a mother and her child. He had become her only everything.
Picking up a lonely stuffed kitty, she walked it over to the shinobi and had them hug.
"Mommy," Ichirou spoke softly. "Who's coming to stay with us?"
Sayuri made the kitty dance on top of Ichirou's knees and shoulders as she replied, causing bursts of giggles to escape his lips.
"A very old friend of mommy's. His name is Naruto Uzumaki. He's nice, loud, and his favorite color is orange."
Ichirou crinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out, "I don't like the color orange one bit. I don't want him to stay with us."
Sayuri gasped at her sons straight-forward admittance.
"Well thats not nice, Ichirou," she scolded. "Just because he likes something you don't like, doesn't mean you shouldn't be friends. I think you will like Naruto. He's been away training for almost three years now and I'm sure he's become a very strong shinobi."
"Ooh," Ichirou said, instantly his opinion of the incoming guest shifting for the better. "He must be strong!"
Sayuri smiled, "Yes! He's very strong. I bet he could lift you with only one hand!"
While that thought would be exciting for Ichirou any other day, something suddenly preoccupied his mind. He sat before his mother with a furrowed brow and his hand resting on his chin. He rubbed it back and forth with two fingers as if rolling a coin between them, an old gesture he clearly picked up from going to the Shogi Shack with his uncle too often.
Finally Ichirou decided to speak.
"Is he as strong as daddy?"
From the stories Sayuri told, Ichirou had formed a set image in his head of his father; the image of a strong, amazing ninja who could save anyone. Since he had come to the age where he was capable of noticing his fathers abscence, he had begun to ask questions. They started from once a week to, now, everyday which then turned into ritualistic storytelling that took place at either nap or bed time. For some reason, even unbeknownst to her, Sayuri wanted to paint the perfect picture of Sasuke for her son. It could be said that subconsciously she too wanted to maintain a pristine image of the one she lost.
"I'm not sure," Sayuri answered honestly, curious herself. "Both he and daddy have been away for a long time, training to get stronger."
Ichirou let out a sudden yawn before laying his head down on his mothers lap. He stared up at the ceiling fixedly.
"I know daddy is stronger, I just know it," he whispered mostly to himself. "Mommy will you tell me another story about daddy?"
Sayuri picked Ichirou up and set him down on the couch, laying a quilt over him.
"Of course," she cooed. "Will you close your eyes and promise to try and sleep?"
He nodded quickly and eagerly. Sayuri pulled over a chair from the kitchen and sat it next to the couch. She leaned her head back over the head rest and closed her eyes, pulling a memory from the depths of her mind which she could tell in a child appropriate anecdote.
Sayuri began her story, "There once was a strong shinobi who knew a plain village girl..."
The cold night winds nipped at Sayuri's nose as she rushed home. She had lost track of time at Ino's house and was two hours past the curfew her parent's set. Cursing herself for being so careless, she was not looking forward to the nagging she would hear from her mother and father.
It was weird walking the streets of Konoha at night. Very few places had their lights on and it seemed like only the lowest of all the towns people were crawling about. They carried bottles in their hands and howled at the moon in unison sending chills running through her spine. Each step she took the sense of something ominous grew stronger and she decided to walk faster, pulling her scarf over her cold, pink lips.
Passing a dark alley, she quickly glanced at some dirty middle aged men huddled together. One of them noticed her stare, even if it was just for a second, and shouted at her. It was some cat call that peaked the others attention and urged them to join in. Sayuri turned her head away thinking that if she couldn't see them they couldn't see her. She was wrong.
As she continued on, she could hear the group of men shuffling behind her and yelling for her to slow down. Sayuri began to shake with fear like a small rabbit being hunted by a group of ravenous lions. She knew she should run. As she began to pick up her feet to sprint away, something held her back.
"Where do you think you're running off to," a voice from behind her asked, clutching onto her coat. "We're not going to let you get away that easy."
Sayuri froze where she stood. The men huddled around her, all chuckling. Their faces were distorted as if they weren't human and their eyes seemed glazed over with an inexplicable desire ushered on by the intoxicating effects of the drinks they had earlier. One leaned in, placing his clammy hand on the side of her face before going to smell her neck.
"Smells so young and clean."
She could never forget that man's devious green eyes. They were bleak with no emotional spark of sympathy, almost lifeless. Sayuri felt another man from behind begin to play with her hair. She couldn't see him, but his voice was deep and raspy from years of smoking.
"What beautiful hair. Long, dark brown, and soft. So very soft."
A lanky, thin man pushed his way through the rest. The area near his eyes and below his cheek bones were hollowed, and his hair was greasy. He looked Sayuri up and down.
"I bet her skin is soft too. You're wearing to many layers, sweetie. We need to take all that off."
Sayuri knew what these men were thinking and she wanted to fight back. She wanted to hit this greasy creep with a strong left hook to the face and then turn around and kick the guy who wouldn't stop touching her hair. She wanted to scream for help as she burst away at top speed. But she couldn't, she couldn't do any of that. She felt frozen and trapped in a situation that she would have never guessed in all her life to be caught in. She shut her eyes tightly as she started to cry silently.
"I love it when they cry," breathed the greasy man. "Let's go somewhere were we can be alone, sweetie. Come on."
The other men agreed, urging her to move towards an alley. It was a dark hollow where she knew that if she let them take her there, no one would find her. The greasy man hooked his arm around her and tried to push her forward, but Sayuri stood firm and didn't move her body.
"Move it!"
They began to drag her, and pull her, and push her closer and closer to that depthless darkness. The fear welled in her and pushed past her organs all the way up into her throat, finally pushing its way out in a harsh, piercing scream.
"Let me go! Let me go! Help!"
One of the men cursed at her for screaming before slamming his hand over her mouth, it smelt like dirt and fried takoyaki. A sharp object pushed through her thick jacket until it just tickled the skin on her back. She knew that the greasy man was now sticking a knife to her.
"If you try to scream again this is going right into your back."
Suddenly, a calm voice jumped over all the other voices. Its most distinct feature was the familiarity.
"Let her go," it ordered.
As greasy man turned around, he brought Sayuri with him to put a face to the voice they just heard. Standing in front of the crowd was Sasuke Uchiha, arms folded across his chest and a disgusted look in his eyes. Sayuri raised her eyebrows at him as a way to say 'notice me, notice the knife to my back, I need help'.
The greasy man laughed cunningly, "Excuse me? This is my girlfriend. We're all just messing around aren't we, sweetie?"
He pushed the knife harder against Sayuri's back while he whispered a warning not to do anything rash. Sayuri's fear began to slowly dissipate because she knew Sasuke was going to help her. He knew who she was. They talked to each other every Sunday night when he would train by the lake and she would go out picking herbs for her mother. He knows her personality and knows she would never associate her self with men of this nature.
Suddenly, a quick kick from Sasuke landed itself in the greasy man's gut, causing him to move the knife away from Sayuri and a fight to errupt in an instance. She fell to the ground and quickly crawled out of the rumble as the men now set their sights on Sasuke. They slowy swung their drunken fists at him, but they were nothing compared to the quick, precise attacks Sasuke landed on each man. One after the other, each attacker began to run off. Eventually, only the greasy man was left and it was not by his own will.
Sasuke sat on top of the man's chest, repeatedly slugging him across the face. The man had been grunting for the first few hits, but now all was quiet besides the crashing noise of a fist against a jaw bone. Even though she despised the man for being a creep, Sayuri felt just as scared as when she was in the man's grasp as she did while watching Sasuke beat him senseless. Thoughts of guilt and not being able to handle if a man lost his life because of her racked her brain and she quickly strode over to Sasuke.
Softly, she placed her hand on his shoulder causing him to immediately cease his attack. Sasuke breathed heavily and turned to face Sayuri. A small, gentle smile was on her face and she looked peaceful despite the chaos that had just occured around her. He couldn't help but turn pink as he noticed the way the moon made her hair shine and how her hand felt warm despite the near freezing temperature.
"You can stop, Sasuke," she spoke softly. "I'm alright now. You saved me."
"... and the shinobi, your father, took the village girl back to her home safely, leaving the mean bears who attacked her behind. "
Finishing the story, Sayuri opened her eyes to see a smiling Ichirou staring back up at her. She grinned as she ran her fingers through his hair, it was clearly one of those days where nap time was unsuccessful due to the excitement of the evening ahead.
"The end," She concluded with a raise of her hand.
"That story is my fwavorite," he whispered, his mind still replaying the story his mother just told. "I can't believe Daddy fought that many bears! He's so cool! Mommy, you think Daddy can teach me to be strong when he comes back?"
Ichirou looked at her sternly, yearning to be more and more like his father with each story he heard. He clenched his fist excitedly.
"I'm sure he would," Sayuri said. "He will teach you many special tricks that only an Uchiha, like you, can learn. Not even I would be able to learn them!"
Three quick fast knocks on the door ended the conversation promptly. Sayuri informed Ichirou it was probably her friend and asked him to come answer the door with her. As Sayuri walked over to her destination, Ichirou clung tightly to the back of her legs. He was overcome with a sudden shyness. Before she could even open the door all the way, long, orange arms shoved through to pull Sayuri into a tight hug.
"Sayuri," Naruto shouted in excitement.
She laughed while hugging him back tightly, "Naruto! Its been too long!"
Sayuri pulled away from the hug and looked Naruto up and down. She wasn't surprised to see how much he'd grown. His face had become more mature and he had definitely struck his growth spurt, now significantly taller compared to Sayuri.
"Wow, you've gotten tall! Congratulations," she complimented. "Now come inside and set your bag down. It would be rude of me to keep you waiting any longer, especially since this is still technically your home and all. "
"You're the least rude person I know, Sayuri-chan," Naruto said with a chuckle as he stepped into the humble abode. "Let's see what you've done to the place."
When Naruto had left for his training, he knew that Sayuri was looking for a place of her own. Rather than letting his home out to the bugs and roaches, he let her take it over as long as she always welcomed him to stay. It was easy for him to check what she had done to the place in one glance, for it wasn't very big. The living room and kitchen were all in an open space, decorated with only the necessities and a few picture frames here and there. The door ways to two seperate rooms were on the farthest back wall and each room had its own bathroom. Even though the whole apartment was very simple, there was a cozy, warmth throughout the home that stemmed from the subtle signs of inhabitants. Toys lay across a rug, tea cups sat by the sink, and a small bouquet of flowers sat in the center of the dining table.
"You made it look so nice," Naruto said in surprise. "I'm looking forward to staying at the exclusive Sayuri Inn."
"Thank you," She responded with a laugh, taking his bags from him and placing them on the couch temporarily. "It gets the job done. Plus, it helps having my own place where my parents can't nag me on how to take care of Ichirou. Thank you again, Naruto."
Naruto's smile suddenly turned into a mixed grimace of shock and embarrasment.
"Aah," he said as he rubbed his face in his hands. "How could I forget! I forgot you had a baby! Forgive me, Sayuri! So his name is Ichirou? I like it. Where is the squirt?"
Naruto looked around trying to find Ichirou. Everytime Sayuri stepped to the side to reveal him behind her he inched over as well to remain hidden. He felt intimidated by this new, loud person in his home. Sayuri wouldn't stand for his shyness though and picked Ichirou up in her arms so Naruto could see him clearly. Naruto's mouth hung open in shock at the small child.
"He's huge," He shouted.
Sayuri shook her head good-naturedly, "Well actually he's average for his age. It's been almost three years now since I gave birth to him, you know he wasn't this big when I popped him out."
Naruto stuck his tongue out, turning slightly green in disgust, "Blah blah blah I didn't hear anything. We will never speak about birth and I still think babies come from the stork so thats that."
Sayuri laughed at Naruto. He may have changed physically but he was still the same immature boy inside. She turned to Ichirou, only to be met with a faceful of hair. He had tucked his face forcibly into his mother's neck.
"Ichirou," she prodded, "Will you please lift your head up and say hi to Naruto? He wants to see all your toys."
Ichirou slowly lifted his head up and faced Naruto.
"Hi," he said quietly.
Naruto smiled, his mouth slightly open, at the little boy who embodied his missing friend. He was amazed at his little nose, his little mouth, his small hands.
"Hi," Naruto said, quietly. "My name's Naruto. Nice to meet you, Ichirou."
Ichirou thrusted out his hand, asking for a hand shake. Naruto and Sayuri laughed as Naruto engulfed the little boy's in response.
"So you like toys," Ichirou asked.
Naruto nodded his head, smiling widely, still captivated by the tyke.
Sayuri smiled, "Here Ichirou, I'll set you down and you can go show Naruto toys while I prepare dinner."
The two ran off to the toy box where Ichirou proceeded to hand Naruto toys telling him their names and personalities. Naruto played along and spoke with Ichirou as if they didn't just meet. Sayuri was surprised to see Ichirou's icy shyness suddenly melted.
During dinner it remained the same. They all sat and talked about Naruto's training, Ichirou as a baby, Sayuri's cooking. It was mindless chatter that made everyone comfortable to be together. The room was warm and salty from the miso soup and grilled pork she'd prepared. Sayuri couldn't take her eyes off the two boys as they spoke excitedly and giggled like the children they were. Ichirou had become attached to Naruto immediately, likely compensating for the loss of his real father in his life. She felt melancholic that she couldn't give him the real thing but knew that if Naruto was to take Sasuke's place in Ichirou's mind, it was maybe for the better. Naruto would never let the kid down.
As bed time approached, Ichirou urged Naruto to be the one to put him to sleep which Naruto happily accepted with gratitude. Sayuri took the oppurtunity to clean and prepare an evening tea. She was happy to hear no protesting in Ichirou's bedroom about going to sleep and Naruto emerged in only twenty minutes.
He walked out of the room with his hands behid his head, a huge smile on his face.
Sayuri poured out the tea and set it at the table.
"That's a new record," she spoke with a laugh. "He hasn't gone to bed that fast in ages!"
"I guess I'm a natural," he responded proudly, taking a seat at the table. "That's some kid you've raised though. He's so funny."
"Yeah," Sayuri agreed. "Sometimes he says the weirdest things. I don't know where he gets it from. I think he just hears things when he's out in public and repeats them at home."
Naruto's smile faded just slightly and he glanced down into his tea, reflecting his expression back up at himself.
"He looks like you," he said. "Just a little bit. He has the same big eyes that you do. But it's weird, every other part of him is exactly like Sasuke. He even called me an idiot once or twice, like Sasuke used too."
Sayuri frowned, "He said that to you? I'm sorry, he shouldn't be using a word like that."
"It's fine," Naruto said, his smile growing again. "I actually liked it. It brought back a lot of memories."
Sayuri sipped her tea, quietly.
"He brings back memories every day," she admitted. "Sometimes it really sucks, you know. Like some memories of Sasuke, I will always remember and will always bring me joy. But other times those thoughts make me paralyzingly upset; I just don't like to dwell on something long gone. You get used to it though, you have to."
"He's not long gone," Naruto argued stubbornly. "He'll come back to Konoha whether he wants to or not. No matter what I will bring him back."
He glanced back towards Ichirou's bedroom.
"Seeing Ichirou only makes my want even stronger," he said. "I will give him a father."
Sayuri blinked her eyes hard, trying not to get emotional. She tilted her head up towards the ceiling and chose to smile, shooing away any want to cry.
"I know you will," she agreed. "But he will fight you until he kills Itachi, that's his top priority; not me, you, Ichirou or anybody else. I promise you we do not matter as much as his goal."
Naruto crumpled his face into a heavy frown.
"I know this may be weird of me to ask," he foreshadowed. "But are you waiting for Sasuke to come back too? Like are you seeing anyone?"
Sayuri chuckled at Naruto only causing him to chuckle nervously as well.
"To answer your first question, I used to think the right thing for me to do was to wait for him," she said. "But that changed recently. I loved Sasuke with my whole being, and some parts of me still do. Though I've come to realize that I don't know how long it will take for him to kill Itachi and find his closure. I can't wait for him to find his for me to find mine, if that makes sense. To answer your second question, no, not really."
"What do you mean by 'not really'," Naruto questioned pointedly, putting an emphasis on the word 'really'.
Sayuri blushed, placing her hand on her cheek, "Well Genma Shiranui has been trying to get me to like him I think. We've gone out a few times and-"
"What," Naruto interrupted loudly. "That Jounin who walks around with a toothpick in his mouth all the time and is one of the elite body guard's to the Hokage? Isn't he like thirty?"
Sayuri's blush vanished and she frowned.
"Yes that's him but, no, he's not thirty," she shouted back. "He's twenty five and he's been very nice to Ichirou and I thank you very much!"
"I say no," Naruto said, slaming his hands on the table. "You can't be with him. He's not meant for you and that's that."
His demanding tone was that of a protective father and made Sayuri laugh in frustration.
"Now why is that," she questioned with a hint of sass.
Naruto leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, smirking to himself.
"Well it's simple," he said. "You say you're done waiting for Sasuke, but you can't be. You and him were meant to be together. Plus, you have a kid together! No one got any feeling out of Sasuke but you and it must still be like that, even after all this time."
Naruto had clearly studied the situation in his head. His assertive and believable tone made her laugh; thinking his point was as valid as hers. But it was a point of the past and there was no way to know for sure whether it was true or not. The only truth was that she did get reactions out of Sasuke that no one else could. She decided to appeal to Naruto and consider his argument.
"That may be true," she said, finishing off the last of her tea. "But you have to tell me what makes you believe that."
"Oh," He said laughing. "I can tell you plenty of things. I'll accept your challenge! Let's start off with the oldest piece of evidence: the first time you guys talked."
The moon shot beams through the holes in the tree line, acting as a spotlight to the life below. Naruto flashed into focus as he moved between the varying light. He was moving smoothly through the forestry heading straight to the training grounds where he hoped to find Sasuke. The limbs and branches, wet from a recent rain, reached out to cooly brush his face, which he welcomed casually. Reaching a break in the brush, he came to a large clearing that lay along a glassy lake.
In the middle of the clearing he was met with a sight that had never before been seen. Instead of stepping out to greet Sasuke with the usual friendly taunt, Naruto crouched down behind a bush to spy.
On any other night, he always found Sasuke by himself; heaving and sweating from training and pushing himself to his limits. But tonight was very different. Tonight Naruto saw Sasuke standing and talking to a girl who he was very familiar with.
Naruto recognized her as Sayuri Nara, Shikimaru's twin sister.
Her long brown hair was pulled into a braid, held by a red bow that matched the one tied about the handle of a basket she heald in her hand. She was smiling a relaxed smile that hung loosely on her face like the large t-shirt on her small shoulders. Interestingly enough, she was not tense in the slightest, like most girls who even dared to speak to Sasuke. Though this was of hardly any surprise to Naruto.
Sayuri never looked at any one person different from the next. Even from a young age, when she befriended Naruto in the sand box, she clearly had the inborn talent to make friends with such careless ease.
Inching further forward into the bush, Naruto could hear the conversation they were having.
"You can't come so close when I'm training," Sasuke scolded calmly. "You could get hurt."
He stood across from Sayuri stiffly, his arms crossed in a defensive manner. He had seen her every Sunday night for the past month wandering through the training grounds. Each night she came with the same basket, filling it with various herbs and berries, sometimes stopping at the lake to dip her feet in the water. Occasionally, she would make eye contact with him, just for a breif second, maybe even less. But in that moment it always seemed like she relayed the mesage that she wouldn't disturb him by coming near. Though tonight was different, tonight she came too close. Sayuri had moved along the edge of where Sasuke was training, looking for something in particular, and had just gotten a little too close to where he was practicing a dangerous jutsu, startling him out of focus.
"I'm sorry," Sayuri admitted. "The fyoga berry bush is close to where you always are. My mom tells me every Sunday to go get them but I never do because I don't want to interrupt you. Instead, I just lie to her and tell her I can't find where they are. Finally, today of all days, she decides she wants to punish me with no dinner if I don't bring them back. Well today she's making tonkatsu and that's my favorite meal, and I really want to eat it."
Something about the way she sincerely spoke to Sasuke about something trivial, amused him and eased him into sympathizing with her. He stepped away from her suddenly, walking towards a bush on his right which was dressed in the pink berries she had been looking for. He picked two large bundles off the bush and handed them to her quietly.
"Here," Sasuke said briskly.
"Oh," Sayuri's smile dissappeared for a second, taking his quiet act of kindness to be a way of getting her to leave because the later fit more with his smug facial expression. "Thank you."
She shuffled her feet, toying with the idea of walking away, but in that same thought firmly decided she wanted to say something more to him.
"You're getting better at that jutsu," she ventured. "Even though I'm only supposed to be out here running a quick errand, I sometimes stay longer just to watch."
It was quiet. Sasuke didn't know what to say. He gazed into her basket intently looking at her collection of lemongrass, lemon leaves, basil leaves, saika berries, and now the fyoga berries. Sayuri drew in a sharp breath, drawing his eyes up to her face. He noticed her cheeks were pink from the cold. She then released the breath through her nose slowly, as if she was trying to calm her nerves.
"I know you train so hard because you're trying to be strong enough to avenge your family," she blurted, turning red by her own brazeness.
Sasuke was surprised by her bold speech on a topic that most people, even adults, always tried to avoid talking about with him. He listened silently, curious to see what direction she was heading in.
"I know I don't know you well," Sayuri continued. "but I just know you can do it. When I look at you, at your eyes, I don't see any other priorities or thoughts in your mind except your one goal; all that exists is pure determination."
She tried to gauge Sasuke's reaction to her talk, but his face all the way down to his stance revealed zero reaction. He remained still and the moonlight turned his pale skin into the color of smooth marble, fitting for his statue-like persona.
"I don't know what its like to loose someone close to me," she admitted. "But you do, and you also know what its like to loose not just one person, but all; including your brother. He betrayed your family's trust in the worst way possible. I think he deserves the worst punishment, and that should be given by your hand."
It was odd that Sayuri seemed to immediately understand Sasuke so well. Revenge, usually looked down upon by most people, seemed appropriate to her. The wise say the best revenge is none. But, maybe it was that young passion of her youth which inhibited her from thinking rationally about a situation as moving as mass murder. That passion was what drove the mind to think justice is the only right.
Sasuke scrunched his face slightly. The natural instinct he was feeling towards her told him to smile, but it was conflictng with his want to remain ellusive to everyone. Avoiding revealing himself, he turned away suddenly.
"I'll see you next Sunday," he said monotonously. "It's fine if you come get the fyoga berries."
A huge grin splayed itself across Sayuri's face. She knew that something, among all she had said, appealed to his better nature. Nodding to herself, proud at an achievement that no other girl had made, she turned away quietly and began to head home.
Feeling her becoming more distant, Sasuke turned back around to watch her leave. He smirked to himself at an odd feeling he felt himself having towards the weird girl. It was a feeling of actually enjoying someone's company.
Giggling to himself at Sasuke's expression, Naruto burst out of the bushes ready to tease his friend.
"Sasuke," he half-shouted, half cooed.
Naruto was shocked to see Sasuke tense up slightly, surprised at his sudden appearance. Sasuke frowned as his cheeks turned slightly red.
"What are you doing here, Naruto," he questioned in frustration.
"Oh I just came to train with you, but I happeed to see you talking to Sayuri," Naruto danced around Sasuke and made kissy lips at him. "You weren't rude to her like you are to Sakura or Ino or all those other girls. Pretty weird, I think!"
"Shut up, idiot. You didn't see anything."
Naruto frowned and puffed his shoulders up, making himself seem big and tough.
He spoke in a deep, solemn voice, "Here's some berries Sayuri. You're so nice and pretty and mwuah mwuah mwuah."
Sasuke audibly grumbled in frustration. Clenching his fists tightly.
"I said shut up," he shouted, shocking Naruto out of his horrible Sasuke impersonation. "Don't say anything to anyone about this."
Gasping, naruto grinned widely.
"You're trusting me with your secret love for Sayuri," he shouted just a tad too loud. "I'll take it to the grave with me, I sware."
Naruto's face turned serious as he placed his hand over his heart. Sasuke was not amused in the slightest.
"I don't love her. Now stop talking," Sasuke commanded.
Naruto was buzzing with excitement, still thinking he held one of Sasuke's deep secrets of the heart. He hardly thought about the encounter, and thought mostly on how him and Sasuke were probably better friends now that they bonded over talk of a girl. Naruto couldn't help but carry on, thinking it was acceptable since they were 'now on that level' and didn't even comprehend Sasuke's demand to be quiet.
"She did look nice tonight," Naruto said, speaking fast. "She'd be a good catch Sasuke! Raised by her mom to stay at home and cook and clean for you. You know, I myself would've wooed her long ago if my heart wasn't taken by Sakura but, you better believe it, I could probably still do it if I chose too. I-"
Sasuke shot Naruto the hardest glare, stopping his speech instantly.
"I said we're not talking about this anymore."