A/N: Hi everyone. Here comes another fic. This one is very short, almost a drabble. There are two things you have to know concerning this fic: firstly, the narration is third person but from Sakura's point of view (sorry for Sakura haters). Secondly, I got the inspiration for this fic while I was reading underhandycat0's fic for pervert_bitch in the sn_exchange for Winter 2009. You can find the fic at http:/sn-exchange(dot)dreamwidth(dot)org/2785(dot)html?#cutid1. I found it great and advise you to read it if you haven't already. That, and it might make things a little bit clearer for my fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I only write stupid things about it.
Down the Memory Lane
- 'Cause some things never change -
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Sakura asked, watching Sasuke with a dubious finger pressed to her chin.
The young man, obviously suspecting he was the topic of conversation, and stubbornly ignoring that fact, was standing several feet away, slouched against a tree occupying his hands by playing with a kunai while they waited.
Beside her, Kakashi let his only visible eye crinkle in what was his 'innocent reassuring smile'. Sakura had long since understood that this smile meant absolutely nothing - or at least, nothing good. She frowned.
"I still think it's too soon. We're not sure how well the amnesia-jutsu we used on Sasuke works. Some stimulations, or familiar scenarios may unleash an unexpected reaction that will make his memories return."
Kakashi didn't lose his smile nor his calm - infuriating - attitude when he interrupted her: "You should trust your abilities better, Sakura. Your lack of self-confidence has always been your main problem."
The young woman almost snarled. She knew what he was trying to do and, hell, it was working. For all his apparent inabilities to be what one would expect from a teacher - punctual, serious, open - Kakashi had always known which button to push in order to get his point across. Of course he would point out Sakura's self-esteem issues, but she wasn't going to let him distract her just because he was right.
"As for Naruto," she went on, "we're not even sure his body restored all of his chakra, and has adapted well to the changes due to Kyuubi's departure. Hell, we don't even know if the bloody Fox really took all his memories with him, or if they're simply buried somewhere deep because of the trauma. And must I remind you of what will happen if anything triggers a sudden return of what his mind found better to forget?"
Kakashi hummed noncommittally, his whole attitude expressing nonchalance. In a slightly excessive way.
Sakura found herself suddenly filled with suspicion.
"Wait, do you want them to remember?" she asked.
Kakashi was only too happy to avoid giving an answer: Naruto chose this precise moment to come out of the trees onto the training ground, hands in his pockets and glancing around him like some tourist discovering an interesting place out of everybody's way. He caught sight of Kakashi and Sakura - bypassing Sasuke altogether, since the young man was still under the tree, almost melting into the trunk - and smiled before jogging up to them.
"Hey," he said. "I was afraid I'd gotten lost. I'm not too late, I hope?"
"Don't worry," Kakashi answered good-naturedly, like the responsible teacher he never really had been. "It's your first time, so you should be excused," he magnanimously added, superbly ignoring Sakura's silent now look who's talking? He then pointed in Sasuke's direction. The young man had noticed Naruto's arrival and was now watching them, his black eyes still able to follow a scene with this sort of intent aloofness only he had ever been able to achieve.
"This will be your training partner," Kakashi cheerfully explained. "He's, ah, in a situation much similar to yours, actually. I'm sure you'll get along great."
Still there was this smile - it even made appear the grey-haired man's first crow's feet at the corner of his eye. Naruto tilted his head to the side, curiously looking at his so-called new partner. He glanced once more at his former-now-once-more teacher who nodded encouragingly at him, then left them in order to head in Sasuke's direction.
Kakashi seemed excessively self-satisfied while Sakura felt she was going to choke on her indignation.
"Kakashi, you...!"
Naruto had already reached Sasuke and was offering his hand in easy salutation, a gesture that was ripe with disastrous possibilities., Sakura stopped staring at her two former teammates and whirled around, pointing an accusing finger at her very former teacher. "You're using them as an experiment?"
Kakashi's allegedly surprised expression - eyebrow raised, eye widened - did not fool her. Especially not when he let it go almost instantly to smile once more.
Sakura considered transferring chakra into her fist and transferring her fist into his face. How cathartic would it be.
"Hatake-san."
Her revenge plan was thwarted by the calm, cold voice addressing her future victim. As Kakashi answered with a "Yes?" underlined with soft laughter, she turned around once more. Sasuke stood mid-way between them and the tree he had been slouching against, and where Naruto still stood, a stunned expression on his face.
"I hope you're not serious when you suggest that he," with a sharp movement of the head, he gestured towards Naruto who was now beginning to furrow his brow and clench his fists. "might possibly be a match for me."
"Aw, come on, Sasuke," Kakashi began. He looked like he was about to pat the young man's dark hair like he would the fur of an irritated cat.
Sasuke's burning glare turned icy. "I might not remember anything because I chose it," how very Uchiha of him to remind them he was here in this situation only because of his own goodwill, and certainly not because of what the village's council had demanded as a condition for his reintegration, "but don't believe that you can induce me to accept some low-grade amateur I'll crush without even needing to try as a... training partner."
He spat out the last words like it was something disgusting.
Now Naruto was offended. More than offended - furious, because with or without memories of his past, he still didn't now what middle-ground was and only worked from one extreme to another, and Sasuke had not exactly spoken low enough not to be heard by him.
Why did Sakura feel it was entirely intended?
"You bastard!" Naruto shouted. "You're just scared I'll make you bit the dirt off your own shoes before you can blink!"
"Scared?" Sasuke spun on his heels, his expression murderous if the provocative, victorious smirk on Naruto's face was any indication. "I'll show you scared," he hissed.
"Oh my," Naruto cooed, "the prissy civilian is all worked-up."
Sasuke's hair was indeed ruffled like the feathers of an angry bird. "You've certainly never seen yourself," he snorted, crossing his arms but flexing his knees and ankles, effortlessly slipping into a fighting stance, ready to dart or dodge. "You couldn't even pretend to be the worst of ninjas if you tried."
Naruto frowned and squinted his eyes, which made them appear like two slits opening on the sky. "Care to repeat that?" he growled, balling his fists, ready to attack.
It was obvious, what Sasuke meant by it. He'd looked at Naruto like it hurt his own pupils he was so bright: bright blond hair, bright blue eyes, even bright smile when he let it come over his face. Naruto had always drawn attention upon himself, never mind how unwilling it was and reluctantly granted, and strangely, the sober clothes he had taken on wearing according to what had been advised to him - an advice he naively followed because he'd been so lost - only made him more conspicuous, making it obvious he was trying to be discreet. While they had bypassed him when he was wearing his bright orange jumpsuit, thinking he was nothing but a too loud brat not to be taken seriously, people now made a double-check and grew suspicious more easily.
That and khaki really wasn't Naruto's colour. Nor was the red that was coloring his cheeks while he landed the first punch and kept on calling his opponent a surprisingly inventive amount of names.
"Is it me or they both think the other is some kind of civilian who suddenly and stupidly decided he would become a ninja because it's less boring?" Sakura asked, eyebrows raised.
"Well, both would've felt insulted if we had put them with the Academy's beginners or even some genin team," Kakashi added, not really answering her question. "That, and they still are powerful enough without knowing it to inadvertently kill someone." He shrugged. "It was the only solution and they didn't ask any question. They probably drew their own conclusions. Feel free to correct them."
He was still smiling but something at the bottom of his eyes seemed almost frightened while he watched his two former pupils go at each other's throat once more, like he was wondering what he had inadvertently unleashed. Sakura grinned and tried not to cackle manically.
"Well then, I'll leave you to it," she said suavely, patting his shoulder encouragingly before sauntering away. "Call me if you need medical attention," she added over her shoulder, knowing he understood she meant it for him and not for any of the two fighting young men.
She left the training ground and didn't turn around when Naruto roared and an explosion followed - probably a tag tied to a flying kunai. Instead, she began humming under her breath.
She would stop by the hospital to see if anyone or anything needed her help, then she would go see Tsunade to snigger wickedly about Kakashi's misfortune; looked like the so-called genius didn't actually know what was good for him. Observing Naruto and Sasuke back to square one most certainly wasn't.
And then?
Then she would buy Naruto new orange clothes. It would be a nice gift. She would have to find something for Sasuke too - to thank them both.
Revenge was sweet after all.
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