Smiles and Smirks
By aishuu
Sai was a lot like Sasuke in appearance and temperament. He didn't have Sasuke's blazing talent or drive, but there was that same undercurrent of darkness that had defined Sasuke's existence running through Sai. Naruto felt something inside his chest that only Sasuke had ever been able to provoke before when Sai tried to aggravate him.
Naruto wasn't sure if Sai was deliberately trying to get him to rise to the bait. There was no feeling in anything he did, and Sai had nothing to gain if Naruto lost his temper. Naruto was sure he was the better fighter, and only needed the chance to pound Sai into the ground to make that clear.
But he wouldn't, because he needed Sai to get Sasuke back. He could put up with Sai's attitude and perverted comments, because it was only for a short while. As soon as Sasuke was back, they'd be Team 7 again, and Sai could go back to whatever clan he'd sprung from. He vowed that when he finally beat Sasuke up –right before he dragged the Uchiha's ass back to Konoha - he'd hit him just a bit harder to make up for tolerating Sai.
Naruto wasn't naïve, not anymore. Three years on the road with Jiraiya had taught him that people weren't always good, and the good guy didn't always win. He was still an optimist, though, believing that some things were just meant to happen. Sasuke had left; Naruto would bring him back. The ideas were as sure to him as day following night.
Naruto was glad for Sai's smile. It was never genuine and always slightly mocking, but Sai's smile was a relief to him because it kept him from ever confusing him and Sasuke in his mind.
Sasuke had always smirked. The few genuine smiles he had offered couldn't be confused with Sai's empty one. Naruto knew that everything about Sai was a mask, and knew that Sai couldn't feel that bond of comradeship that had defined his relationship with Sasuke.
Sai was not Sasuke. Naruto would not allow him to take Sasuke's place.
(But sometimes it was hard for him to remember, because he needed a rival, and Sai was the closest he could get. The part of him that understood Kyuubi wanted to break Sai, because if he couldn't have Sasuke, then at least he could break a surrogate.)