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A/N: Whoops, forgot to do an author note last chapter. So, this is my first story. Sorry everything was squished together. I thought it was kind of confusing…. Any who, really appreciate reviews (even if they're flames. well, nice flames….). Enjoy
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Chapter two: Welcome home?
"Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts." -Arnold Bennett
"Naruto, wake up." Sakura yelled in the sleeping ninja's ear. "Naruto, you really need to get up, we have Sasuke's interrogation, remember?" Sakura swore she had never seen anybody move so fast. Naruto bolted out of bed, filling a Styrofoam cup of instant ramen with water.
"I can't believe we finally get to see Sasuke-teme! I could barely sleep but then I ate some ramen and then I fell asleep and I'm almost ready to go!" Naruto babbled, shoving the ramen cup in the microwave and throwing his usual black shirt and orange pants on. Sakura sighed, completely ignoring Naruto. She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep, and Naruto's rambling was really starting to piss her off.
"Naruto, shut up." A stern voice from the window said. Sakura spun around to be greeted by Kakashi, casually leaning against Naruto's kitchen window. "And hurry up, we want to get there on time."
Naruto choked on his noodles and Sakura looked like she was going to have a seizure. "Did you just say you wanted to be on time?" Sakura said, amazed at what her teacher said. Was she having a dream?
"Well, there are some things you can't be late for, you know?" Kakashi said.
Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, jaws nearly touching the ground. "Are you high?" Naruto cried, in complete shock. "You're always late!"
"Finish eating breakfast and lets go. And I'm not always late." Kakashi mumbled. Why did his team have to abuse him so?
"You keep telling yourself that Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said while he shoveled noodles down his throat.
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Sakura glared at the doorknob leading to Sasuke's hospital room. She had tried opening it at least twenty times now, but every time she touched it, she wanted to run away, to forget about their mission. What if he hadn't changed at all? What if all he wanted was to be with his team again? She knew deep down that wasn't the case, but she could always pretend, right?
"Um, Sakura, are you going to open the door or just look at it? Cause we should probably go in now." Naruto said hesitantly, not really wanting to go in either. But he knew what he had to do. He would get his best friend back, even if he had to go through hell and back. He quietly nudged Sakura towards the door, nodding at her. Sakura sighed and slowly turned the doorknob.
Sakura glanced in the room; gasping as she saw the man she had spent so many months trying to get back. He lay in the hospital bed, his breathing deep. Sakura sighed, not believing it.
"Nice try but I can tell you're awake." She said, her voice harsh. The sheets rustled and Sasuke sat up in the bed, his face hidden by his bangs. Sakura slowly walked over to him, her face completely impassive. She stopped at the side of his bed, just looking at him. When he did nothing to acknowledge her presence, Sakura felt like her genin self. What she had worked so hard to become was quickly unraveling right before her eyes. She clenched her fists. Things weren't going to happen like that again. So, she snapped.
SMACK!
Sasuke's head jerked to the side, an angry red palm print appearing on his cheek. That was certainly something he hadn't been expecting. Sure he hadn't expected Sakura to welcome him back with open arms, crying over how much she missed him. But he hadn't expected her to hit him.
Sakura felt the tingling in her hand, and it finally dawned on her that she had just hit him.
What should she do now? Should she apologize? No, she wouldn't go back now! She would be the kick ass kounoichi she was.
"That was for leaving me on a goddamned bench." She hissed. Sasuke snorted, and something in Sakura made her jerk forward and grab the front of his shirt, her eyes fierce with hate.
"If you even think of laying a finger on Naruto, I swear I will punch your pretty little face in, do you understand?" she hissed, her face inches away from his.
"Fuck off." He said hoarsely, his cheek still stinging. Another reason why he wanted to stay away from Konoha, everyone was so annoying….
"Um, okay Sakura, I think that enough." Kakashi quietly said, not wanting things to get out of hand. Sasuke deserved Sakura's words, but they really needed to focus on questioning him. "I think I'll take over now if that's ok."
Sakura nodded and let go of Sasuke, walking over to where Naruto was standing. Naruto looked like he was in a dream, like he was completely oblivious to what was going on. Sakura nudged him and he glanced over at her, giving her a faint smile. But she could tell from the look in his eyes that he was hurting, like he wanted to scream, to smack Sasuke. She felt the same way, and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was thinking. Sasuke had become a monster.
"So, lets get started. First off, did you join Akutski?" Kakshi asked Sasuke, his voice alarmingly calm and monotonous. Sasuke just grunted and Kakashi sighed.
"Listen, if you want to walk a free man, you have to talk. You help us, we help you. Clear?" Kakashi spoke. Sasuke just shook his head, signature smirk on his face.
" You guys just don't understand, do you? You haven no idea what its like to be a real shinobi, to really no what pain is. While you guys sit backing licking each other's wounds and crying all over each other, I'm out there in the real world, experiencing what really goes on. So keep your questions to yourself cause I'm not saying anything." He said, voice dripping with venom. Kakashi sighed, knowing this was much more complicated then he thought. This wasn't going to work.
"Sasuke, if you tell us a few simple things about Akutski, you could save hundreds of innocent lives. War wouldn't start; people wouldn't have to live in constant fear. Families would stay together; children wouldn't grow up without mothers or fathers. C'mon Sasuke, tell us something." Kakashi said, glaring at Sasuke.
Sasuke sat, thinking. What could he tell them to get them off his back but wasn't a lie? His plans had never involved killing innocent people or cause a war. But did Akutski's? He hadn't been part of the organization long enough to learn what plans they had. Heck, he barely knew anything. He just joined so he could have enough skill and manpower to execute his revenge against the village elders. He sighed.
"Akutski wants the nine tailed fox." He said bluntly. He figured they already knew this so he wouldn't really be betraying Akutski.
"Tell us something we don't already know." Kakashi said slowly, somewhat surprised Sasuke had even said anything. Sasuke was just like his formal self, afraid to get close to people, extremely untrusting, quiet, and rude. He knew what loss was like; he knew what Sasuke had been through. But Kakashi didn't know what Sasuke was thinking. He didn't know why he left, why he hurt everybody, why he didn't want to change. Why he didn't want anybody's guidance or help. That was what made Kakashi mad. He couldn't help his student.
"Is Akutski going to come after Naruto soon?" Kakashi asked. Kakashi listened for a reply and was even more surprised than before that Sasuke answered again.
"I don't know." Sasuke said. He had calmed down. He could think rationally again. But he wasn't sure why he had answered that question.
"Are you just saying that so we quit bugging you, or are you telling the truth?" Kakashi said.
Sakura knew she should have been helping with the interrogation but she knew she would just yell at Sasuke and tell him how much she hated him. She was surprised at how calm Kakashi was being too. But she was mostly surprised that Naruto was just standing there. He hadn't even said a thing since they walked in the room. He just stared at his feet, his eyes shiny. She wanted to ask if he was ok, but she knew he would say he was fine, even if he wasn't.
"Are you saying I'm a liar?" Sasuke accused.
Kakashi shook his head. "I was just asking. Do you have any idea when Akutski will attempt to get Naruto?"
"No." Sasuke said quietly, obviously done answering questions. It was really getting on his nerves.
"I think that's enough for today. That doesn't mean we won't be back though. C'mon guys, lets go get ramen, my treat?" Kakashi said, facing Sakura and Naruto. Sakura nodded, and Naruto kept looking at his shoes. Sasuke snorted, the dobe was definitely odd. Well, odder than usual.
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After his old team had left Sasuke felt, well, different. Like, things had changed. Everybody was so different. Kakashi seemed to be so much of a leader, willing to do what the rest of them didn't. Sakura was, well, bitchy and stronger. When they were younger, she would have never hit him, let alone yell at him. And Naruto? He hadn't said a damn thing the entire time he was there. He just stood there, looking at the floor.
He knew things in Konoha weren't going to be on "pause" while he was away. He expected things to have changed, but not that much. Ugh, he needed to stop thinking about the past. It made things more complicated. But that wasn't what was concerning him the most. When was Akutski going to get Naruto? And why didn't he, being a part of Akutski and all, know?
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Kakashi had left the ramen shop a few minutes ago, "forgetting" that he had promised to pay for ramen. Sakura sighed, knowing she would have to pay for Naruto, Kakashi and her own ramen. There went the money she had been saving for those new medical textbooks.
"Naruto, you ok?" Sakura asked cautiously. Naruto looked up, surprised someone was talking to him.
"Oh, yeah I'm fine." Naruto said, put on a fake smile.
"Do you actually think I'd believe that bull shit?" Sakura said, looking Naruto in the eyes. Naruto averted his eyes to his ramen, which he had hardly even touched.
"Things just. Well. Um. You know." Naruto said, becoming very uncomfortable.
"No, I obviously don't know or I wouldn't be asking you. So, tell me what's going on. C'mon Naruto, you can trust me!"
Naruto sighed, looking at his feet again. "I know I can trust you, I just can't think straight right now."
"Does this have to do with Sasuke? Because you barely ate your ramen and you didn't say a damn thing in Sasuke's room." Sakura said hesitantly. Sasuke was a touchy subject around everybody.
Naruto sighed, yet again. "Yeah it does. Did you notice, how he didn't seem to care anymore? I wanted to talk to him, to show him how much we cared about him, but I froze. It felt like if I said something, he would leave again. You get what I'm saying?"
Something dawned on Sakura. "Do you blame yourself for Sasuke leaving?" she asked. Naruto nodded. Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why would you blame yourself?"
"If I had been stronger, maybe I could have convinced him, or beaten him or something to get him to stay." Naruto said quietly, his eyes getting shiny. Sakura nodded, feeling Naruto's pain. As if reading her mind Naruto asked, "Do you blame yourself too Sakura?"
Sakura was surprised by Naruto's question. Sakura wanted to say something, but her voice seemed to disappear. So she just nodded, not wanting to look at her blonde friend.
"It's ok Sakura. It doesn't matter anymore, cause Sasuke-teme's home! And tomorrow, I'm gonna give that bastard a piece of my mind! There's no way I'm just going to stand by the wall like an idiot! Believe it! Naruto shouted, concerning the civilians walking by the ramen shop.