-xox-

Suppose I never ever met you.

Suppose we never fell in love.

Suppose I'd never ever let you

Kiss me so sweet,

and so soft.

Sasuke was moving fast, heart thrumming in his chest as he blinked rain-water from his eyes, greenery rushing past in emerald and jade blurs. Personally, he couldn't quite believe that he'd actually done it. It came more as a bitter triumph in his taste, but still a triumph and one he couldn't help but grin at.

He was also guarenteed a punch in the jaw from Naruto for this latest stunt.

His feet hit a branch the wrong way and water was dumped from branches overhead in bucketfuls, jolting him back to the present at hand. Sasuke's grin faltered slightly and he felt the crease that usually formed between his eyebrows furrowing once again. Even with this triumph, dark thoughts seemed to always be seeping into his mind, invading the calm blankness that had settle since he had started out.

Itachi. That was all Tsunade-sama had needed to say to catch his attention. The dread had been tangible, curling like poison in his stomach and up to his throat. Only a few hours back from a team mission and he was being sent away on what could only be considered a suicide mission. The white sheet of paper that was safely tucked away inside Sasuke's shirt next to his skin seemed to be burning a hole in the cloth.

Find him, kill him, or die trying. That was the mission. And as thrilling as it was to be on his own for the first time in almost a year now, the first thought Sasuke had when he received the paper was of Naruto. He would try to come with, no doubt. He would swear and he would be angry, and all in all, it would have been better not to tell him at all, but somehow, Sasuke couldn't bring himself to do it.

Sasuke came to a stop, using chakra to brace his feet on the slippery bark of an oak, his breath puffing out in clouds into the damp air. Naruto's lips had been so soft and so warm… His fingers had been calloused, his expression the stupid, dumb look he gave when he was surprised.

Sasuke's face turned to the sky, looking up at the dark green leaves of summer. The rain had faded from it's original downpour into more of a drizzle, but it was steadily trying to soak through Sasuke's mission cloak. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he's been holding in a sigh, tilting his face toward a nearby pine tree but not quite looking at it.

"How long are you going to follow me?" He asked, just loud enough to carry but quite enough not to alert any enemies nearby.

The branches rustled slightly and Kakashi landed on a branch in plain sight, eye uplifted in faint amusement and slight boredom. He eyed Sasuke before leaning against the tree.

"When did you notice?" He asked, reaching behind him to tug a familiar looking book from beneath his own cloak.

"Five meters outside the gates." Sasuke said. He looked down at his hands and tried to flex some of the growing numbness from them. He flipped them over and looked at some of the silvery thin scars that lined them. "Still won't let me leave without babysitting, huh." He murmured.

"Well it can't be considered babysitting if the Council didn't send me." Kakashi replied and smiled at the sharp look Sasuke sent his way.

"You followed me of your own volition?" He said accusingly, distrust brimming his eyes. His answer was an increased smile and the book coming up to cover half of Kakashi's face.

Sasuke snorted. "I'm done here." He turned to leave but was stopped by a playful: "You'd better come back for him."

Sasuke froze, legs braced already to launch himself to the next branch and blinked.

"Naruto. You really didn't think I didn't know, right?"

Sasuke's icy gaze turned back to Kakashi, distrust becoming fury in an instant, and Kakashi's eyes flickered up from whatever page he was reading and pierced Sasuke. "Or are you angry that you didn't detect your presence while you were there?"

"Goddamn motherf-" Sasuke started to draw his katana. Kakashi had been eaveszdropping again? Why now?

Kakashi held up his hands in submission. "It's okay, it's okay. I'll forgive you since you were… preoccupied." The sword thunked into the trunk beside Kakashi's head, some of the electricity emanating from it making his hair sand on end and searing one side of his mask.

"You won't. Say. A word."

"I never intended on it." Kakashi replied to the unspoken threat. "I did wonder if you wanted me to make sure that he didn't do anything stupid while you were gone though. I know you usually take that job."

Sasuke moved his hand away from his kunai pouch, still itching to send one flying at Kakashi's ever-grinning face. He's shoulders were still tensed, but Kakashi did normally keep his word. Maybe having him watch Naruto for a while wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"… Catch?"

Kakashi slid his book back inside the volumous tan folds of his cloak and held out both palms before him. "None at all. Just doing you a favor." His eyelids lowered and his hands dropped to be stuffed into his pockets. "You need to be focused when you meet him."

Sasuke's fists clenched by his side. "Sure." He stared at the rough bark beneath his feet. "Until I come back from my… fight."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "Not revenge?"

Sasuke didn't say a word. He wasn't actually sure what this was for anymore. He was strong, he was ready, and somehow, throughout all the bitter resentment he felt for Itachi, going after him now didn't have the venom it used to. It was… tasteless.

Kakashi gave him a steady look before shrugging quietly. "I'll tell him you say goodbye since you didn't give him a very good one." There was only a blur before he was gone, the branch he had been standing in shivering where it missed his weight.

Sasuke didn't move for a while, then hopped to the tree Kakashi had been standing in before gripping his leather-bound hilt and placing his fingers on the metal conductor strip that channeled his electricity and tugging harshly. A few chips of food flew away and sailed to the forest floor beneath him as the blade came free, silvery and sharp in the overcast light. A few drops of rain trailed down the blade and slid of the point before Sasuke sheathed it again.

What was he doing this for? It wasn't for the money, it wasn't for recognition, it wasn't for the village, and it wasn't for revenge. All it was, was a task.

Blue eyes flashed in his vision along with a wisp of blonde hair and the smell of sunshine and ramen. Running a hand through his bangs and smoothing them back to his scalp, Sasuke smirked at the irony of it all. Maybe he wasn't doing this for himself at all.

Naruto slurped up the last of his fourth bowl of noodles at Ichiraku's sitting back with a heavy sigh of contentedness. He patted his still flat stomach happily, listening to Sai's and Sakura's voices as they chatted beside him, Sai still finishing up his first bowl of miso while Sakura filled out paperwork on and off.

"God. Just up and leaves like that." She bit the tip of her pencil, looking distraught and Sai gave her a papery smile.

"He has tended to do that. I read a book that said that some people are like that, and I guess that Sasuke is one of those people." He said.

Naruto snapped his chopsticks, mood darkening slightly. He did just up and leave didn't he? Not even a full day after they came back from their last mission.

"He was called away on a mission." Naruto said and itched his bottom lip quietly, rememebering the feel of Sasuke's mouth over his, his arm slithering around his waist and pulling him against a lean, lithe body.

Sakura gave him a withering look. "Well, I know that of course, but even Lady Tsunade-sama didn't tell me about an upcoming mission like this!" She gave a huff, hooking her ankles around the bottom of her barstool and leaning backwards, stomach flexing to keep herself upright. "Heard it was long term though…" She muttered.

Sai seemed his indifferent, impassive self as he tipped the last of the miso broth from his bowl and set it down with a dull clink on the tarnished wood. "Guess that means we go on mission a person short for a while." He said.

Naruto felt something twist in his stomach. Missions without Sasuke. Just mission with him and Sai and Sakura. It kind of hurt. The missions with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were like breaths of fresh air, like Sasuke had never left and they'd always been doing this. The missions with the three of them and Sai was an accustomed thing, a remembrance of some sorts. But missing Sasuke was like starting all over again. That was something that definitely hurt.

"Sent off so suddenly…" Sakura pouted and leaned her head on her fist, bubblegum pink hair mashing to the side of her face.

Sai blinked and slid his bowl forward, taking out a sketch pad and beginning to scribble lightly. "Do you think it could be Itachi?"

Both Naruto and Sakura whipped their heads at him, shock written on their faces. A stand in waitress leaned over the counter and took Naruto's bowls into the back of the shop. Sai gave them both wide-eyed looks, clearly not understanding why they were so shaken. "Well, it seems like the only logical reason, right? Sent of so suddenly on a long-term mission and of all people sending Sasuke?"

Naruto's mind flew back to Sasuke's conversation with him that morning. 'It's an S-rank Criminal and only someone I can deal with.' Suddenly, the panic came flooding back into his system with the force of a tidal wave.

"They can't send him off to face Itachi on his own!" Sakura blubbered, distress mounting in her green eyes and Sai gave her a confused look. Sakura was now on the verge of hysterics."It's just not right! He's been a menace for years, and Sasuke could get hurt! He has no support, no back-up, no time to even tell us where he was going, and he could… he could d-"

"It's okay. He said he'd come back."

Sakura stopped, turning to Naruto and Sai gave him an odd look. Naruto gave Sakura a bright white smile of reassurance. "He promised he wouldn't leave again, and that means he can't die, right?" Somehow, Naruto felt that instead of reassuring Sakura he was somehow reassuring himself.

"Besides, even if we tried to now, we wouldn't be able to catch up with him now. Supposing Tsunade-sama allowed us." Sai piped in. He was still sending Naruto strange looks, but Sakura seemed to find this news something final and slumped down, her shoulders hunching as she picked up her dropped pencil and began to tap it against one cream cheek.

"Guess you're right…" She said, but she sounded so dejected and so down-trodden. Then she looked up and scrutinized Naruto. "Wait, where did you hear that from, Naruto?" She asked.

Naruto blinked at her and gave her a large overbright smile. "From Sasuke himself." He replied.

Sakura now looked miffed and Sai looked… thoughtful. Not always a good sign.

"Oh, so Sasuke only went to go see Naruto," Sakura griped and Naruto gulped as her pouting returned.

Sai gave him a sadistic look before pulling on his innocent, pasted on smile and remarking cheerfully, "That must mean Sasuke really likes you more that he likes us." He said.

Naruto's face began to heat and he pinched his thigh beneath the counter, images flooding his mind, Sasuke's lips, pressing up against him, the smell of mint-

Naruto stood up abruptly, startling everyone in the ramen shop including the waitress that had returned to try and take Sai's bowl away. "Uh-Um… I just realized I have to go home and do some… stuff…" Naruto burbled, shoving the words out of his mouth in only semi-coherent sentences. He backed up quickly, leaving a substantial amount of money on the table. They could keep the change.

"O-Oh…" Sakura stuttered, caught off guard and trying to pull herself out of her pouting mood to figure out what Naruto needed to do that was so urgent. Sai was sending Naruto knowing glances filled with a curiosity that set Naruto's nerves on edge.

"I'll see you guys later. Thanks for the ramen." Naruto had barely finished before he was pushing through the storefront flaps and heading onto the streets toward his apartement.

The thoughts were raiding him of his sanity. He felt angry and elated and lonely all at the same time. His best friend had just left after kissing him. And not in the accidental of friendly way. Naruto felt kind of betrayed in a way. Sasuke had the nerve to come, blurt out some silly love proclamation and use Naruto's confusion to kiss him, and then just leave on a long term mission.

Naruto's throat constricted. Long term could mean from three of four weeks to one of two years. Who knew when Sasuke would come back. Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets, then yelped as a raindrop slid off a nearby roof and trickled down the back of his shirt down his spine. He shivered, glad that the actually rain had stopped.

Would make travel easier for Sasuke.

Part 2 of the 3-shot. Enjoy it. I don't make these often XD

Ahh Kakashi. What a dickwad you are.

Sai too. You're the devil. And it's all my fault X3

Sometimes I can't believe I actually spout this stuff... I don't actually plan stories... just make a rough draft in my head and then Naruto and Sasuke start to take over, tell me I'm doing everything wrong and write it themselves... and then it turns out a crumpled mess like this that people actually LIKE. Imagine my surprise.

Little update... To any of you who know NaNoWriMo, I'm participating this year. Wish me luck, but it means I'll be inactive the whole month of November.

For those of you who don't know what the hell NanoWriMo is, it's a writing competition. You start on November 1st and write till the end of the month and the goal is to reach 50,000 words by that time. Tough as hell, and so much fun. JOIN. WE LOVE PEOPLE. (we swear we're not cannibals)

Song: Fidelity - Regina Spektor (I totally recommend her... her voice is so beautiful and rounded, and her songs are so simple, sweet and eye-catching)

... Tada?