Chapter 2 - Team Adjustments

After several long months life bumped into a normal routine. Sasuke's change was true and complete. He lived with Naruto for a while before renting an apartment at the end of his probationary period.

If there was any surprise among his old friends that he chose a small simple one-room flat far away from the old Uchiha compound, then no one mentioned it. Privately, Sasuke did confirm to Naruto and Sakura that being so close to those old wounds did make him hurt. But he no longer sought revenge for it. And they both marveled anew at the change in him.

While Sasuke stayed with him, Naruto noticed that Sasuke had become quieter and more thoughtful than he had been before. He meditated. And the sarcastic remarks and competitive zingers that peppered their childhood conversations were gone completely. Sasuke was polite and reserved.

So, to make Sasuke feel more comfortable, Naruto became quieter too. He mirrored Sasuke's behavior, giving him the space he thought he needed.

Naruto dropped hints about going out to train, announcing loudly that he was going out to the forest to run through some kunai drills that they had competed in quite heavily when they were children. But Sasuke never joined him. Most times he never even looked up. Just gave Naruto a quick two-finger wave. Naruto tried not to feel put out. Time, he told himself, time would bring everything back to the way it was.

But even when Sasuke moved out and Naruto was free to lounge around his apartment again, leave drawers open and things a mess, he still didn't feel quite right.

Sakura, to Naruto's great surprise, seemed to be more comfortable with Sasuke than even he was. Talking and listening and understanding in that beautiful straightforward way that she had with all their classmates. Sasuke now was one of them. Respected and worth listening to, not someone to fear or judge. And her treatment of him, Naruto was pleased to see, informed the rest of their friends' behavior. If Sakura thought he was trustworthy, then others did too.

At Sasuke's new apartment, Naruto sat at the little round table in silence, head propped on his hand, and listened as Sakura worked her magic. With his index finger he pushed a discarded chopstick around the table.

Sakura's voice had been a steady hum through dinner, as it was every time they were all together lately. She would recount stories to draw Sasuke out, asking deeper questions than Naruto ever thought to ask, then steer around other topics, keeping everything light and friendly. Naruto had to admit it worked. Sasuke was slowly opening up to her. To them.

Naruto didn't feel left out. Far from it, in fact. Naruto knew she often included him in her stories, even introducing topics that only Naruto knew the whole story of so he would be forced to recount it. Other times, she would just give him a significant look, always encouraging him to jump in.

But he couldn't find the right words. The little anecdotes wouldn't come to him. It just wasn't as easy as when they were kids. And he didn't know why.

Besides, he would always tell himself when his silence stretched out long enough for Sakura to notice, it was better that she do all the talking. She was working so hard to draw Sasuke out, to heal their wounds and incorporate him back into their lives…why interrupt? This was more important for her, after all…this was what she had always wanted. Sasuke had returned. And she was happy….

He sighed deeply and slumped closer to the table.

And, of course, that made him happy. And why shouldn't it? This was his best friend and the one who Sakura loved. They both had gotten what they'd always wanted…right?

But another thought whispered in his mind before he could stop it. Then why doesn't it feel right? And that awful out-of-balance feeling was back again. It was always there these days, no matter how hard he ignored it.

He pushed his head down on the table, too tired to fight it, and told himself just to be happy to listen to their voices.

They stopped talking for a moment to laugh at him. Sakura gently chided him, telling him to go lie down on Sasuke's futon and she'd wake him when it was time to go. Naruto grinned but shook his head, never opening his eyes. He was rewarded with the feeling of Sakura's fingers tousling the back of his hair. He breathed deeply and tipped his head up into her hand. It was enough to soothe his troubled mind. As they continued talking, he drifted off to sleep.

Hours later, he woke up alone on the futon. The dishes were still sitting on the table, and a pre-dawn glow was coming through the windows.

A blanket had been pulled over him, a sure sign that Sakura had seen to his sleeping arrangement. He was pretty sure Sasuke would have left him at the table. His friend might have changed, but not that much.

He began clearing the dishes while Sasuke slept. Naruto allowed himself a smile at the thought of Sakura taking care of him last night. But he still looked for flashes of the girl — his old Sakura-chan — the one who was so focused on Sasuke-kun, always working hard as a shinobi to catch his eye. Yet she seemed to be gone too.

Just as Sasuke lived this monkish existence compared to the precocious hot-headed ninja he was before he left, Sakura was different now too. She did not blush or preen. She didn't talk about missions or her accomplishments as a shinobi. Instead she talked about civilian life — the hospital and healing techniques.

It was boring stuff, Naruto thought, but when Sakura offered to show Saskue around the hospital the during her lunch shift the next day, Naruto was surprised to hear Sasuke accept her offer.

He rinsed the last plate. When had his two friends changed so much?

He dried it and put it away, then turned back to the quiet, empty room. He couldn't escape the next obvious thought… If they had changed so much, then where did that leave him?

He grabbed his keys and left before any other disconcerting thoughts had a chance to ambush him.

It wasn't until a few weeks later that he discovered the lunch time visit to the hospital had turned into a standing lunch date.

Naruto was coming in from a mission just in time to see them ducking into Ichiraku's. Sakura cupped her hand over her eyes and saw him coming down the lane.

"Naruto! Are you just getting in? Come eat with us! My treat!"

She grinned as he swung away from the team assembled for that mission. She knew him too well. Food always trumped a bed or a shower. Especially when someone else was paying. Sakura held back the curtain flap for him, and ruffled his air as he ducked under her arm. He smiled tiredly up into her face.

Sasuke's greeting was a little more reserved, but that was Sasuke.

Sakura was jovial and talkative as always, and after he'd answered all her questions, he thought he'd settle into the soothing steam of his bowl of ramen.

It was Sasuke however, that surprised him.

He spoke to Sakura like an old friend. More animated than he ever was before. He would have thought that Sakura was a miracle worker had she not whispered that they were having lunch every day when Sasuke got up to fetch them more napkins.

She couldn't have surprised him more had she kicked the stool out from underneath him.

Sakura's eyes were alight with her success. "He's opening up a lot more, don't you think?"

She expected an answer, but all Naruto could muster was a, "Yeah, I guess." Sasuke came back, saving him from having to add more.

They all turned back to their food, but Naruto ate without tasting it.

From then on, he was painfully aware of how far apart they were growing. Sakura might have been pulling Sasuke out of his shell, but the three of them sure as hell weren't growing any closer together.

And when Naruto met up with them after that, he became painfully aware of Sasuke's interests.

Sasuke didn't just talk to Sakura, he seemed to soak her in. He studied her, noticing her hair, her eyes, the lines on her face after a long shift. Sakura, Naruto was pleased to discover, seemed immune to the extra attention. Except for one time he caught her blushing when Sasuke had looked at her a little too long. He was sure they'd both forgotten he was even with them.

If lunches were for the two of them — of course with an open invitation to Naruto, Sakura would always remind him — then dinners were strictly a team affair. A few nights a week, they gathered at Sasuke's house to have what Sakura called a Team Dinner.

But Naruto really didn't see how it was that. It had been months and months since he'd been back, and Naruto wasn't any closer to Sasuke than he was when he crashed into his campsite that first night.

But he wanted them to be a team again too. Maybe even start up missions as soon as Tsunade allowed it. So he bit down his frustration, smiled at Sakura and let her drag him off to Sasuke's.

One night after dinner, unable to stand listening to another long chat (which he never contributed to anyway), Naruto said he would walk home early.

Sakura frowned, but he fibbed about an early meeting with Tsunade. He said he was going to take the long way and enjoy the sunset. Sakura was still not convinced. He could see the question in her eyes, but she didn't press him.

And once he got out into the mild evening air, he realized his lie wasn't a half-bad idea.

He strolled down to the river and mulled their situation.

Naruto didn't know what was wrong with him. He should be happy. Their team was back together. But he felt like they were a team in name only.

That out-of-balance feeling was back, and worse…he felt like the odd man out of their group.

He picked up a stone and skipped it across the river. The water shattered into glassy diamonds

If he were honest with himself, he felt like he did when he was a kid. Never fitting in anywhere.

He scowled and pitched another stone.

But this was his team, he thought. They should all just fit right back together, like before.

He was beginning to wonder if things had changed too much for all of them. They'd grown too far apart. Well, he felt it. He wasn't exactly sure those two felt it, he groused.

Naruto lobbed another stone, but it landed with a ker-plunk in the water, never skipping. He picked up another stone and bounced it in his hand while he thought.

They just weren't acting like a team…. Maybe if they did some of the things they used to do. Drills, simulations, even line up a few low-level missions. Naruto bounced the stone, feeling slightly giddy at the discovery. This was how he'd bring them all back together!

He skipped the stone with everything he had. It bounced across the water until he lost sight of its path in the glimmering reflections of the setting sun.

The next day, he knew where he could find Sasuke. Lunch with Sakura.

And that's where Naruto waited for him. Leaning against the low wall outside the hospital where he'd seen Sasuke wait for her. Standing in that spot, he refused to let his mind wander, imagine that he was Sasuke and that she was coming out all smiles just for him.

She was always smiling, at everyone. It was one of the things he loved about her. But he knew she she loved Sasuke, so he always watched her, trying to interpret her wide smiles whenever he showed up.

Naruto swung a pair of kunai on his finger. He may not have the gift of conversation they had, but Naruto had never communicated with him through words. Always through sparring. That's where they're bond came from. Why hadn't he thought of it before?

Right on time, Sasuke walked up. He nodded at Naruto, then smiled past him as Sakura came out of the hospital building. Naruto watched his expression shift to admiration, and suddenly he felt this wasn't such a great idea.

Sakura didn't seem to notice Sasuke's attention though. "Hi Naruto, want to join us for lunch? I've just got time for a quick bite." The sun was in Sakura's hair, and she looked hopefully into his face. But Naruto cut his eyes to Sasuke.

"Uh, actually I was hoping Sasuke might want to go spar with me instead."

The subtle shift in their expressions told him the answer before either one spoke.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, his black eyes serious, "I…I don't feel like sparring anymore. I know it sounds crazy, but—"

"Nah, it's ok. Maybe some other time." Naruto swiftly pocketed the kunais, trying to hide his sudden blaze of anger. He knew now he shouldn't have interrupted their little "date."

"Naruto, you don't understand." Sasuke looked pained. "I don't feel like doing any of it anymore. Sparring, fighting…. Being a ninja."

Sakura nodded sympathetically, but she wasn't surprised. Naruto stared back, slack-jawed, at both of them.

It must be a joke, he decided. "You don't know what you're talking about," Naruto said with a laugh. "You're still getting used to things. Back on your feet. Sakura agrees with me, don'tcha Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto," she said softly, "people change. It's a lot more complicated than that." She moved to touch his arm, but Naruto back stepped out of her reach. His frustration had finally boiled over.

He jabbed a finger at Sasuke. "Is this why you've been so quiet? Talking to her and not me?"

Sasuke sighed. "No. I've just been trying to sort things out. I wasn't keeping anything from you. I don't know what I want to do now. But…I know what I don't want to do."

"We're all like that! Nobody's got everything figured out. C'mon and go out to the training fields with me. We'll just throw at targets. It'll make you feel better—"

But Sasuke shook his head, sadly but firmly. "I think…. I think my days as a shinobi are behind me."

"Then…." Naruto gulped, pink rising in his cheeks, his voice rising with his anger. "Then where does that leave us?!"

"I don't know, I'm still trying to figure it all out—"

"You're trying to figure it out?! There's nothing to figure out! We can't be a team with a shinobi, an Uchiha and," Naruto hesitated for a breath then plunged ahead, "and his girlfriend!"

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped in surprise.

Sasuke rubbed a hand down his face. "I told you he wouldn't take it well," he muttered to Sakura, sounding for the first time like the Sasuke of old.

"If you feel that way, then we can't be a team," Naruto yelled. But the others didn't respond. And the harsh reality set in. His voice dropped to a whisper. "We can't be a team."

Sakura spoke into the awful silence, "Naruto," she began softly, but Naruto cut her off.

"This is what you've been talking about isn't it? Dissolving the team. Only you didn't know how to tell me."

"No Naruto," Sakura said stridently. "It wasn't just about that. But Sasuke's changed. And he wants to change his life too. He doesn't want to hurt anyone else. And I," she glanced at Sasuke, smiling slightly, "I support that."

Naruto shook his head as if he expected as much from her. "You're wrong, Sasuke. Team 7 isn't about hurting anyone else, it's about protecting the ones we love."

"Not for me it wasn't," Sasuke said darkly. Naruto looked up, anger sharp in his clear blue eyes. "I did it for revenge. I had nothing left to protect except you two. And I turned my back when you needed me. And I nearly killed you—" he nodded at Sakura. Sasuke grit his teeth and shook his head of to rid himself of the memory. "No," he rejoined firmly. "I don't want to go through that again. I'll support everything you do, in any way I can, but I can't be a shinobi anymore. I just can't."

Naruto his hands in his pockets. He looked for a moment like he wanted to say something more — something vicious by the way he locked his jaw together – but he didn't. Without a word he turned on his heel and walked away.

"Naruto, stop! You don't know the whole—"

Sasuke put his hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Just give him some time. He'll understand eventually." He sighed, adding quietly, "This is what I was afraid of."

So Sakura just stood and watched him go. He went down the lane, kicking gravel hard, until he turned out of sight. Her shoulders drooped. Sasuke slid off his hand. "Sorry about lunch today."

"It's alright," she sighed. "I have to get back."

He nodded, waved goodbye and headed up the lane in the opposite direction from Naruto. Sakura stood alone in the sun in front of the hospital, watching him go as well. When he was gone, she looked back to the corner where Naruto had angrily turned, half-expecting to see him lurking there. But no familiar mop of hair broke the hard edge of the building. He was gone.

Sakura turned and trudged back to the hospital.

#####

Naruto walked in the direction of his apartment building in a blind anger. He felt betrayed. By both of them. He had felt like something was wrong for a long time now. Well something was wrong. And it was them.

Sasuke had ruined everything. He was still running the show, still determining the course of their lives. They all had to work hard to keep up with Sasuke's lust for revenge. Then he left, leaving he and Sakura to search for him for years. And now that he's back…he just wanted to wave his hand and have their team disappear.

And then there was Sakura. Naruto swore softly to himself. He couldn't believe her, of all people— He knew she'd always loved Sasuke, but he didn't think she was capable of this. Dropping everything just for Sasuke. Choosing him….

He balled his hand into a fist. Her betrayal cut the deepest.

He'd thought their team meant more to her. He thought he meant more— They'd worked together for so long, they had such great harmony…. Now the thought of her, throwing it all away for Sasuke, smiling and talking and laughing and—

Images sprang unbidden of Sakura, laughing with her hand on Sasuke's shoulder, then leaning closer, her eyes on his face, her mouth sweet and parted and expectant….

Naruto closed his mind to it and swore again.

He looked up, realizing he was in front of his apartment building. The thought of going in there was unbearable. He needed to be out doing something…. Being a ninja, he thought viciously.

He stood for a moment, chewing his lip and weighing his options, getting angrier and angrier, until he burst out, yelling "Screw 'em!" at the building.

A startled passerby looked over, then hurried on past the angry youth.

"Screw 'em," Naruto repeated softly. "Let 'em have each other. They don't need me, and I don't need them."

He'd made up his mind. He turned on his heel and walked directly to Tsunade's office, letting his anger fuel him.

They might have given up on shinobi life, but he sure as hell wasn't going to.


Author's Note: Thanks everyone for the reviews, faves and alerts! Like I said, things will get angsty (for both Sakura and Naruto). But I hope you enjoy! Read and review!