Chapter 3 : Apathy
Several incidents happened over the course of the next week, including a rather perilous, S-rank mission trip to the Land of the Waves, where the team miraculously managed to defeat Zabuza Momochi, one of Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, and his right hand man, Haku. In the course of the extraordinarily dangerous mission, Miyako had received the news from Naruto that Sasuke, who, during the battle had astoundingly activated his Sharingan, had been killed by the child prodigy Haku while trying to protect Naruto from further harm. Two hours later, however, after everything had sorted itself out, it was to Miyako's greatest dismay to hear that Sasuke was, in fact, still alive.
The S-rank mission that had accidentally been assigned to team seven was undoubtedly the most intense and exhilarating task the Genin had all week, and as they soon came to realize, all month. After the missions office realized they had completely jeopardized the lives of four young Genin and their sensei, they made sure to assign strictly D-rank missions and nothing higher.
At the same time, the relationship between Uchiha Sasuke and Tsubaki Miyako had worsened since their previous encounter in Miyako's apartment. The two Genin made it a priority to snap at one another whenever possible, though both got along with the rest of their teammates perfectly well. Their hostility towards each other was evident, and, as Kakashi tiredly pointed out one evening, the bickering and bantering was indisputably getting in the way of their teamwork.
"If you two hadn't been arguing, we would've been finished with the mission ages ago," said Kakashi wearily, "and I wouldn't have had to pay to spend the night here…"
Sasuke snorted, and Miyako sighed. Personally, she too was growing a bit tired of their quarreling. Kakashi stifled a yawn and waved his students off the front porch, indicating that they go into their separate rooms to sleep.
Miyako glanced over at Sasuke, half expecting him to continue his rant from earlier today about how the Tsubaki clan was beyond pathetic, but her frustration seemed to vanish instantly. His head was raised towards the dark, empty sky, and the lustrous, full moon gleamed against his coal-black eyes, eyes that were filled with an inexpressible amount of sorrow.
He seemed to have sensed her curious stare, for he stood up abruptly, causing Miyako to turn her gaze away immediately. Without another word, the two of them stepped inside.
Moonlight shimmered against through the opaque, blurred window, allowing several beams of silvery light to illuminate the dark room. The strings of light glowed majestically as they gently hit a pair of closed eyes. Her chest rose slightly as she slept. The moonlight intensified, and she stirred; her eyebrows furrowed she felt the light against her eyes, and she awoke, squinting.
Miyako ran her fingers through her tangled hair and shifted to the left in order to avoid the brightness. She blinked blankly as she adjusted her vision to the dark, now feeling wide-awake.
She turned her head sharply as she heard silent, solid footsteps slowly pass by her room, but relaxed upon hearing the footsteps pass by her room. Miyako reached back behind her head and tightened the knot of her mask as she threw her covers aside; ever since Sasuke had appeared out of nowhere in her room and attempted to remove her mask, she had thought it best to sleep with her mask on, despite it being rather uncomfortable.
She had barely walked a few feet before she recognized the back of the figure sitting outside along the edges of the porch. Her heart tensed in irritation, but she ignored it and began walking towards him, an action her brain interpreted as bizarre.
It was a good deal cooler outside, especially now that the full moon had risen to its highest extent in the ink-like, starless sky. Sasuke turned his head slowly as he heard her approach him, his charcoal colored eyes blending almost perfectly with the night sky. Surprisingly, he said nothing upon recognizing her, and he continued to stare wordlessly at the radiant moon, even as she sat down on the porch, making sure to distance herself.
The two were silent for several minutes—the wooden clock in the hallway ticked by incessantly.
"Nights like these," Sasuke began quietly, closing his eyes, "remind me of that one night…"
His voice trailed off into the soundless night. Miyako said nothing, but she nodded slightly, aware of the meaning behind his ambiguous statement.
For once, he had not opened their conversation with a crass remark, and for that, some part of Miyako was grateful. Perhaps it was the fact that he was half-awake. Of course, she still abhorred the Uchiha, but the lonesome, abandoned flicker in his clouded eyes seemed to temporarily mute the displeasure she normally felt towards him.
Sasuke scoffed softly, his lips twisting upwards into a weary smirk. "It's been years… and just from looking at the full moon reminds me of that vivid night. The fact that I'm so much weaker than he is… it sickens me."
"Well, I'm sure you could improve drastically just from replacing the time you insult me with training," she said coolly.
Sasuke chuckled, and for the first time, he turned to face her, his eyes glinting with indifference.
"Tomorrow, then," he said, smirking.
Miyako turned around. Sasuke looked fairly different without his forehead protector; it made him look slightly older.
"Tomorrow…?"
"We'll settle things tomorrow," answered Sasuke, pushing himself backwards and leaning against a pillar.
"Tch," she scoffed, rolling her eyes and looking elsewhere. The aggravation towards him was beginning to return. "You Uchihas and your pride… you're challenging me fairly, then? No more tricks?"
The familiar smirk returned. "Of course."
"Then what happens if I win?"
"Impossible," he replied as he shook his head, causing Miyako frown with resentment. He was always underestimating.
"If I win," she said coldly, "you won't say another word about the Tsubaki clan."
Sasuke laughed softly. "Is that all you're asking for? Whereas when I win, you have to succumb to everything I say… seems like a win-win situation for me, especially—" he smirked. "Especially since I'll be the one to emerge victorious, anyway. I do hope you're ready."
"You're the challenger," replied Miyako icily as she stood up, glaring at her teammate in disgust. "Who are you to think I'm unprepared?"
And without another word, she swept away, her black attire disappearing into the darkness of the hallway within an instant. Underneath her mask, her lips were curled into a snarl as she reentered her room with nothing but his spiteful smirk imprinted in her mind.
