Author's Notes: Thanks for your reviews. Next is up. Enjoy...
The sun rose slowly in the Village hidden in the Leaf. Rays of different colours created a beautiful scenery, Konoha truly looked beautiful. People were starting to fill the streets and get to their duties quickly. The day looked very promising from anyone's perspective.
Naruto had never enjoyed his stay in his rundown apartment in the beginning, but as time went on it was a custom that he welcomed wholeheartedly. The place wasn't much, it was relatively small, but it meant so much to him. It was a place that provided the luxury of shelter, something he very well knew was a precious human right. It was difficult to live in the apartment, with constant death threats and sometimes physical attacks on his birthday, ridiculous rent and water bills, shoddy deco. It wasn't a place one would call home, but he would fight to keep it if it meant not living on the streets.
He was used to sleeping alone, I mean who would want to share a place with a demon? It was hard to be in constant solitude, he always sought what most people had, good friends. He wanted people that would come visit, and stay for a sleep over or something, but those were just the fantasies of a lonely misunderstood boy. He slowly, groggily, opened his eyes. He didn't have to strain his brain because of his trusted muscle memory. He lazily got up from the couch, taking a brief note of the blanket. He yawned and stretched his limbs, then he went to the bedroom.
He walked into the room and slowly undressed, not registering the sound of a shower being used. He walked to the nightstand and made sure that the Team seven photo was still on it. Once that was settled he removed the remainder of his clothing and then made his way into the bathroom. He yawned again and then made his way to the shower door, ignoring the alarm bells ringing in his head. He hadn't allowed his brain to fully adjust to the waking world, so at the moment he was still running on auto-pilot.
He approached the shower door casually and then opened it. Steam clouded his vision but it was of no consequence to him, nothing harmful was happening, so there wasn't a need to be alert yet. He started to enter but froze when he heard a gasp, that came from inside the shower. He tiredly squinted his eyes to get a clear look on what had caused that noise, maybe he was just hearing things? His train of thought was stopped when he gazed into onyx irises. He analyzed the figure up and down and then looked at the face again, which was sporting a huge blush. Onyx irises also took in his form and the blush only intensified.
It seemed that time had stopped as the two stared at each other. It only took mere seconds for Naruto's brain to start functioning, and when it did Naruto's eyes widened. He realized that he was naked, and...Sasuke was naked...
"AAAHHH!" Birds flew away in fear of the scream, it sounded like someone had made a horrific discovery.
"What was that?" Tsunade asked in alarm from her office.
"I'm not sure. Do you think we should investigate?" Shizune asked nervously.
"...No, we have a lot of work to do," Tsunade said seriously and stared at the stacks of paperwork that needed her attention.
Naruto was sitting at the kitchen table, fully clothed. He chastised himself for walking in on a naked Sasuke, and for also screaming like a girl. He had run out of the bathroom like a bat out of hell, this had to be one of the most embarrassing things that he ever had to endure. He was actually dreading what Sasuke would do when she came out of the bedroom, as a woman she had every right to seek justice for his acts. Damn Sasuke! Why couldn't she have given him a hint or something! He had to fight off the images of Sasuke's naked-and wet- body out of his mind before perverted thoughts started to overtake him.
He was blushing up a storm. He had never seen a naked girl before, not in detail, and...Damnit, stop thinking about it!
He heard the bedroom door open and he nervously gulped, ANBU could never protect him from a scorned woman. His back was to the bedroom door, but it did very little to shake his fears. When he heard footsteps approaching he prayed to Kami that his death would be quick an painless. When he felt Sasuke pass him he took a hesitant glance up and was surprised to see Sasuke, fully clothed, and looking over the food they had.
Naruto just stared at her, if she knew he was staring then she was doing a good job on acting oblivious. She was looking through all the food cabinets, assessing everything and and scowling at his ramen. He kind of took offence to her attitude concerning his food, she looked like she disgusted in what she was seeing. She took a scroll with a brush and proceeded to write something, he couldn't exactly see from his vantage point.
He felt awkward, this whole situation was awkward. He expected her to attack him, right now he was a bit confused in her behavior, but he dared not voice that out.
Sasuke had finished writing and then looked at Naruto with indifference. She walked up to him and saw him visibly flinch, stupid dobe. She put the scroll on the table and waited for him to shake off his nervous demeanor and look at the scroll.
Naruto looked at Sasuke, and then the scroll, and then Sasuke again, said girl only raised a brow at him.
"What is it?" Naruto sputtered out, he was fully prepared for a beat down.
"Grocery list," Sasuke stated simply.
"Wha..?" Naruto looked at her in bewilderment.
Sasuke rolled her eyes,"If I'm going to be living here then I'm not going to eat that crap you call food."
Naruto looked at her weirdly.
"You only have ramen. I will not stand for that. There is plenty of money for fresh and healthy produce. You can wither away in your food obsession if you want, but I will not be joining you," Sasuke stated seriously.
"...Aren't you mad at me?" He couldn't help but blurt it out. The thought had been gnawing at him.
Sasuke rolled her eyes again, she wasn't some stupid girl who would throw a fit just because Naruto saw her naked. She struggled not to blush at the thought.
"*Sigh* It never happened." Sasuke said with finality.
"But you-"
"It never happened!" Sasuke stated more firmly, how dense could Naruto get?
"...Uhhh okay?" Naruto said awkwardly. He still felt like resolving the issue but it seemed like Sasuke was upset enough. He looked at the grocery list again, taking care to look at its contents, and he frowned.
"Mushrooms?" Naruto asked incredulously. Most of the stuff on the list were vegetables and fruits, some were of different meats and poultry.
"I, for one, care about my body dobe," Sasuke said.
"Dude, this stuff is nasty!" Naruto said disgustedly.
"No, that is nasty!" Sasuke retorted, indicating to the stacks of instant ramen.
"No, it's not!" Naruto bit back.
"I don't have time to have petty arguments with you," Sasuke dismissed then made her way to the front door. She stopped and then looked back at Naruto.
Naruto stared at her still form. He was again reminded of the argument they had last night and he didn't know if he should bring it up and apologise, or just leave it as it was. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Sasuke fold her arms, she looked impatient. Naruto couldn't understand it. The only thing that indicated this girl being Sasuke were the eyes and face, and even that was still a stretch.
"Dobe!" Sasuke shouted.
"What?" Naruto said irritably.
"You have all the money and you're supposed to be my caretaker," Sasuke informed.
"So?" Naruto asked carelessly.
"You really are stupid! Do you expect me to go to the markets without any form of currency?" Sasuke stared at Naruto as if he was the biggest loser on earth.
"...Oh." Naruto didn't like that jab but conceded to go with Sasuke, the girl needed food and it was obvious that she would rather die then have his ramen.
The journey to the markets was met with silence. No one had anything to say to each other, they had never really talked so casually before. Naruto found it hard to bring a subject up. Sasuke didn't care for conversation, she just had to get through this.
Naruto knew that they were not on friendly terms, it was obvious, but he realized that he knew close to nothing about her, so he decided to at least give it a shot and get to know his roommate.
"So..." Naruto came up with blanks, he couldn't think of anything to say, he always had something to say!
Sasuke just glanced at him then looked back in front of her.
"I...Since we're going to be living together from now on then I think we need to get to know each other," Naruto said.
Sasuke looked at him and gave him a smirk, "You think I want to get to know a pathetic loser like you?"
Naruto glared at her.
"You're not worth my time Dobe. I don't do light conversations. You'd do everyone a world of good if you stopped talking too much. You know what, Just shut your mouth period," Sasuke dismissed swiftly.
Naruto gritted his teeth, and he actually thought that this experience would help change Sasuke for the better.
"Fine," Naruto said in anger and then stared in front of him. That's the last time he would try to get to know this prick.
Sasuke saw the anger in Naruto and she had to adamantly convince herself that she did the right thing.
They approached the market centre and Sasuke gave Naruto the scroll.
"I know what to buy, you don't. Use the scroll to find the right product. Just focus on the vegetables, I'll handle everything else. When you're done meet me back here," Sasuke said.
Naruto went deeper into the market without a word.
Sasuke's mouth formed a thin line. She could tell that he was still upset with what she said, and she didn't know what to feel about it. She was a bit confused. Naruto was never the one to draw into prolonged anger. She quickly brushed off the thought before it turned serious.
She started looking for the right foods, making sure to take necessities as well as indulgence. This food would be good for her, hell she might even force Naruto to eat it.
Everything seemed to be going fine, nobody seemed to know of who she really was and she kind of felt relieved at that. If people found out that she was a female then there would be no telling what would happen. She could sense the ANBU nearby, but she didn't care. It wasn't like she would be causing trouble anytime soon. She never saw the punch that came and hit her directly on the face, sending her flying until she crashed into a food stand.
"Finally found you bitch! When Shikamaru told me that you were female I couldn't believe it, but he would never lie to me on something serious like this, but I know your face anywhere, even if it looks like a girl's!" Sasuke looked up and found herself staring at a fuming Ino.
"So all this time you led us to believe that you were a guy? Then you betray us and think you can just walk in here like nothing ever happened?!" Ino screamed in fury.
"How is that any of your business?" Sasuke said annoyedly.
"You fucking bitch! Choji nearly died because of you!" A small crowd was gathered to view the bizarre spectacle, some not believing their eyes.
"News flash, I never did anything to that fat meathead. Besides, it was his fault for-" a hard kick to the stomach cut off her statement.
"I can't believe I used to love you, a fake! You're disgusting!" Ino shouted as she kicked Sasuke again, said girl was still on the ground.
Sasuke grunted in pain, her wounds were not fully healed and the stupid blonde was making her condition worse! She got up and prepared to attack Ino, but then froze when she saw the ANBU situated on the rooftops. She realized, to her dismay, that she couldn't fight back or risk getting killed.
Ino took that opportunity to punch Sasuke in the gut and then knee the Uchiha in the chin, putting everything into her anger driven attack.
Sasuke doubled over in pain, and was met with a kick straight to the face. She spit out blood, her body was being mercilessly assaulted. The crowd was too shocked to do anything against the blonde kunoichi.
"I'll kill you! I'll-" Her rant was stopped when someone shoved her away from the battered Uchiha.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Naruto screamed in anger.
"What do you think you idiot?! Nobody else is willing to do the right thing?! Sasuke doesn't deserve to just walk around like she never did a thing to Konoha!" Ino shouted in anger. There was a pause before gasp started going around in the crowd.
Naruto grimaced when he saw the look of recognition in the crowd, so now they knew it was Sasuke, or at least they were curious if Ino's claim was true.
He quickly went to Sasuke and tried to help her get up, but she angrily slapped his hands away.
"Don't touch me!" Sasuke hissed in pain and anger.
Naruto was surprised at the tone.
"I don't need you! I don't need anyone! I'm an Uchiha! I don't need this pathetic village!" Sasuke hissed furiously. She struggled to get on her own feet. When she finally did she tried to numb the pain.
"Still want more?! No problem!" Ino advanced on the girl but she was stopped by Naruto.
Sasuke wiped her mouth of blood, the metallic taste numbing her taste buds. Her body had numerous cuts and bruises, courtesy of the blonde banshee. She looked around and saw the crowd looking at her in pure shock. If they didn't know who she was before then they certainly did now. She looked at the dobe and was momentarily shocked to the core. He was holding Ino back, but that wasn't what shocked her. He was looking at her, and his eyes were cold, emotionless, it forced a shiver out of her. She had never seen Naruto look so coldly towards her, even when they fought at the Valley of the End.
He looked like he didn't care anymore. He looked like someone who had given up. He looked like he lost any concern he had towards her. Sasuke couldn't take it anymore, she quickly limped away from the crowd. She wished she could have run.
"Damnit Naruto! Why are you protecting her huh?!" Ino said as she wrenched away from Naruto.
"I can't believe you Ino! What the hell were you thinking?!" Naruto asked seriously.
"Isn't it obvious?!" Ino bit back.
"Baa-chan isn't going to be happy about this," Naruto said thoughtfully.
"What do you-" Ino looked at the crowd and finally realized her mistake. Konoha was not supposed to know of Sasuke's return and new gender yet. Shikamaru had told her that much. Well...shit.
Sasuke had made it to the apartmant, albeit with difficulty. She knew that if she went to the hospital then she would not be welcomed, Tsunade was very strict. It was hard to get back to the apartment without incident, a lot of people looked at her wide-eyed before she could even make it to Naruto's home. She limped through the bedroom and into the bathroom. She looked at the mirror and couldn't help but grimace.
"I look like hell," she mused painfully. Her hair was all over the place, an ugly bruise was forming on her right cheek and there was a cut on her forehead. Her body fared no better. She shakily opened the medicine cabinet behind the bathroom mirror, it was difficult to move with the pain. She could blame most of the injuries to the chakra suppression seals, they made her body much more weaker, and less tolerant to physical harm. She could tell that her left arm was still bleeding badly.
She could barely hold on to the healing ointment in her hand. She bit her lip and tried to steady herself. She trembled as she tried to open the container. She briefly thought of the fight she had with Ino, well it was only one-sided, so she guessed she should just call it a beat down. That bitch really knew how to lay it out when she was angry. If it hadn't been for the ANBU then Ino would have been in the hospital right now.
The moment she thought of Naruto she dropped the ointment onto the floor, she hissed in pain as she crouched on her knees to pick it up. Naruto's eyes, cold and lifeless, all because of her. The thought alone made her eyes burn.
She had never seen him look like that. Those eyes that sparkled with mischief looked at her like she an enemy, like she was a stranger, and for the first time since she was brought back to Konoha Sasuke felt truly alone. He wasn't going to come and have stupid fights with her anymore. He wasn't going to ramble on about how great he was and how he will be Hokage one day. Maybe he would have those conversations and squabbles, but not with her. Tears gathered in her eyes.
Her hand was trembling so much that she couldn't pick the ointment up, she couldn't even put any bandages on her wounds. Her body started shaking, the pain and hopelessness was slowly starting to eat away at her. She gritted her teath and tried to reach for bandages, but her hand slipped on the basin and she fell back on her knees. She forced herself to quickly grab the ointment and then hissed in pain. Damnit! She didn't need anyone! She didn't need him! She didn't...
Sasuke yelped in surprise when a hand took the container she was holding. She looked up and saw Naruto kneeling next to her.
Naruto gently took the ointment out of her hand and quickly took out some bandages from the cabinet, he could feel Sasuke's eyes on him the entire time. He opened the ointment and started tending to Sasuke wounds, ignoring the frown she sent him.
"I said I don-" Sasuke was cut off with Naruto looking at her sternly.
"Shut up," he ordered then continued to tend to her.
Sasuke kept quiet throughout the entire process, she didn't even protest when he told her that he needed to put the medicine on every part of her body, so she needed to take off he shirt and pants. She ended up in her bra panties while he dealt with her.
Naruto made sure not to stray his vision on intimate areas. This was as far as he could go to tending to her wounds, he will not have her naked, it was already awkward enough.
Sasuke had to admit, she was intimidated with Naruto's serious demeanor. Where was the obnoxious idiot? It was as if Naruto could switch between two persona's with a snap of a finger. It made her wonder if the Naruto she knew was real at all, or just a mask hiding something.
She could see that Naruto was almost done and she started to panic. Was this it? Was he just going to heal her and then be done with it, be done with them? Does he really hate her?
"I'm sorry," She blurted out in a whisper.
Naruto looked at her weirdly, "What are you apologising for?"
"...F-For what I said before," Sasuke said carefully. She hid her nervousness quite well.
"Oh, I thought Uchiha's didn't make mistakes like that. Uchiha's are perfect."
Sasuke frowned, ouch.
"Well, don't worry about it. It's pretty obvious that I can never be worthy enough to be in your presence," Naruto made to leave but was stopped with a hand suddenly grabbing firmly to his arm.
"Look...I didn't mean it like that," Sasuke said.
"Whatever," Naruto said and then tore his arm out of her grip.
"I said I was sorry dobe! You don't have to be such a prick about it!" Sasuke spat when she saw him leave the bathroom, she sighed.
The atmosphere in the apartment was tense. Naruto was in the living room while Sasuke occupied the bedroom. Naruto felt like laughing right now, they only thing that they got out of the day was Ino kicking Sasuke's ass. He was still upset with Sasuke for her earlier words but he had time to deal with the feelings, so he wasn't as angry as he was before. He kind of felt sorry for her, which he shouldn't but did. She was practically alone now, and a target for people to vent their anger, Ino was proof of that.
He should feel angry at Sasuke's betrayal, but if he had to be honest, he didn't, not anymore. His feelings towards her betrayal eventually subsided to indifference. Living with her was proving to be a problem though. Her attitude was still the same stuck up Uchiha visage. It was difficult not to think of asking Tsunade to provide another caretaker for Sasuke. It was hard for them to even stand each other right now.
He heard the bedroom door open and sighed. He didn't need another fight now. He decided not to do anything. Even when she stood next to him, he made no indication to be even aware of her presence. After a few minutes he heard her sigh and then cough, what she said next shocked him.
"Naruto." His had whipped in her direction. He stared at Sasuke in surprise, in the rarity that Sasuke had actually used his name he had never heard her say it like that, so...nervously.
"I-I" she shifted nervously and Naruto did a double take in the change of demeanor.
"I'm sorry." Sasuke bit her lip.
"You already said that," Naruto said with a frown. He didn't know how to deal with the apology because it was actually the first time he had ever heard Sasuke apologise, to him in perticular, but now she looked...he didn't know what she looked like.
"I know, but I mean it. It was never easy for me growing up," Sasuke said.
"You're not the only one," Naruto retorted.
"Yeah, I kind of figured that out from yesterday's conversation," Sasuke said.
"Yeah... I'm sorry too,"
"...So does that mean we're goody goody friends now?" Sasuke asked sarcastically and silently sighed when Naruto looked at her with scowl.
"Tch, you're attitude bounces back pretty quickly huh...mesu," Naruto said annoyedly and then looked away from her.
"It's who I am," Sasuke shrugged. She was glad to see that familiar sparkle of life in his eyes.
"Is it really?" Naruto asked, eyes boring into her.
"Wha-" Sasuke was stopped from voicing her question by a knock on the door. She really wanted to know what he meant but she needed to deal with the visitor. She walked to the door and opened it. She was a bit surprised to see Jiraiya.
"...No way. Don't tell me that the gaki finally found himself a girl," Jiraiya teased with a perverted grin.
Sasuke just gave him a flat look and limped back to Naruto.
A lot of thoughts were going through Jiraiya's mind when he saw the girl's disheveled form, none of those thoughts were innocent.
"Ero-sennin, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked in surprise. He was even more surprised when Sasuke sat right next to him.
"You know why I'm here kid," Jiraiya stated seriously.
Naruto gulped and then looked at Sasuke.
"Hey Sasuke, I think you should leave us alone," Naruto said.
So that was Sasuke. Jiraiya had been told of the situation by Tsunade, but to actually see it for himself was a different story. It was weird, he actually thought that she was Naruto's girlfriend, but that wasn't the case. He sighed in disappointment.
"Why?" Sasuke raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"It's a serious talk!" Naruto retorted with a glare.
"...What are you hiding?" Sasuke glared back. She didn't know much about him, but the dobe looked too suspicious for her.
"None of your business," Naruto said.
"We live in the same roof. Whatever you two are talking about can include me," Sasuke said while folding her arms.
"...Please." Sasuke looked at Naruto and saw the desperate expression. She was surprised, Naruto really looked vulnerable. She had half a mind to agree with his request but something stopped her.
"No, it doesn't matter, whatever it is," Sasuke said softly, trying to provide a sort of reassuring message, which the blonde didn't pick up.
Jiraiya was shocked. Tsunade had told him that Sasuke didn't care about anyone but herself, but he didn't live this long without picking up a few skills on the way. He could see it, Sasuke was concerned about Naruto, she could hide it from the blonde but not a Sannin. It seemed like the Uchiha wanted to stick around to provide some sort of support to the gaki. Jiraiya had to admit, that was new.
"Look Sasuke-"
"It's alright Naruto, maybe it's best that she knows too," Jiraiya said.
"Are you crazy old man?!" Naruto shouted.
"It was bound to happen sooner or later kid. You can't hide it from your friends forever," Jiraiya said.
"..." Jiraiya noticed that Naruto didn't deny being Sasuke friend, which was another surprise.
Sasuke noticed it too, but couldn't figure out what it meant.
"Well-" Naruto started,"-Uhh I might have to go on a three year training trip..."
"...What?" Sasuke asked calmly.
"I might have go on a three year training trip," Naruto repeated.
"Why?" Sasuke immediately asked, she was a bit surprised with how put off she sounded.
"He needs to be prepared. There are people looking for him, bad people," Jiraiya said.
"People looking for the dobe?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"Yes, however I cannot tell you why. It's his choice?" Jiraiya stated seriously while indicating to Naruto.
Sasuke looked at Naruto expectantly.
"I'm sorry Sasuke, but I can't tell you yet," Naruto said nervously.
Sasuke frowned at the statement but did her best to hide her frustration.
"What about my probation. You're supposed to be my caretaker, and you just going to leave?" Sasuke glared at the blonde. This wasn't about any feelings they shared, she didn't want to end up in prison or worse, dead.
"Relax, the trip hasn't been finalized yet and there is a chance that Naruto will stay here for his training. If that happens then we would have to do his training a bit away from the village. If we go on our mission, then you will be assinged another caretaker," Jiraiya said.
Sasuke was not content with that statement, she already had enough problems dealing with Naruto, it would be ten times worse dealing with someone else.
"Whatever decision is made will be in the best interest of the gaki. Well I gotta go. Try not to get too crazy you two," Jiraiya teased then promptly jumped out of the apartment window.
"...He does realize that the door could also be used to leave this place, right?" Sasuke asked with a straight face.
Naruto shrugged and then sighed when Sasuke glared at him.
"So, you're going on a training trip, with a Sannin?" Sasuke tried to hide the jealousy in her voice. Not only will Naruto keep training, but thanks to Jiraiya he would be stronger then her. That wasn't fair.
"It might or might not happen. Look, I don't like this either okay?" Naruto said honestly.
"Why wouldn't you like it? It has so many benefits for you stupid," Sasuke said irritably.
"Well...I promised myself that I would look after you," Naruto said softly.
Sasuke paused when she heard that. She could tell that he wasn't trying to demean her in anyway.
"You can deny it all you want, but I know this is what you need, and I want to...help you," Naruto said.
Sasuke looked at her lap. She didn't expect that from the dobe and she didn't know what to say.
"I know that we're not exactly on the same page, but I want to be there for you. Even after everything that has happened between us." She could tell that he wasn't lying and that made her uneasy.
"You stupid Dobe. You have a huge opportunity and you're worried about me? Did you forget who put a chidori through your chest?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"Did you forget who's rasengan disabled you?" Naruto countered.
Sasuke glared at him.
"...You're an idiot." Sasuke got up and made her way to the bedroom.
"It's not even late" Naruto said in surprise.
"I need to allow these wounds to heal you moron," Sasuke said and then shut the bedroom door.
Naruto sighed. Living with Sasuke was very difficult indeed, there was a lot of bad blood between them, and it seemed like they could never find common ground without resulting to fighting each other. Then there was the training trip that Jiraiya had offered. He didn't want to go. To him, making sure that Sasuke became better was more important then a stupid training trip.
Sasuke was in the room laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. It didn't make any sense. Naruto hated her, right? After everything she did she knew a lot of people hated her, but it didn't seem like Naruto was one of them.
"Why?" She couldn't help but wonder. Why was he willing to go so far for her? She understood that on some level they were the same. They both had no one to call family, Itachi didn't count for her. They both shared a similar childhood, only she wasn't beaten up by the villagers. That thought still plagued her to no end. The villagers, people who worshipped the ground she walked on, beat up Naruto? The dobe had a knack for pranking, but even Sasuke knew he didn't deserve to suffer like that. She was curious but it didn't seem like a subject to bring up.
She sighed yet again. Her life could never be any harder. She was weak now, a lot weaker than before thanks to these chakra suppression seals Tsunade put on her, she couldn't access her curse mark without experiencing unbearable pain. Itachi was becoming an even bigger obstacle everyday.
She had tried to think of ways to receive training in secrecy, but all possible scenarios ended badly for her. Two years was a very long time, she could have gotten real stronger if she was using that period to train, but no such luck.
Her thoughts then strayed back to the dobe and Sasuke found herself giving off a frustrated sigh. He was someone that was on her mind most of the time, she could never shake off the thoughts for too long because they would always come back. Why the hell was he haunting her? He was always in her thoughts and dreams and she couldn't fathom the reason why. Maybe she was going insane?
"I know that we're not exactly on the same page, but I want to be there for you. Even after everything that has happened between us." Those exact words made her feel funny, she couldn't place the feeling at all, but she did feel light-headed when she heard him say that. She wasn't used to feelings of such caliber so she did what was natural, berate Naruto for his idiocy. It was stupid, why would he give up a once in a lifetime opportunity just to stick around someone who had tried to kill him?
The more she thought about, the worse she felt. She couldn't deny it anymore, she felt guilty. Naruto had given her an honest, and open, statement and she admonished him for it. He even helped her with her wounds. Yeah, she sucked with feelings.
"I didn't ask him to," She stubbornly retorted. It didn't take long for her words to seem empty and hollow.
The more she looked at it, the more she realized that Naruto was putting a lot on the line by keeping her here. His friends and comrades will not be happy, hell the villagers will be furious, once they put two and two together. He was risking a lot just to have her in his home. Arg, stupid guilt!
She got up from the bed and made her to the door, she opened it just enough to see Naruto, sitting on the couch and watching TV. He seemed so distracted and Sasuke found herself wondering when she had started to care.
"Hey dobe," She called softly, but since the apartment was small Naruto could hear her loud and clear.
"Huh?" Naruto responded while continuing to watch TV.
"...Thanks." There was a huge pause after that. Naruto was looking at her like she grew a second head and Sasuke mentally kicked herself, subtle much? She felt embarrassed as it was, Naruto didn't have to look at her like that! She really hoped he wouldn't want any details on what she was thankful for. She bit her lip in anticipation.
"Sure Sasuke," Naruto said after he regained his bearings. He was shocked to the core, not only did Sasuke apologise, but she thanked him too, all in one day! Had hell finally froze over?!
Sasuke nodded, she was glad he accepted her gratitude. She closed the door gently.
Naruto was still in a semi state of shock as he looked at the TV screen. Sasuke would have never said those things before. What did it mean? Did that mean he was slowly starting to see the real her and her stupid Uchiha mask. He knew all about fake personas, he lived with one almost all his life. The fake smiles, the fake happiness, all shields from the harsh words and acts of the villagers. When he had looked at Sasuke after she had apologised, and after she had thanked him, he saw something alarming. Sasuke looked vulnerable on both occurrences.
He saw it in her eyes. All his life he thought that Sasuke was nothing more than an egotistic prick, but that wasn't the case a few minutes ago. For the first time in Naruto's life he could admit to seeing some semblance of who the real Sasuke was, and he couldn't help the curiosity that came with that discovery. Did Sauke really have a mask to shield her too? If so then why? She was treated as a hero, none of the villagers had ever treated her badly, so why the mask? It didn't make any sense to Naruto.
He wanted to know. He wanted her to tell him, but now wasn't a good time. She was still healing from her injuries and Naruto knew she didn't need extra baggage. He decided to try tomorrow. He wanted to know who the real Sasuke Uchiha was, the one behind the mask. He smiled mischievously, it wouldn't hurt to subject her to a few pranks here and there, she still had to follow his orders after all.
Author's Notes: There you go. I'm actually not really sure about the 3 year training period. Tell me what you think.
