A/N: Thank you again for the warm responses! I love to hear what you guys think.
Gillian you might hate me later when you realize how slow this build is actually going to be, but I hope I can make it interesting enough that you'll keep reading.
The updates are going to slow down from here, but I'll try my best to be consistent.
Update 14/06/2015: This chapter has been edited by Ashimodo. :)
Chapter 4: Fighter
When Kakashi opened the front door late that night, he found Sasuke and Naruto standing side by side. Sasuke was looking directly at him. Naruto was looking at the ground, hands in his pockets, his right foot scratching his left leg. They were both covered in dirt, scratches, and bruises that told Kakashi they were going at each other just recently.
"Naruto wants to know what his punishment is going to be," said Sasuke without as much as a hello, sorry, or thank you. Apparently, Sasuke was only polite when he needed to be.
Kakashi looked at Naruto who still wasn't looking at him, and sighed. "You two go wash and go to bed," he said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Naruto."
Naruto looked at him with mouth agape and eyes wide, then nodded and walked obediently passed Kakashi into the house. Sasuke followed a few steps behind with a glare sent to the back of Naruto's head. The furrow of his brow looked like confusion to Kakashi, but it could have been anything else.
He looked at the clock, decided it was too late to deal with those two, shut the door, and went back to his futon.
/***/
Morning couldn't have come fast enough for Sasuke.
He woke up, cleaned up, dressed up, and went for breakfast. Sakura was already there when he arrived. Her smile was a little strained, but she was good at keeping the atmosphere around them light. Tsunami and Tazuna were as gracious as ever. Inari was more reserved, but that was an improvement in Sasuke's opinion.
The atmosphere, however, turned tense when Naruto walked into the room with Kakashi. The blond chanced quick glances at everyone and then proceeded to take his seat in silence. A silence that was just as loaded as the one on their walk back last night. Tsunami looked at Naruto oddly but handed him a bowl of rice. Naruto looked surprised but took it and began eating. Tazuna was just observing Naruto calmly, while Inari avoided looking at Naruto at all cost.
Sasuke turned back to his food and found that he was also observed as well. Kakashi looked at him calmly then smiled before he turned to chat about their plans for the day. Naruto and Sasuke were to train, while Sakura would leave with Tazuna for the bridge.
Tsunami packed them rice balls for lunch like she did the other day. She might not be comfortable with Naruto, but she was kind. Sasuke thanked her as he took the lunch boxes and headed for the door where Naruto was checking his weapon pouch. When Sasuke was about to put on his shoes, Kakashi came by him and whispered, "Try to get him to talk if you can, all right?"
He didn't need to be told who his teacher was referring. He gave a curt nod to acknowledge that this was his mission for the day. He doubted it was going to be easy. Despite Naruto's tendency to run his mouth, he seemed oddly reserved when it came to things closed to his heart. This would be a challenge, but Sasuke had never been known to back out of one.
Sasuke spent his time on their way to the training ground formulating a plan to make the abnormally quiet Dope speak up. But as soon as they arrived at the training ground, Naruto was back to himself again. He threw insults at Sasuke. Sasuke threw them right back. They were racing up the tree more times than either of them could count - Sasuke winning every one of them, of course. Before the morning passed, they were already sweating, shivering in the cool, humid air of Wave Country.
Figuring it was good time to take a rest, Sasuke jumped down from the branch he was on and walked over to his backpack to get his water canteen. Naruto, on the other hand, was trying to concentrate for the next run.
"Hey, Naruto!" he called out, causing the blond boy to lose his footing and land face first on the ground. From his gracelessness, Sasuke seriously wondered how he managed to graduate from the Academy.
"What the hell is your problem? Don't you see I'm trying to focus here?" Naruto retorted as he got up.
"Well," Sasuke opened his mouth but nothing really came out. Kakashi told him to get Naruto to talk, but Sasuke just realized right then that he had no plan of action whatsoever. "How was your chat with Kakashi?" he asked in the end.
Naruto stared at him like he had grown a second head. "That's not your problem now, is it?" he replied.
Again, Naruto was shrugging him off, like Sasuke was going to stop at that. "It's bad, then?" he asked.
"...Well, not really," Naruto said after a pause. He went for his pack to get the water canteen as well. "Kakashi-sensei said he's not going to punish me because I did it in self-defense."
"Well, that's good then."
Then there was silence, signalling that the conversation had abruptly ended. Suddenly Sasuke felt inadequate for his mission. He didn't know how to hold a conversation at all. He didn't know how to coax Naruto into talking like Kakashi wanted him. Despite all the ninjutsu he had learned, he couldn't even complete an easy information gathering mission.
This was troublesome.
"Umm...Naruto," he began, not wanting Naruto to just go back to training before he at least get something out of him. "I agree with Kakashi," he said.
Naruto just looked confused.
"I mean, Inari was a brat."
"Yeah, I hear ya."
"And Tsunami and Tazuna are way too lenient with him."
Naruto snorted. "Aren't all parents and grandparents like that, though?" Naruto said. "Not that I know, of course."
Naruto was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes. The self-deprecation was way too obvious for the Naruto he had known in the Academy. He remembered that the blond boy was an orphan. Nobody had any idea who his parents were, which was, come to think of it, rather odd. "I guess mothers are in one way or the other protective of their children like Tsunami, but my mother wouldn't let me get away with saying things Inari said," Sasuke said.
"Ah, good for her," Naruto replied but didn't say anything further. Sasuke wanted to kick himself.
"Who raised you, Naruto?"
The look of surprise on Naruto's face made him realized that the question was way too personal. He wanted to kick himself again for his tactlessness. Sasuke knew how to ask direct questions. His father was a straightforward man. But Naruto wouldn't answer a direct question, so how was he supposed to know what made Naruto reacted the way he did last night?
A part of him wondered if Kakashi assigned this mission to him precisely because he knew Sasuke couldn't do it.
By the time Sasuke was done kicking himself in his own head, Naruto had turned and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You're talkative today, Sasuke. What's going on?"
"Nothing is going on." Too fast. Too suspicious. Bad move. Bad move.
Naruto snorted. "As if I'd believe you, bastard. The great Sasuke Uchiha deigns to talk to the class dead-last is a very common occurrence indeed," he said.
"We're teammates. Can't I talk to my teammate?"
"You don't talk to Sakura-chan."
"She's not here."
"Oh, you don't care about her at all. She adores the hell out of you and you just keep being a dick to her."
"Instead of what? Feign interest in her? She would be in over her head. Do you know what's going to happen to Sakura once the rest of those insane girls realize I talk to her?"
"Don't pretend you care, Uchiha. You don't."
"No, I don't. But at least I'm trying to cause as little trouble for her as possible," Sasuke finished. How the hell did it come to this? Why did every conversation with Naruto deteriorated to a fight, always!? He hated this, hated not being able to get directly to the point and get out.
Naruto just looked at Sasuke like he was completely baffled. "Shit, I didn't know your brain is this screwed up."
"Same could be said of you, Uzumaki," Sasuke retorted. Once he was in a terrible mood, it was harder to stop. "Aren't I doing a favour for you by pushing her away?"
"Yeah? You know what, I don't want to be her second choice, Sasuke. I'd rather take her from you than having you hand her over to me."
Sasuke just looked at him, completely baffled. "You're really crazy," he said. "So you want to compete with me for her like we compete on climbing trees, is that it?"
"It's better if I earn her love than have her pity or yours."
Sasuke just didn't know what to say to that. It made sense, but at the same time it was just insane. "I don't pity you, moron. I don't like Sakura like that so I don't want to encourage her."
"By being a dick."
Sasuke groaned.
"I just don't get it. Everyone loves you, but you don't want them to. You treat that love like trash. I wouldn't do that. Love is too precious for that. But why..."
Naruto's voice just trailed off. He put the water canteen away and just ran off to the tree. Even so, Sasuke heard the rest of it loud and clear.
Why doesn't anybody love me?
/***/
Sakura was sneezing quite a lot that morning, but she continued to sit on the bridge in the cool breeze watching Tazuna-san work and listening to the laborers talk. It wasn't good was all she could say; the morale was so low that the only thing that really kept the crew going was Tazuna's unwavering belief that this bridge would be for the greater good.
That thought brought her back to the story of Inari's stepfather. Inari wouldn't even stay to listen last night. He went to his room to cry alone for the man who could have been their greatest hope. Sakura was shocked above all else by Gatou's cruelty but also by the inaction of the people. She might not be able to empathize more deeply because she had both her parents alive and well, but thinking about losing them was hard enough. Inari was too young to witness all this.
Then again, so was Naruto.
Naruto had no one, but somehow he remained optimistic and full of life. He was aimless, sure, but he was more focused now that they actually had missions. Kakashi-sensei even acknowledged that he'd improved the most in the group. It was probably because he wouldn't stop, not for anything. She liked that part of him.
But somehow she felt like there was also something wrong with Naruto. She had never known him to be a bully. He wouldn't hurt another living being just because he could. However, the things he'd said and done to Inari were... cruel. Sure Inari was a brat, but there wasn't a need to go that far with a kid like that. Naruto had actually broken Inari, that was what Sakura realized this morning when Inari refused to talk to any of them. He'd reverted to basically clinging to his mother's side the entire time.
She sighed. Oh, hell. It was going to be tough to complete this mission to begin with. Bad relationships weren't going to help it at all.
"Sakura-chan," Tazuna-san said as he walked by, "you looked rather pensive there. Missing your friends?"
Well, at least Tazuna seemed to be all right with them. "Well, yes," she replied. She wouldn't actually call the three of them friends, not yet anyway, but they were getting there. Being alone guarding Tazuna was boring even when it meant that Kakashi thought she was that much better than the boys at chakra control (and she was, mind you). "Anything I can do for you, Tazuna-san?" she asked.
"No, not really," Tazuna said as he sat down. He was admiring his work even when there was a quarrel over it this morning. The bridge was nothing special in design but Sakura could see that it was a labour of love. It might lack aesthetic appeal but definitely not heart.
"Say, Tazuna-san. When is the bridge going to be completed?" Sakura asked.
Tazuna looked at her with a smirk. "Missing home already?" he said with a chuckle.
"It's not like that," Sakura quickly corrected him. "I mean, I do miss home, but I was thinking of how long will your life be in danger. Because even if Kakashi-sensei managed to defeat Zabuza, Gatou wouldn't give up, right? If it would be for quite sometime, then you might need to think of a long-term protection or find a way to deal with Gatou."
Tazuna looked at her thoughtfully. "You're right, Sakura-chan," he said in a quiet voice. "Even if the bridge is finished, if Gatou's around, it can still be in danger. Gatou hasn't pull out all his cards yet. He still banks on the people giving up on it before he needs to do something really incriminating." He sighed.
"I think killing Kaiza publicly is incriminating enough," Sakura replied with a huff before she realized she might be mentioning something sensitive, but she continued. "I mean, there should have been some retaliation to what he did even then. If a man like that can get away with murder once, he could do it again."
Tazuna was quiet then. He looked forlornly at the bridge, still in pieces in various places, and said, "I know hope alone isn't going to be enough." He paused. "But that's the only legacy I know how to give, Sakura. I am not a fighter like you or your sensei. I will see it through that this bridge gets finished, but after that..." He shrugged, stood up, and got back to work. Sakura didn't get a chance to object that, no, he was a fighter. He might not wield a sword or a kunai, but he'd fought Gatou back successfully for a long time. He drove Gatou back, but he couldn't do it forever, not alone.
She understood then why Kakashi-sensei seemed to value teamwork above all else. Fighting alone was tiring. She didn't realize it before because she was always surrounded by someone who would fight for her or with her: her parents, her teachers, her friends, Naruto, Sasuke-kun.
She hoped those two were all right.
/***/
By noon, Sasuke was exhausted enough that he was basically ready for a nap.
Naruto wouldn't talk to him, wouldn't take a break, and he was making better and better progress, so that Sasuke felt like he really needed to improve to keep the distance between him and the Dope. They were running up the trees and falling back down only to run again the moment their feet touched the ground. His focus was on the training so much so that he forgot about his mission for a while.
When they finally took a break for lunch, though, Sasuke was reminded that half a day had gone by and he had made no progress whatsoever in getting Naruto to talk to him. He was half through his share of the rice balls when he decided: to heck with it. He was going to ask whatever he wanted to know.
So he said, "What actually happened to Iruka-sensei?"
Naruto was in the middle of biting on his rice ball and he choked violently on it. Sasuke was about to reach for his water canteen when Naruto downed his own and was finally able to breathe again.
"What the hell, bastard?" Naruto asked. "Where did that come from anyway?"
On hindsight, it was kind of out of the blue, so Sasuke explained, "I figured your broken right hand and Iruka's death wasn't coincidence. Whoever killed him hurt you too, right?"
Naruto looked at him like he couldn't comprehend what Sasuke was saying and for a moment he looked like he was about the talk, but instead he pressed his lips into a thin line. "I can't tell you," was Naruto's reply before he went back to his rice ball.
That reply confirmed Sasuke's suspicion: the Dope had something to do with the entire thing. "Why?" he asked.
"Just can't," Naruto answered. "Don't ask any more, okay?"
So Sasuke didn't. He wanted to, but his voice died in his throat when he heard the tremor in Naruto's voice. Naruto didn't cry. He just put down his lunch, grabbed the canteen, and made an excuse to get more water. Sasuke thought of following for a time, but he didn't. It felt wrong to do so when Naruto was clearly grieving, had been grieving, in his silent, tearless way.
For a moment, Sasuke was stuck in a predicament. He could follow Naruto and push him to talk, or he could just let him go, essentially giving up on his goal for the day. Sasuke didn't like giving up. He refused to give up time and time again in his life. That was how he lived. But he still remembered the morning after his parents' death. The people around him asked him questions, making him go through the experience over and over. The sympathy and pity in their eyes was a reminder that his life was torn to pieces. All he wanted to do then was hide, but he couldn't. He was an Uchiha, the last of his clan. He couldn't curl up and let the world fell apart around him.
He ate the remainder of his lunch and wondered if that was what Naruto was going through.
/***/
In the evening, they regrouped again at Tazuna's house. Sakura seemed a little pensive as she looked at the torn picture of Inari's family hanging on the wall. Naruto reported his progress and asked for permission to train at night. Kakashi reasoned with him that he needed rest to have productive training, but Naruto insisted that he needed extra time. After a long back and forth, Kakashi relented when he realized that his permission was just a formality. Naruto was going to go anyway. So he allowed the boy to train that night, but he had to come back to rest the next evening. Naruto agreed.
Sasuke was probably the most interesting of the bunch. He waited quietly for Kakashi to finish his conversation with Naruto then very quietly asked if they could have this conversation somewhere else. They took a little walk in which Sasuke informed him of how his attempt to talk to Naruto went.
"I could not make Naruto talk to me," he confessed. From the look on his face, it had cost him something to admit it.
"Ah," Kakashi replied thoughtfully. "Why is that?"
"I don't know how to ask questions about sensitive things," the raven boy said. "Naruto also refuses to answer any direct question."
"What direct question?"
"Like why was he expecting a severe punishment, or what happened to Iruka-sensei."
So Sasuke knew about Naruto's involvement in the fight that killed Iruka. Kakashi was out searching that night with the rest of the jounin. He was also one of the first at the scene of the crime, although he didn't handle Iruka's body or Naruto. He knew for a fact that not a lot of people had actually seen the fight and all of them would keep their mouths shut. The fact that Sasuke already made inference about Naruto's connection to Iruka's death was a testimony to the boy's genius.
Despite that, Sasuke was still a child, a grieving child, just like Naruto.
Kakashi didn't say anything for a while as they walked to a waterfront. The sun was setting and the light turned everything a bright shade of orange. He led Sasuke to the end of the walkway, where he crouched down. Sasuke came to stand beside him but didn't do the same.
"So you're telling me you completely failed at the task I gave you," Kakashi said.
Sasuke didn't answer, he just looked away. His hair hid the the side of his face, preventing Kakashi from getting a good reading of him from a glance.
He continued, "I didn't think you would succeed, actually." That earned him a glare from the boy, but he wasn't fazed. "What have you learned today?"
Sasuke looked surprised. "That people are difficult?"
Kakashi chuckled. "They always are, aren't they?" he said. "Getting to know someone, to truly see the person, can really be a challenge, and for a long time I didn't think it was worth doing." He turned to face the boy with a smile on his face, knowing Sasuke wouldn't see anything more than his eye. "But for a team to work, you need to know what makes your teammates tick. That also goes for your clients or targets. You can't always brute force your way through. You need to know people to work around them or with them. That ability is an asset as precious as any ninjutsu." At the end of his little speech, he got up and turned to the boy. "I gave you this assignment because, despite all your genius, you are practically an imbecile in this area." Sasuke was positively glaring at him now, his fist clenched, but he didn't throw a punch, which was good progress in Kakashi's opinion. "But you are quick when you put your mind to something, so keep trying."
He turned to lead them back to the house, but Sasuke stopped him. "Why Naruto? Why didn't you tell me to talk to Sakura or someone else?"
Kakashi sighed. "You're a genius, Sasuke. You know very well why. Come on. We'll be late for dinner otherwise."
/***/
Dinner was the complete opposite of last night's fiasco, although it was still rather awkward, in Sakura's opinion at least. Inari was as quiet as he was that morning, but Tazuna was positively cheery and Tsunami was warm, even with Naruto.
But she guessed it was all right. After all, Naruto and Inari were just kids. They were bound to do and say stupid things and hurt each other. Adults knew that. They would try to get everything back to normal soon, of course.
Except that it felt wrong for Sakura.
It was the amount of effort Tazuna-san and Tsunami-san put into including Naruto in the conversation. Tazuna insisted on hearing about Naruto's training even though Sasuke-kun had already delivered a pretty impressive and succinct report. Naruto was just as taken aback by this as the rest of them, but he appeased them with the details anyway.
When he mentioned going out for training that night. Tsunami-san seemed perplexed. "But you just came back, Naruto-kun," she said. It has been Naruto-kun for a while now. "Why don't you rest for tonight and start again in the morning? I'm sure your teacher is okay with that."
Naruto made a quick pleading glance to Kakashi-sensei who just chuckled and said nothing else.
"Tsunami's right, you know," Tazuna added. "You're not going to be able to beat Zabuza overnight. Let your sensei do the job. You can relax a bit."
From her place on the table, Sakura could tell that Naruto wasn't taking that comment very well and the ripple were going out fast. Tsunami and Tazuna seemed tense all of a sudden.
"You can say that," Naruto said, "but if I always think that someone is going to save me, when am I going to get up and do it for myself?"
Surprisingly enough, that comment got a response from Inari, who had been avoiding Naruto's sight like a plague all evening. For the first time in twenty-four hours he openly watched Naruto, even though it was from the table's edge.
"Now, Naruto-kun," Tsunami said. The tone of her voice was that of a mother who thought her child was being unreasonable. "You know very well that running up and down the tree all day isn't going to help you do that."
"Of course, it does," Naruto looked at her incredulously. "Do you know something about shinobi training all of a sudden?"
"Naruto," Sasuke chided, but Naruto wasn't listening.
Tsunami and Tazuna seemed upset by his outburst and rightfully so. Sakura was looking to Kakashi to stop another fiasco in the making, but he wasn't even paying attention to them.
"Naruto-kun," Tsunami-san began, "how old are you again?"
Naruto was perplexed by this question. "Thirteen," he said.
"See? No matter what your teacher might say, you are still a child, Naruto-kun." At this, Tsunami-san sent a nasty look at Kakashi. "You won't be able to beat Zabuza's experience or craftiness. Let the adults do our job, all right? It'll be your turn soon enough."
Sakura recognized the tone then. The way Tsunami was talking to Naruto reminded her of her mother when Sakura was younger and she just wanted so badly to go camping with the Yamanaka family. Of course, the Yamanaka family being ninja meant the camping was actually training time for their daughter Ino. Sakura thought it was so cool that Ino got to train outside Konoha. She tried to convince her parents to let her go with them and fiercely defended her decision. Sakura's mother had sat her down and talked her out of doing it, saying that it would not benefit her to walk into danger like that. If only she knew what Sakura had to go through at a time like this.
Naruto's answer was what startled her. "Oh yeah, because adults have done a fine job so far," he said.
The venom in his voice made her skin crawled. Everyone was taken aback, except for Kakashi who eyed Naruto quietly from the his seat. She felt a movement under the table and saw Kakashi's feet kicking Naruto's lightly. Naruto looked at him, but the jounin didn't say anything. He just gave Naruto a nod. Naruto huffed, finished his bowl of rice, and got up.
"Thank you, Tsunami-san. I'm off," he said and walked right out of the house.
Tsunami and Tazuna watched him as he left. When the door clicked, Tsunami sighed almost in annoyance and got back to her food.
That was when Kakashi spoke, "He's not the easiest to please, is he?"
Tsunami gave him a glare. "You didn't help, either, sensei," she said.
"Well, I try not to interfere with my students' affairs. After all, they are genin. They're considered almost adults in my village."
"They're thirteen!" Tsunami almost growled at Kakashi, who remained unaffected. She rolled her eyes in disbelief as Tazuna watched the exchanged with concern. He was about to say something to Tsunami, but she spoke up first, "This is how you treat your children? Leaving them to fend for themselves in danger? Is this why Naruto doesn't believe that adults will protect him?"
Kakashi took a sip of his tea as he seemed lost in contemplation. He finally said, "Well, Naruto's story is not mine to tell. All I can say is that his is a special case."
Sakura could feel Sasuke's focus sharpen beside her, like a predator that suddenly caught a scent of his prey.
"People deal with the terror in their lives differently, Tsunami-san, " Kakashi said. "Placating the terror seems to be the practice in this town, so I completely understand your reaction."
They were all gapping at Kakashi at that point. Tsunami looked positively furious as she stood up, ready to take on the jounin. Sakura's reaction was to stand up and fall into a fighting stance beside her teacher.
Tsunami looked at her in surprise before she became resolute. "See that," she pointed to Sakura as she turned to Kakashi. "Your children rushed right into things like that. They could get themselves killed."
Kakashi sighed. He didn't budge from his seat, but he put the chopstick down. "You see, that's where the difference is."
Tsunami looked confused.
"You see confrontation as dangerous, as something that should be avoided. My kids don't see it as that," Kakashi said. Somehow him calling them 'his kids' made Sakura's heart swell with pride. "Confrontation is just a part of a conflict. It means something precious is at stake. They jump into the confrontation because they want to protect that precious thing. If they can do that, the danger was worth it." He paused.
She suddenly notice Inari who was sitting still on his chair hunching down like he wanted to be as small as possible. His gaze was as firmly on Kakashi as it had been on Naruto before. Sakura could see the gears turning in his head.
Kakashi continued, "Naruto is a child, therefore he does not know how to react appropriately in a confrontation. He takes extreme measures and hurts others because there is something precious he wants to protect: you. He takes this mission seriously. That is why even when he knows he can't beat Zabuza by training days and nights for a week, he would try anyway." Then he picked up his chopsticks and smiled. "I think it's safe to say that this is just a little misunderstanding. Should we get back to our dinner?"
Tsunami definitely wasn't happy with the answer. She huffed and sat back down even though she clearly wanted to say something. Sakura knew there was nothing that could be said. She walked back to her seat and resumed her meal as well. For a moment, she thought of telling them what she thought about Tazuna's safety and what it would mean for this town, but she couldn't. She wanted the tension to abate, not be stirred further.
So their dinner ended in silence. As always, Inari took his leave and went to his room. Tsunami cleaned the dishes. Sasuke cleaned up the table, and Sakura volunteered to dump the garbage outside.
As she turned back from the dumpsite, she was surprised to see Inari there. His hands were behind his back and his eyes cast down as he asked, "Can you teach me how to fight?"
Sakura was surprised to say the least, but soon it was replaced by overwhelming anxiety. Teaching a kid to fight? Well, sure, they were doing that in the Academy for kids of Inari's age, but that was different. She understood the implication of Inari's request; he was going to protect his family himself, or at least try, anyway. Sakura wasn't entirely sure how to do this. "Umm, I can. I'm not the best teacher, though," she replied with a nervous chuckle.
"But, but you didn't have to train anymore, right?" Inari said, suddenly bursting with raw, nervous energy. "That means you're the strongest, right? Please, Sakura-neesan. I... I don't want to cry anymore."
As he told her that, his tears began to stream down his face. He lifted his hand to wipe it off. It was then that she noticed the torn picture of a man in his hand; the missing picture of Kazai.
She guessed she could understand why he needed to fight. She probably couldn't teach him about chakra or shuriken but at least she could teach him to throw a punch. "All right," she said. "Since you asked so nicely and you have a good reason, I'll teach you. Be prepared, Inari. I am not going to go easy on you just because you're a kid."
Inari looked at her in awe then grinned widely and nodded. When the light touched his face, Sakura knew that she definitely made the right decision.
The flood of tears had completely stopped.
/***/
End Chapter 4
A/N: Awkward Sasuke is awkward. :D
