Chapter seven.
Resentment.

A/N. This is taking me far longer than I have anticipated or would like for it to so I want to apologize for my lack of organization. I am constantly being inspired to create new stories and all I am left with is the beginnings of fanfictions that don't get continued. I am intending to update this story first, it's a priority, start a new story (a Shikanaru about Shikamaru and Sasuke fighting for Naruto) and finally update all the other fanfics I have neglected as well.
Please continue to be patient!

"Well excuse me.
Guess I've mistaken you for somebody else.
Somebody who gave a damn,
somebody more like myself.
- Foolish Games

xXx

There was a soft fog that morning as the rising sun tried to break through the sharp cold and peek over the high tree tops surrounding the village gate.
Sakura wrapped her arms tightly around herself and watched as her breath puffed out in visible clouds.

Naruto, who stood beside her, was dancing from foot to foot to keep warm. Neither of them was quite prepared for the residual frost that had taken Konoha by surprise.

"Of all the days for him to be late, it has to be at the start of a mission and while its negative a-hundred outside!"
"It's so early too!"

Sakura at least had a thin maroon cardigan draped over her though it didn't do much to warm her up. Naruto had never necessarily dressed for the typically sultry weather of their small village; he was almost always in his black and orange jumpsuit.
He couldn't complain too much.

It was some time before Kakashi finally arrived with their companion and there was a mixed reaction of annoyance and surprise from the two of them.

They were aware that it was a simple escort mission, a D-rank to be exact, and that was about it.
Sakura at least had the mind to piece together that it was someone from or visiting Konoha, otherwise they wouldn't have had to have waited at the village entrance; the only thing she couldn't work out was who. Her answer came soon enough;

"Temari?"

She wasn't aware that Temari had stuck around after Kankuro and Kazekage Gaara had journeyed back to Suna.

"Good morning Sakura. Naruto."

She gave a polite smile and began to walk towards the gate. Kakashi had appeared beside them without warning.

"Yo!"

He looked pleasant and well rested as someone who had clearly spent their morning in bed should have.

"Why set a meeting time if you're just going to be late? It's getting a little old Kakashi."

Kakashi shrugged Naruto off and got down to business. As late and unprofessional as he was they still had a task to perform.

"I assume you've both worked out who you'll be escorting and where to?"
"Yes Sensei."

They answered simultaneously. While the mission was clear the reasons behind it were not, but they wouldn't get their answers from Kakashi. Sakura had thought it best to probe Temari once the mission had already begun.

"Well in that case I expect you will return before next week, assuming there are no bumps along the way!"

They said their goodbyes and set off. It was going to be a long and boring mission, and while Naruto was eager for some action he also found himself looking forward to having a break from everything.
He couldn't wait to escape, even if it was with Sakura in tow.

It wasn't long before curiosity got the better of Sakura, but before she could find a way to delicately pry Temari for answers, Naruto cut in.

"So what's the deal?"

Temari raised an eyebrow.

"How come you stayed behind when Gaara left?"

There was a sigh and a long hesitation. Normally Sakura would have scolded his rudeness but she was quite curious herself.

"I stayed behind to spend some time with Shikamaru."
"I knew it!"

His curiosity dissipated and he was more than happy with the information he'd been given, Sakura however was not. There was something more to it.

"That still doesn't explain why you need an escort. You've walked back and forth from the Sand village and the Leaf alone plenty of times."
"Oh yeah. What's up with that?"

Naruto had stopped his gloating and Temari was forced to finally reveal her hand.

"Fine, I guess you're going to find out somehow anyway. Shikamaru and I are going to have a baby."

xXx

Sasuke felt lighter. With Naruto gone and his day off having finally arrived; he was ready to explore the village and reacquaint himself.
If he didn't start mingling again soon he'd never be able to ease himself back into his old life.

He sun was out and the morning air was crisp and fresh. He breathed in and found himself finally happy.
He would enjoy his day out, he'd decided.

First thing was first, he needed breakfast.

He had thought about Ichiraku, it's where he'd always gone with Team Seven and it was all he really knew, but he needed something different.
He needed a change and he needed something that didn't remind him of Naruto, so, he found a small Dumpling shop named 'Daiso.'

Upon entering his heart dropped; Shikamaru and the fat guy, Choji, were seated nearby.

He didn't want a confrontation with Naruto's friends and he certainly couldn't handle any more filthy looks.
He knew it was bound to happen and he knew he'd have to run into people who didn't like him everywhere he went; he just didn't think it would happen straight off the bat.

He kept himself composed. If he left now it would be obvious why.

He focused ahead at the counter and tried to walk past without drawing attention to himself. Of course that was futile.

"Hey, Sasuke."

Sasuke turned towards Shikamaru. He didn't know what to expect.

"Why don't you sit with us?"

There was something about his tone that had Sasuke suspect that the two had ulterior motives for inviting him to join them. Even still, Sasuke knew it would be in his best interests not to decline.

After ordering he took a seat at the little booth where Choji and Shikamaru were seated.

"This is unexpected."

Sasuke made no false gestures of courtesy. He cut straight to the chase; there was a reason he had been called over and it wasn't out of kindness. That much he knew.

"Listen, Sasuke…"

Choji had started but immediately after found himself at a loss for words. He gave Shikamaru a nervous look, who then took over.

"I don't like Sai and I know that you don't either."

Much to Shikamaru's dismay he was more in the know than anyone else about the situation; Naruto was an emotional guy and no matter how much Shikamaru protested, Naruto wanted to confide in him all the time.
Ino was a gasbag and whatever happened in Konoha was regurgitated and exaggerated within the hour by Ino and her loud mouth.

Shikamaru really didn't want to be the centre of anything and so he hoped to shoulder the burden of being a good friend by passing on the task to someone actively involved in the mess that was Sai and Naruto's toxic relationship.

"I don't see what that has to do with anything."

Sasuke frowned.

He had made himself clear, well tried to, and Naruto hadn't listened. As far as he was concerned the two deserved each other.

"Cut the crap Sasuke. You know as well as I do the guy is bad news and him sniffing around Naruto can't be a good thing."

Something lightly tickled the skin on Sasuke's arm and he subconsciously scratched it away. He looked down and saw nothing.

"I really don't understand why you're telling me this."

Shikamaru was losing what little patience he already had.

"I know you care about Naruto and he's going to listen to you before he listens to anyone else. Talk to him."
"Naruto has moved on and so have I. I'm with Sakura now and she is my priority. If Naruto wants my help then he knows where to find me."

Sasuke's food arrived just as his company stood to leave.

"Sasuke, don't be stupid. Look out for Naruto. Even when he tells you to stay away, what he really needs is a friend."

Sasuke knew deep within himself that something was wrong. Naruto was immature, he lashed out and he acted upon his emotions rather than his logic, but Sai was calculating and intelligent.
Sasuke wouldn't admit it but Shikamaru was probably right and so with nothing more to say he let them leave.

It was too late to fix things, he knew that much, but another thought crossed his mind;
it was never too late to try.

xXx

It had exhausted him, the amount of chakra he had used over the past week. It had been effective however and saved him more energy than what it would have taken if he simply followed Sasuke around.

His ink spider returned to its sheet of paper with new information. It wasn't of any use to him in terms of ammunition but it did prove whatever concerns he may have had about Sasuke returning to the village to be true.

Shikamaru's interference made his job harder, of course, but the situation was no more or less out of Sai's control than it ever had been.

There was no threat to his relationship as long as he made his move quickly.

xXx

Sakura had arrived for their mission that day prepared. She had been expecting a temper from Naruto; Sasuke had told her about their encounter.

Naruto, however, had surprised her. Throughout the trip Naruto was as energetic and pleasant as always. He never once displayed any distain or resentment towards her.
When they arrived at Suna Sakura had expected a shift in attitude once the two were alone, but before they could return Naruto wished to speak with the Kazekage.

Gaara offered them a place to rest for however long they wished to stay and Naruto pleaded Sakura to stay a few days in the Sand village before they had to head home.

"Alright then Naruto, just for tonight though."

She hadn't put up much of a fight. She figured she would enjoy a quick break from travelling and as long as Naruto was happy with her she was happy to keep the peace.

They two of them enjoyed the company of the Sand siblings that evening, dining with them and exploring the Sand village.
Sakura felt more than comfortable up until Naruto and Gaara wandered off on their own.

"What's going to happen then, will you stay in the village?"

Kankuro asked. The three of them sat in a large living room in the Kazekage Mansion discussing Temari's future at Sunagakure.

"We didn't decide on anything."

She was right hand to the Kazekage, she had responsibilities that tied her to the village and yet so did he.
Neither one of them wanted to budge.

"You know, you still have time to think it over. You don't need to make a decision this very second."

Sakura gently squeezed her hand. After sometime and a very lengthy discussion, Kankuro slunk off to his bed and Sakura and Temari followed soon after.

Naruto and Gaara had retreated much earlier. Naruto had been sleepy and Gaara wished to spend his time with Naruto alone.
It was not often he got to speak to his friend and as harsh at it seemed at this point he had no interest in no-one else.

Naruto had found comfort in the warmth and safety of Gaara's bed.

It had been a long time since Shukaku was extracted from him though he still had not yet learned to close his eyes and dream.
Naruto's gentle breathing beside him was almost lulling and it took all his self-control not to reach out and touch his friend.

He had come to better understand his feelings and his feelings for Naruto especially. He also understood how important it was to not act upon his feelings.

If it was love then he had no place being with the vibrant boy. He was Kazekage and soon Naruto would be the Hokage.

No matter how much he loved his friend, no matter how good of a life he could give him, if he were to convince Naruto to stay with him in Suna he would be in the way of Naruto's dreams.
When he thought of Temari and Shikamaru his deepest fears were confirmed.

It would be too much trouble.

He settled for the simple joy of seeing Naruto at peace, it was not much at all but it was everything to him and his heart was swollen with the terrible pain of content as he lapped up every second and every breath of the only night they would spend together.

xXx

Sasuke had, for the majority of Sakura's absence, been able to entertain himself quite easily and quite happily.
He had been enjoying the quiet and new found courage he had when spending his days in the village centre.

The snide comments and dark glares were gone. The swarms of girls, the fear of running into Naruto; all of it was gone.
He was finally granted a sense of fresh air. His head was out of the water and he could breathe again.

It felt nice.

On the last day however, Sakura and Naruto were due to arrive that morning but for one reason or another were behind schedule.
The only real thing Sasuke felt like doing to kill time on his day off was oddly enough, working.

He didn't have a lot going on any more outside of the shop and Sakura. It couldn't be long though until Kakashi finally let him back into Team Seven.

He had his hopes high and his fingers crossed that the village was at least moving on, even if he and Naruto couldn't.

Maybe that's what everything was all about.

Maybe he would only be accepted back onto the squad once he and Naruto had sorted out their differences.

After all, Team Seven was a Team, and there was no point trying to reunite if half of the team couldn't get along.
He wouldn't put it past Kakashi.

When Sasuke arrived at Yamanaka Flowers the shop was quiet. It wasn't a good sign; that probably meant he wasn't needed.

"Good morning Ino."

He gave the warmest smile he could muster.

"Sasuke."

He was not greeted with pleasantries in kind. He was slightly taken aback by Ino's cold demeanour.

"I was just coming in to see if you needed an extra hand today."

He was nervous but hid it well. He kept his cool even as her cold stare turned bitter and sharp.

"You have some nerve showing your face here Sasuke Uchiha! I know about you and Sakura!"

'What?'

Before he could respond she was shoving him out the door. The last thing he saw before the door slammed shut was her deep blue eyes and the thick wet tears swelling and flowing down her cheeks.

The first thought that crossed his mind was Shikamaru. Was he angry about their previous encounter? Ino was his teammate and Shikamaru spent a lot of time with her. Perhaps it was an innocent slip of the tongue or maybe she over-heard a conversation between Shikamaru and Choji.

He was livid regardless.

He retreated in shame to the Uchiha Compound and as he did he wondered if Ino had been told out of spite.

Shikamaru had wanted to work with him on some level and the guy was quite intelligent. Sasuke wasn't convinced it was Shikamaru.

No, there had to be someone else involved. Could Naruto have told her to get back at him? Maybe it was Sakura trying to get the upper hand in their petty little feud over him?

No, neither scenario was likely. He had seen Ino since their departure and she obviously hadn't known.

The harder he thought about it the more he believed someone had set him up. Someone with malicious intentions.
He just couldn't work out who, or why.

It wasn't that he cared for Ino and her hurt feelings, Sasuke was furious because he was once again at square one; jobless, friendless and alone.
He was no closer to healing his bond with Naruto and he could no longer trust anyone.

xXx

The trip home was silent.

Naruto wasn't mad, he hadn't given her a reason to believe else wise; the two of them were just at a loss for words.
They hadn't really spoken at all since Sasuke returned and Sakura understood it was because she had chosen Sasuke instead of him.

She had forgiven their comrade and he still couldn't.

"Why?"

She had been so deep in thought that his voice had thrown her back.

"Huh?"

When she turned to look at him he wasn't facing her back, he head was hung low and his eyes, deep azure, were glistening.

"Why are you with him? Why did you take him from me?"

He had stopped in his tracks, his shoulders shook and though he tried to stop himself the tears fell freely.
It was too late.

He had lost a battle he never wished to fight.

He fought so hard for Sasuke and spent the entirety of his absence hoping his friend would return.
That day had come and passed but the bond between them had swollen painfully, time could not heal the hatred, the bitter words spoken and the anger that the two of them still felt.
Naruto could not release his pain.

"Naruto, I didn't. He cares about you. He really does."

Her words were an unheard comfort in the darkness. She had watched him deteriorate and sink further into a suffocating depression that swallowed him whole.
She offered her hand but he couldn't reach. He had sunk too low.
The snake pit that held him captive was too deep.

Naruto had finally cracked and as Sakura moved forward to comfort him, to put her warm arms around her neck, she realized there was nothing she could say or do to put his pieces back together.

When she pulled him into a hug he pushed her away.

"If he cares so much why does he always hurt me? Why does he keep betraying me?"

His tone frightened her and Sakura backed off slowly. She let him cry and yell as much as he needed to. She stood back and accepted her role as his friend. She was his punching bag, a vent for his pain.

Naruto fell to the ground. Exhausted and broken.

Why did he care so much? He had Sai. He had resolved to move on long ago, so why couldn't he let Sasuke?
He knew though that some small part of him was upset that Sasuke didn't want him. He wanted Sasuke to suffer; he wanted Sasuke to be torn up and remorseful.

"Naruto.."

Sakura couldn't find the right words. Maybe it was better that she said nothing at all. She tried once more to hug her comrade and this time he accepted her affections.

After sometime the bright sky concealed in a patterned veil by the trees that towered above them began to darken as the sun skulked out of sight.

Naruto had calmed down and was ready to continue on towards the village which luckily was only a short walk ahead.

xXx

"You've been crying again."

Naruto didn't try to hide it. When he arrived home to his small shack of a flat Sai was waiting for him, though this time it was not for personal reasons.

Naruto hung his head and let his lover pull him into an embrace.

"What happened?"

Sai ran his fingers through Naruto's thick, golden locks in a nurturing manner. Naruto would have cried if he had the energy.

"I'm just tired, can we go to bed?"

It was like a kick to the stomach whenever Naruto shut him out. He couldn't force trust though and so with a reluctant sigh he pulled away.

"No Naruto, I'm here for a reason. Kakashi wants us all to meet for dinner. Go get ready. I'll wait out here for you if you like."
"Now? But we just got home!"
"Complain all you like Naruto but I'm not the one you need to complain to. Go get ready."

With a swift and playful kick to his rear-end Naruto found the energy and motivation he needed to jump in the shower and meet with his team.

He was in a good mood again. He was home and in the company of his man. He reminded himself to force Sai to stay over. Since the two of them began their relationship Naruto had struggled to sleep on his own in the cold, damp apartment.

"Hurry up!"

Sai called out after a short while. Naruto had the tendency to take a while to get ready if no-one was there to guide him.
In fact, Naruto was terrible at everything when he was on his own. He often needed a short nudge in the right direction.

He had terrible eating habits, he could be far lazier than he let on and to Sai's horror the tiny space in which Naruto resided in could get very messy very quickly if there was no-one around to 'encourage' him to keep on top of things.

Sometimes Sai wondered how he had managed to survive on his own.

Naruto emerged from his room sometime later looking clean and sharp in a pair of black dress pants and a deep maroon button down shirt. He even had matching dress shoes that to Sai's surprise were shined and in good condition.

His outfit, the subtle cologne he wore and the stylized mess that was his hair made Sai a little intimidated.
Sure, Sai looked nice too; he had opted for a more professional black button down shirt and his hair was neatly parted, however he still felt nervous and paled in comparison.

His partner was undoubtedly attractive and while he was very proud of Naruto he also lived in constant fear that someone would steal him away.
He was fighting to keep Naruto's attention, when he looked this good it just made it harder for Sai to feel secure in himself and in their relationship.

"Ready!"

His grin was wide and Sai smiled fondly back.

xXx

When they arrived at Izakaya, a small bar and restaurant in the centre of Konoha, Kakashi was already waiting at a small booth with Sakura.

"We must be late if Kakashi is already here!"

Naruto muttered to Sai before they reached their seats.

"Naruto, Sai, glad you could join us!"

Kakashi didn't give the impression that he was annoyed by their tardiness. Perhaps after all the years of being late himself he had bitten his tongue and opted to let it slide.

"What's this all about Kakashi-Sensei? We just got back from a mission can't we have a break and do this tomorrow?"
"Naruto this is important, please, take a seat."

It was only then that he realized how sombre everyone seemed. Sakura had been awfully quiet. Sai would not make eye contact with him and Kakashi's pleasant tone had quickly become solemn.

"What's this about?"

He took his seat and waited impatiently for what he assumed to be grave news. No-one wanted to tell him.

Kakashi finally did.

"Naruto I've called you all here because I have something important I'd like to announce. Sasuke will be returning to Squad Seven. As of tomorrow he will be a member of our team again. The council made the decision while you and Sakura were on your mission."

Kakashi attempted to give as much detail as he could before Naruto lost it. He waited for an explosive reaction but was surprised to see a calm expression and eventually even a small smile.

"I'm happy for him."

He wasn't. Not at all.

"Well, in that case, you won't mind if he joins us then!"
"What?"

Kakashi looked over his menu and pretended he heard nothing. Their teammates sat in an awkward silence and busied themselves in their own menus.

Before Naruto could further press or protest Sasuke emerged and arrived at their table.

"Sorry I'm late."

Naruto caught Sasuke's eyes for a brief eternity. Sasuke looked away but Naruto held his stare.

This was happening. Sasuke was home. He was a part of Team Seven again. He had dreamt for years about his return and now it was playing out in front of his eyes. Now it was real.
He wanted to stand and run. He would have left right then and there had not Sai noticed his tension and eased it with a gentle squeeze of his hand.

'Sai…'

"Let's order than, shall we?"

xXx

"That's not true at all!"

Naruto was bewildered, and as the night had drawn on his voice had gotten louder and his behaviour more erratic.

"You can't talk about those kinds of things with other people Sai, it's meant to be private!"

He whined. Sakura laughed loudly and Sasuke shot her an impatient look. Sakura, Sai and Naruto had taken to drinking an inappropriate amount to try lighten the mood. It had worked, for them. Kakashi and Sasuke had remained sober and after a short while Kakashi slipped away and avoided not only their obnoxious behaviour but a rather hefty bill as well.

Sasuke reminded himself to make a great effort to track him down in the morning and force him to cough up at least half of the bill.
The priority for the meantime was getting his 'team' back home before any-more damage to his bank could be done.

"No-way Sakura, it's 'hic' not like 'hic' at all…"

He swallowed the rest of the sentence before he could throw it up. Before Sakura could respond Sasuke had a hold of her arm and was tugging her to her feet.

"Come on guys. You've had enough, I think it's time I took you all home."
"I agree."

A faint tell-tale tint of pink on Sai's pale cheeks suggested he was just as intoxicated as Sakura and Naruto, however he held it in far better.

"No way!"

Naruto was only just getting started, so he thought.

"Sai! Let's go out somewhere!"
"Well, Sasuke, it would seem you and Sakura are making your way home without us."

A night could be quite rewarding Sai believed.

"What? In that state? Naruto, let us walk you home."

Whether the drunken idiot was his responsibility or not he would not leave without making sure Naruto would arrive home safely. He had to question what kind of boyfriend Sai really was if he condoned and encouraged Naruto's behaviour when Naruto clearly wasn't in the right frame of mind to make his own decisions.

"That's quite alright Sasuke."

His tone was curt and quite frankly Sasuke was rapidly losing his cool.

"No it's not, Naruto don't be stupid, come home with me now!"
"Don't call me 'hic' stupid! You 'hic' jerk!"

Naruto was struggling to keep both eyes open at the same time. He was in such a pathetic state and Sasuke wanted nothing more than to take him home and take care of him himself but he knew that arguing would do no good.

Naruto was not his problem; he had to let him make his own mistakes.

'I'll pop over to his flat after I've taken Sakura home to check up on him.'

"Fine. Sakura."

Sakura clutched his arm tightly and gave a feeble goodbye before following Sasuke to pay the bill.

"Whas that abou-…"

He was falling asleep in his chair. It seemed to Sai that there was absolutely no point in trying to find another bar to drink in; Naruto would be refused anymore alcohol even if he had been able to stand up and walk to it.

"Come on Naruto, I'll take you home."

xXx

The night air was crisp and sobering, at least for him. Naruto hung off him as drunk as ever.

"How- Why did he do that?"

His words were slurred but Sai understood what he was trying to say.

"Who did what?"

With a stony impatience Sai tugged at Naruto to force him to keep up. He just wanted to get into bed and sleep off his boyfriend's vexatious intoxication. It had seemed like such a good idea initially, he had been curious as to see what kind of drunk Naruto was.

He had hoped his lover was an affectionate and horny drunk.

"Sask. He 'hic' was touching her 'hic' infrontofme."

He trailed off and mixed up his sentence but Sai heard it loud and clear. Naruto had been drinking so much because he was jealous.

"I see."
"He knows 'hic.'"
"He knows what, Naruto?"
"He 'hic' knows I love him."

Naruto pulled away and ducked beside a small store to vomit. Sai had heard enough. He would not listen to the man he loved, the man he shared a bed with, talk about his feelings for someone else.

Sai continued on ahead.

It was only after Naruto composed himself that he noticed he was all alone.

"Sai?"

It was cold and as Naruto took in his blurry surroundings he realized he had no idea where he was.

"Sai!"

He helplessly called out once more into the empty street. There was no-one else nearby to hear him.
With a quiet sob Naruto returned to the side of the deserted store and pressed his back against the cold stone wall. He let himself slide to the ground and soon fell asleep shivering and whimpering like an abandoned pup.

xXx