Chapter 7

A/N: Updating a bit early since I'll be busy for the next few days when this chapter was supposed to be released. I read this over a few times but I have this feeling there are errors I'v overlooked. Let me know if you guys spot some, more than usual :P Enjoy!

The soft creak of the door opening was enough to awaken Sasuke from his slumber. He had fallen asleep almost as soon as Sakura left earlier that morning. While he normally wasn't a morning person and was rather grouchy in the morning, the thought of leaving the hospital put him a better mood. He always thought it smelt of disinfectants and sick people and spent as little time there as possible, unless he was waiting for Sakura. In addition to getting out as quickly as possible the thought of seeing Sakura allowed him to tolerate this morning a little more too.

"Good morning sleepy head!"

Upon opening his eyes his semi good mood was instantly demolished. Kakashi's face was not the first thing he wanted to see when he woke up.

He sat up and frowned at his teacher rather than giving him a return greeting. Kakashi might be the only older hunter that Sasuke truly had any respect for, but he was a bit odd. "Congratulations on completing your first real assignment," Kakashi smiled, "Glad to see your recovering nicely."

Sasuke looked over at the clock to see that it was only about 7:00. "Why are you here so early?"

"I just wanted to check on one of my favorite students of course." If he was always late to everything why the hell was he here so early? Sakura and Naruto were early birds but Sasuke always more nocturnal. "So how's the leg?"

"Its fine I guess," Sasuke answered. The throbbing pain was still there but it was much more tolerable than before.

There was a knock on the door before it was pushed open. "Oh I didn't think you would have visitors this early, but I wanted to catch you before you ran off."

Kabuto Yakushi was Orochimaru's assistant. He was a young man with grey hair that was kept back in low ponytail. He was wearing dark purple scrubs and his usual round glasses. Besides working with Orochimaru he was a nurse at the hospital. A few months after Sasuke arrived Orochimaru had moved most of his work to his lab and rarely visited the hospital. He still worked on the needed medicines but he only saw patients if Tsunade really needed his assistance.

"You were supposed to come in for your appointment the other day," Kabuto reminded him. Ever since Orochimaru had first drawn his blood he had been going to see him for more tests and checkups. They couldn't really send him to a normal doctor, so Orochimaru and his scientists where the next best thing. They also wanted to know how he developed and if it differed from the growth of a human child. Sasuke never knew what exactly they were testing what the results were, and he didn't really care. He had no interest in science, genetics, and all that crap.

During his sessions they mostly took blood samples and the occasional saliva swab. In the past few years they had hooked him up to some strange contraption that supposedly monitored his vitals and had him transform. They wanted to know the stress, if there was any, that the body went through during the transformation. Everything about him seemed to fascinate the two scientists.

Under normal circumstances Sasuke would never allow himself to be a lab rat. But before he agreed to go along with the additional tests that Orochimaru and Kabuto asked of him, they had promised him something of great importance. He was willing to comply with whatever they needed as long as they held up their end of the agreement.

"I forgot," Sasuke admitted.

Kabuto smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "It happens, but do you mind if I can get a small blood sample. You can just come see us once your injury is fully recovered." He pulled a small syringe out of his pocket.

"I had a blood transfusion last night. Would that affect the sample?"

"Oh and it was successful? No side effects or anything?" Kabuto's eyes seemed to light up as he pocketed the needle. When Sasuke shook his head Kabuto moved to check the clipboard on the table to see just what procedures had been done. "Very interesting!"

He placed the clipboard back down and smiled, "Let's just check on how well your leg is healing." Sasuke turned to that his legs were hanging off the edge of the bed. Kabuto examined the stiches and reached out to help Sasuke to his feet.

Kakashi placed a hand on the boy's shoulders to steady him when he swayed slightly. His leg hurt a lot more now that he tried to put some weight on it.

"Looks like everything is healing nicely, and rather quickly too. I don't think they're going to keep you another night. Don't come see us until you're all healed up. And no strenuous exercises until he's fully healed, okay Kakashi?" Kabuto joked with the hunter.

"Yes sir." Kakashi gave Kabuto a mock salute and helped Sasuke sit back down on the bed.

"Tsunade will come to see you to double check on you before you're released," Kabuto said. He waved good bye and left the room.

"I doubt you'll listen when I tell you to take it easy, but at least try alright?" Kakashi said in a gentle voice. They may not seem like it, but Kakashi was the closest thing to a father figure. He looked out for him and tried to mentor him where ever he could.

Sasuke looked away and gave a small nod. The two of them sat together rather enjoying the quiet of the morning. It didn't last long however when someone pounded on the door.

Sasuke hoped that Sakura had finally showed up to take him home. The third times the charm. But his hopes were once again crushed when Naruto came prancing into the room.

"Hey Sasuke! Is the leg still attached? It didn't fall off during the night did it?" Naruto asked.

"Of course not, you idiot," Sasuke responded a tiny bit of irritation could be heard in his voice.

"Well sorry for showing concern for my best friend's wellbeing."

Before the conversation turned into a full blown argument, Kakashi intervened. "So Naruto, care to tell me how last night's adventure was?"

Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement and began to describe everything in vivid detail. He waved his arms in exaggeration and even acted out some of the events from the hunt. Kakashi watched in amusement and occasionally pointed out a few things that they could do to improve next time. Every time Kakashi spoke up Naruto would freeze up and listen intently to what he had to say.

While Naruto was nearing the end of his tale the door burst open, again.

"There you are! I was wondering where the hell you ran off to." Jiraiya shouted while pointing an accusatory finger at the blond boy. "You woke me up early just so you can retell your little story for the 5th time?!"

Jiraiya was a very tall man with long white bushy hair. At first glance he was rather intimidating, but his rather foolish nature easily distorted that image. He was a famous hunter that was known for his triumphs while teamed up with Tsunade and Orochimaru. Unlike his other two teammates who still were very involved with the association, Jiraiya was more focused on his day job of being a writer. He was made popular by some very explicit novel that was also a favorite of Kakashi's. He may attend a council meeting from time to time but that was the extent of his involvement with the hunters as of late.

Naruto began to shout back while Kakashi nodded in greeting to the senior hunter.

Sasuke didn't exactly like Jiraiya. He was just as loud and exuberant as Naruto, but to make matters worse he was also a huge pervert. He had once made a comment to Sakura on how well she was 'developing'. Before Sasuke could even get a chance to attack the perv Sakura rewarded him with a harsh stomp to his foot that was strong enough to break bone.

After that time Sasuke always tried to stand between Sakura and the older man. But it was unnecessary since apparently Sakura had told her aunt about Jiraiya and she took the liberty to beat the shit out of her old friend for her. From that day on Jiraiya kept his comments, and normally grabby hands, to himself to avoid any more bodily harm.

Sasuke watched the two of them bicker while Kakashi leaned onto the wall and enjoyed the scene that was beginning to unfold. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at all of them. His day was starting out terribly.

Sakura was having a wonderful morning. She had a great nights rest and a yummy breakfast. But the best part of all was remembering the wonderful turn of events that had occurred the night before.

When Sakura arrived home after leaving the hospital she was surprised to see the lights in her house were still on. She should have known that her parents would wait up to hear about how the mission went.

Her mom practically pounced on her as soon as she opened the door. "I was so worried about you," Mebuki whispered into her daughter's hair.

While they embraced each other Kizashi stood up from his chair at the table and slowly made his way around it. He moved closer to him family and leaned back on the table for support. "I thought it was going to be a relatively simple assignment. What took you so long? What happened?"

Detangling herself from her mother she went over to embrace her father. "There was a pair of manticore that killed the harpies before we got there."

"Manticore?! That's more than a few beginners can handle." Kizashi smiled as he held his daughter close. "We're so proud of you. And you came home with hardly a scratch."

Sakura pulled away slowly with a frown on her face. "Not exactly. Sasuke got hurt. I know you don't like him dad but if he wasn't there I would probably be dead." Her parent's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Is he alright?" Mebuki walked up to her daughter and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"He's in the hospital. He was hurt pretty bad but it's not life threatening. I'm pretty tired, I think I'm going to go to bed." Sakura said hiding a yawn behind her hand. She didn't want to keep thinking about Sasuke bleeding on the forest floor. He was perfectly safe now but that image still haunted her and made her feel ill.

"Have a good rest you deserve it," Mebuki smiled. She watched her daughter disappear into her room before going up to her husband. Kizashi was still stunned about what Sakura had told them. He knew that Sasuke and Sakura were closer than he would like, but he never would have thought that the boy would risk his life for his daughter.

"Are you okay dear?"Mebuki asked while wrapping her arm around her husband's middle, allowing him to lean on her for some support rather than the table. The two of them slowly made their way back to the chair where Kizashi's cane lay.

"I don't believe that. I don't believe that he would go through so much to protect her," he frowned.

Mebuki smiled sadly at her husband, "Why? He's been living with us long enough for you to know that he will always take care of our little girl."

Kizashi stepped away from his wife once he held his cane securely. "After what happened I guess I just don't expect much from them. If he would help her without a second thought then why wouldn't they help us?" He glared at his cane as if it was the focus of his hate. And in a way it was. He let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Perhaps I misjudged him."

Mebuki smiled warmly at her husband and gave him a quick kiss. It seemed like he was slowly starting to let go of his hate and rage. While her husband made his way to their room Mebuki stopped by Sakura's room to check on her one last time.

After a few soft knocks Mebuki pushed open Sakura's door to see her daughter standing in the middle of the room with clean sleep clothes gripped firmly in her hands and a huge smile on her face. "It's rude to eavesdrop," she tried to scold but she couldn't help but return her daughters grin.

Sakura blushed slightly and stuck out her tongue playfully. "That wasn't my intension. I was going to take a shower before I went to bed when I just so happened to hear your conversation." Sakura giggled while her mom shook her head with a smile on her face. "It may have taken about 12 years but I think dad may actually start to like Sasuke."

"Like may be pushing it a bit far," Mebuki smirked. But her cheeriness faded at Sakura's next question.

"I know Dad doesn't like werewolves, but there has to be a reason for it." Most of the other hunters got over the fact that Sasuke's a wolf a long time ago, but her father had held onto his grudge for a really long time. "Why does he hate Sasuke?"

Mebuki was actually surprised that Sakura hadn't asked her this before. "He does have a valid reason for disliking wolves. Do you remember when he injured his leg?" Sakura shook her head. She was really young when Kizashi had come home after a hunt badly injured. "He and a few others had to remove a couple of ogres that were causing a ruckus. It should have been a simple assignment, but they didn't expect a demon to be there as well. The ogres were not too much trouble but the demon was vicious."

Ogres are large gargantuan humanoid monsters that were more brawn than brain. At average they stood about 9 feet tall. In this case the demon was probably manipulating them.

Demons came in hundreds of shapes and sizes. This particular one was small, completely black with beady blood red eyes, and had a pair of horns and bat like wings. It moved like a shadow, swift and silent, tearing flesh and bone as it went by.

Mebuki eyes began to water as she recalled the story. "After beating the three ogres they focused on taking out the demon. They finally managed to defeat it, but not before it killed three of the five men. You dad was one of the two who had survived. But he didn't realize that one of the ogres was still clinging to life as it lay bleeding on the ground. As he walked past its body the ogre swung its club and it hit him. It shattered the bones in his leg and left the muscles in tatters."

Sakura had always wondered what had caused her dad's injury, but it was such a sensitive topic for him that she felt bad bringing it up. "But I don't see what that has to do with werewolves. If anything I would think that he wouldn't like Naruto." Naruto may have been afflicted by a fox demon, but it was a demon none the less.

"That's not the worst part," Mebuki frowned. "That whole thing. The death of those men, his injury could have all been avoided. There was a pair of wolves standing in the forest watching the whole thing. They were only noticed after they had made sure to finish off all the ogres."

Sakura was quick to come to their defense. "Maybe they had just got there after everything was already over. They probably heard the fighting and came to check it out."

Mebuki shook her head sadly, "But when your dad called out to them pleading with them for help they didn't move, they just stood there and watched. Then they turned around and left. They abandoned your dad and his teammate in the forest."

"Why? Why would they do that?" Sakura cried. How could anyone be so heartless?!

Then she came to a chilling realization. Her father's callousness toward Sasuke now made sense. "He expects Sasuke to stab me in the back someday. That's why he looked so surprised to see that he was hurt fighting with us."

"Yes. And to make things worse his leg never healed properly. He blames the wolves for his friend's deaths and his disability."

"But that's not Sasuke's fault! He can't be held accountable for what someone else did!" Sakura was almost shouting, "He's not like that!" No one should be accountable for something someone else did just because they were the same species, no matter how horrendous the crime.

"And your dad is finally starting to see that," Mebuki said in a quiet voice that quelled her daughters rising fury. "He's starting to realize that Sasuke isn't the same as the wolves in the forest on that day."

"So, is there hope that one day the two of them will get along?" Sakura asked her hopefully.

"Yes, I think so." Mebuki hugged her daughter again. "Now go take a shower you smell."

Sakura laughed her good mood returning and walked out of her room and headed for the much needed shower. After everything that her dad had gone through it wasn't a surprise that he hated Sasuke. But just like people, you can't hold someone accountable for something their race did. Maybe, just maybe, Kizashi was slowly letting go of his prejudice.

Her dad was finally starting to see the person that Sakura knew he was all along. All Sasuke has to do is behave and show his good side.

Sakura snickered to herself. Asking Sasuke to behave might be easier said than done.

By the time she left her house it was nearing mid-morning. Sasuke should be awake by now. Upon her arrival at the hospital she saw Kakashi and Naruto standing outside. Were they here to visit Sasuke too? If so, why were they hanging around outside?

Naruto noticed Sakura approaching and visibly paled. "G-good morning Sakura!" he tried to hide his nervousness but was failing horribly at it. Kakashi waved at her, seeming very amused by something.

"Morning. Why are you guys standing around outside for? Let's go see Sasuke." Sakura said.

"You can't!" Naruto shouted while flailing his arms making Sakura raise an eyebrow at him. "Um- well, Sasuke's missing."

"What?!"

"It's Naruto's fault," Kakashi said cheerfully.

"Don't blame this shit on me! It was you and the perv talking about your disgusting book that set him off." Naruto argued. How dare Kakashi try to place the blame solely on him?

Kakashi feigned a hurt look. "My books are not disgusting, they're master pieces. And I'll have you know, he was irritated long before that conversation began."

It was then that Sakura noticed the bag that Kakashi was carrying. That small bag of clothes was all that she needed to figure out what happened. "He transformed and ran off didn't he?"

Kakashi nodded while Naruto laughed nervously. Sakura let out an exasperated sigh and took the bag from Kakashi. "I'll go get him." Naruto pointed her in the direction that they saw him run off too. They chose not to go after him since he seemed to be a bit upset at them and would probably run off again if he saw them. They also would rather not risk getting bit.

Sakura wondered how Sasuke managed to reach the forest without anyone noticing him. The hospital was near the edge of town but there was still a few rows of buildings before civilization gave way to the wilderness. When she reached the forest she made sure to move through the underbrush as loudly as she could, snapping twigs and rustling leaves as she went. She wasn't concerned about attracting unwanted attention during the day since most of the dangerous creatures were nocturnal. With her calling for him and the racket she was making, Sasuke would be sure to hear her.

It took nearly ten minutes for the missing wolf to find her. Sakura put her hands on her hips and glared lightly at him. "Where have you been? What's wrong with you, running off like that?"

Sasuke huffed at her in response and flopped onto the forest floor with his back facing her. Sakura struggled to hide her giggles. He was still pouting over something. It was just so cute!

Sasuke sniffed at his leg with the lacerations on it before he began to lick at the stiches. Sakura noticed that there was blood on his leg. His transformation followed by his run to the forest must have torn some of the stiches.

She watched as he continued to clean away the blood and couldn't help but joke, "Maybe you do need a cone." Sasuke immediately stopped licking and growled at her. Instead of being afraid of him when he bore his fangs at her, Sakura only began to laugh harder. She ignored his upset growling and bent down to check his stiches.

Half of the stiches were broken letting the wound reopen. It still seeped blood but it was nothing like the night before. She was amazed that they held up as well as they did. "Let's get you back, these need to be redone.

Sasuke looked away from her and rested his head on his front paws. He grumbled and flicked his tail irritably. He did not want to go back. Sakura sighed and sat down next to him. She leaned into him and began to gently rub the space between his ears. Sasuke was tense, pain and irritation caused by their friends being the most likely cause.

They sat together, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the forest. After a while he began to relax, his rigid muscles loosened up and his tail began to gently sweep across the forest floor. Sakura waited ten minutes before asking him again, "Come on, we should really head back now." This time Sasuke nodded and rose to his feet. "There's some clothes in here. We can't have you walking back looking like that." She placed the bag of clothes next to him and took a few steps away to give him some privacy.

She waited patiently as Sasuke shifted, Ino's comments from the night before ringing in her head. A dark blush blossomed across her cheeks and she couldn't help but take a peak over her shoulder. She didn't know if she was glad or disappointed to see that he was already pulling a plain what shirt over his head.

Without all the fur in the way she could clearly see his wound. The skin around the cut was an angry red and some blood still trickled down his leg. It miraculously seemed to have healed a tiny bit since she last saw it. Sakura wordlessly went over and let him wrap and arm around her shoulders for support.

The walk back was slow as to avoid jarring his injury any further. "So what was so bad that you had to escape the hospital for?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Since nearly 7 in the morning there was nonstop talking between those three idiots. If I had to stay in that room with them any longer I would have torn someone's head off." Sasuke grumbled. Sakura grimaced as he told his tale. No wonder he ran off the poor guy must have been going insane.

Luckily they made it back to the hospital without drawing too much attention to themselves. By the time they arrived there was a nurse waiting for them at the entrance to take Sasuke to an exam room. They were informed that Tsunade wasn't at all pleased to hear that one of her patients was missing and after finding out why, she gave Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Naruto a very loud and rather vulgar scolding. The three of them were banned from the hospital for a few weeks unless they were on the verge of death.

When Tsunade finally came to check on him it was obvious she was still livid. The ruined stiches caused her to glare heatedly at Sasuke. He put up a brave face but if he was in his wolf form he most likely would have tucked his tail and lowered his ears. Sakura's aunt was fucking scary when she was pissed.

Sakura had to hide her giggled when she saw Sasuke tense and try to hide his nervousness.

"In most cases I would be pissed that you ran off and ruined your stiches but I'll let it slide this one time." Tsunade said. "Would you like to practice applying the stiches again?" She asked her niece.

Sakura perked up excitedly. "Sure!" It wasn't often that she was allowed to actually work with patients.

The work was quick and clean and his leg was set on the right track for healing. Tsunade wanted to release him since the main reason to keep him over night was to see if there was any side effects of the transfusion. But if he was going to keep ripping his stiches she was a bit hesitant.

"If I take him home I'll make sure he keeps of his leg," Sakura said. She knew that Sasuke hated hospitals and would like to leave as soon as possible.

Tsunade contemplated her offer for a second before nodding her head in agreement. "We'll provide crutches to keep as much weight off that leg as much as possible. He should only need it for a few more days. And no shifting."

Sakura guided him as Sasuke took his first tentative steps with the crutches. He never had to use something like this before, it made him feel uncoordinated and sloppy. Sasuke gave Tsunade a nod in thanks as he made his way past her.

"Give me a call if you need anything," Tsunade whispered to Sakura.

Sakura nodded cheerfully and gave her aunt a hug before continuing after Sasuke. The trip home went relatively fast. They didn't talk much but Sakura didn't mind. She figured that Sasuke probably wanted some peace and quiet after getting his ears talked off all morning.

When they reached their house Mebuki was at the door to greet them. She held the door open for them with a warm friendly smile on her face.

"How are you feeling?" she asked Sasuke.

"I'm alright," he answered. He settled down on the couch with a content sigh. Sakura sat down beside him and pulled out her phone. She had a few texts from Ino and Naruto.

"I'm glad that you're okay. Would you like anything to eat? I know the hospital food isn't the best thing out here." Mebuki offered.

"No thank you," Sasuke answered politely. He and Mebuki treated each other with a lot of respect. He did his best to engage in conversation with her when he felt like she wanted to talk, even if he wasn't very vocal. He helped her with any errands and tasks that she needed his assistance with. And in return she did what she could to make him feel comfortable and at home. She knew that there was no chance that she could replace his real mother, but she did her best to be a suitable mother figure for him.

The rest of the day went by without too many mishaps. Sasuke did start to get a bit fidgety but he couldn't really do much about it. Mebuki suggested that he stay on the couch rather than in his little house while he healed. That way he wouldn't have to walk across the yard every time he needed something.

The sun had just set when Sakura and Mebuki began to cook dinner. Sasuke remained stuck on the couch watching the evening news. Kizashi had just come home after finished a rather boring day at work. He greeted his wife and daughter with a kiss on the head each before moving to the living room where Sasuke was sitting. Sasuke and Kizashi made brief eye contact and gave each other a nod in greeting. Kizashi sat on the opposite end of the couch with the day's newspaper in his hand. They sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes. The TV continued to rattle off the current events, but neither were truly giving it much attention.

"Thanks." Kizashi's voice came out mumbled and extremely quiet.

Sasuke turned his head toward Sakura's dad. Even with his good hearing he could barely make out what was said. Did he just thank him?

"For what?" Sasuke asked in an equally quiet voice. He glanced over at the older man. Kizashi shifted slightly in his seat, his shoulder and back were stiff. The guy was obviously uncomfortable.

"For looking after Sakura. Please continue to protect her," Kizashi said.

Sasuke nodded, "Of course. You don't need to ask something like that." Sasuke looked back at the TV and Kizashi opened the paper and lifted it to block off his face. Their short interaction was officially over.

Sakura and Mebuki watched them from the kitchen. The older Haruno had a small smile on her face while the younger was pouting. "I was hoping for a bit more than that," Sakura sighed.

"Don't rush things. You father just feels very awkward with this new development. Give him some time and maybe one day the two of them will actually get along."

It was going to be a rough road but there was hope that one day Kizashi and Sasuke may actually be on friendly terms.