Authoress' Note: Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review the last chapter. This one I am far more pleased with and I hope you all are too! Sasori's back to being harsh to others in this as well. I've found a useful way to turn his caring for Sakura into pain on others, LOL! Anywho, enjoy and please review once you've read it.

Disclaimer: I do not own 'Naruto' or anything associated with the manga or anime. This is purely fan-made, as I find it hardto believe that I would allow any of my favourite characters to die if I was the creator.


A Broken Friendship

Chapter Seven: Smile

Sakura felt confused. On the one hand, she was relieved that Sasori was still going to be her friend. On the other hand, she was slightly afraid of being friends with him. When they had met, she hadn't known a thing about him. The entire time that they spent together, Sakura had told Sasori more things about herself than she probably should have done. He was still in the Akatsuki back then, and if he had wanted to, he could have used the information against her or killed her. That knowledge frightened Sakura. What took away some of the fear was the comfort she felt at still being alive because Sasori didn't want her dead at all. He still wished to be her friend and he seemed to be trying his best as well.

True Sasori had lied to her, but Sakura knew that if he had told her he was in the Akatsuki, she would have turned against him instantly or fled in fear. She couldn't hate him for keeping necessary secrets.

They were still walking slowly back to the Sand village, a little wary about arriving there any quicker than they were doing. Gaara still had to think of a convincing excuse for Deidara and Sasori's presence when they arrived. Sakura hoped that he would come up with something soon. She wanted to talk to Sasori in private somewhere, so that Naruto wouldn't be angry with her for knowing the red-haired Akatsuki.

The forest was starting to thin out, signalling that the group would soon be leaving the foliage and would enter the open desert. There would be no cover if anyone were looking for signs of the rescue party.

Gaara was only a couple of feet in front of both her and Sasori, listening to a hyper Naruto talk about his new jutsu. They both seemed so distracted, Sakura didn't really think anyone would overhear if she talked to Sasori about anything. She had a few questions she needed to ask him, so she had to use the time they had now.

The rosette flicked her eyes to her side and she instantly caught the puppet master's attention. If she didn't know any better, she'd assume he had been looking at her the whole time.

"Sasori," she began slowly, "why are you leaving the Akatsuki?"

His dark eyes looked away from her curious gaze, a clear sign that he wasn't too comfortable with answering this question. Still, he tried, "I...no longer agree with what they do or what they plan to achieve."

His reply felt like a half-truth. Sakura knew there had to be more. She didn't want to pry into it too much though, in case she pushed too much and he changed his mind. She knew that his anger sometimes overrode everything else that he felt.

"That's good I guess." She smiled at him and it threw him off guard a bit. "I suppose you'll have plenty of free time to spend with me now?" He nodded, a little less nervous about answering her questions, but still unsure. "And don't worry Sasori, I'll help you learn how to be a really good friend!"

At that, Sasori smirked a little, "I thought that I only had to be myself?"

Sakura blushed slightly, embarrassed that he remembered that conversation and she had almost forgot. "Well, yeah, that helps...but I'll show you all the other things that friends do together. You'll still have all of that to learn after all."

He folded his arms, "And I suppose you are the best teacher for the task?" He acted skeptical, but Sakura could tell that he was teasing her.

"Cha! I'm the only person that will teach you! You're practically a lost cause Sasori." She grinned and the very corners of Sasori's lips twitched in what was his attempt at a smile. "See, you don't even smile properly. Come on! Smile Sasori."


Sasori was unsure. Very, very unsure. She wanted him to smile. He didn't do that. He wasn't even sure if he remembered how to smile. Would he look stupid if he tried and failed? He certainly didn't want her to laugh at him and he didn't want Deidara to notice him failing at anything.

"Sakura...I don't really see why I have to smi-"

Sakura's voice cut him off, "Oh come on Sasori! It's not that hard, is it? Just think of something that makes you happy and you'll smile."

"Fine." His voice deadpanned.

Sasori was perfectly aware that this was a huge mistake, but Sakura seemed to think otherwise. If it would make the grinning girl happy though...he would do it.

Something that made him happy, huh? There were many things, but he doubted that they would bring a pleasant smile to his face. Turning someone into a puppet made him happy, but it was more a sadistic happiness than the innocent kind that Sakura wished to see.

Seeing Sakura's face. That made him happy. It gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling in his heart. Knowing that she is safe and content also caused warmth to spread throughout his cold being.

Slowly, ever so slowly, a tiny smile crept forth onto Sasori's face. The sight of it made Sakura gasp and Sasori's smile faded instantly. Had he scared her in some way?

"Sakura? Are you...alright?"

"I'm fine. You just looked so...different when you smiled that I was surprised I guess."

Sasori saw her blush ever-so-slightly and he wondered if she might be ill. Surely it couldn't be healthy to turn another shade of colour so quickly in one day?

"You're sure? Your face looks a little flushed." Without thinking, Sasori lifted his hand and placed it on her forehead to check her temperature. It took him a moment or two to realise two things: one, they had both stopped walking and were currently holding the entire group up, with everyone staring at them; and two, his own temperature would be far too cold to truly tell whether Sakura's one was above normal.

"Um..." was all that Sakura could say, her face now as red as a tomato and clashing horribly with her hair colour.

Sasori swiftly removed his hand and looked at his feet. He had not embarrassed himself so openly like that in a long time. As if to make him feel worse, Deidara suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter and filled the whole silence with his amusement.

"You should see your faces, yeah! You look hilarious!"


Sakura was so embarrassed that her cheeks continued to burn even after ten minutes had gone by. Nobody had yet moved or said a word, except for Deidara's outburst and his loud, roaring laughter. Speaking of which...

"Stop laughing, it's not that funny! Sasori was just making sure I was not sick or anything. You don't have to be mean about it." The pink-haired girl glared hotly at Deidara, who slowed his laughing fit down to a quiet chuckle and eventually he stopped altogether.

The blonde man's blue eye glanced at his partner, who looked very uncomfortable and not at all happy with what he had been caught doing. With a sheepish grin, he tried to apologise in some way, "Er...sorry Sasori. You know me, I can't help it when someone looks stupid, yeah."

Sakura searched the others to find any traces of amusement, but nobody seemed to be on the brink of laughter. Kakashi was silently observing the exchange with a certain gleam in his eye – like he was putting pieces together and connecting the dots. Elder Chiyo looked very startled for reasons that Sakura still couldn't figure out. Gaara was just being Gaara, trying his best to ignore anything that was odd or peculiar to his eyes.

It was Naruto that worried Sakura the most though. He looked very confused and his expressive baby-blues seemed to be crying out to her in pain.

"S-Sakura...what..?"

She sighed heavily and prepared herself for the long story-telling that she would have to give to them all, "There's something I didn't tell you. I met Sasori before today. He's my friend, the one I mentioned while we were travelling."

Kakashi looked like he had been told a normal piece of news - calm and not all that surprised. "So he's the Sasori you told us about. It makes a little more sense now. Still, one thing's been bothering me Sakura. Just where did you find the time to befriend an Akatsuki?"

"Um...back when I was on that mission to scout the area far to the west of the Sand village."

Gaara decided to pay full attention to the conversation now, "The mission I had told you not to carry out you mean."

"Yeah..."

Silence. Nobody really knew what to say now. There wasn't anything to say anyway...

"How could you call an Akatsuki your friend Sakura? They're the enemies!"

...unless you're Naruto Uzumaki that is.


Sasori's hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He hated the anger that the blonde boy in front of Sakura was displaying. He had no right to be angry with her at all. If she wanted to be friends with Sasori, that boy certainly shouldn't get in the way.

Sakura's distressed voice yelled back at her best friend, "I didn't know he was with the Akatsuki Naruto! How could I have? Nobody ever told me what they looked like! You all kept me in the dark!"

"You know now though! So why are you still his friend? He's a murderer Sakura! They all are!"

"That doesn't matter! He wants to quit, he told us so. Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"What if it's a trick? He could be lying to you, to all of us! He could be using you Sakura!"

"He's not, Naruto. Why would he?" There were tears in Sakura's eyes that were spilling down her fragile face. She looked and sounded quite broken from only one argument with Naruto.

"He's the enemy, that's why!"

The boy had gone a little too far for Sasori's liking. Getting angry with Sakura was one thing; making her cry was another thing entirely. He hated when she cried because it ruined her face and made her bright eyes dull with despair.

With a speed that only Chiyo and Kakashi's more trained eyes could see, Sasori grabbed onto Naruto's throat and shoved the boy up against the nearest tree he could find. The blonde Leaf ninja was being suspended in the air ever-so-slightly, with his legs partly dangling in the air. He was gasping for air and grabbing onto Sasori's hand to try and pry the puppeteer's fingers from his neck.

Sasori wasn't exactly trying to kill the boy, but he wasn't being gentle with him either. He had to make sure that Naruto knew exactly what would happen to him if he ever made Sakura cry again.

Everyone else was standing a little ways away from the pair, not sure whether Naruto's life truly was in danger or not. Sakura's tears had stopped for the time being and her face had paled visibly.

"Listen closely, little boy," Sasori hissed with malice into Naruto's ear, "if you ever make Sakura cry again, I will maim you until there is nothing recognisable of your features. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

He heard a faint "yes" from the boy and released him soon after. Naruto slumped to the floor and started hacking, coughing and gasping for breath.

Sasori barely even acknowledged his pain, as he turned to face the whole group and said matter-of-factly, "Sakura and I are friends. That's all you need to really know and that is all I will ever say on the matter. I am not going to betray her at all, so don't even think of accusing me like this brat has."

He calmly walked back to Sakura's side and took her gloved hand in his own, cold one, as if this act was a normal occurrence. He glared at Kakashi, "Shouldn't we be going now?"

The silver-haired Jonin simple nodded dumbly and went to retrieve the fallen boy, signalling to everyone to carry on walking without him.

When they had set off again, with Kakashi dragging an exhausted Naruto at the back of the group and Chiyo now at the front, Sakura smiled softly at Sasori, "Thank you Sasori, even though you were a bit extreme you know."

"He had to learn." Sasori truly smiled that time. "And...you're welcome, Sakura."