~Sai~
When Sai woke he found Ashi sleeping, sitting up, on a pillow next to his bed.
"…Ashi?" Sai asked.
She was motionless, except for her breathing.
"…Ashi?" He asked again, but this time he poked her forehead.
'Like in the book!' Sai thought.
He pulled out his book and read aloud, "When a 'lady' Friend falls asleep in your home unexpectedly, and does not awaken…. Let her sleep on your bed."
Sai picked up Ashi's frail body and laid her gently on the bed.
He looked back into the book to read about the emotions that he was trying to regain and copy, "This is how you built the bonds needed for a healthy relationship." He was reading off of the wrong part of the book, he wanted to learn how to make friends… But what he was reading was how to make 'Special' friends. Since Sai was unfamiliar on both subjects, it was nearly impossible to distinguish the two properly.
He read another section of the book.
"You should always give people nicknames if you want to become closer to them."
He stared at Ashi's face, observing the gentle purple lines under her eyes. She was similar to her father. The lines looked like tears, but they weren't… Like her father, she had lines leading from under her eyes out to the bridge of her nose. She also had tear lines that lead down to the top of her cheek bones.
She was crying in her sleep like a small child, but the tears' effects didn't show on her small face. She began to thrash around. Her wrists were thin like her arms. She was like a miniature fully grown woman, womanly parts included. She wasn't what people would call miniature, but she was just short, and delicate looking. Almost like a fragile Camellia. It amazed him and left him in a state of awe. She was like a princess, just like Tsunade-Sama had said.
Sai chuckled as Ashi moved again with such grace it would put a princess to shame.
"Why would anyone ever make this small flower of a girl a body-guard?" Sai asked, "It seems odd… She must have inherited her mother's powers"
"Dammit…" Ashi mumbled in her sleep.
"She has a fowl mouth." Sai said, "How do I give her a nickname? If I can't read her character's traits properly, what will I call her?"
"Go to hell!" She spat out in her sleep, and her arms flew up, as if she was pushing someone.
"Is that what they call a nightmare?" Sai asked, "How odd…."
He watched her for a few more minutes, and when she finally settled he went into the kitchen to prepare his breakfast. He entered the tiny little room in the apartment that he called his kitchen. The room contained a stove, a sink, a mini fridge, and a toaster. The room had a few cupboards in it too. One filled with dishes, and one with non-refrigerated food items.
He ate plain cereal with little taste. He enjoyed it, because it was like him… Blank…
He sketched a few pictures… until Ashi woke up.
"WHAT THE HECK?" She shouted.
She ran out of the room, and into the kitchen.
"Sai, Why didn't you wake me up?" she snapped.
Sai smiled, "You were up all night. I was only being considerate."
"That's nice, but you don't have to be… I'm usually on a tight schedule I had no time to over sleep back then.." I said.
"Well, why not?" Sai asked.
"I had to stay up and protect my fathers vessel. I watched Sasuke all night and early morning… After he ate breakfast he would have to go train, and that would be the time I slept. Only for five hours was I allowed to sleep, before I had to get up and start the routine all over again. If Sasuke was in a good mood he would talk to me, if he was in a bad mood he would shun me. But he always appreciated what I did. Sometimes he would wake up and talk to me for short periods of time when he felt that I was lonely and needing attention and friendship," A joy filled her eyes, and only then did he feel the loneliness that she felt, and the loneliness that he too suffered from.
"I see. You seem to also believe in bonds that you have tied with Sasuke that he tries to sever." Sai was trying to be understanding (And it was working).
Her eyes widened, and she nodded as if realizing something for the first time.