"I hope I get the chance to fight that guy with the gourd." Sasuke said to Kairi as they walked towards the training grounds.
"I wonder what the heck his problem is." Kairi was kicking along a small pebble. "He really gave me chills. I hope I don't run into him in combat."
"You know, while I was on that mission in the Village Hidden in the Mist, I used my Sharingan for the first time." Sasuke said.
"Really?" Kairi looked over at him. "What was it like?"
"I felt so much...power." Sasuke looked at his hands, and made a fist. "I could see everything. My enemy's moves, what he was thinking, and how to beat him."
"It's going to come in handy." Kairi smirked at him.
Sasuke smirked back.
~~~
"Phew!" Kairi collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. "I think I'm ready to call it quits for today!"
Sasuke collapsed next to her, huffing. "Yeah." He hesitated. He looked over at Kairi lying next to him. "You wanna go grab some ramen?" He knew it was her favorite thing to eat. She immediately looked over at him and smiled.
"Hey, Kairi." Kairi lifted her head up to see Tsuyoshi standing a few feet from her.
"Tsuyoshi!" Kairi scrambled and stood up immediately. Oh no…I haven't seen him since the spa… Takuto's fate popped into her head. "Hey!"
"I was wondering if I could talk to you…" He paused. "Alone."
Asshole. Sasuke thought. Before Kariri could object, he got up and started walking off.
"Sasuke wait! You don't have to go, I'll be right back!" Kairi said to him. Don't leave me alone…this is going to be a bad situation…
"I'll be at my apartment if you need me." He continued walking. Tsuyoshi seemed pretty upset. He better not upset her.
Good riddance. Tsuyoshi thought.
"I'll see you later then, Sasuke…." Kairi said. She gulped. "So what's up?" she cheerily looked back at Tsuyoshi.
"I was just in the Hokage's office…" he started. "…and…I…" tears started welling up in his eyes. "…my brother is dead…"
Kairi made a rash decision to act as if she had no idea. She knew that the details of the mission were not revealed as to which squads completed what missions, so there was no way anyone knew it was her team who had caused this fate.
"W-what happened…?" Kairi said slowly. I wonder why he's telling me though…
"He attacked some Leaf shinobi on their mission." He stopped.
~~~
"Tsuyoshi, your brother was killed today." The 3rd hokage said to Tsuyoshi, who was standing in his office. "W-what?" Tsuyoshi felt a lot of inner turmoil, but the amount of hate he'd felt for his brother overwhelmed him. "By who?!" "It was a mission carried out by a shinobi of our village. He attacked them." The hokage slowly continued. He wasn't sure of the reaction he was going to get. "Well it looks like someone did my job for me." Tsuyoshi said. "There's more you need to know." The hokage became serious. "What do you mean? It seems pretty plain and simple to me." "We're still trying to determine who is the mastermind, but we've discovered that your brother is not responsible for the death of your family." Tsuyoshi froze, then and there. As if he was unsure of reality, he looked at the floor with such a blank stare, anybody would assume him dead. "That can't be true…" Tsuyoshi began to cry. "How would you know that?! My brother hated me and my parents! That's why he killed them, and left me to be alone!" Tsuyoshi smashed his hands onto the hokage's desk. "He wanted to take Kairi away from me to ensure I'd always be miserable and alone!" After a few moments of sitting in hysterical tears, Tsuyoshi began to cry for real. Sobbing, whimpering and completely upset. The 3rd walked to him and put a warm hand on his shoulder. Tsuyoshi put his head on the 3rd's shoulder.
~~~
"He didn't kill them…he didn't do it." Tsuyoshi was sitting on the ground. Kairi bent down next to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "But now I'll never know anything…because he's dead."
"I'm so sorry Tsuyoshi…" Kairi put her arms around Tsuyoshi and held him.
"Don't be…I'll find out someday…I'll figure it out. I just have to get out of here." Tsuyoshi swiftly just stood up and clenched his fists.
Tsuyoshi…? It's like his entire demeanor has changed…that look in his eye… Kairi almost felt a little afraid. "Get out of where? What do you mean?"
"I need answers, and I'm not going to get them here." Tsuyoshi turned away from her and took a few steps.
"What? Where are you going?!" Kairi scrambled after him and grabbed his shoulder. In turn, he grabbed her wrist, and looked her in the eye.
"Someday, I will see you again." Tsuyoshi said to her. Then, he leaned down, and kissed her very quickly and gently.
Kariri gasped. What?! She pulled away. "But Tsuyo-"
~~~
"Kairi? Is that you?"
What is that…? Ugh…my head…
"Kairi?!"
Sasuke…?
"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked her, he held her head in his arm and supported her body with the other.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She slowly regained her strength.
"What the hell happened?"
"Tsuyoshi…I was talking to him…and I think he's…gone." Kairi said up on her own.
"What do you mean, gone?" Sasuke asked calmly.
"He's just…gone…"
Sasuke noticed that Kairi's wrist had been bruised. "What did he do to you?!"
Kairi looked at him. I know he'll be angry if I tell him that Tsuyoshi kissed me, so I'm going to keep it to myself for now.
"I'm okay..." She said. Sasuke dropped it. He didn't like it, but he didn't want to keep pressing the problem.
Kairi pressed her head into his shoulder.
Sasuke and Kairi sat their together quietly for a moment, and then Sasuke helped her to her feet. "How about some of that ramen now?" Sasuke and Kairi both didn't seem to be on the same page about what Kairi meant by "gone".
"Yeah, let's get out of here." She looked back at the trees behind her, before joining Sasuke's side.
~~~
I can't stay in this place…there's too many memories that I no longer understand. I need to find answers, and I can't do that in this village. Tsuyoshi watched from the trees as Kairi left with Sasuke. I will have you for myself, Kairi. Sasuke will not take you away from me so easily.