Chapter 11: Team 7
Sleep came to Sasuke easier than it had the past few days, but he was awoken at an ungodly hour by Naruto knocking on his door and yelling for the Uchiha to open the fuck up. Groaning, Sasuke rolled out of bed and walked through the kitchen-living room and flung open the door unhappily. "What?" he grumbled.
"Danzou pulled Sai off our team!"
"So? Let me go back to sleep," Sasuke snapped, shutting the door, but Naruto stuck his foot in the way. He glared up at the blonde ninja. "The sun isn't even up yet, Naruto. Go back to bed and worry about this in the morning."
"You're not thinking," he hissed, pushing his way through the door into his friend's apartment. "Taking Sai back means Danzou could mean two things: either Sai isn't trusted anymore, or he's planning something."
"It's probably the first one," the Uchiha said dismissively. A small part of him wondered if Naruto's unrealistic worries might be true. After all, from the way Tsunade had acted, it was as if Danzou's loss of control following her awakening was a huge relief. Maybe Danzou really was the type to start something fishy. There was also the fact that he was one of the three elders… Sasuke's interest suddenly sparked, but he couldn't change his attitude now. "Anyway, this will probably mean I'll be back on your team, so think of that instead. Now leave me alone."
Naruto did seem a little more cheerful at that thought, but he still had his doubts. "Fine. Just don't say I didn't tell you so when Danzou starts acting up."
With those final words, Naruto exited, promising to return in a few hours to take him to the training area. The blonde ninja gave Sasuke a while to get ready and eat breakfast before heading back to his housing building and taking him to the area. This day was different from the others, not because Kakashi was late, but because he arrived with Maya. An unknown emotion surged in Sasuke for a brief second before he beat it down, strolling over to where Maya stood when Kakashi left her side.
"What are you doing here?"
She smiled. "I want to see your face when you find out," replied Maya cryptically.
"Find what out?" he frowned, quickly shooting a glance at Kakashi who he'd noticed waving for him to come over out of the corner of his eyes. Sasuke said, "I'll be right back," and went over to his sensei.
"Starting today, Team 7 is back in commission," Kakashi started, earning a cheer from Naruto and Sakura. "We were scheduled for a mission to deliver messages to the five Kages, since we recently had an outbreak of intercepted messenger birds, for a summit to discuss Akatsuki and especially Madara. This mission is to be executed within the next few days. Given the circumstances, with Sai being taken off our team and Sasuke added back to it, Tsunade saw an opportunity to shorten Sasuke's trial period and make him into a trusted Konoha shinobi."
"Seriously?" Sakura gasped in excitement.
"No way! How?" Naruto exclaimed.
"If he behaves and she sees that in our report, then he'll be free," the silver-haired ninja finished, smiling under his mask. "It'll be good to have everything back to normal, eh?"
Sasuke couldn't hold back the quirk of his lips, indicating a small smile. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning, so today we're going to practice by each of you defending something."
"And Maya?" the Uchiha asked before they could start.
"She still has the same probationary period as the other two of your group that's staying. Sorry, Sasuke, but they're completely unknown ninjas, not like you," he responded, shrugging apologetically. "Alright! Sasuke, you get this bell. Sakura, a scroll. And Naruto, this metal block."
"What?" he shouted in disbelief. "Why do I get this heavy thing!"
"It's training. Didn't you say that you wanted to pass Sasuke by a mile?" Kakashi reminded him with a wink.
Naruto's resolve instantly hardened and he let out a battle cry before putting a huge gap between him and the others. "Just try and take it from me!" he challenged boldly.
Kakashi smirked. "Okay, you two, go at him. Make sure to keep your items protected as well."
Sasuke and Sakura nodded in unison, charging at their teammate. The copy ninja sat back and simply watched, just as he'd done for a while. He had originally planned this sort of training with him being the one to try and take the item, but he realized that it also worked in reverse if they ever needed to steal any intel from their enemies. Letting them battle it out on their own, Kakashi headed over to Maya, curious to see if she was just gifted or if she actually had a fighting spirit in her, but when he approached, Maya looked like she had something to say.
"Um, Kakashi, is there any way you could get in touch with Hinata?" she asked, blinking up at him hopefully.
Scratching the back of his neck, Kakashi tried to remember where he'd last heard of Hinata. "I think… they went off on a mission? Since Kurenai's been completely restricted from her team, they haven't been on any missions lately. They were probably waiting for the right time. Why do you ask?"
"She was the one to spot me outside the village walls," Maya detailed. "I really felt a lot of suppressed potential from her. I didn't mean to intrude on her thoughts, but I got a glimpse into her memories and found the source of her… disposition, I guess. I thought I might be able to loosen her up and work on my own skills a bit, since I'm not familiar with putting everything I learned in the demon world in use here." She thought back to the time when she nearly tripped outside the walls while walking with Hinata and the incredible speed she'd used to catch herself. Maya worried that it was a result of a gravity change or the pressure in the demon world that caused her to think she had to use more effort than she actually did on Earth.
"You could spar with me," offered Kakashi, sliding his Icha Icha Paradise book from his back pocket and thumbing through it. His eyes bore into Maya's, provoking her.
Maya didn't take the bait, shaking her head. "Focus on your team. They're having a bit of trouble synchronizing again after all this time apart."
Disappointed, Kakashi turned back to Team 7, only realizing the issue after a couple minutes of watching them. He was surprised that Maya had noticed it right off the bat, even noticing that they were still trying to use the same clumsy techniques they were familiar with years ago. "That's a great observation," he praised.
Red tinged Maya's cheeks as she curled her toes in the grass. "It's nothing," she insisted. "I can just feel their irritation and assumed it was because they're messing up. No one's getting anywhere like this. You should remind Sasuke and Naruto of what they found out about each other's strengths while sparring. Sometimes people can't see it in themselves. And tell Naruto not to cut Sai out of the picture completely, but instead remember what worked for them and see if they can modify it to Sasuke's abilities, or—" Maya cut herself off abruptly, thinking that Kakashi probably already knew all this and that she was just being intrusive. "Sorry," she mumbled.
Kakashi didn't bother hide his look of amazement. She was thinking on the level of a jounin who was trying to create the ultimate team, not someone who wanted to amplify one single person like he'd mistakenly done with Sasuke after seeing the possibilities in the Uchiha boy. The team had spoken their thoughts about that, berating him for not giving them enough attention. Even though they could be stupid sometimes, when they accomplished something together, Kakashi felt a glowing pride for every one of them. And Maya had caught on to that immediately. Perhaps she really wasn't a fighter type, but with her capability to empathize with any person and see the bigger picture, he felt that she would be an asset on the battlefield anyway.
He felt Maya's shame rolling off her in waves and placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "You did nothing wrong. I'm really quite impressed. Maybe you should take over Team 7," he said jokingly.
Relieved, Maya looked back up with a thankful grin. "I think you're the best person for the job, definitely! There would be no Team 7 without someone holding them together."
That caught him a little off guard. He hadn't been anticipating any compliments in return, but felt the sincerity in her words and felt a weight lift off his shoulders. There had always been some guilt remaining over Sasuke's leave, but now… He could finally accept that it wasn't his fault and that he could change that boy's future starting by helping Team 7 become stronger than ever.
"Sakura, don't let Sasuke set the rhythm," he yelled at the team, making everyone halt and look back at him. He sighed, motioning for them all to gather in front of him. All three of them were panting, but still alert and clutching their items tightly. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Why are you holding them in plain sight?"
"Easier to keep an eye on them," said Naruto between gasps of air. He was breathing the hardest while Sasuke stayed cool and took in slow, quiet breaths. Sakura tried to imitate the Uchiha boy but failed, ending up more like Naruto who wiped sweat from his brow. The sun was slowly climbing the sky, making them more uncomfortable.
"You should hide them instead," he reprimanded, turning his attention to the only female of the group. "You kept getting sucked into Sasuke's way of doing things, which left you out of your element. Both of you should have tried to find a middle ground, something that combines your skills instead of using one and having everyone else act as the support. That's what Maya here pointed out, and she's right." Kakashi had slung an arm over the demon girl's shoulder, pulling her closer to him. She stumbled a little in surprise, blinking at Sasuke as he stared unflinchingly back at her.
"Any specific ideas?" asked Sakura, clearly interested in what Maya had to say.
She tried to avoid blushing due to the attention but felt her face heat up anyway. "W-well, I watched Naruto and Sasuke sparring a few days ago, so I know their skills better than yours…"
Sakura nodded, stepping back a few paces. "Tell them what to do, and then have them come at me. We'll see where that leaves us."
Turning to her expectantly, Maya found herself looking into Naruto's eager blue eyes. His enthusiasm made her smile and loosened her up a bit, allowing her to recall their fighting techniques the day before and piece them together in her mind. "I've got it," she said after a couple seconds, sliding away from Kakashi. Maya held up a hand to the boys, telling them not to move as she circled around them once and then ended up in front of them again with a grin.
"Sasuke, you're good with shuriken, right? The way you throw weapons and use them is much more fluid than Naruto's. And you're also good at hand seals. I've noticed you use substitution before. Naruto's kage bushin are really a huge asset, and I don't mean to give you a small role, but combining these three things can really confuse a ninja and allow you to go in for the kill—I mean, well, you know, take the information."
"But what if it's hidden? How do we find out where it is and take it?" Naruto interjected. Despite his questioning, he was still impressed with her logic, especially having only seen them fight once without any experience herself in the human world, as far as he knew.
"Uhm." She looked at Sasuke nervously. "Can I explain the whole thing first?"
The Uchiha wasn't sure why she'd asked him for permission, but he said, "Go on."
"Naruto makes about thirty kage bushin. From one direction, probably the left since that's Sakura's weak side, Sasuke will be hidden and throw a flurry of shuriken at her, which will make her dodge to the right where you'll use a substitution technique to make Sasuke appear there and get close to her. If you time it right, you'll be right in her face, and you can look into her eyes…" She trailed off, hoping he got the hint. Maya had little experience with sharingan, wondering if it was alright to use it even though they were just training. It seemed like a bit much, but Kakashi approved.
"That's a good idea," he praised. "Sasuke, how much control do you have over your sharingan?"
He smirked as if to say, "Who do you think I am?" and his teacher chuckled.
"Good. Put it into action."
Maya watched them with her finger crossed, hoping that it wasn't actually a really dumb idea that had no actual possibilities in reality. It sounded so nice in her head, but… She held her breath as the shuriken were thrown, and she noticed a slight change. A few kunai were among them that followed Sakura to the right, pushing her into Sasuke's substitution directly. She saw Sakura's surprise and then relaxation as she was caught in a genjutsu that immediately broke once Sasuke reached into her weapon pouch and pulled out the envelope. He held out an arm to stop Sakura from falling over once he released her from the sharingan.
"Well done!" Kakashi called to them.
Feeling Naruto's pride, Maya was glad that he hadn't thought that he was being left out in this move. Rather, it wouldn't have worked at all without his huge number of clones surrounding Sakura to provide a good enough distraction for when the weapons were thrown. She smiled up at Kakashi who returned it and ruffled her hair.
"You, too. Well done," he said.
"Thank you very much," she replied cheerfully, no longer as anxious as before. She really felt that she could help this team out—that is, if Kakashi let her.
"I have a question."
"Shoot."
"Can you fight?"
Maya considered this for a bit. "I'm not much of a fighter. I use my abilities to my advantage, predict moves before they happen, gain the emotional upper hand. Truthfully, I don't fight fair, and I try to avoid actual combat," she answered. "Why?"
"I want to get you tested," he revealed.
"For what?"
"Jounin."
Turning the switch on, Maya let herself see the details of a jounin. Once the pictures started becoming more personal, she pulled away and switch it off. She glanced a Sasuke who was talking with Sakura about how she could be added into that move and other situations they could use it in. "He's not even a jounin yet," she objected.
"Being a jounin isn't just about being incredible in battle. It's also about wits, leadership, the bigger picture." He was trying to convince her now. Passing the jounin test might also mean a shorter trial period for her, just like this mission would be for Sasuke. If she became a rightful member of Konoha society, there was a chance that she could gain trust from the higher ups and even go on a mission soon or be added to a team. "You definitely have these qualities. Whatever they taught you in the demon world works really well with you."
"I was born with these abilities," she continued to protest. "It's not like I'm anything special. I just know how to use them."
"So Hinata shouldn't be taken seriously just because she has a kekkei genkai that gives her an upper hand in some ways?"
Maya didn't know how to argue that. "No…"
"You still have weaknesses," Kakashi acknowledged, "but so do I. Jounin still work on their skills. It's just that at this level, I really think you deserve it. You'd be a great teacher. Look what you did just now." He motioned towards Team 7 who had already figured out a tweaked move with Sakura added and were trying it out on one of Naruto's kage bushin.
"A teacher? I'm not even from this world!"
"Maya." He stopped her with a hard stare. "Don't doubt yourself so much. And if you pass, Konoha might start to recognize you."
"Then… will you help me prepare?"
"Well," he sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I'd really like to, but I'd only be able to once I got back from this mission and since I'm leaving tomorrow morning…"
The demon girl shook her head. "No, don't worry about it! I'd like to try some things out before you saw me fight, anyway. I'm probably really rusty," she admitted sheepishly. "When are you coming back?" The question was double-edged. She hadn't gotten much time with Sasuke yet and it was a little lonely, but he if came back a trusted ninja, then he could be the one to escort her everywhere and that would be perfect. There was also the issue of his plan regarding the elders, which she wasn't sure he'd let go of yet. Thankfully, the way he interacted with Naruto and Sakura were reassuring that he was doing well.
"It won't be long," he promised, noticing her sly glance at Sasuke. "A couple days at most."
"I'll be waiting, then," Maya said with a smile, and then she pointed to the team. "They seem to have that move down, so you can go ahead and teach what you were originally going to. Avoidance, right?"
"You've been really helpful. If you see anything we can improve on, don't be afraid to speak up." With that, Kakashi left her side to gather his team once more. The moves he was teaching them didn't settle well with Sasuke and Naruto who kept pushing back and blocking instead of dodged and avoiding. Sakura got it down fast, a natural difference in fight-or-flight reactions between her and boys. But before Maya could even say anything, Sakura caught her eye.
The pink-haired ninja rolled her eyes, jerking a thumb at the two of them clashing with Kakashi as he pretended to try and take their items. Naruto was getting his stolen, frequently falling for Kakashi's Earth element jutsu where he appeared from underground. Learning from the blonde boy's mistakes, Sasuke started pushing large amounts of chakra to his feet in order to feel when his sensei was underneath him. After a while, Sakura and Sasuke had perfected the avoidance techniques, realizing that they had to pay attention to every direction at once, while Naruto had a narrow view of his surroundings.
"Naruto," called Maya, running up to the blond ninja. She waved a hand at Kakashi to continue practicing with the other two. "Do you know why the other two got it already?"
"'Cause they're fucking smart, not like me," he retorted grumpily. Maya snickered at the pouty look on his face, making him snap, "What?"
"Sorry," she apologized, going serious immediately. This wasn't a joke to Naruto. She could feel his frustration even though she hadn't turned the switch on.
"It was always like this before," he complained, trying not to sound whiney. Naruto gazed down at Maya, his eyes asking for help, and she complied.
"It's because they learn from each other. See how Sakura just started moving to the side instead of jumping up when Kakashi's under her feet? That's because she watched Sasuke." Maya reached up a little and put a firm hand on his shoulder, releasing a surge of chakra into her hand. "Feel that pressure?"
"Yeah," he grunted, holding himself up well despite the weight on his shoulder.
Maya flicked the switch on, allowing herself to control her chakra better, and released a quick, large burst that pushed him back, switching it off again. He skidded back with wide eyes, surprised, not expecting the quickness that followed. Maya left her spot in a blur, sending a large amount of chakra to her feet, resulting in speed that made it seem like she'd teleported behind Naruto. Her hand snuck into his front pocket, grabbing the metal bar and flicking her hand back out, jumping back as he turned around with her tongue stuck out.
"What the hell!" Naruto shouted, holding his arms up in disbelief. "You never said you were gonna do that!"
"Neither will the enemy," replied Maya with a wink. She tossed it back to him and he caught it easily, stuffing it into the inside of his jacket this time, a determined look now crossing his face. "Don't just think of yourself, Naruto! Think of everything and everyone around you."
"How am I supposed to do that when I'm only one person?" he said in irritation, and then he figured it out. He quickly made two more clones of himself and bent his knees, ready for her next attack. His two clones watched her while he anticipated where she'd appear next.
"To your left!" a clone shout, and he swiftly pulled himself to the right, sending a clone in his stead.
Maya tore through it, charging straight at him, when Naruto flipped over her head. She spun around, hair whipping through the air, and was unexpectedly caught in the face with the second clone's foot. Naruto had not only gone over her, but the clone as well—that explained the distant sound of his shoes when he landed. Maya recoiled, pulling a kunai from her belt and following the clone as it swerved. She timed his paces, counting the seconds until he was the right distance away, and then she ducked under a punch and drove the knife into the clone's side, making it disappear in smoke.
Through the smoke came the real Naruto, out of nowhere, and knocked her to the ground, pinning her there with a kunai to her neck. He grinned ecstatically. "I did it!" he shouted, jumping off her with a cheer.
"Great, Naruto!" Sakura laughed.
"Hn." Sasuke nodded in approval.
Kakashi gave him a thumbs up.
Naruto held out a hand to the demon girl on the ground, helping her up. The force of his pull was unexpected, causing her to fall forward into him, but she used it as an opportunity to hug him. "Nice!" she praised happily. It had also been her own success. Maya pulled away with a grin almost as wide as his. "You were watching Sasuke, weren't you, when he jumped behind Sakura when Kakashi didn't know she was there?"
"You were watching, too?" he blinked in shock. "That's impossible. You were speeding around and I let my clones take care of that issue, so I had a moment to look over."
She shrugged. "It doesn't feel as fast to me as it looks. Anyway, go ahead and take turns trying new things out with your teammates. I'll be watching," Maya told him, pointing two fingers at her eyes and then at him.
He laughed, "Okay sensei."
Maya faltered at the nickname, glad that he didn't notice her bright blush as he ran off to join Sasuke and Sakura. She looked up to see Kakashi's returning form, her eyes big and innocent and uncertain. He was confused about what caused her to look like that, so he asked.
"I don't think I belong here," she admitted, tears making her eyes shiny. "I'm not a true ninja, but here I am acting like I have a right to tell them what to do!"
Kakashi sighed, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't good at banishing self-doubt, but those eyes made him feel guilty for not doing anything. "If Konoha worked in four-man groups, there's no doubt you'd be a part of Team 7," he said. "Your insight is something any team would be lucky to have. So once you pass the jounin exam—"
"If," she interrupted.
He gave her a hard look, shutting her up. "Once you do, there will be a team just for you. And then you don't have to worry. For now, just relax. Don't even pay attention to them if it worries you."
She nodded. "Thanks, Kakashi."
"No problem."
They sat together in the grass silently, listening to the constant hum of cicadas and the grunts of effort from Team 7. A little past noon, Kakashi told them to stop. "If you're all exhausted tomorrow, you'll be no use on a mission, so get some food and rest up," he ordered, and then turned to Maya. "You need someone with you at all times, so if you want me to take you back to your apartment for now, I could…"
Maya hesitantly opened her mouth, looking shyly at the others, giving a squeak of surprise when Naruto threw his arm around her. "Come on, let's eat at Ichiraku's!" he grinned.
Sakura smiled reassuringly. "Each of you need a separate person, so I'll come with, if that's okay," she offered.
"You're coming with us, Sakura?" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "All right!"
"On one condition," she added, giving him a look. "We eat somewhere else."
"No way," he said instantly. "Ichiraku's ramen is the best."
"They're not even allowed there!" the kunoichi shot back in annoyance. "Seriously, let's show Maya that Konoha isn't all about food for bums like you."
"I take offense to that," Kakashi sniffed. "Ichiraku's is delicious."
"Right?" Naruto grinned triumphantly.
"Point proven," Sakura said flatly, turning her attention on Sasuke. "What do you say? You're the only one who hasn't given an opinion."
"Anywhere is fine," the Uchiha answered easily. He just exuded cool. Maya couldn't help but realize why he used to have all those fangirls. They'd settled down now that everyone had matured, and since he was still mostly known as the one who betrayed Konoha, but he got lustful stares as they walked down the streets after deciding on Sakura's new favorite place instead of Ichiraku's. Maya had been impressed by the pink-haired girl's ability to convince everyone, excluding Kakashi who said that he'd feel weird with a bunch of teenagers and simply left.
"Check it out, it's Kiba and his team," Naruto commented upon entering, waving enthusiastically at the group.
"Hey, Naruto! Who's the new chick?" Kiba said, walking over from their table to greet his friend. He looked Maya from head to toe, taking her in, while Naruto explained.
"She came back with Sasuke," the blonde ninja said. "Her name's Maya and she's really smart, and fast."
"Stop it, Naruto," Maya interjected weakly, feeling awkward being complimented like that. She bowed quickly, smiling at Kiba. "Nice to meet you. I heard you were on a mission, so I'm glad you came back safely. Please tell Hinata that I'd like to see her again soon."
"Y-yeah, thanks…" Kiba stared at her for a moment longer before snapping out of it. "I mean, I will. I didn't know you two met."
"It's a long story."
He nodded, feeling unwanted with the others staring at him strangely. "Well, I'll see you then," he said, heading back to his table.
"What was that about?" Sakura whispered once they sat down, eyes alight. "He totally checked you out, Maya! And did you see the blush when she said 'I'm glad you came back safely'?" Sakura and Naruto laughed while Sasuke remained emotionless. "I'm not making fun of you, I promise. It was cute."
Maya couldn't help laughing as well. "That's ridiculous. There's no way. He was probably just embarrassed to be put on the spot like that. Maybe I shouldn't have said so much?" she fretted.
"You're fine the way you are," the other girl in the group assured. "But you're so polite to strangers. How come?"
She shrugged. "Habit, I suppose. What sort of things can we eat here?"
Sakura went off to list her favorite things as well as the restaurant's specialties, talking over Naruto's interruptions of, "But Ichiraku's ramen is still better." She found herself giggling a lot at their bickering and smiling when Sasuke joined in the conversation, just like normal. It was as if she was becoming part of the team even though there was no place for her. She didn't want to leave, especially after eating the most delicious miso soup. It was so good, she hadn't eaten anything else, instead ordering seven bowls and earning gasps of amazement from Naruto who couldn't believe that she was able to eat so much.
Maya had always been a big eater, but burned it off quickly because even in the demon world, she was quick. Her fast movement seemed to speed up her metabolism so she never had to worry about how much she was eating, as proven by the way she didn't count until they were getting ready to go. "Wow, I'm so sorry! I didn't think I ate so much, and I don't have any money…"
"It's fine," Sasuke said, taking on her part of the bill. It had turned out that the entire Uchiha fortune was still untouched and a small portion of it had been given to him over the last few days. The rest would be completely transferred to him after the mission.
"Thank you so much," she told him sincerely, making sure to meet his eyes.
They held that stare for a couple seconds longer, jumping when Naruto scraped his chair across the ground. He patted his stomach in satisfaction. "Not better than Ichiraku's, but still pretty good," he admitted, yawning as he finished, causing Sakura to yawn as well. The two of them had gotten so tired from the food that they risked letting Sasuke and Maya head back on their own part of the way.
It had come to their attention that they lived in the same building, just one floor apart. Sasuke's was up a flight of stairs, but Maya's was in a dark corner, shaded from the street lights by the walkway overhead. Sasuke took one look at this and said, "I'll walk you to the door."
"You don't have to," she started to say, stopping when she saw the serious look in his eyes. Complying, Maya walked on, Sasuke less than a step behind her. She felt his sleeve brush her shoulder, but he moved away to let her open the door. It had no lock, like his, which was a way to let them both know that they were always under suspicion until they'd proven themselves.
"I can go in from here, Sasuke," Maya said with a thankful smile.
But he didn't listen. Sasuke didn't physically push her into the apartment. His overbearing presence, moving closer to her made Maya back up, directly into the makeshift living room. The door was only open a crack, letting in a sliver of light that shone on Maya's face, leaving Sasuke's completely dark.
"Sa—"
Suddenly, he was too close and she stumbled, falling on her back and hitting her head on the floor. She gasped at the pain, but it was gone in a moment. Feeling stupid, Maya tried to get up—and couldn't. Sasuke had gotten to her level, crouched over her with his forearm pushing down on her throat. Emotions ran high and the switch turned on without her control.
A rush of images bombarded her mind—fragmented moments of the night his family was killed, Itachi's tears as he left the scene, the elder's faces, Itachi's dying moments, the things he'd learned from Maya and Madara, everything mixing together and making his pain burn stronger than before. Being back in Konoha had calmed him until the moment he recognized something from the Uchiha era of things. The dark space that her apartment was located in sparked a memory that she was suddenly sucked in to.
"Nii-chan? Where did you go?" A sleepy-eyed Sasuke had followed his brother one night. He had been unable to sleep due to nightmares and heard Itachi leaving. Assuming it was one of his parents, Sasuke only meant to go tell them that he couldn't sleep, but ended up going after Itachi. But his brother was quicker than him and he got lost. Now he was speaking to the air, trapped in front of a dark apartment complex.
"Sasuke!"
The young Sasuke whipped around, startled by his brother's voice suddenly coming from behind him. "Nii-chan! What are you doing, dressed like that?"
It was the first time the little boy had seen his brother in his ANBU uniform. Itachi shook his head. "Never mind that. Let's get you home. Why were you awake?"
Sasuke mumbled tiredly, "I had nightmares," as he climbed on his brother's back. They took off.
"You know how to get rid of nightmares?"
"How?"
"You look the monster in the eye and scream, I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!" Itachi actually shouted the words. They echoed back to the brothers, making them laugh.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
And from that night on, there were no more nightmares.
"But they're back," Sasuke whispered, slowly removing his arm and punching the hard ground next to Maya's head. She flinched. "Last night, I slept fine, knowing that you were back to keep the darkness from overtaking me. I'm not strong enough on my own. How can I keep the darkness away if you're so far?"
"I'm right below you," Maya said softly, touching his cheek lightly to make him look at her instead of at the carpet. "I don't mean literally, as in right now. I mean, in the building."
He involuntarily laughed, shaking his head like he'd said something stupid. Then he stopped, realizing something, and his eyes were glowing with sharingan. With the switch still on, Maya was able to force him out of her mind before his genjutsu started working and she crawled out from under him, leaning back on her arms.
"Even if you bring me into your mangekyou sharingan, it won't bring Itachi back. It'll all be an illusion, and that'll make it harder for you to let go." Maya felt sadness stab her heart, unsure if it was her own or his, but it felt like something only she could feel.
Hating the look on her face, Sasuke turned his head away as he stood. He still couldn't face her when he went to the door, opening it all the way. Sasuke turned towards her a little without eye contact and muttered, "If I have nightmares, how do I make them go away now if it's not monsters?"
"The same way, Sasuke."
AN: I hope that the Sasuke/Maya moment was enjoyable. (: I really want them to have more time together, but with Sasuke, I can't really make things too romantically obvious. And then there are other issues, like Maya becoming a jounin… o.o I promise it won't be something to make her seem 'all-powerful', but rather, more like a teacher. I seriously love you reviewers, you're all my angels. :'D
