Lazy Afternoon

Tsukiko sighed, pressing her fingers against her temples. She was bored. And sick of watching Sasuke train, it was nice to know her enemies strengths and weaknesses, but this was getting ridiculous. 'He's not my enemy.' She though to herself, conflicting emotions bubbled within her.

Sasuke jumped down, landing lightly in front of her, "Tsukiko, why don't you call me Sasuke?"

Tsukiko's smile was pained as she tried to think of the best way to answer, "Because, your name, it brings me pain." She began to walk away from him, "C'mon, let's go get lunch." Tsukiko tried to lighten the mood, beckoning him to follow after her.

Sasuke winced, his spirit crushed as he realized that she still hadn't forgiven him. 'Well, at least she's willing to be around me.' He thought, a smile tugging at his lips as he ran to catch up to her.

:::

"So, what do you like to eat?" Sasuke asked, glancing at Tsukiko.

She shrugged, "Anything besides sweet things, they're not my favorite."

Sasuke nodded, noticing how close you were, "How about ramen?"

"Sounds great." Tsukiko answered, her eyes traveling until they met his, they both slowed, and sparks passed between their gaze. Sasuke was the first to look away, turning to lead her through the village. Lunch passed without a problem. Tsukiko was slowly realizing that, well, maybe Sasuke wasn't such a bad guy after all. 'No. Don't turn soft.' She chastised herself, watching him walk ahead of her. She had to admit, he was turning into a fine shinobi.

"Sasuke!"

Tsukiko heard another high-pitched voice cry out from behind her. She turned, finding a blonde-haired girl running towards them. She flew past Tsukiko, without even taking notice, and jumped on Sasuke.

Sasuke grimaced, and threw the girl off of him, "Get off." He snapped. He looked at Tsukiko with an apologetic look.

She smirked, not bothering to say anything. Normal people were mildly interesting.

"So… How's training going? Are you going to be in the Chunin exams? We are! Asuma-Sensei recommended us! Isn't that great?" The blonde blabbed on and on, oblivious to the annoyed look on Sasuke's face.

Tsukiko stepped around them, calmly walking away and disappearing into the woods.

Sasuke watched and panicked slightly, afraid he might have upset her. "Just leave me alone!" He demanded, rushing after Tsukiko.

:::

Tsukiko flicked kunai and shuriken into the different targets, each landing in the center. 'This is child's play.' She thought, grabbing all of her weapons. 'That girl, and the pink-haired one… Sakura… they both become freakishly mushy whenever they see him.' Tsukiko frowned, confused. 'I-I love you Sasuke!' The memory burned in her mind, and she flinched, shaking her head to clear the mind. "No!" Tsukiko gasped, feeling a hand touch her shoulder. "DON'T!" She screamed. The kunai instinctively released itself from her hand. Sasuke's startled eyes met hers. "Oh…" Tsukiko breathed, regaining control of her senses. Her body still shook as she inhaled slowly, "Sorry about that." She mumbled, trying to step past Sasuke.

Sasuke shook his head, there was so much remorse in his grey eyes, "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." He comforted, pulling her into his warm body.

Tsukiko sighed, resting her head against his chest, "Why… Uchiha?" She whispered. Tsukiko closed her eyes, and let the wall crumble.

"I'm here for you now. I won't ever let you go, Tsukiko. I love you and only you, more than life itself." Sasuke's arms tightened as he buried his head into her soft hair.

Tsukiko tensed, this was… normal? "Thank you… S-Sasuke…" It was the first time, in years, that a genuine smile graced Tsukiko's face.

Sasuke looked down, noticing the angelic smile on Tsukiko's face, and he smiled, locking it within his memory. "Anytime." He whispered.

:::

The rest of the afternoon was mediocre. Tsukiko and Sasuke sparred, and she easily beat him without breaking a sweat.

"You're strong." He noted, sitting back against a tree.

Tsukiko shrugged, "I've just had different training than you."

"Are you ready for the exams?" Sasuke asked, his eyes cautiously looked over at her.

Tsukiko was lost in thought, gazing up through the trees at the setting sun, "I guess. It's nothing new for me." She looked at him now, "What about you?"

Sasuke thought for a minute, trying to think of how to explain all the things that rushed to his mind. "I'm excited. This is finally my chance to prove how strong I am, and to become a Chunin so I can become stronger. But… My – Our team isn't exactly reliable. There's Naruto Uzumaki, the knucklehead ninja who's completely incompetent. And there's Sakura Haruno, who's… well, she's just not useful." Sasuke rolled his eyes, thinking of his teammates. "I thought I would have had to do all the work, I mean, it would have been a fun challenge but, now that you're on our team, we're going to be unstoppable."

Tsukiko smiled and shook her head, "I'm not supposed to step in unless it's absolutely necessary." Sasuke groaned and hung his head. Tsukiko laughed, it was quiet, and it surprised Sasuke as much as herself. "You have to have faith in your teammates, or else the team doesn't function." Tsukiko chided.

"They're all losers! Especially Naruto-"

"There's more to Naruto Uzumaki than you think." She cut in. Tsukiko knew this was no laughing matter.

Sasuke looked at her eyes, noticing the ice that began to form, how she was becoming aloof again.

Tsukiko shook her head and mentally chided herself, those were just more bitter memories that she didn't want to think about. She could see the hurt in Sasuke's eyes. "It's nothing, Sasuke. Just forget it. But don't underestimate them. They're an important part of your team, and you'll need them," she looked at him now, the cold disappeared from her eyes, "and don't worry, if things get too scary for you, I'll be there to step in."

Sasuke watched her lay back, but he was off in his own world. "Where have you been all these years?" He finally asked.

It was Tsukiko's turn to look away, her eyes gazed calmly into the red-orange sky. "I've been… around." She mumbled.

Sasuke shook his head, why was she always so secretive?