a/n. (some five thousand words again. next chapters won't be so long, though.)
Divergence: Sasuke-kun.
Konoha rose over the treetops with the sun. The morning's red sky hovered over the forest like a fire.
Sakura started running faster. Her lips twitched with unspoken words. He could only assume she was counting down the seconds to entering the village. She had always been good with time, distance.
The sturdy red gates appeared in the thick of the forest, and Sakura smiled. The trees, not like the thick and curling vegetation in Waterfall, rustled with the wind. The village splayed out before them.
It was nice to be home.
They reached the gate, and Sasuke watched as a horde of guards hovered around Sakura. He heard her use their names, unsurprised. Sakura knew everyone. And everyone, in turn, knew her. Loved her.
One guard, whose right eye was sealed shut with a long scar, offered a greeting to Sasuke. It was a formal tone, more distrustful. Sakura's eyes snapped to the guard, and that slight frown she sometimes wore covered her mouth. What for? Sasuke wondered. Why was she so defensive about him?
Sakura hurried away from the guards after that. She threw one glance over her shoulder at them and sighed. "Tsunade hasn't had to increase the number of guards in ten years. I wonder why she hasn't talked to me about it."
"Tsunade tells you about that?"
"What do you mean?"
Sakura smiled, as if she knew his real question: are you really authorized to know about this?
"I'll have you know," she said, "that Tsunade likes me very much. She rarely withholds information from me."
His forehead creased. "I can't imagine Tsunade liking anyone."
Sakura laughed loudly—it was deep, full laugh. Uniquely hers. "Why do you say that? I know she can be a little rude sometimes, but..."
"A little?" Sasuke repeated sarcastically.
Tsunade hated him, he was sure. She gave him the worst missions. Every time he turned around, he had to escort a slovenly client, or save a missing cat. If he ever lucked upon a decent mission, Tsunade made sure he'd have to travel by boat to get there. Sasuke hatedboats. They were universally cramped. And Tsunade didn't make any pains to disguise her delight at his misfortunes. If she ever laughed, she was about to say something he'd hate. Whether her dislike was a product of his defection or of her loyalty to her student, Sasuke wasn't sure. It was probably both.
"Why, does Tsunade not like you?" Sakura asked, in that questioning tone.
"That's putting lightly, Sakura."
People compared Sakura to Tsunade. He didn't see the similarities, outside the obvious—brute strength and medical expertise. Sakura wasn't as loud, as volatile, or as merciless as Tsunade. And there was that one major difference. Tsunade despised him. Sakura loved—
Sakura used to love him.
In the years he'd missed, she had changed so much. He could only assume that the nature of her feelings for him had also changed. After a life of crime and vagrancy, he was not the boy Sakura had once claimed to love. He knew that.
But some of her actions showed more care than that of a teammate. Had Sakura always been this hard to read?
His teammate wrinkled up her nose. She didn't seem to notice she did that. Often. "I don't think Tsunade could be as nasty to you as you say, Sasuke-kun. Why would she?"
"You tell me. You were her apprentice, after all."
Sakura looked at the Hokage Tower in the distance. Her voice was filled with adoration. "Tsunade means a lot to me," she said. "If it weren't for her and Shizune, I'm not sure what I would have done during those years."
Those years; the years he and Naruto were gone. She didn't like to be too specific when she talked about that. "I don't know why Tsunade would have helped," Sasuke replied. "I can't stand our ten minute meetings."
He was the reason for this smile on her face. Because of that, Sasuke paid attention to the gentle curve of her lips, the faint impression of a dimple to the right. It made no difference to him that Sakura had been smiling at just about anything, since she'd found the antidote.
"It's just different for me, I guess," said Sakura. "Tsunade and I understand each other."
Sasuke didn't know much about his Hokage. "What's there to understand?"
"She's had a hard life." Now at the edges of the market, Sakura stopped. "Where are we going?"
"You can go home," Sasuke offered. "I'll go to Tsunade."
"But you don't like Tsunade."
Her head titled to the side. Her face, in its confusion, looked as harmless as a newborn kitten. It was strange to think that this was the woman who had shredded a Hunter. That Sakura, in all her kindness, hadn't batted an eye when she pounded a man's head five feet into the ground. Then she'd turned around, and healed a wound on his own arm.
Sakura was full of contradictions. She had not always been this complex.
"Just go on," insisted Sasuke. "It won't take me long."
"You're not tired?"
"No," Sasuke retorted, defensive. He was more than tired. He was dying. "Are you?"
There was no lie in her honest gaze. "Not at all," she answered easily. "But if you're tired, you should go to your apartment and sleep. It's been a hard week for you, hasn't it?"
Her impish grin. She was mocking him. "I'm not tired," Sasuke denied.
The glint in her eyes told him she wasn't fooled. The fatigue in his body was perfectly clear to Sakura's trained eye. "Alright," she played along. "I might see you at dinner, if the rest of Team Seven isn't on a mission."
As Sakura turned on her heel, he called out her name. He asked a question that had been on his mind for quite some time: "Have you been to Sound?"
"Of course."
Why was she so flippant about this? "They let you?" he asked. They, being the Elders.
Sakura repressed a sigh. There was a mild reproof in her look. "Why shouldn't they, Sasuke-kun?"
She thought he was insulting her again. Was he? It wasn't his intention. It just made sense to protect the village's main medic. Why should she have been allowed to go to a dangerous country?
"Because they're our enemy," Sasuke archly remarked.
Sakura's smile fell off her face. "No, they aren't. We're in peacetime, remember?"
She said it with so little conviction. After being in Waterfall, she must have figured out that Sound was building her army.
Sasuke snorted, looking irrevocably superior. "Peacetime, my ass."
Sakura laughed. He supposed it was because he didn't swear as much as she did.
"If we were," he continued, "I wouldn't be getting as much work."
The Elders were the ones who gave him the difficult missions. The outcome didn't matter to them—whether he completed the mission, or died. He wondered how much more Sakura would hate the Elders if she knew that.
"That's true." Sakura sighed, turning to leave again. "Tell Tsunade that I said hi, alright? And that I'll see her later."
Her pink hair bobbed up and down the streets. Shop owners, ninjas, and civilians greeted her. Everyone in the village knew Sakura.
Sasuke made a seal and transported to the Hokage's Office. A pair of hazel eyes greeted him, full of fire.
"That is incredibly rude," Tsunade barked. "I told you last time not to do that. Do you think you can just appear in my office, ex-rogue?"
She loved calling him that. "Good morning to you, too."
"You're such a smart ass. How does Sakura put up with you?"
He wasn't always sure himself. He used to have a pretty good answer—back in the days of her unwavering admiration and affection—but now he lacked an ironclad reason.
After taking out the scroll, Tsunade looked over his recordings. "Were you surprised to see Sakura?" she began, almost conversationally. Naturally, she was only taunting him.
Sasuke stubbornly side-stepped the question. "I don't see why you refused to tell me that."
"Because you have no manners," Tsunade replied, tossing one low pigtail over her shoulder. Then a smile edged onto her face, and she laughed. "Although, I admit your overwhelming concern was entertaining."
Sasuke scowled. Although Tsunade enjoyed mocking him, he was not in the habit of being laughed at.
"You can't deny it," his Hokage barbed. "You couldn't find her chakra in the village, and you were worried."
It'd be absurd to deny it. "What, are you trying blackmail?" He wouldn't put it past her. "That's a noble Hokage," Sasuke jeered.
"I wouldn't mention it to Sakura. She wouldn't believe me." Tsunade rolled up the scroll and slipped it into a drawer. "Speaking of my favorite pupil, where is she?"
From what Sasuke had observed, Tsunade was not overly-affectionate with Sakura. Whenever Sakura wasn't there, however, Tsunade verbally doted on her as much as possible.
"She'll see you later," said Sasuke. "She's at her apartment."
"No, she isn't." Tsunade looked up from her paperwork. "She's probably checking in at the hospital. I bet it'll take her an hour to get to her apartment."
"She said she was going to her apartment."
"That's what she always says."
Tsunade knew her better than he did. Sasuke frowned, looking out the window. It annoyed him, in some primitive and overbearing way.
"Take the stick out your ass, and leave my office," Tsunade ordered, as she took out a bottle of sake. "I didn't invite you in the first place." She finished off the alcohol, then stashed the evidence in her desk.
His Hokage didn't keep up appearances around him. Like he was so far below her, that it was unnecessary. Sasuke wasn't sure why. Tsunade and I understand each other. If they understood each other, did Tsunade dislike him because he put Sakura through pain? Because she, maybe vicariously, felt that pain, too?
She's had a hard life. Did that imply that Sakura felt she had a hard life, as well? Or that she went through some of what Tsunade did? Like the betrayal of her team; or the loss of someone she once loved?
Tsunade's gaze settled on his, curiously free of its choler. "Are you alright?" she suddenly asked. There was no mistaking the concern in her voice. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"
The weakness in his body dragged him down. He had not slept in what felt like ages. He couldn't even think clearly; he was full of questions. As he stared at his Hokage, he wondered if her customary distaste for him was just a product of her protectiveness over Sakura. Maternal feelings? After all, Tsunade didn't have any children.
"Are you worried about me, Hokage-sama?" Sasuke smirked. "I can't believe it."
The sympathy in her face vanished. "No, but Sakura would kill me if I let you faint in my office." Tsunade waved a hand. "Now go on."
"Yes, Hokage." Sasuke bowed, much subdued. He was tired, and his mind was racing with disconnected thoughts. He was so muddled.
"Are you alright?" Tsunade asked, after he had turned away. "Go to the hospital if you need to."
Sasuke face her again, pocketing his hands. "You don't think I'm good enough for them, do you?" he asked, without introduction. "You think they should just leave me alone."
"They?"
"Naruto and Sakura."
Something like distress came into her look. "That's probably what most people think. Right now, at least. But I know how different it is when it's your teammate, and not someone else's."
Distant pain flashed across Tsunade's face. The Sannin—how much were they like Team Seven?
"I know adjusting to Konoha was difficult," she said, "but it would have been harder without them. If your teammates had been less forgiving, you'd be dead, or living in a cell."
"I know that."
Tsunade propped her chin in her hands. Sasuke couldn't tell if she wanted to smile or spit at him. "You're lucky you came when you did. A few years ago, Sakura wouldn't have been as gracious to you. But I think she'd tired of her anger by the time you returned."
I don't want to be angry at you anymore, Sasuke-kun. It hurts too much.
Sasuke turned and left the Hokage Tower. He was so tired. Tired of the guilt. Of the uncertainty.
Sasuke dreamed all during his sleep.
He dreamed of Sakura's fist pounding into the earth, and the fissure she left behind. It didn't look feasible. He dreamed of her generous, ivory forehead lined with thought. Of the pen in her hand as she scribbled. Of the ninjas' eyes blinking in the dark forest. Of a hardened jaw, with a determined look—like she thought she was capable of anything. Maybe she was.
His memories were blurred by his fatigue. He remembered briefly their conversation about the poison, and the unfocused, dazed quality in Sakura's eyes. She had an absent way about her when she was thinking. Her green eyes lost their luster; her face seemed to pale with the lack of its usual vivacity; and her smiling mouth fell into neutrality.
Her face lit with happiness when she fought. But that was nothing compared to elation in her eyes when she found an antidote. Her body teemed with excitement. Her pulse beat against her neck with fervor.
They're too good for you, Tsunade had said. Sasuke believed her. So why did Sakura and Naruto not act like same? Why did Sakura treat him kindly, never asking for anything in return?
But at the same time, she behaved differently around him. She was the only one, out of Team Seven, to change the way she acted around him. Now she did not fawn over him or spend her time thinking of him; of that he was sure. Could it be, that Sakura did not think he was good enough anymore—for her to love him? He was only good enough to be a teammate?
During their mission, Sakura had actually called him innocent. What a skewed and strange idea she had of him. She was impossibly incomprehensible. What did she think of him?
Sasuke woke up several times in his sleep. At five in the afternoon he blinked open his eyes and scowled at the ceiling. The room was hot. His body ached for rest, but he could not find it.
He sat up with slumped shoulders, too tired to want to move. His apartment was strikingly still compared to the bustling streets outside. Wearily Sasuke stared at them, then stood. After yanking a shirt over his head, he trudged into the roads.
Sakura had said something about dinner, hadn't she?
He looked for a white, concentrated chakra signature in the city, one light and clean. Amidst the swirls of crude chakra, Sasuke tried to find the one that kept neatly to herself, not rushing through the body, but merely flowing.
Sakura's chakra, although not as vast as Naruto's, was as easy to find. Both were distinctly different from the average chakra signature—both extraordinary in their own right.
Sasuke expelled a long sigh when he found her. She was at work. He made the quick trek to the hospital and swung into her office through the window. Her office, as always, was cold and spacious. He took a seat behind her desk and leaned his head back. At ease, he slept for almost an hour.
While thumbing through one of Sakura's books, Sasuke felt a chakra signature coming toward the office. It wasn't Sakura's. He looked up to glare at the trespasser.
"Sasuke Uchiha," Neji said, with remote disdain. He sported a red gash on his side, which colored his impeccably clean clothes.
"Neji Hyuga," Sasuke imitated.
"What are you doing in here?"
"I have more right to be here than you do," Sasuke said, glaring.
He raised one eyebrow. "We'll see."
Neji enjoyed a challenge too much.
With some pride, Sasuke watched as Sakura entered her office and looked directly at him. A smile blossomed on her face. She exclaimed, "Sasuke-kun,"—after all these years, she still said it the same—"I didn't think you'd show!"
Almost as a side thought, she glanced at Neji. "Wow," she said coolly, walking over to him with purposed strides. "I never see you in the hospital." She laid her hands over his wound and channeled chakra into the severed skin. After slowing picking out a shard of glass, Sakura closed the rest of the wound.
Neji grunted arrogantly. "It isn't from a real fight."
"Is that something to brag about?" Sasuke jibed, staring at the bloody glass on the desk. "That you can get injured from something other than a fight?"
"Neji," Sakura intervened, "what happened?"
Tenten wandered into the room. "Hi, Sakura!" She slammed her monstrous scroll on the floor, hoisted herself on top of it, and sat. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"Am I missing something?" asked Sakura. "What's going on?"
Hinata peered into the room from the hallway. "H-Hello, Sakura-san. H-How are you?"
"I'm well." Sakura slanted a look of amazement towards Sasuke. "Do you know anything about this?"
He could guess. Wasn't it obvious?
"Sakura!" someone shrieked. As two arms wrapped around Sakura's torso, there was a flurry of blond hair. "Where have you been, Forehead? You're too cooped up in this place!"
"Pig," Sakura greeted, turning around; "you're suffocating me."
"Oh, so I took you by surprise? Shouldn't be so unaware, Billboard Brow."
"You know, you're feeling soft. Stuffing your face again, Porky?"
Ino squinted, then poked at Sakura's forehead. "I didn't think it was possible, but your forehead's actually gotten bigger!"
Laughing, Sakura batted her friend's hand away. "What you doing here, too, Ino?" she asked. "What's going on?"
"See, I was across the street, when—"
"Yosh!" Lee appeared in front of Sakura, clasping both her hands. "It is Rock Lee!" he shouted, with eager eyes. "Do you remember, Sakura-san?"
"Lee," smiling, "I saw you just three weeks ago."
Sasuke stood up from Sakura's chair and walked to the window. Sakura had too much tolerance for Lee. She was completely unperturbed by those atrocious eyebrows, not to mention the heinous green spandex that had lasted through the ages. He was a walking eyesore.
"Yosh!" Lee yelled again. Sasuke cringed. "You are so beautiful, Sakura-san! So youthful! You are the youthful flower of Konoha!"
Sasuke huffed. Youthful flower, he thought. Why did something so lame, always make Sakura smile?
"Thank you, Lee," Sakura replied—much too indulgently, to Sasuke's mind. "But would you mind explaining why everyone is in my office? No one's told me."
"My beautiful Sakura-san, it was a vigorous display of youth that left Neji-san in his current condition."
A vigorous display of youth. Sasuke let out a derisive snort.
"In a youthful attempt of accosting our lovely Hinata—"
"Naruto was on a date with Hinata," Tenten interrupted, terse and to the point as always. "Neji over there didn't know about it." She tossed a bored look at her teammate. "So he started the fight. Big surprise."
"Where's Naruto?" Sakura asked.
Hinata stirred by the door. "I-In the lobby."
"Like I was saying," Ino rejoined; "I was across the street when Neji attacked Naruto. I'd just bought groceries, and Naruto crushed them. He knows he's paying for that, right?"
Like Naruto ever paid for anything, thought Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura called, "do you want to check on Naruto with me?"
She was having pity on him. Sasuke stood up, grateful for the excuse, and followed his teammate out the door. He was tired. He had a splitting headache. And he couldn't sleep. He wanted to leave.
"Wait!" Lee cried. "I challenge you, Sasuke Uchiha—"
Sasuke felt the look of murder come over his face. Lee had to be kidding. He had to be.
"—to a duel! Hard work will overcome natural talent! Yosh!"
Sasuke sighed and turned around. Lee's rapid footsteps echoed behind him. The wind from Lee's kick hit his face, just before Sakura's hand wrapped around Lee's ankle.
"We just got back from a mission, Lee. And last time I checked," said Sakura, "this leg was just operated on. Take it easy."
Sakura released her hold on Lee's leg. He wouldn't have been able to tug it out of her grip otherwise. The strength in her slim, lily-white arm was astounding, effortless: Lee had a lot of power behind his taijutsu.
"Letting a woman take care of your fights?" Neji asked, with his pearlescent eyes leveled on Sasuke.
Sakura laughed so loudly, so amusedly, that Sasuke didn't feel the need to add further insult. "Don't be ridiculous, Neji," she interposed. "You neverfight without Tenten."
The brunette had a self-satisfied smile.
"Mission?" Ino asked, all of a sudden. "Where to?"
"Waterfall," Sakura answered. "I'll tell you about it later, after I see Naruto. Would I find you at the flower shop?"
"Not often." Ino shrugged. "Tsunade's been keeping everyone booked with missions."
"Seriously," muttered Tenten.
Sakura bid them goodbye, and with the except of Neji, received everyone's warm response. Sasuke followed her out the door.
"Goodbye, Sasuke," came two mixed voices—Hinata's and Tenten's. Sasuke thought he saw Neji give the latter a malevolent glower.
"I can't believe he punched me!" Naruto bemoaned, over a cup of steaming ramen. This was his second dinner for the night, and probably his fifteenth bowl of ramen for the day. "It isn't like I was feeling her up when he saw us, either!"
Sakura just smiled. "Will you let me heal your eye yet?"
"No, it hurts!"
"Naruto," she coaxed, "you've had whole appendages almost lobbed off, but you won't let me touch your black eye?"
His left eye was swollen. Sasuke looked askance at the bulging black and blue bruise, and smirked. Idiot.
The meal went slowly. Sasuke barely ate any of his food, before pushing it away. A stronger headache sprouted up behind his temples, and he sat forward in his chair. He laced his fingers over his eyes, thumbs set on his hammering temples. The streets, despite the evening hour, were loud. It sounded loud to him, at any rate. During the dinner, Sakura managed to erase the black eye, and Naruto returned to his normal, boisterous self.
"It doesn't matter!" he proclaimed. "I'm taking her out again this Saturday!" After ordering more ramen, Naruto slapped his fist against the table. "Wait a minute! I didn't ask how the mission went, Sakura-chan!"
With his eyes closed, Sasuke could imagine the pure delight in Sakura's clear green eyes. Could imagine a glowing face, a smiling mouth.
"Everyone's fine," Sakura assured happily. "I've sent the antidote and the notes I took to Tsunade, and the poison's already registered at the hospital."
"Of course you made the antidote!" said Naruto. "You're the smartest, prettiest, nicest doctor out there!"
"Flattery is the theme of today, I see," Sakura remarked, with some pleasure.
"Not flattery, Sakura-chan." Naruto wagged his finger at her. "Truth." He returned to his ramen. "So did you like the mission? I bet it was nice getting out of the village."
"Yeah... I enjoyed it."
"You don't sound so sure about it," Naruto noted.
Sakura looked to the ceiling. Sasuke suddenly found himself paying attention. "It's that..." She pulled her mouth to the side. "The mission wasn't as fulfilling as I thought it would be."
Naruto frowned. "What do you mean?"
"It's just been a long time since I've fought."
"You made ANBU, Sakura-chan," Naruto reminded. "No matter how long it's been; nobody can ever tell you that you aren't a good fighter."
Naruto was so dense, Sasuke thought, rolling his eyes. That wasn't what she'd meant at all.
Sakura twirled her chopsticks in her ramen and said, "I ranked ANBU for being a good combat medic. Not because I can fight as well as you or Sasuke-kun. It's just that ANBU never has any medics." She sighed. "Besides, I wasn't talking about that. I meant that I hadn't killed in a while... I've been nothing but a healer these past years."
"You're happier working as a medic, aren't you?"
"I'm more useful that way," Sakura decided. "I don't hate fighting. It just goes against the grain, you know?"
Naruto's face fell into an easy smile. "Whatever makes you happy, Sakura-chan." Casually he added, "And it's probably better that you prefer being a medic. The hospital's more starved than our army."
Because of Sound, medics were more important than ever, Sasuke thought to himself. Naruto knew that, too. But did Sakura know what she was signing herself up for? Did she know how much work was ahead of her?
Sasuke lost interest in the conversation after that. The two of them kept talking until Naruto finished eating. Most of the time, they talked about the simplest things—things of no consequence—but still derived some sort of satisfaction from it. As if merely talking was enough to gratify them.
The subject isn't the point, Sasuke-kun. Our talking is the point.
"Hey," Naruto began, "what's up with Sasuke-teme? He looks fussier than usual."
"Shut up, loser."
"Ah, insults." Naruto threw his hands behind his head. "My favorite part of the day."
He said it with such exuberance Sasuke almost believed him.
"Sasuke-kun." Sakura turned to him. "We just saved hundreds of people, cured the previously incurable poison, and are home again, safe and sound. Isn't that reason for happiness?"
Listlessly Sasuke observed her.
"Enough for a smile maybe?"
She was jittery. Her body almost shook with her excitement from the mission. Sasuke hadn't seen her this cheerful in a while. Haphazardly Sakura pulled up one edge of his frown.
Sasuke, with the grouchiness of a fat cat, pulled her hand down. "Stop that," he complained.
His pink-haired teammate laughed, in endless good humor. "It's too early to be bothering you, isn't it?" she teased, her smile bright against the black night sky.
Sasuke walked her home. He could feel her confusion, but didn't offer any explanation. He didn't have one.
"I remember when Naruto didn't think I was safe walking home alone," Sakura prattled. "He'd always walk with me."
She fell into an easy silence. In many ways—but not all—Sakura had altered, vastly, since her younger years. It was difficult to believe that Sakura used to be one of the twittering girls who adored him. Hardships had broken some of her weaknesses. Time had bent her into another shape. A better one, he thought. At the very least, a stronger one. He was not so sure time had done the same for him. Maybe Sakura was more resilient than he was.
The downside of her transformation, however, was that Sasuke could not understand her. He could not see through her hidden glances, her coolness, her absolute control. And that tormented him to no end.
Sakura stopped him outside her apartment. "You still have tea in your cabinets. You should drink some tonight," she suggested.
Sakura laid one cool hand over his forehead, and soothed away the headache. All pain disappeared under her hands. It always did.
"Just because you've slept a little," Sakura said, "doesn't mean you've slept well. Do you want some medicine, to help you rest?"
Sasuke shook his head. He felt a little better.
As Sakura climbed the front steps of her apartment complex, a bird flew above. Scowling, Sasuke directed his gaze to the messenger, then sighed.
The Council.
"For you?" Sakura queried.
Her skin shone in the fading light above the doorstep. She looked at him with gently worry.
"Are you late for a meeting, Sasuke-kun? You should have told me; I didn't know I was making you late—"
"It's alright."
"But the Elders are already on your back—"
"Sakura, I said it was alright. I have an idea what it's about. It can wait." It could wait centuries, for all he cared. The Elders had hinted at what mission they wanted him to do. He had no choice but to accept; the mission was too important to the village for him to decline. And Sakura, he was sure, would be furious if she knew what—
"I cannot believe them!" Her eyes lit with displeasure. "Why are they giving you another mission this soon? We got back today!"
He wasn't certain why he felt the need to quell her anger, her anxiety. "You don't know that it's a mission."
"Of course it's a mission, Sasuke-kun."
"Are you alright?" he changed topics. She shouldn't worry. She had enough to worry about. "You're not hurt from the mission, are you?"
"No," Sakura replied, regarding him with suspicion. "Are you?"
"I'm fine, Sakura."
"Is something wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Her forehead betrayed her frustration. "I wish you'd tell me."
He had so much on his mind. Sasuke laid his hand tenderly on her pink head. "Goodbye," he murmured. He left smoke in his stead.
a/n. THANK YOU so much for your reviews and support, everyone! your comments give me a lot of motivation to keep updating on time. :D you have no idea how much you guys make me smile.
callmeclueless, Misery's-Toll, Patchwork Toy, Lady Rini, UwIllNevERn0, cutecoockiechick, killmeangel24, cherryluver19, LoveTheCrazy, shkh4ever, scam, SasuSakuisforalways, Kaze and Kiba, Inferno Phoenyx, QuotingShakespear, CalwynDForever, triela45, Maybe Now, Lady Darkness Diamond, xXSilverSilkenWingsXx, Sakura's Indecision, TigerLilyette, raycee, Melodi Moon, Lia113, Crystal Koneko, LittleGreenWolf, TheBloodyLoveOfSakuraHaruno, MissLadyEmiko, lily, pirateKitten11893, Maelie, alayneni, SmileyFace (The Not So Anonymous Reader), MidniteCurse4Eternity, Miss Conspiracy, shvesta, Mr. Obsidian (of Ms. Crimson Mr. Obsidian), Moka nee-chan, Storms-winter, AngelicSnow, and QueenTania.
in her review Lady Rini told me that she nominated me on Facebook for Fanfiction. (i'm very honored!) so if any of you have time, a facebook account, and the desire to do so—by all means, vote! here's the link. (remove spaces, of course.)
http:/www. facebook . com/topic . php?uid=55549359514&topic=16530&post=87057&ref=notif¬if_t=board_post_reply#!uid=55549359514&topic=16521
and lastly, i hope you readers liked this chapter. i love writing from sasuke's pov, so i was pretty excited about uploading this! oh, and btw, i only have THREE chapters left! can you believe it?