Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Harry Potter.

Home

When I finally come to, I'm hanging on Jiraiya's back, and for a moment, I think we're still on the way to Tsunade. But then I see her walking slightly ahead of us with Shizune, Naruto telling her something that involves a lot of gesticulating and his bright Naruto-smile, and the memories of our fight come back.

"Finally awake, aren't you?" Jiraiya asks.

"Yep," I say. "How long was I out?"

"A few days. Tsunade kept you knocked out. Something about you not being able to take care of yourself."

"Nice," I say sarcastically. "I love being unconscious."

"How are you feeling?"

"Not bad," I answer. I grin to myself. I managed to control the curse! No doubt it'll be back soon enough, but hey! Small victories. "How long until we reach Konoha?" I ask.

"Only a few hours."

I smile. Home, finally. Tsunade will heal Kakashi and Sasuke, and I'll see my family again.

I'll probably get lectured. I just vanished for almost three weeks. Maybe I should have sent them a message. Though Gai probably told dad that I was accompanying Jiraiya and Naruto.

"Want to walk?"

"Can I?" I ask.

"Sure. Physically, you're fine."

That's the advantage of traveling with the best medic in the Elemental Nations, I suppose. When she isn't drugging me or knocking me out, anyway. "Then I'd like to walk."

The moment my feet touch the ground, I'm bowled over by Naruto who latches onto me. "Ri-chan! You're awake!"

I groan and hug him back. "You're so troublesome, Ruto."

He pulls back and grins down at me. "Heh. I missed you, Ri-chan!"

I smile back. I missed myself, too. "I'm right here, Ruto."

We arrive in Konoha after a few hours where Naruto and I immediately get ditched by the adults who want to go see the elders.

"Damn it!" Naruto yells. "She's supposed to help Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-teme! I'm going after her!" And with that, he takes off.

I sigh exasperatedly, looking up at the clouds. Then I follow after him at a slower pace, walking through the familiar streets. The damages of the invasion have been repaired, but traces are still visible. But it looks like Konoha again.

"Is you taking off for weeks without a word now becoming a thing, Ri?" a voice says behind me and the next moment, I've turned around and hugged Shikamaru, breathing in his familiar scent.

He puts his arms around me. "Troublesome girl," he mutters, and I feel something uncoil in my chest. I'm home.

I hear a low chuckle above me and then a hand ruffles my hair. "My cute little brats," Dad's voice says and I let go of Shika and jump up, throw my arms around dad's neck and bury my face in his shoulder, blinking away a few tears when he puts his arms around me and hugs me back tightly. I feel like that little girl I used to be, back when everything was alright and my days were spent training for the Academy and playing shogi.

I blink away a few tears. "Missed you, Dad," I whisper.

"Missed you, too, Riko-chan," he murmurs back. "Next time, send us a message. We were worried."

I nod. But I'm going to do my damnedest to avoid a 'next time'.

Dad lets go of me and scans me from head to toe. "You look well," he says, and I know he's not just talking about me being physically fine for once. I feel lighter, better, healthy. It's the combination of Naruto's company, the high from having won against the curse, the happiness at seeing my family and the hope that Tsunade will heal Sasuke and Kakashi.

I smile at him and Shika. "I'm glad to be home."

"Where were you anyways?" Shika asks me, a hint of reproach in his voice. I pretend not to hear it as I answer: "Helping convince the new Hokage to actually take the job."

"New Hokage, eh?" Dad muses. "I guess we should go to the Hokage Tower then."

"Who is it, anyway?" Shika mutters as we fall in step next to each other.

"Someone troublesome," I murmur back. "I'll tell you all about it later. Everything."

"You better."

At the tower, Naruto has already found Tsunade when we arrive. Dad immediately greets her and they start making small talk about the deer and medicine and whatnot while Shika and I join Naruto.

"Who's that young woman?" Shika asks with a suspicious look at Tsunade.

"Hmm? That's the new Hokage," Naruto answers distractedly. "And she's really fifty years old!"

Shikamaru's dumbfounded face makes me laugh. He hits my shoulder, grumbling 'troublesome' at me. I poke him in the side in retaliation.

"Well, I'm sure I'll see you later," Tsunade says a little louder to dad and starts walking away. "Take care of your girl there, no training for her for the rest of the week. And after that, only if I've cleared her."

I sigh. I messed my chakra system up again while fighting Kabuto. But Tsunade said I should be fine if I listen to her advice for once, so I'll deal with it. I could use a break anyway,

"What did you do this time, Ri?" Shika asks.

I shrug. "This and that."

"Oi Shikamaru!" Naruto throws over his shoulder as he runs after Tsunade. "Let's meet up later! I'll show you my cool new jutsu!"

Jiraiya hits him. "What kind of ninja shows off his jutsu, you idiot?" he scolds as they follow Tsunade. I stare after them.

"Go already," Dad says. "Tsunade is going to heal your teammates now, isn't she?"

I look back at him. "I'll be back for dinner, alright?"

"Troublesome girl," Shikamaru mutters. "Don't be late."

I smile at them and run after Naruto and company. "No promises!"

The hospital. I smile wistfully. The last time I was here, I was trying to talk to Fumio about the Rookie Alliance.

None of us became chunin in the end. Damn invasion screwed everything up.

We walk inside. A few questions to the receptionist later and we are moving along the corridors to Sasuke's room.

I'm nervous. I've wanted so badly to find Tsunade so she can heal him, and now that it's happening, it doesn't feel real. It feels as though something horrible is going to happen just to keep Tsunade from healing Sasuke because fate kind of hates us and good things rarely happen just like that. Not with the combined bad luck of Team Seven's members.

My heart starts beating harder the closer we get to where we were told Sasuke's room is. Unlike Naruto who gets more excited with every step he takes, I get more nervous. I wipe my sweaty hands on my clothes and swallow when we are finally in front of his door.

Tsunade just walks in, but for me, crossing the threshold seems like a monumental step.

I stare at Sasuke's motionless form in the hospital bed. It's like a punch in the gut, seeing him like this, all alone in this empty room. At least there are some flowers in a small vase which means someone cared that he was here.

I feel guilty for not being there for him. Even if I had to come with Jiraiya to bring Tsunade back, I hated myself for leaving Sasuke here alone. His face is so pale and drawn. It makes me want to cry, seeing him here so vulnerable and helpless.

Tsunade steps closer to him and puts her already glowing hand on his forehead, closing her eyes in concentration.

Come on, Sasuke. Wake up, please!

I grab Naruto's hand and squeeze it, unable to take my eyes of Sasuke's face. Naruto squeezes back.

Sasuke stirs. My breath hitches as he grimaces and then slowly opens his eye. I stumble closer, letting go of Naruto's hand as Sasuke mechanically sits up and then just stares at the blanket before him. I reach a hand out to touch him, to verify he's really there, but it falls back limply to my side – I'm too scared that he'll slap it away, that he'll hate me, that he won't be my Sasuke anymore.

"Well, let's leave him alone for now," Tsunade says and I look up at her helplessly.

"That's right! You gotta help Kakashi-sensei next!" Naruto says loudly, grabbing her and dragging her after him. "Come on, Baachan!"

I move to stumble after him mindlessly, but a pale hand shoots out and snatches my wrist, keeping me in place. I hear them leave, but I'm frozen, staring at Sasuke who is still staring at the blanket in front of him with that dead look, his hand on my pulse. I feel myself tearing up, but I can't cry, I need to be strong. "Sasuke," I whisper brokenly. Distantly, I hear the others leave us alone.

I move slowly to sit at his bedside. He never shows a reaction except a tightening of his grip when I move. "I'm not leaving," I murmur reassuringly. His grip doesn't loosen.

We sit there in silence. It's uncomfortable. I can't take my eyes off of him and he won't look at me, he won't even move. "Do you want to hear about my Epic Summoning Fail?" I ask. He doesn't answer. "I'll take that as a yes. And I suppose it wasn't a total fail in the end, Kyuuri turned out to be kickass in the end, for all his faults. See, my dad gave me this contract..." I babble on mindlessly about my summon, just to fill the silence. Sasuke never reacts.

"Just so you know, I expect you to get a flying summon now so I can fly around with it," I finish. Soon, the silence starts pressing down on us again.

"Keep talking." My head snaps up at hearing Sasuke's almost inaudible voice, sounding so exhausted and tired. I keep the relieved smile that wants to steal itself on my face down.

"I won a bag full of money when I went gambling with Tsunade. See, these scumbags wanted to seduce me into gambling – which they succeeded at now that I think about it – anyway it made me mad so... yeah I agreed to play with them..."

I tell Sasuke stories for hours, not even stopping when my throat starts to hurt. I only tell him about happy and stupid things: Pranks Naruto and I pulled, about that time when Shikamaru and I found out where our parents hid the alcohol, how mom and I trained infiltration by transforming into the other and ended up scaring Shika to death... anything I can think off that doesn't have bad things in it. At some point, I crawl onto the bed and lean against Sasuke's pillows since my arm that was held out to Sasuke was starting to hurt.

I look at Sasuke. His eyes have slipped closed and his breaths have deepened, but I kept talking, hoping it would make him dream of happier things than whatever Itachi made him see.

A soft knock sounds on the door and I look up. A nurse enters.

"Sakura?" I ask in surprise. She starts.

"Riko? What are you doing here?"

"Ruto and I only got back to the village today," I answer softly. "We were looking for Tsunade-sama with Jiraiya-sama, so she could come and heal Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei."

"Yeah, I heard," Sakura murmurs, now more quiet and apparently remembering that I'm one of the few girls that didn't chase after Sasuke in the Academy and therefore not an immediate threat to her love life. "Tsunade-sama is amazing, isn't she?" She sounds wistful as she says this.

I nod. "Did you bring Sasuke those flowers?"

She nods defensively. "So what of it?"

I shrug. "Thanks. I'm glad he wasn't alone."

This startles her.

"So you're a nurse now?" I switch the subject.

"Yes, I want to become a medical ninja," She says, determination shining in her eyes. "I think I could be good at it."

I think so, too. But is she doing this because of Fumio or for herself? Time will tell, I guess. And it's not like I have room to judge. After all, I wanted to become chunin for Fumio.

"Anyways, visiting hours are over, so..." Sakura fidgets awkwardly. "You should probably go."

I look at the clock, surprised. Damn, I lost track of time. If I hurry, I might only be a few minutes late for dinner. "Right, I'm going," I say, carefully extracting my wrist from Sasuke's grip. "Uh, see you later?" I ask.

She gives me a small smile. "Yeah, sure."

It's odd. She's so different from the girl I used to beat up in taijutsu classes for being mean to Naruto. She has grown, as a ninja and as a person. We never really got along, but now, after the invasion, after facing Gaara together... Academy grudges hardly matter anymore.

"Hey..." I say hesitantly. "I'm sorry about Fumio."

It's the first time I've ever said this to anyone. I know it's not my fault he died, at least not completely, but it feels like it is.

Sakura looks a little taken aback. "Uhm, yeah. Thank you," she answers.

This is so awkward.

"Anyway, thanks again for being there for Sasuke," I say hastily. "Bye."

I jump out of the window without waiting for her reply.

I walk into the kitchen and immediately have to dodge mom's butcher knife. To be fair, she didn't throw it at me but at dad who ducked under it. It just happened to fly in my direction just as I came in.

"I can always come back later," I say, looking at the knife now embedded into the wall.

"Don't leave me alone with these troublesome people," Shikamaru orders. The urgency of this statement is destroyed by the fact that he currently looks half asleep with his head on his arms.

"Riko!" Mom says. I quickly move towards her to hug her, breathing in her familiar mom-scent.

"Hey Mom," I murmur. "I'm home."

"Welcome back," She says and pushes me to sit down. "You need to eat. You look half starved. What were you thinking, running off after your injuries from the invasion only just healed? Really, and you got yourself injured again right after, not just once, but twice. If you were allowed to train, I'd be pulling out my whip right now, young lady!" She continues chewing me out while she puts food on the table. I grin fondly when her back is turned. It's so good to be home.

Dad kicks me under the table when she turns back around and I quickly hide my grin. Mom looks at us suspiciously. I give her an appropriately contrite look. "I'm really sorry, Mom. I won't do it again?" I say, doing my best impression of Naruto's sad puppy look. I'm not as good as he is, but mom's look still softens.

"You need to be more careful with yourself," she says sternly. "Now eat."

And that's that. Shika stares at me jealously. 'Not fair,' he mouths. I give him a smug grin in return. 'Ninja,' I mouth back, pointing at myself. He rolls his eyes. 'Troublesome,' he tells me silently.

Home, sweet home.

After dinner, I drag Shikamaru to the tree we used to watch the deer from back when we were kids. From the distance, I see Rikumaru and his herd. I give him a wave. I could swear he nodded back at me.

"So," Shika states.

"So," I reply awkwardly, fidgeting.

"Talk," he orders.

"Right..." I murmur. Where to start? "So. Back in the Forest of Death, we were attacked by this Grass ninja, you know the one Anko-sensei threw a kunai at, the one with the tongue? Yeah anyway, I almost got eaten by a snake, but I have this weird power, well it's sort of like a kekkei genkai... anyway..."

"So basically, you got your ass kicked and cursed by whatever S-ranked missing-nin you ran across," Shikamaru sums up my stammering. Seriously, I can't tell stories to save my life. I pretty much told him everything backwards. "And you aren't exactly from the Country of Birds."

"You knew that already," I say.

He gives me a deadpan look. "I didn't think it was quite so extreme."

That's one of the many awesome things about Shikamaru. I never have to say anything outright, I can just say something and he'll piece the rest together. I didn't tell him tell him I was from a different dimension. He figured it out himself from what I didn't say, which was a lot. To think he'd actually reach the right conclusion…

It'll be harder with Naruto and Sasuke. But the parts about where I'm really from I can't tell them while we're in a village full of ninja. Well, maybe in the Clan Forest. The risk of being overheard is minimal there. But I'd rather wait a little more. Sasuke has enough crap to deal with and I'd rather tell both of them at once. That shit is hard to talk about.

"And you didn't tell me this earlier because...?" Shika asks, an eyebrow raised.

"I don't know?" I say.

"Try again."

"There was never a right time?" I ask.

"Not good enough."

"Because I'm a troublesome idiot and should have trusted you more?" I try.

He nods. "That's better."

I laugh. It comes out more as a sob, though. I'm so relieved that I finally told someone.

"Come here, you troublesome girl," Shikamaru grumbles and opens his arms. I crawl over and snuggle up to him. He puts his arms around me. "Welcome back, Ri," he says. "Don't leave again."

The next day, I get up early. I plan to go to the hospital when visiting hours start, so what I want to do will have to be earlier than that.

I walk into Yamanaka Flowers.

"Welcome to- Riko-chan!" Ino greets me from behind the counter. "You're back!" She vaults over the counter and hugs me. "Where've you been?"

I shrug. "Road trip with Naruto and Jiraiya-sama. We went looking for Tsunade-sama."

"Yes, I saw her yesterday!" Ino tells me. "Is it true that she healed Sasuke-kun?"

I nod. "He's awake now. I doubt he's completely healed, though. Anyway, is your father here somewhere?" I ask.

"Uh, he was in the back, last I checked," Ino answers me, surprised. "Why?"

"I just have something I want to ask him."

"Hang on, I'll take you to him," Ino says, hanging a small 'Back in five minutes' sign on the door of the shop. Then she leads me through the back of the shop. "Daddy, Riko-chan is here to see you!" she calls out. "Daddy?"

"I heard you," Inoichi says from behind us and Ino shrieks and whirls around.

"Don't do that!" she yells and huffs embarrassed. I grin.

"Hi, Inoichi-san," I greet. "I need your advice on some stuff."

Inoichi raises his eyebrows and tells me to follow him. Ino shoots me a curious look and returns to the shop.

"What can I help you with, Riko-chan?" Inoichi asks me when we sit down in a small sitting room.

I pull down my collar. "This," I say, baring the Curse Mark at him. "I need your help."

I walk into Sasuke's hospital room after knocking on the door. He doesn't even look up when I enter. I sigh and arrange the flowers I brought – a pretty bouquet of jasmine branches that Ino had ready for me when I left Yamanaka Flowers – in a vase. Another bouquet of red roses from Ino is put into another.

Oh Ino, I think exasperatedly. Red roses stand for love.

Jasmine means 'friendly and graceful', if I remember correctly. I like that meaning of my name.

"Here, I brought you some reading material. Don't worry, it's not Icha Icha," I say, dropping some scrolls and books on the night stand next to the bed. "Though I'd let you borrow my copy if you're interested…"

Sasuke snatches my wrist and pulls me onto the bed. How does he do that? He wasn't even looking at me and still caught my arm.

I sigh and lean against him. "I wanted to bring a shogi board, but I have a splitting headache, so no playing for me," I mumble.

To say Inoichi was extremely concerned about me hearing the curse's voice would be an understatement. He immediately made me sit down and performed his mind reading jutsu on me, though this time I passed out instead of living any of what he saw. Guess he worked on that after what happened with me.

"You are going to come here every day, mornings and evenings," he ordered after lecturing me for taking so long to ask for help. "I'll teach you to defend your mind. For now, I've put some blocks into your mind, but they won't hold long."

Hence the headache. But the blocks work, I haven't felt this much like myself in a while.

Sasuke leans over me to grab a scroll. "Sleep," he orders me.

"No, it's okay-" I protest, sitting up, but Sasuke pushes me down again and glares at me, so I give in. I don't want to upset him, I'd be kicked out of the hospital if that happened. "Alright," I mutter. "But don't think I'll give you any of the tomatoes in my bag."

Sasuke snorts, which I decide to take as a sign of him recovering. I nestle down in the pillows and close my eyes. "Missed you like crazy," I whisper. I feel him squeeze my arm once and smile slightly. "I'm glad you're back."

I wake up when I feel someone shaking my shoulder. "What is it?" I ask, sitting up and stretching. I haven't slept that deeply since before the Chunin Exams.

"Ri-chan, you gotta explain some stuff," Naruto – when did he get here? – tells me seriously. Sasuke has a similar look in his eyes. I bet those two talked while I was asleep. It says something about how much I trust them that I didn't wake up from even that.

I sigh. "I know."

Silence.

"Well?" Sasuke asks, sounding annoyed at actually having to talk.

"Are you being an idiot again and thinking we won't be friends anymore like in Wave?" Naruto asks. "Cause that would be stupid, dattebayo."

"That's not it," I say and sigh again. "I can't exactly talk about it here." I cast a look around the hospital room.

"When," Sasuke demands.

"Next time we're out of the village," I say. "Promise." I hold out a pinkie finger to Naruto and Sasuke each. Naruto's face immediately brightens and he hooks his in mine. Then we both stare expectantly at Sasuke who is eyeing my hand like something poisonous.

"You gotta hook your pinkie in, bastard!" Naruto explains, holding up our joined hands. "Like this!"

"You're not getting out of this," I say. "Unless you don't want me to tell you…"

I could swear I heard Sasuke growl when he finally hooks his finger into mine and then lets go as if my hand is on fire. I laugh. "Don't worry, I don't think anyone besides us saw you doing something uncool like a pinkie swear!"

"Pinkie swears aren't uncool!" Naruto protests. "They can't be broken, ever!"

I grin. "Exactly."

"So, bastard, when're you getting out of here? They're letting Kakashi-sensei out later today, so we can have team training again!"

Oops. I forgot to visit Kakashi.

Sasuke returns to glaring.

"We don't exactly know…" I say. "They said something about keeping him here for 'observation'."

As if he was some sort of study object. Those people suck. Technically, Sasuke could leave today, he's healthy enough. But because of his status as the last Uchiha… well.

Naruto looks disappointed.

"Hey, don't look like that." I smile at him. "He's only stuck another two days at most. And it's not like we could do much in team training anyways. Tsunade banned me from training for the week, remember? And Sasuke will have to take it easy, too."

"You could still come!"

He's right. Team training isn't about training, it's about the team. I make a quick decision. "Alright. Team training tomorrow at our usual place. Don't be late."

"But the bastard's in the hospital, Ri-chan."

"Team training tomorrow," I repeat. "Mandatory for all members."

"Eh? But-"

Both Sasuke and Naruto look confused now. I grin at them. Then I grab Sasuke's hand and drag him after me off the bed. "Come on. If Kakashi can leave, so can you. Ruto, think you can henge a clone into Sasuke?"

Naruto's confused face is replaced by a beaming mischievous grin. Sasuke stares at me incredulously.

"We're breaking you out," I explain, the thrill of pranking making me grin excitedly. Naruto makes a clone that immediately transforms into Sasuke. "Come on!" I drag the real Sasuke with me out of the door. "See you tomorrow, Ruto!"

"Later, Ri-chan, bastard!" Naruto calls after us and then strikes up a one-sided conversation with the very sullen acting fake Sasuke.

"Where are we going?" the real Sasuke asks unenthusiastically as he lets himself be dragged through the corridors by me, sounding like he'd rather be doing anything but this.

"I forgot to visit Kakashi, so that's where we're going." I grin at him. "Come on, be happy! You're getting out of the hospital!"

"Hn."

I actually have no idea which room Kakashi's is, so we have to open a few doors along the corridor – I figure he must be at least on the same floor since he and Sasuke suffered from the same damage. Sasuke doesn't look as if he's enjoying sneaking around and evading the nurses as much as I do, but I doubt he'd rather lie around in his hospital bed by himself. And if he really wanted to, he could leave.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei!" I chirp when we finally find the right door. "Are you sneaking out, too?"

Kakashi is standing suspiciously close to the open window when he should probably be in bed. He gives us his eye-smile. "Maa, Riko-chan, you are a bad influence on Sasuke."

I giggle. "Mandatory team training tomorrow, don't be too late."

His eye curves even more. "Understood," he says and vanishes in a whirl of wind and leaves.

"Well, that was a short visit," I state.

"We're leaving. Now," Sasuke orders. I inwardly smile at his use of the word 'we'.

"Alright!"

We end up at Sasuke's house. Sasuke's looking a little exhausted now, so I make him sit down while I cook a late lunch. There isn't really any edible food left in his fridge, but I find some conserved goods, and with the tomatoes in my bag, I can make a decent meal. I'm a pretty good cook, thanks to mom.

We eat in silence. Sasuke looks deep in thought, so I don't break the silence. After lunch, we do the dishes together, still not really talking.

"Why can't you train?" Sasuke asks eventually when we're done.

"Messed up my chakra system," I answer. "Should be fine in a few days though. Until then, I'm not allowed to use chakra. Tsunade-sama threatened to put chakra seals on me if I didn't listen."

"So taijutsu is fine?" he wants to know.

"Light exercise is alright. Not sure how she defines light exercise, though… she is a Sannin after all," I grin. "Think you're up for a spar?"

Sasuke smirks. What do you think, Ri? His eyes say.

He turns around and leads me through a few rooms and then outside. Behind the house, there's a training field, with targets for kunai and ninjutsu, boulders and trees, wires spanned between them indicating traps. There are some craters and rubble where Sasuke obviously practiced fire jutsu and chidori.

"We're taking it easy, though," I caution. "I really want to avoid getting my chakra sealed by Tsunade."

"Hn," Sasuke answers and falls into a fighting stance. I do, too, but I don't wait long to leap forward and aim a light jab at a pressure point on his shoulder, but he merely shifts his stance slightly so I miss my target. He grabs my arm and traps it against his body, then he twists and I'm thrown to the ground, but I manage to sweep his legs while I fall, and then we're both rolling on the ground, punching and kicking and fighting to get up while trying to keep the other down. Unfortunately for me, I'm at a disadvantage since Sasuke is physically stronger and heavier, so soon enough I end up lying on my back with my arms trapped and Sasuke sitting on my chest. I buck and try to throw him off, but Sasuke merely shifts his hold and now I've lost because his hand is at my throat and his face is inches from mine, and I stare up into his eye, feel his breath on my skin, and my heart is beating way too hard. Wait, is his face coming closer?

Some bird – a hawk maybe – screams above us and we both flinch. Sasuke leaps off of me and backs a few steps away. I jump up and take a few steps backwards too, my heart still beating too hard. Somehow, I feel oddly disappointed.

Sasuke clears his throat. "You alright?" he asks.

"Yeah," I answer. "Fine."

There's an awkward pause. I have no idea what to say. What the heck just happened? "Right, uh…" I say. "It's getting late, so… I have an appointment later…"

I might as well go to Inoichi early.

"Right." Sasuke looks away, frowning. I curse myself. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten him out of the hospital. There at least he wouldn't have been completely alone, he'd have had people close by. Here though he is completely isolated.

"I could come back later?" I offer hesitantly. "It'll be late, though."

Sasuke looks back at me. Then he nods curtly.

"Right, I'll be going then," I say. "See you later, and don't overdo it if you decide to train."

"Normally, developing the kind of mental defences you need would take you months, sometimes years of meditation," Inoichi explains to me, fixing me with a penetrating stare. "However, you don't have that much time available. So we will be doing this differently."

I'm starting to get an ominous feeling. Still, if this will help me not lose control anymore, than I'm up for anything.

"I will be entering your mind, and we will work on your defences there. It won't be pleasant for you. You'll see things you'd rather keep hidden and you might learn things about yourself you might not have wanted to know. If you can't deal with that, say so now. This kind of training is risky."

"I can do this," I answer determinedly. Tanzaku-Gai was a wake-up call. I've got to learn to deal with this curse.

"Very well," Inoichi says and steps behind me. He places his hand on my head. "Ready?"

"Yes."

Chakra seeps into my head, and then our surroundings blur away.

I look around. I'm standing in the middles of what looks like a garbage dump. Heaps of objects tower over me. There's a pile of books, a heap of weapons, some of them broken. A mountain of paintings. A pile of doors and windows, made from all kinds of materials. And – oh god. Three bodies, lined up. The two men I killed in Wave country. The nameless shinobi I killed during the invasion. I hastily look away, swallowing hard.

I guess things like that were what Inoichi meant when he warned me about this training.

Between the mountains of things, buildings stand, some of them ruins, most of them looking horribly neglected. There's a ruin of the Dursleys' house in Privet Drive. In the distance, a building that I think is the Shinobi Academy. A ruin I don't recognise.

The ground is covered in murky water, the entire place shrouded in mist.

So this is my mindscape. I'd imagined it to be more glamorous.

I hear splashing steps behind me and turn around. It's Inoichi walking towards me. He casts an appraising glance around.

"Well, we have a lot of work to do."

I walk into Sasuke's house with stumbling steps. My head hurts, a deep, throbbing kind of pain.

I let myself into the house with the key Sasuke gave me. It's dark inside. Inoichi and I were in my mind for hours, sorting through heaps of rubbish and memories. Inoichi showed me how to construct doors and rooms where I can hide things behind. The first thing I put away were those bodies.

We barely made a dent, though. There's just so much to sort through, and what we saw today was only the beginning, according to Inoichi. The real issues, the deeper memories we haven't even found today.

I guess I should be thankful for that. My current headache is bad enough as it is.

"Ri," Sasuke's voice says and the light flickers on. He isn't wearing his henge and his one eye studies me carefully. He looks like he was already in bed.

"Hey," I answer. "Hope it's not too late."

It's not, his eye says. He studies me. What happened?

Inoichi's training happened, but I don't say that. Instead, I shake my head and walk over to him slowly. Before my eye flashes the memory of our confrontation with his brother. Of him, controlled by hatred so much that he was barely recognisable. Of that dead look in his eyes afterwards. Of him helpless in the hospital bed.

I stop just before him and lean my head against his shoulder, putting my arms around him. He stiffens, but then he puts his arms around me too. "Can I stay with you tonight?" I whisper.

I feel him hesitate, but then he nods. He leads me through the house and up some stairs into a room.

I look around curiously. This is where Sasuke lives.

The room is large, with one wall made of glass, a glass door leading onto a large balcony. Wall scrolls hang on the wall, a cozy looking armchair stands in a corner. There's a small shelf with books and a TV. I smile slightly when I see our team photo framed on top of it.

Sasuke drags me to the large bed that stands against the wall, placed so that the one lying in it can easily see the room's door and the windows. For once, it's me that's refusing to let go of him.

Inoichi's training dragged up some memories that make me want to never, ever let go of Sasuke. I know it's irrational, but it feels as if he'll disappear the moment I let go of him, so I don't. It's not like he can protest, that would make him a hypocrite.

I kick off my shoes and slide into bed next to Sasuke. I feel him put an arm around me and draw me closer to him, not quite hugging me, but close. "Goodnight, Sasuke," I murmur.

"Goodnight."

I have to get up early the next day for my next appointment with Inoichi, but I leave a note for the still sleeping Sasuke after carefully extricating myself from his hold that shifted into a full-on hug sometime during the night.

It was kind of nice to wake up like that… I shake the thought off and go downstairs where I help myself to some breakfast, making sure to leave some food for Sasuke as well. He must have gotten some groceries during the time I wasn't here yesterday.

After mind-training at Inoichi's house, I go to our team's usual training ground. The headache this time isn't that bad, Inoichi figured we should take it easy in the mornings so I won't be too bad off during the day. Evenings will be harder, though.

Naruto and Sasuke are already there when I arrive, Sasuke staring broodingly into the river and Naruto hopping around on the water, apparently trying to catch fish with his bare hands, for some unfathomable reason. I grin as I sneak up on them. Then I jump onto the railing of the bridge and launch some senbon at them. Naruto yelps, trips and falls face-first into the water. Sasuke manages to barely avoid the projectiles.

Really, Ri? he asks, and I laugh, because I love my team so much and I have missed this.

"Really," I answer. Naruto gets out of the water, sputtering and cursing. He points at me.

"I'm gonna get you back for that, Ri-chan!" he shouts, and I laugh even more.

Then I flee into the forest, because he's making the Kage Bunshin seal, and I really don't want to be glomped by dozens of dripping wet Narutos. And while I turn to run, I see the ghost of a smile on Sasuke's face.

The week passes. Early mornings and late evenings are spent with Inoichi in my mindscape, trying to sort through everything and construct some defences. After that we have team trainings where I can only watch due to being banned from training. Afternoons, I hang out with my team or Shikamaru and his team – I haven't played shogi against him in forever. I have backlog demands.

Shikamaru and I are in the middle of a shogi match on our porch when a chunin – I recognise Kotetsu's partner – arrives and tells us to accompany him to the Hokage's Office. We exchange a confused look, get up and follow him.

When we enter Tsunade's office, we can immediately tell that something important is going down. Several jounin and chunin are lined up along the wall, among them Morino Ibiki, Mitarashi Anko, Genma, Asuma and Kakashi. Our guide joins Kotetsu who is there too.

Given this particular selection of people, I'm guessing this has something to do with the Chunin Exams.

Shikamaru and I stand in front of Tsunade who is fixing us with a very serious look. I resist the urge to fidget or say something Naruto-like such as: 'What's wrong, Baachan?'

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea what to do," Tsunade begins. "There were some opinions that there should be no promotions this time since the final exam was interrupted." She pauses, letting us reach our own conclusions.

My heart starts beating faster at the word 'promotions'. Are Shikamaru and I going to be promoted? Fierce hope rises up in me. Fumio… I think wistfully.

"However, I have heard that the Sandaime Hokage was extremely impressed with both of your fights, so much so, he considered recommending you for chunin status. All of the feudal lords watching, as well as the examiners, agree with this," Tsunade continues.

Wild hope surges up in me. I will have some peace of mind over Fumio's death.

"Nara Shikamaru," Tsunade announces. "In your case, there isn't anything more to say about it. Keep up the hard work and do not bring disgrace to Konohagakure. Congratulations. From this day on, you are a chunin."

I don't listen while Shikamaru unenthusiastically mumbles his thanks.

What did Tsunade mean, 'in your case'? Is my case different? Shit, what is it this time?

"Nara Riko." Tsunade focuses her eyes on me now. "Your case is different. According to the reports, you have excelled in every test the examiners threw at you, and your strength is well above genin level. You even formed an alliance with other teams. Your performance has shown that you have every quality we look for in our chunin." She pauses and I swallow. I sense a 'but' coming.

"But I cannot, in good conscience, promote you just yet," Tsunade continues. My heart drops. "And that is because you have now repeatedly relinquished control to the Cursed Seal. I'm sorry, but we cannot give the responsibility of leading a team to someone who is not fully in control of her mental and emotional faculties."

I want to cry, because I know she is right, I can't be trusted. I want to scream and rage because it is so unfair that Orochimaru ruined this, too, for me, because he's even ruining what I wanted to do for Fumio. I know I'd be a good chunin!

"I underst-" I start, but Tsunade interrupts me.

"However… We must consider that there were extenuating circumstances in all the cases you did use the seal – be it to protect your friends or to defend against opponents far stronger than you. And I did see you fight the seal's influence successfully in Tanzaku-Gai. Yamanaka Inoichi also reported to me that you are making quick progress in learning to defend your mind against its influence."

I stare at her, not daring to hope. I wished she would get to the point and just tell me the decision she made.

"Our decision is as follows," Tsunade finally says after another pause. "Nara Riko, you will not be made chunin today. Instead, tomorrow, you will undergo a test of our choosing and we shall see if you are ready for promotion or not. That is, if you accept this proposition."

I'm speechless. I didn't see any of this coming. I thought no one was getting promoted because of the invasion. Then the promotion is already in my grasp, and I have to prove myself yet again. And this time, I have absolutely no idea what kind of crap will be thrown my way. I have no idea what to prepare for.

This might become harder than the tests of the actual exams. It definitely won't be a normal test considering I'm still not cleared to use chakra.

"I'll do it," I say. "I'll prove to you that I'm ready."