A/N: A special thanks goes to fugitivus who made me rethink and further develop some thoughts and details, leading to improving this whole story, I believe. Though you might not yet get the answers to your questions quite yet, you definitely influenced this chapter and made it more fun to write. I'm curious to what you think, hehe... On with the story:

Chapter 4 Sharingan Kakashi and the Consequences

Sakura ran up to the shaking body, she recognized this look, this behavior. The young man was going into shock.

"Hey, Tatakai! Snap out of it!" She grabbed onto his shoulders, but he recoiled violently, slapping her hands away. She wasn't surprised by that and let off him. She knew she couldn't help right now, but she'd be here, if he needed it. Breathing hard on all four, he was clawing at the grass with his fingers, gaze glassy and absent. Fists clenching, he blinked, then closed his eyes. After a while, his breathing started to slow down.

When it returned to a decent pace, Tatakai moved again, sitting back on his heels. He slowly rose his head, scrutinizing Kakashi, who had covered his eye again.

Sakura was trying to understand what was going on. Kakashi surely hadn't used any weird Sharingan based Genjutsu on him, had he? She had only briefly read about those, but she'd never seen her Sensei use the Sharingan like that. Her attention snapped back when Tatakai finally got to his feet. He looked like he was about to kill. However, after a moment he simply turned away.

One moment he stood there, the next he was gone in a blur, taking the killing intent everyone had felt with him.

"What the hell just happened?" Sakura stared at Kakashi who was still looking at the place Tatakai had disappeared from. "Kakashi, what did you do? What's going on?"

"I… euhm. Looks like he panicked upon seeing my Sharingan." Kakashi said calmly. Sakura knew, calmness and cheer was his way to cope, but it still irritated her to no end.

"So, you didn't use any Jutsu on him then?"

"I didn't."

"So, the Sharingan freaked him out?"

"Well, he looks old enough to have encountered it before." Sai said as a matter of fact.

"Maybe it's trauma," Kakashi said. "If subjected to a Sharingan based Genjutsu, it can have devastating effects on the victim's psyche. So, assuming he knows that the Uchiha Clan doesn't exist anymore, he wouldn't have expected to be confronted with it. It would have been like seeing his worst nightmare coming back to live if he'd ever met a real Sharingan."

"Well, he'd have been a child when encountering it, right? Maybe he forgot until now? If the experience was bad, he might have suppressed the memory of it." Sai said, his sketchbook in mind.

"Is it a good idea to press him for information in this case? Awaken more memories?" Sakura said with concern. "From a medical point of view, I'd rather wait and see how he copes."

00000

Sasuke had to remind himself repeatedly as to why he had to refrain from going to the Uchiha compound. This was why he found his way to the Hokage Monument, to cool off. He knew, he had to keep himself from destroying anything, so he tried to go through his sword forms, tried focus and tune everything else out. Of course it didn't work.

That man had the Sharingan. A Sharingan. He couldn't be an Uchiha though... Could he?

He positioned himself anew, repeating the steps, trying to utilize maximum power into the slash, but not losing balance afterward. He closed his eyes, mapping out the series of Kata he'd go through after another, preparing for the quiet deadly dance. No one interrupted him. No one had followed him. People usually grew suspicious of how he'd reacted, and he had expected some kind of check up... but nothing had happened yet.

He turned and swung the blade, switching hands, eyes still closed. He could feel some chakra signatures afar, but none that he recognized, and none of them were approaching either. One never knew though, he'd absolutely not be surprised if a blade suddenly met his own. He ran forward to where he believed was a tree, eyes closed. Solely relying on his memory, he jumped and ran up the trunk, flipping backward to return to the ground.

It reminded him of Itachi… Itachi, who had killed their whole family. Itachi who had dared to talk to him about hatred and praise, just mere days before he'd killed them. Had Itachi known what he was going to do at that point already? Had he hated them? Why had he done it?

Sasuke had thought about that many times. He'd asked, too, though Itachi had never ever confirmed or denied any guesses Sasuke had brought up. He'd always redirected his attention the same way:

"Never rely on your eyes alone, Sasuke, so that they may not be your downfall. Eyes are too easy to deceive and words easily mislead. The truth cannot be found with searching alone. Truth in fact doesn't truly exist. Everyone lives in their own reality, it is doubtful that you ever will be able to get a hold on all sides involved. Understand this: Only ask questions when you are sure you want the answer. And if you want the answer, never quit searching. Emotions can be wonderful, but they can also be a trap. I won't deny what I did Sasuke, but no matter what happens, what decisions we both make, remember always, you are my Otouto and I love and cherish you!"

Sasuke shuddered, never rely on your eyes alone, he hadn't realized at the time that Itachi's sight was failing, hadn't guessed about the depth of his brother's words. At that time he'd been full of hatred still, full of blinding ignorance. But these words were probably the most direct Itachi ever said, had ever dared to say. The words had been full of double meanings, switching back and forth between subjects. Sasuke sensed that Itachi had known that his younger brother wouldn't trust nor believe him like before, likely disregarding his words entirely at that time, even so, hoping that they would hang on and maybe someday take root.

Sasuke hadn't forgotten indeed. He'd always been afraid that he was missing out on what Itachi truly had meant to say. Despite of what stood between them, Itachi had been the only one around he could trust even somewhat. Itachi's obscure way of speaking was still annoying him to no end. How had this brother he remembered so fondly, murdered their entire family in cold blood? Sasuke was missing so many pieces, and ever since he'd entered Konoha, he only found more pieces he didn't know how to fit. There were no real answers, the public library only shared generic information. It had given him an idea of the mood at that time, but he knew better than to trust the mentioned facts. And now that it turned out that Kakashi had a Sharingan...

... How much had the flames really eaten that fateful night!?... Had there been bodies left intact?... Had Konoha taken remaining eyes and transplanted them into other clans? Was that, how Hatake Kakashi had gotten the Sharingan? Were there more? Or, or were they Itachi's… No, he refused to believe that! It must be something else.

In all honesty, all these questions scared him to the bone. He'd indeed started searching, and yet he wasn't so sure about truly wanting the answers. Itachi had warned him not to do this, but he just couldn't help it.

Sasuke realized that he'd stilled his movements in favor of following his thoughts. He straightened up, stretching his limbs. This was hopeless, he might as well go home and prepare something to eat, keep himself busy there.

Instead, he ended up aimlessly walking through the streets. Unintentionally, he avoided the street his mistress's home was in. Why had he ended up in this village? Why now? Why at all?

Had Konoha taken intact eyes of the dead and transplanted them into the living? Had they dared? The thought wouldn't leave him anymore. The concept of it, too gruesome to be true, however would explain Kakashi's Sharingan. Unspoken anger kept boiling on.

Emotions can be wonderful, but they can also be a trap… Sasuke growled, jumping on a nearby roof. A sharp whistle caused him to whirl around. There, a few roofs away was Naruto, calmly leaning on a chimney's edge. He waved when Sasuke was looking into his direction, sending a bright smile.

"Up for a spar? You look like you could blow off some steam." Naruto said loudly from the opposite roof.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Naruto promptly took that as a yes, jumping him.

00000

Sakura was worried. Tatakai had always seemed so strong, as if nothing could touch him. For him to break down like this, she'd never have thought. She'd hardly thought about what he must have seen in his life. He hadn't always been a slave. He once had another life, maybe similar to hers, or Naruto's… She felt awkward not having thought about it before...

Had his reaction turned out so extreme simply because of the view of a Sharingan or was there more to it, like the others suspected? To react to the Sharingan like that, to recognize it at that distance... He definitely must have known what it looked like. She herself had never seen a Sharingan up close, had no chance to, though she was sure she'd recognize it, too, somehow.

However, Tatakai had literally frozen, broken down. She'd heard stories of the Sharingan, but hardly anyone could tell what was true about it nowadays. Kakashi possessed the last Sharingan, but not even he had had insight on the clan's expertise with it. Luckily, he was on their team… People always got serious, almost angsty when someone mentioned the Sharingan. They had an unnatural respect for it. This being the case, there had been no reason to worry about ever getting to know some of the more uncomfortable aspects of it. All Sakura knew about it definitely, was that it helped tracking movements and had something to do with Genjutsu. Kakashi had never explained it to them, or made a demonstration, and they'd never asked.

She still remembered the killing intent suddenly being gone, not having realized its presence until it had disappeared with his departing. She still wasn't sure how he had left. It was like he had been there, and was gone the next, it had happened so fast. He had fled. She was worried as to where. Konoha was big, big enough to offer several places to blow off steam. Would the border patrols even see him leave if he was to flee the city at this speed? Would he dare? She didn't know what to do really. She could of course track him with the seal… Though she knew, the action would only be taken as intrusion and definitely be misunderstood. She also knew, he needed space to cool off right now, not some worry wart bustling around. Still, she wanted to know where he was at. She wanted to know why the Sharingan had ticked him off so badly.

Which was, why she ended up at Shikamaru's. His sharp mind was the only one she thought could maybe have a suggestion as of what to do. Both Sai and Naruto, as well as Kakashi were out of question. Kakashi was involved in the incident, Sai too… well… Sai-ish in understanding emotional reactions and Naruto, well, he had gotten better, but he was still hot headed and rash more often than not.

Shikamaru had let her in with a look as if he waited for her. Well, sooner or later, she would have come over… He had offered her some tea and she'd gladly accepted. While he was preparing the pot of tea, she sat down and waited. She'd better have asked for a glass of water only... When he was finally done, she stopped fiddling her nails and took the cup he handed over.

"Tough mission?" he asked while taking the seat opposite to her.

"Hugh?"

Shikamaru made a slight headsign. Her eyes followed it, meeting the cup, and her hands holding it.

"Oh, you mean my nail biting!" Her giggle came out high-pitched and she let her left arms slip under the table.

"Actually, I mean your nervous wobbling on the chair while I was making the tea" he corrected while tasting the tea.

"Oh." Sakura's left hand returned to the cup and she took a sip as well. No one could hide a thing from Shikamaru. She'd better go straight forward to it.

"It's about Tatakai", she busted.

"He's proven interesting, that's for sure." he said, taking another swallow.

"Right, I asked you to look after him while I was gone..."

"... and now you want to know how it went." His cup made a dull click on the table.

"Yeah. And…"

"Or what I found out?"

"Eh, no. I mean yes." He confused her. Found out?... She needed to clear her mind first. Putting her cup to the side, she started:

"We… Why I really came to see you is: Today, we convinced him to train with us. Kakashi was trying to evaluate his skill, I think, taking on a mock fight one on one with him. Tatakai seemed to enjoy it, having fun… I don't know what exactly happened, I was busy talking to Sai and Naruto, but next time I looked, the atmosphere had changed. I just saw Kakashi had his Sharingan uncovered and Tatakai falling to his knees…"

00000

Unlike the others which had said goodbye and left, Kakashi was still there. He wasn't sure as to what to do... So he absentmindedly walked to Obito's grave, as he so often did when he needed time to think. Technically, he'd have to report his discoveries to Tsunade. That boy knew ANBU hand signs. Furthermore, the boy had acted as if knowing these hand signs was a somewhat normal means of communication, when in fact it was supposed to be a top secret one. He didn't know what to make of that. Was there a leak? Or was there some connection between Tatakai and Konoha's Black Ops?

As far as looks went, Tatakai reminded him a lot of Sai. Sai grew up as Danzo's slave, and Tatakai was a slave, too. Could he have been part of Danzo's department? Could he possibly be related to Sai? Sai had mentioned a brother before, but he had also said that his brother was dead and Kakashi had been under the impression that said brother wasn't related in blood anyway. Was Sai lying? But how would someone from Danzo's force end up in a slave house halfway across the country? Danzo would never sell someone he trained. If they didn't meet his expectations, they'd be pitted in death matches against more promising candidates. Sai had let that shine through clearly enough. Had he been placed in the slave house for Sakura? But how would Danzo have made sure that Sakura would go there and pick him? He better go and ask Sakura how this situation had come to be!

So far, it didn't add up... A spy would not let on that he knew about this communication method, especially not, being able to read it. Neither the Danzo theory nor the spy theory made much sense, unless the spy purposely slipped up to get them off his trail.

And then there was his reaction to the Sharingan, which was the most puzzling. He hadn't realized it at the time, but Tatakai had thought it was a Genjutsu first. He'd only panicked after he'd confirmed that the Sharingan he saw was real.

He must have encountered the Sharingan when the clan still existed. Which would have meant that some Uchiha had used it on a kid. Why would someone do that unless the Sharingan user had felt seriously threatened? They would have been on opposing sides for someone to go that far. That, or the kid had simply been traumatized by someone who'd had the Sharingan on and looked scary therefore. To Kakashi, that seemed unlikely:

Tatakai's Shinobi instincts were formidable. After today, Kakashi was sure, the kid would be a challenge in a real fight. He seemed to know more than he let on, though he seemed unaware of half the things that tipped Kakashi off that something was wrong here. Sakura had described him the circumstances she had met him in and he must have had a lot of training to be able to brush up his skill again just like that. He'd be a great addition to their forces. But there was the catch:

Tatakai was not free to choose. He was a slave, no matter how Sakura treated him. In the end any oath Tatakai would give to Konoha, couldn't be trusted completely. It would hardly work unless if it came from Tatakai himself. This was different from Sai's slavery. He had been trained to serve Konoha unconditionally, been brainwashed to put the safety of this village before anything else. He could be trusted because of that, protecting the Hidden Leaf was ingrained into his very being. But no one knew about Tatakai's link to Konohagakure. And Kakashi was quite certain by now that there had to be one. While the boy didn't seem to have any animosity against Konoha itself, they would hardly be able to assure his loyalty. What would a place like this mean to someone like Tatakai? Releasing him from his mistress wouldn't truly change anything if Tatakai felt enslaved to the village instead.

Being a Shinobi of a Hidden Village required passion for it. After all, they were asked to die for their people every time they entered a battle. If one couldn't bring up that kind of commitment, they weren't cut out for Shinobi duties.

Kakashi knew, kids often entered the Shinobi academy without realizing what that really meant... they just grew into it.

That would be different with Tatakai. With his current skill set, he could do a lot of damage should he turn against them. They wouldn't be able to shape him as they did their kids. He obviously was fully trained, but they didn't know by whom. The techniques he'd used up till now had been from a wide variety, however with no clear signature. And Kakashi, the Copy Cat, definitely would recognize something like that. He wondered if Tatakai knew none or if he consciously avoided them.

Kakashi guessed him to be at least at Chuunin level… possibly even Jounin. And Shinobi usually were skilled in deception, so he wouldn't at all be surprised. It was as dangerous to trust as to assume things in their profession. Anything was possible. He knew, it would be hard, but he would need to look underneath possibly many layers to see into the depths to determine if he was a threat. And even though Kakashi trusted Tsunade, she after all was the Hokage... He knew, she'd be obliged to interrogate him about the ANBU signs, which would be a bit contra productive in this case.

If at all, they could only win Tatakai's trust by not turning him in, but by getting to know him by his own terms instead. Kakashi felt very divided about it, but for now, he'd probably wait. He still could go to Tsunade later, Tatakai was bound by seal, so they had time to sort this out.

00000

Naruto had maneuvered Sasuke back to one of the training grounds, where they could fight properly without worrying about the villagers safety or causing damage. It had been a good decision as Sasuke hardly thought about any consequences right now. He just fought, his anger boiling over. He didn't know how Naruto could still stand after their extended head-to-head.

Sasuke himself was barely holding up on his two feet, his stamina and strength still not at its fullest. Naruto of course had the advantage of those two, however, he also had been hit pretty badly by Sasuke, especially in the beginning. It was almost as if Naruto had let himself be hit, knowing he could take the blows, recognizing that the best medicine for Sasuke's rage was, to have something to focus on and avoid turning it to frustration by failing.

Then again, Sasuke had been much faster in the beginning, using his speed the first few minutes, before his body started failing him. Naruto had seemed unable to dodge incoming blows with that kind of speed. Sasuke knew, he'd be sore as hell by evening, but he didn't care. His anger was providing him with the needed adrenalin to carry on.

It was by no means a clean battle. This wasn't about strategy nor about defeating the opponent. The techniques carried out downright sloppy at times. Naruto had offered him a chance to seriously blow off steam, he had taken it. It was almost as if Naruto understood on some level. As if he had recognized his problem, deep down; Not the reasons, as they weren't needed to understand this kind of emotions. It seemed as if Naruto understood without needing to know. Without needing to know why he felt this way.

When Sasuke finally collapsed, Naruto wordlessly let himself drop down next to him. They stared up into the blue sky, Sasuke too tired to really think. From time to time he peered over to the boy he used to think of as annoying, back then… still now sometimes. These bright blue eyes were staring into the sky at the moment, but would flicker to him now and then, and Sasuke would look away quickly.

Why had Naruto done this for him? Sasuke saw the bruise on the boy's face. It must be hurting still. His wrist also seemed sprained and he'd seen Naruto snap his arm back into place after Sasuke had caused it to dislocate. Sasuke knew what kind of pain that involved, having experienced it himself before. Having been lost in thought, he realized he was staring into his direction only when the others words reached his ears.

"That was fun, Arigatou!" Naruto smiled, staring into Sasuke's eyes without hesitation. Why was he doing this? Acting as if the fight had been 'fun', not for Sasuke to blow of steam, even though they both knew.

"Hn..." Sasuke kept on looking, searching for reasons in Naruto's face. Naruto met his gaze head on and held it until Sasuke looked away. Quietly, he replied, this once in words:

"Arigatou."

00000

"… I could snap him out of it, but then his whole posture changed again. He was furious." She accompanied her renarration with gestures, grabbing her cup, putting it back again. It was so obvious that she worried, and cared.

"He looked about ready to attack! I don't think I've felt killing intent as strongly for quite a while... He didn't though; He didn't attack. Instead he fled the scene and now I don't know what to do. I'm responsible for him." Having finished, she grabbed the cup again and took a large gulp. The tea must have been only lukewarm by now. She'd emptied it within one go, refilling the cup from the pot.

Shikamaru was quiet for a while. Processing what she had said just now. Tatakai had reacted to the Sharingan, what an interesting fact.

"And Kakashi didn't use any Genjutsu on him?"

"He said he didn't."

"Hmm..." was all Shikamaru said. Sakura, quiet again, held the warm cup with both her hands. She seemed seriously worried. So, Tatakai had panicked at first, but then that panic had turned into anger. Was he compensating, like fear with anger?

"I'm… I'm just worried. I don't know him well at all, but I found he is the kind to push himself until he passes out. I don't know where he is now. I mean, I could activate the tracking seal, but I don't think it would be a good idea. And I don't exactly know what it will do to him while it is active. I've only activated it once when I bought him to see if it worked. And I don't want to invade his privacy either, but I'm worried he took off. If he leaves the city borders, it will have consequences and I'm not up to that..."

"Hmm,… I imagine he just wants to have some space to cool down. You said yourself that he was really mad when he left... I don't think he would try to leave Konoha. The tracking seal was connected to you at the same time as the slave seal right?"

Hesitatingly, Sakura confirmed this.

"Well, then they both are connected. I think it would automatically alert you, should he knowingly go somewhere you told him not to. You've told him not to leave Konoha, haven't you?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then you've got nothing to worry about. You will know when he leaves." Shikamaru said, taking another sip of his own tea. "I have a suggestion. If he hasn't returned home by evening, you can momentarily activate the tracking seal to figure out if he is in trouble by being somewhere he shouldn't be. But don't fully track him down, just leave him be. He has come back up till now, so he will when he is ready. Just give him the time he needs. You'll survive a day without him, will you?" Shikamaru teased her.

She smiled vaguely, nodding in response... "So, how were the two weeks of watching over him?"

Shikamaru looked down his cup for some time. Watching the dark ground of the pottery. His mind was calculating how much to tell her. He decided and put on a smirk when he looked back at her.

"Oh, they were quite alright. I managed to get Tatakai to play Shogi with me a couple of times. He's an interesting opponent, quite good at that game actually. He still lost though…" he shrugged. "ah and I sparred with him, he's decent." He leaned back again, and after throwing a glance at the clock, emptied his cup. "Hey Sakura, it was nice catching up with you, but I gotta go. And, don't worry about him too much, alright?"

"Hai" Sakura got up as well, bowing slightly. "Thank you for listening, Shikamaru, and for taking care of him when I was absent. I will try to follow your advice and only check up on him in the evening."

Once she had left, Shikamaru sighed. Troublesome, why did he always take on such self proclaimed missions. He left the building via roof in search of one Hatake Kakashi, wanting to hear his version of today's events. Shikamaru already had a good guess, but it wouldn't hurt to hear what had happened exactly.

00000

Sai knelt in front of Danzo, listening to the briefing of his next solo mission. He'd have to leave early tomorrow, and to get to the place, he'd have to travel a couple of days. It was near the border of Amegakure. The real action would only start there, so even though he had just come back from a mission with his team, he might get some recuperation time during the journey (if he didn't run into some thugs of course). However, his cover was usually that of a poor traveling artist, so not many bothered with him.

"You are dismissed."

"Hai" Sai got up, feeling the amount of missions he had lately. They've been quite a bit… But before going to bed, he still needed to inform Kakashi of his departure. He'd been gone a lot, lately. Well, the others could perform some D-ranks together with Tatakai. Sai had seen him and Naruto fighting after the strange incident. He'd been slightly worried about whatever had happened between Tatakai and Kakashi, but Naruto seemed to take care of it already. Comforting others wasn't Sai's cup and Sai was alright with that.

Kakashi wasn't home when Sai dropped by, so he left a note, then went home to pack and, finally, sleep.

00000

Naruto and Sasuke were still laying in the grass, both now calm and in the slight evening breeze. They didn't speak, Naruto would utter a thought now and then, but most time was spent in comfortable silence of companionship, a strange thought for Sasuke. After all, he had refused to even consider making friends for so long, only relying on himself after being separated from his brother. Twilight was setting in, but they didn't move, both deeply in thought.

Naruto was happy. He'd wanted to help Tatakai and it had worked. It was nice that he could talk with him and that he was listening. He didn't seem annoyed this time, and he didn't leave either, even if he didn't really respond to what Naruto was saying. Maybe they could spend more time as real sparring partners. Maybe they could prank Sakura sometimes, or Kakashi. Naruto let out a chuckle at that. Tatakai probably had a couple of useful card up his sleeve...

A pained moan shook him out of his imaginings. Tatakai had turned away from him. His old shirt was slipping down his shoulders to expose a seal on his back, giving off a faint glow.

"Is that Sakura?" Naruto leaned over to get a better view, seeing him nod. The glow was already fading. The other caught his gaze. Naruto hardly saw the flash of red as words resounded in his head.

'She's worried'

Tatakai pushed himself into a sitting position, gritting his teeth. Naruto guessed that he must still be quite sore. He himself had also taken some hits, but Tatakai possessed no special healing abilities like he did. Naruto felt a bit sorry for him... And as it was getting late, so they should probably get home. Tatakai was right, Sakura would be worried by now… Wait, how could he know? Had the seal told him? Naruto got up anyway and offered Tatakai his hand. The other hesitated, but then grabbed on and pulled himself up.

The air was heavy with the scent of broth when Tatakai entered the apartment. He was taking off his shoes when Sakura called out from the living room:

"There's soup on the table for you. I made some more rice balls, too. Those are in the fridge already, though."

Sasuke stopped, caught between two warring feelings. On one hand, he was tired and ready to fall asleep. His job being done, a warm dinner waiting for him… all this sounded agreeable. But on the other hand, he was the slave in this house, so why had his mistress done what was supposed to be his duty? No way he wanted to lose the freedom he had now by overstepping possible boundaries… He would suss out her mood, see if he'd already overstepped any.

When he entered the kitchen, he found it empty except for the stockpot on the table. The smell was good and as she had indirectly invited him to serve himself, he decided to check on his mistress later. So, he ate first and cleaned afterwards, then left the kitchen. When he passed the door to the living room she called out for him:

"Tatakai? Are you okay?"

There she was. Sasuke turned around and stopped in the doorway.

"Wait! What happened?"

00000

Originally, she hadn't want to be too nosey, give him more privacy, but when she saw the state he was in, she forgot about her good resolutions. His cheek and part of the skin just above the eyebrow were scratched. Parts of his face were clearly bruised, too. His hair was decorated with grass and his clothing just generally quite dirty. Clearly tired, he glared at her for some moments, silent as usual. Then he let out a snort and turned to go. Within one step he was at his door and had it opened, within another, the door was pushed into its lock.

It took her a moment to register what exactly had transpired just now. He'd simply walked away, right out ignored her. She recalled her words. 'What happened?' Right, he wouldn't answer that. But he hadn't answered if he was okay either, had he? Well, he'd snorted, but she'd definitely expected a bit more. A nod at least. She sighed, she'd probably picked the wrong person for interactions.

She sat back down, putting her book down on the Kotatsu. She was irritated. Yes, he'd freaked out and it seemed he'd run into trouble this afternoon, too, but that was no excuse to just ignore her, was it? She'd let it slip this time, she decided, trying getting back to her lecture.

00000

Every time. It was something he dreaded, but in the end the need to confirm and also that tiny hope that it had been a dream won out after all. Every time, his hand still moved to open the door, even though he knew what would lie behind…. He knew this was just him dreaming. After having the same dream for years it was hard not to know. But still that tiny bit of hope always won out, to reveal once again, that it had been in vain.

The image of his parents' dead bodies, forever burned into Sasuke's mind.

It was always the same. His eyes would seek the room for the murderer, only to find his brother holding a bloodied sword. And after that, the images and events would start tumbling together, just as they did now.

But above all were those eyes. Red and bright…. Inescapable.

Sasuke's Kunai, which harmlessly hit Itachi's headband. His brother suddenly right in front of him. Bodies lying lifelessly in the streets. Closing his eyes helped nothing, he knew the horrors just kept coming. He still tried though, every time.

A hand holding his arm tightly, pulling him along. Blood everywhere. A whisper next to his ear. Hands holding him tightly against the body of a killer, head held gently against the crook of the same one's neck, shielding Sasuke's eyes from fire. Red eyes, apologizing, but not explaining, never explaining.

The feeling of being carried away, the chest lifting and sinking next to his own.

That overwhelming need to know what had happened despite the fear of what he would discover. Slowly lifting his head, taking in the scenery: Black flames that were eating away at his life. Blood running from his Itachi's eye. The Uchiha district burning. A hand covering his mouth to keep it from screaming, instead leading his face back into the safety of the crook of his brother's neck. Blackness. He knew by memory that he passed out at that point. Waking up to see dried blood on Itachi's face.

Useless…. Hands were holding his arms, shaking him slightly.

"Sasuke, you are not useless! You weren't even there, I made sure you weren't."

Sasuke could still feel the panic. He had been useless. Training showed him that again and again. Though yes, Itachi would train him, finally. Relentlessly, too. Told him he'd understand any attempts at his life, and that it saddened him that he had to be that kind of brother. He'd even said to feel free to try to kill him.

His brother, a cruelly relentless Sensei. However gentle and understanding otherwise. Unsuccessful attacks in training. A knife at a sleeping Itachi's neck, unable to push it down… useless.

Itachi revealing that he actually had been awake, alleging to be glad, not because he'd survived the attempt, but because it showed that Sasuke had a conscience. Sasuke still felt useless.

Screaming and fighting against the arms holding him down. Breaking down, crying. Let it out, let it out. It's okay. I understand…

I know you are afraid of me, but know this, you are most important to me. I never wanted this and I'll help you through.

More training. Praising, but also correcting, improving, learning. Instructions to handle the Sharingan. He was shaking. His brother's Sharingan active, panic attacks. Traveling. Nights of sitting together by the fire, wordlessly. He was shaking. His brother fending off thugs. Them doing missions together. His brother explaining him chakra control. Red eyes.

Itachi being plagued by nightmares. Sasuke protecting him while Itachi was sick. Catching Itachi trying to hide coughing up blood. Unable to do anything. He was shaking.

Useless… Usuratonkachi, soft hammer, useless tool. He was shaking. Itachi fighting, drinking tea to soothe his throat. He shook… Why was he shaking?

Sasuke groaned.

"… wake up. You're having a nightmare. Tatakai, wake up."

Sasuke shot up, heaving. He was in his bed, but not alone in the room. He instinctively averted his eyes. Was the Sharingan on? No, his night terrors didn't automatically activate it anymore, neither did it when he was startled. Itachi had forced it out of him. He relaxed and stared at his hands in his lap, then pushed his hair out of his face, grabbing at it. It was slick with sweat. His mistress was probably still sitting right next to him… bothersome. He let his emotions slip from his face, before looking into her face. She was worried.

"Are you… Are you okay?" Before her hand could touch his shoulder, he smacked it away.

"Eh?…. Come on, let me help you..."

He ignored her, pushing back the covers. Groaning he held his head again, his sweaty clothes uncomfortably sticking to his skin.

"Come on, get a shower. You're soaking wet. I'll change the bed sheets." She tried to pull him up only to land on the ground a second later. Sasuke had stormed out, grabbing some clothes while he was at it.

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Sakura didn't care if he'd agree or not, in her opinion changing the bedclothes was necessary. He wasn't here to keep her from doing what she thought was right anyway. What should he do? Pulling the linen out of her hands, fighting for it? Ridiculous. The image was funny, tough.

But the dream must have been tough. The scream had woken her up. She'd heard weird noise on the other side of his door, she'd quickly went in. A peaceful sleep looked different. He'd turned and tossed, sometimes almost looking like he was fighting an invisible force. And then there was mumbling, it was only a few words, most of it incomprehensible, or made no sense. The whole scene however told her enough to know that he was distressed. It woke some awful memories, like seeing her teammate die before her own eyes... She hadn't had the heart to let him stay there. She'd just had to wake him up, be there for him. Though it been hard to shake him awake. She'd been prepared for his attack-like reaction, he was a ninja after all. However, that he pushed her away so rudely afterwards, even when he regained his bearings, she hadn't counted on. That was no knee-jerk reaction, but simply bad behavior.

When she had finished up in his room she was only half-content with the situation. She was too stirred up and awake to go back to sleep now and he was awake, too... having his shower or whatever he was doing in the bathroom. Maybe she could tempt him with some tea to have some conversation, or if it could be called that.. but they definitely needed to talk. A tea would do her good at any rate.

A few minutes later, she was just about to fill the cups, when she heard the bath door open. He appeared in the doorway, towel over his shoulders. His dark eyes caught hers, narrowing. She couldn't help but only think how handsome he looked, though his attitude was everything but welcoming. Confused about her own thoughts, she pushed the weird feeling away, glad to have something to do. She held out a cup of tea. Hesitatingly he took it.

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Useless. She had had to shake him to wake him up. How could he have let that happen? How could he have let anyone sneak up on him like that?
He knew, he'd so be in trouble should anyone realize his origins. He suppressed a groan as the water ran over his aching body. How could he have let this happen? He was a light sleeper usually. Surely he didn't feel that safe here, did he?

Oh well, he had had a nightmare and a bad one at that. Both he and Itachi had them before. He'd even had them in captivity at the slave house, sometimes, though he'd been better at handling them back then. That seeing a Sharingan had brought them back… He'd never expected to encounter a Sharingan on someone outside of family. He realized now how risky it had been to rule it out. He'd been caught off guard and in a real fight he'd be dead. How could he have had a breakdown over something "simple" as that?

Kakashi Hatake, he'd have to be twice as wary of him from now on. If he was lucky they'd think he might have had an encounter with it in past. Hopefully, they did...

The hot shower had definitely helped to calm down, and to pushed the horrid images to the back of his mind again. Turning off the water, he stepped out and got dressed. Ready as he'd ever be, he left the room. There was light in the kitchen. She wanted to talk? She would get her talk.

He hadn't anticipated the tea. He knew acknowledged gesture and though he had to admit it was soothing, he didn't feel comfortable with her. She's had this weird look in her eyes, right before she offered him the cup and moreover, and what was worse: She'd seen him in a very vulnerable state, not once but twice today. What was her deal with him? What was it with her friends wanting to be his friends? Questions over questions, he turned the spoon in his mug. She'd made him tea and it bugged him. He wasn't only capable on his own, he also saw no good reason for her to serve him, her slave, especially in the middle of the night. As mistress she made no sense at all.

"Do you get nightmares like this, often?" Sakura was looking at him, eyes calm but curious.

Vexed, Sasuke averted his gaze. As if he'd answer to that! Your damn teacher's Sharingan had brought them back. And with them, brought way too many questions and people asking them. Nevertheless, Sasuke was lucky that, even though they knew someone with the Sharingan, Team Seven as well as Shikamaru had never actually detected when he used his.

Even Naruto hadn't when he'd triggered the illusion, back when he'd first met him. The swirls the Sharingan made upon activation made it hard to detect for people. Most often, people only perceived a flash of red, when he used it as a communication tool. No one had been able to figure that out, yet. It was simply too fast for normal eyes.

Being in Konoha had made him wary, overly so, he realized now. He should be able to keep communicating with his eyes to the people he knew without a problem. The exception being the other Sharingan-holder, of course. However really, Sasuke had been so busy trying to find clues here in Konoha, he had only thought to be careful and thus might have been overcautious. Sakura, he found, was no threat to him.

Tatakai had just been turning the spoon in his cup. He'd probably never answer any of her questions. Slightly frustrated, Sakura went for another tactic.

"Ehm, Tatakai, since we're both awake… and you seemed quite battered up yesterday… I'd like to check on you."

Sasuke rose his head. What was it with her constantly checking him over? He was getting back to a healthy weight, and rough training was normal for a Shinobi. What was her deal? The scratches he got from training and fighting yesterday were hardly serious. No worse than what Itachi had subjected him to. No, actually they weren't bad at all. He'd known that Naruto held back in some ways, as had he. He was just a little sore. Really, he could take a punch not falling apart.

"Oh come on, It will help you relax and..."

'No!'

The words died on her lips as the word resounded loudly in her head. She stared back at him.

"You know, I don't ask much of you… so..."

'I know'

The words snapped in her head voicelessly again. Shocking her with intensity.

'Leave me alone'.

He drank the rest of his tea with in one gulp and stood up, loudly pushing his chair over the floor. He left the room before she could recollect. He'd left her a little startled. Rude, just rude! Sighing, she got up to wash the cups, pausing when she heard his bed door click again, and then, a moment later, the apartment door. He'd left. He'd just left. Dared to, really. Yeah, just run away from your issues, Tatakai, very adult of you!

She peered into the hallway. Nothing seemed off, except that he wasn't there anymore. He'd even relocked the door when she checked it. Her eye caught sight of a slip of paper stuck behind the door handle. She pulled it out.

Within Konoha

She let slip a laugher, slightly falling into it, a relieving reaction. Living with him, the entire situation had just been too strange. And she felt the tiredness coming back. She'd leave him be for now, but she would not just let him off the hook.

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What was it with her? Sasuke kicked an innocent stone in front of his feet in annoyance. So, she knew she hadn't assigned him many duties up till now. Really, housework wasn't that much, considering the size of her apartment. And if he wasn't around early enough, she would even take over cooking. What did she need him for? An extra mouth which had cost her money to acquire, too. And he knew how much he ate, not that he had a bottomless stomach like he'd witnessed with Naruto, but he did eat a lot. He felt unneeded, and he was annoyed about feeling unneeded, and he was annoyed about feeling annoyed about it. Ar! The only stupid thing she would nag him about were check ups. Why? They both knew he was alright, yet she had spent a considerate amount of time healing his sore muscles, erasing the unpleasant side effects of his harsh training. He was strolling through the city. He was angry at her, he wouldn't be able to properly explain it, but it bugged him that she had taken over his responsibilities yesterday. He hadn't been unable, she hadn't known of course, but she'd gone ahead and done it anyway. And tonight, she's even changed his bed sheets! What was he to her, really? He ended up in front of the Uchiha gates and angrily turned away.

By the time he got back to the apartment, it was already dawning. The anger was still eating at him, but it was a bit better. Physical motion always was a good ventil. He silently slipped into the kitchen and prepared a simple breakfast. Then he went ahead and ate, secretly hoping to miss her. No such luck. He was just washing his plate when she appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning" She yawned and sat down. "Thanks for cooking. Itadakimasu!" She took a bite and smiled. So, she wanted to play as if nothing had happened? Good. Sasuke laid down the rag and went to leave.

"Shtay." Sakura said while chewing. Suppressing a sigh Sasuke turned around and leaned against the door frame, arms crossed. Sakura just looked at him, finishing her bite. So, she wanted to provoke him?! His irritation and unwillingness must have been clearly visible, but Sasuke didn't care. She could go ahead and deal with it.

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"Tatakai, you did study the plant books, right?"

He nodded, not showing any surprise at the question. He went over and pulled out the cooking book. He handed it to her and leaned on the counter, arms crossed again. Now, Sakura looked up in surprise. She opened it and briefly leafed through.

"That, too?" He just nodded again.

"Hmm, anyway, I wanted to ask you something actually… The plants you brought home last time, where did you find them? There were some I never found in the village, like the lungwort. You were within the borders the whole time though, so that would mean they do grow here somewhere after all."

Tatakai huffed, expression saying: As if I could leave... So, he was aware of the seals connection then… She had wondered, but it immediately brought up that other question again.

"Does it hurt when I activate it? The seal, I mean..."

This time Tatakai scoffed, smirking weirdly, then shrugging his shoulders. No words, no catching her gaze. Great, now she felt guilty. Seeing that he would not grace her with a proper answer, she decided that it was probably better not to dwell upon it.

"Ehm, well, would you mind showing me where you found the plants?"

Tatakai turned his head away. Though Sakura could see his unwillingness, he was thinking it over. She wouldn't let it go.

"Oh come on, let's get ready. We can train afterward. You have sparred with everyone but me. It will be fun." Tatakai looked up skeptically at first. Then, he finally moved, out of the kitchen and into his room. That must have been a "Yes". Ten minutes later he hadn't shown up again yet. She was ready and tired of waiting, she had Kakashi who did that all the time already… Or had she interpreted his agreement wrong? She decided to take action and check. She shortly knocked at his door and then entered the room.

The one in question was laying in bed, back towards her, the rise and fall of his chest as well as his chakra told her that he was awake though. She saw that he had changed clothes.

"I'm ready, you coming?" He made no sound. Was he sulking?

"Hey, if you don't show me I'll follow you around and annoy you until you do, understand? I want to know where you found those plants. I'll save me and the hospital a whole lot of traveling time to collect them."

Tatakai got up with a grunt, strove past her and pulled on his shoes at the entrance. He was out of the apartment quicker than she realized. Being his grumpy, antisocial self he just went ahead. Sakura caught up soon enough, falling into step next to him in under a minute. Wow, this was going to be fun… At least she'd get the information she wanted.

The weather was gorgeous and soon she'd know some new spots of valuable resources. So, Sakura couldn't but enjoy their walk through Konoha, though Tatakai still seemed pissed off, for what reason?... she didn't know. That grinch wouldn't drag her down. She'd come to associate a scowl with him anyway. He hardly bothered to hide displeasure and didn't seem to be an easy person to please, and she'd never seen him really laugh.

Her joy was cut short though when the Uchiha gate appeared in view. The quiet man showed no hesitation, his sure movements clearly aimed to get there. For Sakura it brought back bad memories though. She hadn't been here since ages and hadn't had planned to return any time soon. Disregarding if she was ready or not, Tatakai opened the gate and held it open for her. She didn't step through it though, overwhelmed by the memories. Classmates back then died here, directly within her home. The fact still haunted her occasionally.

He harrumphed to get her attention, breaking her reverie, but his patience had apparently been wearing thin, because a moment later he just let go of the gate wing and continued to walk. Taking a breath she passed the gate and caught up with him.

"Sorry"

He didn't even bother to spare her a glance. Instead he lead her deeper into the overgrown ruins. It totally made sense to her that he'd have found seldom plants here. Did he know about this place's history? Would someone like him avoid it like anyone else, if he did? Maybe he came here because no one else did…

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He was quick and sure in navigating, leading her to the corners where he had found each plant, pointing them out wordlessly. She amused him: Once he'd pointed at the first plant and she indeed had discovered it, she seemed to forget about where she was. Her eyes shone in excitement and soon she was pointing out other plants to him and telling him about their properties. He quietly took in the information, filing it away. He wouldn't have thought it, but now that her attention wasn't solely on him, it actually was fun with her.

"… I'll show you how to make those creams and such at home. It'd be a useful skill to have, wouldn't it?"

"Hn..."

She had a bag with her and Sasuke helped her pick plants, never taking all of them. Soon over an hour or two had passed and her basket was full. She strapped it to her back.

"Thanks for showing me."

Sasuke scoffed. It's not like he'd had a choice in the matter.

They'd went to the very back and were now walking through the whole district again, following the main road for now. Sasuke was subtly leading, not in a hurry, Sakura perusing her notes next to him. When they were about to pass the clan's memorial, she unwittingly paused, looking up from her notes. It took her some moments before she calmly stepped up to the block of stone. Just right before with her notes, she started to trace the names on it.

"Do you know what happened here?" The question seemed directed to the stone more so than to Sasuke.

"Uh-huh."

Sakura looked at him, startled. Tatakai stared her down. So he did know. His aura was dark and seething. Impatiently he tabbed with his foot. She didn't know how to interpret his reaction. It confused her, but she had no head for it now, so she returned to the stone. Her fingers traced one more name, then she stepped away, sighing.

They continued their journey through the deserted place though the atmosphere had changed. It had become totally depressing, Sakura found, as she peered over to her scowling companion. He had quickened the pace a tiny bit and really seemed extra grumpy now. Well, lack of sleep could do that to anyone. She let off her musings and had a look at the surroundings. The ruins were still blackened with smoke, but partially overgrown with plants. If it weren't so sad, it really would have been beautiful. It appeared like a place in a dark fairytale. Tatakai totally fit in.

She thought back when this place was still full of life, of course that had been long ago, but she recalled enough. She hadn't been here often, but she clearly remembered all the Uchiha kids' empty seats after the massacre. One in particular.

The memories were strong and she suddenly felt the need to speak about it. "You know, I went to school with a few of them... the people who died here. Actually, the first boy I was somewhat interested in was from this clan." She sighed, then at once realized that Tatakai had stopped somewhere behind her. She turned around and started to laugh. It was a shaky tone, she always got nervous when she didn't know how to react. How could she expect Tatakai to be interested in this!? Why should he care to listen at all?

"Ah, I know it was just a child's love. I must have liked him for some reason, I don't even remember… Now he's dead and I've no chance to find out… I haven't really fallen in love ever since. That childhood feeling is the closest I know of love. Weird isn't it?" Oh my God, just why was she telling him all this? Couldn't she just shut her mouth? Another shaky laugher.

Insecurely, Sakura looked over to him. Tatakai was just staring back more intensely than ever. For once, it wasn't anger nor hatred in his gaze, just a stir with undefined emotions. He then abruptly turned around and continued walking towards the Uchiha compound entrance. She quickly fell into step beside him again.

"The thing is… I don't even remember what he looked like." There was a regretful quality to her voice. "But I remember how he used to smile and laugh… He was so ambitious, always boasting about his big brother…" She sighed. "Actually, he was a tiny bit like Naruto, just a bit more level headed and arrogant. I remember thinking how cool he looked when he was practicing Kata or weapon-wielding..."

Tatakai hadn't looked at her again, but little movements indicated that he was still very much listening to her.

"I used to cry for days after hearing about what had happened here…" She shook her head and put on a smile. "I'm really sorry to dump this all on you."

No reply… not that she'd expected one. They left the dark place through the gates again and he felt much more light-hearted back in the common streets. When they reached her home they dropped off their collection of herbs and plants. Just when she had wanted to sort them a bit on the table, she saw Tatakai grabbing his weapon bag. Oh right, she had promised him a spar! Wordlessly and with a light feeling of satisfaction, she went to get her training gear as well. Soon enough they both were heading to Team Seven's favored training ground.

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Sasuke was standing there, waiting for her to proceed. If he had learned one thing from Itachi, it was to not underestimate your opponent. She may be a medic, but she was also a Kunoichi. The pink hair gave her an innocent look, but he'd seen a tiny bit of her skills while training with Naruto, and she hadn't looked too gentle back then. He didn't want another medical exam, so he better not let her injure him.

She attacked. Slamming her fist where he'd been just moments ago. He greeted her with a kick, which she evaded just as well. He was faster than her, but he quickly realized, that her touch was quite fatal. He'd already lost use of his left arm upon one little touch at the right spot. He drew his sword, slightly off balance through his paralyzed arm. The attack was based on speed and she barely moved out of the way, but somehow she managed to graze him with her fist. He flew farther than anticipated. Shaking, he stood up. She was already coming at him again. However, instead of hitting him, she ran to the left the last moment, hitting a tree instead. It cracked and fell. He stared at it, but that little moment until he realized that it had been a distraction were enough for Sakura to disappear. He sensed her above, but instead of moving out of the way he grabbed her leg and swung her into the air. That was an enjoyable fight. Her combat style was so unlike her appearance, but he was hardly surprised, knowing that it was a good Shinobi trait. Her body slammed into the ground some ways off, but she quickly stood up again. He was already coming at her again, his sword enveloped in chakra. She smirked as she pulled back her fist, waiting for him to come close enough.

He hadn't expected her to duck away and slam her fist into the ground. The earth quaked under his feet and sent him tumbling. She was almost on top of him when he finally managed to get a hold of himself and to push himself up with his arm. He quickly turned away. However she had anticipated that and struck out. Her hand grazed the sleeve of his shirt which gave away harmlessly. He recognized the movement as the same she used to paralyze his other arm. He'd barely escaped it, however, feigned to be hit by it anyway. He let his arm crash under him, lax, then turned on his back, getting up only with the help of the muscles of his torso. She was watching out what he was doing from a distance away. The sword slipped harmlessly from his hand. Unarmed, he started running towards her. He didn't run as fast as he could, he wanted her to see and look at him. He feigned two little faltering steps, she had already prepared in some stance, no, she was already moving, now was the time.

He caught her eyes, Sharingan momentarily flashing. Her eyes widened as she lost control of her body. It lasted only a fraction of a second, but long enough to miss a step, stumble and fall. He moved into her fall, grabbing her and quickly twirling her so her back was pressed against his chest. She felt his hand close around her throat, fingers positioned above the main artery, then pressing. He was hindering her blood flow instead of targeting the airways.

When she tried to free herself, he suddenly let go. She fell forward, moving quickly to brace her fall when she felt a well-directed jab at her neck and everything turned black for a moment. A little harder and she would have been be out cold. In a split moment decision she made herself relax. Sure enough something poked her side to check her state of being a moment later, she forced herself not to move. Something was thrown to the ground, then she heard him shift to the right. He sighed. In her mind, she did so too. She had hoped he would test her unconsciousness personally, not just with a stick, then she could have struck out, but unfortunately he was careful. Her thoughts ran at full speed. Then, she heard another rustle, he was stepping away. Immediately, she jumped at the chance and punched her fist into his backside. A suppressed groan. Slowly, he turned around, an almost smile on his face.

'Never disregard something as paralyzed'

She let the words sink in, then reciprocated the smile, indeed, she had hit him, but due to him being prepared it hadn't been very effective. He'd totally gotten her there.

"And you shouldn't rely on speed so much. It's what prevented you to react to my earthquake. I almost had you there. Now let me help with your arm." She got back on her feet. Then, upon seeing him tensing, she added: "I caused it, so let me fix it now. We'll do the rest at home, where you can lay down. Don't worry."

Anger blazing in his eyes, he turned so she had access to his arm. With a slight touch she reversed the technique. It took longer than the attack had, but it was over quickly enough.

Sakura looked up into the sky. "Hugh, I'm starving..."

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Sakura had left him to reign over the kitchen, going into the living room with the collected herbs from the morning. They ate in customary silence and he took care of the dishes. Everything was how it was supposed to be, until Sakura stood in the doorway, blocking it. That was the moment he had dreaded to come.

"I'd like to do a check up… I know you're fine, but..."

'No.'

"...and I'll teach you how to process those plants afterward."

'No thanks.' Sasuke had taken a step back, not out of fear, but simply to keep his distance.

"Why are you so defensive?... Are you mad at me?"

Sasuke glared scowling.

"Why?..." She looked at him with her big eyes, taking another step into his direction. "Why are you ma-… at me." Again she felt it, a flash of red and her body froze up for a tiny moment. That was a warning. She stopped. "I don't understand."

'I don't understand you either.'

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'Why?! What am I to you?' Sakura was getting used to hearing the words in her head, however he did it, it worked. Suddenly he was right in front of her, far too close for her comfort. 'Why am I here?'

His hot breath was on her face and for the first time, felt shaky in his presence. He was way too close, forcing her to look up to him. His eyes, dark as obsidian were glinting with suppressed anger.

A knock on the front door saved her. It was pushed open and Shikamaru entered. "Oh, Tatakai, I think Sakura is a bit uncomfortable like that."

Tatakai abruptly stepped back.

"Ehm, in case you don't plan to continue whatever you two were up to, may I borrow Tatakai for a while? I'd like a rematch."

"Uhm, alright. He's all yours."

Tatakai shortly looked back and forth between the two, then took a step towards Shikamaru.

"Okay, bye Sakura. See you later." The Nara said with a faint waving.

Tatakai didn't deign to look at her. She was just about to say Goodbye as well, when the door was slammed into her face. While she'd been glad about Shikamaru's visit and the welcoming interruption it caused, her mood plummeted once more at Tatakai's blatant disrespect. He'd ditched her, again. This needed to stop!

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That was a weird type of training ground Shikamaru had brought them to. Sasuke had never been here. Was ist even one? Their feet left dents in the squashy soil behind them. Parts looked very likely a moor. An interesting choice of training ground, especially considering that Shikamaru knew that he was fast, too fast for the soil to trap him. Besides, he had learned to walk on water with focussing his chakra to his feet... And even if he'd sink in, he could always use a substitution technique. Shikamaru was smiling vaguely, going forward at a steady pace. It was late afternoon already, but still quite some time until sunset, though he didn't really plan on playing around for that long. He believed that the quicker and more efficiently he could take care of this, the better. This was troublesome enough as it was. Next to the tree Shikamaru turned around.

"Ready?"

Sasuke nodded and three Kunai flew from Shikamaru's hand. Quickly he dodged them, going for the open ground in front of him. More Kunai kept him occupied, especially as he realized that there were exploding tags attached. Dodging them carefully, he soon found himself farther in the swamps, but the ground luckily still stern enough. Shikamaru had been driving him here, away from him, but for what purpose?

Sasuke attacked, running towards his opponent. The latter moved suddenly, hands quickly folded into a hand sign, eyes closed. The moment Sasuke's feet touched the ground, they were stuck on the spot. Uncontrolledly, he fell forward, almost face-planting into the ground. He barely moved his hands in time to break his fall.

Cursing Sasuke checked his surrounding from his position. He could easily see Shikamaru who sat in the shadow of a tree. The shadow that had been reformed into tendrils connecting with him, holding him trapped. Quick and efficient, right... Sasuke was panting into the quiet afternoon air. He had not expected this. Foolishly he had stepped right into the trap laid out for him. He tried to summon chakra to his hands and knees to keep himself afloat, but he could already feel himself sinking despite.

"Save it. There is no surface tension here for you to take advantage of, and the ground below is simply not stable enough for you to latch on."

Sasuke looked up at Shikamaru whose gaze was directed somewhere off beside him. Dang, he couldn't use eye to eye communication either!

"Sorry about this, but I thought it was the only way to make you hear me out, Uchiha-san."

A/N: Moimoi. Wow, finally finished and edited. Took me two weekend days to write most, yesterday I wrote about 5-6 pages alone. Too tired to write much more than one paragraph on evenings during weekdays... seriously. this whole chapter is 13 pages long, the longest chapter yet. Anyway. Comments are very welcome. Really, they motivate me so much to push forward and continue. Tell me what you think, like/didn't like. where I might have messed up a bit. Talk to me:) Guesses and ideas are welcome too, always interesting to read.