Ch. 14

Ino had more questions than she could wrap her head around. She really needed to talk to Sakura. Hopefully Sakura was awake and willing to talk. As she reached the door to Sakura's apartment, she reached out and gave 3 light knocks…..No answer. She knocked 3 more times…..Still no answer. Sakura had to be home right? Where would she be at this time of night? Sure it wasn't that far past 9PM, but Sakura shouldn't be out doing anything around this time. Maybe she just wanted to be alone.

Ino said in a singsongy voice, "Sakuraaaa?" No answer. "Are you in there?" A hint of slight exasperation was present in her voice. Ino decided to put her ear to the door to hear if there was any activity. Nothing.

Sakura was sitting on her kitchen table. She just wanted to be left alone, especially with all that had happened a few moments ago. She needed some time to process the information and decide what to do. She was still crying a little due to her conversation with Sasuke. As she grabbed a tissue, she let out a slight sniffle. That was all Ino needed to hear.

"Sakuraaaa. I know you're in there." She started knocking rather vehemently. "Open up. I just wanna talk." Sakura put her head down on the kitchen table. She did not want to talk and she wasn't going to budge. Ino thought to herself, 'Man, that meeting with Naruto and Sasuke must not have went well at all…' She resolved to knock one more time before giving up. She gave three mildly loud knocks…no answer. She finally stopped knocking and let out a small sigh.

Naruto looked at the time as he walked across his kitchen. 9:17. Normally, he wouldn't think it was that late, but he had a training session at 6AM tomorrow. He needed to get some rest. He slipped into some blue sandals and decided he'd go to sleep as soon as Sasuke got back. Sasuke would need some sleep too, that is unless he was nocturnal like Naruto suspected. He wondered if he was slightly crazy for letting him go out by himself, then he remembered the last thing Sasuke said before he left. Why did Sasuke have to pay so much attention to him and Sakura anyway. It wasn't his business…but then again, he was just trying to help. Naruto's thoughts were bouncing around from one way of thinking to another. He dropped down onto the couch, then yelled in a voice of exasperation, "Uuuuuggghh! This is too confusing!". He suddenly heard the laughing of a familiar voice. He scrunched his eyes with a slightly disapproving frown. He entered Kurama's chamber once more, "What are you laughing at?!" Kurama was still laughing. Naruto crossed his arms in an almost pouting stance and Kurama finally stopped laughing.

"I've watched you, and even been by your side, as you've fought many enemies. Orochimaru, Pain, the Akatsuki, Tobi, Madara, Sasuke, Kaguya and many others. But when it comes to Sakura, you can't seem to figure things out." Kurama was now resting his head on his arm as he looked down at Naruto. Naruto swiveled his head to the side as a sweatball formed on the side of his forehead. "It's complicated, all right!"

Kurama was now serious. "More complicated than taking on some of the people I just mentioned?"

Naruto uncrossed his arms and looked down. "I don't know…Maybe…"

Kurama looked with pity on the man who was now standing before him. "I don't think so kid." He paused for a short moment, then continued. "Do you know what the difference is between when you fought all those people and this situation you're dealing with regarding Sakura?"

Naruto was still looking dejected and didn't respond. Kurama could tell he was waiting for the answer though, so he spoke up. "When you fought all of those enemies, you always tried your hardest. You always gave it everything you had. I should know because I was there. And when you didn't have enough power to win on your own, you always had your friends to back you up. Those friends are still here, trying to help you right now." He paused before bringing his eye down to Naruto's level. "Don't let life situations change who you are kid." Then Kurama put his head on his paws and shut his eyes.

After Naruto processed all that Kurama had said, he let out a slight smile and whispered, "Thanks Kurama…" The fox simply smiled.

Sasuke had just arrived outside Naruto's apartment. He was about to reach for the door, but suddenly stopped short and put his hand down. "There are very few people that can sneak up on me…Kakashi…"

Kakashi stepped out of the shadows and let out one of his trademark smiles. "I've got some experience in the sneaking up on people department."

Sasuke gave him a blank stare then asked, "What do you want, Kakashi?" As much as Sasuke didn't want to admit it, he was slightly tired. It had been a long day and now Kakashi was making it longer.

Kakashi had a copy of Ichi Ichi Paradise in one hand, he raised the other hand to his chin and looked up pensively before replying. "First of all, I thought you were supposed to be within eyes distance of Naruto…at all times…" He turned back to Sasuke waiting for an answer.

Sasuke looked out over the village as he replied. "Me and him both know I have no intentions of leaving the village. He let me go."

"Did he know you were going to Sakura's?"

Sasuke's head quickly swiveled over to Kakashi who was now reading a chapter of Ichi Ichi Paradise. Kakashi must have been watching him since he left Naruto's apartment.

"Do you stalk people for a hobby?"

Kakashi kept reading as he replied, "No, just the ones I care about."

Sasuke gave a slight eyeroll and said in a monotone voice, "What are you really trying to ask me, Kakashi?"

Kakashi closed his book, put it in his pocket, then crossed his arms and turned to Sasuke. "At first, I thought you only cared about clearing your name, but then I noticed you seemed to actually be helping Naruto. When you got here, Naruto was completely closed off to anybody. I doubt that would change for you, so the only explanation left is that there was some effort on your part to restore your previous relations. Now I catch you going to Sakura's without his knowledge. You and I both know that you two aren't involved romantically, so the only reason I could see you going there is to discuss Naruto." Kakashi paused for a second, then continued, "To be frank, why are you doing all the things you're doing? All of the things I just mentioned have nothing to do with the Sound and the Rain, which is supposed to be your reason for being here."

Sasuke looked off into the village once more, then paused before replying. "I owe him a debt."

Kakashi studied him as he replied, "Ahhhh. So you're trying to help him go back to his old self and fix his relationship with Sakura because you owe him for what happened a few years ago."

Sasuke gave a slow nod.

Kakashi raised a hand to his chin and said in a hushed voice, "Now your actions make a little more sense." Kakashi was glad that he was making progress, but he could tell he didn't have all of the information.

He looked at Sasuke pensively, then decided to change the subject. "Enough about Naruto and Sakura. What about you?"

Sasuke turned to look at him. "What about me?"

Kakashi leaned against Naruto's balcony before speaking. "I'd like to know how you're feeling right now. I know it can't be easy being here knowing about what you did in the past, but somehow you don't seem too unsettled being here."

Sasuke looked back out over the village, "The past is the past. I can't change what I did, so there's no point dwelling on it."

Kakashi was carefully studying Sasuke. "Do you really believe that?"

Sasuke turned away from the village, looked back at Kakashi, then in a voice firm enough to convince himself replied, "Yes."

"Then why not come back? It's clear that Konoha has already forgiven you and would welcome you back with open arms."

Sasuke looked back out over the city and leaned on Naruto's balcony before whispering in a hushed voice, "It's not that simple. Things change. Times change. People-" Motioning his head towards Naruto's apartment, "change."

Kakashi dropped his head as he now understood one of the reasons Sasuke hadn't returned to the village. Kakashi now knew one reason why Sasuke was staying away from the village, but there was something else keeping Sasuke away from the village and Kakashi was determined to find out what it was.

"So let's say, hypothetically speaking, that when you came back, the village was the exact same. Naruto wasn't so unlike himself, Sakura wasn't so depressed all the time, etc. Would you come back then?" Sasuke continued to look out over the city as he replied, "It's still not that simple."

"Why not?"

Sasuke thought for a few moments before replying, "This village…it just isn't on my path." Kakashi noted the first two words of that sentence, then after a few seconds of thinking to himself he realized what the second problem was.

Kakashi slightly dropped his head as he finally uncovered the two main obstacles keeping Sasuke away from the village. First of all, Sasuke was stuck looking at what could've been. He was probably plaguing himself with thoughts about how if he were here, he maybe could've stopped Naruto from becoming what he was now. Or maybe he would be an accomplished ninja like Naruto – who was now a member of the ANBU. Kakashi let out a sigh as he pondered the first problem. Then he thought about the second obstacle in Sasuke's way…guilt. He had already suspected that Sasuke's self-imposed exile was his way of punishing himself for his betrayal, but his statement about this village not being on his path confirmed Kakashi's suspicions. The shinobi world may have forgiven him, but he still had not forgiven himself.

Kakashi paused and then after a few short moments spoke in a light, but firm, voice. "Sasuke, you'll never be able to be who you want to be if you keep looking over your shoulder at what could've been." Sasuke continued to look out over the village although he was listening. "We've all made mistakes, Sasuke. We've all failed to live the exact way we've wanted to. But failure is something we all have to live with. It's how we overcome it that matters."

After a few moments, Kakashi lifted himself from Naruto's balcony and turned to Sasuke with a smile. "I think I better get going. It's getting late, and if I know Naruto, you guys have an early training session. Probably for team coordination."

Sasuke smirked and gave a slight nod. Kakashi jumped onto the balcony and got ready to jump off. "See you around, Sasuke." Right before he jumped he heard Sasuke call his name, "Kakashi?"

Kakashi turned to him. "Yes."

"Do you believe in fate?"

Kakashi paused for a few moments, looked up, then turned back to Sasuke and replied with a smile, "Only the kind you make happen."

Sasuke smiled and gave a nod. Kakashi returned the nod and jumped off the balcony. As Kakashi moved through the rooftops, he felt a wave of relief at the fact that he now knew Sasuke's intentions were good.

Sasuke opened the door to Naruto's apartment to find him fast asleep and snoring on the couch. Sasuke thought about how he was supposed to be the one sleeping on the couch then let out a small sigh and said in a loud voice, "Dobe! If you don't wake up right now I'm taking your room."

Sasuke looked at Naruto and was slightly surprised that Naruto immediately woke up. He used to sleep through anything, ANBU had changed a lot about him. Naruto looked over at Sasuke and scrunched his eyes. Then he looked at the time. 9:53. Naruto scrunched his eyes again while looking at Sasuke. "Where have you been?!"

"Out."

Naruto got up and was ready to throw Sasuke across the room. Then he remembered that his attitude was part of the reason Sasuke had left in the first place. He regained his composure, crossed his arms, and swiveled his head up and to the side. "Fine. Don't tell me where you went then." Sasuke let out a sigh then noticed Naruto had some clothes folded on the couch. "Are those mine?"

Naruto looked over to the clothes then back to Sasuke. In a more controlled voice he replied, "Yeah, that is unless you sleep in your fighting clothes." with a sneer. Sasuke rolled his eyes then picked up the clothes and started heading towards the bathroom. He stopped short of opening the door. "Naruto, we both need to get some sleep." As he opened the door, Naruto thought about the training session he set for 6AM tomorrow and decided Sasuke was right. He left for his room before grumbling out a "Good night."

"Night."

Author's Note

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