Yeah, I'm trying to aim for longer chapters... Let me tell you, it's not that easy. I try to go for at least three pages on Microsoft Word, and then it's like my mind creates this little mental-block. I can't manage to get anymore done. Oh well. XD I'll try to start doing more, I promise!
Sorry to the people who think I'm making Sasuke too mean... But you must admit, he's not... very nice to begin with. -anime sweat drop- XD
Oh yeah... Um, when I said that they did everything together, that does NOT include going to the washroom. XD And it doesn't include sleeping together, either... or at least, not yet. -Eerie prophesy music- Dun-dun-dun!
And though there are plenty of people out there who are Sakura-haters... I'm not one of them. And I know there are plenty of fan girls out there for Sasuke... I'm not one of them. O.o -fan girl of Gaara- Anyway... Sorry, but if you guys dun like Naruto x Sakura pairing that much, you probably shouldn't read this. XD
But for the people, who do like it, thanks for the support. Here's the next chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it. ==
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But I do own a Naruto wall poster thing, and it cost me $20, and it makes me proud. O.o
Titled. Chapter Five.
He sighed. Deciding that he would not return this night, he climbed a tree and draped himself over a thick branch, watching the sun, which was beginning to set. Ah, night was coming on. Good.
One day down - six more days of torment to come.
Sometime in the night, very abruptly, Sasuke awoke. He didn't move, just his eyes snapping open as slumber receded from his body. Directing in front of him, was... Kakashi? Sasuke blinked, as the figure on the branch shifted position, so that the moonlight struck his face - or rather, what you could see of his face. The moon's bright rays settled upon the sensei's silver hair, flashing up the metal-plated head protector sporting the Konoha village leaf. Sasuke relaxed, and sat up, straddling the branch.
"What're you doing here?" he questioned bluntly, obsidian eyes narrowing as he regarded the jounin.
"I could ask you the same question, Sasuke," replied Kakashi with a cheerful tone.
"Hmph," was the articulate response to that.
"So, what're you doing here, Sasuke?"
"I was sleeping until you came," snapped the black-haired adolescent. He turned away - Kakashi was the last person he wanted to talk to about his problems.
"Sasuke."
Sasuke stared towards nothing, ignoring the friendly call of his name.
"Sasuke." This time, the voice was less friendly - more austere. He didn't pay attention to it. He had enough troubles bothering his life without Mr. Porn-Lover here nosing in his personal business. "Sasuke, look at me when I'm talking." Rough fingers gripped Sasuke's chin, guiding his face straight, forcing him to make eye contact with Kakashi.
"Why do you care?" Sasuke growled irritably, wrenching his chin away from his grasp.
"Because you're part of the team, Sasuke. I cannot allow the top jounin of Konoha to be sleeping up in a tree, in the middle of a forest, with temperatures like these, and wearing nothing warm. You could've at least taken a blanket with you." Kakashi's one visible eye winked in lazy fondness at his pupil. "Besides, unless you want to fail this mission..." he trailed off, but his silence was anything but puzzling. Sasuke knew perfectly what he meant. But he didn't want to go back, and face six damned days of Naruto getting hugs from Sakura.
And it's not even a mission. You're not my sensei anymore. "I don't want to return," he said shortly, sounding for the entire world like an obstinate six-year-old.
"It's not a matter of what you want or what you don't want," lectured the other sternly. "It's a matter of has to be done. Not everything in your life can be done the way you want it to be. Sakura doesn't want you or Naruto to fight. But she didn't get up and leave her teammates alone. She went to face it. Are you implying by your actions that Sakura is stronger then you?"
"No," hissed Sasuke. The angry tone in his voice made Kakashi smile - at last, they were getting somewhere.
"Perhaps she is stronger then you. I never thought I'd see the day when the finest hope of clan Uchiha beaten down by a mere girl. Sakura must be far stronger then I thought, to be able to defeat Sasuke so easily," he said cheerfully, whacking Sasuke in the shoulder in a friendly manner. Kakashi lifted his right hand, and casually blocked the punch that Sasuke aimed at his nose.
YOU LOSER KAKASHI-ASSHOLE WHO'S ENTIRE LIFE REVOLVES AROUND ICHA-ICHA PARADISE, STOP TAUNTING ME! Inner Sasuke screamed, punching the air madly. What he said aloud, though, was, "Shut up." He pulled his fist out of Kakashi's loose but oddly fierce grip, and launched himself off of the branch. Landing lightly on his feet, he trekked gloomily back towards his house, lifting a hand in acknowledgement to Kakashi's shout of, "Bring the whole team here for a meeting tomorrow morning at 10!"
Sasuke sighed. Stupid idiots. They were all idiots... stupid, stupid, stupid idiots. He shook his head slowly, black bangs drifting back and forth with the motion.
In days to come, if Sasuke ever thought back to this night, he'd wonder how he managed to get home in the near perfect blackness of night. But get home he did, finding his door unlocked. The first thing he did was to check where his teammates were. Sakura was on the couch, asleep by the looks of it. He paused in the doorway, admiring the way the moon's meek light threw odd shadows and highlights on Sakura's pale pink hair.
Pulling himself away from the door, he trotted upstairs, and tiptoed quietly to Naruto's room. The door was open, so he stuck his head in, and squinted through the darkness. There was a lump of blankets in the middle of the floor, and vague snoring noises coming from it. He snorted. Naruto had probably fallen off the bed sometime ago.
Swallowing a dreary sigh, he walked silently to his own, and threw himself down on his bed without bothering to remove his clothes. Instantly, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep, face buried in his pillow.
Next Morning.
Like during the night, Sasuke sat upright, suddenly and promptly awake. He yawned widely, rolling off of his bed, glancing at the clock. 9:00 AM. Perfect timing.
He straightened his clothes, and crept out of his room. A hand resting on the staircase's handles, he tilted his head and listened. Nothing but silence greeted him. Obviously, the other two were still asleep. Turning back around, he retraced his steps, but made a turn towards the room Naruto occupied. Sasuke paused at the door and as he allowed himself the liberty of entering, he found the blond-haired shinobi on his back; head flopped to the side, snoring gently. He rolled his eyes. Covering the distance between them in three steps, he squatted down and said, "Naruto."
Naruto merely flopped over to his other side, eyes squeezed shut as he mumbled, "No, sensei, just a few more minutes..."
Sasuke prodded him in the ribs. "Naruto, wake up."
The kitsune only squirmed and giggled in a rather un-manly way, before squealing, "That tickles!"
Sasuke sighed - so much for the subtle approach. A thin smirk gracing his pale features, he glanced around Naruto's room and found exactly what he was looking for. A glass of water. Cheerfully, he reached up, grabbed the cup, squatted back down, and happily dumped the contents over Naruto's head.
"AAAAAIEEEEEE!" Naruto commented calmly, thrashing around a bit. Cerulean eyes snapped open as he jumped up, staring wildly around. His frenzied gaze fell to Sasuke.
"Bastard! What was that for?"
Sasuke placed the glass of water back where he found it. "... Nothing, really."
Downstairs, Sakura was awakened in a not so pleasant way, as Naruto yelled some words that Sakura didn't even thought he knew. She closed her eyes again, relishing the few seconds of 'peace' before Naruto stomped down the stairs, followed by a smug-looking Sasuke. Opening her eyes, she greeted the two boys with a smile as she sat up.
"Good morning, Naruto, Sasuke."
"Morning, Sakura!" chirped Naruto, his bad mood vanishing quickly as he clomped towards her, falling on the empty space beside her.
Sasuke greeted her in his usual way. A nod. And then he remembered what Kakashi had told them to do. "Let's go," he said shortly.
"Where are we going, Sasuke?" Sakura questioned as he headed out the door.
"Meeting with Kakashi."
"I wonder why?" Naruto cut in, hopping off the couch. Sakura followed him.
Within minutes, the three were out in the forest, having been lead there by Sasuke.
...
An hour passed by slowly, and Naruto was already complaining about how they should've eaten breakfast before when - lo and behold - Kakashi strolled peacefully towards them.
"Yo!" he said happily.
"YOU'RE LATE!" screamed two voices - Naruto and Sakura.
"Sorry. I had to help a crippled elephant to the hospital, and then arrange its last statement and will because its injuries were fatal."
"LIAR!" yelled the two again.
"Aheh... Don't say that," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Dropping his easy-going expressions, he beckoned the team to move closer, which they did. "How's it going?"
"Good?" offered Sakura after a long interval of silence. What else could she say?
"No, really," Kakashi said, blinking.
"Good," she confirmed, shooting a quick nervous glance towards Sasuke.
"Everything's good, Kakashi," Naruto piped up, grinning.
"Swell," added Sasuke in a less than chipper voice.
"So, no problems or anything, right?"
"Right."
"Of course."
"Mm."
Kakashi nodded slowly. "That's very good. Today is the second day of your torture, and you're all lasting well."
That was blunt, commented Inner Sakura blankly, hands on hip.
"Anyway, I just want you all to know that if you can't stand each other and need a break, I'll be close by. Yell for me or something." Kakashi beamed at his pupils.
"Is that it?" questioned Sasuke, a brow arching. "You brought us here to tell us that?"
"No. Listen." The silver-haired jounin stroked his chin thoughtfully. There was an expectant hush. "Actually, yes, that's it." He winked joyously at the dumbfounded group, and vanished with a twirl of smoke.
"Well," Naruto broke the silence perkily, "What do you guys want to do now?"
Nothing that includes you two, sneered Inner Sasuke, hands placed childishly on his hips. But Sasuke was remembering the words Kakashi had said to him. He scowled.
"I think I'll go back to the house... and draw," Sakura mumbled lamely. Truth be told, she didn't quite want to be with Sasuke at the moment, especially after the way he had stormed out yesterday. "You guys can do whatever you want to." She smiled, and ambled back to the Uchiha's place, pink hair flopping about her face.
Naruto peered after her. "I want to go to Ichiraku and have some breakfast. I'm hungry." And with that, he was strolling off in his own pace, hands in his pockets.
Sasuke didn't say much, but he took off after Sakura.
Up in the high branches of a tree, concealed from the eyes of any below, Kakashi peeked out from between holes in the thick foliage. He watched as first - Sakura took her leave, and then Naruto, and then he blinked when Sasuke followed Sakura. That was odd. He would've expected the Uchiha to wander on his own and train or something. The fact that he was following Sakura interested Kakashi greatly. Perhaps this seven-day-together thing was bringing out inner feelings. Interesting. Very interesting. Kakashi made a mental note to check up on his pupils a few more times in the next few days. Maybe he'd even lengthen this week into a month. He grinned under his mask, and the last thought he had before fishing out his beloved Icha Icha Paradise book was, Sasuke, we're finally getting something out of you.
End Chapter.
... Okay, I admit it; this was the worst chapter I've ever written. I really went to pieces over the ending. Sorry. Sorry. .. Read and review, anyway, please, because criticism is always welcome to me. You can't get perfect without being yelled at, that's my motto. XD
