Eripmav

Part Three, Chapter Two

"Naruto!" Sakura screeched, looking up. Naruto hung over a particularly steep ledge, his legs dangling. He was only hanging on by his finger tips.

"Idiot." Sasuke mumbled letting go of Sakura and jumping up a ledge. "Hang on," he said louder, reaching out. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, mouthing something that looked like 'I don't want to die!' over and over.

"Naruto! Don't be stupid! Open your eyes and look at me!" Sasuke hollered. Naruto slowly opened one eye, and then the other. "Reach out and grab my hand." Sasuke gripped the rock-face and stretched his hand out further. Naruto looked at it. "Grab it!" Sasuke clenched his teeth, still stretching further. "Grab my hand, I'll catch you!" Naruto looked skeptical then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He waited a second, then let go of the cliff, throwing himself slightly towards Sasuke.

Naruto thought he was going to fall to his death. He didn't feel himself getting caught. Sasuke lied! He was getting him back for – Naruto felt something grab his sleeve. He opened his eyes. He was hanging, swaying back and forth, the grey rock just barely touching his nose.

"Don't just hang there, you idiot! Do you think I can hold you like this forever? Grab the shelf in front of you!" Naruto scrambled onto the ledge and Sasuke let him go.

"Are you okay?" Sakura called from a ledge over. Naruto nodded – his mind blank; Sasuke leapt -gracefully- back to Sakura.

This time, as our favorite trio made their way down, they looked out for each other. It wasn't until they were eight feet from the ground when our much loved blonde slipped again. Sasuke automatically reached out for him He caught the boys' collar, but didn't have the right footing to support the two of them, and they both fell to the ground. Sakura screamed as she watched them hit the bottom and slide a few feet.

"Whew, that was close." Naruto sighed, dangerously close to a tall black tree – his legs were spread wide – and it might have been painful if he had slid much further.

"You're such a nuisance, Naruto." Sasuke sighed without getting up. Sakura scrambled the rest of the way down the Cliffside.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" she ran to Sasuke first, who groaned.

"Don't you agree? He's a nuisance?" Sakura blinked then started laughing. A small smiled pulled at the corner of Naruto's lips before he too started to laugh. Sasuke smirked.

"Dude," Naruto said after a while. "What an odd tree…" He crossed his legs. Sasuke sat up and studied the tree before standing.

"Don't touch it." He said as Naruto extended a hand. "Sakura, can you get me one of those wild flowers?" He pointed a little ways away. Sakura's eyebrows knit together, but she went without question, and picked the prettiest one she could find.

"This is too easy," he mused reaching for the small flower Sakura held out to him. He walked a closer to the tree and tossed the flower at it. As soon as the blossom touched the black bark, it too turned dark and exploded into dust when it hit the ground. "Way too easy. This is a cursed tree." Naruto's eyes widened and he scrambled to get further away.

Sasuke knelt as the base of the massive tree and pulled out a kunai; he started digging.

"The soil here is black too… Does either of you have anything we can put some of this into?" Naruto shrugged and shook his head; Sakura pulled her bag open and rummaged though it.

"Chocolate wrappers?" she offered, pulling out a few sheets of the crumpled foil wrappers. Sasuke thought for a second then reached for them.

He smoothed out two of the wrappers and carefully placed some of the black soil into the center of one. He folded it up and crumpled the second sheet around it; he stood.

"Where can we put it?" Naruto asked (rather dumbly, might I add… but somebody has to say and ask the obvious and stupid questions…!)

"In one of our backpacks (Duh)." Sasuke swung his own off his shoulder and opened a small pocket on the side and placed the foil inside. "Task one complete."

"Right," Sakura frowned. "But where on earth are we supposed to find a dragon?"

---------------------------------------------------

Kakashi was waiting for them when they arrived back at the village; his foot tapping and arms folded neatly across his chest in an irritated manner. He greeted them with a glare.

"It's usually me late for things." He drummed his fingers on his arms.

"We're late?" Naruto asked; eyes wide. "For what?" Kakashi froze.

"Well… nothing. But I'd like to think you were late…" he smiled. "Where have you been? Running away without me? I'm insulted!"

"Long story." Sasuke mumbled under his breath.

"Well," Sakura started, smiling, "I got turned –"

"By mistake!" Sasuke interrupted. Sakura continued: "And Naruto came with us up Citnagig Mountain to see some Christoph guy – who happened to be a goat! (shudder) – who Penelope said (Penelope is the girl who changed Sasuke) would know how to get us turned back." Her smile grew slightly. "It's something to do with the four elements."

"Earth covering the roots of a cursed tree – Wind off a dragon's wing – The egg of a Fire bird – Water from a nymph's pool." Naruto grinned. "Stir in a silver bowl and drink up!"

"Drink?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Dragons?" Sakura nodded. "Funny," he turned to her. "Wasn't it you who accused me of fairy tales? There are no dragons in this world." Sakura's eyes went wide.

"W…What do you mean?" she sputtered.

"This Christoph the Goat must be pulling your leg. 'Wind off a dragon's wing'? That's impossible! Seeing as there are no such thing." Sakura swallowed.

"Shoot!" Naruto said mock-cheerfully.

"How are we…?" Sakura turned to Sasuke – who was looking at nothing.

"Unless," Kakashi cocked his head. "It is not literally 'Wind off a dragon's wing.'… That that is just a title for something."

"An alcoholic beverage, maybe?" Sasuke mused rubbing his chin.

"Or some type of smoke… or even a drug." Kakashi suggested; Sakura scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"Or something completely different." Naruto added. "Like… a perfume, or candle."

"Cosmetic?" Sakura piped up, Kakashi shrugged.

…

"Well," he said after a moment of silence. "You three must tell me all about this Christoph; we'll ponder your dragons later." He led the three into the village.

-----

"A talking goat?" Kakashi laughed. "Really?" He looked over at Naruto who was walking with a happy hop in his step.

"Yeah! Sakura fainted like, every time he came into the room! – And he kept forgetting our names." Naruto chuckled.

"I only fainted twice." Sakura glared; Inner Sakura giggled.

"Whatever." Naruto shrugged. "You did, however, pale and panic whenever he came too close or spoke to you."

"Sasuke… help me!" Sakura looked up at him.

"Can't. He speaks the truth." Sakura's shoulders drooped and she hung her head.

"I didn't know you were afraid of goats," Kakashi's visible eye sparkled with humour. Sasuke moved and wrapped his arms around Sakura, who had begun to growl. Kakashi's eyebrow went up – all humour disappearing, but returned again after a second.

Sasuke ignored Kakashi's reaction and Naruto's teasing smile. He needed to get used to physical contact. He wanted to prove that he wasn't… all… cold hearted.

"I'm so… weak… aren't I?" Sakura sighed and put her head on his shoulder. Sasuke said nothing. "Gee, thanks for agreeing with me." Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"You're not entirely helpless." Naruto grinned, echoing Sasuke's thoughts. "You kick really hard."

"And you have amazing Chakra control – not to mention big brains." Kakashi put in smiling. (We assume he smiling, mind. Who knows what he does under that mask….) Sasuke still said nothing. He might talk to her later about this… She was a good kisser and premium at smothering his worries – even though that might not be the answers she was looking for, he was sure she's like them just the same.

He leaned closer to her and buried his nose in her hair; but looked up again when he heard a screech.

"You! Clean up!" Somebody had knocked over a venders stand. He smiled. Not a smirk, not an evil smile, but a real smile. One rarely seen on his lips. One that made Uchiha Sasuke appear friendly. (One that would appall Itachi…)

"What?" Sakura was watching him. He nodded his head in the direction of the vender and startled shopper. Sakura giggled. "It's kind of nice knowing that that's not me this time. But I'm sure in the near future it will be." She sighed; Sasuke shrugged.

"Don't count your–"

"I know, I know. 'Don't count your chickens just yet'. You know that the real phrase is 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch', right? And that doesn't make entire sense at the moment." He shrugged again watching amused as a few people ran after the wandering pears that rolled all over the street.

"You two just gonna stand there, or are you gonna come have lunch with us?" Naruto leered rolling his eyes. Sasuke let go of Sakura and followed the blond.

He turned to see if Sakura was following as well. She smiled sweetly up at him. He took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers.