Chapter 3

Not Alone

Sitting alone on the battered floor, moon light spilling all over him he breathed hard and shut his eyes tight. "Chikusho… This isn't a really good time for this to be happening to me…." Grunting he supported himself by placing one hand on the floor, putting most of his weight to that side. Sweat trickled down his temples to the base of his neck.

A sudden sharp pain bit sourly into him on his left shoulder. Groaning he managed to clasp a hand over his "bruise", while closing his eyes. At the same moment of time he was also having a fever which he didn't expect he would have after being in the rain for so long. This had never happened to him… so many things were happening to him which he had no trouble with before.

Stumbling onto his futon he absently grabbed a thicker shirt and pulled it over his head, covering his body. He knew nothing about fevers… "But she did," whispered a voice at the very back of his pondered thoughts.

Ignoring whatever just happened in his mind he coughed and pulled his mofu over himself. Curling up into a ball under the comforter his eyes closed with a frown on his face. When would there be a time when he would fall asleep with a smile for once?

Annoyed he sat up. He wasn't asleep just yet. "Nani!…." he yelled abruptly considering that his fever wouldn't leave him. Clutching the mofu he sat up slowly and huffed for breaths of air with effort. Why was it so hard for him to breath all of a sudden? "Aah!" Immediately a hand was drawn to his neck, clutching it as if it believed the pain would leave if it continued to hold it.

"Aitsume. Kuso! Orochimaru you bitch…." he mouthed closing his eyes trying to ignore the pain.

Foolish.

He was foolish to follow him, seeking for more power but he dealt with it and Orochimaru released him one night. He knew that Orochimaru knew that he would not desert him, he knew that he was going to use that power one day. Determined to obtain something that not many people knew of long ago.

But…

He had thought it over, going with everything that Orochimaru had wanted him to do until now. Of course, he knew that Orochimaru would have caught onto him already but he still had a chance. One of the incoming days he was to return to the leaf. It was the only place where he knew he could have help without having to beg for it…. But then again since he had abandoned the leaf and left in search for power, doing his own missions that included threatening others, this would make the ANBU consider him as a missing ninja. Not everyone knew that he left for Orochimaru. Only the people that had known him better than others.

Sakura.

Had she told the others?

"I have a lesser chance now…" he whispered voice hoarse. "But with Sakura I could take the advantage over her - if she still is waiting for me - and from there I could use her." Sasuke never did care about that weak minded female. She was only an ex-team mate, nothing more.

"Uso desu…" a small voice whispered from the corners of the room.

Sasuke jumped. Who was that?… And how could they have been hearing his own thoughts? Sasuke mouthed his words under his breath, "Great, am I now going crazy?…" He didn't dare to turn his head to look behind him when he heard a shuffle in the shadows. "Is anyone there?…"

"Chotto hen na kimochi ga shimasu, Sasuke-kun?" the voice ignored his question and asked a question itself. "It feels strange… doesn't it? Like this, alone." Slowly the Uchiha stood backing away to the wall arms defensively in front of him. "You can't hurt me, Sasuke-kun. You may be alone, not being accepted anywhere but you can join me. But if you turn on me now I will stop you from continuing your plans… I will get to her first!"

Sweat trickled down his temples as he raised a hand to wipe it away. Shit, my fever isn't leaving.

The voice drifted away as it started to speak once again. "Listen to me, Sasuke-kun, I will get to her fi-"

The Uchiha didn't want to hear it. In a spilt second he had grabbed his things, heading to the Leaf as soon as possible.

The cold air cooled down his face as he jumped silently from branch to branch. In his head he knew that he wasn't going to make it by morning. That was not good. He could be seen in the village that he had turned his back to for power a few years ago. What he needed to do was arrive at night but at a time like this there was no choice for him to risk it and take his chance.

Shadows falling onto his face he smirked. "Hn." He wasn't going to go out on this. After all he was and Uchiha and Uchihas were geniuses.

"Sakura-chan… matsu!"

"Naruto, have you been eating too much ramen lately?" the pink haired teen giggled. "You seem slower than usual." She jumped onto a higher branch of the tree that she and Naruto had chosen to take.

Laughing more to himself than at her "comment" he rubbed the back of his head with one hand while the other was balancing him making contact with the bark. "Ha… Hai!" His hand found his stomach. "But I never thought that ramen would do this to me…" he grunted.

"Zannan desu." Sakura sighed lowering herself to sit on the branch. Re-tying her bandages around her wrists for training, Naruto scowled at the sudden silence.

"Sakura-chan, that was not supposed to be funny! I mean we're talking about ramen here… the greatest kind of food in history and what it did to me!"

Lifting a brow she turned her head slightly to the right to glance at him. "It's just ramen," she shrugged smiling, "don't take it so seriously. I don't think it's because of the ramen, it's just because you're slacking off, don't you think?"

He blinked, clueless. When he realized what she meant he sighed in relief. "Phew!" Naruto exclaimed wiping the sweat from his forehead, "And I was actually starting to think that ramen was a bad thing for me. How could that thought even reach my mind." For a punishment he slapped himself in the face.

An awkward silence came to take its place. Jade eyes stared out into the sky and sighed sadly. Soon enough, Naruto took notice and jumped to her side. "Daijobu desu ka?"

She tilted her head slightly eyes fixed on some cloud that caught her eye. It took a while for her to answer but she still did. "…Hai… Daijobu desu." But she knew that she wasn't. "I'm fine!" To hide it all she covered it with a smile, unfortunately it didn't work on him this time.

"Sakura-chan, I know it's because of your boyfriend."

Startled from his words she snapped out of it almost falling off the branch. Naruto caught a hold of her arm and pulled her back up. "Naruto…" she whispered giving him a sideways glance. "You know that he was never my… boyfriend."

"But you loved him."

"But he love didn't me. So that doesn't mean a thing."

He decided that he wasn't going to talk anymore knowing that she was right, all the way down to the roots of this conversation….

But…

But what they didn't know was that in the shadows, away from the light, someone was waiting. The stood with eager patience and was cautious. He shifted in his spot over hearing their conversation. Sighing and accepting that it didn't mean a thing to him he shook his head and went through his thoughts again.

Okay… so I'm in the Leaf now and I got to her first. Was that really her though?… She seems so different, somewhat- and not that It mattered for anything. Something was bothering him and he clearly knew what it was: How was he exactly supposed to get close to them… or to her without that baka getting in his way. "Hn. Uzumaki, as I expected you're still the same."

Licking his lips he focused his sharp eyes onto the clumsy blonde, he was never good at detecting illusionary techniques when someone was using them but Sakura on the other hand was something to take notice of. She was an excellent kunoichi who was a genius at detecting illusionary techniques.

The Uchiha thought, a plan forming in the depths of his mind.

Maybe by using the henka no jutsu and transforming into some sensei, I could get Naruto to leave without him knowing that I'm a fake but… Sasuke shifted his eyes onto the Sakura he couldn't almost believe was her- Sakura would notice and warn him. He shook his head, that wasn't going to be any good.

He'd have to get to her soon. Sasuke jumped deeper in the shadows and watched them.

"Oi, Sakura-chan, I'm gonna go home. This training worn me out, let's continue tomorrow, okay?" They both jumped off the branch skilfully landing on two feet firmly on the ground. Refraining from sighing Sakura nodded and her team mate left after a greeting of good-bye.

For the mean time she was going to go home and take a break herself. Shaking her head she exited their training area and back into the main part of the village.

She thought she was alone but she wasn't.

"Aww… I shouldn't have cooked this much," Sakura sighed putting down her bowl and stared at the other bowl with rice. She tapped her chopsticks annoyed at the silence. Every once and a while she would pop rice and food into her mouth. "It sure seems lonely when you're eating dinner and don't finish your food…."

Convinced that she wasn't going to be able to finish her food she stood and walked over to the counter. Placing her bowl in the sink after emptying it from rice she sighed and shook her head. "What am I talking about I am alone after all tonight."

With a grunt she somewhat sadly walked back to her tatami and slouched in a sitting position. Seeming to die from boredom she took out her medical information records on other people that she was required to remember by order of Itsuka.

Time didn't seem to go any faster. Doing work just made it worse. Groaning Sakura refused to herself that she was going to finish her work for this night. "Geez, I think I'm starting to slack off like Naruto." Rubbing her forehead she jumped when she heard something falling upstairs. "Nan desu ta?"

Her legs wouldn't let her stand and check out what that was. "Oh come on Sakura, you're in ANBU and this is scaring you already!" she muttered to herself. Clamping her mouth shut she managed to force herself to stand but couldn't make it to walk. "Great… it's like stage fright or something." Taking a step around her low table she froze when she felt a sudden movement of wind around her.

Sakura didn't dare breath for a moment nor speak.

"Sakura, I can't believe you're scared already."

Emerald orbs widening after hearing that voice, Sakura breathed again. She didn't want to turn her head to find that she was just… going crazy or just having a hallucination but what if it was real? Weakly laughing with utter doubt in her voice her words actually surpassed the wall. "Tell me that this is just a joke, Naruto. We talked about this already and you promised that-"

With skill he disappeared and re-appeared in front of her, grabbing her wrist. "Does this seem like some joke, Sakura? Well it's not if don't happen to notice that."

A strong grip, pale white skin, jet-black raven hair, and those eyes… those dark, onyx handsome eyes.

Holding in her cry Sakura shut her eyes and turned her head to her right. "Why all of a sudden? You just left and now you're back just like that!" Sniffing a stray tear fell from her left eye.

It didn't bother him a bit, just seeing her struggle with her mind and reality. It was nothing. It didn't matter to him but he was going to get what he needed and wanted. "I don't have to explain myself," the Uchiha muttered dangerously.

Startled Sakura managed to shake him off and jumped a good ways distance away from him. Pain flowing through her body… into her heart she slowly brought her eyes to his face. He didn't change much just that he looked much more mature and cold loosing that roundness of his face that he had before.

"But why?…." she cried. "Why? You don't even have the right to come in here just like this."

Smirking, he thought, Hn, and I thought that she would be more welcoming. "And you don't have the right to force information out of me."

"Can't you at least tell me why you're back?" Sakura rubbed her arms not believing anything at the moment.

Putting a hip on his hand he tilted his head and gazed at her quietly. It wasn't the time yet to make his move. He was going to have to take it slow but he wouldn't tell her directly, for sure. "Hn."

"Don't talk to me like that!" Sakura sighed to herself. Some things still didn't change about him, she thought. Taking a step towards him by her own according matter she asked, "Then Sasuke-"

It caught his attention, she no longer called him without the suffix for the first time.

"-I could help you. Anything that would help you heal." Lifting her head so that their eyes met his pair showed no sign of affection.

But at the same moment the genius had thought of something already. His first move that would lead him to defeating Orochimaru. "There is one thing," he muttered quietly. "But it's more of a statement then asking something from you." Huh, like it did matter to me.

"Huh?" Sakura asked almost startled.

Sasuke bore his sharp gaze into her pained jade orbs. "I came back because of you."

Japanese Translations:

Once again I've translated the Japanese in this chapter. Oh, and I correct myself from the other chapter before this one. It is the first word in the list.

Oniisan: Older brother: (Sorry! -- I forgot that there was a silent "o" before "Niisan". Well that's corrected!

Chikusho: Damn/ damn it!

Nani: What

Aitsume: Damn him/her

Kuso: damn, shit

"Chotto hen na kimochi ga shimasu, Sasuke-kun": "It feels a bit strange, Sasuke-kun?"

Matsu: Wait

Zannen desu: That's too bad.

Hai: Yes/yeah

Ramen: Japanese noodles.

Henka no jutsu: Transformation technique.

(henka): Transformation

(no jutsu): technique

Daijobu desu ka: Are you okay?

Daijobu desu: I'm okay/It's alright

a/n: Well I took a while to update, didn't I? Sorry to keep you guys waiting it was just that I was loaded with homework and the term end exams. Ja, sayonara for now!

-Lenna