From tree to tree Sasuke jumped, Miruko close behind, but very out of breath. Already it was nearing dusk, and they had still found no sign of Sakura or her captors.
Finally, amid the densest of the trees, they reached a clearing.
Nimbly, Sasuke jumped down and landed catlike on the ground, scanning the area for any signs of danger.
Seconds later, Miruko fell out of the tree and crashed ungracefully beside him, causing a pile of leaves to go up as if in smoke.
Sasuke narrowed and rolled his eyes before calling the okay to make camp and take a rest.
"Ichiwa, go collect some firewood. I'll go…spear a bear or something."
Miruko looked up indignantly from the multicolored pile of crisp leaves.
"Why don't you go collect some firewood. Spearing bears are for men." He smirked.
"Why don't you go crochet some doilies, Ichiwa."
"Why don't you stop chasing after Sakura."
"Why don't you stop using urinals, since you don't need to?" Sasuke smirked. That was a pretty good one.
"Why don't you go measure the size of your calves?"
Sasuke sweatdropped.
"My calves." He said monotonously.
Miruko shrugged and looked innocent.
"Don't girls measure their calves?"
Sasuke hadn't actually thought about that.
He scratched his head.
By the time he was ready to come up with an answer, he noticed the place around him deserted. Miruko's footprints embedded into the ground showed he had run off to spear a bear.
Sasuke grumbled.
"DAMMIT!"
-
Sasuke sat, miserably, rubbing his hands near the flickering flame of the fire.
Out of the darkening forest came a running figure, and for a moment, Sasuke was about to greet the man as Naruto, that stupid dobe, and hit him on the head.
Had he missed him that much?
Miruko was red-faced and smiling.
"I speared us some dinner!" He said proudly.
Sasuke's eyes went wide, and he stood up, temporarily forgetting about his lack of heat.
"YOU SPEARED A FRIGGIN SQUIRREL! THERE ARE BEARS RUNNING RAMPANT IN THAT FOREST AND YOU SPEARED A SQUIRREL!"
Miruko glared and tried to save some of his manly dignity.
"Fine. Don't have any. More squirrel for me." He humphed in an unmanly fashion and sat opposite Sasuke, roasting his squirrel and glaring into the fire. Sasuke glared at the squirrel.
-
Sasuke and Miruko slept, their backs facing one another, trying to stay close for warmth but far for comfort.
It wasn't working.
Sasuke heard Miruko sigh.
Silence.
Miruko sighed again, louder this time.
Silence.
Chirping crickets.
An even louder sigh.
Sasuke reached over and hit Miruko over the head.
"Hey! What the hell was that for?"
"Stop sighing."
Silence.
"Hey, Uchiha."
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Hn."
"Why do you like Sakura?"
Sasuke stiffened. He turned himself onto his back and realized that Miruko was on his back, too, his hands behind his head, gazing up at the stars.
He cleared his throat.
"Well…why do you like her?"
Miruko laughed softly.
"I don't just like, her Uchiha. I love her."
Sasuke stared at the sky. Miruko needed no prompting.
"I love her because of the way she smiles at me. The way she can brighten my day just by saying my name, or can make me have the most miserable day worrying about her. I love the way she apologizes, lets me hold her, wants me to hold her. I love the way she compromises, and cares about me. I love the way we can just look at each other and know that there is only us, and it doesn't matter what's going on, because we have each other. I love the way it isn't just skin deep. I love how we know that it's love."
He smiled, remembering her.
"I'm worried about her."
Sasuke nodded his head.
"So am I…so am I."
A faint breeze seemed to have a drowsying effect on the two men. Miruko yawned.
"So what about you? Why do you love Sakura?"
Sasuke took a moment's thought, visualizing her pink hair, her green eyes, her smile, her look of frustration, her look of worry.
He sighed.
"I love her because…because she's Sakura."
I'm too tired to say anything intelligent, so do what you always do.
AlternateEndings