Chapter one: The Way it Works
It was a normal day for our golden team, just another task they had been asigned, just another task to go through really. Naruto as usual had complained but they got him to shut up and accepted the mission of course. It was simple, they were to help repair the roof of a house just outside of town for an elderly woman, Ms Yokimora. As our trio and Kakashi arrived, Ms. Yokimora was sweeping dirt from the entrence to her home. The house was really a large hut. The roof was nothing more than grass with a large hole in it. Either way repairing the hole would take too long. After short introductions the elderly woman revealed to them that the roof would actually need to be completely redone.
"You see, I am an elderly woman and it's too expencive to keep repairing. Rather than have this old roof repaired again and again, I would much preffer a new wooden one. I had the wood delivered two days ago, you can find it behind the house, along with a ladder," she said smiling kindly to them.
"What!" Naruto exclaimed. Repair the entire thing! That would take all day!
"We'll be happy to help you," Sakura interjected and bowed politely.
The old woman smiled a bit more, "Thank you," she said looking to Sakura, "You're such a nice young lady, won't you join me for some tea?" she asked turning to enter the hut.
Sakura nodded, "Thank you, Ma'am," she said and then turned back to Naruto and Sasuke to stick out her tongue. She followed Ms. Yokimara into her home, glad not to be put to work.
Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, "Hmph. This is going to take forever," he said before being hit by a bundle of grass.
Sasuke had already hopped up to the roof along with Kakashi, "Come on, Naruto, let's not waste time," Sasuke said looking down to him.
-And so Naruto and Sasuke worked on the roof while Kakashi supervised and Sakura enjoyed Ms. Yokimora's hospitality. After a could of hours the roof had come along nicely. Sasuke put it together while Naruto carted wood up to the roof. Maybe, just once they could get a job done without Naruto doing something counter productive.
Kakashi was of course very please than things had gone so smoothly, "Good work boys, you're almost do-" he paused to look towards trees as they rustled, someone was approaching.
Sasuke also stood alert, sensing the prescence before the rustle had even occured. He slowly and calmly reached for one of his Kunai's.
"What? Almost what?" Naruto said, dense as can be, he then realize something was happening. And as normal for him, he didn't look before he leaped. Naruto threw a kunai at the target in the trees.
A girl with long plum colored hair leaped from the trees and landed gracefully on the roof top, kneeling down with one hand tightly gripping her other arm, "They were too strong," she said softly before collasping to the roof, completley worn out.
Everyone's eyes widened at the sudden shock. Kakashi didn't waste time however, "Sasuke, Naruto, get Sakura and take this girl back to the Hokage," he said, "I'll finish the roof," he said picking up the remaining wood.
"But," Naruto protested.
"But nothing, you heard me get going," Kakashi said looking sternly.
Sasuke scooped the girl up without much of an arguement. He hopped down to the soft grass that was all around the house, barely making a sound. Naruto followed him looking at the girl strangely, something about her was very odd, almost stranger to him than Hinata had been, but this girl was much a much darker color that Hinata, she was a bit darker than him even and against Sasuke's fair skin, she had such a contrast.
"...Naruto are you listening?" Sasuke asked with an annoyed sigh, "I said go get Sakura"
'Bah, he never listen's. I really wonder where his mind goes sometimes,' Sasuke thought to himself.
Naruto nearly leaped when he had noticed Sasuke was talking to him, "What!" he exclaimed in a start.
Sasuke would have punched Naruto in the head if he hadn't been carrying the girl, "You Idiot! I said go get Sakura! And try not to make a complete fool out of yourself," he said rolling his eyes.
Naruto looked at him with a characteristically bright grin, "Would I do that?" he said laughing a bit, "Don't answer that," he said sweatdropping.
"Just go," Sasuke murmured, his eyes shifting to one side. Naruto was so careless at times. It seemed amazing they had managed this far at times.
Sasuke looked down at the girl, she was from the hidden village of the sand, he deducted that earlier from her protector. She was suprisingly lighter than her form would let on. She's looked as if she had barely escaped from a battle she wasn't nearly prepared for. Her Chakra had been used up and she was bruised and cut all over. None of her wounds were fatale, almost as if something had been toying with her. Sasuke had to admit he was intrigued.
He was snapped back to the real world when he heard Sakura gasp after leaving the house, "Sasuke-kun what happened to her!" she said with wide eyes. Seeing others beat up at bruised always bothered Sakura, no matter how many times she had seen it before, especially had it been Sasuke, training was sometimes brutal.
"Her chakra is almost all used up," he explained calmly, "We're taking her to the Hokage while Kakashi finishes the roof," he added.
Sakura nodded, "Okay, let's go," she said with an assuring look. They headed off back to the village all the while trying to figure out what had happened to the girl.
It wasn't until later that night, the girl awoke. Sasuke had been not to long into his shift, which all three members of team 7 had been given, when this happened, "Hmm?" he said with some interest as the girl woke up, "You're awake?" he said curiously.
"Obviously," she murmured, her back to the boy as she found her normal deep purple clothing, and lifted them up to see them cleaned, "Turn your back," she said in the most demanding way.
Sasuke perked a brow, "What assurance do I have that you won't try to kill me?" he asked seriously.
"You and I both know how bad a condition I'm in right now," she said looking back to him with her chocolate colored eyes narrowed, "Now turn your back or see me naked, whichever you preffer makes no difference to me."
Sasuke thought a moment and then turned around, "You should be resting," he said calmly.
"Bah. I don't have time for that, my-" she paused and shook her head and changed her mind, "I just have to go," she said firmly as redressed.
"So you can die? Pft. That's pretty stupid," he said, "You Sand Genin are always so foolish," he said smirking.
"You're the fool," she said looking back to him, "I'm a Chunin," she said offering a glare, "And I don't have a choice." she said as she kneeled down to slip on her sandles.
Sasuke looked back and her and then turned around after seeing that she was dressed, "Bah. Then you really are a fool."
"What difference does it make you to? You don't even know me," she said almost sounding angry.
"Where's your team?" he asked her in return, already having figured that was her reason for leaving.
The girl looked away and glared at the wall, "Shut your mouth," she said in a harsh tone.
"I thought so," he said triumphantly, "What happened?" he asked, his curioustity getting the better of him.
The girl turned her glare to him, "Now you're just pissing me off, my business is precisely that, mine, and I'm leaving," she said glaring to him, "Now tell me where my weapons are," she demanded.
Sasuke smirked, "You should try asking nicely," he said cooly.
The girl offered him a glare, "What do you want?" she asked with a sigh of fustration.
"Pft, so now you get how this works? Just get some rest and you can leave in the morning," he said turning his back to her as if to head for the door.
"What? No! My team, I can't stay that long," she said stepping up towards him, almost sounding desperate.
"What good are you to them like this? If you go you'll die too, don't be so foolish!" Sake said almost growling. He was determined to get his point across, "So what's the point?"
The girl sunk to her knees, "I would rather die along side them than live a hundred years beyond them," she said in a much softer voice, "Surely you can understand that."
Sasuke looked at the girl and nodded, "I do, but if they're in the same shape as you, there'll be no hope, but if you wait until morning, then you'll be strong enough to atleast try to fight," he shrugged carelessly, "I'll never understand girls."
She smirked a bit, "Fine. I'll stay, but under one condition, you stay too, If I can't leave then I don't want to be alone," she said almost managing to make it sound more like a punishment, "I may even tell you what happened," she said with a sigh.
Once again, Sasuke's curiousity took over, "Fine," he agreed. It was still his, 'shift,' anyway and he knew Naruto would probably over sleep.
"My name is Misa Hoshiko, what's yours?" she asked finally smiling a bit.
"Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha," he said smirking, knowing what she would asked next.
"Of the Uchiha Clan? Amazing," she said keeping herself from gawking, "I'm also part of an advanced bloodline," she said as she sat on the floor, "But nothing like yours," she said nodding slightly, "My younger brother and I are all that are left," she said softly, thoughtfully.
After aquainting them selves, Sasuke and the girl continued to talk, sharing stories but never talking about what moves they had mastered or any other information that might be held against them in a fight.
Not until almost half an hour into the conversation did the talking become serious. Misa was laying on the bed pallet that had been made for her, "Someday, I want people to see me from under my brother's shadow," she said staring blankly at the ceiling, "This is the first time in a long time he hasn't been the main point of conversation," she said smirking slightly, "What about you Sasuke? Do you have a dream?" she asked glancing over to him.
Sasuke looked at her funny, "What is it with you people and that word? Dreams, how about goals? Doesn't that fit the same?" he said leaning back the chair he was sitting in.
"Stop being such a loser," she said chuckling slightly.
"I'm not. You're just silly, Dreams and Hopes, it's all silly," he said shaking his head and closing his eyes, "But yes, I have a goal," he said calmly.
Misa proped up on her elbows, "Well?" she asked curiously.
"To resurrect my clan and... to kill a certain man," he said the same as he had said many times over. It always seemed to surprise people.
"The first one is quite honerable," she said thoughtfully, "But who is it you wish to kill?" she asked sitting up now.
"My brother," he said making a fist with his hand. He didn't expect her to understand, but he knew his reasons and that was good enough.
"Your brother?" she questioned, "I- I don't think I could ever manage that 'goal' no matter the circumstances," she said laying back down, "After all, my brother's all I have, even if he is a bit of a pest from time to time."
Sasuke didn't respond. He only continued to think to himself.
There was a long period of silence before Misa broke it, "Sasuke, I have to go," she said sighing, "I can't wait any longer for my strength to build. If I don't find my team, I mean I don't even know if they are in any danger, I just know I can't sit around waiting any longer," she said looking over to him. It was then she noticed that he was sleeping. Misa stood wished her hair ties hadn't been broken, it had been so long since her hair was down she almost forgot how heavy it was. In any case she pushed open a window at the end of the room and climbed out. She would just have to do without her weapons.
Sasuke awoke when the cold breeze from outside hit him. Damn it, she had wondered off, he could just let her go die in her condition.