"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." -Ambrose Redmoon
Emiko blinked, the words seeping into her thoughts like a poisonous gas, invading and reshaping her thoughts.
"Oh" She answered, her thoughts full of belittling laughter at her own foolishness.
"My brother," Sasuke's paused, breaking away and staring at his hands, his eyes darting over them before he glanced at her, eyes flickering with emotions. Mostly pain and anger, fury that seemed unrivaled. "He killed everyone. My ambition in life is to kill him. To extract revenge."
The brunette listened intently, her eyes dashed over his face in the faint light. As he spoke she gingerly lifted up the flashlight, Sasuke paid no mind, his eyes glazed as though left in his world. Tapping the switch the light vanished, leaving the comforting hug of darkness around them.
"I hate you," Sasuke breathed and Emiko's eyes widened slightly. "Because you cause problems I can't brush off." She leaned against the wall trying to word a response. 'I should've known' Her hands clutched her head in annoyance, her fingers twisting in locks of hair as a release.
"Why did you," she paused the word was like a forbidden utterance. "Kiss me?" Sounds scattered through the room and Emiko pressed further against the wall as she heard someone before her.
"To prove that I didn't care about you." Sasuke breathed, his voice resonating darkly through the air. His words were near to her heart and ear and she realized with a jolt that he was sitting in front of her, slightly to her side. 'So he doesn't care,' Emiko thought to herself, trying to steady her breathing as she felt him so close.
"And you don't." She stated calmly, her voice never betraying her thoughts as she searching the darkness for a hint of his presence. There was no response and Emiko let out a heavy sigh, feeling a short painful release as she took his silence to be an agreement.
"You cause problems for me." Emiko bolted up, eyes wide as she stared at nothing. His voice was right next to her and she turned slowly to face where she heard him to be.
"Uchiha if you hate me fine. Just because I like you doesn't mean I'm going to let you toy with me!" She stood abruptly, hands clenched at her sides as she whispered harshly into the darkness.
Something pressed into her arm seconds before she felt herself slammed against the door, reaching for the air shoved from her lungs as she felt hands painfully clenching to her arms. Breath warmed her neck and her eyes widened as she froze, not daring to breath as she waited for him to speak.
"Sasuke. Not Uchiha." She winced as his grip tightened on her arms, nails digging into her flesh as she stayed still, her eyes staring towards the wall as she tried to ignore the feeling of him so close. "Past formalities."
"Things change." She hissed, unable to conceal the frustration in her voice. "Besides you even said you don't care about me so what does it matter?" She strained not to yell, not wanting to give away their hiding spot any more than they possibly already had.
'He's so confusing…damn it! It's annoying!' she thought as she tried to worm her arm from his grip but found it only caused him to tighten, his nails digging crescent shaped crevices in her skin.
"Don't assume." He finally responded, chills lacing up her spine as she realized he was closer.
"I'm not. You said so." She managed, anger festering in her mind as time ticked away. In a split second her anger sweltered beyond her limit and she shifted on her feet, raising a foot and kicking in his general direction.
"What the hell are you doing." Sasuke demanded lowly as she felt a hand disappear from her arm seconds before her foot stopped, her ankle held firmly in place.
"Trying to get you away from me." She replied heatedly, a low growl in her voice as she scowled into the darkness. "I'm not going to be another fan girl who swoons just cause you're around and I'm not going to allow you to mess with me for your own cruel amusement."
Sasuke scoffed only prodding her further into her anger as she tried to wretch her foot away.
"You think this is amusing to me?" Sasuke questioned rhetorically before he jerked on her ankle causing Emiko to tip from balance. 'Jerk,' Emiko thought sourly as she tried to keep her balance on one foot. "It isn't. You cause problems, I kiss you to prove I don't care and for some reason I can't stop thinking about you." All breathing seemed to halt, the two inhabitants doing nothing but listening to the sound of footsteps up and down the stairs outside.
"My life's ambition is to kill my brother but now I'm losing focus." Emiko let out a strangled gasp as a thin trickle of blood eased down her arm, her skin prickling as it flowed. "It's your fault." Emiko's eyes widened as she felt a cloud of warm breath on her cheek, heat rising to her face as she felt a familiar nagging of nerves under her skin.
"Sasuke," she whispered, barely daring to inhale as she felt him so near. "If you're going to run after you're brother that's okay. But what are you going to do after you get your revenge? You'll be wanted for murder." The shackle on her ankle released and she stood calmly, her thoughts gathering in a soft hum. She sighed, leaning her head forward as her eyes closed. Rustling sounds passed and she felt her forehead land on something. There was a sense of contentment as she rested her eyes, her forehead resting on Sasuke's shoulder.
"I've never liked someone this much before," He shifted beneath her but she grabbed his arm with her free hand, mirroring his motions. "You don't have to respond." He instantly stopped, his muscles tensing and prying another sigh from her.
"It scares me," she admitted, ignoring the small voice of reason screaming for her to stop to cut her losses and bolt. "Thinking of you killing someone and spending the rest of your life running scares me too…but if you really need this, I won't stand in your way." She lifted her head from his shoulder, her hand loosening its hold as it glided down his arm.
"I won't apologize for this. But I didn't mean to cause problems for you." She smiled faintly, almost on the verge of laughing as she thought over the words now landing before her feet in a heap. Silence began to set in and she quietly let go of his arm, waiting silently for him to step away, to return to his former wordless recluse.
"Sas-" Voice drained away as she felt a painful rush of contentment as lips brushed against her own. Taking a tiny step she followed the retreat, euphoria passing as he returned her strongly. Her free hand slid up his arm before she wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him closer to her as need dripped between their lips.
His desire to know and have, to express everything he never would verbally. Her need to know he cared and to show she'd never leave. His hand on her arm tautened and he pulled her forward, commanding her closer to him as his other arm wrapped around her, fingers wrapping in her shirt as they kissed.
Breaking away Emiko's eyes opened to widen, desperately wishing light would grace the room to reveal what was happening beyond the shroud of black.
"Y-"
"OPEN UP!" A loud voice rang through the door and Emiko cringed, feeling a cool rush as Sasuke disappeared from the air around her and she turned, fumbling with the locks before she opened the door. Squinting through the light flooding from the staircase she discerned the outline before she gasped.
"You're not Naruto."
A/n: I'm being picky but is it just me or is this a long story? Does that take away from it, I don't like characters getting mushy instantly so that's why I held off on the romance. I hoped it would make it seem more real. And sorry but Idon't see Sasuke loving someone mushily and it being an easy time for them.Reviews are welcome as well as critiques!-shyshi
