"We'll camp here for the night." Sasuke uttered, signalling for his teammates too slow. He gestured down towards a small cave by a stream, not too far in the distance for them to head towards. Deciding to take it upon himself to secure and scout the area, setting traps and wires as he went.
A lot had happened and he wanted some time to think alone.

He had killed today. Twice.
They were his first and had tried to beg and plead for their lives pathetically but he hadn't felt bad for them. Not even a little.
It actually sent shivers down his spine at how good getting revenge had felt. Maybe because his family had established the police force long ago, upholding law and justice to civilians and ninja alike was practically bread into him from birth. That was after all, his original dream. To take over the police force from his father, becoming the next Chief of police… But his dream had changed long ago and so had he.

This new power he had, so overwhelmingly intoxicating kept him on a high.
He was a step closer to his goals. A step closer to the only thing that really mattered to him anymore.
Killing Itachi Uchiha.

Sasuke had been medicated for a very long time to keep him functioning in society. His intense mood swings and antisocial behaviour had been noted and dealt with swiftly by the medical team caring for him after his families mascara. He would never want anyone to know though, that he had come to rely on medication to keep him stable and getting out of bed in the morning. Just like he would never want anyone to know, just how deeply sensitivity he really was.
For the first time in years he felt like he didn't need meds anymore, he just needed more power.

Finally making his way to camp, he found a pleased Naruto by the fire. Fish speared on sticks cooking slowly and orange jacket hung over a branch drying.

"You idiot, put that out you'll draw attention." Sasuke hissed like he was stupid, which he was in his opinion.

"TEME! How the hell do you expect me to cock em' huh?! Be thankful I even got you a fish BAKA." The blonde said obnoxiously, arms crossed chin high.

"Where's Sakura?" He spoke quickly, realising he couldn't see her in the vicinity.

"She said she was going to go clean herself up a bit down stream. Want me to go grab her." He said smile widely with that stupid perverted dreamy look on his face.

"You idiot, why would you let her go alone?!" He felt himself flush with heat as anger bubbled to the surface before reminding himself that Naruto hadn't exactly been filled in yet.

"Forget it loser, I'm going to go get her now. Stay here and do something about the damn fire before I get back." Turning swiftly, moving away as he spoke Sasuke could hear, "Pervert" followed by a bunch of nonsense from Naruto.

He moved silently through the forrest, locating Sakura's distinct but small chakra signature close by. He landed gentle down by the rivers edge, nestled unintentionally between a few shrubs and trees he caught sight of her.

Bathing in the shallow stream as she rigorously scrubbed her skin raw, he could only just make out in the faint light of the moon the bruises that painted across her arms and back.

Sakura had changed and it had polarised Sasuke's mind over the last few days. Her once predictable behaviour wasn't so predictable anymore and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.
In the space of a day his loud, obnoxious and at times delusional teammate had become quiet and skittish. Giving little away to what she was thinking and often catching him of guard.

Observing her now he noted, she wasn't just acting different but physically appeared to be different too. Unconsciously he found himself watching the way the light played off her as she submerged her body fully, leaving only her face above for air. He found his gaze drawn in when her full lips parted with a sigh, hands running through long hair gently in the water. There were soft feminine angles to her face that he'd never taken notice of before and a certain arch to her neck that seemed somehow appealing to him.
Suddenly uncomfortable at the thoughts in his head and this new light he was looking at his teammate in, he straightened himself up briskly.
The opposite sex and everything that went with it did not interest him in the slightest, it never had. Anything that distracted, prevented or slowed down his plans for revenge were not welcome in his world and never would be.

Realising she was pushing herself up, letting long hair cover most of her body as she did Sasuke panicked.
The idea of being caught peeping, not that he was but it would surely be perceived that way was humiliating. Stepping back to move further away a twig snapped loud under foot. He froze when his female teammate snapped around to face him, modesty momentarily forgotten they stared at each other in shock.
Sasuke turned as quick as he could, dumbly lifting hands to his face trying to hide how surely red he was turning.

"Sorry." He started, thankful for the darkness. "I came to make sure you were alright. Dinner's ready now so don't take too much longer." He spoke as steady and as confidently as he could. Pushing for the unfazed, arrogant front he'd perfected long ago but had to wonder for once if he was actually pulling it off.

Before he got a response he took off at top speed back into the tree tops and towards camp, hoping to god that Sakura didn't decide to mention anything to their loud and obnoxious teammate.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I don't know if I'd ever been as embarrassed to meet someones eyes as I was walking back into camp. I wanted to be angry at the fact that Sasuke had snuck up on me but couldn't muster the energy to care given his explanation. Thankful for once at the constant chattering from Naruto lightening the mood, we ate and made plans for for the following day.

Deciding who would take first watch, Sasuke had jumped at the chance. Quickly making his was up to perch high on a branch somewhere above us.

Laying next to Naruto, who had promptly fallen asleep the minute his head hit the ground I realised I wouldn't be so lucky.
Trying to get the grim images that flashed in my head to dissipate I pulled myself closer to him and the feeling of warmth, not thinking anything of it. He had become a great source of comfort to me over the years and it wasn't unusual for us hold each other after hard times but this boy would probably not see it that way.
I pulled back, rolling into my own space once again.

After some time sweet sleep took me gently into unconsciousness, only briefly waking to the sound of shuffling footsteps. There was something warm and soft close, almost pressed to me. I moved unaware towards the warmth snuggling in as I did and breathing in the sweet comforting smell of fire.

I wasn'tware Naruto had taken watch till sometime earlier that morning, leaving me to wonder who exactly I'd pressed myself into the night before.