Nothing to see her except this was one of my favourite parts of the story to write.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto if I did there would've been an arc of Naruto trying to change the Hyuga with Hinata and Hanabi's help after the war

Chapter 9: Loose Threads Unravel

"Love is a grave mental disease." - Plato

Staring up at the red and yellow academy Sasuke huffed in annoyance as he stood in front of the Hokage tower located inside it. His ANBU squad hadn't been given an official mission in a week and he was beginning to go crazy cooped up in his house with nothing to do. His thoughts were free to run rampant then, betraying him by thinking of the one person he desperately wanted to avoid.

He was thankful he hadn't had any missions because that meant he didn't have to see Hinata but also upset that he hadn't gotten any because that meant he was left all alone with nothing but his thoughts about her. It was a bothersome ordeal, and he would rather drop dead then talk to anyone else about it, especially the rest of Team 7. Besides, Naruto wanted nothing to do with him at the moment, who else did he have to tell?

To make matters worse he was summoned to the Hokage chambers at an ungodly hour, Kakashi had relayed him the message by one of his summons. He hadn't really spoken to his old sensei outside of village obligation after he corned him in his office two weeks ago. He kind of blamed him for the chain of events that took place afterward like somehow his words pushed Sasuke to set them into motion.

This was official village business however. Apparently, something came up regarding his old team Taka and they would be staying in the village for a while longer, this confused him however as Sasuke had no idea that they were still even in Konoha.

Slowly making his way up the tedious wooden steps and the drawn-out hallways inside the Hokage tower, Sasuke seriously contemplated leaving all together and going back to sleep instead. But he figured that Kakashi would end up cornering him inside his house anyway, at least in his office surrounded by foreign shinobi he was forced to be somewhat professional.

Pushing the Hokage's office door open, he was met with the familiar sight of his teacher's one eyed smile, the corners of his mouth peeking through his navy mask. He was surrounded by delayed paperwork thrown leniently across his desk and he was given company in the form of three familiar ronin.

"Sasuke, I thought I sensed you!" Karin beamed, excited to see the man again after so long. Their last meeting hadn't gone so smoothly, mostly on Sasuke's part.

"Sasuke it's been a while," Kakashi said, his tone of voice slightly accusatory as he tilted his head ever so slightly. "As you can see your old team is here."

Shooting Kakashi a sour expression, Sasuke bit back the urge to say 'No shit,' as he made his way to stand in front of the Hokage desk.

Instead he opted to return his features into one of indifference as he crossed his arms. "I can see that. Why are they here?"

"Well that's a good question." Kakashi noted, not offering much more than that.

Annoyed of his former sensei's question evasion tactics, Sasuke turned to Suigetsu with a raised brow. "Why haven't you left yet?"

"Well you see…" Suigetsu laughed, nervously scratching the back of his head. His eyes wandered around the office giving the impression that he was formulating his words.

Narrowing his eyes Sasuke stepped closer towards the anxious man, "Suigetsu…spit it out." He snarled, irritated that he even had to be up that early in the morning without an explanation. He really didn't feel like having his patience tested by Suigetsu at the moment.

"It's just a mission!" Karin said, awkwardly laughing as she attempted to dispel the tension that had suddenly sprung into the room, as she could feel both their chakra's spike ever so slightly. Pushing up her glasses she quickly latched onto Sasuke's arm trying to drag him away. "Something from the Land of Waves, unfortunately for us it sort of got complicated and had crossed over into Konoha territory, so we needed the Hokage's permission in continuing."

Shaking his arm from her grasp he removed himself from both Karin and Suigetsu, choosing to stand beside Juugo instead. Looking up at the man Sasuke could see that he recently got a fresh haircut, his orange hair much shorter than the last time he'd seen him.

Turning his head in acknowledgement Juugo's soft voice cut through the awkward silence. "Sasuke, nice to see you."

Nodding his head, Sasuke returned his attention to Kakashi who had taken to looking at the four of them with mild interest. Catching the Uchiha's gaze the Hokage smiled before clearing his throat and getting on with the meeting.

"Yes well now that all of that's out of the way," he said, as he clasped his fingers to settle his chin a top them, "I have decided that they are to stay in the village until we can properly sort this 'situation' out."

"Well that makes sense!" Suigetsu agreed, clutching the edge of his sword Kubikiribouchou in anticipation. "Will we be given any work while we're here?"

Shrugging his shoulders Kakashi kept his expression neutral, "I don't see why not."

"Great, you Konoha big shots pay pretty well!"

"If you don't mind me asking," Karin interjected, shifting her glasses up along the bridge of her nose. Sasuke always wondered if she ever bought frames that actually fit. "Where will we be staying while we're here?"

Closing his visible eye in amusement the rokudaime Hokage chuckled underneath his mask. "Don't worry. I've thought of the perfect accommodation for you three."

For some reason Sasuke didn't like the gleam that emerged in his former sensei's eye once it opened.

Naturally the Hokage's first instinct was to place team Taka somewhere they could be comfortable.

Sasuke didn't know why the hell that old pervert thought that place would be the Uchiha compound. And somehow, he knew this was his punishment for ignoring that busy-bodied man.

As soon as he built up enough energy Sasuke was going to talk to Kakashi about it, nobody was allowed on his clan's compound unless he specifically gave them permission to be. By using his leverage as the Hokage that silver haired pervert didn't give him much of a choice in the matter, but he would be damned before he let his old sensei get away with backing him into a corner.

Shooting a look of disgust towards Suigetsu's smelly feet on his coffee table, Sasuke knocked the wretched things off with as much force as his tired body could muster.

"He-"was all Suigetsu could manage to let out before the last Uchiha raised a finger effectively silencing him.

"My house, my rules." Sasuke said, staring at his former teammate with as much contempt as he could achieve so early in the morning.

Pouting Suigetsu crossed his arms, "You were always no fun."

"And you were always annoying."

"Whatever, you know you love us," pulling down one his eyelid Suigestu scrunched up his face in defiance. "It's only for a couple of days anyway and then we'll be out of your hair."

Sighing Sasuke tiredly fought the urge to strangle his ex-teammate, truthfully he'd rather that they'd leave now then stay and cause more trouble for him. He had bigger problems to worry about, what with his vie for Hokage and all. Sasuke figured that it would probably be in his best interest to try to disassociate himself with his rogue past. The presence of Taka would certainly make it harder to get the people of Konoha to trust in him.

Peering curiously at the brazen man lounged across his couch Sasuke silently wondered why Taka were still in the village. He had seen them exactly two months ago and had assumed they were long gone by then. At the tower Kakashi and the others had continuously repeated to him that the problem was simply a mission that had unintentionally stretched over into Konoha territory, but Sasuke couldn't help but feel as if they were withholding important information from him.

With the occurrence of the strange shinobi he and team 7 encountered during the ANBU exam, Katsura's information and the remaining presence of Taka, Sasuke was more than certain that the timing of those three things was a little more than mere coincidence.

"What?" Suigetsu asked, catching Sasuke curiously staring at him.

Sasuke shrugged, "Nothing," he claimed, knocking the irritating man's feet off his coffee table once more. Somehow amongst his musings the rouge shinobi had managed to place them back without him noticing. "Do it again and I'll personally cut them off."

"I dare you to."

"I'll gladly take you up on that dare." Sasuke said smirking. If Suigetsu planned on being annoying for his whole stay than the Uchiha might as well entertain himself.

"Why you bastard!"

"Suigetsu!" Karin barked, racing out of the kitchen in a flurry of red. "You better not be giving Sasuke a hard time! Who do you think you're talking to?"

"Oi, you seemed to have forgotten with that short attention span of yours but this guy threatened to cut off my freaking legs!"

"Well maybe you and your moronic feet deserve it!"

Narrowing his eyes at the high-strung redhead, Suigetsu turned towards Sasuke with an irritated expression, "Sasuke, remind me why you left and didn't take her with you again?"

About to answer with his own witty retort the knocking on his door drew Sasuke's attention away. It seemed that sleep was slowly becoming a luxury these days.

Reaching the entrance of his house he was surprised to find his door flung wide open. Peering outside he caught sight of his teammate Hinata conversing with a smiling Juugo, it seemed as if they were having a friendly conversation. He had wondered where she even found the courage to want to step on his property and seek him out.

Noticing his host's entrance Juugo made his way inside and motioned behind him, "Sasuke, you have a visitor." Juugo said, stating the obvious.

Not bothering to answer Sasuke nodded his head as Juugo made his way back inside his house. At his exit Hinata's eyes quickly flittered towards Sasuke, looking away as soon as his gaze caught hers.

Walking towards her Sasuke noticed the way she nervously shifted from one foot to the other, he wondered if she was there of her own volition or if she was sent to do someone else's bidding.

"I don't remember giving you permission so why are you here?" Sasuke rudely inquired staring down at the woman before him in slight annoyance. He wasn't particularly happy to see her at the moment, especially because he still hadn't managed to figure out and sort his thoughts.

Biting her lip before speaking Sasuke found himself entranced by the action as Hinata gazed at him from the corner of her eyes. Her long bangs laid neatly a top her forehead, the shininess signifying that it had just been washed.

"Well I forgot to do this our last mission but I just wanted to apologize…" trailing off her sheepish voice faltered as an uncomfortable grimace formed on her lips. "For l-last time."

Rolling his eyes at the mention of their awkward lunch Sasuke stared at her blankly before scowling, of course that was why she was there- she never failed to be a pain in the neck, showing up in front of him when he didn't want her to the most.

"It doesn't matter, I didn't and don't particularly care."

He was definitely lying through his teeth, but he didn't want her to know that. Sasuke didn't feel comfortable letting his guard down for even a second, especially around her. He didn't know just what his body would do if given the chance.

His dark eyes drank up her form attentively, eyeing the miniscule way her brows dipped in what seemed like disappointment, his stomach clenching at the sight. Was she expecting a different answer? He realized that he felt some form of excitement at the thought.

"O-ok…" Hinata said gently nodding her head. She bit her lip and looked away but still hadn't bothered to leave.

The two stayed silently standing there, feet placed firmly in the tall grass and weeds that surrounded his compound, it had been a while since he last tended to his lawn, he would have to deal with that later he supposed.

As the seconds stretched on the quiet atmosphere became noticeably different than all the other times they had been together before, it was a suffocating palpable sense of strain. Getting increasingly frustrated Sasuke fought the urge to scream Hinata the hell out of there. It was bad enough that she came in the first place but to stick around when she had nothing else to say was just plain rude.

Finally clearing her throat Hinata seemed to snap out of whatever was keeping her glued to the same spot. Uncomfortably shifting her eyes Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief as she bowed and mumbled a quick goodbye finally leaving him be.

Watching her receding form he wondered if she came all this way just for that. She could've just let him know when she saw him during their next mission, she didn't have to bother him for such miniscule things- not that he wasn't silently asking for it.

Observing the way the sunlight cast a blue highlight across Hinata's dark hair with every sway of her step, Sasuke concluded that maybe she hadn't said all she came to say.

He was curious as to what the unsaid words entailed and why she didn't bother with saying them. Hinata was becoming an enigma to him, drawing the unrelenting man in with every twist she threw his way. Sasuke found that he couldn't help but want to know more about her, uncover the mystery she left scattered around for all to see.

With every new piece of information about Hinata he received he could feel his mind craving to unearth more.

And he hated it.

He hated every spike of interest she managed to elicit in him. Hated every thought he had, wondering about her. He hated the aura of tragic mystery she carried around with her. He hated that he needed to know more about her.

He hated Hyūga Hinata and he hated himself for allowing his emotions to get the better of him. It was too late to stop his interest from growing, it had already snowballed into something out of his control. Sasuke just hoped that it didn't lead to anything he'd regret.

He really was getting pitiful it seemed.

Willing himself to turn around and head back inside Sasuke was met with the sight of his former teammates staring at him with considerable interest through the front door. He didn't know why everyone found the sight of him and Hinata together so engrossing. Sneering he pushed the trio out of the way and headed towards his bedroom in the hopes of letting sleep takeover. He had had enough social interaction for one day.

Laying down on his bed Sasuke tried to get himself to fall asleep to no avail. It was no use, his encounter with Hinata had left him wide awake. His mind was clouded with questions he wasn't sure he wanted the answers to, continually replaying conversations in his head that he'd rather not relive. Turning his head Sasuke casually glanced out the curtain draped window near his bed, he could see that the sunlight from earlier had dimmed down signifying the arrival of noon.

Sitting up on his bed he concluded that he probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep any time soon unless he tired his body out. Getting up he made his way across the room to his rather unspectacular wardrobe and threw on whatever he could get his hands on, then he made his way over to his door and pressed his ear against it. Upon hearing Karin and Suigetsu's voices yelling at each other he brought his hands together in the familiar ram seal, those three would be too preoccupied to notice he was gone.

"Shunshin no Jutsu."

Feeling the familiar crunch of grass underneath his feet, Sasuke breathed deep as he took in the crisp open air of the training fields. Whenever he was frustrated he would often come here to clear his mind, or at least force his body to concentrate on something else.

Making his way towards the log in the middle of the terrain Sasuke ran his fingers across it's rough surface feeling for its sturdiness, the logs were replaced every so often by village officials after they were deemed too damaged to practice on. Luckily for him it seemed that the log hadn't quite reached that point yet, as it felt sturdy enough to hold a couple of his attacks.

Reaching inside his pouch he slid back on the grassy dirt and pulled out a kunai intending to throw it in the center of the log. The shot wasn't difficult to make with his perfect aim, the air born kunai landing right in its intended destination. His fingers itching for more he hurled one kunai after another in his grasp until he had filled the entire log with them.

But it still wasn't enough.

Removing all the offending kunai and putting them back inside his weapons pouch, Sasuke clenched his fists and roughly threw a punch across the training log. Feeling the familiar sting of pain he drew his other hand back and repeated the same action. Switching between both his fists he pounded each of his pent up frustrations into the log, feeling a sense of relief after each punch, the comforting serenity of violence cleansing his troubles away.

The newly promoted ANBU captain stood there beating on the slightly damaged piece of wood for what seemed like forever, the bruises on his knuckles opening up into large cuts bleeding through his fingers and into the palms of his hands. Although the dull pain that ran across his arms had now turned into a significant ache Sasuke didn't relent his battering, instead increasing the rhythm of his beatings, the sharp sounds of the log splintering lulling him into a tranquil trance.

It wasn't until he felt a domestic flare of chakra did Sasuke allow his assault to subside. He leaned forward against the log, one hand holding him up as he hunched over catching his breath. His dark hair now slightly damp from his training hung low on his shoulders, as he felt the sweat he accumulated run down the length of his back.

Turning his head from the lone dented log Sasuke glanced towards the dirt road where Haruno Sakura was currently standing. She tightly clutched the strap of her brown knapsack with dipped brows as she stared concernedly at him. Noticing that she had been caught she offered a small smile as she made her way over, closing the space that stood between them.

"Sakura…" He murmured, his voice slightly hoarse from the dryness of his throat. He inwardly cursed himself for not bringing an extra bag of food and water, his mind having been previously preoccupied.

"Sasuke- kun, hey…" She said, artlessly shuffling her feet as she avoided looking at him. "Kakashi-sensei told me your old team is going to be in the village for a while."

"But that's not why you came to talk to me," Furrowing his brows Sasuke stared at the abnormally quiet kunoichi slightly irritated, he really didn't feel like talking at the moment, why did everyone insist on bothering him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to meet up with Naruto for some training and saw you here."

"Naruto?" At this Sasuke's brow rose up. He hadn't seen that hyperactive blonde haired idiot in almost two weeks, at this point he was certain that he had been avoiding him.

"Yeah, he asked me to spar with him today." Sakura paused, looking at Sasuke with a peculiar expression. "Needless to say I was kind of surprised, usually you're the first person he goes to…"

Averting her sharp gaze Sasuke said nothing. How would he explain to her what had happened, how he was currently feeling? Although he was sure Sakura would be able to offer some insight on the situation he wasn't exactly sure how she would feel about the whole ordeal in general.

At that thought Sasuke did a double take. It wasn't like he had done anything out of the ordinary with the Hyūga . Two teammates eating lunch together and talking after a mission hardly seemed like anything remotely peculiar. So why did he find the need to hide it from Sakura?

"You two… you've been avoiding each other no?" Sakura asked, though the tone of her voice made it feel more like a statement. Sasuke didn't need to inquire why she'd even bother asking if she already knew the answer, he understood the real underlying question.

"He's been avoiding me, I haven't done anything."

"I don't believe you."

Offering a pointed glare Sasuke scowled, "And I don't care."

"Sasuke," she prodded, biting down on her bottom lip in frustration. "You should talk to him."

"And why should I do that?" Sasuke spat, defiantly crossing his arms. He wasn't the one who got embarrassed for no good reason and disappeared for two whole weeks. Naruto should be the one apologizing to him, just like…

Shaking his head he ignored the perplexed glance of Sakura as he silently urged himself not to allow his Hyūga teammate to once again take over his thoughts. Not right now.

"Naruto…He told me."

At the admittance Sasuke's head sprang up to Sakura, his obsidian eyes widening in bewilderment. That idiot. Why had Naruto told her? And why did it make his heart drop, as if he had actually been caught doing something wrong?

"I don't know either… why he would tell me." Sakura said, answering his own unsaid question. Her vibrant jade eyes squinted in thought, as she unconsciously tightened her grip on her bag. "Maybe he thought I could understand how he felt. Help him understand why he saw you…"

She paused, raising a hand and carefully running it through her hair, watching as the pink tresses quickly slipped through her fingers. Pursing her lips she hesitated before she offered a crooked smile his way. "But I can't. Only you can."

Frowning Sasuke stood in silence as he formulated his thoughts. He had come there to clear his mind not have it become a more jumbled mess than it was before. He was sure that after seeing him with Hinata, Naruto had gathered incorrect information and passed it onto Sakura. He wondered how suspicious the two of them must've looked sitting there, not doing anything at all.

His day seemed to only get more frustrating as it dragged on.

"I don't know what you're insinuating and what that dense Naruto assumes but you're both wrong," Sasuke said, swallowing thickly to soothe the roughness of his throat. The sudden reminder of Kakashi saying the same thing prompted him to continue, "Everyone is."

"It's not me you should be saying this to," She chided, slightly shaking her head. "I'm not the one who's got the wrong idea."

"I can't do anything if he won't even come near me."

"Maybe you're just not trying hard enough," Removing her hand from her bag strap Sakura placed it on his broad shoulder, tightening it in some form of comfort. He knew that she understood the bond between Naruto and him better than anyone, her eyes shining with flecks of encouragement.

"I know you guys won't admit it but you care for each other, don't let a misunderstanding sour your bond."

Dropping his eyes he heaved a heavy sigh, he guessed in some way Sakura was right, he would have to confront Naruto. But he wasn't sure he wanted to do that without sorting out himself first.

He wasn't too knowledgeable on matters of the heart. He had never truly experienced anything but familial love and companionship. How would he be able to fully apologize to Naruto without knowing why he would even want one? Why even he himself felt the need to?

"Sakura," he voiced. At the expectant expression that crossed her features he continued, "Naruto what exactly does he think? I have an idea but…"

Understanding his unusual line of questioning, Sakura dropped her hand from his shoulders as her countenance softened. "Well he said that he doesn't know what to think."

"Hm."

"But I've got an inkling of a feeling," She admitted.

Sasuke's breath hitched as her jade eyes bore fearlessly into his, his throat desperately aching for release. She cautiously reached up to brush the sweaty tuff of hair that had fell flat over his left eye, her hand lingering a minute before she pulled away.

It was at that moment when he took in her pensive expression that he realized she knew, she knew what he was thinking about, knew how he had been feeling lately. There was never any point in hiding anything from Sakura, she could always tell the truth just by looking at him.

"Look Sasuke, I'm probably the last person you'd expect to say this to you but talk to Naruto don't apologize."

Sensing his bewilderment of her words she cleared her throat to clarify. "You don't owe him an apology because truthfully you're not in the wrong for once," she chuckled, the corner of her lips upturning into a playful smirk. "You can't help what you feel."

"I don't feel anything…" he pointlessly denied, his lips forming into a mirror of a pout. He hated that she was able to read him so easily. "I…" he paused, his hand combing ebony hair in frustration. He couldn't find the right words to say.

"I noticed it a few weeks ago, during the ANBU exams," by this point her eyes shifted behind him, her attention on the battered wood before her. "I saw the way your gaze followed her as she left. Like a small glimmer had ignited in your eyes… I was curious then but I didn't think much of it. Not until Naruto came barging in my house upset that he had seen you two together. He described your expression as peculiar…almost submerged in her or something. But I wasn't so sure until I seen you myself, just now."

"I haven't said anything."

"Your actions have always spoken louder than your words Sasuke-kun," Sakura smiled.

When she suddenly grasped his battered hands into those of her own, Sasuke understood. The familiar green glow of her healing chakra encased his hands, allaying the sting he had momentarily forgotten. The two had become enveloped in silence as she stood there healing them.

Searching for the words to say, Sasuke stared intently at his recovering fingers, the bruises he had created to relieve his frustrating thoughts slowly disappearing.

"She interests me." He said, despite himself. "I don't think it's romantic."

It wasn't a complete lie but it wasn't exactly the truth either.

Nodding her head in empathy Sakura kept her gaze on her current task. "That's usually where it starts, the pique of intrigue. That's how I started liking you, you were someone who interested me. Slowly, it turned into something more like love. I can only hope… you get to experience that feeling too."

"Sakura you're wr-"

"I'm not saying that that's how you're feeling Sasuke-kun," She interrupted, peering up at him through her long lashes. "All I'm saying is that if it does come to that, don't be surprised."

The disappearance of her chakra tugged his gaze away from hers. Clenching his fingers to get the blood circulating, he stood there repeating that action as he avoided looking at the rosy haired kunoichi.

The conversation was one Sasuke dreaded having with Sakura but it needed to be done. Sakura was somebody he considered precious, he knew how she felt about him, she described it to him one day as a fire that she couldn't for the life of herself seem to douse.

The pull of a zipper could be heard as Sakura opened her bag, searching for something inside of it. Not long after a water bottle was thrust into his view.

"Your voice sounds kind of rough." She explained, pushing the bottle of water even closer to him.

"Thanks…" Sasuke muttered, grasping the bottle and immediately tossing off the cap, draining the liquid quickly. Instantly the scratchiness of his throat subsided, the coolness of the water gliding soothingly as it refreshed his body.

Closing her bag, Sakura adjusted the straps tightly on her shoulders, turning her body slightly to indicate her close departure. "Naruto must be wondering where I am by now."

As Sakura made her way to leave Sasuke suddenly grasped her arm, effectively stopping her. Despite the fact he hadn't exactly wanted their conversation to happen, he was sort of glad that it did. Out of all of his friends Sakura was always the one who helped him sort through his thoughts. Their bond was different from his other friends, it was special in its own right.

"Thank you."

Smiling widely Sakura shook her head dismissively, "Don't mention it. Just try not to push it away, the feeling I mean. It only gets worse." She laughed, waving her hand in goodbye and continuing on her way, her pink hair swinging wildly in the wind.

At her exit Sasuke let out a deep sigh. His thoughts had been cleared by coming there, but not through the way he intended them to be. Sakura was right, though only partially. He was merely intrigued by Hyūga Hinata, there was nothing remotely romantic with that.

That was the only explanation that made sense to him at the moment. And that was the one he would stick with.

Satisfied with that thought he made his way home, he had stayed longer than he had intended, his house guests were probably wondering where he was.

Upon entrance into his home Sasuke's nose was assaulted with the appetizing smell of cooked fish. Making his way into the kitchen he was greeted by the sight of two of his former Taka teammates sitting around his usually empty table.

Grinning Suigetsu shouted across the room, "Hey you're finally back!" Currently, the white-haired man was sitting at the other end of the table with his arms crossed in front of him.

"What's this?"

"Karin prepared dinner." Juugo said, he was sitting on the left smiling softly.

"Ah," Sasuke nodded, taking the head seat in front of him.

"So," Suigetsu leaned forward, his eyebrows dipped low. His smile seemed permanently in place despite his questioning glance. "Where've you been?"

Reminiscing on his previous conversation with Sakura, Sasuke stared down at his hands in consideration, "Conversing with a friend," he answered.

"Alrighty then," Was all Suigetsu offered before becoming occupied with the sight of Karin bursting through the door, hands full with plates of food, "Need some help with that hothead?"

Carefully setting the plates down one by one, Karin snorted as she gave Suigetsu a pointed look, "What so you can drop them?"

Watching the two Sasuke was instantly reminded of his best friends, though the latter were significantly less volatile with one another. Frowning the Uchiha had a bad taste in his mouth from the thought of Naruto especially since he was still unsure how to get the man in the same room as him let alone have a conversation with him. He was never good with smoothing out misunderstandings, and he wasn't entirely confident that he would be able to do so without creating an entirely new problem.

The smell of seasoned biwia fish wafted through the air as the plates full of food shafted from person to person.

Looking down at the plate he was holding Sasuke's mouth instantly began to water. Perfect triangular onigiri wrapped in seaweed and glistening with what smelled like mushroom soy sauce. Glancing up he caught Karin sheepishly smiling at him.

"I remembered how much you loved them, it's your favourite food right?"

Answering with the simple nod of his head, he greedily placed the plate in front of him, not bothering to pass it around.

The clanking of chopsticks against plates and full mouths drifted through the air as the team of misfits sat and enjoyed the others company. It had been a while since the four of them had just sat in silence like that without feeling the need to fill it with words, truthfully Sasuke had missed it while in Konoha, but he would die before ever letting them know it.

Clearing his throat Suigetsu raised his glass in the form of a cheer, "To Team Taka, may the name live on for years to come."

Raising a brow Sasuke looked at his former teammate with mild interest, "Why would it not? It's not like you guys are dead or anything."

"About that…" Suigetsu's voice trailed off, his annoying sheepish grin forming on his face. Avoiding his gaze the man in question brought his glass to his mouth, continuously drinking so he wouldn't have to answer.

Rolling his eyes at Suigestu's antics Sasuke instead turned to look at Karin and Juugo for answers, only to get even more frustrated as they too averted their gazes.

"What's going on?" At the absence of an answer Sasuke laughed humorlessly, "Really?"

"Taka is coming to an end." Karin finally spoke, her crimson eyes finally facing his own fearlessly.

Halting Sasuke sat there for a few minutes processing what she said. Team Taka was disbanding? It didn't make any sense.

After a few moments of awkward silence Sasuke managed to speak, "Why?"

"We're ready to move on," Suigetsu said, his now empty glass placed on the table, "We want to start over. Settle down in a village somewhere instead of aimlessly wandering place to place, mission to mission."

"We've all grown tired of running, just like you did." Juugo simply stated, gauging Sasuke's expression with mild interest.

Noticing their expectant stares Sasuke pursed his lips as he reached for the last onigiri on his plate.

"Was this dinner meant to make it easier to tell me?"

"Something like that." Suigetsu answered.

"Well you wasted your time," Sasuke glared, looking at the man in mild indignation, "I'm not even apart of Taka anymore why would I need to know whether you stayed together or not."

"In case you wanted to come back."

Idle mindedly picking apart the rice from the onigiri Sasuke paused as he rolled the small grains of rice between his two fingers.

It's not like Suigetsu was wrong, in fact he had hit the nail right on the head. He had always thought of Taka as a sure-fire thing just in case Konoha proved to be too much for him, in case he never became the Hokage. Team Taka was something he created as an escape from whatever he was running from at the moment and with it gone he was left to face his problems head-on without any means of escape. It was scary, he hadn't even considered how the other three felt, he was their leader and friend and never once considered that they would tire of the rogue life- eventually everyone did.

Nodding his head in understanding Sasuke set down the food in his hand and pushed the plate away from him, his head lolling back against his chair frame as his eyes shut in acceptance.

"Ah."

"Well that was easier than expected," Suigetsu joked, the wide smile he adorned oozing through his words.

"Well since I cooked, Suigetsu and Juugo can do the dishes." Karin said, the legs of her chair grating against the wooden floor as she got up.

"Hey," Suigetsu protested, "Why isn't Sasuke helping too?"

"Because it's his house idiot! And he's allowing us to stay here for a while so have some common decency!"

"You could've just said so!"

"Shame on me for assuming you had basic manners!"

Sighing Sasuke pushed back his chair, the legs squealing across his wooden floor as he got up having had enough of the two bickering for one day. Walking to his room he was hit with a sudden wave of fatigue as his previous outburst caught up with his body. Dropping unto the navy silk sheets carelessly strung across his bed he brought his pillow over his ears to quiet their voices as his heavy eyes fluttered closed.