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Nicola
Chapter Six: Complicated Feelings
Surprised, insulted, and flattered all at the same time, Kaede groped blindly for the person who was kissing her. In an effort to dislodge them, she opened her mouth slightly, invitingly, and they took the bait. She bit down hard on their bottom lip, tasting blood in her mouth. When she wouldn't let go even after that person had cried out, a hand connected sharply with her cheek, and she gasped.
When she looked up, her hand on her face, she looked into the narrowed eyes of her once-beloved Sasuke. Her heart twisted, this time in anger, not sorrow or longing. She could see him nursing his lip with his tongue, and grinned mischievously. She licked her own lips, forgetting that he now could see her face, lunged at him, and knocked him as hard as she could in the jaw. He stumbled backwards, and she nodded in satisfaction.
"That's what you get, Uchiha," she snarled, grabbing a kunai and rushing at him again. Slashing wildly, she attempted to draw blood. Sasuke dodged her attacks easily; grabbing her wrist and swinging her around, he tossed her a ways off. She landed on her feet, still on the wall, and tossed the kunai out at him.
A smirk curved his lips upward, and he knocked the knife away with his hand. Kaede raised her eyebrow, and as she did so, the genjutsu kicked in. Searing through the air towards the Uchiha were dozens of kunai, pointing straight at his chest. His eyes widened, and quickly he used a substitution jutsu. The knives hit the wall with several loud, continuous clanks. Kaede growled under her breath.
Where had he gone this time?
She shot a look around her, trying to find him. Above, she heard a slight whooshing sound, and looked up, straight into the sharp side of a sword. Sasuke's speed was amazing, she thought as she back flipped away from the blade. He hit the wall running, his sword held up above his shoulder. He swung at her again; she ducked. Again, and she fell to the ground to avoid the strike. She swept her leg underneath of his, but he jumped and disappeared.
Something hit her in the back of the head, sending her sprawling on the hard, rough surface of the wall. She rolled over, instinct alerting her to the attack, and blocked Sasuke's sword with a kunai. The Uchiha pressed down, and she was forced to use her other hand to put pressure on him. But the shocking thing was that he was only using one arm.
Kaede forced herself to avoid his eyes, his Sharingan eyes. The three marks stared down vehemently at her, she could feel them. For nothing, though, would she meet that gaze. Nothing in the world.
They stayed that way for what felt like an eternity, brutally trying to shove the other off. Kaede closed her eyes, fighting with the images of the time she had spent with the now evil Sasuke. In her heart she knew that no matter what he did, how many people he killed, whatever he did to her, she would always have feelings towards him. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, slowly rolling down her temples and down onto the wall. She saw Sasuke, lying next to her late at night, sleeping, his chest rising and falling in slow procession. She could hear his laugh whenever she did something stupid, such as tripping over her own feet or burning the pancakes at breakfast. She smelled his shampoo, a scent that wafted through their house every night after he took his shower. Memories flashed through her mind, of she and Sasuke at the park, on missions, arguing when they were children, quietly sharing dinner.
All of these things she loved and held close to her dearly, and all of these things she hated. She hated them because they reminded her of better days, when everything had been the way it was supposed to be.
The only way to get rid of them was to let go. Of everything.
Tears flew rapidly now as she opened her eyes to finally stare into Sasuke's Sharingan gaze. He was full of anger, hatred, and revenge. There was nothing there to give her any reason to keep trying. She took one hand off of the kunai, crying out as the sword pushed down on her other wrist. When she finally released her second hand, Sasuke's eyes widened and he tried to pull back.
She heard a crack as his wrist broke with the attempt to stop himself, and felt the blade slash her chest. Endorphins rushed to the open, bleeding wound, and she sighed, letting her head roll to the side. She closed her eyes, willing it all to just hurry up and end already. This was not suicide, she knew. It was accepting the loss of someone dear to her, and living with the scar. She would survive—the wound wasn't deep.
As the blackness closed in, Kaede saw Sasuke kneel by her, whispering words to her that she couldn't understand. She couldn't see his eyes, but heard the tone of his voice. It seemed almost….kind, comforting, loving. A smile spread across her face as she finally fell into unconsciousness.
vvv
Kaede groaned, moving her right hand to her forehead and rubbing her temples. The motion sent a dull ache through her chest, but she ignored it, the headache causing much more pain. Someone grabbed her other hand and held it, gently rubbing her palm and fingers. She licked her lips, swallowed, and opened her eyes.
Miki was to her left, smiling in a very mother-ish manner, apparently not surprised that she had gotten herself into trouble. Kaede turned her head the other direction, and saw Neji standing with his arms crossed against the far wall. She shot a smile in his direction, but he just lifted his chin in acknowledgement. Typical Neji.
"How long have I been out?" Kaede asked, finding her voice surprisingly easy to use, and her throat not too dry.
"A few hours," Miki answered, tucking a strand of her black hair behind her ear, her pale eyes twinkling. "You'd better be happy we found you. One of the Sand nin fighting saw you go down and Sasuke fall next to you, and rushed to tell his commander. Then the commander, Baki, headed in that general direction. Apparently, if his memory serves correct, he heard Sasuke talking to you, and not in a mean way that we would normally expect from him."
Grimacing at the Hyuga girl's coy smile, Kaede looked at Neji. The Jounin pushed off of the wall and moved to her bed.
"He heard something along the lines of 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Kaede, please. Don't. I didn't mean to hurt you, I didn't. I lo—'" Neji broke off, looking uncomfortable, which earned him and glare from Miki.
"Sasuke said 'I love you,' Kaede." She wrinkled her nose as Neji cleared his throat. "You are such a baby, you know that, Hyuga?"
"And you're a wimp," Neji answered simply, crossing his arms again. Miki stuck her tongue out at him, and Kaede smirked. They were definitely flirting with each other.
Clearing her throat in an obvious manner, Kaede turned the attention back to the situation at hand. "When are we leaving?"
"Oh, I don't know," Miki said, pursing her lips and tapping her chin with her finger. "I'm a wimp, I wouldn't know. Why don't you ask Neji?"
"Alright, that's it!" Neji snapped, stalking across the room. Kaede sat up quickly in bed, throwing one hand out to stop Neji before he leapt over the bed at Miki.
"Quit," she said firmly, and the Hyuga boy backed off, though his Byakugan activated irritatingly. "Now, when are we leaving?"
"As soon as you get up," Miki said with forced brightness, pointing for Neji to leave the room. "And get dressed."
Obediently, Neji left and Miki picked up the folded clothes at the end of the bed. She handed them to Kaede with strict instructions to leave her bandages alone, no matter how uncomfortable they were. And then she, too, left.
Kaede slowly got out of bed, locking her jaw against the pain. It really hurt to move at all. But she was a ninja, and she would take it. She picked up the skirt and shorts, pulling them on, and looked warily at the tight shirt. Oh, Kami, would it hurt to put that thing on. Reluctantly, she held it in her hand and slipped an arm through it. She winced, but put the other arm through the sleeve, and cried out as she pulled it over her head.
Panting, but dressed, she strapped on her shoes and ran a Miki's brush through her hair. Once the dark chestnut locks were in place, she walked out of the room where Miki and Neji were waiting, standing rather close together, talking in low voices. It almost looked like they were holding hands, and Kaede wiggled her eyebrows up and down, finally understanding what was going on. Miki and Neji had a thing for each other.
"Ahem," she said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. Immediately, they parted, looking down at their feet. She rolled her eyes. "Let's go."
vvv
The air rushed by them as the three Jounin leapt through the trees, heading home. Kaede was lagging behind, letting the two lovebirds chatter under their voices. It gave her time to think, anyway.
If what Baki had heard was true, then did Sasuke really mean it? Did he really still love her, somewhere beneath that vicious, cold exterior? And if he did, would he show it somehow? Her heart thudded rapidly at the thought of the Uchiha coming back to her. They could live together, finally having the life they were supposed to. But he wouldn't be accepted back in Konoha, if they ever got it back. And if she tried to sneak him home, she'd be shunned, too. The former Hokage, having a fling with a betrayer, a missing nin, an enemy.
She knew now, if Sasuke had really admitted it, that she would do anything to take him back. Even after letting go, she wanted to grab on again. Tearing her heart in two ways, she fought a silent battle within herself. She yearned to have Sasuke at her side, yet what he had done still forced him away. As they jumped, she physically struggled with these feelings, holding her head, shaking her hands, jerking her shoulders as chills crawled repeatedly up her spine.
They were nearing the entrance back to the underground hell. Kaede felt like she hadn't done something, and it was nagging at her. But when they landed in the field, realization swept over. She was supposed to pick Hinata a flower!
"Hey, guys, I'll meet you inside," she called to Neji and Miki, who were already reaching down to open the hidden door. Miki nodded, and Kaede jumped back into the woods, walking on ground now, searching for the perfect flower to give Hinata.
She looked carefully at every little bloom and bush, sometimes studying a flower, dismissing every one as not good enough. Finally, though, at the base of a tall oak tree that seemed separated from every other tree, there it was. The small blue flower, its petals delicate and silky, looked as if it were illuminated by a ray of sun peeking through the leaves on the tree. She gently picked it out of its little clump of grass, held it to her nose, and breathed in its sweet scent.
"Perfect," she whispered, heading back to the field. As she walked, she felt as if someone were watching her, but dismissed the thought as her imagination. When she reached the field, she walked over to the hidden door, made a chakra sign, and heard the lock click. Opening it, she slipped inside, making sure to seal it behind her. She climbed down the ladder, tenderly holding the flower to her chest.
The room she was in was empty save for Naruto, who was waiting patiently by the door. Kaede felt a little awkward around him after his impromptu kiss, still not quite understanding why he had done it. Naruto smiled at her, and she felt herself relax.
"So the mission went well," he said as they walked down the dreary hall to the rooms. She nodded, and he returned the gesture. "I'm glad to hear it."
"Yup," Kaede said. She really wasn't in the mood to converse with him; she was only concerned with getting the flower to her friend. "Is Hinata in our room?"
"She is," Naruto stated simply, turning the doorknob on their underground makeshift bedroom and opening it for her. Kaede walked inside, where all of her friends sat, stood, or lay. They looked up at her entrance, and grins spread across their faces. Rock Lee and Sakura rushed over to give her a hug, Shikamaru managed a smile, and Hinata didn't look up. Kaede quickly finished the greetings and knelt next to Hinata.
"Hey," she said quietly.
"Hi," Hinata replied, in an even lower tone if that was possible.
Kaede held out the flower, and Hinata's eyes widened. They filled with tears as she took the small, but precious gift and sniffed it. Unable to speak, she hugged Kaede, repeatedly shaking her head.
Laughing, Kaede hugged her back. "You're welcome."
When Hinata let go, Kaede stood again and raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru. He was acting odd, even for him. Of course, it might have something to do with his not being able to go to the Sand, but why would he be upset about that? Then she understood. He, being the lazy genius and all, probably thought himself to be the most qualified, and was most likely struggling with dozens of plans thought up to take back Konoha and get rid of Orochimaru, even if his first one was working out well.
She let him sulk, walking out of the room with Naruto following behind. As they strode down the hall, Kaede couldn't help but watch the Hokage. It was summertime outdoors, and rather hot here underground, so he was without a shirt, and in a pair of baggy shorts. She stole glances at his well-toned chest and stomach, something stirring inside her that she never remembered being there.
Oh, well. It was nothing. Probably just bottled up emotions bubbling to the surface, trying to force their way out in any way possible.
She dismissed that feeling as such and smiled to herself. It was nice just being able to walk with Naruto, almost like they used to, and being able to forget their current situation. Things were on a low right now, save for the attack on the Sand that Naruto probably already knew about. Orochimaru had made no moves on other villages. For that, they were all glad.
But she couldn't shake the sensation that she had been followed. She really hoped that it was her imagination, because if it wasn't, it meant someone knew where they were and had the ability to infiltrate their hideout. A chill went up her spine at the thought. She looked over at Naruto, and saw him staring at her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Yeah, perfectly fine." Definitely a flat-out lie, but what was she supposed to do, tell him that she hadn't acted on suspicions of being tailed? Yeah, right!
The way Naruto was watching her, though, made her think that he could see right through her little lie. Ok, her big lie. But it was just one lie! How much damage could it cause?
A lot, she grumbled silently, brushing a stray piece of hair out of her face. One more mistake to add to her list. How perfect.
One moment later, a crash echoed from several halls over. Naruto and Kaede looked at each other, both urgent and frightened, and took off. Naruto took the lead, tearing through the hallways. Kaede was close on his heels, even more scared than he was. Maybe that being-followed feeling wasn't just her imagination after all.
They burst into the room where the crash had come from, and Kaede stood still in horror. It was the hidden doorway to the outside, swung wide open, the ladder in pieces on the floor, surrounding a crouched figure. That figure was oddly shadowed in the bright light, his arm resting on his knee.
His black hair stood up on end, his head bowed towards the ground. The sword attached to his belt rested against his hip, and his chest showed under a half open white shirt. The figure slowly stood, making barely a noise as he gathered his feet underneath himself. He stood with a lazy, superior stance, as if he knew that those in the room had no chance against him.
A growl to the left of Kaede made her turn her head, and she saw Naruto shaking, his eyes narrowed, his fists clenched. He was very, very angry.
"You…you….Sasuke!" Naruto lunged at the Uchiha, forming shadow clones as he went, grabbing him by the belt and swinging him to one of the clones. In a flurry of movement, the Naruto clones had Sasuke pinned against the wall with weaponry of all kinds, some even through the skin. Kaede winced as she saw the pained expression on Sasuke's face, even if he was trying to stay calm and collected.
Naruto threw the Uchiha's sword to the ground at his side, still shaking. Kaede moved to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto," she whispered, but he shook her off.
"I won't let you take up for him, Kaede," he snapped. "Not even if you still have that childish crush."
She grimaced, wishing that he hadn't said that. Once again, she tried to convince him to leave Sasuke alone. "Please, Naruto, don't do anything drastic. He didn't try to fight back, Naruto. He's not here to hurt us."
"Kaede, stay out of this!" Naruto roared, shoving Kaede back. She stumbled and her back hit the wall. The wind was knocked out of her; she slid to the floor, gasping and holding her chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sasuke jerk his head in irritation. Please, don't let anything happen to either of them.
Naruto picked the sword up from the ground, unsheathed it, and twirled it in his hand to get a better grip. He walked over to Sasuke and held the blade up to his neck. Sasuke stared down at his former teammate, unafraid.
"It ends here for you, Sasuke," Naruto said in a voice so low that Kaede had to strain to catch his words. A light chuckle was the only sound Sasuke made. Naruto growled. "You had your chance to come back, and you didn't take it. You're finished."
Sasuke continued to laugh in Naruto's face. "You don't have the guts to kill me, Naruto. You're still the stupid little Dobe you were when I left."
Kaede had finally regained her breath enough to stand, and her eyes widened when Naruto pressed the blade further onto Sasuke's neck. Her mind whirled with the choices at hand. She could assist Naruto in the Uchiha's demise, and earn a place of honor in her village. Or, she could stand up for Sasuke, and be killed for treachery and being a trademark "Benedict Arnold." Oh, Kami, what could she do?
Fortunately, she was saved the decision, for at that moment, Sasuke tore his sleeve and knocked Naruto away from him. Naruto flew across the room, slamming into the wall and collapsing to the ground. Sasuke yanked the rest of the weaponry from his clothes and skin, ignoring the bleeding wounds. He walked over to Kaede, reached out to her and touched her face. She let out a shaky breath, shuddering in a horrible mix of wanting to retch and wanting this moment to last forever.
"I'm sorry," Sasuke whispered, and whacked her across the face, knocking her to the ground. She cried out as her head hit the floor, and she looked up at Sasuke.
"Why," she began, but was stopped as Sasuke pressed his foot against her chest. She stared at it, shocked.
He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Meet me outside by the lake at midnight." And then, with a satisfied chuckle, he leapt up and out into the world, the door closing and sealing behind him.
vvv
Later on that night, after a loud, angry, and slightly physical lecture from Naruto, Kaede crept out of the room shared with her friends and quietly shut the door behind her. She was on her way to meet Sasuke, just like he had asked. Why she was going, she couldn't fathom. Something had just pleaded inside of her to meet with him. Maybe it was that irritating little voice she'd thought she had gotten rid of years ago. Whatever it was, it had convinced her that seeing Sasuke was the best choice.
In her heart, she knew that she couldn't have the best of both worlds, but for now, it seemed the only way.
She slipped into the tiny room that held the hidden door. The ladder had been replaced earlier with a new one, and as she set her hand on it, she shivered. If Naruto found her, she would be dead. After his fight with Sasuke, he had regained consciousness quickly and placed the blame on her inability to get over her "little crush." He had shoved her, shaken her, and yelled in her face for thirty straight minutes while she stood there and let him. She blocked those images from her mind and started to climb.
Placing one hand on the door, Kaede made a chakra sign, and heard it click. The seal had vanished, leaving the hidden doorway open, and she pushed. It opened, and she carefully pulled herself through.
The humid night air hit her like a welcome blast in the face, and she barely had time to remember that she'd been out there only hours earlier before the door slipped from her hand to hit the ground with a crash. She winced, and knelt in the grass, pressing her ear against the hidden door to detect any sound. Nothing.
She released the breath she'd been holding and got to her feet. She ran a hand over her forehead and sighed. Sasuke had said to meet him by the lake. Which was…that direction. Not caring who heard her out here, she set off at an easy jog across the grass, her feet swishing the tiny green blades. The rush she felt of sneaking around beat anything she'd ever experienced, even the thrill of beating Naruto for the first time. She smiled at the memory, wishing everything were still that way.
It wasn't long before she reached the lake, and she slowed when it came into view. She couldn't see anything in the dim moonlight other than the silver orb's reflection on the water and a few shadows of trees. Slowly, she walked over to the waters edge, knelt down, and dipped her hand into the cool water. She swirled her fingers around in the lake, feeling suddenly lonely.
That is, until another hand dipped into the lake and pulled hers from the water. The hand held hers for a moment, its thumb running over her palm. She watched it, following the arm up to a shoulder, up to a face. A small smile spread across her features as Sasuke tugged her to her feet.
His hand reached up and touched her cheek lightly, his thumb gently rubbing her cheekbone. She searched his face for some trace that he hadn't just come tonight to further torture her. She relaxed as she found the answer in the way his mouth tilted upwards in a tiny, crooked smile.
Neither of them said anything when he led her over to a spot overlooking the entire lake. They sat down on the soft grass; absorbing the view of the beautiful water shifting up on the shore, then back down, over and over again. Sasuke still held Kaede's hand, lacing his fingers in hers. He pulled their hands to his face and kissed her hand, his lips barely brushing her skin. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel.
Her eyes pleading, Kaede rested her head on Sasuke's shoulder, tensing for his reaction. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, and she relaxed, laying her hand on her lap. Sasuke planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head, nuzzling her hair and placing his cheek there. Kaede felt her heart flutter, knowing that this was the answer to her question: Sasuke still loved her.
For a long time they sat there, not speaking a word, just enjoying each other's company, company they both had craved for years. Kaede did not want this spell to break; she wanted this to last forever, to never have to go back underground and hide for the rest of her life. She wanted to stay with Sasuke.
"Kaede."
She started, not expecting him to speak. Her hazel eyes looked up at him, then back at the lake, fearing what was coming.
"Kaede," he said again, and she squeezed his hand to let him know she was listening. "We have to leave."
"No," she said stubbornly, nestling closer to him. He held her tighter, apparently just as reluctant to let her go.
"I don't want to either, but there's no possible way we can stay out here. Your friends will find that you're missing, and come to look for you. Naruto will especially be angry, because he knows how you and I feel towards one another." Sasuke sighed. "There is nothing more in the world that I want than to stay here with you. But Orochimaru will come looking for me, also, if I do not report back to him."
Kaede, reluctant but understanding, nodded and scooted away so that he could stand. Once on his feet, Sasuke reached down and helped her up. He pulled her into an embrace; she rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady thrum-thrum, thrum-thrum of his heart. His hand rubbed her back, the side of his face against the top of her head. A whimper escaped from Kaede as Sasuke forced them to part.
"Please, Sasuke," she begged, looking pleadingly into his face. "Don't go. I won't see you again, I know it. Stay."
A small hint of a smile made his lips twitch as he leaned over to whisper into her ear. She shivered at his words and reached up to run a hand through his hair, but he was already gone.
Fighting back tears and suddenly cold, Kaede turned around and began the walk back to the underground hideout.
vvv
At dawn that same morning, Kaede was still up, her knees hugged to her chest, staring at the wall. Miki was the first to stir, yawning, smacking her lips, and stretching. She peered blearily at the mesmerized girl to her left and blinked.
"Hey, girl, whatcha lookin' at?"
Kaede nearly jumped out of her skin, startled beyond entirety by Miki. She shook her head and shrugged. "The wall."
Raising an eyebrow, Miki tossed her thin blanket off of her legs and rubbed her face. She wasn't the best morning person in the world, and everyone knew it. When she got up, so did the rest of them, and if someone tried to wake her up, a pillow viciously attacked them.
"Good morning, everyone!" Miki said loudly. The others in the room groaned, pulled their blankets up, and shoved their heads underneath their pillows. Miki stood, whipping out a kunai and using the handle to beat mercilessly against the wall. "Up, up, up!"
"For Kami's sake, Miki!" Naruto snapped, balling up his blanket and chucking it at her. She moved aside, letting the soft ball whack Kaede in the face. Disgruntled and surprised, Kaede threw it at Shikamaru, thinking that since he wasn't covered up by a blanket, he had hit her with his, when, in truth, Rock Lee had stolen it.
"What the hell!" Shikamaru yelped, sitting up and looking around the room. Kaede put on her best innocent face and looked around, too. "Aargh!" Shikamaru growled, slapping Rock Lee on the back of the head with it. "You dimwit! You stole my blanket!"
"Hurrumphgah," Lee mumbled, not quite awake. Shikamaru hit him repeatedly, until on the fourth swing, Rock Lee threw his blanket over the Nara's head. Blinded, Shikamaru toppled over onto Neji, and Lee snickered. The Hyuga rolled over, startled to see a sheeted Shikamaru lying across his stomach.
"Get off," Neji growled in a low voice, and shoved the other Jounin off. Shikamaru skidded across the floor, hitting Sakura in the knees. She cried out and swung, knocking Naruto in the jaw.
"Ah! Sakura!" he yowled, holding his bruised chin.
"Oh, Naruto, I'm sorry!" she wept, now crying for reasons she didn't know. As she tried to apologize to the Hokage, Hinata sat up, rubbing her eyes, and ran smack into Miki.
"Oh!" Miki gasped, falling forward onto Kaede, who in turn threw out an arm and hit Rock Lee, who had been lying down, watching all the commotion. He hollered as her flailing limb hit his lip into his tooth, which pierced his lip and drew blood.
And then, it all stopped, because everyone was drawn to their feet by some other force and held in place. Their eyes darted around, looking for the source, and landed on Shikamaru, standing lazily in the middle of the room. He crossed his arms, and so did everyone else. Shooting a glare at every one of them, Shikamaru released the shadow jutsu and left the room, murmuring, "Women."
Sakura wiped her face, standing up with Naruto, who was nursing his jaw. Neji had his hands behind his head, bored; Hinata was rubbing her forehead after colliding with Miki's bony rear end; Rock Lee was smiling sheepishly and shouting apologies after Shikamaru. And Kaede was ignoring them all, still not all there.
Sure, now she was bruised and stunned, but she was just too distracted to pay attention to anyone. As her friends stood up and milled around the room, tidying it up, she joined them, working robotically while her mind wandered.
For the millionth time that morning, she found herself thinking about her hour spent by the lake. That one, blissfully spent hour. She sighed, wishing that she was still there, in his arms, just relaxing and forgetting about everything else. She dared not even think his name, much less speak it; it was much safer to just refer to him as "him."
A smile spread across her face as she thought of the words he had whispered to her mere hours before. It wouldn't be long, she told herself, before she saw him again. His soft, smooth, silky voice always sent chills down her spine, and seeing the beautiful ninja made her want to burst with happiness. She knew that it was forbidden, which made it all the more exciting. The only thing keeping her and him apart seemed to be her pride in her village, her reluctance to betray it, and his reluctance to not kill his brother.
She understood how he felt—if someone had destroyed her entire clan, everyone she knew and loved, she would go after him or her with everything she had. He was doing the same thing for the Uchiha's, avenging their deaths. If there was one thing she admired about him, it was his determination and grit.
"Kaede, time for breakfast rounds," Miki told her, and Kaede finished folding her blanket up, placed her pillow on top of it in a corner, and followed her friend out. They made their way to the kitchen, picked up their trays laden with bowls of grits and oatmeal, and headed to one of the gymnasium-style rooms.
Expectant eyes bore into them as they entered through the double doors and began handing out the food. Depending on age, weight, and health, they distributed the proper amount of grits or oatmeal, whatever the person preferred. Kaede had to admit that the food wasn't the greatest in the world, but it was as much as the Sand could afford to give to them.
Thank you's followed Kaede and Miki around the room. Every now and again, Kaede would bend down to give a woman, man, or child a hug, whisper comforting words in their ear, or speak with them for a moment. They were all used to this routine, used to being down here, but none of them enjoyed it any more. There was nothing anyone could do to make it more fun, more tolerable that it already ways. It was basically impossible.
After refilling their trays twice and rounding the gymnasium, Kaede and Miki finally settled down with their own breakfast—an apple apiece. They were trying to keep in shape with the limited amount of exercise permitted down here, and this was one way to prevent their trim figures from bulging out.
As Kaede bit into her apple and munched, she caught Miki glancing oddly at her; obviously, there was something up. She swallowed and took another bite, peeking out of the corner of her eye to check if Miki was still watching. The Hyuga was. This went on for a few minutes before Kaede became irritated and burst out, "What?!"
Smiling, Miki shrugged. "Nothing."
"It must be something, cause you've been staring at me for the past forever! What is up, Mik?"
"Well…." Miki set her apple on the table and twirled it by the stem. "Where did you go last night, Kaede?"
Panic lashed through Kaede, chilling her to the very bones. How had Miki known she'd left? She was almost positive no one had been awake. Had they? Oh, Kami, what if the little snoop had figured out where she went and who she was seeing? She would most likely tell Naruto, who would in turn give Kaede a screaming for sneaking out and visiting with…him.
"Uh, what're you talking about?" she said, not so smoothly. Good going, she grumbled at herself.
"You know," Miki said. "Last night, when you snuck out somewhere around midnight, I'm guessing. Where did you go?"
Kaede racked her brain for an answer. Crud. "I…went to the bathroom."
Miki nodded slowly. "Uh-huh. And did you break the sink or something after you went?"
"What?"
Rolling her eyes, Miki said, "As in, the huge crash I heard a few minutes after you left that almost woke everyone up."
"Oh." Ugh! How she hated that word! Kaede licked her lips, her mouth suddenly really, really dry. "No, it wasn't me. Some little kid got into the kitchen and broke two plates. I guess he was trying to get something to eat or whatever. I put him back to bed, so no harm done."
Not looking completely convinced, Miki finished off her apple and tossed it into the trashcan. "Alrightly." She stood, stretched, and left.
Kaede leaned back in her chair, relieved. For a moment there, she was positive that Miki knew everything. But it seemed like the other girl had believed her. It was a good thing, too. Since Miki was getting cushy with Neji, she was bound to let slip something, and then, of course, Neji would tell Naruto, who would in turn bite Kaede's head off. At least she hadn't figured it out. Or if she had, she was a damn good actor.
Not very hungry, Kaede threw her apple in the trash and left the kitchen, feeling restless. There wasn't much to do that she hadn't already. She trained with her friends, trained the ANBU that were left, communicated with the agents in the Sound, and talked war plans with Naruto and Shikamaru on a daily basis. In fact, she trained and worked so much her arms were more muscular than before! She rubbed her upper arm and rolled her shoulder. For someone who was usually extremely active, living underground for two years really made Kaede irritable and jumpy.
Oh, well.
She smiled coyly as she left the kitchen, her mind already set on what would happen later that night.
I can't believe how far this story has gone. Well, considering how long my chapters are. :D Anywho, I am excited to read the reviews I'll get from my avid readers
Luv ya
Nicola