Caranril: (dances a happy dance) I got three reviews! Well, two were from the same person, but still...it makes me lurvs you very much!

Legolas: Thank you: Moonlight, though cuddly Sasuke and Kaori could never last long!; Commisar of the Books, I note that you're another "hotties" fan, woot!

Caranril: My leg's asleep.

disCLAIMER: While I do not own Naruto nor any affiliated subjects therein, Kishimoto-sama does and therefore he owns my soul.

Chapter 2: Sleeping Situations

Sasuke felt unbelievably warm on one side and unbelievably cold on the other. He kept his eyes closed, warm against soft fabric. There was a smell of cherries. His initial thought was he was in bed wrapped around warm blankets, but the cold on his back and the wood underneath reminded him that no such fantasy existed. So what was...

He peeked with one eye, realizing instantly that the "warm blankets" was in fact a warm Kaori. He lifted his head, wide awake now. The fire had died sometime after he'd fallen asleep, but he didn't remember lying next to her like this. His left arm was draped over her, holding the cloak closed on her side, and she was still sound asleep. The cloak had been drawn more to her side, leaving his back exposed. More afraid of letting in more cold than of waking Kaori, Sasuke lay his head back down and remained still. He must have been damn tired to have fallen asleep in such a situation. At least he hadn't had those nightmares.

Cherries. He realized Kaori's hair smelled like cherries. And almonds.

The walls and ceiling suddenly collapsed as they sank into the ground with the floor, leaving the pair on the frozen ground. Sasuke sat up to face Kakashi and the jutsu's performer as they observed him. Kaori stirred.

"Well, well, they got along better than I thought," Kakashi said cheerfully, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Wonderful work, Tenzou."

"I gave them the place; they're the ones who made it happen," Tenzou responded equally cheerfully. "And now on to a less significant mission. Later, Kakashi-san."

"Just ten more minutes?" Kaori asked groggily, trying to snuggle back into warm blankets. Sasuke sighed and shook her shoulder.

"Wake up!"

Kaori was instantly aware of him behind her and sat bolt upright. She saw the cloak on her and remembered somewhat, but...She looked back at Sasuke.

"When did we..."

Sasuke shrugged. "We survived the night."

"Whew." Kaori rubbed her bare arms in the cold. She froze when she saw Kakashi standing a meter away.

"You!" She bolted from the spot and dove into Kakashi. He yelped and laughed as she tried throttling him. It took her a few seconds to realize she was trying to choke a log to death.

"Now, now, is that any way to greet your sensei?" Kakashi emerged from behind a tree.

"Son of a..." Kaori was about to try again when a hand grabbed her arm. It was a shock against her cold skin. In Sasuke's other hand was the cloak, which he handed to her.

"Let's get you home." He yanked her away from Kakashi, who merely laughed and pulled out his book. Despite how Sasuke and Kaori felt about him now, he'd accomplished his goal.

"Home? What is a home?" Kaori babbled the entire way. "Home is where the heart is! Home is where one flourishes, where one feels at ease! Are you at ease Uchiha? You look so tired...maybe you need to see Hokage-sama? Or Sakura-san! I hear she's a thingy nin."

"I don't think you're okay," Sasuke said dryly. "If I didn't know, I'd say you are drunk."

"Oh, no! When I'm drunk, I try punching you. I only slept with you." Kaori's eyes went wide and she looked absolutely disgusted. "Oh great kami-sama! I slept with you! I did what every other girl in Konoha wants to do and that makes me a whore and disgusting and why can't I remembering anything?"

"Geez! Shut up!" Sasuke covered her mouth before her rambling caught the ears of townsfolk likely to spread gossip. "We didn't do anything. We survived."

"Right." Kaori realized. "We survived. We...oh shit." She passed out then and there. Sasuke felt those last words echoing in his own mind as he was stuck with her too far from her apartment. Damnit. He didn't want to go to the hospital either. Too many questions bound to be asked and forced to be answered. To his surprise, he didn't mind the thought popping into his head to take her to his own apartment. Whatever had been cleared between them last night had changed much of his thinking. And the biggest change was that the new Team Kakashi just might work out after all.

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Sasuke sat cross-legged on his coffee table, watching Kaori sleep. He'd showered, eaten, and even taken a nap in his very comfortable bed, and she still slumbered. He knew she was somewhat okay as she mumbled in her sleep. She would have odd conversations too, where she spoke both ends of weird arguments. His current entertainment was her latest argument.

"Throw it all out. There's no need for it."

"We have to keep something. What if we need it one day?" was the person Kaori snipped back at.

"We'll never need it. We're smarter than that. At least I'm smarter."

"You fail. How does that make you smarter?"

"We're in this together. That means you failed too. And I say we don't need it."

After that she fell into mumbling and then silence. With a jerk and a snort, she woke and stared blurry-eyed at Sasuke.

"What're you starin' for..." Kaori groaned, hiding beneath the blanket.

"What don't you need?"

"Huh?" She peeked out of the blanket.

"You were arguing in your sleep with someone about not needing something. What was it?"

"You were watching me sleep? You sicko..." Kaori hid beneath the blanket again.

"So?"

"It must have been about ramen."

"You've been having conversations all morning. Do you always talk in your sleep?"

Groan of exasperation. "Nooooo. I know I do sometimes 'cause my 'mates told me I did. They thought it was funny as hell, but I never remembered my conversations." The shape under the blanket wiggled. "Your couch is so comfy. Way more comfy than Naruto's."

"I know back in October you said you and Naruto weren't together, but now...are you now?"

"When was the last time you talked to him?" Kaori threw the blanket away from her face, which was red from the heat. "He's dating Hinata!"

"Oh. I didn't realize that."

"Besides, Naruto's like...my other half. I bet if I was male, I'd be a lot like him. But not as friendly. I hate people."

"That's great to know."

"No, I hate...crowds. Funny thing is I've been to two more parties in the past four months than I have in my entire life. Last one I tried to clock you, remember?"

"I remember you did clock me. First time a girl hit me, you know."

"Won't be the last," Kaori smirked. She did that a lot around Sasuke. Rubbed his face in his own expression. Sasuke made a face and got up from the coffee table and headed for the kitchen.

"Do you pass out as much as you talk in your sleep?"

Kaori sighed. "When I get really tired and not enough sleep. Yeah. I don't think I really slept last night. I was in a stupor or something. Yup, it's happened before."

Sasuke sat back on the coffee table, handing Kaori a cup of tea. "You should see Hokage-sama."

Kaori's eyes went wide behind her cup. "No! She already thinks I have problems. Last time I was there...No, I can't."

"You realize without help you could never be a ninja?"

"Thanks for the encouragement Uchiha."

"I mean, some missions will be hard and long and you won't get much sleep. What if you pass out? You would put yourself and your teammates in danger. That means me and Kakashi right now. I'd really rather you didn't do that, so I'm not suggesting you see Tsunade; I'm forcing you to go see her."

"You'd have to drag me kicking and screaming," Kaori growled into her tea.

"Fine." Sasuke knocked the cup from her hands. He grabbed a shocked Kaori and hauled her over his shoulders. He was on his way out the door before she realized what was happening.

"Fucking bastard! Put me down! You son of a bitch!" she hollered, kicking and beating him.

"Watch your mouth. Kunoichi shouldn't talk like that." Sasuke gave her a jolt.

"No, girls shouldn't talk like that. I sure as hell ain't a girl! Fuck!"

"So does that make you a guy?"

"Bitch," Kaori spat.

"You'll thank me later." Sasuke ignored the stares and gapes as he carried the kicking woman to Tsunade's office.

"I'll thank you with a kunai when you're good and asleep, fucktard."

"That's one I don't hear every day," Sasuke said casually. "Though I'm sure most of the girls in Konoha would love to thank me when I'm good and asleep."

"You really are a manwhore."

"Then you really don't know me yet." Sasuke used Kaori's head to knock on Tsunade's door.

"Ow! You piece of shit!"

"Enter?"

Sasuke managed to open the door and whacked Kaori's head against the frame as he entered.

"Dumbass stop it!"

Tsunade was very amused at the spectacle that had just entered her office. She had been receiving a report from Kotetsu on an emergency aid mission and was longing for a bottle of sake when she heard the thud against the door and an angry curse. Now here was Uchiha Sasuke with Akumako Kaori over his shoulders, and she was very unhappy. Perhaps unhappy was too fine a word...infuriated. She was infuriated, and even more so when Kotetsu turned around and gaped at her.

"Well, well, congrats you two! I never would have guessed!"

Kaori swung at him, but Sasuke held her steady. Kotetsu just laughed and wiggled his eyebrows mischievously. He had his "grapevine" expression on. That was juuuuust great.

"I'll be right with you Sasuke." Tsunade returned her attention to Kotetsu and gave him further orders. He saluted smartly and then made a goofy face at Kaori as he left. She managed to kick his shoulder as he passed by. Sasuke was none to gentle when he put Kaori down. He pretty much just dropped her. She did not come out of that dignified, which only mounted her rage. She looked about ready to pummel Sasuke.

"What is this all about?" Tsunade wondered.

"I'll leave it to Kaori to explain things to you," Sasuke said, bowing his head and leaving the office. If glares were kunai, he'd have died a thousand painful deaths on the way out. As he left the building he ran into Naruto, who looked rumpled and rushed but energetic as ever.

"Sasuke! I heard you and Kaori are on Team Kakashi!"

Sasuke nodded.

"That's so great! I hope you guys can go on missions soon 'cause then I could go too. But right now I have to report to Tsunade-'baachan."

Sasuke grabbed his sleeve. "She's busy right now. Come have ramen with me."

"Okay!" Naruto put his hands behind his head and strutted next to Sasuke, who slunk darkly. Ichiraku Ramen was void of customers, so their orders were quickly taken and served. Ayame had returned to her position at the shop. She glowed as she showed off her ring.

"So what's the occasion for the ramen, Sasuke?" Naruto said during bites.

"I realized I haven't talked to you in a while."

Naruto made a noise. "Yeah, in four years."

"Yeah. I think it's time we caught up."

Naruto brightened. "You mean you're going to tell me about your time in Otogakure?"

"No." Sasuke slurped his ramen. "But...maybe someday."

"Sasuke, we're supposed to be best friends. But you can't seem to trust me anymore. I didn't do anything."

"I know, Naruto. I do trust you, and that's why I can't tell you about that time. Not yet. I'm still facing up to it myself. When I'm ready, I'll talk to you."

"Actually, it's not that important." Naruto shrugged. "Even if you tried to explain it all, I don't think I could understand why you changed. I just need to know you're back."

Sasuke smiled slightly. His best friend was a nosy person, but he knew when to be aloof. Sometimes he was aloof even when he shouldn't be. But that's what made Naruto, Naruto. And somehow that made him his best friend. It was completely against everything he liked in a person (which wasn't much in the first place), but with Naruto logic didn't need to make sense.

"Sakura worries about you though."

And with Sakura there was no such thing as logic.

"You can tell her I'm fine."

"That won't work, you know." Naruto dropped his chopsticks into his empty bowl. "She's really given up. It might take a while, but she doesn't want to be a part of the Sasuke fanclub anymore."

Sasuke gasped. "Oh my. Really!"

Naruto tilted his head. "Um...yeah. Sasuke, that was...I mean you just...you sounded a lot like Kaori just then."

"I have to be around her; she's my teammate."

"How come I didn't rub off on you?" Naruto pouted.

"Usuratonkachi, you did." Sasuke smiled. Naruto smiled back, then helped himself to Sasuke's generosity and ordered another bowl.