NOTE: I just reloaded this chapter because I was unhappy with the choppiness of some of it. I wrote it pretty quickly because I just wanted to get the ideas down, but I kind of feel like I wrote it as more of an outline than an actual story. So, all I really did was flesh it out a little. I hope it will flow better now.

~*G*O*L*D*E*N*~

White illuminates the deepest caves

It changes the manner in which one behaves

Allowing new discoveries to be made

Secrets for Clarity: it is a fair trade

Though the sun beat heavily against her face, Sasuke could not force herself to get up. She could hear Naruto moving busily around their camp, making breakfast she assumed. It was such a strange feeling: knowing that there was someone moving around her currently helpless form. Never had she allowed someone to see her sleep even when she was a child and her mother would come in to tidy the room around her.

The events of the previous evening weighed heavily in her mind and despite the fact that she had gotten her best night sleep in years, she did not have enough energy to face Naruto yet. The secrets she would have to tell had been hidden so deep within herself that she feared if she removed them, her whole heart would collapse.

However, this deep fear made her fidget nervously in her bed, so she ended up not faking sleep very well. Almost certainly, Naruto knew she was awake, but thankfully he did not say anything. That gave her just a little bit of hope. He was willing to wait.

Suddenly, Naruto moved away from the campsite and disappeared into the woods. Still slightly shaken from last night's attack, the thought of being alone scared her. She quickly jumped out of bed desperately searching for Naruto's form; however, she not fast enough to see where he had gone.

With her eyes now open, she tried to figure out what Naruto had been doing that morning. There was a place set up for a fire, though it was not lit. Scattered around the sticks of the unlit fire were dishes: a pot, a pan, plates, cups, and silverware. Their water jug was missing along with a bowl. Nothing else seemed disturbed, so she assumed no one else had been in the camp and Naruto must have taken them with him.

He must have gone out to gather any vegetation he could find and fill their jug with water, Sasuke noted with relief. He would return soon, then. That thought made her nervous again.

Before Naruto could return, Sasuke wanted to finish cleaning up for the day. She went to her pack and pulled out all the necessary items, such as a rag and a comb, and began to remove some of the grime from fighting last night and sleeping on the ground. Feeling clean and put together would give her confidence to face the ay ahead of her.

Fortunately, Sasuke had finished before Naruto returned to camp, but now needed something else to do. To keep herself busy, she began brushing off and wrapping up their bedding to keep it as clean as possible for the next night. Again, she finished alone. Not having anything else she could think of to do, she merely sat next to the campfire. Breathing slowly and deeply, she prepared for his return and the conversation they would need to have once he did.

After a few more minutes, Naruto's form could be seen approaching the camp. As he got even closer, Sasuke noticed that the bowl he held in his hands was full of some sort of orange berry and the jug was balanced awkwardly in his left arm.

When he was still about twenty feet away, Naruto finally noticed Sasuke sitting there now awake. He paused momentarily. Though Sasuke could not see exactly what he did, she saw his face change. Once he began moving forward again, though more slowly, Sasuke stood up to help him. As he entered the camp, Sasuke walked over and took the berries from his hand, allowing him to more easily carry the water jug.

"Thanks," Naruto said, voice still drowsy.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied awkwardly.

"I figured we could put some berries in the oatmeal."

"Yeah. I'll start the fire."

"Thanks. I'll start the oatmeal once the fire is ready."

"Should we make some tea to go with that?"

"That sounds good. I left the teapot in the bag."

"I'll get it."

The morning continued with similarly awkward communication and silent eating. Eventually, they ran out of food to eat and dishes to clean.

It was time to talk.

Rather, it would be time to talk once one of them gathered the courage to ask the first question. Neither could decide whether they wanted to be the first to ask a question or the first to answer a question.

Sasuke assumed Naruto would get impatient with the silence long before her and though she did not really want to be the first interrogated, she could not bring herself to break the silence first.

"Why … did you … freeze?" There. Naruto had asked his question.

That was not the question he was supposed to ask.

Sasuke assumed he would want to know about Kakashi first or his mother or even why she became a fighter. Though she was not quite sure it was a question she even knew how to answer, it was so unexpected she was able to answer it naturally.

"I was just surprised," she said honestly. "Though I have plenty of practice in fighting, I have never been charged with such great killing intent like that."

"Yeah," Naruto said, thoughtfully. "I guess that makes sense. I am just so used to people wanting to kill me it doesn't affect me anymore."

"What?" Sasuke asked, snapping her head up.

"Oh," Naruto groaned, realizing his mistake. "I … well …" Naruto breathed deeply to steady himself and distractedly began picking at his bandaged hand. "It's kind of a long story." Naruto sighed.

"We only have one hundred and forty four hours alone to talk," Sasuke said sarcastically, "give or take a few hours for sleep."

"Yeah," Naruto acknowledged with a chuckle. He settled more firmly in his seat, getting ready for the long time he would be sitting there. "I suppose I was destined to be hated."

Sasuke frowned at that.

"It's true," Naruto said, gaze focused unseeing on the horizon. "One thing you have to understand about me: I am a threat to the country. I have the potential to destroy everything this country values."

"Twisted values," he growled under his breath. "And, I have every intention of doing just that."

"Why?" Sasuke asked with a voice no stronger than a puff of air.

"Because … " he paused to furrow his eyebrows. "Because it is broken and my mother was one of the many people who fell through the cracks. She died when I was seven."

"Your mother," Sasuke repeated, the word bringing back so many of her own memories. They looked at each, connected for a moment by the universal pain of loosing a parent.

"I grew up in a town along the northern border. It was beautiful," he said, smiling brightly. "Was … it really was. But, nobody else cared about it. This country does not value natural beauty anymore. If it does not serve to increase the power and pride of the king, a town is ignored.

"On my seventh birthday, it was attacked by," he frowned in confusion, "by some kind of gigantic demon. My mom and dad had gotten me and a few of our neighbors safely into a cave near our village and had gone back to help more people get to safely. Suddenly, the whole village just seemed to explode into flames.

"I don't know what happened was or why the demon attacked. All I know is that for days afterwards my home burned and crumbled around the few survivors and the king did nothing. He knew, though. He definitely knew. He just chose to ignore the situation. 'Couldn't waste the resources' he said. Eventually, he sent a few soldiers into the town, but their only purpose was to 'salvage' the valuables of the town.

"He is so caught up in his wealth and his power that he can't even see how much the people hate him. But he'll never be challenged because he knows just the right people to bribe and empower. Your family used to be some of those people."

"My family," Sasuke interrupted, bristling, "were good people."

"Maybe they were," he said. "All I know is that your dad was one of the heads of the Royal Soldiers when the demon attacked my home and he did nothing. Nothing!" he shouted. "And you have the same smug look as the soldiers who raided my town!"

"That's why you hate me?" she yelled back. "I would never do something like that!"

He closed his eyes for a moment. "I don't … hate … you," he said slowly with a sigh. "I suppose I hate what you represented. You were a rich girl, who was tying to go around the rules to get what you wanted."

"So?" Sasuke replied, shrugging. "According to you, the rules should be changed. I had to come here."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke breathed deeply. This is the question she had been dreading since she came to the Academy. She knew sometime someone would wonder why a healer of all people would choose to come to the Academy.

"I need to join the Royal Soldiers to find my family's murderer," she said. She frowned at how that had just rolled off her tongue. That was easier than she thought it would be.

Why had she been so hesitant to tell anyone? She supposed it was because, now that she had heard about Naruto's tragic childhood, she felt he could really understand her. Her greatest fear was not that people would know her secret, but that if they knew, they would not understand. It was such an important thing to her and she could not bear the idea of someone misunderstanding her reasons or making little of her pain.

"Your family is dead," Naruto said slowly.

"Yeah," she responded, looking up at him. "They were killed one day when I was at the Institute. I did not live in the dorms at that time, but came home every night. One day I stayed late to work on a spell. By the time I finished, it was after dark. When I got to my family's estates, I noticed that no lights had been turned on even though it had been dark for a few hours.

"I walked down the road and as I turned the corner towards my house, I saw the de …" she choked suddenly on the word. "… I saw the dead bodies of all my family members: aunts, uncles, even my most distant relatives.

"I had been so looking forward to showing them my new spell. It was such a high level one, well beyond my age. I thought that what I wanted most was for them to be proud of me. I believed so much that it would make me happy to have their approval that I forgot how special it was just to have them.

"Classified," she said with an angry snort. "That was all anyone would tell me when I asked what had happened. Classified. Classified. Classified. Over and over they would tell me I could not know what had happened … to my own family.

"I tried to use my connections in the Institute, but they got me nowhere. My only chance is to become a member of the Royal Soldiers and get special permission from the king."

"You really think the King will let you see anything even if he cared enough hear your request," Naruto grumbled, his hatred for the king still fresh in his mind from telling his story.

"It doesn't matter," she said quietly. "I will get that information. I will do whatever I have to do. This is my only chance."

"Well, I am positive this king won't help you," Naruto said, leaning back, "but, once I get rid of him, I'll make sure you find out what you need to know."

"So you want to kill the king?" she asked raising her eyebrows in disbelief.

"No," he huffed. "I just want to take away his throne."

"Naturally," she responded cynically. "How do you propose to do that?"

"Win the Royal Tournament and become king! Believe it!" He jumped up at that and punched a fist into the air; unfortunately, he used his injured hand accidentally. "Ow," he yelped and pulled his hand into his chest.

"Idiot," Sasuke grumbled, though she quickly stood up and ran over to him. "Here," she said softly, motioning to his hand, "let me see it."

She chuckled quietly. "How do you expect to win if you whine over a little cut like this?" she said, with a small smile forming on her face.

"Pretty," Naruto whispered before he could stop himself.

Sasuke blushed brightly.

Naruto blushed brightly.

To hide her embarrassment, she walked over to her bag and took her time grabbing gauze and a rag hoping to hide behind the familiar act of wrapping bandages. Once she had all her supplies, Sasuke was able to take on a more professional mood. With all the ease of a skilled healer, she quickly unwrapped, cleaned, and rewrapped Naruto's hand.

During the whole time she did this, Naruto stood in place fidgeting. He could not get her smile out of his head. Smiling seemed to suit her so well that he wondered how she could go so long without letting it show.

"How does it feel?" Sasuke asked clinically.

"Nice," Naruto said, not exactly talking about his hand. "Thanks."

"So," she exclaimed before anything else uncomfortable could happen. "Wait. Did you say you are going to participate in the Royal Tournament? How can you do that?"

"Oh, Um …" Naruto said nervously, rubbing the back of his head (making sure to use his good hand this time). "Well, my mom was the daughter of the last king, so technically, I am a prince."

"Yeah," Sasuke said sarcastically, "And I'm a man."

"Hey! I'm serious," he said firmly, the look in his eyes leaving no room for any doubt.

"You don't act like one," Sasuke sighed in defeat. The confusion and secrets began to weight heavily on her shoulders, so she sat back down around the now dimly glowing campfire.

Naruto sighed again. They seemed to be sighing a lot during this conversation. Quietly, he walked over and sat down next to Sasuke. It had been a long time since he had told his story to anyone and even then it had been to people who had already known the basics of his past, like the Commander or Iruka.

"My mom was the youngest daughter of the last queen," Naruto explained. "She was so much younger than the rest of the candidates that she never really had a chance at the crown. So, she just moved away to the country after she married my dad and never really raised me like a prince.

"She never hid my heritage from me, but I never really thought too much about it until she died. After seeing the way the King treated my home, I knew I could do a better job and made up my mind to do just that."

"How did you end up here?" Sasuke asked.

"My father was a fighter in the Royal Soldiers. He had served under the Commander. They were really close. When my dad died, the Commander took me in and helped me get into the Academy. He is helping me prepare for the tournament."

"You obviously need a lot of help," Sasuke teased, with a smirk.

"Hey! I am plenty strong," he argued, bumping her shoulder lightly.

"Even if you are strong, you have to be smart too," she countered, bumping his shoulder a little harder.

"I'm smart, too!" Naruto huffed, crossing his arms with a pout.

"Not yet, but I could … help you … if you want," Sasuke said slowly.

Naruto looked at her with wide eyes. That was unexpected. Here he thought they were fighting again, and then she offers to help him.

"Umm…." Naruto muttered stunned. That was stupid. He had to say something. It had obviously been really hard for her to offer to help and he was just sitting there like the idiot she claimed him to be.

"If you don't want …"

"No," Naruto interrupted hastily. "I mean no I do not not want your help … err … I do want you … I mean … You can help … me … if you want …"

Sasuke giggled. Naruto was stunned. He didn't think she was capable of laughing, never mind giggling. All he could do was stare at her laughing face. Pretty. At least he had just thought that she was pretty this time, instead of saying it out loud again.

After a few moments, Sasuke stopped laughing and noticed Naruto staring at her. She frowned. She was tired of blushing every time he did something like that.

Noticing her frown, Naruto quickly turned away. "Sorry," he mumbled.

'Finally,' Sasuke thought smirking because she was not the one caught doing something embarrassing; however, she decided to take pity on Naruto's discomfort. "I am a tough teacher and I won't give you a handicap because you are brain dead," she said to restart the conversation and squash any awkwardness. "You better keep up."

"Believe it!"

At that last declaration from Naruto, they both felt a huge burden leave them. They were no longer enemies. Though they would probably never stop arguing, they could trust each other now.

"What is your favorite food?" Naruto asked randomly.

"What?" Sasuke asked confused, staring wide-eyed at Naruto's serious face.

"It seems weird to know each other's deepest darkest secrets and not know something as simple as that," Naruto explained.

"I suppose that makes sense," Sasuke responded thoughtfully. "Tomatoes."

"How boring," Naruto pouted. "Mine's ramen. It's so cool. And it's got lots of flavors and ingredients. I could eat it every night. I like beef ramen and chicken ramen and …"

"How are you not fat?" Sasuke interrupted, raising her eyebrows.

"Ramen is the best food in the world! It makes you a great person. It would never betray me by making me fat," Naruto said, nodding as if giving wise advice. "Favorite color?"

"Lavender," Sasuke answered, shaking her head at how silly Naruto was acting.

"Really?" he asked surprised. "That seems too girly for you."

"Sorry for being a girl," she snapped.

"That's okay," Naruto said as if forgiving her. "You're still pretty cool. My favorite color is orange."

"And you think lavender is weird," Sasuke mumbled.

For the rest of the day, they passed the time with idle conversations, occasionally snacking or stretching their legs with a walk. It was a great day, though the next morning neither would remember all the little things the talked about.

As the sun began to set around their quiet conversations, they decided it was finally time to pull out their bedding and begin to set them up.

"You can put your bed over here if you want," Naruto said awkwardly, when Sasuke began to roll out her bed on the other side of their campsite.

"That … I would like that," Sasuke said with a smile and then proceeded to gather up her blankets once more. It did not seem so weird this time, nor did it feel like something done solely out of fear of danger. It felt right.

This time, as they lay next to each other, neither had to pretend to be asleep. They turned to face each other and continued talking as if they had done so for years. Sasuke could not remember how long they talked or when she had drifted off to sleep, but she was certain it had been a good evening.

In the morning, when Sasuke opened her eyes, Naruto was still lying next to her. His eyes were open and he was just staring at her. It was a new day and in his eyes, she saw a new look. All the arguments they had had suddenly seemed silly and they wondered why they had even argued in the first place. Things were different between them now. Their hatred had faded gently into the night.

"Good morning," Naruto greeted with a smile.

Black covers even the brightest defeat

It changes the way two people will greet

Allowing old injuries to be healed

Frowns for smiles: all will be revealed.

~*A*N*G*E*L*~