AN: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or settings. I can't quite remember who to give credit to, but the only thing that I made up is Karinami Iruzika and everything having to do with her, including Roka and her lineage. For some reason, I made it so that the characters are 15-16 years old but…they're still Genin. NO they aren't dumb. I just made it that way—Dattebayo! Also, some of the people may be a little out of character. I am not an expert on Naruto. The end.

*Karinami's POV*

My day couldn't have been worse. After Sasuke left, the doctors asked me a bazillion and one questions over breakfast-time (I felt too bad to eat still) about the weapons that gave me my wounds, but I could hardly answer them. I didn't see much of what stabbed me. Later in the morning, my IV was finally taken out but it took about five minutes and it hurt like heck. Needles are definitely not my thing.

By the time lunch rolled around my blood transfusion IV was out, but I still felt sick to my stomach from the feeling of it being taken out of my vein and the remnant of my pain medication was driving me crazy so I had to decline the food. Apparently, most of the bored Chunin and Genin ninja whose senseis were at the meeting had decided to get together and train or…I don't know…do something enjoyable, so I was stuck here to talk to the wall with no visitors for the moment. How fun.

Even the night was horrible. I hadn't eaten all day because I felt like crap which makes 48 to 72 hours of me consuming nothing, so my stomach rumbled in the dark. Also, a woman in the room next to me with an illness woke up four times in the night screaming bloody murder from some hallucination until a doctor could give her something that made her fall back asleep again. If my room had been properly insulated like all the others, I wouldn't have minded because I wouldn't have heard.

Even worse, at about 2 a.m., I started feeling achy and weak from hunger and my stupid wounds. It took every ounce of self control I possessed not to march straight out of town, find Kakuzu, and give him a piece of my mind for all this crap he'd caused.

No way, you baka, he'd just kill you or something, I tried to convince myself. Just think…uh…happy thoughts or something (oh man if it's not almost five o'clock I'm gunna die). Just think happy thoughts—oh that's right, I don't have that many. Still—

I tried to think of anything even remotely happy that I'd come across and surprised the heck out of myself when the first thing that came to mind was—holy crap! For a split second, I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't feel my gnawing hunger or my wounds; I couldn't hear the woman screaming next door. I blinked in disbelief at my own girly-ness. What the heck was Sasuke doing in my mind? I blinked again. That—that is Sasuke…right? Yeah…okay…so why the heck did I think of him? My mouth nearly hit the floor.

Oh my goodness golly gracious somebody kill me, I think I'm becoming a ditzy fan girl! I almost screamed. Okay, okay…just…uh…think of something else! Anything else! No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to scrub Sasuke's image from my mind so, in blind desperation, I tried to remember exactly what the fight with Kakuzu had been like—oh, crud, bad idea.

I could almost feel his knife-like weapons ripping into my stomach again; hear myself shriek as I fell helpless to the ground…I could hear his footsteps and his haunting laugh as he taunted me—

I jerked myself from the memories, but my wounds were aching and I felt sick all over again. I sighed. Well, it was better than baka Sasuke…or was it? Crap. Oh, crap.

*Third-person perspective, 3 a.m., somewhere in Konohagakure*

Kakashi sighed. That had to have been the longest meeting in history, he thought, but at least it was worth it.

"Hey, Kakashi, why are you up so late? Or should I say early?" Team Seven's sensei turned as Might Guy and his team trekked up the small hill, obviously worn out from their mission.

"Oh, Guy, you missed the meeting," he answered.

"Meeting?"

"Yeah, about the Akatsuki."

"AH! I can't believe that I was gone! Think you could fill me in later?"

"Sure."

Guy stopped to chat, and Tenten started picking at the grass tiredly. "So why was a meeting called?"

"There was an attack."

"WHAT?" All four heads zipped up at the news, eyes wide—especially on Rock Lee's part. "What happened?"

"You know how my team was going to get some information on those robberies, right?" Kakashi affirmed calmly.

"Yeah."

"Well, Sakura and Naruto reported just fine but Sasuke and Karinami ran into two Akatsuki members at the end of the path."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Unfortunately, no. One of the men led Sasuke off and knocked him out, but the other—who seemed more…bloodthirsty, shall we say—decided to fight Kari. She didn't stand a chance."

"WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?" Tenten screamed. She was close friends with the girl in question. "IS SHE OKAY?"

"She's in the hospital right now," Kakashi replied. "With any luck, she'll be able to get around soon enough."

"Is she going to be alright, then?" Lee fretted. Kari was an easy person to be friends with as long as you didn't start flirting—which was no problem, since he liked Sakura—so pretty much everyone in Konoha, including Lee, happened to care if she was badly injured.

"The doctors think so. You can all visit in the morning."

"How's Roka taking it?" Guy inquired.

"Well, we were all so worried. That tends to happen when usually calm Sasuke walks up half-carrying his teammate with a concerned expression on his face. I'm so proud of both of them. Kari didn't give up, even given the odds, and according to Sasuke she even tried to walk back to Konohagakure on her own! And Uchiha? He didn't sleep for two or three days and carried Karinami from where the path ended all the way back to Konoha. If that doesn't at LEAST help them get along better, I don't know what will! Still…Roka's visiting her right now…hopefully she'll be getting some rest. It is three in the morning, after all."

"Not to change the subject, but how'd Sakura and Naruto do with the whole 'working together' thing? You said a while ago that part of the goal of the mission was to get the team on better terms with one another, since Karinami didn't get along with Sasuke and Sakura didn't get along with Naruto; so did they at least accomplish that much?" Guy chuckled.

"Aah," Kakashi rolled his visible eye. "Those two are such a pain sometimes. I guess they technically tolerated one another, but they didn't exactly pass with flying colors if you get my point."

"Ha! Well, at least they didn't argue the whole way."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Well," Guy concluded, "it is rather late and you all should probably be in bed." He looked pointedly at Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten.

"Yeah, I'm bushed," Tenten agreed, yawning. "See you guys tomorrow, 'k?"

Neji nodded, but Rock Lee shouted enthusiastically. "See ya', Tenten!"

Waving their good-byes, they all parted ways.

*Sasuke's POV*

I woke up breathing hard and in a cold sweat. Looking around, I recognized my own room. "D***," I hissed to myself, "just a nightmare."

Sure it was a dream, but it felt so real. I could see myself following a trail of blood through the woods, screaming Karinami's name as my head throbbed. The blood pounded through me as I heaved a huge lungful of air as the trail began to look fresher. I could hear the crows croaking at me from the trees; I could see myself stop dead as I found Kari, her body cold and red liquid still pouring from her stomach…but this time she wasn't just hurt. This time, she was as dead and stiff from Kakuzu's hand, her ice blue eyes lifeless and unblinking—

"Stop it!" I growled at myself, throwing a nearby kunai at a training dummy. It hit it right in the stomach, right where Kakuzu had—

"STOP IT!" I threw myself down on my bed, cursing, and hoped that no one had heard my outburst. What a fun explanation that would be.

You know, when you dream about someone, it means they're thinking about you, my stupid internal voice chimed in.

"Oh, shut up," I snarled quietly, and pulled my pillow over my head.

But, my evil little conscience went on, now that you're thinking about her she might start dreaming of you and that can't be too bad, can it?

"Heck yes it can," I mumbled into my palate. Crud, now I was talking to myself. Rolling over and drop-kicking my pillow across the room, I stared at the ceiling until my head hurt. I looked at my clock. 4: 38 a.m., and I was wide awake. Crap.

"Well," I muttered to myself, "might as well make use of the time I'm up." Dragging myself out of bed, I managed to get dressed without too much noise. I'll just go and practice my taijutsu or something…

As I stepped outside, I could hear Naruto snoring in a room down the hall and Lee was talking in his sleep—he must've gotten back sometime during the night. I was just about to the outskirts of the city when a movement caught my eye. Using peripheral vision, I saw that—oh, what the heck—?

I quietly pounced on top of a flat-roofed building and looked up. "Kari?"

The figure on top of the hospital jumped in surprise. "Sasuke? Holy crap you scared me! What are you doing up?"

"What are you doing out of your room? The doctors will kill you!"

"Ah, let 'em." She grouched. "If I stay in that room any longer, I'm going to go completely insane."

Warily, I made my way over to her. Sure enough, it was Karinami. She saw me looking at her oddly and asked, "What?"

I shrugged. "I'm not used to you wearing your symbol plate around your neck; it's weird." I immediately regretted saying what I did, but she didn't seem to care.

"Well, I can't wear it over all these dang bandages now can I?" She glanced at me sideways. "Now seriously, why are you up? It's not even five."

"I couldn't sleep," I half-lied. "You?"

"I couldn't sleep either. I pretended to be asleep when Roka came—he would've had a cow if he knew I was awake. Still, the woman in the next room was screaming like a wounded wolf." I felt like there was something that she wasn't mentioning, but I didn't press the matter.

I considered the small trapdoor that led back into the hospital. "The medical corps will be screaming like wolves as well if you don't go and rest or something."

Kari stuck her tongue out at me childishly but it was actually kind of cute. "You too? Everybody just wants me to relax and rest! It's driving me up a wall!" She groaned and flopped down on her back, looking at the already-fading stars. "I hate being wounded."

I nearly argued with her, but instead got a wicked idea. "No joke, Karinami, if you don't go and get back in bed I will carry you there myself, tadashii?"

"Heck no!" She shrieked, sitting up. "Oh crap, ow, that hurts," she added unhappily.

"Want me to tell Roka?" I went on, enjoying myself thoroughly.

"Tell him and I will kill you, Sasuke," she threatened.

"Then GO."

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" She huffed, standing up.

I watched her leave, and then looked at the sky. Still time for taijutsu, I sighed, standing up and heading towards the city limits. As I was walking, a revelation hit me. Okay, since when have I had a civil conversation like that with someone without being forced to? My feet automatically stopped walking. Considering my social life, it was a very good question—and I didn't have an answer. Hn.

AN: Again, thanks to everybody that reviewed so far! Questions and comments can be directed to the little review button down below, so don't hesitate to type in a response! The end.