The Uchiha Clan Survivors - Sorry for the wait, only excuse is...I FORGOT!

Vans - I know he's OOC, but when I wrote this I didn't know how calm and collected Itachi seems. I had this...image in my head! But now I know more, and I can't say I totally hate him. You Are So Lucky! School registration...We've been in school! -cry-

Raye-Nhi - I will respond to the reviewers! But ya know, whether she dies or not is my decision and my decision alone. I may want to torment my favorite character, as I love to do, no da? -blink- -wide eyes- I'M MIMICKING CHICHIRI! -calms- anyways, I'll give you a hint, k? -wink- this is chapter...12, and the story is 18 chapters long...guess.

Chapter 12 - When the Smoke Clears

Sasuke walked into his house after walking slowly through the rain. He didn't mind the rain, and today he felt numb. Maybe it's because he had been in the rain a while. Whatever, it didn't matter. He took a quick shower and then dried off. Sasuke got ready for the day instead of the night. It was dark outside but he didn't care. He would be ready at a moments notice to go back to the Hokage's place.

He sat on his bed for awhile, listening to the rain. After about 30 minutes though, he couldn't stay still and began to walk back and forth in his room. Time seemed to be going slower today, like it wanted to torment him, and was working for his brother. He opened his bedroom door and walked into his living room.

"I'm bored. I need to keep myself busy." he told himself, looking around. Cleaning? No, he only did that when needed. Cooking? No, he wasn't hungry. What then? Nothing. He'd just sit and wait...and wait...and wait...

Another hour went by, and Sasuke sat on the couch in many positions. Laying on his head, halfway off the couch, hanging over the back, and others. He sighed while hanging off the right arm of the couch and stood up. This was pointless.

He checked outside, it was still raining. So he picked up his jacket and headed for the door. Then he noticed something, as he reached for the doorknob a thought hit him. He took off his jacket, and went through his house looking for what he needed. The Uchiha clan all had one thing in common, the family seal. Satsuki didn't have this seal, as far as he knew, but she was his half-sister. She needed to wear the seal.

-

"Sakura. Sakura wake up." came Naruto's voice. Sakura opened her eyes and sat up.

"N-Naruto?" she said sleepily. "What...what happened?" she asked.

"Well, you were bandaged and given this bed...Satsuki though, they haven't told me anything. I hate being uninformed." He crossed his arms as she sat up.

"Wow. You used a big word correctly." she said tiredly.

"I'm not an idiot ya know. I do have some brains." he scoffed. If he didn't like Sakura she'd be in trouble right now for sure.

"Of course." she smiled.

"Huh?"

"You're a nice guy Naruto. Just...a bit stupid, pigheaded, and clumsy at times."

"Uh...thanks...I think." he sweat-dropped.

-

Sasuke looked at the jacket laid on his couch. It was dark blue, like his, and had the Uchiha fan symbol on the back. He smiled for a split second, the wrapped it up and got his jacket on. He put the packaged jacket in his jacket pocket and headed for Hokage's.

Five minutes later, Sasuke arrived. He walked through the door and squeezed the water out of his shirt and shook the water out of his hair.

"Is it still coming down out there?" came a familiar voice.

"Master Kakashi?" he looked up at his leader.

"Yep. Nice to see you when you're not covered in blood." he smirked.

"Oh yea, I have a question." Sasuke said. "Why didn't you or some other adult go and get Satsuki?" he seemed angry.

"Oh...well...that's a tough one..." he seemed to think really hard. "Hokage said no." came his blunt reply.

"What?"

"He said to 'leave the fate of the youth, in the hands of the youth.' So, I wasn't allowed to help." he shrugged and walked off.

"Huh?" Sasuke muttered, this was confusing. Kakashi paused and turned around.

"You can go see your friends now too." he said in a chipper mood, then he turned on his heel and walked off smiling.

Sasuke scoffed, "Why's he so happy?"

He wiped the water from his face with his sleeve, then walked over towards the medical wing. He knocked on the door softly then opened the door and walked in.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cheered, standing up. She had gotten off her bed and was now sitting in the 'waiting' room. Yea right, more like another 'torture' room. He got hugged by Sakura who then blushed furiously and sat down in a chair. "Sorry."

"Whatever." he said in his usual cold voice. He looked around. "Where's Naruto? Wasn't he here with you?"

"Oh. He's...hmm...where is he?" she looked around, but he wasn't in the room.

"Family only? My foot!" Naruto burst through a door on the other side of the room. Several angry looking doctors glared as he left. The door slammed shut behind him.

"Naruto? When did you go back there?" Sakura asked.

"While you were reading that book." he snapped.

"What's wrong?" she asked, he usually wasn't mean to her.

"The stupid doctors won't let me see Satsuki." He now has Sasuke's attention. "They say 'only family' can see her. Bull! Then who's gonna..." he looked at Sasuke and smirked.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"You're family, right?" he smirked like he had a devious plan.

"Uh...right..."

"Great!" he grabbed Sasuke and pushed him through the door.

"Why did you do that?" Sakura asked when the door was shut.

"Because." he smiled wide.

-

"Only family of the patients are allowed back here." a female doctor said to Sasuke as he walked further back.

"Oh, I know." he answered, turning around to face her.

"Mister Uchiha? Who's here that's your family?" she asked with slightly wide eyes.

"Uh...Satsuki." he said unsurely.

"Who? Oh! That girl with the stab wound. You're related?" Nod. "Well, that's a first. She's in the last room."

"Uh...thanks." he waved and walked down the hall.

About a minute later he came to the end of the hall to the last room. On the door was a sign that said, 'Name - Satsuki, Gender - Female, Age - 12, Family - Unknown"

"Heh, shows what they know." he said under his breath before opening the door.

The room was dark, only a small light near the bed was on. On the bed was a girl with long black hair that was bandaged heavily. She seemed to be asleep. He walked over carefully and sat down in the chair next to the bed silently. Sasuke looked around and found a book laying near him. He picked it up and began reading.

'Boring' he laid the book down on the desk again.

"Sasuke?"

"Huh?" Sasuke looked at Satsuki. Her eyes were open but she didn't turn her head. "Satsuki? Are you alright?" She smirked and nodded.

"Yea. I'm fine." her eyes closed as she smiled. "I actually thought I was going to die."

"You aren't going to die." Sasuke assured her. She nodded again.

"I know. But if I had, if I had died...I don't think I would care much..."

"What?"

"You see...My whole life was spent, not really knowing me. I lived with my mom, and we traveled. When she died, I was sad. But at that time, I had a purpose. That purpose was to find my family, to find you."

Sasuke just listened.

"After I found you, I was complete. I didn't need to worry about anything anymore. Then Hokage told me the whole truth about the downfall of our clan. I again had a purpose, to help you fight him"

"Itachi." Sasuke nearly spat. Satsuki nodded again.

"But I just seem to be trouble for you..."

"No. Of course not. You're my sister. If you are a pain, it's just natural, as far as I've heard, brothers and sisters are supposed to get on each others nerves." he smirked at the thought. Satsuki smirked but didn't answer. "Satsuki?"

He relaxed when he saw she was asleep. 'She must be tired.' He laid the package on the table next to her bed, then got up and left.

Preview : 'If I leave now...if I don't look back...I can leave it all behind...'

Ha! Suffer the one sentence preview! Mwuahahahahahahahaha! -cough- right...