Chapter Eleven
"How did you do it?" The question was rushed, forced. It had been a now or never question; Sasuke had to say it before his pride stopped him.
Sakura's eyes widened. "What-"
"How did you do it?" Sasuke repeated quickly.
She blinked, eyelashes fluttering to meet and part. "You…you want my help?" Sakura asked breathlessly, obviously shocked.
Sasuke growled. She didn't have to put it like that! "I just want to know how you did it," he repeated.
Sakura smiled. "Right, right, of course," she answered in a saccharine voice. Is she…patronizing me? Sasuke felt his ego hit a new low. "Um, okay, uh," she started.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. I don't have all day. "Yes?"
"Close your eyes," she ordered. He glared at her. "Trust me, it helps." I'll withhold judgment on that notion. "Push everything out of your mind except the tree. Start collecting chakra in your feet." She closed her eyes and changed positions as though she was trying to feel the chakra flowing, as though she was trying to remember how it felt. "When you run at the tree you have to start letting the chakra flow from your feet to the tree."
"I think that's the hardest part," she said, face puckered in deep thought. "You have to start increasing the chakra until you feel your feet firmly pulled to the tree. Stop increasing then."
That's where I'm going wrong. I keep increasing the chakra. That's why I keep falling. Now this made sense.
Sakura was still speaking. "Remember, you have to let the chakra flow into the tree, otherwise it won't work and you won't be able to scale the tree."
Sasuke nodded, registering the information. A slight wind caught them, rustling the leaves and whipping Sakura's sweaty hair around her placid face and entwining it in the foliage around her.
"You really should put your hair up." Where the hell did that come from? "It's more practical," he added immediately, trying to recover.
She blushed a pink far darker than her hair. "I know," she said apologetically. "I hate it when it gets tangled." She retrieved a hair band from somewhere in her outfit and began pulling it up.
Sasuke slid down the tree. Sakura watched him intently, hair forgotten in honor of her teammate. He abstained from meeting her brazen stare.
Alright, he thought, facing the tree. Obediently he shut his eyes, pushing everything else out of his mind. Concentrating his chakra, he charged at the tree.
Let the chakra flow. He headed up the tree, increasing his chakra. He started to feel his feet being pulled to the tree. He had felt the sensation before, but now he understood it.
Without warning the grip disappeared. He collected himself enough to slash a new mark in the tree before falling back to the ground.
He could hear Shisui's cackling in his head as though his cousin was beside him. Shisui could be a relentless mocker, and Sasuke knew exactly what his cousin would have said if he had witnessed the little show of failure.
Sasuke heard a soft noise beside him. Sasuke couldn't help it; he glanced at Sakura, wondering if she'd seen him fall, ready with a caustic remark in case she had.
Sakura met his eyes, and he knew she had seen. He parted his lips, preparing to bark back at her, to shut her down. Reddening conspicuously, she winked at him and smiled. Her bravado completely depleted, she immediately whipped around to face her tree again, body obviously tense as she waited for Sasuke's reaction.
She winked.
She winked. What the hell?
Thrown completely off-guard, Sasuke waited for her to turn around again, to say something, to look at him.
Sakura didn't indulge him. The tree in front of her was apparently far more enthralling than her teammate. Sasuke watched, mouth set in a firm line, as she hit the tree again and again.
She knew he was staring; her movements were sluggish and uncoordinated, and any skill she had gained over the past hours abruptly disappeared under the Uchiha's intense gaze.
Ah, to hell with it. The tree was more important than Sakura.
Slouching, Sasuke wearily rubbed the sweat off his forehead. I. Hate. This. Tree. It was easier to rage at a tree than it was to rage at a chakra control exercise, although both were equally ludicrous.
While not as palpably tired as Sasuke was, Naruto was definitely sagging as well. His gung-ho attitude had been toned down by the late hour and the strenuous exercise.
Surprisingly enough Sakura was still with them. She had disappeared the hour before and returned with dinner for the three of them.
The cynic in Sasuke told him that she had probably been rebuffed for leaving her comrades and had been forced to return; the food had been Inari's mother's addition. His trusting side argued that she had left to for the intent purpose of feeding them.
"Sakura-chan?" Naruto said suddenly, his voice subservient and enervated.
Languidly Sakura rose and stumbled over to her teammate. Sasuke watched wordlessly as Naruto lowered his voice to a quiet previously unimaginable. Sakura responded in a voice equally quiet.
Sasuke didn't know why, but there was something truly irritating about the whole situation. It felt so strange to stand not two meters from a conversation and have absolutely no idea what the heck the people involved in said conversation were saying.
"HEY!" Naruto yelled. "Stop listening to us, teme!"
Sasuke ground his teeth. "I'm not listening to your idiotic conversation, idiot. It holds absolutely zero interest for me."
"Then stop listening!"
"Dobe, I'm not listening!" You imbecile! Is your hearing as damaged as your brain? To emphasize his point, Sasuke ran at the tree again, although he was too distracted to control his chakra efficiently.
Evidently satisfied, Naruto finished his conversation with Sakura. The pinkette smiled and returned to her former position: attempting to stay awake as she lounged underneath the tree. How hard your life is, Sasuke thought sarcastically.
"AGH!" Naruto screamed as he fell from the tree again. "You damn tree!"
"Naruto! Cussing at the tree won't help you!"
"Sakura-chan," he whined.
"Just be quiet," she threw back crossly, slumping against the tree again.
The night came deceitfully, coating them in darkness before they had even realized that the sun had set. The stars were particularly bright and the moon was full, providing just enough light for them to see each other's silhouettes.
One more time, Sasuke decided finally. Then I'll have to rest. My focus is shattered, and my body is exhausted. I won't get any farther tonight.
Sasuke faced the tree once more. The repeated exercise had forced him to memorize every nook and cranny of it; without even seeing he saw the bends in the branches, the chips in the trunk, and the splotches of moss covering its body.
He shut his eyes and focused his chakra. Come on! He breathed deeply and charged.
Something clicked. Sasuke couldn't put words or even thoughts to the phenomenon, but for once his chakra obeyed his commands. The flow to his feet was unwavering.
He hit the tree a little harder than necessary, but that minor mistake was easily forgotten as his feet held him to the trunk. He ran up, waiting for his body to fail him, waiting for the horrible sensation of falling to flood his senses.
It didn't come. YES! Sasuke screamed silently. He was nearly at the top of the tree before his worn out body failed.
Rather than fall Sasuke caught himself on a nearby branch. He sat on it, smirking happily. You damn tree.
Sasuke was broken out of his reverie by another frustrated yell from Naruto. The boy's ire had only been compounded by Sasuke's victory.
I can go back and rest now. The bed at Tazuna's place seemed ever so inviting now. I'll work on it more tomorrow.
He slid down the tree and started for home. He heard the rustling of the grass as Sakura rose to follow him. Naruto said nothing, but the pounding of his feet and hands had stopped.
Sasuke increased his pace. Contrary to popular belief, he had and conscience, and said conscience was bugging him (rather loudly) about abandoning Naruto. He can take care of himself. He's not an infant. For Kami's sake, he's supposed to be a ninja in training! It's not my fault that he couldn't complete the technique, and it's not my fault that he's obviously too stubborn to come back with us.
That did not appease his conscience. He ignored it.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said quietly.
"Hn," he grunted, hoping she would take the hint and be quiet. He had a feeling her conscience was bugging her as much as his was.
"Sasuke-kun, do you think we should bring Naruto back with us?"
Sasuke stopped and glared at her. "If he wants to come, then he'll come." He started to walk off again.
Unrelenting, Sakura trailed behind him. "Well, yeah, maybe, but, but won't it look bad if we come back without him?"
"You only care about what people think."
This time, Sakura ignored him. It was mildly perturbing. "Especially Kakashi-sensei. I mean, he's always talking about that whole teamwork thing. I mean." She looked at him. Sasuke was fairly sure she was going for a "pitiful puppy dog" look. While it was better than her attempts at looking angrily at him, it was still ridiculous. "Shouldn't we just go back and ask?" Sakura entreated him.
Sasuke sighed loudly. "Fine."
Naruto was where they had left him, still pounding away at the tree. Sakura looked at Sasuke pleadingly.
"Don't even," he growled softly. "This is your problem. You do it."
Sakura licked her oddly dry lips. "Naruto?"
The boy jumped in the air. "Sakura-chan! What are you doing here?" He scowled. "And why's teme here?" Trust me, I want to be back at the house as much as you want me to be back at the house.
"Naruto, come back with us," Sakura said. Naruto blinked a few times. "You can finish tomorrow, right? We can't go back without you. Kakashi-sensei will probably lecture us or something." A lecture. The horror.
The determination in Naruto's eyes grew rapidly. "No."
"What?" Sakura seemed shocked. You really need to accept it when people tell you no. You have an issue with that word that you must resolve. "But Naruto-"
"You ran up that damn tree, and Sasuke-teme ran up that damn, and I'm gonna do it too! I'm not gonna just give up and go back just because it takes me longer to learn it! Lots of stuff is harder for me, but I don't give up, and I'm not gonna!"
Sasuke had a million sarcastic quips he could have barbed Naruto with, but he didn't really feel the need to kill the boy's spirit. There was something admirable about his determination, even if it was reckless and undisciplined.
I told you so, Sakura, he thought. The idiot's as stubborn as hell. Now that his convoluted ideals have told him that it's disgraceful to leave, he has to stay. There's nothing you or I can do about it.
Sakura groaned. "But Naruto-"
For perhaps the first time, Naruto purposefully refused Sakura. He threw himself back into his routine of running, falling, yelling, and getting back up.
Well, that's that, I suppose. Sasuke turned to leave, waiting for Sakura to come with him. The girl followed. Naruto continued on alone, the darkness hanging around him oppressively, cutting off their view of him.
They started down the path; Sasuke moving purposefully and confidently, Sakura constantly looking back at her other teammate. Sasuke pretended not to notice. She's not going to go back.
"I can't do this!" Sakura yelled suddenly, surprising him. Without warning she turned around and ran back towards Naruto, Sasuke stopped, waiting for her to come back. Is she going to drag him here? Sasuke wouldn't put it beyond her. I'm not helping if she is planning to, though.
She didn't come back, and she didn't attack Naruto. "Okay," was all she said, and she said it wearily. Slowly she tracked over to her old tree and sat beside it, tucking her legs under her.
"Okay what?" Naruto asked, perplexed. Sakura didn't answer. She sat motionless on the forest floor. After about five minutes of intense speculation, Naruto finally discerned the meaning of her unspoken statement.
"Sakura-chan, you don't have to stay!" Naruto reassured her. "You should go rest!"
Sakura just smiled and shook her head. "It's fine, Naruto." Naruto opened his mouth to protest again, but Sakura cut him off. "Naruto, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, okay? Just be quiet and keep going."
Sasuke wasn't sure if Naruto knew she meant, but he obeyed her anyway and returned to the tree.
Great. Now I have to be the selfish one who leaves his teammates behind, Sasuke seethed. He bit his lip, watching the little scene unfold. Sakura observed Naruto evenly, occasionally muttering: half was insults, and half was encouragement. There was something oddly appealing about it; sweet in the entirely dysfunctional way that Team 7 was.
Alright. Sasuke decided. I'm not leaving them. There were some things that were inexplicable, and the care for ones problematic and completely annoying teammates was one of them. With all the confidence he had had when he was leaving, Sasuke came back to the clearing.
"Sasuke-kun, you can go back to the house," Sakura said unnecessarily. "You don't have to stay."
Sasuke gritted his teeth. Now he absolutely could not go back. Of course she knows just what to say. Sighing, Sasuke sank to the ground beside one of the trees. He had the misfortune of sitting on a mass of buried rocks. Dumbstruck, Naruto and Sakura gaped at Sasuke as he stood up and dug the rocks out of the ground and angrily threw them deeper into the woods. Sakura winced as they hit unoffending trees.
Sasuke resumed his earlier spotand crossed his arms in front of his chest, steely eyes boring into the back of Naruto's head. Naruto gave him a mocking smile before he went back to his task.
The night dragged on slowly. Sasuke dozed on and off throughout the first few hours, drowsiness overpowering his survival instincts. Sakura put up a valiant fight; she didn't want to sleep when both Sasuke and Naruto were still awake; but Sasuke could see her clearly fading away.
Around what Sasuke guessed to be one or two in the morning, a scream woke both him and Sakura from their near slumber.
"What the heck?" Sakura screeched, completely rattled. "What's going-"
"Look, Sakura-chan!" Even in his muddled state, Sasuke knew that voice. Naruto – but, he's not in front of the tree anymore. Sasuke tilted his head backwards. Sure enough, Naruto had managed to scale part of the tree. Comparatively, he still had a ways to go; Sakura had reached the top, and Sasuke's mark was about twice as high as the point Naruto had reached. Still, he did manage it.
"You got up the tree," Sakura said sleepily.
"Yep," Naruto beamed happily. "I told you, didn't I?"
Sakura yawned. "Uh-huh," she said.
"But I'm not stopping! I'm not going back until I get to Sasuke-teme's mark!" Naruto kept going, the lateness of the hour not slowing his ability to speak clearly and yell deafeningly. He continued his rant for several more minutes before Sasuke stopped him.
"Dobe," Sasuke interceded.
"What?" Naruto paused for a moment.
"She's asleep."
"No she's-" Sakura snored softly, unconsciously proving Sasuke's point. "Oh."
Sasuke stood, stretching his sore and tired body before he made his way over to his female teammate.
"Teme, what are you doing?" Naruto was honestly intrigued. He jumped off the tree to get a closer look.
"It's late," Sasuke stated. "You climbed the 'damn tree', right? So it's time to go back. I'm not staying, and she's not either." I hate explaining myself this much. It was so troublesome to be on a team with an idiot, even if he was a good-natured idiot. "If you're not coming back, fine. Stay."
He slid one arm under Sakura's back and the other under her legs. Sakura was light for a twelve year old, and Sasuke had been throwing, or attempting to throw, his brother and cousin for years. A little chakra would help his run back to the house. It's not so far.
Sasuke stood and jogged into the forest, being careful not to jostle Sakura. Her face was unlined and peaceful in her sleep, and her deep and shallow breathing was so calming it was making him drowsy.
Heavy footsteps treaded after him. Finally. They traveled in silence: there was no need to talk, and they were both so exhausted that even the thought of attempting conversation was too much.
They reached the house. Without being asked Naruto opened the door for Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke nodded at him in thanks before carrying Sakura upstairs.
He laid her on the bed gently. Momentarily he considered pulling the blanket out from under her, but he realized that the risk of waking her was too great. He exited the room and headed for his own.
Naruto was waiting, luckily still awake. "Naruto," Sasuke warned, "if you tell her about this-"
"Ah, shut up, teme, I'm not gonna tell her," Naruto said crossly. "She wouldn't believe me anyway, even if I did tell her."
Sasuke pulled his shirt off and climbed into bed. He burrowed deep into the mattress, trying to shut out as much of the rest of the world as possible. He had found it was the easiest way of falling asleep.
"Hey teme," Naruto whispered. "Why'd you stay behind? Was it just 'cause Sakura-chan was going to stay?"
Sasuke was quiet for a moment. "You shouldn't ask stupid questions, Naruto."
Sasuke could practically feel the blond boy's grin. "Night, teme," he called cheerfully.
Sasuke smirked from under his contrived fortress.
The next morning was interesting. Sakura had woken up completely dazed, certain that she was suffering from premature memory loss. Tazuna's daughter had managed to convince her that extreme sleep deprivation could cause momentary blackouts and sleepwalking, which Sakura was now convinced she had done.
Naruto had kept his word; he didn't mention Sasuke's chivalrous act of the night before. Kakashi kept a close and ever interested eye on all of them. Sasuke had a feeling that Kakashi had some idea of what had gone on the day before, but unlike many other jonin he wasn't about to try and find out the entire story. Any interesting and/or amusing details would eventually come to light, and Kakashi would just relish the moment when and if the details did surface.
And they won't, Sasuke thought. They will not. I will kill Naruto if he mentions it. Sasuke had no qualms about repeatedly refusing Sakura and even refusing her in abrupt and inconsiderate ways, but raising and then dashing her hopes would be malicious.
Sakura and Naruto babbled about the chakra exercise on cue. Sasuke remained mainly uninvolved, contributing only when necessary.
Kakashi decide to reveal the agenda for the day after the end of breakfast. "Overall," he began, "I'm impressed with your progress in your chakra control. Sakura, your chakra control is already excellent," Sakura beamed proudly, "which is why you'll have the day off from training so you can protect Tazuna."
"Sasuke and Naruto, you still need some extra practice. This morning Sakura will guard Tazuna during his work and Sasuke and Naruto will train with me, and in the afternoon-"
"But-" Sakura interrupted, realization of her mission hitting. "Kakashi-sensei-"
"Yes?"
"But Kakashi-sensei, that'll be so boring!" Sakura whined. Deal with it. Ninja life isn't glamorous. "Please, can't you or," her eyes lit up, "Sasuke come with me? That way I'd have someone to talk to."
Don't you dare! Sasuke looked at his sensei, eyes wide with absurd horror. Don't do it. Sasuke could already see what the day would entail: Sakura would be convinced that it was some pseudo date, and it would all go downhill from there. No. I'll work with her during missions. I'll train with her. I'll even help her if she absolutely needs it, but I will not perpetuate her ridiculous fantasies.
Bemused, Kakashi watched his students. Sasuke could almost hear his thoughts: should he persecute Sasuke or Sakura? Which would be more enjoyable? Sakura's reaction would be instantaneously gratifying; Sasuke's would be more prolonged and therefore more enjoyable. He is a sadistic man, isn't he?
"I'll come with you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto proposed happily.
"Shut up, Naruto! I don't want you to come." Naruto seemed positively crestfallen, and Kakashi sternly, if silently, reproved her, causing Sakura to mediate her harsh words. "You still need to work on your chakra control."
That was true. That didn't mean Sasuke approved the plan. Take Naruto instead. After all, it won't be boring with him around.
Kakashi was still mulling over the situation; he'd even put his porn away for the moment. Don't. Please, don't. Inari, Tazuna's daughter, and Tazuna eavesdropped eagerly, ready to hear his answer. Sasuke wanted to plead his case, but he couldn't think of a defense that wasn't self-deprecating or outright offensive to Sakura. Sasuke despise her attitude, but he knew she was highly sensitive, far more than either him or Naruto.
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura chirped. "What if Zabuza really did attack? I mean, I couldn't beat him by myself, could I?"
Naruto laughed loudly. "You couldn't beat him even with Sasuke-teme!"
Sakura punched him before returning to her argument. "Well, even if we couldn't, we could at least delay them until you two got back. Anyway, we'd have a better chance."
"You'd be fine," Sasuke asserted. All interested members (and non-members) of the discussion turned their attention to him. "And he's not going to attack today."
Kakashi smiled widely from underneath his mask. He picked up his porn, and Sasuke's heart fell. "You know, Sakura, I do believe that you're right. Sasuke, go along with Sakura today and guard Tazuna."
Sasuke groaned and Naruto slammed his head into the table as Sakura cheered.
The bridge was in its intermediate building stages. From what Sasuke could see, the workers were progressing quickly, although admittedly he was no expert on such matters.
Sakura had been deliriously happy the entire day. Fortunately, she hadn't done anything more than smile, giggle, and ask Sasuke trivial questions. Sasuke was grateful for her self-restraint, as limited as it was.
As Sasuke had expected, Zabuza had not shown himself; however, the fear that he would come was at the forefront of everyone's mind. The men were tense and nervous, constantly looking over their shoulders and whispering among themselves. Sasuke did not blame them.
To his credit, Tazuna had kept up a cool and calm façade. To all outward appearances, Tazuna was unaffected by the threat of Zabuza.
Sasuke knew better. Tazuna knew better than any man on the bridge what Zabuza was capable of. He also knew of the additional threat: the mysterious boy hunter nin who had saved Zabuza. I wonder if even half of these men would still be here if they knew.
Sasuke supposed that was demeaning. There could be some courageous men, after all. But there aren't many. Without knowledge of the whole picture they're ready to drop their responsibilities and run. Shisui said often that a life lived in fear and cowardice wasn't a life worth living, and Sasuke couldn't agree with his assessment more.
"Sasuke-kun?"
"Hn," he answered half-heartedly, not really listening.
"Is Shisui your brother?"
Startled, Sasuke stared at Sakura. It was entirely unnerving that she had brought up the person he had been thinking of. "Why?"
"I was just curious," she defended herself timidly. "Is he?"
"No. He's my cousin." His tone was stern; too stern, actually. Sakura seemed to bring out the extremes in him.
"Oh," she said. "But doesn't he live with you?"
"He stays with us a lot. How do you even know about-"
"He used to pick you up sometimes, remember?" That apparently fond memory started Sakura off on a stream of chatter.
Funny, Sasuke noted. She's obsessed with me, but she doesn't even know that Shisui's not my brother. Obsessed was a bit of a strong word, but the crush she had was unnatural. It'd be so much better if she just dropped it. I wonder if that's even possible. Sasuke sincerely doubted it.
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said urgently. "Sasuke-kun, someone's here."
A surge of adrenaline and fear jolted him as he searched the surrounding area. "Where?" Sasuke asked softly. "Is it both of them?
Sakura didn't even get a chance to answer his question.
A/N: Thank you all so, so, so much for your wonderful reviews last chapter. I have had an insane week and haven't had a chance to reply individually to you all, but thank you all so much. I was having a pretty horrible day, and then I read all the reviews and I was just floored by how supportive and wonderful you were. You guys are simply amazing.
PS: Pete loved the attention as well. He's a happy cat ;)