A/N: CAUTION. LONG CHAPTER AHEAD. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Chapter Thirteen
Home. It was a good word.
Sasuke opened the back door to his house and quietly stepped in, feeling for the unique chakra signatures of his family. His mother wasn't home, but Hiro wasn't either. Shisui, he thought. And…who the heck is that? He could hear a female voice whispering softly, but he didn't immediately recognize it.
Kami, he better not be making out with some girl on the living room floor. Sasuke stepped heavily as he walked towards the living room; the last thing he wanted was to catch his cousin with his tongue down some girl's throat.
Shisui was standing next to the wall, and a short, dark haired girl was beside him. The girl saw him, and her face brightened. "Sasu-chan!"
Sasuke groaned internally. "Etsuko," he greeted her brusquely as he headed for the kitchen. He could smell food; Etsuko was an excellent cook. Her one redeeming quality, he thought dryly.
Etsuko had been on Shisui's genin team, and she had been his off-again, on-again girlfriend ever since. Etsuko and Shisui had developed a sort of routine: they were ardently in love for anywhere from three weeks to eight months, then they were "an old married couple" for anywhere from three days to two months, and then usually there was some cataclysmic fight that resulted in a break-up. Anywhere from a week to a year later, they made up in an overblown and deceptively fervent way, and the pattern started over again. Judging by the fact that they were holding hands and not trying to kill each other, Sasuke deduced that they were in the beginning "ardently in love" phase.
Sasuke took a generous portion of Etsuko's omusubi. He shut his eyes, chewing it carefully. As always, it was perfect.
Etsuko skipped into the kitchen cheerfully. "Don't ignore me, Sasuke-kun. It's not polite." She grinned widely as she slid across the kitchen, stopping centimeters from his body. Even Etsuko knew not to invade his personal space. "Soooo, how was the mission?"
Sasuke glared at her. He could hear Shisui laughing loudly in the other room, although he failed to see anything even remotely humorous about Etsuko's antics. "Fine."
Etsuko pouted. Sasuke wondered how anyone so lethal could act so absolutely juvenile. Etsuko had been a member of ANBU for a year; she had quit during one of her relationships with Shisui and later decided not to rejoin. Jonin had more freedom, and Etsuko could usually con Shisui into buying whatever she wanted. "Sasuke, I know it wasn't fine. You're late, you know. So, what happened?"
"Yes, Sasuke-kun," Shisui intoned as he joined Etsuko's side. "What happened?"
Sasuke chewed very deliberately, wondering why exactly he had wanted to leave his team so quickly. "Nothing."
"You know," Etsuko said. "I bet Hatake took them to a whore house on his way back. I heard that he used to celebrate a successful mission by a trip to a prostitute." Etsuko wiggled her eyebrows. Sasuke supposed it was supposed to be suggestively. It looked absolutely ridiculous. "Sasuke-kun just doesn't want to incriminate himself."
Sasuke paused to swallow before answering. "Can't I eat in peace first?"
"No," the couple answered together.
He rolled his eyes and took another bite.
"Sasuke-kun," Etsuko whined. "I've been so incredibly bored."
"Then take a mission."
"I'm on forced medical leave, remember?"
Sasuke had actually forgotten. Etsuko had royally screwed her body on her last mission; it had taken a team of healers several hours to peace her together. As it was, she was still limping and became exhausted easily. "Find some other entertainment. You have him for a reason." I really am getting desperate. Either that or Shisui's permanently poisoned my mind.
"Him? How cold, Sasuke," Shisui said.
"I've tried," Etsuko continued, ignoring Shisui's protest. "Trust me." Oh yes, Etsuko, trust you, Sasuke thought sarcastically. I'd trust Hiro before you. "And while Hiro-sama was rather fun the first few go-around's, I need someone less irascible."
Sasuke smirked. If there was one person who disliked Etsuko more than he did, it was Hiro. Hiro had once threatened to throw Shisui out of the clan if he continued to fraternize with her. Etsuko had an inexplicable inability to infuriate Hiro and yet still remain safe, and Sasuke knew it had been even worse during his absence and her convalescence period.
"You know," Shisui said as he sat on the counter. "We're going to hear it anyway when Aunt Mikoto returns."
Sasuke sighed as he settled onto the counter. It was easier to give in than it was to endure an evening of torture. "Do you know-"
"The basics? Yes," Etsuko interrupted. "The bridge builder, going to the Land of Waves, all that fun crap." Sasuke glared at her. "What? Itachi-kun knew, so I found out."
Sasuke sighed. "You've heard of Zabuza."
Shisui and Etsuko both froze. "Hell, yeah," Shisui answered.
"That's why we were late." Sasuke hopped off the counter and started to climb the stairs.
Shisui was in front of him before he made it up the first step. "You ran into Zabuza? The demon nin? The guy who murdered his entire class? The jonin who killed an entire village for chump change? That Zabuza?"
"I wasn't aware there was more than one."
Etsuko was at his side now. "Did you kill him?" It was at these moments that Sasuke could see the hint of a killer shining through, through her bright eyes and interested posture and absolute I need to know stance.
"Not personally," Sasuke admitted. "Hatake finished him off." Etsuko and Shisui exchanged what Sasuke assumed were meaningful looks.
He sighed and launched into his story. For once, Shisui and Etsuko were both perfectly quiet and attentive, listening to his story; neither one interrupted until he mentioned his sharingan activating at the end.
"Well, congrats," Shisui said with a toothy smile. "Great timing. Have you activated it since?"
Sasuke shook his head. Activating a sharingan too often, especially when one was inexperienced at its use, could lead to chakra depletion. He wouldn't have hesitated to use it in a battle, but the journey home had been remarkable relaxed.
Etsuko started laughing. "Remember when you activated your sharingan, Shisui? You bet I couldn't beat you anymore." She shook her head him, laughing even harder. "You were so superior and all "I can kick all of your butts' because I have a kekkai genkai blah blah blah". And then we sparred and I beat your ass twice as badly."
"You did not."
"Shisui-kun," Etsuko said in a mocking tone. "You shouldn't lie in front of the child." Her grin grew wider as her voice grew deeper and raspier. "You have to instill morals and appreciation into the next generation," she said in a fair imitation of Uchiha Hiro.
Sasuke didn't smirk. He didn't want Etsuko to think he liked her. Give her an centimeter, and she'll go a kilometer.
"Whatever you say, love," Shisui said dismissively, waving her off. "Activate it again, Sasuke."
Normally, Sasuke would not have obliged Shisui, but his sharignan was a point of pride for him. He shut his eyes, recollecting every instruction he had ever heard for activating one's sharingan.
His eyes flashed opened. The sensation of chakra moving to his eyes was unnerving, but he was becoming accustomed to it. Practice. The more I use it, especially in combat, the easier it will feel.
"Sasuke," Shisui said softly, looking at his younger cousin very closely. "Are you sure that this week was the first time?"
Sasuke delicately arched an eyebrow in response. I would know if I had activated it before, idiot."Of course."
"Sasuke, you have two tomoe," Etsuko added.
Sasuke blinked, deactivating his sharingan. That was a surprise. He hadn't realized that. No one besides Haku had seen his sharingan; he had unintentionally deactivated it before Kakashi or Naruto had had a chance to see it, and Sakura wouldn't have known the difference in the first place.
"Well, you're just full of surprises today," Shisui remarked as he rose. "I wonder why you didn't activate it earlier – if you had two tomoe today, you definitely could have earlier."
Sasuke shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but in truth he was slightly peeved. I…I could have had it before. Why didn't I? Why couldn't I?
Shisui was moving back towards the kitchen with Etsuko. Sasuke suddenly remembered his earlier question. Shisui was in an unnaturally helpful mood, and gossip was Etsuko's middle name. They're a starting point, at any rate.
"Shisui." His cousin stopped and leaned cockily against the wall. "What do you know about Uzumaki Naruto?"
Shisui stared at him incredulously. For a minute, there was a crack in Shisui's devil may care façade. He covered it hastily. "He's your teammate. He has blond hair. Is there something I should know?" Shisui asked jokingly.
"Wait, Uzumaki's on Sasuke's team?" Etsuko interjected, obviously shocked.
"Etsuko," Shisui hissed. Etsuko ignored him; it was one of her many talents.
"No wonder he's been throwing tantrums. He's gotta be so pissed." Etsuko shook her head.
"Why does Hiro hate him?" Sasuke asked.
"Well," Etsuko started.
"Shut up!" Shisui commanded darkly. Sasuke had to control his surprise. Shisui was almost never truly enraged; irritated, yes, angry, yes, but truly irate? Not at his friends, and especially not a girl he'd known since he was a child.
Etsuko turned her face away from Shisui and focused on Sasuke. "I'm surprised you don't know by now."
"Etsuko, stop now," Shisui growled. "This isn't up for discussion."
"You shut up, Shisui."
"Etsuko, leave," Shisui ordered, his face just as dark as it was before. Sasuke could feel him centering his chakra, and Sasuke felt his blood run cold. He wouldn't use his mind control jutsu on Etsuko, would he? Etsuko snarled at him angrily. "I mean it, Etsuko. Go now, before I make you."
"You won't make me, Uchiha." But there was that little tremble, that little uncertainty, that stopped her form making it a true threat. Etsuko had seen Shisui use his mind control ability too many times; she knew exactly what he was capable of.
"Then leave." Etsuko glared at him, dark green eyes filled with anger, before stomping out the door. Knowing Etsuko, she was headed off to sulk. She was far too entrenched in the world of gossip to trust anyone; she knew that whatever she told would be broadcast for the entire village.
Her anger did not bode well for her relationship with Shisui.Well, we went through that cycle quickly. Wonder how long of a break they'll take before it all starts again. Sasuke was hoping for a few months at least.
Shisui started washing dishes, completely ignoring Sasuke's question. "Shisui-"
"I can't tell you, alright? Look, Hiro has a reason. The village has a reason." Shisui stopped for a moment. "Why do you even care? You knew Naruto was hated before, and you knew he was hated when you got placed on his team. You knew that everyone despised him. Don't tell me you've suddenly grown a conscience."
"When he beat Haku, he used a foreign chakra. It wasn't his, Shisui." Shisui halted, and Sasuke studied his cousin. What the hell is so important that you won't poison my mind by sharing? Shisui had never held back information, especially if said information was potentially damaging and/or perverted. Especially perverted. "You know something."
"I don't."
"Stop lying. You're bad at it."
Shisui moaned. "Sasuke, there are some things that are better left unsaid. This is one of those things."
"What's one – Sasuke!" The pair turned around to acknowledge Mikoto, who was juggling a sack of groceries. Sasuke took the bag from her and placed it on the table. He didn't resist when she took advantage of his preoccupation and stole a hug.
"When did you get back?" Mikoto asked cheerfully.
"I-" Sasuke began.
"He got back around an hour ago," Shisui interrupted. Sasuke resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at his cousin. He was beyond such behavior.
"How'd the mission go?" Mikoto asked.
"It-" Sasuke began again.
"He activated his sharingan," Shisui interjected. That's it. Sasuke swung at Shisui's stomach. Shisui narrowly evaded the hit, jumping on the table to escape it.
Idiot. Scoffing at his cousin's stupid mistake, Sasuke knocked his cousin's feet out from under him. Shisui fell on the table –
And reappeared behind Sasuke.Damn!Shisui hooked an arm around Sasuke. Sasuke kicked out wildly, somehow managing to connect with his cousin. He slipped out of Shisui's grip.
And then he was across the room, and Shisui was on the other side, and his mother was glaring at them both with a stare that was worse than Sasuke's and Hiro's combined, a glare that reminded Sasuke exactly why his mother's reputation had been so impressive. She crossed her arms in front of her chest before speaking.
"You were saying, Sasuke?"
And Sasuke couldn't help but feel mildly triumphant as he launched into his story.
Sasuke sipped his tea slowly, savoring its taste. He had finished the tale to his mother, who was now leaning back in her own chair with an amused smile on her face. Shisui had been received a summons from the Hokage, and the kitchen had become calm again.
"I should have known. Your sensei is Hatake Kakashi, after all. He never could be normal. It would make sense that his genin team's first mission would be so abnormal." She leaned a bit closer to him. "You are fine, right?"
He nodded. She smiled again. "Good." She took a long sip from her teacup before continuing. "My first mission wasn't so interesting. Well, I guess it was in its own way."
He loved that about his mother. That sentence gave him a choice; if he was alert and appreciative enough to listen, he could encourage her. If he was too tired and absentminded, he had a chance to opt out without any hurt feelings. "Hn," he said softly, listening. It wasn't the harsh reply he gave Sakura; it was a far milder, gentler creature, a word that meant "go on".
"Hn, indeed," she returned. "I had two boys on my team, and my sensei," she laughed, running a hand through her hair, "oh, he was so absentminded, so entirely not there. We were sent to guard a geisha who was traveling to meet her danna.
"It was the longest, most boring trip in the world. We only met one isolated group of bandits, and they were so malnourished and exhausted that even the geisha could have defeated them. Of course, my teammates spent all their time fawning over the geisha." She smirked, a smirk so reminiscent of Sasuke's as to be identical.
"What about your sensei?"
"Oh, he was fawning over one of the geisha's male guards," Mikoto added with a wink. "I had no idea that his orientation was…and he didn't want us to know. Afraid of the boys' reactions, I suppose."
Sasuke tried to imagine discovering that Hatake was gay in the middle of a mission, and discovering that information by stumbling on Hatake flirting with a another man. It's inconsequential. He reads far too much porn to be anything but straight.
He could practically hear Shisui saying, "Hatake's probably just in denial; that's why he reads it so obsessively".
"So," Mikoto redirected his attention as she rose, "how do you think the next mission will compare to this one?"
Sasuke smirked. "Our mission was supposed to be a C-rank; I doubt they'll let us go on anymore high ranked missions."
"Not unless Kakashi manages to manipulate the system," Mikoto said, "and I doubt he would do that."
Sasuke raised his eyebrow.
"Alright, I doubt that Hokage-sama would let him get away with it," Mikoto amended as she passed her son. She placed a light hand on his shoulder, features grower younger as she allowed humor to creep in. "Besides, he can read more Icha Icha on lower ranked missions."
Sasuke snorted. "More like he can torture us more," he muttered, half under his breath.
Mikoto laughed. "That too, I suppose. Come, help me make the dinner. I've missed your help."
"Hn," he said.
"I did, truly. I even tried to recruit Hiro."
"You wanted Hiro to cook." It was so ludicrous that Sasuke felt like laughing, although he contained himself for his mother's sake.
"I wanted to distract him."
"Etsuko's been tormenting him again."
Mikoto exhaled heavily. "Kami, I know. He's under enough stress as it is." Mikoto paused for a moment, licking her lips and pushing a strand of hair back before cutting the meat. Sasuke knew her well enough to dread the upcoming statement. "He's coming over tonight, by the way."
There goes the relaxing evening. Sasuke chose not to respond.
"He's not that bad, Sasuke." Silence. "And he's leaving after dinner, thankfully."
"Why?"
"They're planning to have Itachi take over clan leadership and assume the role of Police Head once the chunin exams finish."
"When is that?" Sasuke knew they were soon. Too soon, he thought.
Mikoto pushed another strand of hair off her face. Her ponytail was quickly coming undone. "I believe it starts in three weeks. I'll have to check with Hiro again."
Yes, too soon, Sasuke thought. If it could be in later, Hatake might let us participate. Sasuke really did not know Kakashi's beliefs on exams. He knew that some jonin held their teams back for a year before competing; he also knew that many jonin tried to shove their genin into exams as soon as possible. Hatake's so lackadaisical. No way in hell he'll let us go ahead.
He heard Hiro and Itachi coming long before he saw them. The deep rumble of their voices, mixing together until he couldn't tell them apart carried farther than their bodies. As much as he disliked Hiro (and he really disliked Hiro), he had to admit that Hiro did want the best for the clan.
He has no idea what that is, though. Worse, he thinks he knows what it is when he doesn't. The clan had been fine under Hiro's head, but Sauske knew everyone was anticipating Itachi's rise to power.
The pair entered, and Sasuke greeted his uncle and brother.
Sasuke knew there were many people who, upon observing Itachi's greeting to him, would automatically assume that Itachi was cold and detached.
In Sasuke's opinion, these people were stupid. They were Uchiha; they didn't fall all over each other, hugging and kissing like a pair of hyperactive ten year olds. He could see Itachi's feelings in his eyes, in the way his stiff posture softened slightly, in the way his whole demeanor changed as he said "hello" to his little brother. Itachi crossed the kitchen to greet his mother first before turning a questioning eye to his younger brother. He touched his shoulder lightly.
"So, you finally got back." Hiro seemed less than impressed. Sasuke resisted the urge to scowl darkly as his uncle. He could feel his mother's eyes on his back; she was waiting for him to mention the development of his sharingan.
He wasn't about to. Hiro would likely merely throw in a caustic remark about how Itachi had achieved it years earlier. He'd tell Itachi later, once Hiro left.
As always when Hiro was around, dinner was tense. Sasuke barely said anything; it was a defense mechanism, really. Disagreements with Hiro were not worth the trouble they caused, and the less Hiro talked the quicker he ate, and the quicker he ate the sooner he'd be gone.
Unfortunately, Hiro made up for the silence between him and his younger nephew by talking to his older one. Sasuke tuned much of the conversation out, choosing instead to focus instead on his brother's face.
Itachi looked tired. Too tired, in fact; he looked like he hadn't slept in days. From all the things Hiro was discussing with him, Sasuke figured he hadn't. There were dark circles under his eyes, and the lines in his face were even more prominent.
Finally, Hiro left. Our house had definitely been a revolving door today, Sasuke thought dryly. Shisui, Etsuko, Hiro – Kami, one of them by themselves is more than enough, not to mention all three.
Itachi put his fork down and folded his hands behind his plate. "Well?"
Sasuke smirked. Leave it to Itachi to get right to the point. "I've activated my sharingan." In his mind, Sasuke had formulated several different speeches to recite to brother, each detailing the course of the mission in a mature and interesting way. In the end, he couldn't help himself and blurted out that sentence. Excitement was one emotion that was terribly hard to stifle.
Itachi smiled softly. "How?"
Sasuke launched into the story for the third time that night. This time, however, it was far from tedious, and he enjoyed it so much more than he had before.
Shisui still hadn't returned when Sasuke woke up in the morning, and a note from Mikoto said that Itachi would be absent as well. Sasuke wasn't surprised; he knew ANBU would come calling for them soon. Officially, both Shisui and Itachi were no longer members; Itachi was about to assume his role as head of the Konoha Police Force, and in recent years Shisui's duties as one of the higher-ups of the police force had been incompatible with the duties of an ANBU; but both were held in reserve in case there was an emergency that warranted extra manpower.
They have a hell of a lot of emergencies, Sasuke thought sarcastically as he ate. Mikoto had left as well; her shift started early; and the house was horribly quiet. It almost made him miss the chaos and annoyance that was his cousin.
Sasuke was contemplative as he headed outside to the training grounds. He had found out nothing about Naruto, aside from the fact that no one wanted to talk about him. It was strange; the majority of Konoha despised him, as did Hiro and, from her face when he had mentioned Uzumaki, as did Etsuko.
Itachi and his mother, on the other hand, seemed much more…copasetic about the boy. Shisui was just profoundly uneasy about anything to deal with him.
It doesn't add up, There's something more going on, but whatever it is, they're not going to crack. I'll have to corner Etsuko later. Sasuke wasn't even going to waste time interrogating his mother. He knew he would get nothing out of her.
Sakura was waiting for him at the training grounds. "You're late," she chirped cheerfully. He didn't dignify that observation with a response, deciding instead to take a seat on the grass. Naruto and Kakashi were nowhere to be found.
"Kakashi-sensei's not here yet," Sakura said, answering his unsaid question.
Sasuke's head popped up, and he raised a questioning eyebrow. "He's over an hour late now," Sakura continued. "I wonder where he is."
"Lost on the road of life with an old woman running away from a black cat," Sasuke mumbled unconsciously, stringing together a few of Kakashi's favorite catch phrases.
Sakura's jaw dropped. She just stared at him for a few moments. Just as Sasuke was about to ask her what was wrong, she started laughing.
It wasn't just giggling. It was hysterical, loud, rolling, deep rooted laughter that bubbled up from the very core of her being. She bent over, laughing harder and harder.
Sasuke wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to react. He had seen Sakura giggle before, smile, flirt, and many other inane reactions, but he had never seen her erupt in such whole-hearted laughter. Her reaction was so unexpected that Sasuke had to scramble to remember exactly what was so amusing.
"Sakura, get a hold of yourself," he said gruffly after a good ten minutes of her laughing and his silence.
"I'm sorry," she squeaked, tears streaming down her face. "It's just…you made a joke!"
"No, I didn't." Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. It all felt so surreal.
"Yes, you did! And it was funny!"
"No, I-" I'm not really doing this, am I? This is so stupid! "Hn," Sasuke said, averting his eyes.
Sakura giggled again, but this time she managed to keep her laughter under control. "I never thought you'd do something like that, Sasuke-kun."
He raised an eyebrow. If she's that shocked by one little sentence…Sasuke let his mind wander as he considered the possibilities. I could make her faint. I could probably even make her die from a heart attack, not that I'd want to. Who knows what kind of replacement they'd give us. He shuddered as he considered the possibilities.
"Let me guess, Kakashi-sensei's not here yet," a booming voice cut across the field.
"What do you think, Naruto," Sakura threw back, exasperation returning as she was once again reminded of the tardy status of their teacher.
"Figures," he muttered as he fell to the ground beside them. "I actually got up early today 'cause I thought maybe he'd be on time."
Early? It's probably nearly nine thirty by now. "Shut up, dobe. It's not our fault you're an idiot."
Naruto's reaction was priceless, as always. "Who are you calling an idiot, teme?"
Sasuke looked Naruto directly in the eye. Well, this is one way to guarantee excitement. "You."
There was a short silence in which his two teammates collectively gasped at his intrepid and undeniably cocky statement. Naruto started sputtering. "That's it!"
Naruto jumped at him. Rising, Sasuke effortlessly blocked Naruto's sloppy attack and prepared to hit him back.
Sakura yanked Naruto backward by the back of his orange jumpsuit. "Stop it!" She screeched. "What's wrong with you?"
"Ahem," a voice piped. The three jumped and turned to face the speaker. "Are you two finished now?"
It took Sasuke a minute to realize that the voice was speaking up at them. Slightly disturbed, he looked down to see a small dog, not even as tall as his knee.
It's a dog. It's a talking dog. Sasuke was very familiar with summons; his mother had had a summon, a hawk, when she was a jonin, and from her he had become well phrased in that realm of ninja art. But it's a dog. It's a talking dog. Funny how his mind couldn't get past that. The little tan colored dog with bright blue clothing watched them carefully as they digested its presence.
"It's a dog," Sakura whispered. "It's a talking dog." Sasuke glared at her. It really annoyed him when said what he was thinking.
The dog stared at her. "We preferred to be referred to as ninken," it told them in an impossibly snooty voice. "We each have names, not that you should know them." Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all exchanged a glance. Nice. It's a talking dog with an attitude. "I have a message from your sensei."
Oh, he's Hatake's summon. It all makes sense now, Sasuke thought sarcastically as the ninken continued. "He has been called to a meeting, and regretfully he cannot join you this morning for training."
"A meeting? What kind of meeting?" Naruto demanded.
Sasuke swore that if the dog (ninken) could have, it would have raised an eyebrow. As it was, it managed to look appropriately pissed. "You are not cleared to know that information."
"What? But," Sakura slapped her hand over Naruto's mouth before he could continue the sentence. Sasuke wished her methods worked as well for him; it would be so convenient to shut someone up with a mere slap to the mouth.
"So, what do we do?" Sakura asked, her hand still muffling Naruto.
"Train alone," the ninken instructed them. "Kakashi will meet with you tomorrow on schedule."
Three hours late, you mean, Sasuke thought, but didn't say. The ninken, appropriately pleased with his job of conveying the message, promptly disappeared.
Naruto watched the ninja dog disappear for a total of fifteen seconds before erupting. "Stupid dog. I'm not sticking around here." He grabbed the few things he'd brought with him. "Hey, Sakura-chan, you want to catch breakfast and then-"
"I can't," Sakura said instantly. "I'm training here for a little bit, and then I have to help my mom at her store. You should train by yourself too. That's what the ninken said."
Naruto looked like he was about to argue, but Sakura was dead-set on her plan. Sighing, he started down the path. "Alright. See you later, Sakura-chan."
Sasuke had been pretending to gather his things when they started speaking. Naturally, he'd paused to ensure that nothing of interest escaped his notice.
"He came to my mother's shop one time before we left for our mission," Sakura said as she watched Naruto's retreating back. "Accidentally broke a bunch of expensive stuff when he was trying to help me."
"Your mother?"
"Was ticked," Sakura admitted. "I told her I broke it, and that made it worse." She looked almost angry as she talked, but Sasuke knew it was her mother, not Naruto.
Sasuke waited for her to leave. When she didn't, he was forced to ask. "Aren't you training? Or did you lie to him again?"
"I didn't lie to him! I do have to help my mother later!" Sakura answered quickly. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, wearing his best skeptic face. Sakura sighed, cracking easily under Sasuke's silent assault. "Well, and I was kind of hoping that maybe-"
"You want me to help you train." Sakura nodded eagerly. She was so easy to read: Sasuke could see that she was hopeful; his immediate acknowledgement of her want gave his a small inkling of hope; but he could also see that she was preparing herself for disappointment. You really, really need to work on that. Even Naruto can read you. Everything you feel, everything you want; it's written on your face. It's going to kill you in combat someday.
Sasuke didn't tell her. He knew she wouldn't understand, and he didn't feel like a half hour of introspective lecturing on the delicate art of masking one's emotions.
He nodded and stood. Sakura beamed happily and trailed after him. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun!"
He smirked. You won't be thanking me later.
Sasuke knocked Sakura back for what seemed the hundredth time. She skidded backwards, raising clouds of brown dirt and destroying grass as she passed.
"You have to keep your guard up," Sasuke reminded her. It's like she has two modes, he thought as she picked herself up. Attack and defend. If she tries to attack, she completely loses any capability to defend herself. If she tries to fall back on the defensive, she's never striking out at anyone. "Let's try again."
Sakura nodded wearily. Sasuke smirked. He didn't want to torture her, but he wasn't about to coddle her. Helping her with a kata was one thing. Entirely overhauling her skills and teaching her how to actually be an effective presence in a fight was another.
They'd been training for two weeks now; after Kakashi's return, they moved their impromptu practice sessions to the evening. Shisui still hadn't returned, and while Sasuke would die before admitting it, he was starting to feel nervous. The mission was supposed to last only three days, according to the summons.
To compound that worry, Itachi had been called away as well. Some in the clan were fuming; Sasuke knew that Hiro hated how often ANBU and the village took advantage of Itachi's talents. Sasuke knew even less about Itachi's mission than he did about Shisui's; training with Sakura had become a welcome distraction from their obvious absence.
Besides, Sakura had been true to her word; no one knew about the training.
From what Sasuke could tell, Sakura had very few friends, and he had never heard her say anything about her family. Her mother owned a store in town, and he was fairly certain that she was an only child; beyond that, it was anyone's guess. The only person they really had to fool was Naruto, and that wasn't too complicated.
Sasuke pinned Sakura on the ground, deciding it was more merciful than knocking her across the lawn again. There were trees bordering the edge of the training area, and Sakura had hit them more than once.
Her face was a little pink, and she was breathing heavily. He could see faint circles under her eyes, an obvious indicator that she was exhausted, and he wondered briefly why she wasn't sleeping enough.
Actually, she looked pretty with her pink hair spread all around her face, framing it perfectly, and her cheeks flushed that dark color. Her eyes looked even greener. She's pretty.
Shocked at himself, Sasuke quickly shelved that thought in the "things I'm going to forget at all costs" file.
"Sasuke-kun," she said, breath coming in harsh pants, "can we maybe take a break from training?" He nodded and slid off her. She sat up and pulled her hair into a tight bun, fully aware that her hair would be dismantled soon. "I guess I should ask Kakashi-sensei to help me with taijutsu."
He snorted. "Hatake needs to help you with everything."
She was quiet suddenly, and he knew his comment had hurt her. He felt…bad about that, something very unusual for him. After all, it was true.
They were both silent for a minute, Sasuke watching Sakura, Sakura picking the grass at her feet. Finally she looked up at him and attempted a smile. "Kakashi-sensei taught me a new genjutsu."
"I didn't know he was teaching you genjutsu." How did I miss that? Usually he was far more observant.
"It's just one," she corrected. "And, I mean, it's not really powerful. But I can do it!"
Sasuke wondered if she knew how childishly eager she looked when she said it. It was endearing, actually. "Do it, then," he ordered. The words may have been a bit harsh, but the tone was actually a bit encouraging. As he told her, he activated his sharingan. He had always hated genjutsu, and he had no intention of being caught off guard. It probably was very rudimentary, but he wasn't about to take a chance.
"But with your sharingan you can see through it!"
Sasuke glared at her. That's rather the point. He didn't verbalize his thoughts, choosing instead to intimidate her silently. She puffed out her lower lip. He scowled.
"Please? Just really quickly. It's not the same if you can see what it is!"
"Sakura, I already know it's an illusion," Sasuke said, stating the obvious in a stern voice.
"Please?" Sighing, Sasuke deactivated his sharingan.
"Okay," she shifted gears quickly. "Ready?" She wasn't even looking at him as she asked.
"Hn," Sasuke affirmed.
She began the forming seals, face concentrated and completely intent on the task at hand. Sasuke watched her hand signs carefully, trying to decipher which jutsu she was attempting.
He glanced up for a brief moment. Later, when Sasuke was reviewing the scenario in his mind, he could not remember why he had looked up; a fly or bee, perhaps, or maybe the wind; Sasuke would never know.
What he did know was that a huge flaming meteor was crashing down towards them at an alarming speed, setting the darkening sky ablaze. Sasuke instinctively backed away from it, his hand reflexively grabbing for Sakura to pull her out of its path.
"Sasuke-kun, what-" Sakura looked completely confused. Suddenly, the meteor vanished.
That was her genjutsu? Sasuke wasn't sure what he had been expecting; something far friendlier, that was certain. In his haste and surprise, he hadn't even thought to use his sharingan. "That was what Hatake taught you?" Sasuke asked her.
"Yes," she responded proudly.
"How long did it take you to master that jutsu?" Sasuke asked sharply, scrutinizing the scenario.
Sakura frowned as she considered his question. "An hour or so, I guess. I'm not really sure." She was glowing at the unexpected attention.
She'd be good at even more advanced genjutsu. Her chakra control is refined enough to be able to manipulate the genjutsu, and she has enough chakra to create them. Why didn't I consider that before?
"Has he taught you others?" His tone was sharp again; he sounded more like an interrogator than he did a teammate.
Sakura shook her head. "Not yet, anyway. I'm hoping he will soon, though." She looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. "Oh, I've got to get home. Mom will kill me if I'm not back in time." She started gathering her things: a light jacket, a water bottle, a discarded wrapper, and a hair tie. "Thanks for helping me!"
"Hn," Sasuke answered, contemplative. Sakura walked off, waving as she went. There was a spring in her step; she practically bounced down the hill.
Nobody should be that freaking happy. Even after learning a jutsu. Despite that truism that Sasuke was repeating in his head, he couldn't help but smirk a little.
As a general rule, Sasuke hated surprises. There was no such thing as a "good" surprise; any surprise that could possibly be considered "good" would have, in his thinking, been much better if it hadn't been a surprise.
This philosophy would probably explain why he was less than thrilled when he woke up to Shisui and Etsuko making up (by making out) on the living room couch.
Disgusted, Sasuke passed the gruesome sight and headed straight for the kitchen. Kami, they could have taken a few weeks off. Not like we'd miss Etsuko. He used it as an excuse to devour all of Etsuko's leftover omusubi for breakfast. It wasn't exactly an orthodox breakfast, but with Shisui and Etsuko around one couldn't leave good food unclaimed.
Truthfully, Sasuke wasn't too surprised by Etsuko and Shisui's renewed relationship. Shisui had dragged his nearly dead body home two nights before. As always, Sasuke hadn't asked any questions; he had helped his cousin strip, clean, and dress his wounds. Shisui had an extreme dislike of doctors and anything hospital related, so Sasuke and Mikoto had both become rather adept at handling his many injuries. Even so, Shisui had been rather weak, and apparently there was nothing like a near death experience to rekindle a relationship.
No, Sasuke wasn't overly surprised by the reappearance of Shisui and Etsuko's relationship. What did surprise him was the sudden reappearance of Itachi at the door not ten minutes after Sasuke had started eating. "Sasuke," he greeted his younger brother calmly.
"'Tachi," Sasuke replied, smirking at Itachi's slight grimace at the name. It had been Sasuke's pet name for Itachi since the younger was two and the elder was eight. For some inexplicable reason, Itachi detested the nickname.
As retribution, Itachi flinched one of Sasuke's rice balls. He delicately bit into the rice ball. Sasuke was in a tolerant enough mood to ignore the offense. "How was it?"
Itachi didn't need clarification; it was obvious that Sasuke was referring to his mission. "Long," Itachi answered in a clipped manner. He bit another chunk of the rice ball off. "Very long."
"Bodyguard?"
"Yes," Itachi said heavily. Mikoto had once said that bodyguard assignments only got progressively longer and progressively more boring as one became a better and stronger ninja; either one was bored out of one's brain due to the pompous and overbearing nature of the client and the non-action, or one was dead of the extreme action. Usually, it was the former. It was the "catch" of advancing in the ranks. Even Itachi agreed with that assessment, although he always communicated it in a far more respectful and less antagonistic way.
"Why did they need you?" That was the true question.
Itachi sighed. "Daimyo wanted the best ninja for his son," Itachi responded. "They chose me."
Sasuke nodded and bit into another rice ball. "You're busy today?"
Itachi eyed him carefully. "Are you?"
"I have a D-rank to complete in the afternoon. Aside from that-" Sasuke cut himself off quickly, suddenly discerning the meaning in Itachi's question. The noises from the other room disappeared as Sasuke grinned. "You're not busy?"
"Not today. Shisui will testify that I am deathly ill and in need of short leave."
Sasuke's grin deepened as he accepted the invitation.
Five minutes later the brothers were outside training.
One of the most rudimentary abilities of a sharingan was the ability to track quickly moving objects. In this care, Itachi was the quickly moving object.
Itachi was one of the fastest ninja in Konoha. Shisui was slightly faster, but training with Itachi was more productive; Sasuke was never as pissed with his brother as he was with his cousin. Besides, Itachi was nearly as fast as Shisui, and therefore, it stood to reason that if Sasuke was able to track him his eye would be fairly well trained.
Itachi had brought along a few "incentives", otherwise known as shuriken, to ensure that Sasuke was effectively tracking his movement. They served a dual purpose, actually; another gift of the sharingan was the ability to tracking multiple objects following different paths and emanating different chakra, so these implements added an extra degree of difficulty.
Sasuke found that using the sharingan was natural. He was tracing Itachi and the shuriken fairly well, probably because he already had two tomoe. Itachi forced him to keep moving, utilizing jutsu, and Sasuke found it amazing to be able to analyze all the chakra patterns of the jutsu Itachi used.
Before Sasuke had activated his sharingan, Shisui had tried many times and many ways to explain what it was like to see the world through a sharingan, but Sasuke had never truly understood it before. It was something that could only be experienced.
Sasuke had let his mind wander too far. An errant shuriken sliced his cheek, leaving a thin trail of dark red blood.
He grimaced, more at his mistake than at the negligible sting. He caught Itachi at the edge of his vision, mocking him in the polite, non-aggressive way that only Itachi could pull of. It's so on.
The point of the exercise was only to track Itachi and the shuriken so his eye would adapt to tracking multiple objects simultaneously while analyzing chakra patterns. Sasuke decided to conveniently ignore the non violent nature of the exercise in favor of trying to catch his brother. He knew he couldn't catch him. It was fun to try anyway.
Itachi caught on immediately. Soon both brothers were involved in an elaborate and hazardous game of tag, a game that now included "it", or Sasuke, being pelted with shuriken and kunai, as well as the rare jutsu, and "it" firing back with a few simple jutsu of his own.
This was Sasuke's idea of fun.
Two hours later, the brothers had completely looped around Konoha's forest and training grounds, being careful to stay out of public eye. Sasuke had come close to tagging Itachi, but he hadn't caught him yet.
Yet being the operative word, of course; he was going to catch Itachi some day. But for today, he was willing to acquiesce and take a well deserved water break.
"You've gotten faster, otouto," Itachi complimented.
Sasuke accepted it with a nod, too worn out to formulate a formal acceptance. He'd forgotten just how fast Itachi was. He took a long drag of water before answering his elder brother. "You've gotten slower."
Itachi shook his head, a tired smile playing on his thin lips. He pushed his brother lightly in the arm.
"Itachi." Shisui stood a few meters away, face pensive and more solemn than usual. "We need to get to the Police Headquarters. Murder suicide in the residential district."
Itachi nodded and rose carefully. He turned to face his younger brother. He looked as though he was about to speak, and Sasuke waited expectantly for his brother's words.
Before he could stop it, Itachi's finger shot out and jabbed him in the forehead, payback for Sasuke's use of "Tachi".
Shisui howled with laughter, and Sasuke glared darkly at his cousin. Itachi wisely vacated the premises with Shisui before his younger brother could react fully.
Sasuke wasn't quite sure what brought him to the main district of Konoha that afternoon. He had no business there, and he had a D-rank waiting for him. Perhaps it was a rare moment of laziness; perhaps he wanted a reason to forget his current state of alone-ness; perhaps it was fate.
Whatever it was, it brought him there, and he decided to make the best of it. He noticed instantly how loud it all was in comparison to his home. Konoha's streets were bustling; people selling goods, people buying goods, people leaving home, people returning home, children screaming, children laughing, families fighting, families conversing; it provided excellent white noise.
That was why he didn't hear Sakura at first; he was consumed by the din of the crowd. But he heard her scream the second time, the loud, blood curdling shriek that cut through the fog around him, a shriek followed by an angry outburst from Naruto, an outburst that reminded him of the blond's boy reaction to Sakura's near death in the Land of Waves.
Sasuke recklessly ran in their direction, pushing his tired body as fast as he could. Something bad was going on, and it was his duty to stop it.
A/N: Oh. My. Word. YOU GUYS! 116 reviews? That's just incredible! When I saw the total this morning, I was literately speechless. Thank you all so, so, so much! Words can't describe my gratitude. I'm sorry this took me a week to get up; wouldn't let me upload! (glares angrily)
This chapter is a little choppy; it really could have been at least two or three chapters. I'm sorry about that. Oh, and Naruto IS going to be more present in the upcoming chapters! Trust me; I love him as much as you do :)
Anon: I couldn't send you a PM, but I am answering you! I honestly have no idea exactly when I'm going to have them actually "get together". I know that's incredibly frustrating and really cruel of me to say, but I'm just not sure. Hopefully I'll figure it out soon :P