Well crap. My updates just get slower and slower, huh? Sorry! Anyway, beware of this chapter!

I guess I wasn't thinking. I never took into deeper thought or consideration the rest of the night. Maybe I was tired. But in the morning, I would realize all of my mistakes.

When I got back, his house was dark. He was nowhere in sight on the first floor. It made everything eerier.

I would regret being so naïve.

I trudged up the stairs, calling, "Sasuke?" But I didn't get any answer.

I walked across the balcony, starring at the ground below. When I reached his room, the light was on. But he wasn't there.

I mostly wanted Sasuke to forgive me, and I wanted to take his mind off of Itachi, without mentioning it. Maybe he wouldn't.

I saw a note similar to the one Sasuke left the day Itachi came on the nightstand. I picked it up and read it. His hand writing was messy, and there were erase marks, like maybe he had a lot more on there. Then he rewrote it.

Went training. Goodbye, Naruto.

I slapped it back down on the nightstand. "Sure," I muttered. I pulled my jacket off, and hung it up in his closet. Then I changed into night clothes.

I crawled into his bed, assuming he would be back when he had finished training. The fact that he already took a shower tonight may have crossed my mind, but I didn't take it into much consideration.

The Uchiha isn't here?

Nope. He's out trainning.

Why so late?

Shut up, I'm tired. He can handle himself.


I probably should have been listening to Kyubbi, too. But he did stop, and I fell into deep sleep, dreaming about Itachi dying brutally.

I woke up to bright light and loud knocking. So loud, I could hear it from upstairs. I knew it was on the door. Maybe Sasuke locked himself out or something.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." I called. Like they could hear me. I dashed down the stairs, nearly falling. I still had bed hair and pajamas, but that didn't phase me.

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, and was about to open the door, I remembered Itachi.

Maybe I was just being paranoid, but I opened the door only an inch to look.

It was the last person I had expected to see.

"Shikamaru, What are you doing here?" I gawked.

"I should be asking you that." He looked over my shoulder.

Oh crap. In pajamas and everything. "Uh…I'm living with Sasuke. Kakashi ordered us to, so we would get use to working together. We argue a lot."

He stared more seriously at me. He made a point the wasn't joking. "Well, I came to inform you Sasuke's gone."

I tilted my head. "Huh? Yeah, he's not here right-" I started.

"Sasuke left the village last night. We found Sakura crying this morning. He's gone with Orochimaru."

Crash.

"H-huh?" I asked again, shaking my head back and forth.

"He's gone."

"What?" I asked, choking.

"What's-" Shikamaru started.

"He went with Orochimaru." It wasn't a question. It would hurt my pride to cry. So I settled for getting pissed off.

Sasuke left the village. He was going to Orochimaru. I should have seen the deeper meanings. I should have worried. The note, with goodbye, Naruto. He went out to 'train' after he had already gotten cleaned up. He had been acting horribly lately. He was nowhere in the house when I woke up.

Sasuke was gone. He left the village, his freedom, and me.

"Jerk! I can't believe he'd do that! He can do just fine without-" I continued yelling, but Shikamaru stopped me.

"We can't just let him get away. He has a lead, but it won't be to hard to catch up. While he's leaving, he's betraying us. Orochimaru just wants to use him against Konoha. It's vital we bring him back. Tsunade elected me to lead the mission. I can only recruit Genin, so are you in?"

He spoke so quickly, and I was thinking so hard, it took a while to take in. "Yeah! I'll be right back!" I bolted back into the house. I ran upstairs, changed at breakneck speeds, grabbed a pouch, filled it with kunai, food pills, and anything else small I could find, and then ran back out the door.

"That was fast." Shikamaru muttered. "We need to go pick up a few others. We'll be out of here in an hour."

Within only about thirty minutes, we had gathered Choji, Neji, and Kiba. Lee had wanted to come, but he was still too disabled. Shino was out in another mission. All five of us were standing near the gate to leave.

"Show me what you're taking along," Shikamaru ordered.

We all opened either pouches or backpacks and showed him our stock.

"Good. Now listen. Kiba will be up front because of his smell and his knowledge of the geography."

He continued to talk about our positions, but I wasn't listening. I nodded when he looked at me, and that was it.

The Sasuke that I started to know was the one behind his obsession with revenge. Underneath his obsession, he was a show-offy jerk. But when even that went away, he was broken and lonely like I was. He was stubborn and proud, kind, calm, smart, and comforting. He really was a normal human being, trapped in the life of avenging his family.

As much as Sasuke was my boyfriend, crush, whatever…Even in the beginning when we hated each other, there was a deeper relation. Whether Sasuke and I loved each other or wanted to kill each other, we would always be bound in destiny. We were both alone, orphaned. We both knew what the other was going through. But the difference between Sasuke and I…

Is that he seeks hate and I seek love. We have the same problem, and are taking two paths from it. He wants to kill his brother, and chooses hate, even though all those girls and all the people in the village love him.

And for me, even though it's slowly changing, most of the people in the village despise me. I'm trying to be better, and prove to the village who I am.

But I couldn't do anything, I'd never forgive myself, if something bad happened to Sasuke. If Sasuke was dead. If Orochimaru took Sasuke's body. I need Sasuke. He's my brother, my best friend, and my only one, all at once.

And I don't think he knows it, but he needs me. If it weren't for Itachi, everything would be perfect.

Itachi is Sasuke's worst enemy, but he's also mine. He's the reason Sasuke is like this.

So now, if it's the last thing I do, I'll bring Sasuke back. At the very least, ask him why he left. He doesn't need Orochimaru.

"Alright, time's running out." Shikamaru said, breaking my thoughts. "Let's g-"

"Wait! Shikamaru!"

We all looked up and turned. It was Sakura. Poor Sakura. "Shikamaru, let me join the mission! I can hel-" She begged, but Shikamaru shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I can't take you." He said flatly.

She wrapped her arms around her torso, hugging her upper body. She looked like she would cry. "Naruto,"

I stepped closer to her.

"Please, I'm begging you. I tried to stop him, but I couldn't. You have to bring Sasuke back! You're the only one who can!" She pleaded.

Not just for myself, but for Sakura. For one of my best friends. "I swear I will, if it's the last thing I do." I answered.

She looked up, wiping her eyes and nodding.

"Ready now?" Shikamaru asked. Everyone nodded, Akamaru yipped.

With that, we set off in the direction of Sasuke.

I swear, I'll bring you back.

I've said this before, but I just want to say how grateful I am for the reviews! You are all like parts of my routine! When I check my e-mail, it's like..."Ooh...6 new e-mails! I bet one of them is so and so's review..." It's funny to think about! THANK-YOU from the bottom of my fanfiction writer's heart!