Chapter Eight: Fights and Suspicion

Sasuke glared at Sayuri from across the fire; she glared back. Kakashi sighed. This was the fifth day of the five of them traveling together, and Sasuke had yet to stop glowering.

Sayuri sighed as well.

"If you have something to say to me, Sasuke-kun, then say it."

Sasuke just continued to glare; Sakura stood up.

"I'm going to bed," she said shortly. "Goodnight, everybody. Goodnight, Sasuke-kun," she blushed.

"'Night," he muttered; Sayuri stood up as well, following Sakura into the tent. As soon as she had closed the flaps of the canvas, Sakura rounded on her.
"Okay, spill."

"Spill…what?" Sayuri asked, looking confused.

"Sasuke!" Sakura said, frowning. "He hasn't stopped staring at you since we found out you would be joining our team for this mission. What is going on between you two? He really doesn't seem to like you!"

"I don't know what you--"

"Yes you do!" Sakura said. "I just don't get it. You two used to be friends! You always went to his house after school, and you even walked with him to class sometimes."

"That was over four years ago, Sakura-chan."

"But still!" Sakura crossed her arms as Sayuri pulled off her jacket.

"But still what?"

"Come on! Why doesn't Sasuke get along with you anymore? Did you guys have a fight or something?"

Sayuri sighed.

"Sakura, until six days ago when Tsunade-sama gave us our mission, Sasuke and I hadn't seen each other in four years. I haven't seen anyone from the Leaf for years, other than Tsunade-sama. When would Sasuke and I have had the chance to fight?"

"I don't know. Maybe before you left the village?"

"Uh-uh." Sayuri shook her head. "I never said much to Sasuke before I left. I never really did talk to him much, actually."

"But you were always at his house!"

"So?"

"So you were always with the Uchiha clan, and you never talked to Sasuke? Who did you talk to? His older brother?"

Sayuri froze, and then turned to look at Sakura.

"No," she lied. "I never talked to him."

Both girls jumped as they heard a tapping on the canvas walls of the tent.

"It's just me and Sasuke!" Naruto called. "Can we come in yet?"

Sayuri sighed and unzipped the tent opening.

"Be my guest," she muttered, pulling her jacket back on over her fishnets and black tank top.

"Sayuri-chan, where are you going?" Sakura asked.

"Nowhere," she said. "I'm going to sleep outside."

"What?" Naruto looked shocked. "But it's really cold out here!"

"I'll stay by the fire."

"But even Kakashi-sensei is sleeping in the tent."

"I'll be fine. I sleep outside all the time," Sayuri muttered, stepping out.

Kakashi smiled at her from his place next to the fire and gestured to the place next to him. Sayuri scowled, but went to sit next to him.

"Sempai," she said.

"So…why does Sasuke seem to hate you, Sayuri-san?" he whispered.

"For all the obvious reasons, I suppose," she muttered. "Teichou."

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked. "Could it really be that simple?"

"I don't know. I don't know if I'm hoping that that's the answer, or if I hope it's not."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi looked confused.

"I guess…If it's just because of Teichou that Sasuke-kun is angry with me, then it's only because he thinks that Teichou might have said something to me before he ran off--"

"And--"

"And that," Sayuri said quickly. "But, if it's not because I was always with Teichou, then it's something a lot less…complicated."

"Complicated?"

Sayuri sighed. "This whole thing with Teichou is complicated. I was always at Sasuke-kun's home, but only Sasuke knows the real reason, even if he doesn't know why. I was always there for his brother. He's the one who made me ANBU in the first place. He was there for my chunin exam, and then when I became a jounin. And maybe Sasuke-kun was jealous. All that he wanted was from Teichou to help him train, but Teichou was always on a mission, with me, or with the Third Hokage."

Kakashi nodded.

"And then Teichou completely corrupted Sasuke-kun's life, ran off, and I was the one who was so close to Teichou…" Kyoko continued. "Sasuke-kun has asked me twice now if I knew what Teichou was going to do, and three times why I started to call him Teichou in the first place."

Kakashi sighed.

"Sasuke has had a very rough time," he said. "First you, taking away his idol's attention. Then Itachi killing their entire clan. Using Genjutsu on Sasuke when he was so young…And now, you again."

"Me?" Sayuri raised an eyebrow. "If seeing me again after four years is what finally drives Sasuke insane, then he was just a ticking time bomb."

Kakashi laughed.

"I'm going to turn in," he said. "Are you sure you want to sleep outside? Naruto does have a point: it is very cold out."

"I've slept in worse weather," Sayuri said. "So have you."

"True…" Kakashi yawned. "Just stay close to the fire, or Sasuke will be even more suspicious than he already is."

"Yes, Sempai."

"Mmm…hmm?" Sayuri felt a strange chakra standing twenty feet beneath her. Strange, but familiar…

"Teichou!" she gasped, sitting up.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke snapped; Sayuri glanced down to the base of the tree she had fallen asleep in, realizing that it had been Sasuke who was standing beneath her.

"Sasuke!" she snarled. "What are you doing?" Sayuri jumped to her feet on the branch she had been lounging on.

"I got up before everyone else," Sasuke said, glaring up at her. "What are you doing in a tree?"

"I was sleeping," Sayuri snapped. "Then you woke me up."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess you were dreaming of your precious captain!" Sasuke snarled.

Sayuri jumped to the ground, face inches from Sasuke's; he didn't even flinch.
"I'm sorry," she said sweetly. "But maybe your brother just couldn't be bothered by a pest like you."

Sasuke glared, and then opened his mouth; Sayuri paled. Behind his back, Sasuke had been performing hand signs.

"Fire Style! Fireball Jutsu!"

Sayuri shrieked, dodging the flames, placing her index and middle fingers in a cross.

"Water Clone Jutsu!"

"Ah!" Sasuke ducked as two water clones jumped. Surging themselves towards him and a third shielded Sayuri from the flames spewing from his mouth; Sasuke pulled out several shuriken.

Inu…Tora…Hebi…Hebi…Inu…Neki…Muton…Tora…Hebi…(A/N: Dog, Tiger, Snake, Snake, Dog, Rat, Sheep, Tiger, Snake)

Sasuke dropped his shuriken as Sayuri abruptly stopped making hand signs.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Prison!"

Sasuke dodged twice as a dragon made of water~ small, but very fast~ launched itself at him. He began to make hand signs as he dodged a third time.
"Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

The dragon and the large, petal-like tongues of flame were about to collide when Hatake Kakashi stepped between them. Sayuri broke her hand sign, making the dragon fall to the ground as mere puddles. The flames quickly followed.
Kakashi glared at both shinobi and kunoichi.

"Both those Jutsu were so charged with chakra, it was almost as if they were meant to hurt, instead of a mere training session between teammates," he said calmly.

Sasuke scoffed. Sayuri stared blankly at Kakashi. To the side, she could see Naruto staring at her; Sakura ran to Sasuke, placing a hand on his shoulder. She stared at Sayuri, who continued to look blank.

"Just training," Sasuke muttered at last; Sayuri turned away and jumped back into the tree to retrieve the blanket that she had fallen asleep with; beneath her she heard Sasuke's sharp intake of breath and hurriedly began to stuff the blanket into her pack.

In the very center of the dark grey blanket was the Uchiha crest. It looked remarkably similar to the blanket that had once covered Itachi's bed…

"If we keep moving, we can make it to the Stone in just two more days," Kakashi said, breaking the silence.