Against All Odds

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.

AN: THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS! It's been a week and a half since I last updated (I haven't been very active...). That's, with any luck, about the longest break there'll be between chapters. Sorry if you thought I usually updated super-fast though. Though the next few chapters have been written. XD.

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6: Guidelines

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They had to have been walking for an eternity, Sakura thought, but at least it had been uneventful. They had been careful to avoid the trees, careful not to cause too much of a fuss, and it seemed to have paid off. There was peace. Sort of.

"I'm hungry."

Sakura immediately regretted saying those words, not because she cared if it bothered Sasori but because now, he knew she was gradually becoming weaker. She knew that they weren't going to split up again, but she didn't want him to regard her as weak. In so many ways, he was an enemy. He was cold, calloused, and nothing about him seemed vaguely human, let alone angelic. Actually, the way he had been earlier was more like a demon.

Of course this was most likely because Sasori was the most ninja-like ninja she had ever really spoken to. Sure, there had been that incidence in the Mist, and those guys had been creepy, but she hadn't exactly been forced to converse with them. Tsunade-sama had many qualities of a ninja, naturally, but at the same time, she was also a dependable leader, and didn't usually scare the shit out of her. This guy was a loner, or at least, he seemed to know how to operate alone or in very small groups. Sure, fairly helpless and dependent, he acted like an asshole. But some of his qualities could manifest themselves into a pretty scary ninja.

It was funny, she thought, how deceiving looks could be. Not just that pretty terrifying-looking puppet hiding a beautiful person beneath it, but that Sasori acted less like a beautiful person and more like that metal monster. Sasori would've been what she'd have dismissed as a pretty boy – constantly smiling, incredibly polite, and undeniably deadly had she seen just one look at his face. Instead, he was a jerk – arrogant, at times childish, and his abilities, almost utterly unknown.

She knew that he was far more skilled than she was; but she wondered still how much further she had to go. Was he stronger than Naruto? Was he stronger than he even Sasuke-kun? She couldn't tell, but, she swore, she would catch up. She'd catch up to them all.

"Then get some food."

He was straightforward, of course, and yet vague as always in his comments. They were always short, they always answered the question or offered a response, but they always opened a door to an unwarranted conversation. He was mean. And he knew it.

"Well, where do I get it?"

He looked around the area, the never ending rows of bones and dirt. He looked back at her.

"You aren't carrying any?"

Well, would she have asked that otherwise?

"No."

He snorted at her before saying, "Then I've no idea. Isn't it a ninja's job to be equipped?" She glared at him, always with the reminder that he really was a ninja and in so many ways, she really wasn't. Not that it mattered. She was okay with being a different sort of ninja, being more like Naruto…

Naruto…

Immediately, she shook her head out of those thoughts. She missed her friends dearly, but thinking about them wouldn't lead her any closer to them.

"Well, what about you?" she asked. "Don't you get hungry?"

"Like I said," he replied, eyes gleaming slightly, "ninjas are to be equipped."

"Then you have some food!"

He hesitated, something odd passing over his features, but his trademark smirk returned quickly.

"None that I can share with you."

What was with this guy? He said he needed her help, but then he wouldn't even share his food! There was no point in arguing him, no point in even trying to understand him. He was full of it, all these ridiculous contradictions, offering no explanations… Why was she stuck with him?

No. She had to stop thinking like that, had to try and make the best of her situation. Digging her hand into her pocket, she found the leaves of some random herbs, things she had thought might be useful for her village. They would taste bitter and disgusting, but at least they would offer more substance than the dirt and the air.

Actually, she realized they tasted better than she thought they would. She must have been hungrier than she realized – oops! No, that one was still bitter.

"Blah," she said, sticking her tongue out. "That's so gross."

But it was food, and Sakura felt some energy return to her. Bending over, she dug into the ground, seeing whether or not it had nutrients. More than likely, with bone chips and whatnot, it had something, but with her strengths, she couldn't process it… She turned to Sasori who was eyeing her with a new emotion in his eyes. What was it? Respect? As if he could ever feel something like that…

"Resourceful," he said simply, confirming her thoughts and sealing her surprise. He looked around. "It's getting darker."

Sakura frowned, too. Yes, suddenly, it was getting darker, and the brightness was fading from the sky…

"But it's still easy to see you," she said slowly. "You're glowing." It was as if the light still existed on his skin and on the trees. She looked down at her own hand. Yes, it had the same effect. Under most circumstances, she'd be shocked, but no effects in this place could surprise her anymore. This place was pathetic – full of shining people and oversized bones. She sighed. "So wrong."

"Well," Sasori said, "let's figure something out. It wouldn't be good if you starved."

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Kakashi frowned.

"You want to come with me?"

Standing beside him, tall and happy as ever, stood Maito Gai, a huge grin spread across his face, his teeth shining from the setting sun.

"Yosh!" he replied. "I would love to go sightseeing! You're seeing the highest mountain, right? It's quite incredible."

Well now, this was news. Gai had seen this place before? Kakashi thought that Gai wouldn't be interested in the wilderness, a wilderness with no people –

"An amazing scene that rivals my own handsome visage," Gai sighed. "Oh, yes, Kakashi, you must allow me to come with you!"

"I can't wait an extra day or two," Kakashi reminded him. "We have to leave now."

Gai sighed. Evidentially, he was hoping Kakashi wouldn't take this route. With a small shrug, he stepped over to his friend and rival and threw a manly arm over his shoulder. Kakashi visually slumped.

"Kakashi, Kakashi," Gai muttered. "I have a prediction, a brilliant prediction. Your student got stuck in the cave."

Kakashi frowned again, not that anyone could see it.

"But, Gai-kun," he said somewhat confused, "how could Sakura have gotten stuck in a cave? She's a chuunin, and an experienced ninja. I'd trust her to many tasks myself, spelunking included."

"Trust me, Kakashi," Gai said. "I have something important to tell you about that cave! It's no mere cave, I can assure you." Gai mistook Kakashi's apathy for curiosity. "Oh!" he said. "But I won't tell you what it is unless you wait!"

Kakashi sighed. Hokage-sama had recommended Gai's assistance, but his student… He wondered if she really did get lost in a cave. If that were the case, could he actually afford to leave her there another day?

But maybe Gai had some sense this time; he seemed abnormally sure. Maybe he'd give Gai one chance.

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It was odd, but Sasori found his utter loathing for the brat before him waning with every step.

It wasn't exactly like he liked her (she still really ticked him off), but he had accepted the truth: they were stranded together, he needed her, and it would probably be best not to spend an eternity hating his only company. Not that he really liked company in general, but when it was a necessity, it might as well be good company, right?

Right.

They couldn't find any food, despite every ruse that they had tried. The kid was starving and uncomfortable, not that Sasori could blame her. And now, the atmosphere was eerie with all the darkness, and the only light seemed to be them. Sasori had an idea about getting food, but he'd have to wait and see.

The pink-haired girl looked ahead grimly, turning her eyes to Sasori, a flat expression in them, an expression that Sasori recognized all too well of defeat. Though usually, it was a pleading expression at him, one of mercy or one of shame.

There was nothing else in this girl's eyes, except for maybe a little hunger.

And in so many ways, though he didn't like to acknowledge it, he admired her. He had tried to scare her earlier, tried to throw that whole ninja-trick against her, given her a brief glimpse of his bloodlust – and yet, she had simply batted it away. And, at the same time, she had evaluated his own abilities – he had seen it in her eyes. In trying to keep her quiet, he had revealed more about himself than had they actually been talking. At first, it really, really pissed him off, but now, he recognized that he had no one to blame but himself. He had underestimated her yet again. It was amazing actually, that none of his tricks seemed to work with this girl. He could respect her for that at least.

"It looks like we'll be stuck here forever."

It wasn't an exaggeration – finally, it had dawned on them both. Stuck forever. Together.

He shrugged.

"Well, what do you want to do, then?" he asked, though he wasn't really expecting an answer.

He got one anyway. At least she could be occasionally unpredictable.

"I don't want to die here. I'm not going to starve here either."

Now something did flash across her face, a determination that suited her features well. Sasori was accustomed to it, accustomed to a look he had only seen before to be broken before. But usually he was the one doing the breaking, not a place. Although it differed from her intellectual ability and showed her weaknesses at being a ninja, Sasori actually found himself enjoying her expressions. It was funny how her eyes could go from one extreme to the next, funny the way the emotion streaked through it brilliantly. It was actually a wonderful thing, but it was too short –permanence, now that would be fascinating.

Yes, he realized, he really did hang around too many boring, emotionless ninja. It was almost interesting to see such a change.

"Well, you'd have to live forever, then," he told her simply. "Good luck with that."

"Good luck to us both," she said. "You're coming with me."

"I am?" he asked, snorting slightly now.

"We're not splitting up again."

Ha! Here she was again, bossing him around, determined to take the lead, but in truth, sticking together was what Sasori wanted. Alone, stripped of any weapons, any defenses, he'd go insane, screaming into the wilderness, a starving artist indeed. She could act as high and mighty as she wished, until he found a way to fight at least.

Still, it was amusing that she put on so much bravado, that she was so determined to ignore his demonstration earlier. What a funny kid.

"Well," he asked her, smirking inwardly at her demanding stature, "how do you plan to become immortal?"

"I plan to find the cave's purpose, why people go here in the first place," she told him dully. "I want to go to its center and discover the secret to life." Sighing, she continued, "I came to the mountain to find a medicine for my home. But I fell into this stupid cave inadvertently, and all I've wanted to do is get out. Maybe if I try to find the middle instead, I'll get out anyway." She looked around thoughtfully.

"The immortal Cherry Blossom," she hummed. "Has a nice ring, right?"

Delirious.

"No, not particularly."

"Well, what would you prefer?"

"The dead bouquet."

She made a hissing noise, a noise that she obviously wasn't used to making, her face contorting, her eyes narrowing into slits. It was pure venom that look, a look that, he realized with another smirk, seemed to have been created just for him. Very unsteadily, she controlled those features, and gradually, her face reverted to normal. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"That's another thing," she told him. "We need to get along somehow. If I'm going to be stuck with you forever, then it looks like we're going to have to make an agreement; otherwise, we're not going to get along, and I'm going to have to save your ass again and again."

Well, ouch. She really couldn't stand him, now, could she? Not like he could hold it against her; at the beginning, the feeling was definitely entirely mutual. Still, it was amusing that she disliked him in this form as much as she disliked him in Hiruko.

"So we'll have to make some guidelines?" he asked, actually toying with the idea. What worked, worked, right?

"Yes," she said completely serious, "so that we can get along." She sighed. "This will be difficult. You're as critical and arrogant as I thought you were."

"And you're brattier and stupider than I thought you were."

Again with that bitter, bitter look! Ha, the hate just gleamed off of it, like some kind of beacon. It was the perfect expression for a puppet, the most memorable face he could think of for one resembling eternal, uncontrolled loathing…

And yet, she, once again, had a point. He kept dismissing her ideas, enthusiasm, and character as naive and foolish, but in truth, he had come to recognize inwardly at least, her strengths. Well, she was physically strong of course with excellent speed, accuracy, and power. And mentally, she had surprised even him with some interesting and resourceful ideas; so far, it seemed, to Sasori's bitter disappointment, that she really was the intelligent one on the journey, tarnished only by her teenage temper tantrums. Not to mention, she was more than likely a skilled medical ninja. She had it all.

Well, he could beat her at her own game. Getting along would be the intelligent, mature thing to do, and he was the intelligent, mature ninja.

"Fine," he sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. Angels and spirits aside, you have good ideas. You're not a complete idiot. I've recognized that."

As he predicted, surprise flew over her face, but there was very little suspicion. In a way, he realized, the comment had been fairly sincere, so suspicion would have been unwarranted. But at the same time, he thought she would more astute. He expected a little better.

"What are you playing at?"

Or not.

"Not at," he said simply. "By. By our new rules. Rules that say we have to get along. I'm going to get along with you."

She stared at him disbelievingly. "Excuse me?" she asked. "You're taking me seriously?"

Sasori's eyes rolled. "It isn't exactly a game at this point," he told her. "It's about survival. And our survival depends on one another. You and me, so it seems."

"Well, then," she challenged, "what do these rules mean to you? What are you going to let me do?"

He smiled back at her angelically. He could be charming if he wanted to. Not like he ever wanted to.

"Whatever you would like to do."

She looked into the dark, dark sky once again, as if somewhere in that unimaginable darkness, there lay the answers to all her problems, as if, behind those black clouds, there lay the smiles of her friends. That, somehow, that darkness took her away from a thing like him, that the darkness was preferable to a thing like him. Her eyes lost focus and began shutting against her will.

"You're exhausted," Sasori told her, and her eyes widened in surprise, immediately more awake. She seemed keen on hiding her weak points – a smart decision, but a futile one. It didn't really matter anyway.

"No, I… I…" She sighed overcome by her own fatigue. "Yes. You're right. I'm really tired, and it's dark. I really do want my sleep. Can we sleep?" Without waiting for an answer, she collapsed into a sitting position on the ground, looking straight ahead into nothingness. He sat a few feet apart from her, facing her as if from across a campfire, their skin illuminated by this odd, incoherent world. Her eyes had blue bags beneath them, and there was no point in forcing them to move ahead. The only useful member of their group would be utterly useless.

"Why aren't you tired?" she yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "You've been up… for a long time, too…"

"I'm a little different than you are."

In her state, she seemed to accept this explanation without another thought. She buried her head in her knees, and he studied her closely, thinking about the basics of what she was. And he had to admit, it wasn't bad: she was intellectual, powerful, and attractive. Sasori sighed. An eternity with the girl before him. Well, he supposed, it could've been worse.

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AN: Definitely not my favorite chapter (I'm happy with the next few, though). But did anyone else think Pirates of the Caribbean when they saw the chapter title? XD.