Chapter Two | Enter: Sasuke Uchiha

I strolled down the busy streets. There was nowhere I particularly needed to go, and instead allowed myself to soak in the appreciable noise that I rarely was a part of. My hair was slung over my shoulder, haphazardly clasped in a tie I had found back at my apartment. I never got to stay in Konoha for long, and I was eternally grateful for Tsunade to allow me leave. Two days was a long time for an ANBU Black Op.

I was very surprised when a blonde ninja came barreling toward me, and in an instant I stepped to the side, eyebrow raised as my hand reached forward to catch the falling ninja.

A smirk forced my lips apart, and I laughed softly at Naruto, "Why are you in such a hurry, you dork?"

As soon as he was back on his feet, he grumbled at me, lower lip pouting childishly, "I'm not a dork! And I'm hurrying because I'm racing Sasuke to the Ramen shop! We're gonna eat!"

He was about to continue onward when my hand darted forward and caught his hair, tugging him back. I hadn't pulled too hard, but he still made a dramatic show of unbearable pain. I rolled my eyes, "What makes you think Sasuke would agree to that? He hates Ramen."

Naruto grumbled again. Crossing his arms, he looked away stubbornly and said, "...I offered to pay for his meal."

I think it was the way he said it – all petulant because he had to bribe his arch nemesis – that made me burst out with laughter. Naruto narrowed his bright blue eyes on me and I wiped a fake tear from my eye to add pizzazz to the situation. I was still chuckling by the time another voice called out, all too familiar.

"Naruto! I thought you said we were racing to the Ramen shop?" Sasuke's face was arrogant beyond belief, though it hardly surprised me. His voice held a playful spite that made me realize he didn't actually hate Naruto. I doubted anyone could, really.

"Heya, Sasuke-kun!" I cheerfully waved, golden eyes drawn to his. It never seemed to fade, this surprise. Whenever I looked into Sasuke's eyes, I swore I saw a little piece of his older brother buried in their dark depths.

"Oh, Narita-chan, are you coming as well?" he asked, turning to me. I shrugged.

"Why not? I haven't spoken to you guys lately, anyhow. Where's Sakura?" I asked as we began walking in the way I had previously come.

Naruto grunted, muscled shoulders dipped up and the back down, "Hanging out with Ino, I think. We just returned from a mission so I they went to the hot springs."

"Hmm...I should go there too, before I'm dispatched again," I thought out loud, a glazed look in my eyes as I imagined the steaming water and how relaxing it would be.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, falling into step beside me, "I think we should go to a different restaurant. I-"

"Hate Ramen," Naruto and I said together, and we threw each other an amused look as Sasuke glared, but remained in silent agreement.

"I haven't had Ramen in a while," I claimed, and literally pushed Sasuke into the warm building as we took our seats. Having his decision made for him, he merely sighed and slid onto a stool beside me. Naruto immediately began ordering his meal without any hesitation. He probably thought about it on his way here...

"Miso, please," I said politely, and Sasuke ordered the same. The younger Uchiha watched as I unhooked my ANBU mask and pulled it onto the table. It was nice to be free of the thing, though I knew I shouldn't be so carefree about sporting it. Both boys turned their gazes to my newly revealed face.

I smirked and leaned back in the stool, careful not to loose my balance on the backless seat, "Quit staring, you fools, and tell me how you've been doing. I heard about your little spout a few days ago."

The reminder of their fight had Naruto narrowing his eyes, and a dark look spread quickly over Sasuke's face. I wondered what could have taken place between them – surely nothing too drastic; they were only children!

"It was nothing," Sasuke spat, far too hostile for my liking.

I didn't bother reasoning with him: my fist came down upon each of their heads and the matter was instantly settled as they both careened forward and began nursing their wounds.

Naruto opened his mouth to complain, but immediately shut up as his ramen was placed in front of him. He forgot about the entire argument and dug into his meal. I followed suit not long after, and listened closely to Sasuke as he spoke, "You said you were going on another mission soon. Do you have your orders yet?"

I sent him an amused look and answered, "That's classified information, Sasuke-kun. Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong," I chuckled at his now scowling face and added for good measure, "...It's an assassination."

We shared a look and Naruto claimed, "I wish I were in the Black Ops! That would get me to the Hokage position much faster!"

Sasuke grunted mockingly. He swallowed a bit of ramen and leisurely said, "You have to pass the chunin exams first, dobe."

I smiled inwardly, watching the resulting glares that Naruto shot his teammate. As he began to go on about how he was much more skilled than Sasuke, my mind drifted.

I studied Sasuke's features. He looked so much like him... My fingers tugged at the chain around my neck, and I longed to take out the necklace and hold it against my heart. Sasuke's eyes connected with mine, and for a moment, I sincerely thought I was looking into Itachi's.

"Setsuko-chan, is there something wrong?" Naruto asked, and the spell broke. Sasuke was staring at me with knowing eyes, hardened by the thought of my infatuation with his brother. He knew everything, because he had been there before that infatuation had even begun to exist.

I cleared my thoughts and smiled, "I was just thinking about my next mission. I should go – it's getting late," I claimed, glancing behind me at the darkening sky. I was exhausted already from my mission, and there were a few scabs that were screaming for relief. All I wanted to do was cuddle up in a blanket and read, a cup of hot tea beside me.

"I'll walk you home," Sasuke said abruptly, and got up. I sighed; I didn't really want his company, because I knew he was going to pester me with unwanted questions. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a few bills to pay for our dinner. I smiled at Naruto and murmured, "My treat, kid," before ruffling his blonde spikes.

He grinned and exclaimed his farewell, overly excited about eating for free – and, probably, not having to pay for Sasuke's meal as well.

Then, Sasuke and I disappeared outside. It was cold, which surprised me. I curled my arms around myself as I got used to the unwelcome chill.

"You saw him," came Sasuke's accusing voice, and I sighed. He could have had the decency to wait until we were farther from Ichiraku.

My once smiling face turned down in a frown. I made a noise, copying Sasuke's demeanor as I answered, "...No. He left before I was able to confront him."

...Which was a typical move, for someone like him, I thought. Itachi didn't like fighting. He was forever the pacifist...

"But he was still there," the young Uchiha spat. I looked at him from the corner of my eye. A soft sheen of snow made itself evident, falling from the sky like clouds. I held out my hand and caught a snowflake, watching curiously as it melted on contact with my skin.

"It is foolish...to surround yourself with all this hatred," I murmured, golden eyes snapped forward as he threw me a scowl, "You need to let go."

We were almost to my apartment now, and I knew our conversation wasn't nearly over. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and in vehemence, said, "You mean like you?"

I stopped in my tracks, startled by the obvious accusation, but the Uchiha didn't halt. When he was a few feet before me, he swiveled his to gaze back with cold eyes, "Don't think you ever meant anything to him. He left you here."

A despairing feeling rose up inside me. My throat felt clamped, and my heart felt as though someone was squeezing it. I faltered, nearly tripping as I tried to follow Sasuke's now retreating back. But instead of succeeding, I fell, knees collapsing in the white snow. There was nothing I could do now; Itachi was merely a thing of the past.

Nothing more, and nothing less.

For all the mission was worth, I was unsurprised by our easy recovery. It was been fairly simple. Hotaru was able to trick the guards and ultimately dispose of them. I had assigned my teammates the deaths of the two children, and had gone for the lord myself. It was easy to get in...but not as easy to get out.

My mask was not on my face, and I felt exposed even when I wore the face of another. My hair was now short and brown; my eyes a dull green. I had taken the appearance of the guard out front, but was unsure how long I had until they discovered the body and detected my fraud.

Still, I tried to walk as normally as possible and not show the fear I so strongly felt. I had been in worse situations, for sure. I suddenly jumped to the side and into the shadows as someone barreled through the hall. I closed my eyes and used a genjutsu to melt into my surroundings. When the person was gone, a foreboding feeling crept into my stomach. I knew, in that instant, that we had to get out of here as fast as possible.

"Hotaru, Arata," I whispered into the mic at my lips, not bothering with honorifics. It was not the time nor the place, "Retreat. Meet me two miles north of here."

They didn't bother questioning my words, and with soft agreement, our connection was shut off. I felt a little better that my teammates would be safe, but I still selfishly valued my own life and needed to get out as well.

I had only taken two steps when a bloodcurdling scream filled the mansion. My eyes widened and I cursed silently, raising my hands into familiar positions as I cast off my genjutsu. It was too late now, to leave with another's appearance, for I had a feeling I was already discovered. This was not how an ANBU mission was supposed to be, and I was furious.

With deft fingers I slid my mask back into place, over the thin black material that covered my features. With my face hidden once more, I had no qualms as I headed for any exit I could find. I remembered seeing a balcony a few halls down and swiftly made my way toward it. It took me hardly any time to jump off the balcony. My mind was numb and I rolled instinctively to pillow my fall. My back groaned in protest as I landed on it, but was on my legs again in seconds flat.

I was so focused on getting out of there alive, that I hardly noticed the arrow that came at me from behind. In a flight of color and confusion, I waited for the pain that should be springing up my body, but felt none.

The familiar gloved hand of my teammate, Arata, was clutching the arrow that was mere inches from my back. He flung the arrow away and Hotaru grabbed my arm, pulling me into the underbrush as we escaped.

"...Damn it!" I muttered, breathing deeply as we ran, "I thought I told you two to-"

"We had a feeling that you'd need us," Arata swiftly answered, and we increased our speed.

I scoffed, but couldn't shake the grateful emotion from my hidden face, "Disobeying direct orders will demote you to Jounin."

But we all knew I was pleased by their display of courage. They would remain by my side for a while yet.

It was early in the morning by the time we had stopped to rest. The moon had just begun it's descent towards the earth, and the shadows it cast shrouded us in thankful darkness. We did not set up a fire, nor did we get too comfortable in sleep. Arata and I sat up, each in opposite directions around the disclosed space, while Hotaru curled up and rested. We would trade places in half an hour, and by the time an hour had come, we would be on our way again.

"It took two days to get here," I muttered, knowing Arata could hear. My voice was quiet, almost non-existent, yet still plausible to my companion's elite hearing, "but it will take one to get back."

The return journey was always the most important, of course. We'd take our time to rest up on our way to ensure our best skills during the actual mission. But on the way back, it would be as painstaking as it was right now, with no sleep, no food, and no breaks at all to rest our sore and numb limbs.

I quietly reached into my kunai pouch and pulled out a roll of bandages. I threw one behind me, and was unimpressed to hear a dull thud as it reached Arata's grasp. He had run out of them on the way here, but it did not surprise me: he usually forgot to reimburse his supplies, and sometimes that forgetfulness irked me greatly. I unrolled my bandages and began curling them around my upper arm, where the long sleeve of my silver kimono had been ripped during the mission. The wound there was shallow and not at all deadly, but this would be the only time I would get to treat myself during the trip back, and I needed to make good use of it.

"They will not find us here. For now, we are safe," Arata murmured, tying the end of his bandage around his ankle and beginning to tend to his only other wound – a simple array of scratches the appeared to be from a bout of shuruiken.

We both knew that his words could not be justified until we got back. After all, we were not the only elite ninja in the world. Our enemies could very well be tearing through the underbrush in search of us, and I had no doubt that they were. Revenge was a terrible thing. It made people do things they wouldn't do otherwise; cloud their senses with a rage like no other. That was why we had to be careful and astute on our journey home. I was well aware of what revenge could do.

The half hour passed slowly by, without speaking. My head nodded on my shoulder numerous times, yet I forced myself to stay awake. When I deemed it was time, I reached out and shook Hotaru awake, pushing down the guilt as she jerked up looking not at all rested and a little insane. After she had calmed down a few seconds later, I murmured, "In half an hour, we leave."

Arata and Hotaru traded places, each taking the previous position of the other one, while I sat straighter to ensure discomfort – and no sleep. My teammates did not say anything, though I knew Arata wished to force me to sleep as well. I was not looking out for my own health, but that of my team. Being the leader, I pushed my own needs to the backburner. I allowed myself to gaze at the moon as the minutes ticked by, and tried not to think of the ninja that might very well be scourging the earth for us.

My fingers seemed to have a mind of their own; they slid up my arm and latched around my necklace. I lifted it up towards the moon's light and nearly gasped at the reflection I saw in it's colored depths. But I relaxed once I remembered that the eyes I could see were my own golden orbs, and not the passively indifferent ones of a man from long ago. At the thought of him, I could almost feel my heart ache. There had been a deep scar in my chest since the day of his departure; one that I did not think would ever leave. Nothing was very easy when it came to Itachi Uchiha. I hated to realize that it was still not easy, even when he was long gone.

Hotaru knew of what I was doing, though she did not understand the reason behind my actions. There were silly rumors around Konoha about Itachi and me – there had been for years, before he had even left – and my teammates had heard them, of course. Everyone had heard them. Part of them were true – the awe inspired companionship, the loving arms of his family after they had welcomed me into their home, and the blissful, innocent romance that awoke whenever we found ourselves alone. Of these memories I took great happiness; I reveled in their caressing folds until I could find no more relief from the other, less than believed but still somehow plausible rumors. I tried to hid myself from those, for they were as untrue as a summer blossom during winter. There had been stories of me assisting Itachi in his wrongdoings. Some had to do with my clan's bloodline trait, some had to do with other, unsightly things about the Narita clan. But such murmurs were now unlikely. They were merely ghosts of the past, remembered, but not appreciated. Just as I was to my old childhood sweetheart, and just as he was to me. I repeated such statements the rest of the night, trying to make myself believe in them. I hadn't ever tried to get over him, because there was always hope that I would see him again, some day soon, and that my harbored feelings would be returned once again. But somewhere in my heart I knew it was wishful thinking. It would do better to just forget everything that had happened, lest I should find myself in an even deeper hole with no means to getting out.

When we had finally gotten back to Konoha after a painstaking journey, we immediately went to visit the Hokage and inform her of the results of our mission. All three of us were beat up; we could hardly stand straight and there were broken scabs and cuts all over our bodies. Hotaru even had a bandage wrapped around her head – courtesy of a swinging weapon that she hadn't been able to fully stop. In any case, Tsunade remained impassioned towards our battered appearances and focused mainly on my words, which were slurred and exhausted due to my lack of sleep and overall countenance. After I had finished explaining the end result of the mission, the Hokage gave us that day to rest and ordered us back in the morning for another mission briefing.

Only ten minutes later, I found myself on my way home, toward my apartment within the Narita estate. Hotaru and Arata had parted ways only seconds before, after offering me an invitation out at our favorite pub. I had declined, of course; all I wanted to do was sleep.

Once I got to my apartment, I did just that. I went in through the main entrance, nodded to a few of the Narita guards at the doors, and wandered down the seemingly endless halls until I had gotten to the separate housing. The estate was different from most complexes. The Narita Clan held a firm tradition revolving around the privacy of it's members. The family houses were on the East side of the complex; the elders of the clan lived on the West side; the elite ninja of Chunin status and up lived on the North side. That was where I was currently headed, and silently cursed the elders for making it such a long way from the entrance. On the South side was the main house, standard in it's building and not unlike any other house in Konoha. It was in those traditional paper walls that the Clan leader slept. Our leader was an older man, with graying hair that matched his silver robes. He was kind, not like our last leader, who remained bitter and careless in my memory. His eyes sparkled with a wisdom that surpassed me, and he seemed to know much more than he let on. Narita ninja were usually forced to check in with him after returning from a long mission, but it was night; I was tired. I would see him in the morning.

I passed right through the East and West sides and into the North. It was quietest on the North end, because there were no children. A soft babble of a nearby pond was the only source of noise. I didn't give it a glance as I passed, going by house after house. Each building looked the same. They each had plain white panels in which were surrounded by wood. They were not of a traditional sort like those in the other sections, however. No paper walls lined them, nor did any type of lantern light the way. It was not homey or comfortable, and was not meant to be. After all, the life of a ninja was not so.

No one locked their houses, and neither did I. Once I had detected my own apartment in the muddle of the others, I quickly opened the door and slunk in. It slid shut easily and I kicked off my sandals. My fingers undid my clothes on my way to my room, leaving articles behind on the spotless floors. By the time I had got to my bed, I was pulling on a nightshirt and slipping under the covers. I'd bother with my wounds tomorrow, but for now, sleep was coming quickly. I succumbed faster than I thought possible.

Thanks for reading another chapter of One Thousand Cranes! I can't promise that the next chapter will have much of Itachi...or that it will be updated soon. Seeing as I once again have way too much to do for my liking, it will probably be a while before I can write and upload again. D=

Review!