Chapter Thirteen: Realization

"Just where do you think you're going?" Rei asked with a knowing smile on her face. Sunlight leaked through the window reflecting off her brown eyes and face. Sasuke looked up and smirked, finishing getting dressed. "I think you know." There was only a month to prepare, and he wasted enough time here at the hospital.

She stretched out her arms behind her, made some noises then placed her hands on her hips. "And I think that you know I'll be coming with you." He expected that too.

0-0

"I think I can be faster than you," Rei commented, taking a bite of an apple. Tired out and breathing heavily, Sasuke shot her a deathly glare but she continued on smiling. Kakashi chuckled slightly, appreciating how much Rei could push Sasuke without him trying out a deadly chidori on her. If it was Naruto there, he would've been attacked for sure. Still, Rei eventually jumped down from the rock and stood in front of the boy, gesturing for him to come at her. "Take your best shot."

She, of course, knew that she was not faster than him of course. But maybe she had a chance against the Uchiha when he was tired and exhausted.

But as he raced towards her, his chakra sparking alive, he abruptly froze when suddenly Rei doubled over, coughing out blood in the ground. The two shinobi yelled out her name, alarmed as she steadied her hands on her knees, and spat out the last drop of blood. "I'm okay, I'm okay!" she insisted, raising a hand up at the two of them and slowly stood up again and wiping her mouth on her arm. "You didn't even come close to me, Sasuke." She looked up at the Uchiha. "Stop staring at me like I just died."

"We should get you back –"

"No!" she said quickly. She took a deep breath and tried again, "Come on. Hit me."

"You are insane," Sasuke stated but she just sighed.

"Fine, I'll go first." She had absolutely no chance at going against Sasuke in close range or even mid-range - so using the Ice Needles technique that Kakashi had coached her through, she jumped from the rock and did a flip, attacking him with it from all sides. She was nowhere as near skilled as Haku and it was obvious from the numbers she was able to produce: Haku had a spray of the ice needles whereas Rei managed just several dozen. As they had been training for the last week, Sasuke became fast enough to dodge all of them – except for one, that came slashing through his cheek.

"I told you that you should be faster..." she remarked but she didn't have it in her to sound proud, just tired. Her breathing was heavy but the smile made up for it. He rolled his eyes, panting, wondering how he had ever thought she was weak.

He learned about her kekkei genkai within the first hour of training, and the same went with Sasuke's curse seal. But thankfully, unlike Sakura, she just glared at him and threatened him if he were to ever lose control Rei would personally brand him with a curse seal.

"I am fast," he snapped back. Although Rei wasn't a competition to him, she was a constant reminder of all his challenges. Sensing his hostility, she raised an eyebrow at him. "Touchy," she commented but distracted and dizzy, she took a step back, planning to sit – only to stumble over the edge but because Kakashi was there, he had a grip around her wrist before she could even yell. "You all right?"

"Yeah!" Despite the fact that she sounded on the verge of passing out, she amended, "just a bit tired, that's all." He pulled up easily and sat her down carefully, and she held on to him tight as if she was a child, a doll.

But she was more than tired. Her chakra levels were low and energy barely existent after the ice release. Although she had helped Sasuke train for a while – sometimes, just plain fooling around, like trying to freeze his fire jutsus – it was taking a toll on her despite how much Kakashi monitored her chakra use. She was depending on the sugar from the dangos to keep her blood sugar stable, clear from the trays of it by her bedside. Thankfully with Sasuke's taijutsu drastically improved, Kakashi called it a day and both his students sighed - in Sasuke's case - with secret relief.

That night, Sasuke walked with her to the hospital – she needed constant supervision since it was a regular thing for her to wake up in pain – and shook his head at all the dessert. "I don't know how you can eat that stuff."

"I don't know how any person alive cannot have a sweet tooth," she countered, plopping down on the bed. She didn't bother changing, just slipping under the covers and cuddling next to a pillow. She had a sleepy smile on her face and he was glad that it was just fatigue and not pain that plagued her. Her eyelids were heavy, and the blankets inviting. Adding Sasuke's voice to that equation, she was already half asleep by the time he answered her.

"If you're so tired all the time, why not take ration pills?"

"Because you can die," she mumbled sleepily, "people die taking pills."

He pulled the covers over her shoulders. "They can help you, Rei." His fingers lingered slightly over her face and she scrunched up her nose.

"No, no," she murmured and yawned, eyes closing. He thought she was just babbling until she said something horrific, something that had to be the truth. "My mom died that way," she whispered, and although almost asleep, her eyes became teary and she wiped it off with the pillow, irritated in herself. Exhaustion was breaking her guard. He stared at her in disbelief, wondering if he heard right. What did she say? "And I was the one who gave them to her." Hearing the words out loud, she buried her face in the pillow, smothering out barely-there sobs.

Sasuke couldn't handle seeing, or hearing her cry. He closed his eyes briefly then pushed her hair back, really looking at her. She may not have a striking pink-haired green-eyed combo rather just simple brown hair and eyes but...it was Rei. Rei. The girl that was always there, waiting. The one that knew what to do, when to do it, and when to not do it. So he kissed the girl whose personality differentiated her and she rolled over to her back, leaning back and slowly opening her eyes. "Why do you keep doing that, Sasuke?" she asked her voice sleepy, but noticeably lighter. "Do you like me or something?"

"You're so annoying." Sasuke stood up but his voice held no bitterness. She smiled, reaching out to lace her fingers through Sasuke's and he found himself responding to it, curling up his own calloused-covered, long thin fingers with her cool, almost sweaty ones. She's sick, still. And now...

So this was what she was carrying all along – not just her sickness, but Rei believed that she had kill her own mother. And then he understood why he and Rei always got along so perfectly: they shared the same pain.

0-0

"Rei!"

She blinked at hearing her name being called out. When she turned to see the approaching girl, a huge grin broke across her face. "Hey Sakura!" she called out. The two looked a lot more similar now – with her newly short hair. But Sakura with her cherry hair and emerald eyes looked a lot...better, healthier than Rei, whose brown hair was tousled and usually bright brown eyes were dulled with sleep deprivation.

"How are you? I haven't seen you since the test," Sakura said worriedly. Rei smiled.

"I'm okay."

"If you say so…" Sakura said, unconvinced. "Have you seen Sasuke? He's disappeared too." Sakura was pretty sure that she would know. If anyone knew anything about Sasuke's whereabouts, it was either Rei or Kakashi. She bit her lip. She knew that Sasuke wanted to keep his training with their sensei a secret…but Sakura was a part of the team and not a competitor, unlike Naruto. So why would she be left in the shadows about it too?

Clueless about Sasuke's preferences, Rei was about to tell her teammate when the pain came back and she had to stop, her fingers digging into the side of her abdomen as she let out a huge breath. "Woah." She closed her eyes briefly. "I'm really sorry Sakura but I have to go and –"

"No, no! It's fine! I'll come with –"

"Sakura! Rei! Hey, over here!" They both turned - Rei, hunching - to the waving blonde haired girl. Soon they became a trio but Rei was feeling exhausted without having her usually breakfast dessert and uncomfortable so she excused herself from the other two. When she left, Ino sighed. "Why is Rei always leaving like that? Doesn't she like hanging out with others?"

Sakura was automatically defensive. "Well of course, but she's probably just feeling sick –"

Ino rolled her eyes. "When I see her with Sasuke, she seems fine," she stated, eyebrows raised in acknowledgement. Sakura looked up sharply at her friend uncomprehendingly. With Sasuke? Sure, the other two were together a lot during missions but…could she have feelings for him too? And then it hit her.

Am I that blind? How did I not see it before?

She had been so caught up with her own infatuation with Sasuke to even consider that maybe Rei felt the same – and that she actually had a chance.

Ino too, remembered seeing Rei walking with Sasuke, smiling up at him and Sasuke paying attention to her as well, looking at her and actually talking and laughing. Yes – Sasuke Uchiha genuinely laughing. Not a full out Naruto-laughter but without a doubt, a laugh nonetheless. It was far beyond what Ino or Sakura had – and the later only realizing now how well they got along.

"Sasuke…and Rei?"

In case you haven't notice, I really want Rei to be one of the OCs paired w/ Sasuke who doesn't call Sakura an "annoying fangirl" and whatnot. Hopefully, you guys sort of kinda see it! :)

Also, I was really bored and decided to draw one personally of Rei and Sasuke, because...why not? :) Plus, it sort of suits the end of this chapter. So here's a lil random quick sketch but check it out! Just add /photos/88956705-N04/8106704528/in/photostream/ to the flickr web address :) Remove the dash and put the at sign! *Apologies that i cant post a direct link...but you know.

Hope you enjoyed, and it was a quick update as well sooo *pat pat*