It was complicated, that much was undeniable.

It had been a week since Sakura had left to go on her first ANBU mission since the one she'd been on when she'd found him, and Sasuke found her sudden absence to be surprisingly jarring. If he had been totally honest with himself (which in this case he wasn't, of course), he would have admitted to feeling a bit lost without her constant, cheerful presence there by his side. After all, she'd been with him every day since he'd been back in the village until now, though she had claimed that it was her duty as a medic-nin and that Tsunade would skin her alive if anything happened to the last of Konoha's prestigious Uchiha clan. But regardless of the reason for it, she had been there...and the fact that she wasn't any more was, oddly (and irritatingly) enough, slightly distressing: without her there, the emptiness inside him that she always tried so hard to fill remained completely empty, and that hollow feeling was far from pleasant.

...Though now it seemed...somehow different than it had a few months ago, almost like it had changed into a different sort of emptiness...

Then, of course, there was the other feeling.

It was a strange sensation, and somehow Sasuke couldn't truly discern what the feeling was (though he had his suspicions, and thus was doing everything he could to ignore and deny it). He wasn't sure that it was love, exactly—it had been so long since someone had loved him, and since he'd loved someone in return—but he knew that he liked having her around. Her presence was comforting somehow. Soothing. She made him feel warm for the first time in years. And annoying as she could be sometimes, she was bright and lively, and forced his thoughts away from the darkness in his past.

When it came down to it, he simply had no idea what was going on inside himself, and that concerned him. It was too complex, too convoluted, and he wasn't at all certain that he liked these vague stirrings inside him in a place that he had thought would remain cold and motionless until his dying day.

He didn't know exactly what she was doing to him, and being on that uncommon, unsteady ground made him more than a little apprehensive. Sasuke did not like not being in control of himself, he'd learned that much in his years away from Konoha.

He knew that he couldn't deny that he felt something for her…though he truly didn't know what that something was.

He also knew that he didn't like this feeling of—could it be loneliness?—that she'd left him with.

No…he knew very well what loneliness felt like, and while similar, it was not quite the same. And try as he might to convince himself that it was nothing more than ordinary loneliness, deep down he knew better.

The Uchiha sighed, though it came out sounding more like a snort. Perhaps it would've been easier if Naruto hadn't gone on the mission as well. Both his closest friends were gone--the two people who had unwaveringly and unhesitantly defended his honor among the justifiably suspicious people of Konoha--and he was left to wander the streets and the surrounding areas of Konoha alone. The thought never even crossed his mind that he could spend his time with some of the other shinobi his age—he'd never been particularly social unless he was forced into it.

Who else was going on the mission with them? Sasuke paused in front one of the many shops along the street to think, staring unseeingly through the window. Ah, yes. Hyuuga Neji. One corner of his mouth pulled back in a slight smile. He'd always wanted to fight Neji--to prove the superiority of the Uchiha Clan over the Hyuuga Clan once and for all, of course--but he'd never gotten the chance. It was quite a shame, really…perhaps once he was off probation he'd extend a challenge to the purported genius of the Hyuuga clan.

That's a fight to look forward to…though he was beaten by Naruto, so then again... Sasuke shrugged inwardly. He himself had very nearly been beaten by Naruto back then; the blonde was definitely no easy opponent, and if one underestimated him…

The Uchiha chuckled at the idea of the composed Hyuuga being subjected Naruto's characteristic "beating-with-a-complementary-lecture," which was evidently what had happened back when they were kids, and Sasuke regretted once again that he'd been late and had thus missed seeing that match.

But regardless of the past, a fight with Neji would still be interesting. He was a Hyuuga after all, reportedly the strongest of his clan, and it went without saying that he'd gotten stronger since his humiliating defeat by the village idiot ten years hence, so who knew what tricks he'd have up his sleeves now? The idea was intriguing, and a slight tingle of anticipation ran through Sasuke's body at the thought.

…There was something else about the pale-eyed Hyuuga that hovered at the edge of his thoughts; it irritated him until he really concentrated on it, finally recalling that he'd seen Neji quite a bit while he'd been back in the hospital, and that he'd questioned Sakura about the impassive Hyuuga's seemingly constant presence. She'd been uncharacteristically tight-lipped about the subject now that he thought about it...

That sudden realization made him feel genuinely curious, and as before, just slightly insecure.

He didn't like the feeling.

"Sasuke?"

His thoughts interrupted, he turned to see the familiar figure of Hatake Kakashi standing beside him.

"Kakashi-sensei," he nodded.

"I'm surprised to find you here, Sasuke. I didn't know you were a fan of these kinds of books, too." The book Kakashi held up was brightly colored, just like the rest of his collection, and scrawled across the top in bold characters was the title Icha Icha Mayhem; below that, a trio of half-dressed women seemed to be engaged in a wrestling match of sorts over a vaguely familiar-looking man with shaggy white hair and a toothy leer.

Blinking in surprise, Sasuke turned his head and actually looked through the window for the first time. It was the Shueido Bookstore, he realized instantly, and a growing sense of mortification spread through him as he found himself staring in at numerous stacks of Icha Icha books, and row upon row of other things of similar literary quality (or rather, the lack thereof). He could feel his face heating up, and he quickly spun on his heel and stalked off down the street, leaving his old sensei behind.

But Kakashi wasn't through teasing him yet. "Does Sakura-chan know about this new interest of yours?" he asked lightly, falling into step with his former student. "I get the feeling that she might be disappointed in you."

"Shut up," Sasuke growled, not slowing his ferocious stride, but Kakashi easily kept pace.

"Don't you care about Sakura-chan's feelings, Sasuke?"

Abruptly the Uchiha stopped, whirling on the silver-haired man beside him. It was a bit of a shock to find that they were basically the same height; Sasuke was still used to looking somewhat up at Kakashi-sensei. "It's none of your business what I care about."

Kakashi just stared at him impassively with his single-eyed gaze. His face was infuriatingly impossible to read, and not for the first time Sasuke barely restrained himself from forcibly ripping the mask off the older man's face in order to see the rest of his expression.

Sasuke clenched and unclenched his fists several times; this silence was making him uneasy, and for some reason he felt like the blank-eyed jounin could somehow see a great deal more that he let on, even without using his Sharingan.

"Ichiraku is just about a block away," Kakashi finally said slowly. "Care to join me for old time's sake? My treat."

After a long moment's hesitation, Sasuke nodded, though he didn't doubt for a second that somehow he'd end up with the bill regardless of the silver-haired jounin's promise to pay.

As they settled themselves on the familiar stools, Sasuke wondered idly if Naruto or Sakura had ever been successful in sneaking a peek at their old sensei's face—he'd have to ask when they got back…

"Miso ramen with pork, please," Kakashi said absently, cracking open his book and totally missing the faint blush that colored Ayame's cheeks as she marked down his order.

After ordering something for himself (and causing Ayame to blush once more), Sasuke sat back and looked over at Kakashi with a smirk. "I'm interested in seeing how you do this."

Kakashi looked up distractedly from Icha Icha Mayhem, his one droopy eye innocent. "Oh?" He turned a page, burying his nose in the book once more as he replied, "How I do what?"

"Eat your ramen without letting me see your face."

"Hmm..."

A long silence stretched between them, broken only by the sound of boiling ramen and the whisper of rapidly turning pages.

He invited me here, and yet all he's going to do is sit and read that disgusting book the whole time? Sasuke snorted, finding himself wishing that Sakura, or at least Naruto, were there to fill the uncomfortable silence with their idle chatter.

"So," Kakashi said at last, "how are you holding up?"

Sasuke glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye, but Kakashi was still reading, his eye vacantly scrolling along in a manner that was nearly hypnotizing. He didn't know why, but he felt vaguely cagey about the question. It sounded innocent enough, but coming from Kakashi-sensei, one could never be entirely sure. Deciding that ignorance was the best tack to take here, he answered the question with one of his own, "What do you mean?"

"Sakura-chan's been gone almost a week."

"So?"

Kakashi let out a quiet chuckle and turned another page; Sasuke wasn't certain whether he was laughing at the book or at Sasuke himself, though he suspected that it was the latter.

"You certainly are stubborn, Sasuke-kun."

The Uchiha hissed a sigh from between gritted teeth and glared down at the countertop. "This is a total waste of my time."

"Perhaps," Kakashi said, still not looking up from his wretched book, "but what else were you planning on doing this evening?"

Sasuke hadn't been planning on doing anything, of course, and both of them knew it.

Silence fell between them once more.

Pages rustled.

Sasuke fidgeted.

"So," the older man finally broke the silence again. "How have you and Sakura-chan been getting along? I've seen you together quite a bit lately."

"So what? We were teammates, and the Council was forcing her to keep an eye on me."

"Uh, yeah…but why isn't Naruto with you most of the time, then? He was your teammate, too, and the Council gave him the same responsibility they gave Sakura-chan."

Sasuke's withering glare was an unmistakable warning to his old sensei that this was not a topic open for discussion, but the silver-haired man didn't seem to notice his expression.

"It's not really my business…" Kakashi began as two pleasantly steaming bowls of ramen were set down in front of them, and inwardly Sasuke agreed vehemently, "…but if you don't mind my asking—"

"You know, I might, come to think of it—"

"—What are you so afraid of, Sasuke?"

That brought his head up with a jerk, and his eyes turned towards Kakashi's as surely as if drawn by the Mangekyō Sharingan. Sasuke's lips pulled back slightly and he barred his teeth in a small, silent snarl at the accusation; the older man merely looked back at him calmly, his expression, or what little of it could be seen, blasé as ever.

"I'm not afraid of anything," the Uchiha muttered at last, turning back to his food and picking up his chopsticks. "I don't know…" Absently he poked at the floating noodles, stirring them slowly and mindlessly. "I'm just…even now, after all this time…I'm still not sure that I can give her what she wants. What she…deserves, I guess."

"There you go again, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi said cheerfully. "Ever the optimist."

"I'm being SERIOUS, you idiot!" Sasuke snapped at him, unconsciously clenching his fist so hard his chopsticks let out an audible crack. Their eyes met again for the space of a few heartbeats--Sasuke's narrowed to scarlet slits and brimming with anger and frustration, Kakashi's dark and cool--then the Uchiha heir looked away abruptly, focusing his attention on snatching and separating a new pair of chopsticks; he could feel his old teacher's piercing gaze on him still, and felt rather abashed for slipping like that. It's not like me to show that kind of raw emotion about something like this…what is wrong with me? Studiously ignoring his ex-teacher's unrelenting stare, he bent to his meal again.

He'd eaten a total of two mouthfuls when the quiet thunk of china on wood caught his attention. Swallowing his current mouthful, he glanced over at Kakashi, finding his increasingly irritating companion immersed once more in Icha Icha Mayhem…and the large bowl in front of him completely empty.

He gaped at the masked man in unconcealed astonishment, his jaw dropping so far as to nearly come unhinged; then, remembering himself, he shut it with a clack and let out a low growl. Kakashi, however, seemed not to notice, and serenely turned another page in his book.

With another growl, this one closer to a snarl, the Uchiha turned back to his own meal, attacking it with a determination he'd lacked before.

"Sasuke."

Kakashi's tone of voice made him pause with a bunch of noodles halfway to his mouth. Slowly lowering his chopsticks, he reluctantly looked over to meet the solemn gaze of that one dark eye, and for the first time that night, he knew Hatake Kakashi was being completely and utterly serious.

"You shouldn't let something good get away from you simply because you don't know…or are too stubborn to admit…that you want it." His hand descended heavily on Sasuke's shoulder in the same old, comfortingly familiar manner it had when the raven-haired Uchiha was twelve. The masked man gave his shoulder a slight squeeze, his exposed eye crinkling in that equally familiar smile; then without another word, he rose and disappeared into the night, hands sunk deeply into his pockets, his pace and his slouch as lazy as ever.

A faint smile turned Sasuke's mouth as he watched him go. He can be irritating, but I guess there really is more to him than meets the eye… He snorted softly. Thanks for the advice, Kakashi.

His smile didn't fade until he turned back to his half-empty bowl to find the bill for both meals sitting in front of him.

I knew it.

He scowled down at the scrap of paper. Sakura was right. Some things really never did change.