Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

Major-ish scene change: -XXXXXXXXXX-

Chapter 10: Regaining Trust, Just a Little More

I bent over coughing up blood as my body was trying to reject the poison that was spreading throughout my veins. Everyone ran/hobbled over to me.

"Sakura, can you heal her?" Kakashi and Sasuke quickly asked, scared from the thought of loosing another person close to them.

I looked up to them with a faint smile as my world turned to black.

.:Kakashi's view:.
"She should be stable enough to take her back to Konoha in time, but we still need to hurry. I couldn't get all the poison out of her. I don't have the right equipment with me and I need some help from Tsunade with the procedure we have to do on her..."

Relief washed over me. I lazily, yet carefully, picked Jade up; carrying her in my arms bridal style. Some of my team was injured so we were walking at a comfortable yet fast pace. I was slightly worried about Jade at the rate we were going, but I couldn't leave my team. I knew she would be fine, but I still felt uneasy.

Everyone was walking in silence, unsettling silence... Why couldn't we walk like this more often! My book!

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sasuke walking not too far behind me, looking at Jade with a worried expression on his face. I looked at her, she was losing colour. I sighed. "Sasuke..." He came over. I gave Jade to him. He cradled her in his arms. He understood what I meant; he quickly started running to Konoha with her in his arms, with no refusal or the look. Stoic. I smiled behind my mask looking at them getting further away. Finally Sasuke likes someone. He better take care of her now, unlike when they were younger. Actually, I wonder if he realizes that he likes her.

Silence.

Naruto and Sakura murmured something.

Silence once again.

"Uhh, Kakashi sensei?"

"Humm?" I asked Naruto, nonchalantly, what he wanted

And once again.

"Why is Sasuke carrying Jade?" Sakura asked in-between the still shocked silence of what they saw with Sasuke.

I pulled out Icha Icha Paradise, "Why? Well, she was preventing me from reading my book." I smiled innocently. Naruto fell over, Sakura got a sweat drop, and Sai kept walking ignoring my uh, statement. I went back to reading my book.

Mmmm still that beautiful silence! I smiled gleefully reading my book.

.:Sasuke's view:.
Her body temperature had dropped, skin lost of colour, and she was motionless. I held her closer to me as I ran, hoping my warmth would help provide for what she lost.

Writing flashed passes the corner of my eye. I stopped to look at it. The tree, our tree was what flashed pass me. Our writing was still engraved there, never to be forgotten throughout the ages of time. This tree was what I was trying to show her the other day... But Naruto and Hinata came along, making us go to...to that party. My brow furrowed.

I looked pass our tree and frowned. I was near Sound Village... I don't even know why I was like that towards her, or anyone, as we were on that mission. I've been an utter jerk. I looked at Jade. Her face looked so innocent, so vulnerable, like childish innocence. I brushed some raven strains away from her eyes with a slight smirk on my lips. My heart started to beat faster. I shook the foreign feeling off noticing that she was still cold under my touch.
I ran as fast as I could to get her back home in time.

I had burst through the hospital doors, the lady at the counter was about to say something to me but noticed Jade's condition. Everything went a blur after that; nurses and doctors rushing to me, Jade leaving my arms, people talking to/questioning me about something but I couldn't hear them, someone disappearing to get Tsunade... And I was standing in the middle of the frantic rush, watching Jade getting taken away from my sight.

Alarms rang in my ears.
Sitting alone, yet I'm not the only one here...
"She's going through cardiac arrest!"
The world of lonesome is where I near.
"We're losing her Tsunade!"
"Shut up Sakura! I'm trying the best I can!"
Behind these emotionless eyes are held with such fear.

I snapped out of my memory as I felt something touch my shoulder. "She's ok now, Sasuke. She's just going to be out for a couple days. You can go see her now. Oh, and when she wakes up she can leave."

I didn't know who had talked to me, I didn't care. I just mindlessly went to Jade's room, it was late, I couldn't think straight. Machines were hooked up to her, showing her vital signs. I sat there, next to her, letting everything sink in of what had happened – what could have happened today.
I laid my head on her bed, letting the world of dreams tuck me in for the night.

As the days went by Jade often had visitors; Naruto and Kiba regularly visited, Kakashi and Sai often visited, Sakura on the rare accession visited, and the rookie 9 and plus had visited through the duration of her deep slumber while I stayed by her side.

"Sasuke-kun..."

I looked towards the voice, it was Sakura, and Naruto was with her. Sakura held her hand to her chest, clearly out of worry.
My face didn't change by their presence; it still held a mask of indifference. I didn't say a word. I ignored them and went back to looking at something like it was never there.

"Sasuke, you should get something to eat or something," Sakura said saddened.

I just looked at her then back at the nothingness of the room.

"Sakura is right, Sasuke. You don't look too well and Jade is going to be fine" Kakashi said beside the door frame. Naruto almost got scared out of his wits by Kakashi's unsuspected appearance. "Hey! Don't do that!" He said pointing at Kakashi.

I looked at Jade then stood up. I started walking out of the room but paused as I got near everyone, "keep the Dobe quiet," I said in a hushed harshness. I left the room to get a drink and a snack from the hospital's canteen.

.:Jade's view:.
Darkness wrapped around my body like a blanket of chocking silk. The silence left a cold chill seep into my to be seen, dyeing screams suffocating my scene. Everything turned quiet; thick, sticky liquid wetting my toes, an icy damp breeze hitting my skin.

A dull light showed me my surroundings, slaughtered bodies, puddles of rain, blood...The scene disappeared from my sight. I was left alone in the darkness again.

Crazed, manic almost innocent-sounding giggling swept around me, ringing through my ears. A slight dripping sound of water hitting the ground could be heard. Except it wasn't a splash-like sound, it was more a glug-like dripping sound... it was thicker. The giggling got louder; it was getting closer. Sweat mixed tears slithered down my face, my heartbeat rapidly sped up. Clunk!-

I snapped awake sitting up, shakily panting. My jet black hair, with dark crimson tips, messily clung to my face. My breathing slowly settled down along with my heart rate. I looked up to my surroundings. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were standing around me, worry written all over their faces. I slowly looked around the white hospital room, taking in the none-too-familiar surroundings. I noticed Sasuke wasn't here; my eyes hardened as I crossed my arms over my chest. Typical!

"He is here..." Kakashi stated as he relaxed knowing that I was fine now, seeing I had fully awakened from my disturbing sleep. I kept the grimace on my face as I turned to him while raising an eyebrow with question. He who?

"YEAH! He stayed here the whole time you were asleep, the nurses couldn't even kick Teme out," Naruto said quickly catching onto what we were talking about. Sakura got a wry face, truly displeased with what had happened and by what she heard.

My face relaxed as my eyes softened. Really? He was here the whole time? A small smile curled my lips. My gaze lowered to the bed realizing that he wasn't here now. Hn, he's been here the entire time? Well he's not now...

"...Chocolate?"

Numbly nodding my head I received the offer without looking at the barer. As I was savouring the rich chocolaty taste I heard a slight crunching sound from the left of me. I looked. He was just mindlessly munching an apple, in his own little word. I looked at my half eaten chocolate bar then back at Sasuke, rapidly blinking from confusion. Stupid sleep... Wait. Did he give me a sweet? He hates sweets!

I smirked realizing that he must have known that I would be waking up soon, and also from realizing that maybe he had changed since we were younger. Maybe now he is a good friend to have, and maybe he is trying to repair things between us?
I went back to eating my bar of chocolate, thinking everything through.

-XXXXXXXXXX-

I sat on the couch, bored out of my brains, while Sasuke was in his room doing who knows what. I got a faint idea and smirked. I headed up the stairs to my room. I bent under my bed, reaching for my possession. My fingertips brushed against something of hard plastic. I pulled it out from under the bed.
I sat cross-legged in front of my object. The keyboard was dull from dust; it looked like it hadn't been used for years.

I blew on it, making me sneeze from its dust particles tickling my nose. I turned the keyboard on and started pressing keys, getting familiar with them once again. Once done with recalling them I took in a deep breath, readying myself with a song I was going to sing.

It was calming singing, it made me think about my past with Sasuke, how I sometimes got the brooding teen to act like normal teens – teens that were suppose to have fun in their life before they got too serious with the life of a shinobi.

I remembered that dull, sad night Sasuke left, the night he disappeared from our world for Orochimaru's. Moreover, it made me remember the evening of my clan's massacre, how I was so scared, how I was so alone in the woods hiding from the outside world... hiding from a murderer.

I wondered how he himself felt with his clan.

My thoughts drifted away from Ruby and my family; it drifted back to Sasuke and all my friends, how they tried so hard to get me to live and forget about him and everything bad.

As the song slowly went to a finish I breathed out, smiling as I had finally collected my thoughts: I was going to live life to its fullest. I was going to let myself do what I wanted to do ever since Sasuke had apologized to me in the forest after Kiba had found me punching the trees out.

.:Sasuke's view:.
Faintly I could hear a piano playing. I listened, the music seemed sad. Slowly, as the melody formed, a sweet voice drifted my way with it. The voice was of a girl. When she went high it was clear and sweet to my ears, but when she went low to a certain point, her voice became slightly husky. My thoughts drifted away from my brother as I slowly got up from my black sateen covered bed and walked down the hall, my feet following the enchanting-like voice. Curiosity had gotten the better of me.

As I got closer I could hear the words being sung. They were sad and lonely. When I was near Jade's door I could hear that she was the girl singing and playing the music. She had a sweet bell like sound. She was quite good. I leaned against her door frame as I started to watch her. When I got glimpses of her fingers playing they seemed to move fluently and freely along the keys. I remembered back to the hotel, how I was watching her draw in her sketch book. She was quite good at that too...

I smirked to myself, noticing how compassionate she is with some things; this side of her was completely different compared to what she showed the outside world, it was her world. Sure she was sometimes sarcastic and showed a tough-like exterior, but, she did have a sweet and gentle side to her... She just hid it from everyone. But her niceness did show once in awhile, and those where the times people would want treasure with them in their memories forever.

The song ended. She slowly let out a deep breath, smiling to herself. "You're good." I simply stated.
She slightly jumped from surprise and turned to me. We held eye contact, but she broke it to go get something from her wardrobe.

She slowly, yet confidently, walked over to me with a smirk plastered on her face. She stood in front of me, looking in my eyes. I raised an eyebrow about her new attitude towards me... She was being... Nice? I almost cockily smirked, almost. She saw the twitch in my lips and smiled childishly. "Well, aren't you going to get your swimmers?"

.:Jade's view:.
We were slowly walking to the lake. We both had our normal clothes on with our swimmers worn underneath. Well, apart from Sasuke. He didn't have his on underneath, he was wearing his normal shirt and black board shorts.

Sasuke had his hands stuffed in his pockets, carelessly, while I walked cautiously, on high alert. As you could guess, yes, I hate fan girls! That is the reason why I am walking rather... weirdly.

"Stop that. There are none around." Sasuke said without looking at me. "Scaredy cat," he whispered under his breath.

I glared at him. I. Am. Not. A. Scaredy. Cat! Fan girls and fan boys are just freaky! Out of the lot? The girls are the worst! As in how one comes, and then soon after another, then another... then not even in a blink of an eye you're surrounded by thousands of flees trying to suck the blood out of you, like you have the riches, sweetest blood in the world, like they are in a trance and they can't leave without your blood, or you. Even though, I think they'd more prefer to have their object of desire, you, locked away with them forever.
Flee-like fan girls... My eye twitched from the thought.

The water glistened in the sun. A light breeze made ripples form in the water. Vines from trees drooped into the crystal clear lake.
When we were at the waters bank an evil idea came to mind. I walked casually over to Sasuke.

…

…
…

SPLASH!

…

…

…

…

"HAHAHAHAHA!" I laughed uncontrollably pointing at the drowned rat. He was soaked from head to toe, still with his usual clothes on. A menacing glare was plastered on his usually deadpanned face.

A low, deep growl ruptured from his throat. "You're dead," he said darkly.

I tried scrambling from the ground before he could get to me but all failed. My sides were acing with the once heard laughter, making my muscles weak.
I got lifted off the ground like I weighed nothing. Sadistically smirking, he quickly took me over to the water's edge. I caught onto what he was doing. Just as he was flinging me into the wetness I quickly grabbed onto him.

Holding on tight, my vision was blurred, everything was disorientated. Arms wrapped around my waist, keeping me close to them.
We both spluttered as we resurfaced into the fresh air.
He smirked proudly. I pouted about his stupid ego; we were now both wet, clothes and all.

-XXXXXXXXXX-

After our revenge-like water fight, due to the fact of us trying to get one another back for getting each other wet in our usual attire. We were finally relaxing, sure the fight was fun, yet half serious at the same time, we were fine with each other now... It was almost like old times.

Mind wondering as my body floated in the water. Images passed by my eyes. My brain was still fresh with the images and nonphysical scars from the fight:

She stood over me holding her chest trying to prevent herself from more blood loss, she wasn't going to last too long either. "I've always hated what you were. I've always wondered why you had to be the special one in the clan, when it should have been me!" She said hate filled.

I slowly got up to look at her eye to eye. I had no friggen idea what she was on about!

My eyebrows knitted with confusion as I tried figuring out what she meant. I was average, nothing special. I had people who liked me and who disliked me, like any other person. And my family wasn't wealthy, but they weren't poor.
So how the fricken hell was I the 'special' one in the clan? I was like any other human being, like anyone else in the bloody clan!

My eyes clouded with detest as I kept thinking about some of the other things Ruby said in the fight:

She leaned close to my ear while lopsidedly smirking. "It's all your fault there dead ya know? Mmmm, their rich blood was beautiful on my hands." She breathed. "The blood. It still smells like it's there. I can almost taste them!" A tear ran over my cheek. "Our clan's screams were like lullabies to my ears! But your family, they were the most fun of 'em all. I loved it when I-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I broke in, rage taking over me.

I made vines wrap tightly around her body, but this only made her smirk wider. "And this is why I hate you..."

A growl was heard from me as I smacked my fisted hands into the water from frustration and hate. Glaring holes into an innocent leaf I heard Sasuke swim over to me. Water covered my vision. Damn it! I squirted the water out of my mouth. "Come on lets go." He said normally as if he had never splashed me.

The sun was setting. Oranges, pinks and purples were washed over the sky making the water glimmer with dazzling shades and colours. Night was connecting with the world, everything was turning to darkness. The moon and stars would be rising soon, making a blanket of velvet silk sweep the skis. The once crystal clear lake, full of innocence will be black. Dark secrets will be held deep within the waters depths.

We walked home with our now dry clothes held in our hands.

.:Sasuke's view:.
Jade was making dinner for us. She really was being nice now! We were back to normal, back to the old times before I had left. I remembered when we were swimming, how her eyes were a rich, white blue when she was in the water. Why? "Sasuke, dinner's ready!" She said, breaking my thoughts. I looked into her beautifully familiar blue going into green eyes. Her eyes that I had came to loving-

What the hell? Beautiful? Love? I closed my eyes erasing the crazy, obscure thought. I tasted it. Oh how I missed her cooking for those years I lived in Orochimaru's lare! She just knew how to make my taste buds tingle with delight! But she wasn't always a good cook. Actually, she was quite an awful cook.

.:Flash back:.
"Oooooo!" she said awed in amazement as she ran into the kitchen.

I glared at her as she intruded into my house, taking rampage among it. It was not my choice for her to live here; actually if it was my choice at all she would be sleeping outside in the streets. I glared at her remembering about how the Hokage said she had to live with me. He made someone live with me! And a girl at that. A weak, worthless, annoyingly pesky girl!

She faced me, her attitude altered once again. Her face was now harsh and stern. "I'm cooking," she said icily. I didn't say anything, why waist my breath? I left her there to go to my lounge room.

After a long time of hearing a lot of different noises she emerged from the kitchen with a sheepish look on her face. There was soot and grime on her face and clothes. She handed me a plate of food. It was burnt and looked deadly. Somehow it also looked alive? I scrunched my nose up from the terrible smell and look.

I looked at her with hard eyes. What is this? Is she trying to kill me?

She scratched her head nervously. She lightly giggled ashamed. "Sorry, that was kinda my first time in a kitchen... well actually, this is the first time I've been in a house since seven years."

My eyes widened slightly from the information she told me, seven years. Where was she in that time? Hn, why do I care? She's another stupid girl. She probably got lost one day and couldn't find her way back home! I headed to the kitchen without a word, ignoring her, to chuck away the uh, food.

There were plates broken, electrical appliances ruined... everything was a mess... and there was food splattering and soot on the counters and walls... Fuck!
.:End of flash back:.

Oh, but how wrong I was for thinking she had gotten lost, that she couldn't find her way back home. How very, very wrong I was about her that day...

...To be continued

A/N: Wow this is like the longest chapter I've written so far!
Review please!

P.s. Would anyone like to be my Beta reader? :)