Chapter 7: Watchful Hawk

[10 school days 'till school ends and I'm an official high schooler… 26 more days till I'm 14…11 months and 20 days until Anime Boston 2013…These have driven me to write more xD Enjoy!

I lightly touched my left cheek, hardly an expression to be displayed upon my blank features as the sting of the slap vibrated throughout my skin. It was clear that a prominent bruise would be perceptible upon that portion of my body with due time, and a rather nasty one at that. My cheek throbbed harder as I prodded it softly as though in dire disbelief at what had just occurred, which, in fact, I was.

Strong fingers gripped my chin and pulled my head upwards with slight force, compelling me to stare upwards into the cold black eyes of the Uchiha boy whom had assaulted me with such short notice. The outermost layer of his eyes seemed dark and uncaring at the vile action completed but as I stared deep within those black orbs I could see just a small amount of pain and regret pass through that layer.

I said nothing nor displayed anything as I waited patiently for Sasuke to cease his analyzation of my features and say what it was he wanted to speak. I would not be the one to mention anything first as it was Sasuke who seemed to want to say something.

"…I put you under Konoha's protection for a reason…" Sasuke began, squinting his eyes at me as though he were gravely disappointed in me.

I would have tilted my head if not for the restraints put on it by Sasuke, "…You did no such thing…"

"Hn, you think?" Sasuke retorted sharply as he turned my head a bit to the right to inspect the mark he had injected upon me. Had this been anybody else who attempted to do such a thing I would have pushed them away, however, as always, Sasuke was my acceptation.

"I needed not their protection…I was… I was perfectly content with you…" I mumbled in admittance, glad my head was turned for I would have been bluntly ashamed to say such a thing to somebody's face.

As if in defiance of my thoughts Sasuke had tilted my head back to stare him square in the eyes, noses barely touching at this distance, "I thought you were smarter than that," he noted almost angrily.

"I have thought this through, Sasuke," I countered with my tone slightly more forceful than it usually was, "Physically I was safe with them, yes, but emotionally I could not stand to be in such a place especially after what you had done. You said before that you knew I had the ability to feel emotions…You were right. I do not believe I have ever been through such pain since you left. I am not safe without you; you should know that by now." That may have been the most I have spoken since the last time I saw the Uchiha.

Sasuke had a smirk in his eyes however his face was grave, "Since when do you care about how you feel? If you just stayed with them—"

"You suggest the impossible. I did not trust that village nor do I believe they trusted me…It seems by what Kakashi has expressed, you did not trust them either. Were you watching me, Sasuke?" I interrupted with a question, staring intently at the Uchiha.

Sasuke hesitated, filling the gap of silence with his menacing glare. It seemed as though through his eyes he was contemplating using his sharingan to silence me or hit me once more, but, he did neither of those things.

He appeared angry, but it was a contradiction when instead of denying he had been watching over me, he leaned forward and pressed his lips onto mine.

I will admit it was not a soft, comforting one I was used to getting from him, but even though it was almost as though he were trying to get as close as he could it made me feel as though I was a person again. As though my nothing existence in the world was slowly becoming something as he harshly bit onto my lip and drew a little bit of blood.

I did not fight it.

Fighting it would have meant that I cared for the blood he drew, which I did not. All I cared for was Sasuke and the strange feelings of assurance that he gave me. It was as though his harshness was a way of proving something…

I gently but quickly placed Kana on the grass beside me and used my two free hands to put on the back of Sasuke's neck, pulling him down closer to me. At the same time Sasuke had gotten on his hands and knees, forcing me to lie on my back and hold onto him that way.

Whatever came over me was nothing that I could explain.

I poked my tongue at his lips as though pleading for entrance into his mouth, but instead his own tongue shot out and protruded past my lips. His velvety tongue licked around my own, forcing it back as he worked with it. If I was not mistaken such a thing called a "blush" made its way onto my pale complexion as this went on.

It did not last for long nor was I expecting it to, though that did not mean I was not disappointed when Sasuke pulled back with that same cold expression on his face. His chest was pulsing up and down as he gulped down air, and I the same.

"So what if I was…?" Sasuke asked after a few seconds, still hovering over me.

"…That would explain how you knew where to find me then…" I noted softly for it would have been stunning for his appearance to be just a coincidence, and on such great timing as well.

"Hn, I wasn't planning on making contact with you," Sasuke admitted with ease, his fingers brushing my jaw line and down my neck, allowing the blue tipped white strands of hair to fall through his rough fingers. He seemed sincere enough. The way he stroked my skin in almost a loving manner assured me that this truly was him.

"…Why…?" I asked longingly, needing an answer for the very thing I had been questioning since the day we had parted.

Sasuke sighed and he sat up, pulling my small body along with him. Whether I had the choice in it or not, my head was rested on his chest with his hand buried in my hair. His other hand was on the lower part of my back holding me so close to his body that I could feel his heart beat against my person. I was well aware that Kana was still asleep on the ground beside us, but I could not be sure if Sasuke was willing to recognize it.

"…When I met you I didn't realize how much you would distract me," Sasuke mumbled softy. Still in a monotone, yes, but there was such tone behind those words…

"But your goal has been completed…" I whimpered, breaking down my emotionless wall as much as I could with Sasuke around. He was the only one who would ever see me cry or even come on the verge of it. He would be the only one who would ever see my true smile, if I could ever manage one, and he was the only one who would ever see any side of me, "Your brother is…He is already gone…So what more is there for you?"

The Uchiha may have huffed a small laugh into my hair, "You're so confused, Yasha Satou."

"Of course I am," I agreed.

"Heh…I haven't told you about Itachi, have I?" Sasuke asked as the hand on my lower back came up and pushed my chin back up to facing his perfect features. The way his black hair dropped around his face melted me from the inside, that layer of ice around my heart slowly dripped off. The way his cold dark eyes stared into me made me feel violated in the best of ways. His lips were creased into a small frown but otherwise left a blank expression upon his pale face. Simply beautiful.

It took me a short while to find my voice, "…No…"

"…Well that is good then I suppose," Sasuke wrapped up before he let go of my chin and snaked his arm back around my waist, "…So what about that," The Uchiha nodded his head towards our sleeping child on the grass beside us.

I sighed that he did not explain about Itachi, but I pushed it not and went back to the matter at hand, Kana.

"What about her?" I questioned indulgently, not budging as he called her a "that."

"Is she yours?" Sasuke asked as though it were not already obvious by the neko ears. By the way he asked it, he appeared almost angry…

I tilted my head at the Uchiha, curious if he really had asked this question. It could have been possible that he had forgotten all about that night, but for somebody like Sasuke it seemed impossible for that to slip his mind. Maybe in all his daily business I was the last thing on his mind and therefore so was our last moments together.

"Sasuke…She…Kana is ours," I admitted, my face heating up ever so slightly and taking on an appearance of what must have been another blush as I reached my hand up and trailed my fingers along the side of his neck.

That angry look darkened in my beloved's eyes, "Are you sure?"

"Please," I replied bluntly in such a dull tone, not at all amused by the question, as though Sasuke really thought I would have gone so far with anybody else. I believe Sasuke knew me better than anybody else, surpassing even my own brother and my sensei, therefore it was honestly insulting that he would have presumed such a thing.

Sasuke was very quiet as he seemed to be thinking over the events at hand. His eyes darted back and forth between Kana, me, and somewhere far off and distant before I figured I should have said something.

"…You seem…To be in thought…" I noted cautiously. Stating the obvious, yes of course, but I needed to say something to him.

Finally Sasuke broke out of that silent shell, "…I'm not happy about it."

My hopes fell down to the ground and shattered in a heap of broken glass, "…I would presume so—"

"Did Konoha take any chakra tests?" Sasuke interrupted staring crossly at me as though this was a very important subject. His eyes seemed to grow darker as he glared, pushing me to tell the truth. It was as though my response was everything to him and if I had given him the "wrong" answer then I would be in trouble.

"Yes…Why?" I questioned curiously, a single white eyebrow raised up in confusion.

"Did they tell you anything about it?" Sasuke asked quickly, his sharingan beginning to appear and his gaze moving to evaluate Kana, still soundly asleep in the soft cushion of the grass.

"No they separated us before that could happen…Why do you seem so nervous about this, Sasuke?"

"If any of the two tails chakra got into that baby, Madara will go after her as well," Sasuke grumbled not at all looking pleased with the events. I would not have been pleased either had I known how to feel about this situation. I knew Sasuke had mentioned Madara before as one he was going to follow to attain his new "goals," but never once could I have believed him about that.

Being the one with no sense of humor, I had to instantly point out the flaws in this explanation, "Madara is dead."

Sasuke's mouth continued to hold that frown, "He is not dead, and the longer you think that the more trouble you'll get yourself into." Such sincere words... But even so I could not believe it. There was no way for somebody to survive so long, especially after there were records of him being taken down by the first Hokage of Konoha.

"I will not get into any trouble," I assured, however, as always, Sasuke had a counter for my words and actions.

"Hn, like with Kakashi?"

At that moment Kana burst out into a loud wail as though Sasuke's words had sparked something. Of course since she was a baby none of this conversation could have made any sense for her, therefore I put with the resolve that she either had a filled diaper or she was hungry again. For my sake and for Sasuke's I earnestly wished it was the latter for there was nothing out here that could be used to change or act as a diaper.

When I eased myself out of Sasuke's arms to check, it was lucky enough for me that she was merely hungry, which meant that Koharu had changed her diaper for me during that small interval where I ran from Kakashi.

I looked over at Sasuke, "…She is hungry."

"And?" Sasuke asked with an irritated tone to his voice which seemed to come back once I had left his hold.

"…Would you kindly look away?" I requested as I easily lifted Kana up off the ground and cradled her in the side of my left arm while putting my right hand on the fold of my kimono.

Sasuke raised a black eyebrow, "I've seen you before."

My pale cheeks once again tinted a light pink but regardless I ever so slightly rolled my eyes at the thoughtless boy, "Does that mean I want you to see me now?" I questioned.

"I didn't think you cared," Sasuke shrugged but he rose from the ground and turned to leave before I called out to him, my tone almost higher than it usually was as I made to plead with him.

"Stay nearby…Please, Sasuke…" I begged, my grip on Kana tightening as I realized that if Sasuke left now I would be shattered once more.

The Uchiha turned his head slightly back, just enough for me to see a single sharingan eye, "…Fine, but I can't stay long." Was it my dull imagination or did he seem sadder than usual?

"…Stay with me for the night…" I requested softly, maybe even a little meekly.

Sasuke appeared to mentally sigh and maybe even allowed a small breath to escape his lips, but however the conflict in his mind was going he gave me a small nod before hopping up into the trees to allow me privacy as I tended to Kana.

I could not be sure but that small nod may have made me smile…Maybe.

[The perfect writing weather: RAIN! (: Anyway…Thanks for your time! … *quietly* reviews are still always welcomed…
-Ju]