101 Words
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own it's characters. I make no money with this.
Author's Note: Okay, listen up for a sec! I'm terribly sorry that this one took me so fucking long... . But first, my laptop almost died on me because of some stupid not-quite-a-virus-thing and when I finally got it back (which was admittedly one week ago), I had already slithered right into my next exam period (unknowingly, sadly)... (Edit: And then, I seriously forgot to really post it!! I can't believe how stupid I am sometimes... . I only uploaded the document........... That was... two days ago.......)
BUT! Surprise, surprise!^^ I finally got that adult chapter written and posted! Cheers! It's called 'Intensity' and is the actual chapter 40 (which makes this one chapter 41, alright?). It's over at LiveJournal, I'll put a link to my Journal into my profile. Deal? I hope that LJ is okay with everyone, if not, please tell me, maybe I can post it somewhere else, too...^^
Choice
She was young, around ten maybe, and not exactly a beauty. In fact, there was nothing notably special about her at all – she was just another one of the countless kids that this city had forsaken.
And Sasuke had really seen enough orphans to not even look at her twice at first – sad as it might be, there was nothing he could do. But when the man approached her, bending down to whisper something to her, Sasuke did watch them from the corner of his eye.
He watched as she blushed furiously under the layer of dirt that covered her face, then watched as her eyes widened in sudden understanding and her expression wavered between helpless anger and reluctant resignation for a few seconds.
Sasuke didn't have to hear what the man said; it was pretty much clear from the girl's reaction.
When the man grabbed her arm and urged her to follow him, she didn't fight it, staring at the ground with a mixture of self-loathing and general disgust, her light blue eyes filling with tears of rage. Sasuke decided to look away again, chose to ignore how the man pulled her into a dark, shady alleyway across the street.
'None of your business', he told himself, trying to choke the sickening feeling of guilt rising from his stomach.
Sacrificing the success of a mission that could save dozens of lives for the sake of just one child? He swallowed heavily, forcing himself to concentrate on their target instead, forcing himself to ignore the small voice in his head that told him his choice was wrong...
"Uzumaki!!" their ANBU captain suddenly hissed angrily and Sasuke turned his head just in time to see Naruto stride past him without as much as looking at him from behind his mask. "Uzumaki! Seriously, you better stop right there or I'll—Uzumaki!!!"
Naruto never turned, never hesitated as he left the protective darkness of the side street they'd been waiting in and crossed the street, heading straight towards the other alleyway, their original target catching side of him almost instantly. Naruto merely glanced sideways at his hurried escape.
Sasuke slowly let go of a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding, relief and annoyance struggling inside him. In the end, he just sighed and moved to follow Naruto, ignoring the now triumphant voice in his head.
Making the right decisions... Sometimes, he admired the blond.