I'M BACK!

I know; FINALLY!

It was really hard to write this, but I just forced myself to push through it! It's a pretty lighthearted chapter - had to make up for that really depressing chapter with Tsunade and Jiraiya...angst much? Haha love it!

I'll try to update as quickly as I can, but I cant make promises! High school's a bitch. Yeah, common knowledge, I know, but it's the only excuse I've got.

Enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW!

Chapter 39

I watched Suigetsu sip at his water, both of us sitting on the dock that overlooked the glassy lake near the Uchiha Compound. The air was warm, and I smirked as Suigetsu scowled at the sun for being so hot. Juugo was still in the hospital, undergoing tests and being restrained in case of a breakdown. I had visited him a few times since his arrival, and he was gentle and cheerful as usual, telling me all about the medic Sakura and all the progress she had made in terms of his ailment. I couldn't help but sigh sadly at the adoration that filled his voice whenever he talked about the pink haired girl. Juugo was too good for her…and Sakura's attentions were still focused on one particular Uchiha.

Karin was off on her own, possibly avoiding Sasuke and I, but I honestly didn't have the energy to wonder where she was. I had wasted enough of my brain cells on her.

Suigetsu chuckled. "So, you and the Uchiha, huh?"

"Of all the things to talk about, you choose that. Wow."

"Well sorry, beautiful, it's a hot topic for me. I always knew it was gonna happen, but a part of me wondered whether Sasuke would get the guts to make his move."

I laughed. "Yeah…about that…"

Suigetsu raised a pale eyebrow. "Are you telling me that you made the first move?" When I didn't reply, he crowed. "Now that's not surprising! I saw him and that pink haired girl together…God it's like Karin all over again. I didn't expect you to just sit back and let that happen…"

"Glad to hear you have so much faith in me." I sighed, leaning forward so my elbows rested on my knees. Suigetsu smiled, and bumped my shoulder with his.

"It's good seeing you again, Hikari. Those ninja guards are pretty boring after a while, and being with Karin 24/7 isn't the best thing to do when you're already bored as it is. You have no idea how many times she's exploded my head for mouthing off to her…ouch…"

"How's Juugo? Any news?"

"They're close to finding something, or at least that's what Pinky tells me."

"That's good…he never should have had to live with something like that." I murmured, and for a few minutes we sat in peaceful silence, staring out at the water and listening to the sounds of civilians shopping and moving about behind us. I sighed, and whispered.

"Something's happening, Shark-boy. Naruto won't tell me anything, but after yesterday he looked so…sad. I want to act tough and say I'm not worried, but I am. Not just about Konoha, but about Sasuke. He said he's through with revenge, but I know for a fact that its still there. How can we live here without him being continuously tempted by the Council? They deserve to die…but at the same time they don't. They just wanted what was best for Konoha, that's not a bad thing. It just hurt Sasuke so much…it hurts me to see him like this…"

Suigetsu didn't answer for a while, and when he did I lifted my head to look at him.

"This is all well and good, but I'm not the person you should be telling this to. Instead of moping to me about it, tell Sasuke about it. He has a thing for you, beautiful. He'll listen."

I rolled my eyes. "Have you been watching those awful romantic soap operas again? It's really becoming a problem…"

And with a playful punch to the arm, the water nin stood up and walked away, his hands stuck deep in his pockets. He looked so out of place, in this cheerful and bright place of Konoha. I sat, watching him disappear into the crowd, and thinking.

Was telling Sasuke of my fears the best option? I didn't want to bring up his revenge, not only did it scare me, but I wanted to give him his space. I didn't want to be all preachy and up in his butt about what he should be feeling and how he should deal with his anger. I was his girlfriend and confidant…not his psychiatrist.

I blushed at the word girlfriend; it seemed so weird that a term so normal and juvenile was in correspondence with a dark and powerful ninja like Sasuke. Even more surprising was that that word referred to me of all people.

I shook my head, and slowly turned to walk towards the training grounds. Sasuke was usually there at this time of day, and I had promised him that I would train with him today. Of course, no chakra was allowed, because of the restraints, but that was just fine with me. I didn't want to have Kakashi and Neji around when I talked to Sasuke…they made it incredibly awkward. In fact, having anyone around while we trained was awkward, because everyone acquainted with Sasuke was in shock.

Sasuke – dark, mysterious, moody, and arrogant – had a girlfriend? He was the last person out of all the Rookie Nine to become romantically involved, especially after just returning from Sound.

All in all, it was annoying as hell. Was it so unnatural to sneak kisses now and then? From the looks we got, we may as well be boiling live puppies. Crazy? Don't even get me started.

I loved Konoha, but the gossip that circulated around the place was like a wildfire; once it was ignited, it wouldn't stop until it burned the entire place down. Both ninja and civilians alike shared in the act of gossip, and I shuddered to think of what would happen if something particularly embarrassing got out.

I shook my head as I reached the training grounds, and smiled as I watched Sasuke train with kunai, my eyes drawn to the way his hands flicked unconsciously to throw the weapons at obscure targets in the brush. There were several hollow thunks as each of the lethal points buried themselves in the bull's-eye, and Sasuke smirked as he straightened. I knew that he could sense me, and I decided not to even bother hiding. The last time I had done that, Sasuke scared me so badly that it took me a week to get over the nightmares.

If you messed with Sasuke, you better bet your ass that he'd mess with you. And not in the "oh, that was fun, let's laugh and congratulate each other on a prank well done!" kind of way.

You see, this isn't a cheery leprechaun we're talking about.

This is Sasuke.

Need I say more?

I smiled as I opened the door to the field, closing it securely behind me before heading over to where Sasuke was turning around. His dark eyes softened slightly as I approached, and he allowed a small smile to spread across his lips.

I waved, grinning. "Hey!"

Sasuke nodded in greeting, and I tugged one of the kunai from the targets that was behind a post, twirling it around my forefinger and wondering how he had managed to get it anywhere near the nearly invisible target. Sasuke moved to collect the rest of the weapons, and I helped him, handing them to him as he deposited them back in his weapons pouch. I heaved a sigh, and glanced over at him, watching the sun reflect on his black hair, so dark that it was almost blue. Not sure how that worked, the whole color thing, but it obviously did, somehow.

"Do you want to spar?"

The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them, and as I tried to assume a calm face I secretly wondered where the hell they had come from. I had been staring at his hair, and then bam, I asked him if he wanted to fight.

Sasuke smirked. "I'm still your teacher, you know. So sparring is, in truth, a lesson. Don't worry; I'll go easy on you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" I sighed. "Oh. I get it, Uchiha-sensei. I wanted to kiss you, but I guess that would cross the line, seeing as students and teachers aren't allowed to do any of that."

Sasuke smirked, and suddenly he dashed at me, and I was forced to flick a kunai up to block his sword. I bent under the pressure, and he smirked. I growled, and leaned forward, shoving him off and leaping over him, using his shoulders to propel myself. Sasuke was at me again, this time aiming for my legs. I dodged out of the way, sending my foot towards the back of his knees in an attempt to get him to his knees.

I managed to get Sasuke's legs free for attack, but just before my foot collided with the back of his knee, his arm came out of nowhere, and suddenly I was pinned to the ground, Sasuke holding a kunai to my neck.

He was grinning, and I blinked at the sight. It had been a while since he had such excitement on his face. I inwardly smirked at the idea that popped into my mind, and my eyes found that he left the inside of his knee unguarded. If I just jerked up with my knee, he would be distracted enough for me to flip him. But I had to get him distracted first…hm…

Sasuke was simply smirking now, and I sighed. "Guess you got me, Sensei."

"It was too easy. What are you up to?"

Damn!

I thought fast, and scowled. "What, am I not allowed to like getting pinned by my boyfrie…oh, right. Rephrase: am I not allowed to secretly want to get pinned by my dangerously attractive sensei? I mean, our lives are so divided by our roles in society…aren't I allowed to fantasize and sometimes plot so that certain intimate positions are assumed?"

Sasuke was trying so hard not to laugh, but he managed to stay serious. "If this was a battle, you'd be dead."

I leaned in so my mouth was right beside his ear, and he shivered slightly as my lips brushed against the shell of his ear. "Mm…well, that's a downright shame, isn't it? I had wanted to give you something in return for winning our spar..."

Then, I jerked my knee upward and collided sharply with the inside of Sasuke's knee. The teen grunted in pain, and I took the opportunity to push on his chest, flipping him over so I was straddling him. I pinned his arms on either side of his head, grinning impishly at the pure surprise that crossed his face.

"You really shouldn't be that easily distracted, Sasuke. With all of those years of ignoring the temptations offered by countless girls under your belt, I thought you'd be more focused than this."

Sasuke scowled, pouting. "And I thought you played fair…"

"Oh dear, you actually thought that?"

I laughed, leaning back slightly, and Sasuke scowled even more deeply, and I quickly got off of him. I didn't want anything kiss-related to occur – that'd teach him to pull the "sensei" card on me like that.

Sasuke seemed slightly put out, and I smirked at the expression, holding out a hand to pull him up. Sasuke took it, and we both stood facing each other. I smiled, and turned to leave.

Sasuke was suddenly in front of me, his eyes burning into mine, and I smiled sweetly.

"Yes, Uchiha-sensei?"

His eyebrow rose, and I laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot."

Sasuke seemed prepared for me to kiss him, and I surprised him by bowing deeply, holding my hands together as was proper when ending a lesson. I waved, and turned to run away as fast as I could. I cursed the fact that I couldn't do a teleportation jutsu, and heaved a sigh of relief when Sasuke didn't follow me.

Let's see how long he deals with no kissing. Huh. Actually, this could be a problem. Sasuke's used to not being all emotional about stuff, he'll probably just bide his time until I can't stand it anymore.

I cringed, and almost turned around to go back. But then I saw Naruto walking towards Ichiraku. His hands were deep in his pockets, and I yelled his name, watching him turn around.

I slowed to a stop at the sight of his face. I sighed as I saw him struggle to put a smile on his face, and with a scowl yanked him into an alleyway, putting my hands on my hips and glaring at him.

"Naruto Uzumaki, that's it! You're not moving from this spot till you tell me what the hell is going on!"

Naruto stared down at me, and with an uncharacteristically weary sigh, he leaned back against the stone wall. I stared at him, concerned at the sadness in his eyes. I whispered.

"You can tell me, Naruto. I want to help you."

"I know, Hikari. I just…can't tell you. It's kinda classified. I'm just going away for a while, and I don't know when I'll be back."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Oh."

"It's not like–"

I shook my head. "No, I get it. It's not personal, its just orders." I smiled up at him, and leaned forward to give him a hug. He seemed surprised, and I held him tighter as his arms wound around me.

"You know…you're like…the first girl who's willingly hugged me."

I laughed, looking up at him. "Really? Where I come from, guys and girls hug all the time!"

Naruto frowned. "Where did you come from?"

I almost let it slip. I was so close. But I caught myself at the last second. "Oh, just somewhere really far from here, near Sound. That's where Sasuke found me."

"Oh…that makes sense." Naruto grinned, and we separated, linking arms. "Shall we go get some ramen?"

"I think we shall, dear old chap! If you're going away for a while, you'll need it!"

Naruto and I laughed as we made our way toward the ramen shop, and I was glad to see that the sadness on Naruto's face had all but disappeared.

Tsunade sighed as she sipped at her sake, looking at a packet that contained Sasuke Uchiha's medical report, including all the information pertaining to his cursed seal and its transformations. Her long blonde hair was tied in its usual ponytails, and Sakura was perched on the edge of her desk, listing off medical herbs needed from the apothecary in order to restock at the hospital. Tsunade smirked at her apprentice, who beamed at her before sliding off of the desk.

"Alright, I think that's all, Tsunade-shishou. I'll just pop by reception and make sure they order these from the apothecary."

"That's fine. Oh, and can you get Hikari up here? I have some questions about the Uchiha's file."

Sakura nodded, and waved before exiting the office, closing the door firmly behind her. Tsunade shook her head, and returned to the medical files.

I made my way down the road, heading towards the Hokage Tower. I wondered what Tsunade wanted…was it about the chakra seal I have? Maybe I'll get it off!

I pushed that away a moment later as I passed a few clustered buildings with large windows. One of them was open, and heard a familiar voice drawling.

"The real one is not among them…what the hell could it mean?" Shikamaru sighed angrily.

"I don't know, but it has to be important, it's something to help defeat Pein, right?" That voice was unfamiliar, and it sounded like the voice of a young woman. I slowed, perching below the window as I listened.

"Well, Fukasaku said that Pein included several separate and individual ninja. How…"

"Arg! We're getting nowhere! We finally managed to decode the stupid thing and now we're back where we started…"

I thought for a moment, and couldn't resist the urge to poke my head through the window. I probably shouldn't have meddled, but it was too late.

"Well, maybe they're shadow clones."

There was a shriek as a tall slender girl with crazy mousy hair fell backwards on her chair, and I saw Shikamaru lean back against the table. The room was made up of walls of books and scrolls, with several large wooden tables in the center.

"Jeez, Hikari, this is classified!"

I snorted. "The window is open…yeah, very classified."

The girl sat up, and I leapt lightly inside the room. "Sorry for scaring you, I'm Hikari. I just overheard and couldn't help but offer my idea."

Shikamaru frowned, and the girl smiled sheepishly before getting to her feet. "It's okay. I'm Shiho, and I assume that you already know Shikamaru."

"Yeah…good times, huh?" I laughed nervously, and Shikamaru smirked.

"Falling on top of me was definitely not the most pleasant way to introduce yourself, but it was effective."

I laughed, and couldn't help but notice that Shiho's eyes narrowed slightly. I almost groaned. Good grief! Couldn't I talk to a guy without some girl baring her claws, thinking I was making a move?

Shiho cleared her throat. "But anyway, now that you're here, what was that idea or yours?"

I shuffled my feet. "Well, you were talking about several bodies, right? And I'm assuming that they all call themselves Pein?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if the code says that "the real one isn't among them"…then that must be what it means. The bodies that Fukasaku saw must have been some kind of jutsu that allowed the real Pein to control them from afar. That would explain why it's a pretty crucial fact in fighting them…because those clones or whatever aren't the real Pein."

I blinked, surprised at my reasoning, and suddenly I heard Tsunade yelling.

"How in the hell did you get in here? And why did you two just sit back and let her get in? You two are ninja, not fucking kittens with a ball of string!"

I cringed as I felt Tsunade's iron-clad grip on my shirt, and I yelled as I was chucked from the office, landing against the wall of an alley with a thud. If it was one thing Konoha had plenty of, it was those damned alleyways. The stupid things were everywhere I turned!

I moaned to myself as I spat out a glob of blood from where I had bitten my tongue. I got to my feet, yelling. "For the love of God, just ask me to leave! Anger-management, much?"

It went against the instinct to remain intact, but I was so annoyed that I didn't care. I glared at Tsunade as she hopped out of the window, and she shrugged.

"That wouldn't be as fun. Now stop whining and get your ass up to my office."

With a smirk, the Hokage disappeared, and I sighed before running towards the Hokage Tower. I saw Shikamaru smirk mockingly at me, and I flipped him off before darting into the building, closing the doors behind me.