Hey y'all!

Here's the next chapter: it isnt as plot heavy...more of a light chapter to further develop Sasuke and Hikari's relationship. But fear not! It'll all get better next chapter! That's where everything takes off!

PLEASE REVIEW!

Chapter 41

The sun was slowly beginning its decent towards the horizon when I was finally free to leave. Sasuke walked close beside me, his displeasure at me walking unaided obvious in his scowl. Tsunade had healed the wound in my stomach as well as the larger bruises on my throat and face, but had been called away for a meeting before she could heal the smaller cuts on my arms and back – being shoved and thrown into the metal on the walls of the facility wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Sasuke hadn't been happy with the idea of her leaving without healing me completely, but had offered to let me stay the night at Naruto's apartment with him, which would give him the opportunity to clean up my cuts. Tsunade had smirked knowingly – not the most comforting expression, especially because it screamed suggestiveness – before acquiescing, and with that we had left the facility.

I sighed, wincing as the action hurt my bruised ribcage. The jounin in there really hadn't held back, which was okay, but it still hurt. It made me all the more aware of how defenseless I – in my state of having no access to my chakra – was against any high level ninja. It was an uncomfortable feeling, and I frowned to myself as I stared up at the dusky orange-pink sky.

Sasuke was silent beside me, and neither of us spoke for the duration of the journey. It wasn't uncomfortable; we both just had a lot to think about. I glanced around at the empty street – most citizens were inside by this time – and returned my gaze to the buildings in front of me. I recognized Naruto's building to my right, and followed Sasuke as he ducked into the door and ascended the narrow staircase. The walls were pale ivory, clean and well cared for, and I ducked under a smooth wooden beam that jutted outward. Sasuke's eyes met mine over the wood, and I sent him a smile before continuing.

Sasuke opened the door to Naruto's apartment with a sigh, and I glanced around.

The room was large, clean and neat. The kitchen was cluttered, but not unpleasantly so, giving it a homey feel instead of an unkempt one. The faint scent of ramen lingered around the apartment, and I smiled widely at the image of Naruto eating bowlful after bowlful of the stuff. I liked ramen as much as everyone else, but I couldn't get down more than one bowl, because after that first bowl the salt began giving me a killer headache.

There was a large living room that doubled as a dining room, a small circular wooden table situated near the balcony doors. In the center of the living room, a long couch was set up, with a shabby, faded orange rug between it and the medium sized TV. A bookshelf packed full of scrolls and books was along the far wall, opposite the couch and beside the television. A hallway led to a bedroom and a bathroom, both of which I decided not to venture into as I gazed around.

Hm. This place seemed too neat for someone like Naruto. I glanced over suspiciously at Sasuke.

"You cleaned up as soon as he left." It wasn't a question, and Sasuke shrugged.

"It was unsanitary…I'm shocked that the idiot doesn't have a colony of rodents parading around."

I giggled at his tone. "Well, even if it was purely for personal reasons…it was still a sweet thing to do. I'm sure Naruto will thank you…somehow."

I moved away to poke my head into the kitchen, and was stopped by Sasuke's hand creeping under my shirt. I froze, and blushed as he slowly began lifting the hem. I whirled around.

"W-Whoa! What're you–"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, confused. "I don't think I'll be able to clean your cuts if you have your shirt on, Hikari."

I blushed an even deeper shade of red as I realized that I had completely overreacted, and that my mind had instinctively gone down into the gutter. Sasuke seemed to sense my embarrassment, because he chuckled.

"You question my motives?"

"No!"

Sasuke fell silent, and I growled at the triumphant smirk on his face. I pushed away from him, and yanked off my shirt in a smooth movement, now clad in only a black sports bra and dark pants. My lack of shirt didn't bother me; it wasn't as if Sasuke hadn't seen me like this before. In fact, he had seen me without anything covering my chest at all. Oh joy, how could I forget that little piece of information?

I plopped myself on the small stool that stood beside the kitchen counter, watching as Sasuke reached up to get the medical box from the top shelf. He opened it silently, fishing out the bottle of cleaning fluid and bandages. I grimaced as he doused a soft swab with the alcohol, and hissed as he gently dabbed at the numerous cuts on my back.

"Luckily, there are only a few deep ones. The smaller ones will heal in a few days, so they aren't anything to worry about."

"Wonderful…" I grunted through clenched teeth, closing my eyes as he dabbed at one of the deeper cuts. Finally, a few seconds later, he was done, and he moved away to toss the swab in the trash before returning to me. He dabbed some cream on the cuts, and bound them firmly with clean white bandages.

Sasuke was so gentle…it was so difficult to realize that only a year ago, I had been sitting in his presence bandaged like this…and had only felt bitterness and resentment. How quickly things change.

And yet things were sort of the same. Sasuke wasn't jumping around singing love ballads and hugging me every time we saw one another. He didn't say any mushy stuff when we kissed; he didn't hold hands and look over at me with a huge grin on his face.

All of that was good. If he had done that kind of stuff, I would've slapped him over the head and dumped him for being such a sissy. I mean, honestly? I was a kunoichi, not some stick thin cheerleader in a bad chick-flick who wore an inch of foundation and annoyingly shiny lip-gloss.

Instead, Sasuke treated me with the same respect he had shown me before we had become romantically involved. He knew my limits; he knew that I wasn't one to go down without a fight. Sasuke knew that I wasn't a girly and clingy person who would latch on to him and make kissy faces whenever we were within a foot of each other. Kissing wasn't something we engaged in every time we saw each other. I wasn't much of a touchy-feely person – even when I had been known as Lily, I wasn't into the whole public displays of affection thing with guys – and thankfully neither was Sasuke. But if it was one thing Sasuke liked…it was hugs.

I would have thought that he – as a sixteen year old boy – would be into kissing and such, but he had surprised me. Kissing was extremely enjoyable for him, that much was evident. But hugs were the one thing that he really put his entire heart into. Whenever he hugged me, I felt like he was releasing all the tension of his day, and it was clear that he relished the feeling of being wanted as much as I did. Everyone wanted to be loved, and Sasuke was no exception.

I sighed, glancing back at Sasuke who was putting away the bandages and rubbing alcohol. His shirt was a dark blue, and I quickly looked away when it rose to reveal a few inches of his muscled, well-toned back.

Calm down, calm down, calm down…you are not going to start drooling over this. You will remain composed and collected…you will restrain yourself. Restraint.

His hands were large and calloused as they reached for my shirt, his fingers curling around the fabric, those strong hands…mmm…

Restraint, dammit!

"Thanks, Sasuke." I said quietly as the boy handed me my shirt, and pulled it on as quickly as I could to avoid meeting his eyes. What would he see in them? Oh god, what if he caught me staring?

"Hn." Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement, and reached up to place the box back inside the medicine cabinet. I stood up, moving to help him dispose of the numerous swabs that were stacked on the counter. After we had finished with that, I clapped my hands together.

"Okay, what's for dinner? I'm a horrible cook, but I think I can make something that's at least edible. Food that's edible is always a plus, right?"

Sasuke's face soured at the mention of me cooking, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not that–"

"Yes, you are."

"But–"

"No." Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow until I finally nodded, moving to follow him into the kitchen.

"Fine, fine…whatever. So, are we going to order out or something?"

"No."

There he goes with the single syllable answers again. Jesus, was it really that hard to speak in complete sentences? I huffed an angry breath, and leaned against the counter as he began pulling out a pan along with the rice cooker. I smirked.

"You're cooking?"

"Yes."

"Where in the hell did you learn how to cook?"

Sasuke stared into the rice cooker, his blank expression reflected back at him on the metallic cover. His eyes were dark and sad as he slowly moved once more, breaking free of the trance that had filled his mind for those few moments. I frowned as he murmured, almost too softly for me to hear.

"My mother…"

I leaned back, clasping my hands together as I watched Sasuke work silently. I could see that mentioning his mother hurt him, and he was silent and scowling as he pushed a few buttons on the rice cooker before reaching for the rice and measuring cup.

I asked quietly. "Do you need any help?" When he shook his head, I pushed away from the counter, and moved behind him, slowly slipping my arms around his stomach and pressing myself into his firm back. He stiffened in surprise at my actions, tensing automatically, but I ignored him.

I hugged him gently, resting my cheek on his neck as I whispered. "I'm going to wash my hair. If you need anything, just tell me."

Sasuke didn't respond, and I squeezed him for a few more seconds before pulling away, walking away and slipping into the bathroom. It was small, with several towels folded and waiting in the cupboard. I sighed, and moved to get one for drying my hair afterwards. I couldn't take a full shower because of the bandages, but I couldn't just leave the spots of blood in my hair. Gross, much?

I turned on the tap, and watched as water shot down, hissing as it came into contact with the tile floor. I waited until it got warm, and then pulled the hair band out of my bun, putting my head under the warm water.

The shampoo and conditioner were on the right, and I reached for the shampoo as I waited for the water to completely saturate my hair. It was uncomfortable, bending over awkwardly like that, so I quickly washed my hair and rinsed the suds out completely before squirting out a good sized dollop of conditioner and massaging it through the bottom half of my hair.

I was just finishing rinsing the conditioner out after letting it soak in for a minute or so when the bathroom door suddenly opened. I glanced under my legs to see that it was Sasuke, and I quickly stood up and turned, grabbing the towel and rubbing my hair before it dripped everywhere. Sasuke was standing there, his eyes narrowed slightly as he sighed.

"I saw the Council members today."

I stopped rubbing for a moment. So that had been why Sasuke was in such a temper…he had seen the people who had ordered the massacre of his clan. Frankly, I was shocked that he hadn't attacked them, and quickly moved so I was standing in front of him. Sasuke let out a breath, and continued.

"I wanted to kill them."

I leaned against the sink. "I understand. It's not wrong to react like that…it would be stupid if you were expected to just let go of your anger."

"I feel…"

"Feel what?" I asked, ignoring the fact that water was dripping from my hair.

"Weak." Sasuke gritted out the word, and I nodded.

"But you're not weak, Sasuke. You have every right to feel how you feel…it just wouldn't be to your best advantage right now to act on those feelings. They're so old…it'll only be like ten years or so before they're dead, anyway."

"It's too long." Sasuke growled, and I looked over at him before speaking once more.

"I know, Sasuke. Trust me, I understand. It's just…I don't…" I stopped myself, and Sasuke looked at me with questioning eyes. I sighed, and sank down to sit on the floor of the bathroom, closing my eyes as I tilted my head downward so my forehead rested on my bent knees. There was so much I wanted to say…about revenge…about us, but it all was stuck in my throat.

I felt Sasuke moving, and opened my eyes in shock when I felt his hand gently fingering a wet strand of my hair, letting it fall through his fingers before tucking it behind my ear. I looked up to find him kneeling in front of me, his hand resting on my neck tenderly. It was such an unusual gesture for him and my defenses immediately crumpled. I blinked away the sudden wetness in my eyes as I looked away.

"I thought it was such a good idea, coming back to Konoha. I guess I was stupid…imagining that everything would be perfect. I walked all over your revenge…I assumed that Sakura and everyone else would accept me…but look how goddamn wrong I was! Sakura hates me, and as a result tells everyone how I'm a whiny bitch who doesn't give a damn about others. Hinata and Shikamaru are the only ones who will speak to me…it's lonely, Sasuke. Juugo is getting treatment, sure, but Suigetsu is alone and I hardly get to see him! I miss our team, Sasuke. I wanted to come back, because I thought that everyone would be happy, clinging to the memories that I made when I came here the first time. But it was so selfish of me. I convinced you to come back, not acknowledging the pain you would go through by seeing the Council members, not even taking into account what you were feeling. I just…did it. And instead of everything going smoothly…it's all crashing down over my head and there's no one to blame but myself." I let my head drop down once more, biting my lip hard to keep the tears from falling.

Sasuke was silent for several long moments, and finally, after what felt like hours, he spoke.

"Then let's leave. Find another ninja village…start over."

My head snapped up, and I stared into his dark, depthless eyes that were soft as they stared unblinkingly into my own. He was serious…completely serious. I blinked rapidly, thinking about his words.

Find another ninja village…start over.

He wanted to leave Konoha. But not for revenge, not to hunt anyone down and kill them. Sasuke wanted a fresh start…he wanted me to run away with him.

I frowned. "You don't like it here?"

Sasuke sighed, and moved so he was sitting beside me, his lean legs clothed by dark pants, his arms coming around to loop loosely around his knees.

"It was my home, and so naturally I have a connection to it. But it also contains my past. The past that Naruto and Sakura are hopelessly clinging to. The past that I..."

"Hate?"

"No. Just the past that I need to let go of. Kakashi told me that running away from my fears doesn't solve anything, but I'm not afraid of my past. It just portrays a person that I no longer am."

I was silent, and Sasuke turned to smile slightly at me.

"I was constantly haunted by the past in Sound, because that was all that anyone ever associated me with. But when you came, Hikari…I was able to start over with someone who knew nothing of my family and the village I left behind. You were…"

"Hopelessly weak, annoying, and naïve…" I muttered, flushing at the memory of our first encounters in Sound. I had been such a different person, and yet the same person, if I really thought about it.

Lily and Hikari had always been a part of me; it was just that the Hikari side of me wasn't needed in my own world, waiting until I arrived in this world to emerge. And even then, Hikari and Lily had fought for dominance throughout my training…and it wasn't until I nearly died in the Sound base cave-in that Hikari took over completely.

Was I really just Hikari, now? Was Lily completely gone?

The name given by my mother seemed so strange and unfamiliar in my mind…it reminded me of sparse memories of sitting on the back porch, holding my glowing blue hand so I could see it better. Hazy images of friends at school, a slightly clearer image of my mother, her green eyes fading into the darkness the moment I faltered in my concentration.

It was all fading…all disappearing. Lily was the only thing that stuck in my mind, and I realized that it was the one thing about me that Sasuke didn't already know. I had told him all about my mother and about my life back in my own world, in the beginning when I talked just to fill the silence between us.

Sasuke smirked. "You were all of those things to others, I suppose…but to me, you were a clean slate. A chance to connect with someone who knew nothing about who I was, what had happened to my family, and the village I left behind three years ago. You fell out of the sky, and had no place in this world, no name–"

"I had a name." I whispered, and Sasuke blinked in surprise, leaning forward slightly to better meet my gaze. I glanced down, and tightened my hold around my legs. "I was hit by something in my world…but it didn't make me lose any memory of who I was. Orochimaru just assumed that, and gave me the name Hikari."

Sasuke was very still for a while, and I snuck a glance at him after some time had passed, only to find him still staring at me.

"What is it?"

"What is what?"

"Your name. What is your name?"

I sighed. "My name was Lily."

Sasuke didn't smile, instead continuing to stare at me silently. I fidgeted, restless in the presence of his silence and his stare.

"You're the only one I've told, Sasuke. Would it be alright if it stayed that way?"

Sasuke nodded, and I let out a breath of relief, cuddling close to his side, impulsively leaning my head on his shoulder. "Good. It'll be our little secret."

"Hn."

I smiled to myself as Sasuke slowly leaned his head so it rested on top of mine, his hand finding mine and interlacing our fingers. I let the warmth seep through my skin as I sat there, and I felt his deep breath on the top of my head as he exhaled slowly.

Suddenly, the beeping of the rice cooker interrupted our moment of peace, and I made to get up, but Sasuke pulled me back down, locking his arm around my waist as he did so. I frowned, and he muttered.

"Leave it."

I couldn't argue, because he leaned forward so our lips met.

Suddenly, food didn't seem as important.