Normal
"Speech"
Thought
Kyuubi

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 23: Its all about Sasuke...

Naruto and Gaara waited just outside the Hokage building. Naruto was pacing nervously. He was going to give her 5 more minutes and then he was going to walk back in there and beat the living shit out of that Hyuuga asshole.

"Please explain to me how pacing back and forth is going to make waiting for her any easier?" Gaara leaned against the wall. Naruto grumbled at his friend and continued to pace.

"It helps me think." Naruto was thinking about a lot. He was trying to work out how to get away with beating Hiashi to a bloody pulp. The Fox stirred

"Just go back in there, KILL the bastard; Then, take Myra home and…" The blonde stopped pacing.

"Would you SHUT UP!" Naruto spat at the Fox. Gaara picked up on Naruto's internal conflict. The Kazekage interrupted. "Have you told her about that yet?" Naruto went pale. "I guess you haven't." Gaara sighed.

"And exactly how do I tell her I have a demon sealed inside me." Naruto hissed.

"You could just let me out and I'll explain it." The Fox licked his lips.

"OH HELL NO!" An angry grimace crossed Naruto's face. The Fox roared with a combination of laughter and annoyance. Gaara took a deep breath. "You need to tell her, she deserves that much."

Naruto tensed, trying to push the anger back. "I'll tell her eventually." Myra picked that exact moment to emerge from the Hokage building.

"Tell me what?" She looked at Naruto questioningly. The blonde went pale and looked a little guilty. He started to rub the back of his head.

"I… um… was going to tell you… that um… it's ah…really late… Yeah… Late… and maybe we should think about just heading to the Dojo instead of walking around this late at night." He smiled. It was a weak cover, and Myra could see right through it before he had said "um" the second time.

"I guess we can save that for another night." She pouted. "But do we have to train? I mean do you guys do anything OTHER than train? Like something fun?" She looked at the boys hopefully.

"I thought training WAS fun…" Naruto looked crest fallen.

"I don't think training is fun. I see training as a necessity to keep the body and mind alert and active." Gaara nodded.

"That's because you don't sleep." Naruto teased. Myra was just staring at them dumbfounded for a moment. She wasn't going to get out of it. She could just watch. There was an evil thought that ran through her head. She shook that thought out of her mind and shrugged.

"Well, if we are going to this Dojo, that's fine, but I am not training in this dress, or these shoes." Myra used Naruto to steady herself as she took off her heels. The shoes were fine for walking around the village, but sparing or fighting crime were something completely different. She looked up at Naruto and smiled.

"Can we stop by the apartment so I can change, or at least grab something a little more appropriate to wear?" The boys blinked.

"I believe Ravenheart-sama has a good point." The Kazekage nodded.

"Thank you." She said sweetly to Gaara. "Now can I ask one more HUGE favor? Call me Myra… Please?" She looked Gaara and pouted. Gaara resisted her pout with extreme difficulty, but relented without loosing his cool.

"If you insist." He closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Myra bounced with her small victory. Naruto snickered to himself. "Good, I'm not the only one that has trouble with that DAMN pout."

"I say we meet at the Dojo in 20 minutes?" Naruto grabbed Myra's hand. Gaara nodded and walked back into the Hokage building. Naruto scooped Myra into his arms bridal style. Myra was a little shocked.

"What are you doing?" She blinked at him confused.

"I'm carrying you? So you don't hurt your feet?" The blonde was also confused. She smiled at him. "How sweet, but its ok, I can walk… It won't kill me, so you can put me down."

"But I don't want to." He pulled her closer to him. She felt the blush creep over her. Myra looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "All right, Pretty Boy… But no funny business. We only have 20 minutes and it's late." She mocked him. "I wouldn't want to wake your neighbors." Myra giggled. Naruto blushed and chose that moment to leap straight up causing her to grip around his neck.

They returned to the apartment and Naruto gently let Myra down.

"So… Meet me on the balcony in a few minutes?" She fumbled for her key. He was fumbling for his key.

"You know you don't have to go." He said shyly. She looked at him and tilted her head. "Why wouldn't I want to go?"

"Because you sounded a little disappointed that we weren't going to go walk around the village." He was concerned.

"I am… But It isn't anything I wont get over. The village will be here tomorrow and I can go looking around a shop later." She smiled. "Besides, I might be able to pick up a few new moves." She smiled deviously.

"Heh…" He looked down at his feet not really wanting to talk about it. "Um, can I ask you a question?" Myra felt his apprehension. She put her hand on his cheek.

"You can ask me anything." She smiled at him. Her hand was warm on his cheek.

"How much do you know about Sasuke Uchiha?" He choked back the emotions.

Karin asked him. "You do know we are really close to Konoha. They might find us" Sasuke just glared at her. Karin shut up. Sasuke climbed the tree and watched off in the distance. He had fallen asleep that morning. The nightmare came as usual, but it was different this time. Sasuke had seen his parents dead in the middle of the floor. He was used to that part by now. But then instead of the conversation with Itachi, he saw a dead boy not much older than he was at the time of the massacre

Then the girl appeared and started to sob over the dead boy. Sasuke remembered the boy. They had played together once or twice. The boy had attended the ninja academy with Sasuke, but he was in a different class. He was a cousin from somewhere else. Sasuke's memory was hazy at best. He must not have been important enough for Sasuke to remember. Sasuke approached the crying girl.

"You aren't supposed to be here." Sasuke told her. The girl laid the boy back on the floor. She didn't turn to look at Sasuke.

"Yes I was. I was supposed to be here. I would have been too young to save him, but I would have been able to die with him." The girl didn't look up from the boy. She put her hand on the boy's face. Sasuke moved closer. He had the urge to reach out and console her. Explain to her that he knew and understood her pain. He kept his distance.

"He was your brother?" There was no emotion in Sasuke's voice. The girl turned to look at Sasuke. Sasuke was momentarily stunned. She had the trademark Uchiha glare. Her hair was long to her waist and it was as black as a moonlight night. She wasn't wearing much of anything, just a white tank top and purple flame boxers. Her skin was golden brown like it she preferred a sun filled day to anything else. She kept glaring at him.

The girl stood up and whipped the tears from her face. "Yes he was my brother." She closed her eyes and took a breath. "And those two people back there were your parents?" She asked Sasuke.

"You shouldn't be here." He kept his tone even and emotionless. Sasuke was confused. If that boy was her brother and he died in the massacre, then was she an Uchiha too?

"And where should I be?" The girl became angry and intensified the chocolate brown glare.

"You should wake up and end this nightmare." Sasuke moved within arms length and slapped her across the face. Moments later he woke up to the pain of his hand hitting the tree. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was still in the tree above the camp. The others were off doing what ever it was they did when they camped. Sasuke kept a look out for Karin. Although she was useful, she was the most annoying girl he had ever met. She had a tendency to try and do unspeakable things to him. He shuddered with that creepy thought.

The day wore on to night. The night was cold and clear. Sasuke watched over his sleeping group. They weren't his friends, just a means to an end. Normally, he slept and allowed the nightmare to remind him why he was still searching for Madera. He had defeated Itachi and left him beaten and broken. Killing Itachi didn't seem good enough. So Sasuke left Itachi the barely alive, hideous, crippled and blind (AN1).

Madera became his target. Madera was the true reason his parents were dead. Madera was the force behind the destruction of his life, all to control the Kyuubi. But the nightmare had changed, or had it. Sasuke stared at the moon high above the trees. His thoughts turned back to a time when he was a part of Team 7, and they had camped out in a spot, very similar to this. He caught himself thinking about Sakura and Naruto, but he used the vision of his parents dead on the floor to push his true friends away.

Madera came back to the forefront of his mind again. "Where was that bastard? How far could he have gotten? " Were the thoughts that Sasuke tried to busy himself with. They had to sneak into town tomorrow for supplies; maybe, he could find a new lead to the underground pit of hell Madera had managed to hide himself in. It was late and Sasuke shut his eyes again. Sleep came effortlessly, though it wasn't a dreamless one.

AN1: Ok, I know. I know. Sasuke wants to kill Itachi. But with the revelation that Madera is the one behind everything in his pitiful, self absorbed life, Sasuke had a moment of true inspiration and thought for himself. He decided instead of "to the death" he went with "to the Pain" ... Basically... Itachi is an unidentifiable lump of flesh somewhere, with no eyes, no hands, not feet, no nose, no tongue, but has perfect ears to hear the shrieks and cries of being called a monster. Justice as far as I'm concerned. Madera is still alive. Insert evil laughter. Where are Itachi's eyes?... Good questions... I'll keep you posted...