Chapter 3: the mission at hand

Hey guys! Sorry for the slightly late update….kind of distracted with the stomach flu and reading other really awesome fanfics…hehe…. ^-^' Well I hope you all had an awesome 4th of July~ (For those who believe in it of course…. I respect other countries.) Anyway! Next instalment!

Sasuke watched the blond groaning and complaining about having to clean his room as punishment to almost setting the house on fire.

Naruto had decided to wear a white apron and cap, too give off the 'I'm a slave' vibe. Meanwhile Sasuke watched with great amusement against the door frame. "You know Dobe…if you hadn't set the food on fire you wouldn't be here."

"Teme….I told you already…you were sleeping peacefully so I didn't want to wake you!"

Sasuke scoffed. He hadn't slept peacefully since he was seven years old. Not since that time…

Sasuke got lost in his thoughts not even realizing what Naruto was saying. "Oi! Teme! I'm done! Four whole bags of freaking garbage! Come on we are going to be late!" Naruto was taking off his slave outfit and putting on his orange and black outfit, his headbad already on his forehead.

Sasuke had gotten dressed when Naruto was cleaning. For once he wore a shirt that exposed his neck and part of his shoulder, without the 'bowl' around his face. He chose not to wear his 'Chunin' vest because it didn't suit him and it was very uncomfortable. (Naruto was still a genin so he didn't even have the choice.)

Naruto looked at Sasuke's neck, not seeing the curse mark.

It had magically disappeared when he had magically decided to stay. Well….it didn't disappear. It just was no longer visable and Sasuke couldn't use its power, but every now and then….it seemed to threat Sasuke with the pain of the past.

Finally Sasuke realized the blond looking at him and he returned the stare. Sasuke moved and Naruto followed him with his eyes almost lost in the moment. Sasuke grinned evilly. He leaned close to Naruto and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Oi…aren't we going to be late?" His voice was soft, and Naruto only looked at Sasuke. He had expected a slap or sound of protest, but no…

Something was in his eyes…an emotion that stirred something in Sasuke and he knew all he had to do was lean a little more and he would kiss Naruto. Sasuke had been thinking such thoughts very constantly lately. Unfortunately both boys swore they would never kiss after what happened at the academy.

So Sasuke pulled away and slapped Naruto upside the head. Naruto still was in the trance and barley even noticed. Sasuke punched him in the arm and the Dobe yelped.

"Serves you right…please don't tell me you're a homo?"

"I…..OF COURSE NOT TEME!"

Naruto grabbed his backpack full of necessary supplies and stormed off and Sasuke was chuckling. This was not the first time the subject had come up, bit when it did it always managed to be funny.

Sasuke locked the door behind him after grabbing his own backpack and was on his way. Again there were storm clouds in the distance. What was it with summer and rain with this village?

"We better hurry Naruto…"

"Yeah…." Naruto looked wearily at rain clouds in the far distance.

They walked next to each other in their normal stances with Naruto's hands behind his head and Sasuke with his hands in his pockets of his white shorts.

When they walked people murmured hateful things. The two boys tried to ignore it, but when Naruto was bumped into by a woman she glared at him and asked for an apology. Naruto opened his mouth, but Sasuke did the liberty. "I'm sorry you're so blind with those hooters of your to not see where you are freaking going."

Sasuke took Naruto's hand and continued on chuckling at the shriek of protest the shrew threw into the air, "You didn't have to do that Sasuke."

"Please…I've been eyeing that woman to just DARE to do something so that I could give her a piece of my mind. She's been torturing you for the past two weeks." Sasuke couldn't stand people acting rude to Naruto…that job was for him, and him alone.

More people passed them and some people said things like. 'look…the monster and Uchiha are friends! Watch out!'

Sasuke didn't look at them and occasionally glanced at Naruto to see how he was fairing.

"Just ignore them…I mean, that IS your specialty! Ignoring others." Naruto smiled and he punched Sasuke. At least tried to..Sasuke easily dodged him.

"Don't even try to hurt me before we start the mission!" Sasuke glared at Naruto and the blond glared back. They walked again in silence and the murmurs of the people around them filled their ears. A man who was getting thrown out of his girlfriends house, a spoiled child begging for food.

Some things never changed. When the duo reached the meeting point Sakura was waiting and Shikamaru was crouching beside her. He looked at them and waved with a bored grin. "Well looks like the newlyweds are here." His low unused voice was slightly gravely and already he was getting on Sasuke's nerves.

Naruto began to complain saying that what Shikamaru said was completely wrong, and Sakura punched him. "SHUT UP NARUTO!" Sakura gained her composure again and she smiled at Sasuke. It was truly kind instead of one of those flirtatious ones. Apparently he had scared her into submission when he left. She no longer clung to him, no longer seemed to have a personal interest in wanting to date him.

Sakura sighed. "As usual, Kakashi is late. Not surprising... one of these days I'll beat the sense into him." Sakura had her fist clenched in front of her and had determination fired up in her eyes.

Naruto snickered. "Yeah! That'll be the day! Teach the old dog a new trick!"

It was that moment that their Sensei came into view….covered in leaves. "Sorry I'm late…there was this cat in this tree and a little girl who-"

Sasuke interrupted. "We understand. The briefing?"

Kakashi sighed. "Oh, don't be so stiff Sasuke. The little girl had been crying so badly and-" Sasuke sighed in frustration and kakashi chickled.

"Please Kakashi, I'm not one who loves being held up at a briefing before a mission. Could we possibly get on with it?" Shikamaru was staring blankly and hard at Kakashi who cleared his throat and leaned against the wall getting serious.

"Our mission is a retrieval of a missing person." He paused and looked at each of them in the eyes. "This child has been a missing person for close to ten years." Then Kakashi looked directly at Sasuke. "-And that person is an Uchiha." There was an unbelievably long pause. It was Shikamaru who answered.

"This means this person was missing before the Uchiha Massacre." The statement was also a question to which Kakashi nodded.

Sakura watched a little perplexed. "So in reality it's been eight or nine years?" Kakashi nodded apparently unwilling to simply say 'yes'.

"The person who hired us to bring her home had been raised as her brother. His name is Ikuto. This person has no last name, because he lives in a village that has lived in secret since the moment it was made probably since the first Great Ninja war. They don't believe in violence. The only jutsu they use is specifically defensive, and healing."

Naruto seemed a little confused and held his eyebrows together, and was staring off into the distance.

"By chance is her name Hikaru?" Naruto looked very serious at Kakashi which didn't suit him, and Kakashi nodded. ..uping Sasuke's stress level, but the name was so…

Naruto looked away. "That's so strange…."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "Naruto? Do you know something about Hikaru?"

"Yeah, Hikaru stopped Sasuke from going to Orochimaru. We had talked to each other for a bit…. She said Sasuke was her…twin." Everyone even Sasuke starred at Naruto with his statement.

Sasuke opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. Shikamaru spoke for him and it was a question to Sasuke. "You have a twin sister?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I…don't remember." It was true. The only clues he had to having a sister was that strange dream, and Naruto's word. The dark brunette found an interesting pattern in the dirt and he thought.

That night…what happened when he got back home? His brother swinging the blade…his parents falling to the floor and all that blood… At that moment he vowed to kill his brother.

Someone was there…about his size… he wasn't calm wasn't alright….what did the person look like? The figure would come closer, but he would say stay away.

"-uke, Sasuke you okay?" Naruto had a hand on his shoulder. Naruto looked into his eyes and he looked back.

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm fine. If I have a sister so what? Things happen. She got kidnapped, I had to deal with life without her. Should I be jumping for joy?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Well you at least should show SOME kind of emotion towards your own flesh and blood."

"Well sorry I didn't do the predictable. I am actually TRYING to remember her. I must have cast her out of my memories."

Kakashi sighed, "Well it can't be helped, but lady Hokage wants her retrieved. So retrieve her we shall."

The briefing continued and it simply consisted of their plan of action which was as simple as this. They go in there and give a seven day demonstration of different defensive and healing jutsu. Meanwhile during their free time they would do research and try to convince Hikaru to come with them without a fuss.

So that was all done and they headed off. What would happen next only time would tell.

Thanks for reading this installment~ Hope you enjoyed ;) Remember: Reviews. They encourage me to write and update sooner.