.:To Trust Again:.
Chapter 4
"This is stupid."
"Shut up, teme. We're supposed to be stealthy, remember?"
Naruto and Sasuke were kneeling on the ledge of a hospital window, the other side of which they could only see a door. It had been several hours since they had arrived, with all intents and purposes to keep an eye on their pink haired medic and to figure out just who this Yusei-san was, only to be halted by the prospect of a windowless operating room. So now they were forced to watch the door at the end of the corridor, waiting for Sakura to emerge, triumphant or defeated.
The family of whoever Sakura was working on was waiting outside the door as well, faces pale and grim as they hoped for the best but expected the worst. The older man in the room, the father Naruto and Sasuke guessed, sat on the bench, shoulders hunched and elbows resting on his knees as his thumb and index finger pinched the bridge of his nose as, eyes scrunched painfully shut. The woman, his wife they presumed, sat next to him, quietly crying into a tissue as her shoulders shook with her sobs. An older boy was in there as well, standing beside the woman and squeezing her trembling shoulders in a subtle form of comfort, his eyes glued to the door.
Naruto and Sasuke could feel the medic's chakra draining away behind that closed door. It flowed consistently, in a steady stream of pure energy which they knew was being put to use performing miracles on what would normally have been a lost cause, stitching flesh and remaking bone, preserving the life of the one who had been entrusted to her capable hands. Her chakra levels were reaching a dangerously low point, where most would call it quits in fear of complete chakra drain, but it continued to flow like sand from an hourglass.
Suddenly, the consistent stream of energy began to ebb away and Naruto and Sasuke began to wonder if she had simply ran out of expendable chakra. They waited, feeling something akin to anxiety as her chakra passed the usual point of retreat, the point where the lack of energy began to take a toll on her well being, and continued to slowly drain away. Just as Naruto was about ready to kick in the window and burst through the door to stop her, the flow stopped. For a brief moment, both of the hidden shinobi froze, fear creeping through their veins as they wondered if she had used too much.
Sasuke thought back to when Kakashi was teaching him the Chidori all of those years ago. He had warned Sasuke that he was only capable of using Chidori twice in a battle, or else he would run out of chakra. When Sasuke asked of the consequences of trying a third time, Kakashi had said that at best the jutsu wouldn't work. At worst, he would die.
Both of them stood on the window ledge, cold panic sweeping through their stomachs until they felt a flicker of chakra from in the room. It was barely anything, just a little twitch of energy, but it meant the world to them. The breath whooshed out of Naruto as Sasuke dropped back into a crouched position on the sill, eyes closed in what only those who knew him best could classify as relief.
The door swung open, revealing the exhausted pinkette. Naruto dropped down in attempt to avoid her shinobi-certified gaze as his ears perked to hear her next words.
"Higai-san?" she called to the waiting family, voice ringing like copper pennies. All of their eyes were glued to her pale form as a tired smile broke across her face. "He should be alright. You can see him now, if you want."
From his hiding place on the sill, a melancholic smile spread on Naruto's face as he heard the woman's sobs grow louder in relief. The boy whispered soft words of reassurance to her as he collapsed next to her in the chair, emotional drain taking its toll. They could hear the man's proclamations of gratitude to the medic, half strangled by emotion as he rushed past her to get to his son.
Quiet swept over the corridor as the family filed into the room to glimpse at the boy on the hospital bed, leaving the medic alone in the hall. Naruto and Sasuke both glimpsed up through the window as Sakura flopped against one of the walls, sliding down it with her neck craned back to rest her head against it, musing her pink locks as she descended. Her emerald eyes closed in exhaustion as her fingers softly rubbed underneath them, hoping to rub the weariness from them. Her knees were bent a little ways in front of her, leaning against each other in attempts to hold their position.
Naruto wanted to break through the window for the umpteenth time that day, this time to carry Sakura home so she could get some much-needed rest. Sasuke could only stare at the woman against the wall, the woman who believed no one was watching as the strong front she was oh-so fond of hiding behind shattered into a thousand pieces, revealing the epitome of exhaustion and fragility. She looked weak, but not in the same way that she had all of those years ago. No, she looked like someone who had simply used all of their strength, leaving in ruins whatever remained of the wielder of its power.
Naruto and Sasuke shared a brief look, silently agreeing to abandon their mission in favor of helping their fallen comrade. Before they could do anything in the way of assisting her, however, the kunoichi was pulling herself back to her feet, palms pressed flat against the wall behind her as she used it as leverage and support to reclaim her standing position. They watched as she took a deep breath and headed down a different hallway, looking all the professional and composed medic that she was known for, and they couldn't help but wondering just how often this happened.
Silently, they both leapt from the sill, landing in a crouch amidst the shadows of the trees surrounding the hospital before they began their trek to the main entrance. It was about time that they forced the medics retirement for the day. When they reached the reception desk, the nurse in charge there gave them both a knowing look when they asked to see their kunoichi.
"From what I heard, she's just finished up with a surgery and should be in her office. I suppose you already know where that is, ne, Naruto-san?" she spared him a grin as he nodded in agreement before her expression softened a bit. "Make sure she goes home and gets some sleep, alright?"
"Hai!" Naruto grinned as he walked past the desk, Sasuke in tow as they slipped through the bustling halls to get to the room that Naruto had had to drag Sakura out of countless times, her being too weak to fight him off. Sasuke had never visited her office before. In fact, he didn't even know that she had an office. He was well aware that Sakura was a world renowned kunoichi, though he didn't realize that it wasn't just her shinobi rank that put her up there with the greats. She had a professional side to her, one that involved blades and blood in a completely different way than what her shinobi training had instilled in her. In a way that made her just as famous in the civilian world as she was in the ninja world.
When they finally reached her office, they were both surprised to find the door locked and the room empty.
"Where is-" Naruto started off, only to be cut off by Sasuke's warning glare as two middle-aged nurses passed by. One of them was pleasantly plump with a nurturing, motherly expression whereas the other was tall and thin with a hard face but soft eyes.
"I don't know how she managed to pull it off! That boy looked to be on death's doorstep when he came in!" exclaimed the thinner nurse as her co-worker nodded sympathetically. Naruto and Sasuke's ears perked up.
"Well it definitely took its toll on her. Poor dear, looked like she was about to fall over just walking down the hall! Do you think we should tell her to take the rest of the day off?" the nurse inquired as the both of them passed by Sakura's office, not noticing her two teammates clinging on to their every word.
"No, she's a shinobi too, you know? Probably wouldn't want us to interfere anyway." the two women nodded solemnly to each other before a mysterious glint appeared in the plump one.
"Well, there's also that cute new patient who's taken to calling her angel." Naruto nearly jumped at the women.
"You mean the one who she saved a few days ago? The shop keeper who fell on a wooden beam or something?"
"That's the one! I think I saw her heading to his room a few minutes ago," both of them shared a knowing look before rounding a corner to continue their gossip, leaving behind a fuming Naruto and a highly irritated Sasuke.
"She's going to his room?" the blonde squawked, restrained from stomping off after the nurses for more information by Sasuke's tight grip on his arm. Naruto spun around to glare at the Uchiha only to see that his eyes were unfocused, concentrating. "Teme?"
His eyes snapped back into focus and started away from Sakura's office, followed only by Naruto's confused expression.
"She's down the hall, third room to the left," Sasuke muttered, jerking the blonde back into action as he darted past the Uchiha and skidded around the corner.
When Sasuke reached his predicted location of his teammate, he saw Naruto hesitating outside the door, hand on the knob as he cued in to the muffled voices coming from inside.
"You really look like shit, angel."
"Don't call me that," Sakura snapped. "And as if you're one to talk."
The man inside, Yusei if Sasuke remembered correctly, chuckled at her spitfire personality. "Yeah, well, you stitched me up good as new!"
"Che," she snorted, and Sasuke could hear the thunks and taps of someone fumbling around in a cupboard. "I need to change your bandages, please remove your shirt."
"Well, somebody's feisty today," Sasuke felt as if a tiny drip of acid landed in his stomach at Yusei's flirtatious tone. Naruto looked to be positively steaming.
Sakura sighed.
"Please, I really don't like re-injuring patients."
"Hai, hai!" the rustling of fabric alerted the two outside the door to the removal of clothes inside the room. Another drip of acid felt as if it were scorching his innards.
"Ah, your hands are cold!"
"Shut up,"
"Oh well, they say that cold hands means a warm heart."
Naruto looked furious and flustered, all of those years spent training with Jiraiya took their toll on his imagination. A low whistle came through the door, and the blonde stiffened further whereas the brows of the Uchiha furrowed.
"That's going to be one heck of a scar," came Sakura's approving voice.
"Yeah, real great for attracting the ladies," was his sarcastic reply. There was a slight pause before Sakura spoke again.
"Do not be ashamed of your scars, they're only proof that you have surpassed hardship," Naruto and Sasuke relaxed a bit, thinking of the various implications of that statement.
"Well, someone's sounding sagely today,"
She laughed, a bright and tinkling sound.
"That's what the girls were told in the academy so that they wouldn't feel like 'damaged goods' later in life."
The two outside the door took a moment to absorb that knowledge. Both remembered that during their days at the academy the males and females were separated for some classes, but they never knew what was taught to the kunoichi.
"So, you have some scars too, I take it?" Yusei's voice sounded hesitant, as if he had forgotten that the woman in front of him was not only a miracle-worker medic, but was also a shinobi of the village.
"Yeah, though they're admittedly smaller than yours."
"Yeah, well you've probably never been impaled by a plank of wood."
Sakura gave a brief pause before answering. "No, not a plank of wood…"
Everything seemed to freeze in that instant. All color drained from Naruto's face as his jaw dropped open. Sasuke felt as if an electric jolt had run through him, only physically manifesting itself by the miniscule widening of his eyes. Even Yusei had been struck silent, the only noise from the room being from Sakura's re-bandaging of his wound.
"So y-you've…" he finally managed to stutter out.
"Yeah, only it was a poisoned blade," Sasuke could practically hear the smirk in her voice and stood there, frozen with only one thought on his mind. 'Who?'
"WHAT?"
Naruto barged into the room, sliding the door open so hard that it nearly bounced back closed. He stood in the doorway, air whooshing out of his lungs in pounding breaths as his knuckles bleached from his grip on the wall.
Sakura whipped around at the sudden intrusion, wide viridian eyes locked onto his cerulean ones as her lithe fingers tightened on the bandage she was holding. One end of the bandage was wrapped snugly around the man in the bed, barely covering the spider web of stitches and the mass of bruising on his abdomen. He appeared equally, if not more, shocked by the blonde's sudden interruption.
"Naruto?" Sakura's voice was laden with far more confusion than anger, which momentarily gave both shinobi pause. 'Was she really that tired?'
"What do mean that you were-were-"
"Impaled?" Sakura turned back to Yusei to finish dressing his wound. Naruto stepped further into the room as Sasuke took residence in the doorway, arms crossed tightly over his chest. "You really shouldn't eavesdrop on others conversations."
"Never mind that! You were impaled?"
"Didn't I already tell you?" she tied off the end of the bandage and turned to face her teammates, brows furrowed. "It was when me and Chiyo-baasama were fighting Sasori."
"No, you never told me!" Naruto screeched, face reddening in anger. Sakura briefly flicked through her memories, searching for the moment where it had come up in a conversation and drawling a blank. 'Maybe I really didn't tell him?'
"Oh," she pulled up the corner of her shirt to expose the short, ragged scar that had been the result of that particular battle. "Sasori was about to kill Chiyo-baasama, and I could only stop it by getting in the way."
All three males in the room stared at the discolored portion of her flesh. The anger drained from Naruto, replaced by shock and disbelief. Sasuke's face paled and his eyes widened as he stared at the exact location of the wound.
Understanding their confusion, Sakura explained. "It was actually a fatal hit," Naruto sucked in a breath. "If Chiyo-baasama hadn't used her Kesho Tensei, I would have died for sure."
She released the fabric in her hand, allowing her shirt to slide back into place above her hip. Yusei and Naruto gawked at her as she ambled over to the sink in order to rid her hands of any residing bacteria before she made her way to where Sasuke was blocking the doorway. Her weary, defiant eyes locked onto his, silently ordering him from his current position. He held her gaze for a short moment, reading into her expression for any form of weakness, before he silently slid out of the way to allow her to pass.
Naruto gazed, slack-jawed, after her retreating figure, unable to comprehend that Sakura had basically just left him in the dust. He stood there for about thirty seconds. Sasuke could practically see the sum of the events that had transpired clicking together in his head as his blue eyes widened and jaw slammed shut, teeth grit.
"Sakura!" he hollered, bounding for the door before he paused and turned to Yusei. He gave the man a quick once-over before growling at the him with so much vehemence that Yusei's tan skin paled under the florescent lighting of his hospital room. "Don't you dare lay so much as a finger on Sakura-chan!"
With that he took off down the hallway at a dead sprint, followed by Sasuke at a more leisurely pace until a crash and a scream shot ice through his veins.
"Sakura-sempai!"
Naruto pushed his legs so hard and so fast that his father would have been proud. Sasuke used the speed that he had taken years to build up to zip past him, skidding around the corner only to see a cluster of chaos. At least seven different nurses were mobbed about one prone figure, limp on the linoleum floor. His heart dropped to his gut when he saw a pale hand flop out of the mass, lightly curled fingers slapping against the ground as he peeked at a sprawl of tangled pink locks.
Naruto flew around the corner, not a fraction of a second later, and absorbed the same scene. Cold panic rippled across his face as he barged past the scrambling nurses to get to his fallen comrade.
"Sakura-chan!" he dropped to his knees next to her, snatching her hand from the floor and holding it in both of his. Sasuke moved in to stand behind him, taking in the pinkette's shallow breathing and the light sheen of sweat that coated her flushed figure.
"What's wrong with her?" he turned to one of the nurses, tone low and dangerous. The nurse in question gulped before dropping to his knees and taking Sakura's other hand, feeling for the pulse. He then felt at her throat and checked her pupils, all the while receiving a murderous stare from the Uchiha.
"Its just chakra depletion," the nurse sighed in relief. "Severe chakra depletion, though. She went way past the advisable limit of chakra utilization, causing a shortage in the chakra channels leading to her vital organs. Her body simply shut down temporarily in order to use whatever chakra remains to support only the most vital functions."
"What?" Naruto looked up from his position by Sakura.
"She passed out," the nurse explained, far too used to dumbing down his medic lingo. "She needs to go home an get some rest. She'll probably be asleep for awhile."
Naruto let out a sigh of relief as he scooped up Sakura's limp form, holding onto her bridal style. Her head thumped lightly against his orange-clad chest as one of her arms dangled from his grip and her pink lips parted to allow for easier breathing. Naruto's azure eyes softened as he gazed on her resting form, before making his way to the hospital entrance. He held her so naturally that Sasuke felt a pang in his chest. Long ago he had realized that the two would grow closer after his defection, but moments like this made him see just how close they had grown without him and, for a moment, wonder if it would have been him holding Sakura.
"Come on, teme!" Naruto called from over his shoulder, startling Sasuke from his reveries.
"Hn," he followed after the blonde as they made their way out of the hospital. Nurses and patients alike made way for the trio, some of which staring after them in curiosity. Others, usually experienced nurses or patients familiar to the going-ons of the hospital, gave small, sympathetic smiles, already guessing what had happened and the state of the boys' distress. Sasuke took the lead when they reached the glass doors, pushing them open to allow the blonde his escape to the outside.
They almost made it a whole five steps before being interrupted. Again. It seemed to happen very often when Sakura was in the vicinity.
"Naruto-nii!" Konohamaru bound up to them, waving his arms frantically over his head. "Tsundae-obaa- Whoa, what happened to Sakura?"
Naruto huffed out a breath in annoyance.
"She's tired. And just tell the obaa-sama that I'll be there later."
"But Naruto-nii," his hands went to his hips as determination and mischief lit his eyes. "Its about the chunin exams!"
Naruto froze, feet pausing mid-step as Sasuke let out an elegant snort.
"Can't she just name me a jonin or something already? I mean, after everything I've done for the village…" he mumbled under his breath, a rarity for one who was normally so boisterous. He looked down at his dozing teammate. "Just tell her I'll be there lat-"
"She said 'now,' Naruto," Konohamaru deadpanned. "Or else."
Naruto growled in frustration and turned to Sasuke, appearing to be about to pass her over but he hesitated. His grip on Sakura tightened as he waged a mental battle; sure, he trusted Sasuke with his life and would trust him with Sakura as well. But this was Sasuke. Sasuke, who Sakura had shed tears over and proclaimed her unyielding love for. It was Sasuke who had held her heart so many years ago, not him. He wasn't sure where her heart lay now but he was hesitant to hand over his job as her protector so easily. What if her feelings for the bastard resurfaced because he carried her home, if he acted as her protector, her hero?
"She said 'now' in a rather frightening manner," Konohamaru assured the blonde, arms crossed as his head nodded to affirm his words. "Held up her fist and everything."
Naruto groaned, forcing his mental battle to a halt as he nudged Sakura into Sasuke's unexpected arms. Their eyes locked for a moment, Naruto's smoldering blue eyes relaying both a plea and a warning, and Sasuke grip on Sakura tightened in response. Naruto slowly slid his arms out from under their sleeping teammate, cautious, in case Sasuke's hold on her wasn't strong enough, before he backed away.
"Take her home, teme," he ordered and, if it wasn't for the no-nonsense expression on his face, Sasuke would have snorted indignantly. But, as things stood, Naruto had just placed his most important person in his care and he'd be damned if Naruto thought he wouldn't be able to handle it. "Let's go, Konohamaru."
Sasuke watched as they walked off to the Hokage tower and glanced down at the pinkette. Her arms lay limp across her chest and her shoulders were tucked in and angled slightly in his direction. Her cheek rested against the cotton fabric of his shirt, eyebrows barely furrowed from the change in positions as her pink, parted lips allowed steady breaths in and out of her lungs. With one hand he could feel the muscles and tendons beneath the warms skin under her exposed knees while his other wound under her back and rested against the firms muscles on her stomach. She was heavier than her slight frame alluded to, though he supposed that came with the years of muscle growth. He highly doubted there was even an ounce of fat on her.
A sudden thought occurred to him.
'Where does Sakura live?'
He wanted to run after Naruto and ask, but the blonde had already disappeared in the direction of Hokage tower, and Sasuke didn't want to risk jostling the sleeping kunoichi in his arms. Instead, he turned to walk back into the hospital. They had to have some records on her.
When Sasuke pushed through the glass door, kicking it open with his foot because of his currently-occupied arms, the same nurse as before at the front desk gave his a strange look.
"That's not really what I meant," she mumbled as he approached, looking cool and composed but that particular demeanor failed at the moment. It was hard to look relatively badass when holding a passed-out, bubble-gum-pink haired woman. He paused in front of her, determination slowly fizzling down to a confident awkwardness. The nurse looked up at him, somewhat expectantly.
He cleared his throat. "Where does Sakura live?"
A smile spread across the nurse's face as she gave him an address and sent him on his way.
"Ah, young love," the nurse sighed as the Uchiha and his precious cargo disappeared amongst the crowd.
As Sasuke stood in front of the doorway of the Haruno household, he was faced with yet another challenge.
'How do I get her inside?'
Even with all of his ninja skills, it still took two hands to hold a sleeping kunoichi, so knocking was out. He couldn't exactly kick this door open. That particular manner of granting oneself entrance was typically frowned upon in most average households. There was a balcony on the second floor. Maybe if he jumped up there and the door was unlocked-
"Sasuke-san?"
The shinobi turned to see Haruno Nozomi, Sakura's mother, standing a few meters away holding a bag of groceries. "What brings you-oh my!"
Her steps quickened towards her limp daughter as Sasuke explained that she had passed out at work. Just as Nozomi began to calm herself, Haruno Ryoku came into view, arms full of shopping bags. Upon seeing Sakura in Sasuke's arms, his face turned an interesting shade of puce and his fingers tightened around the bags of produce in his arms.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DAUGHTER!"
Sasuke nearly cringed at his crackling, god-of-doom voice. The man's pounding footsteps neared the shinobi and Sasuke swore he could feel his civilian chakra spike dangerously. Nozomi rushed to her husbands side, holding a placating hand on his shoulder as she attempted to calm him with her words.
The cool, competent, and composed ninja felt something akin to nervousness as the man approached. His grip on the sleeping kunoichi tightened unconsciously, a move that did not go past Ryouku's notice. His glare intensified ten-fold.
"TAKE YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF MY DAUGHTER!"
Cool, competent, and confused. If Sasuke complied with his request then he would have to put Sakura on the dusty streets of Konoha. If he didn't then he would face her father's wrath. Granted, Sasuke would probably be able to handle a civilian man, but this was Sakura's father. She would probably murder him if she harmed the man in any way but-
"Ryoku," the woman's voice behind him cut through Sakura's father's raging. "Calm down."
"But, Nozomi, he-"
"Is helping her," she cut in, voice hard and commanding. Her sharp eyes bore into Ryoku, silencing his attempted protest. "And you will allow him into our house and carry our daughter to bed."
"I can carry her myself-"
"You will carry the groceries to the kitchen," the woman snapped, and Sasuke began to see where Sakura's personality came from. "And then you will apologize to Sasuke-san for the misunderstanding, and thank him for bringing our daughter home, safe and sound."
Ryoku gaped at his wife as she strode past him to their front door, opening it for the shinobi.
"Here you go, Sasuke-san," she smiled sweetly, sending chills down the Uchiha's spine at the sudden mood swing. "Go up the stairs by the entryway, and her room is going to be on the left side. The door should be open."
The shinobi nodded as he stepped past her, sliding of his shoes in the entrance as she gently took off Sakura's, and he managed to make his way up the stairs. Sakura's house was…cozy. The only two rooms, that he could see anyway, was the kitchen to the right and the living room to the left. The walls surrounding the stairway in the middle were decorated with family pictures, each containing a different image of the woman he now held in his arms. In some of them, Sakura was only a chubby-faced baby with a shock of pink hair and two doting parents. In one, Ryoku was holding up the arms of his laughing daughter who's wobbly looking knees and ankles were just learning to support her weight. Another held a picture of a slightly older Sakura, long pink tresses held away from her face by a familiar hair ribbon and a scraggly looking bun in the back. Her nose was crinkled in laughter as she and her mother stood in the kitchen, both entirely coated in flour.
This was how Sakura grew up, he realized. She had two loving parents and a home that was theirs. Her life was full of joy and warmth, nothing like his own cold and bloody past and, for a moment, he felt a brush of envy. But through those pictures, Sasuke was able to see a side of Sakura that he had only glimpsed at before. Sure, he knew Sakura-the-fan-girl and Sakura-the-medic-nin, hell, even Sakura-who-was-considerate-of-her-orphaned-teammates. But to see simply Sakura was a rarity in itself.
There were so many memories spread along the walls that Sasuke was almost disappointed when he had reached the top step. With a glance to the left, he noted the open door leading into what must have been Sakura's room. On the other side of the hall were two other doors, most likely being her parents room and the bathroom.
He stepped into her bedroom, illuminated by the sun shining through the glass doors of her balcony, and laid her down on her cream-colored bed. He was somewhat surprised at the simplicity of her room. It had all of the basic stuff (a dresser, a desk, night table, a mirror), but he had expected more. More knick-knacks, trinkets, accessories. Hell, a bunch more photos on the walls, but her room wasn't chock-full of luxuries like he had expected. There were a couple paintings here and there and a ton of medical texts on the desk, but there was really only one photo.
It was the original picture of team seven, taken nearly five years ago. A wave of nostalgia swept over him. He hadn't seen that picture in years, since he had left it face-down in his home before he had defected, as if that action alone would sever his bonds. Sakura had proved that thought wrong only minutes later when she had confronted him, though. It was when their team was almost normal, or at least as normal as they could ever be. When their teamwork was near flawless and their trust came easily.
It was strange, how things could change so much.
Slowly, he pulled the rose colored comforter over the kunoichi's sleeping form and removed her hitai-ate, placing it on the bedside table before walking out. He had hoped to make it out the door without meeting up with Sakura's parent again but had no such luck. At the bottom of the stairs stood the glowering form of Haruno Ryoku.
His arms were tightly crossed in front of his chest and he seemed to be chewing on the inside of his cheek. Sasuke could hear the sounds of Nozomi preparing a meal in the kitchen as he reached the final steps, landing him only a couple feet away from Sakura's fuming father.
"Boy," his coarse voice almost made the Uchiha jump. The muscles in his neck bulged as he seemed to be at a mental conflict with himself. A few particularly punctuated chops on a cutting board had him swallowing his pride. "I apologize for the misunderstanding."
His lips clamped shut so tightly that they turned white.
Chop, CHOP!
"And thank you for bringing Sakura home safely," he grumbled, eyes momentarily darting to the open doorway of the kitchen.
"Aa," Sasuke gave the man a sharp nod before nervously striding past him to retrieve his shoes and dart out the door.
"Goodbye, Sasuke-san!" came Nozomi's cheerful voice from the kitchen, just as Sasuke was about the close the door. "I hope to see you around soon!"
He let the door shut behind him and took a steadying breath before leaving in the direction of the training grounds. He still had a lot of work to do with chakra control.
I'm so sorry that this is so late! Since school's starting up soon I kinda figured that I probably should do my summer homework. Unfortunately, I can't promise faster updates :( between school, work, and orchestra I only have the evenings (between 10pm-when I fall asleep) to write fanfiction, and thats only if I don't have too much homework. But, do not fear! I plan to continue writing during the school year and, with any luck, my literature class will give me some inspiration and insight on different writing techniques :)
But, as always, thank you all so much for reviewing and subscribing and favoriting! Honestly, it never ceases to make my day :) I have gotten more reviews for this story than I have for almost all of my other stories combined! Over fifty reviews? Ahhhhhhappy!
And with that I shall stop talking (typing?) so you can get on with your lives! Please review! It makes me smile :)