Sasuke knew, logically, that he should not get his hopes up as they approached the nearest town to Orochimaru's base. He knew that there was little (almost no) chance for them to see her.
Despite Naruto's constant bubbly babbling and hopeful smiles, Sasuke had a feeling of foreboding. As his feet took him faster and faster, his frown deepened.
What would she be like, three years down the road?
Not that you'll find out.
Would she still smile at him?
She won't be there, obviously.
Would she still giggle at Naruto's attempts to get her to go on a date?
She won't be there, stupid.
Would she still look the same—with those warm, warm green eyes and pretty smile and gorgeous curled locks?
You'll never be able to catch her. She's gone, like wind, dust. And she isn't coming back until we drag her home.
At Yamato's signal to stop, Sasuke looked over to their new teammate.
Dark eyes, so similar to his own, looked back at him. Lips that were thin and chapped curled into a false smile, (reminding him all too much of – no he couldn't go there). Sai's hands were slim and curved around one of his paintbrushes as Sasuke stared at him.
The boy put him on edge—those dark eyes, the way that his smile was so obviously fake, how he cocked his head in interest every time Naruto spoke of Sakura, the way his face would sometimes deaden—it reminded him that he would probably never know what the boy was plotting.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Sai moved closer, hopping off the branch to come closer to him.
Just what was he planning to—
"Broody, are you staring because you want to commence romantic a relationship? I have read that if someone gazes into another's eyes for longer than a minute, it means that—"
Sasuke, red eyed and flushing with embarrassment shoved Sai away and growled at a guffawing Naruto.
"Shut up dobe." He spit out, ignoring Naruto's choked words of 'Teme, h-he called you B-Broody!' and his sniggering about 'romantic relationships'.
"Is there something wrong, Broody?" Sai asked, cocking his head and moving closer to him. Sasuke edged away slowly, remembering all too well the crazed kunoichi fangirls of his youth. "I'm happy to inform you, I have no sexual preference if that is what you were worried about."
Sasuke turned a furious red, stalked all the way to the other side of the clearing, and sat down next to a grin-smothering Yamato.
"O-Oh my Kami! Teme-chan, ahah—"
"Shut up."
"W-wait n-no, B-Broody—"
"Shut. Up."
"N-no s-sexual preference—"
"Shut up dobe!"
Sai just watched them curiously and turned to Yamato, "Is this what sexual tension is?"
The resounding screams of horror and growls of promised murder scared off any promise of Yamato having any sort of rest.