Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Our Lives in the Hurricane Chronicles ❯ Chapter 5

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

"Throw up your rawkfist, if ya feeling it when I drop this!" -Thousand Foot Krutch
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Naruto sighed loudly. Sasuke glared at the blond in annoyance. He had been sighing all morning and it was beginning to piss Sasuke off. Naruto sighed again. "Sighing will not make them come any faster!" Sasuke stated. Kakashi and Mayu hadn't arrived yet, so it was just the two boys for now. Mayu most likely would have been with them if Sasuke had woke her up, but he was still kinda embarrassed about that dream last night, so he decided to avoid Mayu for a little while.

"It's not that..." Naruto mumbled, leaning against the wooden fence. "I think Hinata-chan's mad at me." Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Hinata mad at Naruto... Is that even possible? Sasuke may not have known Hinata, but the thought of her mad at Naruto was just plain weird.

"She's not mad," Sasuke said.

"How do you know? You weren't there!" Naruto exclaimed. "Hinata-chan left my apartment looking sad."

"Couldn't have been that bad," Sasuke said.

"Yes it was! That's the reason I was over Kakashi-sensei's place last night," Naruto said, frowning. Sasuke eyes held confusion, but then Kakashi's previous words echoed in his mind.

"Pu-ber-ty!" he had said. "It's a sign that you're becoming a man. You're starting to really notice the opposite sex in your age group. I imagine that Naruto's going through the same thing..."

"So... he taught you about the Birds and the Bees, too?" Sasuke asked. A blush spread across Naruto's face, confirming Sasuke's thoughts. "I see now... You're thinking about Hinata in a naughty way. Better not let her dad find out."

"S-Shut up! I'm not the only one!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke. "You think about Mayu in that way, too!" Sasuke's eyes widen, and then they narrowed into a glare. "That's right! Kakashi-sensei told me why you were at his place!"

"I'm going to kill him..." he thought.

"What did he say? Oh yeah! You can't stop thinking about Mayu's damned body!" Naruto teased.

"Well, at least she isn't mad at me," Sasuke said.

Naruto immediately stopped laughing and gave his own glare. "Do you really believe that?" he asked. Sasuke's eyes widen, and then he looked to the ground, not wanting to talk anymore. Since when is Naruto not clueless? But Sasuke had to agree. He didn't know whether or not Mayu was still mad at him. She's says she's forgiven him, but has she really?

"Thanks for waking me up, Sasuke!" a sarcastic voice was heard. Sasuke looked up to see Mayu jumping out of a tree, landing next to Naruto. "Honestly! I only had time for a ten minute shower!"

"Hn..." Sasuke responded, looking away.

"Look at me when I'm talking!" Mayu practically hissed; Sasuke looked her way again. "That's bette--"

"You're actually bringing that thing?" Sasuke asked, interrupting Mayu.

"Yes," she answered, glancing back at her guitar that was strapped to her back. "You never know. I might have to entertain on this mission to keep certain hot heads occupied."

"Who?" Naruto questioned; Mayu just laughed lightly.

"No one!" she replied.

"Whatever! Listen! I think Hinata-chan's mad at me, Mayu! What should I do?!" Naruto asked in a loud voice.

"Yeah right..." Mayu muttered.

"What?!"

"Listen, Naruto... I know Hinata-chan and it's impossible for her to be mad at you of all people," Mayu stated. "No matter what you do."

"But..." Naruto began.

"No, impossible!" Mayu said, nodding her head.

"You're probably right, but... I can't help but to..." Naruto mumbled, looking at the ground.

"I'm sure it's fine, Naruto," a new voice stated. The three genin looked at see their former sensei walking towards them.

Mayu noticed that Kakashi looked as if he didn't get enough sleep. There were dark semi rings under his visible eye and he was yawning as he approached them. "Are you alright, Kakashi-san?" she asked.

"It's fine, it's fine! Last night I had some guest over," Kakashi answered; Naruto and Sasuke both were blushing, but Mayu didn't see. She was too focused on Kakashi. "Plus, I got stuck writing up some documents for the new teams."

"Aww, poor you, Kakashi-san! Why didn't you just tell them to leave?" Mayu asked.

"They were... quite desperate. They'd most likely would have killed me if I turned them away," Kakashi answered.

"How crazy of them..." Mayu muttered.

"Well, shall we get going?" Kakashi said, noticing how uncomfortable Sasuke and Naruto were.

"Oh, of course!" Mayu agreed, nodding her head. "I'm excited to go on a mission after all this time!" Mayu began to walk away; Naruto and Sasuke was about to follow, but Kakashi put his hands on their shoulder.

"Remember what I told the two of you?" he asked.

"Huh...?" Naruto mumbled.

"When you're having you special time, it's best to have it in the shower," Kakashi said; the two boys blushed. They knew exactly what their former sensei was talking about. "Don't forget to lock the door and wash your hands afterwards." Naruto and Sasuke nodded their heads. "And remember... sound travels."

"Hey, you three! Are you coming or not?!" Mayu called back to her teammates.
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Mayu's POV
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"It's been so long since I went on a mission! I'm psyched!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin. We were all walking towards the Hokage's office. I was walking beside to Kakashi, Naruto was right beside me, and Sasuke was on the end. Even though I wasn't showing it, I was totally psyched as well. It's so cool that I'm an officially ninja of Konoha. Uncle Mori would be so proud of me! He said he always knew I would follow in his footsteps. I just hope I get to see him again...

"Don't get too excited, Naruto," I told him. "Since we're all genin, except Kakashi-san, we're most likely going to get a... C-rank mission."

"I won't complain! But I really hope we get a S-rank or something like that!" Naruto said, putting his hands in his pockets. "But I won't complain no matter what we get!"

"If only that were true..." Kakashi said, releasing a small sigh. Suddenly, I heard fast-paced footsteps.

"Move it! Out of the way!" a female voice shouted, causing us to jump out of her way.

"Well, someone was in a hurry!" I muttered, looking at her departing back.

"That's dangerous, you know! Be more careful!" Naruto shouted, fist raised in the air.

"It was probably an emergency," Sasuke said, quietly; I nodded in agreement.

"Oh well, let's keep going," I said as I continued to walk. The Hokage's office is up ahead. I could hear the footsteps of my teammates following me. I wonder what kinda mission we'll get.

"Hey, Mayu..." Kakashi's voice made me glance back at him. "Do you know all the techniques your clan used?"

"Of course not!" I answered. "I was only nine when my clan was--when I was sent away."

"Yes, but I heard that Ishikari clan members are taught at a very young age," Kakashi continued. I stopped and let the others catch up with me; they stopped also when they caught up.

"Kakashi-san, there's no point in asking about it," I said. "I'll assume and say you already know that the Sharingan can't copy the Ishikari techniques."

Kakashi nodded his head, and then sighed. "Like my dad used to say: 'Can't copy a copier!' I guess he was annoyed that he couldn't use the techniques," I said as I continued to walk; I grinned a little. "I remember when mom switched bodies with him... just to freak him out." I laughed at the memory. My three teammates didn't say a word. "Anyway, I wonder what kind of mission we'll receive. What do you think, Kakashi-san?"

"Like you said before... We might get a C-rank," he answered.

I opened the door and stepped in. I was greeted by the Hokage. "Hello," I replied, walking towards the long desk she was sitting at. I saw Iruka sitting there too, along with a few more people. Kakashi and the others followed after me. When I stopped they stopped right beside me.

"Are you ready to hear your mission?" Tsunade asked; Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "It's a convoy transport escort mission."

It was quiet for a moment. I'm surprised that Naruto hasn't start shouting yet. Perhaps... he wasn't going to complain after all. Naruto really has grown up since the last time I saw him! He's acting so mature. I'm really proud of Uzumaki Naruto! "What?!" Naruto shouted. I knew I spoke too soon. "A convoy transport?"

"What? You got a problem with that?!" Tsunade asked, narrowing her eyes. Uh-oh... I hope that Naruto notices that she's getting irritated.

"It's only a C-rank!" Naruto shouted. I guess he didn't notice after all... "I'm gonna have to say no thank you to that mission!"

"Idiot, I thought you said you weren't going to complain," Sasuke muttered.

"But that mission sucks!" Naruto said boldly. "Don't ya think, Mayu?"

I grinned nervously, not wanting to anger the Hokage, I responded: "Well, I've never been on a mission such as that, so I really can't say anything..." Naruto just grunted and crossed his arms with a frown on his face.

"Naruto, you haven't matured at all," Iruka muttered, hand on his head.

"Preach on, Iruka-san!" I thought, frowning.

"Naruto, I assigned you a simpler mission because you and Uchiha Sasuke haven't been in action for a while. Ishikari Mayu has most likely never been on a mission higher than D-rank," Tsunade said.

"I will not respond... I will not respond..." I chanted in my head. I have been on missions higher than D-rank!

"That's bull! I don't need you to go easy on me!" Naruto shouted.

"Well, isn't this familiar..." I muttered, and then sighed. "Just like last time Naruto got annoyed with the smaller missions."

"Yeah, but like last time... he does have a point," Sasuke said; I nodded in agreement.

"The details of the mission, that I'm giving to you, are written here," the Hokage said, placing her hand on a piece of paper. Wow... she sounded really annoyed. The Third Hokage was a lot more understanding with Naruto.

"Yes," Kakashi said, walking towards the table.

"Jeez. The Third was a lot more understanding..." Naruto muttered. Hey! He stole the words right out of my brain!

"Did you say something?!" Tsunade asked in a loud. Luckily, I didn't say that out loud...

"Moron... do you really want to die this early?" Sasuke asked.

"Shut up, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto responded.

"I'm glad to see that they're friendship has improved..." I thought sarcastically.

Suddenly, a woman came barging in the room; she ran over to the table, almost knocking Kakashi over. I noticed that she was the same woman that almost knocked us over in the hallway. Man, she's just rude, isn't she? "There's an emergency, Fifth!" she exclaimed, slamming a paper down in front of Tsunade.

"What's all the commotion?" she asked, picking up the paper.

"We recently received an emergency message from the Sand!" the woman said as Tsuande's eyes scanned over the paper.

"The sand...?" Naruto muttered.

"From Suna, idiot..." Sasuke stated.

"Shut up! I know that!"

"What?!" Tsuande's voice got my attention. Judging from the way her voice sounded, I could tell that the message wasn't good news. Kakashi walked back over to us as the Hokage let Iruka and Shizune see the piece of paper.

"Th-This is...?!" Iruka's voice sounded frantic as he stood up from his chair.

"It can't be!" Shizune mumbled. I wish they would just say what's happening! Jeez, there's ignorant people in the room, ya know!

Naruto stepped forward with a worried expression. "What happened?" he asked. The room was silent for a moment.

"The Hidden Village of Sand's Kazekage has been kidnapped by Akatsuki," the Hokage answered, causing my eyes to go wide. Isn't the Kazekage Gaara-kun now?!

"Gaara-kun...?!" I muttered in disbelief.

"We have more information pertaining to Akatsuki than they do," Tsuande continued. "That's why they requested assistance from us."

"Tsunade-sama! Don't tell me you're planning to send Team Kakashi!" Shizune said, turning to the Fifth.

"This is an emergency! We don't have time to be picking," Tsunade answered, closing her eyes; she opened them again. "Besides, Kakashi has fought against Akatsuki before."

"How true..." I thought, glancing at the silver-haired jounin. "Not only that... but Sasuke and I have encounter them as well. Not that we did anything..."

"That may be true, but..." Shizune began.

"Team Kakashi, I'm assigning you a new mission," Tsunade didn't let her continue. "You are to go to Suna, find out more about the situation, and send a report back to Konoha. You will also follow any of their orders and back them up!"

"Hai!" we all answered in unison. I frown, thinking I should have kept on watching Naruto. I have no idea what's going to happen. Unlike last time, I'm completely clueless on what's going to happen from here on out.

"Also, my student, Yamanaka Ino, is traveling back to Konoha as we speak. If you see her, tell her that she is to follow you back to Suna. This mission will apply to her as well," Tsunade continued, lacing her fingers together. "Failure is not an option!"
"Hai!" we repeated.
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"Okay, we're off!" Naruto exclaimed. We were all gathered at the gates of Konoha. The Hokage even came to see us off, Iruka, too! Not to mention Sakura. I found out that Sakura had become Shizune's student. So... that's why she said she could stop me from moving! Maybe it isn't so smart to fight her. I don't know how, but the subject turned to Sakura while we were walking to the place where ninja get their missions. Anyway, after talking about the mission, all of us had to pack a few things. When Sasuke and I got there, almost half of the whole hotel was cleaned. Yasmine is really earning her stay! But then I found out that Yasmine had her ipod in her pocket when we came to Konoha, so that's why she's working so quickly. That means I won't have to come home to a dirty house.

"Until we meet again," Kakashi said, turning.

"Yeah," was her reply.

"Naruto, do your best," Iruka said, causing Naruto and I to glance back.

"You got it!" he said.

"Good luck, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed, giving a wave. "See you when you get back!" Sasuke only gave a small grunt in return.

"Whatever..." he said.

"Heh! Sasuke-kun, don't be such a hard ass!" Sakura said, slapping Sasuke's back. "I know you've change quite a bit since the last time we talked! And you're taking me on a date when you get back!"

"I am?" Sasuke questioned.

"Yup! I saw you staring at my chest, so I know you're interested!" Sakura stated. Sasuke's mouth dropped opened and I noticed a small blush slowly appeared on the bridge of his nose.

"Man, Sasuke really is a pervert..." I thought, narrowing my eyes at Sasuke, who was choking on his own spit.

After that whole thing, we all began to walk away, but I stopped. I could swear I hear someone calling my name... "What's wrong, Mayu?" Sasuke asked.

"I thought I heard something..." I muttered.

"MAYU!" a voice shouted.

"See...?" I said, turning back around. I saw someone running towards me... at full speed. Well, they better slow down or...

"AAAHHH!"

"They're going to trip and slide to a stop in front of me..." I muttered, looking down at the person below me. "Ano... Yasmine, what are you doing here?"

Yasmine quickly hopped up and began talking like that fall didn't just happen. Yasmine does that a lot. She's really clumsy, but she'll pretend it doesn't happen. I'm pretty sure my teammates are staring at her like she's insane. "You forgot to take this!" she exclaimed, shoving a bag in my hands. I opened it and saw bandages, gauze, medicine, and all that other stuff you use when you have an injury. "I can't believe you actually forgot!"

"It's fine, really!" I said, tossing the bag to Sasuke. Thank goodness he caught it because it looked as if he wasn't expecting me to do that. "I'll be fine, but thanks for worrying!" I patted her head.

"I'm not a dog..." she muttered, but didn't stop to push my hand away.

"Yeah, yeah..." I said, taking my hand away. "Wish me luck!" And with that being said, I walk away.

"You better not die!" Yasmine called to me.

"Relax, I have people who will willingly take a hit for me!" I replied, winking.

"What...?" I heard Kakashi and Naruto muttered. I really hope they didn't mean anything by that...

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" I said, raising a fist. Suddenly, a big, white-haired man jumped in front of me, almost causing me to yelp... almost. "Jiraiya-san!"

"So, you're going on a mission already, Naruto... Sasuke?" he said.

"Yes, sir!" Naruto said, giving a salute; Sasuke only nodded.

"Oh, right..." Jiraiya said, and then walked right past us. I turned to see he was talking to Tsunade. "Tsunade, I have information for you. The Hidden Sand's Kazekage has been--"

"Yeah, I know!" she interrupted; she pointed to us. "I'm about to send them there now."

Jiraiya turned towards us, probably noticing that Naruto was nodding proudly. He looked as if he couldn't believe what the Hokage had told him. Jiraiya suddenly starting whispering in Tsuande's ear. Out of nowhere, fanfics about the two older people flashed in my mind. "If only they were together..." I thought, shaking my head. Jiraiya walked back over to us, only to tell Naruto to follow him and walk away again. I just shrugged and looked ahead.

My thoughts turned to Akatsuki. "Akatsuki..." I thought, frowning. Sooner or later we're going to have a run in with Itachi. The encounter will most likely be bad. I looked at Sasuke for a moment, thinking of Itachi standing next to him. Suddenly, that one song that I heard while in America was playing in my head.

Brother my brother
Tell me what are we fighting for
We've got to end this war
We should love one another
Oh, can't we just pretend
This war never began?
We can try...
Brother my brother

I just busted out laughing at that. "OMG! OMG! OMG! OMFG!" I chanted hysterically. And yes... I did say the letters.

"What the heck is your problem?" I heard Yasmine ask me. I calmed my laughter and wiped my eyes. I noticed that everyone else was staring at me like I was crazy. I walked over to Yasmine and whispered my thoughts in her ear, while pointing to Sasuke.

"That's not funny... that's pretty sad," Yasmine stated.

"You're just over emotional," I said, waving my hand. "Besides, Yasu's probably cracking up with laughter, isn't she?" A look of embarrassment washed over Yasmine's face, confirming my thoughts.

"Hey, this is no time to be laughing at me," Sasuke said.

"I'm not laughing at you... I'm laughing with you," I responded.

"I'm not laughing..." he muttered.

"And that's the problem!" I stated.

"The problem...?" I heard him repeat softly.

"Mayu!" Yasmine's voice got my attention. "Please don't do anything that could get you killed..." I looked at her in confusion.

"You know what's going to happen, don't you?" I asked in a whisper; she nodded slowly. "You don't have to worry. It'll be fine." Yasmine nodded her head again, and then backed away.

"Kakashi-sensei! Mayu! Sasuke! Let's get moving!" Naruto called to us.

"Yeah!" I replied, catching up to the blond. How he got so far ahead without me noticing was a mystery. "Oh well... Time to focus on the mission. I'm going to kick the ass of the one that kidnapped Gaara-kun! Even if it was Itachi!" I thought, frowning. A hand suddenly found its way on my shoulder; the hand belong to Sasuke.

"Hey, don't get so worked up on this mission just because Gaara's involved," he said; I chuckled.

"Shouldn't you be saying that to Naruto?" I asked, pushing is hand away; Sasuke frowned.

"I know you think of Gaara as your friend, but you can't let that cloud your judgment," he continued.

"Yeah, yeah..." I muttered.

"All together now," Kakashi told us. All of us jumped off the ground. Though I really care about Gaara-kun and his safety... I still can't wait to get to Suna!

"But... I do hope you're okay, Gaara-kun..." I thought.
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Team Kakashi jumped from tree to tree. Naruto and Mayu were ahead of the other two members of the team. They had been traveling for about three hours, none of them showed any signs of slowing down. "Gaara, I'm coming to help!" Naruto said to himself.

"Hey, I know you're both in a rush, but don't get too far ahead!" Kakashi called up to the two.

"But, but--" Naruto began.

"Yeah, Naruto's right to protest! Maybe you two should just pick up the pace!" Mayu said, glancing back; Naruto nodded his head in agreement.

A sweat drop appeared on Kakashi's head; Sasuke only narrowed his eyes. Just because it's Gaara, Mayu felt the need to push herself. A small frown appeared on Sasuke's face. "I bet she wasn't this way when she was going after me..." he thought. "But then again, the motivation to kick my ass probably pushed her."

"Don't get so worked up, you two!" Kakashi said. "Jiraiya-sama and Sasuke just said the exact same thing, didn't they?"

Mayu and Naruto bared their teeth at the other teammates. Kakashi and Sasuke sighed at their actions. That's when Kakashi spotted a sand ninja. "There's Temari!" he exclaimed. His words caused Mayu and Naruto to halt and jump down, along with Sasuke and Kakashi himself.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Temari asked, turning to the four. Kakashi began to explain the entire mission to her. "What?! Gaara was...!"

Kakashi nodded his head. Temari frowned and glanced backing, thinking back to one of the stops she made. "Temari-san..." Mayu muttered. "It's her brother. It's only natural that she's worried," she thought.

"I knew something bad had happened," Temari thought.

"It'll take us two days to get to the Sand Village," Kakashi stated. "On a side note, we should be meeting up with Ino soon. Let's move--"

"Hm... sooner than you think," Temari said.

"Huh...?" Team Kakashi mumbled.

Temari turned her back to the four. "Well, if it isn't the pig of the Leaf Village!" Temari stated. Team Kakashi peeked out from behind Temari to see a female standing a few feet from him. She had long blond hair tied in a high ponytail, her long bang covered her right eye. Her visible blue eye was narrowed into a glare. The girl looked about fifteen and she was wearing a deep purple, sleeveless top, what seemed to be a deep purple skort, and fish nets on both her elbows and both knees.

"Ino...?!" Mayu and Naruto exclaimed in unison.

"Sand wench! I've got you right where I want you!" Ino exclaimed, and then she started running towards Temari, fist ready to punch. Temari only smirked, and then took out her giant fan. When Ino was less than three feet from her, she swung her fan, causing the wind to blow Ino away! "AHHHH!" she screamed until her back hit a tree. Sweat drops appeared on the heads' of Team Kakashi as they watched Ino get up from the ground, looking quite shaken.

"Uh... Is she going to be alright?" Mayu asked as Ino stumbled towards them, holding her head.

"She'll be fine. We do this all the time," Temari answered, putting her fan back in place.

"All the time, huh?" Naruto asked; Temari nodded.

"One of these days, Sand wench! I'm going to beat you!" Ino yelled, pointing a finger.

"Don't count on it, pig..." Temari said.

"Why you--"

"Yamanaka Ino!" Kakashi said loudly, causing the girl to stop her rant and focus on the other four people.

"Kakashi-san! Sasuke-kun?! Naruto?! ... Who are you?" she said, pointing to the four.

"We're on a mission and orders from the Hokage say that this mission applies to you as well," Kakashi began. "All of us will go to the Sand Village for this mission. This is Ishikari Mayu."

Ino's eyes widen upon hearing the name. "Ishikari Mayu...?" she repeated, and then she shook her head. "So what's the mission?" Kakashi repeated what he had said to Temari earlier. "What?! The Kazekage's been kidnapped?!"

"Yes... I'm afraid so," Kakashi said. Ino looked at the ground, and then a glare appeared on her face.

"DAMN IT! EVERYTHING WAS JUST FINE WHEN I LEFT! I'LL KILL THE BASTARDS!" she yelled, and then jumped up into a tree, going back the way she came.

"Right on!" Mayu and Naruto shouted, and then followed after the blond female.

"Okay, let's go," Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head.

"I wonder why Ino is so worked up..." Temari thought. "I know she's spent a lot of time in Suna, but to actually get upset about what happened to my village? She's seems to be more angry than I..."

"Let's move before those three get too far ahead," Sasuke said. The two shinobi nodded and jumped up.
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The six shinobi traveled in complete silence. Day had turned into night, but the full moon illuminated the path the six had to take. Three in front, three in back. Naruto, Ino, and Mayu hadn't slowed down since Ino and Temari joined the group. Naruto thought about his past encounter with Akatsuki. He knew exactly why Akatsuki wanted Gaara and himself. The demons sealed within...

"Hey, you three! What did we just say?!" Kakashi called up to the three. "Don't work yourselves and stick to--"

"Shut up!" Mayu said.

"I can't take this!" Naruto said at the same time; Kakashi sighed. "I know why they're after Gaara me. Sasuke... Mayu, you know why, too, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do..." Mayu whispered; Sasuke merely nodded as he remembered his first fight with Gaara, as well as all the other fights he had had with him as the Kazekage.

"Naruto..." Ino thought, glancing at the boy beside her. "I found out from Gaara that you, too have a demon sealed inside you. And that's why you were treated differently in our village. Just like Gaara..."

"Inside of me..." Naruto began. "The Kyuubi is sealed inside of me." Temari looked surprised to hear Naruto say those words.

"Just like he told me..." Ino thought. "Now I understand why the villagers were so cruel to Naruto. Now I feel really guilty about how I treated Naruto when we were still in the academy."

"Gaara and I... We both have monsters inside our bodies," Naruto continued, clutching his chest. "That's what those guys are after! I... hate it! They just see us as monsters! I can't stand the way they view us! He was just like I was... And he fought all on his own a lot longer than I did. He's been targeted by Akatsuki. We're the same, again! And despite that... Why does everything bad always have to happen to him?! It's always him! That's why... That's why I can't waste a second! This time, I want to save him as fast as I can!"

Tears flew from Naruto's eyes and hit Temari's face. "Uzumaki... Naruto..." she thought. "Thank you." Mayu glanced at the boy beside her, she saw his tears.

"What he said... makes me remember the first time I spoke with Gaara-kun," she thought, her eye sight was beginning to blur because of unshed tears. "I remember he didn't even know what the word 'friend' meant. I didn't show it back then, but... I was sad. I wanted to cry. I knew of Gaara-kun's past, but I didn't realize that it was as bad as not knowing what friendship meant! It mad me so proud when I heard he'd become the Kazekage. And now... Akatsuki is trying to take what he's worked so hard for away. It pisses me off! Friends... Family... they finally want to be apart of his life. After so many years of torment, Gaara-kun finally has what he deserves. I will not stand by and let them do what they will with Gaara-kun!" Mayu blinked, causing a couple of tears to fly from her eyes... and hit Sasuke on his cheek.

"Mayu... she's crying about Gaara, isn't she?" he thought. Sasuke picked up his pace, so that he was running next to Mayu. "Perhaps we should stop for the night," he said out loud. Mayu looked at him with a glare on her face.

"I'm fine!" she responded coldly, causing Sasuke to narrow his eyes.

"I was only looking out for you!" he said.

"Well, I didn't ask for it!" Mayu hissed; Sasuke imagined her eyes turned red, causing him to move back to Kakashi and Temari.

"I've never realized how scary and crazy she is..." he thought.

"Maybe it would be best to leave them alone for now," Kakashi said; Sasuke nodded his head unconsciously.

"Ishikari Mayu..." Temari thought, staring at the blue and black-haired girl's back. "I recall Gaara talking about you."
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Mayu's POV
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I didn't realize, but we had been traveling for a day and almost a half, so we had to stop. It was dark, but I could tell the sun was about to come up soon; I was sitting on a tree branch with my guitar in my hands, the others were on the ground, most likely sleep. And the only reason neither Naruto or I are complaining is because I'm playing my guitar. I was right in thinking I'd need this to calm him down. I had no idea that I would be needed to calm down, too. I wasn't singing like I usually do, only playing a soft melody for now. I had woken up in the middle of the night, so I was just playing. Suddenly, I felt someone jump on the branch I was sitting on, causing me to open my eyes and stop playing.

"You don't have to stop playing," she spoke; I nodded and continued to play. Ino sat down next to me, but didn't speak. I knew the silence wasn't going to last long. I bet she wanted to ask me what my relationship is with Sasuke. I sighed inwardly.

"What a shame she's still stuck on him," I thought, closing my eyes.

"Hey..." Ino's voice made me turn to her; she was staring with an intense gaze. "Ishikari Mayu... are you the same Mayu Gaara--I mean, the Kazekage claims to be his very first friend?"

I could feel my eyes go wide at her question. Here I was thinking she was going to ask about her Sasuke-kun! I guess Ino has really grown up over the years. Perhaps she's no longer superficial, egocentric and materialistic. "Yes," I answered, looking back down at the strings of my guitar. "So... your mission in Suna caused you to become friends with Gaara-kun?" I asked. "How long were you in Suna?

"Yes, my mission involved him. I stayed in Suna for about a month... I still can't believe he was taken..." Ino said. "Everything was great when I left three days ago."

"So, you found out about me through Gaara-kun?" I asked, changing the subject. I really didn't want to talk about Gaara-kun's kidnapping right now.

"That's right. He talks about you and Naruto all the time," Ino said. "He told me and Kankuro that he considered you as his first friend."

"I wonder why he thinks that..." I said softly.

"What do you mean?" Ino asked; I stopped playing and looked back at her.

"When we first spoke to each other, our conversation was brief," I said. "In fact, I only talked to him once after that."

"Well, your words probably affected him greatly," Ino responded.

"Yeah..." I muttered in agreement.

"Anyway... What's your relationship with Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked, looking away from me. I sighed inwardly and frowned. Well, there goes that optimistic thought about Ino growing up...

"We're just friends," I replied firmly.

"Really?" she asked; I nodded my head. "Are you sure? Do you really not like Sasuke-kun?"

"I'm sure! I made that mistake a long time ago and I won't make it again," I whispered. Ino made a noise that I've never heard before, so I didn't bother to question it. "What about you? Still crushing on him?"

"Oh... not really. Sasuke-kun is just another fellow shinobi to me now," Ino answered. That certainly surprised me! "Hey! Don't look so surprised!"

"Sorry..." I said, feeling a little embarrassed that she knew what I was thinking just by looking at my face.

"Besides, I already have someone else!" Ino declared loudly.

"Hey, you're going to wake them up," I said.

"Too late, we already heard the pig's squeal," Temari's voice made me turn to see the her standing; the others were yawning and stretching.

"SHUT UP, SAND WENCH!" Ino yelled as she hopped up and turned around.

"Hey, you're way too loud," I told her as I stood up and attached my guitar back to my back.

"Whatever..." she muttered; I could tell she was about to jump, but I asked my question anyway.

"So, are you going to tell me who your boyfriend is?" I questioned; she nearly fell out of the tree. Hehehe...

"H-He's not my b-b-boyfriend yet, but I'm working on it..." Ino muttered. "And that was not funny!"

"Heh, sorry... But who is he?"

"Like I'm going to tell!" Ino responded, jumping out of the tree.

"I bet it's Shikamaru..." I thought, following her. "Looks like Temari-san's got competition!" I noticed that the sun was coming out.

"Okay, break time's over," Kakashi stated.

"Where's Naruto?" Temari asked.

"Oh, he's up there," I answered. "He was up when I woke up, so I played my guitar for him." Everyone looked up to see Naruto standing on a tree branch, watching as the sun lit up the land.

"Let's hurry," Sasuke said. "It's only one more day till we reach the Sand Village." Yes, just one more day...
************************


We were running quickly. The Sand Village was in sight. We were so close! We would have gotten to the village sooner if it hadn't been for that sandstorm! I had to play again to keep Naruto from leaving the safety of the small cave. Yes, he actually tried to go into a sandstorm! Everyone knows that there's a higher chance of getting lost in the desert if there's a sandstorm.

Anyway, we stopped in front of two sand ninja. "We've been waiting for you!" one of them said.

"Temari-san and Ino-san was with you?" the other question.

"Please, this way!" the first one said, turning. I believe he had more sense than the other.

"We've got no time for small talk! Gaara-kun's in danger!" I thought, following behind. We ran through the streets of Suna, listening to one of the ninja explain the current situation.

"What?! They got Kankuro, too?!" Temari asked with wide eyes.

"Yes. After Kazekage-sama was abducted, Kankuro-dono went after him," the guy answered.

"It's just like that idiot to do something so stupid!" Ino commented. Although what she said was insulting, it also sounded as if she was worried.

"He was poisoned by the enemy, and we don't know how to remove the poison!" the guy continued. "At this rate..."

"Everything will be fine! Just take me to him!" Ino stated. "I'll take care of it!"

We had reached Suna's hospital in minutes. It only took seconds to reach Kankuro's room. "Kankuro!" Ino and Temari shouted in unison as they rushed into the room; Ino threw her bag to the floor as she made her way over to the bed. But before Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke and I could go into the room, this old lady starts rushing towards us screaming 'Curse you!' and 'Prepare yourself!' It looked like she was going after Kakashi, so I did the smart thing and got out of the way; I see Sasuke was thinking the same thing. Naruto, though, created a clone and tried to attack her dead on. Key word being tried.

The old lady fist made contact with Naruto hand, but she kicked out, causing one of the clones to disappear. The other clone tried to punch her, but that proved futile because she caught his fist in her hand, and then she just jumped away. "Ahh... Granny got game," I muttered.

"Now is not the time..." Sasuke told me; I just waved him off.

"Why the hell are you attacking Kakashi-sensei, you wrinkly old bitch?!" Naruto asked.

"That was a little rude, Naruto!" I stated, suppressing the urge to snicker. Naruto said bitch! HAHAHA!

"You say that... but you're laughing..." Sasuke said.

"Heh... Was I really?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head. The last Naruto clone disappeared leaving only the real one.

"Konoha's White Fang! How dare you, you wretched scum...?" the old lady yelled, still in a fighting stance. "How I've longed to avenge my son! This is for him!"

"Um, I'm not..." Kakashi began. I wonder who White Fang is... That's a cool nickname.

"No excuses!" the old lady yelled; she looked like she was about to attack, but an old man went in of front her.

"Take a closer look, Nee-chan..." he said.

"Nee-chan...?!" I thought in surprise.

"He does resemble the White Fang, but that's not him," the old man continued. I looked at Kakashi and frowned.

"Have I ever heard of a White Fang before?" I asked myself.

"Hello...!" Kakashi waved.

"Besides, Konoha's White Fang died a long time ago," the old man said; the old woman looked slightly disappointed. "Remember? When you heard, you got really angry and started screaming about how you hadn't avenged your son yet. Isn't that right, Nee-chan?" The entire room was silence after the old man finished speaking, except for that beeping noise.

"Just kidding!" the old woman said. "I was just pretending to be senile..." she started laughing nervously.

"You've got to be kidding..." Sasuke and I muttered in unison. Kankuro suddenly shouted, bringing everyone else out of their stupor. Ino immediately went to work.

"Ino-san! You're back!" one of the doctors exclaimed.

"Yes, I'll take a look at him!" she said.

"We're counting on you," Temari said; Ino nodded her head.

"Everyone stand back!" she said. I shrugged and walked out of the room.

"Sure thing," Naruto said as he walked into the hallway with me. Kakashi and Sasuke did the same, so did the old people. I couldn't see what Ino was doing, but it looked like she knew exactly what she was doing, so I wasn't that worried. We all sat down on the convenient benches outside the room.

Ino put her head on Kankuro's chest. After a short moment, she lifted her head. "The poison that was used on him was refined from heavy metals," she said. "It's the type that gets into the muscles and annihilates the cells."

"Ino-san is amazing! She could tell that much from such a brief examination," one of the medics said. "Even the type of poison..."

"Hmph! You should know that already!" Ino remarked, most likely grinning. "Where's the medical chart?"

"It's right here," the other medic said, holding up a chart and a piece of paper. "And this shows the poison's composition, though it has blank spots." He passed Ino the chart with the extra piece of paper.

"I can fill those blanks in," she responded, taking the chart and scanning over the words. "His heart muscles are being destroyed right at this moment, so it could stop working at any time. Even I do create an antidote, it might not stop the damage in time."

"No way! Isn't there anything we can do?" Temari asked, worry was evident in her voice. "You can do something, right, Ino?"

Ino turned to Temari, but didn't speak for a moment. "Ino-san, you can do something, right?" a medic asked.

"... There is a slight chance. Gather the items I tell you right now!" Ino answered and giving a command at the same time.

"Yes, ma'am!" both medics replied in unison. And with that being said, Ino began listing off things that I've never even heard of. Fifteen minutes later, Ino placing lime green bubbles into Kankuro's body and pulling out the poison.

"Awesome! This is like some advanced ER episode!" I muttered, my eyes never leaving the operating room.

"You and your weird little sayings..." Kakashi muttered; I glared at him, but he was too busy reading his book to notice.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto said; Kakashi grunted to let Naruto know that he was listening. "Who was that White Fang of Konoha person this old lady was talking about?"

"That's a good question," I said.

"Who was he, eh?" Kakashi said, glancing at Naruto, and then closing his book. He looked up at the ceiling. "I'd say he's best described as... my father."

"Your f-father?!" I questioned. "Your dad was so cool that he got that nickname?! Awesome! I wish my dad was legendary, but he was just a push over..." Kakashi patted my head and chuckled.

"Y-You're the White Fang's son?" the old woman asked, incredulously; Kakashi said yes.

"No wonder. You're the spitting image of him," the old man commented. I wonder how he could tell that Kakashi's the spitting image of his dad when Kakashi wearing a mask. Did his dad wear a mask?
*******************************

A whole hour had passed and starting to get sleepy. It got so bad that I think I passed out for like fifteen minutes. "I'VE DONE IT!" Ino's made my eyes shoot open. I discovered that I had used Sasuke's shoulder as a pillow, so I quickly sat up straight and focused on the room. "I got out most of the poison. Kankuro's life is no longer on the line." Naruto and I stood up and walked into the room, followed by Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Ino, that was quite amazing," Kakashi said.

"From what I did see... that was amazing!" I agreed.

"What can I say? Master Tsunade taught me well!" Ino stated, giving a victory sign. Temari released a heavy sigh as she sank to the floor. "But we can't rest yet... Kankuro still needs an antidote in his body."

"Understood. If there's anything you need, just say the word," that... half mask guy said. Yeah, I still didn't know his name. Baka, I think it was... maybe Baki...

"Remove the bandages from Kankuro's body. And prepare an IV drip," Ino instructed. "Save some of that poison. I'll need it to make sure we have an antidote that works."

"Mmm... you're just like that slug-girl," that old woman made her presence known. "I never thought they'd send a woman like you to help us."

"Yes, the Fifth Hokage is my master. I'm back here on her orders," Ino said.

"Kankuro will be fine, just like Ino said..." I muttered. "Thank goodness! I don't think Gaara-kun would have been happy to come home to a dead brother..." I walked out of the room and sat on the bench again. Sighing heavily, I closed my eyes.

I felt someone sit down beside me, causing me to open my eyes again. It was Sasuke, but he wasn't looking at me. I shrugged, and then closed my eyes again. "Baki-sama, here's the reply from Konoha," I heard someone say, but I didn't bother to open my eyes. Oh wait! Baki is he's name!

"Good work," he replied. A silent moment passed, and then he spoke again. "It's from Hokage-sama."

"What did Granny Tsunade say?" Naruto asked.

"She sent Gai's team here as reinforcements," Kakashi's voice answered.

"Fuzzy-brow's sensei's team?" Naruto said. I sighed inwardly at his comment.

"He's name is Rock Lee! Not Fuzzy-brow!" I wanted to scream, but didn't have the motivation to do so.

"I bet everyone's gotten stronger, right?" Naruto continued. "I heard Neji's already a jounin. He's probably stronger than you, Sasuke. Don't you think, Mayu? ... Hey! Are you sleep?!"

"No, Naruto..." I mumbled, opening my eyes. "And I really don't care whose stronger between Neji and Sasuke. Gaara-kun and Lee will always be stronger in my eyes!"

"Whatever..." Sasuke muttered.

"Anyway!" Naruto exclaimed. "Let's haul ass and go after Akatsuki right now!" He started running down the hall.

"Pursuing them... That's a good idea. You know where they are?" Kakashi asked; Naruto stopped in his tracks.

He mumbled a no and began to slowly walk back towards us. "Moron..." Sasuke stated.

"If I may ask, how are you tracking Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked, turning his attention back to Baki; Baki turned his attention to the room with Kankuro in it, and then spoke. I also looked into the room.

"Ino must have left to make an antidote," I thought.

"Kankuro went out first, by himself, and ended up like that," Baki said. "Afterwards, I sent out a pursuit squad, but there's been no word from them. Considering the situation, they're probably already... Also, one of the village superiors has gone missing. I'd like to think he wasn't taken down so easily."

"So, you've completely lost track of them?" Kakashi asked, even though it sounded like a statement.

"Yeah, unfortunately..." Baki muttered.

"Baki-sama!" a voice caused me to look in the room; it was one of the medics who spoke. "Kankuro's regained consciousness!" We all walked into the room and looked down at the puppet master.

"Kankuro, are you all right?" Temari asked her brother.

"Huh? You're back already, Temari?" Kankuro asked.

"I heard that the village was in danger," she answered.

"Sorry for making you worry," Kankuro muttered.

"Idiot! Don't say stupid things like that!" Temari exclaimed.

"Please take me to where Kankuro-kun fought," I heard Kakashi ask Baki. "I may not look it, but I'm a pro at tracking. If I can get a hold of their scent--"

"Don't bother..." Kankuro said, sitting up... or at least tried to. "All of my puppets have been recovered, right?"

"Yes, I'll get them!" a medic said, and then rushed off. He came back a few minutes later with a giant bundle in his arms. He set them down on the ground beside Kankuro's bed.

"There were two enemies. One of them took Gaara," Kankuro said. "Track Gaara's scent and you'll find him. And in case they split up, I can give you the other guy's scent..." he pointed to one of his puppets. I noticed that one of them opened a hand, and in it was a piece of cloth. "I had Karasu's hand take a piece of his mask," Kankuro continued.

Kakashi went over to the puppets and picked up the cloth. "You still put up a fight even when you're down," he said. "Nothing less from a Sand shinobi." Kankuro smirked, and then grabbed his stomach in pain.

"Kankuro, are you okay?" Temari asked. Kankuro stared at us, it made me slightly uncomfortable. "Oh... They came all the way from Konoha just for us."

"Uzumaki Naruto, huh?" Kankuro said, still staring. Um... did he not see the rest of us?

"Hey," Naruto replied.

"I see..." Kankuro said, closing his eyes.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Kakashi's voice made me turn in his direction. I saw a total of eight dogs appear, including Pakkun!

"The Eight Ninja Dogs have arrived!" Pakkun stated

"Aaah! That is so kick ass!" I squealed, and then picked up Pakkun. "Whose the cute wittle doggie?"

"I am not a baby!" Pakkun stated, and then he bit my arm! "Just who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Mayu... Ishikari Mayu!" I said proudly, but nursing my arm, with tears down my face at the same time.

"Pakkun!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I need bandages, damn it!" I yelled in my mind.

"Hey, that you Naruto? Long time no see!" Pakkun turned his attention to Naruto, and then back to me. "Did you say Mayu?"

I nodded slowly. "You look really different..." he muttered.

"Yeah, everyone keeps saying that," I said, grinning. "But I assure you, I'm the same Ishikari Mayu!"

"But you haven't changed at all!" Naruto and I said in unison.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's end the conversation there," Kakashi said. "I need you to get to work right away."

He let the eight dogs smell the piece of cloth. "Find out where they're headed," Kakashi said. Seven dogs disappeared, leaving Pakkun on the floor.

"We'll get in contact with you as soon as we find out," he said, and then he, too dashed out of the room.

"All right then! We'll leave as soon as Pakkun gets back!" Naruto shouted. "We need to take care of our preparations..."

"Naruto, hold that thought," Kakashi said.

The two old people walked into the room and towards Kankuro's bed. "Hey, Kankuro!" the old woman said.

"Chiyo-baasama and Ebizou-jiisama!" Kankuro exclaimed.

"I want to hear you say this one more time," the old lady, now know as Chiyo, said. "There is no mistake that one of the enemies was Sasori, correct?" Kankuro didn't speak up right away.

"Was he, Kankuro?" Ebizou asked.

"He himself said that he was Sasori of the Red Sand," Kankuro admitted.

"Sasori of the Red Sand?" Kakashi said. "Seems like I will be able to ask you a few questions about the Akatsuki. I'm counting on you."

"Wait a minute!" I shouted, slamming my hands on the edge of Kankuro's bed. "Is this Sasori of the Red Sand the one that took Gaara-kun from the village?!" Kankuro looked momentarily shocked at my outburst, then again... so was everyone else. "Answer me, damn it! I wanna know who's ass I'll kick first when we finally meet up with Akatsuki!"

"You said your name was Mayu, right?" Kankuro asked; I nodded. Just tell me was it Sasori?! "Gaara talks about you..."

"Yes, yes... I know that! Let's get back to my question! This Sasori person, did he take Gaara-kun?!" I asked again.

"Gaara told me he thought of you as his first friend. I wish it would have been me," Kankuro continued.

"Okay, you are really 'bout to make me hurt you, Kankuro!" I said, inching towards him. "Tell me which one took Gaara-kun!"

"He did tell that you got hurt because of him. He thought you died..." he didn't my question. And if it hadn't been for Sasuke holding me back, I would have strangled him!

"Come on, Mayu, calm down!" Naruto said.

"I'll kill 'em!" I hissed, trying to get out of Sasuke's hold.

"Maybe you should have just told her, Kankuro..." I heard Temari muttered.

"How was I supposed to know Gaara's friend is crazy?" he responded.

"I'VE DONE IT AGAIN!" a familiar voice shouted.

"Does she really have to yell?" I thought as Ino ran into the run with a cup and tea pot in hand. She rushed over to Kankuro's bed and set down the cup and tea pot on the small table. Ino began to pour some kinda liquid into the cup. I know it wasn't tea and it looked disgusting, so I looked away. I noticed that it had gotten dark outside. "Wow... Just how long have we been here?"

"Hey, are you okay now?" I heard Sasuke asked.

Hey! I didn't realize that he was still holding on to me! I quickly tried to get out of his hold again, but he just wouldn't let me go! "I'm fine...!" I grumbled.

"You're not going to attack?" Sasuke asked.

"No, I'm fine! Now let me go!" I said; he released me, and then looked back to Kankuro's bed.

"I-Ino... you can back?" Kankuro said, staring at the said girl. She had finished pouring the liquid and had the cup in her hand.

"Of course! What kinda ally would I be if I didn't come to your aid?" Ino said, grinning. "Now... I need you to drink this, Kankuro!"

"What is it?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter! Now drink!" Ino ordered, pressing the cup to Kankuro's lips. Kankuro did as he was told and drank the liquid. "All of it. Don't stop!"

After Ino was sure he drank it all, she took the cup away. Some of the liquid slid down Kankuro's chin. "That stuff was nasty!" he commented, and then coughed.

"What were you expecting? The taste of berries?" Ino questioned, and the shook her head. "Never mind that now... You should feel better soon. Stay in bed until the trembling stops. That's an order!"

"Damn bossy girl..." I heard Kankuro muttered.

"You guys should call it a day as well," Baki commented. "We have rooms ready for you."

"No, we've got to go after Gaara as soon as possible!" Naruto began to protest.

"We'll take you up on that," Kakashi stated, causing me to turn to him. "We're going to have some difficult battles staring tomorrow." Naruto visibly pouted, and then turned to Kankuro.

"I know..." he muttered.

"Well, we better get settled in!" I exclaimed. "I'm starving..." I said in thought.

My stomach grumbled in agreement. It does feel like I haven't eaten anything in days... "Looks like someone's hungry," Kakashi stated the obvious. I heard another stomach growl in hunger.

"Looks like I'm not the only one, eh Sasuke?" I asked, patting his belly.

"Stop that!" he practically hissed as he smacked my hand away. I laughed at his childish reaction, but then again... my actions were a bit childish, too!

"I wonder if they have ramen here!" Naruto said with a grin as he picked up his bag. "Bet it's not as good as Ichiraku!"

"Uzumaki Naruto... Ishikari Mayu..." Kankuro's voice got my attention.

"Hm...?" I said.

"Please take care of my brother!" he continued. I could feel my eyes grow wide at his request, but then I smiled.

"Of course!" I replied, grinning.

"Yeah, leave it all to us!" Naruto said. "I'm going to become the Hokage someday, after all! This is a chance to have the Kazekage owe me one!"

"Can you say... blackmail?" I muttered, frowning. Both Kakashi and Sasuke hit me on the back of the head. "Jeez! I was just joking!"
***************************


I sighed heavily as I walked down the hall. I couldn't go to sleep, so I might as well talk to him. I know that it will be hard. We haven't spoken to one another like we used to since I got back. I stopped and looked down the way that I had come. "Maybe I should go back! My question could always get asked later!" I thought. But a tiny voice in my head said that I was just being cowardly, so I decided to go to my destination.

I knocked on the door softly, slightly hoping that he was asleep and didn't hear. "Who is it?" he's voice made me frown.

"Damn it!" I thought.

"Who is it?" he's voice repeated, this time sounding a little annoyed.

"It's me... Mayu, your teammate..." I answered. After I said that, choking noises could be heard. "O... kay..." I muttered.

Then I heard the sounds of someone falling to the floor, more choking noises, and something colliding with something else. Sounded as if some glass was being smashed. "H-Hold on!" his voice came through the door.

"I can come back if you're busy..." I said.

"Yes--I mean, no! Just wait a minute!" he called.

"Sasuke sure has been acting weird..." I thought. "But then again... he has traveled with Jiraiya-san and Naruto for a year. I wouldn't find it that surprising if he's changed a bit."

A few minutes had gone by and I was still standing outside his door. This wouldn't be a problem if Sasuke didn't refuse to share a room with me! Kakashi and Naruto had agreed to share a room, but when Baki suggested that Sasuke and I share a room, Sasuke completely refused that idea and just walked away. Come to think of it... I am still mad about that! Not that I wanted to share a room with him, but he said 'no' a little too fast. What a jerk! Maybe I should just leave!

But before I could turn and walk away, Sasuke's door opened. "Finally! What the he..." the rest of my sentence never reached my tongue. Sasuke was standing in the doorway... with nothing but blue boxers on...! Who sleeps with nothing but boxers on?! Not to mention the fact that beads of some kinda liquid slid down his body and his hair was wet. Judging from those facts, I'll assume he was in the shower. "Okay... okay... okay..." I said, putting a hand on my head. Yes, it took quite a while to gather my thoughts... "What the hell possessed you to answer the door in boxers?! I told you if you were busy, I'd come back!"

"I was just getting out of the shower when you knocked on the door," Sasuke said, stepping aside, allowing me into his room. I glared as I walked pass him.

"You could have at least put a shirt on! What are you trying to do? Give old women heart attacks?!" I asked, sitting on the bed. Sasuke closed the door, and then turned to me with a little smirk on his face.

"Was that a compliment?" he asked.

"Hardly..." I scoffed; I heard him sigh. That did sound like I was giving him a compliment, didn't it? "Anyway, I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Sasuke asked, walking towards me. I felt my body go stiff with each step he took towards me.

"Dry yourself off and put on a shirt first!" I exclaimed. I noticed that he rolled his eyes, and then he went over to his bag.

"Hand me my towel. It's right behind you," Sasuke said. I turned, grabbed the off-white towel, and tossed it on Sasuke's head.

"Bullseye!" I exclaimed.

I'm pretty sure Sasuke was glaring, but I couldn't see because he was drying his hair and the towel was covering his face. After he was finished drying himself off, he put on a shirt that looked like a larger version of the shirt he used to wear. Black with the Uchiha crest on the back. "So, what do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Sit down," I said, patting the spot next to me. He did what he was told, and then I pushed him off the bed. I wish I had a camera at that moment because his face was priceless. "Heheheh... Hahahaha! HAHAHA! You should have seen your f-f-face!" I told him as I wiped tears of laughter away.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" Sasuke all but whispered. I'm surprised no one came to the door, telling him to shut up.

"Sorry, sorry... I seriously don't know why I did that," I answered nervously.

"Yeah... right..." Sasuke grumbled, and then got back on the bed, giving me a glare.

"Okay, now that that's over..." I began. "I wanted to ask you some questions."

"Like what?"

"You do know that your brother is apart of Akatsuki, right?" I asked. Sasuke didn't reply for quite some time. "I'm going to assume that's a yes. What I wanted to say is... You can't let your hatred for him decide your battle."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked.

"Don't let an emotion such as hatred get in the way of us completing the mission," I said. "I've already seen what you do when you encounter your brother. You focus only on your brother, not thinking of anything else. And that... could get the rest of us killed."

"I won't allow that to happen," Sasuke said.

"I'm just telling you ahead of time," I said.

After that, it was quiet in the room. I laid back on the bed with my hands behind my head. I looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "I thought you said you had questions, not advice," Sasuke's voice made me sigh.

"I forgot my other questions..." I said, honestly. After I responded, I could have sworn I saw Sasuke fall of the bed. "Anime fall... priceless," I thought, smiling a bit.

"Fine! If that's the way you want it... I'll ask the questions," Sasuke said, once he got his composure back.

"I'm listening..." I muttered, hoping that I would remember my questions soon.

"You say that you're apart of this Ishikari clan, right?" he asked; I nodded. "Then why wasn't your name on that list I saw we when were younger?"

"That's because Ishikari clan members weren't recorded in Konoha files until they reached the age of ten or twelve," I answered. "I was sent away a few weeks after my ninth birthday."

"Where did you go?" Sasuke asked.

"My mom used a forbidden jutsu during the attack, I guess I went to a different dimension," I answered. "It was nothing like this place. There's no ninja or villages where I went." Not to mention the fact that this world is a hit show. "When I went there, I lost all my memories of my family and what happened," I continued, closing my eyes.

"Do you know who killed your clan?" Sasuke asked; I sighed as I sat up again.

"Do you really want to know that?" I questioned; he nodded his head, causing me to sigh again. "... It was your brother."

I guess Sasuke was shocked by my answer because he wasn't saying anything. Sure his mouth was open, but no words came out. I wonder how long that's going last... "WHAT?!" he shouted, standing. Hm... not very long.

"Yeah, Kakashi-san told me he did it on the same night he killed your clan," I said. Again, Sasuke didn't say anything, but that should end right...... now!

"And you don't want revenge for what he did?" he questioned. He walked towards me and got on his knees in front of me. "Why?"

"Because I want to know the reason," I answered. "I want to know why he did it."

"He wanted to test his power, so killed two clans in one night," Sasuke said. I sighed, and then put my hands on Sasuke's shoulder. "When I asked him why he killed my clan... he told me that."

"Forgive me, Sasuke, but I don't believe that..." I said; his eyes widen at my statement.

"But--" I pulled him closer to me by wrapping my arms around his neck. "M-Mayu!"

"You were only eight when it happened... weren't you?" I asked. "Unlike you... I forgot what happened that night. I wasn't forced to grow because I had forgotten. I would have become just like you if it hadn't been for my mother's jutsu. The mind of a child felt betrayed... anger... grief... misery... empty. These emotions triggered the need to get revenge. You were so young, so you didn't think... you just reacted to what he said and did."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Sasuke asked. "What does that have to do with you not wanting revenge?"

"Because when I found out... When I remembered... I didn't have the mind of a nine-year-old. I thought rational about what had happened to my clan," I continued. "I came to the conclusion that just killing Itachi wouldn't fix anything. I still wouldn't know why he did. So... killing him is not an option for me if I want to know the truth. We were the same, then we were different... now we're the same again, just with different thoughts. What I'm trying to say is... I want answers, not revenge. It is not necessary. Do you understand, Sasuke?"

"... I guess," he answered. "So, you want me to forget about my revenge?"

"No, I don't. But I do want you to fully understand why Itachi really did what he did... before the revenge," I answered. "Revenge isn't everything." Sasuke grabbed the back of my night shirt and pressed his face harder against my chest; I could feel my eye twitching. "Sasuke...?! You... pervert!"

Sasuke pulled back and looked up at me with a smirk on his face. "You can't really blame me," he said; my eyebrow twitched. "I did travel with that old pervert for a long time. I'm not surprised that I picked up some of his traits. Naruto's probably worse. And besides... you're the one that forced my head into your chest." NO this fool is not trying to blame his perverted ways on me!

"No excuses! Were you even listening?!" I shouted, and then punched him in the chest, causing Sasuke to fall back. Now... Sasuke still had a handful of my shirt, so I fell on top of him. Very bad position to be in because at that moment the door to Sasuke's room opened.

"Sasuke, I want to..." Kakashi never finished his sentence. He stared at us with a wide eye. We stared back at him, my eyes probably as wide as his. "Oh..." he said. "I can see you're busy at the moment. Use protection, Sasuke..." And then he closed the door and left!

"Use protection...?!" I screamed in thought, and then I jumped off Sasuke and ran to the other side of the room.

"Damn that stupid--"

"Hey! I just remembered my question! Take off your shirt, Sasuke!" I ordered; Sasuke got up off the floor and looked at me with wide eyes. "Okay... Never mind! I'll just asked the question!" I still can't believe Jiraiya-san actually had the power to turn Uchiha Sasuke into a pervert! "Do you still use that curse seal?" I asked. Sasuke didn't respond right away; he just sat on the bed. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes..." he answered nodding his head.

"... How often?" I asked, walking back towards the bed.

"As often as I need to... to control it," Sasuke said.

"To control it?" I repeated, sitting on the bed; Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah, it's not as tiring to use anymore," he said.

"I see... So then, Oro-teme is still alive?" I asked

"Yes, he's become a nuisance..." Sasuke said; I gave him a questioning look. "I'll have to kill him the next time we meet."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I didn't want anyone to know this, but... while I was traveling alone, Orochimaru sent his underlings to bring me back. Countless times..." Sasuke replied. "They finally stopped showing up when I reached Suna." Sasuke suddenly shuddered, causing me give him a strange look.

"What?" I asked.

"I just remembered one of those ninja who came after me," he answered. "She's the one who always found because she had the ability to sense my chakra. She once told me that she wanted to 'ravage' me while I was sleeping."

"What?!" I asked in disbelief. Some girl wanted to ravage Sasuke?! Puh-leaze! What fan girl/boy doesn't want to 'ravage' Sasuke?

"I didn't know that meant back then, but now I do..." Sasuke continued.

"Looks like Sasuke-kun's got a girlfriend!" I sang.

"She's not my girlfriend! And don't call me that!" Sasuke said. "She's worst than any other fan girl that I've come across!"

"I think you should go for it," I commented.

"What?!"

"Yeah, yeah... It's not too often a girl comes out and actually says what she wants," I said. "Who knows? Y'all might make a good couple!"

"So... you have no intention of..." Sasuke whispered, looking away.

"But then again... This girl sounds like a fan girl. And I know you hate the screech of a fan girl," I said, snickering; Sasuke turned to me with a smirk on his face.

"Teh... You know me so well," he said.

"Yeah, now... I want to ask you a question that everyone wants to know," I said.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked. I put on my most serious-looking face. "What's with the look?"

"I'm about to ask you the question everyone wants to know!" I said.

"What?"

"... Did Oro-teme... molest you?" I asked with an intense gaze; Sasuke stared at me as if I was retarded. "Answer!"

"What?!" he finally said.

"Did Oro-teme molest you?!" I repeated with the same intense gaze.

"Why would he?!" Sasuke asked. Man, Sasuke is really naive...

"Obviously... you have never heard the word 'pedophile' before," I said.

"What?"

"You lived a very sheltered life, didn't you?" I questioned. "Tell me, Sasuke... Do you know where babies come from?"

I could have sworn on everything that I saw him blush! He's been doing that a lot lately... Okay, so he knows that, but he doesn't know what a pedophile is? Wow! That's almost unbelievable! "Why are you asking me that question?!" Sasuke asked in a loud voice.

"Calm down, it was just a question..." I said. "Ya know what? I'm tired of talking about this."

I stood and began to walk away. But before I make it to the door, I felt myself being grabbed by the waist and wrist, and pulled back. Suddenly, I found myself in Sasuke's lap and he wasn't letting me go... "I like this..." he whispered in my ear, causing me to shudder. "I like the talks we have, no matter how ridiculous they are."

"Sasuke..." I muttered; I felt his forehead press against the back of my neck.

"Stay the night?" Sasuke requested; I didn't responded right away.

"... Alright," I said; I felt Sasuke's forehead leave my neck.

"What? Really?" he asked, his grip on me had loosened, allowing me to slip off his lap.

"Yeah, sure..." I answered, shrugging. "My room is all the way upstairs and Ino talks in her sleep, so I guess I'll stay here for the night." Sasuke's eyes were wide, and then suddenly he was in the bed, under the cover, about to turn off the lamp. My felt my eye twitch. "Man, never seen anyone move that fast before in my entire life..." I thought. "Not even Itachi moved that fast...!"

"Come on, Mayu! We have a long day ahead of us. We should get as much sleep as possible," Sasuke said as he turned off the light. The room darkened a little, but the moon did help me to see the bed. I walked over to the other side of the bed, noticing that Sasuke had one eye open and was watching my every move. I guess he thinks I can't see him watching... idiot. I sighed, and then began taking apart my braid. Once I finished, I pulled up the covers and got under. Sasuke wrapped an arm around me, turning me around, and pulled me closer to his body.

"You've grown," he whispered.

"Yeah..." I muttered, closing my eyes.

"I really mean that, Mayu..." Sasuke told me.

"Yes... yes," I said.

"You're beautiful..."

"Sasuke..."

"What?"

"... Your breath really stinks," I said, eyes still closed. "So... could you turn over or let me turn over, cuz... wow!"

"Some people are meant to be seen and not heard. You are one of those people!" Sasuke stated, letting me go and turning his back to me.

"You've grown up as well," I whispered. "I'm glad... Sasuke." I was telling the truth. Sasuke seems much more understanding than he was before. He was even opened to my ideas about revenge!

"Thank you, Mayu."
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