It's a little late, I know, but here it is.

Warning - Blood, sweat, and tears.

Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto

Awake

Chapter 5 - Avarice

She twisted, andturned. Touched her toes and even stretched her arms high above her head. No pain. It was the next morning and Ayame felt better than she had in the past week. Her collapse the previous day seemed like a mere dream. Not when waking up, she felt like she could do anything. There was naught a single trace of her wounds or sickness. Nothing. Ayame knew who she had to thank for that. The girl with the long pink hair, the medic of Team Seven, Sakura. 'She did good but what a fool.' Ayame thought to herself. 'Any medic treating the enemy would know not to heal enough to allow the enemy proper movement afterwards.' She thought scornfully. 'At this rate I'll be back to Gaarain a second.' Despite the past week Ayame's mind still focused on her primary goal. Winning Gaara's love.

Ayame stood, thinking of the man of her dreams andlooked around the room. She stood upon blood red carpet, encased within dark yellow walls and bathed amongst fancy plush furniture. 'How rich.' She mused to herself in distaste. Suna'sfashion tastes were quite different compared to what she had seen so far in Konoha. Usually houses were done in blue and deep purples, wood floors and simple wood furniture. For a place with no trees much of their furniture was imported, yet incredibly simple. None of this velvet stuff. Ayame took a few steps, debating what she should do. She looked at the empty chair where the silver haired annoyance had been and wondered where he was lurking. 'After all I'm sure whichever destination I decide on I wont make it to without running into someone.' She thought grudgingly. She hated being monitored or followed. Ayame was used to isolation and was often happiest in solitude. Not being stalked by a bunch of weird ninjas in a place she had no business being.

'I just want to go home.' She thought with a twinge of homesickness. She had never been aloud outside the village before, well, not aloud out of the country anyways. She had never seen such a place before. Never seen trees with such fresh leaves, never rainy skies. Never even snow. All Ayame had ever remembered seeing was planes anddunes of sand. Harsh, thick, winds and a beautiful, clear, night sky. The memories Ayame had of her first home were blurry, too old to remember, being she was so young at the time. Ayameshivered, no longer being held captive under thick warm blankets and made to step into the hall only to be blocked at the doorway by a tall man with silver hair reading an orange book. 'Of course.' She thought.

"Are you so infatuated with me that you can't bear to be apart more than a few feet?" She asked, half teasingly, half bitterly. Ayame didn't bother to try and move past him. She knew she would only get passed if he wanted her to. So instead she gazed up at him simply with one red eyebrow raised. Games were fun, at least if the other players played well. Kakashi lowered his book and raised his masked face. Ayamewondered briefly why he chose to wear his head band over one eye.

"Of course my dear, I live only to watch over you as you bloom like a fresh blossom." Kakashi's eye crinkled in humour as his low, lazy voice drawled. Ayame's mouth twitched, wanting to smile at his reply. How lovely. 'Now if only I could get Gaara to say that, and mean it.' she thought longingly as she turned her gaze to the floor.

"How do you feel, oh prisoner?" Kakashi asked, a little more serious now, though still adding a lightness to the end of his statement. Ayame might have laughed another time but she didn't appreciate being addressed as to what she felt like. Ayame did not want to be reminded of the situation

"Great, as you can obviously see. Now show me the bathroom or disappear." She stated in annoyance as she caught a whiff of herself. Talk time was over now. She needed to clean herself, train herself back into tip top shape, gather information while convincing these idiots she could be trusting and then get the hell out and win Gaara's love. Ayame ran her list of duties over in her head. She would most likely be here for a while, she would need time before she was strong again. Firstly, however, was a shower. Ayame reeked and felt sticky and dirty. Her mouth tasted like old vomit and her hair felt like greasy noodles.

Kakashi stood in place simply staring at her for nearly a minute. Just as Ayame was about to explode with impatience Kakashi went back to reading his book and began to walk away from her. Ayame stood in the door for a few seconds wondering what the hell had just happened. She decided the smart thing to do would be to follow Kakashi, as she was obviously getting nowhere simply standing there with her mouth open, catching flies, as one would put it. Ayame quickly caught up to Kakashi as he walked leisurely down the maze of halls. Ayame silently followed, not feeling the need to strike up a conversation. She looked a her surroundings. Her feet no longer sunk themselves into carpet, but tread upon hardwood floors so cold Ayame wished she could float. Occasionally they passed a window and Ayame could see green grass and thick trees through every one she looked out of. The walls enclosing her were plain and traditional. Done in a simple white. Ayame almost felt dizzy following Kakashi, every corner, every step, she passed the same thing. Nothing changed. Just hardwood floors and white walls. Ayame closed her eyes and shuddered, nearly making her run into Kakashi.

Ayamehalted herself quickly Behind kakashi. He turned around to face her, looking as if immersed in the contents of his porn. "Here is the bathroom. Take your time, I'll be waiting." Ayamepeered around him to see a door, obviously leading to the bathroom. She then looked at him quizzically.

"So you're just going to wait then?" Kakashi answered her question by moving to lean against the wall, clearly getting settled to wait. Ayame stood, unsure of herself for a moment. Such measures. Really, she wasn't going to escape when she hadn't even eaten yet. It was too soon and Ayame was sure Kakashi must know that too. 'So why the close eye?' She wondered curiously yet. Movement sent Ayame rushing back to reality. Kakashi looked up from his book expectantly and Ayame quickly thought of something to say. "Clothes." She stated simply. "Where are my clothes and are they clean? Or as a prisoner am I sentenced to carry out the rest of my days naked?" She asked, well, rather snarled.

Kakashi simply eye smiled. "They are waiting for you in the bathroom."

Ayame nodded, not saying a word and walked into the bathroom.

Ayame showered, happily washing of the grime and grease from her body. Showers were pretty luxurious in Suna, water was a tough thing to afford. Ayamewas pretty sure it was much less expensive in Konoha though. Ayame ran her hands along her smooth skin then suddenly stopped all movement. She stood perfectly still in the shower, barely even breathing as the water beat down on her. She could feel it. That certain feeling inside of her. Ayame felt goose bumps break out all over her body despite the warm water. Pain began to slowly unfurl on her back, slowly spreading throughout her body. Ayame's breath hitched as she braced herself against the wall. She had to stay in control. Sakura had used her healing methods after all. She must have disturbed her chakra. Ayamesaw small mauve stripes begin to faintly appear on her arms. Tiny, like little cuts at first. Ayame closed her eyes shut and fought for control. Fought to claim a grip on her chakra as it erupted within her.

Kakashi looked up from his book as he sensed Ayame's chakra erupt and become irregular. He had known this was going to happen, which had been exactly why he had kept close by in case. He had to admit he was interested to see for himself first hand just how far her skills reached. He supposed she would be almost as good a sparring partner to Naruto than Sasuke. In time anyway. From what Kakashi knew the girl was spoiled, out of practice and naïve. Otherwise, not much of a threat. Still, Kakashi knew he must keep his guard up. Kakashi waited and felt Ayame's chakra slowly settle and become regular again. He turned his attention back to his book but couldn't help the thoughts grinding in his head.

-Flashback-

Naruto, Kakashi and Sasuke all sat down at the table. Sasuke looked Kakashi dead in the eye. It was time to truly get down to business.

"So Kakashi, who is this girl really?" Kakashi eye smiled at Sasuke. Sasuke had most definitely come out of his shell since coming home two years ago, but he was still the ever serious quiet guy.

"I'll tell you everything you need to know." He answered with pride. Of course his team had figured it out. That was what he expected of them. They were supposed to be smart enough to figure out when something wasn't right.

"Ayame Chou is a girl from the village of the night. The night was an extremely small village that existed and perished not long after the time of the tailed beasts. Though small the village was extremely powerful for it's clan and bloodlines. Suna saw this village as a threat and crushed it. Still, some survived and Ayame was one of them. She has one of the only existing bloodlines from that village today. However because she was young she has never learned the proper techniques or control of her blood line. So Suna sealed it. Now Grass has obviously found all of this out and has made Ayame one of their prime targets so that they can exploit her for themselves. I'm not sure on the exact details but I suppose the Kazekage felt it would be better if Konoha did the bloody work of keeping Grass away form Suna's secret."

Kakashi paused and caught his breath. That was about the best he could do. There wasn't much else to include. He watched as the information sunk into his subordinates brains and waited for the realizations and questions to come. Really, as proud as he was he was actually rather surprised. He hadn't actually expected his former students to figure out something was up so fast. He had figured they wouldn't figure anything out until after combat or an assassination attempt.

Sasuke placed his hand in front of his mouth as always when met with an outstanding piece of information and remained silent. Kakashi looked over at Naruto and saw that he too looked to be deep in thought. Kakashi patiently waited as the two boys thought it over. Finally Sasuke's eyes rose to meet kakashi's gaze, ready to ask his questions. Kakashi looked back over at Naruto and saw that he too, had risen his gaze and was ready to move on to the next step. Once again Kakashi felt pride. Sasuke and Naruto were sharp equals, of course they differed in many ways but he found the two balanced each other out. Naruto and Sasuke were the perfect partners in crime. If only they could see that. Kakashi continued to sit silently until Sasuke asked the first question.

"Why isn't Ayame Chou aware of the situation.?" Sasuke's tone was hard and cold, his usual tone, just taken a notch further. It was the tone of voice his usually used when displeased or unsatisfied with something. Naruto looked surprised for a moment then realised Sasuke's line of thinking and nodded, obviously desiring to know the answer as well.

Kakashi resumed his own business like tone and answered with a half shrug. "She may hold power within herself but not politically. In Suna Ayame Chou is a mockery of a misfit. A spoiled troublemaker who is kindly hated and looked down upon. She is nothing but a useless, yet valuable pawn unless her bloodline is unleashed and tamed." Kakashi answered simply, letting out the last of the information on her home life that he had gathered. Personally Kakashi found the whole thing to be one big mess. Such a big deal over something so risky. No one know the extent of Ayame Chou's bloodline. She only seemed an easy target because she didn't rightfully belong to any village, therefore not guaranteeing her full-fledged protection.

Naruto's hands clenched into fists on the table as Kakashi's words had obviously hit a sore spot. "So then what? We just babysit her for eternity? Fighting an entire war for her sake?!" Naruto fought to control his frustration but it was clear he was deeply upset. Kakashi sighed and shook his head simply.

"No, no Naruto. The war has pretty much already started due to Grass's own greed. Ayame Chou is just a large risk factor in their plans. You see it's a gamble. A race, more like. You see, as far as I know, the bloodline was to be forever remained sealed. It was too risky to let her run wild with no way to control her. However now, it's a race to see who can undo the seal, and use her first." Kakashi didn't particularly like saying these things really. He knew he was talking about this stranger as is she were a tool, but Kakashi knew that, that was how ninja were seen, and how they were supposed to be.

"She can't be left in the dark forever." Sasuke stated darkly. "If her bloodline is released and if it's as powerful as you think, being betrayed and treated cruelly, she could very well turn against everyone, including us." He observed in distaste. Sasuke could see before his very eyes just how twisted up and complicated the whole thing was getting and it had only been a few days. Naruto quietly nodded in agreement. It usually happened this way. Over time Naruto had learned to let Sakura and Sasuke do the important talking while he usually prided himself in giving pep talks and heart wrenching speeches in the typical Naruto fashion. Kakashi laughed.

"Well you see Sasuke, That's why we have to be nice about the whole thing. No matter what happens, we must remain as innocent-seaming as possible when the time comes. And that is exactly why you must keep any ill feelings or intentions to yourselves. The fate of our country rests on us."

-End Flashback-

The reaction Had been pretty grave on Team Seven's part. They had clued Sakura in and she had calmly placed another hole in Sasuke's wall without saying a word. They were doing some dirty work. However that was the life of a ninja. Manipulation and politics played just as much part as kunais and blood. Soon Jiraiya would be back, and soon the process would begin.

A noise brought kakashi's attention to the doorway of the bathroom. He watched Ayame walked out of the bathroom fresh and clean, looking better than she had previously.

Ayame walked out of the bathroom and saw Kakashi waiting for as expected. She suppressed a shudder as she approached him. She had been lucky after her scare in the shower. She had been nearly brought to her knees before her attack had passed and she had regained control over her chakra and her body. Ayame sighed and brushed herself off lightly as she stopped to stand in front of her guardian, as she had come to think of him. Ayame adorned her usual Suna attire; baggy black caprice, tucked into long black sandals and a lose green tank top over a fishnet t-shirt. It was a simple ninja outfit that she had adorned the past few years, although lately Ayame had begun to wonder if she deserved to wear it. Kakashi looked down at her curiously, obviously waiting for Ayame to re-join him. Her yes focused and she raised an eyebrow at him with the same curiosity.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "Feeling better then?" Ayame nodded and began to follow him again as he lead her towards the kitchen where the rest of Team Seven resided. They walked in silence as the smell of lunch drifted into their noses. Ayame's stomach began to painfully complain as the smell increased. 'Oh man, I'm so hungry.' Ayame thought longingly to herself as they walked. It had been forever since the last time she had eaten anything good, let alone eaten at all. Finally Kakashi and Ayame together walked into the kitchen to whiteness a merry scene. There stood Sakura at the stove as Sasuke and Naruto carried plates and other eating necessities into another room. Ayame raised an eyebrow.

"Well isn't this quaint." Ayame stated sceptically. 'What's wrong with these ninja? Are they a team or a family? No one in Suna ever acts like this.' Ayame thought, slightly appalled to herself. Sakura looked over at Ayame and smiled kindly, although Ayame noticed something different than what she'd seen before, the smile didn't reach Sakura's eyes. There was something else there. Like some kind of wariness. Ayame frowned in response. This place just kept getting stranger and stranger. Another growl from her stomach erased Ayame's further thoughts and refocused them onto food. She walked over and stood at Sakura's side.

"All better?" Sakura offered Ayame a cheery smile and handed her a spoon, motioning her to start stirring the pot in front of her. Ayame took the spoon from Sakura and looked inside the pot. Inside was a lovely-looking stew, something Ayame was well acquainted with. Most often back at home Ayame had eaten stew many times for dinner, it was easier than regular food because she could just through in whatever food she had that day and combine it all together to make something delicious. Ayame smelled the stew and felt her mouth water. Yummy vegetables like cabbage and carrots were mixed in the broth along with white rice and large, mouth-watering chunks of meat. Eagerly Ayame began to stir the pot. Suppressing the desire to scoop up some of the piping hot stew and shove it into her mouth.

"Yes, thank you for your care." Ayame thanked Sakura politely and continued to quietly stir the pot as Kakashi resumed his reading, now seated at the kitchen table that was full of already steaming dishes ready to be eaten. Sakura smiled and nodded, also resuming her cooking. Ayame spared another glance behind her and looked again at all the steaming dishes laid out. Ayame felt scorn well up inside her again. All this food. Was it truly necessary? So many people in Suna starved. This meal alone was enough to feed one starving family for a week. Ayame saw Kakashi look up from his book to see the expression on her face. Quickly Ayame turned back to her pot of stew and made her face relax. She was in Konoha now. This place was completely different. This place was rich, that much was clear. Food in abundance, luxuries. All information she would be glad to pass on. Not to mention the fact that the great copy ninja was addicted to porn and that ninja teams pretended to be family.

Sakura finished up the cooking, turning off the stoves. She promptly turned around, placed her hands on her hips and glared at the lazy Kakashi. "Kakashi! You could at least help by carrying the food into the dinning room!" Kakashi sighed in reply and set down his book. Ayame felt shock overtake her. It was the first time Ayame had seen him put down his book for somebody else. Sure enough, without a word, Kakashi stood up, took the biggest, heaviest plate, and carried it into the other room Ayame had seen Sasuke and Naruto disappear into earlier. 'The great copy ninja also takes commands from his lessors.' Ayame noted, shocked, to herself. Ayame walked over to the table while the stew cooled and picked up a plate just as Sakura did and followed Kakashi into the unknown room.

There Ayame realised she had walked into a glorious dining room. Ayame blinked a few times, in what she dreaded was awe. She stood, enclosed within deep, blood red walls. The room was quite large, almost like the dinning hall in a rich castle. At the end on the wall was a large fan, what she assumed was Sasuke's clan insignia. A long, large cherry wood table was placed in the middle of the room, chairs all around it. There she saw Sasuke seated at the head of the table with Naruto seated quite close on his right hand side. She also saw empty plates and glasses set at three other places. As Kakashi, Ayame and Sakura walked into the room both men rose from their seats. Wordlessly Naruto walked right up to Sakura and took the hot plate from her hands and calmly placed it on the table. Sakura thanked him gratefully while Naruto lead her to the chair on Sasuke's left hand side and seated her politely. 'What a gentleman.' Ayame found herself blushing lightly. No one had ever treated her in such a manner. She wished she was Sakura for just that moment.

"Move." Ayame was snapped back to reality to realise she was blocking the door way that Sasuke was obviously waiting to go through. He didn't take the plate from her or seat her like she was a princess. As Ayame moved out of the way Sasuke simply walked by, not even bothering to look at her. She wasn't quite sure how to react to this. She knew a normal girl might feel upset but Ayame realised it almost made her feel at home. She was used to being independent, used to handling things herself. Used to depending on herself. Gaara too, had always left her affairs to herself. No matter how trivial, like being seated or carrying a plate. Ayame continued to carry her plate and set it down on the table amongst the others. She then took the only remaining seat, next to the chair unoccupied by Naruto and across from Kakashi. Ayame felt a little nervous at the thought of sitting beside Naruto. She wasn't quite sure why, but she promptly tried to ignore it. By this time Ayame was starving.

Finally, Naruto and Sasuke walked back in carrying the remaining plates. Both of them set the rest of the plates down and reclaimed their seats. Together the 'family' said their prayers and quietly began to eat. Ayame tentatively filled her plate and began to eat. She had to admit she really felt out of place. These people were so in sync with each other. Ayame couldn't help but feeling like her being there was a corruption. She simply just didn't belong. Ayame ate quietly, trying desperately not to be noticed as talk began to fill the silence around he room. Sweet chatters and laughs echoed as Ayame wanted to shrink into nothing. What was this? Laughter at the table? Konoha was truly a confusing place. Ayame reached for some more rice and her arm brushed Naruto's. Naruto looked at her for the first time that day, looking surprised.

"Ayame. I almost forgot you were here. Feeling better?" Ayame quietly nodded and looked into Naruto's pretty sky blue eyes. He looked almost sad for some reason. Sympathetic even. Ayame saw movement out of the corner of her eye and she noticed Sasuke was watching their exchange closely, clearly not paying attention to the conversation Kakashi and Sakura were having. Ayame couldn't help but look into Sasuke's eyes. There was just something so fascinating about them. Of course Naruto's eyes were so pretty. Blue eyes were quite uncommon in Suna, but Sasuke's eyes were something different entirely. Ayame felt almost as if she were sinking into their depths. Being pulled towards him almost. Ayame realised what she was doing and quickly looked away and redirected her attention back to Naruto. Naruto offered Ayame a big smile and gave a firm pat on the back.

"Well good. Eat up now, Sakura went all out today." Naruto looked at Sakura and Ayame saw something she hadn't seen in a very long time. She couldn't quite place the look on his face but it was clear. Written all over and directed on at Sakura, who wasn't paying attention. Ayame felt a pang in her stomach which she tried to convince herself was just her dwindling hunger. There was no possible way Ayame could be jealous when she didn't even like Naruto. 'After all I'm just pretending.' Ayame reminded herself. 'I have to get home. I have to see Gaara.'

Sasuke watched as Ayame silently ate her food. She didn't seem like the quiet type yet silent she remained, pretty much ignored by everyone in the room. Sasuke knew no one did it on purpose, it was just so incredibly hard to drudge up the courage to make conversation with her after finding out everything that they had. Sasuke knew everyone was a little unsure of how to treat her now that she wasn't being considered a regular person, but now a Go piece. He himself, wasn't too fazed. Most of the information he had been given wasn't surprising. It all made sense. The only thing he planned to change was just how closely he watched her. Now he wanted to make sure she was never out of Team Seven's sight. Even now, as she watched her brush arms with Naruto he was trying to figure her out. Really, she looked so unhealthy and weak, he almost couldn't picture her being incredibly strong. Of course experience had taught Sasuke that sometimes powerful things came in small packages. Still there was the possibility that she was just as weak as she looked. That was the risk everyone was betting on. Weak or strong they would soon find out.

Sasuke saw Ayame finally look up for the first time during that meal and silently address Naruto. He watched as she turned her gaze towards him and stared into his eyes. Sasuke stared right back. Ayame's eyes were foolishly like windows. Her face was neutral but her eyes said it all. Chaotic and nervous. Mostly uncomfortable yet calculating. Sasuke watched as she ripped her gaze off him as Naruto spoke to her again. Sasuke watched as her face grew red when she looked at him. Of course Sasuke had noticed the crush the first time he had met her. Every time Naruto addressed Ayame she would blush and then get an angry look in her eyes, as if having a crush was something to be ashamed of. Of course it practically was. She was a prisoner in a foreign country, unknowingly being used as a pawn. Of course it was still rather surprise, most women he knew, kunoichi or not, put love above all. Sakura included.

Sasuke almost wanted to shake his head. Crush or not, Ayame would be out of luck. It was common knowledge that Naruto was dead set in love with Sakura. He would love no other. Just as Sakura was unknowingly in love with Naruto. It was clear she had yet to come to terms with it, or was holding herself back from it for some reason. A flash outside the open window caught Sasuke's attention. He subtly turned his gaze to the window and he saw what Sakura would call an "adorable" canary perched on a branch on the tree outside. It seemed Karin and Suigetsu had returned. Sasuke calmly finished his meal, knowing full well that Karin would keep herself and Suigetsu hidden until Sasuke appeared.

Sasuke turned his gaze back to Ayame and saw that she had stopped eating. She now pitifully poked at her food with an unsatisfied frown on her face. He looked at Naruto and saw he had joined Sakura and Kakashi's conversation about the flowers in Ino's shop. No one was paying attention. Sasuke rose form his seat. He picked up his empty plate and walked over to where Ayame was seated, unnoticed. She continued to look at her food but he knew she had noticed him get up. Sasuke leaned in beside her and muttered in to her ear.

"If you're finished, bring your plate into the kitchen." Ayame nodded silently again as Sasuke walked out of the dinning room and into the kitchen. He set his plate in the sink and began to rinse it. He heard the near silent sound of bare feet on the floor approaching him. He didn't bother to look up as Ayame walked up beside him and placed her plate into the sink as well. She remained there, leaning against the counter silently as Sasuke washed their plates. He handed her a towel and the two wet plates and she efficiently dried them and gave them back to Sasuke. He then placed the plates in the proper cupboards where they belonged. He turned and found Ayame staring at him. Her eyes looking hostile and guarded.

"I've heard about you." She stated flatly. Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes. That was what almost every one said to him. It was always that way. Sasuke wondered absently what could have brought this on all of a sudden. He simply glared at her. He wasn't in the mood to have this conversation, with someone who he didn't care to explain anything to. Ayame met his glare squarely, unmoved by his look of death. She stepped in front of him, blocking his way on purpose, making a point to show she meant some sort of business. Sasuke snorted at this. She really had some nerve, after all they'd done for her. Who did she think she was anyways? Sasuke knew for a fact he could crush her if he so chose to.

"I didn't know Konoha re-accepted traitors." Ayame's words were sharp, yet taunting at the same time. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. What was she playing at? Was she trying to start a fight? Sasuke frowned. That would just be plain idiotic. No, so then what was with the sudden change in attitude? Whatever it was, Sasuke suddenly decided, he didn't care. He had had enough already. If Ayame expected any sort of answer, she was foolishly mistaken. He didn't like her superior tone, his kindness had already been extended far enough that day.

"Mind your business." Sasuke warned coldly as he placed a hand on Ayame's tense shoulder and allowed his eyes to change colour. He watched as recognition crossed her face and she quickly looked away, down to her feet in anger. So she knew the fate of one who looked in the eyes of the sharingan. As she looked at the ground Sasuke smirked. He took his hand off her shoulder, eyes changing back to their usual colour and walked back into the dinning room. Now the rest of Team Seven stood, all picking up their empty plates and dishes. As usual Sasuke helped clear the place and began to do the dishes. Usually he washed and Naruto dried but Sasuke noticed Ayame remain at his side, towel still in her hands.

"I'm sorry." She mummerd so that the others couldn't hear. Sasuke didn't say anything, he simply handed her a plate to dry. Kakashi came up on Ayame's other side and began to show her where certain dishes belonged as she dried them. Sasuke had to admit the girl had guts. Most other ninja would back away and turn tail after experiencing such a threat. After all most people lived in fear of him now. However Ayame had come back, unfazed enough to be within arms reach. Sasuke saw she didn't look scared at all. Just guilty. After all the dishes were washed and the kitchen tidied Sasuke decided it was time. He quietly approached Naruto who he knew would do as he asked.

"Naruto, I'm stepping out. Watch her?" Naruto gave Sasuke a strange look, as the request in itself was strange. Sasuke never abandoned a mission. Even one so annoying as a guard mission. Naruto stared hard at Sasuke then finally shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah fine, Just don't be too long Teme." Sasuke nodded and began to walk out but was stopped by Sakura.

"Sauke where are you going?" Sakura came up from behind, Kakashi at her side. Kakashi gave a stern look over Sakura's shoulder, obviously knowing what Sasuke was up to. Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and regarded Sakura with a simple look, completely ignoring Kakashi.

"Out. You should go home and get some rest." Normally Sasuke would have stopped at "Out." But he really didn't want a fuss. Being caring was usually the best way to get Sakura to let off him. Sakura tilted her head to the side, looking suspicious, obviously thinking the same thing Naruto had. Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes. He wasn't that predictable. Finally Sakura smiled a happy smile.

"Okay then, thanks for letting us stay, as usual." Sakura said her good byes to everyone and accepted Kakashi's offer to walk her home. Naruto gave Sakura's wrist a light squeeze as she said goodbye and muttered something in her ear. They shared a look. There it was again, Sasuke saw. Still, after all this time, there remained a closeness between Naruto and Sakura he did not share. Sasuke supposed he would never know those shared looks, never know the closeness. Never know a love like that. Sasuke almost wanted to kick himself at the thought. Who cared? He was a ninja, love was unimportant in ninja's life. At least that's what Sasuke had decided once upon a time.

Sakura felt Ayame's forehead one last time before finally leaving, Kakashi right behind her, already re-immersed within his book. Sasuke also continued to take his leave, pulling on his sandals. He saw Ayame watching him out of the corner of his eye. She was obviously restless. Sasuke suppressed a smirk. He wouldn't be surprised if she attempted another excuse of an escape soon. Sasuke finished getting ready, nodded at Naruto and left the house.

----------------

The house was quiet now that everyone had gone. Ayame felt awkward, here she was alone, with Naruto. She continued to lean against the counter as Naruto completed the last of the cleaning up. He finally looked at her.

"Bored?" He asked with a charming smile. Ayame quickly looked at a spec on the floor to avoid to hot feeling in her face. She nodded silently for what felt like the millionth time that day. Naruto's smile turned into a grin.

"Alright then sweet thing, let me show you around the Uchiha estate."

Sasuke sped quickly towards the usual tavern. Usually he avoided meeting his team during the day but the situation called for it. Sasuke finally arrived and the old building with the dragon spray painted on it and went inside. Today only Suigetsu wore a cloak. Karin wore her hair up and tucked into a large floppy hat, while Juugo too, had tucked his wild orange hair into a bandanna. Sasuke quickly sat down and was immediately bombarded by Suigetsu and Karin both talking at once

"Sasuke! The girl she"- "Sasuke! The Kazekage is"- Sasuke held up a hand to silence them. He felt that before they explained the information they had gathered he should let them know what he'd discovered first. That way if they had anything to add they could do so without him having to hear stuff he already knew about.

Sasuke explained everything that had gone on getting nods and the occasional "Yeah that's what we heard." From Suigetsu or Karin, confirming everything he knew. When Sasuke finished the other three remained silent until Suigetsu added one more thing.

"Well that pretty much covers it except for one more thing." Sasuke stared at Suigetsu expectantly. Suigetsu laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Well I guess this is pretty trivial but it's rumoured that Ayame Chou was favoured by the Kazekage. Apparently they had a thing before he claimed the title." Sasuke remained silent for a moment. Well that explained quite a bit. It didn't surprise Sasuke that Ayame and Gaara might have known each other. It didn't surprise him much at all. So why did he feel just slightly annoyed? Sasuke shrugged.

"Remain on the low for now. I will contact you if I have further instructions." Sasuke got up, despite Karins protests and walked out of the tavern. It was time to go back home now. His mission was accomplished, now he had to get back to his house. Sasuke took to the rooftops and watched as he jumped from house to house, the sun setting.

Chapter 5 - End