I strolled through the crowd, leisurely making my way to Ichiraku before going in. I noticed Naruto sitting inside, quickly putting away his third bowl of ramen by the looks of it. I ambled over to him and sat down on the empty seat at his side. "Konnichiwa, Naruto-chan. Hajimemashite?"
"Konnichiwa, Kimi-chan!" His eyes were lit up, and he slurped the remaining noodle into his mouth. "I'm good. You?"
"Okay." Ayame came up to take my order just then, and I quickly placed an order for chicken ramen.
"How've your missions been, Kimi-nee-chan?" Don't ask me why, but Naruto has taken to calling me his older sister, and I've amazingly become accustomed to it.
"Well enough, but you know I can't tell you any more than that."
"I know, but that sucks! I wish you could tell me all about your ANBU missions! They're all probably totally awesome!" He was able to ramble on about how much better they had to be when compared to his easy missions, but I cut him off at the pass, and laughed lightly at his antics.
"I wish I could tell you, too, Naruto. I really do." My ramen arrived, and a silence grew between us.
As I finished my ramen, I finally decided to tell Naruto that I had accepted yet another mission. "Naruto, I've got a mission tomorrow, so this is going to be our last chat for a while."
"Oh..." He looked depressed, and he gave it all away with that single syllable. "How long should it last?"
"A month or two... I'll miss you, Naruto." Especially your hyper actions and exclamations. They always make things interesting!
The ashen haired male member of my ANBU team walked in, and rested a hand on my shoulder, obviously meaning to catch my attention so we could leave.
"I'll miss you, too I guess I'll see you when you get back then, nee-chan."
"Hai. I look forward to it. Oh, and you'd better have something important to tell me when I get back or I'll be disappointed! Ja ne!" I stood and followed Makoto out of Ichiraku.
"Captain, we've lost sight of the target," Hideaki whispered through his intercom.
"Nani?!" I sighed, frustration seeping through my voice. "We'll deal with you when we return. Catch up to her already!" I barked harshly. "Capture, not kill, boys and girls. Remember."
Since a few months ago when Naruto returned to Konoha, I'd been promoted to ANBU captain. Our current mission: capture an S-class nuke-nin, alive if possible. If she returned still breathing, the price for her capture would be almost doubled.
"Hai, ma'ame," three voices chorused, only one of them female.
"You can let go of me now!" cried an agitated nuke-nin, struggling to throw me off. "Come on! I don't need to have someone hold my hand the entire way!"
"See, that's just the thing," I hissed venomously in her ear, yanking the nuke-nin's arm back far enough to make her scream. "I can 'hold your hand' for as long as I like. I'm an ANBU member bringing a nuke-nin into Konohagakure's custody, let alone into Konohagkure. Do not get the wrong idea about this. I have to hold your hand. No villagers can be hurt during this escapade."
She glared and seethed the rest of the way there, but she stayed silent thankfully. Finally, we were giving her to another ANBU team in the headquarters, and I rounded on the member that had lost track of the said nuke-nin.
"How could you lose track of her?! This is a mission, not a game that you could lose a few pieces in! In a game, casualties aren't real! On a mission, if you screw up, someone dies, Hideaki!!" He cowered under my fear, and tried to stutter an excuse. "Don't make any excuses to me! If you screw up one more time, you're gone! Be thankful that you even have a second chance. Ask your teammates what happens when a mistake leads to the death of a fellow ANBU member, and be thankful no one died out there."
I spun on my heel and quickly made my way to the Hokage's office, where I would sloppily write up a report moments before going in. Hard habit to break, that is.
After scanning over my report, Tsunade laid it on her desk and looked up at me. "So there weren't any problems except for losing her once?" I shook my head and she looked relieved.
"What's wrong, Tsunade-sama?" I inquired, seeing that the look on her face showed not just relief, but caution. She was hiding something. "You're hiding something, and I have a feeling I don't want to know what it is."
"News has reached us that Uchiha Itachi and Orochimaru are both dead."
My common emotionless state did not fail me, and I questioned, "And?"
"Sasuke has returned to Konohagakure."
I thought she might have been leading to that... I sort of wish I wasn't always right for once. I turned to leave Tsunade' office, quickly shooting a remark over my shoulder. "And how is that supposed to effect me?"
"You and Sasuke..." Tsunade sighed. "Never mind. I forgot how stubborn Ichigos are. It runs in the family just as strongly as the Kageho." I stepped into the doorway only to be hit on the back of the head with a wadded up paper. "You aren't allowed to hurt him unless he is attacking you, is that understood?"
"Hai, Tsunade-sama," I muttered, leaving with a sharp snap of the door behind me.
I leaned back, resting on my elbows as I stared at the darkening sky above me, carefully taking in the vibrant shades of red, pink, and orange before they would have the chance to completely fade from my view. See, that's probably the only depressing thing about sunsets.
A few months have passed since I learned of Sasuke's return, but I've avoided him like the plague the entire time, so I had yet to face him.
"Kimi." My back went rigid and I jumped to my feet, glaring at the intruder. Hilarious... Might as well've summoned him! "Why have you been avoiding me?" Sasuke stepped closer, and I, in turn, stepped back.
"Why do you think, traitor?"
Sasuke cringed. "You haven't forgiven my yet? It's been three and a half months, Kimi! Why can't you just get over it?"
"Why can't I just get over it?! Kami, forgive me, but I loved you! I loved you, and how did you return it?! You threw it in my face and betrayed me!"
Sasuke stepped towards me once again, and we continued this bizarre backward dance. "I'm sorry, Kimi, please, just... Just let me try again. I'm begging you." He stepped closer once more.
"No, Sasuke. How do I know you won't betray me again?"
"I promise," step, "I won't. I swear to you. I'll be there for you," step, "from now on."
"Like you did last time?" Sasuke's face looked confused as he stepped closer once again. "You forgot so easily? It was right here even," I gestured around with my hands. "We were watching the sunset. I told you that I wished I could always watch this sunset, and you said I could.
"I asked if you'd always be there watching it with me, and you said yes. Yet, a year ago, I watched more than a hundred sunsets here and for all of them I was alone! You promised way back then and broke it!! How am I to know you'll be true to your word this time?!"
I stepped back as Sasuke stepped forward once again, but my back collided with something hard and the backs of my arms were scratched up by the tree bark. Sasuke darted forward and stood close to me with his arms on either side of my head, trapping me.
"I'm sorry. If I could go back and take you with me, I would. Aishiteru, Kimi. Aishiteru to the bottom of my being, Kimi."
I shoved him away from me. "I may have loved you once, but it doesn't work like that with me anymore, Sasuke. Give up and leave me alone."
I shoved past him and stalked away from the field, making my way home through the crowd.
...
Well, I finally updated!! XD
