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Life Amongst the Leaves 13

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Chapter Thirteen: Apology

I rolled over, still half-asleep. My hand came in contact with something not typically there, and I instinctively drew it back. But that convinced me to open my eyes, at least. I had a throbbing headache(thank you, stress . . .) and didn't really comprehend what I was looking at for a minute. Then I realized that it was . . . Paper. Two letters. The one on the bottom was slightly crushed, and I eventually realized it was the one Phobos had slipped beneath my door, and the second one . . . I had never seen before.
I sat up, realizing that someone must have rearranged me on the bed once I'd fallen asleep. The note was really short and simple, in handwriting I recognized as Suichi's. It just said 'Sorry.' He knew me well.
I got up and stretched, wondering if my head would stop pounding anytime soon. It certainly wouldn't make what I'd have to do any easier.
Once dressed and able to think straight, I wandered out of my room. Luna was in the main room, reading a book. Suichi was nearby, seeming to be deep in thought. I blinked a couple times, trying to become accustomed to the light, and said, "What time is it?"
"About noon." Luna responded without looking. "You slept through an argument with Phobos."
"Oh?"
"About Kin's funeral."
"Oh."
"We weren't sure if we'd be welcome. He was insistent that we would."
"Okay, good." I muttered. Headache still there, still had things to do . . . Suichi looked up to meet my eyes. Even without words he knew what I was going to say, and nodded.
"We explained what happened yesterday to Yue and Phobos." He said. Translation: We did our best to explain why you slapped Yue and me, and told them what happens right after you suddenly get really angry, and that you'd want to be alone.
"Thanks." I sighed. "Seen Yue around today?"
"He was with Phobos, and he and Suichi exchanged a few words that I didn't hear."
"It wasn't that important."
"Great. How long ago did they leave?" I asked.
"About five minutes ago."
"Later." I ran out the door, ignoring the throb. Didn't take me very long to find the two walking down the road. Phobos can be kinda . . . Obvious. And, of course, Yue was with him. For just the briefest of moments, I pondered how best to start a conversation with him . . . And then, probably because of my headache, I thought 'screw it' and yelled, "HEY SHRIMP!"
You'd be amazed at how fast he could turn around.
"Oh. It's you." He said, looking slightly calmer as I ran up.
"I would've done this differently, but I woke up with my head feeling like someone took a hammer to it and I'm still in a terrible mood from yesterday, so shut up and listen." I replied.
I think he was going to say something else, but I cut him off by sheer surprise.
I bowed. I bowed low, and said, "I apologize for my behavior yesterday. I was rude and immature. Please forgive me." When I looked up, Phobos's mouth had dropped open, and Yue was staring blankly.
"Who are you, and what have you done to Sachi?"
"Oh, shut up." I grumbled. "I'm trying to be serious, here."
"That's the problem." Yue said. "Phobos, aren't you supposed to be going somewhere instead of standing there gaping like an idiot?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." He ran off, waving at me over his shoulder. "See ya, Sachi!"
We watched him leave in silence, then Yue said, "I wasn't expecting you to apologize."
"So what were you expecting?"
"Nothing, really."
"Why?"
He looked really uncomfortable after that. He shifted slightly, as though trying to figure something out, and then finally, with a great, and I mean great, amount of obvious reluctance, muttered so quietly I almost didn't hear, "I . . . Didn't mean to make you cry." I didn't say anything for so long that I guess he must've thought I went into shock or something. "Sachi?"
"Were you trying to say sorry yourself when I cut you off?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." I went quiet again. "Okay, say something. This much silence from you is unnatural."
I looked at him. "Ya know, you'd be really cute if you smiled more." He gaped at me. "I mean, you really aren't bad to look at now, and if you give it a couple more years you'll probably have to beat raving fangirls off of you with a stick, but if you smiled a little more often, you'd look even better . . ."
"Would you get your mind out of the gutter and try to be serious for a change!?" He yelled.
"There. We're even."
"What?"
"You bothered me enough to actually get to me last night. I just bothered you enough to get to you. We're even."
"You're insane."
"Tell me something I don't know."
He just watched me. "Trying to figure you out brings too many headaches and too few answers to be worth the trouble."
"Well, I've been trying to figure out what makes you take such an interest, myself."
"You remember when Lee and Suichi were sparring?"
"How you and I got into a staring contest? Yeah."
"I've never had anyone meet my glare and see approval in their eyes." He shrugged. "That's all, really . . ." I, however, started laughing. "What?"
"Nothing." I shook my head. "You could've just asked, though. That's actually really simple."
"Are you going to just sit there grinning like an idiot, or are you going to tell me?"
"You were honest." He blinked. "If there's one thing that makes me hate a person instantly, it's when they're false about how they feel about me. Even blind hatred hurts less than that. And being hated is nothing new. The only thing I could really see as being new is you're bright, and might have been able to think up an insult I haven't heard yet. I've been disappointed in that aspect thus far, though."
"You're too casual about hatred."
"When you feel it on all sides all your life, you get casual about it."
"Hmph."
We didn't speak for a little while, just staring off at nothing rather than each other. I finally streched and said, "Might as well go bug Suichi. Later." He muttered in response before starting to walk off.
I glanced over my shoulder at him, and was unable to stop myself from saying, "I meant it when I said you should smile more."
"Why?"
"Because if you do, it'll mean you have a reason, and possibly that the wounds have begun to heal."
"Does it really matter that much to you if someone else is happy?"
"I rarely live for myself, Yue." That was the truth. I walked off, feeling his eyes on me the whole time.
It was very late. I was trying to sleep. Someone else was on my bed . . .
Both of screamed at the same time.
"Phobos! What the hell are you doing in my bed?!" I yelled once I became aware enough to realize who it was.
"It's not like that!" He immediately denied, looking horrified. Well, just the look on his face told me he was telling the truth there. He began stammering nonsense that I didn't even begin to follow.
"So why are you here?" I finally said, rubbing sleep from my eyes.
"Oh, yeah! I remember now!" He exclaimed. "Yue."
"What about him?"
"He's going to go to your village . . ."
"What?!"
". . . To assassinate your father. Just left." He pointed out the direction.
"Not without me, he isn't!" I growled, jumping out of bed.
"Er . . ."
"Turn around while I get dressed." He certainly didn't need to be told twice. I hurried into something, grabbed a couple things, and left through the window. "See ya."
It didn't take me long to find him, waiting just outside the village. "Took you long enough."
"No, it took Phobos long enough." I corrected, not bothering to stop. He just fell into step and we took to the trees.
"He forgot, didn't he?"
"Yep. But what's the story? Why do you want to kill my old man?"
"If you ask me, those who knew it was happening and did nothing are as much to blame as the one who committed the crime. I assume you know what I'm talking about."
"Suichi's parents."
"Exactly. So far as I've heard, for that matter, he has much else to answer for." He lapsed into silence as we went.
I, however, do not take silence well.
"Hey, Yue?"
"What?"
"I meant to ask . . . Do you know the name of the black-haired dude that used to be on Naruto's team?"
"Sasuke?" He said, eyes narrowing.
"That. I'll learn it eventually."
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because I want to be able to actually tell Naruto the right thing when he comes home and I can tell him I saw the guy." Yue was in mid-step as I said this and nearly plunged head-first out of the tree. "Are you okay?"
"You what?!" He yelled, jumping back up.
"Er . . . Saw that Sasuke dude?"
"When?"
"During that fight when I summoned Tiamat and Trouble showed up."
"What was he doing?"
"Leaving." The anger left Yue's face very suddenly, replaced by confusion. "I guess he'd been leaving even before it started, but he stopped to stare at Tiamat."
Yue's face settled into its usual irratable expression. "Well, duh. Anyone would stare at a gigantic fire-breathing lizard."
"The lizard loves you too, Yue. But what the hell did this Sasuke guy do, anyway?"
Yue explained Sasuke's stubborn and vengeful nature, and his betrayal of Naruto and the village for that Orochimaru guy. He also explained what Orochi-whosit wanted with Sasuke, and how Sakura and Naruto were desperate to bring him back.
"It's sad." I said when he was done.
"Betrayal is always sad."
"Not that. It's sad how they're all just setting themselves up for a heartbreak."
"You think they won't succeed."
"The heartbreak will come if they do succeed."
"How do you figure?"
"Because the only two people who will ever trust or accept Sasuke again are Naruto and Sakura. So far as I can see, you aren't exactly in his fan club, so you can't argue the point. And, of course, things will go downhill from there." Yue was silent, watching me. "One of the things I always have faith in, harsh as it is, is basic human nature. And basic human nature is to get rid of the things you hate. Mark my words, someone will hate him enough to attack him, and then one of two things will happen. He either won't fight them, which will no doubt result in his death, or he will fight them in self-defense, which could result in that person's death, and if they die it will give others an excuse to go after him. He can't fight forever. Or, that could all be forgone and everyone just drives him right back out of the village."
Yue didn't respond.
The trip took several hours at our pace. I felt strangely sad, looking at the village. An emptiness.
I looked at Yue. "Welcome to my world. It's not as pretty as it looks from a distance." He just grunted.
Sachi and Yue on a (sort of)mission together! This isn't going to go well . . . ^^; Especially considering the circumstances. Sachi and Yue's relationship is very odd, no?

At any rate, things are very serious from here to a few more chapters. The true Sachi, no strings attached, no mask in place, makes her entrence. I'm not sure if I'm proud of it or not. ^^; I'm very weird.

Usual disclaimers.

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AlanCross's avatar
starting to get scary.....