Ripples

Chapter 21

                    Misunderstandings

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Kakashi fed a stick to the flickering campfire almost idly, watching the wood catch alight and listening to the crackles and snaps it produced.

They had set up camp where Sakura had fainted – mainly because she obviously wouldn't be able to travel any further, and it would be difficult to carry her back to Konoha – but also because Kakashi wanted to get a reading on Sasuke's companions before he let them anywhere near the village.

And a read on Sasuke.

Frankly, Kakashi didn't know what to make of the silent young man who had trailed Sakura into their midst. Sasuke had always been quiet, but it had never been so raw, so rife with pain and confusion.

But of course, this was Sasuke, so while Kakashi had noticed something was definitely wrong, and he was sure Naruto had too, he doubted anyone else had seen anything amiss.

He glanced towards the small group on the other side of the fire.

Sakura was curled in a sleeping roll, huddled beneath a blanket in the cooling night, still unconscious. Hinata had verified that she was in no immediate danger – her body just needed to recharge and replenish the electrolytes that had been consumed in the purge.

And it was on Hinata's orders that Sakura was being propped up, half-conscious, and given a glucose drink every hour.

Kakashi had expected her to stir during those sessions, but apparently now that Sakura was unconscious, her body had decided it was going to remain so for some time.

Sitting beside her was Naruto and, strangely, Sasuke. The Uchiha was still in chains – Kakashi's naturally cautious nature wouldn't allow him to dismiss that fact that this could be a ruse – but he had been permitted to approach the medic, though that was largely due to Naruto's intervention. After Sakura had been settled in a sleeping roll and the blonde had calmed somewhat, he had noticed the way that Sasuke was staring at the unconscious medic, seemingly oblivious to everything else – the chakra-draining shackles on his wrists, his protesting teammates, and the cloud of Shino's insects hovering above him, ready to pounce if he made a hostile move.

Naruto's exact words had been 'Let the bastard come over here – what's he going to do to her?'

Kakashi had thought of several rather grim replies to that question, but beyond his ingrained wariness and his ninja instincts that screamed at him that the enemy should never be allowed anywhere near a fallen comrade...there was still a small kernel of warmth for his former student. In spite of everything he'd done (and all he hadn't done), Kakashi wanted desperately to believe that Sasuke could be redeemed.

In some way, he envied Naruto's firm belief in Sasuke's rehabilitation – to the blonde, Sasuke's return had never really been in doubt, it was just a question of how and when. Naruto's firm, unending loyalty hadn't allowed him to even consider any other path.

But Kakashi had. More than once during this mission, he'd been forced to contemplate what he would do if Sasuke refused to let Sakura go, or if he tried to kill Naruto again.

Kakashi had spent much of the mission trying to prepare himself for the possibility that he might have to kill Sasuke. He had tried to beat all hope for Sasuke out of his mind, so that if it truly came down to it, he'd be willing to strike a fatal blow.