Sasusaku: The Road Back To You

Hideout, Here I Come

The looming caves seemed to leer at me from the darkness as we drew closer, though that could have just been Orochimaru. He hadn't taken his gaze off me since we left Konoha. Finally fed up with it, I whipped my head around and glared at him.

"What?"

He shrugged coyly. "What's the matter, dear?"

"Don't call me that," I snapped. "I am no more dear to you than the hundreds of people you use as test subjects. And you know what, you psychopath."

"My, my. Hostile today, are we?"

"Well, you're my enemy, so duh."

He chuckled and kept walking, talking to me over his shoulder.

"Well, I may be your enemy, but I'm not so sure about him." He pointed in the direction of his hideout, and that's when I first caught sight of the figure training. My heart stopped.

How could I have forgotten?

I watched as he sent a wave of electricity through a row of trees, a look of scary concentration on his face. It wasn't the same look he would get training with us in Team Seven. He seemed more sinister.

My heart sank.

How strong had he gotten? And was it really worth it?

So this meant I was going to have to spend a whole year in the same place as my former teammate and crush, while he probably despised anything even remotely Leaf-related by now. This was going to be a thousand times harder than I ever imagined.

And Orochimaru was just going to make it worse, no doubt. I vowed to myself then and there that I wouldn't let either of them get to me.

I was proven absolutely right moments later when, to my utter horror, Orochimaru called out, "Sasuke-kun! Come meet the new medic!" Then, to me, "I informed Sasuke-kun of a new addition to our lives, but I didn't tell him who it is. I think he's going to be pleasantly surprised, don't you?"

I crossed my arms and glared into the trees.

Until I heard Sasuke's familiar voice.

But it had an unfamiliar cold tone to it.

"What is she doing here?"

I snapped my head over to Sasuke, not realizing that he was already over here. Our eyes met- his in a dangerous glare, mine with a barely controlled panic- and Orochimaru laughed sickly and clapped his hands like a schoolgirl.

"What a reunion! This will be fun, don't you think?"

Sasuke glared at his mentor, then at me, then turned away- presumably to go continue training.

Fine. Let him go.

But, as he turned, I saw red bleeding through his shirt in the back. Without thinking, I blurted, "Sasuke, you're hurt."

He stopped and half turned to me and the look on his face turned my blood cold. I fell silent, shame filling me at my weakness.

"Sasuke-kun, I can't have you injured. Let the doctor heal you."

Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, but Orochimaru cut him off, tone like a razor.

"That's an order."

Sasuke grit his teeth, but didn't argue.

Orochimaru turned to me. "After you heal him, come find me. I have work for you."