R E S I S T A N C E

R E C O V E R Y

"How's he doing?" I asked, taking a seat on the weathered log next to Jugo's new childlike form. I felt bad that he was seemingly stuck like this now, but he didn't seem to be too bothered by it at all and I took that as a good sign.

"He's alright, I guess being in the water helps him recover faster."

I nodded, staring out at the hot spring surrounded by trees. This place was teeming with wildlife. There were birds chirping happily in every direction, and overhead I could just make out the scurrying of small animals through the leaves. It was all very serene, and a welcomed change to all of the chaos from the previous day.

"How long has he been in there?" I asked, looking back down at the water.

"Most of the day," Jugo replied, watching the birds in the sky. "I think he only came out for lunch."

"Oh, of course. Why would he respond to anything but food?" I joked, causing Jugo to chuckle.

"I can hear you, ya know," Suigetsu's voice carried over to us as his head emerged from the water. He smirked at me and cocked his head.

"Hey, you. I heard you were impaled," he taunted me.

"At least I didn't pass out," I shrugged and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Hey! I only passed out because I took a beast bomb to the face for you guys!" He exclaimed, an anime vein popping out on his head.

I couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, alright. Chill out, macho man. I was just kidding."

He rolled his eyes but grinned back at me as he slowly sunk back into the water, becoming liquid once more. As he disappeared, I clapped my palms onto my knees and stood abruptly.

"Okay," I said, smiling at Jugo. "I'm gonna go back to the Inn and make sure I'm rested before we take off bright and early."

He nodded. "Don't worry, I'll watch over him for you."

"Thanks," I smiled. Jugo was the only one of our group who, I think, truly understood the relationship between myself and Suigetsu. I had a feeling that maybe the two of them had discussed it previously, which I didn't mind. I was glad that they had found a friendship in each other, especially since I knew Suigetsu was sometimes hard to get along with.

I smiled to myself as I continued through the outlying trees to the Inn, thinking about how far our team had come.

The Taka? I wasn't sure if that name really described us anymore. No, a more appropriate name would be, 'The Dysfunctional Group of Misunderstood Shinobi,' but that was a pretty long title to remember.

~~~~~

As I laid in a bed that was finally all my own, I found myself feeling thankful for the day of rest that Sasuke allowed us to take before bringing the eight tails back to Tobi. All of us needed some recovery time after that battle, especially the Uchiha himself, and I was glad that it was actually his idea for a change. I smiled up at the ceiling, but as I realized that Sasuke was becoming a permanent fixture within my thoughts, I frowned and tried to push his perfect face from my mind.

I sighed. It was no use. I just couldn't stop thinking about him.

"Karin, can I ask you something?" I broke the comfortable silence between us suddenly, still staring at the ceiling.

Yes, I was finally sharing a room with Karin. I suppose she just didn't bother me as much anymore.

"What is it?" Her question came a few moments later, as if she was trying to decide whether to answer me or not.