Raptured ◈ Sasuke Uchiha

XV

I opened my eyes slowly, covering my vision from the painful bright light. Bandages wrappped around my burns and I felt the texture of ointment underneath. The yells and rumbles made the room lively. My vision slowly make out of my team mates and Kakashi waiting for me. "She's awake. Shut up dobe, you're making her head ache." At least Sasuke was right. I thought, sitting from the bed. "Akane, you're alright!" Sakura exclaimed. I narrowed my eyes at her. She doesn't even feel concerned earlier.

Naruto had filled in with his 'oh so amazing scenes', he quoted when I was out cold. Apparently the merchant named, Gatou had hired a lot of his lackeys to kill Zabuza and Haku which makes their contract null and void. Kakashi used a lightning jutsu to kill Zabuza but Haku protected him, like what Sasuke did to Naruto. The villagers came on the right time with weapons on their hand, Inari, Tazuna's grandson was the lead. Sasuke woke up right after. He had told me that Sasuke had woken his sharingan. Good for him.

"We're all so worried about you, especially Sasuke." Naruto explained which caused me to glance at the Uchiha beside him with an imppassive look. "He even insisted to carry you- hmmmp!" The male Uchiha quickly covered his mouth. I heard Sakura scoff in the background. "Shut up, dobe." Sasuke's face morphed into disgust letting his hand go. "Did you just lick my hand?" He angrily whacked the side of his head, wiping off the saliva. "Why you-" The two proceeded to brawl it out while Kakashi instilled as a peace keeper and got in between them. I noticed a few bandages were wrapped around the male Uchiha as well yet Sakura remains unscathed. Well, she was assigned on guarding Tazuna after all.

Naruto had already told me that they had finished the burial, as we prepared to go back to our village. Tazuna had declared to name his work as 'the great Naruto bridge,' I merely smiled, amused. "I- It's okay. You can cry too, Naruto- nii chan." We all sweardropped as Inari and Naruto cried, facing away from each other. He's gonna really miss him. I thought, walking with the rest of my team mates.

The blonde Uzumaki's demeanor quickly changed into his mishievous form once we reached the outside borders. "Akane! Do you know that Sasuke- " The dobe quickly ran when the male Uchiha went to catch him. My eyebrows raised in confusion. "Sasuke says he's worried about you!" His cries echoed in the forest, Sasuke beating him out, maybe from embarassment. I quickly shook my head from my own thoughts. He was just concerned since we're the only ones left. I told myself, letting the probability slide. "Yieee, Sasuke~" His eye brows knotted irritably, walking while his blonde friend kept dancing circles around him. "Sasuke and Akane sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

We had gathered into the grassy plains, sitting by the rocks. It had been a week since the Land of the Waves escort mission. Kakashi stood in front of us, his back a bit crouched, hands inside his pockets. "What? Seriously? We're gonna catch another cat?" Naruto whined upon hearing his sensei's next mission for their team. "Well no. Not quite. You're actually gonna get Nekomata. You're mission is not to capture him but to get a paw print from him." Naruto groaned. "Gaahh! Little kitty cat, Nekomata or whatever it is. This is just a D rank mission, so no thanks. I'd say lets just other handle small stuff like this, right Sasuke? I mean aren't you tired of lame missions like this one? Go on, tell him." Naruto nestled on the grass, I simply scowled at him and Sakura sighed. "Uhh Sasuke?"

"You don't have to come along if you don't want to. This is an Uchiha- no wait, mine and Akane's mission." Sasuke glanced at his side. "But why?"

Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and I had came face to face with the familiar being along side of our clan. "I'm glad you've come Sasuke-kun, and.. Akane-chan." Her fingers caressed the base of a cat's neck. "It's been a long time, Granny Cat." The cats purred in the background. "My, you've both grown up." Naruto came closer to us. "You know her Sasuke? She's weird." His blue eyes glanced at the weapons displayed on the walls. "What kind of place is this?"

"This shop is where the Uchiha traditionally buy its weapons. Granny Cat also provides intel for the Uchiha and she's our client for this mission."  The elderly chief ordered. "Tamaki, bring the paw encyclopedia for me." A young girl had nodded taking a large pink book from the shelves. Her cheeks flushed red, flinging the brown strands of her hair behind her ear, glancing at Naruto who blushed as well. "You bound them into a book?" Sasuke asked, a bit surprised. "You know Sasuke, you seem to know more about this mission that we do." Sakura bluntly said. "I think you better start from explaining." Granny Cat chuckled. "This book started as a game between Sasuke and his brother, Itachi Uchi-" Sasuke angrily yelled. "Don't talk about Itachi!" My body yelped in surprise. It rarely happens when Sasuke lost his cool. "I'm gonna start preparing for the mission." His eyes looked at me. I slowly nodded in understanding and followed him outside.

He grumbled some incoherent words under his breath, putting tag explosions in his kunai. "Tsk." I merely looked at him in silence. "Akane, you've been in that place, right?" I slowly nodded, remembering the infiltration mission my father had asked me to do. "But Sasuke, the location might have changed over the years." He cut the strings with his teeth. "It's no problem. They can't simply move the place without the help from us." His image glinted in his kunai. "Hey Sasuke! We need to transform into cats so that we could sneak in to that place." Sasuke took a small glance at me, it seems that he was curious how I had done it. A small blush escaped my cheeks, turning around, I huffed in annoyance.

"Henge!" In a puff of smoke, Naruto was replaced by an image of what it seems to be an offspring of a toad and a cat. That looks.. gross. I turned back at the side. "What kind of cat looks like that?!" Sakura yelled as Naruto turned to his former self. Granny Cat and Tamaki followed after. "Uh.. but I actually thought that it would be pretty good."

One of Granny Cat's friends talked. "But you don't need to transform. Meow~"The tom cat said and followed by his female companion. "And transforming won't let you understand cat speech. Meow~"  Granny Cat and Tamaki showed us white cat headbands. "If you were these, you would understand cat language and they would only see you as a cat." Naruto butted in. "If it was this simple then, why didn't you have told us from the very start?" Each of them had grabbed one headband. "But what about Akane, is there a spare for here?" Sakura asked while looking at me. I sheepishly glanced at Sasuke who was looking at the accessory in horror. I actually have to wear this thing! He thought.

"I wasn't informed that you were a four man squad but I have this." Granny Cat had help a thumb sized potion in her hand. Naruto eyed it. "So what's that gonna do?" Granny Cat chuckled, giving the potion to me. "A small amount of rubbing it on any parts of your body would make you into a human cat-" I opened the small bottle, smelling a vanilla scent. "Woah! Let me! Gaah-" The Uzumaki tripped at one of the stone tiles causing me to be pushed forward, spilling the liquid on my face. I tripped down on the ground along with the blonde idiot. "I'm so sorry!" My eyes widened in horror as bones in my body started to move on its own. My nails started to elongate like claws. "W-What's happening?!" I felt cold as my clothes transitioned to black, feeling the wind on my bare skin. The male Uchiha's face redden at the sight. My rational thoughts faded when I had found myself purring.