-Chapter Fourteen-
Is taking advantage of the situation
always the right thing to do?
_______________________________________________
~*~
It had marked exactly a week since Emiko had been taken and her absence left the Kazekage distraught. It had been days since he'd eaten or slept much at all. Although she was unaware of it all, the emptiness had begun to eat away at her day by day. And no one failed to notice her state of being.
"She hasn't spoken to anyone this entire week, not even me! I suggest that you fix this, or she'll remain useless to us!" Sasuke spun around and stormed out of Kabuto's lab. The further away he marched the more angered he'd become. With a heavy sigh, he reaches the end of the hallway where Emiko's room was, mentally preparing himself to enter her room. He was certainly the last person to cheer someone up.
Sasuke held his breath as he quietly pushed the door open. His gaze met Emiko's figure sat along the large bay windows. The storm outside hadn't let up a bit as it was beginning to turn into hail. Leaning against the wall he watched the weather outside for quite some time as the hale grew heavier and had eventually turned to snow.
"You threw a snowball at me" Sasuke murmured, shoving his palms in his pockets. Emiko turned to face him, "...What?" The Uchiha walked over and sat down beside her, "You threw a snowball at me, that's how we met...wasn't it?" Emiko looked to her lap, scanning her thoughts.
"...It was an accident, you know" Slowly, a smile formed on her lips and her Amythests moved to meet his gaze. "I couldn't tell" Sasuke turned away, casting her side eye. Emiko studied the boy as the faintest smirk appeared on his lips. "Itachi got me back for you" she teased, "I'm surprised you couldn't fight your own battles"
"You wouldn't want me to," he remarked. A long silence broke the conversation. As soon as they knew it, the wind was roaring and the snow turned into hail. The blonde's composure changed and not for the better. "Somethings bothering you" Sasuke mentioned, as nonchalant as he could make it sound. Silence engulfed the two once again.
"Something's missing..." Emiko drew the kanji of love on the fogged window, "...But I can't remember what" Sasuke cringed at the symbol, piecing the situation together at the exact moment. "Taka's next mission begins at the Kage Summit. Are you in?"
"...Sure" she drawled, absent minded. "Emiko" Sasuke called her back to reality, "I need you focused on this mission, got it?" her gaze saddened as she realized maybe she was unfit for team Taka. Emiko stood to her feet, "Got it"
"Where are you going?" Sasuke asked slightly frustrated at her current state of capriciousness. Without a word, the blonde had slipped into the halls and out to the corridor. Cursing, the Uchiha followed behind.
Once he'd reached the common room, he was faced with a situation he wasn't fond of. Hidan and Deidara had approached the girl in some attempt to trifle with her. Sasori, who was resting on the armchair had made several efforts to get the two to leave Emiko be. "How thick are you two?" Sasuke walked in between the two men and the girl, "-Very" Sasori commented from afar.
"Please. That brat over there started it!!" Hidan glared at Emiko. Deidara chuckled, "Relax, man. She's only speaking the truth" "- I DON'T HAVE STUPID HAIR!" Sasuke eyed his friend in amusement as she sent the men a smirk. "Denial" she commented, strutting off outside. "She's a hell of an instigator" Kisame, who'd walked in on the scene commented and stifled a laugh. Sasuke scoffed, following after the girl once again.
"The weather let up" she hummed, looking out into the distance.
"Where do you think you're going?" He called out to Emiko, "Somewhere" she winked back at him. "You can't just leave" he chased her, "Come with" She shrugged back at him, hiking forward nevertheless. Huffing in defeat, the Uchiha followed along. They walked to the main road, following it all the way until they reached town center.
