Finding Home - Uchiha Sasuke Fanfic

7 - Mission

Sasuke pov:

Leaning against the trunk of a tree with my arms crossed over my chest, I watched Jay train with Naruto. She was as focused and serious as always, putting in all of her strength in training.

Ever since I had seen her smile in the restaurant two weeks ago, I had not been able to get her out of my mind. I was still surprised that she had shown such an expression on her face, such raw emotion. I had always believed that she had some deep secrets - her eyes and halfhearted smiles had always shown so, as well as how closed off she was from everyone around her, even Naruto and Kiba - and what I had seen the day only made me believe in it more.

Although, it had also quelled my suspicion of her. I couldn't bring myself to think that someone who could show such an expression was bad. I wanted to still believe that she was a threat to Konoha, that she was pretending to be nice and would one day show her true colors, but I just couldn't do it anymore. It was frustrating.

There were times when I just observed her, when in the company of others. She would often stare at everyone with incredible pain in her eyes. Her chakra would waver but she would look away and calm down before anyone noticed the difference. It was almost as if she desperately wanted to become close to those around her but couldn't. She forcefully kept her distance from everyone, not speaking unless spoken to.

It was even more odd that I had begun to notice such things in her when no one else did. It had progressed to the extent of me zoning out all of a sudden while wondering what she may be thinking when I noticed her eyes become distant.

I could not think of any time before that I had been distracted this much by one person.

I had only ever focused on my personal goals - first it was Itachi, then it had been Konoha, and now it was to be Naruto's aid. I was never wavered but a stranger who turned up only recently, with secrets hidden behind her passive façade, was ruffling me more than I liked.

Sighing, I closed my eyes, not wishing to watch her train anymore. There had been more than enough improvement in her skills and she was ready to go on missions. Kakashi was considering on sending her on a mission soon and I hoped that I would not be one of the people who would have to accompany her - it would be uncomfortable to say the least. Although, the thought of her being in a dangerous situation made me uneasy, all the more because there were some moments when her guard would fall and she would be extremely open and vulnerable to attacks. It seemed to me that I was the only one who had noticed that too, and I figured that I was the only one who could protect her if something like that happened.

"Woah!" I heard Naruto suddenly yell and I snapped my eyes open. He was on the ground with Jay standing over him while breathing heavily. "That was amazing, Jay chan! You totally beat me!" 

She stepped away from him with a small smile, one that wasn't fake like the ones she used to give when she first arrived in Konoha, but not even close to the one I had seen her give in the restaurant the other day. 

"Thank you, Naruto," she said with a chaste bow of her head - it was a gesture I had noticed her use often, when she greeted anyone or thanked them. It was polite, I suppose, but also unusual. Obvious to say, I scoffed.

Hyun Jae pov:

Sasuke scoffed when I thanked Naruto. He seemed to be more annoyed with me than usual though I didn't know why. I hadn't done anything out of the ordinary to anger or irritate him - at least I didn't think so. I guessed that he was getting more and more frustrated with having to be my teacher - that or he was getting more open about his dislike for me. As always, I didn't react to him.

Sasuke aside, I had started to feel genuinely welcome in Konoha now, for many were friendly and chatty with me, often involving me in all their conversations. I was thankful for it, and happy, but the uneasiness to truly become close to anyone remained because I was afraid to trust them, to let my guard down only to be betrayed again. All of them were such nice people, kind and concerned and nearly affectionate, and were always so comfortable when they spoke to me. I, unfortunately, could not return the gesture. I always felt like they were out of reach for me because they were seeing only who I was letting them see. They knew nothing of the real me - not my past, not my personality, not my thoughts.