Chapter 68

Slowly they made their way along the tunnel's expanse, not making hardly any noise. The girl was slung over the back of Itachi's companion, and was so weak that she could barely keep consciousness. It was probably the power of the demon within that wretched body that kept her alive each day, without it, she would be dead. The girl had better live through this—at least long enough to remove the demon. Then the girl could die for all he cared—die a fool's death, a death not worth mentioning.

Tap…tap…tap…

And then there were those, he told himself quietly, who were so pathetic that they didn't even deserve death.

Squish.

His brother's distraught and anguished form lay crumpled at the bodies of his parents. 'Why?' 'How?' The questions were echoing in his head. He didn't need to answer to that brat—the lowest of the low, the biggest fool of all. Itachi blinked the memory away, his brother's fearful sobs fading with it. It was true, he found himself emphasizing to himself, there were some people too pitiful to kill.

A loud rumbling and roar, followed by a thunderous puttering, caused Sasuke to sit bolt upright in his bed, reaching for a kunai that he remembered was nearby. After groping around under his pillow for a second, he brushed the forehead protector and paused. No, he wasn't in Orochimaru's fortress—they weren't under attack. The darkness around him wasn't from the dark windowless room, but rather the blindness that he suffered. He was in his bed, at the Uchiha manor, in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He shook his head at his reaction, but old habits die hard.

A frown creased his brow as he continued to sit upright in his bed; what was that dratted sound? He could determine that the rumbling was coming from outside, somewhere in the backyard, and moving around. But what on earth was it? Had it woken Sakura up? He turned his head towards her corner of the bedroom.

"Sakura?"

There was no response, and as he listened carefully, he could not hear any breathing. Perhaps it was the thunderous roar from outside, or maybe it was simply because breathing was so quiet, but he couldn't tell if she was there or not.

"Sakura?" he inquired a little louder, but still received no response.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he tried standing up, holding out his hands for balance. There was a bit of vertigo, but he took a careful step forward, his world steadying slightly as it made fresh contact with the ground. Holding his had out in front of him, he took careful steps until his hand bumped into a wall, causing him to start slightly. He listened carefully again for signs of breathing, knowing that he was nearer to where Sakura slept. He didn't catch the sound of inhalation or exhalation, but he did hear the clink of dishes coming from the general direction of the kitchen. He took a few steps sideways, slowly overcoming his dizziness, and poked his head out the door.

"Sakura?" he called louder, and there was an abrupt clatter in response, followed by hurried footsteps.

"Oh! Sasuke, you're awake!" came Sakura's concerned voice, "I was just about to come check on you. You didn't hurt yourself crossing the room did you?"

Shaking his head, he mused quietly over her fretting, but paid no attention to it. "What time is it? And what is that sound?"

"Oh, the genin group that I requested is currently cleaning out the yard and that's Konohamaru operating the lawn mower," Sakura replied offhandedly, "And it's about eleven o'clock in the morning—you looked tired, so I let you sleep in."

"Hn."

"Anyways, do you need any help getting washed up?" she asked him in a cheerful manner, "I've already set out some clean clothes for you in the bathroom."

He shook his head again at her, and offered her his arm, "Just get me to the bathroom and I'll be able to manage."

Giving a small 'mmhm' she took his arm and led him down the hall to the bathroom, Sasuke counting the footsteps as they went. About twelve, he noted to himself as she placed his hand on the doorframe.

"Your clothes are on the right of the sink, closest to the door, and a stack of towels is on the left of the sink, near the shower," she told him, "Oh, and don't leave your dirty clothes and towels on the floor. When you're done, just give me a shout, I'll be in the kitchen."

He nodded once and he heard her turn and leave down the hall, humming a tune quietly to herself. He caught a few notes and paused a moment, the tune sounded vaguely familiar. Shrugging he entered the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him. Running his hand on the counter, his hand brushing his clothes, then the towels once he got past the sink. Making a mental note to himself of the room's layout he got undressed and stepped inside the shower, turning on the cold water.

The icy sensation caused his mind to clear instantly, and after a few minutes of standing still, he reached for the hot water tap. He slept better than he had thought he would, having being back in this house; all things considered, he was very surprised that his sleep had been so dreamless. There were so many memories that he had tied back to this house, most of them bad, and those were the ones that stood out the clearest. Sakura had told him that he had appeared tired, and let him sleep in. It was most likely the exhaustion from using so much chakra the previous day that had drained him—whatever the reason, he was thankful for a peaceful night's rest.

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