After The Rain

Chapter 12, Can we trust you?

I am sorry for the long awaited update. Work got uber hectic, I was working about 60 hours a week for a while.....*sigh*
I got a tad bit of extra time, so I decided to update. I don't know when the next one will come. Maybe whenever I get a day off...maybe that will happen, who knows?

But for now, enjoy!
Oh thanks the reviews from Waffle and Dobe4ever! I hope for some more!

So yeah, enjoy, for those who read my story!

"So," Neiji commented. "Since you found Sasuke, when do we take out Orochimaru?" Neiji looked over Sasuke. He looked alot
different than he had three years ago. He had changed his hair and his style. Everything about him was different. He noticed
that in that time, Sasuke had become a man.

"Orochimaru will come for me, that's when we fight him," Sasuke told the others.

"I apologize if I still can't fully trust you," Neiji explained. "After all, what you did."

"I don't blame you," Sasuke agreed. "I wouldn't trust me either."

"Sasuke is no traitor," Naruto shouted. "I know he's not!"

"He's right," Kakashi added. "Sasuke was given a mission by the Third Hokage. He was told to leave with Orochimaru and then
kill him after he gained his trust. Sasuke should be revered as a hero, not a traitor." Kakashi smirked under his mask and
then eyes Neiji.

"I haven't completed my mission yet," Sasuke added. "Let him think what he wants." Sasuke sounded so cold then, almost as
if his voice were ice. Sasuke had definetely changed. Even Sasuke knew he had changed. Three years with a cold hearted
master would do that to you.

Naruto was startled by what Sasuke had said, but yet, he agreed with him. "Neiji, let's just take it easy. Everyone is
innocent until proven guilty, alright?!" Naruto eyed Neiji with that, oh, you're going to pay look. He was not happy.
He had just gotten Sasuke back and Neiji had to go and hurt his feelings. He had told Sasuke that his friends had come
to rescue him. Friends didn't talk like that.

"Well, we need to come up with a strategy," Iruka told them.

Sasuke sat down, not thinking about the pain, but realized it when he plopped down. He took the pack of cigarettes from his
pocket and lit one. He took a deep puff of it before speaking. "Orochimaru gave me a mission. He told me to capture Naruto, Neiji and TenTen and kill them in front of him. But, if all you ninja hold me hostage, he would have to come, ne?"

Naruto looked at his love with amazement. Sasuke was so smart sometimes it suprised him. Of course, Sasuke was always the
brains and for a while, he was the brawn too. Naruto remembered how things used to be and hoped that they would still be
the same. As much as he longed for that, the more he knew it wouldn't be true. Naruto had never seen Sasuke smoke before.
That was something that he was definetely going to have to get used to.

"So, you're saying, we take you hostage?" TenTen asked questionably. "That's a good idea."

"Right, Orochimaru will come for me. He needs me," Sasuke informed them. He took another long drag from his cigarette.

"So, Sasuke, since you are a prisoner, it's only fitting if we have you bound," Kakashi grinned. It was hard to tell
under his mask, but he was a pervert at heart. Kakashi had walked in on those guys on purpose. He was such a pervert.
Reading Icha Icha books just wasn't cutting it anymore, plus the fact that Iruka wouldn't have sex with him yet,
bothered him to an extent. Not that he minded, he just felt all pent up.

"Who is ready to get some sleep?" Iruka mentioned. "We will have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Let's get some
sleep, that way we can be ready for what awaits us." Iruka sighed, knowing that the next few days were going to be
rough. They couldn't return to the village until they had beaten Orochimaru, which proved to be more difficult than
any of them realized, besides probably Sasuke, who had been with Orochimaru for these past three years.

Everyone began settling down and Sasuke put out his cigarette and sighed. He was finally glad to be gone out of that
hell, but now, he had alot of relationships to repair and he knew that would take time. He looked upon his love,
Naruto, giving him soft loving gazes. He knew that their relationship would be rocky. There was no way that Naruto
would just take him back with open arms. Well, he didn't think he would anyway.

"Naruto, I need a shower. Please, take one with me?" Sasuke pleaded, batting his eyelashes at Naruto. He knew that
was one thing that made Naruto melt. He could never say no when Sasuke did that to him.

"Alright!" Naruto agreed and smiled to himself. Naruto felt rather nervous about the whole shower with Sasuke. He
just got done having oral sex with Sasuke, but he still was nervous. He didn't know if he could accept Sasuke with
open arms fully, but right now, Naruto was happy to have him back.

The rest of the crew had settled down. It was going to be a long day tomorrow. They all knew it. One thing that made
it worse was that they were unsure if they could trust Sasuke or not. He was back, Naruto seemed to have faith in him,
but why did this just seem all too easy.

Kakashi laid back on his pillow and sighed. This puzzled him. He didn't know what to think right now. He was one-hundred
percent positive that the boy that was here was in fact Sasuke Uchiha. He was just unsure as to whose side Sasuke was on.
He had seemed like he was still one of the good guys, but he had been fooled before. He was not going to fully trust Sasuke
until he had solid proof that he could do so. Kakashi looked over at Iruka, who had already fallen asleep. He smiled to
himself, thinking about how he would feel if he just got reunited with his love after three years. He decided to let Naruto
enjoy his time now, in case he couldn't have it later. Just in case Sasuke was still siding with Orochimaru.

"Naruto," Sasuke said softly, pulling him into the bathroom. Sasuke stared into his eyes with a deep, intense want, a longing that he had never shown. Sasuke pulled him into a deep embrace. "I never want to be apart from you again."

"Sasuke, why did you leave?" Naruto asked, knowing he had to ask the question sooner or later. "You could have at least gave me the time of day and told me that you were leaving. Do you know what I went through while you were gone? It was torment."

"I wasn't allowed to talk about my mission," Sasuke reminded him. "It would have ruined all of the Third Hokage's plans! He
knew that I was the one that Orochimaru desired, so he sort of used me as a pawn. He used me to get close to Orochimaru, he was also killed shortly after that. I had to leave. Hurting you was never what I had intended. After those orders, the curse mark completely took over me. That fight, it was never my intention to harm you in any way. In no way can I apologize for what I have done to you or make up for it in any way."

"Sasuke, I don't care about that," Naruto explained. "All I care about is that you are here with me now. I know there are alot of things that we need to work out and that we need to get used to each other again, but I am glad you're back. If I would have had that mission, I would be in your spot right now. I would have done all the same things you did. If it were to help the village, then so be it." Naruto looked deep into Sasuke's eyes with that gaze where they both understood each other for that one moment. They both saw things clearer through each others eyes. Naruto was easy to give people a second chance. He deeply cared for Sasuke and wanted to do anything in the world for him.

Sasuke smiled at Naruto. "Please help me kill him. I need Orochimaru to die. He has done too many things to me, Naruto." Sasuke looked down at his feet. "There was nothing I could do. It was all part of the mission." Those things should never be done again. Never again would he participate in a mission like that. Sasuke's eyes pleaded at Naruto. He needed him to understand his need for what he had asked. "I can't do it alone. He is way too powerful."

Naruto smiled, "We can do it like we used to. We were such a good team. There was nothing that we couldn't do if we put our
minds to it. Believe it!"

"Have I ever told you how cute it is when you say 'believe it!'?" Sasuke giggled. "I am glad you haven't changed at all. You are still the Naruto I fell in love with."

Naruto's stomach began rumbling. He scratched his head and blushed. "I guess I am hungry. Some ramen would be so good right now."

"I promise when we get back to Konoha, I will take you to Ichiraku and we can both pig out on ramen," Sasuke smiled at him. "It is far too dangerous to go to a ramen shop right now. Orochimaru would know you would be in one, so we need to steer clear of the ramen shops."

Naruto pouted, "You're right, Sasuke. So, what about that shower you needed?" Naruto blushed as he said that. Food could wait, right now he was going to feast on his love....