Change of heart

Wow. You all rock. Thank you everyone for your nice coments. I worked a little harder on this chapter so it turned out a little better. I hope all of you continue to read.


Chapter 2

Sasuke grumbled as he stumbled into his apartment after the dreadfully long mission. His clothing was filthy and stuck to his slim body like glue. Fumbling with the buttons he peeled the uncomfortable garment from his body and instantly went to the bathroom. After turning on the hot water he put the soaked clothing in the bin and then stepped under the hot water.

Sighing in relief he stood under the water and simply let it run over his exhausted body. Finally he called up the strength to wash his hair and body free of the grime that clung stubbornly.

Tsunade had wanted thier cell to go find a rare herb in the forest surrounding the village. Sasuke had been a little miffed at the idea of a team of chunin being sent on such an easy mission but had understood the need to send thier cell. Sakura was probaly the only person besides Tsunade who knew the plant well enough. The plant itself was extremely poisonous and needed to be handled carefully for it could poison a person if they simply touched it. Grumbling but understanding, Sasuke had gone along on the mission. But throughout the whole time Naruto's usual complaints and boughts of yelling had been conspicuously absent.

Staring at the wall of the bathtub, Sasuke glanced down to his right hand and furrowed his brow in confusion. Naruto had been acting so strange all day. His odd quietness had made everyone uncomfortable and anyone who tried to figure out the problem was met with quick "i'm fine's" and "nothing's wrong." So of course they all new that something was weighing heavily on the small blond.

Naruto had actually jumped when Kakashi had snuck up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. Now usually that was usual considering Kakashi's exseptional stealth but for Naruto's reaction. Normally Naruto would turn around and procede in yelling and screaming at Kakashi while the others watched in faint amusement but this was different. Naruto had screamed as usual but instead of getting mad he simply turned around and stared at Kakashi with a strained almost frightened expression. Sasuke, Sakura,
and Kakashi had been so surprised that they let him get ahead of them before any of them had thought to tryand catch up.

Sasuke shook his head and stared back at the wall. What could have bothered Naruto so much that he let it affect his performance as a ninja? When they had stopped for supper after they found the herb Tsunade had wanted Naruto had actually refused to eat! True it wasn't ramen but Naruto almost always ate double the amount of the other members in thier cell. He had said that he was simply sick. That just didn't sound like him at all. Naruto never got sick. It just all sounded so wrong.

Yelping suddenly at the cold water, Sasuke turned off the water and wrapped himself in a large towel. He walked into the hallway and into his kitchen. After putting a pot of rice on to cook he walked into his bedroom and rustled through his closet for some clothing. Slipping into his usual blue shirt and white shorts he went back to the kitchen and put a pot of tea on to boil. While waiting for his late supper he went to the bathroom and grabbed a brush.

`Running it through his thick, silky, black hair he assessed his appearance. He had been called all forms of beautiful, handsome, and gorgeaous that existed. His tall, slim build was admired by people of both sexes. His long dark hair hadn't changed from the style he had, had as a child and it was long enough that it mostly hid his elegant dark eyes and he prefered it that way. It was harder to assess his true intentions when you had to strain to see his face. His soft child-like face had elongated into a long, slightly thin face. Arrogance still shone on his handsome face even through all the hardships he had endured.

Hearing the whistle of the tea kettle he returned to the kitchen and finished preparing his meal. Sitting at the low table in his kitchen he sipped his tea silently and puzzled over the phenomena that was Naruto Uzumaki, his rival and best friend.

Finishing his meal he put the dishes in the sink and returned to his room. Slipping under the black covers of a low bed he lay still and tried to force his body into the peace of sleep but it illuded him. His mind stayed on the annoying bland and his odd behaviour.

'Damn it. That stupid dobe.' He thought silenty in a sudden burst of annoyance. But the annoyance was short lived and he returned without protest to worrying about the younger boy. 'I'm not going to get any sleep like this.' Groaning, Sasuke promised himself that he would go see Naruto tommorrow to see what was up. Nodding to himself in satisfaction he slowly felt the comfort of sleep sift into his mind.


Sorry about the uneventful chapter but this is just how I write. I need to get it really going befor I write some action. Not sure on how far this action is going to go but hopefully I'll get inspired to something interesting.
Hope you all enjoy my little experiment.

Dagan