The Last Uchiha?

Hey,again~! Hero here.

So,this is chapter four.

LividusNight: I also like where it's going. Everytime I go to write another chapter I think I'm going to hit a dead end,but the words just keep flowing! :3

Thank you for the reviews,I greatly appreciate them. Now onto the story!

I hope you enjoy~

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"Let go of me,you! Rgh,Uchiha!

Sasuke Uchiha walked through the streets of Konoha with his newest counterpart flailing around furiously behind him. Since the time they'd left Naruto's office,she'd been relentless in her struggle. The raven was relieved that she was keeping her distance,though. Just a few steps ago,he could have sworn she'd started...growling? Hissing?

Slightly annoyed with the woman's public display,Sasuke jerked the female Uchiha forward,and she stumbled awkwardly into step behind him. She had started to scream again,when he abruptly wheeled around to slap a hand over her open mouth.

"Stop your screaming," he growled between clenched teeth,dark eyes narrowing to slits. Her blue orbs were wide in suprise,and Sasuke felt her lips brush the palm of his hand as they closed. "You're starting to attract all kinds of attention,which I don't like,"

Nagisa's eyes narrowed as the man removed his hand and turned away to resume dragging her. Was she supposed to allow this person to just continue hauling her off to who knows where? For the most part,she knew she was probably safe and it was,as he'd said,in her best interest to spend some time with him. Aside from her own personal interest,it was also important that she was able to get close to the guy,for the convenient fact that he was the Hokage's best friend. Sasuke might have come off as an arrogant bastard at first,but perhaps that had been because of her previous role as his antagonist. Maybe the guy would be all that bad. Maybe,just for now he could lead her around--

A sudden gurgling sound caused the two of them to become alert. Feeling completely embarressed,Nagisa brought a hand over her growling stomach and cursed silently to herself. During all of that running around,she'd managed to forget all about her hunger. Now that they were back out roaming the restaurant-riddled streets,all sorts of sinfully delicious aromas had begun to invade her sense of smell without her even realizing. It was truely amazing how well the human body responds,even while the mind is on autopilot.

"Uh.." Sasuke mumbled,dark brows arching slightly. "If you're hungry,we could--"

"Psh,I'm not hungry..." Nagisa insisted,turning away to pout. No way was she going to allow her captor to treat her to a meal.

"You're not?" Sasuke repeated,though he knew quite well the opposite was true. He couldn't understand this woman. Well,he couldn't understand ALL women,but that was besides the point. Was she really that ignorant,as to dismiss her own body's plead for food? When the female Uchiha promptly turned away from him,Sasuke sighed inwardly and tightened his grip on her wrist. "You're a real idiot,"

"I'm a what?" Nagisa scowled,and whipped around. She was suprised when two fingers pressed to her forehead. "W-what are you--"

"Come on," the raven said,beginning to pull her along once again. "If you're not hungry,you can sit there and pout while I eat. I really don't care,"

Nagisa decided she wouldn't argue anymore,after Sasuke began to drag her around again. Seriously,what was this guy's problem? He acted like he owned her or something. Nagisa was certainly no one's pet,and no one ever leashed her as such. He would learn the hard way,though. Yes,by the end of the day,this man would definitely--

No.

'Damn it...' Nagisa groaned inwardly,remembering why she was allowing such treatment in the first place. She had to play nice,for the sake of the mission. For Itachi. Whatever this man did or said,she would have to comply with it. Even if it mean he was to act as her personal baby sitter.

'Baby sitter' Nagisa snorted. 'As if...'

"Here," Sasuke's voice said,pulling the Uchiha out of her thoughts. Without her realizing,he had led them into a small noddle shop,and she was already sitting down beisde him on one of the rotating barstools. 'How did that happen?' she wondered idley,pulling on a stray length of glossy black hair. Was she really out of it that she'd allowed herself to become completely subdued? 'Well,I guess it's fine. I've already given up to him anyway...'

"Hey,it's...Sasuke,right?" an old man asked from behind the counter of the shop. Sasuke gave him a slight nod,and the man seemed to linger a little longer before tending to his work again. But for some reason,the exchange between the two irked Nagisa. While the man had clearly acknowledged Sasuke,he'd barely given him the time of day. 'What a jerk,' she thought,tilting her head in his direction to give him a glare. To her suprise,she found that he was already looking at her; staring,in fact.

His elbow was propped up on the counter,where he allowed his cheek to rest in his open palm. What was that look on his face? Nagisa couldn't describe it. While his eyes weren't as tense as she was already used to seeing them,they were definitely focused and intent on her. Was he just spacing out or was he actually studying her? Thinking about her...Even as she stared back at him,Sasuke continued to look at her. Neither of them even moved as their food was placed in front of them. Finally,Nagisa was beginning to feel uncomfortable. With shifty eyes,the start of a pout traced onto her lips.

"W-what is it?" She asked,gripping the hem of her skirt. "What are you looking at?"

"You," he replied. As if that wasn't obvious. Nagisa returned to the food in front of her,taking up the chopsticks but the male Uchiha still did not move. "I don't understand how you are still alive,"

What?

The chopsticks,wooden and fragile in nearly snapped into four pieces in Nagisa's hand. With a smoldering glare,she turned to the raven. "Just what the hell does that mean?"

"How are you alive?"

"How are YOU alive?"

Sasuke chuckled to himself,finally returning to what was in front of him. With the anger and heat now leaving her face,Nagisa sighed and shifted in her seat. 'What a weirdo...' she thought,as she began to eat. 'Just what kind of person asks a question like that?'

Shortly after their meal,the two Uchiha returned to the streets. Sasuke had said that his house was not actually within the village itself,but just outside of Konoha near the river that she'd spotted on her journey with Itachi there.

"That's pretty special," Nagisa said with a subtle hint of interest. She secretly always wanted a nice little home like that,with just her and Itachi. With him being the only person she'd come to know in all of nine years,she wasn't exactly open to the cluttered life of a villager. There was just too much there to surround her,too much to distract her. Friends were not a necessity,and neither were other people. All she needed was her sensei,and luckily,that was all she had.

"Well,yeah. It's not something I asked for," the raven replied,briefly waving to the two gaurd ninja at the gate as they left the village. "But I'm not complaining. I've lived alone for most of my life,and when I came back into the village,Naruto knew I wanted it to stay that way,"

"When you came back?" Nagisa frowned. What had he meant by that?

Oh,right. She didn't know a thing about that.

Sasuke had found himself having such a casual conversation with a complete stranger,that he'd nearly forgotten that she wasn't a villager. It'd become somewhat of a habit to assume things like this,due to the fact that over the recent years,the shinobi world had come to relate his name with dishonor and betrayal. His infamy had to have spread to other places besides the Fire country by now. It was whatever though. All of his personal goals had been reached,and the conflicts in his life had been resolved. He was even able to live a comfortable life now,especially as a shinobi. So whatever anyone else had to say about Sasuke Uchiha,well...they could shove it into a certain place that he wasn't so modest not to speak of.

"I see..." was Nagisa's reply. She was curious,but she knew better than to dig into the personal life of someone she barely knew. If he wanted to talk about it,that would be fine,but for now it was probably better to tread on lighter subjects.

Lost in her thoughts,Nagisa was caught a little off gaurd as Sasuke's grip suddenly pulled on her arm,gently tugging her off the main path and onto another that led through the woods. Soft shadows fell on them through patches of sunlight as they descended down the dirt trail,twigs and leaves crunching quietly under their feet. Nagisa was mesmerized by the very essence of every vibrant green tree,and every wild flower that followed along their way.

They were simple things though. Things she'd seen in her everyday travels,but perhaps it was because their amount was so plentiful and it was all there was to see that made her appreciate them more. So lost was she,in every part of nature that her vision could absorb,that she nearly bumped right into Sasuke when he'd stopped short in the middle of the trail.

"S-S-hey,Uchiha! What's the big deal? Why did you--'

"Look," he said,raising his arm and pointing a finger. Curious,the female Uchiha stepped out from behind the man to see what had distracted him. What she saw made her own dark orbs widen in fascination.

The low branches of two tall trees had grown to form the beginning of what appeared to almost resemble the shape of a heart,where below it was the start of a flowing river. The trail before them seemed to stop naturally at this point,but instead it had been made to carry up to a slight hill where a cozy house resided. Through the entire path,the river was exposed,and Nagisa assumed that the top would be the best place to see it completely. A smile curled on Nagisa's lips,truely impressed by the craftiness of nature.

"It's beautiful," she said. Sasuke nodded once and again as he had before,began tugging her gently up the path to his home. She probably would have minded more,had it not been for the fact that his pull had become less forcefull now.

Remaining quiet the rest of the way,the two Uchiha finally made it to the end of the trail. Sasuke's house was a one story little place,all made of wood,including the large porch in the back that Nagisa had briefly caught a glimpse of. Sasuke gave them no time to linger outside,as he'd easily found his key and let them inside the house. A cool breeze and the enticing scent of spices immediately welcomed them home,as soon as the front door was pulled open. Sasuke had walked inside,but Nagisa lingered a bit for some reason. It was just one of those things that happened sometimes when you're hesitant to wander into an unknown territory; or at least,it was that way for her.

"Coming in?" Sasuke's voice asked. He'd already disappeared inside the house,out of sight and probably waiting for her impatiently,by the tone of his voice. A tinge of pink rose to Nagisa's face,momentarily forgetting where she was,before she slipped inside and. Quickly shut the door. To her immediate right was a small dining room that led into a kitchen,and that was where she found Sasuke. Posture calm,and glass in hand,he leaned against a lavender granite island,staring out at a window which presumeably faced the river. When he noticed her standing there rather awkwardly,his brows knit and his dark eyes looked her over once before shifting back to the window.

"Don't be a stranger," he told her,though she still felt very much the former. "This is where you live now,so get used to it,"

"I didn't agree to this," was her verbal reply,but the truth of the matter was that Nagisa very well could get used to a place like this. With such a naturistic atmosphere and no one for at least a mile or two,it was practically ideal to her. Everything about the situation ultimately worked in her favor,so why was she complaining? Was it just the fact that she had to endure several weeks without Itachi? No,that couldn't be it. Thered been plenty of times like that,and she'd prevailed through them all. Itachi,though not physically,she felt would always be with her. In every conflict,in every tough situation,he was spiritually there to guide her. He was the motivation to everything that led her to perservere.

Right now,she didn't feel him though. Not at all. The only presence was both her own,and this new,unfamiliar one.

Sasuke Uchiha.

Something about him made her so uncomfortable. He was so...casual and irritating at the same time. While it was quite obvious he could be a jerk,he was still the Hokage's best friend. Without even the slightest doubt,Nagisa had already come to realize that Naruto Uzumaki was a kind hearted person. With only one encounter,that much could easily be determined. So now...the only thing left to figure out now was why a person like him would bother with a person like...

"Staring is rude. Look somewhere else,you're making me uncomfortable,"

"W-what?" Nagisa stammered. 'What a jerk!' "

I could have said the exact same thing back at the restaurant," she huffed,crossing her arms. "You're so weird and rude. I don't know why I'm wasting my time with you,"

"On the contrary," Sasuke objected,setting his glass on the sink in front of him. "This is all my arrangement,so I guess I might be wasting my time. I don't know who you've been taught under,or what else you're capable of. What I do know,is that you have a lot of potential. I want to see all that you can do,"

"All I can do" Nagisa arched a thin brow. "What,you want to fight with me again?

"Yes," was the raven's reply. A grin spread onto Nagisa's lips.

"Well,alright then. Sounds fun,"

If truth be told,she wasn't convinced that she'd completely seen the extent of Sasuke's power. He'd held back a lot during their previous fight,as his intention had simply been to capture her. But he'd had a taste of her power now,and apprently he wanted more. 'No problem,' she smirked,folding her arms behind her head. 'I will certainly wipe the floor with you...'

"We're going out to the lake then," Sasuke announced,walking past her and back to the front door. His eyes momentarily scanned over her,and suddenly feeling self-concious for whatever reason,Nagisa shifted her coat over herself more so.

"What?" she mumbled.

"Leave your coat here," he replied. "Unless you want it to get burned,"

"Burned?"

Sasuke said nothing in response after her inquiry,and allowed himself to slip outside. Curious as to what he had meant,she bolted out of the kitchen and caught up to the male who was already heading down the descending path. "H-hey...don't be so full of yourself," Nagisa insisted,pressing her hands to her hips. "As if I'd allow you to land such an effective attack on me..."

Sasuke's head turned slightly,but she couldn't see the expression on his face. "Hmph," was all the raven said in response,and then returned his attention to the trail. A sly smirk came to Nagisa's lips,but she let it melt away into a frown. 'Uchiha thinks he's badass,but I'm about to give him the fight of his life,' she was confident with her silent claim,but only time would tell the outcome of the fight that was to ensue.

Just before reaching the middle of the trail,Sasuke veered off the path and into an uncharted section of the woods. Nagisa thought this was a little strange,as they seemed to be plunging right into a blind path,but she did not make her concern known.

Through the branches of the trees,golden sunlight filtered in,glaring onto anything that happened to settle under it. The sun itself hid somewhere behind the trees,leading Nagisa to assume that it was already beginning to set. It was hard to believe that she'd wasted an entire day,successful in doing nothing more than running around like a mad woman.

For a fleeting moment,she wondered what Itachi would think if he knew of this. Would he be amused? Of course not. Disappointed with her? Most likely so. Her mission,by no means,had instructed for her to lolligag or waste any time. It'd been fun to turn the pleasant village of Konoha upside down in chaos for a time,but it was back to business.

There would be those times again,though. Definitely,she'd make certain of it.

"Here," Sasuke mumbled,a few feet ahead of her. They'd reached a clearing out of the woods. The river faced the end of the clearing,expanding out for a pleasant view. This amount of area left them plenty of room to spar,though Nagisa wasn't sure just how much they'd be covering.

A giddy sort of feeling began to well up inside of her,as Sasuke walked passed to get a fair amount of distance between them.

"Last chance about the coat," he said,but Nagisa wasn't about to listen.

"If I lose,I'll burn it myself," she called,suprised that she'd even gambled such a thing.

Well,it didn't matter. She wasn't about to lose.