There was food on the table when Sakura got out of the shower. It took her a while to get the dirt, grass stains, and mud out of her hair and off her skin. She felt sore and achy all over, proof that she'd worked hard that day. In fresh and clean clothes, smelling of lavender from Ino's body wash, she sat down at the table. Ino was chatting about her day, about training with her team, complaining that the other two were so lazy. It was so homey that Sakura soaked it all in like a sponge. She'd never been happier than when she began living with the Yamanakas.

'Sakura. ' Inoichi scooped up some salad for himself. 'What did you do today? '

'We had our first mission today. It was weeding a garden, which wasn't fun. But the woman baked us cookies. They were yummy! ' Sakura smiled remembering the sweet taste. 'After that, we trained. We had to hide from sensei's nindogs in the forest. The only one who actually managed it was Sasuke. Naruto got caught first. '

Inoichi laughed. 'I wish Asuma pushed Ino's team as hard as Kakashi's pushing you three. I always knew if Kakashi settled down a little he'd be a great teacher. ' He nodded to himself. 'He cares about people deeply. '

'He told me I should think of becoming a medic like Senju Tsunade. '

'Hmm. ' Inoichi scratched his chin. 'It would be wonderful to have another medic of her caliber in Konoha. How was your chakra control in the academy? '

'Almost perfect. ' Ino's voice sounded patronizing, but the smirk on her face showed otherwise. 'Trust me, we heard it every day. '

Again, Inoichi laughed. Sakura stuck her tongue out. 'Yours was up there, too, Ino. I only beat you by three points, remember? '

'Rub it in, Sakura. You were always better than me, we know. ' Ino slams her fork down on the plate. She was always neck and neck with Sakura, but always a tiny bit behind. If they both aced a test, Sakura would finish seconds ahead of her. If they both threw kunai, Sakura's were slightly closer to the bullseye. No matter what, she was always ahead.

Sensing a storm brewing behind his daughter's eyes, he tried to placate her. 'I don't think that's what she meant, ' Inoichi stated. 'You're saying her chakra control is almost perfect and you, Ino, are only three points away. Which means yours is close to perfect, too. It was a compliment, kiddo. ' When the realization hit Ino, and the two girls smiled at each other, Inoichi let out a breath. That was an argument in the making. Two pre-teen girls under one roof were going to be the death of him.

After dinner was over, and the girls had washed the dishes, Inoichi sent them both to bed. Sakura was still staying in Ino's room, seeing as how no one had the time to clean out the spare. Inoichi's job was stressful enough, add in being a single father (to

two

girls, now) and the man was tired. If his daughter wasn't complaining, and Sakura wasn't complaining, and the bed was big enough for them to each get a decent night's sleep, then who was he to argue?

Ino was lying on the bed, on her stomach, feet kicking in the air, as she opened the book Sakura had been reading. Senju Tsunade, from what Ino had heard, was a famous sannin, trained by Sandaime. She was known as the greatest medic in history, being able to save people other medics thought impossible. Sakura had finished the book twice now, reading it late into the night while Ino decoded the newest scrolls her dad brought home. Tonight, however, Ino had no new scroll to decode.

'Sakura? ' Ino looked up at the pink-haired girl who was currently digging in her bag. 'Can I read your book? '

Sakura glanced up to see which book Ino was talking about. 'Yeah, of course. If you're interested, we could go see if they will train us at the hospital. Sensei brought it up today. ' Ino shrugged, a noncommittal look on her face. 'I think I'm going to go ask tomorrow before training. ' She watched as Ino read down the page.

Ino was beautiful, Sakura could admit that willingly. Her blonde hair and bright eyes drew Sakura in at a young age. She was loud, brash, and fiercely protective. When she was little, when grown-up things didn't matter and sexuality wasn't in her vocabulary, Sakura had a crush on her. When they would play or run together, Ino always grabbed her hand. When Sakura would fall, get picked on, cried, Ino would brush a piece of hair off her face and wipe the tears. Every touch made Sakura feel warm and cozy.

As her long, blonde eyelashes moved as Ino blinked, Sakura felt that warm feeling rush over her again. Sakura did what she was supposed to do back then. Find a boy, have a crush, and act like a girl. Exactly what her mother had taught her, what the other girls did. In her heart of hearts, Sakura knew it was never about Sasuke. It was about the rivalry, the drama, the ability to say she won a prize she didn't even want. Just like the key chains, Sasuke was a status symbol.

Maybe it wasn't about being first, being the winner, being the one to hold the prize. Maybe it was about being happy. And, as she sat on the floor in front of Ino's bed, looking up at the girl to whom Sakura always looked up to, wanted to be like, she could admit she was happy. No expectations, no passive-aggressive comments, or half-hidden guilt trips. Just people who accepted her as she was.

Sakura reached her hand out, slowly tucking a strand of Ino's hair behind her ear. 'Come with me. To the hospital. I know you can do it. '

Their eyes met over the edge of the book. 'Yeah? I mean...yeah, sure. ' Her eyes flickered back to the book before meeting Sakura's again. 'I, uh, forgot to tell you. You looked really pretty with your hair pulled back like that. ' Sakura blushed. 'I'll help you do it again tomorrow if you want. '

'Thank you, Ino. '

'

Something was crinkling, something gnawing at his ears and waking him up. Sasuke cracked his eyes open. The futon beside him was empty, blanket and pillow in disarray. Pushing himself up on his elbows, Sasuke peered around the room. Naruto, with his gray sweatpants and too-big shirt, was leaning over one of the bags, shuffling through the clothes. Beside him were three piles, all neatly folded.

'Idiot, what are you doing? ' Sasuke rubbed at his eyes with one hand, pushing himself into a sitting position with the other. The clock on Kakashi's counter showed it was way too early to be awake.

The blond turned to look at him, hands full of a shirt. 'I'm trying to keep all my clothes tidy. I don't want to take up too much room. ' Dropping the shirt, Naruto motioned around the apartment. 'He...I just don't want to be a problem. '

Running a hand through his messy hair, Sasuke looked at Naruto. The boy looked shaken; eyes dark as if he hadn't slept all night. He'd heard Naruto apologize last night for something that wasn't his fault. He'd heard how broken and small the boy sounded; the way Naruto folded in on himself. The man at the clothing store, a man Sasuke had actually bought things from before, sickened him. The way he talked to Naruto, about Naruto, set his teeth on edge. So what if Naruto was a jinchuuriki? That didn't make him the demon. If these people knew who his father was, knew he was a Hokage's son, would they still treat him like that?

As Naruto's folding became more meticulous, more erratic, Sasuke pushed himself on his knees and slid himself over to him. 'Kakashi wouldn't let us stay here if it was a problem. ' Naruto's hands were shaking. Sasuke feared another panic attack was imminent. 'Idiot, look at me. ' Sasuke slid in front of Naruto, knocking the bag to the side, and grabbing the blonde's face. 'Look at me. ' When slightly wide, erratic, blue eyes focused on him, Sasuke kept his gaze. 'Do you get these a lot? Panic attacks like this? ' Blue eyes widened further. 'So, yes, then? Kakashi told you last night, and I'll tell you now. You have nothing to be sorry about. It's not your fault this village is full of people who fear what they don't understand. Just...look, focus on us, the team. We...we don't care what you are or what's sealed inside you. You're the same moron you always were to us. Sakura might not know yet, but she won't care, either. '

'You...you were always different. ' Naruto's shaking voice was barely a whisper. Sasuke let go of his face. 'You never...you never acted like you were afraid of me. Shikamaru and Choji always played with me. Kiba did, too, but just because it made his mom mad. Everyone else acted like they were afraid of me. You...you didn't. '

Honestly, Sasuke never played with anybody from the academy. Even before the massacre, Sasuke always kept to himself, more wrapped up in what his brother was doing than wanting to be with kids his own age. But, thinking back, his mother never once told him to stay away from Naruto. 'I know the adults told them not to play with you. My mom never told me that. She...she always told me to make my own decision on who my friends are. ' Naruto nodded, feigning like he understood. 'Does...what happened yesterday, does that happen a lot? '

He sighed before scratching at his head. 'Yeah. A lot more when I was younger. Now I just know where not to go. ' He huffed out a laugh. 'It figures sensei would pick the one place I can't go, right? ' There was a long pause before Naruto spoke again. 'Can... are we...friends? '

It was a jolt, the words hitting him hard. Were they friends? They'd been rivals for years, practically enemies at times. Sasuke still remembers sparring with Naruto in the academy after the massacre, when his emotions were at their highest, when his nightmares never gave him a moment's rest, when he was just

angry

. He remembers how he took it all out on Naruto, making the boy bleed into the dirt, his hands smudged with red. It was different now. Feigned indifference and childish name-calling are what they have resorted to. The rivalry was still there, and would always be there. It was as ingrained in them as their own identities. Since living together, they'd found a whole new understanding. So... 'Yeah, Naruto. We're friends. '

'

After two pointless missions and a late lunch, Team 7 and Team 10 met in front of the hospital. Asuma smiled as the other team came into view, dropping the butt of his cigarette and grinding it into the ground with his sandal.

'Hey, Kakashi. Long time no see. ' Asuma was a friendly man. A little wild in his younger years, but always kind. He and Kakashi had instantly taken as friends when they'd met, even if Kakashi was hard to become friends with at the time. 'Guess our girls have decided on a path, then. '

Kakashi laughed, patting Sakura on the head. 'I think they've chosen well. ' He eyed the two boys on Asuma's team. 'Did you two choose a path? '

Shikamaru leveled him with a disinterested look that Kakashi had seen on Shikaku's face many times. Choji shrugged, opening a new bag of chips. The last time Kakashi had seen the two of them, they were dying on the battlefield. Choji had overexerted himself to the point he was nothing but skin and bones, muscles burned away with the calories he'd consumed without any food to supplement them. Covered in dirt and blood, Shikamaru used the last of his strength to drag Ino behind a rock before collapsing on top of her, saving the dying girl from being crushed under a meteor. Now, with them fresh-faced standing in front of him, Kakashi had the urge to protect these kids as much as his own.

'You know, Asuma, while our girls have teamed up to study medicine, our boys can get some training together. Would do them good to challenge someone not on their team. ' He ignored Choji's frightened face and the scowl on Shikamaru's. Instead, he focused on Asuma and the clear joy written there.

Asuma clapped Shikamaru on the back, sending the boy lurching forward. 'I think that is a great idea. What do you think, boys? ' It said a lot that Asuma didn't even look at their faces before declaring they would follow Team 7. Asuma already knew what their expressions would say.

The last time the four boys had sparred, it had been in the academy. It was immediately evident to both Choji and Shikamaru that Naruto wasn't the same blond they knew then. When Naruto took his fighting stance, standing opposite Shikamaru on the field, the genius thought he actually knew Naruto's first move. He was wrong. He miscalculated how much the blond could pick up from Sasuke. Instead of Naruto's normal brute force approach, which would have easily put him in Shikamaru's shadows, he dodged to the side, flipping over on his hands and using his feet to knock Shikamaru to the ground.

Asuma looked surprised, his eyes wide with awe. 'Taught him well, did you? '

'Nope. ' Kakashi popped the word. 'Sasuke taught him. Taught Sakura, too. '

As Shikamaru sat on the ground, shaking his head at how wrong he was, how bad he miscalculated, Naruto stood in front of him with his hand extended. 'Wanna go again? ' Letting Naruto help him stand, Shikamaru nodded. 'Cool. '

This time, Shikamaru readied his stance and read the field. If Naruto learned from Sasuke, as Kakashi just alluded to, then he should be planning more for fighting Sasuke, which was scary. Shikamaru never claimed to be the best in taijutsu. He was an expert in dodging, however. Staying out of the action was more his family trait. A well-placed dodge and equally well-placed hit would be his best bet. Keeping Naruto moving would give him his best shot.

He managed to keep Naruto moving for a whole three minutes before the blond leveled him with a kick that knocked the wind out of him. They had been a team for, what, a week and a half? How had Naruto gotten so good so quickly? He managed to block the next attack, sending Naruto skidding backward. The blond glanced at Sasuke, who just tilted his head. Oh. So they communicate now? When did that happen? First Ino doesn't call Sakura names anymore, nor call her a rival, and now Naruto and Sasuke can read each other? Did he fall into another dimension?

It wasn't long before Shikamaru just gave up. He threw his hands up and walked off toward Asuma. 'I'm done. I can't beat him, this is pointless. '

Naruto looked at Shikamaru and Asuma and shrugged. 'You never liked to spar in the academy either. Why not? '

'Too much work. ' He put his hands behind his head and looked up at the clouds. 'Taijutsu is a drag. ' Asuma scoffed at him.

'If you don't want to fight, then why become a ninja? How are you supposed to protect people if you just run away all the time? ' Naruto had his head tilted to the side. They were honest questions, not said with malice at all. Naruto was honestly curious. Choji looked between the blond and Shikamaru, clearly waiting for him to answer the question, as did Asuma.

Shikamaru, for once, didn't have an answer. He became a ninja because he was expected to. It's what the Nara clan did. They specialized in stealth, incapacitation, and interrogation. They were the brains for all the brawn in the village. Besides that, as the next Ino-Shika-Cho formation, it was like his destiny was just laid out for him. Something Naruto said rang true and made him think. Missions consisted of him protecting someone or something. Protecting meant staying there, fighting, and not backing down. Running away wouldn't help him at all. Shikamaru looked over at Choji, who was much like him, just doing what his family expected of him. But Choji was too kind, too gentle. He would never be able to hurt someone, no matter how much of an enemy they were. It was too present in their sparring sessions when Choji refused to actually hit anyone.

Naruto was still looking at him as if Shikamaru was a puzzle he couldn't find all the pieces to. 'I don't know, Naruto. Never really thought about it that way. Give me a rest and we'll try again, deal? ' Naruto immediately flashed him a bright, blinding smile and a thumbs up.

When Naruto walked back over to Kakashi, Choji blanched. He looked at Sasuke, always the top in taijutsu, always able to take anyone on and win, who even gave the teachers a run for their money, and realized he was no match. Slowly, Choji backed away. He didn't get far before Asuma clamped a hand on his shoulder. A gentle push sent Choji stumbling forward, his bag of chips falling on the ground. The boy, with wide eyes and shaking legs, looked at Sasuke. His only thought was that Sasuke was going to kill him. Choji glanced back at Shikamaru, a silent plea for help, before swallowing hard and facing his demise.

For Sasuke's credit, he went slow and hit easy. There were many opportunities Sasuke could have taken, opportunities that would have put Choji on the ground, hard. But he didn't take them. Instead, he let the boy stumble without capitalizing on it. When it dawned on Sasuke what he was doing, that he was being weak in front of an opponent, letting them hit him, he almost froze. Barely dodging a hit to the jaw, Sasuke ducked down and knocked Choji's hand away, causing him to stumble. Instinct told Sasuke to swipe Choji's legs out from under him. As the boy hit the ground, Sasuke jumped up, a fist aiming straight at Choji's face. The eyes were so wide they looked ready to roll out of the socket. A voice in the back of his head kept telling him to hit Choji and show him what he was doing wrong by force. But the fear in those wide eyes kept Sasuke's hand still. Would Itachi have hit him? Would Itachi have shown mercy?

Does Sasuke

want

to be like Itachi, whether he's good or bad or

whatever

was going on?

No.

He stood, using the hand that was previously in a fist to help Choji up. The boy looked relieved. He smiled. Sasuke just nodded.

'I...I know I'm not very good. ' Choji looked down at the ground. 'I'm not good at anything. ' There was dirt on his elbows and knees, a faint bruise starting on one shin. Asuma's eyes were soft as he watched his student. It hit Sasuke how much he and Sakura were alike. Both so filled with insecurities they can't see their own worth.

Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, and put them in order in his head, Sasuke looked up. 'You...Choji, you're not terrible. Sakura...she's working on the same issues. Being afraid to hit someone, it's not going to help you in a real fight. You won't ever win just using defense. ' Kakashi constantly said Sasuke was good at training. But he knew talking was not a skill he had. Instead, he glanced over his shoulder, eyes pleading for help.

'Sasuke's right, Choji. ' Asuma came into the conversation, rescuing Sasuke. 'You're a kind and gentle kid. That, however, doesn't mean there is

nothing

you're good at. You've been training for less than two weeks. Give it time, kid. '

Choji nodded but didn't look comforted at all. He walked toward Shikamaru, who gave him a small smile. Naruto and Sasuke were right, they had a lot of work to do if they expected to protect anyone.

'

The moon shone brightly through the window. Sasuke could feel the cool night air against the glass as he sat, curled up on the windowsill. His mind was spinning, a flurry of thoughts bouncing back and forth. They kept him awake, kept him staring at the ceiling begging for sleep. Naruto snored on, curled in a ball and hugging his pillow. Holding the picture of Kakashi's genin team in his hands, he stared down at the Uchiha in the picture, the reason his sensei had the Sharingan at all. He died way before the massacre, before Itachi was born. If he were there, would he have stopped it? Could he be strong enough to take on Itachi? Sasuke sighed, looking back up at the moon. Today, sparring with Choji caused something to shift inside him. If he had been sparring with Naruto, there wouldn't have been any holding back and pulling his punches. It was a normal occurrence for one or both of them to be bleeding after sparring. But he was fighting a scared kid with academy-level skills. He fought with the same ferocity as a teddy bear. It would have been easy to defeat Choji, to make him bleed, to leave him broken...but he didn't. Sasuke was stopped just by seeing fear in Choji's eyes.

Itachi wouldn't have stopped. Itachi would have taken the win, taken what was rightfully his. But Sasuke is not Itachi. He didn't murder his entire clan, leave his baby brother alive and alone and broken, forced to revisit the deaths over and over and over...no, Sasuke wasn't his brother.

A shadow crossed the room, stepping in front of him. Even in the darkness, Naruto's blue eyes shone like they were a light source all their own. He looked concerned, eyes flickering all over Sasuke, trying to figure out what was wrong. 'Why are you awake? '

Sasuke snorted. 'Couldn't sleep. ' He sat the picture down on the windowsill beside his leg. 'I just...too much on my mind, I guess. ' Shrugging, he tried to look nonchalant. Naruto wasn't buying it.

'Wanna talk about it? ' The pajama pants Sasuke had on were fraying at the hem. Naruto focused on it, picking at the string by Sasuke's ankle. 'It helped me that night I couldn't sleep. ' Blue eyes flickered up to Sasuke's face before returning to the string. 'Or...or I could make you some tea? '

Sasuke watched as Naruto pulled the string taut before letting it bounce back. He could tell Naruto, right? Maybe Naruto could help him piece the thoughts in his head together, and make them make sense. Maybe he could give Sasuke some alternate reason the massacre happened at all. No, that was stupid. Why would Naruto know why Itachi did what he did? Sasuke shook his head, scoffing at his own thought trail. The string on his pajamas bounced back again, Naruto's fingernails reflecting the moonlight as he reached to pick it up again. Sasuke's eyes trailed from the fingernails and up the arm, where the sleeves were too long, almost touching his elbows. He looked so small in those clothes, so much younger than he was. Like a child playing dress up in their father's clothes. But Naruto never got to do that, did he? He didn't get to grow up with his father. The Kyuubi took that away from him.

Dark eyes flickered to Naruto's face. Naruto had trusted him with the knowledge of Kyuubi, how it resided within him, how he could talk to him, how it was his own parents that put him there. He'd trusted Sasuke with the knowledge that was practically

illegal

for him to know, thanks to the Sandaime's law. He put off telling Sasuke because he was afraid of being rejected, not because he didn't trust Sasuke. Meeting Naruto's eyes again, Sasuke steeled himself. He could tell Naruto. Naruto would understand, wouldn't judge him, wouldn't tell him he's crazy.

He could trust Naruto.

'I...I don't want to be like my brother. I don't want to become what he told me to be. ' Sasuke's voice was so small in the darkness. He continued to watch as Naruto picked at the string on his pajamas. There was a long pause, then Naruto pulled the string so hard it snapped.

'Then don't. ' It was said so simply, so easily. Sasuke's eyes met Naruto's and just stared. 'What do you want to be? '

Now there's a question Sasuke had never asked himself. What does he want to be? Thoughts raced through his head: avenger, clan leader, powerful, strong, loved, cared about...but, most of all, the one thing he missed being the most -

'Happy. '