Learning to Love. (Uchiha Sasuke)

Chapter 21. Emotions.

Sasuke's POV.

''We're staying here for the night.'' I spoke up. ''Let's set up a camp.''

I let the Jinchuuriki fall on the ground from my shoulder and he hit the ground with a thud. It's a good thing we tied him up.

''Where did the girl go off to?'' I heard Suigetsu ask. I looked around me, but Kaira was nowhere to be found. Did she already leave? Well, Madara only told her to stay with us during the mission, so now since the mission is completed, she has no reason to stay with us any longer.

''I'll get some wood to make a fire.'' I told them before I walked into a random direction, further into the woods. I still hadn't fully healed after my fight with Itachi, and now with these injuries... I underestimated the Jinchuuriki, but we managed to capture him after all.

I froze when I heard a branch snap behind me, and I activated my Sharingan to see better in the dark. ''Who's there?''

''Just me.''

''I thought you had already left.'' I sighed as I turned around to face the fellow Uchiha. Kaira was leaning against a tree, looking at me with her red eyes. ''As you see, I'm still here..'' she mocked, but I saw the small smirk on her lips.

''Then why are you here?'' I asked. ''And not with the rest?''

Kaira's face turned serious, and she pushed herself away from the tree, towards me. ''Because I needed to talk to you alone.''

My eyes narrowed. ''About what?''

''You don't have the Mangekyou for long, but you shouldn't use it so much.'' she warned me. ''You know the concequences.''

I clenched my fists. Of course I knew what would happen if I used them too much. ''You don't have to tell me that, I know.''

''Just don't let me say 'told you so' after you turned blind.''

''Was that all you had to say?''

''No.''

''If you're gonna give me any more unnecessary warnings, I don't need them.'' I said coldly.

Kaira shook her head and looked at the ground. ''It's not anything like that..'' Her voice was softer, and it sounded so different than her usual cold and emotionless voice. My gaze softened as I looked at her. I had never seen her like this before; so vulnerable.. I got a weird feeling in my stomach, and felt suddenly a bit uneasy.

''It's about Itachi.'' she whispered.

My eyes widened and I clenched my teeth. So she did now more about him, and she hid it from me?! I felt anger boil up and I grabbed her shoulders, looking at her feriously. Kaira didn't even budge. ''Tell me.''

She remained silent, and bit her lip.

''Tell me!''

Kaira flinched as I suddenly raised my voice, and I loosened my grip on her shoulders. She was about to tell me something about Itachi, and I yelled at her..

''He left me a letter.''

I was snapped out of my thoughts by her voice, and looked down at her since I was a bit taller.

''It doesn't hold any important information, but if you want, I'll let you read it once we're back.'' she suggested softly.

I felt my anger go away, and being replaced by.. guilt..?

Kaira's POV.

I felt like crying when I mentioned Itachi's name. Why didn't I feel like this when I first heard he had died?  Back then, I just felt empty, and a bit depressed, but no tears had left my eyes, while Suki cried so much her eyes were still red a day later. But now thinking of Itachi, made me so sad..

''Thank you.''

I looked up to Sasuke, and saw him looking down at me. I forced a smile and took a shaky breath. ''I'll be going now..''

I grabbed Sasuke's hands and removed them from my shoulders, but gasped when I was pulled into a warm chest. ''S-Sasuke..?''

I could hear the calm, soothing beating of his heart, and I relaxed a bit. But why did I feel so uneasy? I've never felt uneasy around a person before. Maybe that is because I grew up with the people I already knew, and I only met Sasuke about three months ago? But around Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin, I didn't feel this way. They mostly annoyed me to death, except Juugo, but I felt at ease around him. Why was it different around Sasuke? When I first met him, I was annoyed by his attitude, by the way he talked; like he stood above everyone else. Why didn't I feel annoyed anymore? Why were my feelings about him changing now? How was I thinking about him now? The desire to fight him, to annoy him.. I didn't feel that desire anymore. I just felt like being around him. Maybe that was because he is one of the few that can truly understand me..

''I don't know what Itachi was to you..'' Sasuke whispered, snapping me out of my thoughts. ''..But I can tell he was important to you..''

Sasuke's POV.

''I'm sorry..'' I mumbled, apologizing for what I did earlier.

The look in her eyes while she talked about that letter.. it was the same look I had in my eyes when I heard from Obito what Itachi had done.. to protect me. I didn't know why I embraced her. She just looked like she needed some comfort, and maybe I needed it as well. Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin will never fully understand what I've gone through, what I felt.. but Kaira does understand.. that's what I think at least. She also lost people close to her, like Itachi and Sasori. And in other ways, we are sort of alike, but I don't know if that is a bad or a good thing.

''Don't be..'' Kaira murmured as she pulled a bit away from me. I looked down at her, and her red eyes glistered in the dark. Without the Sharingan, I wouldn't be able to see this much at this time of the day, but I was able to see her face in the dark. My vision was a bit blurry, but that didn't matter. Looking into her eyes, I saw something different than usual. I saw so many emotions. Pain, sadness, anger.. while she usually looked like she had sealed all of those away.

''Sasuke...''

My hand went from her shoulder to her arm and I squeezed it slightly. Her face seemed to come closer, and my eyes went from her eyes down her face. I felt Kaira tense up a bit, and immediately looked back to her eyes. She seemed a bit hesitant.. and nervous? Just now I realized how close she was, and Kaira must have too. Was that why she was looking so nervous? Because of me? Because she was standing so close to me?

Our foreheads were almost touching, and- ''Sasuke-kun?! Where are you?!"'

''Karin, shut up!'' Suigetsu complained.

Kaira pushed herself away from me, just before Karin and Suigetsu appeared, walking out of the bushes. ''Sasuke-kun! I thought you were lost since you were taking so long!" Karin exclaimed.

''Urgh.. Sasuke won't get lost so easily.'' Suigetsu grumbled, obviously annoyed by her.

I looked back at Kaira, who looked me straight in the eyes. ''I'll be going now then, Sasuke..'' she whispered. ''I'll see you back at the base.''

Then she turned around and walked away, disappearing into the darkness in the middle of the night.

Kaira's POV.

I ran back to the hideout. What was that? What was I doing? Sasuke was so close to me.. and at that moment, I couldn't think straight.. The only thing I could think of was the Uchiha himself.

Uneasiness wasn't the only thing I was feeling around him..

I stopped on a branch of a tree, and leaned against the tree, trying to get my thoughts together.

Could it be.. that I was falling for Sasuke..?