Sasuke Uchiha and I

Chapter 10 - Why is it so cold?

Sasuke's P.O.V

I wake up groggily, I must have slept in. The sunlight was already seeping trough the trees and lighting up the forest. I usually try to wake up before sunrise but it looks like I didn't make it today. Standing up I take in my surroundings, I stand by a fast moving river, giant koi swim and dodge all the small boulders.

It's been nearly a week since I had set out to find Winter, with no luck so far I have every reason to believe she is on the Akatsuki's side. She is going to kill Orochimaru. Sometimes I question myself on why I don't want Orochimaru dead just yet, after all, I have been planning to have someone kill him for a while now. I come to the conclusion that I need more training, it always comes to the training. I feel powerful yet I still want to be stronger.

A picture of Naruto flashes in my mind and my hand makes a fist. Him, always him. Some would describe my obsession with him as love, but that is not the case. I don't idolize him, I despise him. He was the runt of the pack, struggling to survive and then he became better than me. Making me the runt of the pack. Never again, I will push him back down to where he belongs, I will rise above him.

I curse, I've been standing here like an idiot lost in my thoughts. I roll my bed up and check to make sure all my weapons are in the right position and that I haven't lost any on the way. I figure I have been chasing after Winter in the wrong direction, I turn back the way I came and take off. I can't keep going the way I was running, I would be way too far from Orochimaru, I need to stay in the general area.

Leaping from branch to branch two thoughts occurred in my mind. Naruto, and Winter.

Winter's P.O.V

I've been sitting against the wall for a while now contemplating on whether I should go to Haku tonight or stay safe and try to get some sleep. Every time I think about staying a thought pierces my mind. Haku told me he would answer my question, he would tell me about him, why the Akatsuki want him so badly.

But then when I think about going to Haku, Itachi flashes across my mind. He knows.

I shiver and bite my lip. What do I do? Strangely, my thoughts drift toward Sasuke. How is he doing? I shake my head, he hates me, remember? ...And I hate him. Do I? Do I really hate him? I question my feelings about him, I was impressed he could fight me so well, I lost some, he lost some. He was a worthy opponent. I start to realize, maybe I didn't hate him, perhaps it was because he reminded me so much of myself that I wanted to avoid him.

I decide that it would be stupid to run after Haku tonight, he would understand if I don't come tonight. I will go tomorrow night just to be safe from Itachi.

Third P.O.V

Itachi paced back and forth. "She's a smart girl, she won't go to Haku tonight, she would want to be safe."

Kisame spoke up, "So what do we do then? We want to catch her in the act tonight, don't we? Pein is only giving us tonight."

Itachi was talking privately to Kisame about his worries. Kisame and he were on different levels and didn't exactly see eye to eye, but they were a team in the Akatsuki and so when Itachi ever had a problem, it was Kisame that he would go to.

Itachi thought for a while. "We have to make her go to Haku, force her."

"How would we do that? She would..." Kisame drifted off.

"She would what? What are you thinking?" Itachi demanded.

"Not thinking my good man Itachi, remembering." It was Kisame's turn to pace back and forth. "The first time she met Haku he was crying, she went straight to him."