R E S I S T A N C E

D R O W N I N G S O R R O W S

"Well, now that I have you all buttered up," I began, joking sarcastically. He chuckled before I continued. "Can I ask about all the bandages?"

He looked down at himself before answering.

"We had a run in with two Akatsuki members." Sasuke's words slowly ran from his mouth, his speech clearly affected by the liquor. "I killed one, but not before he did some serious damage. The other got away."

His short, concise story told me that he was leaving some details out, but before I could press him further, he looked up and locked eyes with me.

"They only ambushed us because we let our guard down. I thought that I had everything under control, but I let myself get too cocky. I became blind to the flaws of our team and I suffered for it," he paused and smirked at me. "But it was while I was recovering that I realized what we needed. That's sort of why I decided to seek you out."

It was weird to say the least, hearing Sasuke speak so honestly about his situation. In the past, he would have never admitted to being at fault for something. But then again, sake effects everyone differently.

"You really think that I'm what your team needs, huh?" I slurred again, a bit skeptical. I looked away from him with a frown and started filling our cups, ignoring the chuckle he let slip.

"Ayuka, I told you from the very beginning that you need to stop second guessing yourself. You've already helped the teamwork of the Hebi more than you realize."

"But its barely been over 24 hours," I replied, sliding him his cup on the wood floor. "How--"

"--Ayuka," he addressed me again, cutting my words off. I looked up at him as he took his cup from the floor. "You've already formed some kind of bond with Suigetsu, which has kept him from arguing every minute of every day. You're rivalry with Karin has surprisingly made her less annoying. And, I can tell that Jugo is fond of you, even if he doesn't speak up much. Not to mention..."

He let his words trail off as he looked down at the sake he would inevitably have to drink, his mind becoming distracted while he took a deep breath.

"Not to mention, what?" I asked with a playful smirk, slightly curious as to what he was going to say. He kept his gaze lowered.

"Not to mention that you're a powerful, completely capable kunoichi," he said, stumbling slightly over the word 'kunoichi' as the alcohol effected his words. "And also, you're someone who I respect."

Okay, now I was starting to doubt if the sake was actually making Sasuke more honest after all. I mean, really? Sasuke admitting that he respects someone like me? Sure, that's totally believable.

I shook my head slowly as I brought the small ceramic cup to my lips, throwing my head back once more. The sake stung slightly, a sign that I was sobering up due to the conversation, and I immediately poured another to combat my clearing mind. 

"I find that hard to believe," I admitted after finishing my second cup. Sasuke was in the middle of a grimace as he finished his as well. "Why wouldn't you let me save my family... if you respect me so much?"

Bringing this subject up was risky, but it had to be done. If Sasuke was in the sharing mood, then I needed to know. I needed to know why he allowed me to suffer so much.

There was a long pause, and for a while I almost thought that he wouldn't answer me. As I looked back up at him, I realized that he couldn't meet my eye any longer and his face was an open book now. He seemed convincingly distraught, like he was having a war within his own mind.

"I really am s-sorry about how I handled that," he painfully stuttered over his apology as he looked me in the eye once more. His face was flushed with what seemed like embarrassment, causing my heart to jump into my throat. "I know full well what I caused you to go through, but at the time I thought that my decision was the only option. I'm a selfish person Ayuka, and I allowed my goals to out weight the importance of human life. I hope that we both can move forward from this."

It was about a minute later when I realized that my mouth had fallen open due to the shock of his words. Was he really serious? Could I trust anything he was saying while he was in this state? I knew in my heart that I didn't want to forgive him, I could feel the echo of pain still there, but I couldn't ignore his pained voice. I couldn't ignore the slightly scared expression hidden behind his dangerous eyes.

I allowed a small smile to form on my features as I tipped the sake bottle over into our cups once more. I handed him his share and lifted mine in the air in front of him.

"To moving forward," I slurred, feeling my cheeks turn red again as he greeted my smile with his own.

"To moving forward."