Merry Christmas!!!! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and got great presents! Personally, I don't celebrate Christmas with my family, but I got some great gifts from my friends, so I'm really happy! This is a short chapter just because I thought it was appropriate to end on this note, but if everything goes well maybe two chapters will be up this week. Who knows? Anyway, here is chapter 8!

            Sasuke reentered the forest, and he felt as if a wave of energy had passed over him. His wound returned to only throbbing, and sending occasional spikes of pain if he moved too much, but this did nothing much to change the numb state he had been in ever since he had overheard that Sakura's mom was dying. He couldn't figure out for the life of him why he was reacting this way; he barely even knew the girl, but for some reason she had moved something inside of him, had moved it enough to make his inner make an appearance after so many years.

            He entered the clearing, and as soon as he did, Naruto sat up.

            "So, you weren't gone long. Did you change your mind about stalking the girl who saved your life and mine?" Naruto asked purposefully.

            Sasuke said nothing, and sat, lying down beside him. He put his arm over his eyes, and ignored Naruto ranting about his change of conscience to the best of his ability. So what? Sakura's family life didn't concern him. She didn't concern him. So why was he feeling so bad about her situation? Why did he care? He clenched his fist involuntarily. How after one meeting did this girl manage to make him feel an emotion? Emotion was a useless characteristic of living beings in Sasuke's opinion. Emotions could hurt a person more than any physical wound could. But maybe it wasn't so much that he hated emotions, but that he just didn't know how to deal with his own. After all, emotions were what made up his parents, his brother, Naruto, Hinata, and everyone back home; they were what made them who they are, and he couldn't imagine them without their emotions. He just hated himself, but he didn't want to admit that to himself.

            Sasuke was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice that Naruto had gone unusually quiet. He lifted his arm slightly to look at him, and saw his cerulean blue eyes boring into his own onyx ones. "What?" Sasuke sighed.

            "You're acting strange, dattebayo," Naruto said.

            "How so?"

            "Well, I don't know, but I can smell that something's off with you," Naruto said, tapping his nose.

            "You can smell that something's wrong?" Sasuke asked incredulously. This was a new one.

            "Yup."

            "Listen, I know you're a jinchuriki and all, but don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

            "Shhh," Naruto said, holding a finger to Sasuke's lips. "Don't underestimate Kurama's and my senses."

            Sasuke rolled his eyes and swatted at Naruto's finger.

            "Now tell me. What happened while you were out stalking Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, eyes sparkling looking like a schoolgirl waiting for gossip.

            "Nothing. It's none of your business, dobe," Sasuke said, turning away from him.

            "Um, actually it is my business because you decided to stalk my childhood friend. Come on. Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me," Naruto repeated over and over again.

            Sasuke ignored him until he could no more. Naruto was seriously stubborn, possibly even more stubborn than he was, and when he wanted to push Sasuke's buttons nothing would stop him.

            "I heard that Sakura's mother is dying, okay!" he snapped. "And it's making me feel all weird inside! There, happy?"

            Naruto's mouth closed immediately and he stared at him shell-shocked.

            "What?" he murmured. "Sakura-chan's mother... but wait, Sakura-chan's an orphan..."

            "Yeah, well apparently she was adopted."

            "No way.... Sakura-chan... But wait! If we took her to Tsunade-baachan, she might be able to cue her right?" Naruto piped up hopefully.

            "By the time we get healed up enough to get out of here since we have no idea how long it'll take to get our regenerative abilities back, and how long the voyage back would be, she might not make it since we don't even know how long she has left. Not to mention the fact that we're in the middle of a war, and could be attacked at any time," Sasuke responded coldly. He knew he was being harsh but giving Naruto false hope wasn't good for him either.

            Naruto looked so sad that it made Sasuke feel as if he shouldn't have told him no matter how hard he had insisted. Because Naruto was such a god friend to him, Sasuke usually tried to avoid doing anything that might hurt, but apparently he had screwed up again. Sasuke knew he was one of the main sources of Naruto's pain; the idiot just never ceased to worry about him. Naruto had always been one who deeply felt his friends' pain, and took it as his own, even Sasuke's. He couldn't imagine how he was feeling right now. Gah, I really hate comforting people! He's supposed to be the positive one!

            Sasuke sat up and reached out, awkwardly patting Naruto on the back. They sat there like that for a long time, just wallowing in sadness until they both finally gave in to their fatigue and fell asleep.

Hope you enjoyed that little chapter. I know it's not in the Christmas spirit and all; it's actually quite depressing now that I think about it... Oh well. Again, I'll try to have the next chapter up within the week to make up for my very irregular updating schedule this past month or so. I'll also try for my other story Dragon Boy and Princess for those of you who read that one. Unfortunately, there won't be an update for that one today, but I will do my best. Again, Merry Christmasuuuu~~ See ya, my lovelies. Ja ne!