Broken Reflections

Author's Notes:  I actually managed to get two
chapters out in one month! Woo! I promise that anything confusing in
the story will be straightened out in the next few chapters. :)
I
will say that if you aren't reading the manga, parts may not make sense
completely, because I've based some things off of ideas introduced in
the more recent chapters of the manga. But don't worry -- if you have a
question you can email me (gmail, scythehaven), I'll answer it for you.


Warnings:  Spoilers (c295+), Sexuality


Chapter Status:  COMPLETE


-----

Naruto rolled over and sighed contentedly. The warmth still
lingered beside him, even if the person it belonged to was no longer
there. He felt at peace, happy, and above all else: loved. He stretched
his arms wide above his head and collided with something that produced
a loud grunt. His blue eyes slowly batted open and searched for what
his fist had hit; it only took a moment for his eyes to come to rest
upon his old friend’s face which was scrunched up in pain. “Nice to see
you again too,” Shikamaru grumbled as he gingerly rubbed his reddened
cheek.


“Sorry, I --”

“You’ve been out for three days. I was beginning to wonder if
you’d ever wake up -- lazy.” Shikamaru tried to hide his happy grin
behind a bored glare, but ended up looking very comical. Naruto watched
as his long time friend leaned over and dug around in a satchel which
was propped up against the leg of his chair.


“Have I missed much?”


“Not really. Just Sasuke, Kakashi, and Jiraiya took a team out to Orochimaru’s old research center to have a lo--”

“What!?” Naruto threw the covers off into the floor and leapt from
the bed, only to crumple in an undignified heap next to Shikamaru’s
feet. It felt as if every ounce of strength had been zapped from his
body instantly. Gone were the feelings of warmth and love which he had
experienced while asleep, replaced by cold sadness and a strong
yearning to see Sasuke. From what seemed miles away, Shikamaru had
called out his name. There was a screeching noise that made his head
feel as if it were being ripped in two, and then arms were tugging him
back onto his feet and forcing him back into the bed. He kept his eyes
tightly shut, trying to put a stop to the spinning sensation which had
begun the moment he had been lifted into a standing position. What was
wrong with him? Why had he felt fine just a few moments before, but now
felt as if he were falling apart? He only partially registered the fact
that Shikamaru had told him he was going to fetch the doctor, and so he
was surprised when an old man with a thick gray mustache and little
hair on his forehead was bending over him shining an excruciatingly
bright light into each of his eyes.

“So he had another spell, eh?” The doctor’s voice croaked a bit on
the last word, and Naruto had a passing thought that the man must be
far older than Jiraiya, which in his mind made him ancient. For a
moment Naruto closed his mind to the voices filling his ears and rolled
his head toward the warm Spring light which was streaming in through
the open window. Why, he did not know, but he felt as though if he were
to open his eyes he would be back in the Tokyo apartment, Sasuke would
probably be in the small kitchen fixing breakfast. The thought warmed
the places which had gone cold only moments before, and a small smile
began to grow on his face. He wanted to be back there. He didn’t want
to be there in that cold hospital room, especially with the new
knowledge that Sasuke was away from him. Far away where he couldn’t
keep a close eye on him. What if something happened to him? It would be
his fault, because he wasn’t there to watch his back like always.

“Naruto?” He could feel someone leaning over him, breaking through
his happy thoughts. Angrily he rolled over and glared up at the
doctor’s face, who turned to Shikamaru. “I believe he will be okay for
now, but we’ll definitely need to keep a close eye on him. As I said
before he seems to be suffering a bit of a shock for some reason.
Perhaps you could persuade him to tell you about it -- better than I
could.” Naruto puzzled over what the doctor had just said as the old
man shuffled his way out of the room.

“Shikamaru, what was he talking about? Better than he could? What
did he try to do?” His friend scooted his foot against the tiled floor,
obviously debating whether or not he should divulge the information on
that subject or not. “Shikamaru,” Naruto growled quietly.

“Okay, okay. You’re such trouble.” He rolled his eyes and plopped
back down into the metal and wood chair before he began his
explanation. “Well, the day after you collapsed, the doctor came in and
you were wide awake. But -- well you weren’t exactly acting like
yourself. You kept begging to see Sasuke. You said that he needed to
know something, and it was very important. But whenever the doctor
would ask you to calm down and tell him what it was so that the message
could be delivered to Sasuke ... well you’d freak out and start
growling. -- Like a monster.”


Naruto shifted uncomfortably. “A -- a monster?”


“Yeah, you pretty much freaked everyone out. I thought Hinata was going to faint.”

“When you say, ‘monster,’ you mean like when I would merge with
the Kyuubi?” Naruto closed his eyes unable to look at Shikamaru as he
answered. He had managed, albeit with some difficulty, to finally
control the nine-tailed demon which resided within him, but this news
disturbed him. If it was the Kyuubi, then what had happened to that
precious control he had developed? After a few moments of silence
Naruto opened one eye and peered sideways at his friend, who was just
gazing back at him, a look of concentration on his face. “Well?” Naruto
asked impatiently.

“I’m thinking!” Shikamaru scratched his nose as he thought back to
the day when they had all been in the room with Naruto, it had been the
day that Kakashi’s team had left for the abandoned research lab. “No,
it actually reminded me of -- well okay, yeah. It sounded definitely
like the same growl you used to produce when you were becoming too
intertwined with the Kyuubi.” He hadn’t wanted to say that, but the
angry look which had momentarily popped onto Naruto’s face had caused
him to change his mind. “Sorry, Naruto. I know how hard you worked to
prevent that from ever happening again, but the upside is that it only
happened once.” Naruto grunted softly, and turned his head to gaze out
the window. Shikamaru let out a long sigh as he realized that his
friend was silently saying that he wanted to be alone. He rose slowly
from his chair, and turned to leave, saying only a soft, ‘see ya’ as he
shut the door behind him.

Naruto’s mind drifted back to that wonderful warm feeling which he
had experienced prior to waking that day. Had he been dreaming? It had
felt so real, that warmth surrounding every inch of his being. A shiver
ran over him, despite the warmth of the room. Pulling the covers up to
his chin, he curled into a ball and closed his eyes, hoping that he
would have that same warm dream once more.


-----

Sasuke stood outside the old research center, reaching out with his
senses hoping that he could tell what lay inside. However, all he could
sense were his surrounding team members.


“Anything?” Kakashi asked quietly from behind Sasuke.

“I can only tell who’s with me. But, this place is still sealed up
well -- it could be that whoever we’re looking for is locked away deep
inside the structure.” Sasuke stood stock still for a moment listening
to the soft sounds which were seeping from the building. There was
definitely something in there, and it seemed to be calling to him. A
sudden chill ran through him as bent to pick up his traveling pack.
Could it be true? Was he
still alive and waiting for him? Kakashi seemed to pick up on Sasuke’s
unease, because he gently laid a comforting hand on the younger man’s
shoulder.


“Don’t worry, we’ll be right with you. If it is him, he won’t get you again.”

“I don’t have any reason to go with him anymore. It’s,” he
hesitated wondering whether or not he could trust everyone with his
innermost fears. Something inside him told him to tell everyone, that
it would be safer for them to know. “It’s just ... something I sensed
right before I reversed his body transfer jutsu. It was as if he told
me that he’ll always return, but he didn’t actually voice it out loud.”
He could feel everyone’s inquisitive eyes rest upon him. That was the
first time he had ever spoken aloud about that strange moment right
before he had put a stop to Orochimaru’s nasty little jutsu.

“Hmm ... well, then we’d best get inside and stick together. If
he’s in there, the six of us should be able to stop him.” Jiraiya
glanced around at the team. Neiji, Kiba, and Shino had all come along
to aid in the search, each one with a specialized ability that would
help immensely with locating anyone hiding within the research lab.
Shino was to mark the entrance in case they became lost deep within and
the byakugan couldn’t locate the exit. Kiba and Akamaru’s sense of
smell was to aid them in making sure they could find anyone that may
get lost, also to alert them if something odd was ahead. Kiba’s
abilities paired with Neiji’s byakugan would prove quiet useful once
inside the dark structure. All of this made Sasuke feel immensely
useless. It was true that he had been there before, but the fact that
he couldn’t see, nor could he use the sharingan, made him feel like a
dead weight to the group.

“I think it might be best if we split into two groups. You,”
Kakashi indicated Jiraiya, “me, and Sasuke in one group. Then Neiji,
Kiba, and Shino in the other. Shino I think you should be in charge,”
he added quickly before Kiba could claim the commanding role.


“But ...” Kiba opened his mouth in protest, but Kakashi cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“You’ll be busy working through all the scents inside. You’re not
an academy student anymore Kiba -- you aided in the war against
Akatsuki, I think you should know how a team works by now.” Kiba nodded
obediently, and set off with the other two members of his team. “Well
then, I guess we’re off. Looks like they took the west wing of the
building. We’ll go east. Sasuke, do you remember what was in the east
wing?”

His nod was barely perceptible. “I do. That’s where all the
experimenting was done. The west wing was just research labs and
libraries.” Sasuke’s shame washed over him chilling him to the bone. He
hadn’t regretting having things done to him at the time, but now -- he
wished he could go back and change much of it. Shakily, he began to
follow Kakashi’s presence inside the building, hoping that they
wouldn’t find what he felt was there waiting for him.


-----

Naruto felt an arm slide lazily against his ribcage. He snuggled
backward into the welcoming warmth and sighed. Nothing could harm him
there within the protective circle of the other’s arms. “Sasuke.” It
was more of a moan than an actual spoken word. Slowly Naruto peeled one
eye open and gazed down at the arm draped over him. Just above the
wrist was an odd tattoo. Naruto lightly traced it with his fingertips,
as he did so, hot breath blew across his earlobe as a kiss was brushed
against it’s softness. A bright smile flit across his face as he turned
to face the man laying beside him. He was propped up on his elbow,
gazing intensely down at his bed companion.

“Naruto -- I ...” He stopped and swallowed hard, his adam’s apple
catching Naruto’s eye. It was as if he had never actually stopped and
looked at Sasuke before. The way his skin was paler than his, softer
than his. The way the light would catch his dark eyes and add a carmel
color to them. The way his bottom lip was fuller than the top, and
utterly kissable.

Naruto rested his hand on Sasuke’s muscular chest and allowed it
to slide down until it was resting only inches away from where their
bodies touched most intimately. He didn’t want to talk, he wanted to
kiss Sasuke, to touch him, to be touched by him. He finally knew what
had always pulled him toward his friend. It was more than the intense
bond of friendship which they shared, but love. His pure love for his
friend that had spilled over into attraction, but why had it taken him
so long to realize this? What would have happened if he had learned of
his true feelings before Sasuke had run off to join Orochimaru?
Suddenly the warmth disappeared and he was back in his cold hospital
bed. He could feel a set of eyes boring into the side of his face from
beside his bed. Naruto turned slowly to see a young girl who remarkably
resembled Tsunade.


With a start, Naruto jumped up and promptly fell to the tiled floor with a solid ‘thump.’ “Wh-wh-who are you?!”

“Shhh,” she placed a delicate finger to her pursed lips. “What did
you see?” She had rounded the bed and stood over Naruto, her arms
crossed against her chest and a look of pure curiosity on her face.

“Whattaya mean?” Her soft giggle made his skin crawl. He had heard
that sound before somewhere, but couldn’t quite place it. She bent down
and was staring fixedly at something on the floor near him. “What?!”
Naruto begged with a touch of annoyance.

The girl laughed again and pointed at where she had been looking.
“Well, it had to have been pretty good for you to be sporting that.” He
looked down and with a flush of embarrassment quickly pulled his sheet
over his lower half. Despite the fact he was wearing pajamas, it was
still obvious that he was quite aroused. She laughed again.

“Look,” he began not attempting to restrain his anger. “Why are
you here?” She shrugged and walked over to the far side of the room,
where the windows looked out over the rooftops of Konoha.

“You were dreaming of Sasuke. What if I told you that it could be
real?” His anger vanished at once. The prospect of actually having what
he had experienced would be wonderful, but he knew there was a catch.
This person was not to be trusted, but he wasn’t sure why he asked her
how. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and her
smile showed that she could tell he regretted asking. “Easy. The other
Sasuke loves you.”


“No, not me -- he loves his Naruto. I won’t take that away
from him. I may not understand a lot of things, but I do know that it’s
not healthy to replace the dead with a duplicate.” A moment of
annoyance flashed across her face, but she quickly hid it with a
saccharine sweet smile.

“Well, it’s your loss, because the other Sasuke doesn’t like boys.
He’d rather have a girl warm his bed.” Her grin turned sinister as
Naruto slowly lowered his head in an attempt to hide his
disappointment. However, at the sound of the next words spoken, his
head snapped back up and his stomach felt as if it were trying to turn
itself inside out. The girl smiled brighter than she had yet as she
spoke, “Namely -- Sakura.”

A soft grunting sound issued from his mouth, he was speechless.
The girl threw her head back and laughed. “Oh yes, Naruto. I’m sure
you’ve noticed how much closer they’ve been since Sasuke came back.”
Images flitted across his mind of Sasuke and Sakura huddled together
laughing. Of the two talking and then stopping as soon as Naruto came
close. The girl was right, they didn’t want him in the circle. “See.
You’ve known it all along. That was why you ended up in Tokyo with the
other Sasuke. He wants you. The other does not.”

It felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest. He could
barely breathe. Why hadn’t Sakura or Sasuke told him?! It wasn’t as if
he would stand in their way, surely they had known that. Although,
would he have felt crushed then? Would he have known that he loved
Sasuke above all others at that time? He looked up, a question ready on
his mouth, when he saw the girl vanish out the open window. Slowly,
Naruto pulled himself onto his feet, and ran to the spot which she had
just vacated. She was nowhere to be found, but if his senses had been
right, she was quite powerful. More than likely, she was miles away by
now.

With a heavy sigh, Naruto walked back to his bed and sat down with
his back to the door. The bright sunshine streaming into his room
seemed to mock his feelings. He needed to talk to Sasuke, but he was
away on a mission. Naruto refused to talk to Sakura, he was too angry
with her. So he would just have to wait until the team returned. A soft
knock pulled him from his thoughts, and he quietly bade the person to
come in.

The door swung open and closed softly. “I brought you some ramen.
Well, I had to sneak it in.” Naruto’s head whipped around at the sound
of the deep voice. It was Sasuke -- the one from Japan.

“Sa-sasuke!” Naruto beamed with joy. Suddenly his heart felt
lighter to see this person standing so close by. Hope began to fill him
as he gazed into those familiar dark brown eyes. Sasuke smiled at him
as he sat down beside the bed, the bag containing the ramen bowl held
out for Naruto.


“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”

Naruto paused in the opening of the take-out bag. He wasn’t
actually feeling better, just a bit relieved that he had this Sasuke to
speak with. To see what he thought of his dreams. “Not really,” he
began slowly. “I -- Sasuke, I’ve been having some odd dreams.”

Sasuke’s brow drew together as he watched Naruto. He wasn’t
looking at him, a sign that Naruto was worried about something. With a
soft chuckle Sasuke reached out a comforting hand. “You know you can
tell me anything. I’m not sure what the Sasuke you grew up with would
say, but I’ll listen to you no matter what.”

It was Naruto’s turn to furrow his brow. “The other Sasuke would
listen to me to! No matter how dumb what I had to say was -- he always
listened.” The last part had been but a mere whisper. That same feeling
of a heavy weight resting upon his heart returned. It was true, Sasuke
had been one of the best friend’s in the whole world, and at the moment
he dearly missed him even if technically he was sitting right next to
him.


“Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that. What’s bothering you so much?”

Naruto stared down at his bowl of ramen as he spoke. “I --
nothing.” He raised his head and gave a convincing smile that anyone
but Sasuke would have believed. Luckily for him, Sasuke chose not to
push and the two eased into a casual conversation, but the sensations
caused by the dreams and the words which the girl had spoken lingered
inside Naruto’s mind. He could easily tell this Sasuke, who was being
very attentive and caring that he loved him, but it wasn’t him
that he loved. Every time Naruto’s brain would point that out to him,
an empty feeling would well up inside his heart. This Sasuke belonged
to the other Naruto, he was not nor had he ever been, his.

“You love him.” This bald statement caused Naruto to quickly stare
down at his now empty ramen bowl. He couldn’t meet the sadness which
was filling those all too familiar eyes.

“Yeah. I do -- although I didn’t realize that I did. I always
thought, that he was my best friend and nothing more, but -- I can’t
stand the thoughts of not having him near me. Those dreams, they’ve
been about me and him. In them we’re together, and I feel happy. It all
feels right, but then when I wake up -- I ... well I feel sad. Like
part of me is missing.

“When you came in here, I thought about telling you that I wanted
to be with you. Since I know that you like boys, and technically you are
Sasuke. But I couldn’t do it. You’re not the one I’m in love with.”
Naruto chanced a glance in the other’s direction. His face was stone
still, not a hint of expression upon its surface. Sasuke slowly rose
from his seat and leaned over Naruto. His lean fingers slid under
Naruto’s chin and pushed his face toward his own. When his lips touched
his own, Naruto could feel the sadness and the anguish of Sasuke’s
loss. It was impressive how he was holding it all in check, and yet the
kiss did stir something deep within Naruto. He found himself giving
into the gentle yet demanding pressure of Sasuke’s full lips. Suddenly
he yearned to heal those wounds of the other man’s heart, so it didn’t
take much to encourage Naruto to lay back on the cot as Sasuke slowly
climbed in and laid against him.


-----

Sasuke’s team rounded a tight corner which he could tell by the
newly hollow sounds was obviously a large open area. “That’s odd.”
Jiraiya was moving away from the group of three, from the sounds of his
footfalls, Sasuke could tell that he seemed to have a destination.

“Hmm ... it is odd that it’s the only thing in this room. But most
of what used to be here was probably moved out.” Kakashi had begun to
follow Jiraiya, and so Sasuke decided to as well.


“What?”

“Well, it’s a piece of glass in an ornate standing frame. Almost
like a mirror’s frame, but it’s an ordinary piece of glass.” Kakashi
was walking around the glass taking note of anything unusual, but
finding nothing.

Sasuke came to a stop about a foot away from the glass. Something
told him that he needed to take off the piece of silk that protected
his unseeing eyes. As he slowly opened his eyes, images began to flood
through his mind. He could see Naruto smiling at him. Warmth spread
through him at the sight of that smile. It felt as though it had been
years since he had last glimpsed that bright happy image. Then someone
moved into the scene next to Naruto, it was himself. Although,
something wasn’t right. Naruto was turning to him, and soon the two
were embracing. Why did he suddenly feel rage and fear? He concentrated
on the Sasuke holding Naruto. There was no tattoo upon his left arm. It
wasn’t him.

Sasuke could feel his lungs constricting, and his heart felt as
though it were trying to leap out of his chest. What was Naruto doing?!
No! If he wanted him, why hadn’t he said so?! “That’s not me!! No!!
Naruto!!” A fleeting image of two bodies twined together seared itself
into his memory as he crumpled onto the dirt covered floor.

“Mine was taken from me -- so I’m taking yours.” The sound of his
own voice echoed mockingly in his ears. It couldn’t be true. It just
couldn’t. Why was he seeing this? Had being back inside this place
somehow triggered a vision of his worse fears?

“Sasuke!” Both Jiraiya and Kakashi were trying to help him back
onto his feet. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. Embarrassed, he
angrily pushed away the helping hands and stumbled across the floor
until he reached a wall. There he leaned with his back to his
companions and attempted to put a reign on his emotions. If whoever was
behind everything was inside that place, Sasuke swore that he was going
to find him -- and punish him.


-------------


Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump