Sunlight in a Dark Room

Author's Note: Hi everyone. :D I'm so sorry for not having this up sooner. It was being rather difficult. XD; Much thanks to my beta, AmuseMe. *huggles* ^^ You are fantastic. :D

I'm not completely happy with the chapter. *sigh* So I do hope you all like it. ^^ The story is actually almost done. There are maybe 6 or 8 chapters left approximately. And an epilogue. I might need one of those. :P Hopefully they won't take as long as this one did. ^^;;;

Review Responses:

Kamikyo: Thank you. ^^ *hearts Sai* He's great and was so much fun to write. :P The seal will be dealt with within the next three chapters hopefully. I'm really excited about finally getting to it. The idea's been at the back of my mind since the fic started and I haven't written anything about it at all. 8D *happy*

Mitsuko: *laughs* I'm happy you liked it. 8D

AnA La PaNa83: Yeah, I'm really loving the manga right now. And it does seem that a clash between the three will happen soon. *cries* I don't want Itachi to die. I hope no one does...but Itachi's seems inevitable. As well as Deidara's. I love that guy. *heart* 8D And I have to say, Sasuke is looking pretty damn good. *gets hit* XDDDD

hina88: Thank you. :D I'm still not too confident in the 'suggestive scenes' area so that means a lot. ^______^ I'm really happy you liked it. :D

I know. D: I'm really giving Sasuke a hard time. Poor guy. ;_; As the story progressed, I feel more and more bad for him. :(

Sai is so much fun. :D He was trained well. *nods* :P

I don't think you have to worry about the end. I suppose it depends though, but I hope people will like it. Yup, I found that guilt comes hand in hand with this pairing. Someone is bound to get the short end of the stick and suffer. D: *cries* But even knowing that, ItaNaru became a favourite for me. :D So, I'm really happy that you are coming to like this pairing. ^_______^ You totally made my day. ;D

Thanks so much. :D

FallenGoddessOfBattle: *hearts Itachi* He's got a bit of a ways to go, but he's defintely getting somewhere. 8D I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter. ^_____^

Sancta: *laughs* Thank you. ^_____^ *swoons* Those two need to kiss more often. *tries to restrain self* LOL.

Astrid: LOL!!! They can't. 8D *gets hit* If Sasuke does indeed find out, the outcome will definitely not be pretty. D: *laughs* Sai's just learning. :P Hopefully. XDDD Thank you. ^______^

SchizoIori: Thanks so much. I'm happy to hear that you are still enjoying the story. :D

kkk: Ack. Apologies. D: Heh. I probably would have skipped it too. :P I really don't mean for the cliffies to happen, they just do. It actually kind of surprises me too. They just pop up out of nowhere. O_O; LOL! A Root Manual. I think that would have been better than the Icha book. *dead* XDDD Kakashi is training Sai well. *nod nod*

The kisses are hard to write. I do plan on having a lemon or two soon and I'm really worried. Those are not my forte. But my beta has kindly offered to help me with it. Woo! I'm happy you liked the kiss scenes. ^______^

XD Itachi likes challenges. *heart* LOL. Go kkk go! *cheers you on* XDDD

Thank you and you're very welcome. ^________^

Mey: Thank you. XD I'm happy you enjoyed this chapter as well. LOL. You're awesome. XD I love the fact that Naruto has next no self control. If he didn't have any, I don't this fic would have worked out. *hearts him* :D

Kags21: Thank you. :D

oliea34: I'm happy you liked it. :D

Amaya: Awww, I think your review got cut off. D: But I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter. :D

Crimson2006: Thanks so much. :D I hope you enjoy the update. ^^

ProstoChudo: Thank you for your wonderful comment. I'm so happy you like the story. :D

Princezz: I'm looking forward to more too. Thanks. :D

tortured_insanity: I'm happy to hear that you enjoy the story. :D It is a rare pairing. I'd love to see more ItaNaru fics. ^_______^ Thank you. :D

Justdancing: YAY! I'm so glad that you like it. I really hope you come to like this pairing. ^____^

Bone-Iky: Thank you for taking the time to translate the story and read it. ^^ *hug* I'm glad you liked it. :D

Imperial Mint: Thank ya muchly. I'm happy you enjoyed it. :D

Once again, I apologize for sounding so repetitive with my responses. It's actually the second time I had to respond to them because my super awesome laptop somehow went to the previous page and I lost all of the responses. *cries*

I really hope everyone enjoys this chapter.^^
~*~*~*~

Chapter 10 – Black Ice

“Alright now, boys and girl. Are we ready to go?” Jiraiya asked cheerfully. It was half an hour before sunrise and neither of the Konoha nin were fully awake. The group made it a priority to keep their distance from Sasuke. The murderous aura that was radiating off him was enough to keep even Jiraiya away.

Sai was standing off to the side further away from his companions. He had been thinking about the information he had received from the woman the day before. The descriptions fit and he was positive that Naruto and the elder Uchiha had stayed at that inn. What he wasn’t so sure about was whether or not he should tell the rest of the group. As long as they continued in the right direction, Sai supposed that the others didn’t have to know. Either way, he would end up telling them sooner or later.

As Sai was silently debating his situation, he almost failed to notice the presence behind him. Instantly, he flashed the Kazekage a smile and greeted him.

“It’s a lovely morning, don’t you think, Kazekage-sama?”

Gaara ignored Sai’s question.

“Why are you so quiet this morning?”

Sai glanced over the redhead’s shoulder towards their companions. Jiraiya and Sakura were going over where they should go next and Sasuke seemed to still be fuming. Looking back at Gaara, Sai smiled.

“Aren’t I always quiet, Kazekage-sama?”

“You seem…odd this morning,” the redhead stated, “You know something.”

It was an accusation. Gaara had been observing Sai’s behaviour since he had returned from wherever he had gone the day before. From his experience with Naruto’s friend, Sai was not one to randomly take off without a reason. It was unlike him.

“Why, I know a lot of things, Kazekage-sama,” he leaned forward and whispered into the shorter man‘s ear, “and yet, not enough.”

Gaara’s eyes widened slightly before glaring at the man in front of him.

“Where is he?” Gaara spoke only loud enough for Sai to hear.

“I don’t know, but we are going in the right direction,” Sai said as he stepped away from the redhead.

Gaara nodded and walked back to where Jiraiya and Sakura were standing. Sai watched him for a moment. It didn’t take the Kazekage long to catch on and Sai was curious about how long it would take the Uchiha to figure him out. Well, as long as one of them knew besides himself, then it would be okay to keep it quiet.

If they didn’t find Naruto before their time limit expired, Sai would divulge the rest of the team with his information. Although, he did expect a volatile reaction from the Uchiha when he did finally decide to tell them.

~*~

It had taken a few more days to reach the border of the Rice Country. The Sound. Naruto had not been to the area since he had brought Sasuke home and he had hoped that he’d never have to again. Being in the Sound was forcing forgotten memories to resurface. Memories that Naruto had hoped he would never have to deal with again.

But to his utter chagrin, life seemed to have a way to come back and kick him in the ass.

Unlike most changes in Naruto’s behavior, this one was faint; barely perceivable. But Itachi had noticed it right away. The moment they stepped within the boundaries of the Sound, Naruto had said nothing.

Not a word.

The Uchiha would hear a soft sigh every now and then. He would look back at Naruto who would only shake his head at him and turn his lips up in an attempt to smile before turning away. Itachi was aware of what had transpired between Naruto, Sasuke and Orochimaru three years ago. He knew in detail actually and it appeared that it had almost broken Naruto.

Foolish little brother. He had thought his younger sibling would have been smart enough not to rely on a higher power to achieve his goals; to survive. He had tried to ensure that Sasuke would reach a degree of potential far greater than his own. But even now, after everything, Itachi knew that Sasuke was still nowhere near his level.

“We really had to come through here, Itachi?” Naruto’s quiet voice broke the Uchiha’s thoughts.

“Hn. It would take too long to go around.”

“Do you plan on explaining where we’re going and why exactly?” Naruto made an attempt to get some information, “I mean, it’s not like it would matter if I knew or not.”

Itachi merely glanced at the blond before turning his attention back to the road.

“You don’t need to know.”

“What the hell do you mean, ‘I don’t need to know’?” Naruto shot back, a sudden burst of anger and frustration overflowing his patience with the older man.

And it had definitely caught Itachi’s attention. The Uchiha stopped walking and turned to scrutinize the blond. His stare was like ice and fire at the same time. Or so Naruto thought. Intimidating and deliberate; meant to coerce Naruto back into silence.

Capricious authority.

That fucking bastard.

“You’re not scaring anyone with that look of yours, asshole,” the blond stated matter of factly as he crossed his arms and turned his nose up.

It was an action that turned out to be a mistake.

In that instant, Naruto found himself forced to the ground with a heavy body astride his own and a strong, pale hand wrapped around his throat.

“It wouldn’t, would it?” Itachi mused.

The tomoes within his crimson eyes spun wildly, almost out of control. Something that Naruto thought suited the elder Uchiha. It felt like a natural untamed side to his captor that no one, he figured, had the opportunity to ever witness. Itachi was angry. Angered at him, Naruto. And it was so easy to accomplish. Naruto wanted to test his limits. He wanted to see what Itachi would do if he pressed the right buttons.

“You can kill me now, you know?” Naruto whispered.

“I am aware of that,” was Itachi’s quiet reply.

“Why don’t you?”

“You are needed alive.”

“You mean the fox is needed alive.”

A statement. A fact.

“Indeed.”

“Nothing more?”

“What more is needed, Naruto?”

The blond had not expected that answer. That question. The realization that he was alone hit him hard. Alone with a man so similar to himself and yet wasn’t. An unfathomable distance separated them because they were so different. But neither of the two was aware of the base to the bridge being built connecting them from the other side. It was a slow and delicate construction that, once completed, would be indestructible.

Naruto let his hand slide up Itachi’s arm. It was a soft and innocent gesture, meant to relax the older man.

“You should ask yourself the same question,” Naruto murmured.

He let his fingers graze his captor’s neck.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Uzumaki.”

Itachi finally loosened his hold on Naruto’s neck.

“As are you, Old Man.”

The hated nickname was what calmed the situation. Itachi took his hand off the blonds’ neck and rested it on the ground next to Naruto’s head.

“You are troublesome.”

Naruto chuckled, “Did you expect anything less?”

“Hn.”

Itachi stood up and offered a hand to the younger man below him. Taking the offered appendage, Naruto got up off the ground and attempted to remove the dirt that had accumulated on his clothing.

So the bastard wasn’t going to answer. He can deal with that.

For now.

“Hey, Old Man. Can we stop to eat something?”

The mischievous blond could not help but notice the sudden stiffness in Itachi’s shoulders and the glare directed at him. It wasn’t much but it was enough to satisfy Naruto’s albeit small form of vengeance on Itachi for pissing him off.

“No.”

“Eh? Why not?” Naruto pouted. He felt better.

Itachi glanced over to his companion and almost smirked. Almost. A small part of the Uchiha felt more at ease to see that the blond was somewhat back to being himself even after their little ‘argument’.

“There is a town about two miles ahead of us. We will stop there.”

Naruto appeared to think over the new information for a moment before chuckling.

Normally, Itachi would have paid him no mind. Naruto, he had discovered, was very easily amused and often laughed to himself. It was the grin and sparkling blue eyes accompanied with the familiar sniggers that caught his interest. He flashed the blond a questioning look that only served to cause Naruto to laugh harder. At his expense he assumed.

“What is it?”

“I just noticed something,” was Naruto’s answer after he calmed down.

“Hn.”

“You stop in towns whenever we get the chance,” Naruto waited impatiently for Itachi’s response to that.

The Uchiha knew exactly where this was going.

The blond continued when the black haired man didn’t answer, “I’m almost starting to think that the infamous Uchiha Itachi doesn’t like to sleep outdoors.”

Naruto grinned as he stepped in front of Itachi, preventing the man from walking any further.

“Are you going to answer me or not, Old Man?”

“It is common for shinobi to stop in towns to rest,” Itachi frowned at the nickname. He was at a loss as to why it bothered him so much.

“Yes, it is common for shinobi to rest in towns during missions, but an S-class criminal and his captive in all but one town? It kind of makes you curious, doesn’t it?”

Naruto was ready to laugh again. And he idly wondered if anyone else was allowed to tease the elder Uchiha like this and get away with it.

He doubted it.

“Hn.”

Naruto smiled, “At least you’re honest about it, Itachi. I would have expected you not to mind the outdoors though. You are a shinobi after all. But you do live in a shit hole of a cave. Or should I say caves?”

The blond was starting to babble. It was rather bothersome, but Itachi knew Naruto was only trying to lighten the mood. Although it was at Itachi’s expense. For now, he skillfully zoned out his captive’s incessant talking, lowered his head a bit and brushed his lips against Naruto’s own. The reaction was instantaneous and achieved the desired result.

He shut up.

“Bastard. That‘s chea…”

Itachi’s breath ghosted along Naruto’s jaw before the blond felt teeth nip at his ear.

“You’re teasing me,” Naruto whispered.

“Yes,” Itachi answered honestly.

“Tch. Jerk.”

Itachi pulled back enough to look at Naruto, “You are troubled.”

The blond scoffed, “I’m troubled about a lot of things. You being the first. If you hadn’t noticed.”

The elder Uchiha shook his head and murmured, “Sasuke.”

Immediately, Naruto’s body tensed up and tried to step away from the Uchiha. His features had become downcast and he looked away from Itachi when he found he was trapped within a firm grip. Sasuke was the very person Naruto did not want to think about while they were within the boundaries of the Sound. He had long since forgiven him, but Naruto was sure the wounds would never heal.

“It’s nothing.”

Itachi barely heard the reply but it only served to fuel his interest.

“It’s not,” he stated as he tipped Naruto’s chin up to study his cheerless features, “What did he show you?”

The blond managed a weak smile and gently removed Itachi’s hand from his jaw.

“Some other time, Itachi,” Naruto managed to say before pulling out of his captor’s hold and continuing their walk through the Sound.

The Uchiha considered something before deciding to leave it at that. Whatever it was Sasuke had shown Naruto three years ago was something the blond never wanted to remember. It was something he had tried to forget. Having an idea at how Naruto’s mind worked, Itachi deduced that his captive will talk about it eventually.

Now that was intriguing.

Once again, he found that it irked him that Naruto was acting so sullen. But this time, he was starting to understand why.

Itachi was concerned.

~*~

It didn’t take them much longer to reach the small village. And for that, Naruto was grateful. The entire time after Itachi inquired about his sullen mood and Sasuke, the blond felt his captor watching him. To his utter dismay, the Uchiha was studying him and quite obviously too. To say Naruto was irritated was an understatement.

He was well aware of why he was acting this way and he didn’t want to think about it. Naruto wanted to leave.

The blond looked up at the sign of the inn they would be spending the night.

“Are you sure this is an inn?” Naruto frowned at the dank looking building.

It was rather small, much like everything else in the tiny town. The exterior planks were rotting and cracked and the windows were so blurred with dirt and grime that you couldn’t even see inside. There were several windows expelling light from inside, proving that people were present in the dilapidated structure. And only one lamp was lit outside at the front door. Probably out of courtesy to prospective customers. It was after sunset and the gloomy building seemed to reminisce a scene from a horror story Naruto had once read.

“Would you rather we camp tonight?” Itachi questioned.

Naruto went over the pros and cons of camping. He was all for staying at the cruddy inn when he thought of the possibility of running into Sound nin. Even after Orochimaru’s death there had been no peace treaty with the Sound Village. Only a grudge that’s lasted over three years and was still holding strong. Not to mention the constant warring between lords and the people.

“I’ll take the inn.”

And so it was decided.

Itachi had gotten them a room with two beds this time. The blond wasn’t too sure if he should feel relieved or disappointed with that. During his time spent with the elder Uchiha, he found that he rather enjoyed sleeping on Itachi’s shoulder.

He was warm. And comfortable. Even safe.

As oddly contradicting as it sounded and considering who exactly Itachi was, it was true. Naruto felt secure with his would be captor. And he really didn’t mind the quick and somewhat frequent kissing either. It was a rather pleasant bonus to his dire situation.

Naruto was aware that this…whatever it was between them would only last so long. Until what it was that Itachi was planning. Or had already planned. He chose not to think too much in that direction though. It really put a dampener on his mood and made him sulky and quiet. The latter, he noticed, Itachi disliked even more so than the former. Naruto also thought that it was better to just take what was given to him. Especially considering that neither of them was complaining in the least.

What they were at the moment, was comfortable and very welcome.

Naruto claimed the bed furthest from the window; his caution persuading his decision. The Sound is not, by any means, a safe place. Especially now, with all of the political turmoil resulting from being without an Otokage for a few years. The country was riddled with civil wars and senseless bloodshed, lies and deceit. It did appear that this area had not been affected; being so close to the border, but Naruto was concerned about traveling through the rest of the war stricken country.

“How long will it take to get out of the country?” Naruto asked quietly.

“If we travel through, two days,” Itachi answered as he sat down in the other bed, “If we stay along the border and avoid any unwanted situations, four days.”

Naruto pouted, “Damn Uchihas.”

Itachi was silent as he regarded the man now lying down on the bed opposite of him. He had learned a lot about Naruto during the short period of time spent with him and yet, not enough. The blond continued to surprise him, but he was beginning to comprehend all the unstable emotions that raged within him.

“It’s your eyes,” Itachi finally answered.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“They are what give you away, Naruto.”

The blond smiled warmly at the honest response.

“Maybe I should take a few pointers from you. After all, you play the cold hearted emotionless bastard part pretty well.”

“Hn. Get some rest,” Itachi said as he blatantly ignored the insult.

The blond nodded and reached for the small bag that Itachi carried. Digging through its contents, he found the scroll he needed and was about to perform the hand seals for extracting items out of the parchment, when a pale hand stopped his motions.

“Do not to use techniques that will attempt to access your chakra,” Itachi commanded.

And that’s what it was, a command.

“Do you mind telling me why?” Naruto frowned at the older man.

“In time, Naruto,” he replied as Naruto’s pyjamas and other necessities appeared in a pile on the bed, “Here.”

The blond took the offered items and walked into the small bathroom adjoining their room.

A bastard indeed.

~*~

Sasuke examined one of the nineteen bodies adorning the ground with distaste. It reeked. Jiraiya had guessed their time of death was less than a week ago. It was rather hard to tell, however. Considering that animals had gotten a hold of the easy game.

Ignoring the stench and focusing on the mess from the battle, it must have been one hell of a fight.

“There were four against one here,” Sasuke said aloud.

“There was another here skirmish here,” Sai reported, “Sixteen against one, maybe two.”

“An ambush,” Sakura suggested.

Her team mates nodded in agreement.

“The bodies are all missing nin,” Sai continued, “They wear no hitaiate, but carry shinobi weaponry.”

“They were a group of bandits whose plan went awry after they tried to prey on a quarry stronger than they were,” Jiraiya interrupted as he and Gaara walked up to the group, “Whoever they tried to mess with is highly skilled. There’s a bit of chakra residue heading east. Someone took off in a hurry. I’m guessing the weakest of the group got injured. And if my memory is correct, there is a town about two days east from here.”

“Is there really any reason we should be following these two individuals?” Sakura asked.

“Well, no,” Jiraiya answered honestly, “But they did leave, in a hurry I might add, in the direction we are headed, so there’s no harm in looking into it.”

“Where was the chakra residue?” Sasuke questioned the old man.

“Over there,” Jiraiya pointed.

Sasuke nodded and activated his Sharingan. It was nowhere near as good as the Byakungan at seeing chakra, but it increased his ability to sense it. Jiraiya had been correct in saying that whoever it was that defeated these men were highly skilled. The chakra signature was distorted, but the residue spoke in volumes. This person had used a vast amount of chakra for something. Probably a jutsu. Sasuke felt the hidden emotions of anger and frustration mingled into the slowly dissipating aura radiating off of the residue. There was also something else that he could not discern. A stronger emotion riddled with complication and conflicting feelings - concern.

Sasuke deactivated his bloodline limit and frowned. The people who were attacked here couldn’t be his brother and Naruto. This person seemed to really care about their companion. It was blatantly obvious judging from what he had learned from that residue.

The younger Uchiha turned back to his team mates, “There is no need to look into the survivors.”

“Can you give me a good reason as to why not, boy?” Jiraiya questioned.

“Naruto is our first priority,” Sasuke clipped, a little irritated that he had to state the obvious, “The residual emotions left with the chakra indicate strong feelings towards the weaker party. This can’t be them.”

“You’ve still got a lot to learn, Uchiha,” Jiraiya chuckled, “But you do make a good point. If we’re done here, we can head out.”

When he received four nods of ascension they all disappeared from the small battle zone.

~*~

Two days later, Sakura found herself wandering the hallways of a small hospital in the town they had arrived in earlier. It was a fraction of the size of Konoha’s, but it was very impressive. Especially considering the size of the village. There were only a couple of doctors that dealt with chakra while the rest relied on more traditional means of medical procedures.

This would be a good place to send medic nin students for their pre-graduation practicum. Now if only they could do something about the horrendous looking food in the cafeteria.

She quickly shoved her thoughts aside to focus on the task at hand. She was standing in front of a woman a little shorter than herself with brown hair and green eyes. Sasaki Ayuko, the resident physician of the hospital.

“You’re not pleased, Haruno-san?” Ayuko asked.

“No, no,” Sakura smiled at the other woman, “This place is wonderful. I’m actually thinking it would be a good idea to send some of our students here for training.”

The brown haired doctor’s eyes widened a fraction, glimmering with her utmost excitement of the prospect, “I agree. We will be in need of new doctors within the next few years. As you have seen, most of our physicians are almost ready to retire.”

Sakura laughed, “I will talk to my superior about it when I return to Konoha. I’m sure she’ll consent to the proposal so I will get in touch with you right away if all goes well.”

“Thank you so much, Haruno-san,” Ayuko motioned Sakura to follow her into a small office, “It’s been so long since we’ve had new doctors here. Your students will be well received and most welcome by both the hospital staff and the villagers.”

“It’s not a problem.” Sakura was glad to be able to help. Tsunade would definitely allow her to send a few students here for their practicum period. The pink haired girl would even come here for a short time.

“Well, I’ve shown you almost everything here, Haruno-san. Would you like to have some tea?” Ayuko asked, already preparing the kettle.

“Yes, thank you. And please, call me Sakura,” the kunoichi responded, “I do have to leave soon, but I was wondering if I could ask you some questions?”

“Okay, Sakura-san,” Ayuko beamed brightly, “Then you must call me Ayuko.”

“Agreed.”

“Oh, what would you like to know?”

“I was wondering if any wounded nin had been admitted into the hospital in the last week.” Sakura inquired.

Ayuko thought about it for a moment. She remembered the man that Naruto had been with was definitely a shinobi, but he had also given her aliases. Despite the blonds’ slip up and given her his real name. She was sure that the dark haired man did not want anyone to know they were here. The fake names were proof of that. But Sakura did not seem to pose any threat to them.

There was also the matter of doctor/patient confidentiality.

So she gave the pink haired girl her answer.

“Many wounded shinobi find their way here all of the time,” Ayuko answered.

“Recently though,” Sakura pushed, “I’m looking for my friend. His name is Naruto. He‘s kind of short, but taller than me, blond hair, blue eyes. Have you seen him?”

“As you are well aware, Sakura-san, ”Ayuko sighed,“ I cannot give out any names or information to you regarding patients here

The kunoichi nodded, “I understand. Thank you for your time, Ayuko-san. I will contact you once I’m back in Konoha.”

Sakura finished her last bit of tea and smiled at the smaller woman and moved to walk out the door.

“Sakura-san?” Ayuko spoke up before Sakura was out the door.

The kunoichi turned, “Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, Ayuko-san. Goodbye,” Sakura responded before leaving the room. She had to check and see if her team mates had found anything. If not, they were to leave immediately for the Sound.

She shuddered at the memory of Naruto’s retrieval of Sasuke. And she was sure Sasuke was not looking forward to returning to that particular part of his past.

~*~

Ayuko stared at the closed door after Sakura had left. She was not sure if she had made the right choice in not telling her new friend about Naruto. It was against her ethic and the hospital’s policies to reveal any information on her patients to outside sources. Unless it was life threatening. But Naruto did not seem to be in any sort of danger aside from being attacked as the dark haired man had said they were. Naruto and his companion appeared to be very close.

“I’m sure they will be fine,” she said aloud to herself, pouring some more tea into her cup. She idly watched the steam rise and dissipate into the cooler air above.

“After all, they do care for each other.”

~*~

“Naruto,” a familiar voice spoke through the darkness.

The blond stirred from his sleep and tried to find the warmth that…wasn’t where it should be. In fact, there was no warmth at all. It was bloody cold and Naruto growled his dislike of that small piece of information. Where was Itachi?

Wait. Where the hell was he?

“Naruto!” The voice barked.

Naruto opened his eyes and took in his surroundings and frowned at the change in scenery until he realized where exactly he was.

“Kyuubi?” He asked dumbly.

“Yes, it’s just me, Brat,” she answered, “Do you miss your Uchiha already? You were mumbling his name in your sleep.”

Naruto blushed, “Shut up. I was not.”

“Oh, deny it all you want, young one. But know this, I’m starting to gain my senses back and it feels as if you’re enjoying yourself out there.”

Naruto gaped at the fox but could say nothing. She was right, he was enjoying his time with Itachi. And she could feel it. How embarrassing.

“Don’t worry, I do try to block it out. But it has been getting rather difficult,” Kyuubi nodded towards the glowing orb, “The seal he put on you is starting to break.”

Naruto followed her gaze to the purple ball and had to walk closer to examine it. They watched as roguish flames managed to break free of the orb’s own gravitational pull and float away. The purple colour of the flames began to darken the further away from the seal they got. Naruto reached out to let a piece of the chakra fall onto the palm of his hand. The purple had darkened to black and Naruto watched in fascination as the black faded and split into the red and blue of his and Kyuubi’s chakra. He frowned at the third colour, a darker bluish green, and looked at the fox.

She answered before he could ask, “It’s your Uchiha’s chakra. It’s mixed in with ours. Interesting, isn’t it?”

Naruto studied the fire in his hand, “What do I do with it?”

“Watch,” was all the demon said.

To his amazement, the separated chakra started to seep into his hand. His body was absorbing it. Despite the small amount, it felt good to have some chakra in his system again.

“How long has this been happening?” Naruto asked.

“Not too long. The seal is still strong, but it is weakening. That’s why the chakra is escaping. There are tiny cracks in the seal which makes me assume that this seal was only supposed to hold for a short time.”

“The time it took for him to bring me to the base,” Naruto spoke quietly.

“Yes, until they extracted me.”

“How long is the seal going to last?” Naruto looked up at the demon.

“I’m not sure. As long as the seal holds and the chakra returns to us slowly, the outcome will be fine. If it breaks, I don’t think we’ll be able to survive. There is too much chakra stored in that orb to be taken in all at once. Even I won’t be strong enough to handle it. We’ve been without it for so long. It will be a shock to our systems and it will overload them. That is my prediction, anyways.”

“The four tails had turned to its wolf form when the seal backfired. Will that happen to us?”

“Who knows, Brat. Were you able to get any information out of the Uchiha?”

Naruto scratched the back of his head and averted his gaze before answering, “Not really.”

“Foolish brat. Well, I suggest you ask him when you wake up. It would be better for us if he knows that the seal is breaking. Then he might be able to do something about it.”

Naruto nodded, “What about our chakra? You said it’s mixing.”

“You saw it for yourself. It has separated but it’s not going back to its respective host. The Uchiha is quite powerful,” Kyuubi remarked, “His chakra is somewhat tainted but strong and yours is balancing it out enough so that mine doesn’t pollute it even more.”

The fox chuckled.

“You’ve become very strong. Even in this time of weakness, Naruto,” she commented with a hint of pride in her voice.

Naruto smiled up at her, “Thanks.”

“Brat. I’m exhausted now from this little meeting,” Kyuubi laid down and made herself comfortable before speaking again, “I’ll contact you when I’ve regained enough strength. Now, get lost.”

Naruto nodded and turned away from the giant cell allowing the darkness to envelope him until he found himself back in the inn room. He idly noticed the extra warmth of the room and sighed contentedly. It was when he shifted that Naruto realized why exactly it was so warm. Half of his torso was moving slowly and rhythmically in time with someone’s breathing. He looked up to see Itachi watching him silently.

Studying him.

Before Naruto could voice his question, Itachi spoke first.

“You came here in your sleep.”

To say Naruto was embarrassed was an understatement.

“Oh,” he laughed nervously, failing to hide the obvious red hue to his cheeks, “Sorry.”

“Hn,” was the Uchiha’s response before he got up off of the bed and out of Naruto’s embrace. He had been somewhat surprised to wake up to the blond slipping into his bed and making himself comfortable. When he discovered that Naruto had done it in the midst of sleep, he had tolerated the action. Itachi supposed that it could be called a ‘force of habit’ from those nights Naruto had slept on his shoulder.

Naruto had relinquished his hold on the other man and watched him gracefully move about the room. Sitting up, he yawned and stretched the kinks out of his back. Despite the uncomfortable tension, he had a pretty good sleep. Naruto figured that he would have Itachi to thank for that. Silently of course. There was no way in hell he was going to voice that thought out. Thinking about it now, Naruto was a little perplexed as to why the Uchiha had allowed him to sleep in his bed. Naruto admitted to forcing his overbearing personality on his captor knowing full well that Itachi couldn’t really do anything about it. Considering their current situation standing with each other.

“Get ready, we’ll be leaving soon,” Itachi’s voice broke through Naruto’s thoughts.

Naruto acknowledged the command before asking, “Will we be going around?”

“Hn. It’ll take too long and I don’t want to be in the Sound when that seal breaks.”

Naruto was surprised. He had no idea that Itachi knew it was breaking. Hell, he had just found out.

“How did you know?”

“I didn’t. But it is inevitable.” Another cryptic response from a bastard.

Naruto glared at the older man, “What’s going to happen to me? And what are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing.”

That was his answer, plain and simple. Because, in all honesty, Itachi couldn’t do a thing about it. The only way he knew how to prevent it was to extract the Bijuu which would also result in Naruto’s death.

That unfamiliar feeling of concern bubbled up over the rough, hardened surface of Itachi’s mind. He vaguely noted that if he were to analogize it, his mind would be a dark and frozen wasteland. There was no colour. Just the vast endless plains of black, hard ice; cold and forlorn. He was lost within an expanse of an endless winter. Raveled within his own insanity.

But what he saw now was something that piqued his curiosity.

There was a crack. Years of living within the cold environment and seeing nothing more than black and ice had compelled him to examine the anomaly. As he moved closer, Itachi could not see its origin but he could feel it. The warmth. Something he had never had the privilege to understand. It had been denied to him long ago within the confines of a demanding family. He was not a son, but a tool. He was never a son. Just a weapon to be used to attain even more power.

Nothing more.

Pride could be a deadly thing.

Itachi had proven that to them.

To himself.

And now, as he studied the small fissure, he frowned.

The ice. It was melting. And beneath the surface…

“Itachi?”

The Uchiha followed the sound of the voice and came face to face with his captive.

“You okay?”

Itachi nodded once and in one swift movement, pulled the blond into his arms and crushed their lips together. It was rough and the action had caused Naruto to widen his eyes in shock. He was about to pull away and voice his protest when those sinfully addictive lips had slowed to a more adequate pace.

So Naruto gave in and kissed back.

He had definitely not expected Itachi to do that. It came out of nowhere and Naruto was sure he had not provoked him.

They broke apart slowly, each considering the other. Itachi more so than Naruto.

“You are warm.”

Was all the older man said before he let go of the blond. He ignored Naruto’s inquiring gaze as he got their stuff packed and ready to go.

Naruto only frowned at Itachi. He didn’t understand what the Uchiha had meant.

Warm?