Midnight Memories

Midnight Memories





Warnings: eh…nothing you haven’t seen before. I mean seriously, do you guys still need warnings on this story? betaed by the darling annieme.



Chapter Sixteen



Sasuke’s arms tightened around the frame half in his lap. He was afraid to let go--afraid if he released his hold the man in his arms would be spirited away as he had for so many years. It was a strange sensation. The first feeling of completion in centuries settled into his bones. His mind held the clarity it once possessed--no longer invaded with thoughts of madness and despair. Everything was returned to him but could easily be taken again.



He smiled faintly at the snuffling coming from the other. Deep azure blinked up at him, first in confusion and then happiness. His arms stretched out with a popping of joints and muscle before speaking. “You know sleeping on the floor is bad for your back.”



Sasuke chuckled lightly. “That’s a shame because I destroyed all the furniture yesterday.”



“We could go upstairs. I have a very nice bedroom. Itachi even painted it for me,” offered Naruto as he pushed back from Sasuke.



“Naruto…” Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s forearm, preventing him from moving away. “Do you remember the past?”



Naruto cocked his head to the side and considered the question for a moment before answering. “A little. It’s strange, I have memories I can pull from almost like scenes from a movie. I know it’s the same soul, but when I search, it feels like I‘m watching someone else. The emotions I feel are complicated. It’s a strange sensation. And…I can see what I did to you.”



“You didn’t do anything. I…allowed that to happen.” Sasuke lifted a hand to stroke across the thin scars decorating Naruto’s face.



Naruto‘s eyes grew sad. “ You shouldn’t blame yourself. No one knew what was happening.”



There was silence and Sasuke stood and regretfully released his hold on Naruto’s arm. He found himself not wanting to let him go. It was a familiar sensation of possession. Naruto deserved better from him than to be considered as such. It shamed him to think of Naruto in such a way…a way he’d been doing since almost the beginning.



Naruto stepped forward and broke his thoughts by wrapping his arms around Sasuke’s waist and leaning against his back. “What happens now?”



“What do you want to happen?” Sasuke gripped the wrist resting on his abdomen with a smirk.



Naruto flushed red as a beet and pulled away. “Not that, you pervert!”



Sasuke began laughing so hard he couldn’t help but double over in mirth. Naruto’s face when he’d insinuated sexual intercourse was priceless.



Naruto growled low in his throat. “Just what do you think you’re laughing at?”



Sasuke opened his mouth to attempt to calm down Naruto when the room seemed to chill. Both looked up to see Pein step from the shadows. Large bruises smudged beneath his eyes made him look like a zombie. “Pein?”



“While I’m sure you would enjoy private time for…other things, I’m here to take Naruto with me.”



Sasuke turned to face him with all the fury he possessed, his teeth bared at the other. Pein’s eyes glinted darkly while his hands clenched into fists as if he restrained himself. Naruto’s eyes widened and darted back and forth between them.



“You aren’t taking Naruto anywhere,” snarled Sasuke. The blood lust poured from him and before Naruto could stop him, he pushed Naruto to the ground behind him and swiped his clawed hand towards Pein. The razor sharp nails passed through the man as if he was made of smoke.



“Nice try, but I’m afraid you aren’t quite equipped to offer any sort of challenge for me.” Pein crouched before Naruto. “You know you have to come with me, don’t you? You’ve felt the simmering beneath your skin. You need to know how to control what you’ve become.”



“He stays.” Sasuke stepped between Pein and Naruto. “You can’t have him.”



“He needs to know how to defend himself. He’s not quite immortal. Not any longer.” Pein lifted his eyes to stare at the ceiling.



It was Naruto’s turn to speak. “What do you mean? I thought I became immortal.”



Pein shook his head. “One would think. I thought so too. Blades don’t hurt us. If we grow too tired or spend too much time away from our source, we become nothing but air and are pulled back to the source to replenish. It’s been the reason we’ve kept ourselves from interfering in world events unless necessary. We watch, document, and maintain the balance. Someone has discovered how to kill us and we go to war very soon. Naruto needs to be ready. He’s very close to the front, even though he doesn’t know it.”



Pein leveled a stare on Sasuke whose eyes maintained their red color. “Night walkers,” he spat out.



“Do you have something against my kind, or is it just those close to me?”



The occupants of the room turned to where Itachi stood in the doorway. His eyes flashed red for an instant before darkening to their normal pitch. Sasuke smirked, thinking he now had the upper hand with the man upon Itachi‘s arrival.



Pein prowled to where Itachi stood. “It’s a shame I don’t have the time to deal with your presence.”



A growl rumbled in Itachi’s throat. “I’d like to see you try.”



Sasuke added his growl to Itachi’s low rumble. The room sounded more like two dogs preparing to attack than intelligent beings. The only thought on both minds was protecting Naruto from the unknown this man represented.



Pein chuckled and faded from their sight. “Have it your way, then.”



Naruto watched the motion. He watched as Itachi and Sasuke relaxed. Watchers left no scent unless they wished to. Naruto’s eyes followed the movement of the master watcher. The man knew Naruto could see him and smirked as he approached the other.



Pein’s eyes gleamed and his head lowered so that his lips barely brushed Naruto’s ear. “You know you have to go. I promise to have you back to your other within a fortnight. That’s the longest you could be away from your source without replenishing. Do you want to become strong enough to defend yourself or do you wish for the king and his brother to always come to your aid.”



Naruto frowned at the taunt. His eyes narrowed and he turned his head sharply to stare into the triumphant eyes. “I’ll become strong. For Sasuke and Itachi.”



Pein solidified behind Naruto. “Don’t worry, Other to Naruto. I’ll return him to you soon and completely unharmed.”



Pein’s arms wrapped around Naruto’s waist and their bodies became nothing but air, floating and light. Sasuke screamed out in anger, his voice shouting for Naruto but his other half was gone. Instead he moved to leave the room. He would follow his instinct straight to Naruto. He would bring him back.



He would have left had Itachi’s hand not stopped him. “I can’t allow you to leave.”



“Try and stop me.” Sasuke shook off the hand only to have it return with enough force to shove him against the wall.



“You stay.”



Sasuke bared his teeth in anger. “Fuck you, Itachi!”



“You stay, to keep the council from finding an excuse to execute you. Danzou will do anything to usurp my position. I won’t give him an excuse to bring the guillotine down on both our heads. You will stay here for your mandatory incarceration to insure you won’t go feral. I’ll look for Naruto.” Itachi dug his claws into Sasuke’s shoulder just enough to bring his point into crystal clarity. “Do you understand?”



Sasuke growled. “Fine. But if he isn’t back here by the time my lock in is finished, I’ll leave and find him myself.”



“Deal. I think I might know who can help find him.” Itachi stepped away and in a flash of speed he was gone.



What would have taken nearly twenty minutes in a car, took only seconds under his preternatural speed and led him to a familiar doctor’s residence. Had it been a human he would have ignored niceties in favor of expedience. With were-creatures, one was forced to observe their ways. He pressed the door bell and waited patiently. He knew he was in there, he could smell the scent of the wolf. He pressed the bell again. Nothing. That was the problem when dealing with other species. The weres were particularly annoying when it came to dealing with non-weres. “Kakashi! Open the door now or I ignore protocol and enter.



The door swung open to reveal the man he sought. Kakashi Hatake. A king amongst his kind and recent friend of sorts to the nightwalkers under Itachi’s command. “You rang?”



“Watchers. Where can I find them?”



Kakashi arched a brow. He seemed genuinely surprised by the question. “Don’t you know? All kings know. They are similar to prophets and can predict prosperity or ruin. Why don’t you?”



“Tell me what you know.” Itachi narrowed his eyes, making Kakashi sigh heavily and step aside to allow him inside.



“Please keep it quiet. My mate rests upstairs. Did something happen to your father suddenly. I would have assumed when you were named his heir, you would be told the secrets. I’m not sure I should be discussing it. There are rules to having access to powers such as those possessed by the watchers.” Kakashi poured a snifter of whiskey and gestured for Itachi to join him in matching wingback chairs. “If the rules are broken, the watchers will remove their gifts from the clan who breaks them. I’ve never used their assistance but I don’t want to risk a future where I might.”



“My brother’s…mate is a watcher. I’ll set you up with them if you need it. Now talk.” Itachi watched Kakashi debate before nodding.



“I thought he was dead. In fact, I’m pretty sure he was settled in my morgue.” Kakashi arched a questioning brow. “Perhaps it’s I who should be asking the questions.”



“I can’t explain it. It seems even far out for my own broad experience. I don’t know why or how, but he was made into one of them. I’ve answered your question. Now, you answer mine.” Itachi bore his eyes heavily into Kakashi’s, letting him feel the urgency in his gaze.



The werewolf took a sip of his whiskey and glanced towards Itachi. “Only two people per species are allowed to know of them. The king or queen and his or her heir. We are allowed to visit them and have them…spin a thread or something. Like I said, I’ve never visited. My kind tends to err more on the side of keeping the future a mystery. It‘s more fun that way.”



“So they are fortunetellers?”



Kakashi shrugged. “Even being privy to some of their talents doesn’t mean I know everything. Why not ask your brother’s mate?”



“Because he was taken by pierced redhead with a bad temper and I don’t want my brother going feral waiting for the man to return him.” Itachi’s hand clenched in the material of his trousers.



“A male? He intrigues you. Don’t deny it, I can smell it on you even if your physical demeanor didn’t give it away. What is it you are looking for?” Kakashi cocked his head to the side much as a dog did when curious of something.



“I’m looking for Naruto. Now, tell me where I can find them. You said the kings were allowed inside their home. Where is it?”



Kakashi ignored the question. “Why was your brother’s mate taken?”



“He said training. Naruto hasn’t been a watcher for long. He said a war was coming and Naruto needed to be prepared.” Itachi watched as Kakashi stiffened visibly. “What is it?”



He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe nothing but we’ve heard rumblings of that nature as well. It’s why I offered to guard you. I don’t know if it will be species against species or a civil war. And I believe you’ve already tasted some of that.”



Kakashi seemed to know more than he initially revealed. Being out of the loop annoyed Itachi more than he would ever let on. The fiascoes with Sasuke and Naruto had left him focusing more on his brother and allowed others to sneak past his defenses. “I’ve had some internal difficulties of late. But nothing that would hint cries of war.”



“If the watchers are preparing to battle, then I suggest you allow them to do so. They are usually neutral. This worries me. I’d advise you to prepare yourself for the worst and not fret over one of them.” Kakashi downed the remainder of his liquor. “And that’s all I can help you with.”



“You won’t tell me where they are?”



Kakashi shook his head negatively. “That’s one rule I won’t break. If you aren’t your father’s heir to their knowledge, then I can’t help you. I’m sorry.”



Itachi snarled to himself but left in a flurry of wind back to his home. “Sasuke?”



“I’m assuming your werewolf friend wasn’t forthcoming.” Sasuke sat in the shadows, his eyes burning red.



“How do you know I was with a were?” Itachi leaned against the doorframe, his eyes never leaving Sasuke’s.



“I can smell him on you. My senses are heightened.” Sasuke popped his neck in a slow rotation, his eyes never leaving Itachi. “He didn’t tell you where Naruto is, did he?”



“No. But he did enlighten me to a few things.” Itachi’s jaw clenched upon thinking of their father. He had prepared Itachi from the time he was a child to take over. There had been no unseen rush to his taking to sleep. Why hadn’t he told Itachi?



“What was it?” asked Sasuke.



“Our father seems to have left many secrets.” There was an extended silence as both nightwalkers turned their thoughts inward.



Sasuke was the first to speak. “I’ve made a decision. I’m going after him. Just this small time away from him has me on edge. I can‘t remain when I don‘t know where he is.”



Itachi stepped forward with a hiss. “Sasuke…the council won’t allow you to leave this home for at least two weeks. To break your confinement will result in possibly getting yourself executed. I can't help you.”



Sasuke wheeled around to face Itachi. “Why do you always have to help me? You took care of Naruto and I’m grateful but this is something I have to do. I can’t leave him alone.”



“Just wait a little while. Please. Pein promised…”



Sasuke snarled at the man’s name. “When did you become such a supporter of him?”



“I didn’t say I liked him. I just don’t believe he would go back on his word. He said Naruto needed you to survive. Then trust him to bring him back to you.”



The doorbell went off. It was a bit late for visitors and the council wouldn’t bother with the bell. “Wait here,” Itachi ordered and prowled up the steps to deal with the interruption.



He opened the door and standing there was a worried Sakura. “Hi.”



“What is it?” He barked, not in the mood to deal with Naruto’s friends.



She flinched but held her ground. “I’m sorry for coming so late. Is Naruto home? He hasn’t been to class in several days and we were worried so I told Kiba I would stop by after work and check on him. He’s not answering his cell.”



“He’s fine. He was down with a cold for a few days.” Itachi moved to close the door but Sakura placed a hand to stop him.



“Can I see him?” she asked.



Itachi’s jaw clenched. Women were always so demanding, no matter the era. “He’s out with my brother.”



“What about his cell?” Apparently she wasn’t about to give up.



It was becoming redundant. He was already worried about Sasuke. Their conversation wasn’t nearly over and he was trapped, answering questions from one of Naruto’s strange friends. “He lost it and hasn’t replaced it yet. I’m sure he’ll call you soon with the new number.”



She seemed to accept the explanation and pulled a small business card from her pink pocketbook. “Give this to him. My mother had them made for me since I’ll be graduating this summer. It has my cell number on it in case he forgot it.”



“He’s fine, Sakura. I’m sure it won’t be long until he’s back to his old self.” Itachi accepted the card and closed the door behind him.



He placed the card on the table and made his way down to where he’d left his brother minutes before. The empty room greeting him sent a wave of panic to his very core. He began cursing in every language he could think of before racing upstairs to change into travel clothes. It was time to track Sasuke before the trail grew cold. His brother truly was an impatient idiot.



oOo



Pein touched down in the central area. He used his own body to force the change into Naruto, solidifying both their bodies. The effect left Naruto slightly dizzy, causing him to double over.



He gagged a little from his doubled over position. “I feel sick.”



“It will pass.” Pein glanced around, their arrival garnering a small but curious crowd. Konan’s murder hadn’t sat well in their west coast colony. He’d heard whispers of moving to some of the larger east coast colonies or even to Europe.



The sound of gathering people grew, causing Pein to take Naruto by the arm and begin to lead him from the room. “Come.”



“Where are we?” Naruto’s eyes grew wide at the vaulted ceilings carved into the very walls of one of the large mountains along the Cascade Mountain Range.



“One of many homes. We like staying close to the earth, hence why our homes are carved into mountains. It also makes it easier to hide and to defend if need be.” Pein gestured for Naruto to follow him down a series of corridors towards a large empty space. The interior possessed a high ceiling and a collection of various weapons on a rack against one wall. “Here is where I will help you hone your skills.”



“You said war was coming. War between who?” Naruto picked a sword from a rack of weapons. “Heeya!”



“Not between the humans and their petty religious squabbles. Though there have been times when I wished they would blow themselves up.” Pein snatched the weapon from Naruto’s hand, knowing full well it would be impossible for him to be killed by such a weapon. “Put that down before you chop off a leg.”



Naruto crossed his arms across his chest. “That’s mean. I was a human until recently.”



“But you aren’t any longer.” Pein considered for a moment before speaking again. “These weapons aren’t really for you to learn to wield so much as learn to avoid. Weapons, while they have a hard time killing us, hurt like a bitch if they pierce us. Some can even prevent us from escaping with certain spells placed on them.”



“Why can’t Sasuke be here?”



“Because if he’s here, then Itachi will be here,” snarled Pein.



Naruto returned the snarl. “Itachi is a good person. He took care of me.”



“I’m not discussing this with a neophyte. You’re here to learn, not try to stir up old trouble.” His voice carried a hint of old hurt.



Naruto peered cautiously at Pein. There was pain and regret, which he was unable to mask before Naruto witnessed. “Whatever he did to you…was it that bad?”



“It was enough. Imagine if Sasuke’s presence during your lives had been played with by Itachi. What if he’d never known how strong your bond would be? What if you were denied Sasuke by his family?” Pein lowered his eyes to the dusty floor and heaved a sigh.



“I would be mad at Itachi, not Sasuke. Why are you mad at Itachi?” Naruto cautiously approached the slumped man.



“He should have known. Something should have sparked. No matter his sanity, Sasuke would have waded through the River Styx for you. Itachi doesn’t even remember my face. That’s why I’m angry. I was never allowed the chance to be with him, however fleeting those times might be. I was denied everything.” Pein heaved away from the wall with a huff. “Consider yourself lucky, Naruto.”



“I’m sure Itachi didn’t forget you. You have a connection. You can work it out,” encouraged Naruto.



“Enough. My past is irrelevant. I’m sure you would like to know how I brought us here? When we become like air, we can move though it. It makes traveling fast and easy. Your first lesson is making your body nothing but air. First, imagine yourself light. Let go of your solid form. The sensation you felt when I carried us here, use that as your guide. Don’t do anything else.”



Naruto frowned and closed his eyes. He attempted to imagine being light as air. He used the previous sensation as a template but the transformation seemed elusive. His fists clenched and his face scrunched up in desperate concentration. Nothing. “It’s not working.”



Pein shook his head. “You’re still trapped by the physical. You aren’t human any longer and therefore, are not bound by their laws. Take a deep breath. Feel the air. Embrace it.”



Naruto closed his eyes again. He released his worries and did as Pein instructed, embracing the feel of the faintly moving air around him. He felt adrift with nothing to ground him. The world fell away and their was nothing but air around him. Every particle of him felt as if every molecule of his being was a nerve ending. It was an amazing high. This felt different than when Pein carried him. He felt free.



“Naruto…you need to get a grip. Hold onto yourself. You need to be aware of everything. If you become completely air, you won’t be able to return to your human form,” shouted Pein. The command jolted Naruto back into his mind.



How do I get back? Naruto was beginning to panic. The thrill was gone and he was left fearful of never returning to his physical form. Sasuke would kill him.



“Just imagine yourself slowly becoming solid. Your body should gradually flow towards the ground the more solid you become,” he instructed.



Just imagine being solid. In his panicked state, he had no concept of gradual. He wanted to be solid immediately. As a result his body reformed into its solid counterpart while floating twelve feet in the air.



A scream ripped through the chamber as he plunged to the ground. His body landed with a loud thump, making Pein chuckle darkly. “I did say gradual.”



Naruto groaned, his body reshaping automatically to correct the broken bones and muscle caused by the fall. “So you did.”



“It will get easier.”



Naruto groaned from his place on the ground. “That doesn’t make me feel any better. I thought we were supposed to be invincible. It still feels like I fell from fifteen feet.”



“Just because it’s hard to kill us, doesn’t mean the pain receptors aren’t there. If you fell from a hundred feet, just imagine what it would feel like to have every bone in your body repairing itself. When we become air, we can avoid injury. For instance, swing this sword at me.” Pein plucked the very weapon Naruto had played with earlier from the weapon stand. “You won’t hurt me. Even if the blade lands, I’ll heal in a matter of minutes.”



Naruto took the blade and jabbed nervously at Pein. The metal passed directly through his body as if made of air. Eyes grew wide and shock caused Naruto to drop the blade. It clattered to the ground, the sound echoing off the high walls of the room.



Pein’s body solidified and he plucked the sword from the ground. “Even if I had allowed you to stab me, this blade wouldn’t have killed me.”



“Let me try,” pleaded Naruto.



This time the weapon chosen was a slender wooden club. “Let’s try with this first. I don’t want to exhaust your body too much today.”



Without a warning, Pein jabbed forward with the club. The wood slammed into Naruto’s abdomen and sent him to the ground, gasping in pain. “Christ! Did you have to hit me so hard.”



Shaking his head, he continued to stare at the writhing blond. “You were supposed to fade to air.”



“Well I wasn’t ready. You didn’t tell me you were attacking.” Naruto gasped out a mixture of a groan and a whine.



“I had a weapon in my hand. Shouldn’t that have been warning enough? Do you think you enemies will give you a warning before they attack. You need to be ready for every attack, including surprise ones.” Pein offered his hand and pulled the shaky Naruto to his feet.



“That’s easy for you to say.” He rubbed his stomach where the ache still remained even after his body healed it.



“Next time you’ll dodge the attack.” Those words were the only thing said before he swung the club again. Naruto didn’t exactly become like air, though he did dodge the attack by lunging to the side and tumbling across the dirt floor.



“You asshole! Why are you still swinging?” Naruto screamed as he came to his feet.



Pein ignored him, coming quick and fast without using preternatural speed--yet. His swung the club, clipping Naruto’s shoulder. A screeching scream of anger came from the blond. “Stop it asshole!”



“When you dodge my attack properly.” Pein swung again and again. Naruto moved agilely through the room, bodily dodging every swing. “Naruto, while your tumbling skills are superb, you are not learning anything.”



“Yeah I am! I’m learning that you’re a crazy man who is torturing me for fun.” Naruto raced towards the door only to have Pein move faster, appearing almost magically in front of the door to stop the escape. “Holy shit! We have super speed too?”



The clenching of Pein’s jaw along with the twitching in his eye showed he didn’t find the joke amusing. “Stand still and learn how to do this. Stop trying to dodge the attack and accept it.”



Naruto didn’t have time to dodge. Pein moved faster than was humanly possible. It was easy to forget they were beings beyond humanity. That was Naruto’s weakness at this moment. He was too focused on his physical body--on the pain caused by the attacks. He wasn’t thinking as a watcher yet. But he would. When instinct took over, there was nothing one could do but follow through with it.



Naruto’s breath caught and suddenly his body became nothing. Just as when he’d floated before, yet this was different. His body held its form and solidarity, causing the attack to pass through him as if he wasn’t even there.



“I did it.” Naruto’s eyes grew wide and he stared at his stomach. As soon as the weapon cleared his body, he grew completely solid once more.



“Good. Now, again.”



The drills went on for possibly hours until Naruto’s body was swaying in exhaustion. During the final attack, he couldn’t even dodge it. He fell to the floor, unconscious. Pein stared at his fallen student before slumping against a nearby wall in equal exhaustion. He would need to visit the earth today after using so much energy and it still felt as if they had only learned a fraction of what Naruto needed to know. If they continued on this track, he would have to take Naruto to his lover earlier than expected. They’d used up a tremendous amount of energy. Food would replenish some, but not enough to continue on the crash course.



Closing his eyes for a moment, he wasn’t expecting the attack. In the state he was, he probably couldn’t have defended properly even if he’d seen it. Instead, he found himself pinned to the wall with red eyes burning holes into him.



“What did you do to him?” Sasuke hissed maliciously, his eyes continuing to dart back to where Naruto lay on the ground.



“I’m teaching him to hone his abilities,” Pein growled in return.



Sasuke’s hand tightened on the throat beneath his palm. His eyes seemed to darken in color as he bared his teeth for the watcher in his grasp. “You took him from me and now you’ve nearly killed him.”



“He needs to be trained. It’s the only way to protect him,” insisted Pein.



He lifted a hand in an attempt to loosen Sasuke’s grip while the room began to fill with watchers, many ready to fight the invading nightwalker. In the aftershock of Konan’s death from a nightwalker’s hand, the entire colony was on edge involving the beings. It was obvious Sasuke had made quite the fuss while moving to the training room. He’d probably followed Naruto’s essence all the way there.



“Sasuke, release him.” Itachi stepped into the room.



The sight of his brother had Sasuke hissing. Itachi had followed his still warm trail but remained far enough behind so not to trigger his notice. It seemed Itachi had wanted to find this sanctuary as much as his brother but for different reasons.



“Look what he did to Naruto!”



Itachi knelt beside the collapsed blond. A loud snore erupted and the young watcher flopped over onto his back with a grunt. “S’uke…don’t…do…mmm.”



Itachi arched a brow in Sasuke’s direction. “Apparently he’s not that bad off.”



Pein used the moment to slide easily from Sasuke’s hand. The focus in his eyes faded in and out, causing him to stumble away before falling to his knees. He must have used more energy than he’d previously thought and not having replenished himself, he was tremendously weak.



“Apparently, Naruto gave him a run for his money,” chuckled Itachi as he moved to stand over the fallen man.



“Please, your kind has already taken one from us. We don’t want more bloodshed in our home.” The long haired Neji stepped forward from the growing crowd.



“Who?” Itachi’s eyes turned hard as Neji stepped forward.



“It is not my place to say. You may ask Pein if you wish after he awakens.” Neji knelt to lift his fallen comrade. The sight of the beautiful man touching Pein triggered a long forgotten feeling in his chest. Never with Naruto had he felt such a possessiveness. On some level, he’d always known Naruto belonged to Sasuke. It kept at bay any impulses he might have towards the other. With Pein, he held no such reservations.



“I’ll take him.” Itachi moved and scooped Pein from Neji’s arms. He felt lighter than he would have imagined. “Why is he so light?”



“He’s weakened from the extensive training and has avoided replenishing his energy. It is a formal way to mourn those whose time as ended. It is rarely practiced except when someone very dear has passed. He and Konan were very close. He took her death harder than most.” Neji turned and strode through the parted watchers. “Please bring him this way.”



Naruto’s eyes blinked open and he stared up into Sasuke’s gleaming red. “S’uke? What are you doing here?”



“Tracking you down. You didn’t think I would let you be away from me for so long, did you?” Sasuke traced a finger down Naruto’s cheek.



A lower lip poked out in an annoyed pout. “It hasn’t even been a day yet.”



“That’s too long. I spent so long in the darkness, I was afraid of falling back into it. I can’t be away from you.” Sasuke pulled Naruto into an embrace.



Tanned arms wrapped around his waist and Naruto leaned his head against Sasuke’s chest with a deep felt purr. “I feel better with you here. In fact, I could probably go another couple of rounds with Pein.”



“He’s the one who refused the earth in favor of his other.” Whispers such as this circulated through the room as Naruto unconsciously fed from Sasuke’s energy. Sasuke couldn’t see it but the watchers could. They witnessed the thread binding them wind around their bodies as Naruto siphoned off energy to replace what he’d expended.



Sasuke glanced to where the others continued to watch them. He felt good with Naruto in his arms but it felt different. The air around them felt almost electric. It was doing strange things to his body. The sensations made him want to feed on Naruto while fucking him at the same time. He was nearly to the point of not caring if the audience wanted to watch the act or not.



A woman stepped forward. All the watchers appeared young but like nightwalkers, looks could be deceiving. “Perhaps you should retire to a room. I will take you to the room assigned to this one.”



Sasuke was loath to pull away. Both his body and mind screamed out at him not to release his hold on Naruto. He was forced to grit his teeth in order to push away and stand.



Naruto, completely revived, bounded up as if nothing had happened. The room parted for them once more, curious eyes following them as they moved from the room. “Hey, why is everyone so wide eyed?”



“It was because you fed from him instead of the earth. Pein took you from the sanctuary when you failed to thrive. I can only assume he took you to your other. It is rare that you should have an immortal other. I know of only a handful paired with immortals,” she explained.



As they moved through the darkened hallways, Sasuke thought on her words. Naruto fed from him just as he fed from Naruto. It made him happy to provide for Naruto.



“Nightwalker, I ask that you not wander these halls without an escort. Have a good evening.” She bowed slightly and left the two alone.



“Naruto, don’t leave me again.” Sasuke whispered, burying his face in the golden hair.



“Well…I was only going to train but I’m glad you came. Just try not to be a bastard to these guys. They are a bit weird but once you get to know them, you learn they can kick your ass in twenty different ways before you know it.” Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke once more to revel in the feel of warm energy running between them. “Sasuke…Pein and Itachi…do you think they will ever work out their problems?”



Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. “Who can say? Do you know why Pein and Itachi have it out for each other?”



“Just bits. I don’t know the entire story but I bet it’s a long one.” Naruto laid his head down to Sasuke’s chest. “Pein says war is coming. Do you believe him?”



There was a pause before Sasuke answered. “If there is, we’ll be ready for it.”



To be continued…



A/N Sorry for the long wait. I'm estimating 2-3 more chapters before the end. Thanks for reading and commenting. I greatly appreciate it.