Captured in Your Eyes

Captured in Your Eyes

- SuishouTenshi

For disclaimer and warning, please see previous chapter.

It seemed like a mere nightmare, a fictitious instant in one’s mind so tainted by the unrelenting passage of time that reality and dream had become impossible to differentiate. As Sasuke stood in the middle of the street with the Uchiha family insignia clouding every aspect of his vision, the expected déjà vu which took him into that horrific moment in the past no longer seemed as shocking or revolting. There was a simple acceptation of grievance. Silhouettes of his dead clansmen floated before his eyes, ghastly bloodied hands crossed the boundary between the living and the dead in attempts to grasp his limbs; their decrepit voices urged him for revenge.

Sasuke batted away the ghosts of his mind with an impatient hand. A decade’s hatred was replaced by another reason for his desire for the same blood — Itachi’s blood. Behind him, Naruto followed in silence, his cheeks long devoid of tears. Sasuke wanted to reach back, to touch him, to hold him, make a promise in the presence of his ancestors that he would decapitate Itachi’s head, no longer for their sake, but for Naruto’s.

A mere few steps felt so far away. Sasuke knew he couldn’t do what his heart was telling him to do; the shorter teen would reject his hand, would shrink back like a lamb, conditioned to fear the touch of a wolf.

Incessant chirping of early birds signaled the beginning of Konoha’s day, but however lively the inner village would eventually become, the Uchiha compound would forever remain empty and haunted. Sasuke had once hoped to exorcise this eerie dread with his children’s laughter, the idea was then scrapped because since Orochimaru’s death, Sasuke had begun to allow himself to fantasize the impossible, and his wildest dream was to bring home his best friend and chase away the specters of his past with Naruto’s bright yellow hair and never fading smile.

It seemed that reality proved to be even more unpredictable than he could ever have imagined. Naruto was here, just a few steps away, but the energetic cheerfulness was shielded by an expressionless calm. It was this seemingly normal but extremely disturbing peace that filled Sasuke’s heart with worry, and he knew he would do anything to shake Naruto out of that stage of passiveness. Someone so experienced with heartbreak like Sasuke knew all too well that bottled-up tears tasted the bitterest.

A bath, Naruto had whispered when he woke up. Though it was more of a droned note to himself than a request, Sasuke just knew he had to do all he could to bring everything Naruto desired. And that was why he led Naruto here on a slow and tortured walk toward the long abandoned natural hot spring at the edge of the Uchiha complex. The spring, so unused even before the massacre that though it was not contaminated during the family tragedy, its pure primordial history deserved its very own legend.

Sasuke led Naruto through the insect-bitten walls of the bathhouse and into the enclosed steaming waters. What they saw proved Nature’s everlasting powers.

While the wooden fencing around the spring was worn with age, the spring itself preserved its timeless beauty. Small boulders glistened under the caress of the sloshing water, their previous jagged edges filed smooth through a process too slow for the human eye to capture. The actual spring was filled with fallen leaves, most of which had decomposed and sank to the bottom as soil bedding.

Sasuke watched the steams rise and waved a hand. “Use it to your heart’s content.” Sasuke flinched at the tone of his invitation. Years of self-imposed coldness had trained the eighteen-year-old’s voice to respond to any uneasy situation with hints of displeasure and dislike. As he chanced a look at Naruto’s face, he found a smile as dark as the look in Naruto’s eyes. It was so withered, so mordant, and at the same time, apologetic and accepting.

His feet carried him away before his arms could reach out and embrace the younger man. He settled himself right outside the broken fence and slowly let out a sigh.

Soon, the sounds of Naruto stripping and entering the water could be heard. Sasuke bit down on his bottom lip, for in his mind’s eye he could still see Naruto’s perfectly tanned body marked and defiled by Itachi’s hands and mouth. People often said that hot springs had healing powers, and Sasuke desperately wished the Uchiha spring could return Naruto’s body to its previous flawless state.

He wanted to look — he truly, really did — to see whether there were wounds he had not noticed, whether Itachi had tortured Naruto as well using Sasuke’s face as guise. That had been the blow which hurt the most, to know that Naruto had felt the same way for him, only to have their fate deterred and possibly destroyed forever due to Itachi’s greed for power.

Sasuke then heard mumbles, soft growls and grunts that only a shinobi’s ears could pick out. Naruto was muttering something as he bathed. Sasuke turned to sneak a glance at Naruto through the cracks of the fence, knowing that he would probably have a better chance at reading lips. Besides, the steam and the waters would cover Naruto’s lower body; Sasuke had no reasons to feel guilty for his actions.

He saw Naruto frowning, pert lips curled up in a perhaps unconscious pout, moving once in a while with the occasional grumbles; golden eyebrows were furrowed into an upside down kanji for “eight”; blue eyes sparkled as the last bit of foxy innocence faded away; jaded tears spun around the corners of those glowing orbs, never quite falling, clearly defying Sasuke’s wish for them to wash away Naruto’s sufferings.

Naruto’s right hand was clutched around of bundle of fallen leaves and was using them to scrub at some invisible dirty on his left upper arm.

“Out, out,” Naruto was mumbling, his whines childish and frustrated. “Why won’t you get out?” The piece of golden skin was turning a shade of sensitive red due to the warm water and Naruto’s forceful cleaning, but Naruto kept on scrubbing, until it turned scarlet, until the skin peeled, until he began to bleed.

And as Sasuke activated his Sharingan eyes, he was able to see the barest hints of two angry finger marks still embedded upon Naruto’s left biceps. And on his right arm, Sasuke could see an entire handprint, Itachi’s handprint.

Sasuke bit into his lower lip and managed to gather enough strength to stand. His feet carried his body away though his mind’s eyes stayed by Naruto’s side. To hell with his house arrest, to hell with the Fifth’s orders for him to stay in Konoha; he needed to find Itachi.

Two quickly scribbled and barely comprehensible messages were sent with mail pigeons to the two men whom Sasuke knew would gladly give their lives for Naruto’s sake.

In truth, once they’ve heard his story, Sasuke’s head would probably be the first to fall. But for now, they were the only ones Sasuke could depend on.

***

Tsunade-sama was clearly not happy, if the fate of her teacup was any indication. Sai tapped his right foot in an innocent fashion and waited for the inevitable verdict. Next to him, Naruto bore an expression of slight confusion while the Uchiha sent his patented death glare toward anyone and everyone.

“Sai, you are to guide Naruto and Sasuke safely into, and back from, Sand. You’re also to deliver this to the Kazekage.” The Godaime chucked a sealed scroll at Sai, which he caught deftly. “Leaf and Sand may be strong allies, but that Kazekage brat should know better than to send such a demand!”

Sai put the scroll away and smiled indulgently. The Hokage’s last sentence was clearly not meant to be heard by anyone but herself. It was incredibly entertaining to see someone of such high status resort to childish name calling. The Uchiha had evidently outdone himself this time. Perhaps, just perhaps, Sai could find it in his heart to let Sasuke live since he had amused him so much.

Tsunade-sama was yelling last minute orders to Naruto, and the blond was battling her vehemently with even more childish antics. Sai’s cold eyes flitted across Naruto’s obvious tense facial muscles, registered the badly disguised pain and anguish in those navy blue eyes, and decided to discard his previous thought; Uchiha deserved nothing less than death.

He knew when he received Uchiha’s almost illegible note asking him to meet under the Hokage monument the night before that something was wrong with Naruto. After all, the Uchiha had no other reasons to talk to Sai. So many clues had hinted the severity of the situation, but it wasn’t until Uchiha told Sai about the pain Itachi inflicted on Naruto that Sai made up his mind about helping the dark-haired shinobi. Apparently, Gaara of the Sand had read Uchiha’s message with the same understanding, and a rather rude “request” was sent to Konoha’s fifth Hokage the very next morning asking in an almost threatening manner for an urgent visit from Gaara’s best friend: Naruto.

The part which probably angered and confused Tsunade the most was Gaara’s request for Uchiha to accompany Naruto. The quite lengthy “request” spoke of roundabout political and personal reasons that actually made no sense once read aloud, but Uchiha’s objective had been satisfied, and that was all it mattered.

Naruto and Uchiha exited the room after a curt dismissal; one through the door and the other through the window. Sai was just considering disappearing into the shadows when Tsunade-sama shot him a pained and meaningful look.

“Look after him. I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but something is clearly bothering Naruto. Whatever problem it is, the three of you better fix it!”

Sai’s never-fading smile widened. He should’ve known. Tsunade-sama cared about Naruto too much to not notice the blonde’s pathetic pretenses at normality.

“Uchiha’s house arrest sentence...”

Tsunade growled and sent a pile of paperwork flying. “The Council is not going to be happy, so leave Konoha quickly and discreetly. Let me handle the aftermath. I expect reports twice a week. And if Naruto doesn’t return in two months, know that the remaining two of the Sannin will chase after all of you.”

“Understood, Hokage-sama.”

“Just tell me this, Sai, would I be right to think that Uchiha Sasuke is guilty for at least some aspects of Naruto’s suffering?”

Sai headed toward the shadows and replied just before fading away, his grin malicious, “The Hokage is always right, Tsunade-sama.”

He chuckled as darkness surrounded him. The Hokage’s desk had just been split into two.

***

Sasuke hated it. He hated the situation, he hated the utter happiness the Suna village emanated, he hated Naruto’s false smiles, he hated the damn sand that somehow got into his mouth, he hated the attention Sai was getting from his blond, and he knew he was going to hate dealing with Gaara’s interrogation.

A group of young shinobi-in-training ran past them. The tallest boy had a disturbingly familiar doll in his hand.

“Beware, evil doers of the Akatsuki,” the boy bellowed in the deepest tone he could manage, “for I am the one-tailed Shukaku, and I will defend this town against your evilness!”

“And I’ll help!” a much higher voice squeaked. Following the boy’s heels was a young girl, and in her hand was a miniature nine-tailed fox figurine. “Because I am Kyuubi no Kitsune, and we’re best friends!”

From the corner of his eyes, Sasuke could see the first sincere smile to light up Naruto’s half-cloaked face since that night four days ago. Part of him wished that Naruto’s brilliant countenance wasn’t covered by the hood, but he knew that Naruto was a bit of a celebrity figure in Suna, and a low profile was desperately needed.

There was also a bit of jealousy biting away at his thoughts. Wasn’t Naruto supposed to be his best friend?

They faced no obstacles as they made their way through town, and only a second of delay at the front door of the Kazekage building. Once Naruto revealed his face and flashed the special pass Gaara had given him years ago, the guards practically fell on their knees in welcome. Sasuke personally thought the situation was a bit ridiculous, especially considering the glares Naruto still received from time to time back in Konoha.

After a bit of gushing and toadying, one Jounin named Mitsui was chosen to usher them to the Kazekage’s office. Sasuke didn’t need to look back to know that Sai had erased the remaining guards’ memories as soon as Mitsui’s back was turned.

“Naruto-sama, we’re most gracious for your arrival.” Mitsui’s smile was wide and genuine. “Your timing is simply impeccable. Kazekage-sama’s patience has been incredibly short as of late. We have not seen him in this state for years. He is clearly in need of your counseling.”

Sasuke sighed inwardly. The Jounin obviously had no clue that counseling from Naruto to Gaara meant that at least three species of animals would lose their natural habitats.

Gaara was standing with his back facing the entrance as they entered his opened door. Even without seeing his expression, Sasuke could feel the redhead’s stress. Sasuke never indicated in his haste note why he needed Gaara to get Naruto, Sai, and him out of Konoha. He wasn’t surprised, however, to find out how readily Gaara granted his request and how the youngest Kazekage in history understood the gravity of everything through such a short and barely coherent message.

Before Mitsui had the chance to announce the three Leaf-nin’s arrival, Gaara had already sensed Naruto and was by his side in a flash. The Jounin exited without needing a dismissal, and Sai tapped him gently on the back of the head with just a small amount of needed chakra to dispel his memory of the last three minutes.

Jade green eyes stared into blue. Strangers to the two friends would think the look to be threatening, but to Sasuke, Gaara’s concern for Naruto practically bled from those eyes.

Naruto smiled sadly and fondly and initiated their embrace. “It’s okay, Gaara, I’m in one piece. You can hug me.”

Green eyes closed and a pale nose dug into blond tresses, as if breathing in Naruto’s scent could tell Gaara everything he needed to know about Naruto’s physical and emotional health. Thin arms held Naruto’s waist possessively.

“Aw, how nice,” Sai crooned.

Sasuke’s teeth ground together almost involuntarily. For the past four days, Naruto could barely look at Sasuke without flinching, and here he was, embracing Gaara without the slightest hint of discomfort. Sasuke suddenly didn’t know whom to curse, Itachi, Gaara, or himself.

Gaara was the first to let go. He was still unused to human touches, even six years after knowing Naruto couldn’t change that. He swept a glance over Naruto’s two companions and sent a trickle of sand to close the door.

“How am I needed?” the redhead inquired directly.

Naruto noticeably winced at those words, but he covered it up quickly with a poor imitation of his trademark grin. “Nothing major, Gaara, we just need a bit of information.”

“On what?”

“The Akatsuki,” said Sai. “We are not privileged to any Akatsuki information back in Konoha for... obvious reasons.”

If Gaara had eyebrows, they would’ve met at the center of his forehead at this point. He darted a brief but inquisitive look at Sasuke before turning his attention back to Naruto.

“Funny that you come at such a time. As you all know, most of the Akatsuki have been killed during the fall of Sound. When you helped retrieve Shukaku and returned him to my body, the Akatsuki lost its footing. Out of the ten, currently only four are at large, one of whom whose chakra system was damaged by Hyuuga Neji to the point where even the Hokage could not heal him.

“Due to their previous interest in Shukaku, we here at Sand have set up a special division of our Anbu squad purely for the purpose of gathering information on the remaining three active and dangerous members of the Akatsuki. There has been no news whatsoever to indicate that they have been searching for ways to capture the other five Jinchuuriki.”

“Have you received any imperative information recently?” Sasuke found himself asking despite of himself. Speaking with Gaara normally grated on his nerves like nothing else.

The Kazakage looked at him dismissively. “As you all probably know, there are a few mountain villages between the boundaries of Fire and Wind that refuse to be recognized as parts of either country. Their natural terrains serve as adequate protection so they usually do not need to rely on shinobi villages and thus need not entangle themselves with the larger political states and the never-ending issues which come with alliance. However, Suna has taken up a self-imposed duty to run regular checks on these small villages.

“Two weeks ago, one team of Chuunin was sent with food and weapon supply to one particular village by the name of Edogi. When they did not return in time, a team of Jounin was dispatched with caution. A barely alive messenger bird came in just after your message, Uchiha, and it carried one bloody hitai-ate with the Suna insignia.”

Sai’s cold smile returned. “So either one of your Jounin had a life-threatening nosebleed, or those villagers are involved with something a whole lot more dangerous than farming.”

Gaara’s ever so expressionless eyes ran over Sai’s countenance. Sasuke was pleased to note that he wasn’t the only one who disliked the ink-user.

Next to Gaara, Naruto shot Sai a slight frown of reprimand. Sai’s smile only widened, but for some reason, Naruto seemed appeased. This only served to remind Sasuke the way he and Naruto used to be able to read each other through movement and expression; their fights were always synchronized, result of a perfect partnership.

“Though I am sure there are many more undeniably strong powers out there, if you wish to look for the Akatsuki, it is perhaps best to start from this village,” Gaara continued. “The three remaining active members still pose as a considerable threat, so I will grant you as many men as you may need.”

Naruto smiled with his eyes closed. “It’s a personal fight, Gaara, I don’t want anyone else involved when it’s not necessary.”

“I owe you my life, Uzumaki Naruto, it would the least I could do.”

“Then come with us yourself, Kazekage-sama,” Sai pitched in, his tone unreadable.

“No,” Naruto protested with a frown, the first real display of discomfort since they left Konoha, “Gaara is the Kazekage, he’s needed here in Sand, I’m not gonna put this village’s leader in danger.” Sasuke’s piercing black eyes took in the crease in the middle of Naruto’s forehead, the quivering of darkened blue irises and knew that Naruto sincerely did not wish for anyone else to be involved. If he had his say, Sai probably would’ve been left behind as well.

“No, he is right,” Gaara interjected calmly. “But leaving this village is not a decision to be made so hastily. Rest now, Naruto, and we will discuss this after dinner.”

“But, Gaara...”

“That’s a fine idea, I’m exhausted after our rushed trip,” Sai piped in once again. Naruto glared at him.

“Come,” any further protest from Naruto was drowned by Gaara’s attempt to be a normal host. “You will rest in my room, Naruto. After all, I rarely sleep. Uchiha and... you, can have Kankuro’s room. He is away in Mist on a mission.”

“The name is Sai.”

Gaara barely spared him a glance. And for some odd reason, after everything that had happened, Sasuke felt vindicated and justified for the first time in a week.

***

Getting Naruto to rest was easier than Sasuke thought it would be. Even though Gaara’s position as Kage and past history as a ruthless murderer did not faze Naruto at the least, the two demon carriers still shared a mutual understanding with each other and communicated in a peace dance of sorts. Seldom would one act in a more assertive manner than the other, but at such rare occurrences, the other would know instinctively to take a step back to accommodate the assertion. Gaara’s jade eyes made the leading step this time and Naruto, though usually obstinate in his own way, saw Gaara’s pleading command and stepped back. Sasuke caught that brief exchange of glances happen in less than three seconds, and knew that the underlying argument would last as long as three hours if spoken aloud.

The remaining three men made their way back to the Kazekage’s office after locking Naruto within Gaara’s bedroom. All knew that Naruto would not be able to get a minute of shuteye, and the blond probably knew exactly what they were going to talk about. Sasuke didn’t like leaving Naruto out of their conversation, but for the time being, the blond had to accept the role of a damsel in distress. The subject line was too, too delicate to bring up in front of the victim.

“Speak, Uchiha.”

Sasuke let his Sharingan break loose, knowing that he would probably need it. He kept his voice steady and tone as impersonal as possible. Behind him, Sai took a silent step forward and Sasuke couldn’t tell whether the stance was a supportive or threatening one.

Sasuke didn’t quite register his own words as he spoke. He had practiced this speech numerous times for this occasion, the words had resonated within him for so long that their original raw nature had now been paved smooth. Sasuke let his tongue wander, let the story run amok through the thick tension within Kazekage’s office. He didn’t want to hear the tale again, never again.

A trickle of sand crawled up Sasuke’s right leg as the last words died on his lips. Sasuke stared at Gaara impassively, hoping against hope that his blood-red eyes would reveal nothing. Rough sand turned sharp once it reached his right cheek and cut through his flesh.

Sasuke glared back steadily.

“I will kill your brother,” said Gaara, “for Naruto’s sake. I will spare your life, also for Naruto’s sake. But know this, Uchiha, for a supposed child prodigy, you are the most foolish person I have ever known.

“I trust you can take care of dinner by yourselves.” And with that, Gaara left Sasuke and Sai alone.

Sasuke let that warm droplet of blood drip unto his collar.

“Let’s go then, Sasuke-kun,” Sai quipped, his glee was so evident that Sasuke could literately feel his smile, “I can’t wait to taste some Suna delicacies!”

***

Naruto had his back facing the door when Gaara entered; his lithe body lay peacefully upon a rarely used cot.

“How do you feel?” Gaara asked as he went to sit back to back to Naruto on the frugal bed.

“Itchy. There’s sand everywhere.”

“I apologize.”

“No need.”

Gaara was silent for a while, then, “I thought you deserve to have at least one person to apologize to you.”

He could hear Naruto’s gulp. “It’s not your fault.”

“The sand or Uchiha Itachi?’

The cot shook a bit.

“Both.”

“Uchiha Itachi would have to come later, but I can at least make the sand go away.”

Naruto turned around and started at Gaara bewilderedly before breaking out in a small smile. “Gaara is funny when he’s trying to be nice,” he remarked.

The Kazekage said nothing in response but he did use his chakra to gather up the unseen sand around the room and deposited them in a corner.

The two friends stayed in their individual positions in absolute silence until sunset. Eventually, Naruto’s stomach announced the time for dinner.

“I will ask for ramen,” Gaara said as he stood. He stopped as he opened the door and with his back still facing Naruto, he enunciated clearly, “If you stay here in Suna, you can have all the ramen you want, everything you would ever want.”

Naruto finally sat up. When he spoke, his voice was harsh and cold. “Don’t make such a promise, Gaara. I know you mean well. But I want to be Hokage, and...”

“And you want the younger Uchiha.” Gaara’s voice was even chillier. “But he does not deserve you. He does not understand you. He did not even believe in your loyalty, when it was he who betrayed you in the past. He stood out there and watched and blamed you for it!”

Gaara rarely raised his voice, it was a fact known by enemies and comrades alike. Perhaps it was because of that that Naruto did not even attempt to argue with him. Gaara wanted to hold him then —when Naruto’s head drooped and his shoulders slumped — hold him and keep him and shield him from either Uchiha, especially the one who was currently outside the door listening in on their conversation.

“You are angry with him, are you not?” Gaara inquired deeper when Naruto remained quiet, “angry that he did not trust you enough and merely stood outside and watched not once, but twice? He told me about that part, though I am fairly certain he did not even realize the slip of the tongue himself. But knowing you, Uzumaki Naruto, you probably blame yourself just as much, if not more. You are not a super human, you could not have known...”

“But I should have!” Naruto’s shout was sudden and full of rage. “Itachi wasn’t even trying to pretend to be Sasuke. Sasuke would never treat me like that; he would never want me like that. I should’ve known that! And Kyuubi tried to warn me too, but I ignored him every single time. I’m just a moron, a usuratonkachi, a dobe... I was just so happy that Sasuke liked me. Stupid...”

With the door still left open, Gaara went back to Naruto’s side and encased him within a pair of sturdy arms. Naruto was openly crying now. He looked so young and reminded Gaara painfully of that welcoming youth he met six years ago. Naruto had liked to cry when he was twelve too — Gaara remembered it well — and such a memory robbed him of speech. So however uncomfortable touching another human being was to the redhead, he held Naruto tightly.

“But you know what, Gaara?” Naruto continued through his sniffs. “Sometimes when Sai isn’t distracting me, I keep thinking that it would’ve been better if I never found out. Itachi could’ve taken Kyuubi from me and killed me and I would’ve thought it was Sasuke and I wouldn’t have minded. Am I disgusting, Gaara? Sasuke almost never looks at me anymore, and when he does, I can feel his stare and I bet ya he’s disgusted. He hates me now, Gaara.”

Gaara sighed. It would be all right now. Naruto finally let it out, it would be all right from then on; it had to be. But just to spite the eavesdropping Uchiha, he held Naruto even tighter and nuzzled his nose into sunshine blond hair and said quite loudly, “You still have me, Naruto.”

Naruto tensed but squeezed his midriff nonetheless as a sign of gratitude. A very impromptu rumble resonated through Naruto’s stomach.

“Ramen, now?”

Naruto nodded eagerly.

***

Nights at Suna had always been extremely cold. The seemingly endless heat during daytime faded away all too suddenly after sunset. Gaara tightened his cloak about his shoulders and continued to read through the scrolls. After being taken by the Akatsuki almost three years ago, Shukaku became much more subdued. However, Gaara still didn’t trust him enough to sleep more than two hours per night. He was used to insomnia by now and spent most of his nights in his office with only one lantern as company.

In his peripheral view, the shadow of his bookcase seemed to shimmer though the fire within his lantern was as steady as ever. Gaara sent a quick tendril of sand toward the wall and watched impassively as it was swallowed up by a black tiger.

“My, the rumors are right, Kazekage-sama truly does have a quick temper,” Sai stepped out from the shadows with a scroll and brush in his hands. The ink tiger had already disappeared.

Gaara didn’t grace him with a response.

“How rude,” Sai reprimanded jovially, “and to think, I had so very selflessly helped you get your little raccoon leech back to you.”

Shukaku growled in the back of Gaara’s consciousness. Gaara let it since he couldn’t very well really do any physical harm to Naruto’s friend and comrade. It was true that Sai fought diligently in that vigorous battle three years ago while Gaara remained in Suna for recovery, but it did not mean Gaara had to like him. So he let Shukaku vent; it made him feel a bit better too.

“Is there something you wanted?”

“I don’t think we should let Naruto come with us when we go to find Uchiha Itachi.”

Gaara finally stopped pretending to read the numerous scrolls on his desk. When he looked up, he could see a rare expression flicker across Sai’s face — concern.

“Why not? Even though I spoke of killing the older Uchiha for him, it is still his fight. We are there for support. Even the younger Uchiha does not have the right to his blood anymore.”

That perpetual smile finally died completely. “Just so you know, Kazekage-sama, I will not let another one of my ‘brothers’ die again. Letting Naruto join the fight in his condition would be the worst mistake we’ll ever make.”

“Explain yourself.”

“I’ve heard Uchiha’s narration twice now, and from both versions it seemed like when they discovered Itachi’s aim, both were paralyzed — Naruto from shock, Sasuke from a jutsu that he was unprepared for. I find it strange that Itachi didn’t take the opportunity to either kill the little bastard or kidnap Naruto so he could finishing extracting Kyuubi’s spirit from him. He should know that the current Sasuke makes a formidable opponent in a fair battle, so to spare Sasuke’s life even when presented with the perfect opportunity doesn’t seem like a mistake the so called genius shinobi would make.”

“However, let us not forget this matter concerns Uchiha Itachi. He is not what one would consider normal, even by genius standards,” retorted Gaara.

“I’m not disagreeing with you on that. If anything, Itachi enjoys playing with his younger brother. But he is also highly ambitious, and getting Kyuubi has been one of his highest goals in life. Unless there was an inescapable reason for it, I don’t see how Itachi would’ve let Naruto slip through his fingers when there was a chance that Sasuke would’ve made Naruto stay in Konoha, out of danger and out of Itachi’s reach. Itachi always did things flawlessly, but the way he left things this time seemed full of holes, too easy for us to treat.”

Gaara set his elbows down on upon the desk and rested his chin on folded fingers. Between his duty as Kazekage and his recent concerns about Naruto, was it possible that he wasn’t in the right state of mind to see and analyze things thoroughly? Was Sai more apt at dealing with this emergency than both Uchiha and he?

“Suppose you are on the right line of thought,” asked Gaara softly, “what do you think Itachi really did to Naruto? And how shall we counter it? But I must warn you, no matter what is true and what is not, the revenge is for Naruto to fulfill; and with Kyuubi’s extra chakra or not, Naruto will be going. I do not plan on stopping him.”

Sai broke into a smile again. “I knew you would say that, Kazekage-sama.”

Gaara’s right pinky twitched. “You were testing me.” It wasn’t exactly a question.

His opponent shrugged. “We can’t help Naruto if we’re not in tune with each other’s and his thoughts. This is what he wants to do, and I will follow him to hell to accomplish it. I simply wanted to make sure you would too.”

Shukaku stirred within Gaara with growls of possessive reproach at Sai’s arrogance. “Don’t be so cocky, kid,” the one-tailed Bijuu spoke through Gaara, the latter gave free reign willingly, “we knew the other brat way longer than you have.”

Sai chuckled a little, giving Gaara time to regain himself. “Well, that was new. Since when were you able to do that?”

Gaara shut his eyes. Letting Shukaku possess his body usually gave him a major migraine. “Since Akatsuki’s defeat. Shukaku willingly compromised with me. He would lend me his powers but I must let him run free once in a while. Usually during those times I request Naruto to come just in case. Shukaku stopped complaining though, ever since he spent some time with the Akatsuki. You remember what they did to the demons they captured,” Gaara asked rhetorically and received a nod.

Of course Sai would remember, especially since he was the one who eventually helped Rock Lee and Gai take down Kisame. Itachi’s partner had long extracted Isonade, the three-tailed shark demon. Unlike the Jinchuuriki, Akatsuki’s extraction and control of the Bijuu meant actual death to the demons. With their powers completely taken by the humans, the demons themselves would lose consciousness, their chakra absorbed and fused with the humans who took it. Shukaku was recaptured and returned to Gaara before he could fully merge with any of the Akatsuki members, and upon his return, he was grateful enough to agree to stay relatively peaceful within Gaara until Gaara’s death (after which he would not be held responsible for his actions).

There was a second part of the deal which Gaara had not told anyone, the part where Shukaku made him promise to drink as often as possible once he became of legal age. Not many people knew one of the most feared demons in the world was a certified alcoholic.

Sai cleared his throat, causing Gaara to wake up from his contemplations. “Now that you are done testing me, what is your hypothesis concerning the jutsu Itachi performed on Naruto?”

“I don’t know if Naruto told you this or not, but in the beginning of his first Chuunin exam, Orochimaru put a seal over Yondaime’s seal so Naruto would not be able to access Kyuubi’s chakra correctly. Later, Jiraiya-sama broke the seal, and during that entire time, Naruto was not even aware. It wasn’t until he and Jiraiya began to travel that he learned Kyuubi’s chakra could be blocked in such a way.”

“So you are saying that Itachi put a similar sort of seal on Naruto so Naruto would lose feeling of the connection between he and Kyuubi, making him think Itachi had extracted nearly all of Kyuubi’s essence...”

“Then lure both Naruto and Sasuke into Akatsuki territory where Itachi can kill Sasuke and extract Kyuubi from Naruto with the help of his comrades because there is just no possible way he could do it alone,” Sai finished for Gaara with a little smirk.

Gaara looked away with a deep sigh. “I see. This way, a disturbance would be formed between Uchiha and Naruto, and their performance as partners in the battlefield would be poor. Also, Itachi practically shaped Uchiha Sasuke’s personality, so he is confident that his little brother would not even try to talk about the whole incident with Naruto.”

Sai nodded. “And since Itachi made Naruto think he had lost Kyuubi’s powers — the same powers that Naruto had come to rely upon in the last six years — Naruto is going into battle with both a physical and an emotional handicap. But thankfully, if this theory is true, we can reverse that handicap and greet Itachi with an element of surprise on our hands.”

Gaara frowned. “While your theory sounds highly plausible, how are we to break the seal? None of us are capable of doing it, and going back to Konoha to find the Hokage would be too dangerous and costly in terms of time.”

“I was hoping Shukaku can draw Kyuubi out, a bit of demon to demon bonding.”

The Kazekage shook his head. “Naruto and I may be close comrades, but our demons certainly are not. We need to either break down the seal that separates Kyuubi and Naruto’s chakra systems — which is impossible at the moment — or somehow enter into the other side of the sealed wall and overcome the seal with Kyuubi’s help.”

“That’s also impossible,” Sai rolled his eyes. “Whoever enters would come face to face with the demon itself and would have to negotiate with the demon without getting eaten. Kyuubi no Kitsune is the strongest Bijuu there is, who would have so much power as to command him?”

The door creaked open and a shadow shimmered into view. “I can do it.”

Gaara did him best to keep the shock inside but there was no way to dismiss the utter surprise he felt at hearing Uchiha Sasuke’s monotonous drone. On the other side of his desk, Sai looked just as bewildered. Gaara frowned. Six years ago he was able to battle head to head with the youngest Uchiha and perhaps even defeat him, but now, he wasn’t so sure. Just being able to stay outside of the Kazekage’s office for so long as to hear the entire conversation and not be noticed was a feat not many can achieve.

“This is not a mission for the faint-hearted, Sasuke-kun,” Sai overcame his shock first and chirped with an empty smile, “or the incapable.”

A red glower was sent Sai’s way; three tadpole-like dots drowned within menacing crimson seemed to project their owner’s threat quite proficiently. “Three years ago when Naruto found me for the very first time, I was able to enter his consciousness and force Kyuubi to retreat. The demon remembers me and my name and my powers. I can do this.”

Gaara did not object to this and neither did Sai. Both of them harbored a dislike for the arrogant Uchiha who had caused Naruto so much pain in the last six years. Uchiha could enter Kyuubi’s chamber as many times as he wished, and it would not be much of a loss if he really was eaten.

“And I want to do this alone.” Again, his request was faced with silence. “That means I’m going into Naruto’s room alone and neither of you are to come in until I am done.”

Uchiha did not wait for the party’s acquiescence and walked away.

Sai sought out Gaara’s eyes with a crooked smile and said, “He’s going to do it, isn’t he, he’s going to defy everything stoic about an Uchiha. I bet Itachi didn’t count this into his calculations.”

Gaara shook his head. “No, the calculation flaw is not due to Uchiha, it is because of Naruto. Just like during the invasion of Konoha six years ago, Uzumaki Naruto was and always will remain the number one ninja at surprising.”

Sai hummed. “I just hope he does this right. Will you be sad, Kazekage-sama, that Sasuke-kun is about to steal Naruto right from under your brow-less eyes?”

Gaara did not reply.

***

The wooden door was cold under Sasuke’s palm. He could hear Naruto’s rhythmic breathing just over the other side of this barrier. But no matter how Naruto tried to mask it, Sasuke could tell that the blond was still awake, perhaps even afraid to fall into slumber.

He wanted to make everything right again, to fix every misunderstanding caused by his devil of a brother so Naruto wouldn’t have to try to fake sleep or avert eyes whenever they were in the same room. Naruto liked him and for him there never was anyone else. This didn’t have to be complicated, and he was not going to destroy the remaining precious balance by being the typical Sasuke.

He was going to do this right, and he was going to approach it like any another boy about to make a confession.

He knocked.

Naruto didn’t answer, but Sasuke certainly didn’t expect him to. A bit of chakra and the door opened on its own.

Sasuke treaded silently, but he could hear Naruto’s breathing speed up with each step he took. When he finally reached Naruto’s bedside, Sasuke sat down by the too stiff body and set a pale hand on Naruto’s now trembling shoulder.

“Turn around, Naruto, look at me.” Sasuke regretted the words as soon as they were out. He cursed his voice for being as flat as it was and his tone for being so commandeering.

“Please?” he added as an afterthought.

Naruto did turn around and opened his eyes obediently. Sasuke liked to think it was because of the extra “Please”.

Ocean blue eyes were shaking, pupils fully dilated. It was perhaps not the best moment, but Sasuke couldn’t help but take note of how Naruto’s eyes tended to warp into different shades of blue to accommodate his mood.

Slowly but surely, Naruto’s entire body began to shake uncontrollably. His eyes never left Sasuke’s face, and with each second he stared, the horror grew on his bloodless cheeks.

Sasuke suddenly realized that in the dim ambiance, he probably looked like a carbon copy of Itachi.

Deciding to throw the idea of a “normal” approach right out into the desert, Sasuke trapped Naruto in his arms and forcibly buried Naruto’s head into the valley between his own neck and shoulder.

“Shh, it’s all right, Naruto, it’s all right. It’s me, Sasuke, and I won’t hurt you or lie to you or reject you. So don’t say anything, okay, and just listen. I’m not quite sure how to go about this, what with everything that’s happened, but I...”

His confession was interrupted by incoherent mumbles from the blond in his arms.

“What?” Sasuke let Naruto loose a bit so he could hear his words.

Naruto squirmed and declared loudly, “You’re not Sasuke. Sasuke would never say so much in one breath.”

Patience was already starting to leak from Sasuke’s earlier determination. “All right... is there some way I can prove to you that I’m Sasuke?”

Naruto paused in his squirming to think. “Tell me, the first time I let Kyuubi take over. Kakashi-sensei never put it down on the official record, so unless you were there, you wouldn’t know.”

Sasuke was tempted to squeeze the fight out of Naruto. “I know, I know the answer. It was when Haku nearly killed me. And I can also tell you that at the time, neither of us was exactly conscious enough to remember it, but Kakashi told us after you saved me from Orochimaru during his entirely too long explanation about Kyuubi.”

He drew back but only saw distrust in Naruto’s eyes, the eyes that never did learn how to lie. “You... don’t believe me, do you?”

Naruto’s smirk was one of pure hatred. “No, Uchiha Itachi, because Sasuke would never hold me like this.”

And Sasuke’s hand was just quick enough to catch Naruto’s as it went for a kunai. “Stop it, usuraton... stop it, Naruto. God, you’re insufferable. How am I suppose to make everything right again if you won’t even accept the fact that I don’t hate you!?”

Naruto didn’t answer. Completely exasperated, Sasuke abandoned all traits of sanity and smashed his lips painfully into Naruto’s in a clumsy kiss. It was short and horribly inexperienced and made Naruto’s entire body fall into shock, but Sasuke could feel it, could feel puzzle pieces inside Naruto’s head fitting together into a completed picture. After all, the kiss was a familiar one.

Withdrawing, Sasuke rested his forehead against Naruto’s creased one and whispered, “You taste the same, even after six years.”

Heavenly blue searched Sasuke’s eyes for hints of deceive, and when Naruto could find none, he choked out, “Did Gaara and Sai guilt you into doing this?”

Sasuke raised an elegant eyebrow and asked back flatly, “When has anyone ever managed to guilt me into doing anything?”

“But you...”

Sasuke shook his head. “Itachi would never do anything that wouldn’t hurt me in some way. Sorry to break your pride, but his primary target had always been to wound me. So when he did that to you, it was because he knew it would hurt me the most. And despise his insanity, Itachi has never been wrong.”

His own heart was pounding... pounding....

“Sasuke, I’m sorry...” Naruto’s apology was promptly seal by Sasuke’s lips. To say Sasuke was experienced at kissing would a complete lie, but he approached it with the same determination he held for training. The kiss was forceful and hurried, and he could feel Naruto trying to respond properly. Afraid that Naruto would draw away, Sasuke pressed his right hand into the back of Naruto’s neck and forced the blond head ever closer. It wasn’t until Naruto’s pointed a kunai at his chest that he finally let go.

Naruto was panting, cheeks nearly blue and lungs desperately grabbed for air. When he was finally able to speak, he glowered at Sasuke and whined, “God, let a man breathe, would ya?”

“You’re back...” Sasuke marveled.

“Huh?”

Bruised lips broke out into a rare smile. “You glared at me. You could barely look at me for days and now you just glared at me.”

The seriousness of the situation caught up with Naruto again and Sasuke could see the Kyuubi carrier about to retreat back to his previous shell of defense once again. But something suddenly shone across Naruto’s eyes, a decisive argument with oneself of sorts, and the blond shook his head and when he looked up, blue eyes were free of mists.

“I’m a shinobi, Sasuke, and I will become the Hokage one day. The future sixth Hokage of Konoha can’t be defeated by something so trivial.”

Sasuke frowned. “It isn’t trivial, Naruto.”

“Compared to what I went through after you left Konoha, this is. Ero-sennin told me that a true shinobi can have fears, but it’s the willingness to fight in spite of those fears that makes a true shinobi. He said the Yondaime was like that, fighting for what he believed in even when he was scared. I want to be like the Yondaime too, and I’m scared right now, you know I am. I guess I always will be ‘bibiri-kun’. But...” Naruto blushed, “but Sasuke, I want you to know I really love you, and I’ll take whatever you can give, teammate or best friend or whatever you choose. And Kyuubi or not, I’ll help you kill Itachi because... because...”

Naruto’s head dropped and Sasuke held his breath in dread of what was to come, fearing that memories of Itachi’s rape were ravaging Naruto’s sanity once again. But when Naruto looked back up, cheeks tainted with the most beautiful blush Sasuke had ever seen, dread had morphed into anticipation.

“Because he took what should’ve been yours.”

And Sasuke was falling. Every cell within his body was urging him to push Naruto back onto the cot, to attach his lips to that lean neck sticking out from Naruto’s t-shirt like an offering, to make the smaller boy sing the song that was composed just for him.

But Sasuke just kissed him instead, slower and gentler this time and in tune with Naruto’s needs and prompts. Sasuke opened his eyes and saw Naruto calmly looking back at him, a finger’s length apart. Countless promises of love and reassurance passed through them. Sasuke activated Sharingan eyes and felt Naruto freely letting him inside, pass the endless maze that was Naruto’s inner conscious and into the twice sealed chamber where Kyuubi dwelled.

Instead of ceiling-high bars of iron, the barrier between Kyuubi’s chamber and Naruto’s subconscious was now a solid wall. Sasuke leaned on it, breathing heavily. Merely entering the wall had taken nearly all of his chakra. He could feel Naruto’s fading presence on the other side, probably worried about him but unable to lend a hand.

The chamber was completely dark, so lacking in light that Sasuke could not even see his hands. But he could feel the caress of warm wind against his body, no... it was more like the caress of warm breath.

“Ah, the Uchiha brat,” Kyuubi’s voice echoed within the seemingly dimensionless chamber. “I tried warning the stupid kid, but your brother managed to seal me here in the end. Are you here to pay his debts? I would love a live meal. Too bad there isn’t enough space here for a chase, for I do love to play with my prey a bit.”

Sasuke turned toward the direction where the voice came from and growled as fiercely as he could. “You eat me and you will never see light again. You’re weakening, am I right? Otherwise it wouldn’t take you much to light up this place with some chakra induced fire. The only connection between you and the outside world has been cut off. Normally you can extract chakra from nature itself, but this wall prevents you from doing so. You must be starving, but you also know that I’m here to help, otherwise you would’ve devoured my chakra the second I entered.”

The fox laughed diabolically; Sasuke couldn’t tell whether he was amused or just preparing to pounce.

“Just because the humans label you as a genius doesn’t mean you are one, brat. I didn’t eat you immediately because you listened to me the last time we met, and I like obedient humans. They are so hard to find nowadays.”

“I wouldn’t have killed Naruto even if you didn’t warn me not to.”

Kyuubi didn’t deign it important for a response. “As to your theory about my strength weakening...” he broke off into a fit of laughs again, “my chakra could retain me for years even with this wall here. The only reason why this place isn’t lit up is because I wanted to take a nap.”

Sasuke smirked. “Then you have enough chakra to break this wall down.”

The decibel of the fox’s laughs was starting to hurt Sasuke’s eardrums. “I like it when they flatter! It’s a human seal, especially designed so only a selected group of people can even touch it. Take a closer look at it, brat, the seal this time is not exactly made to keep me in, it’s made to keep the kid from reaching me. I can’t take it down, but most importantly, the kid’s voice and subconscious can’t get in.”

The chamber was suddenly lit up by ghostly red fireballs. The gigantic form of Kyuubi lay lazily next to Sasuke. He hadn’t realized just how close Kyuubi was. Behind him, an odd heat spread through the wall and the stony substance began to glow.

Sasuke backed into Kyuubi for as far as he could so he could take in the image being played on the wall. Behind him, Kyuubi was chuckling, but Sasuke could not see a shred of humor in the horrifying scene.

Memories were playing, memories of Itachi taking Naruto’s body for the first time. Except the images portrayed on this wall really had Itachi’s face, not Sasuke’s. Moans, sighs, kisses and touches of false love consumed Sasuke’s senses.

He could understand why this wall was perfect in keeping Naruto from wanting to connect with Kyuubi.

“How do I get rid of this?” he asked shakily.

Kyuubi snorted. “You care?”

“How do I get rid of this?!” Sasuke’s howl left no place for questions, even in the presence of the most powerful demon ever lived.

“You can’t take it down right away, brat. You must change it first, distort everything within the pictures so not a trace of its original setter would remain. When you’ve done that, it’ll collapse on its own.”

As much as it pained him, Sasuke reach out his hands and touched the large moving picture of Naruto, still unknowingly taking everything Itachi was giving him. Sasuke let Sharingan record the images as the two players moved and set out to mentally alter every single detail except that of Naruto.

They were no longer in Naruto’s room, but rather, on top of Sasuke’s bed within Sasuke’s apartment. The original half moon from beyond the glass was now a full one, tree branches which obscured Naruto’s window had been replaced by rooftops. It was a taller figure that was grinding into Naruto’s groin now, one with messier hair and kinder eyes.

Sasuke could feel the change as if it really happened. Suddenly, he went from an observer to an actor. It was his fingers that were pushing into Naruto’s passage now, his lips that were taking Naruto’s breath away, his waist that had Naruto’s legs wrapped loyally around, his heart that was beating with untainted affection.

And soon he was thrusting, losing rhythm and sanity within Naruto’s virgin passage. Bright paradise flashed in front of his eyes, and he was surely going to lose his mind.

Naruto cried out, body shaken with tremors of ineffable pleasure. Moist teal orbs gazed into Sasuke’s very soul with nothing but love... and Sasuke came.

Under his palms, the wall gave away.

“Sasuke...” On the other wide of the bars, Naruto was within reach. A peach colored arm lifted pass the iron bars and Sasuke grasped it. Naruto pulled, and the two of them twirled back into the physical world with Kyuubi’s highly amused laughter behind them.

Neither was able to say anything upon their return. Sasuke’s mind was still half trapped in that self-induced fantasy and with Naruto gazing at him in that manner, he was so very tempted to play out that fantasy on Gaara’s bed.

“Naruto... how did you...”

Naruto shook his head. “I didn’t know what you were planning on doing. But I trust you, so when you activated Sharingan, I let you in. It was almost automatic.”

“Oh. So... can you hear Kyuubi now?”

Naruto blushed. “Yeah... and he won’t shut up about how you...”

Sasuke felt his own cheeks heating up. “Tch, I figured I had to have your virginity, one way or another.”

Naruto’s entire body was overcome with a shiver. By the still reddening coloring on his visage, Sasuke knew it was at least a pleasant one.

“Kyuubi also says... in return for the show, he’d... he’d help make sure we kill Itachi this time. Sasuke, we’ll kill him this time, right?”

Sasuke’s confirmation came in the version of a kiss. He couldn’t quite say it aloud just yet, but he wanted Naruto to know that with Naruto by his side, he could deal with the fact that he was to be the last of his kind.

When he drew back, Naruto asked cheekily, “Guess that means you like me lots, eh?”

“......You’re still an idiot.”

Naruto faked a hurt expression, and Sasuke could only respond with his kisses. No, he still couldn’t say it, but ever since that accidental touch of lips six years ago, Sasuke had long been captured by those immortal eyes.

--- The End

A/N: A big thank you to everyone for reading and/or reviewing this. An especially big hug for those who started from the very beginning and stuck with me during that 8-month wait. I don't know why it took me so long to put out two measly little chapters, but it did, and I apologize for the wait. Now that it's over and I've done my final edit, I will be saying goodbye to the Naruto fandom. Unless someone catches a deadly grammatical error (and yes, it must be 'deadly'), this will be the last goodbye.

Bye, everyone!