You're Pretty When You Cry

A.N.: Zimm here! We're co-writing Yay! So I hope ya'll like it! Cuz we do. Anyway enjoy and drop us a line ppl? We love to hear from our readers.



You're Crying Makes Me Belive



Somehow inexplicably he had changed, and because of that he sat at the lake dock and stared down at his reflection. He had been so close to destroying everything, the thought made him feel raw inside and he shivered. Though he briefly wondered if it would have made a difference if Naruto hadn’t been his friend. He sighed, Naruto was gone on some sort of mission to get a new Hokage and it irritated him some what. He could have, should have gone on that mission too but the old man had only wanted Naruto.



Sasuke closed his eyes and his memory went straight to a redheaded boy with lightly tinted blue green eyes and a soft pair of lips despite harsh desert conditions. He felt his face heat up at the thought and shoved the memory away. He wasn’t that kind of person, he didn’t have crushes on people especially on people like that guy. He frowned down at himself, still it was because of him that he had finally been able to see what he was becoming.



He huffed a sigh, he didn’t have time for this shit he needed to train.



********



“You called for me Lady Hokage?” He said in a dead tone he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like this.



“Yes, I have received intelligence that Orochimaru is the key to get to a far more dangerous group.” the busty blond replied.



“What does that have to do with me?”



“I’m sure you’re smart enough to figure that out,” she replied.



Sasuke frowned momentarily then sobered his expression, “what would you have me do?”



“Join him, learn what he wants you too.”



Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat, “what about my status here?”



“You’ll become a rogue nin, a traitor to the village. When it all said and done I’ll pardon you.” the if you make it that far was left unsaid.



“He wants to take my body.”



“I will find a way to, slow you down.”



“You mean Naruto.”



“He will more than likely go yes.” Tsunade replied.



“Other than join Orochimaru?”



“There is a group called the Akatsuki. I was advised not to tell you but your brother is apart of them.”



He put it all together his brother wanted Naruto because of them. Didn’t change the fact that he still hated that man, but it made him feel less weak.



“If you see an opportunity kill Orochimaru, and get into Akatsuki.” She added.



“I’ll have to kill me brother to do that.”



“A good point.” She replied.



She had already known that, so on his mission he would still be able to kill his brother. He still wasn’t sure now if he wanted too, bring him to justice maybe. He would know at that time he supposed.



“You have your mission boy, now get going.”



“I can’t tell anyone can I.”



“If you did you would ruin everything and every chance this village has of winning against the enemy.”



Sasuke nodded and turned to leave.



“Be safe, and try not to kill unless you have to.”



“Of course Hokage-sama.”



************



“I-I love you Sasuke.” She sobbed with her arms wrapped around his torso.



His heart slammed into his chest and twisted something fierce making pain vibrate through his entire being. He tightly closed his eyes and swallowed the feeling down into the pit of his stomach, it made him sick. Sasuke was suddenly behind Sakura ready to put her in a sleep jutsu.



Posing his hands at the back of her neck, “thank you.”



He caught her deftly and laughed her carefully on the bench and slid his fingers down her cheek. Sasuke wanted to stay so badly, but he had to leave. He had a mission, a very hard and lonely mission and he was going to have to lock away everything but his anger away in order to complete it. Sasuke hoped that he would not forget who he really was.



************



“Gaara we have received word from Konoha that Sasuke has deflected from his village and that the group that went to retrieve him needs back up.” Kankuro told him, “can you believe that they are looking for people to go and aid them?”



Gaara took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes, Shukaku grumbled under the surface. They both remembered those eyes, the kiss. Something was up, the Sasuke they had last scene hadn’t wanted anything to do with…



“Then we are volunteering.” He stated and stood up from his seated position on the edge of the bed.



Kankuro’s attention snapped to him in surprise.



“We helped cause a lot of damage. We should help them free of charge.” He replied stepping past him to enter the hallway.



“You’re serious!”



Gaara decided to ignore him, Shukaku was getting agitated by his behavior. Walking down the hall he stepped into the Kage office, his father had once occupied, where he found Baki temporarily performing the duties. Suna could do without a real Kazekage for a few years but they would probably find someone soon enough. The elders were very picky of who they chose, and said group looked up when he entered and stiffened.



“I am here to volunteer to help the group.”



Surprise surrounded him one of the elders came up beside him, “why?”



“We helped destroy their village. It would be good politics to send my team as we were a corner stone for the plan. Besides nobody else would be willing to do this for free.” He explained looking at the elderly man sidelong with expressionless eyes.



The group looked taken back by his response and looked at each other with a strange vibe to a non verbal conversation that Gaara wasn’t sure he really liked. The fact that Shukaku murmured they were planning something didn’t make him all that much more happy, but he carefully kept it off his face and awaited their judgment.



“Very well, that is a sound proposal. I will inform Konoha you gather what you need and the three of you head out right away.”



Gaara nodded and turned Kankuro bowed his respects and followed him.



**************



They landed in front of the one that Gaara figured could be no other than the one called Choji, though he looked much more different. He crouched down and looked at him, pressing his fingers to his throat. He was still alive, which was good for the medics.



“Found one.” He called out, and suddenly there were three people behind him.



He quickly moved on and heard his sister call out a far ways ahead of him that she also found one. So they were alive, but they had no time to help, they had other nins to worry about that could still be fighting. Pushing chakra into his feet he picked up pace, and though he came from the desert he easily navigated through the branches. Shukaku had his uses, Gaara’s lip twitched when the demon protested to being used.



*******



Gaara landed beside the man he had once tried to kill, and his sand blocked the attacked of the enemy. He glanced over at Rock Lee to see if he was okay, he seemed dazed and a little chocked but over all fine. His attention turned back to the attacker.



“I will take care of this.” He stated calmly.



Lee stood up and got into a stance, “I can still help.”



Gaara sighed, this man just never knew when to quit and he found himself defending him with sand once more.



“You are only causing problems. Stay out of my way.”



Gaara’s eyes widened and he through Lee back with his sand as a particularly dangerous attack came at them. He closed his eyes crouched down and placed his hands on the ground. Sand rose up from the ground like waves crashing into the opponent. Wind wiped about them with the shear force of the chakra he was using. Lee seemed to be highly impressed.



“You got him!”



“Not yet,” he replied.



The man rose from the sand and Lee made a sound in his throat. Gaara just stared down his enemy, this was going to be a bitch to take care of as his brother would have said.



*******



He leaned against a tree taking deep breaths, Lee looked over him with concern. Which was odd, as he had almost killed the man should he at least be pissed? It was the perfect opportunity to kill him, he could barely move. Lee leaned forward and Gaara flinched, then stared in disbelief when a cool cloth was pressed to his forehead.



“This will help, Gai-sensei always does it for me.”



“Why are you helping me?”



“You helped me.”



“I tried to kill you,” he said with a frown.



“I think this made up for it.” Lee replied with a smile.



Gaara looked down at his hands, it was odd that he had been forgiven so easily.



“You know you and that Sasuke guy are a lot alike.” Lee observed.



Gaara looked up into the black eyes, this man was so strange looking but he had a lot of power.



“What do you mean?”



“You both have lost your youthful passions and need to train and get them back!” Lee announced and stood up randomly in a pose.



Gaara didn’t really know what the hell he was talking about so he just nodded in agreement.



****************



Sasuke dropped to his knees holding onto his arm and pressed his wet forehead to Naruto’s. Everything was so fucked up, he didn’t want to do this. A quiet sob escaped him and tears fell down his cheeks. When a heard a staggered breath leave the blonde’s lips he relaxed a bit, but the tears still fell. I was best to get it all out now, once he was in the snake’s den he would have to have no feelings.



It wasn’t fair he had to destroy his small family to complete this mission. He only hoped that those who had been sent to retrieve him hadn’t been killed, the couriers had been strong. Carefully he stood up his village hitai-ate falling from his grasp to lay beside Naruto. Slowly he limped away into the forest, locking away each emotion and memory as he went. He had to be what he was before….



Soft lips…



****************



“Apparently Naruto is doing good with his training and travel.” Gaara said out loud to his brother after reading the letter.



“You know he’s doing that to get back Sasuke.”



“Yes.”



“You’re going to just let him?”



“He needs to become strong for his ultimate goal to become reality,” Gaara replied folding up the letter and placing it in his top drawer locking it.



“You never write him back.”



“I can’t his residence is always changing.”



“Hm,” Kankuro murmured.



“You know something don’t you,” Temari said looking at her brother.



“About what?” Gaara asked looking down at the next paper to read it.



“That Uchiha.”



Gaara sighed, “I don’t know anything.”



“You suspect then. Did something happen between the two of you in that ball? You never did tell us.”



“No, just him being a complete psycho.”



Kankuro snorted, “well it takes one to know one.”



“He said the same thing.”



Temari seemed amused, “did he now.”



“Yes, while licking my blood.”



Kankuro looked green, and Temari seemed shocked. Gaara simply went back to working. A year and a half had gone by. He was now the Kazekage which had been a little shocking. Naruto was still training, and shockingly enough wrote him about his adventures wishing him good health. He could have written back, but he was unable to. He wouldn’t even if he could Naruto did enough to compromise his safety without his help. Occasionally Lee stopped in and bothered the hell out of him with his endless energy and bouncing attitude, but he was also grateful he had made some friends.



He paused his writing and thought about a strangely emotionally charged kiss in a forest and wondered how the man was doing. Even though everything pointed to him being a traitor he still remembered those eyes. Those eyes had changed, they had both changed in that moment a shared moment of intimacy made it difficult to let go of life. He would hold out hope for him, he would hold out hope for that man for Naruto’s sake as well. The blond had loved him like a brother, loosing family could be difficult.



Be safe… both of you.



****************



The man’s throat sliced open easily enough and blood came spilling out onto the ground splattering. Sasuke wiped his blade across the man’s clothes and then turned towards Orochimaru who seemed pleased. If he could he would have fuckin’ killed the man already, but he still had a ways to go. Orochimaru still wasn’t quite weak enough to get rid of, and he suspected there were still jutsu he needed to learn.



“Ah, Sassuke-kun, you are wonderful to watch.” The man cooed.



“Whatever.”



“How dare you speak to Orochimaru like that.” Kabuto stated.



Sasuke appeared behind him and slid the sword between the man’s side and arm. He couldn’t take on Orochimaru yet but he could get rid of this guy if he wanted to. Orochimaru laughed the sound drowned out the moans of those in pain momentarily. Sasuke couldn’t decide if he preferred the moaning or the laugh, they were both unnerving.



“You two should play nice.” He told them.



Sasuke wisely sheathed his sword and walked off in a random direction dismissing the both of them. Orochimaru chuckled Kabuto glared a whole in the back of his head. He didn’t really much give a fuck, so he kept walking.



“So pissy sometimes…” Orochimaru said affectionately, or as much so as he could.



“He’s dangerous.”



“He’s on the rag, leave him be Kabuto.” Orochimaru intoned Sasuke shot him a glare and slammed the door.



Laughter followed him down the halls, damn the snake had gotten under his skin again. Still it was a good sign that Orochimaru didn’t suspect anything. It made him feel better about being able to complete his mission. This was probably the easier part, Akatsuki would be worse. Or at least that’s what he told himself at night.