The Sound of Dreams

Editing problems resolved! Woot, thanks to my beta who showed me how the "Save As" worked on the newer version of Word, lol. Some lines were added back in if you have already read this. Doesn't make a huge difference, just some nuances.

AN: I just wanted to take a moment to thank Allys for previewing this chapter for me and reassuring me that it was perfect the way it was. Her encouraging words as well as those from all my readers help reassure me that what I am writing is how my story was meant to be told. Thank you all!

With that in mind, I am going to take her advice and give forewarning that while this chapter contains smut, it is in no way, shape or form the fluffy kind. Fluffy smex is in the future, but certainly not in this particular chapter.

While I am on topic, OMG!! Over 1700+ hits just on this site alone as well as 36 reviews! /throws a party!!

Allys has also drawn another wonderful fanart from this story!! You can drool over it here: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/52571284/

Nathaniel: Thanks for the vote of confidence. If Kishimoto was ever jealous of this, I would keel over from a heart attack!! /hugs

Ladygizarme: I hope everything goes well for your c-section! I’ve been there before as well so my heart goes out to you! I know you will have a beautiful, healthy baby who will be as sweet and kind as you have been to me!

I don’t want to be irritating and leave two pages worth of review responses, but please be assured that I value each and every one that my readers leave! Glomps all around!!

Without further ado…

Chapter 45


"We could kill them all in their sleep," Sasuke suggested blandly.

Naruto decided he really didn't want to know whether he was kidding or not. Instead, he shot the dark-haired teen an exasperated look.

"Just a suggestion," he murmured with a tinge of what Naruto was afraid was disappointment in his tone.

"At least they aren't going to try to force us back," he said with a heavy sigh.

"That you know of. They might wait until we are injured or until our guard is down," Sasuke pointed out.

"Hn," Naruto answered as he stripped down, throwing his clothes carelessly on their bedroom floor.

Sasuke admired the view as the naked, tanned body moved over to the dresser to fish out a pair of his boxers. He loved watching Naruto's body. It was akin to watching a sleekly muscled, large cat moving about the room. Latent strength and power that was ready to awaken and turn deadly at the first hint of danger. His lips twitched into a smirk. Well perhaps it would be at the second hint of danger. This was Naruto to whom was referring.

And that lethal package was all his.

Speaking of packages.

His eyes dropped down as the boxers were pulled over a firm, tight ass; the package he had wanted to examine disappeared under dark blue cloth. Feeling Naruto's gaze on him, he glanced up at his lover's face, which was pulled into a wide smile.

"Something you wanted?" the blonde asked lightly.

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow with a "Hn." They both knew that it was a charade however, put on by his pride and stubbornness.

"You know, I do recall now that I owe you one for announcing to everybody that we were sleeping together," Naruto said half playfully, half with a growl.

"Embarrassed about it?" Sasuke asked casually, but with a sharp look in his eyes.

"It's none of their business what you and I do in private," Naruto declared.

"Maybe a few of them needed to know that you were no longer available," Sasuke suggested.

Naruto gave him an incredulous look. "I really don't think any of them had designs on my body," he said with exasperation.

"That only proves how blind you really are," Sasuke affirmed.

Unable to think of a witty come-back, Naruto stuck his tongue out at the other teen. "The only person that has designs on my body is you," he asserted.

"Perhaps not the only one, but the only one that will get to fulfill those designs," Sasuke said with a smirk.

Naruto placed a finger on his bottom lip. "Hmm, I dunno. Shino was looking pretty hot tonight," he said thoughtfully.

Every trace of expression was wiped from Sasuke's face except for the crimson eyes that started spinning. "Don't even joke about it," he said in a dead voice.

Naruto blinked in bewilderment. He then recalled all of the uchiwa fans that decorated practically every surface in the Uchiha compound. He should have remembered that Uchiha’s were rather obsessively possessive. It both unnerved him and yet gave him a warm feeling to have that attention turned toward him.

He walked over to the stiffly sitting young man on the bed and reached out to gently cup his cheek. "As long as you want me, I will only be yours," he quietly reassured him. He then gave a lopsided smile. "And I think I've already proven that even if you say you don't want me, I'm still yours."

Sasuke slowly relaxed as Naruto's words sank in. It was true. The dobe had doggedly tried to get him back for years. If someone could be said to be obsessive, it would be Naruto just as easily as it was Sasuke.

“Hn. Let’s get some sleep, usuratonkachi. We’ve had a long day and I don’t think either of us is healthy enough to play at the moment.” Sasuke stripped down to his boxers and slid under the covers, being careful not to bump his side. Hopefully the tenderness would fade in a few days.

Naruto left the sling off as he crawled into bed. He shut off the lights and then settled down beside Sasuke, letting the older shinobi spoon against his back with an arm around his waist. It was nice to fall asleep while being held; something he enjoyed immensely.

As they both fell silent in the darkness, Naruto pulled a little extra power from Kyuubi, hoping to speed up his healing as he slept. He wanted to recover as quickly as possible so that they could take down the last lab.

****************
Orochimaru watched as the small trickle of power became slightly thicker as the vessel pulled on the demon’s chakra. The creature itself was resting, having spent energy keeping the boy healed the last few days. The Sannin didn’t know what Naruto had been up to, but it had apparently involved a lot of fighting.

He crept over to the cage doors and pulled himself up until he was even with the seal. After casting a glance over his shoulder, he turned and pushed his arm into the back of the seal. He could feel a bit of resistance, but he forced himself to flow along with the red chakra that was leaking through. He felt excitement spike through him as his chakra wrapped arm emerged on the other side.

He looked back once again to make sure the demon was still slumbering. Satisfied that he was still out of danger, he pressed his face against the bars and willed himself through.

It felt as if his head was being squeezed by a vice. The pressure kept increasing until he thought his eyes would burst from his skull. Slowly but surely the red haze cleared from his vision and he could see from the outside of the cage. Smiling a bit maniacally, he began to pull more of his form out.

He couldn’t move.

Scowling, he tried again, but his shoulders refused to pass beyond the seal. He could pull back but he couldn’t go any farther. He frowned, but realized there was nothing else he could do to escape at this point in time.

Deciding not to waste what he had accomplished, he probed at the vessel’s mind only to find him unconscious.

Perfect. It was time to look around.

Yellow eyes opened onto a familiarly decorated room. He could tell he was in one of his bases, just not which one exactly.

Feeling something tickle his face, he glanced down onto a dark mop of hair that had taken residence against his neck and shoulder. The pale body shivered against him although he couldn’t feel it as a soft, distressed sound emanated from the figure.

Orochimaru could guess that his own chakra was stirring the curse seal somewhat and, by what his senses told him, it had been activated recently which added to its sensitivity.

“Don’t we look so comfy, Sasuke-kun,” he whispered softly in a mocking tone. “I told you that bonds only made you weak, yet here you are, clinging to the demon-brat like some lost waif. And here I thought you were trying to be a real shinobi so you could go kill your brother. Sickening.”

While he wanted Sasuke to stay around so that he would be within reach when he once again took control over his vessel, Orochimaru also wanted there to be enough strife to force Naruto to call upon Kyuubi’s powers. The more power that the boy called upon, the better chances the Sannin had of escaping his prison.

He knew, however, that even if Sasuke left that Naruto wouldn’t be far behind.

Smiling, he used his one working arm to pull Sasuke closer and brought his cold lips down upon the black marks on the teen’s neck. As his mouth brushed the white skin, his power slipped from between his lips and into the seal.

Sasuke moaned plaintively in his sleep.

“Sweet dreams,” the voice said smugly before relinquishing its hold on reality.

****************
Sasuke’s eyes snapped open, but the images of the nightmare still danced in his vision. His parents’ blood pooling on the floor, his brother’s emotionless face and his own terror were vivid in his mind. Terror was then followed by pain. The pain of his parents’ deaths, the pain of his brother’s betrayal and the pain of having his whole world ripped apart around him while he could do nothing.

Pain only made one stronger; he shouldn’t try to push it away.

Sasuke shook his head with a frown. No, people made one stronger. Naruto had proven that to him. He was stronger when he was with his friend.

Unconsciously, his hand crept up to cover the curse mark.

Pain defined a person, hardened them, tempered them and made them stronger. No, pain clouded a person’s judgment and made them do irrational things.

He felt a burning in his neck.

What the hell was he doing here playing house with Naruto? He should be out looking for his brother. He should be trying to find that son of a bitch and make him pay for his crimes. Make him pay for leaving him alone.

He wasn’t alone. He needed Naruto’s help in taking on his brother. They always traveled in pairs; Orochimaru had warned him at one point. With Naruto beside him, he would have the strength to do what was necessary to avenge his clan and then put it to rest. So that he might actually have a life afterwards to call his own.

There was no life beyond his vengeance. Everything else was an illusion. A genjutsu manufactured by his own weak wishes for something more in his life when he knew he had but one purpose.

He shouldn’t be here.

He carefully sat up and looked down at the other occupant of the bed.

‘Mangekyou,’ his mind whispered to him.

‘NO!!’

He may not have a place in Naruto’s life, but that didn’t mean he would take it away. Naruto was the last link he had to being human. Naruto represented his last childish wish that things could have been different. No matter how much he hated having that wish in front of him, taunting him with its allure, he just couldn’t bring himself to destroy it.

He eased out of bed and quickly dressed. He wanted to be out of the room as fast as possible before the contradicting emotions pulled him apart.


Naruto struggled up through the layers of sleep as something in his subconscious nagged him into wakefulness. He knew he wasn’t in danger, yet something wasn’t right.

The first thing his mind registered was that the usual comforting weight on his chest was gone.

He sat up and looked around the room, noting that the other shinobi was nowhere around. Thinking that perhaps Sasuke had gone to the bathroom, Naruto shifted to lie back down when he froze.

One of two packs that they had near the door in case of a need for an emergency exit was gone.

Not sparing time to wonder what the hell was going on; Naruto yanked on his pants and shirt and ran out of the room. He didn’t care about shoes or coats or any other frivolity when it was possible that Sasuke was sneaking away into the night.

Naruto ran down the cold stone corridor, heading for the exit. He half stumbled to a stop when he came across one of the Fuuma clan shinobi standing guard at the doors. “Has anyone left this way?” he demanded.

Naruto only waited long enough for the man to shake his head before turning and bolting down the hall. He had to have left through the concealed crack in the wall. Not too many people knew about it and they had planned on keeping it that way.

He came to the narrow channel in the rock and started to force his bulkier frame through. Half way through he stopped with a string of curses before using a henge to change his form into that of the white furred, blue-eyed fox. He quickly ran through the rock and earth until he came out into the night.

He scanned the area with sharp eyes and ears until he caught the flash of what could possibly be a gleam of steel in the moonlight. Not unlike that of a buckle catching the light.

He dropped the henge and tore off in that direction, trying to catch up with his wayward lover.

Sasuke dimly heard a voice filled with concern, calling his name. When the owner of that voice approached, the fire in his neck increased tenfold. He staggered away and was thankful that the person let him.

“Damn you, Sasuke, fight it! I know you can!” the voice yelled at him.

He knew that voice. He knew that it belonged to someone dear to him. He realized with sudden clarity that the curse seal was trying to control him again instead of the other way around. He fought back against the darkness in his mind, fought his way back towards the light that was talking to him in an anxious, but encouraging tone.

He came to on his hands and knees, breath wheezing out of him in great heaves. His stomach felt nauseous and he was afraid he was going to be revisited by his dinner. He slowly regained control over himself, proud that he was able to do so without hurling all over the place, and stood upright.

“Are you okay now?” Naruto asked from the next tree over.

Was he okay? No, he could still feel the fire and rage eating at his psyche. He could still feel the need to tear into something, the dark need to make something hurt.

Sasuke nodded wordlessly, unwilling to admit that he might not be.

“What happened?” Naruto asked hesitantly.

Sasuke shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

Naruto cautiously approached his friend, but his presence seemed to make the other teen to tense up again. He watched as the black flame markings remained on his lover’s skin, refusing to recede.

“Maybe you need to work through it,” Naruto ventured. “Like you told me to do when the Kyuubi was influencing me.”

“I can control it,” Sasuke said through gritted teeth as he tried to fight down his emotions and bottle everything up again.

“Maybe you just need to change it into something else. If I could change lust into anger, maybe you can change your anger into something else,” Naruto suggested. “It would be easier than trying to feel nothing.”

"True," Sasuke allowed with an attempt at a smirk. "But then I am an unbending control freak that refuses to give into anything that isn't a result of my will. You on the other hand are moved by your emotions and bend with the forces around you so that you don't break."

"Are you saying that you're broken?" Naruto asked quietly.

Sasuke's whole body tensed for a chilling moment, his eyes spinning into red. His muscles relaxed slowly and he tilted his head, looking Naruto over like he was debating whether he would be tasty or not. If the blonde wanted him to channel his anger into something else, far be it for him to refuse.

"And right now I think you should be bending to my will," Sasuke continued in a whisper.

Desire laced adrenaline surged through Naruto as he realized he had inadvertently triggered the more dominating aspects of Sasuke's personality. His raven-haired friend wasn't one to let his strength be called into question and now Naruto was going to pay the price for doing so.

Sasuke slowly crouched into a fighting stance. “Well, dobe? You are always chasing me down and fighting me. Why should this be any different?”

“I don’t want to fight you,” Naruto stated adamantly.

“Scaredy cat,” Sasuke sneered, smirking as he watched Naruto stiffen indignantly. “You said you wanted me to change my anger into something else. I’m willing to try to change my anger into lust, but I need you to play, too.”

“Then why are we fighting?” Naruto asked warily.

An almost feverish grin appeared on Sasuke’s face. “To see who gets to top, usuratonkachi, or do you just want to bend over for me so we can get down to business?” He was deliberately goading the other boy. If this was going to work, he had to work the edge off of his anger first. He didn’t want to take Naruto while still feeling the need to lash out and cause pain.

Naruto would recover from getting his ass kicked, but Sasuke didn’t want to find out if he could recover from being raped or not.

An errant breeze stirred Sasuke's dark hair, causing a few strands to curl gently around his chin. The spike of lust from the vision was enough to drive Naruto straight at him with a low, rumbling growl. Sasuke waited until the last moment then dropped down on his back. His hands and feet caught Naruto in mid-leap and boosted him over the other's head. As the blonde sailed through the trees, his body twisted much like a cat's to get his feet underneath him. He landed on a branch much further down and looked up only to see Sasuke almost on top of him.

Naruto jumped back as the older teen's feet hit the wooden limb. Not even pausing, Sasuke continued his charge. Naruto took a few quick steps to meet him, but Sasuke side-stepped as he grabbed the blonde's shirt-front. Allowing his momentum to carry him forward, he lifted the younger man up off his feet only to reverse his motion and slam the tanned body down into the branch upon which he stood.

All of his air left his lungs on impact. Knowing he would be able to breathe again momentarily, Naruto didn't panic but rather took the opportunity to grab Sasuke’s wrist and to wrap his legs around the arm, which was still clutching his shirt-front. He then abruptly realized that in this kind of fight such a maneuver was almost useless since he couldn't exactly break the other boy's arm. That wasn't what this contest was about.

Grinning almost viciously, Sasuke dropped his body forward and down, forcing himself between Naruto's legs. His free hand grabbed the blonde's hips and lifted so he could press boldly into Naruto's groin. Naruto groaned loudly as he felt his growing erection pressed by an even greater hardness. He forced his eyes back open from where they slid closed upon bodily contact and reached up to grab a handful of black hair.

Sasuke ruthlessly quelled the desire to not only submit but to do so with a moan when he felt the grip at the back of his head. He bared his teeth down at the blonde then started yanking at the fastenings of the orange pants violently.

Realizing that his tactic wasn't working, Naruto reached up and clawed open Sasuke's shirt. He then shoved the pale arm out of his way so he could lean forward and latch onto a nipple, sharp canines pricking skin to either side of the pink nub.

Naruto seemed to become aware of how close he was to losing when he realized that his pants were halfway down his thighs and that Sasuke was starting to open his own. Suddenly understanding that he was in a rather compromising position, he placed his feet on the lean hips above him and shoved hard, forcing Sasuke off the branch. He then did a kip-up to his feet, pushing his body from lying flat on his back to upright with a surge of muscle, and dragged his pants back up over his hips.

He looked down and saw his quarry standing on the barren forest floor. He absently noted the patches of green in the moonlight giving hints that spring was arriving. He leapt down without thought, his eyes riveted on the other young man; a slave to the desire that was now thrumming like a sweet addiction through his system.

Sasuke pulled the remnants of his shirt from his shoulders as he watched the blonde land not too far from him. They faced each other and he couldn't help but let a slow smirk form across his lips. Not wanting to give the dobe any time to think or calm down, he rushed the bulkier form.

They both went tumbling down in a frenzy of ripping cloth, biting teeth and clawing fingers with the musical accompaniment of groans, growls and mewls. The pure uninhibited savagery of their desire drove them further into madness in their need for each other.

Sasuke finally forced the blonde over onto his stomach and pinned him down, holding his wrists above his head. He forced a knee in between the toned legs and ground his hips against the tight ass below him.

He didn’t stop to gloat however. He didn’t want to lose that wild edge that their play held. It was almost as liberating as submitting to Naruto’s dominance. It was untamed and free and he knew that no one else could have held up under the brutality of it. No one else would have been strong enough to handle the obsessively crazed passion that was between them.

He transferred both of Naruto’s wrists to his one hand and used his other to jerk his own pants down enough to pull out his cock. He then yanked down the orange eyesores to the other’s knees, his lust riding him hard as the tanned ass was bared. He barely had enough forethought to hold his hand up under the boy’s lips. The other seemed to intuitively know what he wanted since he felt the slick wetness of spit hit his fingers. His own saliva joined it and he reached down to slick himself. He wiped whatever was left on the blonde’s puckered entrance before jerking the other teen’s hips higher.

Sasuke pressed himself forward and felt the tight muscle slowly give way. Naruto gave out a loud cry as he was penetrated, his body tensing up automatically at the painful yet erotic sensation. His brain wanted him to stop while his body wanted more. Or perhaps it was his body that wanted him to stop while his brain wanted more. Maybe it was both. He didn’t have time to decide however because less than three heaving breaths later, Sasuke began to move.

The raven-haired man pulled out and slammed in experimentally a few times, perhaps giving Naruto time to adjust or perhaps just testing out the body beneath him, like tuning an instrument. Indeed the blonde was quivering like a plucked string as a brutal pace was set within him. Sasuke was like a maestro conducting a darkly passionate symphony upon the blonde’s body and soul. Nerves were struck like the chords, bringing out a litany of resonant moans and cries. The rhythmic pounding in his ass met and melded with the quick tempo of his pulse. Fingers coated in black flames danced over his skin until they found their way between his thighs where they began to strum his hardened flesh.

Naruto felt as if he were descending into madness as the opus swelled into a crescendo. Discordant sound joined into the harmony, but instead of detracting from it, it seemed to enhance the perfection of the melody.

“Sasuke! Oh gods, Sasuke! Fuck me! Please!” Naruto, the instrument, practically wept. Wails and cries of rapture sounded in response to the pure beauty of the music until everything went silent and tense as that one perfect note was struck.

Teeth buried themselves into Naruto’s shoulder as the body above his shuddered almost violently. A hand clutched almost desperately around his pulsing cock as both males lost themselves in their release.

Darkness opened its embrace to Sasuke and the young man felt himself falling into it as his body went limp.

Naruto lowered himself down with the sudden dead weight on his back as he stubbornly clung to the light around him. His mind reeled, his body was almost numb and yet achingly alive at the same time and he could feel the coolness of tear tracks down his face.

He didn’t know what in the hell had just happened, but it had been intense, it had been wonderful and he wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to do it again. He told himself that it had just been the cursed seal that was influencing Sasuke and that his lover would never have acted that savagely on his own. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to truly believe that or not.

He carefully turned in the arms of his lover and cupped the other boy’s unmarked face in his hands. When the other didn’t open his eyes or respond in any way, Naruto felt safe enough to tell Sasuke finally what he had always wanted.

“I love you.”

TBC