Cut Your Eyes

A/N: Here's the new chapter...I hope some of you find it better than the last-and to those people, thank you for the honest critique. I'd be even more grateful if you could give me specifics so that I can figure out what to change :) Sometimes I'm a little slow...

THANK YOU to *everyone* that commented. Your feedback encourages me to write and is the best type of motivation. I hope that this chapter explains any of the questions you might have---Brought to you by Weezer's Red Album and a renewed interest in Code Geass...


Chapter Five

Six Months Earlier- Part Two

Sasuke kissed Naruto and thought ‘We have six hours, at least six hours’ he ran his mouth against the curve of his neck in light kisses. He bit there gently and Naruto whispered, “Yes, yes” and urged him on. The feeling of Naruto’s hands in his hair was almost better than the slide of flesh between them. That grip told Sasuke so many things; that Naruto wanted him, *wanted him*, and that Naruto wanted him to bite down and mark him, even though Sasuke wouldn’t.

They finally made it to his bedroom. Naruto turned on his bedside lamp and Sasuke thought, ‘five and a half hours, we still have more than four hours’. He told Naruto to sit on the bed and he knelt down. He was completely sure that Naruto had many men on his knees for him during nearly ten years in jail, but he wanted Naruto to remember *him*. Naruto cried out and tilted himself to accommodate Sasuke’s slick fingers. He made one helpless, heartfelt moan that turned into Sasuke’s name, and Sasuke thought ‘Five hours, five hours now’.

Sasuke was swallowing and Naruto was begging when Sasuke thought ‘Four hours, forty-five’.

The feeling of Naruto’s bare thighs against Sasuke’s chest was immeasurably wonderful, but the look on his face, his wide, wide blue eyes right before Sasuke kissed him…Sasuke kissed Naruto over and over, soft and hard and wet, and any way that made Naruto moan, sigh, choke on a breath. Sasuke kissed the slope of his cheekbone, the place where sweat had plastered Naruto’s hair, and nipped and sucked Naruto’s bottom lip until it was red, whispering when he had breath, “I love you, I love you …”

He finally entered, slowly, when Naruto told him he had to, ordered him with bared teeth, angry eyes, and his nails deep in Sasuke’s back. It was a thing of dreams to watch Naruto throw his head back, exposing his long, tanned neck. Sasuke adored the small whimpering cries as Naruto begged and urged him on, groaning hard when Sasuke finally found the place inside of Naruto that he had been searching for.

When Sasuke finally peaked he had Naruto’s hands in his hair, his heels on his back, and his release all over his chest, evidence that Sasuke had done well and had given Naruto pleasure just as he had always wanted to do. Sasuke groaned and Naruto urged him on, whispering, “Yes, yes, yes…God, Sasuke, yes. Just like that.”

After a few moments of helpless panting, lost in contentment and Naruto’s eyes, Sasuke carefully put them in order, kissing apologies into Naruto’s arched neck when he winced.
He pulled Naruto close and Sasuke felt peace, pure peace as the real world was helplessly forgotten. He dozed for a while, starting to become aroused again as Naruto licked his jaw like a kitten, biting so, so gently. Sasuke smiled helplessly at him and something in Naruto sighed as his body lost a tension Sasuke hadn’t even realized was there, making him soft, sweet, and-

Sasuke sat straight up in the bed and looked wildly for the clock, ending the embrace as he searched for it on the floor.

Two hours, they had two hours.

“We have to-” Sasuke started, but Naruto shook his head, whispering, “No, no, no, Sasuke *please*-”

“-get you in the shower. Two minutes tops-”

“Don’t make me go back, not after this-”

“Hurry up, your clothes are still downstairs, I’ll-”

“-hate you. I’ll hate you-”

“It’s not *forever*, please, Naruto. Come get in the shower.”

Sasuke went forward to get Naruto started, get him off the bed, but Naruto sat up before Sasuke could get to him, his feet flat on the floor. His eyes were on the ground but Naruto let Sasuke urge him forward into the shower, and then into his clothes. Sasuke could smell himself in the car, he was covered in Naruto and sweat and *sex*, but Naruto smelled brand new with his wild blonde hair just the smallest bit wet.

Sasuke tried to talk to Naruto but the man said nothing in return, just following docilely until finally Sasuke was opening a single cell in the earliest hours of morning; no sunlight to be seen and everyone who might talk soundly asleep in their cots. Except for one.

Gaara watched Sasuke even though Naruto’s back was turned. He saw Sasuke press his palms against his eyes, saw his tremulous expression of agony as his shaking hand dropped his keys. Gaara watched him crouch down and press his forehead against the bars, gripping them so hard that his knuckles went white. Sasuke looked to Gaara then, at his weakest moment, and the redhead glanced down at the keys on the floor, back again, and nodded. ‘Do it’ his eyes said.

And Sasuke did. He picked up his keys, found the correct one, and turned it in the lock. The sound was loud, grating, and at least a few inmates had woken but none had cried out.

“Naruto,” Sasuke reached through the bars, whispering, “Please-”

Naruto grabbed him arm by the wrist and turned, wrenching it so hard and so suddenly that Sasuke bit into his tongue trying to silence a scream.

Naruto pulled with a quick jerk and Sasuke hit the iron bars with enough force that he felt his shoulder displace, and he made one noise, helplessly, when Naruto gave it another quick tug.

“Look at me,” Naruto whispered, so Sasuke did.

Those eyes he loved were cold and sharp and there was no emotion in Naruto’s voice, not even disdain, not even pity as he continued whispering.

“I never want to see you again.” Naruto continued, too loud for the quiet night. “As far as I’m concerned tonight was rape, and I’ll tell it to anyone who will listen if you do so much as cut your eyes towards me. You say anything about this night to *anyone* and you’ll be getting up close and personal with your precious justice system, Warden. Do you understand?”

Sasuke could only stand, shocked tears running down his face as he searched for the person he loved, just the barest glimmer…Naruto yanked hard on his arm again and Sasuke saw stars, desperately fighting down the urge to vomit from the pain.

“I said Do. You. *Understand*?”

Still, Sasuke could only stare. Looking, searching for emotion in Naruto’s eyes *anywhere* and being met by cold, animal regard. Naruto pulled his arm again, fingers digging deep, and Sasuke felt blood start to run down his forearm, hot blood streaming from his temple as he wondered if Naruto could do it again, hurt him again, because maybe if Sasuke waited long enough...

Naruto pushed him a little ways out into the hallway and then wrenched back. The dull sound of Sasuke’s temple hitting the bar echoed in the sudden, unnatural silence.
Everyone was awake now, and there was enough light for them to see Sasuke struggle with consciousness as Naruto said, “Answer my question Warden,” and pulled him into the bars again.

“He’s in too much pain to talk.” Gaara’s voice was even louder than Naruto’s, “Only continue if your desire is to kill him.”

There was a long silence before Naruto finally let go of Sasuke’s arm and when he fell his wrist got caught. There was a slight popping sound, followed by a snap when he landed on his other arm at a bad angle.

Someone in the dark hissed in sympathy and Sasuke finally pulled himself to his knees, thinking-

‘Time’s up’.

***

The next few months were spent in complete misery. Sasuke embraced his deepest depression since his childhood and everyone could see it on his face, everyone. He was welcoming inmates to the penitentiary one day, as he always did, making sure that everyone got the supplies they were supposed to get and every question was answered so that they could adequately follow the rules. Each of the new inmates had been paired with current inmates, men that Sasuke thought weren’t too harsh or unforgiving, and as it usually turned out Sasuke was satisfied that everything had gone as ordered under his watch.

He saw it before anyone else did. A young man with nervous eyes, probably his first time locked up and most likely trying to make a name for himself, pulled a razor out of his mouth. Sasuke saw it slip into his hand and the only reason anyone else noticed the man advancing was because Sasuke had paused his boring speech and lifted his chin up high, as if suddenly entranced with the grey, pockmarked ceiling.

The guards were too far away. It was an inmate who wrestled the young man down, hitting his hand hard onto the cement floor until the razor fell out. The blade was very dirty, was Sasuke’s only thought, probably caked in germs.

“Not worth it, kid.” Kankuro said, handing the shocked newbie over to the guards, “Nothing there to kill.”

Sasuke let his chin go down and finished the lecture, starting mid-sentence as the returning career criminals looked over to Kankuro in confusion and then back to Sasuke again.

“I’ll be speaking to you gentlemen again in a few weeks,” Sasuke said as they filed through the doors, and then, with a grim smile, “Providing I haven’t slit my wrists by then.”

Conflict in the penitentiary was down to an all-time low but morale had gone straight down with it as they all waited and watched. Sasuke overheard that some of the men were betting on how many weeks it would take for Sasuke to off himself. Besides general management meetings with the guards, the ritual welcoming of the next wave, and walking to and from his car Sasuke stayed in his office. After a few weeks he found that he missed the banter, the curses and sudden projectiles…but he could only chance the interactions when Naruto and Itachi were together, locked into a small room. It wasn’t long before some of the men realized that these events coincided.

The whole ordeal became something of a joke. Sasuke could be holding his hand out for contraband or watching as Ebisu took another inmate into solitary, and someone nearby who was watching, or being dragged, would shout, “Still with us, Warden?”

Sasuke would sigh, roll his eyes, and answer an exasperated, “Yes.”

“Well, thank the lord above!” Would be the general, mocking reply, or sometimes a clipped, “A pity. What we don’t need around here is some more fucking drama.”

It went on like this for a few months, Sasuke losing weight, guards losing confidence, inmates bored out of their minds when something finally broke. Sasuke was down at what had since been lovingly dubbed, ‘the parlor’, welcoming the new inmates as usual. Every once in a while, depending on the convict, he’d have to ignore a slap to the head and a yelled, “Stand straight, you worthless fly!”

After a few sentences into the regular greeting Sasuke noticed that one man on the left was standing alone, no senior to help or slap him.

“Where’s your mentor?” Sasuke murmured to himself, taking the clipboard that Kakashi gave him, “You’re Sand, you should have-”

Sasuke read the name next to the new convict and froze completely, shock taking him over in utter stillness.

Then he said, smoothly and calm to the point of robotics, “Are you there Uzumaki?”
There was no answer but Sasuke could feel Naruto at his back now, could measure the pressure and cool regard. Sasuke frowned, he was still the Warden and there were some things he could let slide past and some things he could not.

Sasuke picked out one of those in line and snapped, “Is he there?”

Kisame looked at something over Sasuke’s shoulder, back to Sasuke again, and nodded his head.

“Uzumaki,” And Sasuke was the Warden, could hear it dripping off of himself with authority, “Stand at your place or explain to your appeals attorney why you were put in solitary.”

There was no movement, no whisper, but Sasuke knew belligerence whether he was facing it or not. He could see it reflecting back to him in the inmate’s eyes and knew that if left there it would spread throughout the prison. Sasuke Uchiha would not give up authority in the one place where he kept it, heartbroken or not.

“Kakashi, escort Mr. Uzumaki to solitary. He will grace block twelve with his presence for a week.”

Kakashi did as he was told and the men in front of Sasuke stood a little straighter.

“Ebisu get Gaara.” Sasuke changed the name on the clipboard, crossing Naruto’s out.

“…Warden…” Sasuke turned to Ebisu with that dormant authority fully awoken and the man blanched, his question going unasked as he walked out and did as he was told.

They all stood staring at each other long enough for the newbies to start fidgeting, but Sasuke saw respect enter into the regulars’ eyes. Respect Sasuke hadn’t known was gone.
When Gaara came in Sasuke looked him straight in face. He noticed for the first time that they were the same height.

“Mr. Uzumaki was given a fairly simple task, easily accomplished within the parameters I am working with. I have sent him to solitary for a week for his blatant disrespect for seven days starting tomorrow.” Then Sasuke briefly turned to Baki who, like many others, seemed to be very surprised at Sasuke’s sudden familiarity with the vicious gang leader.
Gaara nodded only the barest bit but it was enough to imply understanding.

“I’ll leave Mr. Baki in your care.”

Gaara made a motion with his jaw and Baki ran to Gaara’s side, clutching his toiletries.
“The rest of you may leave as well.”

Then Sasuke sat in his office and waited for the call from Itachi.

****

“Little brother,” Itachi was wandering all over his office, looking at files and pamphlets, messing with the stupid decorations, “It’s hard to do you a favor when that favor is sitting where I can’t get to him.”

“I know.” Sasuke let his head roll back, “but he was undermining my authority to the point where I had to do something or start watching for shanks when I walk the blocs.”

“And, speaking as his attorney, what precisely did he do to get sent to isolation?”

Sasuke rolled his head back to his brother, “As the warden of this institution my formal statement is, ‘You had to be there’.”

“…to fully understand the vast prison dynamics that you deal with from day to day?” Itachi glanced at Sasuke and then continued to mess with his confidential papers.

Sasuke sat up in his seat angrily, “…to fully understand all the disrespect I have to put up with from day to day? Yes, that would be accurate. I gave him a warning and then I kicked his ass down to iso where he is currently sitting naked on a concrete floor having conversations with a bucket of shit.”

“Naruto.” Itachi murmured. Sasuke started digging for his Advil.

“What?” Sasuke found it and dry-swallowed two pills, making a face at the taste.

“Naruto.” Itachi said, making full eye contact, “You gave *Naruto* a warning and then you kicked *Naruto’s* ass down to iso where *Naruto* is currently sitting naked on a concrete floor having conversations with a bucket of shit.”

Sasuke paled, he couldn’t help it. Itachi, master of nuances, walked over with a frown.

“One day he’s praising your every breath and then suddenly he’s not speaking of you at all.” Itachi sat on Sasuke’s desk, close up so that they could look at each other face to face, “What have you done that could make you feel guilty about doing your job?”

Sasuke could only stare back, wordless in his shame, but with Itachi it only took one look. His brother exhaled with closed eyes and suddenly Sasuke was eight again, never good enough and trying not to cry.

“I knew you loved him,” Itachi said quietly, “I didn’t know you were *in love* with him. That takes two people, doesn’t it, Sasuke?”

“He showed up at my house.” Sasuke was gratified to at least see surprise on Itachi’s face. “He shows up and says ‘run away with me, if you love me then run away with me’. How am I supposed to react to that?” Sasuke’s voice broke, “I tell him to wait, to go through his appeal, to not make stupid, rash decisions that will send us all to prison…and at the same time-”

Sasuke couldn’t take control of his expression, how it folded and smoothed into grief so deep it couldn’t be denied, “-at the same time we *both* know that he may never get out again, that he’s taken the chance of a lifetime and I’m telling him he has to go back-”

“And he’s standing in front of you and he wants you to touch him, so you did.” Itachi sighed again, and watched Sasuke fight against himself, “but that’s not all of it, right? What happened when you came back to the prison?”

The words were Itachi’s brand of lawyer-speak but it was soft for a careful interrogation, because it was Sasuke and not someone Itachi would gladly humiliate. Because they were Uchiha, and brothers.

Sasuke shook his head, and Itachi said, “Tell me, little brother. I can only help you if you tell me.”

So Sasuke told him. Sasuke told Itachi about the night that would have been precious to him forever, no matter what the outcome, and how Naruto had turned it sour, fetid, and rotting with hate.

Itachi listened and his voice was tense and angry as he said, “And your fractured arm, your broken wrist, your concussion, your cuts…that wasn’t from a fall, was it?”

“A sort of fall.” Sasuke murmured, pulling himself together strand by strand as they sat in silence.

“Get him out of here, Itachi.” Sasuke finally whispered, “Get him out.”

Itachi didn’t speak and Sasuke could only look at his own shadow.

“He still deserves to get out from this place no matter how it ended or what he did.”

“Alright,” Itachi stood, “But only if you deal with him first. I do not participate in blackmail of any kind.”

And if Itachi said it, that’s how it would be. Sasuke would confront Naruto or Naruto would be there to haunt him for the rest of his life.

***

Sasuke walked down to where the Sand gang had designated their quarters and went without guard. He received a few odd looks but those passed. Before the incident it had been habit once to walk the blocs and Sasuke decided he would just make it habit again. He followed a bellow of laughter to its source and found the hierarchy seated, probably planning out some dastardly deed…and Naruto. Kankuro and Baki gave him harsh glares but Gaara nodded as if he had been expecting Sasuke all along.

Sasuke found Naruto and stared him directly in his eyes. He experienced a moment of bone-thrumming astonishment when it was *Naruto* who looked away, not meeting Sasuke’s gaze as he said, “What do you want, Warden?”

“I need to speak with you in my office,” And then remembering the original threat, “Immediately.”

Naruto finally looked up glaring, “Then I guess I’m going to make good use of my phone privileges.”

Sasuke just nodded and motioned, “Now, Uzumaki. You can use the phones after our meeting. In fact,” Sasuke narrowed his eyes, “If you are still in such a hurry afterwards I will allow you to use my personal line.”

Naruto’s glare faltered a little, but he only moved on Gaara’s murmured order, standing with an astounding amount disdain for one movement.

“Lead the way.” Sasuke murmured, and there was a meaning under the statement. Sasuke only walked behind those he didn’t trust not to hurt him and there were very few people required to do so. Walking past the cells, the recreation areas, with Naruto at his front made it clear what he thought of the man. There were a lot of confused stares as they both walked by, and Sasuke saw the angry blush on Naruto’s face when he answered a cat-call, with, “Yeah? Go fuck your brother you fairyan piece of sh-”

“Uzumaki!” Sasuke snapped, “You can’t make phone calls from isolation.”

There was another slew of curses so Sasuke stopped, snatching Naruto’s jacket to pause him on his way. Sasuke scanned the group. They were mostly the Aryan brotherhood and some of the Irish gangs and both groups responded surprisingly well to mother-henning.

“Do we need to have a discussion?” Sasuke crossed his arms, “If you’ve forgotten the last one already-”

“Nope!” “No Way!” “Please, Mother of God, spare us!” “Fuck you, Prez!”

The responses went on for a considerable amount of time and when the barrage of swearing and pleading finished Sasuke turned to the leaders of the gangs, who were smiling slightly, and said, “Send the uninitiated to my office in an hour and a half. Have them go with Kakashi.”

Both of them nodded and the rest of the gangs turned to the green-horns with the big mouths. Unsurprisingly they looked at Sasuke with a little caution in their eyes and confusion for their comrades who were leering at them.

Sasuke tapped Naruto between the shoulder blades and said, “Continue.”

When Naruto continued, flushed, hands fisted, it was in silence as the inmates wondered why Gaara had let his golden boy be taken away in such a manner.

Sasuke wondered if the look on Naruto’s face was anger, or if it might be shame.

***

When they arrived at his office Sasuke put Ebisu outside the door to insure a complete lack of privacy beyond carefully leveled speech. Naruto noticed, snorted and sat in front of Sasuke, lounging with hate and disgust in his eyes. That was alright, Sasuke reasoned, Naruto was entitled to those emotions if he felt them. Sasuke tried to not feel the ache in his shoulder as the air conditioning started up. After a long moment of staring Sasuke pointed a finger to a shadowed space beside his desk.

“I kissed you there when I shouldn’t have. I made you a promise there and I broke it.”

Sasuke glanced up to see a look on Naruto’s face that he didn’t understand. He picked up a simple manila folder from a stack and put it in front of him on the desktop.

“I have always done my best to be scrupulously honest, unbiased, and understanding. I memorized every rule I agreed to when I signed the papers to become Warden at this Institution. I know exactly which ones I have broken regarding you.”

Sasuke pulled two keys from the folder and handed them to Naruto.

“One for you,” Sasuke said simply, “One for Gaara.”

Naruto looked at him with anger and confusion warring in his eyes as he palmed the keys.

“I see no reason for your appeals process to be disturbed by my-”

“So you’re trying to get out of it, huh? I should have known you would try to weasel your way-” Naruto continued on this vein for quiet some time, only petering off when Sasuke gave no reaction. When Naruto finally went silent Sasuke opened the folder in front of him and turned it around so that Naruto could read the document inside.
Naruto went pale and said, “W-what-”

It was the first time since that night that Naruto had looked at him without eyes full of hate. Sasuke felt the price was worth it for that last glance to give him a memory of something better.

“The original copy is signed and notarized in one of the lockboxes at the local US bank. You are the only one who can open it, but as insurance you can give the key to Gaara who knows all of your information already.”

“Sasuke-”

Sasuke took the paper and put it in the shredder while Naruto watched.

“My brother told me that he does not deal with blackmailers. He said he would discontinue working on your case until there was a resolution to our problem. This will be suitable resolution, I think.”

Sasuke looked at Naruto and pulled his soul down low to finish the rest.

“Become a free man and you can tell the whole world,” Sasuke grinned wryly, “or anyone who will listen, that I have disgraced myself. Tell them so they will know who I should pay reparations to, and how long I should be sent to one of my ‘precious justice system’s’ corrective institutions for the good of those who are under my authority.”

Sasuke frowned, “I tried to think of possible witnesses, but I told no one and was very discreet. You should tell one of your friends, not Gaara, he’s not a credible witness, or mention that something may have happened to a guard.”

He slid another paper forward.

“This is the official complaint form. Please fill it out.” Sasuke handed Naruto a pen and the blonde took it with shaking fingers. When he was done Sasuke called in the secretary and told her to notarize it. She glanced over the document with a small frown, but finally stamped it, adding her initials.

“Please make two copies and file the original.”

She did so and after she left Sasuke pulled out an envelope, folded the two copies into thirds and licked the envelope closed. Sasuke pulled out his daybook and flipped to ‘H’. He wrote down an address and showed it to Naruto.

“Is this correct?”

“That’s-That’s Haku’s address.”

Sasuke called in the secretary in again. She brought a priority mail envelope out and Sasuke wrote down the address. He stopped from sealing it for a moment.

“Would you like to send Haku a note along with the contents?”

Naruto was staring at him like he was too shocked to comprehend Sasuke’s words. Sasuke asked him again and shoved a pen and a piece of paper towards him. Naruto finally picked them up, scribbled furiously for a few minutes and then passed the pad to Sasuke.

Sasuke carefully kept his eyes on the far wall, ripped off the piece of paper, folded it in two, and slipped it into the mail folder. He pressed the envelope closed. It felt like he was ripping his heart right in half.

“Wait! You’re not going to read-”

“Please sit down Mr. Uzumaki.” Sasuke sent his secretary directly to the post office with orders to catch the postman. She would make it, and Naruto knew it too. The secretary left, shutting the door behind her with great care.

Sasuke stared into Naruto’s beautiful sky-blue eyes and clenched his jaw.

“Can we agree that our problem has reached a resolution?”

Naruto turned his face down, but he nodded.

“In the very slim chance that you will not be freed from this institution I will have Kakashi Hatake collect the documents and evidence to present them to the appropriate civil servant. I will not deny any claim you wish to make.”

Sasuke leaned over and whispered, “But I have bought back the right to look you in the eye Naruto Uzumaki, so while I am warden you will obey me. If you do *not* obey me your accusations will seem like angry ravings. That’s not the sort of thing a judge wants to hear.”

“You are dismissed.” Sasuke finished, leaning back and just barely, barely holding on to composure and authority.

Naruto didn’t look up to whisper, “Sasuke-”

“Itachi will contact you soon. Please attempt to regard me in a favorable light or he will suspect something has gone wrong. Again, *dismissed*-”

And before Naruto could get another word in Sasuke had called Ebisu and Naruto was taken away. He glanced behind but Sasuke kept his own eyes averted. He didn’t want to see the inevitable hate on Naruto’s face.

It was right.

His confession was justice…and penance…though neither would help Sasuke sleep through the night.

Six months later Naruto walked out of the courthouse with his head held high while Sasuke watched from afar.

***

Back at the Hotel…

It took Sasuke roughly two hours to pack. Every few moments he looked for a light under the adjoining room’s door or sat silently in front of the Wisteria tree. Sasuke put his nose up against the blooms for a moment and found that the smell of the blue blossoms was pleasant. Sasuke touched the card, running his thumb over the harsh surface of the paper. He gazed at the handwriting in the moonlight and tried to remember if Naruto had written like that, slanted with jagged edges. He packed the card and left the tree.

Sasuke opened his door as quietly as he could and stepped into the unnaturally bright light of the hallway. There was no one there to see him walk out and the room door next to him was closed with a ‘do not disturb’ sign hanging off of the knob. Being stupidly malicious and childish, Sasuke snapped the sign off, dropped it, and carried his things to the elevator rather than let the suitcase wheels make noise against the carpet.

It seemed to take a much longer time than usual for the elevator to come up to his floor, but it got there eventually, just in time for Sasuke to catch the sound of a door being unlocked and opened in the hallway. Sasuke kept his bag clutched to his chest and stared straight ahead, pushing the lobby button and then the ‘close doors’ just in time to hear footsteps, not walking, not running, but moving quickly.

A single hand peeked through the crack of the closing metal doors but it wasn’t fast enough to slip through. Sasuke didn’t think about that hand, he just kept going down, each floor passing with a loud ‘ding’ until it stopped at the lobby. He walked over to the man at the counter and said, “I’m checking out,” slapped his credit card down and walked away as quickly as possible.

“Mr. Uchiha!” The man yelled to his back, “You’ve been left a package! It’s urgent information!”

Sasuke almost kept walking but he turned back. It could be from anyone, Tsunade maybe, or Sakura, and if it was urgent…Sasuke snatched the manila envelope away and took his credit card back when the man said, “Your brother is taking care of the bill, we hope you’ve had a pleasant stay, please think of us at your next-“

The closing glass doors cut off the rest, but as Sasuke was getting settled in the back of a cab he herd a yell.

“Wait!”

The cabbie looked at him and Sasuke shook his head, turning his eyes away when the rearview mirror revealed a disheveled figure in boxers and a t-shirt, barefoot and blonde.

It was a short ride to the airport but Sasuke paid the cabbie with the first bill he found in his pocket and said, “No change” closing the door on profuse thanks. The airport wasn’t nearly as busy so early in the morning and Sasuke walked straight to his airline without any hesitation, calling out for an attendant. She appeared around the side, yawning and smelling of cigarettes as she asked what he wanted.

“I want to change this flight for right now. The earliest flight off this Island.” Sasuke gave her his itinerary. “I don’t care where it’s going I just want the first flight out.”

She raised an eyebrow but started tapping away on the keyboard in front of her with a sigh.

“Our earliest flight opening is tomorrow. Would you like to go on a waiting list for something sooner?”

“No. I don’t.” Sasuke snapped, “What about the other airlines? Do they have openings?”

The woman, finally picking up on his panic asked, “Is this some kind of emergency?”

“Yes, it’s a damn-”

“Sasuke.”

It was only one word but Sasuke’s hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Looking at his expression the woman murmured, “Should I call security?”

Sasuke mouthed the word ‘no’ because his tongue was dry, his words gone, and he couldn’t keep his damn hands still, couldn’t keep the tremors from his body as he closed his eyes and tried to pull himself together. He had almost accomplished that when Naruto said his name again.

“Please look in that envelope.” Naruto took a step forward and Sasuke felt chills, “Please, Sasuke.”

After a long pause Sasuke pulled his luggage in front of him and unzipped the outside pocket to pull out the manila envelope. Without the hurry he could see his name scrawled on the front in slanted, jagged edges. There was a seal over the flap on the other side and a familiar notary stamp.

“Look at the date, please.”

Sasuke did, squinting to see the careful print ‘August 06, 2003’. It was dated three weeks before Naruto’s appeal date then. Sasuke remembered easily as he had had the day circled on his calendar on his desk in thick red ink.

“Open the envelope inside.”

The attendant leaned forward but Sasuke glared her off as he made sure the contents were safe from her curiosity and opened it. A first class envelope fell out of the manila with two pieces of loose paper; Sasuke’s original signed confession and Naruto’s formal complaint. Sasuke stared at them both, feeling ill as he slipped them back into the package. He picked up the first class envelope and broke the seal. Inside were the two copies of the photocopied official complaint and a folded sheet of paper.

“The paper.”

Sasuke took the paper, running his fingers on the edges torn from its binding and finally unfolded it, looking at the contents for the first time.

‘SASUKE, you fucking idiot- what the *hell* are you doing??? This is complete bullshit you goddamned asshole are you trying to call my bluff?! FINE! I WAS LYING YOU STUPID PRICK I’D DIE BEFORE I TOLD SOMEONE YOU RAPED ME ALL I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT SINCE YOU KISSED ME WAS HAVING SEX WITH YOU ON A REAL BED OKAY?? Stop this WAKE UP THE LOOK IN YOUR EYES MAKES ME *TERRIFIED*!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STAY SAFE! WHAT THE FUCK IS BEING FREE WORTH IF YOU’RE NOT-‘

Sasuke couldn’t read any more, his eyes were closed from harsh, uncontrollable sobs, and he was barely keeping on his feet as he filled the echoing room with all the tears and grief that had been storing up since he had slipped his confession into a lockbox and given Naruto the key. He remembered the panic and disbelief in Naruto’s eyes when he said, “You’re not going to read it?” Sasuke did fall finally, unbalanced as he tried to catch and wipe away his tears, his knees buckled, but two strong arms kept him up and turned the fall into a gentle embrace as Naruto clutched Sasuke close.

The smell of him was the same, just as in Sasuke’s memory, and his hair just as soft as it brushed Sasuke’s neck. Naruto gentled Sasuke and shushed him quietly, pressing a chaste kiss into Sasuke’s shoulder.

“If I had known,” Naruto whispered softly, his lips against Sasuke’s ear, “That you’ve been waiting all this time I never would have left you alone for even a moment. You’re right, I didn’t know you were here but once Itachi told me where we were going and why, God, Sasuke, I couldn’t… my heart…I couldn’t keep it one place. I thought you *hated* me for what I did to you but I couldn’t –Sasuke I couldn’t not-”

Sasuke didn’t speak, all he could was clutch at Naruto with one hand in his hair and the other fisted in Naruto’s thin t-shirt. After a long moment of just standing there, a moment of wrestling himself into belief, Sasuke opened his eyes and said, “You’re in your pajamas.”

Naruto’s laugh was surprised and unexpected and what Sasuke wanted to do the most was push him down and kiss him, or hit him, or something, anything if it meant keeping Naruto as close as he possibly could.

“Yeah, well if you had waited instead of rushing off into the night I might be able to pull on some fucking pants. Or, hell, maybe even shoes.”

“Where’s Ebisu when you need him?” Sasuke said wryly, murmuring into Naruto’s ear.
Naruto huffed a laugh in return and murmured, “Come back with me? If you still want to change your flight later-”

“Shut up.”

“Alright,” And was it just Sasuke or did Naruto sound a little relieved, a little breathless?

“Okay, well…I’m going to need my body back for a little while-”

Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes, breathing in the familiar scent deeply, running his hands through wild hair, pressing his cheek against Naruto’s cheek until he could feel the thick scars on Naruto’s face. Sasuke held Naruto close and tried to memorize everything about the embrace, from the way Naruto touched the back of his neck with soft petting motions to the sound his bare feet made as he shifted on the tile.

“…I really fucked you up,” Naruto whispered hoarsely, his hands tightening briefly into Sasuke’s flesh, “You can let go Sasuke. I’m not going anywhere I swear to god…”

Sasuke did finally let go, but slowly, so carefully…Naruto leaned over to pick up his bag and Sasuke looked away, taking the papers from the counter while nodding his apologies to the shocked attendant. Naruto was already waiting at the door, looking odd and wonderful with Sasuke’s tidy black luggage in one hand and rubbing his bed-head with the other. Sasuke still didn’t look him in the eye though, it almost felt as if he couldn’t.

The sliding doors opened and Naruto put a hand on Sasuke’s elbow as they walked through them to meet the beginning of a beautiful sunrise.

Sasuke whispered his thanks to any god who would listen and Naruto cupped the back of his head and pressed them together, lips touching his neck in a brush, but no kiss.
That was alright. Sasuke knew that any other kind of intimacy would seem false, plastic on the very heels of reunion. That would come later.

…If Sasuke ever managed to convince himself that Naruto wasn’t going to leave him.


Next up...love can never guarantee forgiveness and neither can forgiveness love...