In The Shadows
…
There he was.
The guy who could rile him up like no other. The only person, who always knew what to say. The one he could always count on. The boy, whose warmth, was reserved only for him.
Past tense.
Because he had lost it. He would no longer chase him everywhere on this Godforsaken earth. And he could no longer pretend he was annoyed with that. And he was cold. The warmth, the only warmth he needed, was gone. The boy was tired from chasing, persisting, hoping. He couldn't anymore. It was too much.
And he could understand that.
But he was so cold.
You say day and night wasn't meant to be together in the first place. But this was different. Why couldn't they just be dawn together? But he knew just too well why. That just wasn't the way things went.
Why was he born Uchiha again?
If he wasn't, all of this would never have happened.
Naruto was for the first time in a long while happy. No more Orochimaru, no more Akatsuki, no more destroying of ramen stands. Yes, Naruto was indeed glad.
If you believed in that look on his face, that is.
Because behind that face-splitting grin was something darker. Something he couldn't control. And it had nothing to do with the Demon.
It was rage.
Naruto was boiling inside. But he kept this in. He wouldn't hurt anybody. He wouldn't. Wouldn't.
He ran. He ran like the Devil itself was on his tail. Villagers, he had tried so hard to reach, greeted him, but he couldn't hear. Teammates tried to stop him. It was futile. But the people he loved let him go. They knew where he was going, even if he didn't know himself.
Surroundings was turning red. No! He mustn't lose control. Just a bit more.
Naruto closed his eyes, fearing what he saw, and went by instinct.
Black and white went by with impressing speed. Nothing more than a blur. But it was nothing compared to the orange and black the blur was following. He could barely keep up. He didn't know what was going on. One moment the boy was strolling down the street, grinning that foxy-like smile only he could make look good. The next he was sprinting like he had never seen before.
And that smile was gone.
Back was only a malice he didn't know the guy possessed. Along with the feeling of dread. And there was something else. A feeling he didn't ever consider experiencing again. It made shivers run up and down his spine. He was sweating, but freezing. He couldn't keep up with his thoughts.
He was scared.
And he didn't know what to do.
A feral snarl erupted from the boys throat.
Pain.
Naruto screamed as his skin broke, and blood mixed with chakra. He twisted in agony as his teeth and nails were growing. He almost fainted when the evil chakra made contact with his raw body.
But this was a walk in the park compared to the pain in his chest.
He had never felt anything like this before. It was like somebody was trying to forcefully, slowly, reach into him and rip his heart out. He was going insane, he knew it. He could hear his mind break. Cracking. But that didn't have to be a bad thing. He would finally get peace. Like this, he would die, and everybody would be happy. Almost there.
But then their eyes met.
Naruto forgot how to breathe.
He couldn't bear hiding. Not when the usually happy-go-lucky kid was lying there, in a pain he probably never would experience. It didn't seem fair.
Instead he just stood there. Not more than ten feet away. He wanted to touch him so much, but he knew better. All he could do was to stand there. Making a face most people would have sworn he would never make. But he couldn't care less. Not when the boy, whose warmth was the only warmth he longed for, needed, was in so much pain.
Said boy suddenly whipped around, and black and red met.
He gasped and unconsciously took a step backwards. His eyes went impossibly wide. His mind went blank. He couldn't think, couldn't hear. The clearing disappeared. All that existed was those eyes.
Until something changed.
It was like being hit by thunder. Suddenly his mind focused. He could think now. There was something about those dark eyes. Somehow they seemed familiar. They were calming him. Then his sight went beyond the eyes. A chest hidden behind white robes. Two strong arms. Legs clad in black. A person, that was it. It was a person. And he knew him.
And then it him.
Sasuke.
But how could it be him? Sasuke was gone; he was supposed to be gone. That's what they told him. Tsunade said so herself. She wouldn't lie. Then why was he here? No, it wasn't him. It had to be some sort of imposter. Sasuke was dead. He wouldn't be here, even if he could. It was a lie. Yes, all a lie.
But, then why was he hoping for the opposite?
Slowly, oh, so slowly, the angry chakra disappeared. Naruto didn't notice.
Denial is underestimated.
Sasuke watched, stunned, how the Demons chakra slowly dissipated. What the heck was going on? Not once had the boy looked away from him. It was like he was frozen on the spot. All he could do was stand still. Though it had to be the hardest thing he had ever done. He wanted to hug him, wanted to speak to him so bad.
Then Naruto moved.
It seemed like it took all of his willpower just to stand. And by time his back straightened, all traces of the Demon were gone. His eyes were yet again blue, his skin was flawless and nails and fangs were normal size. But he was nothing like that sunny boy he had seen in the village. There was no smile. And even if his eyes again were blue, they had never been so dull. His whole demeanor seemed blank of emotions. Like he didn't dare to feel. And he knew why.
It was all because of him.
"Who are you?"
Sasuke immediately searched for intruders, but found none. There were only the two of them. But Naruto couldn't possibly have said that. He knew who he was. He had chased him for years, yet suddenly stopped for a reason he didn't know. But that didn't mean he forgot. Surely, he was joking. Right?
The sad thing is, though, that Sasuke knew it wasn't a joke.
"You know who I am, Naruto, stop pretending."
"Please state your name and business here and if necessary, be prepared to leave."
The boys eyes were completely clouded.
"I'm Sasuke, you know that. And I came to see you."
No need to hide it anymore.
"I know no one of the name Sasuke, and I'm afraid I'm going to ask you to leave."
Sasukes heart stopped. And then he realized. His eyes saddened and he lowered his shoulders. He wanted to cry. Because now he knew that the boy wasn't pretending.
"Yes. I'm sorry."
It was too late.