A/N: Hiya there!

I know, I know, another story. But this simply jumped out of my head, and seeing how much you'd been voting I couldn't control this. (grins sheepishly)

First of, of course… Thank you from the bottom of heart for all those votes – my gosh, so many of you have voted! (gasps with shock, then GLOMPS) THANK YOU – it means the world to me to know that you're curious about my ideas for stories! (hugs again)

But now, as for this story…

WARNINGS: HEAVY topics, lots of mental issues, mentions of child abuse, YAOI, language… (rolls eyes) Yeah, this is the average story of mine, alright…

DISCLAIMER: I'll spend a huge sum of my little money in a hairdresser today. (And they'll probably give me a haircut close to Sasuke's, like the last time… Creepy – especially since I have dark eyes!) So NO, I do NOT own Naruto. (sobs)

Awkay, before I'll end up getting you bored out of your minds… Let's GO! (gulps) I REALLY hope ya'll enjoy this.


The Deepest Cuts


/ What child psychiatrist Tsunade hated the most about her job were the moments when she knew she'd lost a child. And as she stood outside a huge building beside a ten-year-old Sasuke Uchiha – who was shivering like a leaf, obviously terrified out of his mind – she knew with disheartening certainty that she'd lost this one.

But still, for the child's sake, she tried to smile comfortingly. "Now, Sasuke, we're not saying goodbye or anything." She looked towards the piece of paper he was squeezing tightly – desperately – in one hand. "You have my address. You can write any time you want."

Sasuke nodded faintly, not looking towards her. "I know."

They both shivered a little with startle when the door behind them was thrown open. She didn't manage to move until a slightly shorter child with unruly blond hair was hugging Sasuke with absolutely all his míght. Sasuke was visibly terrified even further by such sudden, uninvited physical contact. "Naruto…!" the child all but yelped. "Let go!"

Naruto clearly tried, but couldn't. It was then she heard the sobs. "They… They're not taking you away, right? Not really." Goodness, how the child kept crying…! "I don't want you to leave me, too! You're my best friend."

At that moment Tsunade saw something she'd never forget. Very slowly Sasuke's terror melted to sadness and something close to anguish. There was a look that shouldn't have belonged to a child on the Uchiha's face when he leaned and whispered something to Naruto's ear.

Tsunade never found out what Sasuke whispered, but the words worked like magic. In an instant Naruto's sobs started to subside, and she could see the child's hysterical state ease. "'You promise?" Naruto hiccupped.

Sasuke nodded a little. She could just see how he slipped something into Naruto's hand. What had he been holding? "Yeah. I promise."

Just then a very fancy looking car drover over, stopping right before them. A torn look that would haunt Tsunade's dreams for a long time appeared to Sasuke's face when he gave her a one last glance, then took his bag and turned around. She had to hold Naruto with all her strength when Sasuke disappeared into the car and it drove off. As the blond started to sob hysterically she wanted to cry as well.

Sasuke wrote her ten letters, each one taking longer than the last to appear. The letters were always brief, and gave all too clear messages that his condition was once again deteriorating. One day the letters stopped coming, like the child had simply vanished. /


Verse 1 – The Homecoming


While daringly taking his third mug full of sickeningly strong coffee, twenty-three years old Naruto Uzumaki decided that today was not a good day.

It was a much too early Monday morning, and it was once again raining so hard no one in their right mind wanted to go outside. And, of course with his luck, it was this morning his dear, ancient car had finally decided to betray him while he'd been driving to work.

So it was no surprise that as cheery as he usually was, Naruto was in a pretty lousy mood when waiting for the new intern he was supposed to brief. His mood didn't brighten the slightest until a woman of his age with pink hair and green eyes entered the break room. "Naruto, right? Tsunade told me you'd be here", she explained, referring to their senior physician.

To his surprise Naruto managed to grin while taking down the rest of his coffee. His stomach moaned in protest. "Sakura Haruno, right?" He offered a hand, which she accepted after a quick blink. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Welcome to Taku."

Sakura smiled a bit in return. "Thanks." Her smile soon faltered when they heard very loud screaming sounds of a child and an adult, coming from the hallway right outside the room's door. The child managed to use language that would make most adults turn red.

He waved a hand. "Meh, that sounds like your average morning around here." He then gestured her to follow. "Now come on, let's get the tour started."

While leading Sakura through the huge building Naruto was pleased to discover that she relaxed, even seemed to like the place. He showed her several of the therapy-rooms, one currently empty room where two children could live, and even their kitchen. Finally they ended up to a huge common space that had a couch and TV, along with tons of books and toys. Two little boys at the age of six – a scar-faced tiny redhead named Sheo, and Haru, a much taller blond child who looked almost unearthly beautiful and fragile – were sitting in the middle of a pile of books. Sheo was reading out loud rather loudly while Haru was focused on drawing patterns to the floor with one finger.

Once noticing him Sheo gave him a wide grin. "Hi, Naruto! Do you wanna read, too?"

He grinned back. "Maybe a bit later." He winked and nodded towards Sakura. "Right now I've got a date."

Sheo made a face, then focused on Haru. The tiny boy kept reading persistently, although Haru didn't react to him in any way and the particular book was much too hard for the child to really understand. Naruto mused that Sheo most likely made most of the stuff as he went. He'd always adored the child's infinite imagination.

He turned towards Sakura, who was looking at the children, clearly wondering. "Haru is autistic", he explained. "And Sheo… Honestly, we don't know a lot about him. A social worker brought him here – according to her he was found from the streets, and he was too unstable to be put into a foster home." He looked towards the boy, who was still telling his own story, tiny arms moving animatedly. "He gets violent panic attacks sometimes, which is his main problem. He also has huge problems with basic things, like personal hygiene, private space, sharing and eating habits. But he's already progressed a lot – I don't think we'll get to keep him much longer. Aside those two we have three kids."

Sakura nodded slowly, then looked around. Her eyes had softened. "This place… is something unique. Usually children's' psychiatric hospitals are depressing, but this sounded like a home. That's why I wanted to come and train here."

He smiled. "I love it here, too. I hope Tsunade lets me keep working here after I get my psychologist's degree."

Sakura looked towards him with some curiosity. "How did you end up here?"

He scratched his hair and looked away. This was the part he'd been dreading. "I… used to be a patient here." He went on after a beat. "Childhood schizophrenia."

Sakura blinked once. "Oh."

He wasn't sure why he felt like he had to go on, but did so anyhow. "I'm okay now, though. It faded away mostly, anyway, and the medication and therapy do miracles." He winced. "But it still took a lot of effort from Tsunade before I got to start studying psychology, let alone work here."

Sakura snorted. "People can be morons."

He gave a firm nod of agreement, relief settling in. "Yeah."

"So…" Tsunade's voice managed to startle him – she was disturbingly good at sneaking up on people from behind. "In case the tour is over, we should get to the actual work – it's time for breakfast." She focused on Sakura. "I'll give you all the patient files before lunch." She was clearly about to say something more, but dashed off cussing instead when screams echoed somewhere in a nearby hallway.

Seeing Sakura's expression, Naruto smirked. "Welcome aboard."


The rest of the day wasn't any less irritating. Naruto was scratched, spat at and when he called the mechanic he got the news he'd been dreading. His precious car was officially dead.

Standing outside a flower shop, Naruto woke up from his moody thoughts when someone's hand brushed his shoulder. Turning his gaze he grinned when finding a familiar person. "Hey."

Hinata Hyuuga blushed a little when he took her hand. So she still wasn't comfortable with public displays of affection – he forgot that sometimes. "Hi. I… I thought you wouldn't have the time to come and walk me home from work today." She then frowned. "What's wrong?"

He couldn't help smiling a bit. Sometimes he also forgot that aside his fianceé, she was one of his oldest friends. It was kind of comforting that someone could read him like this. He shrugged. "I had a crappy day, that's all." He then arched an eyebrow when noticing that there was a very expensive looking car parked across the street, outside an empty business building. "Geez. What the heck is someone with a car like that doing here?"

Hinata shrugged. "It showed up an hour ago. According to Ino it belongs to a man who's interested in renting that building to expand his business."

Naruto was about to joke how one could always trust Ino to know stuff like that, but all words got stuck in his throat when the car's owner suddenly emerged from the building. In a nanosecond he lost all breath, and he was fairly sure even his heart stilled. Hell, his whole damn world stopped spinning.

Black hair and eyes, pale skin, that look in those eyes…

Naruto never even noticed how his hand wrapped tightly around a silvery pendant he hadn't taken off since getting it; it was a tiny yet beautiful, blue egg that looked like water whenever light hit it. It was his dearest treasure, the only thing he had left of… "Sasuke…!"

Perhaps the dark-haired heard, because the man stopped right beside his car and turned his head. In a second those eyes met his, infuriatingly unreadable and filled with a storm he couldn't name. In that moment he could've sworn Sasuke recognized, too.

Just then a huge truck whistled past right in front of him, hiding Sasuke from his sight. When the truck disappeared both the man and his car were gone, like they'd never even been there.

"Naruto?" It was a struggle to focus on Hinata's voice. She sounded worried. "You look like you'd seen a ghost."

Suddenly nothing in Naruto's carefully put together life made sense anymore. His thoughts were screaming.

Was Sasuke back? If he was, why? Did the man still remember, did he ever think and wonder…?

Only one thing made sense.

For the past thirteen years there'd been one question haunting him, burning his mind, driving him insane. Now, he finally had the chance to ask 'why?'. And he wouldn't rest until he'd have the answer.


TBC, or not?


A/N: So… (gulps VERY nervously) How was it – any good, or simply trash-material?

PLEASE, let me know your thoughts – it's your call whether this continues or not! (gives puppy-dog's eyes) If you say yes, it'd mean seven chapters more. And, I have chappy two basically written, so if you'd want to, there might be a fast update.

And IF you want this to continue, a little poll. There'll be six children in Taku. How much do you want to know about them? Should they stay in a barely existent role, or do you want their stories to be unfolded, too?

Awkay, I've gotta get going, now. (pouts)

Thank you so much for reading this! And please, do let me know if ya want to read more!

Take care!