THIS STORY IS A SEQUEL TO "ILLUSION". It is seriously suggested that you read ILLUSION first before perusing this next story. I express my deepest gratitude to all who read and commented on the first part. I hope you will find this story equally pleasing and equally smart, if not better. This is Rated M just to be safe. Pairings are NejiNaru and SasuNaru. (DISCLAIMER) I am a FAN of Naruto. Again, please read and then submit a review.

AWAKENINGS

I – Uchiha Sasuke

Naruto's lips tasted just like how Sasuke had always imagined them to be, maybe even better. And they moved perfectly, too, on his own pair as he kissed him, it was indescribable. He had been living just for that moment -- to finally show Naruto how he felt for him. And the previous night, Sasuke had made Naruto his, still to his surprise, the other had complied. So he can claim those lips again, and he must do it now, he must taste them again, his lips, as well as his skin. Moreover, he wanted to hear those words again, which he thought he would never hear from him, those sweet, sweet words that are only as sweet if it were Naruto who's speaking them, words sliding on his tongue, like his tongue on him, sliding on his ears, sliding to his ears for him to listen, tongues sliding, sliding on ears, sliding to him…

I love you… I've wanted you.. for a long time.. I have always wanted you…loved you… but you never even look at me… I want you… I love you

Was that Naruto? Was that Sasuke? Speaking those words…

I love you… I've wanted you.. for a long time.. I have always wanted you…loved you… but you never even look at me… I want you… I love you

These thoughts made Sasuke smile in his sleep. He rolled to his side to face the other person lying beside him, and eyes still unopened, he reached for the other person at the other side of the bed. His skin, his lips… But it was empty. And it was oddly cold. He opened his eyes. No Naruto. Naruto was not there. Fear and panic and anxiety rushed in his veins. His heart beat pounded twice as fast. Naruto.

He thought of running water, immediately, in the bath tub. Yes, the water is running. Naruto must be taking a bath. He has to be there. He has to be there, waiting for me to wake up and follow him to the bathroom, and bathe with him. He tried to smile. Sasuke stood up quickly, the sheets slipping from his naked body. The morning air was cold. Hot bath water is good for cold body. Oddly cold.

"Naruto?" He called, waiting eagerly for his pleasant voice answering back, "Naruto?" One of his pranks, maybe, Sasuke thought. Naruto is a prankster after all. "Naruto?" You prankster, come here. Or at least answer. Sasuke called as he came closer, and closer to the bathroom door. The sound of running water getting louder and clearer. His heart pounding frighteningly hard on his chest. Naruto is still here in my house, he is lying in my bathtub, in my bathroom, using my soap, my water, my towel… "Naruto?" His hand pushed the unlocked bathroom door. Empty. No Naruto. Naruto. And the faucet tightly closed. A swift wind from the open window lashed his unclothed body. The coldness was harsh on his skin. Oddly cold.

He walked back to his bed. He strained his ears for noise coming from downstairs. He thought of the television switched on, immediately, the morning news on channel 2. Yes, the TV is on. Naruto must be watching TV. Early morning news. I must go downstairs immediately, Naruto must be waiting for me. He looked at the door and made a move to walk there, but it was oddly cold, and he was still naked, he walked across his room, to his drawers, "I must get some pants or shorts first, or Naruto would think I'm silly if I just go down there wearing nothing…" Naruto must be waiting there for me. He looked blankly at the drawers, thinking of which pair of shorts to wear. Naruto must be waiting… Then suddenly a piece of paper caught his sight.

Sasuke,

Everything I said last night is true. I gathered all my courage to be able to write this, and when I'm done, there would be nothing left of it inside me. I am very sorry it has to be this way. I know you said that you love me but you are mistaken. You love someone else. It is not easy to explain. Things are even more complicated than what you must be thinking at this moment. You would not want to be in a more difficult situation. When you wake up, I will not be here any longer. We must not see each other, and no one must see us together. Tell not a soul about what happened. This is very hard for me, and I know it will also be for you. You will obey me and forget all that had happened last night. Everything I told you is true, but neither of us would want a life much harder than what we already have. Forget about this, forget about me and move on and be the strong person that you are. Maybe someday, when fate turns around and decides to bring us together, we could be happy. I am very sorry, I wish I could stay with you forever, but I know for sure that will never happen, because we are not meant for each other, because you don't really love me. You love someone else.

Please don't ever forget that everything I said last night is true, and it will stay that way forever. Let's not see each other again because there's someone else you love.

There is no one else. There is no one else. Naruto. No one else.

There was no one else in the mansion aside from Sasuke. There was no noise coming from the TV downstairs. This letter is a prank Naruto had set up. Hah, Naruto, you prankster. You can't fool me that easily. Sasuke smiled. He didn't really mean it, that's why he didn't put his name at the end. He didn't put his name at the end… It suddenly became so silent, so oddly cold, and his naked body shivered. Sasuke. Let's not see each other again. He ran from his bedroom to the living room, to the kitchen, to every room in his huge mansion, screaming Naruto's name, cold sweat on his cold skin. Sasuke. Let's not see each other again. This is not funny, Naruto. Come out. I want you here where I can see you… His heart sank and his mind reeled.

II – Uzumaki Naruto

His memory has a strange, frightening chasm, between Neji's loving voice and this terrible pain his body his suffering from right at this moment. Sore, oddly, oddly sore, all over his body. And his legs, his legs are numb, his thighs immobile, paralyzed. Naruto opened his eyes. The morning sun was bright and harsh on his face. Neji is still on a mission. What is he doing right now? Can't he come home now? I want to see Neji now. But now he is all alone in their house. His eyes watered. He struggled in answering questions racing back and forth in his mind. He could not move his body, but his brain grappled for solutions. He could not explain why but he felt so depressed. And oddly cold. And oddly sore. Like the feeling when he disappointed Neji by forgetting their anniversary. He did not mean it. He was just so busy. He loved Neji, but he was never good at remembering important dates or celebrations. He made sure he'd always remember afterwards.

Suddenly a loud rapping noise could be heard at the front door. But he couldn't move. The walls trembled. All his muscles ached. "Open the door, Naruto! I know you're in there! Come out, you coward, come out before I crush this door down!" Naruto carefully stood up from his bed and grasped the wall for support. "Naruto!" The walls trembled again.

Naruto opened the door, it was oddly unlocked from inside. Did he forget to lock it last night? What if a stranger came and he was in a vulnerable, powerless position? Neji would be very sad if something happened to him. The door opened. Naruto kept a tight hold on the door frame. Sasuke stood on the threshold panting, his eyes slightly swollen, his lips trembling. A piece of crumpled paper was being crushed in his left palm. He threw this with all his might on Naruto's face and the other's eyes quickly closed in reaction, eyebrows furrowed together. His body still ached. "What is your problem?" Naruto scowled at Sasuke whose eyes blazed with anger. Sasuke glared at him, at his question, wanting badly to punch his face and to pull his body in a tight embrace, all at the same time. Without any warning he pushed Naruto inside his house and let himself in, in one swift motion. Naruto, unable to move efficiently, stumbled backwards, landing on his back, and hurting his body all the more.

"Naruto, you fucking coward." He gritted his teeth in loathing and hurting. He bent and picked up the piece of paper, smoothed it out, and held it close to Naruto's face on the floor. Sasuke asked, "What is this? What were you trying to do when you wrote this?" The paper shook in front of Naruto's face. "I don't know what that letter is, Sasuke! Get it away from my face before I feed it to your mouth until it bleeds!" "Oh, so your game has already started? But I don't really know how to play that game of yours, Naruto, because unlike you, I'm not a fucking coward!" Sasuke angrily shook the letter once more before Naruto. "Now read it out loud so I'll learn how to play your stupid game!"

"I don't know what you're talking about Sasuke, you crazy bastard, get out of my house and take that stupid letter with you!" Sasuke looked outraged. He went to the door, movements heavy, as the other stayed with his back on the floor unable to move, Sasuke closed the door with a loud bang. Naruto glared at Sasuke's back, stunned. When the other faced Naruto again, tears were streaming freely from his eyes.

"Did you really mean what you wrote Naruto?" Naruto gave Sasuke a hard, questioning look. "What do you mean? Give me the damn letter." Naruto raised his hand. He was still on the floor, unable to move. Sasuke responded with a grunt, smiled at him sarcastically in disbelief. "Don't play dumb, Naruto, youwrote it yourself after all. You're supposed to know it by heart." "Give me the fucking letter." Naruto read every word. The resemblance to his own penmanship made the hair at his nape stand. His heart boiled with fear and anger and anxiety.

Everything I said last night is true…

I know you said that you love me but you are mistaken. You love someone else. It is not easy to explain…

When you wake up, I will not be here any longer. We must not see each other, and no one must see us together. Tell not a soul about what happened…

You will obey me and forget all that had happened last night. Everything I told you is true, but neither of us would want a life much harder than what we already have…

Forget about this, forget about me…

Maybe someday, when fate turns around and decides to bring us together…

I wish I could stay with you forever, but I know for sure that will never happen, because we are not meant for each other, because you don't really love me. You love someone else…

"But this is not me, Sasuke, I didn't write this! This is not true! Where did you get this? This is not true!" "I've had enough of your bullshit Naruto! You're telling me again exactly what you wrote in that letter! You want me to deny the truth! You want to me to forget what happened!" "What happened, Sasuke? What happened? What do you mean 'the truth'? What did I say to you last night? What did I do?" "Don't ask me that kind of bullshit, Naruto, you know exactly what happened! You know what you said to me! You were not even drunk so you have not even one fucking excuse! You can't just come to my house in the middle of the night and then forget about what happened, Naruto." "Sasuke answer the fucking question! What happened last night?" "Hah! That's so pathetic, Naruto. I can't believe this!" Naruto was shaking in anger. "For the last time, Sasuke, what happened last night?" "You know what happened, Naruto, you came to my house all by yourself, in the middle of the night…" Sasuke paused. "And then we…" but found it pointless to continue, as he saw Naruto's eyes grew wide in disbelief. No. It did not happen. Sasuke is lying. All the muscles in Naruto's body ached. His eyes watered, tears streamed to the side of his head. His body ached…

"And now you expect me to just forget about that? I can't just forget everything, you fucking coward!" Naruto's voice shook. "Don't call me a coward! Because I am not and I will never be one! You! You are the one who's a coward! Running away and leaving me, the only person who loved you--" Naruto found it pointless to continue, as he saw Sasuke's eyes grew wide in disbelief. Brimming with tears. Leaving me who used to love you. I'm not even sure if that was really love. He had to catch his breath. I wish Neji could come home right now. Sasuke stood trembling, his feet rooted to a spot, and his teary eyes unblinking.

A long, awkward silence passed them. Naruto tried to breathe more calmly, still on the floor, unable to move. Sasuke looked down at his feet, but not into Naruto's eyes. Naruto struggled to speak with composure. "I don't understand why you suddenly come here and do this to me Sasuke, I don't understand at all. I never tried to hurt you; we're friends, aren't we? But you, you're trying to hurt me. This is some bad mistake. I did not write that." A long, awkward silence passed them. And it did not happen, nothing happened, I did not say anything to you last night, or ever will again after this.

"I'm tired of this game Naruto, why don't we just tell Neji? I know he's the reason why you're doing this. If he truly loves you, he'll let you be happy, with me." Neji. That Hyuuga bastard. From that proud, arrogant, pompous Hyuuga clan. Sasuke, humble, modest Sasuke, kneeled down in front of Naruto's feet, but didn't look at him, not into Naruto's eyes, if he did, then he would have seen the startled look on his face. Neji.

"Why, Naruto, do you enjoy making me look like a fool? You are quite good in playing dumb, when it's really me who you make to look pathetic, and also in playing that role of a tormentor, you are very talented." Sasuke's voice was broken; his cheeks were flooded with tears. "Do you really want me to believe everything you said last night, and then just forget that we could actually be that genuinely happy not for just one night but for forever? I've been waiting for you to say those words to me, those words you said last night. Don't play with me like this, I am not a toy, Naruto, but…" "You're not making any sense at all. Nothing really happened, Sasuke, wake up." "but if you…." Sasuke suddenly looked into Naruto's questioning eyes. "Do you enjoy torturing me like this, Naruto?" Naruto turned away. "I don't know what you're talking about." "Can't you see, I'm on my knees… I am not a toy, Naruto, but… I'm your slave."

Sasuke gently placed his hands on the floor at each side of Naruto's feet. "Do you like seeing me beg?" His face leaned dangerously close to Naruto's bare feet. He spoke, eyes on the other's feet. "Do you like seeing me helpless?" lips moving closer, closer to his feet, "Do you like seeing me so vulnerable, so dependent on you, so powerless?" Sasuke looked up, intensely into Naruto's blue sapphire eyes, with his onyx eyes clouded with tears, his lips now terrifyingly steady, and then back to Naruto's numb, paralyzed feet. "Then I am your slave…" and his dreadfully steady lips alighted gently on the other's feet, on the span of skin just below Naruto's leg, on the tan skin of his feet, all numb and paralyzed. Naruto, vulnerable and powerless Naruto, was still on the floor, unable to move. Sore, oddly, oddly sore all over his body. And his legs, his legs are numb, his thighs immobile, paralyzed. He did not feel the kiss, but he knew how they must have felt. He tried not to shudder in disgust, but he shuddered, in disgust. He wanted to disappear. Their friendship used to be good.

"Get up. Let's just forget this, because I don't understand why you have to do this." Naruto's voice rang with authority and power. The sound of paper being torn ruthlessly soon followed. Sasuke could only look as the letter was torn into tiny little pieces that it was impossible to put them back together. Naruto breathed deeply and gathered all his strength to stand up and grasp the wall. "Get out of my house. I will spare you from the shame, and you in turn, will not let anyone know of this incident, especially Neji." Sasuke took one last look at the deep blue, sapphire eyes. Neji.Especially Neji.

Thank you for reading the second part of the story. I hope it surpassed the last, in plot and dialogue. Please don't forget to submit a review. This story is still not finished. Suggestions will be deeply appreciated.