A/N: It was originally written for the horror comment meme on sharp_teeth, in answer to the prompt: "The Uchiha curse is this: the Uchiha see things. Things that others swear aren't there. Now Sasuke is back in Konoha. It's supposed to be their happy ending, Naruto and Sakura insist. But he sees things, again." There is some Naruto/Sakura/Sasuke subtext if you squint, but it can be easily ignored. Thank you to my beta wave obscura, who agreed to look at it even though she doesn't know the fandom!

Also, it seems that I have a problem with reviews on this website, so if I don't answer to your review it's not that I don't want to but that I can't!

Disclaimer: Everything related to Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

ooo

There are shadows. There've always been shadows, he thinks, or maybe he just doesn't remember it another way, like he doesn't quite remember his mother's smile, or the weight of his father's hand on his shoulder, or his brother's…

"Sasuke?"

The sound of Sakura's voice makes Sasuke flinch, and he tries to hide it but the hurt that flickers in her eyes tells him he didn't do a good job at it. He forgot she was there, which is stupid of him because she's always there, she or Naruto. Never both of them, they're not allowed.

She pushes a lock of hair behind her ear. "What are you looking at?"

Her tone is casual, but he knows she's worried. She's looking at him, always looking at him and he bends under the weight of it, but it's also warm like sunshine after rain.

"It's nothing," he says.

She presses her lips together, joins her hands in her lap. She doesn't believe him. She's always been so smart, maybe the smartest of them.

His attention is caught by movement at the corner of his eye. He forces himself not to turn his head to follow it. The shadows have always been sharper when he uses the Sharingan, darker somehow, but now they're permanently like that, like they're getting closer every day. He wants to ask Sakura how his eyes are, if they are their usual black, but he bites back the words. He knows the Sharingan isn't on; he also knows it's useless to ask Sakura whether she sees the shadows – no one never does, only the Uchihas.

"Sasuke?" He blinks and sees that Sakura is standing. "I have to go now. Naruto will be here soon."

"Alright," he says, looks for something to add, something that will make her lose that worried frown. "Have a good day."

"You too."

She walks slowly to the door like she's expecting him to hold her back, hoping for it. She stops with her hand on the handle.

"Sasuke?" she says, still facing the door. "It will be okay, you know that?"

"I know," he says. "Konoha won't lose an asset like the Sharingan. The bloodline is too precious."

She sighs, quietly but he has sharp hearing. That wasn't what she meant.

"Good bye."

And she's gone, leaving him alone in his room, his prison. It's comfortable, as far as prisons go, looks a lot like his old room from before actually. There are ninjas guarding the door, the window, the roof, but he can easily pretend they're not here. He can ask for scrolls to read, as long as it's not related to ninjutsu, he has food and water, more than he's used to, more than he needs. It's not enough to distract him from the shadows, though. They swarm about in the corners, stretch on the ceiling like they belong here. It's like they're waiting.

As announced, Naruto comes one hour later. Naruto isn't silent and cautious like Sakura, he chatters the silence away, too loud, moves too much. He doesn't look at Sasuke as much, too, instead he looks through the window and comments on what he sees on the street, like Sasuke has turned blind and can't see it by himself; he lays on his back on Sasuke's bed and points out funny shapes on the ceiling, making up weird or obscene stories. He never sees the shadows.

Suddenly, as Sasuke is observing a long shadow making its way through the ceiling, a pillow hits his face and obscures his vision. He swats it away, twists his mouth in annoyance. He didn't see it coming – stupid, he feels too safe with Naruto in the room.

"Hey, bastard, are you listening to me?"

Naruto is lying on his stomach, pushed up on his elbows and for once he's looking at Sasuke, intense as only he can be.

"I'm tuning you out," Sasuke says, "as anyone who wants to keep their sanity intact would do."

Naruto studies him for a moment, his face unusually serious. "You're being weird," he says bluntly, "even weirder than usual and that's saying something." He purses his lips. "Sakura is worried."

He uses his elbows to crawl to Sasuke, twists himself into a sitting position.

"You know we won't let anything happen to you, right? It's over, you're back. You're back," he repeats, leans a little so he's looking Sasuke in the eye.

Sasuke stiffens. Too close, he's too close, it's like Sasuke can't breathe. He and Sakura, the way they focus on him, he's never understood it. It's stifling him, but when he didn't have it he could feel the cold in his bones.

The shadows move quickly on the walls. It's like they're mocking him.

"What the fuck are you looking at? Sasuke!" Naruto grabs him by the shoulder and shakes, hard enough to make his teeth rattle. Sasuke clenches his fist with the want to punch, but he sees it in Naruto's eyes, that naked fear, and for the first time he's afraid too.

"I don't know," he whispers.

"What can I do? Tell me what to do."

Naruto's fingers are digging in Sasuke's shoulders. One of the shadows grows so wide on the wall behind Naruto, it looks like it's going to engulf him, eat him alive.

"Nothing," Sasuke says, using as much bite as he can, and that's a lot. "Just leave me alone, moron. Can't I have a moment of peace? You're always on my back, breathing my air."

Sakura would be hurt, but Naruto just huffs and lets go of Sasuke. He slides off of the bed.

"Fine, you prick. Sakura will be there in the morning. Don't know why we fucking bother. You ungrateful ass."

Sasuke doesn't ask Naruto to stay longer. Naruto leaves and slams the door behind him for good measure, but Sasuke knows he'll be back. For now, though, it's him and the shadows, the one on the wall that Sasuke is pointedly not looking at but is aware is there.

There's a rustle. Sasuke doesn't want to turn but knows he will have to. He's tired of the shadows, they've been there his whole life and he's exhausted, wants to scratch his cursed eyes out, would rather not see than have to look at them again.

The pressure is too much, finally. Sasuke slowly turns around, makes the moment last because he hopes against all hope that he won't see anything but a white wall.

It's there, of course. It's bigger than him, bigger than the room, almost. And there's something new, something unexpected, two bright red eyes, standing out against the dark. It sees him.