Chapter 2

Naruto stepped out of the water back onto the edge of the lake careful not to allow the suction of the mud to trip him once more. This was his favorite spot, whenever something happened that he needed to work out he came here. Naruto gazed dreamily at the place he got most of his comfort from. His favorite part was the beautiful lake which was centered in a small clearing of forest completely surrounded by some of the biggest oak trees he had ever seen. Lilly pads lazily spun around sparkling, the sun reflecting the dew on their leaves while butterfly's danced in the air. The lush grass was always cool and welcoming like a bed long awaited after a demanding day. This place felt perfectly right in a way that was unexplainable.

"Naruto?"…

Hearing his name unexpectedly Naruto whirled around kunai already in his right hand; automatically his arm pulled back his muscles tensed ready to throw. While spinning around Naruto released the deadly weapon prepared to fight if it missed its intended mark. In one swift motion the dark haired stranger reached up and knocked the kunai away laughing comically as though it were a game.

"Naruto you've always had bad aim."

Standing with his mouth agape Naruto took a step toward Sasuke, taking in the grin and the fact that he had snuck up on him without warning.

"Sasuke, how did you know I was here? No one knows about this place. Well… I don't think anyone does. What do you want?"

Naruto was fumbling for words; he hadn't really thought of what to say to Sasuke let alone accepted that he was back. Regardless of whether Naruto accepted it or not Sasuke was back and standing about 10 feet away. Naruto watched him as he leaned back on the tree closest, right foot crossed in front of his left, hands in his pockets with his head down. This stance was so familiar yet Naruto felt like he was looking at a ghost. The chakra in his stomach began to swirl around; reflexively Naruto placed his right hand over his stomach trying to calm the beast within him. Over the last 4 years he had developed an odd relationship with the nine tailed fox; it was a sort of trust and faith in each other that allowed the two to live in harmony. Naruto had complete control over the nine tailed fox's chakra as long as he honored the spirit of the beast and never underestimated its power. Both knew and felt everything that the other did: past and present, which was why his chakra was acting crazy. Naruto was upset; therefore the nine tailed fox was upset. Impatience gnawed at him, unable to wait any longer Naruto spat out what he believed to be the most appropriate question.

"Why now? After all this time, why did you come back? You killed Itachi 2 years ago; you should have come back then. I wouldn't have hated you so much if it was only two years. Why is now the right time for you to barge back into everyone's lives?

Sasuke slowly raised his head, looking directly at Naruto tears glistening in the corner of both eyes, his brow furrowed and his lips pressed together in a small frown. He took a step closer to Naruto; his breath slow and even making Naruto's own ragged breathing more evident. Naruto whipped his head away fast unable to look into eyes so filled with confusion and hurt, finding himself staring at the beauty of the lake once more.

"There's so much no one knows, that I don't know. When I killed Itachi….."

Sasuke's voice cracked causing Naruto to turn his head and look down upon his friend. Sasuke was no longer standing but had slumped to the ground, almost as if kneeling and placed his face in the lush grass. His hair fell forward in a halo around his head, dark and beautiful, dangerous and tempting while his arms wrapped around his chest. His body was slowly convulsing, racked with one sob after another, sending shudders all the way down to his feet which slowly dug into the ground. He looked as though he was praying to a God below, whom neither answered nor cared for his prayers of salvation. Tilting his head slightly ignoring the sickening feeling in his gut, Naruto regarded his friend in way he never had before. The strong, controlled Sasuke, who never showed emotion wasn't in front of him today. The beautiful ugly boy Naruto had fallen in love with, his best friend was broken in a way he couldn't understand. Sasuke was alone, forsaken beyond redemption in an intricate way that could only be defined by Sasuke himself. Debating on turning away and sparing Sasuke the embarrassment of crying in front of his childhood teammate Naruto found himself standing directly above Sasuke, kneeling beside him then covering his back with his own chest and arms. In rhythm with Sasuke's sobs Naruto cried also. Not knowing exactly what he was crying for: how much he was in love with Sasuke knowing it was wrong, hating him because he left, or because of the life Sasuke could have had, Naruto let tears flow that he felt had been slowly drowning him over the years. Somehow, between the first tears until the last Naruto found himself leaning his back against one of the smaller oak trees with Sasuke's head in his lap. Sasuke was asleep, breathing evenly his eyes still red and puffy from the tears his right hand in Naruto's left. Naruto ran his right hand through Sasuke's hair mechanically, staring at the spot both boys' tears had mixed together in the ground. The nine tailed fox had finally settled down, leaving Naruto to his thoughts. The sun was setting on what would be a cool night; he was exactly where he had wanted to be for the last four years. So much hadn't been answered, so many questions, painful questions and memories needed to be brought up, but he knew they were going to be for a later day, now he should enjoy the moment alone, only him and Sasuke. Sighing Naruto closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the tree before drifting off to sleep he gave Sasuke's hand a quick squeeze. The evening was quite and tranquil, contradicting the chaos inside both boys' hearts.