Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co and therefore I do not make money from toying with them like they are my own personal and rather naughty action figures.
Summary: There are reasons why two people can't be together. Separated by oceans, by wars, by family feuds. Try being the Angel of Death. Romeo and Juliette were lucky. SasuNaru
Author's Note: You are all wonderful! Really… wow. *so much grinning* Just a brief warning, Angel of Death implies… death. Sorry.
Oh, and remember, July 10th is SasuNaru Day! Whoooo Hoooo!
The Divine Glitch
Chapter Two
Sasuke sat quietly into the wooden chair next to Naruto's bed, hunching forward as he rested his elbows on his knees and head in hands. Closing his eyes, he counted his own breaths until he thought he could handle what was coming next. Turning his head toward the bed, he finally opened his eyes.
Moonlight slipped through the partially opened blinds and bathed the now eight-year-old Naruto in soft, glowing light. His blond hair stuck up in every direction and three scars stood out on each of his chubby cheeks. His nose scrunched in annoyance at the images playing in his mind, and his mouth was slightly open, admitting a nasally snore and a thin line of drool.
"Idiot," he whispered into the darkness and brushed his fingers over Naruto's forehead. The snoring stopped immediately and he removed his hand. With a deep intake of breath, Naruto turned onto his side toward Sasuke and a gentle smile curled his lips.
Sasuke leaned back into the chair and looked around the room. Gone were the smiling faces of pastel-colored animals, only to be replaced by fierce-looking ninjas and martial arts masters. His soft, toddler bed and bedding were replaced by a heavy oak, full-sized bed and obnoxious orange bedding. Tennis shoes and sweatshirts littered the floor and toys hid in the soft carpet like waiting landmines of pain.
Naruto's grandparents had stepped forward to take the small boy after the accident. The doctors hadn't been able to diagnose a reason behind the little boy's heart stopping, but coupled with the incidences throughout his childhood, Naruto now wore a shiny, silver medical alert bracelet on his wrist. Armed with his 'medical issues' and the fact that Naruto insisted that his imaginary friend was going to come and save him, Jiraiya and Tsunade felt that they needed to move closer to the hospital.
Naruto suffered night terrors for a whole year after that night. He screamed until he was hoarse for his father and for Sasuke. During the day, he insisted that Sasuke was real and watched over him. Between seeing specialists for his heart, Naruto's grandparents sent him to several child psychiatrists who worked to convince Naruto that Sasuke wasn't real. They explained to his grandparents that they had seen this behavior before and with help and love, Naruto would move on.
During this time, Sasuke fought against Naruto desperate 'calls' and when he did come to Naruto, he hid out of sight. He was there to hear Naruto's screams and watch his face crumble into tears and disappointment. He was there when the doctors repeatedly told Naruto that he didn't need 'Sasuke' and to hear Naruto's harsh denials. Sasuke was there in Naruto's room at night when Naruto begged Sasuke to come, begged his mother and father to find Sasuke, begged God for Sasuke…
Sasuke's fingers bit into the skin of his palms and a growl escaped into the room. Naruto whimpered into his pillow and Sasuke's fingers once more ghosted over his scarred cheeks.
"Someday, you're going to kill him with all your comfort."
Instead of removing his hand, Sasuke's fingers slipped into Naruto's hair, and he turned around, snarl on his face.
"Whoa, now," Kakashi said from across the room. He sat on Naruto's desk, long legs swinging, as he leaned back on his palms. His silver hair looked like a solid extension of the moonlight. "Seriously, though. Air is good for small boys."
Sasuke forced his fingers to release the soft blond hair. Naruto curled into himself, pulling in deep breaths of air but never waking up. "What do you want?" Sasuke said, watching as Naruto settled into a normal breathing pattern.
"I've seen guardian angels less protective than you," Kakashi said and Sasuke's eyes widened.
All these years and Sasuke had never noticed, not once… "Where is…" he began but was cut off when Kakashi shook his head.
"He doesn't have one. He was supposed to die before he took his first breath. There was no need."
Sasuke ripped his eyes from Naruto and glared at the silver-haired angel. "But he didn't die!" Kakashi raised an amused eyebrow and Sasuke forced himself to speak evenly. "They should have assigned him one. Every soul gets one."
Kakashi took a deep breath and sat forward with his hands clasped between his legs. "Level eight spent the last two years saying that you were his guardian angel. Their running theory being that was the reason you failed…" Sasuke glared and Kakashi smirked before continuing, "to collect him. You couldn't be expected to collect him when your new role was to protect him."
"So what… I spontaneously switched from being an angel of Death to the guardian angel and no one thought I should know?"
Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. "The theory was tossed out because, although Naruto can 'call' you for all his important moments, just like a human soul does their guardian angel, you are still actively collecting." Kakashi paused and then met Sasuke's eyes with a huge grin across his face. "In the end, level eight pushed it Up. When I talked to the department head, he said it was 'troublesome' and hung up on me."
Sasuke felt disappointment wash over him for a moment, but it was quickly supplanted by a wave of pure relief. Neji's threat that 'fate' would catch up to Naruto hung over him and as long as the stupid report continued to float from cloud… um, desk to desk, the longer Naruto had to lead his life. The longer Sasuke could watch him, even if he never spoke to or touched him again. Naruto fought for this chance. And if They called Naruto back to Heaven, Sasuke would never see him again. Angels had jobs. Souls had eternity in Paradise. Those two parts of Heaven never mixed.
"Uchiha!"
Sasuke looked once more at Kakashi and his boss nodded his head toward Naruto who was turning a sickly shade of blue. Sasuke released his little hand, not remembering when he had started holding it.
"You've stayed away from him for two years," Kakashi said and slid off the desk, walking toward him. "What changed?"
Sasuke stood, shrugging off the strong hand that came to rest on his shoulder. "Nothing."
Kakashi didn't say anything and instead leaned over and pulled Naruto's orange blanket over his chest and shoulders. Sasuke saw the way he made certain not to touch the sleeping boy. "Lying now, Sasuke? That's not very angelic, is it?"
Sasuke hated the way Kakashi hovered over Naruto, but the man's stance silently said that he would either stay there all night or until Sasuke stopped his snit.
Kakashi grinned as though he could read Sasuke's thoughts. Maybe he could.
"Today they convinced Naruto that I am an illusion created to comfort a scared and traumatized little boy. He doesn't 'believe' in me anymore."
Kakashi stared at him for a moment and then stepped purposefully away from the bed. He also didn't say anything when Sasuke immediately slid into his place. "Maybe this is better…"
Sasuke's lips curled into a sneer. "The whole time, as he parroted their words back at them, believedthem, his subconscious Called… no screamed out to me. I heard him on the other side of the world." Sasuke shut his eyes and fisted his hands while silence filled the room. "What happens now?"
Kakashi ran one hand through his hair before shaking his head. "We wait."
"It's been eight years." Sasuke purposefully touched Naruto, moving a soft spike of hair behind his ear. The softest sigh escaped the sleeping boy before his breath stilled. "But you are right about one thing."
Kakashi didn't speak and instead watched Sasuke physically struggle to stop himself from hurting Naruto.
"It is better if he believes I don't exist." Sasuke jerked away and Naruto whimpered. "Whatever the reason is that he chose to stay, he deserves to live it. I have no place in that."
Sasuke had turned his back on Naruto and stood shoulder to shoulder with Kakashi, looking out the window at the glowing moon.
In the last eight years, the silver-haired angel had heard hundreds of theories about Sasuke and 'his boy'. Everything from Naruto being the Antichrist to Sasuke being a fallen angel, drunk on power. Kakashi disregarded them all. He barely gave such obvious solutions a thought.
"Just wait, Sasuke," Kakashi advised. "As a great man once wrote, 'there are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt in…"
Sasuke disappeared in disgusted silence and Kakashi sent a cocky salute Upward before doing the same.
Xxx
Sasuke had spent the last four years studiously ignoring Naruto. Well, to the best of his ability. Naruto Called to him constantly. It hurt, like stubbornly walking on a broken leg, but Sasuke learned to recognize the degrees in severity of Naruto's Calls.
When he was a baby, before Sasuke even realized that it was Naruto, the little boy would Call Sasuke just to see him. 'I found a flower!' and 'Lookie! I made a stinky!' Those Calls were like warm tingles along his spine and suddenly he'd find himself in Naruto's preschool or in the backseat of Minato's car while Naruto sang an emotional rendition of 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' to his father.
Sasuke had learned to brush those off. He would take a deep breath and tell himself that Naruto was fine and didn't even understand that he wasCalling and therefore wouldn't miss him when he didn't come.
Then there were the more urgent Calls. Like an incessant ringing in his brain. Sasuke would appear on his mountaintop and wait them out, the howling winds mimicking his heart while Naruto suffered. He knew that Naruto wasn't in real danger but even the idea of Naruto scared or mildly hurt tore at Sasuke's heart.
He began to wonder if he was Naruto's guardian angel… what else could it be? And yet he still stayed away.
In the past weeks, Naruto's Calls were nearly debilitating in their urgency. Yanking at Sasuke's insides until the angel was forced to bring his hand to his chest to ensure himself there wasn't a gaping hole where his heart should be.
And today, he blamed this drumming pain echoing in his chest for the fact that he didn't read the next name on his list before appearing in the hospital room. He blamed the blinding flashes of light that drove white hot pokers behind his eyes for the fact he didn't recognize the white-haired old man. He blamed the frantic and deafening cries that rang in his ears for the fact that he didn't notice the door of the hospital room open behind him.
But it shouldn't have mattered. Because no one should be able to see the angel of Death. And for that…
"Y-you…" Sasuke's head snapped around as Jiraiya Sannin's heart beat for the last time and he jerked his hand away. Blue eyes bright with tears and confusion met his own. "You killed him."
… Sasuke blamed Naruto.
Xxx
It had been five hours since Sasuke ran away.
It was enough time for him to stop telling himself he had made a strategic escape, or had left because he had other souls to collect, and admit that he ran like a little girl.
He hadn't been prepared to see Naruto like that. The thirteen-year-old had stepped into the room while Sasuke turned around fully to face him. Sasuke hadn't let Naruto see him in seven years, hadn't looked at him in four, and Naruto had grown up so much. He was taller now, standing just shy of five feet, and his hair was just as wild as it had been as a child, if not slightly longer. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his blue jeans and an oversized, orange hoodie covered his torso. But it was Naruto's eyes that had grown the most. Sasuke remembered innocent, bright eyes laughing at him, but this older Naruto's eyes were sad and lost.
The hospital door slid closed with a soft click. Naruto's wide blue eyes looked between Sasuke and the bed and back again while his lower lip trembled. "You…" He began again but the door behind him flung open, nurses pouring into the room along with Naruto's grandmother.
Naruto looked away at the commotion and Sasuke disappeared.
And then Naruto's Call became unbearable. Sasuke immediately went to the mountain, clawing at his chest and gasping for breath. Unlike all the times before, the swirling snow didn't cool his skin and the howling gusts of wind didn't block out his thoughts. Unlike before, Sasuke could hear words in the plea, 'come back, please, don't leave', and nothing he did could stop the soft words from ripping through his body.
In the end, he stopped trying. Within seconds, he found himself in a deserted playground nestled under the shadow cast by the hospital. A rhythmic squeaking drew his attention and he stepped around a spiral slide to see a painfully familiar head of blond hair.
Naruto sat on a swing, his tennis shoes leaving ruts on the cool, gray sand as he moved back and forth. His fingers curled around the metal chains until his knuckles were white and his head rested against one of his hands, his eyes closed.
Tears streamed from under his lashes and Sasuke nearly tripped on his walk over when a wave of desperation flooded Naruto's Call to him.
"Stop that," he snapped, coming to stop in front of the boy.
Naruto startled, planting his feet as his eyes opened, followed immediately by his mouth. He rubbed hurriedly at his face and Sasuke realized that Naruto thought he meant for him to stop crying. The boy didn't know he was Calling, but for now, he didn't care. For the first time in four years, Sasuke didn't feel the constant pull from Naruto. Instead, he was left with a gentle hum vibrating through his body, sending a wave of warmth over his mind.
"You."
The boy said the word like a statement and then closed his mouth. Sasuke leaned against the metal frame of the swing set, crossing his feet at his ankles.
"Me."
Something dark and sharp flashed through Naruto's liquid blue eyes and Sasuke was reminded once more of how much he had grown.
"I considered telling them that a man in black had killed my grandfather," Naruto began slowly, turning his head to look directly at Sasuke, and then shook his head as though he was confused. "But, I've been through the disappearing man in black thing. It sucks."
Sasuke crossed his arms and stared calmly at the boy. "They told you I wasn't real. You believed them." Sasuke couldn't believe he said the words without his voice cracking.
Naruto twisted until he was straddling the swing. He held onto the chain with both hands and rested his forehead against the metal, still watching Sasuke. He grinned and pushed with his feet, forcing the swing to gently sway beneath him. "Well, apparently the tooth fairy isn't real, but I still remember believing in her."
"I'm not the tooth fairy," Sasuke said flatly.
"No," Naruto said softly and closed his eyes. "I know who you are. Your name is Sasuke and I still dream…" Opening his eyes, Naruto leaned back into the opposite chain. The swing stopped swaying. "I just don't know what you are."
Sasuke released a slow breath out his nose and glanced Up. Thirteen years and no one had any answers for them. But he did have an answer to this.
"I didn't kill your grandfather." He watched Naruto closely, expecting a reaction- anger, denial, maybe confusion. Instead, he got a shrug and Naruto's feet pushed him forward once more.
"I know," Naruto said and rubbed at his red-rimmed eyes. "Cancer did that. We've been waiting for w-weeks. But you were there. I saw you, but no one else did."
Sasuke nodded and pushed off the metal frame. He sat gracefully into the swing beside Naruto. Once more, Naruto stopped swinging, not wanting to bump into Sasuke. With a smirk, Sasuke pushed himself just enough that his swing moved but his feet stayed planted.
"I came to collect him," he said, still watching Naruto. The blond cocked his head to the side and his nose scrunched in a manner that made Sasuke draw his breath. Naruto had grown, but the smiling, innocent child who crawled across the floor, demanding his attention, was still there.
"Collect him," Naruto repeated and released the chain with one hand, running his fingers through the hair on the back of his head. Sasuke wondered if Naruto remembered his father doing the same thing.
"His soul," Sasuke elaborated. "He died and I collected his soul."
Naruto blinked and like a light switch was flipped behind his blue eyes, they brightened in understanding. Naruto's swing once more started to move while a huge grin covered his face. "No way," he said, but his amusement was clear. "You're the Grim Reaper." The smile dropped and Naruto pushed himself forward until his face was inches from Sasuke's. "You're awfully pretty to be the Grim Reaper."
Sasuke glared darkly and Naruto's swing quickly swung back into place. "I am not the Grim Reaper. There is no Grim Reaper." The words were spat out like the foulest poison. "I am an Angel of Death."
Several seconds of silence followed only to be broken by a contagious chuckle.
"Riiiiight, so, what you are saying is… you're the Grim Reaper."
"Hn," Sasuke said, not hiding his disgust. Naruto began to laugh and the sound sent a rush down Sasuke's spine. The noise wasn't the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard, Naruto's vocal chords on the cusp of manhood and cracking, but Sasuke knew he could listen to it forever.
"I remember you talking more," Naruto said, still chuckling. As the noise died away, Naruto started rocking once more and rested his forehead on his hand. Sasuke didn't mind the silence and instead enjoyed his time with Naruto. He knew it would end soon.
A soft catch in breath caught his attention and he looked down, shocked to see that Naruto's fingers were brushing over his knuckles.
"Don't do that," he said but Naruto didn't even look up at him. His eyes were watery and his face pale. His lower lip began to tremble but he caught it between his teeth and bit down hard enough that Sasuke opened his mouth to tell him to stop that as well.
"I remember that, too," Naruto said and he continued to brush and release the pale skin of Sasuke's hand. "You're the reason…" Naruto didn't finish the sentence and instead pulled back the orange sleeve on his arm, revealing his silver bracelet.
Naruto reached out his fingers and wrapped them around Sasuke's wrist. Blue eyes met black and Sasuke just watched while Naruto's eyes widened and his skin paled. Naruto's free hand reached up and fisted the sweatshirt over his heart while his lips darkened to a sickening blue.
Sasuke had enough and reached up to wrench Naruto's hand free.
"No!" Naruto gasped and Sasuke's hand froze. He shouldn't be able to talk. "Wait," the boy forced out and then drew one, shallow, painful, but long breath even as Death froze his lungs.
"Stop!" Sasuke stood quickly and yanked his wrist free of Naruto's hold.
Naruto overbalanced on the swing and fell with a thud onto the ground. His fingers clawed at the sand and when he tipped his head up to look at Sasuke, tears trailed down his face. His lips opened and shut, frantically, struggling for air that wouldn't come.
Sasuke stepped closer but stopped just outside of Naruto's reach. He knelt down and made a soft shushing sound like he had when Naruto was younger. "Breathe, idiot, you have to breathe."
Naruto's face turned away and into the sand. His body heaved, and with a harsh gagging noise, he began coughing into the sand and gasping for breath. Minutes went by without any sound but Naruto trying to control his breathing.
He lay in the sand, his cheek pressed into the cool grains, and spoke softly. "I don't remember much about you. I remember your face and your voice." He licked at his dry lips, spitting out the sand, and then pushed himself up until he was sitting on his knees looking at Sasuke. "I remember that touching you is the worst," he hesitated, looking at Sasuke intensely before his eyes darted away, "and best feeling I've ever had."
Naruto's hand inched toward Sasuke and the angel stood, stepping away quickly. "No more."
"And I remember you saying you'd n-never l-leave," Naruto was crying now –reminding Sasuke that he was still so, so young- and Sasuke had to look away and curl his fingers into fists until his nails bit painfully into his palms so he didn't drop to his knees and pull Naruto into his arms. "And then they said I made you up, because I was scared and sad about my Dad…" Naruto's face twisted with anger and he rubbed at his face, swatting away the tears. "But you never came! You never came and proved them wrong!"
Naruto stopped talking and Sasuke was forced to look back. Naruto rubbed at his eyes and ran his hands through his hair, pulling on his spikes. "Why?" The word was so soft Sasuke didn't think he actually heard it, but he knelt down and sighed, drawing the young boy's attention.
"I am an Angel of Death, Naruto," he spoke softly, trying to comfort Naruto and yet, at the same moment, his mind was trying to remember every little thing about the boy. The shade of his skin, the shine of his hair, and mostly, the emotions swirling in crystal blue eyes. "My job is to collect souls, and staying with you… no one else can see me. I didn't want you to be different. I want… I don't want to…"
"To hurt me?" Naruto asked, and Sasuke couldn't quite read the emotions behind the words, but his eyes were a dull, gray blue, screaming with sadness… obviously that wish wasn't coming true. "How's that working out for you?" Naruto finished with a humorless sigh.
"Hn," Sasuke said instead of answering and stood.
Naruto followed, somewhat less gracefully and brushed at his pants and sleeves. "Look," he said, his voice calmer and resigned. He nervously shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, like they couldn't be trusted. "Is he okay? My grandpa, I mean. Wherever he is?"
"Of course," Sasuke assured him immediately.
"Am I going to see you again? Or are you leaving, like before?"
"My job," Sasuke began.
"Killing people," Naruto helpfully inserted.
"Collecting souls," Sasuke spoke over him, "is who I am. There can be, there is no one… nothing else."
They walked in silence for a moment. Naruto reached out to grab his arm but Sasuke stepped away and glared. Naruto's hand fell to his side. "What if I beat you at something?"
"What?"
Naruto nodded eagerly to himself and smiled. "Yeah, what if I beat you… you know, Beat Death," his voice lowered dramatically at the last two words. "What then? We could be like Billy and Grim! The Grim Adventures of Sasuke… no! Naruto and Sasuke!"
Sasuke stopped and turned until he and Naruto were facing each other. They stood under the shadow of a tree and just out of sight of the hospital's main entrance. A smirk came unguarded to his face. Beat Death? Silly kid, he already had."First of all, you could never beat me… at anything." Naruto sputtered angrily and Sasuke talked right over him. "And, secondly, Billy? So, you're the stupid one? Not that I'm arguing…"
"Hey! No! Mandy then!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke glanced quickly to the side to see if Naruto's enthusiastic denial had garnered anyone's attention. Seeing no one, he looked back at the angry blond and arched a dark eyebrow in condescension.
"I see… so, you're the girl."
Naruto's blush was instantaneous and seemed to take away Naruto's ability to talk. Not that he didn't try. With a smirk, Sasuke stepped close to him and quickly ruffled his hair. "Goodbye, Naruto."
Sasuke hadn't even disappeared completely before he felt the pull of Naruto's Call rush over him. He could feel it like a feather soft whisper through his mind. This time he heard, 'I don't want you to leave.'
Sasuke closed his eyes, images of the boy swirling in his mind, and ignored it.
Xxx
This time, he thought as he appeared at his next collection, he knew what was coming.
Throughout time, the human race has exhibited such fortitude and sacrifice. Their ability to love and persevere was, quite honestly, miraculous. Sadly, so was their ability to hurt one another.
Sasuke walked into the hospital, not through the door, but through a hole that had been blown into the side of the building. Screams and sirens echoed throughout while emergency workers scrambled to stabilize the side of the building. Looking up, Sasuke could see that the first three floors were open to the elements.
Dotted throughout the debris and victims of the attack, were several angels, all in black. They didn't look at each other, each clutching a list, and instead moved from person to person, collecting those whose time it was. There were so many…
Sasuke's fingers curled around his own list. He didn't need to look at it. He'd read all the names before he'd arrived, but could only remember the first name. That knowledge, coupled with the raw pain slamming into him from Naruto's Call, was all he needed to know that this would be his worst collection… ever.
He ducked under a live electrical wire, cracking and hissing as it swung over a partially collapsed doorway. Rescue workers worked to turn off the power to reach the young man and older woman trapped inside. Sasuke knew their efforts would be futile.
Naruto noticed him the moment he stepped into the room and, before the Call dropped into the low buzzing he felt whenever he was near Naruto, he felt relief. In the six years since his last 'visit', Naruto had grown into a young man. His hair had darkened and his face had lost its baby fat. But his eyes were exactly the same. Brilliant, piercing blue, and Sasuke couldn't look away.
"Sasuke," Naruto whispered. "You came." In the flickering lights, Sasuke could see Naruto kneeling on the floor. His hair was caked in dirt from the explosion and blood from a gash above his temple. His pink scrubs, denoting him as a volunteer, were torn and dirty. In front of him lay his grandmother. Her lab coat was open and Naruto's hands pushed down on a chest wound, blood staining his fingers. She was pale and motionless. Her breathing and heartbeat were hardly noticeable as he stepped closer.
"Naruto," he said cautiously and Naruto's blue eyes flashed in understanding and then horror.
"No, wait," Naruto said and his voice cracked. "You sta-stay away from her."
Sasuke continued stepping through the wreckage. Naruto shook his head violently –"Stay the fuck away from her, you bastard!"- and Sasuke knew he must have hit his head hard because the young man winced and his head lopped forward as his eyes fluttered shut.
Sasuke crouched down next to Tsunade Sannin and reached his hand out to touch her forehead.
"Please, please don't," Naruto whispered and looked up. His pupils were dilated with pain and Sasuke wasn't foolish enough to think that any of it was physical. "She's all I have…"
Sasuke's hand stilled and he looked at Naruto blankly. "I have to."
"No," Naruto said angrily, blinking rapidly. "I won't let you. God dammit! I won't let you!"
Sasuke didn't blink, his eyes focused entirely on Naruto. "There's nothing you can do," he said calmly. He reached his hand out, brushing dirty strands of white-blonde hair from Tsunade's forehead. Her breathing hitched.
In a flash of movement, Naruto slapped at Sasuke's hand only to have Sasuke catch his wrist harshly in his fingers. Naruto yelped before his breathing froze and he began to struggle. Sasuke tightened his grip painfully, ignoring the blood that dripped from Naruto's hand. Without looking away from Naruto, he placed his free hand on Tsunade's pale skin.
Naruto's other hand bit into Sasuke's arm and his teeth ground in his mouth. "Don't…" he bit out, "I will hate…" Naruto slipped to the floor limply, but his fingers still clutched Sasuke's sleeve desperately.
"It is who I am, Naruto." Sasuke released both Tsunade and Naruto at the same time and pried Naruto's fingers from his arm. Naruto blinked up at him, not breathing, not even trying.
Sasuke dropped to his knees and ran his fingers through his hair instead of touching the bright-eyed man glaring up at him. "Breathe, idiot."
He didn't wait to see if Naruto listened. He had other souls waiting for him. The medics finally rushed into the room, frantically talking to each other and kneeling next to Naruto and his grandmother. As Sasuke stepped through the remaining door frame, Naruto arched off the ground, air filling his chest and gasp, "Hate you."
Sasuke didn't turn back.
Xxx
He couldn't handle it. Naruto's hate and sadness and confusion and chaotic, idiotic emotion bubbled inside him until Sasuke felt like he might die under the pressure. He couldn't be sure how long it had been since he'd entered the hospital, but now, he could barely walk under the onslaught of Naruto's Call.
His last soul had been collected and he leaned breathlessly against the wall, gritting his teeth against the pain. Naruto's scream was like a physical blow and his stomach rolled dangerously. Sasuke brought a trembling hand over his eyes, rubbing at the stabbing pain before pushing off the wall.
His knees buckled and he would have stumbled but for a sure arm that slipped around his waist, holding him up.
"S-Sasuke?" Hinata Hyuuga looked up at him with pale eyes full of concern. "Are you o-okay?"
Sasuke nodded sharply, his lips pressed and thin as he pulled free of the angel's gentle hold and caught himself with one hand on the wall. His fingers clawed at the paint before he punched the wall. He was not weak. He was a fucking angel of God! How dare that little idiot bring him to his knees? Whatever Hinata was trying to say went unheard as anger flooded through him and he stood straight, hands fisted at his sides, while his eyes flashed.
"I'm going to kill him," he snarled and disappeared.
Xxx
Sasuke appeared in a dimly lit apartment. His eyes bypassed the small, but clean kitchen and he walked directly into the living room. Asleep on the couch was Naruto, his blond head vivid against the dark blue upholstery. A worn, orange blanket was wrapped around his body, nearly covering his head, and the corner slowly moved with every breath that Naruto took.
It was the reminder of Naruto breathing while Sasuke's chest constricted painfully that made him walk swiftly across the room. He ripped the blanket off of the sleeping man and before Naruto could yell, hauled him up by his white t-shirt. With a snarl, he turned and shoved him against the window.
Naruto's eyes were huge with fear and his hands immediately came to Sasuke's wrists, struggling to break his hold.
"S-Sas…" he hissed with his last breath of air and Sasuke pulled him forward before slamming him back again.
"Stop it! Fucking stop it. You are killing me!"
Naruto shook his head, clawing at Sasuke's wrists, but his eyes now shown bright with silent anger. He suddenly stopped moving, forcing Sasuke to spread his legs to support the smaller man's surprising weight, and then Sasuke crashed to the floor. Naruto shoved himself against the wall, drawing quick breaths while Sasuke curled into himself, hands between his legs and eyes squeezed shut.
"What the fuck…" he wheezed but Naruto shouted over him.
"No, what the FUCK are you talking about?" Naruto moved until the coffee table separated them. "You're the killer, you fucking asshole!"
Sasuke shook his head and slowly sat up, seething. "It's my job, you idiot!" he spat. "A job I can't do when you are Calling me ALL of the time. I can't think when you are whining and screaming and crying like a fucking baby. Stop it! You don't own me!" By the end of his sentence, Sasuke was standing, and his figure seemed to loom in the darkness of the apartment, filling every corner and creeping toward the ceiling.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked again, pushing himself up to his feet. "I never called you. And if I did, you NEVER, EVER came!"
"I have been at your beck and Call since birth. I can't get away. I try so damn hard to ignore you but it's like a…" Sasuke's hand came up over his heart, bunching the fabric while his face twisted in pain. Naruto stepped forward and Sasuke growled low in his throat, his hands dropping to his side. "And I have never killed anyone."
At those words, any concern that might have been in Naruto's expressive eyes froze and anger chilled them even further. "Liar! You have taken everyone from me! My grandmother and grandfather, my father!" Blue eyes blazed in the darkness. "You took my mother too, didn't you? Why, Sasuke? Is this what my life is? To watch everyone die?"
"You shouldn't have even BEEN HERE!" Sasuke screamed at the top of his lungs and it felt like the noise echoed around them long after silence filled the room.
Naruto staggered back from his words like a physical blow and leaned heavily against the wall. "Wh-what?" he whispered and the fear was back in his eyes. The look twisted Sasuke's insides and he cursed himself, but it was time Naruto knew.
Sasuke's eyes darted Up and then he met Naruto's with cool detachment. "Nineteen years ago, I was sent to retrieve two souls. One, a young mother, and the other, a newborn baby." Naruto's face paled and his breathing quickened. "When I touched you, you should have eagerly accepted it. Newborn souls still remember Heaven and God's love. They want to go home. But not you." Naruto shook his head silently and tears that didn't fall gathered in his blue eyes. "You fought me off. I couldn't touch you and you saw me. This had never happened before. Never, Naruto. I collected your mother and returned to Heaven."
Sasuke finally broke eye contact and ran both hands through his hair. He growled low in his throat. "For nineteen years my… no, our case has been floating from desk to desk in Heaven. You fought me off at birth and I haven't been able to go on without…" Black eyes pinned Naruto and inside Sasuke finished, 'without you'. Out loud he continued, "You weren't given a guardian angel, Naruto, but somehow you Call to me like a soul does their angel. I didn't know it when you were younger. I thought I was just curious. There has never been another soul like you. I thought that was why I found myself at your home so much. I was there… for everything. When you were scared and hungry. When you were happy or excited. The first time you crawled and your first step. And you saw me. Talked to me, played with me."
Naruto nodded. "I remember…"
Sasuke glared, cutting him off. "But I couldn't touch you and this time it wasn't because you would fight me off. I could kill you. Almost did. You let me. But you still touched me, screamed and giggled and, fuck! And through it all, I just wanted…"
Naruto looked up and a single tear slid down his scarred cheek as he whispered, "I just wanted to touch you."
Sasuke felt lost, adrift in a raging storm of emotions, but all he wanted to do was touch Naruto, even now and pull him close. Protect him and love… Suddenly, something that he'd never allowed himself to consider began in form in his mind. He shook his head, pushing those impossible thoughts aside, and forced himself to continue.
"When you turned six, it was the first time I realized that you and I were connected somehow. You Called for me and I knew you were in trouble. I didn't take your father that night. I didn't even know what was going on until I arrived. Another angel collected your father and I stayed with you."
Naruto slid down the wall until he sat on the floor with his knees held against his chest. Blue eyes looked up at him and Sasuke could still see the anger in them, mixed with confusion and something… softer. "You said you'd always stay."
"I was always with you. Through your Call, I felt everything that happened. I watched you. But you deserved a normal life. You would have been dependent on me. On someone no one else could see. On someone not real. I didn't want you to be singled out. I'm not a guardian angel. You shouldn't see me. You never should have known I existed."
Naruto chuckled, wrapping his fingers in his blond spikes. "But I did. I always did. I needed you and you abandoned me!"
"No, I always…"
"What? Watched me? So you watched me mourn my father and struggle without you. You watched me fight while everyone told me you weren't real. But I believed in you. I needed you. I fucking needed you. More than my father and my grandparents. I needed you and you… what was it you said? You worked so fucking hard to ignore me!"
"What could I have done, Naruto?" Sasuke hissed. "I couldn't comfort you. I can't fucking TOUCH you without your precious little heart stopping. I am not yours! And you," he spat, "you are not mine!"
"You don't know that!" Naruto screamed and scrambled off the floor. He stalked toward Sasuke, purpose and anger erasing any traces of the little boy Naruto once was and highlighting the man he had become. "Heaven doesn't know… how can you possibly know? Touching you steals my breath and stops my heart and nothing has ever made me feel safer!" Naruto's eyes widened at the confession but he never looked away, standing by his conviction.
It was Sasuke's turn to back up. He watched Naruto like he was a wild animal, equally as unpredictable as he was captivating.
"I mourned your 'loss' over that of my own father and grandfather. I cried for you, begged for you, and you, you arrogant son of a bitch, walked away. I always wondered why you were so important and now you tell me that I've fought to be with you since the moment of my birth. I get it now… why don't you? You were my miracle! And I could have…" Naruto's voice broke, but he growled low, fisting his hands, and blinking away his tears. "I could have been yours!"
Sasuke didn't know what to say, and with a start, he realized he had pushed himself against the window. Naruto stood directly in front of him, his breathing fast and angry. Naruto looked up at him with need and love and Sasuke stopped breathing. In one fluid movement, Naruto surged upward and pressed their lips together. In that instant, Sasuke felt both of their hearts stop and then start as one. Naruto whimpered into his mouth and Sasuke felt fingers twist into the hair at the back of his neck. Sasuke moved his lips against Naruto's and slid his tongue out to taste but was denied when Naruto jerked away, gasping for air.
"Naruto," he said softly, almost like he was tasting the name for the first time. The feelings he kept pushing down raged to the surface until without a thought, his hand moved toward Naruto. Naruto stopped him with a cool glare and his hand fell next to his side.
"But, now," Naruto whispered breathlessly, his eyes dull and lifeless, "now, you can fuck off."
Naruto's Call screamed inside Sasuke's head until he was forced to put his hands to his ears and squeeze his eyes shut in pain. As quickly as it was there, it was gone, leaving nothing. It felt like a hole in his chest and he gasped.
"What did you do?" he asked and his voice shook.
"I'm done, bastard. You are the Angel of Death, not my angel. I have no reason to Call you."
Sasuke's mind frantically tried to understand. Naruto cut off the Call. Sasuke couldn't feel him anymore. He cut off… it was impossible. "You can't…"
Naruto laughed and the humorless sound made the apartment seem colder and darker. "Apparently, I can. Now get out. Ignoring me and doing your job is what you wanted." Naruto grinned darkly, his blond hair shadowing his bright eyes. "I just want you to be normal."
Sasuke snarled as his own words were thrown back in his face.
"You never wanted me… not the way that I needed you. Goodbye, Sasuke." Naruto stood in front of him, eyes cast out the window. His fingers curled into fists that shook at his sides.
"This isn't what…"
Naruto's lower lip trembled before he caught it harshly in his teeth. "Stop. Just stop."
Sasuke nodded, unable to argue something that he'd said… no, screamed… into the young man's face, and disappeared.
But not before he saw Naruto fall to his knees, his fingers fisting in his hair, while he whispered Sasuke's name into the darkness.
Sasuke felt pain. But for the first time, it wasn't Naruto's pain. It was his own.
XXX
To Be Continued…