AN: Lol, hey guuuys! I finally got a review. *swings hips back and forth in a so called 'dance'* I am so happy! Lol. Yea, I run off reviews, as do most people. Yep yep, continuing on. I am beginning to grow attached to this story, even if it just started. I have big hopes and all, as cliche as it sounds. Kinda' sad beginning. At least, it made ME sad. Lololol. Lots of dialogue, too.

I don't own Naruto, nor any of Sasuke-kun's fantastic good uke looks.

Chapter Three

Again with the screams, ripping through the thick, blood-scented air that surrounded the blond boy. It was dark, but he could see, strangely. Sasuke stood before him, but it was not him. It was not Sasuke anymore. His now yellow, snake-like eyes stared happily at Naruto, and he held out his hand. His fingers moved slightly, motioning the boy forward.

"Come, Naruto. Come see how I've changed." He hissed mockingly, making the boy in front of him charge forward. If Sasuke wouldn't fight back, he would. His fists were stopped, and his body was forced back to where he was before. Orochimaru laughed at him, using Sasuke's voice. His body melted into a pile of snakes, which lunged forward to attack Naruto.

The boy jolted up, waking from his restless sleep. This nightmare had been haunting him for the past few months, ever since he'd lost to Sasuke. He would always wake up at the same time, with the same facial expression, and the same, fearful eyes. Cold sweat dripped down his back as he lie back against his pillow. He turned his head towards his nightstand, where a picture of his team and himself sat. The boy raised a tan hand to place his forefinger on Sasuke, as if trying to erase his form from the picture. Yes, the boy had been training like crazy ever since that day in the hospital. He was still bent on getting his best friend back, but the thought always haunted him.

'What if I'm too late?' Naruto wondered, picking up the picture frame and setting it in his lap. What if he did happen to make it to Sasuke, only to find out he had already been taken over? No. That could not happen. Kakashi had explained to them that they had at least two years to get Sasuke back. After that, it was almost pointless. It had been three months since Sasuke's departure, so that left them a lot of time to grow stronger. Naruto began to feel the familiar feeling of constriction in his throat and chest, knowing tears were making their way out of his eyes. They fell onto the picture, his hands, and his covers.

"Why did you ever leave?.." The boy whimpered to himself, closing his eyes and beginning to sob.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun! Yes! Keep focussing." Orochimaru hissed his order, pacing around the boy as he sat on the floor. His eyes were screwed shut, holding a hand seal in front of his chest. Sweat covered his body. He'd been at this for hours, with no end in sight. Apparantly, he was supposed to be aiming to use chidori around his body. He hadn't really understood the man when he had explained it himself, but it sounded powerful, and he was willing to give it a try.

"Your mind is wandering, Sasuke-kun. Focus." Orochimaru backhanded him across the face, something he did usually to keep the boy in line when training. It pissed the Uchiha off, but he could not react. The only way to make him stop was to just do as he was told, even if it killed his pride. He took a shallow breath and pulled his head back to face forward, a red mark beginning to form on his left cheek. His teacher smiled, and he continued circling the younger male. This boy was beautiful when he trained. His licked his lips hungrily. He had chosen such a good body. The boy had a feminine look to him, body wise, with lean muscles that rippled under his perfect skin at every movement he made. His voice also made the man go insane. He needed this boy. This waiting game was killing him. Sasuke's pained grunt brought the sannin out of his wonderous staring. His lips drew into a grim frown, and he stopped in front of the child.

"Orochimaru... I don't think-"

"That is correct. You don't think. You do. Now, hush and keep working." The teacher replied, once again hitting the boy across the face. Sasuke snapped his head back forward, eyes blazing. He had had enough of this shit for one day. The child raised himself up, legs shaking slightly, and lifted his fist up in preparation to punch the man. The snake was suddenly behind him, forcing his arm behind him painfully. Sasuke let out a soft whine, feeling it lifted higher.

"You foolish boy. How dare you test me again, and so soon," he smashed the boy against the wall, nails digging into his soft skin, "How do you expect me to teach you when you're too dense to listen?" The words made the boy shake, verbal poison seeped from his teacher's mouth. He really did know how angry the sannin could get, and how cruel he could be, but his damn ego wouldnt let him obey. It just wouldn't.

"You come here in search of my power. My training. Yet you do not sumbit to me?" Orochimaru grew softer with his words, confusing Sasuke greatly. Usually by now, he'd be a bloody pulp on the floor, with Kabuto coming in to heal him and Orochimaru spitting harsh, hurtful words at him. This new attitude, it almost scared him. He felt his teacher's cold breath on the back of his ear, and he shuddered crazily. His head turned slightly, eyes wide and scared. Orochimaru took his chance, grasping the boy's neck. Sasuke let his mouth fall open, lungs desperately trying to revive themselves.

His lips formed words weakly, but nothing escaped his mouth. His vision blured slightly at the restriction of oxygen entering his brain. The snake stood before him, towering over the small Uchiha.

"Oh? Trying to beg me for forgiveness, Sasuke-chan?" The suffix change made the boy glare heatedly, but he closed his eyes again whe he started feeling faint. The grip let go suddenly, allowing him to take in a deep, well needed breath. He coughed a few times, sharingan pinning his teacher afterwards. He felt powerless, fucking powerless, in the sannin's eyes. He was never able to protect himself from the hits, the words, the physical and mental pain. It made him feel empty, in some strange way.

"Now then," Sasuke was dropped, falling to his hands and knees before Orochimaru, "Try again. This time, try imagining yourself covered in chidori. Picture it with your mind as vividly as possible, and keep yourself from exerting too much chakra at one time." The boy nodded slowly, sitting back down on the floor. He formed the hand seals, closed his eyes, and thought deeply. He would do it this time, he could feel the tingle of sparks in his veins as, first, his hand lit up. He tried dragging it somewhere other than that, perhaps his chest. The stream began to expand and cover him, making Orochimaru laugh and watch him pleasantly.

"Good, Sasuke-kun. Very good." He praised the boy, who let out a shaky gasp as the electricity died down. He fealt drained from the jutsu. His sharingan faded back to ebony, and he dropped his head into his hands. The boy felt a hand on his shoulder, making him look up quickly and send a dizzy spell over himself. He groaned and closed one eye.

"One more time, Sasuke-kun. Show me what you are capable of." Orochimaru told him, eyes wide with excitement. The boy narrowed his own.

"What.. the hell, O-Orochimaru..." he groaned tiredly. Of all people to notice things, Orochimaru was at the top of his list. He must be aware of Sasuke's dangerously low chakra, and either just didn't care, or expected him to be fine with what he had left. The boy shook his head angrily, once again sending the famous Uchiha glare at his sensei. The snake smiled and rubbed the boy's curse mark.

"You have the power to do so, Sasuke-kun. Just rely on my mark.. It will give you enough chakra, and more." The man snickered temptingly. Sasuke twitched. He never did want to trust the mark. It simply hurt too much to use all the time. But, if it gave him what he wanted, he would do so without argument. He formed the hand seals again, closing his eyes and focusing with all the strength he could muster. Electricity once again shot out around him, covering his body with its glow. He whimpered slightly, feeling the curse seal react and activate. It sluggishly crawled its way towards the heavens seal once again, breaking past it and continuing on. Its painful seering sensation began to make itself known, forcing Sasuke to grit his teeth and shake. The jutsu weakened for a moment. Orochimaru hissed angrily and slapped the boy again. The child refocused and ignored the throbbing pain, trying to clear his mind. The feeling. It hurt so much. He had to stop this. It wasn't worth it.

"Guh!" The boy choked out as he dropped the hand sign and fell forward onto his stomach, body shaking weakly. His vision darkened considerably, and his sensei's voice grew distant. It came back, though, and he suddenly wished it hadn't.

"You stupid welp! I told you to continue! Up." He ordered and kicked the boy's side, forcing the boy onto his left shoulder. He panted heavily, body covered his small scratch marks. He guessed they were the aftermath of the electric jutsu. His teacher grabbed his hair and pulled him up, nailing him in the stomach two or three times, before dropping him again. Sasuke curled up slightly, trembling. The sannin left the room with a small grunt of disgust. The room was now silent, except for Sasuke's heavy breathing, of course. His mind felt tired and weak. He began to relax, slowly but surely. He was alone, now. He could afford to drop his guard. Before he could fully fall into darkness, Orochimaru walked back in, eyes gleaming angrily. He heard a small, sinister chuckle escape the man as he approached his trembling form.

Naruto walked down the crowded streets. The sun was beaming down today, and he had decided to leave his orange jacket at home. He wiped his forehead as he began to feel sweat drip down. He didn't mind it, though. He would soon be at his sensei's apartment, and under the relaxing air conditioning inside. The thought made him smile and he picked up his pace. He took a few turns, climbed a few stairs, and finally arrived at Kakashi's door. He knocked slightly, wondering if his teacher would even be awake at this time. Thankfully, he was, and he welcomed Naruto into his home. The blond nodded his thanks and sat down on the couch, leaning back and taking a breath before speaking.

"Kakashi sensei?" He asked cautiously, voice not as loud as it usually was. The man turned to him, fixing his coffee as he did so. The boy almost looked three years older. He was so collected today. He scratched his head and walked over to his student, sitting down next to him.

"What? Seems like something important is on your mind, today." He answered, curious to what the boy was thinking. This kid never ceased to amaze him, whether it be in training or growing. He knew though, for the most part, that Kyuubi was to be thanked for his training growth. Naruto leaned forward and rested his chin in his right hand, staring at the wall thoughtfully.

"I wanted to ask you something about Sasuke, again." He explained, and drew a sigh from his teacher.

"Again, Naruto? What are you worried about now?" He groaned and also leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. He turned to look at the blond, who didn't return the friendly gesture. He was silent for a while, body untensing. Kakashi didn't mind the silence. He was a patient man, and he'd wait as long as Naruto needed to.

"I wanted to know why he left." The boy finished quickly, suddenly turning to pin the man with a confused stare. Kakashi, taken back by the question, was quiet for a moment. He had expected another type of question than this. The surprise made his mind draw a blank.

"Well," he began, hands clasping together in thought. Naruto watched him quietly, catching every movement he made. He doubted even Kakashi knew this answer, but the question had been weighing him down for a while now. It hindered his training, his sleeping, his eating. Everything, pretty much. He'd even lost a few pounds since his friend's departure due to his growing disinterest in eating. Kakashi opened his mouth again, but closed it and rubbed his forehead instead.

"Revenge does things to people, Naruto. I thought I explained this to you."

"You did, Kakashi sensei. It's just- I mean-"

"You're still worried about him." Kakashi finished for him, allowing Naruto to drop his head exhaustedly. The lack of sleep was really getting to him, and his stomach growled loudly. His teacher rubbed his back comfortingly.

"I'll make us some breakfast. I have some ramen in the pantry you might enjoy." He smiled under his mask, hoping to see the blond light up like he always did at the mention of his favorite food. But, he didn't. He just sat there, looking at the floor with heavily lidded eyes. A soft nod was all he got. The older male dropped his grin and stood. He walked back into the kitchen and began cooking the food. Naruto was silent the entire time, even when he was eating. He didn't look a Kakashi again until he spoke up once more.

"Do you think he's dead." He whispered, half of him wanting and answer and the other, not. The man shook his head, telling Naruto again how precious his body was to Orochimaru. The sannin would do anything in his power to keep the boy safe, until he used the forbidden jutsu of course. The blond nodded, and they sat on the couch in silence.

AN: Lol. ANOTHER SHORT CHAPTER. DX I apologize, slightly. Oh noez! What's Orochimaru doing to Sasuke-kun! Lol, I don't even know yet. :B Inform me of spelling mistakes, please. Reviews appreciated and noticed.

Nat