Arrow: And so the long awaited Chapter Two! In this chapter a lot happens and I went through a lot to get it to this point so be gentle but don't sugarcoat anything when you review.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story idea and the changes to the characters!

Defying Gravity

Chapter Two

Revelations, Problems, and Resolutions

It had been two months since Naruto had found Sasuke in the alleyway and made a new friend. In that time, the blond had been introduced to the rest of the raven-haired family. The Uchihas had taken a slight interest in the boy, even though they became infuriated when he verbally attacked Fugaku Uchiha, Sasuke's father. Many problems manifested themselves, especially where the villages wee involved, but nothing kept the boys from growing closer.

Sasuke had become Naruto's constant companion and this prevented the villagers from physically assaulting or verbally abusing the boy in his presence. What they did in the comfort of their homes was a different story altogether. Naruto ignored them for the most part and focused on the wellbeing of his raven-haired friend. He protected Sasuke from his father's scathing words and his mother's careless comments and he made sure that Sasuke knew he had somewhere to go if it all got to be to much to handle. His door was always open to the raven and the Uchiha spent more time at the whiskered boy's apartment than in his own home at in the Uchiha compound. However, Sasuke was getting worried; his blond friend's temper was becoming increasingly worse and Naruto had begun to lash out at the Hokage and even Sasuke a few times. The Uchiha decided to confront his best and closest friend.

"Naru?" The blond looked up.

"What, Sasuke?" The raven gulped.

"Um… is something bothering you? You have been acting differently for the past two weeks."

"It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Well, I am worrying about it! If you won't tell me then at least talk to the Hokage; please Naru, you're starting to scare me!" The crazed look that appeared prominently in the raven's eyes, revealing his fear that something was wrong. Naruto's blue eyes widened as he realized that he truly was frightening his dearest friend. The blond stood and pulled the Uchiha into his embrace; Sasuke immediately calmed down as he always did when Naruto touched him.

"Okay, Sasu. We'll go to the Hokage. I have a feeling that Dad has some explaining to do." Upon hearing the familial term, Sasuke's worry slightly increased, even as he nodded in agreement, still relishing the feeling of Naruto's arms around him and the comfort they provided. What could the demon fox have to do with anything? Although the Uchiha believed Naruto when he said that Kyuubi would not harm anyone, he still harbored that inherent human fear of those beings that were beyond the jurisdiction of human laws.

Ending the embrace but taking Sasuke's hand, Naruto led the way to the Hokage's tower. When they arrived, the Sandaime let them in, wondering what was wrong. Naruto let go of Sasuke's hand, much to the raven's displeasure, and took a deep breath before facing his grandfather figure.

"Old man, I haven't been myself lately as you may have noticed."

"Maybe a little, Naruto. I mean it isn't everyday that someone randomly lashes out at me." Naruto blinked and blushed in embarrassment at his previous outbursts before he brushed away the embarrassment and continued with his explanation and question.

"Anyway, I think Dad has something to do with it. Is there a way to transport both you and Sasuke into my mind? I will meet you both there and we can all sort this out." The elderly Hokage was shocked.

"Are you sure you want Sasuke to come as well?"

"Yes."

Short and to the point, I see. I guess this is not up for negotiation and Sasuke is going with me. " Very well. Come here, Sasuke, so that I can perform the jutsu." The raven walked slowly to his leader, unsure of what was about to happen. "Mental Insertion Jutsu!" Sasuke felt his consciousness being pulled from his body and he watched in semi-horror as his own body fell limply to the ground. Soon, he saw nothing at all, but whether that was from the jutsu or he passed out, he couldn't tell.

When he opened his eyes, the Uchiha saw only a black abyss and the silence was loud in his ears. Slowly, Sasuke discerned that it was not silent as he was able to hear the sound of dripping water. The room slowly came into focus as the raven's eyes adjusted to the darkness and what he saw shocked him.

Flickering torches dimly lighted the sewer-like place he found himself in and the only sound was the steady drip, drip of the rancid water. A groan beside him alerted him to the presence of another being and he tensed, waiting for an attack. Sasuke relaxed when he realized that it was only the elderly Sarutobi, who had brought him here.

Said Hokage groaned as the familiar and hated smell made its way to his nostrils. This place was not one that could be gotten used to and sometimes he wondered how Kyuubi could stand it with out going insane. Sitting up, he saw Sasuke Uchiha staring at him, a confused look in his eyes.

"This is where the Shinigami keeps the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The rest of Naruto's mind hopefully does not look like this." Sasuke nodded in relief.

"So where do we go now?" The Sandaime stood with some effort.

"We walk forward, following the torches, until we reach the Kyuubi's cage. Your blond friend will meet us there." Pulling Sasuke to his feet, the elderly man lead the way deeper into the dank, depressing hallway. As they walked both could hear the slight echo of Naruto's voice, which was arguing with a deeper, smoother, more menacing voice. A slight gleam alerted Sasuke that something was reflecting light at the end of the hallway and Sarutobi, who saw the same gleam, recognized it as the Kyuubi's polished, golden cage. When they came closer, they could clearly hear the argument between Naruto and who Sasuke assumed was the feared Kyuubi no Kitsune, the King of the Demons.

"Kit! Why on earth would you bring Sasuke here?" The demon fox sounded furious and the two other humans began to wonder if they should approach or wait for the two to finish their shouting match.

"Hey! I thought you liked him?"

"I do, but letting too many people into your mind is not a good thing!"

"Well, I wanted him to meet you, Dad." The Uchiha was stunned at this statement. Naruto cared about him enough to want him to meet the most feared demon in existence, who he considered a father; the blond must truly trust him if he was lowering his defenses this much and defying the most feared demon in history.

"Kit, I won't have you destroying your mental defenses so your boyfriend can meet me." Both Naruto and Sasuke blushed at the demon's words and Sarutobi had to keep himself from laughing.

"It's my mind, Dad, and I say that Sasuke is welcome." The demon lord seemed to sigh in frustration at his adoptive son's stubbornness.

"I never said he wasn't welcome, Kit. I just don't want you to make this a habit. Are we clear?" The two eavesdroppers saw the blond's shoulders sag in resignation.

"Yes, Dad."

"Good. Sarutobi, stop hiding and Sasuke, come stand where I can see you." Sarutobi came from the shadows but remained a respectful distance from the massive cage and Sasuke stepped forward until he was standing next to his blond friend, the action seemed to be completely unconscious, causing Kyuubi to smile gently, though it frightened everyone but Naruto. "Don't be nervous, child. Nothing will harm you here." Sasuke looked next to him and took courage from Naru's warm smile. Turning his attention back to Kyuubi, the raven took a deep breath and spoke.

"Hello." Kyuubi's smile grew.

"Hello. Now, what did you all want to ask me?"

"Dad, there's something wrong with me. Do you know what is going on?" The fox demon sighed sadly.

"I should have guessed you were going to ask that. Yes, I do know what is going on, Kit." Sarutobi angrily stepped closer.

"What have you done!" A threatening growl filled the air, causing Sasuke to hide behind his blond savior, Sarutobi to cower in fear, and Naruto to simply wait for his father's anger to pass and for the explanation to be given.

"I have done nothing. Naruto, you are going to become a demon." That statement fell from Kyuubi's lips like the Hindenburg from the sky, flames and all. The Sandaime passed out in shock, Naruto fell to his knees in utter despair, and Sasuke sank quickly to the floor, trying to give his best friend at least some comfort.

"Why… is this happening to me, Dad?" Kyuubi's eyes were sad.

"The Yondaime didn't realize that your body was going to slowly adapt to the demonic chakra that flows through you because of my presence. I didn't expect you to begin changing so quickly, Kit. That's why I didn't tell you." Naruto looked up at Kyuubi and nodded, trepidation, forgiveness, and understanding were prominent in his eyes and there was an undertone of acceptance present as well; the combination eased the fox, he knew now that his blond kit didn't hate him, nor did he distrust the demon. Sarutobi was still unconscious and Sasuke was lost in thought, probably trying to figure out a way out of the situation that Naruto was going to be placed in.

"So what are we going to do now, Dad?"

"I will train you in demon ways. It is my responsibility, since you are my kit." Naruto smiled warmly.

"What are the obvious changes going to be?"

"Well your appearance is the main one, but your chakra will slowly become demonic as well, but we can pass that off as my chakra and no one will know the difference. Your physical appearance we can cover with a genjutsu. Hey, look who decided to rejoin the land of the living." The Sandaime frowned when he processed what had been said to him.

"That isn't funny, Kyuubi."

"Yes, yes it is."

"Alright, what are we going to do about this?"

"Dad is going to train me and the only obvious changes are going to be my chakra and my physical appearance," at this, Sasuke looked up in terror. What was going to happen to his friend? "We decided to pass of the chakra as Dad's and cover my appearance with a genjutsu." Sasuke looked relieved that nothing really drastic was going to change about his friend, but he didn't know what the future was going to hold. No one did.

"Well, Naru," said Sarutobi ,"it seems that you and Kyuubi have it all figured out but what is he going to train you in?"

"Demon ways, why?" Sasuke's eyes widened. Did that mean that Naru would have to leave and join the other demons on their lands? What about him?

"I should have guessed. Sasuke, it is time for us to leave; if we don't, Naruto will have a migraine." The Uchiha stood slowly, reluctant to leave Naru, but realizing it as a necessity; he silently walked to the leader of the village but wouldn't look anyone in the eye. Kyuubi's eyes narrowed at the raven haired boy's strange behavior. Sarutobi made the necessary hand signs, crying "Removal Jutsu: Duos!" Both disappeared and Naruto turned to the imprisoned Kyuubi, who spoke somewhat urgently.

"Kit, you need to talk to Sasuke. Something isn't right." Naruto nodded in agreement.

"I will." The blond kit gave his pseudo-sire a loving pat on the snout and left his mindscape.

When Naruto opened his eyes, he was lying on the couch in the Hokage's office. The old man was nowhere to be found and sitting next to him was the raven haired Uchiha. Sasuke was running his fingers along Naruto's forearm absentmindedly, his face the picture of contemplation.

"Are you okay, Sasuke?" The Uchiha jumped, not having realized that his blond companion was awake.

"Uh…yeah, I'm fine, Naru."

"Tell me the truth." Sasuke became frantic, desperately trying to convince the blond that nothing was wrong.

"I am!"

"No, you aren't. What's bothering you, Sasuke?"

"Nothing!"

"Sasu, you asked me to open up to you and I did. Won't you do the same for me?" The raven was silent, his head hung in shame, shame caused by the hypocrisy of his actions.

"I am sorry. It's just… I don't know what to make of this. I know that nothing is wrong with you being a demon and that none of this is your fault. Does this mean that you have to leave Konoha? Are you going to leave me, Naru? I already lost my trust in my family. I don't think that I could stand to lose you too." The tears that had been held back with the determination that defined the Uchiha clan finally fell and the raven tried to hide them but Naruto stopped him.

"Sasuke, it's okay to cry." That sentence opened the floodgates and the youngest Uchiha threw himself at Naruto, crying loudly for multiple reasons. He cried at the missing trust in his family, the thought that he wasn't good enough to be an Uchiha, but mostly, he cried out his fear that his most important person was going to have to leave him. Dad, what should I do?

Comfort him, Kit. Assure him that you aren't going anywhere for a while yet.

"Listen to me, Sasu." The young boy had finally quieted though he was still crying. "I promise that I am not going anywhere for a long time." Sasuke laid his head on Naruto's shoulder and from this position he gazed at the azure eyes of his closest friend.

"Promise that you will never leave me. Ever." Naruto hesitated and his eyes glazed over, signaling to the raven that Kyuubi was talking to the blond.

Dad, what do I tell him?

Hmm, this is tricky. Tell him that you will stay as long as you can.

I just did. He wants me to promise to stay with him forever. What do I say?

Tell him that you will eventually have to leave but that you will come back. That you can promise.

"Sasuke, I will eventually have to leave. Dad told me a few weeks ago that demon training is dangerous and best done away from humans and their settlements. I promise that I will stay as long as I possibly can and though I will have to leave, I will be back. I swear to you that I will not leave you behind and that I will come back for you." Sasuke knew that Naru would not break any of these promises to him and that he was promising all that he could.

"Okay, but I will hold you to that, Naru." The blond looked at him and smiled gently.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Sasu." The raven smiled back and wiped his eyes, though there was nothing he could do about the red rimming around his eyes.

"Can I stay at your place tonight? My parents have been fighting with Itachi recently and it is not very conducive to sleeping." Naru laughed.

"Sure, no problem. What do you want for dinner?"

"Why don't we make something together when we see what you have in your cupboards?"

"Sounds like a plan." The two boys left the tower, unaware that Itachi Uchiha was watching them.

"I am grateful that you won't be home tonight little brother. I have to do something terrible on the council's orders. I am so happy that you have that boy as your friend; I know that he will be able to help you when you are told what is going to happen at the compound tonight." The raven haired ANBU ninja turned toward his family's home and walked slowly, trying to prolong the feeling of being free for a while longer. He reached the Uchiha district and unsheathed his katana before walking through the gates and sealing his fate.

Sasuke was laughing with abandon, something he only did when Naruto was around. They were talking and fixing dinner in Naru's small, pristine kitchen and the blond was cracking jokes like no tomorrow.

"No way! The Hokage did not do that!"

"I am serious! He shredded all of his paperwork on accident and had to redo every last bit of it!" Sasuke laughed again.

"Oh, man. What are we going to have for dinner?"

"Well, we can make some shrimp and miso soup," the blond's smile became teasing, "I have lots of tomatoes, too." Sasuke blushed bright as the aforementioned food.

"That isn't fair!"

"Neither is life, my dear Sasu." Sasuke's eyes widened at the new way that Naru addressed him and now it was Naruto's turn to blush. Kyuubi howled with laughter.

Don't deny it, Kit. You feel something stronger than friendship for the boy, don't you? Tell him the truth. Naruto gulped, hoping that he wasn't making a mistake.

"Naru, what does that mean?"

"It… means… that ." Sasuke didn't understand what he was trying to say.

"I didn't catch that." Naruto stopped walking and placed his hands on Sasuke's shoulders.

"I said… that I like you more than I probably should." The black eyes of his companion widened and began to shine with unshed tears. Before Naruto could begin to babble incoherently, the raven had him wrapped in a tight embrace.

"Naru, me too. I like you, a lot more than I should." Sighing with relief, the blond returned the embrace with just as much affection that Sasuke was putting into his. Releasing Sasuke, Naruto could see the confusion on the boy's face and smiled reassuringly and took the raven's hand, interlacing their fingers, and walking towards his apartment. The Uchiha happily followed his blond possible-boyfriend, wondering what would happen next and happy that he wasn't home. He didn't want anything to ruin this night for him.

When they arrived at the apartment, they set to work, making miso soup and frying the shrimp in one of the skillets that Sasuke's family had given the blond. When they finished cooking and Naruto, the chef out of the two of them had given his approval, the two filled plates and sat at the newly repaired table. Sasuke moved his chair so he could sit next to the blond and this earned a smile from the soon to be demon.

"Naru, where do we go from here?"

"Well, do you want to be my boyfriend?"

"Yes, I want that very much."

"Me too, Sasu, but we can't tell anyone but old man Hokage." The raven became apprehensive; why couldn't they tell anyone? He wanted to shout to the world that the blond was his.

"Why do we have to hide, Naru?"

"Because the villagers still hate me and I refuse to put you in danger. If people know that you are precious to me, then they will do whatever necessary to take you away. I just want you to be safe." Sasuke had never thought of things that way. It was then he realized that someone was walking loudly down the hall that Naruto's apartment was on. Naruto immediately started to usher Sasuke to the bathroom.

"What is going on, Naru?"

"Sasuke, listen to me." The blond stared intently into the raven's eyes. "I want you to lock yourself in the bathroom and not come out until I come get you. No matter what you hear, you have to promise me that you will not open this door."

"But –"

"Promise me!" Sasuke suddenly realized that it was the villagers and they were going to hurt his blond boyfriend.

"I can help you!"

"Neither of us are strong of us to fight them off and I refuse to let you."

"Why!"

"Because then you will be a target to them. I just told you that I wouldn't let you get hurt, Sasu." Sasuke knew that he was beaten.

"I promise to stay here until you come get me, but you have to promise to be okay." Naruto smiled grimly.

"I always am, but I will promise you that. Now hurry and lock the door." Sasuke closed the door and locked it as the villagers opened the door with a spare key that they had obviously gotten from the secretary downstairs. As the beating started and Sasuke listened to his boyfriend trying to not give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream. Tears were running down his face and it took every once of willpower he had to keep from breaking his promise.

It had been only a few minutes but Naruto knew that it would last at least an hour; they never beat him much longer than that, afraid that they would become contaminated by the 'demon'. This group was early, the home invasions usually didn't happen until October 10th and these villagers had gone to the ninja supply store; they were cutting him with kunais and beating him with staffs. They were trying to kill him, as usual but they seemed determined to do it tonight. Naruto couldn't let that happen. He had a promise to keep to one of the few who cared about him.

An hour of nonstop abuse later, the group left the apartment, shutting the door behind them as if they had come by for a friendly visit. The blond boy had multiple cuts that were healing, as were the bruises and fractured bones, thanks to Kyuubi's chakra. In moments the boy was on his feet and walking slowly to the bathroom where his boyfriend waited.

Sasuke was going insane; he could tell that the villagers had left but he didn't know where Naruto was. Did they hurt so badly that he could walk? Oh no, what would happen if they did? Should Sasuke walk out there now or wait for Naru to come get him? This dilemma was solved when there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Sasuke, it's safe to come out." The door was flung open to reveal a frazzled Sasuke who's eyes widened in horror at the marks on his boyfriend's body. "I promise it's okay; Dad's chakra is already healing me. I'm alright." This prompted Sasuke to hug the boy across from him with everything he was worth, Naruto comforting him.

"Do they do this when I am not spending the night?"

"Actually, no one usually invades my home until my birthday and the anniversary of Dad's 'attack'. The only time the villagers beat me is when they catch me outside and you aren't with me."

"Well, then you can't go anywhere without me!"

"Sasu, you know that won't work."

"Well, what do we do then?"

"We will have to make the best of it. Come on, it's late. You can sleep on the bed and I will take the couch."

"No."

"No?" Naruto was confused and Sasuke was blushing uncontrollably, but determined.

"Stay with me. I know that you are used to this, which infuriates me by the way, but I can't be alone after I heard that. Stay with me tonight." Naruto looked at his boyfriend and saw that he was scared for the blond boy.

"Okay." With that they walked into the small bedroom and went to sleep, Sasuke wrapped tightly in Naruto's arms.

That night, the boys had another visitor, though this one meant no harm to them. Itachi Uchiha looked through the bedroom window of the blond's apartment, smiling softly at the sight of his brother sleeping with the blond demon container. He had known for a while that their relationship would lead to this; after all Naruto gave his brother an understanding friend and a place to go whenever he wanted to. He had given the younger Uchiha love and kindness when it was needed.

"Take care of my brother, Naruto. You're what he needs now."

That night the Hokage was informed that the council had ordered an ANBU by the name of Itachi Uchiha to wipe out the Uchiha clan as they had wanted to begin a civil war. Only Sasuke Uchiha, who had not been home that night, had survived the massacre. Sarutobi shook with fear; this was going to hurt Sasuke and he could only hope that Naruto, as protective of the raven as he was, wouldn't do something drastic.

Now the question was how to tell the boys without getting killed.

Arrow: So let me know what you think. A lot happened in this chapter and I am actually happy with most of it. There are parts that I wish were better but my insane headache prevents me from fixing anything more in it. Leave me a review!