Author's Notes: I meant to post this yesterday, apologies! My goal is to post one chapter a week. Honestly, I feel like this chapter is weak. Buuuut, here it is! I hope you enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: No characters belong to me! All characters in this story belong to Masashi Kishimoto unless otherwise stated.
CHAPTER TWO
"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."
- Mother Teresa
"Naruto, I'm sorry, but we are not ready for you to attend a school. Please understand, son-"
"I don't understand! This isn't fair!" Naruto cut his father off angrily. This was an argument the young teen had with his parents frequently. "You guys just keep me locked up in this fucking house all day long!"
"Naruto!" Kushina, the blond's mother, cut in, her voice low and angry. "You will not use that sort of language in this house! Where did you even hear that word?"
Teeth grinding, Naruto turned to storm off, though it was hard to remain dignified when he remembered he needed his dog to guide him. "Work time!" He called, his voice angry. Kurama stood from his plush bed by the couch, moving carefully to Naruto's side, the harsh voice throwing him off. Naruto tended to be very gentle and calm with him.
"Don't yell at him, Naruto, he didn't do anything. Naruto, don't you walk away from us!"
Minato's words seemed to fall on deaf ears and Naruto, using a much calmer voice than previously, instructed his dog to bring him to his room.
"I hate you!" He hurled the final insult at his parents, immediately regretting the words, but feeling too prideful and angry to take them back. He would apologize in the morning, when they had all calmed down.
Naruto twisted and turned in his sleep, soft whimpers escaping through his nose. A tear slid down his cheek. The sudden feeling of a hand gasping his shoulder and shaking him roughly caused him to leap into a sitting position with a gasp. Immediately, he felt a sharp pain across his forehead and fell back onto the bed, clutching his face in his hands. "Ouch! Jesus fuck, what the hell!"
Sasuke rubbed his now cut and steadily-swelling lip, glaring at the blond boy invading his guest room. "Moron," he said lowly, the dull pain in his lip adding to his sour mood. "Your stupid mutts woke me up. At three in the morning."
"They…? Oh. Uh, yeah, sorry about that. They might have to use the bathroom. And stop calling them mutts! They're purebreds!" Naruto grumbled, his eyebrows drawn together above his eyes. He slid out of bed, gave the work cue, and Kurama was at his side, soon tugging his owner to the door after being instructed.
In truth, the dogs had always retrieved Naruto's parents when he was having a nightmare. It was something they just… did. But he wasn't about to tell that to Sasuke!
Sasuke, slightly less irritated, went back to his bedroom and returned to his bed, ready to fall back to sleep. It seemed like only seconds had passed before he heard Naruto calling him. His irritation only escalated when Naruto informed him that he couldn't see the dogs' shit, and therefore, couldn't actually clean it up.
"You're worse than a five-year-old," Sasuke called back at him, but reluctantly got out of bed to clean up after Naruto's dogs. His anger only seemed to worsen when he shut the door after coming back inside and noticed the amused, almost triumphant smirk on the blond's lips.
Why had he even offered this? Most people – especially someone blind, homeless, and who had just lost their parents – would have been grateful. This kid was just spiteful and annoying. He had to remind himself that he only needed to deal with this for a little while longer. This was Itachi's dream. "I'm ready to punch that stupid smile off your face," he said simply, the words falling from his tongue like ice. His words didn't have the desired effect, as the blond's grin only seemed to widen.
"Yeah, there's no way you're thirty," Naruto laughed. He stretched his arms, yawned, and then reached for Kurama's collar again. The dog was loyally beside him on the left, Kyuubi on the right. "Bed time, guys!" Naruto said cheerfully, the remnants of his nightmare fading, thanks to the brief, amusing encounter with the angry Uchiha.
Sasuke glared in the blond's direction, watching him retreat into the guest room. He left the bedroom door open, so the dark-haired man watched, seething, as the two dogs jumped into the bed and curled themselves around the boy, one on each side. His anger began to ebb, however, when he recalled the state he'd found Naruto in.
The boy was clearly lying about the reason the dogs had woken him up. He was thrashing. And crying. Sasuke had been shocked to watch the tear slide down the side of the blond's face. He didn't seem like the crying type. He was reminded of his own nightmare that the dogs had pulled him from, the main reason he had been so angry. The last Uchiha rarely had dreams anymore, but when he did, they were always reminders of what he'd lost. If he were honest, he was thankful to be pulled from it, but angry to have been found – even if by dogs – in such a state.
Combined with Naruto's forehead smacking painfully into his lip, the early morning was not a pleasant one.
Sasuke made his way back to his own room and climbed back into bed, the anger he felt earlier mostly dissipated. Naruto had gotten over his own nightmare quite quickly. And, though it seemed to be because of his humor at Sasuke's expense, the older man couldn't help but feel somewhat inferior for allowing his own emotions to rile him up.
"Yeah, there's no way you're thirty."
Sasuke scowled. Was his young age truly so noticeable? He'd have to work on that.
Sleep seemed distant as his thoughts became engulfed in his newly acquired "foster project." Naruto was a strange one, to be sure. He seemed very… cheerful. Light-hearted. Like he hadn't really experienced the world, experienced pain. It was almost difficult to believe he had lost his parents. Or maybe Sasuke was simply just an emotional creature that hid behind the face of a king.
He sighed and rolled onto his side, glaring at the clock that blinked angry red numbers at him. It was past four in the morning. How had an hour gone by already? He would have to wake up in an hour, and be off to work soon after that. His emperor duties had begun to fall behind as he worked on his brother's project. People were still sending in complains, still unhappy with how he was running things.
"Ungrateful," he said to the darkness of his room.
The young Uchiha brushed his bangs back, expelling a harsh sigh through his nose. How had his parents ever done this? They were much harsher in their methods than Sasuke was, and yet, they kept their reign. Until they were murdered.
If someone had been watching the young man, the look he was sending to the clock would have sent chills down their spine. His look was one of unadulterated murderous intent, his fingers gripping the thick quilt – one his mother had hand-sewn, that he always used to cover himself – so tightly that his knuckles became white. His jaw clenched, teeth grinding together.
That fucking Clan.
Sasuke wished they were still alive so he could kill them again, watch the house burn, listen to their shocked and pained cries. Their wailing had satisfied him greatly at the time, but now, he couldn't find any comfort in the sounds that his memories conjured. The feeling of victory had dissipated almost as soon as it had come. Even as he watched the house light up, the satisfied feeling simply drifted, and he was left feeling empty. Nothing had happened. He simply turned away from the scene and worked diligently – on his own, naturally – to cover everything up.
It was such a small house in the middle of nowhere, anyway. No one was even aware of its existence.
Sasuke snorted at their ignorance, rolling onto his back to face the ceiling. How could they possibly think that moving to some little cottage in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere would save them from an Uchiha's wrath?
Fucking morons.
They were blinded by their own blissful ignorance. To think that they actually thought they could just hide away.
He truly, more than anything else in that moment, wished that he could kill them again. Maybe more up-close. A blade. Just watch the life wane from their eyes.
The sudden dip in his bed jolted Sasuke from his dark thoughts, and his dark eyes landed on the dog that Naruto used to walk around. Kurama, he believed the dog's name was. The dog was standing on the bed, staring at Sasuke. The man glowered at the dog, asking, "What? Is Stupid having a nightmare again?"
The dog cocked its head, snorted, his head shaking with the action, and then walked in a circle before curling himself at the foot of the bed.
"Excuse you? Get off!" Sasuke nudged the dog with his leg. Kurama looked up, and glanced at the leg with a look of offense, if dogs could even feel such a thing. "Great, are you stupid, too? Off!" He pushed on the dog's back with more force, causing the dog to stumble to the floor. The red-colored canine looked up at Sasuke again, paused, and then jumped on the bed again. He half-circled, then stopped to glance at Sasuke before lying down again, this time with his back to the edge of the bed.
Sasuke blinked. Was this creature serious? With a grunt, the man tossed the blanket off and stepped out of his bed. "Whatever, keep it. I need to get ready for work anyway. You know," he looked at the dog, who had lifted his head when Sasuke stood, "your master isn't going to need you after today. I can't wait until you're all out of this house."
The dog didn't seem to grasp the concept, staring at Sasuke with unnervingly dark, intelligent eyes. It reminded him of the way Naruto seemed to see through him to his very soul, even though the boy couldn't actually see anything. Sasuke shook his head and made his way to his bathroom.
His bathroom was attached to his room. The condo had come with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious downstairs living room and kitchen, and upstairs, the area was practically untouched, minus a desk. The desk had a translucent screen bordered by black, durable plastic – the computer – lying atop it, and a simple, old-fashioned chair with wheels. The seat twisted and turned separate from the feet of the chair, and the chair itself was made of some sort memory foam that seemed to soak away all ounces of stress. It was perhaps the best invention every created under his family's rule.
Well, until Naruto's eyes were cured, at least.
The Uchiha name would be wiped clean, and Sasuke would be seen as great. His whole family would be seen as great. His people would stop complaining about every tiny thing and would actually appreciate what he was doing for them.
Sasuke sighed as he stripped himself of his clothing, setting the shower temperature to slightly colder than he typically liked. Cold showers were best in the mornings. They woke him up, helped him become more alert for the day.
When he had finished his shower and dressed, Sasuke set about tidying the condo up and got breakfast ready. He would show Naruto good food. The stupid brat had done nothing but complain the whole way to the restaurant the day before. Even after admitting the food was delicious, he just kept saying, "but not as delicious as Ichiraku's ramen!" It was enough to drive anyone crazy.
Still, there was something very carefree about the blond. He seemed to have little care in the world for, well, for anything. He was loud. Everything about him was loud. His hair, his eyes, his laughter, his grin. People at the restaurant were enamored by him. Women flirted with him. Naruto seemed completely oblivious to it all, though. Even when some of the women sent him very clearly suggestive remarks, the blond seemed to always swing the conversation around to include Sasuke – which, at first, had been uncomfortable and strange. Naruto did most of the talking, and most of the customers seemed too uncomfortable to actually speak to Sasuke. Eventually, the two were left alone.
When they left, with Sasuke leading Naruto carefully through the restaurant, many of those same people were utterly surprised to see the act.
Perhaps for several reasons, Sasuke had mused at the time. The emperor, after all, was not one to interact with very many people. And it didn't take a genius to realize Naruto was blind when he was walking. He had heard several people begin to whisper, though what, exactly, they were saying he wasn't certain.
In short, the night with the younger boy had not been terrible, even with the blond's complaints about not being allowed to have ramen.
"Oh my God, that smells amazing!"
If Sasuke were a lesser man, he may have jumped. Instead, he turned around to see Naruto, with Kurama dutifully tugging him. "I'm taking them outside to play for a minute," the young teen informed him as he walked by the kitchen and through the door. Kyuubi, hearing the door opening, trotted quickly through the house and slipped by Naruto.
As he continued making their meal, Sasuke watched the blond from the kitchen window. His back was facing toward the condo, but there was something so weirdly familiar about him, and yet he was positive that he had never met him before. Maybe he looked like someone Sasuke knew? Sasuke did see a great many people, after all. Still, it was almost eerie. Naruto turned, so Sasuke was able to see the profile of his face. He was smiling, his eyes shut. His mouth was moving. He must have been speaking with one of Sasuke's neighbors.
No, Sasuke did not live in a fancy castle, nor did he live in his parents' mansion. While they may have intended for him to do so, the place held too many memories. Memories he wished to avoid. After their deaths, he would be caught by his family's servants standing in one of the mansion's massive hallways for up to an hour, just staring at one of the seemingly hundreds of photographs or portraits of his family. Some were group photographs and paintings, with all four of the family members; some held only his parents, or one or the other; some held Sasuke or Itachi or both of them. Sasuke's gaze tended to linger on the last groups the most. There were few paintings or photographs with both he and Itachi. Anytime they were forced to take a picture together, or forced to stand still for hours while some famous artist painted them, they would end up bickering or Itachi would do something obnoxious just before the picture was taken. Two or three times, he had even shoved Sasuke into an easel, causing the artist to smear the painting with a color. Sasuke could remember once when an artist had accidentally smeared his pallet down the front of Sasuke's shirt, ruining the black suit with various colors. A young Sasuke had snatched a tube of paint and shot it at his laughing older brother. Sasuke and Itachi had both received raw, nearly bruised behinds from their father's belt, but looking back, it was completely worth it.
No, he didn't want to be consistently bombarded with memories. So, he moved out and donated the mansion to be used for a school for the blind. Itachi would have wanted it that way, anyway.
The man was pulled from his thoughts as he watched Naruto scratch the back of his head and laugh. An image of the man Sasuke had killed was instantly brought to the forefront of his mind, and his stomach dropped. All of his muscles tensed. The bowl in his hands dropped to the counter, creating a dull thud. His hands clenched into fists on top of the counter.
Outside, Kurama began tugging Naruto back toward the door. "Ah, hey, Kurama, I'm not ready yet, hold on," Naruto laughed at his dog. "Sorry, Sakura, I gotta go! It was great to meet you though!" He waved in the direction the girl's voice was coming from.
The girl simply blinked and waved back, the movement slow as the weird blond-haired boy made his way into the emperor's home. "Hm..." Her head cocked to the side, the wheels in her brain turning. Was the emperor gay? It would certainly make sense, since he ignored the advances of women. But, then again, Sakura was positive that he had ignored everyone's advances.
She had been lucky – and rich – enough to know the emperor as a younger child. It was why Sasuke had moved into that particular condo. He didn't want to be surrounded by strangers, and Sakura was one of the few people he truly trusted.
Once inside, Naruto was tugged into the kitchen – he guessed the kitchen, at least, considering the scent of food that hit him like a wave. When the dog finally stopped, Naruto could feel his head moving, and he could smell the scent of the soap Sasuke used.
The dog was nudging Sasuke's thigh with his nose, his eyes watching the dark-haired man. The action pulled Sasuke from his thoughts and he looked to the dog, then to Naruto. The blond's face was tilted downward, and he was speaking to the Akita. Kyuubi had also followed the duo inside, a seemingly confused expression on the dog's face. The slender dog remained by the door, head cocked.
The older man shook his head, slowly, then took a breath. "I guess your dog isn't as trained as you thought he was, is he?" He quipped, hoping that his voice was stronger than he felt. The act he'd committed was still fresh – it had only been a week, after all – and it had apparently affected him more than he initially thought.
He, briefly, wondered if all murderers felt this weird after they killed.
He wondered if the couple he burned alive had felt this weird after they had slaughtered his parents.
Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat, Naruto's rebuttal drowned out by the loud pumping in his ears.
"Are you hungry?" He asked instead, cutting off whatever it was Naruto was saying.
"Huh? Ah, heh, yeah, a little," the blond admitted sheepishly, his right hand moving to scratch the back of head. Truthfully, the blond was more than a little hungry, and the loud grumbling coming from his stomach gave it away. Sasuke shoved the bowl from the counter into his chest, and Naruto took hold of if quickly, letting go of Kurama's collar. "Relax," he told the dog, who, as usual, shook off. Sasuke guided Naruto to the table, where the blond boy felt for the chair and pushed himself closer to the table. He judged the distance with his hand, then set the bowl down on top of the table. Sasuke left his side and returned soon after with a spoon, placing it in his hand. He then circled to the other side of the table. Naruto heard the scraping of the chair as Sasuke sat down, as well.
Naruto was quick to start eating, shoveling a large spoonful into his mouth. He blinked, exclaiming, "Holy shit, this is amazing! What is this?" He could taste fruit of several varieties, along with some sort of grain, and some spices he couldn't quite name. It was surprisingly sweet.
"It's just quinoa with fruit. I added honey to yours. I assumed you wouldn't be a fan of anything unsweetened."
"Well, you're right!" Naruto said around a mouthful of food. "What kind of fruit? Peaches, I taste. Uh, apples, too? And… Pomegranate?"
"All correct," Sasuke hummed approvingly. Even at the restaurant, Naruto had shown a surprising knack for guessing ingredients.
The easily excitable blond gave a closed-lipped grin before shoveling more food into his face.
"You eat like a barbarian," Sasuke observed, quickly diminishing the approval he had given just moments before.
As expected, Naruto glowered in the direction of Sasuke's voice. "Yeah, well, you probably eat like a princess or something," he shot back derisively.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I do not."
However, upon self-examination, he realized that he did, in fact, sit and eat like royalty. So his parents were strict about eating habits. So what? He was practically a prince, anyway. He should act like one.
"Eating like a prince is better than eating like a barbarian," he grumbled, taking another small bite.
Naruto only grinned, feeling victorious. "I said princess, actually," he snickered. Sasuke ignored the comment. When he was finished, the blond slid the bowl away from him and leaned back in his chair, patting his belly. "Thank you very much! Who knew you were such a chef?"
Sasuke, too, had finished, and stood. He picked up his and Naruto's bowls and brought them to the sink.
"Mm, I wonder if this is how you get to feel all the time," Naruto said absently.
"And how is that?" Sasuke questioned, turning on the faucet and letting the water heat up so he could clean the small amount of dishes. He didn't like clutter of any kind, and that included dishes in the sink. Dishes being left in the sink was one of his – many – pet peeves.
The blond boy turned in his chair to face Sasuke, wearing a shit-eating grin.
Even before the words came out of his mouth, Sasuke already knew he was not going to like the comment.
"Having someone wait on you hand and- Gah!"
Shortly after, while Naruto was taking a shower and getting dressed and Sasuke was mopping his floor and wiping the water from all of the surfaces, he realized that he was actually… enjoying the new-found company. He had been lonely, he realized unexpectedly. Conversing with Naruto had been, in a strange way, fairly easy. Even though the blond irritated him quite frequently, there was some small part of him that almost liked the back-and-forth jabs that they poked at one another. It was almost like having another brother.
Almost. Naruto would never compare to Itachi.
The simple thought of his brother brought all thoughts of enjoyment to a screeching halt in his mind, and his thoughts wandered to his parents, to their murderers. To the person that Naruto had an uncanny resemblance to.
Maybe…
"Don't be ridiculous, Sasuke," he told himself dismissively, ringing out the rag he was using to wipe off the table in the sink. The couple he had killed had no remaining family members. Sasuke had made sure of that. He'd done his homework. Naruto was blond and blue-eyed, and, since that wasn't common in Japan, it stuck out. Perhaps he had some American in his blood. Or German, or any other race that tended to have blue-eyed-blondes. There were others he'd met who were blond with blue eyes. Ino, his receptionist, for instance. Sakura, his long-time friend and current neighbor, too, had unusual features for a Japanese woman. Though she colored her hair, her eyes had always been large for her face, and a striking green color.
That was it.
Anyway, Naruto had a baby-like face, with full cheeks. Minato had been more chiseled, more masculine in appearance. The older man's image was practically burned into Sasuke's retinas. Naruto had none of that man's features.
"Sasuke? Hey, what time do we gotta be there for my procedure? Ha, oh man, it feels weird to say that!"
Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, squashing down thoughts of the murderers that he had already slain. "I have to do my actual job this morning. I'll return in the afternoon to bring you to the facility so our doctors can work on you."
"Alright! So, wait, am I staying here? Like, alone?" An odd expression crossed Naturo's face. Something like a mixture of fear and excitement, as though he wasn't quite sure if he was happy about the prospect, or scared out of his mind. Sasuke could take a guess that his parents had been the overbearing type.
"Why? Are you scared?"
Naruto flushed. "No! I'm happy you'll be gone! Finally, some privacy!"
"Hn. Well, I'm off, then. I'd appreciate it if you didn't burn my condo down."
At that, Sasuke made swift strides to his door. As he opened it, he glanced over his shoulder, stealing a glance at the worried face Naruto was making. He genuinely hoped that this kid didn't have some kind of weird separation anxiety towards him when everything was all said and done. The comfortability of their exchanges – the bickering, as well the odd moments of peace – had left Sasuke feeling slightly on-edge. That, combined with his recent comparisons of Naruto and the man he'd killed, was enough to send the usually stoic, proud Uchiha into a near panic attack.
Apparently, killing someone wasn't as simple as they made it seem in the movies. You couldn't simply forget about it. It changed your view of everything. Including, it seemed, complete strangers who had nothing to do with your act. Naruto was far too trusting, Sasuke decided.
Sasuke ran a hand over his face, feeling as if he was ready to explode. Japan's economy had fallen since his parents' reign, and, naturally, the people were in an uproar. There had been letters and emails demanding that he take action – what the hell did they even expect him to do? – and there was a gathering to be agreed upon by other leaders from other countries. Had his father seriously done this? And his grandfather before them?
He glanced at the clock on the translucent screen in front of him, the email he was reading forgotten not even halfway through. The numbers glowed at him, 12:03.
Well, that counted as afternoon, the young emperor decided. He stood quickly, grabbing the files he needed. He exited his office, looking down the corridor. "Kakashi!" His voice rang in the too-large building.
The building that held the emperor and his small circle of close workers was, essentially, a modern-day palace. It held ten floors, glass windows that showed only a mirrored reflection on the outside, and had been decorated by only the best team. Luxurious oriental rugs covered every neat, beige carpet, walls painted white, elegant, hand-crafted wooden tables and desks in every room. Mirrors, paintings, fancy photographs hung in every long, wide hallway. It was over-done, in Sasuke's opinion, but he didn't care to change it. It simply wasn't worth it. Besides, the extra space at least meant that he was left alone. For the most part. And usually, that was an excellent thing. But at the moment, he needed Kakashi to magically appear and actually do his damn job.
As if on cue, the man seemed to materialize to the side Sasuke hadn't been looking in. Of course. "Ah, Sasuke. What is it you need, sir?"
Sasuke turned to look at the older man, surveying him. As always, he wore a thick, navy blue headband, silvery bangs parted to cover one eye, and the rest sticking up in haphazard directions, as though he had simply rolled out of bed. His clothing, however, was ironed, prim and proper. A suit, no less. To complete the odd look, he wore a tight face mask that covered his nose and mouth.
He was smiling, completely unfazed under Sasuke's cold, calculating gaze. Sasuke could only tell that the man was smiling from the one eye that any person was privy to, the skin crinkled at the corner, the lid shut.
The man was strange. And creepy, even for Sasuke's standards.
The younger man slapped the file to the older's chest. "You need to sign these," he told him flatly.
Kakashi's smile faded as he opened the file, looking at the documents. He looked up from the papers, his expression unreadable as he looked at Sasuke. "I thought you were keeping everything under rug."
"I am. This is a precautionary measure. If people found out about him – he isn't exactly quiet – then this needs to appear as though we didn't just scoop up some homeless kid and bribe him into doing what we want. People are always looking for a way to denounce their leaders."
The silver-haired man kept his gaze even as he studied the younger man before him. Sasuke hadn't always been so cold. Kakashi remembered him as a young, five year old boy, playing in the dirt, screeching with fear when bugs flew at his face. He could clearly see the loving, affectionate boy who clung tightly to his mother's leg when she had to leave to come to the very place they were standing now. He was so full of life then, Kakashi recalled.
Now, his dark eyes were dead. His expression was held in a mask of indifference. His heart was full of sadness that he allowed to corrupt him, twist him into the same thing that had ultimately killed his parents.
This was not what Kakashi wanted for the boy that he had known for so long.
"Stop looking at me like that, Kakashi. It's creepy. Sign the papers. I will return with Naruto shortly."
"Oh, speaking of, how was it? Did you boys have a nice sleepover? It looks like he likes to bite," his silver eyebrows wagged suggestively, referring to the swollen and cut lip Sasuke had. He couldn't help but be amused by the disgusted look on Sasuke's face.
"When are you going to grow up? The kid is sixteen, and he's the most irritating creature I have ever had the displeasure of speaking to. More irritating than even you. He called me a princess," the man grumbled the last sentence, his eyes looking off to the side momentarily. Even though he was an emperor, Sasuke was still young, still immature in many ways. He didn't take insults well. Kakashi was grateful that he didn't shout "Off with his head!" for every insult that was hurled at him.
Kakashi grinned. "I'm glad he's making you feel something."
Before Sasuke could respond to the incredibly odd comment, the older man had turned and stalked off. "You move fast for a worn out, lazy old pervert!" Sasuke called to his back, receiving only a slight, lazy hand wave in response.
Feel something.
What did that even mean? Sasuke didn't feel anyway about the kid. He just wanted the operation to be done and over with so he could finalize and complete his brother's dream and get back to ruling his country. He shook his head, brushing off the words. Kakashi was weird, that was all there was to it. With that in mind, the young man continued on his way to the elevator, the lobby, and finally, his car – a BMW M6 convertible. Naturally, the car was black, inside and out, with leather seats. The only parts that weren't colored black, were the dark blue rims, and his dark oak dashboard. It was old for the time, but Sasuke loved his car. It was one of the last things he truly cared about in the world.
As he opened the door and slid into the driver's seat, he felt a wave annoyance. The car still smelled of dog. And there was still fur in his air vent. He had cleaned it the previous night. Vacuumed – twice! Shampooed the carpets. He worried that the fur would become a permanent fixture.
As soon as he walked through the door, he wanted to walk right back out.
"What… the fuck… happened? What did you do to my house?" His voice was low and menacing. Any sane person would have been able to tell that he was obviously furious, and would have been groveling and promising insane things to keep from having to suffer the Uchiha's wrath.
Naruto… was clearly not sane.
Articles of ripped fabric were strewn about the house. Mud – mud – seemed to be splashed on every surface. And he couldn't be certain, but it looked like something glass had been thrown across his kitchen.
"Oh, hey, Sasuke! I'm sorry, is the house a little messy? I was playing with the dogs outside for a bit, but it was getting so cold! Don't worry, I didn't use any of your clothes. I just tied my old shirt in a knot and-"
"Are you this fucking stupid!" Sasuke's voice suddenly rose above the inane chatter, cracking slightly. "Look at my- Goddamn it, Naruto!" The older man ran a shaky hand through his hair. "This is going to take forever to- Fucking hell! I could kill you right now," his voice lowered again, the words coming out as a barely contained growl.
Naruto seemed confused at first. "What… What's wrong? It's just clothes, dude. My clothes. No need to get your panties in a bunch, geez. And I can't look. Blind, remember?" He pointed to his face. "You're the stupid one," he added sullenly.
Sasuke could only stare, his jaw clenched. "I… I can't even look at you right now. I can't wait until all of you are gone," he growled, taking swift, angry strides to his bedroom, slamming the door shut. He could hear Naruto shuffling about, speaking in a low voice once in a while – probably speaking to the dogs. While Sasuke knew he needed to bring the blond to the facility to be operated on, he also knew that if he went out there, he would only lose his composure – again.
He moved to the side of his bed, reaching the night table there and opening the drawer. An old, over-read book lay limp, the spine cracked, the pages dog-eared. The man picked it up, sat on his bed, and flipped to the page he had left off on from the last time he read. Sasuke was seething, but knew that screaming at a blind teenager wasn't about to fix anything. He kept reminding himself that Naruto would be cured soon, and he would soon be able to get the fuck on with his life, sans one irritating blond teenager. He was the fucking emperor. The medical staff could wait.
Time was lost to him as he read. It seemed as if he had only sat down when he heard a knock on his door. While he was reading, the anger had dissipated – as usual – but the knock brought fresh memories, reminding him that he was angry, and why.
"Go away, Naruto."
"Geez, Sasuke, no wonder your boyfriend looked like a kicked puppy," the very feminine, very not-Naruto voice answered him from the door, causing Sasuke to look up. He could hear Naruto protesting her choice of words. Sasuke knew better than to entertain Sakura's strange, twisted thoughts.
He stood, putting the book back where it belonged, and walked to his bedroom door. He opened it a crack to glare at at the pink-haired girl. "What are you doing here?"
The girl was entirely unimpressed by the glare. She cocked her hip, placing a thin hand there. "Cleaning your house with your guest," she answered hotly.
Sasuke opened the door wider to look at the rest of the living room. His white leather couches were white again, the beige walls no longer streaked with a disgusting brown, the ripped fabric no longer scattered like confetti. The house was again pristine. His dark gaze turned again to Sakura. Her green eyes pierced into his, suddenly putting him on the defensive. "What?"
"Sasuke, he's sixteen and blind, and you left him alone with two dogs. What did you think was going to happen?"
It seemed Naruto had had some time to talk to to her. How long had she been in his home? When did she even get there?
She turned sharply away from him, taking hold of Naruto's wrist and pulling him forward. She jerked his arm so he was standing where she had been previously. "Naruto, what do you have to say?" Her voice was stern, but soft.
That was the way Sakura was. Loving, kind, generous, but as unmovable as a mountain.
Naruto fidgeted uncomfortable, his teeth catching his lip. Sasuke observed the boy, patient.
"Uh, I'm sorry, Sasuke. I, uh, I didn't realize that we got mud all over the living room."
"And broke something," Sasuke added, thinking of the shattered glass he had noticed in his kitchen. His voice held no venom, however.
Nonetheless, Sakura shot him a chastising glare. "Just accept his apology so you two can make up."
Sasuke didn't miss the amused glint in her eye, and he returned her glare.
"It doesn't matter anyway, Sakura. He's just an assho- Ow!" The blond rubbed the back of his head, his sullen expression switching to one of shock after the girl smacked him. Her hand was shockingly heavy.
"He's your emperor, Naruto. Show some semblance of respect. Ugh, teenagers," she rolled her eyes in irritation.
"Don't get haughty, Sakura. You're younger than I am. You, yourself, are a teenager," Sasuke reminded her flatly.
"Women mature faster," the girl responded hotly, flipping her pink hair over her shoulder. She had cut it previously, just above her shoulder, and it had just gotten to a length that actually allowed her to perform such an action.
Naruto snickered, half-forgotten by the two friends. Sasuke opened his door wider and slid between the two of them to the front door.
"While I do enjoy these chats, Sakura, Naruto and I have an appointment to catch," he turned to face her, adding, "Would you care to house-sit the mutts so they don't ruin anything else?"
"Why does everyone call them mutts? They are purebreds! They're Japan's national dog!" Naruto shook his head in disbelief.
Sakura ignored the blond, her sharp green eyes suddenly alight with glee, her lips curled into a smirk. "An appointment, huh? Is that your fancy way of saying date?" She giggled when Sasuke's eyes narrowed on her.
Of course, the one time he opens his home to some homeless teenage brat and his dogs, those he's closest to are determined to twist the situation into something it wasn't. Perhaps, Sasuke mused, it was somewhat his fault for never showing interest in others – opposite sex or otherwise – since he was sixteen. In his defense, he had much more important things to deal with. Getting laid wasn't exactly a top priority.
"Date?! No way! Not with this bastard!" Naruto vehemently denied, his face flushed in embarrassment.
"Aw, look at him blush," she giggled. "Gosh, Sasuke, I didn't realize you liked them so young!"
Naruto's blush deepened. He waved his arms and shook his head quickly, but Sasuke spoke before he could say anything. "Yes or no, Sakura?" His tone allowed little room for further teasing, and Sakura pouted.
"You're no fun, Sasuke. He's adorable when he blushes! Anyway, okay, I'll watch Japan's Nation Dogs," she grinned. "They're cute, anyway!"
Naruto, forgetting the older girl's previous comments, grinned as well, exclaiming, "Back home, everyone told me that! I can't see them myself, though. But that's going to change today!"
At the blond's words, Sakura looked at Sasuke, her green eyes narrowing. "Sasuke-"
"Naruto, we have to go. Are you ready?" The older man was quick to cut off her words. He gave her a look that essentially said, Not now. Sakura's own look was one of disapproval. But she had the sense to know when to be quiet. That was one thing Sasuke liked about her. She was intelligent, thoughtful. She knew when to speak, and when to shut up.
"Of course I'm ready!" Naruto reached a hand toward Sasuke's voice, waiting patiently as the older man attached the hand to his shoulder. Sakura watched the pair, her gaze scrutinizing every move.
Sasuke pretended he didn't notice, leading Naruto out of the condo and into the passenger seat of his car. He walked around the Beamer and slid into the driver's seat.
"She's fun," Naruto observed, his lips turned up in a goofy grin. "Is she cute?"
Sasuke snorted. "Not in the least."
Naruto laughed. "I feel like you're just saying that because she can boss you around."
Sasuke backed out of the parking space, driving the car to the road. He shook his head. "You do realize that she was implying that we're fucking, right?" He deadpanned, being purposely vulgar, only wanting the topic to stop revolving around his childhood friend. Whether she was cute or not, Sasuke didn't care. If Naruto did find he was attracted to her, that would mean he'd be a more permanent fixture in Sasuke's life. The emperor was ready to be rid of him.
The blond's face reddened again, and another look of disgust twisted his features. "That's gross. There's no way I'd be caught in your bed! I don't even like guys," he shuddered.
Sasuke took his eyes from the road for a second, glancing at Naruto from the corner of his eye. "Have you ever even had sex?" He questioned, though he felt he was certain he knew the answer.
"Uh… Sure!" The blush deepened. "Anyway," Naruto hurriedly added, brushing past the lie before Sasuke could say anything, "you don't have to have sex to know whether you like someone or not. That's not how that works."
"Hn," Sasuke turned his attention back to the road, "you've got me there."
(LINE BREAK!)
The longer they spent in the car, the more nervous Naruto became. His heart threatened to leap from his throat, the fingers on his left hand gripping the leather of the door. His life was about to change. Forever. Maybe. If things worked out well. He swallowed around the lump in his throat.
"Sasuke?" His voice was quiet as he felt the car slow to a stop. Sasuke turned the car off, pulling the keys from the ignition. He turned to look at Naruto, taking in the boy's paled face and wide, frightened eyes. His gaze traveled further down, to the boy's hand gripping the leather handle of the door.
Again, he felt uncomfortable. Naruto hadn't shown an ounce of fear since Sasuke had first met him the day before – not when he thought maybe Sasuke was going to take an organ, not when Sasuke threatened to kick him out, and not even when Sasuke blew up on him for the living room disaster.
Was this really the right thing to do?
There was a time when Sasuke cared about what the "right" thing was, even if he didn't always show it. Really, though, that had always been Itachi's forte. Sasuke just did whatever seemed to work. Difficult, easy, complex, simple – it didn't matter. Whatever worked that kept at least the majority happy. Now, he tended to do whatever helped him in some way.
If Itachi were alive, would he have taken in the teenage boy? Bribed him into becoming a test subject? Kept important facts from him? Kept important facts from his people?
Sasuke knew the answer, and a small part of him, the part that still had feelings, was ashamed.
No. He may have taken the boy in, but if he had, it would have been from the kindness of his heart. He would have loved Naruto as a brother, Sasuke realized. He would have fed him, clothed him, teased him as if he were another member of the family.
"Sasuke, what if, like, something goes wrong? What if you cut my eyes out? What if you, I don't know, accidentally send a laser into my brain or something?" Naruto cut into his thoughts, his voice uncharacteristically soft, though his expression was that of fear. "What if I'm not ready to see? I mean, I've never been able to see. Or, at least, if I was, I definitely don't remember it. Isn't that a bad thing? Won't I, like, go into shock? What if-"
"Naruto, stop," Sasuke put a hand on his shoulder, but removed it almost as soon as he did. It felt odd, unnatural. He hadn't really received nor given physical affection in a long time. Not since Itachi died. "All you're doing is psyching yourself out. I told you, my staff has practiced this procedure on animals."
"Yeah, but, I'm not an animal, Sasuke! I'm a human!" He paused, seeming to contemplate something, before continuing, "Can this kill me?"
Sasuke sighed. "No."
He wasn't sure, if he were honest, but it did seem unlikely. Naruto seemed freaked out enough, anyway.
The blond was still gripping the door.
"I will be right there throughout the whole thing. I helped my brother come up with this. If something seems off, I will immediately end it. Okay?" His voice softened at that final, last word. This is what Itachi would have done, right? Console him? Reassure him?
Naruto hadn't known Sasuke for very long. A day. It wasn't long enough to have formed any real bond. But when it came down to it, he didn't have anyone else to trust. He certainly couldn't talk to Kurama or Kyuubi about it. Or, well, he could, but they wouldn't have any answers for him. They would probably just lay on him, like they were telling him to chill out and just sleep off the worries. But wasn't that what Sasuke was doing? Telling him to go in there, to let the doctor pump him with some kind of drug to put him out?
"What have you got to lose, Naruto?"
The blond realized, painfully, that Sasuke was right. He had already lost the two most important things in the world to him. Kurama and Kyuubi could find homes elsewhere – maybe with Sakura? She seemed friendly, engaging. Even when she was smacking him.
Taking two deep breaths, he finally relaxed his hand. "Okay. Let's go."
Sasuke quickly exited the vehicle, wanting to hurriedly bring Naruto into the facility before the blond had a chance to back out or decide he was too scared, after all.
The facility that Sasuke was taking him to, was the same one that Suigetsu had brought him into the day before. This was where they tested, conversed, compared notes and data. Naruto was about to become another test subject, another number, more data to be written down and discussed. The duo remained silent as Naruto was led into the building, and into the room where the operation was to take place.
Naruto could hear the sounds of machines all around him, beeping, buzzing, whirring. When he woke up, he would see them, too. They wouldn't just be noise. They would be color. They would finally have a shape that he would be able to perfectly identify. They would have bright, blinking lights that would glare into his retinas. And he would be able to see them.
A nurse, a woman with soft hands and a friendly voice who introduced herself as Shizune, gently injected him – if stabbing someone in the arm could ever be gentle. Naruto felt fidgety again. What if this was the wrong decision? He forced himself to take deep breaths again, trying to calm down and allow the drugs to do their job. Calm down, Naruto. Calm down. Everything will be okay.
His eyes slid shut, and soon, the beeping and whirring around him faded into nothingness.
When Sasuke had originally said he would be there, he hadn't really meant it. And yet, every time he tried to leave, all he could hear was his brother's voice, taunting him.
"Coward," Itachi would say.
"Traitor," his brother would hiss.
In the end, it was simply less trouble to stay. Tsunade, the doctor operating on Naruto, had given him a curious stare. Tsunade was a busty woman with a fair face, light hair, and hazel eyes. She had been the doctor his parents used – and had even babysat Sasuke on occasion. She had been around the family for a long time, so she knew what to expect from the Uchihas. Sasuke's odd actions, his pacing from the chair to the door and back again, were unusual to her. But the woman didn't comment.
Eventually, the operation was finished, and Tsunade and Shizune worked together to wrap gauze around the blond's eyes, the bandage wrapping around his head. "Do not let him remove this, Sasuke," Tsunade had warned, "His eyes are going to be very light-sensitive, and he will likely experience sensory overload. Sixteen is a bit old to be repairing the eyes. It is very important that his eyes heal before he removes that bandage. Understood?"
Sasuke nodded, once, and Tsunade was out the door, her heels clicking on the linoleum. Shizune followed behind her quickly, but stopped at the doorway. She turned to look at Sasuke. "It… It was very kind of you to stay. I'm sure this boy will be overjoyed to see you here," and then she was gone.
Kind. Now that was a word that Sasuke had never heard projected at him before.
No, Itachi was the kind one. Sasuke was only attempting to do something that Itachi might have.
It only took Naruto perhaps ten minutes before he was waking up. Sasuke watched him from the plush, pale green chair in the operating room. The blond groaned, shifting beneath the thin sheet. A hand went to his head, fingers running over the bandage. Sasuke stood, moving over to Naruto's left side – the machines measuring his vitals blocked the right side. He took the blond's wrist, putting it back down onto his chest. "You can't mess with your bandage," his voice was low; final, but soft.
"Mmm..." Naruto murmured something unintelligible, before his body went limp again. Beneath the bandages, Naruto wondered if it was his imagination, or if he could actually tell that a light was shining on him. The thought came and went as he slid back into sleep.
The next time he woke up, he didn't feel quite as drowsy. Slowly, carefully, his doctor, Tsunade, unraveled the bandages from his head. "Listen, Naruto. If you start to feel tired, if your eyes hurt, or if your head hurts, you must let us know. It is very important to let your eyes adjust at their own pace. Do not try to force this."
Naruto nodded in understanding, his heart beginning to race. The monitor to his right picked up on the faster heartbeat, but no one drew attention to it.
The gauze was carefully peeled from his eyes. Naruto slowly opened his eyes, blinking at the sudden light that invaded his retinas. Everything was blurred. Nothing made sense. His eyes watered at the bright lights. Naruto shut his eyes and rubbed them. "Is this what light is?" He groaned.
Tsunade smiled. "Shizune, turn the light off," she instructed. The nurse hurried to follow the order. "Try to open your eyes again, Naruto."
Naruto complied, blinking slowly. The room was, indeed, darker. It was easier for him to keep his eyes open. At first, he stared only down at his hands. As his vision cleared, he quickly looked up, searching the faces of the people gathered in front of him. Slowly, his blue eyes widened. "I- I can see!" Naruto laughed, his body buzzing, alight with excitement, the fear long sense forgotten.
"Good. You can finally get out of my house."
Naruto looked in the direction of the familiar voice, his gaze traveling up to the pale face of Sasuke. He still couldn't make sense of the colors, but he found that Sasuke was actually… not terrible to look at. He grinned. "Hey, you look like a princess, after all!"
"You wouldn't even know what a princess looks like, moron," Sasuke reminded him coolly, his face unreadable.
The blond normally would have protested the insult, but he felt a stab of pain behind his eyes, and found that he was too tired to argue. He rubbed at his eyes again. "Uh, I'm getting a headache," he informed the doctor.
Tsunade nodded, placing new pieces of gauze on the boy's eyes and wrapping a new bandage around his head. "You should feel better in about a week, Naruto," she informed him.
Naruto smiled sleepily, laying his head back against the pillow. "Take care of my dogs, Sasuke," he murmured.
Sasuke didn't respond, only watched as Naruto fell back to sleep. When Tsunade and Shizune left, the young Uchiha remained still in the plush chair for a moment longer. He thought about the previous night, and found that a part of him, some small, lonely place still in his heart, would be sad when Naruto did leave. It hadn't been horrible, having company, having someone to talk to.
The man stood and left the room to return home.