A/N: Hi again, folks – I'm baaaack! (grins) Or TRYING to be back. My freaking internet connection's driving me up the wall. (growls)
BUT, back to business… Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for those absolutely amazing reviews! (glomps) You've made me insanely happy. So thank you! (hugs once more) Responses to anonymous reviews can be found from underneath the chappy.
A list of the kids in Taku and the timeline of flashbacks can be found from underneath the chappy. Just so that you won't have to remember all of them by hard. (grins)
One more thing! I'm afraid I had to slip from that pledge about the kids in this chapter, just a little bit – a scene or half's worth (and I may have to do it in the next chapter as well). (They didn't take a lot more actual line space than the last time, though – that's what I defend myself with.) (grins sheepishly) BUT, it was necessary due to the plotline, as you'll see in the chapters to come. So… I hope you don't consider that tiny slip too bad of a thing…? (glances hopefully)
Awkay, since I don't think it can be stalled any longer… (gulps) Let's go! I really, REALLY hope ya'll enjoy the ride.
/ To Sasuke the worst part of his so called recovery after leaving Taku were the nightmares. In those horrifying flashes he lived through those months of hell again and again, met him time after time. And sometimes those flashes weren't even limited to simple dreams. It wasn't uncommon that sometimes the pieces of memories attacked him at daytime, making him scared of everything.
One night eight months after his departure from Taku Sasuke once again woke up to those nightmares. In such a situation most children would've gone to their parents. He remained frozen in his bed, every single muscle in his body tensed up. His wild, almost frantic eyes teared up as the faint noises floated to his ears.
"… a child, Fugaku – a child who went through hell! What are you expecting of him?!"
"I'm expecting him to get over this! It's been almost two years and he's still fearful! I want my son back!" His father's shaking voice carried so many emotions that it was impossible to count them all. "He's not even trying to get better! He needs a push, damn it – he needs to snap out of it!"
He had no idea how long the fight continued, what bitter words were shouted in the lonely hours of the night. Because just then there was a sound of bed screeching. "Sasuke?" Itachi's voice was a little thick and uncertain but smooth. The bed made another protest as the boy got up. Steps approached him, and eventually someone sat to his bedside. Itachi didn't touch, but was nonetheless near enough for it to be comforting. "Another nightmare?"
At that moment the tears finally came. He was, after all, only ten years old.
In those silent hours of the night Itachi held him without saying a word as he cried bitter, horrified silent sobs. For years his brother was the only one allowed to touch him. /
Verse 4 – The Storm Arises
Two Weeks Later
Over the past couple of weeks Naruto and Sasuke had developed a sort of a routine. Every day at exactly ten past four Sasuke would show up to Taku. The Uchiha spent an hour or so with Kira, with Naruto hanging nearby, then disappeared without a trace. So it went every single day. That's why Naruto became alarmed when one day, there wasn't a trace of the Uchiha when it was almost five o'clock.
Had something happened? And why was he so worked up? Surely Sasuke could look after himself.
"Looks like he isn't coming today", Sakura, who was with him watching over the younger kids as they played, mused out loud. She looked just as surprised as he did. Seeing his expression she went on. "That doesn't mean there needs to be a disaster, you know? Maybe he's got a sick day or something."
He shook his head and answered almost automatically. "Sasuke doesn't get sick."
Sakura's momentarily arched eyebrow showed everything necessary. After a moment she pushed herself up from the stool and prepared to head towards the children who were getting louder by the second. "I better go and calm those rascals down. And you should go home – you've worked overtime enough as it is." She then looked towards him, her eyes soft. "And don't worry – I'm sure he'll turn up tomorrow."
He smiled a bit. He wished those words would've made him feel calmer than they did. "I know. Thanks."
On his way to his car Naruto kept trying to catch a glimpse of Sasuke. The Uchiha didn't show up.
And somehow, although he knew it to be ridiculous, he couldn't shake of the feeling of dread gnawing his mind.
On his way home Naruto was so deep in thought that he was fairly sure he shouldn't have been driving at all, especially seeing as it was pouring rain. That's why it wasn't that big of a surprise that he managed to get into what Kiba and Hinata called 'one of his situations'.
Taking a turn to right and letting his car slide to the road that went past the cemetery, Naruto was only two minutes away from home when a dark figure could suddenly be seen in the rain and slowly falling darkness. Naruto's eyes grew ridiculously huge when he realized that it was actually a human being. He almost broke the car's brake pedal with how hard he kicked it. It wasn't until the car stopped with a spine chilling screech only millimetres from the traveler the person finally noticed that they'd been in a danger. Naruto's eyes widened even further and his rapid heartbeat shot up still when he met a very familiar pair of black eyes.
What the…?!
Saying that Sasuke was wet would've been a severe understatement. The Uchiha was absolutely drenched, and black, surprisingly long locks silhuetted the man's pale face. That way, with his hair down, the Uchiha looked much younger. Or would've without the dark shadows around slightly bloodshot eyes. The man was almost ghostly pale in the semi-dark.
The sight was so surreal that Naruto had to blink twice before he managed to actually believe it. Finally recovering from the daze he got out of the car with shaking legs and took a step forward. "Sasuke?"
The Uchiha didn't look towards him, but the faint movement of eyes revealed that the man had, at least, seen him.
He took a deep breath, still recovering from the near heart-attack he'd just faced. His head was having severe difficulties with processing all this. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he exclaimed in the end. "I almost ran you over! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
It truly startled him how little emotion those words coaxed out of Sasuke. The Uchiha merely shrugged, as though a near-accident had meant nothing. And then, finally, the man spoke. "I've been out here for the past two hours, and I'm freezing. So would you please save the lectures for some other time?"
It took a moment before those words sunk in. When they did Naruto felt his eyes widen significantly. "Two… hours?!" His voice was unncessarily high-pitched, made Sasuke wince. "Sasuke…!"
Sasuke gave him a moody glare that might've looked childish if it'd been from someone else. "I told you to save the lectures for later, didn't I?"
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, praying for whatever deity there was listening for strength. Because it looked like he'd need tons of that soon. He managed to sound relatively calm as he spoke. "Hop in, okay?" Facing Sasuke's look he went on without giving chances for objections. "Look, we're both soking wet now, and you'll catch your death if you stay outside any longer. Plus, I'm getting seriously pissed off. So listen to me for this one fucking time and hop in. I'll give you a ride home."
He wasn't sure which one of them was more shocked by the fact that Sasuke actually obeyed, although slamming the car's door as he sat.
They drove in utter silence for about fifteen minutes before Naruto managed to gather his thoughts. In the car's closed space he finally managed to distinguish the rather strong scent of alcohol coming from Sasuke. He wrinkled his nose. "Are you… drunk?"
Sasuke's eyes darkened before the Uchiha turned them towards the car's window. "Not anymore – it's a couple of hours from my last drink. Which is why I didn't come and see Kira today. I… can imagine that she wouldn't like to see me like this."
He snorted, more bitterly than needed perhaps. "Well there's one thing you did right today."
Sasuke gave him a very sharp glare before looking away once more. "I don't want to hear that rant from you, got that? It's been a shitty day. Besides…" The Uchiha grit his teeth, clearly wondering if he should continue. "I'm working on it. Zaku, that guy in the bar… He's my AA-sponsor."
Naruto snorted again, although this time only inwardly. Yeah, and he's doing marvelous job…, he mused darkly.
If possible Sasuke's eyes were darker than usual as they glanced briefly towards him. "We're ending this conversation here and you're not going to say anything, understood? I don't need your pity."
"I don't pity you, for crying out loud!" Naruto felt ready to scream, and he had to bite his lip. Gosh, he sounded so sad and disappointed…! He shook his head and swallowed roughly. "You're still the same, aren't you? You rather self-destruct than let someone close enough to help."
Sasuke shrugged. For the first time he saw a flash of life in those onyx orbs. "I'm still alive, aren't I? So shut it."
If the situation had been a little bit different Naruto might've grinned or even chuckled. Now he only smiled wryly. He wondered if Sasuke even noticed that he parked right across the address the Uchiha had given him. "There's a difference between living and surviving, you know?"
Sasuke didn't bother to take a better position on his seat although his muscles must've been killing him. After all, any movement would've brought the Uchiha closer to him. "Hn."
For the longest time the only sounds in the car were the beating rain and their breathing, which together made the windows foggy. For a moment Naruto amused himself with wondering what the people walking by must've thought of such a sight.
After wandering around his thoughts for a while he looked towards Sasuke once more. The Uchiha hadn't moved an inch. The only change he caught was that the man's fists were now balled. That couldn't be a good sign, he concluded.
In the end Naruto decided that there'd been enough silence already. "So… Care to tell me what you were doing there, anyway?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "None of your business."
He rolled his eyes, fighting between the urges to grin and strangle the other man. "It became my business the moment you almost made me run you over, okay? So spill."
Once again Sasuke looked just like a wild animal prepared to do absolutely anything, and the man's hand squeezed the door-handle tightly. But then, slowly yet surely, the Uchiha's completely stiffened muscles melted, as though the man had been too tired to fight on. "I… visited my parents." Sasuke's voice was raw – he wondered if the man's throat was sore. There was a thick gulp. "They died years ago." The Uchiha grit his teeth, loudly. "Now are you satisfied?"
Although the tone and words were harsh, Naruto couldn't help smiling. He felt like he'd just won a marathon. "Thank you."
Sasuke bowed his head a little bit, so that black bangs fell to shield the man's face from sight. "Hmph." The Uchiha took a deep breath, clearly utterly exhausted. "What were you doing there, then?"
He felt hesitant to respond, although he knew that he sure as hell owed as much after the trust Sasuke had just showed him. He grit his teeth and braced himself before speaking. "I live there, right across the cemetery." He shrugged. "It's creepy, but it's also cheap enough for me and Hinata to get a bigger apartment than we should be able to."
Sasuke's was silent for a brief moment Naruto immediately considered dangerous. "Hinata?"
He swallowed thickly, unable to understand why he felt like he was betraying someone at that very moment. "Yeah", he breathed out, not daring to look at Sasuke. "My fianceé."
He wished he could've read the look that flashed by Sasuke's face. "Oh." Did the man just stiffen even further? "I never thought you to be the pairing type."
His tiny, lopsided smile was a little more bitter than he'd meant it. His gaze strayed to the car's fogged window, through which he could just see a tower-sized house. "Things change, I guess", he offered feebly.
"Hn." Sasuke's breathing changed. The man was clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "Look, I've got a headache and a lot of stuff to do. So are you letting me go now, or are you holding me a hostage all night?"
He wondered how worrying it was that he really didn't want to let Sasuke go, not now when there were so many things up in the air. But what choice did he have? He glanced once more towards the soaked Uchiha, and couldn't shake off the disturbing thought that the man looked… very hot. Pretty. He shivered, and had to look away. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
Even the best couldn't have read Sasuke's expression. "Hn." With somewhat slow motions the man climbed out of the car. "Thanks, for the ride." With that the car's door was slammed closed.
Once alone Naruto groaned loudly and allowed his head to fall against the steering wheel, feeling like he'd been run over by a truck. And although he couldn't understand why it felt like he'd just been caught cheating, which did nothing to ease the ton of confusion lingering. It also looked like the cursed tension had chosen to appear into his pants once again.
For a moment simply escaping sounded like a very tempting decision.
It took almost ten minutes before he finally felt stable enough to drive. He headed home, to Hinata.
Two Days Later
Unlike most expected of such a social person Kiba had always hated crowded places. And that day, helping Hinata with choosing a wedding cake, he felt trapped.
When Naruto had been forced to take care of some things in the university, it was only logical that Hinata had asked him to come along – the three of them had been a inseparable trio of best friends since the age of twelve, and he knew Naruto almost better than himself. He should've been happy for his friends and excited to help, Kiba knew with bitter certainty. Instead he wanted to be anywhere else. He feared Hinata would notice that.
The saleswoman – a far too perky woman with huge blue eyes and hair that'd been dyed with a shade of red that hurt anyone's eyes – certainly didn't notice his lack of interest. Quite vaguely he discovered that she was showing them a very ugly cake with yellow crust. "… we have a cake with banana stuffing. Doesn't it remind you of spring?"
"Hinata hates banana", he pointed out before the Hyuuga could open her mouth.
The saleswoman looked at him with a warm, annoyingly knowing smile. "Well, our groom certainly seems to know his bride well", she teased.
That did it to Kiba – he officially couldn't take this anymore. Feeling a stab of guilt at the sight of Hinata's confused, slightly hurt face he started to head out of the store. "I… There's this thing I forgot. I'll be back in a bit, 'k?" he managed to mutter.
On his way out he couldn't avoid hearing the saleswoman speak once. "Don't take it to the heart, dear. Sometimes grooms are a bit giddy before the wedding."
As soon as he got outside – to the safety and fresh air – Kiba leaned heavily against the wall and gasped, only then realizing that he'd been holding his breath. His cheeks and whole body felt uncomfortably hot.
He already considered simply running away until the store's door opened. He winced inwardly when Hinata walked up to him with a frown. "Kiba, what's going on?"
He tried to grin, but was fairly sure it didn't come out right. "It was just that damn saleswoman – she was getting on my nerves."
Hinata shook her head, her eyes surprisingly hard. "It's not just that. You've been acting strangely since Naruto and I told you we're getting married. So what's going on?"
His eyes narrowed as he looked away. He hoped he wasn't shivering as badly as he feared. "I don't want to talk about it, okay? Just… Just forget about all this." Please.
Things most definitely didn't get any easier to deal with when Hinata took his hand and gave it a tiny squeeze. Her touch sent a rather painful jolt through him. "Kiba, this is me you're talking to – you've always been able to tell me anything." She sounded so sad that it broke his heart. "And… I don't want this wedding-thing to change that, okay? You're my best friend." She squeezed his hand again. "So talk to me, please. Tell me what's wrong."
Maybe it was the fact that the secret had been kept inside for so long, maybe it was her tone or touch. But nonetheless he cracked before he could do a thing to stop it. A bout of adrenalin and something else gave him the courage to meet her eyes. "It hurts to be around you, okay? It's killing me to plan this wedding, because I fucking love you!" Even the look of utter shock on Hinata's face didn't manage to stop him from repeating it. "I love you!"
He lost track on how long Hinata stared at him in complete, paralyzing shock. Then, before he could do a thing, the woman spun around and ran away.
After driving all the way to the university, handing out two essays that were almost a month late and fighting with one of his professors Naruto wasn't exactly in the best of moods when finally marching into the room where the rest of Taku had already gathered. He had to blink several times at the bizarre sight he met.
The kids, Sakura and Sai all had paintbrushes in their hands, and some paint could be seen staining their clothes and face. Quite rapidly every single one of them was painting a picture to stain the white wall of Taku's biggest common space.
Noticing him and his expression Sakura clearly held back a laugh. "We have Tsunade's permission for this, okay?"
He nodded slowly, his eyes on the pictures. "What, exactly, is 'this'?"
"This room… needed color." He was stunned to discover that the reply came from Takao. There was a very calm look on the boy's face. "Tsunade-sama suggested we'd all leave our marks on this building."
Yutaka, who was stood only a step away from Takao, shrugged seemingly carelessly. "We thought it was a cool idea."
He smiled a bit and nodded his accord. "I think so, too."
Just then his ears caught the sounds of steps. Peering over his shoulder, he discovered that his body reacted in a very unwanted way when he noticed Sasuke stood nearby. Why did his heart always want to jump out at the sight of the Uchiha? "I… wasn't expecting you to come this early."
Sasuke shrugged, watching the children with curiosity he could just see. He finally noticed that the Uchiha wasn't dressed up as formally as he'd seen the man at work. But Sasuke was definitely sober, and didn't appear as exhausted anymore. It was encouraging. "I finally got the chance to use some of my excess hours."
He opened his mouth, but before any words came Kira rushed over to them with a very excited smile, immediately giving Sasuke a stunningly daring hug. And then her hands began to move. To some the motions might've looked insignificant, but after a couple of years' studying Naruto understood their meaning. His eyes widened.
'Hi, Sasuke! I'm glad you're here', her hands spoke.
After a moment's shock his eyes moved to Sasuke. The Uchiha didn't look any less stunned than he was. "You've… been teaching her sign language?"
He swallowed thickly, wondering what the Uchiha's take on this would be. "We… haven't. I've been trying to teach Haru, to help him communicate – she must've been watching."
After a couple of seconds happened something perhaps even more surprising. Very skillfully, his fingers moving effortlessly, Sasuke signed as well. 'I'm also glad to see you.'
The response clearly elated Kira, made her whole face shine. Sasuke's expression was definitely worth a snapshot when the usually scared little girl hugged him with all her might.
It took almost a full minute before Naruto recovered enough to speak. "I… had no idea you can sign", he sputtered. It looked like there were a lot of things about Sasuke he didn't know.
Sasuke shot a warning look towards him. This was clearly a subject not to be talked about.
Kira, oblivious to the change of mood, signed again, awkwardly but still. 'Come and paint with us. Please?'
Naruto couldn't help grinning at the look on Sasuke's face. "C'mon, don't be spoilsport." He took one brush from a nearby can and handed it towards the Uchiha. "Just paint a little while. I do too, although I'm not much of a artist. Who knows, it might even be fun."
He wasn't sure if it was his words or Kira's pleading look that did the trick, but eventually Sasuke growled and accepted the brush. Excitement lighting up her face once more Kira took the Uchiha's hand and led the man to the wall. After a while the two started to work, Sasuke sulking only slightly.
At that moment, watching the two, Naruto felt utter serenity spreading inside him. This moment – this peace – was something he didn't want to ever end. With a bright little smile he took a paintbrush and joined the others.
Sasuke gave his artwork a rather amused look after a moment. "You didn't lie when saying you're not much of an artist."
He had to fight the urge to stick out his tongue, which was completely ridiculous. He wasn't five anymore! "Oh, shut it." In the spur of the moment he reached out his paintbrush, making a brown line to Sasuke's nose. Even though it probably smashed a bit of his authority in the kids' eyes he grinned, rather pleased with himself. "There's art for you."
At first Sasuke stared at him almost incredulously, then rolled his eyes and went back to work. He could've sworn that for just a moment the Uchiha was very close to smiling. "Just focus on staining the wall, idiot."
He rolled his eyes as well and felt a new smile forcing its way to his lips. "I told you to shut it, didn't I?"
As they finally focused on the work at hand, neither noticed how close to each other they were.
Sheo and Aimi, on the other hand, noticed the close proximity very well. The little girl grinned widely, revealing her missing two teeth. "See?" she whispered. "I told you they like each other, didn't I?"
Sheo wrinkled his nose. "Ewww!"
Aimi scoffed, rolling her eyes rather dramatically. "I guess boys aren't supposed to understand this stuff."
Sheo's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and his painting hand stopped mid-air. "Shut up!" The tone was loaded, and without the two of them noticing Sakura – who was stood nearby – stiffened, readying herself.
Aimi stared at the boy for a moment, then smiled radiantly. "But that's okay", she stated as though she hadn't even heard him raise his tone. "You'll get that stuff, too, when you grow up."
This time Sheo scoffed, then took a look at her painting and frowned. "What's that supposed to be?"
"A vampire", Aimi replied without a hint of doubt, caressing the wall beside the picture with a gentle hand. Her tone was warm and soft, almost tender. "But she's a good vampire, don't worry. She'll protect this place, and us."
Sheo stared at her, then at the picture. "You're weird", he proclaimed with utmost sincerity.
Aimi replied with a very child-like giggle. "We're all weird here, silly", she stated.
Sheo had nothing to object that with.
-
In Naruto's opinion the session ended much too soon. He felt far more disappointed than would've been appropriate when Sasuke disappeared in a flash to escort Kira to her room.
Today there'd been obvious progress – it felt disappointing to leave things like this. There was also this annoying tingle under his skin, like every fibre of his being had been craving for something more.
It was unnerving, to feel something so strong and not being able to understand it.
Starting to clean up and gather the equipment, he had to fight back a tiny grin upon discovering that without saying a word Yutaka started to help him. Clearly something had changed the night the boy had startled Kira. Maybe some sort of a recovery was finally about to begin.
"So…", he started, sounding as casual as he could. "That was pretty fun, wasn't it?"
Yutaka shrugged. For once there was no hostility in the boy's eyes. "Sure was a lot more fun than talking." The boy frowned and paused the process of putting a couple of paintbrushes to a can. "I'm sick of talking all the time. It makes me feel sad and tired."
He nodded slowly. "Sometimes it's not easy to go through what's on our mind", he agreed softly. "But it's a good thing to talk. It helps us heal."
Yutaka shrugged again, continuing his work. "Whatever." The boy then looked towards where Takao was still painting, and his eyes widened slightly. "Woah – that's awesome!"
Takao blushed a little at the comment. "Thank you."
Curious, Naruto also looked at what the silent boy was working on. In an instant he understood why Yutaka had been so impressed.
The picture represented two dragons – a black one and a white one – in a circle-like formation, clearly fighting. All those details – the looks in the creatures' eyes, their skin, the shapes – took Naruto's breath away. The picture was clearly far above Takao's age-level. Heck, most adults couldn't have made such.
"We… were told to leave a mark of us, of what we feel", Takao explained quietly, still blushing. The boy's hand stopped – the picture was finally ready. "This is how I feel, sometimes – like there are two sides inside me fighting. One wants me to be happy, the other wants to hurt me, gives me sad thoughts." The child held a long pause while staring the picture, this all clearly a bit overwhelming for him. "I hope the white one wins."
Yutaka nodded very seriously. The boy's hand twitched, and Naruto wondered if it would've wanted to grab Takao's. "I bet it will."
Naruto smirked inwardly. He didn't know what'd started that unexpected friendship, but he was glad. It was good to see those two helping each other out of the swamp of shadows.
Naruto got lost to watching the two of them talking quietly. That's why Tsunade's voice made him jump. "Naruto." There was a ominous look on her face. "Could you come over here for a second?"
He glanced towards the boys to make sure they'd be alright, then walked up to the woman with a frown. "What's wrong?" he inquired, careful to keep his tone hushed.
Tsunade took a deep breath. "I… just had a talk with Takao's parents." She glanced towards Takao with gloomy eyes. "Now that he's making progress, they're anxious to get him back. They're going to take him home for two weeks – starting from tomorrow morning."
Those words almost swept him off his feet. "What?!" Then came anger, hotter than lava. "They can't do that – they can't just…!"
"Yes, they can", Tsunade cut him short. Everything about her tone and face told that she would've wanted to scream just as badly as he did. "Yes, they can. I've told them I disagree, that in my opinion Takao is still too fragile, but they're his parents – they have the upper hand. Plus Danzo sides them, and his opinion weights just as much as mine does."
Naruto could barely breathe from the rage building up in his throat. He felt ready to burst into tears when looking towards the direction where Takao and Yutaka were talking. "This… This isn't fair!" he hissed.
"I know." The last time he'd seen Tsunade as helpless and hopeless was the night Sasuke had been taken away. "But they've made their decision – all we can do is hope for the best."
He couldn't say another word, and neither could she. In a sombre silence they watched the children, both feeling a breath of doom in the air.
Once coming home – feeling like he'd been beaten up twice over – Naruto found Hinata curled up on the couch and immediately noticed that she was very upset. The assumption became confirmed when he noticed that she was eating cherries. She only bought those things when something was bothering her. "Rough day?" he asked in a slightly raspy voice.
She nodded, meeting his gaze only briefly. She offered the box of fruits to him. "Do you want cherries?"
Too exhausted for words he simply nodded, then made his way to the couch and slumped beside her. They'd been best friends for basically all eternity. No words were needed as they munched the cherries together, both deep in thought.
They slept all night on the couch, too exhausted to go to the bedroom.
The following morning, which turned out to be grey and rainy, everyone in Taku gathered to say their farewells to Takao. Or almost everyone – Yutaka shone with his absence. None of the adults had managed to coax the boy out of his room. Whether it was for this reason or some other Takao was much quieter than usual, almost alarmingly so.
After the worst hassle was over Tsunade and Naruto escorted Takao outside, where a car was already waiting for the boy. Stood right beside the car the child gave them a look that was nothing short of miserable. "I'm sorry."
Tsunade bent down and gave the child a brief, tender hug. "Oh honey, this is none of your fault, okay?" Naruto wondered if Takao noticed how her voice broke although there was a thin, clearly faked smile on her face. "Besides, there's nothing to be sorry about. This is only for two weeks."
Takao didn't appear convinced at all. Obviously the boy knew the same truth the adults were guessing. Once his parents would get him out of here, they wouldn't bring him back.
Despite all Naruto tried to smile and failed miserably. "Everything's going to work out just fine, okay? You'll be back with us soon."
Takao nodded stiffly, then glanced towards the building's door once more, clearly looking for traces of Yutaka. It hurt Naruto to feel the boy's heartache when there were none.
Nothing more was said after that – after all, no words could've made any difference. Takao gave him a one more look that clearly pleaded for help, then turned around and hopped into the car. As it drove off Naruto couldn't chase away the feeling that it was the last time he ever saw Takao.
He didn't know how long he'd stood there until Tsunade laid a hand to his shoulder. "Naruto…" That was all she managed.
At that moment the situation became too much, not only because of all the memories it brought back to life. Before she could take a breath he spun around and all but dashed away.
As soon as he found the nearest toiled he slumped down, locked the door and broke down into loud tears.
To be fully honest Naruto didn't have the slightest clue how it happened, but in the end he was stood on Konoha's biggest bridge, staring at the pitchblack depths below with vacant eyes. His heart was pounding from running and the emotional turmoil, and his thoughts were a huge mess. The last and only time he'd felt as lost was when Sasuke had been taken away from Taku.
When the heck had this happened? When had he let those kids get under his skin like this – and when had Sasuke done the same trick?
As though his thought had been heard, he soon caught a familiar smooth voice. "Now isn't this interesting." Even when looking towards the man it was impossible to tell if Sasuke was being sarcastic or honest. After a moment the man moved, stood by the railing nearby him. The Uchiha lowered his gaze to the black water. "Usually I get to be here all alone, especially at this hour."
Naruto probably should've been more corcerned over what time it was, or what the heck he was doing. Instead, however, his mind wrapped around something else as he frowned. "How often do you come here?"
Sasuke shrugged, picking a stone and throwing it to the water. There was a surprisingly hollow splash, as though something had been missing. "Almost every night. It's calm here."
He felt a little bit nervous all of the sudden. "You're… not thinking about jumping, are you?"
Sasuke snorted like he'd just told the worst joke in the universe. "No, you idiot. I'm trying not to jump." The man glanced towards him, albeit briefly. "You?"
This time he looked away. Suddenly the water didn't look so dark anymore, with moon coming out from behind the clouds. It was… kind of beautiful. "I… haven't figured it out yet", he murmured, caught up by the new athmosphere. He'd never experienced anything like this before.
Trust Sasuke to be involved when something like this happened to him.
"Hn", was Sasuke's only response. He was utterly relieved when the man didn't pry any further, though not surprised. The Uchiha wasn't exactly the prying kind.
He, on the other hand, wasn't through. He squeezed the bridge's railing so hard it hurt. "I… I think I lost my first kid today." His breath shuddered the faintest bit. "It was just like when you left – his eyes, his tone…" His voiced faded away.
He was surprised when Sasuke actually spoke after a long moment of silence. "I tried to keep my promise, okay?" Was that… a grit of teeth. "I honestly tried."
He had to brace himself for a moment before he managed to speak. "What happened?" It wasn't much more than a whisper, but audible nonetheless.
Sasuke made a sound he couldn't identify. "Sometimes… fate just doesn't work the way we'd want it to." There was a tiny pause. "We of all people should know that."
He looked at Sasuke, feeling somewhat out of breath and his eyes stinging from memories and emotions he'd thought buried. And suddenly – with the two of them stood there in the moonlight – everything was perfect. So perfect, that Naruto did something that startled even him.
He wasn't sure which one of them was shocked worse when he leaned to side, used one hand to turn Sasuke's head and placed his lips softly to the Uchiha's. At first Sasuke was too stunned to react, but then the man's lips started moving in sync with his. Naruto had never had a kiss that would've made him feel the way this one did. He was on fire, and slowly absolutely everything but the way Sasuke felt and tasted slid away.
He wasn't drunk, but nonetheless that was the last at least somewhat coherent thought he had that night.
TBC, ne?
A/N: Oh boy…! Naruto sure knows how to complicate things even further, eh? (winces)
I've gotta start tuning out now. (pouts) PLEASE, do leave a comment before you take off, too! What I enjoy the most is hearing your thoughts. (gives puppy's eyes)
IN THE NEXT ONE: Naruto's more confused than ever as he tries to decide what to do with his life – and especially Sasuke. Things only get messier when a great tragedy falls on Taku. The name of Sasuke's kidnapper is revealed – along with a couple of other things. The story continues in 'The Lost Children' (which could be the title for this story, btw…).
ONLY FOUR TO GO, WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH! (sniffs)
Until next time, folks! I REALLY hope I'll c ya all then.
Peace out!
jfkfjk: Heh, it would be kind of good if Kiba was in love with Hinata, ne? Or actually, it's 50/50; either it'd be a good thing, or then Hinata's never going to be able to love Kiba and all four of them will end up miserable. (gulps) Let's hope things will take a turn towards better with this twist! I have a soft spot for KibaHina. (grins)
Gigantic thank yous for the review – I'm ecstatic to hear you enjoyed the ride!
'Hope ya'll like the next one as much.
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no name: It's a HUGE compliment to hear that you've enjoyed my work thus far! (beams)
Colossal thank yous for the review!
I really hope I'll be seeing you around.
TIMELINE OF FLASHBACKS:
Tsunade decides to take Naruto and Sasuke into Taku. (chapter 3)
Naruto overhears Tsunade's fight with Fugaku Uchiha. (chapter 2)
Sasuke is taken away from Taku. Before leaving, he gives Naruto a pendant and a promise. (chapter 1)
Sasuke's home, suffering from nightmares. Itachi tries to offer him comfort. (chapter 4)
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THE CHILDREN IN TAKU:
Haru (6) – Autistic little boy whom his parents sent to Taku for good professional, loving care.
Sheo (6) – A very unclear case. A little boy who often gets violent panic attacks.
Kira (6) – A little abandoned girl who's scared of everything. She won't speak
Aimi (7) – A cute girl who has startlingly realistic illusions of ghosts.
Takao (8) – A boy who's been through a lot and suffers from severe depression. Is sometimes suicidal.
Yutaka (8) – A boy who's mad at the whole world and doesn't hesitate to show it – the most violent patient ever resited in Taku. His extremely rough past explains his behavior.