Hey everyone! I'm really sorry about the abnormally late update! Gomenasai!
But, as promised, I did update, so voila!

I would like to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far and have been patient with me.
ENJOY!

It was nearly a week later that Naruto found himself sitting atop the hospital bed gazing out the window. His face donned a sullen expression as he watched the kids playing down below. Although he would have liked to be outside as well, he was stuck inside. It had been like this for five days and now he was growing irritated. He wasn't the type of person to stay inside and do nothing.

But he knew it was better this way because he was…scared. He wouldn't dare admit it aloud, but it was true. He woke up each morning have relived that same nightmare and he felt uneasy whenever he was left alone. Yet at the same time he wanted to be left alone. He feared that someone would find out. And if they did, it would surely be the end of him.

At first, he had thought his fear was of Kaido coming back to finish the job. But he soon realized that Kaido wasn't stupid enough to come after him while there were Shinobi stationed outside his door at all times. Although Tsunade had said it was to make sure he couldn't escape, Naruto knew it was an extra precaution in case he was attacked again. His lips curled into a smile as he thought of the Hokage worrying over him.

Glancing at the clock, he realized it was almost time for Sasuke's visit. He always came to give Naruto some company after he was done training. The blonde had noticed a very subtle change in the Uchiha's behaviour. He figured it was because the raven got a little shaken up after seeing Naruto in such a condition the week before. After all, why else had been more open with him?

Although…it could all be Tsunade's plan to get Naruto to talk about it, which he had refrained from doing thus far. Whenever the topic came up, he would stay silent and ignore everyone. It was bad enough having to deal with it during his nightmares – he was even scared to fall asleep. He didn't want to face it in reality either.

Reality…what was reality? Everything seemed so unreal, as though he were in another dimension. It was a place known to him as being filled with nothing but pain. In the past week, his life had changed drastically. Prior to the incident, his days were filled with dread whenever he faced the villagers. It was misery that shadowed him wherever he went. Now it had turned utterly unbearable. He was scared; scared of everyone. He flinched at the slightest disturbance and his heart was always in panic. It was probably better just to end –

Knock knock.

Naruto snapped back to attention and flinched at the sudden noise. "C-come in."

He knew it was Sasuke, but it still unnerved him nonetheless.

"Hey," the raven said as he entered. "How're you feeling?"

He closed the door behind him and took a seat at Naruto's side.

"I'm fine," he replied. "I just wish I could get out of this place. I hope Tsunade-baa-chan doesn't plan on keeping me here forever!"

Sasuke smirked at the blonde's whine. "You know it's for your own good. Besides, it's your fault for being such as lousy Shinobi."

"Teme! You're not supposed to say mean things to hospital patients!"

"You just said you're feeling fine, so I can say whatever I want."

Naruto was at a loss for words and so he resorted to just grumbling to himself. Although he appeared to be annoyed by the Uchiha's presence, he was eternally grateful for the company. Spending time with Sasuke always made him feel better. Plus, Sasuke always brought him –

"Here," Sasuke said right on cue. He took out a couple of cartons of food from the bad he brought in.

"Oh, that smells like heaven! I hate hospital food!" Naruto said as he grabbed the carton containing ramen from the raven's clutches.

"Remember dobe, you're paying me back for all this when you get out of here."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Just let me eat!" And with that, the blonde happily started to stuff his mouth with ramen.

Usually, the raven reprimanded him for eating it, but since he had started to be more open lately, he agreed to sneak in some ramen for the blonde.

"Sho, 'ow wuz trenning?" he asked, with his mouth stuffed.

"Dobe, don't talk with your mouth full!" Sasuke exclaimed. "Nothing special happened, just the usual."

This was a lie. In truth, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi hadn't been training at all. As of late, they had been spending their time trying to find out who had hurt Naruto. They had tried asking the blonde many times, but every time the topic came up, he would go completely silent and there was always a sharp fear in his eyes. It had now become taboo to mention anything about it around Naruto. Only Tsunade-san dared to confront the dobe about the subject. She had made it her mission to find out the truth about everything. She had told team seven that she had a theory of what exactly had happened to him, but she wouldn't say it. She had even refrained from telling Sakura or Shizune. Sasuke had only believed that Naruto had been stunned and then beaten up, but now he knew there was clearly something else that had taken place as well. But…what else?

"..ke! Sasuke!"

Suddenly, the raven was snapped out of his reverie. "Huh?"

"What were you thinking about? I've been calling your name for ages!" Naruto pouted, crossing his arms.

"It's nothing. Your tiny brain wouldn't be able to comprehend it," Sasuke said, smirking.

"I'm going to ignore that…this is just to good!" Naruto sighed in contentment as he took another mouthful of ramen.

"We have a mission coming up soon, so you better be out of here by then," the raven informed him.

"Yeah, that old hag better let me out soon! She won't even let me leave this room! I want to train with you guys!"

"Maybe I'll go talk to her later in the afternoon."

"That'd be great, maybe she'll actually listen to you."

"Are you sure it doesn't hurt anywhere? It's only been a week…"

"I told you, I'm fine!" Naruto pout aside his now empty carton of ramen and slid his legs over the side of the bed. "Look, I'll show you."

Stepping down, he shivered as his feet touched the cold floor. He walked over to the window and opened it, letting the cool breeze refresh him. Turning around, he gave Sasuke a wide grin, his hair rustling lightly.

It was still slightly painful for him to walk since the pain in his pelvis hadn't completely dissipated yet. He hoped Sasuke hadn't noticed the small limp in his steps.

"Now watch this!" He put his hands together and concentrated on his chakra. Suddenly, with several pops, the small room was filled dozens of Naruto doppelgangers.

Sasuke's face stayed impassive through-out the display. The multiple doppelgangers didn't impress him; he knew Naruto's full potential. Rather than being amazed, he was worried. Naruto was not fine. If the dobe thought he could prove he was well by doing something as effortless as that, then there was clearly something still wrong. Not only that, but as he finished with the jutsu and made his way back to the bed, Sasuke noticed the blonde was faintly out-of-breath, no matter how well he tried to hide it.

"So, now you can convince baa-chan that I'm fine, right?" The blonde looked at him expectedly.

The Uchiha only gave a stiff nod.

"Great! So, what's this mission all about anyway? It better be something exciting!"

Before the raven could respond, there was a knock on the door. The person on the other side opened the door and poked their head inside. It was Shizune.

"Um, Hokage-sama has called for us, Sasuke."

The raven nodded and stood up. Before leaving however, he pointed towards the other carton of food that he had pout on the bedside table earlier.

"There's more food in there," he told Naruto. With that, he walked out, past Shizune.

"Sorry Naruto, Tsunade-sama called me out, too, so I'll tell Sakura to come take over my post. And don't worry; I'll Sasuke to come back as soon as we're done." She smiled and left, closing the door behind her and leaving the blonde alone once again.

Alone…

Naruto shuddered. Being alone always upset him. Before it was always because of the despair he felt that no one cared about him. But it was different now. Thing had changed. Being alone terrified him now. He was scared of what would happen when he was alone. There was always that constant fear of there being a repeat of…that day.

Of course, he knew that couldn't happen. He was safe here. He had Sakura, and Kakashi, and Tsunade and most importantly Sasuke looking after him.

Even so…he shuddered despite his best efforts.

There was a sudden knock on the door again and Naruto heard Sakura's voice speaking from the other side, "Hey Naruto, I'm coming in now."

This was how it was. Whoever wanted to come in when he was alone had to knock before coming in. It was just so that he was always prepared, since he had developed a habit of flinching at even the most miniscule noise or movement.

"'Kay," he replied. Before she came in, he hastily hid the other carton of ramen. He knew the medinin would make him go deaf if she found out he was eating ramen.

"How're you feeling?" she asked, her face frowned in concern.

"Fine! I'm fine! Why won't anyone listen?" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura rolled her eyes and took Sasuke's eat next to the blonde.

"Baka, that's what you always say! And then you'll be back in here the next week."

Naruto gave a sheepish grin. It was true, he visited the hospital much too often for comfort.

"You must be bored being in here all the time. And I'm surprised you've survived this long without stuffing your face with ramen!" She smiled, keeping the conversation light.

"Yeah…well, Sasuke wouldn't give in to sneaking some in."

Whack!

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Idiot! Don't take me for a fool! I know you've been eating nothing but ramen all week!"

"Then why did you say that?"

"To see if you'd lie or not. I was hoping you wouldn't, but I guess I was wrong!" She crossed her arms and looked down at him with a grim frown on her face.

"Damn it, you women and your damn mind games…" Naruto muttered, still rubbing his head.

"Anyways, I'll be standing in the corridor, just call if you need me." And with that, she turned around and left, closing the door behind her.

Naruto sat there in silence once again, wondering how long it would be until Sasuke came back.

He looked over at the other carton of ramen that could be seen from its hiding place. At any other time, he would have grabbed it and emptied it into his stomach in record time. But for some reason, he had lost his appetite.

A chill travelled down his spine; a bad omen.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He couldn't stop the sudden frantic beating of his heart. He looked out the window and tried to occupy his mind with something else. It didn't work. He knew there something wasn't right. His eyes widened when the thought of Kaido's presence entered his mind.

He let out a frustrated growl and clutched the sheets so his knuckles turned white. But inside…he was petrified.

"S-Sakura!" he called out to the kunoichi outside the door.

The door burst open and she came rushing to his side, her eyes showing her concern. "What happened? Is something wrong?"

She walked over to the window after noticing his pale face and looked outside, looking for anything suspicious.

"I don't know…I feel sick," he hugged his knees and groaned, trying to get rid of the foreboding feeling that wouldn't leave him.

"Does it hurt anywhere?" Sakura asked as she walked over his side again and tentatively laid a hand on his shoulder.

He couldn't help it, he flinched violently and distanced himself from her touch. "S-sorry…you startled me."

He looked up and saw the worry and concern that was emanating from her. At this, he felt the guilt rise in his chest for having to cause her distress. He couldn't bear to continue looking into those loving eyes. It only made him feel more pathetic at not being able to keep one of his closest friends from fretting over him.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" she asked gently,. She sat down at the edge of the bed and waited patiently for his reply.

And he couldn't help but answer back with a shudder, "I've got a feeling something's going to happen…something bad."

"You're safe here Naruto, nothing bad is going to happen," she tried to reassure him. "You've suffered enough."

The blonde stayed silent, finally starting to calm down, if only slightly. She was right, he told himself, he was safe here. He was under constant surveillance and was surrounded by people who cared for him.

Looking to the side he once again noticed the carton of ramen that was quickly getting cold. He didn't want to trouble Sakura anymore. She had helped him countless times already. He didn't want to be a bother any longer.

'I think I ate too much ramen," he moaned, clutching his stomach. This was sure to do it, he thought.

"Baka!" She stood up, fuming. "That's why we always tell you not to eat so much ramen! This is what you get for being a pig!"

"But Sakura!" he whined, holding off the ominous feeling as best as he could. "I can't help it!"

"That doesn't matter! It's unhealthy and then you end up like this!" She pointed at him.

"But Sakura--!"

"No buts! I'm taking this back to Sasuke right now and--" she paused in the middle of stealing of leftover ramen. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," the blonde growled. He shuddered involuntarily. He had a bad feeling about whoever was behind the door. They didn't come inside.

"Sakura-san, Hokage-sama has requested for you," said the voice. It was a male.

"Y-yes, okay." She gave Naruto a hard glare and walked out, taking the ramen with her.

Naruto watched her go with dread, and couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine when the door closed behind her. First Sasuke, now Sakura. And he had a bad feeling about the person outside the door. He clutched the sheets harder and closed his eyes. Not a minute passed by before his mind was plagued with images from his nightmares. He bit his lip to keep himself from crying out in horror.

Opening his eyes he found that he was trembling. He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them; a feeble attempt at comforting himself. He heard some muffled voices outside the door and then some urgent whispers.

"Well well well," said a voice close to his ear.

This caught him completely off guard and he jerked away violently and yelled out in terror. His heart beat frantically and his hair was already damp with sweat. He huddled on the edge of the bed and tried to locate the source of the noise.

What – or, rather whom – he saw nearly made him want to jump out the window. And he would have if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't move. Fear had taken over him.

Standing beside his bed glaring at him maliciously was none other than him. Kaido.

Noticing the horror in the blonde's eyes, the man smirked. Naruto shuffled back even more so that was nearly about to fall off the edge.

"Not going to fight back?" the tone of the voice was mockingly innocent.

The blonde tried to answer back but he had lost voice. He was too much in shock to be able to do anything, his eyes wide in utter horror. This was just like his nightmares where Kaido came back to put an end to his existence once and for all.

"This is more like it. This is how it should be," Kaido said, looking smug. And he leaned over the bed, brining his face closer to the blonde's, "the fox cowering down to us. It should never have been allowed to live in the first place, that damn bastard. Now they'll be thanking me like the hero I am for finally ridding them of you."

Naruto's eyes widened even more and he quickly got off the bed, ignoring the dull pain that travelled up his spine, and put as much distance between them as was possible in the small room. He back up cautiously until his back hit the window, and he was trapped.

Kaido took this opportunity to walk around the bed, his smirk getting wider.

"Get away from me!" Naruto shouted surprised at the confidence in his voice despite what he was feeling on the inside.

"Do you know what this is?" Kaido asked, ignoring the blonde and bringing his hands forward from behind his back. He as holding a small vile filled with a liquid that looked like water.

"This," he continued without waiting for the blonde's reply, "is a specially made lethal poison made by my grandmother. It's undetectable once it's in your system."

This new revelation caused the blonde to stiffen. This wasn't happening. He was about to call for help but was interrupted once again by Kaido's grating voice.

"There's no use in screaming. I have people posted in all the vital places in this hospital. You see," Kaido started again, and stepped forward so that he was merely a foot away from the blonde, "after we dealt with you last time, we thought you'd finally disappeared. But, when we came back to get rid of your leftovers, you were gone. I thought you'd come back for revenge but I can clearly see that you're too pathetic and weak to ever do that. So, I've come to make a deal with you."

His eyes gleamed with malicious intent. He put his hand out to caress the boy's cheek but Naruto pushed him away. Although he was dead terrified of the man before him, he would fight back if it made sure he would be safe from his touch.

"W-what deal?" he asked, trying desperately to stop his violent trembling, but failing miserably.

Kaido chuckled, his voice revealing the evil lurking underneath. "If you keep you mouth shut, I promise not to let this accidentally reach your closest friend, the Uchiha. And let me assure you this isn't your everyday sort of poison. It works slowly but its very lethal. It will slowly kill your friend in the most agonizing way. And the only existing cure for it will take weeks to make, by which time your friend will be long gone."

"No," Naruto breathed, his heart filling with dread. If anything happened to Sasuke…he wouldn't be able to live. He began to whimper at the image of a dead Sasuke floating through his mind. "No…not Sasuke…"

A satisfied grin spread across the other's face. "So, if you don't want to be the cause of his unfortunate death, then you'll continue to keep your mouth shut. And," his eyes darkened, "you'll do as I say."

"W-what? What do you m-mean by that?" Naruto questioned fearfully.

At this, Kaido took one last step forward so that he and the blonde were just a hair's breadth apart. He ignored the way the blonde flinched back in repulsion.

"No, please," Naruto gasped as the man towered over him, his hand on the window just above his shoulder. "G-get away. Don't touch me!"

He tried to push back, but to no avail. When had his strength left him?

He closed his eyes and turned as stiff as a board when a hand rested on his hips. Memories flooded his mind and all he wanted to do was escape, to run away. But—

"If you don't do as I say, then," he held up the small vile in his other hand. The unspoken threat worked instantly. The blonde's eyes widened even more and he viewed the artefact with apprehension.

The hand that was once above his shoulder slipped down behind him, grasping firmly. And Naruto cried out loud, both from pain and from the despised touch of his hand. He pushed the young man back but was quickly overpowered. Desperately, he tried to hit him, to push him away, but he was too weak. The memories from the last time were resurfacing once again.

After safely putting the vile away, Kaido rested his hands on the blonde's shoulders. He made sure to feel up the other parts of the boy as he did so. Naruto's eyes were closed once more at the touch of Kaido's disgusting fingers. The pressure on his shoulders got stronger, like it was weighing him down.

"On your knees," Kaido commanded.

Naruto's eyes shot open at these three words. Never again, he had told himself. Never again would he dirty himself like he had before. But…

He was on his knees. His hands were being controlled by the defiling man before him. They rested atop the hard tent forming just below the belt of the person in front of him. He tried to take his hand away, but it was useless. He felt a tear travel down his cheek and he heard Kaido speak, but didn't pay attention. He didn't want to listen. All he wanted was Sasuke. To be saved by the man he secretly loved.

Suddenly, he cried out in pain as his wrist was clenched tightly. He looked up into the flaming eyes of his rapist, who was now staring out the window, his eyes squinting against the light.

"Shit," the blonde heard him mutter. His wrist was let go as the man before him stepped back towards the door.

"I have to go, but remember the deal. I'll find you again soon," he said scathingly and left the room, shutting the door loudly behind him.

The blonde stared at the door for several minutes, in shock. He could faintly hear some more whispering and then scurried footsteps as Kaido and his gang left the building. It was then that he collapsed onto the floor, clutching his head. He didn't care why the other had left so abruptly, but he was eternally grateful he hadn't had to comply with his demands any further. He desperately hoped he would never have to do that, but he knew that wasn't possible; Kaido would surely come back.

He trembled again and let out a sob, tears flowing down his face. Why him? What had he done to deserve this? All he wanted was to live a happy life with Sasuke. He was kind to everyone and he didn't as he was told. Then why? Where had he gone wrong? How had he come to be in the state he was in now: defiled, filthy, and wasting away in a small room in the hospital?

He gasped for air as the tears continued to fall. It was several minutes before he got control of himself and calmed down, if only a little. He slowly pushed himself off the floor and sat up, leaning against the wall beneath the window. Hugging his knees, he curled himself into a ball and let out a whimper.

Knock knock.

"Ah!" Naruto cried out loud and jerked violently at the sound. He looked fearfully at the door across from him. Had Kaido decided to come back?

"Naruto?" asked a concerned voice. Naruto vaguely recognized it as belonging to Sasuke. "Are you okay? Can I come in?"

The blonde hesitated. This was too soon. Although he wanted the raven's company, he didn't want to be seen in the state he was in. He knew Sasuke would ask what happened and he wasn't ready to say anything. Not that he could if he wanted to protect the other's life. Plus, he wouldn't be able to bare the look of pity in his eyes which he knew would be present.

Conversely, if he said no, then it would seem like there was something wrong, and then everyone would get suspicious. And he was sure to be locked in the room for longer. Plus, he had the feeling that Sasuke would barge into the room anyway.

"O-okay," he said quietly. The door opened and the blonde could see the raven's legs as he stepped in. the rest of the view was blocked by the bed.

"Naruto?" Sasuke called out, trying to locate the blonde. He panicked for a moment before he heard a barely audible whisper coming from behind the bed by the window.

Discovering the blonde and seeing the condition he as in, he rushed over to his side.

"Naruto! What happened? Are you alright?" he put a hand on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him but was shoved away violently.

At the boy's silence, he looked around trying to discover the source of the boy's distress.

"Y-yeah, I'm alright," he finally said. His head was buried in his arms and Sasuke could sense something was terribly wrong judging by the whimpers that escaped the boy's lips.

He knew the blonde was lying. There was no way he was alright. Maybe he's had another nightmare? He voiced this thought but received no answer.

Sitting down properly beside the blonde, he concluded that it couldn't have been a nightmare. After all, he'd only been gone for about an hour.

Anger erupted inside him as he realized there had been no oe stand guard at the door when he came in.

"Naruto," he asked, barely controlling his boiling temper, "how come there's no one at the door?"

Immediately, he noticed the blonde stiffen.

"Shizune and I crossed paths on my way leaving the Hokage's office. I know she wouldn't leave this room without making sure there was someone here first."

He paused, hoping the blonde would say something. He was met with silence once again.

"Naruto, did something happen?" he asked, his rage reaching a dangerously high level. "Did someone come in here?"

Receiving only silence, he made to put and arm around the blonde. Maybe he just needed to get comfortable again; return back to normal. But he was shoved away again, hard.

He caught the dobe's eye as he tried not to topple over from the shove. His heart tore apart at seeing those broken blue eyes. They were like shard of broken glass. No longer did they carry the mirth and happiness they once used to. And now they were pink and puffy, evidence that he had been crying. It made his anger retreat momentarily, only to be replaced with sympathy, concern and something akin to friendship but more passionate. Was it love? He didn't know.

He was still angry of course. He was furious! How could anyone do something that left the blonde so broken and helpless? But right now, all he wanted was to comfort him and bring back to full strength. He'd have to catch the culprit a bit later, whoever it was. And he vowed to pulverize them until they were an inch from death.

"Naruto," he spoke softly and looked at the boy earnestly, trying to get a response from him.

The boy looked away, eyeing the floor with sadness and despair. There was no hope in his eyes.

Sasuke took a deep breath.

"Naruto."

And the boy continued to avoid acknowledging his presence him.

"Dobe," maybe the casual term would get him to relax more. "I know something happened. I know there was someone in here. I saw someone in this room from out the window on my way back."

This aroused the desired reaction within Naruto. His head shot up instantly and his eyes widened. Was it out of shock or fear?

"Will you tell me what happened now?"

"I-I can't," he replied softly.

This confused the raven. "Why not?"

"I just c-can't."

"Naruto-"

"Please, Sasuke, just drop this, Nothing bad happened; I'm fine."

Although the blonde was talking now, it was obvious to the Uchiha that he didn't want to. But something bad had happened. Something—

He gasped. "He came back didn't he?" Whoever attacked you that night, they came back!"

"What? What do you mean by that?" I-It wasn't who you think it was!"

But the fear in those cerulean eyes told the truth. Sasuke expression darkened and he looked like he could murder the next person who entered the room.

Brown hair; the person had brown hair and he looked to be about a couple of inches taller than the blonde. He hadn't seen his face though. Damn it, he cursed.

"Naruto," he turned his attention back on the blonde," you need to tell me who it was! I can probably catch him right now; he can't have gone too far!"

"N-no, I told you I can't!"

"It's for your own good, dobe!" he raised his voice, frustrated.

"But Sasuke-"

"Don't you get it?" the raven shouted, letting his anger take control. "I can catch him and you won't ever have to worry about him coming after you again! Do you know what it's like seeing you like this? How am I supposed to understand what to protect you against if I don't know anything? This is the most useless I've ever felt since…since…"

He couldn't bear to mention the death of his parents, but the blonde knew what he meant. Truthfully, the raven was scaring him.

Noticing the look in the dobe's eyes, Sasuke calmed down and came back to his senses. He looked down at the floor between them. The last thing he wanted was for Naruto to fear him.

"Sorry," he muttered. "It's just so damn frustrating not knowing what to do."

He took a deep breath and glanced sideways at the blonde beside him. That was stupid of him. He shouldn't have gotten out of control like that. It hadn't helped his situation with Naruto either. He was actually surprised at his actions. He always prided himself in being in control of his thoughts and emotions. So where had that come from? He blamed it on his relationship with the blonde. The fox always made him act differently than he would like.

"Sasuke," the blonde spoke again after the long silence, "please let this go. I don't want to think about it, let alone talk about it."

He shuddered, but continued in his soft voice, "there's nothing you can do, so please just let it go."

The raven opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. What could he possibly say?

They sat there in silence for a long time. Eventually, Naruto had calmed down completely and rested his head on the raven's shoulder. He was still tense; he couldn't possibly relax after the whole ordeal with Kaido. He closed his eyes and tried to focus thoughts on the raven beside him.

"Oh yeah, the Uchiha spoke up, breaking their silence. "Tsunade-sama said you can go home tomorrow evening."

Naruto's head perked up. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Good," and he slumped his head back on the raven's shoulder.

"I thought you would be more excited."

"I am, but I'm also tried."

"Hn."

In truth, Naruto was now dreading his return. If Kaido could sneak into the hospital, he was sure to come after him in his own home. He debated on whether to ask the raven if he could sleep over at the Uchiha estate, but decided against it. There was more of a chance of him finding out if Kaido came to "visit" him there.

The Uchiha desperately wanted to interrogate the blonde what happened, but decided against it. He would talk to the Hokage about it later. They would figure something out.

Sasuke wondered what the real reason behind the blonde's lack of enthusiasm was. He had been whining all week to go back home. What had happened now? Then it clicked. Of course, Naruto was scared. He had nightmare every night and was always jumpy around everyone. Maybe he should ask the dobe to stay with him? But…he was sure the blonde would say no. His ego was too great.

Instead, he decided to watch over the blonde and if anything suspicious happened, he would demand for the boy to move in to the Uchiha's place.

But for now, he basked in the glow of the blonde's company.

Well, what did you think? The next chapter get more interesting with the mission and all. Who knows, maybe Kaido will make another appearance?

Once again, if you spot and typos and such, please let me know. And for any of you reading the Christmas fic, I plan to update that one soon as well.

I've actually started on the next chapter, so it should be up at some point. I won't get your hopes up and say soon since I'm going to vey busy these next two or three weeks with school and prom (yay!). And I wanted to share some good news with you! I've been accepted into the University of my choice! Well, I was accepted in like...January...but I didn't get around to sharing the good news until now. I'll be going in for Legal Studies and either English/History/Philosophy/Political Science...I can't decide on what minor to do :( But I've still got time, right?

Please leave a review, I really would like to know what you think about it so far, and I'd love to see some of your predictions for future chapters. Oh, and I was also wondering what you think of the shifts in perspective? Too sudden and confusing? Or is it okay? I look forward to hearing from everyone again!