Sorry for the lack of update on Thursday...again. I can't really give an excuse, so I'll shut up and let you read on!

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November 15th, 12:01 AM

The orgasm that hit was hardly describable, but the only word that could really fit was...intense. Amazing euphoria seemed to lift his spirits to the highest place they could ever be, towards a realm of unrealistic pleasure. He could feel tears trickle down his cheeks from the sheer intensity of that apex. But even all of that feeling could not compare, not even come close...to the emotions now able to be seen in the eyes of his dark and lust glazed them over, yes...but there was so much , longing, respect...he could see all of this. And of course, also undeniable love, a raw emotion that he knew was just for him. It made their joining even more worthwhile, and Naruto knew it was now a complete and unforgettable memory.

But those love filled eyes were there only for a split second, before the high released its tight grip, and Sasuke caught up in what had just happened. The positive emotions had died then, withering away and slowly replaced with shock. Shock, and anger. The darkness of those emotions were curtaining over those eyes and effectively smothering off that loving warmth that had been now that there was no more happiness to gaze upon the blond suddenly noticed why the mask had been in eyes…were not decorated with a fine shade of blue, or green, or any color that deemed normal to dress itself upon the iris. No, there was deep crimson red staring into his own. The sheer color of it was like that wasn't enough, inside was an array around the raven's pupil, three tear-drop shapes connected by a thin circle going through the middle of them. They were...

His thoughts were abruptly cut off with sharp pain, when ivory fingers dug sharply into the skin of his wrists. And he winced at the stinging sensation, realizing that the man's nails were drawing blood, a short, but hot trail of it slipping down his skin. Did his blood, he mused, have the same shade as those eyes? He bit his lower lip at the thought, watching his angel close his eyes tight, lips pulled into a feral looking snarl.

"You.."

The blond didn't react to the harsh tone. How could he? There should have been a thought beforehand that something like this would happen. In fact, it was foolish not to expect something. But he didn't think ahead, and now that he was facing the consequences of his actions, he stayed as the other was pushing him harder into the bed, his wrists screaming out in pain now, he stayed silent. In fact, he ignored the awkward mood and the pain, and put his entire focus on the words being thrown down at him.

"I told you.." Sasuke whispered fervently down at him, eyes still shut tight, hiding those eyes away from the world. His words were choppy, as heavy breaths disrupted his normal speech ability. What was going on? The phantom, the ghost that haunted everyone and provoked fear in others- was trembling. Naruto could feel it, the hands holding him down shaking was almost as a loss for words, because he didn't know things would turn out like this. But it was no time to think and be silent. He had to say something...if he didn't, he might send the wrong impression. But what could he say to justify his actions? What kind of excuse...

"Why..?" Why indeed, Naruto. Why did you have to go ruin this?

Well, he wanted to be honest. The last thing that was needed was lies. But he also had to try and attempt to soothe the beast that appeared in his dark haired beauty. It was a delicate thing to repair someone's emotions, something that could not be dealt with lightly. How could he do this? The only thing he could think of...was to tell the simple truth. So after brief hesitance and contemplation, the smaller male quietly spoke.

"I had to know.." he murmured.

There was no guarantee that what his reasons were would save him from the anger. But it seemed to be the right answer, for the raven slumped visibly at this, exhausted looking. The grip loosened. His eyes also relaxed a bit, though they stayed closed, the unknown source of shame still away from the body below him, Sasuke sat upright on the bed, face tilted towards the ground, looking defeated and...shaken. He was still trembling. Such a posture didn't sit well on the dark fire that lit up his body and gave him that mysterious passion had gone out, and it seemed like he had been a great idol brought down and corrupted.

The face of vulnerability...didn't look good on anyone. Especially on someone like the phantom.

What remained was a terse silence that lasted between them for many minutes. Heavy breathing was the only sound in the hollow chamber. Besides the sound of a tan hand rubbing itself anxiously against a forearm, a nervous habit. Things had gotten uncomfortable quite quickly, and it was clear neither of them were okay with the air about them. But who was to speak first wasn't clear, so one decided a first move had to be made.

"They are...cursed eyes." The Uchiha spoke up quietly, hiding his face in his hands at the revelation he had hidden for so long. Why was a voice usually calm, collected and cool...able to undoubtedly woe any female or provoke fear in hearts of men...so broken now? It was weakness, but it could not be stopped. "They've been passed down through the males of the family...people who have seen it to call them demon eyes, ugly and inhumane...I never wanted you to know, and now you must think I'm repugnant.

"Can you even dare to look..or bear to think of me now?"

And that was it. The reason why this had all happened, why things had fallen apart. The words automatically caused guilt to surge through the blond's body. Had he known...God, how his insensitivity got the better of him he had hurt his lover...right as they had been their most open and vulnerable...how could he be so stupid..? With a frown, he slowly sat up from his position, knowing know that he had to make things right. So he slowly crawled over to the unmoving figure, not caring that the sheet slipped off and left his nude body exposed. The movements were slow; he had to be careful with how he treated the problem that was in front of he had to have the luck that things were still able to be fixed. So, hoping that he wouldn't get turned down for the hurt he caused, he slowly set his hand upon the pale shoulder, holding his breath. There was nothing in return, and Naruto was glad he wasn't immediately pushed this as a good sign, he scooted closer, quietly murmuring in what he hoped was a comforting tone, "Sasuke...?"

He waited, until the raven pulled his face away from his hands to move his own, tan digits catching and tilting the head towards him. He gently cupped his head in cradling hands, trying not to smile at the surprised look that fluttered across the pale face. Then he slowly tilted the face towards him, leaning forward and brushing his lips gently against one of those closed eyelids. If he could not use words, he would use action.

He felt air against the skin of his neck as Sasuke exhaled sharply. It was obvious the raven was not expecting this at all, but this did not stop Naruto from raining soft little kisses slowly on the skin hiding those eyes. Alternating between each eyelid after a few seconds, he made sure each was given equal attention. Words could not fix this, but those gentle kisses were hopefully proof that what he felt was still alive.

After he felt enough love was lavished there, he finished with a finale, slowly leaning down to kiss the man fully on the lips. There was no inch of emotion held back as they moved against the unresponsive ones. He did not want any doubts, any tension. And so he was doing his best to fix what they had. It only took a second for his angel to respond to the attention, lips pushing back. They were bit hesitant...but eager. Slowly the raven was gaining more force and emotion, pushing them back into the position they were in only minutes ago.

They pulled apart after a few seconds, panting, and when those blue eyes opened back up, he was delighted to see red eyes staring back into his own, hope and warmth swimming in them. And Naruto cleared the doubt with a small smile and his final words. "I don't care what other people say about your eyes, Sasuke. I think they're breathtaking."

Breathtaking...breathtaking? Sasuke sighed out again, eyes fluttering shut as the gentle words rushed over him. Breathtaking. He had never had anyone say such kind words to him...especially about his eyes, in which he himself thought of them as abomination. Slowly opening them and staring with adoration down at his young lover, he leaned down to share another kiss, now able to return those feelings they were both doubting only moments ago, slowly sinking to lay next to the blond and curl up into him, snuggling as tightly as possible.

But there was one last wound to deal with. Gently lifting up the blond's tan wrists, he slowly kissed the puncture wounds he created, able to ignore the bitter taste on his tongue from the liquid. "I'm sorry," he murmured quietly against the skin, pecking them once more before laying them on his chest firmly, a hint that he wanted the appendages to stay there. The shaggy blond hair beneath him nodded gently in acceptance and forgiveness, resting gently against the board chest. Breaths settled down now, and muscles relaxed from their earlier tension. The storm has passed, it seemed the worst of it was over.

And now they could rest peacefully for a while in each other's presence.

November 15th, 5:01 PM

There were three loud, hollow taps to the large wooden door of his room. "...Naruto?"

A pause, for many seconds. Hinata politely tapped on the door once again, waiting patiently and quietly for any response. There was silence from the other end, and for a brief minute she thought, perhaps, he had fallen had been worried when her friend had suddenly disappeared and didn't even leave his quarters for the dinner with dancer had figured this out because heading towards her own room she had passed him, listening to him ramble in the hallway muttering to himself. There was even talk that he had thrown himself up against the door, going on about someone being inside with the boy. But that that didn't seem too surprising seeing as he did such a well performance and had many people wanting to congratulate him. Even so, she did wonder what could be the matter.

Slowly she pushed the door open, staring with hesitance into the inky darkness of silence. Usually there was a candle lit in this place. Naruto had once said he enjoyed having a light on when the world was its darkest. So perhaps he really wasn't here. Just in case, the young dancer called out once more, carefully allowing herself in and closing the door. She did not worry about her friend getting upset for barging in; she was welcomed any time.

There were no sounds whatsoever, not even the gentle breaths of human life that signalled sleep. It was almost a dark sense of silence, causing shivers to run up her spine. This was unnatural. And it was then she decided that he was definitely not here in this room, not any more. There was no chance..but that being said, where would the boy had run off to...?

Inspecting her surroundings and dismissing the empty, still made bed, her eyes traveled over to the mirror, the most prominent feature in the room besides the array of flowers still there. She could barely see herself in the reflection from this angle. But the fact that it was a mirror wasn't what kept her attention; she had no desires to stare at herself all day. N, it was because she noticed, moving her eyes from the reflection of her face to the edge of the mirror, that there was a soft beam of light coming from behind.

What was that..?

Carefully she walked over, not entirely sure what she was looking at. A bit tentative, she approached the beam of light and tried to make out what she was seeing. Was there a light behind the mirror? Though, as she neared to the point of standing five feet away, Hinata finally understood what exactly she was seeing, although it still confused her. The mirror was not just a simple mirror. It was also, in fact, a door, still slightly open and showing another room to any who her head to peer inside the doorway revealed a dimly lit, musky looking hallway to her vision. Candelabras decorated the walls, illuminating the long path that seemed to disappear in the horizon. Was this...where Naruto had gone? Her steady fingers caught the edge of the secret passage and pulled it open more, suddenly having a determined goal to go down there and see exactly what was at the end.

But a voice suddenly stopped her. "You shouldn't be sneaking around, Hinata."

The voice gave her chills, for an instant. Shock ran down her spine, the feeling you got when you were caught doing something. Or when a stranger you don't expect shows up. Jumping, she whirled around, wide eyed with sudden jolt of fear. But her gaze stared at the man behind her, and she relaxed instantly as recognition settled in. "Oh, Kakashi...it's just you."

The silver haired man nodded, eyes glancing down the large hall with mild interest. Why did he seem so....unnerved about this? Perhaps he already knew. She did not ask though, and he quietly slipped his arm around her shoulders. "Come, there's nothing down here but cobwebs and rats. Let's go back to where there is light and happiness." He carefully led her out, moving a hand to close the secret door behind them, sealing off that secret world.

Hinata glanced quietly back, her gaze caught in the mirror as they walked through the roses and furniture. She was captivated, thoughts all on what could be down there, who could be down there, until they left the room completely and her gaze was blocked by a wooden door. Only then was the spell broke, and the young girl was able to shake her head and refocus on a nagging question."What is that place?" she finally wondered aloud to the one man she knew would have the answer.

Said man tilted his head at the question, glancing down at her with a friendly smile. "There are deep catacombs within the opera house, and the only ways to get to them were through secret entrances. But most people left it alone or forgot, and they have been abandoned ever since." His eyes smiled gently, grip on her shoulder now squeezing in some sense of comfort. "But child, that is enough about things forgotten a long time ago. Let's go return to the sitting area."

It was an incomplete answer that only left more holes than bridges. Nevertheless, Hinata nodded at his statement, and they walked towards their destination silently. Although that did not stop the thoughts that were now whirling through her head. The main one was being worried for Naruto. Where in the world could he be? It wasn't like him at all to not inform anyone of his destination if he had went out. Was he down in those forgotten catacombs? And if so, what if...something happened to him? That possibly crept up in her chest and clutched her heart in an icy grip. She wouldn't know what to do if something bad happened to him.

But she didn't have any more time to dwell on it, because as they finally arrived. Their abrupt halt in front of the entry door and her surroundings caught the attention from outside the atmosphere of what was in store could be felt. They entered the very humid room slowly, the faint voices of females could be heard as the door pushed of them were whispers, but some were also fluttering with laughs. Both of the figures came into the space and observed what was going on.

The room was cast over with average lighting, casting shadows everywhere. And it was a very laid back feeling. Very quiet, save for those soft whispers amongst the occupants of the cramped was a place to relax and enjoy company some of the more urban workers of Konoha. Those who drank hard liquor, or smoked, or had raunchy humor and rough of the female dancers, easily swooned, other merely interested, had come here, ignoring the style of things and now focused on the man standing in the center, capturing attention. A grubby piece of work he was. His shaggy hair fell into his eyes, as he stared quietly into the crowd, eyeing them all like meat. With his sturdy weight, he made heavy, looming steps at every turn he made, every staggered footfall he attempted.

"They say," he finally started his tale, with a grin filled with teeth, "the phantom has skin colder and paler than death itself."

It was common for people to milk urban legends for all their worth. For some, it was fun. Others liked to scare people. Most of his audience gasped in feminine shock and squeals, some were even giggling amongst themselves. The few men scattered here merely chuckled. But they all seemed to leech on the information as if their whole body functioned on the wild tales of ghosts and fantasy. As if they would believe anything told to them. It was plain to see that Hinata was not one of these people, however. Why Kakashi had come here, she didn't know. She supposed it was to check up on them and made sure they stayed in line. But it didn't matter, and manners were her forte, so she merely went to sit in a chair across the room, getting comfortable. Her brain was slowly trying to get back to more pressing matters, but her eyes wanted to stare at the man a bit more, and watch the show. The giggles all around her caused her brain to shift off of her friend and silently chide them all for being ridiculous. Wasn't it easy to tell there was nothing innocent about his stories? Or were they blind to his motives?

She did not voice these concerns though. The shaggy haired man, with a lecherous intent in his wild eyes, were now approaching some of the females, grin plastered on his face. An arm moved to hold up his cloak, masking half his face in the typical 'stalking vampire' routine. Very cheesy, but apparently effective to his crowd. He trotted over to one of the more busty females, who cried out in mock fear and drew back.

"A great black hole serves as the nose that...never grew in," he continued, those eyes darting amongst each and every one of them, as if his gaze alone could send them flying into his arms for comfort that he was half expecting. This is why he told stories. For the half chance some frightened broad would run up and beg for safety. Beneath the man and his ghost stories was someone nothing short of a pig, anyone could see. But perhaps not enough people cared enough. Well, said man drew his cloak from his shoulders, letting it slide to the floor.

Those dark eyes continued to wander as his pacing continued. To Hinata, he resembled a lion, stalking unknowing prey. His match and pose even matched the visage, how cute. "You must always be on your guard." The words were laced with a dark melody, adding to the spell as it drifted over the female performers. "Or...he will catch you with his magical lasso..." with that, he held up a rope, more coos echoing in the room. He grinned at his, raising his arms to ensnare a passing female, who merely gasped in response and giggled, batting her eyelashes at him. His expression turned darker, as he growled to her, pressing himself closer into her soft curved, pretending to bite at her neck, getting closer and closer to actually doing so each second-

Before a sturdy hand fell on the shoulder.

Those eyes darkened more, but more out anger for his game being interrupted. Kiba did not like being interrupted, especially when it came to his women. Though they softened up when they fell upon who was holding him back. Kakashi. The silver haired man's gaze looked hard, and he took the rope away, glancing over at the female. She got the hint, and scuttled away wisely. The room went silent as the stare returned to the man and his wandering eyes.

"Those who speak of what they actually know...in time they regret speaking about such things in the first place." The conductor leaned in closer, hefting the man up by his jacket a bit and sizing him up. The friendly face now held a mask of dead seriousness. "Kiba Inuzuka, I'd suggest you hold your tongue, and keep your hands at the level of your eyes..."

Kiba said nothing, but slowly pulled back, taking in the situation. A man hated being told what to do, no matter who he was. This man was no exception. But there was no way he'd defy his superiors; he wasn't that stupid. And so, he backed away, eyes still glancing at the females, obviously musing on what could have been. At a clear of a throat he was turning and briskly heading away from the scene, muttering with contempt and disappearing into some dark corner of the opera house, mumbling along the entire way and not glancing back.

Most likely to go drunk himself to a stupor.

The conductor then turned his gaze, lightly, to the other people in the room, a silent warning. He was the authority here, there were no doubts. No one had ever tried defying the man. It was almost a sin to go against him. With that, he left without saying anything else. There was no need to say anything; the message was clear. The other men followed through with their drinking, eyes no longer on their counterparts. The women immediately began picking back up from where their conversations left off, not seeming to care what just were back to a certain sense of normal.

Well, all but one dancer, who sat in the corner by herself, all thoughts on a certain boy with blue eyes.

---à suivre---

Next Chapter:Noir

"Foul play, they suspect? This is not good for our reputation...first Sakura, and now Naruto is missing!"His shoulder heaved with a heavy sigh, fingers still playing with his shirt. "It is a miracle we sell seats these past evenings. Gossip's is worth its weight in gold. Half your actors disappear, yet the crowd still cheers...hm, I suppose that's one way to run a business."

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R/R!