Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters... (I'd realli buy Kakashi and Sasuke if I could though.. sigh)

Summary: This is SasukexNaruto YAOI. Yes, boy likes boy, type of thing, so don't bother reading if you don't know what YAOI means. This takes place in the TV series version where Sasuke abandons Konoha and all his buddies to go to Orochimaru. The story starts off where Naruto is trying to stop Sasuke from going to the snake-head and they are fighting each other.

Author's Note: I got very obsessed with Naruto recently, and me, being the queen of angst and yaoi, just HAD to write up a super dooper angsty SasuNaru fic. I can't help it, I just must. Please enjoy, and please review! Review author happy updates sooner! I hate Sakura, so I will bash her if I get the chance to in this fic. Oh, and Naruto's kind of OOC, less bright and happy go lucky. Oh, and I don't currently have a beta, so sorry for grammar mistakes!

Xtra notice! - Aite well, it's been pretty smooth up till now for Naruto, but uh-uh, not anymore. From now on things are going to get gory, unpretty, horrible, and nasty for our blonde. Yes, -nods- this means lots of possible angst, pain, sexually related issues, and violence in the upcoming chapter(s). So please, if you don't like these kind of stuff, stop here and go read your wonderful fluffy cotton candy everything is so perfectly wonderful stories. Hehe. I don't know if I should change the rating, but I'm not going to make things that graphic. It'll mostly be a 'mention' of the stuff, if you know what I mean. Well, go on, read!

Chapter 7 – "Dreams and hopes…"

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke gasped as he heard the voice of the blonde boy he'd been yearning to see and to embrace in his arms for all these years. He searched around him, desperately trying to find the owner of the voice.

"Sasuke…please save me…"

Such a fragile and weak voice. Sasuke was trembling with fear… fear that something dreadful had happened to Naruto.

"Naruto! Where are you! I can't find you…where…"

The black haired boy kept turning around and around in circles, but he was standing in the middle of nowhere; only a dark and cold mist surrounding his body. There was only mist and more mist in every direction he faced. The more he walked forward, the farther he seemed to get from the desperate voice calling his name. The more he tried to find the way out of this place, the more he felt lost and alone.

Then suddenly, standing right in front of him was Naruto. Sasuke almost smiled and cried out in joy.

Almost.

The horrible image in front of him was just shocking, and Sasuke froze where he was standing, not being able to move or say anything. Naruto looked like a pale corpse… a ghost. Blood was trickling down the side of his left cheek, and the blonde boy was barely standing on his wobbly and weak legs.

"Sasuke… you have found me…" whispered out the boy.

"Naruto! What happened to you, what…why…how…"

"You have found me… but… it's too late now."

Sasuke took a step forward cautiously.

"What do you mean too late? I'm here, Naruto. I'm here, and I'm never going to leave you ever again."

He reached out to the blonde boy, trying to touch the pale face.

"It's too late…"

Before Sasuke could lay a single finger on Naruto's skin, an enormous snake appeared from behind the pale boy and with a single snap of its mouth, Naruto was gone. The snake licked its chops and bared its fangs at Sasuke, grinning with satisfaction.

Sasuke was too shocked at what had just happened in front of his eyes to be able to register it through his brain. One second Naruto had been an inch from his reach, and now, he was gone, and a huge snake had just swallowed him alive. The snake hissed and to Sasuke's horror, it spoke in the disgustingly sly voice that belonged to someone he knew very well.

"Naruto's mine now. Mine. And it's all your fault, Uchiha. All your fault…"

And with one last shrill and mocking laugh, it slithered away, disappearing into the darkness.

"All your fault…"

Sasuke gasped as he woke up from another dreadful and horrible nightmare, cold sweat covering his face and body like dew drops. Breathing heavily, he kept playing the last scene over and over again in his head. After a few minutes, he finally shook away the horrid images and wiped away some of the sweat from his forehead. This was the 10th time in a row that he'd had this nightmare, and he kept waking up at the same exact part where the snake blamed him for what had happened and then disappeared into the mist.

Sighing, Sasuke buried his face into his hands and started to cry. He didn't feel ashamed of crying at all anymore. It made him feel better, and it definitely made some of the pain go away momentarily.

Perhaps he was letting his guilt bother him way too much. He was guilty though, and he deserved to be punished through these nightmares. At least he was paying part of what he owed to Naruto. The image of the frail and pale Naruto he had seen in his dreams made him shiver. He really hoped that what he had seen in his nightmares wasn't anywhere close to what was really happening.

"There's no way the gods would make Naruto go through so much pain and sorrow. There's just no way they would punish such a pure and kind heart."

And boy, was he wrong.

Naruto opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling with a tired and pained look.

He whispered to himself, "This nightmare again…" and sighed.

This was the 10th time he had dreamt about meeting Sasuke in some weird misty place. Just before he was touched by Sasuke, a snake would come and engulf him in unending darkness. All his hopes and dreams were shattered every time the image of Sasuke disappeared.

Ironically, the blonde boy smiled to himself, in despite of such a horrible nightmare. He had gotten to see Sasuke again, even if it was only for a few seconds. It pained him every time he thought of how sorrowful and sad the expression on Sasuke's face was in his dreams.

"I wish I could control my dreams, Sasuke. Then I would run forward and hug you. Make all the pain and sorrow go away. I really would."

Naruto sighed again, disgusted by how weak and worthless he felt. He looked around. Whoever had been in bed with him last night was now gone. The potion only worked for a certain amount of time before it would wear away. Most of the time, they had to haul out the drunken and unconscious men before they were pulverized by Naruto's curse.

With a trembling hand, he reached out and grabbed his robe. He winced in pain as he wore it, and tied the sash securely. It barely covered his pale skin, but at least it made him feel less naked, less exposed.

He blinked as the rays of the sun shone through the window right on his face. It felt good. Sunny days always made him feel better. It was scary how time passed by so quickly and it was summer once again. He hoped that summer would pass by slowly, because winter was just a nightmare. Orochimaru would send him out on cruel missions out in the below zero temperatures. Thinking about winter would always make Naruto remember that winter night when he had almost seen his beloved.

- Flashback -

The cold wind was unbearable. Naruto could barely see where he was going. In fact, at this very moment, it didn't matter where he was going. It just had to be far, very very far from here. He could hear the ANBU forces behind him, trying to track him down like starved wolves. The sounds were getting closer and closer, and Naruto's wound was slowing him down more and more every second that passed by. His senses were getting numbed by the bitter cold, and his body ached everywhere.

"Where is he?"

"I thought I heard something around here."

"You, search over on that side by those trees. I'll keep checking around here."

"He couldn't have gone far. We wounded him pretty badly."

Naruto collapsed behind some bushes, and gasped for air. He could hear them not too far away, and he started to tremble in fear. If he got caught, it would truly be the end of him. They would slaughter him like a pig, and his body would disappear from the face of this Earth without leaving a trace.

"I found him!"

The blonde boy froze in fear. Had they finally found him? Was this really how the story of his life would come to an end? He closed his eyes and whispered a last prayer to himself. After a while of silence, he found himself experiencing a moment that was more shocking than death itself.

"Let go of me, you bastards!"

Naruto had to cover his mouth from letting a gasp escape.

'That voice…'

It was deeper and more mature in tone, but it was unmistakably the voice of someone he had been dying to hear speak.

'Sasuke…'

"We have finally found you after days of searching. Do you know the trouble you have caused back in Konoha for the Hokage?"

"I don't give a damn what I have caused and I don't give a damn about what the Hokage thinks. You better let go of my arms right now. I have to keep searching for him until I find him."

"It doesn't matter who you have to search for. The orders were specific. You are to stay in the village no matter what. You should be thankful that we're not disposing of you right here."

Naruto could hear Sasuke growl in anger and trying to escape from the ANBU officers. The blonde smiled with hope filled expression. He could just appear right now in front of Sasuke! He could just follow them to the village and be free once again. Then everything was solved… everything…

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" An ANBU officer from a different country suddenly appeared out of nowhere and demanded an answer.

"We are the ANBU forces from the country of leaf, and we're out on a mission. Who are you?"

"We are here to find a man wearing a dark mask and hood. He stole important scrolls from our country and ran this way. You haven't seen him, have you?"

"No, I am sorry. We haven't."

Naruto cringed. They had tracked him down this far? He couldn't just appear in front of them, he would get slaughtered right in front of Sasuke's eyes, and that just would be a disaster.

The two groups of people exchanged good-byes and went off on their own ways. He could hear Sasuke screaming and squirming, trying to get away, but eventually, the sounds faded away, and they disappeared into the distance. Naruto sighed both in relief and in frustration. He had almost made a huge mistake by appearing. Getting caught by the ANBU forces that were chasing him was one thing, but he had also forgotten about the horrible curse that was flowing in his blood, oozing darkness throughout his body. He shuddered at the thought of Sasuke touching him by accident and having him vanish into thin air.

Then he realized how close he had been to seeing him again after almost 3 years and started crying. The tears felt warm against his frozen cold face. After a while, he wiped away the tears and stood up. If he stayed sitting there any longer, he would probably freeze to death.

One thing was clear though. Sasuke was alive and well.

Naruto smiled.

"Someday, Sasuke. We'll get to see each other. We'll live happily ever after."

- End Flashback -

The fact that Sasuke was alive was the best news that he could have ever found out about. As long as Sasuke was safe and sound back at the village, Naruto couldn't wish for more. He climbed out of the bed and limped towards the door. Another day had dawned, and he knew that he probably had to go on another mission.

A mission that would change the course of his life.

To be continued…

Author's Note: Thanks to everybody who reviewed! And sorry for another very late update. Also, some people were commenting on how the story kind of skipped 3 years, which is true. I sort of rushed through it because I like to write my stories in terms of flashbacks a lot. So you will be seeing a decent amount of flashbacks from now on, so don't think you missed out on a whole chunk of the story. Next chapter I think will be pretty interesting, so stick around!

Love,
Angelline