Right-O. It's not my fault this chapters short! My muse flew away and I was on holiday for two weeks, so I had half the time to get it out! Therefore... it is half the size. Hopefully, I should upload some more for you though.

Don't yell at me.

Please review, and:

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto... heterosexual Naruto diehard fans would cry themselves to sleep at night. And the SasuSaku fans would be locked in a dungeon. With crocodiles. Not to mention the rabid SasuNaru cosplayers that would DEVOUR their fandom XD


Sasuke always hated his birthday.

Why? Well, obviously because it included his brother. Though revenge and killing Itachi was often on his mind (when Naruto wasn't), he didn't really like to think about what Itachi was like beforehand. Mainly because it dimmed the thought of his revenge, letting the thoughts of 'what if I regret it?' take over. Because Itachi was a brother that would be envied by people everywhere.

He was kind, when their parents' weren't.


"Aniki, can we do some shuriken training?" Sasuke begged, his black eyes wide with hope. Innocence was in those depths, showing every emotion that racked the fibres of his body; hope, sorrow, and excitement. Itachi chuckled, about to give a reply, when-

"Now, Sasuke," his mother berated softly. "Itachi has just come home from the academy, and I'm sure he has homework to do-"

"Maa, maa, Kaa-san," Itachi hushed hurriedly, "I think I have time."

Fugaku gave a disaproving look. "Sasuke, you shouldn't bother your older brother all the time. Itachi also has training."

"Thank you, Aniki!" Sasuke smiled, wrapping his arms around him.


It wasn't even because he didn't get presents that he liked. It was because he didn't have anything to celebrate any more. A birthday is one day when you, and the people close to you, celebrate the fact that you were born and celebrate your existence. But Sasuke couldn't do that any more, and hadn't done it for several years for the sole reason that he couldn't bring himself to.

His admirers had somehow gotten a hold of his birth date and insisted (much to Sasuke's horror) to send him mounds of cards and presents. It saddened him, because he knew that there was not a single person out there that would sit down with him and talk and laugh with him – sympathize with him.

Even when Naruto was there, he refused to celebrate. Out of sheer habit. So he was surprised when he woke up to an empty bed, and saw two sole presents in the space where she would have slept.

She was sat on her single bed, tapping her fingers impatiently on her thighs. "Sasuke! You're such a heavy sleeper."

He looked up dazedly, and Naruto smiled, hooking her legs out of bed and standing up. She walked over to him, a bundle in her arms: before lifting the silken scarlet covers off of him and gesturing for him to stand up. Sasuke reluctantly obeyed, standing up tiredly.

Naruto gently put her hands on his shoulders and turned him around to face the same direction as her, and he felt something slide over his shoulders. She lifted up his arms, and hooked warm material over them. Sasuke inhaled deeply as he saw what he was wearing.

It was a deep blue kimono, the colour of the sky that opposed the suns direction just moments after sunset. That wasn't what shocked him; it was that there was a small logo on the right shoulder of the kimono. It was a small red fan, that hooked itself through a red spiral.

"Naruto... this is..."

She laid her lips on his cheek for a moment, and he looked at her questioningly. "...I love you."

"I love you too."

Naruto motioned for him to wait as she went over to the double bed, retrieving the two presents from the mattress. She walked back over to Sasuke, placing the presents in his hands. Naruto nodded in approval, and Sasuke slipped his fingers underneath the wrapping paper, opening it gently as he peeled the cellophane off. Eventually, a rectangular black box lay in the centre of folded white paper. He opened it precariously, discarding the wrapping paper on his bed. Inside was something that made his breath catch.

A long, golden necklace lay in there. Pearls occasionally graced it's chain, dyed a crystal white. On the end hung a golden pendant. It was light in his palm as he picked it up, and he slowly opened it to gaze inside. Sasuke's obsidian eyes pierced the gift, their ebony depths filled with stunned confusion. In a practised calligraphy that was etched into the gold, written down was:

'Don't forget me...'

Below it, was a small ruby heart. He looked up at her with wide eyes. 'How much did this cost?' his eyes silently asked.

"I wanted to be close to your heart," she smiled cheekily, wrapping her arms around him from behind. He slowly began to open the second one, as Naruto watched with an intense gaze. Unwrapping the present with a rather clumsy hand (from lack of present-unwrapping experience) that was elegant at the same time, Sasuke's eyes widened at the gift that lay in his hand.

A long, silver sword was in the bow, bedded in a pink silk that clashed with the black handle that was connected to the sword. It's edge was scarily sharp, almost cutting through the protective silk it was entwined in. Written on the black, marble-patterned handle, was silver kanji that stood out but faded at the same time; an oxymoron in itself.

'Forever approaches faster than you think... that's why love is beyond time.'

Naruto put her chin on his shoulder. "Do you like it?"

There was a silence for a minute or two. Or maybe just a moment – perhaps Naruto just couldn't tell it apart. Her heart beat so fast it felt like it may burst out of her rib cage, and she was somewhat afraid that Sasuke might hear it.

After a few moments of silence, there was a small sentence that broke it.

"I love it."


Sakura scooped yet another shard of glass into her hands, careful not to let the transparent piece cut through her palm. It almost felt like she was picking up the pieces of her life, as she compiled each shard and binned them, before planning to replace the windows. She scrubbed every surface in her kitchen, sowing the faded and torn couch back together where it had come apart. Rubbing a worn cloth over a sickening green wall, hurtful words written in red dripping down onto wooden floorboards.

It was a sad reassurance to her, a sad reassurance that when Naruto came back, the place she lived would be completely clean, ready for her to start everything over. To pretend that nothing happened, that the last three years had consisted of love and happiness shared between the complete Team 7 – pretending that she'd smiled with a faintly smirking Sasuke, Naruto pretending that she'd dressed each other up in clothes from Konoha's market, pretending that everything was perfect. Living a sad, and somewhat delirious lie. After all, Sasuke's return would be somewhat tedious, but Naruto's would no doubt outrage the villagers. Demanding her execution, no doubt.

Sasuke would be no doubt encouraged to revive the clan, encouraged to do everything that needed to be done, and no doubt respected as one of the final Uchiha's. But Naruto was a different story.

Tsunade had insisted on telling her and the remaining Rookie 9 of Naruto's darkest secret, the hate that lay in her abdomen that induced her scapegoat treatment from the villagers, that made her the bane of Konoha. They had all been shocked – but Shikamaru had been the first to piece it together, to point out how much sickening sense it made. How the villagers would glare at Naruto, tripping him and ripping her off anywhere and anytime possible. And the way Naruto would refuse to let anyone come or see her apartment, though Sakura had come to see it a few times (and been immensely shocked). The way Naruto would have those moments, when she stared out into space with a sad and longing look on her face – until her friends began to get worried that Naruto, the life of Konoha, was looking rather sorrowful. And the way that occasionally, Naruto would go inexplicably hungry.

Everyone had displayed different reactions. Ino, for instance, had put a hand on a crying Sakura's shoulder – and showed a fair bit of horror towards the adults of Konoha as well. Chouji had looked at the ground in sorrow, his food left discarded. Shikamaru had tried to mask his anger with a show of boredom, but Chouji and Ino could see right through it. The telltale signs of a clenched fist and a grimace that was shown through clenched teeth.

Hinata had let silent, silent tears run down pale cheeks, her heart filled with sorrow until it became a physical pain. Kiba was letting a feral growl emerge from the back of his throat, Akamaru following suit. And Shino's show of emotion was unnoticeable – but if you looked closely, you could see the way he bowed his head slightly.

But Sakura had the worst reaction. Sobbing and sobbing in sheer sadness, knowing that the adults of a village that she had loved had driven away her best friend, had driven away someone completely innocent because of their own misplaced grudges on the blonde haired child. And this child had eventually gotten used to such misplaced treatment. So when she found someone she loved, and someone that loved her, she clung to them - desperately swearing to never let them go, and following them wherever they went.

The only comforting thought for any of them... all of them... is that Naruto, if she knew, would be happy so many cared about her.


"Nnngh..." Naruto groaned, rather annoyed at the interruption of her pleasant dreams of eating ramen with Sasuke. "Damn clock..."

She aimed a full force punch at it, but missed it by an inch, instead being pulled out of the bed by the force of her punch. She sat up, gazing at her alarm clock. It read 6 in the morning. "God dammit." Naruto stumbled to her feet, looking over her bed-

Wait. Sasuke didn't train until 7. Why was he up?

Naruto dazedly staggered over to her calendar, reading the date. "It's three years today."

She jerked herself awake. Sasuke was missing, and it was three years. She could no doubt guess what that meant.

She quickly changed into one of her old tops – knowing it would be destroyed by the end of her encounter – and ran out of N12.


The curse seal crawled across her tanned features, flames spreading in a disgustingly smooth pattern. Her skin turned a shade darker, the iris of her eyes a deep purple and the pupil non existent. Naruto hissed as a pair of elongated canines cut through her lips, blood trickling down from them; she groaned as a furry tail of red ripped through her tail bone, and her ears became tipped with red and became pointed. Nails turned to talons, and purple chakra swirled around her.

Orochimaru... you bastard!

Naruto rushed through the hallways, running out of the North sector of the Sound base and simultaneously entering the centre. She looked for the throne room, searching corridor after corridor for it – before finally coming to C22. She smashed the door open and ignored the splinters that stuck in her hand, and had a sharp inhalation of breath when a disgustingly long tongue slithered around her petite waist.

"Such an easy, easy prey..." Orochimaru slurred, his words coming out of a long white snake. His true form, Naruto thought angrily. Disgusting.

Naruto's eyes widened when he lunged at her, and she quickly recognized this as a mistake when Orochimaru stared into them for a moment; then she found herself in a totally different dimension.


There was a dark, dull sky with a floor of what seemed to be muscles – Sucking Naruto in, entwining her in the disgusting and slimy substance. "Where's Sasuke?!" she screamed.

"Dear dear Naruto-san," Orochimaru sneered. "...haven't you done any genjutsu?"

Genjutsu?! "Sasuke is... all right?"

The muscles slithered up her features, trapping her legs as the curse seal slowly faded away, crawling back to the origin that laid on her neck.


I hate him, with every fibre of my being.

It wasn't like I'd ever liked him, of course. I'd tolerated him, and his dark ambitions and his voice that had an alluring tone to it – though I'm pretty sure that he didn't mean to do that. I hadn't hated him, but I don't know how he could do this.

I see those slitted yellow eyes, that are blue in my minds eye; a cerulean blue that is a shade that you'll never see anywhere else. He took her from me.

Love is something I never quite understood. Now, the meaning flutters clearly in my head; I can't describe it very well. There's a fine line between 'lust' and 'love' that I crossed at some point with Naruto. I get the feeling that I would have still loved Naruto had she been a boy... though I get the feeling there would have been an unhappy ending. I lusted after her the moment I saw her; so beautiful, flawless. But now I know that was an illusion. For I know that Naruto – by no means – is flawless. She is as flawed as everyone else, a bit clumsy and whimsical and rather loud and obnoxious. But now I truly understand. If you asked me, I would never describe Naruto as 'flawless'. If you asked me now. Before I'd seen her as a girl, I wouldn't have even graced you with a reply. She changed me beyond recognition. I understood her – she was flawed, as am I.

But love is when you see all of those flaws. Though people have described it differently, I see all of those flaws perfectly. I can see the way she occasionally trips on a crack in the stone flooring, I can see when she holds back an outburst about how she's 'going to become Hokage someday!' because she know that she can never fulfil that dream- because of me.

My heart aches slightly.

I can see every flaw. They stand out, actually – just because they're a part of her. And I love those flaws, because each one is a part of her. Naruto.

If you had a jigsaw with a beautiful picture on, you can take a piece of the picture that it particularly beautiful – a waterfall, perhaps – but love is when even though that piece is very beautiful, you don't care because you want the picture that all of those pieces make.

That's why I don't just want her body, I want the personality inside. I wouldn't care if she was a boy, because it's Naruto.

Naruto.

Orochimaru took her body. I don't have Naruto any more. She's gone, gone gone.

I can feel my heart breaking. I'm not even exaggerating; I can feel every single piece piercing through my flesh, every piece falling from the structure. Sharp, I think dazedly. So sharp.

Each traitorous piece is still hurting. I wonder if I really was being figurative, or completely literal. It hurts. It hurts.

My Naruto.

The spell is broken when she lifts her head, an expression of terror on those whisker-scarred features. I don't want to die! those eyes scream. Orochimaru went too far in his quest for survival, trying to out run the circle of life.

Those eyes fade to those blue ones that I love. A smirk, triumphant and obnoxious crawls onto her features. "Who do you think won, Sasuke?"

My eyes burn with unshed tears. She's so stupid. So stupid.

Another flaw I love.

My stubborn, stubborn... Naruto.


Sakura dusted the corners again. She was beginning to dislike the cleanliness.

Why? Because Naruto wouldn't live like this. Sasuke did, sure, but Naruto didn't. And frankly, she cared about Naruto a lot more after she'd lost any chance of being Sasuke's girlfriend. She learned there was more to a guy than looks, arrogance, and having an ambition.

That's why, though she'd never admit it to anybody in the village, she was becoming interested in Lee. No matter how many times she had insisted it, he refused to call her anything other than Sakura-san.

She'd asked why, and he'd replied, "Because you deserve the utmost respect, Sakura-san!"

Sakura felt a smile tug her lips at the memory. Though it had been quite a while since she'd laughed. She would admit that at the least.

What was she supposed to do? Occasionally, Kakashi would come in... usually checking on her, making sure she was eating well. Because Kakashi was probably worried about her health. After all, there wasn't much to do when you lost two thirds of your genin team to the most prestigious missing nin of Konoha (aside from, maybe, Akatsuki members. But they were missing nins everywhere).

Sakura supposed Kakashi felt guilty. Why wouldn't he feel guilty? The majority of his team ran away as a lovesick couple to kill an S-Rank missing nin.

She dropped yet another shard of glass into the bin.


"I..." she drawled, "want cranberry tea."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Naruto, you're allergic to cranberries."

"I don't care. Cranberry tea."

"Saiai... I think you need to sit down..."

"CRANBERRY TEA!" she shrieked, grabbing Sasuke's shoulders, and slamming him into a wall harshly. Behind her, Juugo and Suigetsu winced, while Karin looked downright outraged.

"Don't treat Sasuke-kun like that!" she scolded, and Naruto's features abruptly turned sorrowful. Her blue eyes welled up with tears of remorse, and she began to cry.

"I'm sorry Sasuke... I'm sorry..."

Sasuke's eyebrow briefly touched his hairline. She's really emotional today... "Karin, can you examine her chakra? Is she okay?"

Karin closed her eyes. She searched for chakra, looking around the blue chakra she could almost see swirling around Naruto's tenketsu. Pretty normal...

Then, abruptly, there was a large fluctuation of crimson chakra in her minds eye, and Karin fell to the floor in shock. The sheer horror of how demonic... how unnatural... how surreal that chakra was... it overpowered her completely. The hate that came over her, the hate that was undoubtedly directed at her, was matched by nothing short of the devil himself.

Suigetsu sniggered into the back of his hand at how stupid she looked lying on the floor dazed.

Karin could see a faint, lighter blue chakra weaving around the darker blue. She'd seen that before... in other people... she knew what it was, and God she wished she didn't.

She mentally made the decision not to tell Sasuke about the red chakra. What good would it do? Sasuke would never believe that his precious 'saiai' was a demon. He's totally infatuated with her.

"Sasuke-kun..." she bit out. It wasn't that she was angry at Sasuke, oh no; God, how was he supposed to put this?! "...she's... she's..."

"Say it, Karin," Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "It can't be that bad."

"She's pregnant!"


I'm... I'm what?!

Naruto backed into the opposing wall with shock. It echoed around her head again and again... refusing to be forgotten, and she seemed to be obliging as she mouthed those words over and over until it rang clear like a mantra she had been forced to chant for five years. I'm pregnant.

Well, no doubt, it made sense. She had been asking for strange things recently. Tofu flavoured yoghurt; cranberry tea (though she was allergic to, and hated, cranberries); and she'd even started to feel sick at the thought of ramen. Sasuke had gone out and bought her some, and Naruto had been delighted and given him a long, long kiss (that, Naruto supposed, soon became a physical recap of how she got pregnant in the first place) but had actually, when it had come to it, had not been able to stand it and thrown up. Then again, it had been the morning – that could have just been morning sickness, she reasoned.

Naruto couldn't help but notice how mortified Suigetsu looked. He'd had to witness some girl being told she's pregnant. Naruto sympathized. Deeply.

Juugo's reaction was the one that struck her the deepest. He looked nonchalant on the outside, but his eyes said different. They were filled with the things she'd seen in her own eyes and Sasuke's; confusion, sadness, heartbreak.

Juugo and Sasuke were somewhat alike; although Juugo had no revenge, no elder brother to kill, and was actually generally a happier person than Sasuke. But now, Naruto couldn't help but feel that the cause of that hurt was her. It hurt her; she'd seen the exact same eyes on Hinata when she'd found out that Naruto was a girl. Naruto was more perceptive than surmized at first glance. She knew, from that moment forth, Hinata had loved Naruto.

Hinata had watched over him. Continuously. Watching out for him, secretly admiring him. That's why, when the male Naruto had died, the slowly building confidence of Hinata had crumbled down and she'd once again been reduced to a gibberish mess that had no confidence and couldn't stand up to her disappointed father.

The same Hinata she'd always been.

Naruto's heart ached as she realized she'd done it again. She'd hurt another person; Juugo, this time. She'd broken another heart.

I'm sorry.

I truly, truly am... Juugo.


Tsunade liked sake, for more reasons than one.

It was in the word 'forsaken'. Which she felt at this current moment as she read through mission reports and wondered about the blonde haired blue eyed girl that had looked so much like her beloved teammates student. Minato, she thought sadly as she gulped down yet another shot of sake. As her mind moved onto his daughters boyfriend, the sake glass was crushed within her grasp and it dug firmly into her skin, cutting through and making her hiss through gritted teeth.

Stupid bastard, she shrieked mentally. Took her away from her dreams...

"Tsunade-sama!"

"SHIZUNE?!"

Shizune looked down on her with a sigh. "That's the third sake glass you've shattered, Tsunade-sama. I'm not giving you any more."

"Fine."

There was a short pause.

"You're not drinking out of the bottle."

"Shut up."

Things, which had never been perfectly put together, had just fallen apart. Tsunade let her forehead hit the desk.