A/N: I realize I haven't updated in over a year…I'm so sorry! My grandmother passed away and I've been in a funk ever since, sadly. But I have started writing again, especially, editing old stories that haven't been updated in years. The need to write hit me then and I ended up writing an epilogue for "Damn Teme" and whaddaya know, inspiration hit me for this story too.
I'll try updating more often, my boyfriend now knows of my secret fanfiction life and has been begging to read my stories, slash or not.
Ah, that is love.
Let's get this show on the road.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto nor do I own The Summit.
Warnings: Slash, violence, language, etc., etc.
Excuse any mistakes, this was unbeta-ed in my hurry to get this up ASAP.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO
I sure don't
Mind a change
But I fell on black
Days
How would I know
That this could be
My fate
Fell On Black Days - Soundgarden
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO
Naruto felt his hair rise at the back of his neck.
He had a bad feeling. He had woken up late for work, almost broke his neck while showering, and experienced a near death experience as his absent-mindedness almost got him killed.
Throughout the day, his luck only seemed to worsen and the bad feeling in his stomach didn't go away. In fact, the weight of it in his stomach seemed to have gotten heavier.
Now, Naruto wasn't overly superstitious nor did believe in coincidences. But he swear, he had seen a hooded man watching him. Not just once, not twice, not even three times.
But four times.
Naruto being, well Naruto, was actually used to this, as sad as it was. He's had stalkers before, because let's admit it; Naruto was a fucking gorgeous piece of ass, who wouldn't want to tap that? However, it didn't mean that he was all too comfortable with it. He didn't think he'd ever be comfortable about it, in what world would anyone be happy with someone stalking them?
This wasn't fucking Twilight and he wasn't no fucking Bella Swan.
Stalkers were only romantic in romance novels that deprived middle-aged women loved to write.
Naruto wasn't a romance novelist either, so, stalkers?
Yeah, count him out; as long as they looked from afar and didn't try anything else, he was satisfied. Not entirely so, but enough that he could pretend that he didn't know he was being watched.
There was a really bad feeling he got from this certain hooded stranger though, he didn't know why. Maybe it was because the hood obstructed his face. Perhaps it was because he seemed imposing even from afar. He could feel the other's eyes burning a hole into him and the feeling wasn't all that pleasant.
He ignored the man, as the stature hadn't suggested anything but, and for a while, it was easy, he almost hadn't noticed the man. The first time he saw him, he was at the back of the store, leaning against the glass window with a magazine in his hand. The man had left a short while after that. The second time Naruto had seen him, was when he had heard the 'ding' of the bell at the door and then spotted the familiar hoodie looking at drinks. He left 5 minutes later. The third time Naruto had noticed him, was when he spotted the man talking on his phone, outside of the store. It had already gotten dark out by that time and the hood covering his face didn't help but he knew the man was looking at him as he spoke on the phone. The mysterious hoodie guy walked away 10 minutes later.
But now he was back and he wasn't even trying to keep his staring a secret. It was kind of unsettling.
The stranger hadn't tried anything, but the unspoken 'yet´ lingered in his mind.
So, it was with jerky movement that he stuffed a customer's bag with his purchased items. His shift was almost over and Sasuke should've gotten home by now.
Recently, the brunette had been acting strangely. Not to say that the damn teme wasn't strange enough already but his behavior as of late seemed even more strange than usual, if that was possible. He had become more touchy feely and it was with surprise that Naruto had realized that Sasuke seemed to cling to him. Not in an overbearing way, mind you, but kind of like a kitten that wanted attention. Naruto didn't really mind, he was a touchy feely person himself. But the Sasuke he met before and the Sasuke he knew know seemed almost like two completely different people.
If it wasn't for the unchanging taunts, snarky remarks, and sarcasm, Naruto would say that the real Sasuke had been kidnapped and replaced with a clone. He had tried asking Sasuke about it before but the teme smacked him and told him that he was imagining stuff.
Naruto Uzumaki didn't imagine stuff.
Sure, in third grade he had thought that he had seen a spider on one of his classmate's head. And ok, maybe it turned out to just be a really ugly hairbow. But the point of this story was that, Naruto didn't just "imagine" stuff without there being a reason for it. He wish he could ask Sasuke again.
But then again, he didn't want to get kicked out of bed because he had gotten smacked too hard.
Naruto winced in pain at the reminder of it and sighed in relief as he bagged his last customer's things. Sai was working in the back, doing inventory and had left Naruto up front to manage the customers.
Naruto really knew it was just an excuse so Sai could be lazy.
He looked up at the clock and saw that it was 5 minutes to the end of his shift. Naruto grinned to himself and untied his work apron from himself and hung it up on hanger. He looked around and realized with surprise that the hooded stranger had left. His brows furrowed and he didn't know why he felt a sudden fear pulse through him.
Maybe everybody was right. Maybe everything was just in his imagination.
Shaking his head, confused as to why he had been gripped by such an inexplicable fear, Naruto grabbed his jacket and headed to the back to say his goodbyes to Sai. He found him lost amongst the boxes and Sai merely grunted a goodbye as he continued checking inventory.
Naruto stepped out the store, tightening his jacket around himself as a breeze hit him.
He wondered briefly if he should stop by the Chinese restaurant nearby to order some food to take home to Sasuke. Damn bastard would probably throw a bitch fit about it if Naruto came home empty-handed again. Not that the fucking bastard even deserved it but fuck, he was hungry too.
Two birds, one stone, right?
Naruto walked along the sidewalk, streetlights dimply lit alongside him. He looked up at the stars and appreciated the beauty of it before focusing on his feet, lest he trip, fall on his face and embarrass himself. The only sound he heard was the scuff of his shoes against the gravel beneath his feet, crickets chirping and the distant sound of the city behind him.
He felt his pocket vibrate and pulled his phone out in surprise. Blue eyes rolled as 'Sasuke' flashed on the screen. Damn teme, always checking up on him. Naruto ignored the call and kept on walking, he could probably make it to the restaurant and be back home by ten, if he hurried.
It was with shock that Naruto realized that there were footsteps behind him. By the time Naruto had realized that something was very wrong, it was too late.
He heard the distinct 'clank' as his phone hit the ground.
A hand covered his mouth, an arm pulled him back and a blindfold appeared in front of his eyes.
Naruto was lost in the darkness.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOO
Sasuke glanced up from the TV at the clock that hung above it.
Ten o'clock.
Naruto's shift had ended an hour ago and he should've been back home by now. He had tried calling the idiot countless of times since then but the damn fucker never answered. It wasn't the first time it had happened, the blond was known for ignoring his calls most of the time, just because he could. He didn't know why the fucker even bothered with a phone, he never even used It much for anything.
Then again, if Naruto didn't have a phone, Sasuke would've probably strangled him out of frustration.
What? It was possible.
Sasuke looked at the clock again, thinking that he might've messed up the time, but narrowed his eyes when he realized that he had been right the first time. A pale hand reached up to run through black hair and Sasuke sighed heavily.
Looking after Naruto was a lot like looking after a kid.
Not that Sasuke had any experience with children, just the mere thought of it made him shudder in horror.
Although Naruto was older than him, he was still moronic. Sometimes Sasuke had to remind himself that yes, Naruto was older, but also, yes, Naruto was an idiot. Naruto, with his secrets.
Oh what Sasuke would do to know all of Naruto's secrets.
He didn't think that he knew, but oh, Sasuke did. He'd see when those blue eyes would glaze over in memory, clouding over with emotions that Sasuke was surprised Naruto even had.
He wanted to know absolutely everything about the blond, down to his dirty secrets.
Sasuke had to commend himself; he had patience. Not much, since he was an impatient bastard and he hated having to wait for anything because he was more of a "don't waste time" bullshitter but he had enough. He had to have patience, if he wanted to deal with Naruto.
Because seriously, that fucking idiot was not easy to handle.
But dammit if he wasn't so fucking pretty.
Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Sasuke grabbed his jacket, his phone and his keys. Naruto might've fallen asleep halfway on his way home and as much as Sasuke would've liked leaving him out, he knew the blond would give him hell if he caught a cold later on.
Sasuke wasn't worried. Not at all. And if anyone said he was, he'd kick their ass because he hated liars.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOO
Naruto struggled to move.
His hands were tied behind his back and his feet were tied to keep from kicking out. Duct tape covered his mouth and Naruto cringed at the hard feel of it against his mouth. Apparently whoever had taken him, had thought it out very well.
Fucking dammit.
Naruto was very close to having a panic attack but knew that it wouldn't help in any way if he did. He knew he should've trusted his instincts but instead brushed it off, blaming his overactive imagination.
He would kick himself if could.
But seeing as he was tied up and normally, he couldn't do it even if he wasn't tied up, he didn't.
He had no idea how the fuck he was going to get himself out of this, he didn't know who had taken him and he didn't know where he was.
All he knew was that he was now in a car, on his way somewhere, probably somewhere abandoned because bad things always happened to good people in abandoned places.
Fuck.
See and this was precisely why he didn't like watching scary movies. Because now all possible scenarios were passing through his mind and Naruto really didn't know what he would do if he ended up in a scene like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".
And now he was blaming Sasuke, mostly because he didn't have anyone else to blame at the moment and also because he missed him.
Just a little, he admitted with reluctance.
He wondered if Sasuke had noticed him missing already. He wondered if he was looking for him. Even though the search would be fruitless, it gave him a warm feelings thinking about a worried Sasuke searching for him.
Not that he'd ever admit it. Not even to himself.
Right now, Naruto had to focus on getting away. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it but he'd be damned if he went down without a fight, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" be damned, Leatherface had nothing on him.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO O
Sasuke ran into the convenience store Naruto worked at, almost crashing into the glass door in his hurry. Sai looked up from his reading from the counter, raised an eyebrow in a silent question.
"Is Naruto here?" Sasuke asked.
He knew he wasn't, he just knew, but he had to ask, a small part of him hoping that he was wrong.
Sasuke watched Sai frown in confusion, his forehead wrinkled.
"He left an hour ago…"
And that was enough for Sasuke to know there was something wrong.
Fuckfuckfuckfuck!
"…he hasn't come home. I've been calling him but he hasn't answered any of my calls. I thought he might've worked until late," Sasuke felt the need to explain.
With great reluctance. Sai and Sasuke didn't exactly get along. They looked a bit alike but that was where the similarities stopped.
"He left as soon as his shift finished, however, he seemed a bit off. He's been acting rather strangely today, I thought both of you had gotten into another fight," Sai glared at Sasuke, his worry for Naruto winning out.
Sasuke felt at a loss. He had a feeling that he was missing something, something that was right in front of him, but he didn't know what. How the fuck was he going to find Naruto if he didn't even know where to fucking start?!
Sasuke ran his hands over his face in frustration. He was imagining Naruto dead in a ditch somewhere.
"There was someone here…earlier. I noticed that he seemed to be coming around a lot lately. He was very suspicious, his face was hidden and he kept watching Naruto. I didn't think too much of it, Naruto always attracts people but there was something different about this man," Sai closed his book.
A man?
Dammit. Fucking hell, shit.
Sasuke remembered Naruto mentioning that he had a lot of enemies before. He had debts and debt collectors were after him. Sasuke knew close to nothing about Naruto. He never talked about his family, friends, or anything even remotely related to personal. There was absolutely no way that Sasuke could even begin to find out where Naruto was.
Sasuke vowed that when he found Naruto, they'd have a long talk about Naruto's personal life because there was no way he was going to stand back and let something like this happen once again.
Sasuke was going to find Naruto, there was no "and" "ifs" or "buts" about it, he didn't know where he was going to begin but he knew that by the end of the night, he'd have Naruto back home with him or go on a killing spree.
Sasuke heard the distant 'ding' of the bell and he turned around at the same time that Sai did. There was a silver haired man walking up the counter and Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
He looked oddly familiar but he was sure that he had never seen him before. Sasuke studied his hair and his eyes as the man looked at Sai.
"Blondie not here today?" Sai looked surprised and his eyes also narrowed at the man.
Sasuke felt recognition hit him and he finally realized. He couldn't recall, because he had never seen the man's face fully.
But this man, he had seen him before. First, in the train station where he had met Naruto and then, at Naruto's apartment.
Sasuke glanced at Sai and Sai gave him a small nod. Sasuke moved fast and grabbed the man by his neck, his arms wrapping around him in a strong hold. Sai reached behind the counter to grab a bat and held it menacingly in the man's face. The man in his grasp stood still in surprise and then began to struggle. Sasuke leaned into the man, head dipping to whisper harshly into his ear "Where's Naruto?"
The man struggled and gasped, "I don't know, I swear. But I can find out."
Sasuke loosened his grip slightly. Sai stepped away to lock the door and let down the blinds to assure they not be disturbed.
"You have 5 minutes. Talk," and with that Sasuke let the man go. He was taking his chances and he really didn't have the patience to deal with any of this but this man was his only lead and dammit to hell if he wasn't going to use it.
The man straightened up, his eyebrow rising in cocky defiance. His mouth was a firm line as he stood outnumbered, knowing that the best way was to just agree and go along. He didn't have the patience to deal with bullshit either.
"I honestly haven't seen Uzumaki and that's the truth. I have people that can find out but I suggest you go with me. You're going to need to hear what I'm going to say."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Deidara had always been a crazy kinda guy. That was just who he was and most people accepted it and he was glad for it. There was no other way around it, Deidara was happy to be who he was and he was happy to have who he had. He didn't lead the best life and yeah, he'll admit that he may have been involved in a few illegal things. But he wasn't complaining, that was just his life and he had no other. Deidara found that he could easily have anything he wanted with a little patience and a lot of determination. It also didn't hurt that he was attractive; blond hair, blue eyes. He could have anything he wanted.
But most of all though, he wanted one man.
He seemed like an impossible man, there were rumors of him saying that he was cold-hearted and everybody knew him for what he was: a killer. He was to be feared but Deidara knew better.
He was beautiful.
The first time Deidara had seen him, he was fascinated. With hair as red as blood and eyes as green as emeralds, he was stunning. He was pale with dark circles around his eyes and with a red Japanese tattoo on his face. When Deidara saw him, he was in a fight. The man moved around with so much grace that seemed impossible, his feet kicking out and his arms lashing out in a deadly dance. The battered man that laid at his feet was bloody and begging for mercy, but there was no emotion in those cold green eyes, no flash of anything human. That pale face remained stoic and impassive, as if he hadn't just almost beaten a man to death.
Deidara was in love. It was after that, that he had tried to get close to the man, whose name he later found out to be "Gaara".
No one knew where he had come from or who he really was or what he wanted.
But Deidara didn't care about any of that, all he wanted was Gaara. He wanted to feel those strong arms around him; he wanted to feel those deadly eyes on him.
However, no matter how much Deidara tried, he could never get close to the red headed beauty. He was hopelessly lost in love and he was falling harder by the minute but his feelings remained unreciprocated.
And that's when Deidara met him; Naruto.
It hadn't been planned; he was just tagging along with Gaara even though the man barely even looked at him. There had been a distant shout of Gaara's name and a blur of yellow and Deidara was surprised to see a blond in Gaara's arms.
Deidara was not amused. He didn't understand why there was a blond, who wasn't him, in Gaara's arms.
Deidara watched with envy, jealousy gnawing at his insides, as Gaara wrapped his arms around said blond. He watched as those pale lips leaned down to whisper into a tan ear and as those eyes looked down softly upon the blond as he laughed.
He almost missed Gaara's smile and it was with a fury that he didn't even know he had in him that he realized that Gaara had smiled. But not for him, rather, for some unknown blond who Deidara had not even been aware of before. His fists clenched, his fingernails leaving behind crescent moon shaped marks on his palms. He swallowed hard and unclenched his jaw as he looked the other blond over.
He was nothing special.
He was short and skinny. His hair was maybe a shade more blond than Deidara's and his eyes perhaps a shade lighter. He was cute but Deidara was definitely better than him. He didn't understand why it was at this blond that Gaara smiled at.
Those arms were supposed to be around him. Those lips were meant for him. Those eyes were supposed to look at him with that love.
That's when Deidara realized that in this boy's presence he was not as heartless as he made himself to be. That's when Deidara realized that this boy was someone who meant more to Gaara than anyone else.
He growled in anger but held himself back and Gaara ruffled the boy's hair before he walked off.
Deidara forced a smile and asked "Who's that? A friend? Why not introduce us, huh?"
He needed to know who that boy was. Needed to know why he was so fucking special.
"Naruto…no. Leave him alone Deidara. He's not that type of person," Gaara glared at him and walked off after the blond boy.
Deidara bit his lip in anger as watched.
Not that type of person? What type? Like him? Was Deidara not good enough? Did Gaara mean that Deidara couldn't even talk to his precious "Naruto?"
Deidara had never felt so much hate for anyone than he did towards Naruto, at that moment.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOO
Naruto felt the car stop. They had finally arrived at their destination, after what seemed like forever. He didn't know what he was going to do once they brought him into wherever the hell was. All he knew was that he was going to kick ass, Naruto style.
He felt someone pull him out of the car by his hair and he winced in pain as he followed behind whoever was dragging him. He walked for what seemed like 10 minutes before he was pushed unceremoniously onto something soft. He landed on his back, hands digging uncomfortably into his back. From what his hands felt, he was on a leather couch.
He heard rustling in front of him, loud voices of men, and was blinded by a flood of light as the blindfold was torn off. He blinked, as he tried to get his eyes used to the sudden onslaught of light. At least the blindfold was off now. He turned his head, eyes searching the faces of the unknown men in front of him. He had no idea who any of them were or why they wanted him.
He was thinking that they might've gotten the wrong guy when the group of men parted and a man walked through, his handsome face peering into his.
He recognized the red hair and the brown eyes.
His own blue eyes widened as he took in the features of a man he never though he'd see again.
"Sasori."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The red haired man looked at the blond in amusement. He watched as those blue eyes lit up, his hands waving around in excitement as he retold his story to Sasori.
He honestly didn't know where Deidara got all his energy from, no matter what he did and no matter how much he did it, Deidara was an endless ball of energy that always seemed to have more than enough to last him hours on end. Not that Sasori was complaining, he loved to see Deidara happy, it was always a beautiful sight, he didn't think he'd ever get tired of seeing it.
" –and of course Gaara said he'd –"
Sasori winced as he heard that name.
Lately, it has always been "Gaara this" "Gaara that". Sasori had seen the red-haired man and he didn't see what was so special about him. Sasori had known Gaara since they were kids but he refused to mention that to Deidara lest he asked for more of an insight. Gaara hadn't changed at all since they were kids.
He was still as cold as ever, perhaps even more so.
Sasori would know, he had seen Gaara in action himself as a kid many years ago.
It was nothing special, Sasori could do it better.
He still didn't know how they came to be; the world was rather small after all, he supposed, if he couldn't seem to lose Gaara even after so many years.
Maybe Gaara simply wanted to steal everything Sasori had made for himself as revenge. He supposed it made sense.
Sasori glanced at the still rambling Deidara and his resolve hardened. He wouldn't let Gaara have him. Deidara was the one that had always been there for Sasori after so long. They were adopted together and they were family.
But Sasori didn't think of the blond as family at all. He wanted him in the worst way possible; he wanted his hands on that soft skin and his lips on those lips that he had been dreaming about for years.
Deidara did always idolize Gaara too much. He was slightly glad when it had finally come out that Gaara was living with another blond and didn't seem at all interested in Deidara.
But whether Gaara wanted Deidara or not, didn't matter. He still felt his grip on Deidara loosening and no matter how hard he tried; he couldn't seem to get a stronger hold on him.
Everything Sasori did was for Deidara.
When Gaara was arrested, Sasori was there for Deidara. He made Naruto pay for making his "brother" miserable. Anything Deidara wanted, Sasori happily gave.
He asked for Naruto's bail money for Gaara to be stolen and Sasori made it possible. He asked for Naruto to be thrown out and isolated, Sasori had gone along and done it.
He felt better knowing those two were out of his and Deidara's life. There was no more Gaara to keep Deidara away.
Or so he thought.
But no matter how much he worked at it, Deidara always kept thinking about Gaara. Sasori knew, he knew that that damn bastard was always at the back of Deidara's pretty blond head.
When he heard that Gaara was out prison, he knew it was over. The comfortable life they had set for themselves, the running away, none of it was going to work anymore. He knew Deidara was scared, there was no doubt Gaara knew about what had been done to Naruto and Sasori hadn't tried to hide that fact.
He was going to make it all better.
He'd get rid of them, once and for all if he had to.
He'd do anything for Deidara.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOO
Sasuke hesitated in getting in the silver haired man's car. Not because he was scared but because if this was really a fluke, he was wasting time that he didn't have.
"I suggest you get in the car if you want to find Naruto," came a deep voice from inside the car.
Being reminded again that this was for Naruto, Sasuke got in the car and closed the door, preparing himself for whatever the man was going to say.
"I've called my connections. I know where he is, I'll take you to him," the man looked at him briefly before starting the car.
Sasuke was relieved but also couldn't help being suspicious "Why are you helping me?"
He was a little surprised when the other man laughed and shook his head "I'm not helping you. I owe Gaara a favor and I figure this is the best way to do it."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow "Gaara?"
The man side-glanced at him in surprise and then grinned "Naruto didn't tell you?"
Sasuke's eye twitched in annoyance. He didn't know who Gaara was or what Naruto didn't tell him and he didn't really like secrets being kept from him at all.
The man took his silence as agreement and chuckled.
"Your little Naruto just happens to be Gaara's old lover. Or so were the rumors, it was never confirmed but that's what everybody's always thought."
Sasuke froze. He didn't know how to even react to that bit of news. Once the shock wore off though, the anger settled in. He didn't know why he was so angry, all he knew was that the thought of another man hands on Naruto was enough to make him want to hurt someone. Preferably this "Gaara".
"Gaara…who is he?"
The man was silent for a while, his eyes focused on the road ahead of him as the buildings blurred by on the outside. He turned to look at Sasuke for a moment, his face serious, all traces of humor gone.
"He's the most frightening man you'll ever meet. You see him, you run the other way, because Gaara is not someone you want to mess around with."
Sasuke clenched his jaw and had to wonder how Naruto could end up with such a man but didn't want to linger on those thoughts for too long. All it seemed to do was cause homicidal tendencies in him.
He stayed silent for the rest of the ride, trying not to think about Naruto writhing beneath a faceless man. He tried not to think about the sounds Naruto would make, or the way he'd arch his back. He tried not to think about those hands on Naruto's hips or the way his cheeks would flush and his eyes would glaze over with pleasure. He tried not think about those tan legs wrapped around another man's waist or those arms wrapping around their shoulders, fingers grazing over their back.
He could focus on that later, right now; he needed to get to Naruto as soon as he could.
Gaara could wait for later.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Loud footsteps thudded against the floor, stopping in front of a blond man.
The blond man shuddered in fear as tears ran down his cheeks, smearing the blood on his face.
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry, we shouldn't have…I'm sor…ry…" the man sobbed pitifully, his blue eyes looking up at the man in front of his.
Gaara crouched down; face impassive as he looked into Deidara's blue eyes. He grabbed the blond hair and brought his face closer up to his.
"Tell me where Naruto is."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO
A/N: I'M SORRY. Let me just tell you, that this chapter is 12 pages long. 12! It's my way of apologizing for not updating. Probably should've been longer but I didn't want to give everything away in this chapter. Yes, I realize the plot is thickening and some things are coming into light. I told you guys before this was going to get dark and serious. I hope you liked it, cause it's 4 in the morning and I have work at 7.
Also, I want to thank all the people that read my story and reviewed even long after I stopped updating. You guys were the reason for why I started writing again!
