A/N: (I just started back to school, meaning there will be fewer updates. Oh, boo.)

I felt a time skip was needed, or else there would never be smut. So yeah.


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And if that mocking bird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring…

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Chapter Seven: Evolution

In life, though around each corner a new fear arises, we must make decisions that will influence us for years to come. Some rationality in the corner of our minds keeps us stable enough to outwit these dangers and overcome them to reach a brighter day, perhaps, and regain what has been strived for. Despite the crooked, spiteful grins cast by others who wish to prevent a better outcome, the grass will always be the same color when the end is reached. And quite possibly, a brighter shade of green will be returned in equal favor.

He was there, sitting quietly to himself and gazing bleakly at the flashing television screen. It was only on to keep him company, only ever on for that purpose, through the lonely nights, be he would have much rather preferred the companionship of a living, breathing person. Nevertheless, other people just didn't catch his eye anymore. Neither did food, for that matter- He rarely had an appetite, and often times it resulted in him gaining an illness which meant he was constantly under the weather.

There were two bandages adorning each wrists, wrapped tightly against the flesh, and peering closely at the cloth you could see the faint image of dried blood. Sasuke didn't like to call it blood, though. He liked to call it his sanctuary. While cutting, arms draped numbly over his bathroom sink with a red liquid seeping through consecutive, dotted lines across he flesh, he cried, while on the other hand, many would grin wickedly or chuckle. He cried because he knew it was wrong- Very wrong, and yet, he would not stop. It was addicting.

Just like Naruto.

Eyelids slowly making their way closed, he sighed, wondering if he should throw out the ramen in his cupboards that he had previously refused to let go of.

---

"Hinata? Hinata!" Growling, a young blonde made his way throughout a large house, turning in the kitchen and approaching a humming female who was stirring in a pot on the stove. "Hinata," he repeated, "I'm going to go out for a while. Kiba asked earlier if we could hang out, and I told him that you needed to know first." He snorted, frowning. "Because you need to know everything before I'm permitted to do it." Folding his arms, he pouted. The woman beside him turned her head, shaking it slowly. She waved her hand in dismissal, telling him.

"Fine, whatever, Naruto. Go ahead and go out, but don't say I didn't warn you about that Kiba fellow. He's no good, and I just can't see why you enjoy talking with him." Her comment was disdainful, and she took her eyes from the blonde to resume cooking. "However," she continued, "if you get into an ounce of trouble, you'll be grounded for an entire week. Understand?" she prompted, flashing an expecting glance at the boy.

"Hinata, I'm fifteen," he replied, rolling his eyes. "I'll be fine. If I get into any trouble, you can put m in time-out, okay?" Hinata didn't seem to enjoy the humor in that statement as much as Naruto had, but honestly, he didn't mind. Satisfying Hinata- And her husband, Neji, who he constantly nagged on the whole "incest" scenario, seeing as the couple were related. Distantly, but still, they were tied, and it was something Naruto could annoy them about- wasn't exactly his biggest priority. "I'm gone," he called opening the front door and slamming it as he emerged outside.

'Okay, Kiba's place,' he thought, grinning. For three years, he and the brunette had been close friends. Even through all the tough times, he had stuck close to Naruto and supported him- Kiba had proven to be his ultimate source of comfort nowadays. Now he looked forward to visiting his friend's house, if only a way to get out of his own. Quite recently, Hinata and Neji (who never seemed that interested in having a kid in the first place) seemed to pay less and less attention to him. At the beginning, Hinata was warm and loving to the blonde. Now she just seemed like an angry mother with too much responsibility. Naruto had come to the conclusion that she was.

Nearing the house, he sped his pace. Kiba's home was a bit distant from his own, closer to Sasuke's house but still a ways from it. In the "ghetto", perhaps, is what Naruto would classify it as. Not nice, but not awful- It was a content place, to say the least. Lived in and welcoming, though Kiba only had a younger sister, an uncle, and no parents. His uncle was aging though, and soon he would be left to care for his sister alone. Naruto knocked on the front door, waiting patiently until it was opened and he came face to face with his favorite person at the moment. "Hey, Naruto!" he exclaimed, pulling the blonde into a friendly embrace. "I haven't seen you for a while! I'm glad you decided to come! How's it been, buddy?"

Naruto shrugged, half-smiling. "It's been…okay," he answered, scuffing the ground with his shoes. "Not as great as I'd like, but I'm doing okay, I suppose."

Kiba gave him an intent stare. True, they had no romantic feelings for each other, not the slightest, but Kiba cared deeply for Naruto, despite these things. Their connection was sincere, although it wasn't in the way of a lover. It was in the way of a best friend. "Naruto, are you sure you're okay?" he questioned, squinting his eyes a bit. "You don't seem like it- At all. Is something bothering you?"

As much as Naruto had wanted to tell him "no", the word would not come, and he couldn't deny it. "I…" he trailed off, eyes solemn. His bottom lip dragged downward, and he gulped. Kiba raised an eyebrow.

"Naruto, what's wrong?"

To Kiba's surprise, Naruto began sobbing, a series of violent shudders spreading through his body. His face was buried in his palms as he cried, ashamed. "K-Kiba," he stuttered, tripping over his words. "It's awful! You wouldn't believe the things they do to me!" This made Kiba utterly lost. The things they do to him? What could he have possibly meant? So, in return, Kiba asked this, and Naruto looked up at him, azure eyes shimmering with tears. "N-Neji…He's hit me before. Right here," he said, pulling up the edge of his shirt. Kiba couldn't stifle a gasp. There, on Naruto's side close to his ribs, was a large expanse of bruises stretching across his skin, deep purples and blacks covering much of his tanned skin. "He tells me I deserve it," he whispered, looking to the ground. "He tells me I deserve more of it."

"…Come inside," is all Kiba could think to say.

---

"Hey, Kiba, is that Naruto! Hey, Naruto!" a young girl exclaimed- She looked to be no older than eight. Nine, perhaps, at the maximum. She bounced excitedly, oblivious to the look of dismay on the blonde's face. Kiba, her brother, shot her a brief glare, and she halted. Silently she stared after Kiba and Naruto as they made their way into the brunette's room. Inside, it wasn't exactly the cleanest place. To Naruto, though, it was reassuring. If all else changed, at least Kiba had not. The two males sat down on a bed, and Naruto's eyes fell to his feet.

"Man, please explain," Kiba pressed in a concerned tone. Placing a hand on the other boy's shoulder, he waited for a reply. These were hard to come by. When questioned, Naruto seemed to back away, possibly afraid of being put on spot for an answer. On most occasions, his answers could be identified, not in words, but in his actions.

He opened his mouth and hesitated, shaking his head in a sluggish manner. "They never think I'm good enough," he muttered. "Neji said that Hinata regrets ever taking me in. I mean, I know Hinata is a nice woman and all, but if she were thinking twice about keeping me…I can't really say that I blame her." Hearing this, Kiba gaped. How could he possibly say such a thing? If anything, Naruto was the perfect child, and true, he had been stubborn his first year in the new household, but it was expected. Anyone with a dapple of sense would prepare themselves for such a thing; Naruto was the same as any other person, in any matter, and he seemed oddly reluctant to even speak with Hinata or Neji. It was his first encounter with Sasuke repeating itself, though this time it never seemed to end.

"Naruto," Kiba sighed, yearning to give some reassuring words, "what can I say? You seem so positive that no one feels the same about you like they did two years ago. And yeah, so you've changed in those years, but you're still you. You're still Naruto, and hell, you're the greatest friend I could ask for." Twiddling his thumbs, he said in a softer voice, "Honestly? I've been jealous of you quite a few times. Everyone is just so naturally attracted to you, and even I have to admit that not loving you is a hard thing to pull off. You just cling to us, to everyone, and it's hard for me to understand your situation. I've never lived anywhere but here, and you've been with three different families." His words halted upon seeing Naruto's pained expression.

"…One of them didn't count," the blonde corrected, dismayed.

Kiba didn't nod for many moments- He was certain of Naruto's implications. "But Naruto, Sasuke-"

"Don't you ever say that name!" Naruto shouted, voice intense and face burning with unadulterated rage. Kiba winced and drew back from the male, shooting him a few worried glances and gulping. His friend had become very touchy on the Uchiha after he had been taken in by his new parents; obviously, he had never gotten over his other foster father. True as it was, the both of them knew what a caring parental figure Sasuke had been. However, Naruto was enraged at the mere sound of his voice. Perhaps it was agonizing, not being able to do so much as visit the man. Courts had stated some year ago that Naruto was not to contact him under any circumstances, and to Kiba's surprise, he didn't argue. It was peculiar, but then again lately everything was.

"I'm sorry," Kiba whispered, standing from his bed. "I was just trying to help, but it doesn't seem like anyone can do that. If you can't even get over him, then how are you going to live your life normally? Why can't you just forget that you even knew the guy?" He had quite a way with persuasion, but Naruto was one to see through his attempts.

Eyes closed tightly, Naruto released a shaky breath. The room around him seemed to spin under the pressure. Everything was different. Everything had changed, but still… "I loved him, Kiba," were the words dripping with fragility from his parted mouth. "He was the most important person I had ever met. He…was my everything. My father. He was my dad, and you expect for me to forget him as if he was nothing? As if he never existed?" Immediately, Kiba was taken aback at his words- The disbelief in his tone. Never had he expected for Naruto to take his comment so seriously, but alas, he did. The only thing that had him confused was why the blonde had said this.

"Naruto, you talk about him like he was your lover," Kiba commented. "Or someone you wanted to have as your lover."

To this, Naruto's jaws parted, but there was nothing he could say.

---

Two adults sat in a room, staring at one another from opposite sides of a table. "So," on of them remarked in a half-interested voice, "How has it been lately? Must feel good, now that you don't have a kid in your hair all the time, eh?" The man saying these things chuckled, running a finger along the rim of a brittle wine glass. "You do know that they won't ever allow you to take supervision over another child so long as you live? That little upset two years ago caused a great distaste for you, unfortunately."

The second male remained wordless, though his eyes lifted a bit at the comment. After a few seconds, he muttered, "I know, Dad."

His father grinned smugly and leaned further back into his chair with a sigh. "However, there has been some recent changes. I hear that the government and court systems are actually considering allowing you your license back. This isn't to say that you want it, though. After going through as much as you have, I can't help but agree fully." He was certain. It was a rational explanation.

"No," the brunette replied dishearteningly. "I would do anything to have Naruto back."

The man sitting across from him shook his head and said nothing in return.

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"I'm home," Naruto announced bleakly as he entered the house. Four hours spent at Kiba's house, and he had dreaded returning to his home afterward. While visiting his friend, he had tried to avoid all talk dealing with himself and the problems occurring in his life. He and Kiba talked about it for a short while, but soon after they found themselves laughing and joking as any normal teenage boy should. When he got home, however, and called to Hinata, there was no answer. Baffled slightly, he wandered through the house, searching various rooms for his foster mother. Then, he came into a room, and instantly he regretted ever leaving Kiba's.

"N-Neji…"

Said man turned his head from his place on the carpet, eyes flaring with inhibited fury. "Leave," he commanded in a maniacal tone. "Leave!" Heart thudding in sheer panic, Naruto turned on his heels, darting through the halls that seemed to spin around him- Vision blurred, head spinning, and he dared not breath until his feet hit the smooth concrete outside. Panting, he looked frantically in several directions.

'Where do I go?' he thought. Leaning against the side of the house, he placed his hands over his face in despair and screamed bitterly at his own misery. He had seen it- a woman's arm drooping over Neji's lap, blood oozing down blue-tinted skin. Peering closer, he had seen something familiar, something more recognizable, and immediately he knew that it was the outfit Hinata had been wearing while cooking just moments before he left. 'If I wouldn't have gone to Kiba's, then things wouldn't be like this… She wouldn't be dead!' It seemed ironic, impossible almost, how often grief occurred in his life. How many times must he suffer before reaching the brighter days? Perhaps there weren't any planned for him, he had assumed, staring monotonously at a patch of bright purple weeds that would probably be dug from the ground and torn from its roots in a day or so.

Head throbbing, his feet carried him without his mind having any say so; he didn't resist- He was going somewhere, and at least it was better than no where, but at that moment Naruto knew that he was going to Sasuke's house.

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Sasuke wasn't exactly one to watch nightly new broadcasts, but he did, seeing as it would most likely not be able to depress him any further. Nowadays, everything seemed to revolve around crime- Murder, suicide, robbery. And then there was death in general, such as those caused by natural forces or the ones that rested in the hands of other humans. He guessed that God was fed up with the planet just as much as he was. Given the chance, he would certainly make it all disappear, if only to end this life of chaos and destruction. The beauty in things was constantly being drained, and to him it felt as if it were draining the years from his own body. He was only twenty-two, but he felt as if he were forty-three.

Grudgingly, he stood upon hearing a knock at his front door, followed by another. They were impatient knocks, and for the life of him he couldn't understand why whoever was at his door couldn't possibly wait until he answered it. "What is it?" he asked, opening the door and speaking without a moment's hesitation. But as he looked in disbelief at the sight before him, his body took on an overwhelming numbness, tingling sensations rippling through his veins and turning them to liquid fire. It was a mirage was his first thought, eyes resting on the blonde figure in front of him. "…Naruto?" Blue eyes had taken on a deeper color than the Naruto he had seen before, and he was taller, hair arranged in a more mature manner than its normal unruly state. "Naruto, is it really you?"

"Who else?" the blonde answered, faking a smile and leaning into a tight embrace. It felt odd to him, hugging Sasuke- It never had before, but then, it had seemed so different, as if it weren't a normal hug to be given out. He felt as if it had been knitted especially for him and placed in Sasuke's pocket until the moment of his return. "Yes, Sasuke- It's me. Naruto."

Sasuke trembled slightly. 'This isn't real…right? This…' Staring at the boy, cheeks still adorned by the faint whisker marks, he smiled. '…This is real. This is Naruto.' He hugged the blonde again, rubbing his back affectionately. It seemed like more than two years to Sasuke. More like an eternity of sheer loneliness, but all of it had been wiped clean when Naruto arrived at his door. Fate? Most likely not. There had to have been a rational reason as to why the boy had come on such an abrupt notice. "Naruto, why are you here?" he questioned.

The blonde couldn't possibly say, could he? Gazing into Sasuke's obsidian eyes, he nodded as to reassure himself. Yes, he could. "…Neji murdered Hinata today. I saw him, and he told me to leave, so I did. God knows why he didn't kill me too, but fortunately his didn't. I had no where else to turn, so I came here…" Sasuke gently pulled him inside, and Naruto followed without complaint, sitting down onto the all too familiar sofa with a small grin. 'So many memories,' he thought, eyes venturing across the living room. A few minor things had changed, but not much. To him, it was as if so much was preserved there, in Sasuke's house. "Sasuke, we need to tell someone." His voice was urgent, and Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"You're sure that what you saw was real?" He was given a nod. "All right."

He quickly picked up a phone and dialed 911- There was an answer, and he could practically envision the haughty smirks on the officer's faces at hearing his voice. "There's important news," he declared. "Someone's been murdered."

A pause, and then a set of instructions, and the two males hurriedly made their way out of the house.

---

At the police department, much havoc ensued. Many groups of people were leaving the building, making there was to the Hyuuga residence to investigate. Calls reporting from the house concluded that Neji had ran from the crime scene. In his seat, Naruto fidgeted and tapped his foot until a stout man entered the lobby where he and Sasuke remained. "It has been determined: Neji has committed second-degree homicide and is now on the run. We'll track him down at any cost and any way possible until he's convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Now, as for you," he stated, pointing a finger at Naruto, "you need a new home… But unfortunately…" He trailed off and stroked his chin thoughtfully. Glancing at Sasuke, who's eyes brimmed with a newfound hope, he sighed in utter defeat.

"We have no one else to care for you. No one, that it, except for Sasuke… Naruto, say hello to your new dad. Again."

Strangely, Naruto was enthusiastic, but hidden behind the joy was a darker sense that things could never be the same between he and Sasuke like his younger years. He wasn't simply Sasuke's child to look after anymore- He was older, and that meant he was vulnerable to virtually anything.

---

Optimistic for a change, Sasuke took Naruto home and joked with him, invited Kiba over too so they could celebrate, though the brunette teen was puzzled by how Naruto had not argued to live with the Uchiha again. He didn't mention it though- To him, it wasn't really that important. Some time during that night, Kiba made the decision to leave early, saying something along the lines of, "My sister probably isn't in bed yet, and Uncle never makes sure she is. See you guys later." With a wave, he departed, leaving Sasuke and Naruto to themselves.

The blonde looked at the older male; his appearance had altered, as far as he could see, eyes sharpened and more keen now- alert to what was going on around him. Now, Sasuke had always been an attractive man, but never before had Naruto thought… 'No! I can't think that! I like girls- Hell, I love girls! And besides, he's my dad! That's just wrong.' He chortled, and Sasuke turned his head and gave him a curious stare.

"What's so funny?" he asked, grinning, despite the fact he had not the slightest clue what Naruto had been thinking about.

The blonde shook his head, holding the smirk firmly. "Oh, nothing. I was just-"

In one swift movement, Sasuke had leaned across the sofa and closed the gap between them both, pressing his lips flush against Naruto's and sliding his fingers between the boy's soft, golden hair. Time didn't stand still- There wasn't time. Not anymore. It was only them, no world around either, and the steady rhythm of one another's heartbeat.


A/N: Unexpected? Yeah, probably not. Neji abused Naruto, Hinata died, and he and Sasuke kissed. This chapter was some odd 4,00 words. What further twists await in the next chapter…? Feedback?

(Oh, damn. I just started the ninth grade, and it's awful. Pray for me, for it may be my death before I finish this story. DX)