Chapter 10: Bonds

By the time the hall clock chimed three AM, six year old Brian Pryderi was an emotional wreck. He'd been trying to sleep all night but it had eluded him, making him toss and turn for hours as he worried and fretted, fearing that Sasuke was going to be sent away in the morning. Currently, he was laying in Alex's bed, curled around his favorite bear, hoping that his brother's nearness would help calm him enough to at least get some rest that night.

What if Sasuke went back to the hospital and they never saw him again?

Would they ever see Mommy again?

These questions plagued him, running rampant and Brian gnawed on his lower lip, unheeding of the wounds it caused. He snuggled closer to Alex's warm body as his young mind attempted to come up with answers and find some comfort now that he had crawled in with his brother. Mommy had known what would happen, the brunette finally determined. Somehow she had known ahead of time that this was going to happen and that was why several weeks ago she had told the twins that Sasuke would be coming. She hadn't called him by name or anything but she had known and that had to be why she had told the twins to accept and to help him. She had said that he would be family and they were to treat him as such.

"Think of this person as an elder sibling or cousin." She had said, running her fingers through his hair after Brian had voiced concerns over having a stranger in the house. "They'll protect you and play with you while I'm away."

"But how do you know that they'll do any of those things?" Brian had been forced to whisper since Alex was asleep next to him. "What if they're mean? What if we don't want them here?"

She had smiled and kissed his forehead and given him that smile that meant she knew more than she was telling. "Trust me. I love you very much and I am sure that they will too. You'll see."

And that was the last conversation they had had. A week later, the plane bringing her back home from her trip to Japan had exploded over the ocean. One week after that, Sasuke had been discovered amid the floating wreckage and Brian had found out exactly what his mother meant the first time he'd laid eyes on the unconscious teenager.

He didn't understand it, but Brian believed that Sasuke being here, remaining with the Pryderi family, was important somehow to his mother's safe return. Sasuke had to stay here- their father couldn't be allowed to send the teenager away. Besides, all in all, it wasn't like the trio had done anything really bad. Okay, so he and Alex had tried to hide Sasuke in a place that the boys knew they shouldn't have been in but it wasn't like anything had happened. They'd all been fine though the boys had inadvertently made Sasuke upset… Which had led to the appearance of Kyuubi… and then Daddy had gotten angry…

But surely not angry enough to send Sasuke away, not if Daddy was willing to run all over the place then carry Sasuke to bed….

The last was reassuring to Brian but just as the tightness in his chest began to ease, another thought made the sensation return and grow. His anxiety doubled, tripled, as he thought about Sasuke's behavior prior to Kyuubi's arrival.

The boys had made him cry…

What if Sasuke didn't want to stay with them anymore?

Getting upstairs had been the easy part, Brian knew as he chanced a quick glance up and down the upstairs hallway. Finding it empty, he cleared the last step and turned left, walking backward down the short hall toward Sasuke's room, ears straining for any sounds that might indicate anyone was coming and eyes watching for any sign that the doors lining the hall were about to open. After turning around and stretching the few necessary inches to close the gap between himself and the doorknob, he used both hands to turn the doorknob, the door swinging inward immediately due to his body weight leaning against it.

"Sasuke?" He whispered as he stepped just inside the doorway, not bothering to hide the blatant panic in his tone as he continued to throw glances behind him at the empty hallway. "Sasuke?"

The room was too dark to see properly so, after shutting the door softly, Brian stretched a small hand out to feel for the wall switch near the door. Flicking it caused light to flood the room's interior and for several minutes, the boy could only stand, blinking and rubbing his eyes until the focused enough to allow him to see. When he could, Brian's gaze immediately focused on the bed, the strange sensation of the floor falling out from under him as he took a few shaky steps into the room and collapsed to his knees.

No! No, no, no, no, no!

The bed was empty. The sheets had been changed during the night from red to dove grey, the bed made ready for a new occupant. The monitors that had been charting Sasuke's health had been removed and no trace remained to say that they had ever been there to begin with. Even the small safe that had held all of Sasuke's medication was gone. Someone had cleaned and repaired the bathroom doorway and beyond it Brian could see fresh towels draped over the towel racks. The rug beneath the boy had been vacuumed and the stain where Sasuke had bled onto the carpet had been cleared.

The room was absolutely silent and empty of any signs of being previously occupied.

Sasuke was gone.

Brian collapsed to his knees and burst into tears, staying that way for what felt like a long, long time. He sobbed and wailed, uncaring now if he was discovered as his chest ached fiercely. The pain added to the snarl of emotions all trying to be expressed at once, mangling coherent thought until all the little boy could do was to simply cry helplessly.

Dimly he was aware of the door opening behind him, of footsteps muffled by carpet, but he ignored it. He wanted comfort- badly- but Mommy wasn't here and Sasuke wasn't here and Brian really didn't want to see his father right then because the boy was sure he was just going to scream at him.

He continued to sob, pulling away from the light touch at his shoulder with a cry, flailing his arms. He shoved at the presence next to him, drew ragged breath and screamed wordlessly, small fists hitting the other person until they were finally grabbed. They were held firmly, one each pinned within a much larger fist, and that sensation, the mismatched feel of the other person's left and right palms against his skin, made Brian stop crying long enough to look at the person kneeling next to him before throwing himself at them. He wrapped his arms around the other's neck tightly, legs circling the other's upper waist, refusing to let go as he buried his face in the other's chest and cried with relief as an arm slid under his bottom to support him and another began rubbing hesitant circles on his back.

The chest was broad and smooth, no breasts to compete with for space as Brian placed his head over the other's heart, listening to the slow but steady thump. The fingers of the right and that wiped away his tears were callused and rough even as they attempted to be gentle. The chin that grazed his forehead was scratchy with course stubble, not soft or rounded. The smell wasn't light and femininely floral from a favored perfume, but slightly bittersweet from the film of sweat clinging to the pale skin and musky but not unpleasantly so.

Underneath the residue of fading bath products and sweat though was something that couldn't be bottled or replicated, duplicated or faked; the same smell that he knew had lain under his mother's perfume when his nose was pressed firmly to her warm skin.

Sasuke was not Mommy, was not a substitute for her in any way, but…But…

Brian could not make himself let go.

Supporting the smaller brunette by placing an arm underneath him, Sasuke stood and left his former room, covering a yawn with his free hand as he walked easily down the hall toward the stairway. Though his left side still throbbed uncomfortably now and then, his injured leg was supporting weight extremely well as was his renewed arm. He felt himself sigh in relief- a little exercise and they'd be back to minimal fighting strength. He was still tired though and, when they came to the intersection of the hall and the upper stairway landing, longed instantly to return to his room to curl back up in his nest of warm bedclothes, especially so when another yawn forced his jaws open. Turning his head politely to the side away from Brian, Sasuke carefully felt for the first step with his toes and descended, rubbing comforting circles on the clinging boy's back as they went down.

Well someone's really worked up. You think it was a nightmare? Sasuke nearly tripped down the last step at the order, his still rousing mind easily startled by Naruto's voice. When he was on firmer ground, the brunette looked around, the action seemingly completely normal until he remembered that Naruto, a spirit, currently existed inside him, was no longer had a physical presence. The lingering guilt and sadness that should have immediately followed that realization was firmly squashed before it could take form, smothered by the blonde's warm presence as the latter steadily flowed through the Uchiha's pale frame.

A soft, pleased noise escaped Sasuke as he blushed at the foreign sensation pooling inside him, the feeling vaguely sexual though predominately comforting and all of it provoking a pleasurable shudder that rippled through the Uchiha as he navigated the darkened hallways.

"You okay, Sasu?" Brian asked, watery dark eyes blinking up at the elder in puzzlement.

Yawning, the elder brunette nodded and bounced his companion higher up on his shoulder. Shifting the boy's weight, Sasuke scrubbed absently at his eyes with his free hand. "Where's your room? It's too early for either of us to be up."

Brian looked down at the floor, one hand fisting tightly in Sasuke's shirt over the elder's collar bone. Hesitantly, he glanced up at the Uchiha, eyes pleading as they filled with moisture. "I'm hungry."

"I don't do much cooking. Don't expect anything fancy." Sasuke muttered, blinking at the display, confused as he silently turned toward the kitchen, Alex cuddling against him once again.

At least he knew where that particular room was and didn't need directions. Despite the deficiencies in his overall health, the Uchiha's eyesight seemed to have gone unscathed and the elder brunette had no problem seeing in the dark as he walked silently to their destination. When they came to the kitchen, he left the light off as he headed for the fridge, the illumination unnecessary since he could clearly see the interior of the room.

Yawning again, Sasuke tried to set Brian on the floor only to have the child wrap his small arms around the teenager's neck and his legs around Sasuke's chest. The six year old clung tightly, silently protesting the action, burying his head in the Uchiha's neck and Sasuke felt wetness coat his skin.

Dealing with distressed children was still new to Sasuke and the elder brunette warred with himself about the appropriate action to take. He could capitulate (the very idea made what remained of his Uchiha pride immediately bristle) and let the child stay, there by risking setting a new precedent, or he could be firm and set Brian down regardless of the waterworks. Standing there, waffling between the two options, Sasuke hesitantly rubbed Brian's back until the child calmed. Right then, the Uchiha would have rather faced a hundred enemy ninja unarmed than deal with a crying six year old. He supposed it was a blessing that Alex wasn't up as well.

"I need both hands to cook." Sasuke said reasonably, trying to keep his voice light. He was tired though, and it made him impatient with the troubled child. He could feel his frustration as it was translated into stress, the tension tightening the muscles in his shoulders and back, flowing down his body and making his left side ache. Shifting Brian's weight to his right arm, Sasuke tried flexing his left hand, watching the muscles twitch beneath his skin, his fingers dancing in a spasmodic rhythm he could not stop. Idly, Sasuke wondered if the seizure-like activity would ever go away.

"I want a bottle." Brian sniffled, leaning back to look at the elder brunette, one small fist tightly tangled in Sasuke's shirt, the other rubbing vigorously at one eye. "Please. I can help you make one."

The Uchiha managed to keep from frowning but his eye brows did knit together. Brian was six. Six year olds weren't supposed to still have bottles, were they? Infants were bottle fed…

Just give him one, teme. Naruto told him and Sasuke felt a phantom hand ruffle his hair. He's looking for something that the bottle is a representation for.

A representation for? Sasuke asked, half turning before he caught himself. What would a bottle represe-

Just… let him have one. Naruto interrupted, though not unkindly. There was something in the blonde's voice, an understanding of some concept that made Naruto sound both older and younger at the same time. It opened a gap between them, a divide that Sasuke felt acutely but did not know how to cross, driving home the sad fact that they had a lot of catching up to do before they even had a hope of taking their relationship any further. They had only been separated for, what, four or five years but that could be a life time in the ninja world. So much had happened to Sasuke since he left Konoha and he knew that he was no longer the same person as when he left. Naruto must have had his own life altering experiences… What if they had grown so far apart that…? Sasuke shut the thought out before it could fully form.

Under Brian's direction, Sasuke silently prepped a bottle for the child and warmed it in the microwave, testing it on the skin of his inner arm before deeming it suitable for consumption. He handed the bottle to Brian without comment and, as the youngster curled against his chest suckling, left the kitchen, heading down the hall without any particular destination in mind.

Years of being in Sound had taken their toll on Sasuke and, tired or not, yawning all the while, he systematically patrolled the house's lower level checking each entryway to insure that they were locked. Satisfied that everyone inside was safe from intrusion, he turned his attention to the interior doors, habitually pausing outside each one he encountered, reaching out with his senses to inspect the area behind each portal before moving on.

The house was so quiet, so normal, so very different from what Sasuke had been exposed too for the last several years, that it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up and the space between his shoulder blades tighten painfully as he cradled Brian more protectively against his chest. Paranoia had kept the Uchiha alive on more than one occasion while in Orochimaru's care since the snake sannin liked to set up 'surprises' he claimed were designed to keep Sasuke's instincts sharp. Thanks to these, the teenager had learned early that silence was not always a good thing. Safety, peace; these were fragile and fleeting things, little more than convenient camouflage until enough discontent was spread.

While he had been in Sound, the one thought that had carried Sasuke through was that Naruto was safe in Konoha, protected by everyone who loved the blonde. The Uchiha had relied on this idea to keep himself sane when Orochimaru had touched him, eyes full of lust as he traced the well defined outlines of the teenager's muscles. Naruto was safe so Sasuke had to continue to do his part, silently keeping an eye on Orochimaru, enduring the man's twisted methods of training and loyalty testing. Some days the Uchiha had simply wanted to scream, to just scream and never stop, because some of the things he had witnessed were simply that horrific. The cruel games that had been par for the course in Sound had threatened to drive him over that fine edge of sanity, to make him give into the rage and anger that boiled constantly in the back of his mind. Though he never wanted to admit it, it was at those times that he would wish that he had remained in Konoha with Naruto, that Sasuke had not allowed himself to be seduced by the power the snake sannin promised.

Sasuke had tolerated it all, biding his time and feigning subservience while learning everything he could from the elder shinobi until the sannin was of no more use. He had risen in ranks, gaining Orochimaru's confidence, until he was finally free to come and go as he pleased from the village without suspicion. Once he was through with Orochimaru, Sasuke had planned to permanently remove the threat the sannin represented to Konoha and leave quietly, preferably without alerting the base as to their leader's demise. When news of Orochimaru's demise got out, the ensuing battle for dominance would be a bloodbath of proportions not seen since the last great ninja war.

When Kabuto had so casually mentioned Akatsuki's capture of Naruto, though, Sasuke had been forced to put his plans into motion sooner than expected.

Wearily, Sasuke moved down the hall, checking the rooms beyond the doors he encountered, absently rubbing Brian's back as the boy cuddled against him and fell asleep, still clutching the bottle. Being so tired was messing with his senses but he forced himself to focus when he found Aiko's room, extended chakra until it ghosted over the infant in a light caress. After confirming a heart beat and her even breathing he moved on, unwilling to risk opening the door and accidentally waking the baby.

God! How big is this place?! It's a freaking maze! Naruto ranted in the back of Sasuke's head, making the Uchiha smile tiredly as he turned another corner. Checking the nearest door, the brunette almost sagged with relief as he turned the knob, entered the room and carefully crossed the toy-strewn floor to stand between the pair of child-sized beds. After a few minutes hesitation, Sasuke finally placed the snoozing brunette in his arms beside Alex's curled form, taking the bottle away gently and placing it on the bedside table before tucking the bed's small comforter around the pair, watching with mild amusement as Brian used his brother as a teddy bear. When he was satisfied that both had been tucked in securely, Sasuke left the room, leaving the door open a crack as he closed it behind him.

Just a little further, teme. Naruto urged him gently as the Uchiha leaned against the wall and yawned quietly. Sasuke was so tired he could barely see straight, his excellent night vision blurry and useless as he forced his legs to carry him forward despite their reluctance to do so. Naruto continued to murmur encouragement to him all down the hall but when they finally came to the staircase, Sasuke balked, eying the distance to the second floor as if it had suddenly become a mountain.

…You know, maybe we should see if there's a couch down here somewhere. Naruto said and Sasuke nodded, already turning around. His left side suddenly throbbed painfully and he barely suppressed the groan that welled up, focusing on moving forward in the direction he had just come while using the nearest wall as a guide, ignoring the frames pictures he bumped along the way. He didn't bother to straighten the now tilted pictures- so long as they didn't fall and wake the house, Sasuke wasn't going to waste his precious energy doing the housekeeper's job.

The Uchiha's hand landed on a doorknob and he turned it, revealing a cozy living room complete with a high backed couch that seemed to call to Sasuke. His legs were moving even before he was consciously aware of it, carrying him over to the pale brown piece of furniture. He sank into the soft overstuffed fabric with a low groan that quickly turned into a sigh as he gratefully laid down on his right side, sprawling out over the upholstery like a very large cat.

Naruto? Struggling to stay awake, Sasuke realized that he hadn't heard from the blonde for a while. There was no immediate answer and panic pierced through him like a blade, prompting Sasuke to lever himself up into a sitting position. Naruto?

I'm here, teme. The spirit's voice was like a drug despite the preoccupied tone and the Uchiha's heart calmed immediately. Just thinking. Sorry for spacing out.

"No problem." The brunette said aloud, around a yawn. Sasuke's eyelids were heavy but he kept struggling to keep them open, wanting very much to spend some quality time with Naruto now that they were alone. What were you thinking about?

Nothing important. But Sasuke could feel the blonde's presence, could feel the vague worry through the preoccupation and it troubled the Uchiha that Naruto was distressed over something but would not share.

A mixed sense of betrayal and rejection bubbled up in response as deep seated insecurities stirred. Part of him had feared this, had feared that things were too good to be true, that Naruto would never accept him and that Sasuke had been fooling himself all this time. The Uchiha couldn't really blame the blonde for playing into his fantasy but, still, the idea hurt deeply all the same. It made him feel used in a way that went beyond words and added weight to the dark thought deep inside him, the one Sasuke was too afraid to admit existed, even to himself. Its presence overshadowed the few good things in his life, the one born when Itachi had given up his pretense of being a caring older brother and slaughtered the clan.

Sasuke suddenly wanted -needed- a hug and he cursed himself for it as he lay back down and rubbed at his burning eyes. He was an adult now and that had all happened a long time ago- he should have some fucking emotional control by now, God damn it! What the hell was wrong with him? Sasuke tried to shove all the turmoil aside back down into the pit he usually backed it into but he couldn't fully rid himself of the frustration and anger boiling inside him now that it had been ignited. His grabbed fistfuls of his hair and buried his face in the cushion beneath it.

So what if Naruto was only using him?

So what if the only other person he had ever loved had betrayed him just like the first?

So what if he…if he really wasn't worth… loving?

To his humiliation, he felt his breath hitch and tears trail down his cheeks. He wanted to scream, to scream until he was empty of all the hurt and betrayal but he knew that there wasn't enough breath in his body for that. He could sense Naruto stirring in the back of his head and Sasuke, feeling emotionally raw and exhausted, decided that all he wanted in that moment was some privacy. Swallowing back a sudden rush of rage directed at his friend, the Uchiha wished the blonde a curt good-night and slammed a mental barrier between them, imagining walls upon walls separating them in his mind. Turning his head so that he could breathe, Sasuke used the hem of his sleep shirt to wipe his eyes and his nose, sniffling quietly until an uneasy sleep finally claimed him.

Naruto wanted out. He was a spirit- he didn't need to sleep, didn't need to eat, didn't need to worry about any of those things anymore- and could literally just sit forever if need be. Naruto was used to being active though and old habits die hard; he was restless, brimming with energy that he needed to burn and he craved some sort of activity to occupy himself with.

Kyuubi was sleeping, curled up in a tight ball while it's chakra leaked out around it in thin streams to mingle with Sasuke's, the red energy nearly disappearing in the almost black color. It reminded Naruto of an oil slick and the comparison made him feel vaguely ill as he watched. By mixing their chakras together, the fox could heal Sasuke's remaining injuries without the danger of causing more, the outcome if Kyuubi simply poured its chakra directly into the Uchiha for a prolonged period. Though he knew it was for everyone's benefit, Naruto didn't exactly like the process since it rendered his friend practically comatose.

The inside of Sasuke's head was not a friendly place and trying to navigate through it was like trying to step through a field of burning explosive tags- escaping unscathed was simply not an option no matter what tricks you employed. He wanted Sasuke healthy, he really did, but when the Uchiha slept some of the mental barriers that made up the interior of Sasuke's mind weakened, allowing the memories contained behind them to slip out. Naruto likened them to predatory beasts waiting for an opportunity to sink their claws into Sasuke's sleeping consciousness and tear him slowly apart from the inside. When Naruto had finally figured out a way to secretly invade his friend's dreams without Kyuubi knowing, he had had to fight some of those beasts, those monsters, and it had been incredibly… disturbing experience. Naruto had gotten dragged into some of those memories, had been forced to bear witness to the darker parts of the Uchiha's life, and it was not something he enjoyed even if it did allow him to understand Sasuke better. Listening to the battle already raging behind the mental divider Sasuke had erected, unable to do anything to stop whatever nightmare was happening, Naruto was almost frantic about finding a means of escape.

The only thing worse than having to sit through some of the things Sasuke had witnessed were the nightmares borne from them. Naruto usually had to fight his way through some truly awful ones in order to get to Sasuke. Who would have thought that the always proper, stick-up-his-ass Uchiha had such a fertile imagination?! Warped and mutated, piling one on top of another to create who knew what…! They were chimera-like creations, always different, always evolving, and Naruto was loosing the battle when it came to keeping them at bay internally. Naruto had tried screaming and yelling, kicking and punching at the monstrous dreams, dutifully trying to defend Sasuke, but Naruto soon stopped when he realized that he was only feeding the nightmare. He needed a way to wake Sasuke up but with no way to communicate with either the outside world or his friend thanks to the damn wall between them, Naruto's options were rather limited.

Physical stimulation was needed, he finally decided, a good shake that would wake Sasuke up at least enough to dispel the nightmare. To make that happen though, he would have to get out of here and, as the hours wore by, Naruto was finally struck by a way to do it. Kyuubi could assume temporary control of Sasuke's body so what was to prevent Naruto from doing the same? Excited by his stroke of brilliance, the blonde spirit concentrated, imagining his chakra filling the Uchiha's body, slowly feeling the subtle shifting as his spirit successfully usurped and suppressed Sasuke's. Doing so made the brunette's consciousness an easier target for nightmares but Naruto assuaged his guilt by reminding himself that it was only temporary, that in a few seconds he'd be able to fix the issue.

There was a thin layer of Kyuubi and Sasuke's mingled chakra preventing him from fully possessing his friend. It was thicker than he expected and, as he forced his way through it, the mixture clung to his spirit, pulling his chakra into the mix and coating his soul in a fine sheen of it as he achieved his goal of assuming complete control of Sasuke's body. Naruto shrugged it off, figuring that the fox must feel something similar every time Kyuubi possessed the Uchiha's form.

Pale eyelids opened in the darkened room and, though he did manage to suppress his whoop of triumph, Naruto couldn't help the wide grin that suddenly twisted Sasuke's features. Now fully in charge, the blonde forced Sasuke's body to sit up and immediately began molding his chakra in preparation as he put his hands together in an all too familiar hand sign.

Hazy blue eyes opened beneath shaggy blonde hair. They blinked up at the white ceiling far above uncomprehendingly, before moving downward and taking in the metal railing on either side of the bed. Silently the blonde headed figure turned their head to study the room, gaze sweeping over the plain white décor apathetically. There were no pictures but one wall was predominantly made up of a large window and the nearly blinding sunshine flooding through was warm and comforting as it washed over the tanned skin of the hands resting above the sheets.

Sitting up, chapped lips turned down in a slight frown as the person lifted one hand up for examination, opening and closing the hand slowly as it was rotated left and right. Confusion set in as the duel feelings of familiarity and unfamiliarity warred, creating a marked sense of displacement as the blonde gingerly reached up to first touch a bandaged cheek, then an equally bandaged temple, absently adjusting the course cloth so it didn't itch. Heavily calloused fingers lightly traced the slope of a strong but rounded nose and the blue eyes watched the movement with something akin to trepidation. Before the emotion could fully form, though, it was snuffed out by curiosity as the door to the room slid open, the noise shortly followed by the unmistakable sound of glass hitting the floor.

"Naruto!" The speaker was young and female, her short pink hair flying as she suddenly charged the bed and flung herself upon the blonde. Slim arms wrapped around the blonde, squeezing painfully hard as the girl proceeded to burst into tears. It hurt and the blonde gasped as pain spiked, making the bed-ridden figure acutely aware that something was wrong with their body as tanned hands pushed at the girl's shoulders to get her off.

This wasn't right and the wrongness of the situation plagued the blonde, increasing the desire to put distance between them. They knew each other, this the blonde was sure of, but doubted their relationship was like this, was so informal, and again a war broke out inside the blonde as the idea was contested by contrasting sensations and vague impressions. It was disturbing and frightening, and this transmitted through the tensing of muscles, through more persistent shoving from the blonde.

The young woman finally took the hint and pulled back, teary-eyed but smiling as she sniffled and wiped at her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She hiccupped and the blonde stared, straining to understand as the oblivious girl rushed on. "Tsunade-sama didn't know if you were going to wake up and we've all been worried about you. Everyone's been visiting you as much as possible but… You're okay now!"

She spoke rapidly between sobs, garbling most of what she was trying to say, and the blonde ultimately gave up halfway through the speech, opting to sit up and wait for the woman to wind down. The tears were back full force and she looked ready to pounce again but the blonde put a hand out to ward her off, still aching from the first time. When she remained where she was, the hand moved to the blonde's head, rubbing at the bandage covered temple in an effort to ease the pounding headache forming right behind the pair of blue eyes.

"Sakura-san?" A voice called from the hallway, making the pink haired teenager glance over her shoulder at the open doorway just as a brunette stepped into the room. "Tsunade-hime needs you…"

"Shizune-san…" The girl, Sakura, said her excitement visibly ebbing away as she stared at the bed's occupant with an expression of dawning dismay.

The new person was also female but older, dressed more conservatively in clothing almost as dark as her short hair that did nothing to highlight her feminine features. She was also holding a small pig, the well fed animal dressed in a red vest-like coat and wearing a string of pearls. The pig's head swung in the direction of the bed, nose twitching, and suddenly the animal was squealing and wriggling for freedom, bounding for the bed once it hit the floor.

"Naruto…!" And the naked relief in the new woman's, Shizune, voice made the blonde uncomfortable. "Tonton, wait!" The brunette said, trying to recapture the animal, but it was too late and the pig was on the bed, oinking happily as its curly tail wagged furiously, soft round wet nose buried in the blonde's neck as its small hoof-like feet dug into the aching chest.

Ignoring the pig, the blonde's headache worsened considerably as blue eyes looked downward, eyebrows knitting together as tanned fingers pulled the plain white hospital pajama top away to reveal more bandages crisscrossing the flat ribcage. The sight rang both true and false, both correct and yet wrong, as if some unknown feature was missing. The blonde frowned, confused, and gaze drifting further south through the gap to land on the lap beyond.

Male. The blonde's gender was male, but even though he could sense this physically, it was a foreign realization, strange and hard for the figure to completely wrap their mind around.

"Do you know your name?" Sakura asked, approaching the bed cautiously and sitting down by his feet, prompting him to releasing his shirt and look at her. Several moments of silence went by as Sakura's eyes pleaded with his to answer in an affirmative but he merely shook his head at her.

"I'll go get Tsunade-hime." Shizune said, her heels clicking against the hallway tiles as she ran. Tonton jumped off the bed and ran after her.

"It's Uzumaki Naruto." Sakura said and though her voice was soft, it trembled as tears pooled in her green eyes. "You're Uzumaki Naruto! Don't you remember? Your name is Naruto Uzumaki!"

The name meant nothing to the blonde, nothing at all, and he could offer no comfort to the girl as she put her head in her hands and began to cry anew.

With the exception of Sundays, and maybe the occasional Saturday, mornings were a busy time in the Pryderi household. Schedules to hold to, appointments to keep, errands to run, all the while trying to get everyone fed, dressed, and out the door on time with as minimal hassle as possible- no small feat with two small children and an infant even with the help of the other adults. Hikaru Uchiha was a busy lawyer with quite the reputation for being calculating and ruthless in the corporate world. Andrew Pryderi worked with his aunt as an administrator and was also the public face of the hospital. Suki was one of the most sought after actresses in the movie industry and held to punctuality like the word of God, expecting it from herself when she was working and from everyone else. Neji, her bodyguard, was the same and the pair kept all manner of hours during filming. Frank Hunt, former military man, was their security expert both at home and in the hospital, always on call, day or night. Mornings were busy, plain and simple.

The Monday before a major holiday and the word 'busy' took on a whole new meaning but, somehow, having the day start with the phone blaring in your ear made it all that much worse. Having your aunt screaming at you to get down to the hospital immediately did not make things better.

"Aunt Mary, no, Mary slow down!" Andrew tried to make sense of his aunt's mile-a-minute tirade but he sincerely wondered if she had ruptured his eardrum with all the screaming. Pulling his cell phone away from his ear, he looked at his alarm clock blurrily, having to stare for several minutes until the numbers finally made sense. Then he returned his attention to the cell phone in his hand and shouted. "It's five thirty! Mary, what the hell is your problem?!"

There was silence and the blonde male cautiously pressed the phone to his ear again, ready to pull it away in a flash since Mary wasn't above such tactics. When her voice returned, the note of smugness in it made a chill run down his spine. She spoke, Andrew listened, and seconds after he hung up he was out of bed and knocking on Frank's door to wake him up, too.

It was going to be a very long day.

Sasuke's parents had shown up to claim their son.

More's Moment:

And there we have it! Another chapter as promised, again, sorry for the delay. Before everyone starts pointing fingers at Sasuke's sudden emotional 180 on the couch, keep in mind that Sasuke is emotionally damaged in this fic.

If you are one of the unfortunate few who has ever been ripped apart by someone you trusted unconditionally, someone you loved- romantically or otherwise- then you know that that is not a pain you ever want to go through twice. You harden yourself against it, insulating yourself from other people, always holding back from completely connecting less they suddenly turn on you.

For some people, once is enough to enforce this behavior. For others, it isn't, and we keep trying to connect with other people, willing to let a lot slide because we want to feel needed and wanted. It destroys you a little each time things go to hell because essentially you have to rebuild yourself over and over again. When this happens you leave some pieces out, hoping that this time will be the last time, becoming more while simultaneously becoming less.

The thing is that, no matter how much you carve away or how much emotional armor you wear, some part of you always remembers what it felt like when that loved one tore your heart out and left you emotionally devastated. It remembers and it knows that it's only a matter of time before it happens again, despite all your preparations. Eventually someone gets in and the piece of you that remembers can do nothing but wait and wonder how much damage this time will cause.

Or not. Whatever. Sorry for the emo philosophy moment.

Happy tales all! If you liked it, let me know by reviewing!