Sole

by Liliath

"Wherever Hokage-sama goes, so does he. Uchiha Sasuke." Suspense and drama, hints of romance and shounen-ai, but, most importantly, the question of "what is going on between Sasuke and Naruto?"

10. Chapter 9

Soul II

Chapter_Nine

I wonder

"Unfortunately, we haven't much to report. There have been no sightings of him since; we can't find him, can't track him down and even using our dogs proved to be fruitless. This way, it's unfortunate, but the only thing we can assuredly claim is that Uchiha Sasuke has disappeared."

"The rebuilding of Konoha has begun; currently, we're assessing the damages, and our estimations show the whole process should be over within two weeks. By then, all of the damaged buildings should have been rebuilt and we've also received offers from other villages. As it appears, the information was leaked but so far there have been no attempts at using this disadvantageous situation against us. We can only hope this stance holds."

"There have been no life-threatening injuries and other than shocked, all the wounded appear to be alright with high recovery rate; already, most have been healed, so we're expecting no issues in this area and our medic nin are working hard to ensure all have left the hospital by the end of this week."

"In regards to the chaos, however… The news has spread faster than we'd initially suspected and we'd be right to guess that everyone in Konoha knows already. The search parties also can't seem to keep their mouth shut and we're receiving dozens of letters from all across the country… It's only a matter of time before even the others react… People are panicking. They're asking questions, requesting that he be taken down…"

"In all honesty, I'd reckon the situation to be far worse than that, given how the people are trying to keep shut for our leader's sake, yet for how long remain a question… I dare not think about it, but we should… We should just come into terms with it. And he should, too."

"Exactly. We need to declare Uchiha Sasuke a missing nin."

Shikamaru lifted his head and directed his eyes at the group of jounin – one of them the dearest, darling father of his – positioned neatly one next to another, like the unified harbingers of doom, and allowed their hearts to be seized by fright and repulsion, as correctly they pinpointed the exact emotion possessing his eyes.

"No."

The dearest father, a man willful and strong, dared oppose and step forward. "What would you have us do, boy? For days we've waited. It's time to stop and admit the truth."

Shikamaru's eyes darkened, now a shade of coal, an unfeeling jewel. "So you would do it behind his back then?"

The man scoffed. "And you'd ask him personally?"

"It'd hurt him."

"He's already hurt enough, we all know, and it needs to be done. Besides, boy, telling him to make the announcement himself would be a greater stab in the back."

"You're wrong, tou-san." Shikamaru held back the surge of loathing. "He's already been stabbed in the back. This would be stabbing him in the front. And that, I believe, he'd appreciate a lot more. If you'd like to do it, go on, but I'd rather he be ready than unsuspecting and most astonished to find out Uchiha Sasuke is officially a hunted man. That is a step Naruto must take himself."

An ANBU spoke. "Are you speaking as his friend or an advisor?"

Shikamaru's eyes, the sharpened, poisoned arrow, landed on his shielded face. "Neither. I am speaking as his close friend and as man trusted with his secrets. The stupid job be damned."

At that, a troubled murmur vibrated through the air – and already thick, tense it was, the attributes further highlighted, and his father's eyes narrowed, a subsequent, dismissive motion with his head sent to Ino's father, who understood and took off, the others following in blind rush, before Shikamaru found himself under the old man's scrutinizing, pitiful eyes.

"When did I ever teach you to do that? Huh, troublesome boy…Shikamaru… Stop blaming yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you well, boy. After all, I did raise you." Almost nonchalantly, he shrugged, rolled his shoulders back, the posture seemingly relaxed – in such a stark contrast to his own.

He didn't want to hear it. So he hmp'd and stuck his hands in his pockets.

And the father's hand rested on the son's shoulder, a compassionate, feeling and strong hold.

"You foolish boy… It wasn't your fault. You could have never known what he was planning to do. There was no way for you to avoid it."

Still, though, it felt distant to him. Distant, for despite his ever gripping hold on reality, the fingers weren't all there, the body away, the senses numbed, the feelings cold, and in reality – it was just the wishful thinking that he had it, the portion of sanity.

In reality, he was but that fool imaging that straw and holding onto it, even if he already knew what blue depths engulfed him.

"Dad…"

Because of that.

"I know crying over spilt milk won't bring it back."

He had to shrug him off.

"But at least, I can show that much emotion."

The hand fell back.

Shikamaru lowered his eyes.

And didn't speak.

Only the man broke the silence. Shikamaru didn't hear his voice, didn't hear the tone, only the meaning unbidden bare and registered. "As you wish. You have your own duties now. Just remember, Shikamaru, that first and foremost, your loyalties must lie with Konoha…"

Gritted his teeth. "I know."

Silence… What was he thinking, Shikamaru wondered. And then-

A short, laugh, sympathy in the eyes. "Although for a leader like that, I could envision myself sacrificing all. Or maybe that's not how you see it, boy? You really are something."

Shikamaru's breath hitched in his throat.

Suddenly, the straw materialized. He saw himself staring at it, clueless at what to do.

His father leaned against the wall and looked out, maybe eyes momentarily glued to the radiant afterglow of work well-done combined with sunset as Konoha sprang to life, or maybe just giving him the space to think

Shikamaru's hands balled into fists-then relaxed.

He sighed.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."

"Hm, no, it's alright. The leader isn't just someone conveniently chosen to stand at the top of our hierarchy. It's also a person dear to our hearts. And someone that helps us raise the next generation of kings, eh?"

"Heh…" What a fool he really was. "You're right."

He looked out the window. The dark corridors of the Hokage tower, previously seen engulfed by thick tendrils of smoke, appeared pristine clean and better than ever before. And of course they would have fixed those first, of course Yamato would have considered that situation firsthand, but still walking down the flooring that had only days ago been in ruins filled him with a sense of detachment.

After a while, his father spoke. "How is he?"

Shikamaru blinked. "Naruto, eh?"

"Yes."

"Huh… He speaks, he eats, he sleeps, he issues commands, he assigns teams, he does his job… But frankly, I have no idea what's going on in his mind. He acts like everything is alright, even if everyone can see the light gone from his eyes. But I know he wakes up at night, I know he doesn't sleep well, and I know he barely eats and speaks only if necessary… As if to reassure you he was alive so you could bugger off with your incessant worries and leave him to his musings. I know he's suffering. If only I could get him to admit it."

He cursed.

He cursed Sasuke, he cursed Naruto, he cursed himself, he cursed their glorified inability to act. He cursed that look in Naruto's eyes, that way he'd been ripped to shreds that night, the way Sasuke had cursed him, the way he'd placed that curse on him.

He cursed so… freaking much.

"It… would be progress. In comparison to this…" commented his father. "Hm… Boy, I need to get back to work. There's still much to do. In the meantime… Do something about our Hokage, would you?" He pushed his form off the wall and managed a small, helpless sigh. "After all, without him, even despite the situation, or mostly because of it, the village will crumble. He is our Hokage and our most cherished person."

The man made a few steps away from Shikamaru, before stopping and – back turned to the son, hands stuck in the pockets in a nonchalant manner – speaking once more and the last time.

"We need him, Shikamaru."

He watched the father leave. The words, however, did not.

In his mind, Shikamaru agreed.

We do need you, Naruto…

And once more, his hands balled into fists, this time not to unclench.

And I need my friend back.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"Here, look… Here it is."

"I see…" He walked over, crouched down to take a look, subsequently straightened out and sighed. "So that's how they got to Konoha… Sasuke's old home."

Yamato's brows knitted together. "This is terrible… All this time."

Kakashi shared this particular sentiment. "Indeed it is…"

"We should notify the others," murmured Yamato, but Kakashi could sense disagreement in his voice, as if even Yamato himself didn't believe what he was saying.

Odd, really. Maybe the misgivings of the past days had been too great an ordeal to handle even for the stoic man.

Kakashi looked back at the trap door. No-one could have seen it, no-one could have guessed the in the middle of the kitchen where years ago together the family had dined, unsuspecting so far of the fate that awaited them, Sasuke had dug up a tunnel.

It was really was a tunnel, wasn't it?

He contemplated the situation for a moment, surveying the small hole where only one person at a time could fit, one person exactly of Sasuke's size or maybe slightly bigger, looking down at the ground six feet below and pondering to himself where it led.

Where, indeed.

"Well, off I go then."

Yamato shot him a wild look. "What? You don't mean-Kakashi-senpai, that's dangerous," hissed the man hurriedly, but Kakashi only smiled and without further ado jumped down.

What accompanied him was Yamato's frantic cursing and flailing; no doubt, the man was torn between letting the others know and jumping after him, but wisely he moved aside for moments later Yamato was jumping down the hole, too, landing silently, elegantly like a cat, right next to him.

And looking at him like he was ready to burst crying.

Really, Kakashi had not forced his hand, right? Right. So he smiled despite the gravity of the situation and looked around to assess the situation.

Well lit the tunnel was, with lights hanging up and running along either side, the ceiling high enough that no bumping of heads would occur, yet the tunnel wasn't all too wide, a certain sense of urgency and spite engraved into the walls, as if with that precise emotion Sasuke had built it, as if with that thought on his mind he'd created this perfectly symmetrical place, a bunker, a hiding place of sorts, that despite its size felt firm and strong, never to falter underneath pressure, never to be affected by any happenings above ground.

It was, as Kakashi felt, all too perfect.

Yamato coughed. "Does Sasuke know any earth jutsu?"

"The Uchiha clan has only ever had an affinity for fire jutsu, but I suppose Sasuke could have learned something while apprenticing under Orochimaru. Of course, we'd need to ask Sasuke himself to confirm our suspicions, but that isn't likely at the moment." He paused. "But I understand what you're getting at; it's unlikely Sasuke could have built this using his bare hands."

Worriedly, Yamato looked around. "It would have taken him months."

"Months indeed. Well, let's see what's at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully not light, eh?"

"Eh?"

Kakashi suppressed the desire to sigh heavily. "Never mind. Let's move before anyone's alerted by our disappearance."

"Kakashi-senpai, that wasn't funny," muttered the man under his breath, prompting an amused chuckle from Kakashi that could have lightened up the mood, hadn't it been for the lights and the walls and the ground, all built with sickening, monstrous precision as in to invoke feelings of most suppression and regress. Kakashi would know. He felt it. Already, firmly and strongly, he did.

Shaking himself out of the stupor, he walked on, Yamato in tow.

The risks were high as Sasuke could have left them a small surprise, a trap of sorts, and Kakashi's keen senses hardened after the years remained still on watch, all of the surrounding area scrutinized closely, but despite that he felt pushed forward, the drive inside him fueled and intoxicated on the display of hate and love he'd seen, the exchange between Naruto and Sasuke fluidly transpiring in front of them. He felt it course in his veins, knew its presence to be clouding his judgment, knew himself to be succumbing to the desire to find out and search on – and knew it to be his possible downfall.

It acted an obstacle to life, the need to know.

But he could have cared less.

Eventually and not eventually at all, for the word itself suggested a certain passing of time visible as per request on the worry-strewn faces of the present party, they came upon the end of the tunnel, confronted with a blank, empty wall, with no sighs at all of any significant changes that would signalize a certain something that with its very existence set it apart from everything else, yet Kakashi wasn't convinced of the innocence of the wall.

"There's nothing… as it appears," came Yamato's supposedly impassive voice, full of disbelief and doubt.

Kakashi's brows wrinkled. "This really is too simple," he said, hand automatically stretched forward to land flat against the wall, as if a touch could dispel all deceit, but what he felt was the cold, unfeeling caress of the ground, similar to the one below his feet-

-feet?

He looked down. And took a few steps back.

"Is that… A seal? Looks remarkably similar to summoning jutsu."

"Ah, I suppose that'd be another thing Sasuke could have learned from Orochimaru, maybe," said Kakashi back, crouching down for the second time within the last ten minutes and marveling at the thing so skillfully drawn on the ground, the lines clean and the shade of scorched meat just one bit darker than the ground itself.

"It's no wonder we didn't notice it immediately," commented Yamato, eyes narrowing at what could have been confused for a picture at any time of a day, and Kakashi noted the slight edge to his voice.

"Hm, I'm not particularly experienced when it comes to seals. We'll need to a call a specialist to take a look, although just judging by its placement, it's easy to conclude it was used to teleport inconspicuously outside the walls of Konoha."

Yamato's brows wrinkled together. "If the perpetrators used this to stealthily infiltrate Konoha, it means there's another seal somewhere outside which acts as both an entrance and exit. Exactly like this one. That could be dangerous." A sharp intake of breath was taken. "The potential risk is high. Who knows how many of these has Sasuke kept and even their exact whereabouts pose a great number of problems. Kakashi-senpai, we need to notify the search party immediately."

"Hm… We do."

He didn't want to admit to himself that his voice was shaking. After all, it hadn't been given a reason so far, so why the incessant reminder, why the constant prodding and poking at the mind, as if so diligent in its attempts to make its presence known that it'd forgone all real facts? May have been just his whimsical wishing then, may have been a mere result of his wishful thoughts, may have been nothing more – that shaking of his voice – than the thoughts of his turned into a bundle of emotions so tight and small, all of it encompassed within, all pressured with the steam held inside just as well, were hoping to break free – or, at least, hoping to mar a portion of his tangible existence with their presence.

Maybe, that really was a sign that it was all too much for one man to handle.

But then, he was not one but many, he was Legion, so if Legion would falter underneath the pressure…

"A pity, though. I wish we had more information than this," Yamato was saying as both exited the tunnel, re-emerging back inside the darkness and dampness of the Uchiha household, wherein the lack of existence of any light whatsoever made it appear even eerier than the tunnel beneath, and a quicksand to all thoughts it acted, sending them sinking downwards, slowly, painfully, as if to inflict as much terror and horror on him, for even as Kakashi mechanically explained their findings to the first jounin to enter through the door, even if his voice no longer shaking carried no signs of any changes, even then he couldn't help but compare the place to a horror mansion.

Even then, he couldn't help but wonder – if Legion failed, what could one man do?

How could the sole hero prevail, succeed where they didn't?

How, first and foremost, most importantly and last, but not least of all-

… How could Naruto cope and bear the burden of all, if but one he was?

"Quickly send the word to everyone else. The exits must be found no matter what."

Idly, Kakashi looked at Yamato.

And frowned.

Naruto, how long before even you kneel next to Legion?

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"Bad news is, the autopsies didn't reveal much… Only the things we already know. Good news, they really were just tools."

Sakura hang her head. "I see… So we're still clueless."

Tsunade, oddly mellowed and composed, leaned forward, hands spread out on the autopsy table now missing a body, body weight shifted, a strained, perhaps fatigued look, moaning beseechingly at everything around.

"Unfortunately… This is as far as we'll get. To be honest, I wasn't getting my hopes up, Sakura. No-one really was. I didn't personally believe that these bodies would show anything the previous hadn't and doubted Sasuke would have let us a tutorial on how to search them properly for any clues. I suppose it was worth a shot, though. At least now we know for sure that Sasuke's method didn't vary from a person to person."

Her heart constricted. Despite that, Sakura indulged her shishou back. "Yes, all were put under the same mind-controlling jutsu and all suffered from same malnutrition and neglect. After all, living on soldier pills is… Well. Huh… Maybe I was hoping for something different," she added under her breath, a faraway look cast in her pondering eyes.

Tsunade grimaced.

With nothing else to say, they lapsed into silence relatively short-lived – or it could have been Sakura's mind filling the void in-between with dark whispers and coarse words, before they broke out and she was talking again, the feminine, delicately toned voice of hers echoing about in the large and dark autopsy room.

"Shishou, I am thinking, or… asking myself… how long?"

"This question has already been answered, Sakura," came the brisk reply.

Sakura's eyes turned to meet her master's stern gaze.

After a moment, the sternness dispersed.

"Fine. You want to hear it again… Beats me why, but you might have a reason I don't understand. Frankly, maybe hearing it again will clarify things for me a bit more too. So again, Sakura…" Tsunade paused and leaned back, but the distance didn't work at all. Still the oppression was in her eyes. "Judging by the resources, the level of training and physical state, our estimations show that Sasuke must have been planning his betrayal for at least a year. Just gathering all these people and building a hide-out to go to plan further would have been a very difficult job, mostly given how Naruto's victory over Madara and Sasuke's previous past brought a lot of unwanted attention to Sasuke. So it would have taken him a long time."

Another pause.

Sakura had heard this explanation before. Twice, if she remembered correctly, and neither time had left her any wiser. Despite her deep most knowledge, still she remembered the wording, the order of the information – still she knew what would come next and she, somehow, found herself holding her breath and anticipating the moment.

Tsunade, blind in her naught to that, didn't disappoint. "And how the seal falls in that, how Sasuke could have evaded imminent death, escaped from its clutches and even destroyed it, as he claimed… That, which we don't know, might just be the biggest mystery of all."

The seal.

To this story, she could listen at any day of the day, all over again, because it soothed her to see the absurdity and contradiction in it.

"How could he? According to what Naruto told us-well, what he told me and what Iruka-sensei shared with us, the mere thought of betraying Naruto and hurting so many villagers ought to have killed Sasuke."

"Maybe," admitted Tsunade and a wince followed that Sakura had not expected. "That is all true, Sakura, I'm not denying that, but we also have to admit that the villagers were only barely hurt. The most injuries they sustained were from collapsed buildings and at one point or another, we all admitted the fight had been too easy."

Slowly, the woman walked around the table, but Sakura didn't mistake the gesture for attempting to round on her and make her feel cornered.

A pity she did, though. Cornered in her little world, refusing to listen on as she suspected she wouldn't like what came next.

After a moment, casting a savage, lost look around at the bodies stacked neatly behind the wall opposite them, Tsunade continued. "From experience, we all know the lethality of one sole ninja and what a dozen of them could do… that goes without saying that we'd best not wish to encounter such a group. Still we did and still, if you put aside the minor things, we came out essentially unscathed. This is nothing in comparison to what Pain did to Konoha, nothing to what Orochimaru left behind and nothing to what Madara did."

She hated it. Both of them did. But Sakura still saw a portion of truth behind those words. Unwillingly, she backed down and sighed. "Yes, despite their size, they were defeated too easily. I dare not assume our ninja to be powerful enough to handle a vigilante group like that, but if I were to judge just by how quickly it was solved… I'd have to conclude there wasn't a nation more powerful than ours."

It might have been a figment of her imagination.

It might have really been that her words echoed about ominously, becoming a harbinger of doom.

Tsunade inclined her head to the side in agreement and sighed. "Exactly."

Sakura looked down at her feet. "Are you saying Sasuke didn't necessarily break the rules?"

"Well, the villagers were hurt, but again, as I said, the assailants didn't actually wound anyone. In fact, one jounin swore to me he witnessed a particularly curious moment when one assailant had the opportunity to strike a villager, but instead of doing so he froze… He attacked only when the jounin did. And then fell. I'm not trying to justify anything or anyone. What they did – what Sasuke did, was still a stab in the back, but if they'd been fully powered, fully intent on hurting… I don't what to imagine what we'd be dealing with now. Perhaps dozens of people dead, gravely wounded, with life-threatening injuries…"

"Shishou?"

"Nothing, Sakura. I feel strange, that is all."

"Strange? Why…?"

"I believe… you might get it. I honestly don't know what to say to Naruto now. I can't even…" She shook. And turned her back to the young kunoichi. "I can't even look at him without flinching. And now, I feel utmost guilt, because I am glad that Sasuke had evaded the seal this well, I am glad he acted a genius in his own category and acted this stealthily. That we don't have dead at our hands…"

It was from guilt that she shook. The sensation gripped her firm, sending thick, heavy rippling waves all over her body, consuming her fully and intent upon being her inevitable doom-

-until Sakura stepped forward and placed a hand on her master's shoulder.

At once, the shaking ceased.

Wondrous, the woman looked at her over her shoulder and Sakura greeted her flabbergasted, guilt-ridden expression with a serene, faint smile.

"Tsunade-sama." What was she to say? Something advised her on this intricate matter and even if Sakura didn't understand that well what was possessing her to speak those words, she remained confident in the newly regained vigor, in the determined and passionate I striking a conversation with all the forlorn corners of her mind. "Don't blame yourself, Tsunade-sama. Together, we'll solve this."

Maybe, she could have agreed. Said she, too, felt the same, for wasn't it the knowledge of not being the only one in this universe feeling so that acted the only source of safe confinement? Wasn't it knowing that you weren't the only person around that had you feeling better? As if the knowledge of others in pain and gripped by agony was losing its qualities and becoming the long-awaited news of the golden ages arrival.

This human quality, this thing making them all human – Sakura couldn't have committed to it.

Besides, she knew her shishou better than most, better than, at given times, the master herself.

And the master appreciated it.

For she sent Sakura back a tiny, essentially non-existent smile, moving out of Sakura's reach, turning around and assuming the posture that reclaimed all lost land, dominated all ground around and again returned to her the role of the leader she possessed so skillfully.

"We will, Sakura. A pity that we know so little… In order to confirm our suspicions, we'd need to ask Sasuke, and without Sasuke around to humor us, there's only one person with the answers…"

Sakura's smile grew and turned bitter. "Naruto… won't tell us a thing. Even if he knew…"

"It might be that he doesn't know at all, actually. After all, Naruto can tell us only as much as he knows… But right now, asking him would be fruitless."

"Yes… I heard they want to denounce Sasuke a Konoha nin."

"Makes sense. Of course, they won't really do that…"

"Not without Naruto…" Sakura's brows knitted together. "I really wish we'd seen this coming. We did have the answer not that long ago, but we dismissed it… I dismissed it."

"Don't blam-"

"I don't."

Tsunade blinked.

Sakura met her wide, bewildered eyes and recognized the offended I in them. She smiled at her master, body relaxed and hands hanging comfortably by her side. "I refuse to, maybe. Or, maybe, I just can't. And don't want to… I tormented myself, I made myself the martyr and I was such a sad little nobody… That can no longer happen. That mustn't ever repeat itself. I acted so foolishly, shishou, wallowing in self-pity, acting like it was me that needed nursing, when I should consider myself lucky. I am alive and well and I don't have the twisted, strange bond like Naruto does. True, what we had might have garnered an unnecessary want to destroy from Sasuke, but I'm determined to set things right. I am, shishou, determined to finally play an active role in this."

"Even if it means further forsaking Sasuke?"

"Yes. First and foremost, our loyalties lie with Konoha. It's…"

"Unfortunate, huh? Can you really combine those two well, Sakura, or will you fail trying?"

"I won't try." Her smile widened. "I'll simply do it."

Tsunade, maybe despite her best wishes, smiled just as well. "I have to admit, this new-old Sakura I like. Alright then, Sakura, do whatever you must."

"Yes."

Whatever I must I will do, Naruto. Can you hear me? Can you see me? Or is Sasuke still the only thing on your mind?

Sakura glanced in the direction of the door, sensing a person approaching.

A jounin entered, briefing them on the new findings.

Only light-heartedly, Sakura listened, while in her thoughts she kept returning to the one and only, to the Hokage and leader now lost.

Will you hear us out, Naruto? Will you yield? Naruto… What will you do now…

Now that your most cherished person has gone?

Now that you really look so sole…

Naruto…

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

He shivered.

Outside, the weather had yet to yield, acting independently from the happenings inside the village, the sun blazing hot, the wind pleasantly chilly, the sky a perfectly painted veil, all screaming at the world below to discard its worries and be happy.

He couldn't have agreed more.

But the situation didn't call for his happiness, unfortunately, and he, just one of the many jounin living in the village, hadn't a choice but to follow his orders and be unhappy.

And he didn't want to.

He didn't want to go there.

Go inside, see him, be smitten with grief – because even from where he stood, just outside the door, he could feel it; an unimaginable force seeped through the wooden door, infecting all surroundings. Maybe it was grief, but in that case as any other regular human being with emotions and other tidbits of life that went along with it he should have been capable of handling it, already a few steps ahead with his knowledge interwoven into every step he took, but in that case, why did it feel like not even thousand years of living and suffering could save him from damnation?

Damnation from liberation.

And liberation from pain.

Pain wrought by the most cherished person.

The cherished person a hideous, ethereal man.

Hard he swallowed, the Adam's apple bobbing up and down nervously, and shook himself from the stupor, fingers finally curling around the handle, force applied and the door slowly and carefully swung open, as too long a time he'd wasted just contemplating the situation, too long the minutes eternally lost now as he'd rather indulged his fears instead of committing properly to his job, and it wasn't nearly as grievous a task as some others, not quite as perturbing as some would have thought, so with that on his mind he stepped in-

He almost choked.

The air inside… So heavy. And the sun streaming in so… blinding.

It felt like… Gods, he couldn't even put a finger to it. It was so-

So-

He put his hand over his mouth and swallowed back the bile.

And looked up.

He was there. Back turned to him, figure enveloped by the sun but, despite that, managing to look dreary and horrific, with a dark, contagious aura spreading from him in waves, the office of his embraced fully in it and it was definitely that at fault for the air inside the room made impossible to breathe, or how all surfaces seemed to deflect all warmth instead of welcoming it, how still the floor under his feet felt so icy and unfeeling.

Like someone, not a long time ago, had perished there. And their soul, despicable, still would linger there.

To pierce through that, naturally carrying through the air seamlessly, as if born into these circumstances, his voice came, devoid of any emotion, just as stone cold as all around him.

"What do you want?"

"Ho-… Hokage-sama!" He gathered himself, quick, made a step forward, but his own senses screamed at him, an alarm in his head going CRAZY AND WARNING AND SAYING BACK OFF-

-what is this fear? It's like I'm choking… what is…

Tearing up. Coughing. Choking on this.

What is this… Hokage-sama, what have you done to yourself?

"I-I come bearing news, Hokage-s-sama," he choked out, eyes directed at the ground. He felt the denseness disappear, or momentarily subside and felt immensely grateful for it… Although it answered none of his questions, each arising with every new second to tick by. "Um, the reports say that Uchiha-san has yet to be found. There are no traces of him. His old home was searched and a summoning jutsu had been placed in the tunnel he'd dug underneath the kitchen. Currently, there are search parties scouting the area for more similar seals but to no avail so far."

"Is that all?"

Still unfeeling. As if… dead?

The jounin frowned. "Hokage-sama, are you alright?"

"Is that all?"

"Hokage-sama…?"

Nothing. Honestly, he might have been an animated corpse… He felt a surge of worry hit him. "Hokage-sama, are you-"

"Notify me if you hear anything else."

"I-"

"Is that all?"

"I… I…" The man's lower lip quivering. Why won't you look at me, Hokage-sama? "The autopsies revealed nothing. Also, things are going quite well with, er, rebuilding and the wounded are healing alright. Thankfully, the damages aren't too serious and people seem to be recovering quite fast."

"I see."

Hokage-sama, please, look at me… Please look at me.

Nothing.

Nothing.

God-damned, sniveling little nothing.

"That… I have, er, the report, I can leave it on your table."

He hesitated. Then, as the Hokage didn't speak even after almost a minute, he carefully laid the documents on the table, tiptoeing forward and then tentatively standing there to watch the man so close and yet so far.

Their Hokage-sama was just at the window, a few, pathetic feet from him and he could easily walk around the table and force his attention, but he just…

I… I can't.

Instead, the jounin watched their Hokage's back.

And something about the sight of it made his heart cry.

Giving up, he stepped back, hung his head and said-"That… that would be all, Hokage-sama. You will be notified of any updates. At… at the moment, we'll just continue searching…"

"Alright. Go."

"Um, Hokage-sama, I… are you-"

"Go."

"Are you alrig-"

"Go."

Go.

"I…"

Go.

Go.

Go.

The cursed word.

"… Alright."

He went.

The door creaked as it closed, the hinges moaning beseechingly, the side eventually connecting with threshold, the space cut nonexistent, until it snapped shut and the jounin-

"Oh my god I nearly died there,"-all but crawled to the opposite wall, body impacting with it, sliding further away from the wretched office, eyes wide and puffy and voice high-pitched and merciful.

Ignoring the flabbergasted look of a nearby ANBU guard to see the show, he panted heavily, the core of his being ever-so-scornful and withered.

"I can't have been that bad," commented the ANBU and the jounin stared at his own feet.

"AAhhh…. I-I suppose so? No, it was-frankly, so terrifying, I-he looked… he looked…" And then, he couldn't even speak.

The ANBU shook his head. "You volunteered, I heard."

"Er, yes… No-one wanted to go, we were drawing straws… I lost anyway and I didn't think much of it but damn… It feels like I've just lost ten years of my life."

"Heh… You do look a bit unnerved."

"Unnerved? Well, yes, I suppose so…"

"Did you give him the message?"

"Some of it…"

"Some of it? Jeez, don't tell me you failed."

"I, well, gave him the report? He should read it, right?"

"He should."

The jounin's brows connected to form one straight, thick line over his eyes. "You do… So even you can't be sure… Well, alright then."

"Go relax."

"I need to go join the search teams. But in comparison to this, it could be called relaxing, I think… At either regard." Having composed himself at last, he pushed himself off the wall, trying to dismiss the memory of His figure-

-his figure, so… so…

"Strange."

The ANBU had just turned around to join the other guards, but stopped at once, shooting, probably, a questioning look at the jounin's direction, whose nose had scrunched up and a ponderous look marred his features now.

When he didn't continue, the ANBU shrugged. "Was it?"

"What? No-I… I…"

He recalled it. Vividly. And would remember it for a long, long time afterwards, his figure, so-"Did Hokage-sama lose weight?"

"Huh?"

"I…" Still he thought about it. Still his back. Still… in great detail… "Just now, when I was talking to him, his back seemed so… small."

The ANBU eyed him, not speaking for a moment, before his voice, confidently bold, penetrated the silence. "I don't know. To be honest, I haven't even looked at him in days, but we can't be troubled by that at moment. If he lost weight, he'll gain it back once he snaps out of it."

"What if he doesn't? It's been days already and he's just getting worse…"

"In that case… Konoha will lose two ninja."

"You'd have him replaced? That is-"

"Outrageous?" The ANBU sighed. Only then did the jounin notice the slight quiver in his voice; a good actor he might have been, still he had lots to learn. "Maybe, but Konoha comes first. Even he knows that. He might have suffered heartbreak, but he still does his job. That's important. And for as long as that doesn't change, there will be no need for a new Hokage. I am afraid, however, that until then, his welfare and well-being come second to those of our villagers. And you know that."

He let the words sink, before continuing.

"That doesn't mean, however, that I am blind to what is happening to him. I hope he's not lost weight. I hope his back hasn't gotten smaller. Truly, I wish we'd get our Hokage back."

The jounin's gaze softened.

Behind the mask, the ANBU was suffering.

Experiencing the pain along with their beloved Hokage. And he, that jounin, one of the many, felt the agony just as well.

Longingly, he looked at the door leading to his office, longingly, he gazed at the wall separating them, longing, just as every other soul in their country, for their beloved and cherished Hokage to smile again.

Behind the mask, the ANBU's expression contorted into one of anguished hope.

"I hope… I really, really do…"

Hokage-sama…

Please, come back to us.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Curiously, he stared at the present party.

And damn… Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan and Sai sure looked tense… Wait, what was the word…

Daaaamn-oh, yeah… Grim.

They looked grim.

Hell, even baa-chan was looking like something had gotten her titties in a twist, and some huge titties those were, not that he'd ever admit that out loud to her… Really, Naruto didn't fancy losing his head over a woman – literally – just yet.

Oh, right, and there was also Shikamaru standing at the far corner of the room – ashamed, huh? Bet he did something that pissed baa-chan off, che, suited him right – and the two geezers that always meddled in when it came to political affairs. Honestly, Naruto thought Tsunade should just thwack them and show them their place and not let either sit by her side and act so obviously nosy and bossy even if no-one was saying anything yet.

Saying. Right, that reminded him-

Naruto crossed his hands over his chest, thrust said chest forward, curled the lower lip over the upper and glowered at everyone present.

"Why did you call us here, granny?"

"Granny" glowered back. "Naruto, watch your language."

Naruto managed an over-dramatic "hmp" before once more looking around questioningly. Really… They did look grim.

Huh…

Warier of the situation now, caution embedded into every step, he directed his eyes on the one person he'd affectionately come to call as "granny".

"What's going on?"

This time, she didn't tell him a word-this time, she was meant to.

As the silence dragged further on, a sinking feeling settled itself in the pit of his stomach, at first but a small bud, but eventually growing, the fertile land of his doubt feeding it immense strength – until Naruto's brows wrinkled and Tsunade leaned forward, a worn out, bedazzled look of shame in her eyes.

"I asked all of you to come because what I have to share concerns you all. Mostly, Naruto, it concerns you."

"Huh… Me?"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She was hesitating, wasn't she? Obviously tentative, refusing to speak up-was she afraid of something? But why…

"Baa-chan? Is everyth-"

"As of today, Sasuke is once more announced a Konoha ninja."

"Wh…"

"Today, we are releasing Sasuke. He is a free man."

He could have felt anger.

He could have felt anger so much.

He could have felt it gnaw at his insides, make him cough them up, wreak so much havoc in his mind that maddening it was-

-could have?

It was.

Naruto's knees buckled-and a sing-song, a lulling sweet symphony, yet infectious spread about in his mind, all thoughts a rampaging stampede, all of him confused deeply and immensely drowning in the sensation, in the gratuitous gratification, in the-not so… Strong.

Good.

Good.

So… so very… good.

So…

"Sasuke is back."

Ha-ha.

Did he know, did he realize? He'd laughed-was smiling now, a stupid, wide, desperate grin on his face.

"Sasuke… is back."

Sasuke.

You're back.

BACKBACKBACKBACK-he snickered.

And relished.

Relished… But.

But… No. No.

Wait-they were-Naruto's eyes widened. Realization struck him.

"That's not what you wanted to tell me, is it, baa-chan?"

All the said baa-chan could do, his dearest, most cherished baa-chan in the world, whom he could hug and embrace for the rest of his life and thank the gods above, or any other being hidden there between the clouds, for granting him with a person this endearing and his, someone made to fit him, love and treasure him, someone to-someone to look him in the eye this way.

This fearfully.

So much that all memories of smiling a mere second ago were brutally admonished.

So much that Naruto frowned. "What is it?"

Tsunade-Tsunade it was now, for it was the Hokage speaking-took in a sharp intake of breath-"It has been decided that Sasuke is not allowed to roam the village free. He's proven himself a dangerous man before, a liability, if you must, and we cannot afford the history to repeat itself. You understand that, don't you?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," responded Kakashi much faster than Naruto's mind could process the information, but he didn't add anything afterwards, even if every part of him was screaming at him to do so, for surely accusing Sasuke of such atrocities – didn't they know he'd made his amends?

Didn't they-

Did he?

Do I know… Do I…?

Di-… he… He gripped the hem of his sleeves.

At her own pace, Tsunade continued-and her eyes slipped close. "We cannot trust Uchiha Sasuke. It's far too early for any explicit exchanges of trust and based on his behavior so far it'd be safe to assume he isn't nearly quite as happy to be here as… Ah."

"That's understandable, shishou," muttered Sakura, deceit in the tenderness of her voice.

Sai inclined his head to the side. "If I understand the situation correctly, you're saying that Uchiha Sasuke-san can't be left alone."

"Yes…" And the eyes opened.

Swirling in them, impossibly shallow and almost spilling from the corners, was-pity.

Pity for… who? Briefly, Naruto looked around. Briefly, to better understand. But if she wasn't looking at Sakura, if she wasn't looking at Sai, if she wasn't… looking at Kakashi…

A grotesque frown on her face. "It has been decided consensually that Uchiha Sasuke would be given the rank of genin, assigned missions and placed in a special team formed only for his sake, to avoid future problems but also to give him a chance to accommodate properly. We've waited far too long and we're doing this now. But."

But.

"As I said before and as Sai correctly concluded, he'll need to be supervised. A man as dangerous as Sasuke who could lay Konoha to waste cannot under any circumstances roam this village without close supervision. You need to understand. We've thought this over and over again and each and every time the very same conclusion was reached. You need to understand that."

No, Tsunade wasn't looking at Kakashi. Not at Sakura. Not at Sai. And Shikamaru wasn't even in her line of vision.

But that… didn't make any… s-

"Naruto."

-sense. Why would she… try so hard to get him to understand that? He did, definitely, it all made sense-Sasuke wasn't trustworthy, he'd need to earn his trust and that came with time and almost a year he'd been locked up with no ways of doing that-and if his memory didn't fail him, then also adamant in his refusal to say a word of cooperation, as Shikamaru had many times pointed out, so yeah, that was alright, that was-

"Naruto. You have to understand."

"What are you… saying, baa-chan?"

Hah. She really was being cryptic today, wasn't she? All kinds of secret keeping and stuff… And… Yeah.

He gave her a short, ludicrous laugh. "What are you saying?"

Come on, talk.

Talk. Jeez, it can't be that hard, baa-chan… it's just saying it out loud, yeah? Yeah. And-

-why, why why WHY were they all looking at him – Kakashi and Sakura and Sai and Shikamaru and the two stupid elders he so detested seated by her side – as if he were an unfortunate victim of a freak accident?

Why.

It made… Now this made no sense whatsoever – he kept telling himself, kept firmly convincing himself of-and-and… and.

And.

As if jammed, the breath failed him. He made – the low, guttural choking sound, before-

"What?"

What… What are you…

Baa-chan, Tsunade… why are you…

Still, marble – the voice. Carved into the thin air, made to resemble with exaction the acidity of decision.

"A decision has been made, Naruto, that seeing as you are the only person who's ever managed to defeat Sasuke and who is on par with Sasuke in terms of skill and sheer power, that you should become his guardian. Consider it a long term A-class mission if you will. Your mission, Uzumaki Naruto, will be to supervise Sasuke 24/7, to keep watch over him at day and night and report any suspicious activities. To enable this, we have already made arrangements, so that you could calmly execute your mission. For that, Uchiha Sasuke's belongings, or the little he had, have been moved to an apartment as we also saw that your place would be too small for the mission. We cannot spare any other ninja, so it'll be your job that you must commit to wholly and completely. Seeing as Sasuke has proven himself a threat to us all before, it's imperative he is stopped in time. We can't – I repeat, Naruto – we cannot simply afford to suffer the same as we had in the past."

"Hokage-sama…." Kakashi. Was this the right time to speak?

Kakashi-sensei… why can't I even look at you…

Kakashi muttered something – his voice disintegrated.

A hand was slammed down onto the table – one of the elders, no doubt, expressing their dislike with how the situation was unnecessarily dragged on, when in reality the matter in question was so very simple.

"Enough of this. Hokage-sama, this is completely unnecessary. You swore to us you could handle it, yet minute after minute it's more obvious you've failed your words. It's time we fully explained the situation here ourselves. Uzumaki Naruto!"

Barked like a curse.

Naruto's eyes bore into Tsunade's.

Why. Why. WHY WHYWHYWHY YOU CURSED-why.

Just because. I saved him? But…

"Child, this you cannot refuse. Even you must see, having fought the Uchiha boy yourself, that he's a great threat to us all and he must not be released. We must not relinquish our hold on him! His wrath is never to return. So you will remain by his side until the day he's earned his trust back. This comes in action starting now. Understand, also, that it takes precedence over any other command, Uzumaki Naruto."

"We also understand, Uzumaki Naruto, that you couldn't fully commit with all the baggage hindering you. We understand and for that – Team 7."

"Starting today-"-she was continuing. Tsunade. In a voice this dulled by ache, emptied by persuasion of penance. "As of today, on the orders of Hokage, Team 7 is officially disbanded. All members will be assigned to different teams and act accordingly. And Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru just recently promoted to jounin, will form a new team. Uzumaki Naruto is to send reports to me, the Hokage, on a weekly basis, and Shikamaru is to deliver them directly. From this day on, Uzumaki Naruto is never to leave Uchiha Sasuke's side."

Disbanded.

And forever with Sasuke?

A surge.

"NO!"

"Naruto!"

Hands holding him back, Sai and Kakashi, while the elders watched on coolly, not perturbed in the least by the display of emotions, but Tsunade was different; looking through him like she wasn't seeing him, but the Naruto and reaction from her worst nightmares brought to reality, carried over in secrecy and now snapped before her with a note that read "do not react".

But he needed it. Just that once wince as he struggled and fought, as he raged, as he screamed obscenities at her-

"Why, baa-chan, why? Disband my team? You're disbanding my team? Why-are you-this is insane, you can't do this-NO LET ME GO-baa-cha, you're insane!"

"Naruto, calm down."

"Naruto!"

Sai and Kakashi hissing and Sakura – standing there, worriedly, confusedly, the poor chap, the darling little child.

"Sakura-chan, why aren't you saying anything? Come on, anyone?" He whipped his head around wildly, eyes landing in turns on everyone once more-to see the no.

The no in the faces, in the gestures and postures, in the eyes so pleading, telling him to stop, telling him-

"Uzumaki Naruto." The elder's voice filtered in the air, the toxic waste of their thoughts, and Naruto looked at her, telling himself his eyes weren't wide open with horror, that he wasn't nearly as mortified as her conceited, haughty expression suggested, that he'd also wake up quite soon to realize he'd dreamed himself the worst dream of all, one in which he was losing everything – just for the sake of nothing.

Because Sasuke… Sasuke wouldn't… He didn't care. Sasuke was, you see-

"Did you or did you not bring the Uchiha back? We were under the impression that you'd trained under Jiraya-sama with the intention of becoming more powerful so you could face your lost teammate and bring him back. Eventually, you managed, and now you seem to have regretted making the decision. Is it true then? Was it all a lie? Have you wasted then four years of your life on nothing?"

"No, I-"

"So it is true, then. Did you not almost die?"

I did… I did die. Don't you know? Don't you see?

"Yes, but-"

"Did you not defeat him in the end?"

"I-"

No.

I didn't. That's what you don't understand at all. I didn't defeat Sasuke… I lost to him.

"Or maybe you are keeping something from us." The woman's eyes narrowed. And all eyes rested on him.

This was his chance. Take advantage of if, say it-

Naruto looked at his own feet, brows knitted together, heart clenched. "No…"

One of the elders leaned back ever-so-slightly, peering up at him through half-narrowed eyes that had, in their years, seen the light of war, the night of terror, seen and understood the incomprehensible inquiries of life, and yet in this moment of sanctity remained the embodiment of ignorance, looking past him and seeing only the picture drawn into the wall, convenient, fake, conjured up.

Naruto clenched his teeth. Slowly, he was released, with Kakashi and Sai stepping aside and his hands fell back by his body, as he'd flailed, floundered – and they'd deemed him dangerous.

Huh. How funny. To think-they'd thought him capable of…

"Again, did you or did you not, Uzumaki Naruto, spend four years of your life chasing after your ex-teammate, eventually found, overpowered and brought him back?"

"Yes."

"Do you understand the importance of this mission?"

"Yes."

"Will you struggle anymore?"

"No…"

"Will you commit to this mission as instructed to?"

"… Yeah."

"Is there anything we should know about? Anything, let's say, a secret, maybe? Anything you're keeping from us and may have been for a while?"

Kakashi. He could have fought. No? Maybe shielded them from the greedy touch of the authorities.

Sakura. She ought to have appealed to her master. No? Maybe covered them under her healing touch.

Sai. He would have spoken to the elders on their behalf. No? As a member of their team, he understood – if only capable to.

And Shikamaru.

One warning… would have helped.

Naruto met the woman's eyes, his own blazing, scorching hatred hot, pestiferous the resentment blossoming for them.

"No. There is nothing."

The elders exchanged a few knowing looks, as if all along they'd known of his compliance, and that only he hadn't been notified of it early enough to prepare accordingly, hence his outburst of emotions so unwelcome, so unbecoming.

Yet wise, strong they were, understanding, and immediately they warded him off afterwards, because a year they'd sacrificed on the insufferable man, a year of finances wasted on a person who'd so far been a really horrible piece of jewelry; though pretty to look and rare, of magnetizing quality and rich color, he'd chance upon the world of lost far too often to their liking, always out of their sight, always elsewhere on the ground or someone's pocket, never to be found where they'd left it the last time, never to fulfill its purpose, that pendant of sylphlike beauty with a penchant for coming back to the shadows.

That stupid, useless Uchiha Sasuke.

"I'll show you your new place… First, we need to go get Sasuke. He's been released an hour ago, actually, but he was told to wait downstairs for you. He's already, um… He knows. He knows, Naruto. So…"

The door closed.

Tsunade wasn't coming.

Naruto snarled. "Yeah. He knows. Let's go get him."

"Naruto-"

"Keep it, Shikamaru…" He noticed his team. His ex-team. That's what they all were. Standing there. If he didn't know better, he'd think they'd practiced, as all at once they managed the virtue of regret. "Just…" Virtue. He'd had it. "Just… keep it… And let's go."

He'd had many things.

But it appeared past started now – and present had yet to arrive. With every step – losing one bit – not regaining the lost. Remaining… bare-handed.

They walked.

Down the stairs. Only a minute. A stupid minute. Sixty seconds running, ticking by, too short a time to gather his thoughts.

He couldn't even try.

"Here, it's-hey." They stopped and Shikamaru scoffed, displeasure written all over his face, hands stuck momentarily in his pockets to fake nonchalance as downstairs there was no sign of Sasuke and the nearby ninja were looking quite clueless. "Where's Sasuke?"

"The Uchiha, ah, you-see?" One of the guards replied, stuttering and nervous, a virgin to lo and behold in the matters of intrigues and conspiracies.

Naruto tuned them out. He didn't care. Couldn't have made himself care.

Fu-they were… Forcing Sasuke on him and all because he'd saved him? He could have-should have. Yes. He chastised himself, knowing he ought to have mentioned a word; knowing of the stupid seal they'd made and of what danger it brought along may have potentially aroused enough suspicious that at once all thoughts of dumping all burden of the world on his shoulders would have been dismissed. Maybe further inspect, prod and poke and yell they would have, but at least they'd have understood how impossible it was of Sasuke to betray them-and how impossible of Naruto to take care of him.

After all… of Sasuke… when Sasuke… That time, that moment, had looked at him with eyes full of hate-

They kept bickering. Naruto mirrored Shikamaru's posture and shot them a curious look. Lost Sasuke, had they? First impressions put aside, Naruto looked around.

The door open, the sun streaming inside-huh.

He heaved out a sigh and headed out.

"Ugh, what do you mean you let him out of your sight-and you didn't even sound the alarm-no, I don't care that he wanted to see the sun. Look, you're new and all but you don't do thi-oi, Naruto, where are you going?"

Ecstasy this world was. The moment the warmth of the surrounding world hit his face, he felt rejuvenated, as if no obscure absurdities about protection and need had been piled up on his shoulders carelessly, as if no knife was lodged deep inside his back – and no blade missing the heart. A pity, he reckoned, that they'd only prepared all to take that one aim, yet suffered greatly in the end, because still with his heart intact, who'd be deemed the winner now? Who?

Naruto made a grimace, but that dissolved.

He walked out, further out, and almost laughed because they'd planted the trees around and it could have been more of a hideous sight if they'd picked a worse kind or planted them closer, as even this way more harm than good they did, generally the obstacle, generally the reason for all the people slipping on the leaves fallen to the ground, on leaves decorating the small world around.

One such leaf moved to slither past his eyes-

-Sasuke was standing there.

Was the wind ruffling his hair? Playing with his clothing? Was the sun reflected off his pale skin, pronouncing further that so little of it it had seen in the past year? Was there a sense of otherworldliness on him as he moved, as he turned and stepped, or an insufferable alienation like he'd best return to the dreams he belonged to than wither away here? Maybe-maybe… Naruto's body tensed and he walked.

Maybe this, maybe that, but they'd meet mid-way and they were meant to do just that, prophesized by none other than the elders timidly fixated upon dominion of the mind, but as the fate would have it nothing would stand in their way this time – and even if the wind howled at some windows, wept at the others and moaned at some below, lashed up so suddenly and roared to rouse uproar, because while around them-

It stilled.

And died.

And they walked towards each other, eyes meeting, hearts seizing, bodies convulsing-from disgust and pure putrid stench of bloodlust.

Behind, the situation had stilled and Shikamaru was speaking again but Naruto was nonchalant this time around too, knowing Sasuke was his bag and baggage, the helter skelter of unknown proportions, so why not cave into the misery that loved company, why not-

-be bitter.

Why not, Sasuke?

"Naruto."

And then he was chilled to the bone.

Who'd had-no. It… was… Sasuke?

It was then that Naruto realized he'd not really looked him in the eye, instead directing his gaze on the lips in an inconspicuous, clearly innocuous way, but the voice so dulcet and low prompted him to look up, to see the eyes made of coal or snapped from the sky and embedded into the skull – looking at him and none other.

Of course Sasuke had decided to take a little stroll, to disobey orders for he cared not for those, for the seal would hinder him in any case, for he'd known all along only one person capable of handling him, the only person stood in front.

I am angry.

I am angry.

I am angry.

I am angry.

I am-

-not angry.

Sasuke.

There. Here. Here again.

With the emotion it swam, his heart – in fact his mind. Possible, was it even? Naruto halted, standing too close, way too close, because Sasuke had not stopped in time too, and what separated them physically, was the distance of one foot.

As if non-existent.

Naruto blinked and erased all remnants of anger from his face-foolishly assuming there had been any to begin with, before staring into Sasuke's eyes and eventually admitting to himself not a stare but an intent look it was, intent and looking, exactly like Sasuke's.

Idiots. Jerks. I'm not a nanny. I don't want to be anyone's nanny. They're insane, crazy, and this is not going to work… and losing my team over this. Idiots. Seriously such stupid and… huge, yeah. Big idiots that don't know what they're doing-

-But.

He couldn't help it.

The wind really was howling somewhere. And it really wouldn't have dared to interrupt this moment of innermost intimacy, but the wind also obeyed commands of the heart, not mind, so even if they clashed as long as the heart existed, it would prevail.

And Naruto wanted the wind to carry it – the whisper of his as he spoke, as he let it overcome and destroy, as he succumbed to the succulent ecstasy of the man before him, as he still fought and struggled, tooth and nail fighting for hate-but drawing a blank because for reasons completely unknown and mystifying, he couldn't have brought himself to hate even if he'd wanted, couldn't have managed the negative sensation even if tortured to.

Because he also couldn't allow the gravity of his voice to be heard by anyone, because he truly was ashamed, his weakness the hindrance magnificent, because he needed the wind to carry it just as it had carried it not that long ago, because Naruto, in all honesty, was afraid to hear the breathless the unmasked need in his voice as he voiced the simple word-

"Sasuke."

And Sasuke's eyes widened, the next sentence a year over-due.

"I'm home, Naruto."

Finally home.

And it was too late… For me.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"I'm home, darling!" Breathing heavily, he trudged inside and removed his shoes as was the tradition, leaving them by the door and not even bothering with placing them neatly there for, why bother, as surely she'd jump right to it. But first-"Sweetie? I'm home at last."

Ah, his dearest wife. He was quite famished, yes, and needed a bath. She'd scrub his back clean for him, then lay down with him, make dinner for him – something delicious, heart-warning, and he'd missed her meals dearly, but as a man he was tasked with an impossibly grave task – working.

She wouldn't get it, of course, having been born as a woman, but still she could appreciate him and he, in turn, would appreciate her efforts at night while she moaned under his touch.

This task, he took great relish in.

"Anata!" he bellowed once more, a wide smile now spread across his features and he stepped further inside his small home-

-and heard nothing.

And felt cold.

Seep into his bones.

Immediately, as if possessed, rage overtook him.

No dinner, no wife, no warmth – who was he? A complete stranger turning to an abandoned shelter out of despair? A completely unfamiliar face simply trespassing?

Silence. Silence kept welcoming him, the only company to his misery, the only greeting, so audacious as it crept all around, as it-shuffling.

In the background.

He dropped his bag and stalked forward, for he knew right then what was happening and really, what a fool he was to have suspected otherwise!

For she, surely and undoubtedly, was-oh, the shuffling sounds again, the whispers rushed and hurried, panicky coming from the bedroom and it was crystal clear to him now as the sky outside, that the wench-

-he slammed the door open to see her scantily clad figure covering underneath the bed sheets, the word horror spelled in her great, chocolate eyes adorned sporadically by the unkempt black hair, patches of red still strewn across her face-

-and the window to their first-floor bedroom yawning wide open with the curtains uncertainly floating in the late afternoon wind, all of the wretched mess, the sheets, the floor, bathing in sunlight they did not deserve.

The setting sun would be her death.

"YOU FILTHY RAGGED WHORE!"

"YAAAAHHHH!"

He threw himself on her and she stood no chance, as twice her size he was and such a succulent flesh, so supple and sylphlike her figure – such a pity, such a shame, such a waste of time he'd spent picking her out from all those candidates. He'd have to restart, refresh, renew, his whole life – all because of the cursed-

"You mangy little cur."

A loud unpleasant lump of the flesh hitting the ground, her body dragged across the floor, the limbs slithering about, floundering around in mad awe, taut muscles stretching to the point of breaking and snapping and the head in an awkward angle as his fingers tore into the hair, curling around and dragging her from the sanctuary of her bed.

"Husband, please-!"

He spat on her.

She deserved it.

A good husband he was.

So great, the best!

For a filthy hussy like her.

A hard-working man even in his late forties, sacrificing weeks at a time to work in the woods as a lumberjack in a place devoid of ninja to stoop to the labor, and he'd think of her every night as his rightful little doll she was.

Pretty, so pretty.

Pretty…

"Husband." She shuddered.

And screamed as his hand impacted with her cheek.

"Shut your hole."

Yes, shut it. She did. Good bitch. Good. At least in her dying moments she'd listen. He smiled at her.

"It… it was a mistake, anata, a m-mistake…I… I was all alone…" she was saying. He eyed her with the compassion only a man as noble as he could muster up.

He released her a moment later, stopping in the living room and gazed upon her.

His hand rose, balled into a fist, swung back-

"In such a case, anata," he muttered affectionately, and nodded. "You understand what I must do."

It really was a pity.

She'd been the best. The best cook, the best lay, the most beautiful one of the women he'd single-handedly picked out of the many around. Struggled they all had, but eventually understood his reasoning about every woman being a victim for the preying and in a constant need to be protected. Marriage was a mutual agreement, the deal highly advantageous for women mostly as all they had to do was lounge around lazily whereas the men worked to ensure their future survival.

And she paid him off with this.

A pity he'd slacked off, a pity he'd eased up on her and stopped with the habitual beating – after all, it had worked on all his previous wives, who was to say that time would change anything at all?

No-one.

"NO! NO PLEASE NO NO NO HUSBAND PLEASE ANATA NOOOO!"

Ha-ha.

Well, beg as you want, beg as you want-BUT NOT THIS LOUD.

He snapped and snapped and snapped again – her bones.

Like twigs they broke, just small pressure applied, and cracking sounds filled his mind, and blood spurted all around.

"Nooooo…. Noooo please… pleeaaaaasseeeee… husband… master pleaseeeee…" So cry she did, tears, snot and blood mixed on her face and hitting the ground. Who'd wash it? Him? Bitch had no dignity even now.

He leaned back, surveying his masterpiece, the body mangled and mutilated, but blood washed off hard and he'd need to move again. All her fault because she couldn't have waited. Didn't she know he'd have met her expectations? Better than anyone, better than her feeble, simple-minded fool of a lover.

Better. Better. Much better.

This was the 7th. The 7th and counting.

A smile on his face. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He wiped them. Off. Grinned at her crawling form, and cocked his head to the side.

And unzipped his pants.

She froze. No? No, he wouldn't stand anymore of those from her.

She owed him.

"Wretched egg. Oh, honey… honey…" On his knees he knelt, cradled her head in his hands and then-"I'll carve the memory of me in you."-slammed it hard against the ground.

A crack.

"Ha-ha."

She was still getting blood all over the ground.

Fury.

"Whore. Stupid, stupid whore…"

She looked at him, barely alive, and made peace with her death, because he'd award her with that luxury once he was through with her, but the more resilient the calm, the more anger injected in his veins-"Stupid little wife… Stupid slut. I almost loved you. Now, I'll need to love you differently…"

Her eyes widened.

Yes, yes.

In them, he saw his own reflection… Yes.

Yesss…

And she groaned out-"Behind you."

Yees-wh-what?

Wh-

Thud.

Drip.

Drip. Drip.

What…

She fell silent. And so did he. Lapsing into the silence that had welcomed him first. Most unwelcome, most pretentious, this fickle little cur, daring to interrupt him too and the chaotic fumbling of his mind, so he'd pay it all its dues back, all-

-he gurgled and toppled over forward, face buried in her bosom, eyes turned blind by the folds of her torn clothing, and he coughed, a wet something slithering past lips, suckling on his life.

A groan. Heard. Dimly.

M-my own… what th-the hell is… what…

Pushed himself up on the wobbly hands to notice-there, the sharp and red blade sticking out from his abdomen.

"Red…" His wife sang. "Red…"

She sang on.

"The eyes…"

Eyes? Red eyes, but that is-

"Foolish lowly rodent." Silken, mellifluous the tone-accompanied by the noise as slowly the blade slid from his body-leaving it to kiss the ground below. "Conceited, puny thing… Getting my attention undeservedly while still killing…"

The wound was-but-the eyes-he turned around to see them. The mirage.

The cursed pair of bloodline limit, the jewels of amaranthine spreading the vice of fear all around-

-he gasped-he knew-he moaned-he knew-he-

"Sharingan."

And the infamous Uchiha Sasuke cut through the air with his katana, removing all blood from the blade's precarious touch, because it was dirtying it and he was the cool figure of marble, unfeeling and staring, piercing and judging.

Judging him.

And narrowing in turn after a moment. "You… will suffice."

Suffice?

He flinched and put a hand above his wound.

Wound.

What… what wound?

What wound?

He sat up sharply and looked down to see no blood at all and no disfigured woman by his side – only her seated, shocked form with just that one bruise on her face and the bewilderment in his eyes.

"What the-you bas-"

-tard.

Bastard.

A split second later, he was on the ground and the Uchiha's hand was around his neck-and the woman let out a strangled moan and the red fury shot her a look before clamping her shut, his touch, probably, in such a stark contrast to what the husband's treated her to.

She stared, stared and shivered-and the red eyes only widened.

She stared into them-soon nodded off and Uchiha Sasuke drew his hand back, her form slumping on the ground, unconscious, but alive.

The man hissed, lifted his hand to pry off-no… movement…?

Motionless.

Shi-

Uchiha Sasuke's lips spread into a cold smile. "It's too late. You already are under my spell."

Genjutsu.

Spread out eagle-like on the ground below, he watched the cold monster, breath hitched in his throat, an unfamiliar sensation creeping up.

"… How… I didn't-"

He didn't even reward him with a laugh. "Eyes? I don't need to use my eyes to cast a genjutsu on you… This is all I need."

A hand lifted, bared, the fingers stretched out, long and pale.

Then Uchiha Sasuke unsheathed his katana – the gleaming, long blade fully exposed, maybe for real, maybe a genjutsu again, maybe a fake, maybe-

"Nonononono, don't-you bastard, I will kill you. KILL YOU."

All faded out. The grayscale empowering, the black overpowering, the death – incoming.

This unfamiliar sensation.

This thing in him.

"You killed."

Started the red-eyed beast, the flourishing, maddening calm the breeze, the venom in the air and the messenger of the inevitable.

"And raped. You robbed. And thieved. You slaughtered in vain. And wrought mayhem. You sow the seeds of misery. And I will take them back. All the lost, all the perished, all the dead…"

At least an emotion.

The startling presence of anger and agony, in the crying reds, in the picture of a smiling blue-eyed face drawn to mirror in them-

Morphed to thousands, the blades, directed, pointed, above – suspended down at him, prepared to strike-

"For him, I will do all."

And struck-

"For my cherished person."

Blood.

Red.

"Number 1."

"AHHHH-"

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Hinata's heart jumped.

"Are you sure, Hinata-sama? It… might be a bad idea," offered her companied softly, worry creasing the man's face, and her pale eyes landed on him in turn to seize him up and down-or to boast with the wavering determination on her own face.

A second later, he was stepping aside, bowing respectfully, and she knew she'd won. "Y-yes… I have to. I'll be safe."

"I know you will… You should, that is… but Hinata-sama." Still the man dared oppose her, but she couldn't have blamed him, not when her own heart danced with a tentative double-step, when seized with immense fright she felt the butterflies fall one next to another a victim to the dying drive, when still, still Hinata asked herself-

-for what purpose to see the man, the man she loved, the man left abandoned and sad, when-

-when… Naruto-kun…

Warmth invaded her eyes, gathering at their corners, prickling her heart.

Huh… She shook it off. "I'm certain. I know what I'm doing. Besides…" She looked at the ground. "We can't forever avoid him… It's been days and… Someone needs to speak to Naruto-kun…"

"That… is right, but if even his advisor has failed…"

"What about the advisor?"

Hinata's ponderous eyes rested on Shikamaru's nonchalant figure just around, the man's feet shuffling against the ground and body forcibly dragged forward to make up a pretty little triangle of friendship and love focused on the one and only-

"Oh, you mean Naruto," added Shikamaru after a moment, eyes lazily clipping shut. "Yeah, that's about right. I just keep failing."

Hinata's companion nodded sagely. "See-"

And Shikamaru shrugged in an overtly dramatic matter and made a vague gesture with his hand. "But, of course, it doesn't mean you should let it turn you off. I mean, try it if you'd like."

Said companion then stared and fumbled around blindly for any appropriate response.

As Hinata inwardly rejoiced – and as Shikamaru looked at her slyly, the man could only shake his head and sigh in exasperation, before admitting defeat and backing down. "Of course I… I apologize, Hinata-sama. I'll wait for you outside."

Scornfully, he made his way downstairs, left to his musings while the two left behind turned around in the direction of the… place. The place.

Right then, Hinata hesitated. "Shikamaru-san…"

"Just Shikamaru, would you."

"Ah… Kun?"

"… Mhmm, whatever. What's up, Hinata?"

"Is Naruto-kun…?"

Shikamaru grimaced. "What? Alright? I don't think so. But he's in his… room, chambers or however to say it… He's there, alright. Resting, I hope."

"I see… Have you spoken to him recently?"

"If be spoken you mean that words were exchanged, then yes, but if you mean actually gotten something more from him than yes or no, then I'm afraid you won't like the answer."

"I see…"

Her shoulders slumped. "I can still try… right?"

Shikamaru's sympathetic look boded horrible with her. "Yes, you can… Come, let's go, I'll take you there…"

"Hah…"

"He, don't worry, I'm not an annoying guy like your guard, Hinata-hime."

She frowned. "Shikamaru… don't call me that."

He smirked. "Right, princess. Let's go."

Briefly, he put a hand on her shoulder – if she hadn't been as preoccupied with the thoughts of Naruto, she'd have remembered to note his warmth, ever-present and invading, exactly as Ino had described it.

Ah… This is so weird, this is Shikamaru I'm thinking about and…

"You're red. Is everything alright?"

"Ahh!"

"… I'll take that as a yes."

Humorlessly, she nodded, letting the man assume the lead for this special occasion and direct her to the room she'd never had the chance of privately entering.

"Oh! Isn't that Shikamaru and Hinata? Guys!"

Inwardly, Hinata sighed. Yes, never privately…

A strained smile appeared on her face. "Sakura-san."

"Yo, Sakura. Going to see Naruto?"

Sakura's greens turned wide. "Oh, how did you know?"

Silence.

"… Right. Stupid of me to ask. I actually wanted to speak to you, but the guards couldn't find you and I figured well, since I'm here, might as well go see him, you know? Although…" Uncertain, she trailed off, and Hinata's discomfort dissolved – though only to be replaced by one already skyrocketing to the heights.

"Three is a company," muttered Shikamaru offhandedly, resuming in walking and both women walked by either side, the whole formation causing strange thoughts to momentarily plague Hinata's mind.

Putting the previous gripping aside, she'd never noticed… When he became this way.

What was it… drive? But it felt stronger, encompassing much more than her own… What was it… Desire? Doubled, many times the larger than hers… What then?

"We're here."

Stopped at the door inconspicuous.

Hinata swallowed hard. "Naruto-kun is behind this door, and if we open them, then-"

"Ha!" Sakura marched forward and without further ado opened the door.

Hinata moaned. "Sakura-san, that was a bit…"

Violent?

Sakura huffed. "Let's get down to business, guys. We need to beat this thing out of Naruto at all costs!"

Violent, indeed…

A drop of sweat cascaded down Hinata's temple. "Yes… we do."

From the corner of her eyes, she noticed the dumbfounded stare on Shikamaru's face and both shared a knowing, transient smile, before proceeding after Sakura inside.

What Hinata registered next, was the iceberg theory.

There was nothing redundant around, nothing sticking out, nothing altogether eye-catching and attention-deserving, existing merely to ensure one's survival and essential, basic comfort, and nothing else.

That may have been, as she thought, at fault behind the general animosity and hostility of their surroundings, because there were shunned away by the air even, by the oxygen to be breathed in and out, by the smell of a dying hope, by the withered flowers someone had planted on the balcony.

By the man seated on the couch in the middle of the room, still clad in his usual robes, in the red and orange and black, the combination of warmth, passion and life, the energy of his usually voluptuous and tempestuous, yet now placated to a point where telling him apart from a mere black-and-black picture painted on the wall was as easy as distinguishing between hate and resentment.

At that moment, the vigor Sakura had presented with pride sunk back, diminished by the sight of her ex-teammate looking as alive as the couch he sat on.

Hinata's heart shriveled up. "Naruto-kun…"

Sakura's steps echoed around, her figure stopping in front of him, crouched down, eyes hoping to meet his.

Nothing.

"Naruto…"

Nothing…

Shikamaru placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder and shook his head.

And it helped.

Hinata gathered up all of her will and pushed forward, the man's hand slipping away, his warning lost on her, and daringly sat down right next to Naruto.

"N… N-naruto-kun… How are you doing?"

Shoot.

Really? Stupid question-ah. She winced. "I mean…"

"Naruto," pressed Sakura. "Look at us… Look at us."

From where she sat, Hinata couldn't see Naruto's face at all, but she could see Sakura's and she could see the flinch as Naruto's head rose and-probably, the exact look in his eyes was what made Sakura stand to her wobbly – why? – feet and move from his line of sight.

Maybe that was all they needed to know failure was imminent.

But Hinata couldn't. Futile though their actions may have been, still her heart swelled only for him… Still. Even if his could remember only Sasuke…

"Naruto-kun, please, we're here for you."

Next, Shikamaru's voice was heard. "Oi, Naruto."

Naruto's head further rose. "Reports?"

"None so far," replied Shikamaru. Hinata took it as her cue to act.

"Naruto-kun? You know… We are… We are here for you. Your friends are here for you."

"… I see."

To whom the reply belonged? Shikamaru, her… Or….

Or Sasuke?

Hinata's brows furrowed. Her voice wouldn't reach him… Her wouldn't-why was even Sakura shaking her head now, why both of them, why why why-

"Naruto-kun, please!"

The warmth spilled from her eyes. "Please, Naruto-kun! We're here, can't you see that? Sasu-Sasuke… kun… isn't. But we are. We are. Please, please… Naruto-kun. Look at me."

Please just hear my voice.

Naruto's shoulders rolled back, the muscles underneath the clothing stretching, the skin dimly glistering in the setting sun, and he turned to look at her.

Hinata understood.

Why Sakura had moved.

And she admired the woman so very much. For not.

Screaming out of pure fright.

Because what she saw-what she saw-in his eyes-in them, behind them, in his soul, as if-as if-

"Hinata…" Sakura's pitied voice carried around.

"NO! Don't… Don't pity me, Sakura-san… Don't…"

Don't pity me for averting my eyes, don't pity me for rather looking at the ground than seeing the waste in his… Please, Sakura-san…

"I… I… I'm here, N-na-ruru-to-k-kun… I'm here… I'm here… you can't see that… you can only see Sasuke now. Even now. Even now."

Something salty on her tongue.

"Even now… only him… why… I've been here… all along… all this time…"

All this time. Ever since… that day… over a decade ago…

"Why, Naruto-kun, why?"

She sniffed.

And cried.

And felt a hand on her cheek.

Startled, she looked up-

-hues swirling mad, amazingly blue and enticing directed into hers, filled with the tidbits of need and understanding, gazing intently into hers, mesmerizing beyond comprehension, more than she'd ever remembered them-

-and Hinata fully understood.

It was not her who'd made them this.

It had never been her with the power to make them this way.

Never… Never me… Only… Him.

A sniffle. "… Why… Why."

On his finger, a lonely tear glistered.

He drew back and stood up from the couch, leaving Sakura to console her and Shikamaru to burn holes into his back.

She watched him still, though only to see him wipe the tear against his clothing-as if disgusted.

And she felt a portion of her that she'd been carried for many years with unfaltering loyalty crumble to pieces and wither.

"Naruto, you fool!" Sakura was snapping now, stalking towards him, giving up on the friendly approach and Hinata wanted to stop her, she did, but, perhaps, she deluded herself, maybe yelling would help? Maybe Sakura whipping him around and shaking him the shoulders would help, maybe it would-

"Oh my god."

Sakura jumped back and Shikamaru cursed.

Hinata looked up and-choked.

"Sh-…"

Blood.

Tears of crimson, glimmering blood.

Naruto's eyes dead and wide landed on each in turn before, unseeing, rested on a random point ahead and cried.

On and on and on.

On and on and on.

About the folly blind to all.

About the love lost for all.

About the penance to never regain.

The misery to remain.

The loss.

Grave. Deep. Grim.

Slithering under his skin.

And eating him alive.

"What do you know… ? What… Do you…"

Shaking, his voice, betrothed to solitude. "What do you know? WHAT DO YOU KNOW?"

He snapped. He was the one. Her Naruto-kun. Her love. Shunning her away. Aside. Thinking only about Sasuke.

It was only Sasuke.

"What do you know? ABOUT US? About me? About him? NOTHING. You know nothing! You… don't know…"

Wrecked. Wrecked… And shattered. Everything about him, the pieces falling apart, not even the faint memory pf him from past to linger by.

And blood to gather at the corners of his mouth, to run down his nose, to peek out from the ears, to form a circle on his chest.

He doubled over, pain become.

"What do you know… Sasuke… Sasuke… You never knew… You never bothered. Never tried. All you see… All you ever saw… what you wanted to see. Nothing more. So blind… You never knew what he was, what he felt… You never once cared for him!"

He coughed. And he stepped forward.

And she was no longer sitting down, no longer driven and passionate about. No longer recalling her name, not under his screeching, painful gaze.

"You made him this way… Accused, condemned, pointed fingers. All this time… making stupid assumptions, making him hide… I needed him. And you never knew… manipulating me? Ha-ha."

Hysterical.

"Ha… ha… Sasuke would have never ever… the darling Sasuke…"

"We'll never part, you fool, never."

"The Sasuke I knew…"

"You'll never leave me, right?"

"No."

"Eh…"

"… Never. Just as you will never leave me. Never turn your back to me."

"Would have never…"

"I wish you'd always place all of you inside me… All your thoughts, all of your heart poured inside me… But you can't ever commit to that, Naruto."

"He hurt…"

"Promise me."

"He felt…"

"Swear to me, Naruto, that you can treasure this, this trust in me. Treasure, love, unbidden. That you can understand."

"He felt all."

"Naruto… you simple fool. What would I ever do without you? I believe I'd die."

"I'd die without you, Naruto."

"I'd die."

"Die."

"He…"

Electricity all around him, smothering the air around, sparkles flying about.

Compromising all thoughts.

"You never knew… a goddamn thing about us… and you pried… you pried…"

His knees hit the ground. "You pried… and you never even knew… You never knew."

How majestic and pitiful.

The sight of his blood-stained face – wherein blood was the decoration to hide the true, despicable, heinous, obscene – I – wherein the truth remained in the deadened eyes spirited by the vile, was the pathetic of pathetic, the dire of the lethal, the danger behind the fright, the essence of the blood.

"Go."

"Go."

"GO!"

Someone quickly pulled-dragged her away and the door shut-and the last look shot at them chilled the bones to their core.

Seconds passed.

Then she gagged, clutching her stomach, nauseous.

Nonononowhat was thatsomuchblood from oneperson impossibleunhealthy and the Despair.

The Despair.

A thump. Sakura's back hit the wall.

Hinata's watered eyes dried up. As if someone had stolen all her life. All her-

"Hinata, compose yourself. Sakura, you too."

"Wh-Shikamaru… What the hell? What are you-"

"You. Come here. Go alert the others-"

"Nara-san?"

A random jounin. "What happened in there-?"

"Go. Hinata, I told you to-"

"Shikamaru, stop treating Hinata that way, don't you see she is-"

"We all are. Did you hear me or not? Go call everyone. We're meeting in two hours. Tell them not to be late. You too, Sakura, go to. Hinata-"

"Shikamaru, stop it! You're making no sense! We cancelled the meetings days ago because we'd-"

"We'd not-"

"Ugh, are you even listening to yourself? You sound like a maniac-"

"We were wrong."

"-and-what? No, Shikamaru, listen-no, you, don't go, he's just being-"

"Sakura, listen to me-"

"No, you listen me. This is absurd, you can't just randomly call everyone. We need to get him a medic nin and-"

"He wouldn't let you."

"Well, he's got to, as simple as that. And, also, you can't just go and-"

"Nara-san, should I go?"

"No, don't listen to him and sta-wait, I mean, go call med-"

"WE MUST HELP NARUTO."

Shikamaru's voice echoed around.

Astonished to her core, Hinata looked up.

Sakura looked as green in the face as the wondrous shade of her eyes-Shikamaru, on the other hand, had turned ashen pale and the poor jounin bearing sole witness to the display had frozen to his spot.

Shikamaru took in a sharp intake of breath and spoke. "We got all wrong. What we saw here and now… Naruto needs us. We were all wrong. About Sasuke and Naruto. We got all wrong. And we inevitably caused this. Now, we need to set things right and meet again. All of us this time. No exceptions. If we don't, then the end you spoke of, Sakura, just a few days ago, will truly befall him."

He stalked past them. "Compose yourself, everyone. We need to act. And alert everyone else. Tonight."

Aura enveloped his body.

Of strength and allure.

"At 10 pm, we meet again. This time, this time… To really solve this."

He looked over his shoulder.

"Understand?"

Without her knowledge, Hinata found herself nodding.

And knew Sakura and the man had done it too.

Shikamaru walked on.

"This time, we will save them."

Them?

Hinata, despite the denial, came to one conclusion.

We're helping them…

Naruto…

… and Sasuke, too.

This time, for sure.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Shrouded underneath the darkness of confusion, all eyes landed on him.

The legion of inquiries had gathered, all present with one simple intention to – know.

Shikamaru stepped into the middle of the room.

And precisely at 10 pm, no second, no minute earlier or later, he started.

"Foolishly, we'd all assumed we knew. Sasuke's alleged betrayal… Sasuke's actions. Naruto's actions… We were all wrong. Now, now I see it at last."

Murmur, shifting, incomprehension, confusion growing.

"We thought we had it pinned down, all of it. I thought the same. With ease, we blamed it all on the seal, with ease we concluded that Sasuke had risen to power and manipulated everything. With this ease, we'd set things in motion… I, too, had been deluded, because the night I acted, the night I told that small girl of them, the very night the first attack happened. And I thought I had it all perfectly figured out, presumably because of my own folly. I was mistaken. We all were."

Dawning.

"Now… Now I see… finally… How erroneous our actions and conclusions were, how naïve our assumptions… The thing between Sasuke and Naruto never was this simple as we'd made it seem, as we'd made it be. It never was about the seal, never about what we saw… Always, always it was about the unseen. About the minutes witnessed by no-one else. About the bond they formed while no-one was watching, the bond no-one could have possibly noticed or recognized… Always about those moments we missed. Tracking them, knowing their schedule inside out… Bullshit."

Someone jumped.

Shikamaru snarled. "We failed. We failed. I wish now we'd seen it before, but we were blind to the truth. Sasuke and Naruto, what happened between them… we must understand. What really happened between them. To do that, we must discard all that we thought we'd learned so far. To do that, we must resume our search and start from point zero. We, all of us present or on missions, must together, with all forces combined, find out to truly understand what is between them… why Sasuke left, why Naruto today could have died-why all this time we've been so very blind to the reality, to how they looked at each other… To all those things."

"Minna-san."

"We must do all of that before it is too late. Before the real end, the real end of Naruto comes. Before the end of Sasuke comes. Before both fall a victim to our stupidity and ignorance."

His eyes narrowed.

"And at the moment, there are two people who can offer us answers, who can truly reveal to us what had happened, but only one within our reach, but that one already slipping away. Might be too late… But… Bit by bit, we can piece together the truth, before the mistake is taken too far. This time, this time for sure… We will find out. The mystery behind them… before Naruto, our leader and friend, really… really perishes… before the clash."

"To protect, to discover… Naruto can do that."

"He is the only person who knows the whole truth."

"The only person who can make us understand…"

Before.

Before this time, for sure, he really disappears, really consumed.

"And only then…" So tired.

So tired.

Shikamaru wanted to fall asleep.

"Only then can we help them… both of them."

This time, for sure.

This time… Really to get them back.

Naruto, Sasuke.

His eyes closed.

The questions started.

Forgive me. I thought I understood… But I never did. I thought I looked. In reality, I'd always kept my eyes securely closed. I thought I listened… But instead I'd always opted for ignorance.

Because I didn't want to see…

And acknowledge.

The stricken, cursed, wretched reality… of you two.

Together.

Please.

Forgive me…

"Ne, Shikamaru… Haha… Weird thing happened today, you won't believe it… Sasuke… And I. We kind of spoke. Man, it was weird, but good weird, if you get me? We were just sparring and he – he laughed. I… I don't know… I thought I'd never heard anything so… And I laughed too. I still don't know why. But, like…I just… I just felt so happy. So. Goddamn happy. And… I want to be happy. And… I think… I think that with him… Are you listening? Shikamaru… Shikamaru, hey…"

I'm so fucking sorry, Naruto…

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

A/N: I really am sorry for being this late with an update : \ See, I had a writer's block because for a long time I didn't know how to start. There were so many scenes I wanted to do but I knew it wasn't the right time, not just yet, and that frustrated me to no end. And that, eventually, resulted in me rather sitting here instead of working on my fic. And then there was the fact I'd passed my exam and couldn't quite believe it and rather sat there like "o_o" instead of writing. And then I started roleplaying again and ha-another distraction.

But then… Just as I was about to reach the conclusion that this might just take a little longer, I read some reviews and… What do you know, I recovered! xD It sounds really stupid, but they made me open my eyes and believe in myself so I sat down, started writing and realized how much I'd missed this. And how much I wanted to finish this story and share it with you.

And do them justice. Sasuke and Naruto deserve it so much.

So from now on, back to the regularly scheduled weekly updates. Hmm, should I update next Friday again or move it to Monday, though? I better decide. But until then…

Dearest reviewers. I don't know what I'd do without you. Sulk and brood and feel neglected and dumb, but I got such darling reviews and they made me smileeee… A pity some of them weren't signed so I couldn't reply but! Thank all of you so much~! Even the readers that didn't review, because still… Knowing that someone reads my fic really makes me happy… Really happy. With that said, guys, remember to review, read, comment or criticize and remember to contact me with any questions ;)

As for the fic itself…

It was tremendously difficult to write.

Here's the thing.

In the previous chapter, you thought you had all figured out. You thought you'd been presented with an answer. In this chapter, you find out – you had nothing figured out. And the real question of what is going between Sasuke and Naruto still remains unanswered. In this chapter, it was finally asked for the first time in all seriousness. What I mean by that… Before, no-one really understood what it meant, no-one ever bothered to pry it open and look at the hidden insinuations… Finally, they understand that they don't understand. And they understand that what they don't understand is the real answer.

… That sounds confusing.

But you get me, right? ;) Finally, they're seeing it, prying it open… Trying to see. The real mystery of Sole starts NOW. The real Sole starts now, with this chapter… From now on, the complexity of their relationship will be presented to you further, analyzed from all different points of view and… you will see. Because the introductions are over. Oh, man…

Heh… Finally you and everyone will understand. I honestly can't wait.

And I honestly believe I should stop torturing the poor characters so much. Hinata… Ah, she'll get better. I can't say the same about Naruto, though… Hm.

And Shikamaru… I'm sure Naruto forgives you. He, however, can't forgive himself…

Honestly, writing certain scenes will hurt. Writing the scenes with Sasuke and Naruto hurt. I just had this heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach… Hah. Well… Sole really is about that.

Did you notice the hint? In the previous chapter? At the end? Did you? Did you see the bound in the starting poem? Can you see the connection at last?

In next chapter, Gaara shares his wisdom, Naruto is told to cooperate, Sasuke forms an army, more flashbacks occur and the mystery continues to unfold… step… by… step…

Rating: PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords, and sexual undertones.

Summary: At twenty two, Naruto has achieved all; a Hokage at last, a man respected and loved, he rules his nation with compassion and understanding, bringing together lost families and friends, and disposing of those that dare oppose his peace. And Sasuke ever-so-faithfully stands by his side, an unchanging status for almost six years, and after these six years, people, villagers, their teachers and friends finally start to ask: "What is happening between Naruto and Sasuke?"

Setting: Six years after the Fourth Ninja War, so all ages have been changed accordingly. Naruto is the Hokage, but how exactly he achieved the status will be revealed step-by-step, along with many other details related to the "rookie nine" and all other characters.

Warning: There will be no OCs, only, perhaps, some OOCness which I'm partial to as anyone else, so that's excusable. Don't go around calling this yaoi, as Sole isn't yaoi, it's shounen-ai. The purpose of this story is not to indulge anyone's perverse fantasies involving Sasuke and Naruto, but to elaborate further on the complex relationship they share as demonstrated in both manga and anime. Story will contain basic Japanese honorifics.

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)