Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

"Now most stories don't have a name but because it was so well versed and even gossip at a time, it became known as the tale of the nine tailed fox by storytellers and gossipers."

I gulped.

"As you probably know, Naruto wasn't raised here. He was born into the poorest shantytowns of Colombia. His father wanted to take Naruto and the rest of his family out of the slums so he worked hard to bring Kushina and the child within her to Japan. He was about to bring Naruto over with his uncle when a really bad storm hit and destroyed their village. He was stranded in the woods with only a soccer ball to his name. One day at night while he was sleeping under the leaves of a tree, he heard some noises. They were strange noises and they sounded almost human so Naruto crept about trying to find the source when he saw the most beautiful creature . He approached it slowly hoping to make dinner out of it. At this point he was far from human. His teeth had sharpened into fangs and his nails into claws. He was poised to strike when a larger animal appeared from the bushes to attack him. He fought gallantly but he proved no match for the beast as his scars still shows to this day."

I looked at the scars on his face. Okay, yeah they were there but this story sounded ridiculous.

"It is said that he awoke to a fox licking his wounds. Afraid Naruto shooed it away but it would not leave him alone and would follow him wherever he went. It's evident now that the fox thought that Naruto had saved him from the beast but Naruto was clueless back then having surrendered to his animal instincts. The only thing he wanted to do was find the beast and bathe in its blood and that's just what he did. When we found him, his eyes were blood red and he was crouching on all fours ready to attack. He had put exactly 9 leaves on his back to look like a ferocious beast in the night time. He was naked and dirty so much so that my team almost shot at him. We did have to tranquilize and put him down like a elephant though when he raised his claws to scratch my men. He was strong too. My goal at first was to send him to a hospital, clean him up and then return him to his family but he did something very strange. He pushed me. I was trying to talk to him in his native language but then he made eye contact with me and suddenly I was picking up a gun and firing at my men. Granted they were all well trained and ducked. I was still surprised. He even made me go find his fox friend and I was forced to bring him along so my men told me later. There were no signs life, we searched high and low until we realized that he was the fox and the fox was him. "

I just watched her in awe as I looked back at Naruto. I wanted to think that she was joking but her eyes looked haunted.

"I had to train him before I could let him out into the real world. So after the hospital I cleaned him and his "fox companion" up along with his deflated soccer ball, I took him in. I groomed him and re- taught him how to do simple things like bathe himself, eat with forks, knives and spoons, though I had to watch him with those. What he seemed to love the most was that soccer ball so I would play with him while teaching him how to read and write in Japanese. I watched the scars heal slowly but surely over the weeks which soon became months and then years. My team and I kind of domesticated him, for lack of a better word which is why in order to push people he has to actually physically touch you and look you in the eyes. I still don't know how a human could acquire such a thing but then again after living in the wilderness for 4 years he can't exactly be called human anymore, right? Well.. That's pretty much the gist of it. If I had to guess, that's probably what he's dreaming about. He's probably battling the figment of his imagination that is the the nine tailed fox right now. Days like these, I'm glad I can't sleep."

"Wow," I answered processing her story. "You and Naruto must be quite close then."

"You would think, but no, he hardly even remembers me for what I've done. I made sure of that. I wanted to him I have a relatively normal life."

"Excuse me for saying this but you sound much older than than you look."

"Yeah, I've been told and you can stop with the formalities Sasuke. If Naruto could see you, he'd be laughing his ass off."

I scratched my neck feeling itchy all over for a moment. When I regained my composure, Mikhayl was up and stretching.

"Well. I'll leave you to then since you have no plans of leaving," she said walking over to the other bed. "Sai's brother is getting worried."

"What?"

"Wake up moron!"

I watched her pick up a pillow and hit something solid on the bed. I got up to inspect.

"Mikhayl-chan~." I watched a pair of arms reach out and grab her into a tight embrace. "Just stay and sleep with me Mikhayl."

"No! You know I don't sleep Sai! Let go of me."

I watched her struggle to release herself as I walked over to turn on the lights. When I turned back around Sai had her trapped between his legs, her back to his chest, in this weird sort of reverse bear hug trying to kiss her. He crossed his legs over hers and took ahold of both her hands.

"Your brother-"

When she turned momentarily to the side to speak Sai pecked her on the lips. They were both silent for a moment and I raised my eyebrow trying very hard to not roll my eyes. Sai had the widen grin on his face and Michael was flushed red.

"See that wasn't so hard," he said letting go of her now. She didn't move and her bangs were hiding her expression.

"Saire."

The grin from his face faded so quickly, I became startled. She looked up slowly and combed her bangs back with her fingers.

"I'll see to it that there will be consequences to your actions."

Sai nodded slowly and then ran out of the door at maximum speed.

"Um-."

She licked her lips and jumped off the bed. It was still neat surprisingly.

"I'll see you later Sasuke. Something has come up."

I nodded.

"Okay."

As she walked out, she took out her phone and dialed a number.

"Saire, I hope you haven't forgotten that I do not sleep. I will stalk and hunt you down."

I shivered as she closed the door to the room. Hell would I not like to be Sai right now.

I sat back down next to Naruto.

"You're friends are crazy and scary."

I don't know if I imagined it or not but I heard a soft chuckle. I inched forward in my seat to inspect his face. He looked peaceful now. I raised my hand to his cheek and touched his scars again. Having now knowing where they came from and how he got them, I felt closer than ever to him. The demon within him worried me though as I brushed over his eyes now.

Seconds felt like hours and hours turned into days.

A single day turned into week.

When Naruto's parents came around, they cried him a river. His sister didn't seem to understand as she played by his bedside with her dolls. They stayed as long as they could for lengthy periods leaving only to go to work and parent Alex. I came to know them well as we took shifts making sure that Naruto was never alone. All the time that Naruto slept the real world was moving. When Naruto came in with a blood alcohol content that high, the hospital was forced to alert the police. The police came to Naruto's house and gathered some evidence. They even got witness testimonies from neighbors who kind of got a sense of what was going on that day and of course, they told them about me. They came to my door and asked me to come down to the station to answer a few questions.

They took me into a questioning room like the ones you see on TV with a double sided mirror. There was a single table in the middle of the room with three chairs. Two on one side, one on the other. I didn't even have to guess when they told me to sit down. I eyed the camera in the corner before I sat down across from the detectives. One was a burly man who seemed to be in his late 40s and the other looked rather unassuming young woman who looked to be in her late 20s or early 30s.

"Please state your name and age for the record."

"Sasuke Uchiha, 16."

"Can you please tell us how and at what length you know Uzumaki Naruto?"

"We're soccer acquaintances. Before 3 days ago, I didn't know him personally."

"Can you further explain what you mean by that? Are you on the same team or are you on opposing sides?"

"Naruto plays for Mitsuhara. I play for Nishi."

"And that's Nishinomiya High, correct?"

"Yes."

I watched the burly man smile simply looking down briefly at the papers in front of him before looking back at me.

"Would you say that you were friends?"

"No."

"Yet, I have accounts of Naruto's friends saying that he introduced you to them over the course of a singe day. Now, I think that's odd. Can you please explain to me again the nature of your relationship with Naruto Uzumaki."

"There isn't much to it detective. If you run into a friend randomly while you're out with someone even just someone you just met, wouldn't you introduce them or would you just pretend they weren't there while you talked to your friend. It's common courtesy."

"Maybe, Mr. Uchiha, but it happened more than once."

"What can I say?... Naruto's a popular guy."

I watched him stare me down like a mad dog. The lady detective stifled a laugh earning a glare from her partner.

"I'm going to take a coffee break," the burly man grunted pushing his chair back to get up and leave.

"It's not wise to be such a smartass in here Sasuke, can I call you Sasuke, My name is Shizune."

"Sure."

"Sasuke, I know Detective Ebisu can be a little... coarse but he's a good guy and we are just trying to help but please know that lying to us is a federal crime. "

"Only under oath."

Shizune frowned.

"Do you think this is a joke?"

I shook my head.

"What do you want to know really?"

"Well, we interviewed the EMT that brought to and Naruto to the hospital that day and he relayed in great detail what you told him."

"What do you need from me then," I said through a tight jaw. Why did I have to go babbling?

"It's evident that he was drinking behind the wheel but by some miracle, he manage to make it to the school without incurring any damage to the city or his own vehicle. Now I can tell you that Kakashi Hatake has decided to not press any charges against Naruto but he was driving under the influence. My question for you why Naruto would do such a thing. All of the people Detective Ebisu and I interviewed said testified strongly that Naruto wasn't the type to go off on a bender and would never sink so far to affect his soccer career. His friends told me that he was excited about the new season and being able to play for the prestigious school. He sounds like a good kid."

I gripped my knee harshly trying to maintain a poker face.

"Now, Japan has really harsh repercussions for minors who get DUIs but this is a somewhat contained incident and I'd hate for Naruto's future to reach a standstill. We just want you not worry about it."

"Okay."

"Thank you for your time," she said wrapping up the meeting and leaving.

I stayed sitting down for a moment confused. What the fuck? I got up slowly after a moment making my way to the door and out of the interrogation. I saw Saire and Mikhayl waiting outside in the hallway with a taller brunette man in a suit.

"Jeez, was it that brutal? You look paler than usual."

I looked up at Mikhayl confused hoping she's explain herself.

"You must Sasuke," The older brunette said turning to face me properly, hand extend cordially. "My name is Matthew Shauna, and I am Naurto's defense attorney. I also work for your brother-in-law."

Deidara. Man, Itachi wasn't kidding when he said he'd take care of everything. Wait did that mean, he was Saire's brother. I looked between the two of them. They looked so different. Matthew had deep blue eyes and was clearly the more serious of the two. Saire's hazel eyes and messy dirty blonde hair made him look dire compared to Matthew who looked well put together. I kind of just stared at them speechless. How were they related?

"W-what was that in there?"

He shook his head almost admirably.

"I can only say that your family has great connections. I've really piecing together the puzzle working things on the ground floor. When Naruto's wakes up, I'll have to convince him to accept this plea bargain they're giving him. They're talking about suspend his license for a year and making him do community service. He'll have to be on probation for a year or two and meet up with a probationary officer every once in a while but because they was no physical damage to city property and Kakashi decided not to press aggravated assault charges, I've managed to take jail time off the table. The charges on his record will be completely dropped when he finishes his community service and if he promises to attend these AA meetings, he doesn't have to miss a game once he recovers."

I shook my head amazed.

"Wow."

"Sorry, I have to take this," Matthew said suddenly looking at his phone than at the three of us before walking away.

"This isn't your fault Sasuke," Mikhayl said after he left. I looked at her wondering how she could possibly know what I was thinking.

"But how can it not be?"

"This would have happened eventually. Naruto was kind of going down a dark path, I mean, I didn't tell the detectives about it because we all have our demons but his was a little strong," Saire said softly, serious.

"I've noticed."

What the doctor had said to me when he was first admitted kept coming back to me, haunting me.

He might be worried and his mind seems to be preoccupied with something.

It was the Wednesday before the game was scheduled to happen. I was still visiting Naruto everyday at the hospital. I talked to doctors about his conditions and they pretty much gave me the run around. They had tried everything. The only problem was the coma that wouldn't lift. He was getting back to being healthy after the poisoning which should have allowed him to recover but he wasn't. They told me that he was looking better than when he first came in and and that his levels were finally normal. The way we left things were bad, I'll admit, but he had to know that I was just mad. Our conversations kept playing back in my head as I sat besides him. This was the reason he asked me not to hate him but did anyway, even if it was just for a moment though and I didn't mean it. I swear, I thought I did but I couldn't.

"The game's coming up Naruto, don't you want to kick our ass."

I rolled my eyes at the thought that that would be the reason he wake up after all the time. I got up to take a seat of the edge of his bed and started talking to him like I did everyday.

"Hey Naruto, it's me, Sasuke. "

I shook my head. Well duh obviously. It then dawned on me that I hadn't forgiven him for what he had done. I took a deep breath and started over taking a hold of his hand between mine pressing them to my lips.

"I just wanted you to know that I promise I'm not mad anymore and I'm sorry for hitting you. Please forgive me. I understand that it wasn't your fault and I forgive you so if you could just for a moment..I really just need to know that... you're okay."

I looked up at his sleeping face. Nothing. I sighed putting his hand back down on the bed besides him to think. This wasn't some stupid movie. I could apologize everyday and he still wouldn't wake up but if it comes down to take, I should tell him.

"I never did say those three words to you did I. I don't know if you'll be able to hear me but..."

I shut my eyes tightly groaning softly hating myself a little for sounding so cliched.

"I-I.. this so embarrassing...," I started, pausing to take a deep breath. "I lov-I love y- I love you... Naruto"

I waited a moment observing his features. He looked calm. I watched his chest slowly move up and then down as though he was just taking a nap of sorts, a really long nap. The things you see on the big screen never work out in real life. I sighed giving up for a minute.

"I don't know why I love you, I just love you so goddamn much. I've had a lot of time to think about this.. you I mean and I...ugh.. just wake up already and kiss me like you mean it you asshole."

It was getting so hot all of a sudden and I felt my body start to itch more than ever.

"This is so stupid," I murmured to myself lowering my head to my hands to cover my face. At least I didn't have an audience to embarrass myself in front of. What if he never recovered and it was all my fault for overreacted. I should have never answered the call. I had no business doing that. Is this my punishment, a fatal flaw of sorts? I'm sorry for being the one to do this to you.

"Maybe I should leave, I have no business being here."

I heard the raspy chuckle. I pried one of my eyes opened to see half lidded blue ones staring right back at me. No way, I closed my eyes again and opened them to still see those blue eyes.

"Naruto."

"Regardless of whether you want to be here or not, I'm not going to let you leave now," I heard him say weakly as his fingers wrapped weakly around mine.

My eyes widened in surprise.

I wanted to laugh but I ended up wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Oh my God, I thought you would never wake up. I wanted to tell you I loved you Naruto before..."

"I know," he started weakly raising his free hand to caress my head. "But I heard you the first five hundred times."

I nuzzled my head into the crook of his neck embarrassed.

"You weren't supposed to hear that."

He chuckled softly.

"Well you kind of threatened me...and I heard your request too so..." He started leaning back a bit to see my face. I was suddenly nervous again and I looked down at his chest. I could feel him staring at me. Somehow he saw everything and still wanted to look at me. I didn't understand but I was grateful.

"Look at me," he asked gently. I shook my head. I wanted to but it was suddenly embarrassing to do so. He just had this effect on me. I felt his hand on the left side of my face, his thumb caressing my cheek, drying my tears away. He did the same with his other hand until I was forced to look at him. He was blushing more than I was.

He looked down at me and slowly lowered his head down until our foreheads were touching and then he placed a gentle kiss on my lips and then he kissed my forehead all the while still holding my face ever so gently. He let go of my face to put his arms around me so that my face was a little of over his shoulder as he embraced me. He turned his face to the side so that his lips were right by my ear.

"Thank you...Sasuke. It was so dark where I was but I heard you. I thought I was dreaming but you saved me."

I felt my face flush.

"And for that...," he started before his voice broke a little.

I leaned back to look at his face when his embrace got a little looser. I was shocked to see him smiling as blood streamed down his face from his beautiful blue eyes. It was gone. It had to be. His were clearer than I'd ever seen them before.

"...I love you Sasuke Uchiha."

I raised my thumb to his cheeks to wipe face.

"You are so beautiful."

Author's

Yeah, so who hates Sasuke?

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-katan 3