(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ - that means we're in Wonderland

DISCLAIMER: in honor of mu149 – characters belong to Kishimoto

I couldn't sleep.

I don't see how I could after the trauma that just happened just eight hours ago. How could I?

Sasuke knew about Kyuubi now. If he didn't know who Kyuubi was, no doubt he'd go look it up, ask some people about it and also push himself even further away from me. He would want nothing to do with me now. But then again, I didn't really expect him to stay…

Yeah right I told myself. I couldn't reassure myself.

You should just forget about him.

"Yeah right." I whispered. That was easier said than done. But then again, I had gotten along with very few connections in my life. I lost my parents, I was estranged with my sister, so it probably shouldn't matter that I lose another person in my life.

I was fine with losing Sasuke.

… Liar.

I shouldn't have gotten so caught up in it all. He was bound to leave me sooner or later; I knew this from the beginning.

"That doesn't make it any easier to be without him…"

You should just forget about him. Kyuubi repeated

"No! I want him here with me… to make it all better…"

You're going to keep hurting yourself like this unless you stop.

"But all I can see is Sasuke… leaving me." I said in a strained voice. I couldn't even recall the other memories I had of him. All I could focus was his expression and him running out the door. "He didn't even bother to let me explain…"

Then I guess that only shows what kind of character he really is. You should worry about something else… like your sister.

My head shot up. In all my mourning I had forgotten why I was so miserable in the first place. My anger spiked instantly. I stood up from my bed and angrily made my way towards my door. "It's all her fault! If she didn't show up then I would still have Sasuke! If only I could get rid of her!"

I raced down the hall, not even listening to any of the things Kyuubi was saying to me.

I was happy for once in my life and Naruko destroyed it within minutes! She needed to be punished! She needed to pay for what she did to me!

So you can go after your sister but not the brats at school?

"It's different," I said out loud, "what she did was far worse than they could do to me."

I stopped in my tracks when I reached the kitchen. Naruko stood in the middle of the kitchen making breakfast, wearing one of the aprons from Jiraiya's café to prevent any mess on her clothes beneath. She seemed to be in a chipper mood. And those only made me frowns and clench my fist.

What? Was she celebrating that she had successfully taken away my happiness?

That bitch.

That bitch…

But wearily I sat down at the table and looked at the stack of pancakes.

Naruko turned around and smiled at me. "Hey! Eat up before you go okay?" she said.

I took a nice pile of eggs from the bowl and onto my plate. But I didn't taste anything when I chewed; all I could focus on was just wringing her stupid neck… that's where the voice box or whatever is isn't it? Maybe if I could crush it she could never ever use her stupid mouth to ruin my life.

She took up her own seat and helped herself to the food. She saw that I wasn't eating and stopped chewing to talk to me. "Not hungry? You know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day right?" she said lightly.

She was acting casual but that still couldn't erase what she did last night…

Unless what happened last night was actually a dream and Sasuke is still head over heels for me.

But no, it was entirely real last night and it wasn't a dream.

I was about to excuse myself but she spoke before I got out of my seat. "I got a job offer Naruto." She announced.

"That's really great." I mumbled. What a surprise, all the good things happen to Naruko.

"It's a position to design for a fashion company. They pay well and the hours are flexible. I could be home earlier instead of working late nights." She continued. It sounded nice; anyone who worked would kill for those benefits.

"You should take it."

"The job is in the Land of Fangs."

My heart stopped and I almost stopped myself for smiling. She should take the job and move away from me. I'd rather be emancipated and just make it by instead of living in comfort with Naruko. "I heard that the Land of Fangs is nice. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

"We're both going."

I stood from my seat and slammed the table top with one hand. "Are you crazy? Why would I go with you? You ruined my life!" I shouted.

Naruko was shaken at my outburst but I could see her try to be firm. "It was for your own good."

I grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her closer to look me in the eye. "What part of isolation is good for me?" I growled.

"He… was scared… of you…"

I released her and began to rub my eyes. I was starting to cry and I hated it! I didn't want to look weak in front of her! I wanted to intimidate her with my fury! "No!"

Maybe it really was just me, creating this illusion so that I could have something for myself. I didn't know what to think anymore. "You saw it Naruto. He left because he was scared of the truth."

She stood up and looked down at me. "I did what was best for you. You were keeping this from him and he would have felt more betrayed. This isn't something that you can just stow in the back of a closet when people come into this village. Anyone new that steps inside the borders of this village will know who you are. You can't hide who you are Kyuubi no Kitsune, I know."

"You don't know Sasuke!" I said weakly.

I shook my head again. I felt Naruko pull me into a hug and try to soothe me. "If we go to the Land of Fangs, you can make a new beginning for yourself if you learn to control yourself. No one over there knows about you at all. You can make friends and find another love."

My knees were weak when she released me. She patted the top of my head and kissed my forehead like she did when we were kids. "Don't be late for school now."

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

"Sasuke."

"You better have a good reason for dragging me here!"

"… I wanted to talk."

"I was busy! You can't just call me whenever it is convenient for yourself!"

"Getting so worked up. You surely must be a raven."

Sasuke growled and leaned back in his chair. He took in the surroundings of the room and hoped that Naruto had not peeked into this room when he came into the house. There wasn't just scattered papers and flipped over furniture. There were broken tea cups, smashed statues, and ashes of certain things thrown about.

The only tidiness of the room was the circular table and the two chairs placed to face each other. And at the person opposite of him he glared fiercely at them. That damn man thinks that he can just call him like a damn dog. "I should kill you for what you've done."

"Is that how you talk to your big brother? The one who as given you this gift?" the other said as he did the trademark smirk of the Uchiha family.

"Itachi," Sasuke growled, "you could have not picked a worse time."

"Mind your head Hatter." Itachi said calmly as he stirred a spoon in an empty cup, "I can't believe you had yet to give up that title."

"Send me back!"

Itachi ignored his younger brother's menacing tone. He cocked his head to the side carefully as he looked at Sasuke. "I have something that you might like to know-"

Sasuke cut in the middle off his brother's sentence. "I could care less what you have to-"

"-especially since it is concerning your pretty little Alice." Itachi said as he stressed the name.

Sasuke stiffened but nodded his head. He would listen.

"Excellent." Itachi leaned back in his hair and grabbed the card that rested in the velvet of his own hat. He flipped it over to see the face of the card, the joker. "He has come back."

"Who has come back?" Sasuke asked.

"Jiraiya."

Sasuke glared at the empty tea cup before him. "Why?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"You did only agree to ten years. I suppose he was able to stay away what with his new business and that line of gaudy books that he publishes. But he's made his return, that is what is important."

"No! I still haven't found-"

"Haven't found? But if you haven't found little Alice, then who were you molesting in the guest room and in the car just a few days ago? I know that you do not touch people so easily."

Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath of air. "How did you-"

"The staff does ultimately answer to me. I like to keep tabs on my little brother, make sure he is not causing trouble."

Knowing that Itachi would only keep him longer, he finally gave in to what his brother wanted. "His name is Uzumaki Naruto."

Itachi's humored smile turned into a frown of displeasure. "Namikaze Minato's son? I would think that they would have fled his offspring out of the village." Itachi said out loud, though it was more to himself than Sasuke. He lifted his chin up and looked up at the ceiling, still holding the car in his hand. "Are you laughing at us Father?"

"Itachi?"

Jerking himself out of his musing, Itachi continued. "Your little Alice is the son of this village's fourth Hokage, Namiekaze Minato. He is also the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi."

Sasuke was surprised and remained silent. His Alice… Naruto is the spawn of the fourth Hokage, practically Konoha fucking royalty.

"You didn't know, I presume." Itachi smirked.

"You pull me from reality just to tell me this! I had just met his sister you know! Calling him Kyuubi and making him feel like a wretch! I could have intervened and protected Naruto!" Sasuke yelled. In the back of his mind, he felt strange calling Naruto by his name in Wonderland. In Wonderland, Naruto is Alice and he is Hatter. They belong together…

Itachi was unresponsive to his brother's anger. "Sasuke, drifting back and forth is dangerous. It may be a strategy that works for just a moment but the moment someone catches on…"

"Of all times you had to pull me here! You called me before I could find anything out!"

"No one told you to run away." Itachi said as if it was so obvious.

"But I couldn't just stay there and disappear before their eyes! It would work in Wonderland but not out there! Fuck you! I'm going back!" Sasuke shouted. He was ready to stand from his seat but yet again he was stopped.

"Do you even know what our family did to that boy? Don't you know?" Itachi asked. "Madara… he is the cause. He controlled the Kyuubi and attacked the village. You and Naruto are the same age. He was five when Madara was defeated and the demon was sealed with him."

Sasuke clenched his fist and glared at the table top. "It's our fault?"

"It's our sharingan. We could control the Kyuubi. And the demon would know, he is familiar with the distinction of Uchiha chakra. He would recognize you as an Uchiha if you carelessly let it trickle out." Itachi explained. "He wants revenge. And he could easily get it now that you've fallen for Naruto."

"…" Sasuke was unsure what to say. He couldn't deny it but admitting it would mean that he would have to face consequences. All he wanted was to be with his Alice and make him happy here in Wonderland. He wanted to make sure that damn pool wouldn't overflow anymore…

"Perhaps it is destiny. You couldn't pull away from Naruto, even if you wanted to. You are just naturally drawn to him." Itachi scoffed.

Sasuke shook his head. "Naruto couldn't possibly know this. He's too naïve to do something as despicable as revenge!"

"He is," Itachi acknowledged, "but the demon is. The naïve are malleable and Kyuubi could use that to his advantage. Remember that."

"… Send me back." Sasuke said quietly, "I ran out on him. I have something to fix."

"Too late for that. By now it is morning and he has already fawned ideas of abandonment. No doubt torturing himself by reliving the moment in his own mind and just cutting more wounds into himself by reassuring that he would be okay. What faith does he have in you now?"

"Send me back!" Sasuke all but shouted. His heart raced with anxiety.

Itachi flinched at his brother's outburst but sighed in defeat. "Very well. Just be careful Sasuke. That demon is clever, it is a fox after all."

Sasuke nodded, taking in the advice carefully. But his focus was Naruto…

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧