I do not own Naruto. I don't earn money to write this story. Masashi Kishimoto created Naruto.

Warning for angst

Chapter 14: Please Don't Go Away!

'Sasuke, your mate is in trouble,' There it was once again that deep gravelly voice inside Sasuke's head. It freaked him out a bit to talk to that…thing, 'My mate is calling out to us! Hurry something is wrong.'

That voice in his head…the one from his dreams…was frantic that Naruto was in trouble. He had left the boy asleep; or so he had thought. Sasuke ran as hard as he could. Somehow he felt like he had when they had been running the races the other day. Naruto was fleeing. Not literally but…something in Naruto's eyes that day screamed at Sasuke. Naruto was in danger…

…Naruto blinked and found himself in a familiar place. It was shaded and cool. He was lying in a bed of pine needles. Something about this place frightened him and made him sad. Naruto froze as he heard a rumbling growl. He looked up to see a black wolf with red eyes. What are you doing here Human?

The anger behind that voice was overwhelming and frightening. It wasn't really coming from the things mouth but had invaded Naruto's mind.

"I-I don't know," Naruto tried to sit up but was quickly tackled by the enraged beast. The black wolf snapped at his neck.

"I should kill you, human," The way it called him human was like it was a dirty word, "You're kind killed him. You killed Sasuke!"

Naruto nearly chocked as he felt a sob rising in his throat. He managed to speak, "S-Sasuke's not dead."

Suddenly a high pitched whine sounded followed by frantic yipping. A ball of yellow gold fluff inserted itself between the wolf and the boy. Naruto recognized the creature as being the fox from his dreams.

"Itachi," It warned and growled, "Your Sasuke is dead but where he is from Sasuke is alive and safe."

The wolf backed away emitting a pained whine and looking dumbfounded.

"Sasuke and I…we made an agreement. We promised to care for each other in the next life. Because we were not allowed to leave heaven once we had entered we made contract with the great Kyuubi. Part of each of our souls was sent back to earth. We cannot be proper mates in heaven because time stands still there, but in their new lives we have given them a chance to be happy. Why can you not let go of your grief and come with us?

Itachi whined and shook his thick mane. He has crumbled after Naruto had died too. Sasuke never came back to visit him. Part of him had blamed Naruto. He was jealous even after forgiving Naruto for taking his brother's heard and his soul.

He stayed in limbo and because of this his soul shattered. Part of him came back instinctually drawn to his little brother, but he had been twisted by grief. Naruto and Sasuke had not realized how dangerous Itachi's wounded soul had become until they watched him slaughter his clan. They were aware that things were not exactly what they seem but still Itachi was twisted and his love for his brother had been warped and his hate for Sasuke's mate had rekindled.

Naruto's reincarnation instinctually knew this and backed away. Had the kit not suffered enough? Kyuubi had tricked them in its foresight. It had charged Naruto's reincarnation with the responsibility to guard him. Kyuubi realized that his power was waning as a god and would one day be extinguished by the ever increasing power of man.

In order to allow a soul (even a tiny sliver of that soul) to leave heaven there must be a sacrifice made. Naruto accepted responsibility for paying the debt. He had not known that he would become the home for a dethroned demi-god. Naruto suffered cruelty and loneliness unimaginable for His and Sasuke's souls' wish to be together in life.

There was a pang of regret in the fox's heart. He had made this boy with a selfish wish. Now part of him, akin to one of his kits was suffering.

Itachi snarled but turned away and left them. The boy, that was only a small part of Naruto's true soul, fell back into the rough debris of the forest floor and began to fade from the world of the fox. Naruto whined in nervousness. His reincarnation was in great danger from a number of forces and not all of them were external…

…Naruto woke with a pained moan. He looked around him and saw he was not in the familiar setting of his apartment nor was he on the streets. He was in a strange bedroom. His thoughts felt broken up flashes of Mizuki lit up his disturbed mind and Naruto began to shake with fear. His first thought was escape. He disentangled himself from the blankets he had been wrapped in and looked around this was different than Mizuki's place, but it didn't matter nowhere felt safe aside from the forest where he could go and cry. He could stay there until he starved to death.

Naruto looked down at himself disgusted at what he saw. He was wearing his only pair of boxers. He hiccupped and ran for the door. He wasn't about to let anybody touch him again. He was soiled enough…

...He had been watching it was far too easy to go undetected in Konoha these days. His family must be rolling over in their graves. He really could care less. He had a mission and he fully intended to complete it. He flexed his hands lazily and cracked his neck. He nodded to his partner who sat shaded in one of the many trees of the forest. They only had to wait for the perfect opportunity to present itself and then they would be on their way…

…Sasuke slammed his front door open and shouted, "Naruto!" He ran to his bedroom and crashed through the door nearly tripping on his blankets which were discarded in the floor. There was no Naruto, no note, only small traces of his blood where his not quite healed wounds had oozed out.

"Shit!" He screamed loud enough to echo. Naruto was gone and the search for him was probably called off by now. Sasuke screamed in anger and left his apartment closing the door hard enough to cause his neighbors to peek out. Sasuke ignored them all. He didn't see the ashen look his elderly neighbor Mrs. Tanaka had given him. She blinked back tears of anger, fear and guilt and retreated into her apartment once more. She refused to let go of her hatred despite the evidence that the Uzumaki boy had suffered more than she could have wished on even her worst enemies.

Sasuke thought to go to Naruto's apartment first. Having made the precarious climb once he knew where it was. He didn't have time for such foolishness this time. He took the stairs not caring that people gawked as he yelled Naruto's name over and over. He found the apartment and nearly screamed. There were no longer any ANBU investigating. They had not cleaned the mess though. Sasuke gaged at the smell of alcohol, urine and other foul things. What really upset him was how badly the one room apartment was damaged. He had been there before he knew it wasn't in the greatest of shape, but it had been relatively clean. Now it was wrecked and there were awful things written on the walls. It made him both sad and angry.

A thought crossed his mind, 'What if Naruto saw this? Would he do something stupid?' Sasuke wanted to knock himself in the head for such foolishness. "Of course he would," Sasuke gritted his teeth as he spoke the thought out loud.

Why had he left Naruto? Sasuke was angry enough to throttle the blonde when he found him. Throttle him or hug him he didn't know he decided to wait until he found him to decide.

…Can I make the plot more complicated? I really hope this isn't becoming a clichéd disaster. Will update soon. :)