A/N– WILL BE LOOKING FOR A BETA! This installment of the story is almost done and I want to edit the entire thing before starting the next book.
Beta will be fixing any huge grammar problems, spelling problems and such. I want the wording the be left the same unless it makes no sense then I obviously messed up.
OMG I drew this years ago to thank you guys for 400 reviews… now I guess its thanks for 550 lol. (take out spaces)
Young Naruto with Kyuubi.
http:/ i495. photobucket
.com/albums/rr315/Sami065/26796_525755170759_49801880_31189223_6424773_n.jpg
Traveling back across the country in two days… maybe I will write Chapter 1 of book II on the plane…
Summary- Naruto is not like everyone thinks he is, he hides his true self from everybody. The few who know about the real him know very little. When various events force Naruto to spend time with his team mates in situations outside of the norm he finds it hard to keep up the act.
Parings- SasuNaru, some KakaIru others not decided.
Rating- very much an R rated fic
Warning- sexual situations, foul language, self mutilation, attempted suicide, a very OOC
Sasuke. And bitchy Sakura!
Spoilers- for anyone who is not up to date on the manga up – – that's so not true now its kinda funny.
Disclaimer– its almost 5am… god I'm hungry.
XxXxXxX
Red Walkways
Chapter Twenty One
Come as me, I'll come as you Part I
XxXxXxX
The trip home was… awkward, to say the least.
Or possible a little more then just awkward.
Naruto couldn't even look at Kyuubi, Karasu or Sasuke… at the very moment the blond was walking at the front of the group and refused to glance back or speak to anyone.
Right behind him was Kyuubi with Karasu at his side, lagging slighting behind on the ravens other side was Sasuke. He and Karasu were still feeling the effects of the seal and weren't comfortable being to far from one another.
Kakashi and Sakura were bringing up the back staying slightly separate from the others. Both felt slightly nervous about the demons and also like they weren't really part of the group. They kept silent and to themselves.
The sandy ground was beginning to harden and small amounts of green were spotted here and there. Sasuke was taking note of a patch of drying grass as it passed by, his eyes stayed fixed on it until he had to turn his head, then he would find another patch to look at causing his eyes to dart around.
The Uchiha was unaware of what his own eyes were doing while his mind wandered, he was frustrated. Firstly because of the blond that was a few feet in front of him. He made the choice to be with Naruto in any way he could, but if he was being honest with himself he wanted the boy romantically. Sometimes he really thought Naruto felt the same way, like when their eyes met or they touched, but then very suddenly the blue eyes would become dull or he would pull away like their touches burned. Frankly Sasuke wanted to slam his head into something very hard.
The whole situation was not being helped by the fact that since the night Kyuubi and Karasu reunited (as Sasuke like to put it) Naruto wouldn't even respond to him when he spoke, he just turned bright red. Once he got the boy out of the bathroom the blond ran out the door and completed their mission alone like the Kazekage had requested. Sasuke let the matter go figuring Naruto would come around with time, and instead of following him Sasuke went to the archives of the Sand to look up information on the sharingan. The entire day ended in failure when he didn't find any useful information on the sharingan and what happened to his and his brothers, and then he went back to his and Naruto's room to find the blond was still avoiding him.
"Don't worry chick he will come around…"
Sasuke's brow twitched.
"must you call me that?"
Sasuke could feel the raven smiling in his mind.
"Yes, because you are young and you are now my charge."
Sasuke's brow was almost vibrating.
"If I am your host doesn't that make you my charge?"
Karasu seemed to think for a moment.
"Noooo…. I am much older and wiser then you so even if you are the host you are also the charge by default."
In the hope of keeping his eye brow attached Sasuke mentally sighed so Karasu could hear and let the subject drop.
There was a few minutes of silence…
"Would you rather be called chicklet?"
"NO!" Sasuke barked out loud before he could stop himself.
Everyone looked at him, even Naruto, Sasuke met his gaze ignoring the other eyes on him. Naruto promptly turned bright red and spun to face forward again without a word.
Sasuke let out a very loud growl causing the stares to cease.
Sakura looked at Kakashi who looked back and shrugged. Both of them noticed the blonds odd behavior but had no clue to its cause.
"I know you are upset because Naruto is giving you mixed signals, but don't worry to much chick. Things like this work themselves out eventually."
Rather than Sasuke becoming more irritated the smooth voice in his head calmed him this time. he had the feeling his bird was very empathetic and could project feelings to manipulate others. At the very moment Sasuke didn't really care if he was being influenced to feel calm, it was nice.
Kyuubi watched the exchange between the two conclude and Karasu turned to him. Their eyes met and Kyuubi understood, Sasuke was becoming frustrated with Naruto among other things.
"Kit" Kyuubi prodded Naruto's mind.
There was no response except for the blonds face becoming flushed again. Kyuubi sighed knowing that pushing that matter in particular wasn't going to help so he plunged forward.
"I know your listening even if you wont answer so I am going to lay it out plainly. When we get back to Konoha there are some things we both need to do… I have… I have something I need to speak to you about."
Both minds felt a sense of stillness, something beyond silence…
"And you… you need to open the door."
The stillness fell upon them again, heavy like humidity settling on the skin of their minds.
'I know'
"If things get tough remember why you are doing it, facing that room…" pain choked the mental link and flowed into the air, Karasu looked at his mate.
Kyuubi ignored the attention while collecting himself, it always hurt to think of that room, it was his fault that door had to be locked in the first place.
'I'm doing it to be with him.'
For a moment Kyuubi had to remember the context of the response, he nodded slowly in agreement.
XxXxXxXxX
The letter was held loosely in her hands.
She had no more excuses.
Three months.
The light from the window she stood in front of brightened as the sun was freed from the clouds cover. Below on the street she could still see the white haired man that had sealed her fate walking into the distance with the elders.
Tsunade clutched the letter, crushing it in her fingers.
The pressure built.
The pressure of protecting the village, of someone she loved betraying her, of trying to combat something she didn't completely understand… it built and released from her eyes.
The tears slid slowly down her cheeks, the first tear she shed since this whole situations started.
As if her body was suddenly weighed down Tsunade slid away from the window to her desk. The grip her fingers had the paper became slack, her strength slipping through her eyes and away from her hands.
She was meeting with the Raikage in three months to supposedly enter an agreement with the cloud to share those awful things. She had to decide what to do, would she go along with the plan Jiraiya has been pushing her into or does she enter the Raikage's territory and seemingly do a 180 on him to his face while trying to explain her point of view.
The letter fluttered to the desk top as Tsunade slumped into her chair. Konoha and Cloud have always had a rocky relationship… her choice was simple. Put herself in danger or her people… the answer was easy… so easy.
Tsunade reached for her sake, not bothering with a glass she slammed back half the bottle and with a thump it was back on the desk. She was then holding another letter, an older one, much older.
The scroll was yellowing and the edges frayed with over use. This one piece of paper was once the rock she stood on, the wall she could rest on when she needed a breath. Now it was painful to hold it.
For so many years there was a white haired boy following Tsunade wherever she went. He always stood right behind her asking her out and bothering her. On some days she wished he would leave but she never seriously voice this because having him there, one step behind her was what kept her going every day.
She loved him…
Over the years of her life Tsunade had lost many loved ones, and this white haired boy was one she could never survive losing.
Every time she rejected him he came back and stood that one foot to her back. Sometimes facing her ready to catch her if she fell, other times his back was to her ready to defend her blind side.
For all the time he stood at her side she wondered if he understood why she always turned him down. Until the day she found the scroll she was holding in her hands. He left it for her to read if she choose to, he didn't hand it to her in person or ever recognize he was the one to write it, and Tsunade never brought it up. Her silence was the yes she could never say to him out loud.
Tsunade unrolled the scroll for the last time…
Dear girl in front of me,
I will always be right behind you for when you need me.
I understand you have lost so many people, and I also know you love me. You have never said it to me, you have never accepted my offers to go out, but when you look at me when I offer you a hand up when you fall, I can see it. I can see it when you're there for me when I fall.
I know you turn me down because you are scared that if you let yourself go you will lose me to death. I know that no matter what I say to you, you wont change your mind…
But the thing I understand the best is that if you did accept and then you did lose me, it might be the beginning the last day you ever wake up.
So I offer you freedom, if you ask I will abandon my space right behind you.
Otherwise I will stay where I am even if you reject my offers to go out until the day we die. I will hold my post.
If my presence allows you release from even the smallest bit of pain, if only enough that you rise from your bed each morning then I will also be happy where I am.
If only to get away from your pain I would let you be me if I could.
To get away…
Come as me,
And I'll come as you.
The letter was left unsigned but the hand writing gave him away. A small smile lifted Tsunade's lips for a moment before falling. He offered her a way out of what could only be defined as stalking… but she remained silent and he knew it was a yes… keep following.
She rolled the old scroll up and put it back on the desk, the desk was cleared of everything but the scroll, the letter from the cloud and a single oil cup with a lit wick. she clutched the half bottle of Sake in her hand tightly for a moment then she tipped it bottom up pouring the rest of the strong liquor onto the letters.
She only hesitated for a single second before she tipped the oil cup over. For a moment she a surprised at the speed the oil burned, the fired started to spread from the wick as it was tipping.
Tsunade stood and left her office slamming the door behind her.
Later that day she would come back to find that only a few minutes after she left, Shizune came to her office and discovered the fire.
The desk would be mostly destroyed but the floor would be salvageable. Tsunade would shrug it off as a drunken accident.
XxXxXxXxX
Long ago they left the dry land behind, the trees became thick and the air heavier with humidity. Team seven plus their demons were only minutes from Konoha. Not a word was spoken since Sasuke's outburst.
The moment the gates were looming over the horizon the entire group could feel the tension release for every member except one blond. When they about to cross the threshold of the gate into their home Naruto spun around on his heals coming to a stop directly in front of Sasuke.
The Uchiha was shocked to say the least, he almost tipped forward in his effort to stop walking before he ran into Naruto. Their faces only inches apart they stared at each other.
The entire group stopped to watch the confrontation, except the demons who began to shoo the others away leaving the two boys alone. The others to scared of the demons starting a fight with them to refuse.
Naruto knew he didn't have much time because of the seals pull on Sasuke, he counted on it.
Once they were alone before Sasuke could say a word he found his mouth covered by another. There was no hesitation on Sasuke's part, from his lips all the way to his toes he felt electricity, his hands came up to cup Naruto's cheeks.
The blond was crying, Sasuke didn't know why but hoped it was because he was happy. Though deep down he felt like something was wrong. The kiss was strangely desperate for being so innocent, but Sasuke wanted this so bad he over looked it.
Naruto felt… he felt… nothing. With every fiber of his being wanted to feel something. Frustrated tears ran down his face as he felt a crackly recorded and replayed version of what he should feel… like a memory, he was once again pulling out that old faded picture and recalling what he wanted not what he had. He felt nothing but pain. Always.
As suddenly as the kiss started it ended. Naruto turned and ran.
Sasuke was stunned… then it dawn on him. The desperation, the tears, maybe this was Naruto's way of coming to him, telling him he was in trouble.
"No…" Sasuke whispered.
He took off after the blond but half way to catching up he felt pain and pulling and fell to his knees. His body wouldn't move. The seal!
"Karasu! I need you to come here!"
Sasuke expected the demon to appear quickly with his speed but he continued to be alone.
"Karasu!" He called out loud and mentally, desperately.
Then he got a response.
"I'm sorry" quiet and sincere.
Sasuke pounded his fist on the ground, tear welled up as he continued to fight his body.
XxXxXxXxX
Naruto stood in front of the door, the key he retrieved in his hand. He felt it when Kyuubi appear beside him, his hand fell onto the blonds shoulder.
"This first?" The fox asked.
Naruto nodded. The kiss had sealed his decision, he needed to regain what he lost. The reasons he cut it out were slowly fading. The reason why he had done it in the first place was fuzzy and this was all caused by Sasuke… it was amazing.
"Yes I need to do this first, I know what you are planning to tell me is important but…"
Kyuubi tightened his grip on his host shoulder.
"I know what's in there, no matter what was happening I told myself if you decided to open the door everything else comes second, it was my fau-"
"Don't…" the word was quiet and choked through the tears that reappeared on Naruto's cheeks.
He put the key in the lock and slowly turned it, wincing at the resounding click that filled the apartment. As he reached up and put his hand on the handle he remembered the day Sasuke tried to open the door thinking it was the bathroom. Such a stupid thing the think of but for some reason it made him feel calmer.
The handle was hard to turn like it had been rusting in place over the years, but it turned.
The air that came out of the room as the door swung open was stale and metallic. One bare bulb hung from the ceiling of the dim room, Kyuubi's hand tightened again letting Naruto know he wasn't alone. Naruto knew he wasn't alone, in this room he was never alone… he reached over to the wall on his right and flipped on the light. He looked into the middle of the room at, himself.
The End
A/N– So that's the end of Red Walkways… yeah I did it! I ended a book with part I of a two part chapter arch…. Sorry.
Though it is old and I never really finished it (maybe someday I will)
Here is a pic I did of what's in the room. (remove spaces)
http:/ i495. photobucket .com/albums/rr315/Sami065/26796_525755160779_49801880_31189221_3343805_n1
Keep your eyes out for Book II White Lies!