If you can't empathize with Sasuke in this in his battle then I'm not writing it well enough because if you see Sasuke as deserving it for not reporting then I haven't done a good enough job in delving into his mindset so that you can empathize with him and understand why he acts the way he does…Never blame the victim it only makes it worse

Anyway, I own nothing regarding Naruto or its characters enjoy and please review

Sorry it's taken so long for me to update my life has been pretty busy so hopefully I still have some readers after how long it's taken – let me know if you guys want me to start putting recaps before I start the next chapter

This chapter was inspired by A Place to Fall by Emphatic it's a great song and if you like rock music you really should check it out

Chapter 21: A Place to Fall

Love and compassion should be the most important things because when we lose those we leave room for hatred and violence

Punches flew at him and he was helpless to do anything. He was paralyzed as he took each blow, each one harder than the previous. He tried to hold tears in but it wasn't working. The words "You'll always be my favorite" repeated over and over with every punch. This time it didn't stop, he didn't black out. He continued to take it as he tried to escape but found it futile.

"Sasuke," he heard someone call his name. There was no one else around but him and Orochimaru. The voice called again, this time shaking him. He woke up sweating with tears running down his cheeks. His heart was racing and he couldn't speak. It had been nearly a month since it'd happen but the dreams were as vivid as ever. He tried to suppress the memories but it wasn't working. He hadn't said anything to the cops even though they had tried. At that point the only thing Sasuke could do was collapse into Naruto's arms and cry as he tightly held onto him. "It's okay," Naruto said as he tried to comfort Sasuke. He held him close as he tried to calm him down, not sure what else he could do or say.

"I," he started but was finding words as the tears kept flowing. "I know I should have told you," he said though it was somewhat muffled from the way he was in Naruto's arms. "And maybe all of this is my fault for not saying anything but," Sasuke started but Naruto quickly stopped him.

"This is not your fault," he sternly told him. He pulled Sasuke so that he could look into his eyes, "He is a monster and you should never think that it's your fault. It doesn't matter if you told anyone or not, this is not your fault." He could see the vulnerability that Sasuke hated to show. The man had always blocked himself away from everyone; it was easier for him to do than to show his emotions.

Sasuke looked away from Naruto. He curled his legs up to his chest as if he were trying to block himself away. Being so vulnerable made him scared and curling into a ball gave him some sense of security. "Why would they believe me?" he asked in a soft voice, not making eye contact with Naruto. "Everyone in the city knows who he is and respect him so why would they believe me? I never reported before so they have no evidence of that," he said looking down.

"Baby," Naruto said as he cupped Sasuke face, making him look at him, "back then you were a scared teenager who had been beaten for years. It was hard for you to talk about back then so I understand that it's hard for you to talk about now." Naruto knew in situations such as that he couldn't be his normal self. He had to be calm and serious because it wasn't a time for jokes and it certainly wasn't time to be mad and scare him back into his shell. Naruto would be lying if he said he wasn't sad or angry that Sasuke didn't tell him, but he wouldn't let those emotions take over. He couldn't let those emotions take over especially with the state that he was in at that moment.

Sasuke frowned because Naruto was right. Orochimaru made him feel like the scared teenager he once was. He was a ghost that haunted his past and he showed up when he least expected it. When he thought he'd gotten past what Orochimaru had done he was proven wrong when he showed up and all those insecurities came rushing back. He didn't even think about asking if he wanted to talk to the police – he knew that was a decision he had to make on his own.

"Talking about it just makes it real and I don't want it to be real," he said looking down; finding anything to look at other than Naruto. "I'm not sure how much I'll be able to say but I know I should talk to the police," he said. He wasn't sure that he was completely ready for that talk but he knew that he had to eventually and the sooner the better in cases such as his. "Just promise you'll be there with me the entire time," he said quietly.

"I promise," Naruto said as he pushed Sasuke's hair out of his face. It scared him to know that he was going to hear the whole story because he wasn't sure what actually happened. Part of him was happy that he'd finally hear it because Sasuke had hidden everything from him. The other part of him was terrified about how horrible the truth may actually be. "Whenever you want to go you just let me know," he told him and Sasuke nodded.

NS

Naruto and Sasuke sat in a police interview room. It took some convincing but they allowed Naruto to sit in on the interview. "What made you decide to come in and talk to us today?" the detective asked as he sat across from the two. He could see the terrified look on Sasuke's face. He seemed paranoid as he looked around the room as if he were expecting something bad to happen at any moment. "You sure you're ready to talk?" he asked and received a nod in return. "You want to tell me what happened that night?" he asked after turning on the tape recorder.

Sasuke took a deep breath and looked at Naruto for a moment, wondering if it were truly a good idea to be there. Naruto gave him an encouraging smile and Sasuke turned back to the detective. "I," he started before taking another deep breath, "I had been over at my friend Suigetsu's house because Naruto and I had a fight that morning. I didn't plan on going home at first but then I realized how stupid the fight was and I wanted to get home to talk to Naruto." He bit his bottom lip as he remembered the day. He let out a shaky breath before continuing, "It was dark when I left and even though I've always hated the dark I still decided to walk home." He closed his eyes because he felt tears were ready to come out, "I," he started but found it hard to finish. "I thought I was over being afraid of him but now he's everywhere and all of my dreams are nightmares because his face keeps popping up and everything he's said and done has just started to flow back into my mind and it terrifies me," he said so quickly that it was hard to keep up. Naruto frowned because he hadn't realized just how bad it truly was. "He beat me as a kid and after college I thought it was over but when he came back I just felt like that child that couldn't stand up to him and all those feelings of security that I had finally gotten in college went out the window. It started out little by little at first just mental again but then he got physical and I just blocked everyone out because I didn't know how to deal with it again," his words were getting shaky as he thought more about everything.

"It's okay Sasuke," the detective said, feeling bad for the man in front of him. "I need to know who he is," he said, all of the information didn't mean anything if he didn't get the name of the person.

"Orochimaru," Sasuke said as he looked at the detective. When he saw the reaction of the detective it made him feel uncomfortable. The man looked surprised and in a way skeptical. "He was my guardian," Sasuke started to explain. "I never said anything because I knew I'd get the reaction you're giving me right now; that look that says that you don't believe me. No matter how much my brother tried to convince me to say something but I knew that nobody would believe some kid over Orochimaru," he looked down feeling like an idiot for saying anything. He wasn't prepared for the rejection he was feeling in that moment.

"I see," the detective said. He let out a sigh and told him, "We will investigate him regardless of whom he is." Sasuke looked at him and he knew that he didn't believe him. He understood why he wouldn't believe him; a lot of people wouldn't want to look into Orochimaru, but he wasn't like the others. He knew that the man had to be investigated regardless of any power he may have. "Please continue with what happened that night," he said as he shifted in his seat.

"I was walking down the street," Sasuke started, still skeptical, "I don't even know where he came from. One minute I was alone and the next he was there. I tried to just keep going but he slammed me against the wall of the closest building. For some reason I just couldn't fight back no matter how much I wanted to. He started to punch me and then all I remember is by head hurting and trying not to pass out." Naruto could see the emotions further building in Sasuke so he grabbed his hand, trying to reassure the other man.

"I think that's enough," Naruto said as he saw that Sasuke was about to breakdown. He knew that Sasuke had probably gone way beyond his comfort level in how much he was telling the detective. "You know where to find us if you have more questions," he said as he stood up, pulling Sasuke with him. The man just nodded, knowing that he got all of the information he was going to get. Sasuke was silent as they walked to the car. "You okay?" Naruto asked. "You did really good in there," he told him, grabbing his hand as they walked.

"I will be," was Sasuke's only answer. It felt good to finally tell but it also shook him up to relive what he had gone through. He looked at Naruto, not sure that he could have made it through the whole ordeal without him. "I just know it's going to be a long process if this all this actually goes to trial and I don't know what I'd do if it does and he wins," he admitted.

"He won't win," Naruto said, though he knew he couldn't promise that he wanted to make Sasuke feel better. He'd probably end up killing Orochimaru if the man got off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. "I promise," he said and Sasuke nodded, still unsure of everything.

NS

Suigetsu sat in his living room. He couldn't help but think about everything that had been going on. From Sasuke to Ryuu to Kiba, it was all messing with his mind. He had agreed to be friends with Kiba, or at least to try, but he wasn't sure if he could be just friends with the other man. It was wrong to still have feelings for him but he couldn't help it. No matter how much he didn't want them to be there the feelings still surfaced when he saw Kiba.

Then he thought of Ryuu and how it wasn't fair to him. He truly did like Ryuu, but he wasn't sure if he could ever love him the way that he should. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to give him his heart because he knew that Kiba still had a piece of it. The man was sweet, caring, understanding, and everything else he should want, but he didn't and he couldn't understand why.

Then there was Sasuke. Sasuke would always be his best friend and he truly was the one thing that made it so Suigetsu didn't know if he could leave. Even though he may not have turned to him about Orochimaru, Suigetsu knew that Sasuke needed his support. He didn't know that he could leave when Sasuke was in such a fragile state of mind. He had never felt so conflicted in his life and he knew it would probably hurt either way.

Suigetsu sighed as he leaned back on his couch. He was so torn and his mind wouldn't stop racing. Moving had already been a difficult decision to make and after everything that had happened it had become nearly impossible. As he looked around the room and saw boxes piled up he frowned because it made him think that maybe what happened was a sign that he was never meant to move in the first place. It was a ridiculous thought but it was one he couldn't shake.

NS

Sasuke hadn't gotten out of bed since he'd gotten home. Naruto was worried that going to the police was too much for him to cope with. He was just staring at the wall, no noise in the background and saying nothing. Naruto just watched him from the doorway, cautious of what he should do. He was worried that Sasuke was going to put his walls back up and not talk about the subject anymore. That was exactly why he'd called Itachi. He knew that Sasuke would kill him for involving his brother but he had a feeling that he needed to. He watched as Sasuke answered his phone and he knew that it had to be Itachi. "Hello?" Sasuke said in a monotone voice that sounded as if he were empty inside.

"Naruto told me what happened today," Itachi said, getting straight to the point. Sasuke glared at Naruto after Itachi told him. Naruto took that look as his cue to leave, part of him just happy that the other man was showing some form of emotion. "I should have heard it from you," Itachi continued. "I know it's hard to talk about but I was thinking that it might be time you go back to seeing a therapist," Itachi said when Sasuke didn't say anything in return. "I'm serious Sasuke," he added.

"I don't know if I can," Sasuke told him, "I'm not sure I can go back to talking about what happened or how I feel about it." He let out a deep breath knowing that his brother wasn't going to stop until he told him he'd at least think about it. "The only thing I know for sure is that I don't think that I can feel completely safe ever again," he admitted as he pulled his legs further into him, curling into a fetal position as he lay down.

"Even more reason for you to go back to a therapist," Itachi pointed out. He knew that he was probably pushing the boundaries at that point, but someone needed to. Sasuke needed a push in the right direction if he was ever going to get out of the feelings that had over come him since the incident. "Just think about it," Itachi requested, knowing that it would probably be all he'd get out of his brother.

"I'll think about it," he told him. "But first I have to go kill a certain blond," he told his brother, hanging up on him before he could say anything else. Sasuke threw his phone to the side as he got out of bed in search of his boyfriend. "Naruto," he called out as he walked toward the kitchen, knowing that was probably where the other man was. When he saw Naruto at the table, looking as if he were waiting for Sasuke to search for him. "Why would you call my brother?" Sasuke asked angrily. "If I wanted to involve him I would have.

"You've been in a trance ever since we'd gotten home. I just thought that you needed him and he needed to know. You needed to talk to us and I could tell that you weren't going to call him," Naruto replied calmly. He didn't want to start another fight, though he knew that Sasuke was already too mad for it not to be a fight.

"I'll talk to him when I'm ready," Sasuke said, glaring at his boyfriend the entire time. "I don't need you to help," he added. He probably did need his help to cope, but he wasn't going to admit that he was weak. He wanted to deal with everything on his own, though that had proven not to be the best idea. Though Naruto had told him it wasn't his fault, he couldn't help but think that everyone else thought it was. It was as if people thought he was to blame for Orochimaru being a psychopath. Deep down he knew that Orochimaru probably would have tried, and perhaps succeeded, either way, but the looks some people gave him made him feel as if he were at least partially to blame.

He had a response to that, but he knew better than to say it because it would make Sasuke run more. He knew that Sasuke already felt as if he was to blame for not saying anything and Naruto didn't want to further that thought. Sasuke was the victim and he wasn't about to blame the victim. "I want to help. I want to be that person that you can go to like I used to be. I don't want you shutting me out anymore," he told him as he got up and moved closer. Sasuke started to retreat but Naruto gently grabbed him. "Baby," he said softly, earning himself a glare from Sasuke, "I love you. Don't shut me out."

Naruto pulled Sasuke further into his arms, not wanting to ever let go again. "I love you too," Sasuke said quietly, which made Naruto smile. Sasuke relaxed into Naruto's arms, feeling a little safer whenever Naruto was there. They didn't need any more words; they let themselves enjoy the moment.

TBC…

This chapter was very Naruto/Sasuke centric…it wasn't initially set out to be that way but hopefully it turned out well anyway….

I'm seriously considering branching out to other fandoms – not just Naruto, but can be Naruto – tell me what you'd like to see