Chapter 25

Shikamaru leaned against the wall, taking a long drag from his cigarette. He released the smoke in a long, continuous stream, watching as small clouds formed and drifted away into the night.

He had accompanied Naruto to a quiet corner of the Hokage's mansion, where they had remained undisturbed for several hours. Elsewhere, the village continued to buzz with activity, although it had calmed down slightly as night had fallen. Every now and then, the howling of the Inuzuka and their hounds drifted eerily from the forests surrounding Konoha.

Naruto sat on the windowsill, bathed and dressed in a new Jounin uniform – but he looked slightly odd without his long Sage cloak. His breath billowed around him in the winter air, his arms tense as he leaned forward to stare up at the clouds. He was utterly still as he perched there, looking strangely similar to a statue, carved into the building itself.

Shikamaru hated to interrupt him when he got like this. Even the genius strategist had trouble imagining the strange paths Naruto's mind wandered down as he followed the flow of chakra, seeking answers in the unseen places of the world.

He cleared his throat. "Hey, Naruto, there's something that's been bothering me for a while."

Naruto responded slowly, like a person waking up from a very deep sleep. He glanced over his shoulder with glinting yellow eyes. "What's up, Shikamaru?"

"Well," Shikamaru began, taking another hit from his cigarette. "When you put the chakra seal on Sasuke's shoulder, you also made him one of the locations for your teleportation, right?"

Naruto nodded, turning towards Shikamaru and leveling him with his heavy gaze. The light near the end of the hall flickered, casting dancing shadows across Naruto's strong features. It was an intimidating effect.

Shikamaru swallowed before asking, "You tried to teleport to him, right?"

"It was the first thing I tried." Naruto's deep, rough voice seemed at odd with the flickering, unsteady shadows.

"So, the fact that you couldn't find him must mean that he's being held somewhere that's protected by extremely powerful barriers." Shikamaru flicked the ash from his cigarette before rubbing at his forehead. "Man, what a drag. And, you can't sense him at all?"

Sadness pinched the corners of Naruto's eyes as he turned away. Moonlight broke through the clouds momentarily, highlighting Naruto's regal profile. "It's really weird, you know?" He muttered. "I was so hyper-aware of him, I guess. Always worrying about where he was, connected to him through our chakra, and now all of a sudden I can't sense him at all."

"You don't suppose the chakra seal you put on him will weaken from the distance?" Shikamaru inquired, sounding slightly hopeful.

Naruto laughed. "If it had, he would be home by now. If that seal were to break, all hell would break loose, you know."

Even though it was meant as a joke, Shikamaru could only grimace in response. He joined Naruto at the window, looking out at the village. From where they were, they could see the giant faces of the Hokage's which loomed on the cliff-face. Shikamaru found his eyes drawn to the gentle features of the Fourth, dark and mysterious in the night.

"Your new cloak should be ready soon." Shikamaru said, more to himself than to Naruto. "Although, it would be much less troublesome if you had just agreed to wear your Dad's old one."

Naruto shook his head fractionally, more of a twitch than an actual gesture. His golden eyes moved to his father's stone likeness, moist with uninhibited pain. "Dad," He choked. "I can't wear my Dad's coat."

Shikamaru didn't press the issue any further. He basically already knew every possible reason Naruto could have for refusing to wear the garment. Naruto had a fierce attachment to sentiment, after all.

"Sorry, Naruto, but there's one more thing I need to ask you." Shikamaru said. Naruto wrenched his eyes away from the cliff, glancing at the strategist with a hum. "When you came back, Kurama warned us that we should fear you. I need to know what he means by that."

Shikamaru steeled himself, prepared to argue his case. But much to his surprise, Naruto's handsome face crumpled with pain, his eyes squeezing shut.

After a long silence, Shikamaru nervously prompted, "So, you knew Kurama said that?"

Naruto nodded slowly, his face still distorted as he whispered, "He only said it because, at the time, he was afraid of me too."

Shikamaru choked on the smoke from his cigarette. Coughing loudly, he crushed the burning stick before flicking it out the window. He used the coughing fit as an opportunity to collect his thoughts, his genius mind racing wildly. Shikamaru swallowed heavily, wishing he had some good Saké as he said, "Now that you mention it, Kurama said that even he couldn't find you. But is that even possible? You two share the same body and mindscape, in theory it should be impossible for you to remove yourself from his awareness completely."

Naruto finally opened his eyes, pondering for a moment. Eventually, he mused, "I think that, because my feelings of grief were so alien to Kurama, it made it easier for me to hide myself."

"I see." Shikamaru said quickly, fascinated by the depth of the human mind. "But, I had assumed, since you two are on better terms now, that the bond between you would only have gotten stronger?"

"Yeah," Naruto agreed slowly. "But that's not always a good thing. Sure, I get along with Kurama now, which makes both our lives easier. But on the other hand, it means that I'm always sharing part of my mind with a beast, you know? After a while, you start to notice that certain things about you aren't really…human, anymore."

Shikamaru realized that he was standing stiffly, so he reached up with a cool hand to wipe the look of shock from his face. "Damn," He muttered. "What a drag."

"Tell me about it." Naruto agreed darkly, his voice taking on a deep, husky tone. A warm musk rose from him, smelling faintly of pine needles and wood smoke. "All of my senses are sharper, my instincts are all thrown out of whack, and sometimes – you know – I have these really weird primal urges."

"Ugh." Shikamaru groaned. "I don't want to know about those."

"That's not what I meant!" Naruto exclaimed, his cheeks flushing. "I mean, like, when I was fighting that woman, there was a moment where she had me caught in a Jinchuuriki seal. She was standing right in front of me, and all I could think about was how badly I wanted to reach down and rip out her throat."

He glanced over at Shikamaru, his voice grave and he added, "With my teeth."

As if to emphasize his point, he pulled back his lips to reveal his strangely pointed teeth, like the sneering fangs of a canine.

Without meaning to, Shikamaru shuddered. He supposed it was only natural for a Jinchuuriki to adopt characteristics of the Tailed Beast they were housing, but he hadn't realized it went to this extent. "Perhaps you should close your mind to Kurama for a bit." Shikamaru offered. "I'm sure he would understand."

Naruto shook his head decidedly. "No," He said, placing a hand over his stomach. "Kurama is a part of me. I need him."

When he glanced up at Shikamaru, there was a dangerous flash of red in Naruto's eyes. It vanished so quickly that Shikamaru almost thought he had imagined it.

"I'm sure you have important things to do, Shikamaru." Naruto said, as softly as he could manage in his rough voice. "You don't need to keep me company."

Shikamaru took the offer to escape. He bowed his head reflexively, and then seemed to realize what he was doing. He straightened with a jolt, confusion creeping into his eyes. He quickly turned and made his way down the hallway, feeling more awkward with every step.

"That human trusts you." Kurama observed without much interest.

Naruto didn't respond. Instead, he climbed onto the windowsill, reaching up to firmly grab the edge of the roof. Jumping, he swung himself upwards effortlessly, landing on the railing that surrounded the flat roof like an acrobat. Cat-like, he strode along the railing until his back was to the unblinking faces of the past Hokage's, jumping down onto the roof. With the cool air rushing past, he settled down were there wasn't any snow, his mind bent on the task at hand.

Folding his hands in his lap, he released his mind into the vastness that awaited him, searching like a ravenous wolf for even the smallest trace of one, familiar consciousness.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke awoke with a loud groan, shivering in the cold. The chill of the mountain air crept along the stone floors, making his legs and bottom completely numb. It was impossible to tell what time it was, as the clouds hid the moon from view.

He heard the gentle rustling of fabric as Luka rolled over. "Are your injuries bothering you?" He whispered hoarsely.

"I'm more concerned about the lack of circulation in my legs." Sasuke replied grumpily, still half asleep. "What am I tied to?"

Luka inched slightly closer. "The pedestal for the shrine that this room housed." He said softly. "The people who once lived here were utterly devout, spending their entire lives in these stone hallways, seeking answers from the stars."

Sasuke grunted disinterestedly, slowly pulling up his knees and gingerly transferring his weight to his feet. As he crouched, blood rushed into his freezing limbs, sending shooting pains through his body.

"If you don't mind," Luka began tentatively. "I still have some of that salve left. It would put my mind at ease if I could treat your wounds once more."

When Sasuke grudgingly agreed, Luka closed the space between them cautiously. So deep was the darkness, he had to find the wounds by touch. Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling strangely squeamish under Luka's unfamiliar fingers. There were few who he allowed to touch him, and fewer still who had ever touched him in so intimate a way. But in the current circumstances, he had to accept help wherever it was offered – though for some reason he felt slightly guilty as Luka used his fingertips to carefully trace his body like a blind man.

A sense of relief washed over him as the effects of the medicine kicked in, soothing the irritated skin around his many stitches.

"There," Luka said with a soft exhale. "Hopefully they won't get infected."

"Thanks." Sasuke said dryly, bouncing on his toes to try and increase the blood flow through his legs. The skin around his wrists itched and burned tremendously where the cold chains rubbed against him. He flexed his fingers experimentally, only to flinch when the stiff digits cracked at the joints. As if annoyed for being ignored, his stomach grumbled once before sending uncomfortable pangs of hunger into his abdomen.

"Forgive me for asking," Luka said suddenly, his voice laden with curiosity. "But who was it who placed that intriguing seal upon your shoulder? It has been a long while since I've seen one so well made. I only recognized a handful of the symbols."

Sasuke glanced at his shoulder habitually, glad of the distraction. As soon as he focused on the mark, it began to pulse gently like a heartbeat, the faintest trace of Naruto's golden chakra leaking from it. Even though Luka seemed trustworthy enough, Sasuke was too wary to tell him everything about the mark laced into his skin.

"Of course you don't recognize it." He thought haughtily. "Naruto made it so that the sealing jutsu, and the locator for his teleportation jutsu, are perfectly entwined. He's the only shinobi since the Fourth to have such mastery in sealing."

"It was Naruto." He replied shortly, offering nothing else.

Luka seemed to understand his reservation, and yet curiosity glinted in his eyes. "Remarkable." He said brightly. Even in the darkness, Sasuke could tell that he was smiling. "I had assumed that the Uzumaki boy was more about brawn than brains, but it seems that he's more well-rounded than I thought."

Sasuke felt an irrational rush of anger. "I thought you would loathe Naruto for killing your sister." He barked. "But you seem to have gotten over your grief already."

The remark silenced Luka for a moment, but when he responded, his tone was in no way darkened. "No, I will never heal from the pain of losing her. But, as I have said, one must learn to accept and control their sadness when their life is this long."

Sasuke sighed as he tried to kneel. The pain in his thighs proved too great, so he settled for sitting cross-legged. "You keep alluding to your age," He began. "But you haven't actually told me how old you are."

Luka laughed. "I'm embarrassed to admit it. I've been loitering around for a terribly long time."

When Sasuke remained impatiently silent, Luka let out a good-natured sigh. "Let's just say, that I can still easily recall the battles that occurred before Konoha was formed."

"Impossible." Sasuke said coldly.

"No, quite possible!" Luka chided. "As for my father, I have no idea how long he has lived. For all I know, he wandered this land when it still belonged to the tailed beasts."

Sasuke shook his head. "What could possibly motivate you to live for so long?"

"Fear." Luka stated matter-of-factly. "Think of it this way, Uchiha. If you were an immortal being, what would you fear more than anything else in this world?"

"Death." Sasuke replied immediately. He then added, "But the same can be said for mortals."

"Perhaps, but the fear is different." Luka said, clearly enjoying their discussion. "For a man who has accepted his mortality, fear of death is fear of the inevitable. But for a man who could potentially live for an eternity, it is the possibility of death that is terrifying. When it is not longer inevitable, it becomes the worst possible fate imaginable."

Sasuke pondered this for a while in silence. Finally, he asked, "And are you afraid of death?"

Luka chuckled, his pleasant voice soothing in the darkness. "Perhaps I was, at a time, but no longer. As I see it, death is the only escape route left open to me. That, and sleep."

"Sleep?" Sasuke parroted, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Indeed!" Came the light response. "Sleep is a version of death that only the living have the privilege of enjoying."

Sasuke snorted as he shifted again, realizing that he somewhat enjoyed Luka's intellectual company. Aside from Naruto, the only people that he'd really spoken to in a year were Shikamaru and Kakashi.

"Naruto…" Luka said suddenly, making Sasuke jump. "Perhaps this is a little unorthodox, but would you be willing to tell me about him? All I know is what I've hear through rumors and tales, but my curiosity is peaked. I'd like to hear what he's really like, from someone who is close to him."

"He's an idiot." Sasuke immediately replied, his voice flat.

Luka laughed genuinely. "Please humor me." He finally said when his laughter had subsided. "Anything you choose to tell me will be fine."

"Tch." Sasuke grumbled. But then he smiled despite himself, a set of Caspian eyes filling his mind. "I don't know how to describe him." He thought wryly, feeling a strange twinge of regret.

Luka waited quietly, his anticipation and excitement almost palpable in the dark. Sasuke sat lost in thought, memories flashing through his mind as he sought for words adequate enough to describe his idiot-blond. After a while, his smile began to fade, sadness pinching as his throat.

"Well, he really is an idiot." Sasuke began gently, his voice barely above a whisper. "But he always tries to see the good in everyone, to the point where it's actually annoying. And, no matter how bad things get, he always bears as much of the weight as he possibly can."

Luka made a strange grumbling sound. "I'm not trying to pry for weaknesses, you know."

"Sure, I'll take your word for it." Sasuke said sarcastically.

After a long pause, Luka said gently. "I just want to get an idea of the true character of that man. You must understand how much of a rarity he is, how much he fascinates the rest of the world. And yet you live beside him as his equal. Any small tidbits, proof of his existence and humanity, would set my curious heart at ease."

"I'm not sure that you can call him a human, though." Sasuke thought with a strange, alien fondness. "There's no way I can describe him. There aren't enough words."

Finally, after a very long silence, Sasuke cleared his throat. "Naruto…" He began, his voice strangely hushed. "Even I don't quite understand him. Sometimes he's as open and easy to read as a child, but then he becomes a phantom, removed completely from everything else. He doesn't respond to letters from important dignitaries and needs everything spelled out for him, and yet he somehow knows everything about everyone and has the answers to your questions before you even think to ask them. Maybe the most disturbing thing about him, though, is how powerful and incorruptible he has become."

"It's true." Luka added warmly. "He's the strongest ninja alive, to be sure."

"It's more than that." Sasuke mumbled, lost in thought. "It's like, when you're around him, you feel safer than you've ever felt before. But at the same time, your pulse is racing because he's such an enormous threat. He's like gravity. Some days, it feels like he's the only thing holding this world together."

The two sat in silence for a long while, pondering those words. Finally, Luka stirred, his voice content. "Thank you. My curiosity is satiated, for a time."

Sasuke didn't respond. He felt somewhat nauseated, disgusted with himself for sharing even those small, vague details. Possessiveness filled his heart, his fingers curling into fists. "Naruto is mine." He thought darkly, dangerous tendrils of an old power weaseling out of his heart.

Before he had time to focus on those dark feelings, Luka's sudden movement distracted him. Sasuke followed the ageless Kou with his senses, noting the way he walked around the room confidently despite the dark. His leather shoes hardly made a sound on the stone floors, only his gentle breathing and the faint rustling of his fabric giving away his location.

It occurred to Sasuke then that this man, this being of unknown power, had turned himself into a ghost. Perhaps it was the only way he had been able to continue living with a father and clan that he seemed to loathe. Questions burned in his throat as his coal-black eyes continued to follow Luka's unseen passage through the dark.

As if he had been reading Sasuke's mind, Luka sighed heavily and said, "Sleep now, and recover while you can, young Uchiha. The morning light will change many things."

Sasuke's heart rate increased slightly. While talking with the Kou heir, he had completely forgotten about what awaited him in the morning. He lowered his head, berating himself for being so easily led along. And yet, he found himself glad to have an ally in such an unexpected place.

He tried to settle himself more comfortably, but no matter which way he leaned, the injury on his back screamed hotly in protest. And so he leaned back against the smooth stone of the pedestal, thinking idly of the people who once lived there. He pondered their religion, wondering which gods guided them to beseech the stars for answers. He wondered if perhaps that had been their foolish downfall; perhaps they were misguided and allowed their temple to fall to ruin.

With these thoughts in his mind, Sasuke drifted into an uneasy sleep. His dreams were fraught with dark shadows, all of them grappling with him as he tried to reach the small beam of sunlight that punctured the darkness. When he finally reached it, his hands were bloodied. As he turned around to look at his fallen opponents, he was horrified to see that every corpse looked exactly like himself.

He turned desperately, staring up into the light. It was then that it reached him: a familiar presence. A tingle ran down Sasuke's spine, starting at his shoulder and making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. A rush of wind, hot and woody with the scent of pine and spice, rushed over his skin and chased away the nightmare.

Comfort wrapped around Sasuke like a warm embrace as a sigh of relief reached his ears.

"Sasuke." Naruto's voice danced down on the sunbeam like tiny specks of dust, sparkling and otherworldly. "I finally found you."

Sasuke could only stare, dumbfounded, as the sunbeam coiled and churned, eventually taking on a glowing form. When Sasuke looked again, he found himself staring at a glistening apparition of Naruto, the sunlight radiating from the center of his incomplete form.

"Angel." Sasuke thought immediately. He shook his head, whispering, "This is a dream."

"Where are you?" Naruto demanded urgently, although his voice was like a whisper in another room.

Sasuke shook his head again, staring at Naruto hungrily. "I don't know. The mountains. An old temple."

He could feel frustration rolling off the blond, but Naruto only smiled sadly. Sighing, he said, "I'm glad that you're safe."

"For now."

Naruto frowned. "I'm going to save you. No matter what it takes. I love you, Sasuke."

Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden touch on his arm startled him awake. For a moment, the sunlight blinded him, and without thinking he said hopefully, "Naruto?"

"Wake up!"

Blinking against the bright light, Sasuke's eyes finally focused on Luka's worried face. Seeing that Sasuke had finally recognized him, Luka released his arm.

"It's morning." He said, his movements fast and jerky and he paced around the room. "My father will be here soon."

Instinctively, Sasuke reached for his chakra, and was pleased to find that he could access it. Luka's seal had broken, but Naruto's firmly remained. Feeling slightly more confident, and with Naruto's words still echoing in his mind, Sasuke fixed his red eyes on the wooden door expectantly.

"Let him come." Sasuke hissed. "I'm ready."

Wow okay hello. This chapter is a bit shorter than the ones I usually post, but I figure the speediness of the update makes up for that. Also, a few of you approved of the blog idea, so I made a tumblr. I'll add the link to my main page. There's nothing really on it yet, but we'll see how it goes. Happy reading!