Disclaimer: I do not own the song I used in this chapter... Umm... Yeah...

Love & Truth

26. Love, Truth

(Ayame-san's POV)

„Long time no see." I said with a smile to an obviously stunned Naruto-san. He seemed really weary... This made me even more confused along with being glad that I resolved to come.

When I stepped inside the city I asked few people where to find Naruto-san... I did not meet with too positive replies. Knowing the reason Naruto-san had to leave in the first place - it did not even surprise me. It still has taken me aback a little.

„What are you doing here?" He asked me, his voice still bearing traces of the recent breakdown.

„I came for a wedding." I stated as a matter of a fact.

„Whose?"

It was at these words that it clicked to me that something was not entirely right. After all with what they went through I would have guessed that the Uchiha wouldn't let Naruto-san from his sight. Yet there he was his eyes red from crying, alone, and most of all definitely not happy.

„You don't know?" I asked trying to test waters, not really knowing what caused the sudden change in the resolve of the two of them, happy as they were when I knew them together.

„I am sorry but I don't really know much at the current time..." He trailed off.

„Why so?"

Following to my question came a long monologue about the events that happened after they left the village. This information however was pretty confused, for which Naruto-san apologized over and over.

„I'm sorry." I heard the words again. „I can't remember much." It was this that caught my attention.

„How come?" I asked, noting that Haru, who has been at first jumping on the bed, managed to tire himself to sleep and was now curled next to Naruto-san.

„Well, from what I was told we were ambushed on our way from Gaara's and Neji's marriage. I was kidnapped and held captive along with four other Jinchuuriki. I don't remember a thing from the time except name of the youngest, which I apparently gave him myself." He laughed in a strained fashion, scratching the back of his head.

„When I was there for like month and half, I heard, the captors decided to make us undergo a ritual to extract the Bijuu from our bodies. I, being the most probable to survive till help was to come, apparently offered to go first. When I was to go one of the guards knocked me unconscious, which is believed to be the cause of my amnesia."

„How much time is it that you don't remember?" I asked cautiously, knowing that I won't like the answer either way.

„Three years..." He mumbled after a while, hanging his shoulders.

„That's a long time." I only managed to gasp, not knowing what else could be said to this. Yet there were few more questions that appeared in my mind shortly after.

„How much were you able to remember?"

„Not much... up to three months at most... and only up to like two days from the stay in your village." he smiled sadly, massaging his temples. It was then that I noticed the engagement ring on his hand was gone. I realized that the Uchiha most probably did not want to scare Naruto-san and so he took it back.

'Whether that was a good choice, however, I have my doubts.'

L&T

(Third Person's POV)

Ayame then stayed at Naruto's overnight. They decided it would be troublesome to move sleeping Haru anyway.

Then, in the morning, after she left Haru to Takeo to take care of, Ayame took Naruto out, hoping to understand the current situation more after some talk. It was during the talk that she realized that she managed to forget a really important component in the complicated relationship between the two lovers.

„What about the twins?"

Naruto looked at her for a while then sighed. „They're at Sasuke's at the moment... I was actually going to take them back with me today."

„Can I go with you then? I'm dying to see them." The woman said, hoping to cheer the blonde on the way and hopefully getting to talk to the raven at the same time.

Naruto seemed to hesitate, but agreed in the end, changing the direction of their little walk to get to the Uchiha complex. That it was the longest way to get there Ayame was not able to know.

They talked the whole way, Ayame noticing that Naruto finally started to ease up. Seeing that she felt a little more hopeful. Even Naruto seemed to have a hope in his expression now. This hope however seemed to disappear the moment the two of them saw a familiar raven walk before them...

… arms linked with some unknown woman.

Ayame could see that it was not quite willing from both sides, as the raven seemed a bit out of it, not paying attention to the constant monologue the woman kept up. He most probably was not even aware of the woman beside him.

Naruto however did not see any of these signs. His mind was struck with the image of the man whom he loved with all his heart being with another woman.

Then as if on purpose – which it pretty much may have been, as far as Ayame was concerned – the unknown woman took hold of the raven's chin and placed a kiss on his lips.

Ayame turned to Naruto, only seeing the look of immense hurt and how he turned on his heel, running of in the direction opposite to where the "couple" was. It was because of his quick departing that he failed to notice the look of surprise on Sasuke's face.

L&T

Naruto ran and ran, much like how he ran the first dayback, when he woke up not remembering a thing of last three years. This time however he did not want to remember. He wanted anything but remember what he had just saw.

'Sometimes I miss the time Kyuubi got out due to emotions...' He thought sadly. 'I miss the blackness of not being in control of my body... not needing to think about anything... or anyone.'

'That can easily be done, still...'

'Huh?' Naruto almost jumped at the sound of the voice he did not hear for quite some time. 'You think I'm going to let you out? I'm not that out of it.' Naruto managed to say back. That statement was not too much of a truth however.

'How about limited consciousness only? I don't really feel like killing everyone in sight anyway... you do as of the current time though...I'd make it so you would need not to talk to anyone, choosing when to come back... that's a fair deal.'

Naruto knew better than to argue... and so he decided to shut his mind off.

L&T

(Amaya's POV)

I saw Naruto run past me, but I did not call out to him. I could clearly see that he was not in state in which he would actually care to talk back to me. That however did not stop me from going after him.

L&T

(Third Person's POV)

By the time Amaya reached Naruto the boy already was not in the control of his body. What spoke of the fact clearly were the red demonic eyes that replaced the usual sky-blue ones.

„You're Kyuubi, aren't you?" Amaya asked with no hesitation, facing the Bijuu that had the control of its Jinchuuriki's body. „What happened to Naruto?"

„He chose to disappear for the time being." The fox demon replied only as it started slowly walking off, back in the direction of the village.

„What do you mean by that?" Amaya called after Kyuubi, not entirely getting the statement.

„He's sleeping." Saying that the fox decided to talk with the Jinchuuriki no longer and ran off, leaving the stunned woman behind.

L&T

(Naruto's POV)

I was walking down the street in that middle of nowhere, in the pitch black city where nothing mattered as a song echoed to my ears.

I'm thinking about you so much…time doesn't stop for me
My empty heart still can't find your feelings

I can never draw the same picture twice
But my emotions are just repeating over and over again

Let me listen to your "love song."
I stared at your profile
I want to know about you, now that I've met you

No matter how lonely I get, I have a feeling we'll meet again
I don't need a reason; I know I can't turn back

With the way it is now
I'll just become a part of your memory, right?
My emotions shone like the depths of tears…

Let me listen to your "love song." Your profile…
I understand there's a person you're gazing at right in front of you but…

Please give me wings and believe that, just as with this song
I swear
I've decided to accept all the past

I hum the "love song"…I want to touch your smiling face
Even though I know that there's someone you're gazing at

My "love song" never ends - I've already met you

…It never will end… Love & Truth

[English translation of "Love & Truth" by Yui]

'Why this song of all?' I kept thinking to myself as I softly hummed its melody. 'I never really liked it... Because it ends bad... someone is left behind...'

'Like you...' a voice said somewhere deep in my mind. It however was not Kyuubi's voice, no; the voice of doubt chose a way which hurt more than that, it chose Sasuke's voice.

'Why?' I cried softly, pressing hands to my ears. I hoped that I would just disappear, however I was not even allowed to do that.

'Why?'

L&T

(Sasuke's POV)

When the woman kissed me I did not feel a thing, except for surprise. When however angry Ayame showed the woman away and slapped me I felt it quite a lot.

'Why is everyone slapping me lately?' I could not help but sigh to myself; it was however for a brief second only as Ayame started yelling at me. 'When did that woman even get here?'

„Are you an idiot or something? Can't you be more aware of your surroundings?"

I only stared at her. „What?"

„Naruto-san was with me just a second ago; do you have an idea how hurt he looked seeing what he did?"

„Naruto? Hurt? We're not even together anymore, how can he..."

„Are you really that stupid? Should I spell it for you? Naruto-san loves you! He did way before you two got together. From what I heard from him I thought you knew. Naruto-san said that... I know that you think that you two separated to make it easier for him; however it only made it worse... I came for a wedding now it seems more like a funeral, really." Once Ayame stopped she looked like at the brink of a collapse.

„I don't want to see him like that again." She started crying suddenly. „I don't want to! You were not there when he wanted kill himself! You were not there when he ignored his surroundings and refused to eat! How do you think will he feel when he remembers? He will think that you wanted to get rid of him! That you did not think the bond you two had as worthy enough of your time to think of repairing it. That's what he will think! Don't you know him enough?" She cried. It was at these words that I remembered a part of the conversation I had with Naruto after our first night together.

„You know, I realized, what my feelings for you were, around the time of our chuunin exams. I dreamed a lot about you back then. The dreams did not appear on the daily basis, but most of the time they did. At first we only talked in those dreams. That was until our fight in the Valley of the End. Sincerely, I was not even sure, if you survived it, but the first dream I had right after, was you, all bandages, but all you were concerned about, was if I was ever going to return. You really scolded me a lot in few weeks that followed." I stopped for a while and recalled those memories. They made me chuckle even after all that time.

„After you were done scolding me in those dreams, we started kissing also, and as we aged even in those dreams, sometime later it turned even more... let's say not so chaste. Though we never went all the way. Such a shame..."

'He never complained in those dreams… He wanted us to be together like that… He even said something along the lines of the feelings going both ways, even at that time… But that means…'

„You're right…" I said after thinking about it for a while, stunning the woman for a while. „I'm an idiot… How to explain it to my dobe [=idiot, in case you forgot or sth] though? Where can I find him?"

Ayame only pointed towards one of the streets to which Naruto apparently ran.

„Thank you." I only said, before running in the direction, leaving the satisfied woman behind.

L&T

(Third Person's POV)

Sasuke did not even need to run for a long time, as he run into Kyuubi only few streets away. It also took him less than a second to realise that it was not entirely Naruto whom he's run into. He however also did not feel ill intentions coming from the fox.

„What happened to Naruto... Kyuubi?" He asked.

„Sharp, aren't we?" the fox smirked, forcing Naruto's mind to take in its surroundings, while still being the one in control. „He's sleeping. What's with all the concern now, Uchiha?"

„You're the one to speak... If you chose to, you'd be able to return all Naruto's memories at once."

„And would you want that?" The fox felt almost sorry for the man however it was not what it was showing now. It needed harsh reality to take place at the moment.

„No..." the raven-haired man sighed only, hanging his shoulders. That did not go without inner turmoil from Naruto who participated in the conversation as an onlooker only. „I didn't want him to feel obligated because of the memories... I want him to choose me out of his own, free will."

„You're really something..." the fox said with a grimace so atypical on Naruto's face. „And to think that the idiot has been in love with you for so long... only to be faced with your doubts... don't you think he'd want to hear the truth? He's kind of dumb to notice signs." The blonde laughed. Seeing that it was not met with approval however the fox stopped. Instead it caught sight of the raven who looked at the piece of paper he took from the folds of his clothing.

„Is that what I think it is?" The fox asked, curious, seeing a chance which was likely not to be repeated.

„And if it is?" The raven narrowed his eyes, not really liking the extended hand that wanted to take the picture.

It was one of the pictures Naruto made once Sasuke appeared. It portrayed how Naruto saw their "to be" family. The blonde and the raven sitting under their blooming tree, while their younger versions crawled around them, craving attention. It was a family how they portrayed it to be. It was tearing Sasuke's heart to know it was a dream to not come true most probably. That was why he held onto the picture. As a reminder of happier times.

„Why do you hold onto that picture so much? What's your reason?" Kyuubi asked, already sensing how distressed Naruto was, not being able to do anything for the unhappy looking raven.

„I love Naruto... Is it so wrong to want to hold onto a happy memory we shared?" Sasuke whispered only, not even being able to stop the fox from finally snatching the picture from his hands. The outcome of the action however, he did not guess.

He could only stare wide-eyed how tears streamed down Naruto's face, the colour of his eyes turning first lilac [because I like the colour], then taking its natural, sky-like shade of blue.

The boy held the picture so strongly that the edges began to crumple, yet he only looked at it crying, mumbling something under his breath. It was not until Sasuke came closer that he could make sense of the words.

„I remember..." Naruto cried in an almost inaudible voice, as Sasuke took him in the arms softly, trying to soothe him. Naruto however seemed too lost in the memories which were overwhelming him as he fisted Sasuke's clothes, crying hard.

„I remember..."

Done~

You satisfied? :3

Also... this fan fiction is coming to an end which is why I need you lot to vote on the POLL. I really need your opinions people (TT^TT)

Also, as this chapter is (my bad, sorry) done a bit later I won't have time to have the next one done by Tuesday, which is my usual uploading day... I'll have it by Tuesday after (^^;)

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