A Deep Cry
Chapter 29
After Naruto finally calmed down, Anko took him with her to one of their hideouts, where he washed all the blood along with the pain of guilt off of his body. He cleaned his clothes and shoes, then sat there silently and tried to calm his mind.
He was sitting near the mini bar with a sad look on his face. Anko passed him a glass of wine and said,
"Drink. It will help you forget a little about this."
"I don't want to forget this…"
"Sorry?"
"I want to remember it like my name. I want to keep it in my mind."
"I don't get it? Are you being sarcastic?"
"This is the most effective way for me to keep feeding on dead humans without wavering. I now know for sure, that if I stopped feeding, then I'll totally lose my mind."
"I see…"
Naruto lowered his eyes and murmured,
"I don't want to hurt my friends… and I sure as hell don't want to hurt Sasuke…"
"I know. That's why you must learn to deal with your body urges properly. The sad truth about this is, those urges differ from one ghoul to another. There is no granted process to deal with them. All we have here is a bunch of advices, opinions and some tactics, which we learned through experiences. There is no instructions book or anything of that sort."
"I will learn how to control my urges… No, I must learn how to control them! I must learn how to fight as well! I want to train my body for battles, Anko-san! Teach me!"
"Hold your horses. I'm not a combat type. Well, I am, but I don't like it. I prefer doing other stuff, like observing. However, if you need to train then I recommend that you go find the legendary, white-haired samurai."
Naruto's eyes shined with excitement. He asked,
"Who's that? Where can I find him?"
"His name is Jiraiya sensei. He's a traveler, so he's hard to find."
"Should I ask someone about his whereabouts or something?"
"Hmm… I'll see what I can find. So, anyway, don't you have to go home? I think Jugo is waiting for you to show up, so he can leave Sasuke-kun to you."
Naruto remained quiet for a moment. He then nodded,
"Sasuke must be worried too."
"I'm sure he is. Also, your phone is out of reach. There is no signal here."
"I'll go now. Please let me know if you find anything about that samurai."
"I will. Oh! Wait! I totally forgot!"
Anko pulled two tiny chips out of her pocket. They were placed in a sealed transparent box. She showed them to Naruto and said,
"I need to implant these into your bodies."
"What are they?"
"They will help me locate you easily."
Naruto frowned his eyebrows and said in a firm tone,
"Locate us? Those are tracking chips? I can't allow it!"
"Why? It's for your own safety!"
"This is spying! I can't let you spy on Sasuke!"
Anko grabbed Naruto's collar and said angrily,
"I'm a pro, you miserable ghoul! Everything about this is confidential!"
He insisted,
"I still can't let you do it!"
"What a child! What if someone attacks the two of you?"
"I will be there! I will do whatever I can to protect Sasuke!"
"What if a group attacks you? Then what, tough boy? What if they attacked Sasuke now? You're not there! How would you know?"
Naruto gasped then said,
"Then only insert one in my body. I will always be by Sasuke's side. That way you will know his location all the time."
Anko rolled her eyes and tilted her head impatiently,
"I'm talking to a real fool! It won't hurt him! It won't bother him! He won't even feel it! It will just be there inside his body! Why are you so against this?"
"You're asking me to let you spy on Sasuke? No fucking way!"
"I can't believe this! Fine! I'll let you think about it, okay! I'll ask again tomorrow."
"I don't need to think about it. No means no."
Anko clenched her teeth. She grabbed Naruto and slammed him against the wall then say in a cold tone with sharp eyes,
"You feel this? You feel this weakness? You can't beat me! You can't even breathe! This is why I need to insert this protection into your friend's body. In fact, I only need to insert it into his body. I just thought I'd do the same for you as an extra service, but I changed my mind. You don't even trust me! You can go to hell for all I care. But I won't let you interfere with my business. Got it, blockhead?"
Anko let go of Naruto, who was finally able to breathe. She said without looking at him,
"Leave."
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings… I'm sorry."
"….."
"I trust you… I really do… it's just that… Sasuke has no idea… he won't know that he's being watched all the time."
"Sasuke spent his entire life being guarded by Uchiha Itachi. Why is this any different? It's Itachi-san who asked me to do this."
Naruto blinked,
"Itachi asked you to do this?"
"Uchiha Itachi is one of my best clients. We've been doing business together for years now. He, unlike you, trusts me."
"… I had no idea Itachi agreed to this…."
"Not agreed. He's the one who suggested it. I've been watching over the Uchiha residence for a while now. I'm not always watching it though. I only guard it when Itachi asks me to. He rarely does though."
"You've been protecting Sasuke all this time?"
She sighed,
"No. Don't go sentimental now. I only do this for the money. It's what I do."
"I… I see…"
"So, here is the thing, I wanted to ask for your help since you're living with Sasuke-kun, but I don't need your help anymore. I will ask someone I can trust." She tilted her head and added,
"Don't you dare interfere with this."
"You have to forgive me. I had no idea…"
"I'm so mad at you for not trusting me after all we went through."
"I trust you! I even called when things went out of control didn't I? I even asked you to take Sasuke away from me! I trusted you around Sasuke! If that's not enough proof for you, then I don't know what is!?"
Anko gasped softly. She smiled to herself then mumbled in a calm voice,
"Thanks."
Naruto smiled, Anko wiped his smile by adding,
"But I still won't give you one of my chips."
"Eh…?"
"Go home, Naruto. It's been a long day."
"Yeah… Thanks for saving me. I'm grateful to you."
"Yeah, just go."
Naruto smiled then left. Anko smiled and walked to the mini bar. She grabbed the glass of wine and murmured with smiling eyes,
"You don't want to forget, huh? Well, don't break down then."
When Naruto reached home, he sensed Jugo leave. He smiled,
"Thanks, Jugo. Sorry for this…"
Naruto used his keys and got inside. It was late at night. He expected to find Sasuke sleeping. He could tell that Sasuke was in his room and that he was either relaxing or is already sleeping. He went to check on him and see his face before he goes to sleep.
Sasuke's door was open and the lights were still on. Naruto blinked then walked inside the room. He found Sasuke sleeping in his chair, by the window, with his head placed on the table. He had open books, some papers and a laptop on that table. It was clear that he fell asleep while working on his assignments. Naruto smiled.
"Were you trying to stay up until I come home?"
He gently stroke Sasuke's hair, then leaned and whispered in his ears,
"I'm home, Sasuke."
Sasuke's eyelashes fluttered. He opened his eyes lazily. He saw Naruto's blue eyes gazing at his eyes. His lips parted slightly. He mumbled without lifting his head,
"You're back. Where did you go? Your phone was off… what happened to you?"
"Sorry. I was busy doing some thinking. I didn't notice my phone."
"I was worried… I had to go to your annoying classroom…"
Naruto blinked,
"Oh! Sorry you had to go there! Was it bad?"
"Don't ask…"
"I'm so sorry…"
"Yeah, whatever…"
"You seem so tried. You should go to bed, Sasuke."
"Yeah, about that… you shouldn't sleep on the couch. We can share my bed until we buy an extra bed."
"Thanks! I'd love to sleep by your side."
Sasuke drew a faint smile and mumbled,
"Okay, I'm already regretting this..."
Naruto chuckled,
"You can't change your mind now. It's too late."
"I won't, Usuratonkachi…"
Sasuke was speaking with his eyes shut. He was so sleepy. Naruto loved how calm Sasuke's face looked. He didn't want that moment to end. He wanted to spend the rest of his life gazing at that calm face quietly, watching every twitch, and feeling every breath. It was enough reason for him to love his life again.
They slept facing each other. Sasuke fell asleep almost instantly, while Naruto gazed calmly at Sasuke's sleeping face with a smile on his face, Thinking about the irony of his faith.
"What if I told you that I really wanted to tear your body apart today?
What if I told you that I really wanted to suck your blood dry today?
What if I told you that I really wanted to feel every inch of your body today?
Would you let me sleep by your side, Sasuke? Would you still accept me?
Would you still trust me? Would you let your guards down around me? Would you seek me…?
I love you, Sasuke. This is the worst part about being a ghoul.
I really love you, and I want to always be with you, until the end of time."
He felt a tender a stroke against his cheek. He murmured,
"Just a little bit more."
"Why do you love to get up late? Because you're a dobe?"
He opened his eyes and said,
"Hey! Don't be mean to me so early in the morning!"
"It's your fault I'm cranky. You kept kicking me off bed."
"Really?"
"You shift a lot in your sleep. I'm buying you a new bed today."
"Did I wake you up?"
"Few times, yes."
"Oh… sorry about that." he chuckled.
"Don't laugh. It's not cute."
"It's a little cute."
"It's annoying."
"Next time, I'll sleep on the floor. Happy?"
"That's cute."
"Why are you teasing me so early in the day?"
Sasuke smiled as he walked outside, then mumbled,
"What do you want for breakfast?"
Naruto blinked. He swallowed when he remembered what he went through the day before. He then said,
"Coffee. Coffee is good."
"No snack?"
"Just coffee."
"Ok."
When Naruto went to the kitchen. He leaned on the door and watched Sasuke prepared the coffee. He smiled,
"You move so gracefully."
"The hell does that mean?"
"Nothing. I like the way you move. It suits you."
"Stop staring so intently, and stop saying weird stuff to my face. You can keep them in your mind. Nobody wants to hear them."
"I can't, because I also love the way your cheeks blush."
"Okay, this is really annoying."
"No, it's not."
"It is."
"It's not."
"Child."
"I am a child. I'm allowed to stare."
"Ugh…"
"There is something that I always wanted to ask you about. How come you don't have a house maid, Sasuke?"
"We don't need a house maid. I'm the one who voted no to that."
"Why? She will clean and cook for you…"
"I don't need someone to look after me. I can take care of my own. Plus, I never liked the idea of having a stranger living with us in the house."
"Hmm? So you'd rather cook for yourself than having some stranger look after you?"
"Pretty much."
"You've been eating only snacks almost all the time since… um… a…"
"Since Itachi's death. Yeah… I should cook for a change."
"You can cook?"
"What's so strange about that?"
"I didn't say it's strange!"
"It's written all over your face, dobe."
"I don't know how to cook, so… I was only amazed."
"….."
"I really want to tell people that Uchiha Sasuke cooks his own food. I want to see the looks on their faces."
"Do that, and I will kill you."
Naruto chuckled. Sasuke wrapped thing up. He passed a cup of coffee to Naruto casually. Naruto was actually enjoying every bit of those innocent moments. They made him feel calm and at ease.
"I'd live forever like this. I don't want anything else.
Only you. I only want you. That's all. I don't need anything else.
I'd live only to see your smiling eyes and blushing cheeks."
At their way to school, Sasuke asked,
"What happened to your old apartment, Naruto?"
"I still has it until the end of the month."
"I see."
"By the way, you didn't cut the rent yet. You said you would."
"I will."
"I feel that this is a lie."
"It's not."
"How about I give you cash?"
"Why does this bother you so much?"
"Well, would you like it if I paid your house bills for you?"
"... I will cut it from your income."
"I hope you do it this time."
"I hope so too."
"What? What kind of answers is that?! This guy will be the death of me! I'm sure of it! He's really dangerous!
He keeps showing me this beautiful human inside of him… He's so precious… How can I not want him…?"
Sasuke's phone rang and cut the silence. He checked it and gasped. He stopped and gazed at it in disbelief. Naruto noticed and stopped. He noticed the sudden increase in Sasuke's heartbeats and the sudden raise of his body warmth. He stopped and looked at Sasuke's face in worry. It was clear that Sasuke was in a shock. His eyes were widely open and his lips were parted. Naruto frowned his eyebrows and asked,
"Is everything okay?"
He raised his eyes slowly and mumbled,
"It's… my… father!"
"…?"
Naruto didn't know why would Sasuke be in such a shock to receive a call from his dad. He didn't really know about the ill relationship Sasuke had with his dad. Sasuke never talked about it with anyone, not even with his brother. He only mentioned it once when he lost his calmness during the investigation at the hospital, but Naruto wasn't there.
"Why is he so shaken by this? Is his father sick or something?"
Sasuke swallowed. His hand was shaking and his coffee was spilling on his fingers. Naruto got close to Sasuke and hold the cup in his hand, then asked,
"What's wrong, Sasuke? You're shaking."
The phone kept ringing in Sasuke's hand. His eyes were fixed at the caller ID.
"Unknown"
Naruto wondered,
"Unknown? Why wouldn't he have his father's number stored in his phone's contacts list? That's odd… is it a new number?"
He asked,
"Why aren't you answering him, Sasuke? Is something wrong? Do you want me to answer this for you?"
Sasuke slightly shook his head then shifted his thumb and pressed the answering icon but his press wasn't strong enough to activate the answering button. The phone almost fell off his hand but Naruto grabbed it and held Sasuke's hand at the same time. He lowered his eyebrows and asked again,
"What is it, Sasuke? What's wrong? Why are you so nervous about this?"
Sasuke bit his lips and pressed the answering button again. He placed the phone near his ear and spoke,
"Y… Yes…?"
"Sasuke?"
"Yes…"
"I want to have a talk with you. We need to discuss something very important."
"….!?"
"When is a good time for you to come to my office?"
"…!"
"Hello, are you there, Sasuke?"
"Yes…"
"Can you come today after you're done with your classes?"
He swallowed and answered,
"… Yes…"
"Thank you. I'll be waiting for you in to my office, son."
"…!"
Sasuke gasped and froze. He didn't lower his arm or even shift the phone. He was in a total shock. This was the first time his father called him "Son".
Naruto was staring at Sasuke in worry. He noticed that the call has ended already yet Sasuke didn't even shift the phone away from his ear. He reached out and grabbed Sasuke's hand. He gazed right into his eyes and called in anxiety,
"Sasuke…?"
Sasuke blinked and gazed back at Naruto's worried eyes. He gasped softly.
"I must look so bad right now? His eyes…! He's so worried…"
Sasuke closed his lips and shifted his eyes. He lowered his arm and put his phone in his pocket while mumbling,
"It's nothing…"
"Nothing? You call that nothing? You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"I just… didn't expect a call from him… That's all."
"So what? You were over reacting! That's what you're saying?"
Sasuke said irritably,
"Let it go already."
Sasuke resumed walking but Naruto grabbed his arm and stopped him,
"No! I'm not letting it go! Tell me what's wrong!"
Sasuke pulled his arm off violently and side in annoyance,
"It's none of your business, okay! Just stop asking about it already!"
Naruto was shocked to see the glare Sasuke had. He seemed really mad, yet there was so much sadness in his eyes. Naruto felt that if he touched Sasuke or even speak another word, Sasuke would break down and may even cry. He lowered his eyes and nodded. He walked past Sasuke and murmured,
"You know where to find me, Sasuke."
Sasuke clenched his teeth in angry and lowered his head. He stood still while Naruto kept walking. His pupils wavered. He bit his lip, frowned his eyebrows and shut his eyes.
"No… I can't… I won't…"
He raised his head, opened his eyes and glared at the sky for a moment.
"I don't need that man in my life. I'm not letting him break me down anymore.
I can face him. I can do it. He's the one who should be feeling nervous about this, not me…"
He then shut his eyes and swallowed his pain. He took a deep breath to calm himself. He couldn't wait until after school hours. He had to go see what that man wanted and get done with this fast. He didn't want to keep thinking about this all day.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. But I need to face this alone. It's my weakness, not yours.
I need to overcome this on my own… please, understand…"
Sasuke didn't follow Naruto to the University. He walked past him and said without stopping or looking at his face,
"I have something very important to take care of."
Naruto didn't turn of shift his gaze. He only stopped and stared at Sasuke's back, as he ran fast away. He frowned his eyebrows, glared at Sasuke's back with serious eyes, and bent his lips.
"Like I could leave you alone…"
To be Continued
