AN: Thank you, lovely regular reviewers for your swift comments and reviews. Here is the next chapter as promised. I'm going to be busy this week, so I may not have time to put another chapter up within the next few days, but hopefully I will have time this weekend. I'll work on it when I can. :)


Cloud Cover

Chapter 28: Return of the Will of Fire

"The will of man is his happiness."

~Johann Friedrich von Schiller


Naruto waited till the end of lunch break before he approached Sasuke. He was worried he'd already gone home like many of the students who were bunking off the last free period, but no, the sullen boy was in the library. Typical Sasuke, getting a head start on exams. Naruto watched him a while. His head was bent over his books, dark hair falling forward into his eyes as they narrowed in concentration, yet he seemed to be scanning and re-scanning the page, never turning over or getting any further. Naruto could see another book lying next to him, the cover face-up. Criminal Law. Why was he reading upon criminal law?

Naruto cleared his throat and Sasuke looked up at the blonde teen.

"Hey." he said weakly.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Uzumaki?"

Naruto swallowed. "I, uh, about before..."

Sasuke's eyes were like chips of ice. "There's nothing to say."

"No." said Naruto quietly. "I, you're, ugh..."

He steeled himself. "You were right."

Sasuke was putting his book away in his bag, but stopped, looking up at the blonde idiot in amazement.

"What did you just say?"

"I said you're right!" Man, he hated saying those words. "I was being weak. I...should never have kept taking those pills, and I was hurting the people around me."

Especially Red...

"Ok." said Sasuke slowly.

Naruto took a deep breath. "I poured them all down the toilet. I want-" He raked a hand through his hair. "I wanna stop. I wanna get clean."

The dark-haired boy said nothing, just looked at him with that piercing stare.

Geez, give me a hand here. Naruto ploughed on anyway.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I can't do it on my own. Even I know my limits."

Sasuke considered this for a moment. "So, you're saying you need my help."

Naruto nodded silently. Fuck, why was this so hard? Why was he even asking the bastard of all people. Why would he-?

"Ok. I'll help you."

"Wait, what?" Naruto couldn't believe his ears. "You serious?"

"Are you serious about quitting?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'm serious."

"Oh, ok. Um, thanks." There was an awkward silence. "So, what happens now?"

"First, you tell me what you were taking."

"I, uh, don't know."

"You don't know? How the fuck do you not know?"

"It's an experimental one, ok? I just- I don't know. It's called Bliss."

Sasuke took a sharp intake of breath.

"You know it?" asked Naruto.

"I've heard of it. It's the shit my brother got involved in."

"Oh." He sat down heavily. Crap. Now he was just like Sasuke's brother. Great. The bastard would never trust him again.

Sasuke raked a hand through his hair and sighed.

"I don't know what it's going to be like coming off this stuff, but my guess is it's going to be tough. Really tough." He looked at him intensely. "You sure you're ready for it?

Naruto looked him straight in the eye, resolution flowing through him. "I'll never be mayor of Konoha if I'm hooked on drugs. I'm getting off these or my name's not Naruto Uzumaki."

The raven-haired teen leaned back with a smirk. "Then we have some arrangements to make."

The arrangements weren't quite what Naruto had been expecting. Come to think of it, he wasn't actually sure what he'd been expecting. Someone to keep an eye on him maybe? For Sasuke to be watching over his shoulder? He should've known it wouldn't be that easy. Getting off drugs could never be that easy.


It had been over 7 hours since he'd last taken a pill and already he felt weak, dizzy and sickly. His skin was burning, yet he shivered with cold. Sasuke was right. He was lucky it was Spring break. There's no way he could do this and still be in school.

The blonde boy couldn't stop his hand shaking as he turned the handle to enter Orochimaru's classroom that day. The image of Red's face was what made him go in. Orochimaru was waiting at his desk as usual.

"Naruto-kun." he smiled in greeting. There was a package on the desk. Orochimaru got up and moved towards the teen, putting a hand on his shoulder, his thumb stroking his neck.

"I missed you."

Naruto swallowed.

"Orochimaru," he spoke the hated name. "I need some time off."

The teacher looked amused. "Time…off?" The very idea sounded ridiculous as he said it.

But Naruto squared his shoulders. "Yeah. Two weeks. It's Spring break."

"For what may I ask?"

"I've been feeling ill. After Spring break we've got exams. I can't do this and exam revision. It's overdoing it. You want me to do my job, do what you need, then you need to let me have this."

He waited. Orochimaru was still looking immensely entertained and Naruto could see the inevitable no forming on the man's lips. He suddenly felt a tickle in his throat and began to cough. It was a dry, hacking cough. Orochimaru quickly withdraw his arm as his student began to cough violently, doubling over. Finally it passed and Naruto felt lightheaded. He leaned on the desk waiting for it to pass. The snake-like man no longer looked entertained. He took in the pale skin usually so tanned, the dull eyes.

"Time off to recuperate. Very well. I'll allow it. I don't particularly wish for my workers to die on me."

Well, that was unexpectedly easy.

"However, I have one condition." Of course. "You can have this spring break off and I'll look forward to the next time we do business in precisely 14 days when school starts again. For now, I want you to make the wait worth my while." The repulsive smile was back on his face.

Naruto said nothing. He simply sank to his knees as the man drew down his zip.

Naruto left the classroom feeling lighter than he had in months. His mouth and back hurt like hell - Orochimaru had gone rough - but none of that mattered. Two glorious weeks of freedom!

Sasuke was waiting for him when he got to the school entrance, and Naruto quickly disguised his limp.

"What took you so long?"

"I just had to get my homework from the teachers and call work about time off. I used the school phone." Naruto lied smoothly. "They said it was ok. I just have to grab some stuff from my apartment and I can meet you at yours." He just needed to drop off the package at Shunsuke's and he'd be home free. Never had he thought it'd be so easy.

"I'll come with you."

"No, it's ok, really."

"I'm coming with you. If you have any drugs at home, I have to make sure you don't take them."

"Ah, right, yeah." Ok, well, mainly easy. It wouldn't be hard to deliver the package without making a big deal. Still, when Sasuke had first told him about the 'arrangements', he'd laughed in his face.


One hour earlier

"Ok, first of all," said Sasuke, continuing to put the library books in his bag. "You're going to have to take some time off your job."

Naruto let out a sardonic laugh before his stomach sank to his feet.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen."

"Why not?" Sasuke did not look amused.

The blonde boy started picking at the table. "I'll never get time off work. Not in a million years."

"You do a paper round, don't you? It can't be that big a deal if you get a couple weeks off. It's almost exam time anyway. Most jobs would give you time off to study."

Naruto avoided his eyes. "It's not that simple."

"Naruto." The way he said his name made the blonde boy look up. Sasuke looked serious.

"You have to make them give you time off. Otherwise you're not going to survive this."

Naruto swallowed and nodded. "I'll try."

"You'll get it." said Sasuke firmly.

"Fine. I'll get it." he repeated.

"All right. That brings me to the second thing. You're going to stay over at my house for the next two weeks."

"What!?" Naruto stood up quickly staring at Sasuke in shock. The boy opposite him was completely calm.

"Loser, you're going to be sicker than you have ever been in your life. You're going to need fluids and constant attention. Is your guardian going to look after you?"

The blonde teen shook his head.

"Then you're staying over at mine for Spring break. End of discussion."