Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Jeez, I was hoping to get this story done before the start of my Senior year, but it;s definitely not gonna happen. Well, it's fine since I have mostly easy classes this year :shrugs:

And once again, sorry for the long wait. I found out I have a form of OCD called ROCD or Relationship Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. If any of you have it, message me? I'd like to talk with someone who has the same thing as me :big smile:

Enjoy the chapter and it's greatness! XD I actually think this one's really good.

Dedicated to Ray, my sexy girlfriend!

Naruto shifted in bed for the millionth time that night, dry sweat caked onto his dark skin. It wasn't every night he had nightmares, but when he did have them, they were bad. The ghosts and goblins of a child's dream would always be much preferred over the tear-jerking memories that always wracked his mind whenever his head decided to produce a nightmare for him. He seemed to never have dreams anymore.

Sasuke lay silently beside the twisting form, in his own deep slumber that was caused by a day's worth of working on set of an upcoming film. His eyes were still beneath his eyelids, something that Naruto would've wanted more than anything at that moment. Instead, he was stuck with nightmare after nightmare.

With a grunt, the blond's teeth gritted together and he hissed, his eyes snapping open instantly.

His heaving chest stilled for a moment as he took in his surroundings with wide eyes, his body finally calming down long enough for him to get a grip on what had been going on. He inhaled deeply before running a large hand over his damp face, his expression that of someone who'd lost someone important to them.

"I haven't had a nightmare about that in a while..." he grumbled to himself, swiping his bangs to the side. His heart was racing in his chest, his throat dry and sticky to the point that it was almost impossible to swallow. Licking his lips, he sat up and the thin satin sheets of his and Sasuke's bed pooled around his naked waist.

Glancing to his left, he watched his sleeping lover take in slow and steady breaths, wishing that he would've been able to have a restful sleep like him. His thoughts seemed to have wandered in Sasuke's head, though, because the raven slowly opened a single eye not even ten seconds later, his mouth opening so he could yawn.

"It's not polite to stare," he mused tiredly.

"I couldn't help it, you're so damn sexy," Naruto replied with a sleepy smile.

"Hn," the dark-haired Uchiha rolled onto his side toward his boyfriend and looked up at him beneath long bangs. "Are you going to tell me why you're awake this late? It's going on five in the morning, Dobe."

Naruto sighed and scratched absently at his right arm.

"I had a nightmare about the night my dad died... Which is strange since I haven't dreamed about that for years..."

Sasuke furrowed his brows and pushed himself up so that he could sit with his legs crossed next to Naruto. He'd never found out what happened to the man's father all those years ago, so he was going to listen as intently as he could if Naruto would be willing to share.

It was as if the blond could read his thoughts because he chuckled and nodded.

"I'm guessing you want to hear about it? It's not the happiest of stories, but you have the right to know what happened," he rubbed his hands together and cracked his knuckles out of habit, his blue eyes trained on a spot on the wall. "When I was seven, I was out playing with a friend near our barn... We were trying to scare all of the chickens so that they'd fly around their pin," he smiled at the memory. "I remember that it was really sunny that day and that my dad had gone down to the creek to get some fresh water for the h-horses..."

Sasuke noticed the tremor in his voice and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"He said he was going to be right back..." his cerulean eyes were pained as he stared at the wall. "But after two hours passed by and he hadn't come back, I'd gotten worried and went to look for him after my friend had gone home... I'd ran through all of the pricker bushes, trying to get to the creek as fast as I could to see if maybe my dad needed help... But when I got there, instead of seeing him struggling to carry the big barrel of water... I saw him hanging from a tree..! He'd hanged himself, Sasuke! He'd left me all alone when I was only seven!"

Dark, obsidian eyes widened in shock.

"He always seemed so happy when I was with him..." Naruto refused to let the tears fall. "We would play in the fields, he'd let me ride on the tractor with him, he'd taught me how to ride the horses... but all that time, he'd been miserable," he inhaled. "The police had found boxes under his bed full of pictures of my mom and letters that she'd wrote to him while in the hospital... And they found a suicide note in one of the boxes... He'd said that he was sorry for leaving me, but he missed my mom too much... he wanted to be with her... so he--he..."

Sasuke pulled Naruto against him and rubbed his back soothingly.

"... he left me to be with her..." Naruto finished his sentence while shutting his eyes. "I was never angry at him for what he did... Only sad that he hadn't taken me with him," he smiled bitterly. "Back then, all I had was my dad and the farm. When he'd died, the farm was taken away from me and I was placed in foster care, so I had nothing."

"You wanted to die with him?" Sasuke growled.

Naruto pulled back and gave him an apologetic look.

"I was seven, Sasuke, I didn't understand death... I just wanted more than anything to be with my dad and mom again. It'd been such a long time since we were all together... But hey, I'm happy I'm still around today. Imagine what life would be like without Uzumaki Naruto around!" he laughed obnoxiously.

The raven laughed quietly and patted his boyfriend on the shoulder.

"Well, to celebrate your life, how about we go into the kitchen and make breakfast? After that little talk, I don't think going back to bed is an option," Sasuke climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants over his boxers. "Pancakes?"

Naruto's gorgeous blue eyes lit up immediately, his lips curling up into a grin that reached from one side of his face to the other. He was so easily pleased that Sasuke could buy him a bag of party poppers for their anniversary and he would probably play with them all day without ever getting bored.

"Pancakes!" he cheered while getting out of bed, too, and yanking on a pair of his own bright orange sweatpants. It was true, he wouldn't be able to get to bed even if he tried. Going over to their vanity mirror, he messed up his hair until it looked good, then they both left the room while talking quietly about what kind of pancakes they would make.

What they hadn't expected, though, was to see Silo sitting at the kitchen table while eating out of a box of donut holes. The crow blushed cutely when he was caught chowing down and quickly closed the white box, pushing it to the center of the table. He licked his powdery lips and tossed them an "I'm sorry, papa and mama" look.

"What're you doing sitting out here? It's waaaay past your bed-time, musuko," Naruto chided with a soft smile. He went to the oak cabinet that was closest to the stove and opened it, searching for chocolate chip pancake mix.

"I know..." Silo looked down at his lap. "But I couldn't sleep. I kept waking up and looking at my phone," he sighed. "Majik hasn't called me at all... No one's heard from him except for Hidan and Itachi, but they refuse to tell me where he is or what he's doing."

It'd been an entire two weeks since Majik had disappeared.

Silo had found some comfort, if not a lot, in the fact that Majik was still talking to Hidan and Itachi. At least he hadn't completely disappeared... As for Haruka, the boy hadn't gotten that angry with Silo when he'd told him about the kiss. All he'd done was frown and blame the Norwegian. That had made the Uzumaki child happy because he didn't want to lose his precious someone because of a mistake he'd made while at the point of a breakdown.

Also, in the past two weeks, Silo had started at the private school that Haruka went to and found it fairly fun since he had every class with his boyfriend. The blind boy was also able to get an appointment with a laser surgeon who was well-known for helping the blind regain their sight within a month. It would cost Kakashi thirty-thousand dollars, but it was worth it. He wanted his son to be able to experience what the world had to offer him.

"I'm sure he's fine. He's a tough kid," Naruto assured his son while helping Sasuke with their breakfast. "If he were in any danger, I'm sure Itachi would've forced him to come back."

"Aniki told me that he was staying with someone in the Akatsuki," Sasuke commented. "He didn't mention who or drop any hints, but I'm sure that whoever he's with he's doing fine."

Silo smiled faintly.

"I hope so..."

"Come on, don't get so down in the dumps! I know, how about I put a face on your pancake with strawberries and whipcream? You used to love that as a kid," Naruto grinned. "You'd always ask me to make you a clown."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Dad," Silo huffed. "I'm practically an adult."

"You're never too old to humor your papa, you know?" the blond looked a bit miffed.

Silo, afraid he'd upset his father, put on a bright smile.

"Ok then. Um, can you make it into a tiger instead of a clown?"

"Tiger it is!" Naruto snickered and went to work mixing the batter with a wooden spoon. Beside him, Sasuke was getting out breakfast plates, but came to a hault when the cordless phone beside him started ringing it.

"I'll get it," he muttered before pulling the phone off the hook and putting it to his ear. "Uchiha residence, Uchiha Sasuke speaking."

"C-c-can I speak to Naruto? Is he there?"

"Who is this?" Sasuke scowled.

"Please let me speak to him! I-it's an emergen-emergency!" the woman stuttered.

"Naruto, it's for you. She won't tell me who she is, but she says it's an emergency," the suspicion in his voice alerted the blond almost instantly and he took the phone with caution.

"Uzumaki Naruto speaking."

"N-Naruto! You have to let me have my baby back! Give Silo back to me!"

Naruto's lips pulled back over his teeth as if he were a vicious animal, a growl rumbling deep from his throat.

"Why the hell are you calling me, Sunako? I already know you're trying to get custody, so you don't need to call me to tell me--"

"I-I-I was so afraid that he would end up like him! I was s-s-so scared! I didn't want him to hurt me too!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"B-But now he wants him! I don't want him to hurt me anymore! Give me Silo!"

"I'm putting her on speaker," Sasuke whispered and pressed a small button at the bottom of the phone's charger. Immediately, Sunako's raspy breaths were echoing throughout the room, followed by some rustling. Those were followed by a whispered 'no'.

"Sunako? Who is he? Who wants Silo?"

There was a frightened whimper, then Sunako was heard in the background screaming.

"Sunako!" Naruto hollered, wondering what was going on.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," a voice purred on the other end. "I believe this is the first time we've spoken to each other. It seems that my good for nothing daughter couldn't keep her mouth shut about me."

Sasuke hissed venemously at the man's voice, clearly knowing who it was.

"Orochimaru," he said the name as if it were a sin.

"I'm flattered you remember my voice, Sasuke-kun. Ah, it's been a while, hasn't it? I'm actually fairly happy that you survived my men shooting you ten years ago. If you would have died, then we wouldn't be having this little moment together," the snake chuckled darkly.

"Sunako's... father...?" Naruto frowned. "Sunako's father is a governor--"

"That fool was only someone I paid to keep watch over her. I'd gotten annoyed with her and threw her out. She's lucky I had the decency to find a good home for her," he snorted.

"Naruto," Sunako wailed in the background. "I-I left because I was afraid Silo would be like him! I g-got scared and I left you! It w-wasn't because I didn't love you! I didn't want to be around someone like my father! And I... I d-didn't want him finding out I had a baby... I didn't want h-him to hurt Silo...!"

Both Naruto and Silo froze, while Sasuke absorbed the information like a sponge.

Orochimaru chuckled.

"Oh, but I found out. You can thank the tabloids for that. I hadn't cared that my daughter had been with you, Naruto-kun, nor did I care if you two would've gotten married. But what I did care about was your precious little boy."

Silo shook where he was sitting, not knowing why the snake could strike such fear inside of him. It was as if every word the man spoke sent thousands of chills throughout his body that rendered him useless. And his mother... she hadn't left because she didn't want him... she left because she was scared of him being like her father...

"A grandson. Someone who could possibly be worth more than my worthless child. Someone who could carry on my organization once I was gone. My daughter was too weak for that, but your boy... as soon as I saw him in the papers, I wanted him. If not to keep my legacy, then to be sold for millions on the black market," his voice held amusement. "Such a beautiful child, even now. He would fetch me a very good sum of money."

Naruto was too stunned to say anything, so Sasuke spoke in his place.

"You were never after Naruto to get to my brother, were you? All you wanted was Silo," he seethed. "Everything you did was to trick us and get to him!"

"Now, that's not all true. I used Naruto-kun for both purposes. I do want to destroy the Akatsuki once and for all, and I want Silo for my own. And now that you know what I want, I'm sure you'll tell Itachi," he crooned. "So it looks like the end is near. Soon, we will see who comes out victorious."

Then the line went dead right after a final whimper on Sunako's part.

Naruto snapped out of his trance-like state and whipped his head around to stare at his son, who was shaking and on the verge of tears. He'd never thought that Orochimaru would want his child... But the fact that that man was Silo's grandfather... it sickened him to the point of wanting to vomit.

Yanking out his cellphone, Sasuke walked out into the hallway.

"I'm calling my brother."

The crow wiped at his eyes, his heart hammering in his chest. He was scared to death of what was going to happen. For the past week, everything had been going okay, but now it was going downhill again. Nothing seemed to be going right for him.

"I-I don't want him to take me," he murmured pathetically, feeling so weak and helpless. "Dad, I--"

Naruto pulled him into a hug and breathed in deeply.

"No one's going to take you. Don't worry about anything because me and your Otosan would never let anything happen to you, ok?" he pulled back and gave his son a brilliant smile, despite the looming dread he felt in the pit of his stomach. "And your uncle Itachi wouldn't let anything happen to you either. You'll have the entire Akatsuki organization protecting you and who knows, maybe you'll see Majik again. He's part of the Akatsuki, remember?"

Silo smiled faintly, finding a bit of hope in the situation.

"Yeah... I'll be fine..."

xXxXx

"Action!" the director for the movie Naruto and Sasuke were in hollered while waving his hand from his director's chair. All of the filming cameras were on to catch the various angles of the scene as Naruto entered the set made to look like a convenience store.

A chubby, older man was leaning against the counter with a beer in his hand, reading through a playboy magazine. He was grumbling perverted things to himself as the blond approached him in a pair of ripped jeans and dirty grey hoodie.

"Hey, old man, where's Hotaru? He's working tonight, isn't he?"

The man looked up and grinned stupidly.

"Ah, Daisuke!" he greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, but where's Hotaru?" he narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You've been keeping an eye on him, haven't you?"

"Ugn, Hota...ru...? The last time I saw him he was clocking out... Why? What happened?"

Naruto gave the gentleman a look that made him flinch and step back before he turned on his heel and shoved open the store's front doors, the bell jingling loudly.

"And scene!" the director shouted and clapped his chubby hands together, positively delighted in how his movie was moving along. "Good work, Uzumaki-san! That's it for today, minna, you can all go home!"

Sasuke, who had been watching his lover while leaning against the snack table, smirked as Naruto walked his way. He picked up a white towel from beside him and tossed it at the blond.

"Not a single mistake. You're almost up to par with my skills," he joked.

"Hah, I'm vastly superior to you when it comes to acting, oh great Sasuke-sama," Naruto teased back with a childish grin. It'd been two days since the incident with Orochimaru and Itachi had made sure that at least five Akatsuki members were on the property of Silo and Haruka's school at all times, and that two would accompany them to each class. He wasn't going to take any chances, nor was he going to let Orochimaru get what he wanted.

Sasuke laughed and headed in the direction of the exit, the both of them startled to see Tobi standing right in their way with his orange mask off to the side of his face. His cute face was something no one could help but smile at.

"Konnichiwa!" he chirped. "That was a very good preformance, Uzumaki-kun! It's no wonder why you're one of Japan's top actors!"

"Tobi," Sasuke said in a non-thrilled voice, "what are you doing here?"

The brunette blinked, then smiled shyly.

"Itachi-sama sent me. He wanted me to inform you that Orochimaru has... well, made his first move. He sent in a group to assassinate you in your home, but thankfully you two were here. The only things damaged were a few paintings and old china... which I assume belonged to your mother?" he looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke grimaced, but nodded.

"Our organization already had three members hiding out around your house, so they acted quickly once they saw the intruders. All five of the men that had been part of the attempted assassination were killed, no casualities on our part."

"If we would've been in the house..." Naruto trailed off.

"You shouldn't think about it too much," Tobi assured the blond with a cheerful smile. "Orochimaru's not stupid enough to try the same thing twice, knowing that we'll put up triple the security. But other than informing you of what happened, I'm here to escort you to the Akatsuki's main headquarters."

Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction.

"You're taking us there? I thought outsiders weren't allowed in."

Tobi nodded.

"But in this case, Itachi-sama has made an exception. I don't know how everyone else will react to his decision, but I promise that no harm will come to you. As we speak, Deidara-sempai and Sasori-kun are picking Silo-chan up from school. They'll bring him to our headquarters, as well."

"And why exactly are we being taken there?" Naruto asked as they exited the building, Tobi reaching into his cloak to have his gun at the ready in case of an emergency situation.

"We plan on keeping you there until we know for sure whether or not Orochimaru will make any more strikes. But Itachi-sama believes that it's the beginning of the end," Tobi made it sound so final, despite his childish tone. Noticing the silence as they got into his car, he laughed and waved his hand. "Everything'll be fine, though! Okay?"

Naruto tried to stomach the fact that someone he knew might die soon... That a lot of people were probably going to die in the course of the next week... That he could possibly lose Silo...

"Okay..." he mumbled, not really believing himself.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he watched the scenery outside of the car window. He'd learned a few things from his brother while growing up and if it came down to it, he'd shoot whoever he needed to in order to protect Naruto and Silo.

"Now buckle up, there's a long ride ahead of us! Next stop, Utsunomiya!" Tobi cheered.

Naruto and Sasuke grunted in the backseats, not looking forward to the three hour drive.

xXxXx

Silo bent over and stared into the tinted passenger's side window of the car that Sasori had arrived in. He knew Deidara was in there, but he couldn't see anything but his own distorted reflection. He didn't know what was going on, but he wanted answers. The red-head refused to speak about the matter and Silo was starting to wonder if the man was a mute, so for the moment, he'd have to ask the blond.

"Deidara," he chimed, pulling his school bag off of his shoulder. Haruka was standing right behind him, waiting patiently for the answers the both of them wanted to hear. "Open up the door! I don't want to get in the car unless someone tells me what's going on!"

The window started rolling down and Deidara was sitting with his legs crossed in the front of the vehicle. He had on sunglasses that Silo suspected were to disguise him, and his akatsuki cloak was folded neatly on his lap. They really should've made summer versions of the uniform.

"Can't you ever just do something without being told why, un? If you gotta know, there was an attempt at an assassination at the Uchiha estate. Fortunately, everyone was out of the home and the Oto members responsible were disposed of, un. Itachi-sama gave us direct orders to come here and pick both you and Haruka up, so that we could bring you back to our headquarters in Utsunomiya. Now get in the damn car before I knock your block off, un."

Well, Deidara was clearly pissed off.

Silo frowned, but opened the back door and climbed in, helping Haruka get in as well.

"Don't mind him," Sasori spoke deeply and quietly, stunning the crow into silence. He'd never heard the man speak before. "He's upset that he has to work on what is usually his day off."

"Fuckin' Oto bastards!" Deidara cursed loudly, crossing his arms in an aloof manner. "This was my first day off in two weeks, un!"

"But... my dad and Otosan are okay, right? They're not hurt, are they?" Silo asked.

"They're fine," Sasori answered him, pulling out of the teacher's parking lot. "Tobi is driving them to Utsunomiya, as well, so you'll see them soon enough. Until we know for sure if Orochimaru is really making his final move, we'll need to keep you and your parents at our headquarters."

Haruka, having been filled in on what was going on two days ago, reached out to touch Silo's arm. His rough fingertips ran down the clothed arm until he could take his boyfriend's hand in his. He smiled reassuringly, getting another smile in return. Oh, how he wish he could see that smile more clearly.

"Everything will be fine," he said.

Silo couldn't help but believe his words, all of his hope resting within them.

xXxXx

As an hour had gone by too slowly for anyone's liking, Silo and Haruka had found themselves falling asleep in the back of Sasori all but too comfortable car. The sound of the gravel underneath the rubber tires lulled Silo to sleep, while the sound of the faint music in the background was enough to knock Haruka out. They'd been asleep for a solid eleven minutes before Deidara started cursing loud enough to wake the dead.

"Go to the right, un! Fuck, how'd they find out what we were doing?.!"

Silo rubbed his eyes, then opened them, just in time to see the windshield crack violently as a bullet hit it and bounced off. His heart was caught in his throat as the car jerked from the rough terrain they were driving through in order to get away.

"What's going on?" Haruka asked, having just woken up.

"Just keep your seatbelts on and don't move," Sasori said calmly while speeding through the wheat field. They were on the outskirts of a small town that looked pretty much like a ghost town.

Something rammed into the back end of the car and Silo swore he could see stars when he was jerked forward so violently the seatbelt cut into his neck and collarbone. He could hear Haruka calling his name, but to him, it sounded as if he were underwater. Everything was toned down and his breathing was louder than usual.

Then the vehicle came to a halt all together, Deidara and Sasori unfastening their seatbelts before shoving open their doors.

"Stay there, un!" Deidara shouted as he slammed his door shut and gunshots rang through the air.

Silo could feel his breathing becoming harsher and harsher as the feeling of being underwater left him. He gripped the part of his shirt that was over his chest and tightly closed his eyes. This had happened before and he'd thought he;d lost Sasuke...

He could still feel Haruka's hand tightly around his and whimpered. He refused to risk the lives of anyone else again.

Eyes opening and coming into focus, he pulled his hand away from his boyfriend's and began searching around the car, throwing papers and used cigarettes around until he found what he was looking for. His heart sped up, but he refused to back down from his decision. Sure, Deidara was going to be mad at him for not listening, but he didn't care.

"Silo, what're you doing?" Haruka asked, concerned. He had no clue what Silo was doing.

"I'm sorry, Haruka-kun," Silo apologized. "I'll be fine. Just stay here."

"What...? Si--" he stopped himself when he heard his lover's door open and felt his presence disappear before the door was shut again. He was too startled to register what had happened, his body stiff.

Silo gripped the gun in his hand so tightly, as if it were the answer to all life's questions. His body was shaking, but he wasn't going to back down. He wasn't going to be a damsel in distress again! He watched Deidara kick a guy to the ground and fire twice at his head before racing around a stalled vehicle to yank its driver's side door open. He flinched when he heard the pleas for mercy.

Suddenly, the head beams of an approaching car blinded him and he flinched away, but he still took aim, his arms shaking. He hoped to whatever god existed that his shots wouldn't miss and he fired, the force of the exiting bullet making his arms tingle.

He could hear the windshield of the car break and the yell of someone in the car, so he kept firing until all of his bullets ran out. Lowering the gun, he panicked. He should've looked for ammunition, too! Looking up in fear, he could see the outline of three Oto members in front of the bright high beams and he could hear a nagging voice in the back of his head tell him that it was all over, that he'd had a good run at life, but it was time to end it.

"Not yet..." he aimed again and pulled the trigger, but all he could hear was a distant clicking sound. He wasn't going to give up, so he kept trying to fire the gun.

"Is that the boy Orochimaru-sama wants?" a female voice asked with a thick Chinese accent. "If he is, don't shoot him."

I won't let them take me! Silo promised himself and kept trying to fire the weapon, frustrated to the point that he wanted to cry. It couldn't end like this, could it? But it was his fault he would have this fate... If he would've stayed in the car, then maybe everything would've been okay...?

Lowering his head, he pulled the trigger one last time, in hopes of it working, but knowing it wouldn't.

The sound of a gunshot rang through the air and Silo's eyes widened, his head snapping up fast enough to catch the falling body of one of the Oto members. Had he...?

"Sorry, but I ain't gonna let ya soil your hands with blood, Little Miss," a familiar voice boomed from above him before a cloaked figure leaped down from atop the car, landing next to the crow. He took aim again and was able to take down the other two men within a split second.

Tears came to Silo's eyes and he dropped his empty gun on the ground.

"M-Majik...?" he prayed that the boy in front of him wasn't an illusion.

The black and white-haired teenager gave him a cocky grin.

"In the flesh. I didn't plan on seein' ya until I got completely better and Orochimaru was finished up with, but I was too tempted to follow ya guys to the base, ya know?"

The dark-haired male smiled and let the tears fall from his eyes. He'd thought he'd never see his good friend again...

"You'll be okay now, ya got it? I don't plan on up and leavin' again, so you'll have my protection until this is all over," Majik promised him with his own smile of apology. "I promise."

Silo was sure of it now.

Everything was going to be fine.

Only a few more chapters left until the epilogue of JLH! Please leave your reviews! Let's give this fic as many reviews as possible, dattebayo! :cheers: