Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any of the characters created by them.
Warnings: Rape, OOC and Sasu-Naru later.

Living A Lie
Chapter Nine

When Naruto awoke the first thing he noticed was he felt more at peace. He still feared physical contact and the memories were still there, but the pain he remembered had… dulled. It didn't invade his every thought as before and he felt for once as if he could survive this. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but suicide was a thought always on his mind and after that night, suicide was looking even more appealing. Now suicide was an afterthought and only to be used if the pain ever became unbearable again.

The second thing he noticed was the moon was setting and he was cold. "Shit!" He yelled and rubbed his arms for warmth before taking off. "Iruka-sensei must be so worried…" He immediately leapt off the roof and made his way towards Iruka's house. He reached the deck just as Kakashi was leaving with a tired Iruka tucked against his side. They were on their way to alert Hokage of Naruto's disappearance.

The silver-haired man looked up and closed his eye in relief. "Naruto…"

"What's wrong?" He asked, fear welling up in his chest. What had happened since he was out? "Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka looked up at the voice and grabbed Naruto in a harsh hug. "Naruto! Where had you been?"

Naruto stilled at the touch, but he didn't get drawn into his past and he could tolerate it for just a minute or so. He pulled back and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I fell asleep."

Iruka sighed and leaned against Kakashi, "We were so worried about you. We didn't know what happened."

"I'm sorry Iruka-sensei."

Another head appeared behind them and blue met black. "Naruto… you're safe."

"Sasuke?" He frowned, "Why are you here?"

"Baka, you're under my care, remember?"

"Oh, sorry." He laughed nervously, scratching his head.

"Where were you Naruto?" Sasuke's voice was soft and Naruto thought he caught a hint of concern. "You were gone for seventeen hours!"

"I…I was just relaxing and fell asleep…"

He sighed, wanting to press the subject. Naruto had a hard time sleeping for six hours, he found it hard to believe that he slept seventeen hours without waking once, but he let it drop…for now. "Come on Naruto, let's go home." He nodded to the two teachers and began walking slowly down the road.

Naruto watched him leave curiously and then turned to say goodbye. "I really am sorry." He then turned to leave.

"Naruto!" Iruka called and he paused on the last step. "He really was worried about you."

He nodded and then ran to catch up with the dark figure that was Sasuke. He glanced at him and saw the downcast eyes and an almost sad expression on Sasuke's face. They walked in silence for most of the way until Naruto spoke. "I'm…I'm really happy for you and Sakura, Sasuke."

Sasuke frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"I saw you two going to lunch earlier today and so I assumed…"

"Dobe. You know I don't like Sakura that way, I never have, and she knows that. I thought it'd be fair since we may be leaving Konoha tomorrow forever."

"O-oh…"

Sasuke studied the blonde and stopped, making Naruto stop as well. "Is that why you left Naruto?"

He opened his mouth to deny it, but when nothing came out; he just bowed his head and nodded.

"Dammit Naruto," he yelled, causing the blonde to jump, "I thought you had committed suicide!" He leaned back against a building and raked a hand through his hair. "I was out of my mind trying to find you and when I couldn't…damn it! Seventeen hours, Naruto, seventeen hours of wondering if you were hurt, if you ran, if you were kidnapped again or worse, if you were dead."

"Sasuke…"

"We even sent Shikamaru and his team to scourer the woods around us." He opened his eyes, his lips set in a thin line, "Where were you?"

"I was at home…my home….on the roof."

"At home. Safe and sound. I'm an idiot!" He laughed, "A total idiot."

"Sasuke, that's not true." Naruto protested.

"I was worried about you!" He laughed sardonically, "And you were completely safe."

"Worried…about me…" He whispered, but his shock suddenly turned to anger, "Don't say things like that."

The sudden change in attitude sobered Sasuke immediately, "What?"

"Don't say you're worried about me when you're not." Rage still evident in his voice, "No one can care about a demon." He spat and began walking away.

Sasuke hesitated for a second before pushing Naruto harshly, his anger getting the better of him. "What the hell are you talking about? I've just spent the last seventeen hours in hell because of you and you mock me?"

Naruto picked himself off the ground and turned away once more. "I'm a demon, no one cares for demons."

"I thought Kyuubi wasn't a demon."

"He's not."

"Then neither are you."

He turned and grinned, showing his canines. "I am because that's what they made me into. Them and this damn village, it's what they always thought of me and so I am."

"That's not true!" Denied Sasuke.

"It is!"

"Then I'm a demon as well." He growled, shoving down his shirt collar to expose the dormant curse seal. "If you're a demon because of Kyuubi then I'm a demon because of Orochimaru."

Naruto shook his head, "Why do you insist on tormenting me?"

"Why do you insist on torturing me?" Sasuke retorted. He suddenly crossed the distance between them and stood a breadth away from the blonde. "I was worried about you Naruto, scared that I would lose you. I told you that's my fear and I can't have that fear if I don't care for you."

"It's not true." He cried. "No one can care for me, it isn't possible!"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because…" his voice dropped to a faint whisper, "who could care for something that isn't even human?"

Sasuke's hands balled into fists as he ignored the urge to hit the blonde and knock some sense into him. "You are human, dobe."

He looked up at him, intense emotions of hope, fear, sorrow and anger gazed out of those blue eyes. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because you feel. You hurt. You laugh. You need. You cry…" He answered softly. "You love and no demon could feel that, that's how I know."

Naruto bowed his head in defeat, "Sasuke…I'm sorry." He fell against Sasuke's chest and cried. "You can." He whispered, knowing what Sasuke was about to ask.

Hesitantly Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto, "What really happened Naruto? You couldn't have just slept for seventeen hours…I know that."

"I was with Kyuubi. We were talking…"

"Talking?"

"He told me he could take the pain away, he knew I was reaching my limit. So he suppressed my memories of that night and I didn't even know how much time had passed. When I woke up, the moon was setting." He didn't want to move away, Sasuke was the only person whose touch didn't make him shiver or recoil in fear and he liked feeling safe.

Sasuke smiled, "I'm glad he could do something for you…" Since I can't, he added silently. At least he gave in quickly and I didn't have to beat some sense into him this time. He smirked at all the times he had fought Naruto over petty things and boasts, but those days were fun, even if then he didn't notice that. Sasuke moved back a step, but Naruto moved with him and with amusement, he saw Naruto had fallen asleep against him. "Dobe." He whispered as he scooped the blonde up and walked back towards his house.

Sasuke slowly carried the blonde down the road, taking his time to cradle the sleeping boy to his chest as his brother once did when he trained too hard or was scared. The day must have been too much for the smaller boy, he knew it was too much for him. Thinking of his brother, he sighed and looked up at the cloudless sky to stare at the red tinted moon.

He grinned when he thought of how terrifying such nights were to him and how he'd run to his brother's room for protection. Itachi always complained when he came running in and grumbled as Sasuke climbed onto his lap, but he'd cradle him to his chest anyways and stay up all night while Sasuke slept.

It was Itachi's fault anyways. It was he who told Sasuke that on nights when the moon ran red that the night's children ran free, feeding on the blood of innocent people and changing them into creatures like themselves. Vampires, Itachi called them and he warned Sasuke about the fanged monsters for on these nights, the blood lust moon drove them mad and caused them to feed until their own lust was satisfied. Being only five, Sasuke feared Itachi's fanged demons and refused to step outside the house, even at the threat of severe punishment.

Even worse was the Inuzuka family for when Sasuke met them for the first time, he screamed "Vampire!" and ran to hide behind Itachi. Being good natured as most Inuzuka members were, they all laughed at his 'antics' and dismissed them, but Itachi shook his head and led him away to explain who Kiba and the others were. It still took two months to convince him that the Inuzukas weren't vampires—being the stubborn boy he was and always would be—and a lot of bribing on Itachi's part, but he eventually accepted it and stopped hiding from them. He even stopped glaring at them…well, he stopped giving them the Uchiha death glare at least. Sasuke never didn't glare at someone, not even Hokage was given that honor.

Only one person was ever given that honor, Sasuke thought, and that was Naruto. He was the only soul to ever receive a look other than a glare from the cold Uchiha and would probably be the only one. Sasuke sighed again and returned his eyes to Naruto, who was still sound asleep against his chest. Strands of hair fell into his face and he watched amused as Naruto scrunched his nose and therefore his whiskers every time a piece of hair brushed his cheek or nose. He almost laughed at the almost annoyed, yet peaceful, expression on Naruto's face, but Uchihas did not laugh…at least not since that night. He honestly couldn't remember anyone in his family ever laughing except for his mother and himself, but that changed quickly after his family was murdered. Yet around Naruto, he found he had laughed at least twice though he tried not to.

Sasuke had been wandering for a while, not really going anywhere, but going nowhere at the same time. He had already passed his house four times and finally settling for the park, walked aimlessly through the trees and gardens. Finally coming to the conclusion that he would not sleep one bit until he found out what had happened to his teammate, he looked down at the now drooling blonde and whispered, "Kyuubi."

Immediately Naruto's eyes snapped open, showing clear blue eyes with slitted pupils narrowing as he stared up at Sasuke's pale face. "What?" He asked.

"Tell me what you did." Sasuke demanded, setting the fox boy on his feet. He glared at the fox and crossed his arms, silently conveying that neither was leaving until Sasuke got some answers.

Kyuubi sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily, "Damn brat," he growled. "Not even enough time to have a decent rest. Seventeen years and not once has anyone ever thought to speak to me, going insane from speaking to this blonde idiot, and now when I actually do need the rest, I don't get it because I get called out of my sleep by a brat."

"A stubborn brat." Sasuke corrected, "The quicker you tell me what happened, the quicker you can sleep fox, so tell me what you did and we'll all be happier."

He snorted, "You and 'happy' are not words used to describe you in a sentence unless a negation is used, brat."

Sasuke intensified his glare, "Shut up fox."

"Oh now you want me to shut up! First it's 'tell me what you did' and now it's 'shut up'." He mocked, "Damn brat, tell me what you want and let me sleep!"

"Tell me fox, did Naruto's habits of being annoying and a dobe rub off on you or did you rub off on him?" He smirked.

His face turned red with anger and he stomped his foot like Naruto did when he was angry, "Bastard!"

"Even the name calling's the same." Sasuke said in a droll voice ending with a sigh.

Red chakra started to form around him and two Rasenagens formed in his fists, "Do not tempt me child, I've lived far longer than you and I can use chakra much better than the kittling I reside in."

Sasuke smirked, "But that doesn't mean you can actually fight with it."

A deep growl resonated from the blonde's throat and before Sasuke's eyes, his form blurred and vanished. Before Sasuke could even react, Kyuubi was before him again and with both Rasenagens just inches away from his skull. Conflicting emotions ran through his eyes as if a battle were waging behind them, but Sasuke could do nothing but watch for he dared not move. Then with a dissatisfied grunt, Kyuubi dropped his hands away from Sasuke and punched both hands into the ground, leaving large crater marks behind. "Damn brat…no, I don't think you should've said that and no, I don't agree with you. So what? I don't care brat!" He muttered, "Okay, fine, I give him that…and that… and that too, but—Damn it kit, stop defending him!"

Sasuke watched as the fox boy paced back and forth, muttering and growling the entire time as he kept glancing at Sasuke. "His pride gets in his way…so what? What do you mean by that? I'm prideful? Don't you dare compare me to him! I'm nothing like him, he's a weak human…no, that is not pride speaking! Damn it! Fine, why don't you explain it to him and let me rest? You are an idiot…yes you are…yes you are! What do you mean if you are then I am? Shut up brat or I'll…you wouldn't do that!"

"What are you doing?" Sasuke finally asked, tiring of the bickering, even though he only heard half of it.

Kyuubi looked at him, "The damn kit won't let me kill you…something about you being his only friend and about me owing you our life…a couple times."

He smirked, "Well, I guess the dobe can be smart every once in a while."

Kyuubi grinned and licked his lips, "It seems that dobe just had a change of heart, brat."

"Naruto wouldn't dare attack me, he always ends up underneath."

The fox raised his eyebrows, "Naruto's submissive?"

"What?"

"You said he always ends up underneath."

"I didn't mean it that way!" Sasuke yelled, ignoring the blush rising to his cheeks. "Why the hell would you think that anyways?"

The grin became a toothy smile, "Are you sure you want to know?"

Giving it a second of thought, Sasuke shook his head, "No, I don't want to know."

"Aw come on kit! I was just having some fun…and what about your dr—" The fox boy suddenly shut up and muttered, "Damn brat."

Sasuke was beginning to lose patience, though he made a mental note to watch what he said in front of Kyuubi, but he had now spent ten minutes bickering with the fox and still he had no answers to what happened to Naruto. "Are you going to tell me what you did or not?"

"Fine! If it will shut the two of you brats up I'll do anything right about now." The fox exasperated. "All I did was remove the pain from his dreams and memories. He remembers the pain and everything that's part of those memories, but it's been…dulled in a way. What they did to him was always in his thoughts and so I made it so it was just a memory and only that, instead of the living hell he had made every day into because of those memories. He still fears touch and he'll still have nightmares, but he won't be as terrified of them as he was before as long as I can keep them dulled.

"What was happening to him was causing him to start doubting himself and his life. Don't be surprised if you find scars on his body from when he tried to kill himself brat, but don't you let him know I told you. There are only four or five cuts, I've been able to heal most of them, but those four or five times when he attempted suicide when my resources were all used up were the closest calls ever. Only a handful of people know about his attempts: Gondaime, your sensei and this Iruka-sensei the kittling's always talking about. Past that…no one else knows."

Sasuke paled, "I never thought he'd try that...He always acted too strong to try suicide."

"Yeah, well," the fox shrugged, "Naruto's not as strong as he acts. Not even close."

"How do you know he's not listening in?"

"Because he's too tired. We're both too tired." Kyuubi said, yawning as if to prove his point.

"I'll carry him, just…" he paused, "take care of him."

His answer was a fox-like grin before the light dimmed from Naruto's eyes and his body went slack. Sasuke caught him as he fell, and muttering curses at the fox for not warning him, hefted Naruto up carefully and walked back towards his house. He dumped him none too gently onto the bed, smirking when Naruto or Kyuubi growled at him, and then left to crawl into his own bed and sleep.

Dhampir
Page 6
2/1/2005

Note: The red moon is actually what my own brother told me and scared me shitless! I would beg my mom not to go outside on a red moon because the vampires would be in blood lust and the only protection was to stay inside your house. Haha, he had me going for maybe two years with that one.