AN: Sorry about the wait! ^^; well. here it is. the chapter that contains the scene that started it all...! I hope I've done it (and my own personal experience!) justice c: enjoy!

(btw I recently realised my story doesn't pass the bechdel test. oops! I'll try to fix that if I can!)

"Where are we going?"

"Not telling you. That's not how surprises work." Naruto answered his black-haired companion, a hint of false cheeriness in his voice. One hand held on to the handles of a white plastic bag, and his other hand held to Sasuke's. Their footsteps echoed through the empty theatre, as they dragged their heavy feet up the stairs to the backstage area, that lead to the stage. Sasuke was blindfolded, holding on to Naruto's hand out of necessity. To Naruto, it felt equal parts warm and cold at the same time, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

He had thought about this for a while. He wasn't too dumb to notice Sasuke was slipping away, like water through the cracks of his fingertips; like a cold hand loosely gripping a warm one that could slip away at any time. Naruto held on tighter, as he pulled Sasuke through the backstage area and on to the stage, where he had set everything up.

He had wanted to do something, anything, for Sasuke. Something that could anchor him back in reality, remind him of better times: something that was special and meaningful to just the two of them. A candlelit dinner on the stage was what he had come up with. He had been so sure about the idea at first but now, as he carefully led Sasuke to his chair, his heart was hammering in his chest and he was beginning to doubt the whole thing. Would Sasuke appreciate it? Was it too cheesy? More importantly; would it help?

When Naruto stopped moving, Sasuke did too. Naruto turned around to face him, and noticed the faint hints of a frown beneath the blindfold. He took a few tentative steps closer to him, and slowly lifted up his hands to either side of Sasuke's face.

Sasuke could feel Naruto's breath hot against his skin, making his own breathing shallow and the hairs on his arms stand on end. As Naruto's fingers brushed against his cheeks, they could both feel the crackle of electricity in the air. Sasuke's breath hitched quietly in response, as Naruto's fingers softly slid to the back of his head to undo the blindfold.

With a swish the blindfold fluttered to the floor, landing silently. At the same time, Sasuke's eyes fluttered open.

Sasuke quietly looked around, confusion etched on to his face. "Why are we-" he started to say, but then noticed the table next to him. "Oh, Naruto..." he trailed off, admiring the set up: A candle - currently unlit - stood proudly in the middle of the table, with a single rose in a slim vase next to it.

Plates and cutlery had been set up for two people, and all that was missing was food. After a few moments he looked back up at Naruto, who was grinning at him in front of the closed red curtains that separated them from the auditorium, and holding up what appeared to be a white bag of take-out food. 'So that's why we randomly stopped somewhere on the way here.' Sasuke thought to himself - he had been blindfolded the entire journey, and it frustrated him that he hadn't known where the hell they were going.

"Surprise! I just gotta put the food out, and light the candle, but... Do you like it? We're having my new favourite, spaghetti carburetor." He said nervously, laughing away the butterflies in his stomach. Sasuke smiled softly back at him, affectionate yet tinged with a guilt that Naruto didn't see - or pretended not to.

"It's carbonara." Sasuke admonished him on his mistake, as the two-month-old memory of their meal at The Wolcott resurfaced - a memory that felt like a lifetime ago. "And yes, I like it." He finally answered Naruto's question. "What's this for, though?"

"Ah, well..." Naruto began, trailing off as he started to dish out their food, and wondered how to explain his reasons for the gesture without sounding too serious. Sasuke noticed his partner's internal battle and frowned a little, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. Naruto chose to ignore it.

"I just... I felt like we - you - just needed a break y'know? And, I just want you to know I'm here. I care. And I just... This was the best way I could think of to show you that. I care for you, I... I really do." Naruto finally said, holding back on uttering the three words that had been causing him so much anxiety lately; what if Sasuke didn't feel the same? In such a short space of time, Sasuke had become Naruto's most precious person. He couldn't imagine his world without Sasuke in it anymore. But was the feeling mutual? He wasn't sure, lately.

Naruto distracted himself from such thoughts by listening to the distant drone of a plane engine, lazily drifting in from the open windows of the auditorium. He quietly lit the candle, before finally sitting down and gesturing for Sasuke to do the same.

Throughout the entire meal, Sasuke felt more and more guilt creeping in. He wondered if Naruto knew about his decision, and was trying to make him feel bad about it. Naruto had given him his reasons, but he was sure that they barely scratched the surface.

"What is this really about?" Sasuke decided to ask again, when he felt like they had sat in an uncomfortable silence for too long - their now empty plates sitting in front of them. The candle; extinguished.

"I told you, it was just so we could have some time for ourselves. For us." Naruto said again, frowning in confusion why Sasuke was asking this again; hadn't he liked it?

"I appreciate that, but I think this is about something more." Sasuke pushed.

Honesty. That's all Sasuke wanted. He wasn't interested in Naruto's false, perpetually happy persona - that's not what drew them together; but rather their inner understanding of each other. Their shared feelings. If only for one more time, Sasuke wanted to be truly open with Naruto, for Naruto to be truly open with him... For them to walk the tight red rope of their connection high above the churning, dark waters. Together. They might fall, but with Naruto holding on to him as they dove down, he knew they would be okay. Naruto hiding behind his mask, however, was starting to feel like falling with no safety net, like drowning alone in the depths of the ocean.

"I-" Naruto hesitated, finding the strength to continue. "Okay. I feel you slipping away from me. But I really meant it Sasuke; I care so much. I know I talk too much, so this time I wanted to show it through my actions. I didn't want this to become a big deal, I was just hoping it could help you take your mind off things-"

"Take my mind off things?" Sasuke repeated, and took in a deep, heavy breath as he tried to keep his head above water. Tried not to drown. He rubbed his temples, before he continued. "Naruto, I hope you didn't just refer to my parent's deaths as 'things'." He said, his voice a sharp warning; Naruto had to tread carefully.

"No, of course not! I... I... I just, um." Naruto was struggling to find the right words, something quite unusual for the blonde man.

"You just don't understand, do you?"

"Sasuke?" Naruto stopped rambling, and looked up at Sasuke as he tilted his head like a confused puppy.

"You don't know what it's like to have something you love so deeply, and then lose it all in an instant. You've never known your parents - you've been alone your whole life. You don't understand." Sasuke tried his best to contain his anger and annoyance, but it was becoming increasingly difficult with each word. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered where this was coming from - were these words he's always wanted to say? Words that were just looking for a chance to be spoken? He wasn't sure... He finally looked Naruto in the eye and regretted it. Naruto's lower lip was quivering, and tears were threatening to fall from his eyes.

"I just want to help you." He said shakily, fists clenching on the table. Two silent tears escaped and ran down his scarred cheeks, but his expression had already switched from sadness to anger. "How can I understand if you don't talk to me? I thought you were opening up to me, but lately you've been closing off more and more and it's like you don't want me to reach you." He said, and Sasuke was taken aback by those words; he had thought it was the other way around - that Naruto was closing off to him. Maybe they were both drifting.

Naruto tried to control his breathing, but he was finding it increasingly difficult as a sickeningly familiar warm bubble began to spread throughout his body, from his chest to his fingertips. His ears began to ring, and his vision became blurry and dotted with sparks following a rush of blood to the head. His breathing became heavier, and more erratic.

"Well maybe I don't want you to."

"What?!"

'What?' Sasuke heard his own voice say to himself, simultaneously. But - "I don't want your help. I don't want you to 'reach me'. So just stop it." Is what came out of his mouth.

'No. Don't listen to me. Please help me.' Sasuke's thoughts silently corrected him. He frowned; where had that thought come from?

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you..." Naruto's voice was quiet, and there was something in his eyes that Sasuke had never seen before.

"Well, you won't have to listen to me for much longer, because I'm leaving."

'Make me stay.'

"What, you're just going to walk home?"

"No. I'm leaving Konoha." Sasuke finally said, and immediately regretted it. As angry as he was, he hadn't wanted to break the news to him like that. But he couldn't take it back, so he stayed silent while Naruto processed what he had said. Naruto stayed silent for a few moments, his wide eyes making him look wild.

"You're not."

"I am. I'm moving to Dubai with Itachi next week. And I don't know why you think you can tell me what I can and can't do." He winced inwardly, wondering why he couldn't stop running his mouth. Outwardly, he maintained his cold expression.

'Refuse to let me go without you.'

"There you go again, putting up those walls." Naruto hissed, standing up from his chair and slamming his hands down on the table. His chair toppled backwards. The plates and cutlery rattled. A knife fell on the floor with a clatter - all of these things, neither of them noticed. "I thought we were past this."

"Obviously not."

'Please knock those walls down, again.'

"You're not leaving." Naruto mumbled, mostly to himself. "You're going to stay here..." He trailed off, looking quite lost as anger and sadness flickered back and forth across his face. Sasuke thought it was a bit pathetic. He also thought he wanted to hug him and stop whatever was happening. Instead, he stayed in his seat, and said:

"You can't make me do a damn thing."

But 'Come with me' had been on the tip of his tongue, and Sasuke immediately felt like he had said the wrong thing; like this was a decision he had made before, and had a second chance to amend. A mistake he made before, and had just made again. He tried, but couldn't shake the feeling.

That's when it happened, so suddenly that even Naruto was shocked. At Sasuke's wrong words, Naruto had seen red, and the next thing he knew the table was halfway across the stage. There were broken pieces of china scattered on the floorboards, and Naruto's eyes frantically darted from one piece to the next as he processed what he had just done. Sasuke sat in his chair, frozen in shock - he had never seen Naruto like this.

"Shit. Shit." Naruto tangled his hands in his hair and muttered angrily to himself, his eyes darting around as he finally realised his Kyuubi was back. "Sasuke." He all but shouted, fixing his dark gaze back at the man in front of him, who was still sitting on his chair and looking like Naruto had suddenly grown a tail or three. "Get the fuck out of my sight before I hurt you." He said, baring his teeth a little. Sasuke wasted no time, and quickly stood up to leave. He pulled something off his finger, and threw it on the floor amongst the remaining shards of their dinner plates.

"Sure." Sasuke finally said, as he quickly left the stage. "Monster." That one, solitary word - and Sasuke's sharp voice as he uttered it - cut straight through Naruto's entire being like the sword of a deadly assassin.

And Naruto bled out. Sadness, and sorrow, and anger... they all flowed out from him like blood out of a fresh wound. He slumped heavily down to the floor breathing deeply and desperately - like a fish out of water - as he tried to process what had just happened. His wide, wet, wandering eyes finally landed on the item that Sasuke had thrown down. He crawled over to pick it up, narrowly avoiding cutting his hands on the shards of glass and plate scattered around. The tears began to fall more heavily from his eyes when he realised what it was; it was the moon ring he had given to Sasuke at Christmas, all those months ago.

Naruto's fist curled around it and held it to his chest, as the wave of realisation finally hit him. He let out a single loud sob that echoed around him, as the tears continued to fall.

Pain.

So much... In my chest... What is this...?

It feels like I'm on fire, or more like - I am fire. I'm surrounded by a warm, familiar, sickening chakra. It's red. Warm, yes - but definitely not welcoming. The pain in my chest is gone, but now my teeth and my heart hurt. I'm not sure which is worse.

"What are you?!"

"Your friend."

Friends. Somehow, that still doesn't feel like the right word for us.

"I'm not gonna let Orochimaru take you away!" Did I say that? Everything feels so far away, like there's a wall between me and the world outside, muffling everything. Suddenly, the waters part, and the ground shakes... maybe even the earth itself shatters. My body moves of it's own accord. Now all I can hear is my heart pounding in my ears, and the one name I keep repeating in my head over, and over, and over again. Sasuke. Sasuke. Please, Sasuke. Stop.

Hit after hit. Kick after kick. Kunai after shuriken. Jutsu after jutsu... Fire on fire. Will this never end? I think I can see sadness in his eyes, and I hope that signals the end to this heartbreak...

But...

Pain again. In my head and neck. And then numbness... Am I dead?

'you better be grateful to me.' says the voice inside me - the one that doesn't belong to me.

I can feel that red heat again, can hear a distinct crack as my neck realigns itself. Then I feel a searing, sickening, unbearable heat, and steam is rising from the water beneath my... Paws? Whatever happens next is hazy, now that I've completely lost control. I feel angry. I'm hurting Sasuke, but I can't stop. Why can't I stop?

"I'm more special than you." An almost unrecognisable Sasuke says, and the words hurt me. They hurt even more than this parasite that moments ago consumed me. They hurt more than any punch, hit, or kick Sasuke has so far thrown my way... Yes, Sasuke hurt me so much with those words, because this power was not my choice. It's nothing special, nothing to brag about. It's caused me nothing but pain and loneliness. Total isolation - such is the life of a jinchuuriki like me.

It's not special - it's a curse.

How could Sasuke say something like that? How can he willingly choose such a curse? Maybe we really don't understand each other after all, even after everything we've been through. The mere thought of this upsets me; I had thought our bond was strong, as unbreakable as my neck, as unwavering as my determination, as long-lasting as the will of fire itself.

When my mind finally catches up with my body, I'm shocked to see that Sasuke has grown two giant, fleshy hands from his back - almost like wings. I have no idea what they are, or what's going on... Does he have a monster inside of him, too? Whatever it is, it looks like it's hurting him as much as mine is hurting me. So why does he look like he wants this? Why is he smiling through the pain?

The Final Valley; that's where Sasuke tells me we are. A stage for my - our - end. No. Please, no. This can't be it, there's still so much for us to learn; about ourselves, about each other. There's things I feel when I'm around him that I've yet to make sense of. We're a team, I want us to tackle life together, side by side forever. Please... This can't be the end.

But it is.

The sun burns out. The heavens weep. And my heart breaks.

"Thanks for helping me last night, Sakura." Naruto said quietly, as he recalled what happened the previous evening.

The rain had been falling. But he had barely noticed that, though, as he ran out the theatre in hopes that he found Sasuke.

He didn't.

"Don't you ever worry about that, Naruto. I'm always here to help."

"Thank you." He said, his voice shaking as he felt the tears come back again.

"Oh, Naruto..." She said soothingly, running a hand gently through his hair as he nuzzled closer in to her side, on her sofa. Sakura had come to pick him up in her new car, as Naruto had been driving Sasuke's car the night before and had no way of getting home... Not that they made it there, because when Sakura saw the state that he was in she decided to have him stay over. She had been meaning to invite him over anyway, since she moved in a few weeks ago, but hadn't had the chance to as Naruto had been spending all his spare time with Sasuke. Still, she wished they could have been doing this under happier circumstances.

"I had another nightmare last night..." Naruto finally said, softly. Sakura just hummed, allowing Naruto to continue if he wanted to. "It was so vivid, Sasuke was there, and we were fighting - not arguing but, like, really fighting - punching, kicking, throwing sharp knife things at each other... Sasuke could even breathe fire."

"You've got a very active imagination, Naruto." Sakura said as she continued stroking his hair, trying to make light of the situation that they both knew was anything but.

"Yeah... I know that in the dream Sasuke was leaving me, and it just felt so real, and it rained just like it did last night, and I-" He cut himself off, his voice cracking as more tears threatened to spill. Sakura continued to shush and soothe him.

"You know, Sakura, I think you'd make a really good mum, one day." Naruto said a while later, sighing.

"Yeah?"

"Mmhm, I just feel like you would, I don't know why... Probably because you're stern when you need to be, but know when to be soft and comforting, too... Makes me wonder if that's what my mum was like..."

"You know, I bet she was." She said softly, smiling down at him where he now settled in her lap - a kind smile that he returned back to her.

"Yeah. Maybe."

"Ino, I really don't know how to help him this time."

"Really? You've always been so good at that, don't put yourself down so much."

"I'm serious, Ino."

"I know. So am I. I'm sure you've done more than enough for Naruto."

"Have I, though?"

"Sakura, look at me." Ino said. Sakura looked up. "Yes. You have. You're the best at cheering people up no matter what's bringing them down! You've done more than enough, and you are enough."

"Thanks." Sakura mumbled, blushing as she looked away. Ino brushed a strand of hair behind Sakura's ear, her hand lingering a little bit longer than necessary.

"So, they really were dating, huh?" Ino said, and Sakura's eyes grew wide.

"Shit! I don't even think I was supposed to know, and I only knew for sure when I accidentally saw them kissing on the stage when they thought nobody else was there- ah, Ino, seriously, please don't tell anyone!"

"I won't. Promise." She said, grinning confidently and reassuringly at her best friend.

The day before he was due to leave with Itachi, Sasuke had made up his mind and finally silenced that annoying voice in his head; the one that called out for Naruto. He had to go, and Naruto definitely couldn't come with him. That night following their argument, Sasuke had had a terrifying nightmare about fighting (and almost killing) Naruto. He took it as a warning - Naruto's life would be in danger if he came with him, and Sasuke couldn't be so selfish as to indulge and allow him to come along.

The image of a near-dead Naruto had plagued him for days - burned in to his inner eye. He couldn't stop seeing it every time he closed his eyes.

He had never had such an active imagination, and yet he had dreamed up a version of Naruto - as clear as day - cloaked in a red aura that resembled a fox with multiple tails.

However, Sasuke's decision and determination to split from Naruto and break their connection was tested, when Naruto showed up at his door at ten o'clock the night before his flight begging to come with him. Somehow, it seemed, Naruto had found out about the suspicions surrounding his parent's deaths. And somehow, Sasuke suspected Itachi had had something to do with that.

"Sasuke, I know why you're going. Please, I'll come with you. You need me there, I know you do."

"You can't, Naruto, I thought it would but- now I've had time to think about it, it won't work. This won't work. I can't-" Sasuke took a sharp intake of breath, as he hesitated to say what he wanted to. He had done a lot of thinking since their argument; at the time, Sasuke had wanted Naruto to beg - for him to stay, or to go with him to Dubai... But Sasuke realised that even if Naruto had done that, things would have still come to this conclusion. To their separation. And now that Naruto finally was begging, Sasuke felt something inside him break. "I can't watch my brother risk his life and put you in danger, too. Please don't make this harder than it already is."

"But how can you throw this away? What we have, does it really mean nothing? ... And do you think I can watch you willingly walk in to danger too, huh? You're special to me too y'know!"

"Naruto..." Sasuke held back tears as he continued, his voice shaky and unsteady. "I'll be honest with you. When we first met, I felt pulled to you, drawn to you... I couldn't keep my eyes off of you no matter how I tried. You were the loud one, the obnoxious one, and I could tell there was so much more to you just hiding under the surface... But, Naruto," Sasuke sighed. "It's not enough. I haven't got to know you deeply, this whole time I felt like we've barely scratched each other's surface and I - no, it's not enough." Sasuke repeated, and Naruto frowned at the obvious lie, at how Sasuke seemed more like he was convincing himself rather than Naruto. "It could have been, but this - my parents... I'm not strong enough to hold this small bond together and nurture it like you can, or like you deserve of me. That's why you can't come. Please, Naruto, just let me go."

And just like that, Naruto's world had come crashing down around him - for the second time in less than a week. Naruto screamed in his head, cursed at Sasuke, called him a liar - but no sound passed his lips. He said nothing. He just gave up and walked silently back to his car in a daze. A daze that carried him home. He parked up outside his apartment, but didn't get out of the car for a long time. So, that was it. Over. He and Sasuke - just like that. Done.

Iruka had been on his way to bed, and was shutting the curtains in his living room window when he spotted Naruto sitting in his car outside. He watched, and although he couldn't hear Naruto's cries of anguish - couldn't hear his loud, messy sobbing - the sounds still rang in his ears anyway, as he helplessly watched Naruto's heart break.