Lily: so many... reviews *faints*
Phantom: they like us, they really like us!
Aishiteru, Naruto
Chapter Seven
Mechanical World
Sasuke sighed and curled up on the fold out bed. Training had been exhausting! It had been a long time since he had actually fought a competent shinobi. It was shocking how close Naruto had come to defeating him. Sasuke flopped over on his side. He just couldn't sleep. Images of Naruto kept running through his head over and over. Naruto wolfing down ramen, Naruto laughing, Naruto yelling at him, Naruto smiling, Naruto crying, alone, in his bed at might. Sasuke had the overwhelming desire to wrap his arms around Naruto, pull him into hiss body and just hold him like that forever.
Sasuke sat up. No. No emotions. No loved ones. Everyone he loved got hurt. He wouldn't let Naruto get hurt. He would keep Naruto just as alienated as before, maybe even more so. Sasuke suppressed a whimper at the thought. Weakling. You need to be strong to protect Naruto. Strong. Na... ru... to... Sasuke fell asleep thinking the name.
Itachi sniggered slightly. It hadn't taken him too long to find out where they had sent his younger brother. And they had sent him to such a perfect spot, too! He might have made his move then but Itachi knew he had to wait for the right moment. He had already set his plan in motion, first with his old home, then with that shinobi-no-onna, now with Sasuke, if Sasuke didn't work he would have to move on to Iruka, Kakashi and Sakura.
Itachi silently entered Naruto's house with all the skill of a fully trained shinobi. He crept towards the couch, and moving swiftly so as not to wake Sasuke, pressed on the nerves at the back of his head, knocking him out. Itachi slung Sasuke over his shoulder and returned to the night.
When Naruto awoke he smiled and stretched. There was a new bonus to getting up early. He could sit and watch Sasuke while he slept. Naruto liked to watch Sasuke sleep. When he was sleeping, there was no trace of coldness in his expression, everything about him was peaceful and innocent. Naruto tiptoed towards the couch, hoping to see Sasuke smiling in his sleep, he had never seen Sasuke smile, only smirk. Instead, Naruto saw rumpled sheets and an empty bed.
