Psychic King: Aloha to all my wonderful readers!!!!!! Even though you
should learn to hate me, you continue on the path of reading! I am SO
HAPPY! *jumps up and down in Psychic King Space* 2-4-6-8 who do I
appreciate! Readers! Readers! YAAAAYYYY readers!!!!!!
Naruto: What the heck are you all riled up about?
Psychic King: *suddenly calming down* I don't know. *poses in a thoughtful stance* What AM I excited about? Hum.
Sasuke: *Walking on screen* what the heck's up with her? She left off that freakn' story at a cliff hanger, I figured that she'd be writing like a maniac to avoid negative reviews.
Naruto: She seems kind of introspective today.
Sakura: *appearing from nowhere* I wonder if it's that time of the month?
Naruto: What time?
Sakura: You know! Her MONTHLY visitor?
Naruto: What the heck are you talking about?
Sakura: *getting peevish* her trip from Aunt Flow???
Naruto: *still blank* I have no idea WHAT you are talking about, but if her aunt's in town I guess that explains why she hasn't updated yet.
Iruka: *walking on screen with Kakashi* Perhaps this isn't the best conversation to have right now? After all you are all still very young.
Psychic King: *some how floating through the air* I feel rather strange today.
Kakashi: Maybe she's gone over the deep end?
Sasuke: No, she did that a long time ago.
Naruto: *innocently acting as the disclaimer* Maybe she's just upset because she doesn't own us again and that we belong to the respective companies and people that are actually making money off us, because she sure as heck isn't.
Sakura: Uh, yeah. *muttering* still think it's her feminine time'
Psychic King: I HEARD that Sakura! *shooting the girl with a squirt gun* you are SO wrong! *blows raspberry at Sakura* Naruto! *turns big eyes towards Naruto* Lets go somewhere fun, just the two of us, please!!!! *puts on the pouting face* I want to have FUN!!
Naruto: Sure! We can go to the arcade! I've always wanted to do that!
Psychic King: Yay!!! Arcade!!!! *patting Naruto's head* It's a date, let's go!
Sasuke: *to their retreating backs* It is NOT a date! *glares*
Kakashi: Well, if you are really worried about it, why don't we follow them? *loops arm around Iruka*
Sakura: *Batting eyelashes at Sasuke* Yeah, why don't we go together?
Inner Sakura: *raging in the background* HELL YEAH! Finally a chance to get Sasuke out on a date!
Iruka: *to the audience* Oh dear, this might take a while. Please read this story while you wait.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Embrace of Solitude Chapter 3 PG 13 because I want it to be. =P
"What's wrong with you?" Naruto's eyes rolled towards the back of his head. The room was suddenly bright and someone was shaking him harshly. It was hard to orient himself in this environment.
"Naruto, get a hold of yourself!" A sudden sharp sting across his cheek snapped his mind back to reality.
"Sasuke!" Naruto gasped, noticing suddenly that the boy in question was currently straddling him on his bed. The blonde wiggled out from underneath the concerned boy quickly.
Sasuke's face broke into a rare smile. "Dobe."
Naruto felt a slight blush creeping into his face at the sight. He really looked good when he smiled. Like he was nothing more than human, no longer the superman he tried to present himself as. Unbidden his dream returned to him. The one most precious to him? Sasuke? No. It wasn't true, wasn't POSSIBLE. Naruto jumped up as if the bed were on fire, landing on all fours in the corner, like a frightened animal.
"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke demanded, smile wiped from his face.
"Nothing!" Naruto spat. "Just get away from me!"
Anger quickly contorted Sasuke's face, but in his eyes there was something else. Was that FEAR Naruto smelled coming from him? Naruto viciously shook the thought from his head, 'I can't SMELL fear!'
"Fine, dobe. Next time I'll let you scream your throat dry." Sasuke said, walking towards the door.
Naruto remained in his crouched position until the dark, questioning eyes were gone, until the click of Sasuke's door reached his ears, only then did he allow himself to relax a bit. "Ok, Uzumaki, think." As was his tendency when presented with a serious problem Naruto began to pace and talk out loud to himself (a habit learned from Iruka, of all people). "What was up with that dream? Hum. OK, the woman's voice at the beginning was the woman that came up latter on and got stabbed next to Sasuke. According to the dream she was my- the FOX DEMON'S- dead lover. I'm not that damn demon! And then there was Kakashi and Iruka and Sakura. All dead, all screaming." Naruto rubbed feverishly at his face. "And then there was that voice. Condemning me for something that damn monster did. What's that gotta do with me? Doesn't matter, the whole town blames me for that thing's messes." Heaving a large sigh he shifted his train of thought. "The voice wasn't human, couldn't have been. I've never heard anything like it. Can you come up with new sounds in your dreams? Hum." He contemplated this quietly for a moment. "But maybe it was one of the fox's memories and it just threw itself into my dream. That woman. She kind of looked like Sakura-chan! Just. A more grown up Sakura-chan with more reddish hair than pink." A faint blush crept into his checks. "If Sakura-chan grows up to look like that, she'll be even more beautiful. And then I can do this and that and. heh heh."
His joviality ended as the memory of Sasuke's screams went through his mind again and he remembered Sakura's dead face as well. "Sasuke." His voice came out as a painful whisper. "You lying bastard. I wasn't ever supposed to see you die again."
Sasuke lay in his bed and listened to the pained breathing through the paper thin walls of his traditional Japanese style house, only two thoughts going through his mind. The first he couldn't help but wonder, was what was Naruto thinking, talking about his problems out loud? He KNEW the house wasn't sound proof. The other thought, the one he tried desperately to push away until morning was, what did Naruto have to do with the fox demon?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sun rose only two hours after Naruto woke from his strange, hideous dream. Both Naruto and Sasuke were grateful, as neither was able to return to sleep after the incident. Naruto eventually came to the silent conclusion that he needed to talk to someone about history, while Sasuke decided that it was time to finally get some answers to the question that had been boiling in his brain since that day at the hospital.
"Morning." Naruto called feigning sleepiness.
"Hrum." Sasuke snorted with a small nod, also pretending to have just woken up.
"Hey, Sasuke, you know where they keep the records of Ninja and non-Ninja from around 10-15 years ago?"
Sasuke's eyebrows shot up, but he shook his head. "Why's a dobe like you want to know about something like that?"
"I just. Something in a dream I had." Naruto shook his preoccupied head before adding, off handedly, "Don't call me dobe, bastard."
"Hum." The dark headed boy put two plates down and directed his companion to the breakfast table. "Did it have anything to do with the fox demon?"
"Sort of, more like something he did-." Naruto's words froze in his throat. "So." His eyes bore coolly into the other boy.
"So." Sasuke replied. That confirmed some of his suspicions. Naruto WAS somehow tied to the demon. He sighed, frustrated. Tactfulness had never been a skill he felt the need to perfect, so beating around the bush was impossible, but coming right out and asking was turning out to be harder than he would have dreamed possible. He sighed again. What did it really matter if he was making Naruto uncomfortable? Why was this so hard?
"What do you know?" Naruto asked, voice small, but was there a threat buried in the underlying tone that Sasuke detected?
A slight smirk spread across the stoic features. "I know that your whole life you have been treated like someone with a disease. I know that the villagers are scared of you, and not just the non-ninja. I know that the adults are always jumping around a subject that has something to do with you, but they seem unable to talk about. I know that your dream had something to do with the fox AND I know that something about it made you suddenly shout 'I am NOT that damn demon!'"
"So what?" Naruto jumped to his feet. "It's called a nightmare. I know you're familiar, because I've heard a few things from YOUR room, too. I'm just not nosey enough to stick MY big nose in YOUR freakin business. Or don't you remember two nights ago screaming about your brother. Whatever that weird crap is about." A light dawned in his blue eyes. "Come to think about it, you said something about your brother that time, too. When you thought you were going to die."
"Don't EVER mention that man to me again."
Dark eyes met blue, in both shone a warning and a determination. The air was so thick a knife could slice it, and into that environment walked an unsuspecting Sakura. "Ohayo Sasuke-kun! Naruto." She glanced from one boy to the other, suddenly wishing she had come latter. Or maybe she should have waited until the next day.
Her face scrunched into a wince as neither boy glanced from the other to acknowledge her arrival. 'Geez.' She thought, 'If I wanted to be ignored today I could have stayed at home.'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hours latter Sakura found herself walking the streets with a peevish Naruto. The boy's silent fight had ended with Naruto storming out of the house, Sakura, there under the pretense of checking up on her teammate had no choice but to follow, leaving an enraged Sasuke to brood alone. All in all it was the quietest and lest physical she had ever seen one of the boy's fights turn out to be. "So, Naruto, why don't we train?" Sakura sighed even as the words escaped her lips, but seeing the usually energetic blonde so distraught was hard.
Naruto turned suddenly excited eyes on the girl. "Really? ALRIGHT!" He grabed Sakura's hand and started dragging her to the clearing their team typically trained at.
"Oi!" Sakura pulled her hand from Naruto's grip, a laughing smile gracing her lips at the boy's excitement. This was more like the Naruto she knew. "Naruto, slow down! I need to get changed."
Naruto glanced down at her and noticed for the first time she wasn't wearing her traditional outfit, instead a very pretty red dress with a black sash tied around her waist. "OH! Sakura-chan, gomen! You look so pretty today! I was so mad at that bastard, Sasuke, that I didn't even notice!"
Sakura bit back the automatic response of defending Sasuke. She didn't know what happened, and since Naruto had been so depressed recently she really hated to argue with him. With surprise she noticed that she was actually being nice to Naruto without forcing herself. 'I guess the dweeb's growing on me.' "So, Naruto, tell me about Sasuke's house!"
Naruto smiled as he told her stories about getting lost in the huge house, about how strange the house was, how thin the walls were. Sakura smiled as she listened, Inner Sakura in rapt attention mode, after all, one day she would be living there as Sasuke's wife, right? Before either realized it they were at Sakura's home. She let herself and Naruto in, calling out, "Mom, I'm home! I'm just going to change and then we'll be heading out!"
"We?" Sakura's mother poked her head around the corner. A pleasant looking, plump woman, with a smile like a ray of sunshine, but besides the smile she looked nothing like her pink headed daughter. "Oh." He smile faltered slightly, before she put it firmly back in place. "Naruto-kun, right? Sakura tells me all sorts of stories about you and Sasuke."
Naruto blushed a bit, and looked down at the ground, unaccustomed to being treated like anything but a burden at best by the majority of adults in the town. "It's nice to meet you, mam."
The woman ushered Naruto into a room while Sakura ran up the stairs to her bedroom. "You just wait in here; I'll bring you some lemonade."
Naruto stood in shocked silence for a moment, before realizing that the woman was already out of the room. He shrugged and looked around the room he was in. It had a couch and a few chairs, some tables with various pictures and such littering the top. Naruto smiled at a picture of Sakura, probably taken graduating day when she became a Gennin. There was also a picture of a much younger and thinner Mrs. Haruno in a white wedding dress next to a very dignified young Ninja man. "Must be Sakura's father." He mused as he glanced at the picture next to it.
For a moment Naruto thought his heart had stopped. His hand shook as he grabbed the picture in question. On it was a woman that looked suspiciously like Sakura, only with redder hair and about 5 years older. If Sakura and her mother's smile was like a ray of sunshine than this woman's was an accumulation of every ray of light ever to reach the earth. "Pretty, isn't she?" Sakura's mother walked in the room, two glasses of lemonade on a tray. "She was my sister-in-law, Sakura's aunt. Sakura looks so much like her, doesn't she?"
Naruto slowly looked from the picture to Sakura's mother. "She- I mean, where is she?"
The woman smiled sadly, "She left the village before I married Sakura's father, she sacrificed herself to save the village by offering herself as a bride to the demon. She was never a very good Ninja but she became a hero anyway. It's a very noble story, if you have the time to sit and listen."
"What?" Naruto sat in speechless horror. The woman was real. She WAS married to the fox demon. That dream. "So she married the fox demon?" He concluded, the words sounding lame even to his own ears.
Sakura chose that moment to walk into the room, dressed now in her traditional red outfit and shorts. "Mom!" She said, with an exasperated sigh. "Naruto's not interested in out family history!" Inner Sakura raged in the background 'NOT THIS DAMN STORY!'
Naruto looked from the girl to her mother before saying in a quiet voice, "I actually am, please?" He sent beseeching eyes to both women.
Sakura threw herself into a nearby chair, earning a harsh look from her mother. She hated this story, it happened so long ago, and it was so stupid, but there was something in Naruto's voice and eyes that stopped her from insisting that they leave immediately. The boy looked so pathetic when he was begging.
Mrs. Haruno was sending out that million dollar smile to Naruto again. "Illia, that was her name, she was never a very strong ninja, but she had a good heart. She liked being in the forest, not to train, but just to sit and let the atmosphere wash over her. She was a peace loving woman, perhaps that's why." She shook her head. "One day while she was out relaxing a man approached her. She didn't recognize the man, but assumed that he was one of the villagers (she wasn't the kind of person that paid much attention to humans.). I'm not quite sure about the details but it seems that the man was impressed with her and came to her house the next day to promptly ask for permission to marry her."
The plump woman paused; her smile had long since faded. "My father in law was a strict man, and very impressed with the suitor. He wanted Illia to marry the man, but apparently she wasn't as impressed as her father was. It caused a lot of fighting between the two for a few days, but when the suitor returned for the response to his proposal Illia had won and he was sent away very angry. That should have been the end of it, really, but hell hath no furry like one scorned, especially if that someone is a demon in disguise. The man returned the next day. This time he wasted no time with Illia's parents, he went strait to the Hokage and demanded she be handed over."
"Again the choice was given to Illia, but this time the choice presented to her was not a simple yes or no, but a yes to marriage or a yes to allowing him to destroy as much of the village as he could before he was defeated and killed." Sakura's mother glanced at Naruto. "You have heard about the power of that fox demon, right?"
Naruto nodded, his attention fixed on every word that came from the woman's mouth.
"Well, this demon, a wolf demon, was his half-brother. Their level of power was close. Close enough to make an attack a terrifying idea. But the Fourth was not about to send one of his people off as a human sacrifice. She choose to go with the demon rater than seeing the village destroyed. Then she asked her family and the Hokage to keep her story a secret, so her sacrifice was never known." The woman turned sad eyes to Naruto. "The strength to do what's right and not be thanked for it; that is what it truly means to be a hero."
Naruto tore his gaze away from the woman. Why was she looking at him like that? Her look that held a mixture of pity and compassion was starting to bother him. He glanced at the clock. It was five. FIVE? How long had she been telling her story? Naruto rose to his feet. "Thank you." His voice came out in a soft whisper. Why did this story make his heart hurt so much?
Mrs. Haruno smiled once again at Naruto before following his gaze. "Of course, dear. Oh my, look at the time. Sakura! What are you doing sitting around? If you have time to sit than you have time to peel potatoes for dinner."
Sakura shoot a glare at her mother. "Gomen, Naruto. Maybe we can train tomorrow with Sasuke?" 'Oh, shit. I forgot Naruto was angry at Sasuke right now. Now I'll have to listen to him whine about it!' But to Sakura's surprise, Naruto simply nodded, a distant look on his face. Sakura walked out of the room in shock. "Have a good night, Naruto."
"Yeah, you too, Sakura-chan." He replied in a distracted manner. "I do have one question before I leave, mam. Why do you know all this stuff if she asked no one to tell anybody and you weren't part of the family at the time?"
"Ah, well that's simple. Illia told me everything after she was sent away." The woman replied quietly.
"After she left?" The boy replied just as quietly.
"Hai. We were best friends. The man she married was very kind and allowed her to speak to me even though we were apart."
"I thought you said she married that demon."
"No, I said that she left with that demon. What happened afterward is another story. A story that no one but myself and the Hokage know." She looked at the boy sadly. "But it is a story that you deserve to know, because of who you are." Her face suddenly had a decisive look on it. "Come see me next week and I will tell you the rest."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Naruto walked back to the Uuchia mansion slowly. The girl was real. Her name really was Illia. She was taken away by demons. She was taken away by the BROTHER of the fox demon. A wolf demon. Suddenly the voice in Naruto's dream reminded him of a sound he had heard before. A wolf's growling; that was what the vice was like. A wolf that was intimidating its prey.
He opened the door of his new home and suddenly remembered that he and Sasuke had been fighting when he left. 'Kuso! He might kick me out. I forgot about that.' But Sasuke was setting the table when he walked into the kitchen. There were two places set.
"Oi, dobe, why don't you give me a hand?" Sasuke said in his normal impassive tone.
"Oh, sure." He pulled out two cups and set the water to boil for tea. "Hey, Sasuke?
"What?" Sasuke responded, full attention on the large bowl he was carrying to the table.
"Who's the most important person to you right now?" One part of the dream had been bothering him ever since the voice called Sasuke his most important person. What did that mean? Could SASUKE really be his most important person?
Sasuke dropped the dish he was carrying. "WHAT THE HELL?"
Naruto ran over to the spilled contents of his dinner and looked at it sadly. There was no saving whatever the meal was intended to be. "You dropped my dinner!" He said in an accusatory manner.
"DOBE!" Sasuke fumed, feeling a suddenly embarrassed flush reach his cheeks. WHY did that question bother him so much?
"WHAT?" Naruto replied, feeling anger rise in his chest. "Don't you dare say this is MY fault, it's YOU that dropped MY meal."
The dark headed boy realized that the idiot blonde was right for once. "Instead of pointing out blame how about helping me clean this mess up?"
The over-active boy knelt next to Sasuke. "So, who IS the most important person to you right now?"
Glaring daggers, he replied, "I hadn't really thought about it. Since I'm an avenger, I guess maybe." Maybe his brother? But that didn't seem right at all to him. The person whose disappearance would probably have the most effect on him would have to be. "Probably you." He thought about how that sounded and added quickly, "And Kakashi-sensei. The two of you aid me the most in my quest for strength."
"Ah. That makes sense."
The remainder of the cleaning was finished without a sound between the two boys. Sasuke was the first to break the silence. Face still glowing slightly red he asked, "What about you?"
Naruto thought about it for a second. "I guess it's the same for me. The people that help me towards my goals." He blushed slightly as well and glanced at Sasuke. He sent out an uncomfortable smile to the boy. "Uh, about before, I should never have said what I did-"
"Forget it."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Psychic King: *being carried by Kakashi* I guess I wore myself out.
Naruto: Yeah, after six hours of video games in a row, not even breaking for food. I can't believe a weak person like you is still alive.
Kakashi: *starts to set Psychic King down*
Psychic King: Ah, no, not there. *cuddles into Kakashi's arms* I want to be set down over there. *points to some vague area far to the left*
Iruka: *pulling out a chair and glaring at Psychic King* Here you go. Right here. A nice comfy chair for you to regain your strength in.
Psychic King: *slightly disappointed* Thanks a lot Iruka. Can't even let a girl enjoy the moment. *Turns to readers* SO! Was it too fluffy at the end? I just thought I needed to throw SOMETHING to you for the whole long explanation of the fox demon's past love. Anyway, I had so much trouble falling asleep last night because plot ideas kept running through my head. *sigh* I have a feeling that this story is going to be a LOT longer than I originally planned. But that all depends on getting reviews! *laughs maniacally, holding arms above her head*
Sakura: *annoyed that Sasuke ignored her at the arcade* suddenly she doesn't look so weak anymore, don't you think?
Iruka: *Nodds* I get the suspicion that she was faking the whole thing.
Psychic King: *pretending not to hear* Anyway, wasn't it fun Naruto?
Naruto: Yeah! Sure was. *face darkening* Until Sasuke beat that nice guy up! He was so friendly, too.
Psychic King: Yeah. Well, just so you know, when a guy keeps touching another guy like HE was touching YOU there's usually a reason beyond friendliness.
Naruto: *blankly innocent* Like what?
Psychic King: *shaking head* Never mind. *muttering* Sasuke sure has his work cut out for him.
Sakura: *clearing throat* ANYWAY! I think it's time for you to do that thing you were planning on doing.
Psychic King: What thing?
Sakura: *getting angry* DON'T YOU REMEMBER ANYTING? Baka! You said you were going to tell the readers something important.
Psychic King: *hitting head with hand* Soka! Um. I'm not having my period. I don't know why Sakura-chan jumps to these conclusions; I was just happy from a mixture of happy reviews and lack of sleep. *glaring at Sakura* And 'Baka' is NOT an appropriate way to address your Psychic King!
Sakura: THAT was it? That was your big announcement?
Iruka, Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto: *quietly backing off screen, realizing that no one is paying attention take the chance to disappear*
Psychic King: Um, I think so. That and. *turns towards readers* what else was there. Hum. Well, in case you hadn't noticed I am making this story a divergence. Starting from the point that I did I only had two choices, 1) make a divergence, 2) skip forward in time a lot. Skipping forward in time seemed unhappy to me, as I liked the plot that was boiling in my mind. So, we diverge and make the story different. Don't worry! I love Gaara-chan and Lee-kun! They will most assuredly be in the story. As well as Hinata, Neiji, Shikamaru, Ino, and anybody else that I really like that I can't think of right now. Oh yeah, also, no fear to anyone that hates love triangles as much as I do, the Fox's dead wife is DEAD, there will be no coming back to life for her, no uncomfortable 'But I love BOTH of you' scenes. Well, not with both Sasuke and Illia alive, anyway. And um. I like reviews! Please review! If you have anything you would like to see in the story don't hesitate to ask. I can't guarantee that I'll add it, but I am always open to suggestions! And, um. I added my Kakashi/Iruka background story of their relationship if anyone is curious. It might not be that special, but it's there, so if you want to read it it's called Embrace of the Scarecrow. That's all! *waves bye-bye to readers* don't forget to review (if you want to that is, I don't want to come off as pushy)!
Naruto: What the heck are you all riled up about?
Psychic King: *suddenly calming down* I don't know. *poses in a thoughtful stance* What AM I excited about? Hum.
Sasuke: *Walking on screen* what the heck's up with her? She left off that freakn' story at a cliff hanger, I figured that she'd be writing like a maniac to avoid negative reviews.
Naruto: She seems kind of introspective today.
Sakura: *appearing from nowhere* I wonder if it's that time of the month?
Naruto: What time?
Sakura: You know! Her MONTHLY visitor?
Naruto: What the heck are you talking about?
Sakura: *getting peevish* her trip from Aunt Flow???
Naruto: *still blank* I have no idea WHAT you are talking about, but if her aunt's in town I guess that explains why she hasn't updated yet.
Iruka: *walking on screen with Kakashi* Perhaps this isn't the best conversation to have right now? After all you are all still very young.
Psychic King: *some how floating through the air* I feel rather strange today.
Kakashi: Maybe she's gone over the deep end?
Sasuke: No, she did that a long time ago.
Naruto: *innocently acting as the disclaimer* Maybe she's just upset because she doesn't own us again and that we belong to the respective companies and people that are actually making money off us, because she sure as heck isn't.
Sakura: Uh, yeah. *muttering* still think it's her feminine time'
Psychic King: I HEARD that Sakura! *shooting the girl with a squirt gun* you are SO wrong! *blows raspberry at Sakura* Naruto! *turns big eyes towards Naruto* Lets go somewhere fun, just the two of us, please!!!! *puts on the pouting face* I want to have FUN!!
Naruto: Sure! We can go to the arcade! I've always wanted to do that!
Psychic King: Yay!!! Arcade!!!! *patting Naruto's head* It's a date, let's go!
Sasuke: *to their retreating backs* It is NOT a date! *glares*
Kakashi: Well, if you are really worried about it, why don't we follow them? *loops arm around Iruka*
Sakura: *Batting eyelashes at Sasuke* Yeah, why don't we go together?
Inner Sakura: *raging in the background* HELL YEAH! Finally a chance to get Sasuke out on a date!
Iruka: *to the audience* Oh dear, this might take a while. Please read this story while you wait.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Embrace of Solitude Chapter 3 PG 13 because I want it to be. =P
"What's wrong with you?" Naruto's eyes rolled towards the back of his head. The room was suddenly bright and someone was shaking him harshly. It was hard to orient himself in this environment.
"Naruto, get a hold of yourself!" A sudden sharp sting across his cheek snapped his mind back to reality.
"Sasuke!" Naruto gasped, noticing suddenly that the boy in question was currently straddling him on his bed. The blonde wiggled out from underneath the concerned boy quickly.
Sasuke's face broke into a rare smile. "Dobe."
Naruto felt a slight blush creeping into his face at the sight. He really looked good when he smiled. Like he was nothing more than human, no longer the superman he tried to present himself as. Unbidden his dream returned to him. The one most precious to him? Sasuke? No. It wasn't true, wasn't POSSIBLE. Naruto jumped up as if the bed were on fire, landing on all fours in the corner, like a frightened animal.
"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke demanded, smile wiped from his face.
"Nothing!" Naruto spat. "Just get away from me!"
Anger quickly contorted Sasuke's face, but in his eyes there was something else. Was that FEAR Naruto smelled coming from him? Naruto viciously shook the thought from his head, 'I can't SMELL fear!'
"Fine, dobe. Next time I'll let you scream your throat dry." Sasuke said, walking towards the door.
Naruto remained in his crouched position until the dark, questioning eyes were gone, until the click of Sasuke's door reached his ears, only then did he allow himself to relax a bit. "Ok, Uzumaki, think." As was his tendency when presented with a serious problem Naruto began to pace and talk out loud to himself (a habit learned from Iruka, of all people). "What was up with that dream? Hum. OK, the woman's voice at the beginning was the woman that came up latter on and got stabbed next to Sasuke. According to the dream she was my- the FOX DEMON'S- dead lover. I'm not that damn demon! And then there was Kakashi and Iruka and Sakura. All dead, all screaming." Naruto rubbed feverishly at his face. "And then there was that voice. Condemning me for something that damn monster did. What's that gotta do with me? Doesn't matter, the whole town blames me for that thing's messes." Heaving a large sigh he shifted his train of thought. "The voice wasn't human, couldn't have been. I've never heard anything like it. Can you come up with new sounds in your dreams? Hum." He contemplated this quietly for a moment. "But maybe it was one of the fox's memories and it just threw itself into my dream. That woman. She kind of looked like Sakura-chan! Just. A more grown up Sakura-chan with more reddish hair than pink." A faint blush crept into his checks. "If Sakura-chan grows up to look like that, she'll be even more beautiful. And then I can do this and that and. heh heh."
His joviality ended as the memory of Sasuke's screams went through his mind again and he remembered Sakura's dead face as well. "Sasuke." His voice came out as a painful whisper. "You lying bastard. I wasn't ever supposed to see you die again."
Sasuke lay in his bed and listened to the pained breathing through the paper thin walls of his traditional Japanese style house, only two thoughts going through his mind. The first he couldn't help but wonder, was what was Naruto thinking, talking about his problems out loud? He KNEW the house wasn't sound proof. The other thought, the one he tried desperately to push away until morning was, what did Naruto have to do with the fox demon?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sun rose only two hours after Naruto woke from his strange, hideous dream. Both Naruto and Sasuke were grateful, as neither was able to return to sleep after the incident. Naruto eventually came to the silent conclusion that he needed to talk to someone about history, while Sasuke decided that it was time to finally get some answers to the question that had been boiling in his brain since that day at the hospital.
"Morning." Naruto called feigning sleepiness.
"Hrum." Sasuke snorted with a small nod, also pretending to have just woken up.
"Hey, Sasuke, you know where they keep the records of Ninja and non-Ninja from around 10-15 years ago?"
Sasuke's eyebrows shot up, but he shook his head. "Why's a dobe like you want to know about something like that?"
"I just. Something in a dream I had." Naruto shook his preoccupied head before adding, off handedly, "Don't call me dobe, bastard."
"Hum." The dark headed boy put two plates down and directed his companion to the breakfast table. "Did it have anything to do with the fox demon?"
"Sort of, more like something he did-." Naruto's words froze in his throat. "So." His eyes bore coolly into the other boy.
"So." Sasuke replied. That confirmed some of his suspicions. Naruto WAS somehow tied to the demon. He sighed, frustrated. Tactfulness had never been a skill he felt the need to perfect, so beating around the bush was impossible, but coming right out and asking was turning out to be harder than he would have dreamed possible. He sighed again. What did it really matter if he was making Naruto uncomfortable? Why was this so hard?
"What do you know?" Naruto asked, voice small, but was there a threat buried in the underlying tone that Sasuke detected?
A slight smirk spread across the stoic features. "I know that your whole life you have been treated like someone with a disease. I know that the villagers are scared of you, and not just the non-ninja. I know that the adults are always jumping around a subject that has something to do with you, but they seem unable to talk about. I know that your dream had something to do with the fox AND I know that something about it made you suddenly shout 'I am NOT that damn demon!'"
"So what?" Naruto jumped to his feet. "It's called a nightmare. I know you're familiar, because I've heard a few things from YOUR room, too. I'm just not nosey enough to stick MY big nose in YOUR freakin business. Or don't you remember two nights ago screaming about your brother. Whatever that weird crap is about." A light dawned in his blue eyes. "Come to think about it, you said something about your brother that time, too. When you thought you were going to die."
"Don't EVER mention that man to me again."
Dark eyes met blue, in both shone a warning and a determination. The air was so thick a knife could slice it, and into that environment walked an unsuspecting Sakura. "Ohayo Sasuke-kun! Naruto." She glanced from one boy to the other, suddenly wishing she had come latter. Or maybe she should have waited until the next day.
Her face scrunched into a wince as neither boy glanced from the other to acknowledge her arrival. 'Geez.' She thought, 'If I wanted to be ignored today I could have stayed at home.'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hours latter Sakura found herself walking the streets with a peevish Naruto. The boy's silent fight had ended with Naruto storming out of the house, Sakura, there under the pretense of checking up on her teammate had no choice but to follow, leaving an enraged Sasuke to brood alone. All in all it was the quietest and lest physical she had ever seen one of the boy's fights turn out to be. "So, Naruto, why don't we train?" Sakura sighed even as the words escaped her lips, but seeing the usually energetic blonde so distraught was hard.
Naruto turned suddenly excited eyes on the girl. "Really? ALRIGHT!" He grabed Sakura's hand and started dragging her to the clearing their team typically trained at.
"Oi!" Sakura pulled her hand from Naruto's grip, a laughing smile gracing her lips at the boy's excitement. This was more like the Naruto she knew. "Naruto, slow down! I need to get changed."
Naruto glanced down at her and noticed for the first time she wasn't wearing her traditional outfit, instead a very pretty red dress with a black sash tied around her waist. "OH! Sakura-chan, gomen! You look so pretty today! I was so mad at that bastard, Sasuke, that I didn't even notice!"
Sakura bit back the automatic response of defending Sasuke. She didn't know what happened, and since Naruto had been so depressed recently she really hated to argue with him. With surprise she noticed that she was actually being nice to Naruto without forcing herself. 'I guess the dweeb's growing on me.' "So, Naruto, tell me about Sasuke's house!"
Naruto smiled as he told her stories about getting lost in the huge house, about how strange the house was, how thin the walls were. Sakura smiled as she listened, Inner Sakura in rapt attention mode, after all, one day she would be living there as Sasuke's wife, right? Before either realized it they were at Sakura's home. She let herself and Naruto in, calling out, "Mom, I'm home! I'm just going to change and then we'll be heading out!"
"We?" Sakura's mother poked her head around the corner. A pleasant looking, plump woman, with a smile like a ray of sunshine, but besides the smile she looked nothing like her pink headed daughter. "Oh." He smile faltered slightly, before she put it firmly back in place. "Naruto-kun, right? Sakura tells me all sorts of stories about you and Sasuke."
Naruto blushed a bit, and looked down at the ground, unaccustomed to being treated like anything but a burden at best by the majority of adults in the town. "It's nice to meet you, mam."
The woman ushered Naruto into a room while Sakura ran up the stairs to her bedroom. "You just wait in here; I'll bring you some lemonade."
Naruto stood in shocked silence for a moment, before realizing that the woman was already out of the room. He shrugged and looked around the room he was in. It had a couch and a few chairs, some tables with various pictures and such littering the top. Naruto smiled at a picture of Sakura, probably taken graduating day when she became a Gennin. There was also a picture of a much younger and thinner Mrs. Haruno in a white wedding dress next to a very dignified young Ninja man. "Must be Sakura's father." He mused as he glanced at the picture next to it.
For a moment Naruto thought his heart had stopped. His hand shook as he grabbed the picture in question. On it was a woman that looked suspiciously like Sakura, only with redder hair and about 5 years older. If Sakura and her mother's smile was like a ray of sunshine than this woman's was an accumulation of every ray of light ever to reach the earth. "Pretty, isn't she?" Sakura's mother walked in the room, two glasses of lemonade on a tray. "She was my sister-in-law, Sakura's aunt. Sakura looks so much like her, doesn't she?"
Naruto slowly looked from the picture to Sakura's mother. "She- I mean, where is she?"
The woman smiled sadly, "She left the village before I married Sakura's father, she sacrificed herself to save the village by offering herself as a bride to the demon. She was never a very good Ninja but she became a hero anyway. It's a very noble story, if you have the time to sit and listen."
"What?" Naruto sat in speechless horror. The woman was real. She WAS married to the fox demon. That dream. "So she married the fox demon?" He concluded, the words sounding lame even to his own ears.
Sakura chose that moment to walk into the room, dressed now in her traditional red outfit and shorts. "Mom!" She said, with an exasperated sigh. "Naruto's not interested in out family history!" Inner Sakura raged in the background 'NOT THIS DAMN STORY!'
Naruto looked from the girl to her mother before saying in a quiet voice, "I actually am, please?" He sent beseeching eyes to both women.
Sakura threw herself into a nearby chair, earning a harsh look from her mother. She hated this story, it happened so long ago, and it was so stupid, but there was something in Naruto's voice and eyes that stopped her from insisting that they leave immediately. The boy looked so pathetic when he was begging.
Mrs. Haruno was sending out that million dollar smile to Naruto again. "Illia, that was her name, she was never a very strong ninja, but she had a good heart. She liked being in the forest, not to train, but just to sit and let the atmosphere wash over her. She was a peace loving woman, perhaps that's why." She shook her head. "One day while she was out relaxing a man approached her. She didn't recognize the man, but assumed that he was one of the villagers (she wasn't the kind of person that paid much attention to humans.). I'm not quite sure about the details but it seems that the man was impressed with her and came to her house the next day to promptly ask for permission to marry her."
The plump woman paused; her smile had long since faded. "My father in law was a strict man, and very impressed with the suitor. He wanted Illia to marry the man, but apparently she wasn't as impressed as her father was. It caused a lot of fighting between the two for a few days, but when the suitor returned for the response to his proposal Illia had won and he was sent away very angry. That should have been the end of it, really, but hell hath no furry like one scorned, especially if that someone is a demon in disguise. The man returned the next day. This time he wasted no time with Illia's parents, he went strait to the Hokage and demanded she be handed over."
"Again the choice was given to Illia, but this time the choice presented to her was not a simple yes or no, but a yes to marriage or a yes to allowing him to destroy as much of the village as he could before he was defeated and killed." Sakura's mother glanced at Naruto. "You have heard about the power of that fox demon, right?"
Naruto nodded, his attention fixed on every word that came from the woman's mouth.
"Well, this demon, a wolf demon, was his half-brother. Their level of power was close. Close enough to make an attack a terrifying idea. But the Fourth was not about to send one of his people off as a human sacrifice. She choose to go with the demon rater than seeing the village destroyed. Then she asked her family and the Hokage to keep her story a secret, so her sacrifice was never known." The woman turned sad eyes to Naruto. "The strength to do what's right and not be thanked for it; that is what it truly means to be a hero."
Naruto tore his gaze away from the woman. Why was she looking at him like that? Her look that held a mixture of pity and compassion was starting to bother him. He glanced at the clock. It was five. FIVE? How long had she been telling her story? Naruto rose to his feet. "Thank you." His voice came out in a soft whisper. Why did this story make his heart hurt so much?
Mrs. Haruno smiled once again at Naruto before following his gaze. "Of course, dear. Oh my, look at the time. Sakura! What are you doing sitting around? If you have time to sit than you have time to peel potatoes for dinner."
Sakura shoot a glare at her mother. "Gomen, Naruto. Maybe we can train tomorrow with Sasuke?" 'Oh, shit. I forgot Naruto was angry at Sasuke right now. Now I'll have to listen to him whine about it!' But to Sakura's surprise, Naruto simply nodded, a distant look on his face. Sakura walked out of the room in shock. "Have a good night, Naruto."
"Yeah, you too, Sakura-chan." He replied in a distracted manner. "I do have one question before I leave, mam. Why do you know all this stuff if she asked no one to tell anybody and you weren't part of the family at the time?"
"Ah, well that's simple. Illia told me everything after she was sent away." The woman replied quietly.
"After she left?" The boy replied just as quietly.
"Hai. We were best friends. The man she married was very kind and allowed her to speak to me even though we were apart."
"I thought you said she married that demon."
"No, I said that she left with that demon. What happened afterward is another story. A story that no one but myself and the Hokage know." She looked at the boy sadly. "But it is a story that you deserve to know, because of who you are." Her face suddenly had a decisive look on it. "Come see me next week and I will tell you the rest."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Naruto walked back to the Uuchia mansion slowly. The girl was real. Her name really was Illia. She was taken away by demons. She was taken away by the BROTHER of the fox demon. A wolf demon. Suddenly the voice in Naruto's dream reminded him of a sound he had heard before. A wolf's growling; that was what the vice was like. A wolf that was intimidating its prey.
He opened the door of his new home and suddenly remembered that he and Sasuke had been fighting when he left. 'Kuso! He might kick me out. I forgot about that.' But Sasuke was setting the table when he walked into the kitchen. There were two places set.
"Oi, dobe, why don't you give me a hand?" Sasuke said in his normal impassive tone.
"Oh, sure." He pulled out two cups and set the water to boil for tea. "Hey, Sasuke?
"What?" Sasuke responded, full attention on the large bowl he was carrying to the table.
"Who's the most important person to you right now?" One part of the dream had been bothering him ever since the voice called Sasuke his most important person. What did that mean? Could SASUKE really be his most important person?
Sasuke dropped the dish he was carrying. "WHAT THE HELL?"
Naruto ran over to the spilled contents of his dinner and looked at it sadly. There was no saving whatever the meal was intended to be. "You dropped my dinner!" He said in an accusatory manner.
"DOBE!" Sasuke fumed, feeling a suddenly embarrassed flush reach his cheeks. WHY did that question bother him so much?
"WHAT?" Naruto replied, feeling anger rise in his chest. "Don't you dare say this is MY fault, it's YOU that dropped MY meal."
The dark headed boy realized that the idiot blonde was right for once. "Instead of pointing out blame how about helping me clean this mess up?"
The over-active boy knelt next to Sasuke. "So, who IS the most important person to you right now?"
Glaring daggers, he replied, "I hadn't really thought about it. Since I'm an avenger, I guess maybe." Maybe his brother? But that didn't seem right at all to him. The person whose disappearance would probably have the most effect on him would have to be. "Probably you." He thought about how that sounded and added quickly, "And Kakashi-sensei. The two of you aid me the most in my quest for strength."
"Ah. That makes sense."
The remainder of the cleaning was finished without a sound between the two boys. Sasuke was the first to break the silence. Face still glowing slightly red he asked, "What about you?"
Naruto thought about it for a second. "I guess it's the same for me. The people that help me towards my goals." He blushed slightly as well and glanced at Sasuke. He sent out an uncomfortable smile to the boy. "Uh, about before, I should never have said what I did-"
"Forget it."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Psychic King: *being carried by Kakashi* I guess I wore myself out.
Naruto: Yeah, after six hours of video games in a row, not even breaking for food. I can't believe a weak person like you is still alive.
Kakashi: *starts to set Psychic King down*
Psychic King: Ah, no, not there. *cuddles into Kakashi's arms* I want to be set down over there. *points to some vague area far to the left*
Iruka: *pulling out a chair and glaring at Psychic King* Here you go. Right here. A nice comfy chair for you to regain your strength in.
Psychic King: *slightly disappointed* Thanks a lot Iruka. Can't even let a girl enjoy the moment. *Turns to readers* SO! Was it too fluffy at the end? I just thought I needed to throw SOMETHING to you for the whole long explanation of the fox demon's past love. Anyway, I had so much trouble falling asleep last night because plot ideas kept running through my head. *sigh* I have a feeling that this story is going to be a LOT longer than I originally planned. But that all depends on getting reviews! *laughs maniacally, holding arms above her head*
Sakura: *annoyed that Sasuke ignored her at the arcade* suddenly she doesn't look so weak anymore, don't you think?
Iruka: *Nodds* I get the suspicion that she was faking the whole thing.
Psychic King: *pretending not to hear* Anyway, wasn't it fun Naruto?
Naruto: Yeah! Sure was. *face darkening* Until Sasuke beat that nice guy up! He was so friendly, too.
Psychic King: Yeah. Well, just so you know, when a guy keeps touching another guy like HE was touching YOU there's usually a reason beyond friendliness.
Naruto: *blankly innocent* Like what?
Psychic King: *shaking head* Never mind. *muttering* Sasuke sure has his work cut out for him.
Sakura: *clearing throat* ANYWAY! I think it's time for you to do that thing you were planning on doing.
Psychic King: What thing?
Sakura: *getting angry* DON'T YOU REMEMBER ANYTING? Baka! You said you were going to tell the readers something important.
Psychic King: *hitting head with hand* Soka! Um. I'm not having my period. I don't know why Sakura-chan jumps to these conclusions; I was just happy from a mixture of happy reviews and lack of sleep. *glaring at Sakura* And 'Baka' is NOT an appropriate way to address your Psychic King!
Sakura: THAT was it? That was your big announcement?
Iruka, Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto: *quietly backing off screen, realizing that no one is paying attention take the chance to disappear*
Psychic King: Um, I think so. That and. *turns towards readers* what else was there. Hum. Well, in case you hadn't noticed I am making this story a divergence. Starting from the point that I did I only had two choices, 1) make a divergence, 2) skip forward in time a lot. Skipping forward in time seemed unhappy to me, as I liked the plot that was boiling in my mind. So, we diverge and make the story different. Don't worry! I love Gaara-chan and Lee-kun! They will most assuredly be in the story. As well as Hinata, Neiji, Shikamaru, Ino, and anybody else that I really like that I can't think of right now. Oh yeah, also, no fear to anyone that hates love triangles as much as I do, the Fox's dead wife is DEAD, there will be no coming back to life for her, no uncomfortable 'But I love BOTH of you' scenes. Well, not with both Sasuke and Illia alive, anyway. And um. I like reviews! Please review! If you have anything you would like to see in the story don't hesitate to ask. I can't guarantee that I'll add it, but I am always open to suggestions! And, um. I added my Kakashi/Iruka background story of their relationship if anyone is curious. It might not be that special, but it's there, so if you want to read it it's called Embrace of the Scarecrow. That's all! *waves bye-bye to readers* don't forget to review (if you want to that is, I don't want to come off as pushy)!