Psychic King: *dancing and throwing confetti around the room* Yeah! It's a
party, everyone!
Uzu: *joining in the dace* Yay! A party! What are we celebrating, anyway?
Naruto: *throwing a large pile of confetti on Psychic King's head* who cares? It's a party!
Psychic King: No, it's great! Look! *pulls computer out of nowhere* we got over 100 reviews on Embrace of Solitude! *looks at audience* you guys really like me!
Naruto: *shaking head* WOW! Over 100 reviews... That's almost unbelievable! *Looking suspiciously at Psychic King* you didn't write any of them yourself, did you?
Psychic King: *shaking head* NO! I didn't!
Sakura: *stalking into the room* Psychic King-sama... Just the person I've been looking for... *smiles darkly at Psychic King*
Psychic King: *Looking at Sakura in terror* Naruto, hold her off, please! I gotta escape! She's gonna kill me for having you and Sasuke make out last chapter. *runs away*
Sakura: *eyes glowing* You can run, but you can't hide... *stalks after Psychic King*
Naruto: *shrugs and continues dancing and throwing confetti*
Uzu: *while dancing* Oh yeah! She probably wants one of us to mention that she DOESN'T own you guys... and yet somehow she DOES own us... *looking at Naruto* How does that work, Daddy?
Naruto: *shrugs*
Psychic King: *sneaking onto the screen, glancing to and fro and then looking at the readers; whispering* Hey, guys! I just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews! This party is really for you! *points over shoulder at Naruto and Uzu dancing* OK, I know it's not much of a party, but I'm still trying to hide from Sakura... She wants to kill me for having Sasuke actually kiss Naruto. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews! You guys are great! This chapter is extra long at last a page longer than normal, anyway) in gratitude! I hope you like it! *slinks slowly off screen*
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Embrace of Solitude
Chapter 12
Kakashi smiled down at his lover as they made their way to Sasuke's house. Iruka was adorably happy right now. Ever since this morning when they brought Naruto back from the forest he'd been acting like a worried mother (not that Kakashi would say that to his face), but now that they were going to check on the boy he was practically beaming with happiness. He slipped his arm around Iruka, pulling him closer as they walked. "You seem to be in a good mood tonight."
Iruka nodded, snuggling closer. "I'm just happy that things seem to be calming down now, and that there are so many people that are around to take care of Naruto."
"Oh?" Kakashi's voice dripped with mock hurt, "not because you have the most wonderful lover in all Konoha?"
"Well, I don't know about THAT..." Iruka's voice trailed off as he stared at someone approaching at a fast speed. "Who's that?"
The silver haired man stepped forward, blocking the figure's path. "Oi! Sasuke-kun. Where are you going so quickly at this time of night?"
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke slowed his pace and stopped when he reached the two, breathing heavily. "There was a man, back at the field near my house. Naruto went after him..."
"Show me where." All joking dropped, Kakashi was already moving quickly towards the field leaving Iruka and Sasuke to chase after him.
They reached the field and Sasuke showed them the spot Naruto vanished from. "Why were you back here-" Iruka broke off his question as he noticed the heads on the ground. "'Older Brother, a small gift to remind you- I'm on my way. Next time it will be someone closer to you, I promise you that. I apologize for not returning their entire bodies, but I fed them to my pack....'" Iruka's voice shook in anger as he read the message. "Bastard!"
Kakashi turned his face to Sasuke, anger radiating off him. "Which direction?" Sasuke pointed and Kakashi was gone, they could both hear his voice calling, "Sasuke, go back to your house; Iruka, go tell Hokage-sama. I'll bring back Naruto."
The two stared after Kakashi for a long moment. Iruka finally shook himself, and grabbed Sasuke. "Go home NOW, Sasuke. Tell Tenmar and the others what happened." He watched for a moment as Sasuke nodded and dashed off, making sure the boy really DID head back towards the house, then he bent down and picked up the heads, placing them gently back in the bag with a mixture of sorrow and anger and headed off to tell the Hokage. Someone was going to pay for this, of that Iruka had no doubt.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke sat on the roof of his house, watching for some sign of Naruto on the horizon, but there was nothing. They had been waiting for over three hours now. He had arrived at the house and immediately told everyone what had happened. Both Uzu and Tenmar immediately left with Sasuke to search for Naruto. Ganten, Mina, Sakura and Shikamaru remained at the house watching and waiting. But after two hours of searching there was still no sign. Not of Naruto, Kakashi or even the strange man that had appeared to deliver the message. With not even a trace to fall back on the three returned to the house feeling defeated and annoyed. Sasuke immediately climbed onto the roof to wait out Naruto's return. He had noticed Iruka arriving shortly after they appeared, but he couldn't bring himself to care or feel curious. All he could think about was Naruto. "Where IS he?" He growled impatiently.
"Sasuke-kun." Iruka called, climbing up onto the roof. "So this is where you've been hiding." He settled himself down next to the boy. "Any signs yet?"
Sasuke shook his head, sending a glare towards his former teacher.
Iruka sighed, fighting the annoyance that was starting to rise. It wasn't Sasuke's fault that Naruto went chasing after that strange man; it also wasn't Sasuke's fault that Sasuke had no people skills whatsoever. "I'm worried about Naruto, too, but I'm sure he's fine. He has to be, Kakashi went after him."
Sasuke turned his glare back out towards the forest, watching. After a moment he spoke to the teacher. "How can you do that? How can you have so much confidence in him?"
Iruka thought for a moment, trying to think of the right words to say. "I have to trust in his strength because I'm not... strong like him, or even you and Naruto. I have to fight in my own way. It's different for you; you and Naruto are so close in power, in potential. You really CAN be by his side during everything... I-I AM jealous of the two of you for that, but... I have my own ways to protect and fight for what I love." He reached a hand out, placing it on Sasuke's shoulder. "You need to trust in Naruto. He's even stronger now, he'll be fine."
Sasuke grunted, allowing the man's comforting touch, but annoyance still tinged his voice. "What would you know about it?"
"I know that there's something going on between the two of you." Iruka smiled. "The way you two were always going at it, fighting and such... He was the only person you let past that cold façade of yours, too. And the way you've always protected him and saved him and watched over him... It's not easy, though, is it? Because he's suddenly so powerful and he doesn't seem to need your protection anymore. Not only that but now all this complicated business with him having been married and having four children. Makes it confusing, ne?" Iruka leaned back, lying against the roof, still keeping his eyes on the forest. "But don't worry, despite all that he's still Naruto and he's always going to need someone to watch his back, he's such a baka. Strong, but still a baka."
Sasuke smirked, "THAT'S for sure. And I'm still stronger than he is." Suddenly Sasuke stiffened, his eyes focusing on the area where the forest ran along his back yard. Kakashi emerged from the tree line a moment later, Naruto slung over his shoulder. Sasuke jumped down immediately, grabbing Naruto from the man and looking him over. He was alive and breathing, he didn't seem to be in any pain and at first glance Sasuke could see no signs of any injuries, although the boy's clothing was torn to pieces and barely hanging on him, they were also covered in blood, but if it was Naruto's blood could not be seen.
"He's fine, Sasuke." Kakashi said with a touch of humor in his voice. "He's just resting."
Sasuke turned a glare at the man then stared moving Naruto inside. "I'll take him into his room, you tell the others that he's back." Still holding Naruto, Sasuke jumped back onto the roof, where he crawled through an upstairs window into the house.
Kakashi and Iruka looked at each other for a moment. "I guess he didn't want to share." Iruka said after a moment. Kakashi grinned in response, but Iruka's manner had already turned serious again. "What happened out there? You were gone for so long, I was really worried."
Kakashi smiled at his lover, wrapping an arm around the brunette he started towards the house. "A whole lot of nothing on my part. But why don't we go inside and I can tell everyone at the same time so I don't have to repeat my story again?"
"Again? How many times have you told it already?"
"Well, we did make a quick stop at Hokage-sama's first..." The silver haired man winced as his lover stiffened a bit.
"HOW quick of a stop?" Iruka demanded, pulling away from Kakashi.
"Two hours..."
"TWO HOURS?" Iruka replied in disbelief. "And you couldn't even send a messenger over to let us know that Naruto was alright?"
The shouting apparently caught the attention of those in the house as the front door opened and Tenmar and Uzu came running out, their faces falling when they noticed Naruto was not with Kakashi. "Did you find him?" Uzu demanded, marching up to Kakashi and grabbing him by the collar.
"Hai, hai..." Kakashi sighed; it was going to be a long night. "Sasuke took him in through the upstairs window. He's probably resting in bed right now, which is where he should be. I'll answer as many of your questions as I can and when Naruto is feeling up to it he can fill in the rest, OK?"
Tenmar noted with interest the way Iruka was purposely avoiding looking at and touching his lover but he said nothing. He could worry about Iruka later, for now his father had to be his top priority.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke climbed quickly through the window, pulling Naruto into his room and plopping him down on the bed. Hand shaking slightly, Sasuke removed Naruto's bloody clothing and tossed it onto the ground. Running a quick hand over the blonde's body he sighed in amazement and relief. There wasn't even one scratch. Grabbing a chair, Sasuke seated himself in a position to watch for the boy to wake up. A few moments passed, then a few more. Sasuke found himself glaring at the sleeping boy, how long was this gonna TAKE? He watched as Naruto rolled onto his side, facing away from Sasuke, and he heard the blonde mutter softly, "Sasuke..."
Sasuke blushed, a small smile forming on his face. Well, whatever. Naruto would wake up when he was ready. Until then Sasuke found himself unwilling to leave Naruto's side. Watching the blonde curl happily into a small ball, a sudden wave of pure exhaustion washed over the dark haired boy. Making a quick decision, Sasuke pushed Naruto's sleeping form slightly to the side and crawled into the bed, wrapping a protective arm around the blonde. Naruto, still asleep, immediately curled into the warmth of Sasuke's body, wrapping one arm around the other boy's waist and nestling his head into Sasuke's chest. Still smiling slightly Sasuke fell quickly asleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke woke up with the sun light shining brightly onto his eyes. He sighed. He over slept AGAIN. He glanced down as Naruto snuggled closer to him, burying his face in Sasuke's shirt to hide from the sunlight. "Oi, dobe? Are you awake?"
There was a long moment of silence and Sasuke began to wonder if there was anything the blonde COULDN'T sleep through. But slowly, almost unnoticeably, the blonde head shifted up, until Sasuke could see the piercing blue eyes staring strait into his soul. "yeah. I'm awake."
"Good. Are you alight?"
Naruto shrugged. "I'm OK."
Sasuke nodded. Naruto wasn't putting on any airs, wasn't laughing like a maniac and wasn't trying to coax him into a fight so he knew this was an honest answer.
Naruto sat up, covers falling off him as he stretched. That was when he noticed that he had been stripped of his clothing, all the way down to his boxers, which suddenly seemed like entirely too thin a piece of clothing to cover him. He glanced at Sasuke to see that the dark haired boy was only wearing his shorts and a tank top. Had they slept together all night like that? Blushing, he pulled a blanket over his mid section. "Eto... Sasuke-kun..."
"You looked like shit." Sasuke commented, noticing the blush that was rising in the blonde's face. "And your clothes were all torn to pieces. Not to mention the fact that they were all bloody."
"Yeah, well, you know... Fighting with a pack of wolves can get pretty messy..." Naruto grinned sheepishly.
Sasuke glared at the blonde. "I wouldn't know... So are you going to talk about it?"
"Well..." Naruto's grin turned devious. "I'll tell you if it's REALLY important to you, Sasuke-kun." He said in a playful tone. "If you'll admit that I'm the most awesomely powerful Ninja in Konoha." He had a triumphant look on his face.
Sasuke looked away from the boy, pulling the blankets up around himself.
Naruto's face went from devious to pouting. "What are you doing?"
"If you're not going to talk about it, I'm going back to sleep." Sasuke replied, turning his face away from the blonde.
"No fair! That's so mean, Sasuke-bastard!" Naruto had to fight to keep his voice from rising in anger and alerting everyone in the house that he was awake, but with some difficulty he did so.
Sasuke turned and glared viciously at the boy, "I'm not interested in playing some stupid game right now."
"Oi... Sasuke... Are you really mad at me?" Naruto whispered, getting up and sitting cross legged on the bed.
Sasuke sat up, too, leaning his back against the headboard of the bed. "What do you think? Why'd you go after that guy?"
"H-he killed four ninja! He was working for..." The blonde began to shake, a dark aura permeating around him. He wrapped his arms around his chest, face cast downwards, in such a way that Sasuke couldn't see any part of it.
"Naruto?" Sasuke noticed that it looked as if the blonde's finger nails had grown and there was a reddish hue surrounding him. The boy looked up suddenly, his face lacked the innocence it usually held, in it's pace a dark feral look had taken over, his once blue eyes were now a blood red.
"He was working for that... Do you really want to know what happened, Sasuke?" Naruto responded in a voice that could only be described as animalistic. Was it Sasuke's imagination or did Naruto suddenly look about ten years older? "I chased that man for almost an hour, he ran like the fucking coward he was, but it wasn't fast enough. I realized it while I was chasing him, he wasn't really trying to loose me, he wanted to lead me somewhere, but I really couldn't give a damn. All I could think about was revenge. That man became not just a symbol of my brother, but in my mind he somehow actually WAS that bastard, Kentaar, and I wanted to tear him limb from limb. He killed those four Ninja, he destroyed EVERYTHING I built for myself and MY mate and he tried to kill my children, is trying to kill my friends, and is even targeting you."
"So you went after him for revenge?" Sasuke asked quietly, almost in awe at this different Naruto. He easily understood Naruto like this, easily could grasp the concept of hatred and vengeance.
"Sasuke, I don't just want revenge on my brother; that would be too simple, I want him to live the lost existence I felt when I returned to my home that day to see my beloved wife hanging from his jaws. I want him to know the pure terror I felt when I noticed little Uzu being squashed under one of his paws with big, gaping claw wounds across his chest. I want him to understand the helpless feelings of watching four children scream for their mother and knowing that there is nothing that can be done to bring her back to them. AND I want him to know the complete torture of being sealed, KNOWING that it's a trap, KNOWING that the town that produced that wondrous woman that brought me so much joy was going to hate me forever for HIS sick enjoyment, KNOWING that those most precious children that I created with that woman were going to have NO way to survive, and KNOWING that there is nothing I could do about it. I don't just want to kill him; I want him to know true pain." The last sentence was said at more than a yell, louder than a scream. Sasuke wouldn't have been surprised if half of Konoha turned up at his house sometime that day to complain about the noise, but that didn't really matter. What DID matter was the look in Naruto's face, a look Sasuke had seen mirrored in his own when he thought about his OWN brother.
Naruto calmed himself just enough to bring his voice down to talking level; the disgust and hatred were still thick in it, though. "But that bastard never knew how to love, so I made do with killing his lackey. And the pack of wolves that attacked me afterwards. Kakashi showed up as I was finishing the wolves and I guess I passed out. Is that what you wanted to know?" Naruto's questioning red eyes looked at Sasuke, then at the house's other occupants, who had entered the room around the point Naruto had started explaining what he wanted his brother to experience.
A dark silence fell across the room as each person dealt with their own reactions to Naruto's little speech. Uzu was the first to break the silence. Tears running down his face, he pulled his shirt open to reveal three deep scars running from his right shoulder blade to his left thigh. "Daddy... You remembered..." He said, running his hand softly over the scar
Naruto stared at the scar with horror, anger and no small amount of regret. "I wish I had stayed to see that wound heal. I wish I hadn't gone after that man the next day when he started attacking Konoha. They could have taken care of him by themselves, and I should have stayed and taken care of you guys. I just couldn't think, I couldn't breathe... Every time I closed my eyes I saw your mother hanging there; I saw you, Uzu, drowning in a pool of your own blood as he stood over you; I heard, you screaming, Mina, as your mother's blood dropped onto you and I saw him waiting for me to let my guard down again and coming for you each one by one. But I should never have left you, I shouldn't have..." The words trailed off as he stared at his children, tears pouring down his face.
Surprising everybody in the room, Shikamaru was the first to react. "Geeze, Naruto, you're such a pain, I'm gonna have to listen to my mother bitch about not coming home last night when I get home." Shikamaru sighed, smacking the boy on the back of the head. "And put on some clothes, bastard." Those words said Shikamaru walked out of the room. Uzu was staring at him appreciatively then looked quickly back to his father.
Naruto rubbed the top of his head, face and eyes returning to normal. "Ow!"
Seeing Naruto return to normal made Sakura forget the fear she had felt when she first entered the room. Looming dangerously over the boy, Sakura smacked him as well.
"Ow!" The blonde glared up at the girl then quickly backed away when he saw the look in her eyes. "Sakura, what's with that look?"
"Teme... How DARE you sleep with Sasuke dressed like THAT!" She smacked him again.
"What was THAT for?" Naruto asked, finally choosing to hide behind Sasuke until the room's other occupants left.
"For making everyone worry last night." That said, the pink haired girl spun on her heel and stormed out of the room.
Tenmar smiled at his young father. "Poor girl's probably got a lot of questions now. I guess I better go take care of that before she goes asking around town... But I'm so glad you're safe, Naruto-sama."
"Yeah! Me too, Daddy!" Uzu jumped up to the side of the bed and kissed his father on the cheek like a child, wrestling the boy out from behind Sasuke, bumping the dark haired boy roughly.
"Hey!" Sasuke glared at the red head, who was trying to wiggle behind Sasuke to sit next to Naruto. "That's it, everyone OUT!"
Pouting, Uzu allowed Ganten to grab his arm and drag him out of the room. Ganten sent a rare smile to his father, "We should talk when you're... dressed."
Mina was the last to leave the room, hiding slightly behind the door she smiled at Naruto. "I'm glad you're OK..." Then she disappeared, closing the door quietly behind her.
Naruto smiled happily at the closed door. "Heh... I think she's starting to like me."
Sasuke growled at the blonde, smacking the boy on the back of his head. "Bi-polar freak."
"What?" Naruto leaned close to the dark haired boy, confusion shining across his perfect face.
Sasuke became suddenly very aware of the fact that an almost completely naked Naruto was leaning exceptionally close to him. "Dobe. Next time you go off to kill your brother, or whatever, you're taking me with you."
"It's not your fight, Sasuke-bastard." Naruto's tone was serious, but his eyes remained pure blue.
"I'm making it my fight."
"Fine, then when you go off to kill YOUR brother, you won't mind if I tag along."
Ignoring him, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him roughly into a laying position on the bed. Leaning over him, Sasuke growled softly. "If I have to keep my eyes on you every moment of the day I will, if I have to sleep with you every night, I will, but I WON'T be left to wait again."
"Sasu-" Whatever Naruto had been about to say was cut off by Sasuke's mouth covering his own. Naruto was starting to notice a trend with Sasuke's kisses. They usually seemed to be used to stop him from talking. Shrugging, Naruto wrapped his arms around the angry boy, pulling him closer. They were going to have to talk about this one day. About what their relationship was and about both of their pasts, although Naruto's was probably going to be the major problem, but for now... "Ungh..." Naruto groaned as Sasuke pressed against him.
"Shut up, do you want everyone to hear?" Sasuke hissed, raising his head slightly.
"Don't care." Naruto responded, biting gently on Sasuke's shoulder, the closest part of Sasuke's body currently to Naruto's mouth.
"Ah..." The deep voice replied in a gasp.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Downstairs Sakura was rubbing her temple, sighing in confusion. "OK, fine. Naruto is the fox demon, who wasn't really a demon at all, but actually a pretty nice guy that was just framed by his evil brother, a wolf demon-thing, and before he was sealed he had you four, so you're all his children."
Tenmar nodded encouragingly. "Yes, that's right."
Uzu grinned, too, smiling at both Sakura and Shikamaru. Shikamaru had picked up on the story right away, but somehow Sakura was having problems grasping the entire thing. "That's right, cuz!"
"But HOW does that end up with Naruto as MY uncle and you all as my cousins?" Sakura said, frustration almost causing her to reach breaking point.
"Obviously!" Shikamaru said, finally loosing his patience with the girl. "Illia, YOUR aunt, married Naruto, THEY conceived Uzu and the others, THEN Naruto got sealed and is now the boy that you know today. What about this is hard to understand?" Rising from the table, Shikamaru stormed into the kitchen, muttering about the stupidity of women.
Uzu grinned after him, eyes holding an almost serious, tender look. "He's so clever." He glanced back at the now fuming Sakura. "Not that you're not brilliant, too, cuz, you're just no Shikamaru."
"DON'T COMPARE ME TO THAT LAZY BASTARD!" Sakura yelled, releasing inner Sakura's rage and punching the red haired idiot. She huffed out of the room, going in the opposite direction Shikamaru had.
"And you're strong, too!" Uzu called after her, grinning up at his brother.
Tenmar was shaking his head, a mixture of annoyance and humor playing across his face. "You know, that Shikamaru kid's pretty young."
"You know, that Iruka guy's pretty old." Uzu replied, not missing a beat.
Tenmar blushed as the door swung open, and the object of his desires walked in. "Have either of you seen Naruto?" Iruka asked, looking from face to face.
Uzu snickered and shook his head, poking at his brother playfully.
Tenmar composed himself and whacked Uzu's hand away from him, "No, I don't think he's come out of his room yet."
Iruka sighed and Tenmar noticed how adorable his face looked when he was annoyed, "I wanted to talk to him before I had to go teach."
"Why don't we go check?" Tenmar asked, hoping that Iruka wouldn't point out the obvious fact that he really didn't need to go WITH Iruka to check on Naruto.
To Tenmar's extreme joy Iruka nodded, "Yeah, that's a good idea."
They walked the completely too short distance to Naruto's room, where Iruka raised his hand to knock. A slightly muffled moaning noise stopped his hand mid-knock. Sasuke's voice asked, "What'd you do THAT for, dobe?"
Iruka and Tenmar exchanged glances as Naruto's reply of, "What, it felt good, right?" reached their ears. Then there was another moaning noise.
Iruka and Tenmar, faces bright red, both turned and headed back down the hallway. Kakashi walked up to his lover, grabbing his hand. "Did you speak to Naruto?"
Iruka shook his head, eyes wide. "N-no... I'll talk to him when I come back tonight..."
"You're coming back tonight?" Uzu asked, walking towards the front door with Shikamaru and Sakura.
"Yeah... Yes! You guys start your basic Ninja training tonight, around seven, I guess, so I can have dinner with Kakashi."
Tenmar glared at the silver haired man as he wrapped his arm around Iruka, but nodded and smiled at Iruka. "We'll look forward to it."
"Yeah, speak for yourself." Uzu threw in as he walked out the door with Sakura and Shikamaru. "I'm going to walk these two home now, I'll be back later!"
Shikamaru bowed slightly, speaking in his usual uninterested tone, "thanks for having me."
Uzu grinned, placing his hand on the spiky haired boy's shoulder. "You can come over ANYTIME."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Psychic King: *glancing hopefully at readers; still whispering* SO, was it OK?
Sasuke: *stomping on screen* There was too much talking.
Psychic King: *rolling eyes* WHAT? You got to make out, right?
Sasuke: THAT'S all we were doing?
Psychic King: *nodding, voice rising* Yeah, what, you think I'd write some sort of story where TWELVE year olds are getting it on?
Sasuke: *glaring and crossing arms* we're a very mature twelve.
Naruto: *running on screen, throwing confetti at Uzu and hiding behind Psychic King* Take that!
Uzu: *tossing a glass of punch at Naruto, splashing him AND Psychic King* I'll never let you beat me, evil fiend!
Naruto: *runs off screen screaming* I'll defeat you, because I AM the confetti monster!
Uzu: *runs chasing after Naruto*
Psychic King: *glancing pointedly at Sasuke*
Sasuke: *glaring at the spot Naruto disappeared to* Well, at least I'M a mature twelve year old.
Psychic King: *shaking head* Too little, too late... *looking to readers* anyway, I've been getting some questions from you guys that I'd like to take the time to answer now... The first is something a few of you have asked... WHY did I ask which of my original characters you liked the best? Well... Hee hee... *Laughing uncomfortably* It has NOTHING to do with killing someone off... Really! *crossing fingers behind back* No, seriously, I can't guarantee that no one will die, but that wasn't really my reason for asking, it was more like curiosity. *smiles encouragingly at readers* The OTHER thing I wanted to comment on was that I have received a surprising amount of support for a Tenmar/Iruka moment, at least. I am working on this, really I am, but I couldn't find a way to squeeze it into this chapter without squeezing out something, and I was kinda pleased with what it was like, so... (Not that I didn't spend ridiculous amounts of time re-writing parts and adding and taking out scenes. It would have been out as early as two day ago except I felt the need to do some heavy re- editing, so I REALLY hope you liked it!). ANYWAY! That's all for this time! Please review and let me know what you thought!
Sakura: *sneaking up behind Psychic King* THERE you are! *grabs the struggling Psychic King by the collar and drags her off screen* We have some THINGS to discuss, oh yes we do...
Psychic King: *whimpering* Please... somebody, help me..........
Uzu: *joining in the dace* Yay! A party! What are we celebrating, anyway?
Naruto: *throwing a large pile of confetti on Psychic King's head* who cares? It's a party!
Psychic King: No, it's great! Look! *pulls computer out of nowhere* we got over 100 reviews on Embrace of Solitude! *looks at audience* you guys really like me!
Naruto: *shaking head* WOW! Over 100 reviews... That's almost unbelievable! *Looking suspiciously at Psychic King* you didn't write any of them yourself, did you?
Psychic King: *shaking head* NO! I didn't!
Sakura: *stalking into the room* Psychic King-sama... Just the person I've been looking for... *smiles darkly at Psychic King*
Psychic King: *Looking at Sakura in terror* Naruto, hold her off, please! I gotta escape! She's gonna kill me for having you and Sasuke make out last chapter. *runs away*
Sakura: *eyes glowing* You can run, but you can't hide... *stalks after Psychic King*
Naruto: *shrugs and continues dancing and throwing confetti*
Uzu: *while dancing* Oh yeah! She probably wants one of us to mention that she DOESN'T own you guys... and yet somehow she DOES own us... *looking at Naruto* How does that work, Daddy?
Naruto: *shrugs*
Psychic King: *sneaking onto the screen, glancing to and fro and then looking at the readers; whispering* Hey, guys! I just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews! This party is really for you! *points over shoulder at Naruto and Uzu dancing* OK, I know it's not much of a party, but I'm still trying to hide from Sakura... She wants to kill me for having Sasuke actually kiss Naruto. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews! You guys are great! This chapter is extra long at last a page longer than normal, anyway) in gratitude! I hope you like it! *slinks slowly off screen*
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Embrace of Solitude
Chapter 12
Kakashi smiled down at his lover as they made their way to Sasuke's house. Iruka was adorably happy right now. Ever since this morning when they brought Naruto back from the forest he'd been acting like a worried mother (not that Kakashi would say that to his face), but now that they were going to check on the boy he was practically beaming with happiness. He slipped his arm around Iruka, pulling him closer as they walked. "You seem to be in a good mood tonight."
Iruka nodded, snuggling closer. "I'm just happy that things seem to be calming down now, and that there are so many people that are around to take care of Naruto."
"Oh?" Kakashi's voice dripped with mock hurt, "not because you have the most wonderful lover in all Konoha?"
"Well, I don't know about THAT..." Iruka's voice trailed off as he stared at someone approaching at a fast speed. "Who's that?"
The silver haired man stepped forward, blocking the figure's path. "Oi! Sasuke-kun. Where are you going so quickly at this time of night?"
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke slowed his pace and stopped when he reached the two, breathing heavily. "There was a man, back at the field near my house. Naruto went after him..."
"Show me where." All joking dropped, Kakashi was already moving quickly towards the field leaving Iruka and Sasuke to chase after him.
They reached the field and Sasuke showed them the spot Naruto vanished from. "Why were you back here-" Iruka broke off his question as he noticed the heads on the ground. "'Older Brother, a small gift to remind you- I'm on my way. Next time it will be someone closer to you, I promise you that. I apologize for not returning their entire bodies, but I fed them to my pack....'" Iruka's voice shook in anger as he read the message. "Bastard!"
Kakashi turned his face to Sasuke, anger radiating off him. "Which direction?" Sasuke pointed and Kakashi was gone, they could both hear his voice calling, "Sasuke, go back to your house; Iruka, go tell Hokage-sama. I'll bring back Naruto."
The two stared after Kakashi for a long moment. Iruka finally shook himself, and grabbed Sasuke. "Go home NOW, Sasuke. Tell Tenmar and the others what happened." He watched for a moment as Sasuke nodded and dashed off, making sure the boy really DID head back towards the house, then he bent down and picked up the heads, placing them gently back in the bag with a mixture of sorrow and anger and headed off to tell the Hokage. Someone was going to pay for this, of that Iruka had no doubt.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke sat on the roof of his house, watching for some sign of Naruto on the horizon, but there was nothing. They had been waiting for over three hours now. He had arrived at the house and immediately told everyone what had happened. Both Uzu and Tenmar immediately left with Sasuke to search for Naruto. Ganten, Mina, Sakura and Shikamaru remained at the house watching and waiting. But after two hours of searching there was still no sign. Not of Naruto, Kakashi or even the strange man that had appeared to deliver the message. With not even a trace to fall back on the three returned to the house feeling defeated and annoyed. Sasuke immediately climbed onto the roof to wait out Naruto's return. He had noticed Iruka arriving shortly after they appeared, but he couldn't bring himself to care or feel curious. All he could think about was Naruto. "Where IS he?" He growled impatiently.
"Sasuke-kun." Iruka called, climbing up onto the roof. "So this is where you've been hiding." He settled himself down next to the boy. "Any signs yet?"
Sasuke shook his head, sending a glare towards his former teacher.
Iruka sighed, fighting the annoyance that was starting to rise. It wasn't Sasuke's fault that Naruto went chasing after that strange man; it also wasn't Sasuke's fault that Sasuke had no people skills whatsoever. "I'm worried about Naruto, too, but I'm sure he's fine. He has to be, Kakashi went after him."
Sasuke turned his glare back out towards the forest, watching. After a moment he spoke to the teacher. "How can you do that? How can you have so much confidence in him?"
Iruka thought for a moment, trying to think of the right words to say. "I have to trust in his strength because I'm not... strong like him, or even you and Naruto. I have to fight in my own way. It's different for you; you and Naruto are so close in power, in potential. You really CAN be by his side during everything... I-I AM jealous of the two of you for that, but... I have my own ways to protect and fight for what I love." He reached a hand out, placing it on Sasuke's shoulder. "You need to trust in Naruto. He's even stronger now, he'll be fine."
Sasuke grunted, allowing the man's comforting touch, but annoyance still tinged his voice. "What would you know about it?"
"I know that there's something going on between the two of you." Iruka smiled. "The way you two were always going at it, fighting and such... He was the only person you let past that cold façade of yours, too. And the way you've always protected him and saved him and watched over him... It's not easy, though, is it? Because he's suddenly so powerful and he doesn't seem to need your protection anymore. Not only that but now all this complicated business with him having been married and having four children. Makes it confusing, ne?" Iruka leaned back, lying against the roof, still keeping his eyes on the forest. "But don't worry, despite all that he's still Naruto and he's always going to need someone to watch his back, he's such a baka. Strong, but still a baka."
Sasuke smirked, "THAT'S for sure. And I'm still stronger than he is." Suddenly Sasuke stiffened, his eyes focusing on the area where the forest ran along his back yard. Kakashi emerged from the tree line a moment later, Naruto slung over his shoulder. Sasuke jumped down immediately, grabbing Naruto from the man and looking him over. He was alive and breathing, he didn't seem to be in any pain and at first glance Sasuke could see no signs of any injuries, although the boy's clothing was torn to pieces and barely hanging on him, they were also covered in blood, but if it was Naruto's blood could not be seen.
"He's fine, Sasuke." Kakashi said with a touch of humor in his voice. "He's just resting."
Sasuke turned a glare at the man then stared moving Naruto inside. "I'll take him into his room, you tell the others that he's back." Still holding Naruto, Sasuke jumped back onto the roof, where he crawled through an upstairs window into the house.
Kakashi and Iruka looked at each other for a moment. "I guess he didn't want to share." Iruka said after a moment. Kakashi grinned in response, but Iruka's manner had already turned serious again. "What happened out there? You were gone for so long, I was really worried."
Kakashi smiled at his lover, wrapping an arm around the brunette he started towards the house. "A whole lot of nothing on my part. But why don't we go inside and I can tell everyone at the same time so I don't have to repeat my story again?"
"Again? How many times have you told it already?"
"Well, we did make a quick stop at Hokage-sama's first..." The silver haired man winced as his lover stiffened a bit.
"HOW quick of a stop?" Iruka demanded, pulling away from Kakashi.
"Two hours..."
"TWO HOURS?" Iruka replied in disbelief. "And you couldn't even send a messenger over to let us know that Naruto was alright?"
The shouting apparently caught the attention of those in the house as the front door opened and Tenmar and Uzu came running out, their faces falling when they noticed Naruto was not with Kakashi. "Did you find him?" Uzu demanded, marching up to Kakashi and grabbing him by the collar.
"Hai, hai..." Kakashi sighed; it was going to be a long night. "Sasuke took him in through the upstairs window. He's probably resting in bed right now, which is where he should be. I'll answer as many of your questions as I can and when Naruto is feeling up to it he can fill in the rest, OK?"
Tenmar noted with interest the way Iruka was purposely avoiding looking at and touching his lover but he said nothing. He could worry about Iruka later, for now his father had to be his top priority.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke climbed quickly through the window, pulling Naruto into his room and plopping him down on the bed. Hand shaking slightly, Sasuke removed Naruto's bloody clothing and tossed it onto the ground. Running a quick hand over the blonde's body he sighed in amazement and relief. There wasn't even one scratch. Grabbing a chair, Sasuke seated himself in a position to watch for the boy to wake up. A few moments passed, then a few more. Sasuke found himself glaring at the sleeping boy, how long was this gonna TAKE? He watched as Naruto rolled onto his side, facing away from Sasuke, and he heard the blonde mutter softly, "Sasuke..."
Sasuke blushed, a small smile forming on his face. Well, whatever. Naruto would wake up when he was ready. Until then Sasuke found himself unwilling to leave Naruto's side. Watching the blonde curl happily into a small ball, a sudden wave of pure exhaustion washed over the dark haired boy. Making a quick decision, Sasuke pushed Naruto's sleeping form slightly to the side and crawled into the bed, wrapping a protective arm around the blonde. Naruto, still asleep, immediately curled into the warmth of Sasuke's body, wrapping one arm around the other boy's waist and nestling his head into Sasuke's chest. Still smiling slightly Sasuke fell quickly asleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke woke up with the sun light shining brightly onto his eyes. He sighed. He over slept AGAIN. He glanced down as Naruto snuggled closer to him, burying his face in Sasuke's shirt to hide from the sunlight. "Oi, dobe? Are you awake?"
There was a long moment of silence and Sasuke began to wonder if there was anything the blonde COULDN'T sleep through. But slowly, almost unnoticeably, the blonde head shifted up, until Sasuke could see the piercing blue eyes staring strait into his soul. "yeah. I'm awake."
"Good. Are you alight?"
Naruto shrugged. "I'm OK."
Sasuke nodded. Naruto wasn't putting on any airs, wasn't laughing like a maniac and wasn't trying to coax him into a fight so he knew this was an honest answer.
Naruto sat up, covers falling off him as he stretched. That was when he noticed that he had been stripped of his clothing, all the way down to his boxers, which suddenly seemed like entirely too thin a piece of clothing to cover him. He glanced at Sasuke to see that the dark haired boy was only wearing his shorts and a tank top. Had they slept together all night like that? Blushing, he pulled a blanket over his mid section. "Eto... Sasuke-kun..."
"You looked like shit." Sasuke commented, noticing the blush that was rising in the blonde's face. "And your clothes were all torn to pieces. Not to mention the fact that they were all bloody."
"Yeah, well, you know... Fighting with a pack of wolves can get pretty messy..." Naruto grinned sheepishly.
Sasuke glared at the blonde. "I wouldn't know... So are you going to talk about it?"
"Well..." Naruto's grin turned devious. "I'll tell you if it's REALLY important to you, Sasuke-kun." He said in a playful tone. "If you'll admit that I'm the most awesomely powerful Ninja in Konoha." He had a triumphant look on his face.
Sasuke looked away from the boy, pulling the blankets up around himself.
Naruto's face went from devious to pouting. "What are you doing?"
"If you're not going to talk about it, I'm going back to sleep." Sasuke replied, turning his face away from the blonde.
"No fair! That's so mean, Sasuke-bastard!" Naruto had to fight to keep his voice from rising in anger and alerting everyone in the house that he was awake, but with some difficulty he did so.
Sasuke turned and glared viciously at the boy, "I'm not interested in playing some stupid game right now."
"Oi... Sasuke... Are you really mad at me?" Naruto whispered, getting up and sitting cross legged on the bed.
Sasuke sat up, too, leaning his back against the headboard of the bed. "What do you think? Why'd you go after that guy?"
"H-he killed four ninja! He was working for..." The blonde began to shake, a dark aura permeating around him. He wrapped his arms around his chest, face cast downwards, in such a way that Sasuke couldn't see any part of it.
"Naruto?" Sasuke noticed that it looked as if the blonde's finger nails had grown and there was a reddish hue surrounding him. The boy looked up suddenly, his face lacked the innocence it usually held, in it's pace a dark feral look had taken over, his once blue eyes were now a blood red.
"He was working for that... Do you really want to know what happened, Sasuke?" Naruto responded in a voice that could only be described as animalistic. Was it Sasuke's imagination or did Naruto suddenly look about ten years older? "I chased that man for almost an hour, he ran like the fucking coward he was, but it wasn't fast enough. I realized it while I was chasing him, he wasn't really trying to loose me, he wanted to lead me somewhere, but I really couldn't give a damn. All I could think about was revenge. That man became not just a symbol of my brother, but in my mind he somehow actually WAS that bastard, Kentaar, and I wanted to tear him limb from limb. He killed those four Ninja, he destroyed EVERYTHING I built for myself and MY mate and he tried to kill my children, is trying to kill my friends, and is even targeting you."
"So you went after him for revenge?" Sasuke asked quietly, almost in awe at this different Naruto. He easily understood Naruto like this, easily could grasp the concept of hatred and vengeance.
"Sasuke, I don't just want revenge on my brother; that would be too simple, I want him to live the lost existence I felt when I returned to my home that day to see my beloved wife hanging from his jaws. I want him to know the pure terror I felt when I noticed little Uzu being squashed under one of his paws with big, gaping claw wounds across his chest. I want him to understand the helpless feelings of watching four children scream for their mother and knowing that there is nothing that can be done to bring her back to them. AND I want him to know the complete torture of being sealed, KNOWING that it's a trap, KNOWING that the town that produced that wondrous woman that brought me so much joy was going to hate me forever for HIS sick enjoyment, KNOWING that those most precious children that I created with that woman were going to have NO way to survive, and KNOWING that there is nothing I could do about it. I don't just want to kill him; I want him to know true pain." The last sentence was said at more than a yell, louder than a scream. Sasuke wouldn't have been surprised if half of Konoha turned up at his house sometime that day to complain about the noise, but that didn't really matter. What DID matter was the look in Naruto's face, a look Sasuke had seen mirrored in his own when he thought about his OWN brother.
Naruto calmed himself just enough to bring his voice down to talking level; the disgust and hatred were still thick in it, though. "But that bastard never knew how to love, so I made do with killing his lackey. And the pack of wolves that attacked me afterwards. Kakashi showed up as I was finishing the wolves and I guess I passed out. Is that what you wanted to know?" Naruto's questioning red eyes looked at Sasuke, then at the house's other occupants, who had entered the room around the point Naruto had started explaining what he wanted his brother to experience.
A dark silence fell across the room as each person dealt with their own reactions to Naruto's little speech. Uzu was the first to break the silence. Tears running down his face, he pulled his shirt open to reveal three deep scars running from his right shoulder blade to his left thigh. "Daddy... You remembered..." He said, running his hand softly over the scar
Naruto stared at the scar with horror, anger and no small amount of regret. "I wish I had stayed to see that wound heal. I wish I hadn't gone after that man the next day when he started attacking Konoha. They could have taken care of him by themselves, and I should have stayed and taken care of you guys. I just couldn't think, I couldn't breathe... Every time I closed my eyes I saw your mother hanging there; I saw you, Uzu, drowning in a pool of your own blood as he stood over you; I heard, you screaming, Mina, as your mother's blood dropped onto you and I saw him waiting for me to let my guard down again and coming for you each one by one. But I should never have left you, I shouldn't have..." The words trailed off as he stared at his children, tears pouring down his face.
Surprising everybody in the room, Shikamaru was the first to react. "Geeze, Naruto, you're such a pain, I'm gonna have to listen to my mother bitch about not coming home last night when I get home." Shikamaru sighed, smacking the boy on the back of the head. "And put on some clothes, bastard." Those words said Shikamaru walked out of the room. Uzu was staring at him appreciatively then looked quickly back to his father.
Naruto rubbed the top of his head, face and eyes returning to normal. "Ow!"
Seeing Naruto return to normal made Sakura forget the fear she had felt when she first entered the room. Looming dangerously over the boy, Sakura smacked him as well.
"Ow!" The blonde glared up at the girl then quickly backed away when he saw the look in her eyes. "Sakura, what's with that look?"
"Teme... How DARE you sleep with Sasuke dressed like THAT!" She smacked him again.
"What was THAT for?" Naruto asked, finally choosing to hide behind Sasuke until the room's other occupants left.
"For making everyone worry last night." That said, the pink haired girl spun on her heel and stormed out of the room.
Tenmar smiled at his young father. "Poor girl's probably got a lot of questions now. I guess I better go take care of that before she goes asking around town... But I'm so glad you're safe, Naruto-sama."
"Yeah! Me too, Daddy!" Uzu jumped up to the side of the bed and kissed his father on the cheek like a child, wrestling the boy out from behind Sasuke, bumping the dark haired boy roughly.
"Hey!" Sasuke glared at the red head, who was trying to wiggle behind Sasuke to sit next to Naruto. "That's it, everyone OUT!"
Pouting, Uzu allowed Ganten to grab his arm and drag him out of the room. Ganten sent a rare smile to his father, "We should talk when you're... dressed."
Mina was the last to leave the room, hiding slightly behind the door she smiled at Naruto. "I'm glad you're OK..." Then she disappeared, closing the door quietly behind her.
Naruto smiled happily at the closed door. "Heh... I think she's starting to like me."
Sasuke growled at the blonde, smacking the boy on the back of his head. "Bi-polar freak."
"What?" Naruto leaned close to the dark haired boy, confusion shining across his perfect face.
Sasuke became suddenly very aware of the fact that an almost completely naked Naruto was leaning exceptionally close to him. "Dobe. Next time you go off to kill your brother, or whatever, you're taking me with you."
"It's not your fight, Sasuke-bastard." Naruto's tone was serious, but his eyes remained pure blue.
"I'm making it my fight."
"Fine, then when you go off to kill YOUR brother, you won't mind if I tag along."
Ignoring him, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him roughly into a laying position on the bed. Leaning over him, Sasuke growled softly. "If I have to keep my eyes on you every moment of the day I will, if I have to sleep with you every night, I will, but I WON'T be left to wait again."
"Sasu-" Whatever Naruto had been about to say was cut off by Sasuke's mouth covering his own. Naruto was starting to notice a trend with Sasuke's kisses. They usually seemed to be used to stop him from talking. Shrugging, Naruto wrapped his arms around the angry boy, pulling him closer. They were going to have to talk about this one day. About what their relationship was and about both of their pasts, although Naruto's was probably going to be the major problem, but for now... "Ungh..." Naruto groaned as Sasuke pressed against him.
"Shut up, do you want everyone to hear?" Sasuke hissed, raising his head slightly.
"Don't care." Naruto responded, biting gently on Sasuke's shoulder, the closest part of Sasuke's body currently to Naruto's mouth.
"Ah..." The deep voice replied in a gasp.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Downstairs Sakura was rubbing her temple, sighing in confusion. "OK, fine. Naruto is the fox demon, who wasn't really a demon at all, but actually a pretty nice guy that was just framed by his evil brother, a wolf demon-thing, and before he was sealed he had you four, so you're all his children."
Tenmar nodded encouragingly. "Yes, that's right."
Uzu grinned, too, smiling at both Sakura and Shikamaru. Shikamaru had picked up on the story right away, but somehow Sakura was having problems grasping the entire thing. "That's right, cuz!"
"But HOW does that end up with Naruto as MY uncle and you all as my cousins?" Sakura said, frustration almost causing her to reach breaking point.
"Obviously!" Shikamaru said, finally loosing his patience with the girl. "Illia, YOUR aunt, married Naruto, THEY conceived Uzu and the others, THEN Naruto got sealed and is now the boy that you know today. What about this is hard to understand?" Rising from the table, Shikamaru stormed into the kitchen, muttering about the stupidity of women.
Uzu grinned after him, eyes holding an almost serious, tender look. "He's so clever." He glanced back at the now fuming Sakura. "Not that you're not brilliant, too, cuz, you're just no Shikamaru."
"DON'T COMPARE ME TO THAT LAZY BASTARD!" Sakura yelled, releasing inner Sakura's rage and punching the red haired idiot. She huffed out of the room, going in the opposite direction Shikamaru had.
"And you're strong, too!" Uzu called after her, grinning up at his brother.
Tenmar was shaking his head, a mixture of annoyance and humor playing across his face. "You know, that Shikamaru kid's pretty young."
"You know, that Iruka guy's pretty old." Uzu replied, not missing a beat.
Tenmar blushed as the door swung open, and the object of his desires walked in. "Have either of you seen Naruto?" Iruka asked, looking from face to face.
Uzu snickered and shook his head, poking at his brother playfully.
Tenmar composed himself and whacked Uzu's hand away from him, "No, I don't think he's come out of his room yet."
Iruka sighed and Tenmar noticed how adorable his face looked when he was annoyed, "I wanted to talk to him before I had to go teach."
"Why don't we go check?" Tenmar asked, hoping that Iruka wouldn't point out the obvious fact that he really didn't need to go WITH Iruka to check on Naruto.
To Tenmar's extreme joy Iruka nodded, "Yeah, that's a good idea."
They walked the completely too short distance to Naruto's room, where Iruka raised his hand to knock. A slightly muffled moaning noise stopped his hand mid-knock. Sasuke's voice asked, "What'd you do THAT for, dobe?"
Iruka and Tenmar exchanged glances as Naruto's reply of, "What, it felt good, right?" reached their ears. Then there was another moaning noise.
Iruka and Tenmar, faces bright red, both turned and headed back down the hallway. Kakashi walked up to his lover, grabbing his hand. "Did you speak to Naruto?"
Iruka shook his head, eyes wide. "N-no... I'll talk to him when I come back tonight..."
"You're coming back tonight?" Uzu asked, walking towards the front door with Shikamaru and Sakura.
"Yeah... Yes! You guys start your basic Ninja training tonight, around seven, I guess, so I can have dinner with Kakashi."
Tenmar glared at the silver haired man as he wrapped his arm around Iruka, but nodded and smiled at Iruka. "We'll look forward to it."
"Yeah, speak for yourself." Uzu threw in as he walked out the door with Sakura and Shikamaru. "I'm going to walk these two home now, I'll be back later!"
Shikamaru bowed slightly, speaking in his usual uninterested tone, "thanks for having me."
Uzu grinned, placing his hand on the spiky haired boy's shoulder. "You can come over ANYTIME."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Psychic King: *glancing hopefully at readers; still whispering* SO, was it OK?
Sasuke: *stomping on screen* There was too much talking.
Psychic King: *rolling eyes* WHAT? You got to make out, right?
Sasuke: THAT'S all we were doing?
Psychic King: *nodding, voice rising* Yeah, what, you think I'd write some sort of story where TWELVE year olds are getting it on?
Sasuke: *glaring and crossing arms* we're a very mature twelve.
Naruto: *running on screen, throwing confetti at Uzu and hiding behind Psychic King* Take that!
Uzu: *tossing a glass of punch at Naruto, splashing him AND Psychic King* I'll never let you beat me, evil fiend!
Naruto: *runs off screen screaming* I'll defeat you, because I AM the confetti monster!
Uzu: *runs chasing after Naruto*
Psychic King: *glancing pointedly at Sasuke*
Sasuke: *glaring at the spot Naruto disappeared to* Well, at least I'M a mature twelve year old.
Psychic King: *shaking head* Too little, too late... *looking to readers* anyway, I've been getting some questions from you guys that I'd like to take the time to answer now... The first is something a few of you have asked... WHY did I ask which of my original characters you liked the best? Well... Hee hee... *Laughing uncomfortably* It has NOTHING to do with killing someone off... Really! *crossing fingers behind back* No, seriously, I can't guarantee that no one will die, but that wasn't really my reason for asking, it was more like curiosity. *smiles encouragingly at readers* The OTHER thing I wanted to comment on was that I have received a surprising amount of support for a Tenmar/Iruka moment, at least. I am working on this, really I am, but I couldn't find a way to squeeze it into this chapter without squeezing out something, and I was kinda pleased with what it was like, so... (Not that I didn't spend ridiculous amounts of time re-writing parts and adding and taking out scenes. It would have been out as early as two day ago except I felt the need to do some heavy re- editing, so I REALLY hope you liked it!). ANYWAY! That's all for this time! Please review and let me know what you thought!
Sakura: *sneaking up behind Psychic King* THERE you are! *grabs the struggling Psychic King by the collar and drags her off screen* We have some THINGS to discuss, oh yes we do...
Psychic King: *whimpering* Please... somebody, help me..........