By: Kisu
A/N: This chap will have shounen-ai galore! (and more angst!) Or…let's hope that there will be…I'm still new to writing this stuff…^^;
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me!
Chapter 2.8: Dreaming a Reality
"Come in."
Naruto stepped gingerly into the Main House and was slightly unnerved from the dark and brooding atmosphere. "Nice place you got here, Sasuke." He said, quietly as he followed the dark haired boy down the hall. He had stayed in one of the guesthouses when he had the stomach flu, but he hadn't realized how big the estate was.
Before Itachi had wiped out all of the Uchiha clan, each house had been filled with people. Now, they were all empty and the only house that Sasuke used was the main one. Nevertheless, the Main House was huge and Sasuke had it entirely to himself. The rooms that his parents and older brother had once occupied had not been touched in nearly a decade. They walked past two different wings of the house and Naruto continue to walk carefully behind Sasuke.
"This is my room." Sasuke said, sliding open a door that Naruto didn't even know existed. The coldness of the bare wooden floor greeted Naruto as he stepped inside and he shivered involuntarily.
"Do you ever get lonely?" Naruto asked. Sasuke walked over to the other side and lit a lamp.
"You get used to it." He replied with indifference. Naruto scanned the contents of the room, from the large, neat bed to the bookshelf on the other side and then to the desk with neatly organized scrolls. He was surprised that Sasuke hadn't gone mad in this environment. If he were to be placed in this setting, he would have gone mad a long time ago. "I'm going to make a fire in the fireplace. Electricity doesn't run through the Main House." Sasuke spoke up as he walked out of his room.
Naruto nodded absently as his eyes caught a family photograph on Sasuke's desk. He walked over and examined the handsome couple with two dark haired boys. The woman had long black locks that fell down her back and laughing brown eyes. The man looked like an older version of Sasuke, except for the cropped black hair and the laugh lines on his face. Itachi, looking remarkably carefree but still with haunted black eyes gazed at him, solemnly and a seven-year-old Sasuke held onto his brother's hand with a bright smile on his face.
They were once so happy. Itachi do you ever regret what you had done? Naruto thought as his grip on the picture frame tightened. Sasuke must have loved his older brother so much.
"Naruto?" Naruto quickly placed the picture back down and turned around, pasting a smile on his face. "Are you thirsty?" Sasuke asked, holding onto two cups of tea.
"Um..yeah, thanks." He replied as he walked over to him and took a cup from him. Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed at him with suspicion.
"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.
"Nothing. Just a little tired." Naruto replied, smiling slightly. He took a sip from the cup and made a face. "Ugh, it's bitter."
"Of course." Sasuke responded, mildly as he drank his tea.
"You can have mine." Naruto said, handing him his cup. Sasuke shrugged and finished his cup for him. Naruto eyed him with disdain before walking over to the bookshelf. Various volumes of different books were lined up neatly and Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at one book in particular. He picked up "Icha Icha Paradise" and shot Sasuke a look. "What is this?"
"Oh, I haven't returned it to Kakashi, yet." Sasuke told him. Naruto sighed and placed the book back in its slot on the bookshelf. He felt his gaze wandering to the desk where the picture was and he saw Sasuke watching him.
"This picture was taken a week before Itachi destroyed my family." Sasuke commented as he walked over to the desk. "I wasn't strong enough to stop him. I was so young and naïve." Anger flared into his eyes. "Hate me. Itachi had said. Live and hate me." He placed the picture back on the desk and drew back away from it. "So I hated him. Hate would make me stronger. But all that changed, didn't it?" Sasuke clasped his hand absently over the seal that Orochimaru had given him so long ago. "Everything changed when I went to Orochimaru and you came after me."
"Let's not talk about that." Naruto cut in sharply. Sasuke turned around with surprise on his face. "I'd rather not walk down memory lane, again."
"Did it make you hate me?" Sasuke asked, walking slowly up to him. "I know I hated you for awhile. Hated that fact that you reached me and that you brought me back." Sasuke stopped in front of him. "Maybe I do still hate you. Or maybe I wanted to prove to you that I was better than you. I didn't need your interference. I could have taken care of everything myself."
"I hated you." Naruto's voice was quiet and a whisper. He raised his head and Sasuke stared into blood red eyes filled with anger. "I hated you because you made Sakura worry about you. You made everyone worry and everyone risk their lives for you." He clenched his hands into fists. "I asked myself why were we risking out lives for you? Why did I promise wholeheartedly to bring you back to Sakura? I wanted to prove myself to everyone that I was better than you, a prodigy of the Uchiha clan." Tense silence filled the room and gradually the blood red of Naruto's eyes turned back to a sapphire blue.
"Your eyes…they were like that time when you lost control." Sasuke realized, after watching the gradual change of color in his eyes. "I felt helpless, that I couldn't do anything to help you."
"It's normal now." Naruto said, looking away.
"No, look at me. I want to see your eyes." Sasuke said, touching his shoulder. He gently brought Naruto's face to him again and examined the endless pools of blue. Am I strong enough to protect you, Naruto? He was cut off when a sharp flash of pain came from the seal on his shoulder.
"Are you doubting again?" Naruto asked, sharply as he watched the cursed seal appear on Sasuke's skin.
"Just a little." Sasuke smirked as the seal set off a wave of pain again.
"Baka." Naruto scoffed, winding his arms around him. Sasuke could feel the warmth of Naruto's body pressed up against him. Slowly, the seal faded as his thoughts were occupied of the blonde in his arms. "Sasuke, I'm really tired now." He mumbled into his shirt.
Sasuke led him over to the bed and they lay down. Sasuke pulled the covers over them and Naruto's arm tightened slightly around his neck. Soon, Sasuke felt his eyes drifting close as sleep came over him.
***
"Hate me."
"Hate me, my little Kitsune and defeat me."
His mocking laughter was deafening and he stared at him with his glowing sharingan eyes.
"Do you think you can defeat me? Will another occurrence like Saba happen? Will this also happen to Konohagure? I have nothing there. Do you have anything there?"
The heat from the burning village engulfed him and he saw a figure running towards him. "Naruto, Oniisan!" Cho screamed. "Otousan! Okaasan! They got caught in the fire and the house collapsed!"
His mouth opened to speak but no sound came out.
"One last survivor?" Itachi asked as he dropped down between them.
"Oniisan!" Cho cried in fear. Itachi met his eyes and a smirk crossed his face.
"One."
"Oniisan!"
"Two."
"Help me!"
"…Three."
He could only stare, as there was a huge explosion and blood splashed onto his face. His eyes were wide, unblinking as a rain of red fell down onto the ground. He stood, staring at the destroyed village of Konohagure. His hand reached up to wipe off the blood that splashed onto his face and he stared at the crimson stain, his body shaking. He felt Itachi's presence behind him and hands slowly reached around his waist and pulled him to his chest.
"Can you prevent this?" Itachi asked in a husky voice next to his ear. Then, he laughed with sadistic amusement. "Turn around."
Naruto slowly did what he was told and saw a field of bodies. Distinguishing former friends, teachers, shinobi, and villagers. "Don't worry. Sasuke is last."
Itachi's tongue slowly slid up his neck and curled around his ear. "Your fear tastes good." He snickered as his tongue dipped into his ear.
***
Naruto stirred slightly in his sleep and his grip on Sasuke's shirt tightened. "Sasuke…" He murmured. In his sleep, Sasuke tightened his arm around Naruto's waist.
***
"Where am I?" Sasuke wondered as he looked around. His eyes fell on a familiar site and he gasped in shock. Ruined. The village of Konohagure was ruined. Every building was destroyed; smoke from the dying flames of large fires curled lazily into the sky, and there was no sign of life. "What happened?"
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A voice came behind him. Sasuke whirled around, his glowing sharingan apparent in his eyes. "I call it art."
"Itachi." He spat in anger.
"Little brother." Itachi smirked. "Your sharingan still isn't finished yet. It'll stay in your eyes, once you mastered it." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"What did you do?" He yelled.
"Isn't it apparent? Words cannot describe such a marvelous sight!" Itachi smiled, wickedly. "You're inside Naruto-kun's wonderful dream."
"Naruto?" Sasuke faltered and Itachi walked past him to where a blonde stood. Itachi drew Naruto to him with a caress. Naruto's eyes were wide in shock and he didn't even acknowledge Itachi's touch.
"He's seeing how they died." Itachi smiled. "How they had screamed and bled, like music to my ears."
"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, unfazed at Itachi's speech. "Dobe! Wake up! It's only a dream!"
"Not for long." Itachi grinned. "I've begun making my move." Itachi's hand slid up Naruto's shirt and he kissed him lightly on the lips. "Soon this dream will be a reality." Itachi laughed and faded away.
Sasuke ran toward Naruto and shook him. "Naruto!"
"I couldn't…save them." Naruto whispered, hoarsely. "They're all dead. Everyone."
"Not yet they aren't, Dobe! Wake up!" Sasuke gritted his teeth, angrily. Naruto's blank eyes seemed to focus on him.
"Sasuke?" Naruto's shaking hand reached up to touch his face. "Sasuke…you should run. He said…he said you're last."
"What the hell are you talking about, idiot?" Sasuke snapped, shaking Naruto with more vigor. "Wake up now!"
Still getting no response from the blonde, Sasuke looked around for some solution to this problem. "Pain. Yes, pain will wake me up." Sasuke realized as he darted forward to where a kunai lay on the ground. He picked it up and with one smooth motion; he stabbed it into his leg.
***
Sasuke jerked awake and sat up, breathing uneasily. His eyes focused on his left leg, where his hand was still gripping the kunai that he had drove into his thigh. Blood had stained the crisp white sheets from the wound. The kunai, he realized---was the one he kept beneath his pillow. He tossed the kunai on the ground and shook the blonde sleeping beside him. "Oy, Dobe! Get up!" He ordered. "Naruto?"
"…no." Naruto whispered, he thrashed out and Sasuke took a hold of his hand. "…blood…so much…blood!" A hysterical sob erupted from Naruto's throat. "Make the voices stop! No!"
"Naruto! Calm down!" Sasuke yelled, grabbing onto the thrashing blonde.
"No more! Don't kill him! No!" Naruto yelled, as his thrashing became wilder. Sasuke helplessly crushed him to him, having no idea what to do. He closed his eyes and listened to Naruto scream a long bloodcurdling scream.
A scream full of pain, fear, and despair.
TBC! O_o poor naruto!