Chapter 2 You are the power inside of me... (Chapter 2.... SasukeXNaruto, shonen-ai but you can hardly call it that. Please read and if you like, review. Thanks)

You are the power inside of me...

Sasuke walked with Naruto along the city streets. Having been up some of the

night watching Naruto, Sasuke hadn't gotten as much sleep as he normally

did. His eyes, once open for the world to see, were now tiny slits as he

stared at the sun. "Its damn hot out here." He mumbled in agitation. Naruto

walked, hands behind his head as if he had slept for two days and had just

woken up refreshed.

" Ne, Sasuke you know what you need?" Naruto joked. "Ramen!" Sasuke sighed.

He sure as hell wasn't up to stuffing his face with ramen. "Hmph." Sasuke

followed Naruto reluctantly. 'Its not like I have anywhere else to be.' He

reasoned.

Naruto jumped onto his favorite stool as they arrived. Sasuke dragged

himself upwards and ordered a small bowl of ramen. Naruto ordered a

humongous bowl. Sasuke watched in awe as the blond scarfed it all down

within minutes.

"Ne, Sasuke can I ask you something?" Naruto said after finally took a

breath from eating. Sasuke looked at Naruto, a question lingering in his

eyes as he nodded. "Remember...when we fought Haku?" Sasuke tensed, how

could he forget? "Hai."

"How..." Naruto paused, unsure of where to go with his statement. "Ano...why

did you cover for me? Where did you find the strength to do what you did?"

Sasuke gazed at the boy in disbelief. 'Where did I find the strength?'

Sasuke pondered this for a second. 'My strength comes from you Naruto. You

are my power.' Sasuke shook these thoughts from his head blushing slightly.

"Eh...I don't know. My body just moved on its own, you fool."

Sasuke recoiled at his own words. 'I'm such a jerk.' Naruto merely stared

into his ramen bowl. Now empty. 'It seems like forever since then, but I can

still feel the pain of the needles...' Sasuke trailed off in his own

thoughts. "Sasuke, you ok?" Naruto had been watching him, as his eyes became

distant orbs or blackness, threatening to engulf him.

Sasuke nodded his head. "Yes, I'm.....fine." Getting off the stool, Sasuke

placed his money on the counter and started to walk away. "Sasuke!" Naruto

called after him. Sasuke turned on his heel to see Naruto prancing after

him. "Is there training today?" He asked.

Sasuke looked up towards the sun, trying to calculate the time. It was

almost noon. "Damn!"

Naruto took off after Sasuke as they headed towards their new training

ground. "Why...didn't you say...something earlier...dobe?" Sasuke growled in

between breaths. Naruto stopped running and glared at Sasuke who turned

around. "Is there a problem blockhead?" Sasuke asked, irritation mounting in

his voice.

"I have a name!" Naruto shrieked at Sasuke. Naruto took off, running in the

opposite direction of Sasuke. Anything to be away from that boy..anything.

Anything, so that he would not see Naruto's tears that he had finally began

to shed.

Sasuke stood wide-eyed as he watched his teammate run. 'Naruto...' Sasuke

cursed as he shoved his hands in his pockets and continued to walk, training

the last thing on his mind now.

Naruto didn't stop running. He ran all the way to the monument that held the

Hokage's faces. Never...never had he felt so..so what? Angry? No... Or was

it.... lonely. Naruto shuddered as he climbed to the top. 'Lonely? Since

when have I been...' Memories stopped that question. It was a voice inside

his head that answered for him. /Kyahaha! Lonely../ The Nine tails spat.

/You deserve every bit of pain you feel! You're a monster!/ It snarled at

him.

'I'm not a monster! You're the demon!' said Naruto, who was trying with

every bit of strength he had to fight back. 'Leave me alone!' Naruto put his

hands on his head and let out a scream. /Monster! You slaughtered many....

what else can you call yourself?/ "I'm a shinobi!" The nine tails let out

another malicious laugh. /Demon.../ It hissed at him. Quite suddenly Naruto

felt the fox receded from his thoughts. Naruto looked out over the village

as his eyes became blurred with tears.

Sasuke showed up to their training field to find it empty of all life.

"Kuso.." He muttered. Sasuke looked around for Naruto. 'He should've been

here by now...' Sasuke circled around the field for a few minutes and sat

down on a rock. 'Naruto...did I go too far this time? Was it one too many

times?' Sasuke shook his head. 'I'm sorry dobe.'

Naruto sat wiping the tears from his eyes. "I will not be what you are!"

Naruto yelled into the open. No one was there, no one but him and the fox.

"How the hell do I get rid of you?!" Naruto asked. The fox chuckled inside

him. /Only through death../

"I can't die! I have dreams you stupid fox!" The fox laughed harder. /Do you

honestly think they will allow you to become Hokage? They reject you...even

now, after so many years. Even if you were the best!/

Naruto cringed as these thoughts entered his mind. His mind brought him

sorrowful images of his past. "All they ever did was reject me!" Naruto

cried. "I'm always alone!"

/Yes...and who is to blame?!/ The fox hissed. "They are. The whole damn

village is to blame!"

Naruto stood up angrily as he shouted his words, his anger. /Will you make

them suffer for your pain?/ Naruto paused for a second. "Yes." With this

last word, the seal on the demon fox began to peal away.... and the fox

began to take over Naruto's body, and his mind.

Sasuke stood up from his rock. It was obvious no one was going to show up

for training. Sasuke took a few steps across the lush grass, debating on

where to go. Finally, he decided to find Naruto and apologize. 'After all,

it was my fault he got so upset.' Sasuke took off for the Ichiraku ramen

stand. He was almost positive that that's where Naruto would go.

Running down the street Sasuke, arrived in front of the ramen stand and cast

his sight for orange. Naruto wasn't there. 'Where is he then?' Sasuke

pondered quickly before taking off again. Sasuke searched everywhere. From

Ichiraku, to Naruto's own home, the boy was nowhere to be found. Finally,

Sasuke came upon the one place Naruto could be. 'The Hokage monument....'

Sasuke thought. And he ran.