Chapter Title: 57. Everything is Lost
There was blood everywhere. It soaked every surface. You couldn't take two steps without sliding on a puddle of freshly spilled blood, not that anyone was paying it much notice. They were all too caught up in the blur of war that had descended upon the village. Everywhere they turned, the shinobi of the leaf were trying to protect their lives and the lives of the villagers in it, made only worse by the confusion. Behind their hands, when they got the chance, both sides were asking the same question. Didn't we used to be allies?
"They blame us for the death of their leader." Kakashi grunted to Iruka at the question, while trying to hold his ground against two Sunagakure jounin at once.
"But Orochimaru-"
"They won't hear that explanation of events." Kakashi interrupted, using the force of his chakra to throw the two men away from him. They were both in the thickest part of the battle, but, while there were innumerable Sand ninjas, the Konohagakure chuunin and jounin were few and far between, handling three and four enemies at a time. It was widely known to the villagers and their shinobi that Tsunade-hime was making requests for allied support, but many other villages were holding back and watching before taking a definite side.
Iruka frowned, but didn't say another word, focusing on fighting off his enemies, a team of two female kunoichi. There was a lot he would have wanted to say, but a battlefield was no place to have a mild, thoughtful conversation. He growled lightly when one of the women threw powder in his eyes and frantically rubbed his face to be free of the burning specks of dust.
When he finally got his bearings again, not even a second later, one of the two had disappeared, the other smirking maliciously at him. He didn't have time to think before a handful of needles found themselves lodged a few inches into his back. He'd survived worse, but it hurt all the same. Falling to his knees, Iruka began coughing up some of the blood the needles sent into his lungs. It wasn't fatal, luckily, as the set of sticks had just barely scraped by his vital organs. He staggered to his feet and continued fighting, pulling out another kunai, even though he was starting to slow down ever so slightly.
Kakashi was having a rough time as well. He was used to relying solely on himself, or, if it ever came down to it, his team of genin, but he wasn't used to relying on other people, and was having trouble ignoring the distraction that was Iruka. They weren't on perfect speaking terms, and, for some odd reason, all his problems with the younger man were starting to poke through his consciousness, making him divide his attention between his battles and the presence he felt at his side.
He sucked in a quick breath when he felt a body slam into his knees, unexpectedly. He turned sharply, cursing under his breath when he saw the bundle of needles sticking out of the chuunin's back, around his kidneys, aimed for the jounin. If he hadn't been attacked again, he would have tended to his temporary partner, but as it was, he had no time or patience to look after the man.
"He's old enough to take care of himself." He muttered to himself, knocking the hilt of a kunai out of his attacker's hand with the back of his metal-clad hand. Secretly, though, he was proud that Iruka had done something so selfless to protect him, knowing if it hit anywhere important he wouldn't last long without treatment.
"Kakashi-san." Iruka whispered, curling into himself, holding his stomach painfully.
"Aa." The silver-haired man replied, still dividing his attention, though now it was to keep an eye out for his fallen comrade. If he showed too much compassion for the man the enemy might use it against him, so he tried to keep up his air of indifference even though he wanted nothing more than to check on his old friend.
"Thank you for looking out for me."
"When I'm done here, I'll take you to a medical specialist and get those needles taken out." Kakashi exclaimed. "Don't worry." He glanced down to see that Iruka had stopped twitching in pain and was looking up at him calmly, trusting him completely.
"I'm not. I know everything will be okay with you." He answered ambiguously, smiling. He looked weak and Kakashi took a second to bend down to check Iruka's forehead. "I don't have a fever, Kakashi." He growled lightly, crinkling his nose up in distaste, making a funny looking design out of the scar placed there. Kakashi was covered for a couple of seconds by a couple of other shinobi nearby until they too were driven off, leaving Kakashi alone to defend himself and his chuunin friend.
"We'll be back at the hospital in no time." He exclaimed hopefully to Iruka, seriously pissing off one of the chuunin who was attacking him.
"You think we're all pushovers, Cyclops?" He yelled, getting enraged. His movements became erratic until Kakashi finally took pity on the man and broke the arm he was attacking with. The other one had been rendered useless in another battle and the chuunin opted to turn and run rather than continue fighting Kakashi like the rest of his team mates were doing. They were hoping to use their numbers to their advantage, but with the Sharingan, Kakashi still proved to be the superior fighter, artfully dodging all the weapons and limbs thrown at him, while getting in quite a few punches of his own.
"You were always such a graceful fighter." Iruka remarked, only loud enough for the sound to barely make it to Kakashi's ears. "I used to watch you when you trained, even when I was younger." Kakashi growled under his breath, shooting the fallen chuunin a nasty glare.
"Stop saying things like you're dying." He snarled, impaling a kunoichi with her own weapon. Iruka nodded slightly, still curled up in a protective fetal position, arms clutching his stomach. "It's a flesh wound that will heal quickly when I get you back."
"I know why you always pushed me away." Iruka continued, almost as though he hadn't heard his friend's command. "I never thought about it until now. You were trying to protect yourself; me. I didn't care. I just wanted you. Now look where it got me, lying in a pool of my own blood." He coughed, slightly.
"Maybe next time you'll be a little more careful." Kakashi bit back, performing a series of complex hand seals to let loose one of his copied jutsus.
"Maybe." Iruka stopped talking and Kakashi almost sighed in relief at being able to concentrate more on the ninja he was trying to defeat. He had four more to go, and not even the slight scratching Iruka was making in the dirt would distract him from finishing up what he had started.
He grabbed his hand supportively and smirked to himself when the air around them danced with the eerie blue light, if he hadn't used the technique hundreds of times before he might have found himself deafened by the loud chirping that accompanied the move.
One shinobi took the hint to save his life and run as far as he could in the other direction, but both him and the angry jounin knew he wouldn't get too far before he met his fate at the hands of another angry Hidden Leaf ninja. The other three, obviously, didn't know any better as they looked as determined as ever to defeat the silver haired man.
He took a few minutes to collect all the power he could. The enemies tried to attack him with jutsus of their own, but none of them were effective in the presence of the Chidori, which was sucking the chakra out of all the nearby attacks. He looked up from his hand, Sharingan spinning faster than anyone had ever seen it, recording each jutsu as it was used against him.
Within seconds one man was dead and the other two were taking heed and running for their lives. He had moved faster than either of them could have followed, and they had gotten a mere fifty steps before they too collapsed to the ground, dead.
Kakashi let go of the chakra in his hand and walked slowly back to Iruka. He found the man still in the position he'd left him in, eyes shut, in a deep sleep.
"That wound must have sapped your energy." Kakashi muttered to himself, rolling Iruka onto his back to be able to pick up the limp form easier. He swallowed a grunt of displeasure when he saw that Iruka had a reason to be curled into himself. The needles, which had only seemed to go into Iruka's side a few inches, had, in fact, gone right through his body, and were sticking out through his stomach. Kakashi was anxious about moving Iruka around too much in case he caused severe damage, but he realised there wasn't much time left. He pulled the body into his arms and straightened to stand just as his eyes caught sight of something Iruka had obviously written in the dirt.
Scrabbled into the mud was the symbols for 'I love you', just beside where Iruka had been lying. Kakashi smiled inwardly and rubbed out the message with his foot, running as fast as he could back to the village. He still had a long time to wait before it would be safe for him to admit anything.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
"What the hell was that?" a voice asked, startling Gaara out of his bemused entertainment. He turned around and shrugged disinterestedly.
"It was fun." He replied.
"I thought you admired Naruto." His sister tried again. "Why did you do that? Don't even try to tell me you didn't mean for him to get hurt." He smirked slightly and shrugged again.
"Itachi told me specifically not to touch a hair on his precious little brother's head. Never said anything about messing with his mind a bit. Just because I happen to like the fox, doesn't mean I have to like his choice in pets." Temari smirked. "Plus, I always find a loop hole in orders, especially when they're from people I don't especially trust."
"That was you loop holing Itachi-san?" She asked, finding her brother's lack of interest endearing.
"Of course." He replied. "I'm not following orders until I figure out which side he's on."
"You're a hypocrite, brother. You don't even know what side you're on." She shook her head sadly. He looked up at her and smirked mischievously, obviously knowing more than she did.
"On the contrary, I know exactly what side I'm on. It's the rest of the world that's in doubt." He snickered.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
"Kakashi, may I have a word with you?" Tsunade asked softly, coming out of the room she had put Iruka in. He looked up hopefully and nodded, following her to a less crowded part of the hospital wing. Everyone had some reason for wanting her expertise, but she'd agreed to take a look at Iruka as soon as he'd been brought in.
"How's he doing, Tsunade-hime?" He asked. She shot him a worried glance.
"How long were you with Iruka?" She asked, avoiding the question for the moment. He frowned, but replied nonetheless.
"The whole time, why?"
"When was the last time you spoke with Iruka?" She continued. Kakashi shrugged, trying to think back to their conversation.
"Half an hour, maybe an hour ago, why are you asking me this?" She nodded solemnly, her brows knotting together in worry. "Is he going to be okay? Or is his condition really that bad?"
"Umino-sensei didn't make it." She whispered softly. "I did some tests and fixed the time of death about an hour ago, long before he'd even been admitted into this hospital." Kakashi growled and shook the woman by her shoulders.
"This is not the time for a joke, woman!" He yelled, attracting the attention of a couple of bystanders who were surprised to see their Hokage been shaken so roughly without retaliating. "I want to see him." He demanded, standing straight and neutralizing his features. It would do him no good to panic in the middle of a war.
"Of course." The Hokage exclaimed softly and led him back into the room. He went to the teacher's side instantly, lifting the limp hand. He nearly dropped the appendage in fright when he felt how cold it had become in such a short span of time. The dark blue veins had begun to show drastically, contrasting vividly with the pale translucent skin.
"He's not dead." He whispered, shaking his head.
"Kakashi, please." Tsunade urged, placing a comforting hand on the jounin's shoulder. "Don't do this to yourself. The first needles did severe damage to his internal organs, and started some massive internal bleeding. That last hit he sustained ended his life. The second set of needles delivered the fatal wounds, puncturing his liver, among other things. He died a few moments after the hit."
Kakashi stared at her blankly, thumb rubbing over the blue-tinted flesh subconsciously as they both waited for the information to settle in. He looked down to see his hands clasped around the dead chuunin's and flinched in disgust, throwing the hand from his grip as if it had burned him. He gave Tsunade another blank stare before rushing out of the darkened room, not caring that he'd shoved her out of the way in his rush to be free of the hospital.
"Kakashi!!!"
(Star)(Star)(Star)
If he could have made Sasuke's head explode just by thinking it, the forest floor would be littered with the young man's genius brain. Naruto was beyond pissed, but it was no longer solely at Sasuke. He was fuming at himself as well for acting so jealous over Sasuke's sex life, when he was supposed to feel nothing more than rivalry for his friend.
"But I don't feel anything more than that." He muttered to himself, angrily. "So he can fuck who ever he damn well wants." He continued speed walking to the tower he was supposed to be guarding, knowing full well that somewhere behind him Sasuke was still trying to follow him.
"Where the hell were you, you stupid asshole?!" The jounin in charge yelled at him when he spotted the blonde making his way back to his post. "People have died while you were having your little picnic in the woods!"
"Fuck off." Naruto muttered under his breath, tempted to give the man the middle finger, but the jounin kept ranting as though he hadn't even heard the cursing.
"I've just returned from notifying Tsunade-hime about your little stunt and she's asked to talk to you." Naruto glared openly at the man.
"We're in a war, asshole." He spat ferociously. "You shouldn't have the time to run crying to Tsunade." This time he really did give the guy the finger.
"Hopefully she'll give you the punishment you deserve, demon. This will teach you to disobey orders." Naruto glared at the man again and headed off towards the hospital, where the rude jounin had directed him to go.
He walked through the front doors, almost knocked over by the overbearing form of his old genin team leader. The jounin didn't even look up as he walked past Naruto, his face completely devoid of emotions.
"Oi, Kakashi-sensei!" He called out, but the man had disappeared before he could say any more. Frowning, he asked the nurse at the front desk where he could find the Hokage and followed the directions up to the second floor.
"Naruto!" Tsunade called to him, catching sight of him before he'd even made it to the second level.
"Please don't lecture me too long." Naruto exclaimed, looking bored already. "I've still got a lot of work to do." She looked confused at his words.
"Lecture?" she repeated the word. "What for?"
"That jounin in charge of my placement came to see you right?" Naruto frowned suddenly, wondering what was going on. "I thought I was here to get my punishment for abandoning my post."
"Oh, no." Tsunade replied, shaking her head slowly. "I didn't ask to see you for that reason. Iruka's dead." His face went slack at the blunt words, cringing at the lack of sensitivity with which they were delivered.
"That's not funny."
"I wish it was!" She cried, looking pale. "I don't know how else to tell you, but to say that he was killed in the forest on the other side of the village. Kakashi brought him in, but by the time he made it here, he'd been dead for a while." She led him into the room Iruka's body lay and walked him up to the table. Naruto stared down, speechless, at the broken body of his former teacher and closest guardian.
"I wanted you to know from me, before you heard it elsewhere..." Tsunade watched him with sorrow filled eyes, swallowing the pain of watching the young man's heart shatter.
"No, no, no..." He whispered, chanting the word over in his head.
"I know he was close to you, and you must be hurting, but-" She was cut off when Naruto rounded on her, eyes blazing with unshed tears.
"FUCK YOU!" He screamed. "You wouldn't know how I'm feeling even if I wrote it down on paper! He was my only family! The first and only person who actually cared enough to look after me. The first and only person who cared whether I lived or died each day, and now that person is dead forever!!" He snapped viciously, lip curling when she raised a hand to comfort him. She looked startled at his sudden mood swing, but refused to give up.
"You've always had someone to care about you, whether it was Jiraiya or some other family members. I HAVE NOTHING! You don't know how I feel because you wouldn't know what it's like to live a day in my shoes, to lose everything in all at once."
"You have me, and your friends, and Jiraiya! You're not alone in this." She stepped closer but understood his anger. "We can help you get through this."
"You just don't get it, do you?!" He began blinking fiercely, trying to hold back his tears, but Tsunade saw them. "No, no, no..."
"It's okay to cry for a loved one." She whispered, feeling her own heart break. She took another step closer, but this snapped him back to reality again and he jumped back from her, looking like a cornered animal.
"NO!!" He yelled. "I stopped crying a long time ago, and I'm not going to start now. I'll never be able to force them back if I allow myself this weakness."
"It's not a weakness!" Tsunade protested, but he ignored her completely. Looking back down at Iruka's pale face, he closed his eyes, allowing his brow to furrow in sadness.
"I have to go." He muttered, sidestepping the Hokage and rushing out of the room, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing his arm. He spun around quickly, not thinking, as his fist connected to the first available spot on the person who'd grabbed him.
"Fuck, Naruto." Sasuke hissed, taking a step back, but not relinquishing his hold on his friend's upper arm. "What was that for?"
"If you don't let me go right now, I'll Rasengan a hole through your chest." Naruto muttered tearing his arm free, both of them knowing he would do it. Sasuke took a step back, watching confusedly as the young man ran off down the hall.
"Nothing good ever comes out of wars." Tsunade whispered softly behind him. He turned around, sending her a glance that demanded an explanation. "He just learned of Iruka's death." She explained, nodding to the now-covered corpse. He looked behind her, into the room, and his heart skipped a beat.
"Dead?" He asked, his breath catching in his throat. He knew how much Naruto depended on the chuunin.
"There was nothing I could do to save him." Without another word, Sasuke, too, took off down the hall, hoping to catch up to his rival before he did anything stupid.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
For a few minutes, Sasuke thought he'd lost Naruto for good. He'd never known anything to have the potential impact on the man that this news might, and he was terrified of what might happen. He knew himself to what lengths one might go to relieve the tension, and he couldn't bear to see Naruto fall to such depths.
When he finally caught sight of the elusive blonde hair again, it was in the middle of a crowd of people, obviously Naruto's attempt at blending in long enough to get away. He ran into the crowd, giving into the chase for a few minutes until he finally caught up to his friend, grabbing his arm. He stumbled over his feet when Naruto tried to bolt.
"Naruto, stop!" Sasuke hissed, jerking on the arm in an attempt to get the man to slow down a bit. It worked only long enough for Naruto to whirl around and try to attack him again.
"Why don't you just go to hell and leave me alone." He yelled, trying to land his punches, but not confining himself to just that; using teeth and nails to hurt his rival as much as he could.
"Because I can't!" Sasuke replied, equally frustrated. He growled under his breath and pulled Naruto into the nearest alley, wanting to keep their conversation out of the open. Naruto shoved him out of his personal space when he saw that they were alone in the shadows of the two buildings they were in between. "If you hadn't noticed, I care about you, dobe!"
"Why should you care about me?" Naruto retaliated. "I'm just your fuck toy." He sneered maliciously, repeating the same words he'd used to describe himself after Sasuke had found him in Orochimaru's possession, only then he'd called himself Orochimaru's 'fuck toy'. Sasuke was taken aback by the use of the words.
"I'm your friend and comrade." He retorted, feeling the need to defend himself against Naruto's attack. "I've never thought of you like that." He pulled Naruto to his chest, crushing him in a bear hug. "Stop fighting against me." He whispered, trying to keep his anger in check.
"Let me go!" Naruto screamed, despite the fact that his mouth was pressed into Sasuke's shoulder, muffling the sound.
"What ever you were planning to do when you got home, won't do you any good." Sasuke replied, pretending he didn't hear Naruto's demand. "It won't bring Iruka back." He felt Naruto's body tense in his arms at those words and almost wished he could take them back, but knew they had to be said.
"Let me go." Naruto screamed, renewing his fighting spirit, even going so far as to bring his feet into the battle, but still Sasuke clung to Naruto.
"No, I'm all you have left!"
"Not even!" He could feel Naruto starting to give up the fight and allowed his arms to loosen slightly. "I've just lost all the love in my life." Naruto looked up at Sasuke and gave him the nastiest look he could manage. "Not that it's really any of your business."
"We're best friends." Sasuke replied. "If not me, then who?" The blonde turned his head away, trying to avoid Sasuke's blood-red eyes.
"Best friends don't do what we do." He whispered. "They're not supposed to be confused about this sort of thing. I don't even understand what's going on anymore!"
"Let me help."
"Help?!" Naruto growled, grabbing onto Sasuke's side, digging his nails into the skin under his shirt. He figured if he couldn't break free he would give hurt as much as he was getting. "Can you bring back the only person who cared? Iruka was the only person who showed me compassion and loved me for what I was."
"I've been there for the times Iruka hasn't!" Sasuke exclaimed, defending himself again. "I care about you as much, if not more than Iruka ever did. He was only with you for a few years in the academy. I've been with you constantly ever since! Do you want me to prove it to you?"
"How can you prove a thing like that?" Sasuke hesitated for a moment, both expecting and not expecting his rival to accept his challenge. He thought about it for a second before an idea came to him.
"Let me make love to you." Like Sasuke, Naruto stumbled over his own train of thought at the blunt challenge. His heart leapt into his throat and for a moment he thought he would be sick. He glared at his supposed best friend, tears still present in his eyes, but disgust taking over his features.
"I'm nothing but a sex object to you." He spat ferociously. "You're sick. It's not love to you, it's just sex. How could you think of something like that at a time like this? We're at war."
"What else do you want from me!? All this genius and I don't know how to make everything alright for you! I can't stand to see you in this much pain." He yelled back. "It's all I know how to do for you. It's the only way I know how to fix things."
"It's not going to fix anything." Naruto retorted. "You don't love me; no one does anymore."
"That's untrue!" Sasuke exclaimed. "There are tons of people in Konohagakure who care very deeply about you."
"I said love." Naruto looked away from Sasuke's eyes, starting to lose his edge.
"Sakura-san loves you." Sasuke answered. "Kakashi does, too. There's also Shikamaru and Kiba. We all love you."
"Then why aren't they here trying to help me?" Naruto asked, hurt seeping into his voice. "Or is this just me being selfish?" The older teen shook his head, smiling sadly.
"No one but me you and Kakashi know about Iruka. Kakashi is trying to handle his own grief, but I'm here. I'm offering you a... tangible form of love. It's not just words and flowers."
"It's something lovers do!" Naruto argued, trying to steel himself for another argument, but losing the will to fight again. "We're not gay! It won't help me."
"It's only me, Sasuke, not the entire male population of Konohagakure and it's not as though it's an act we've never done before." He winced, feeling the nails digging further into his skin. He wanted to prove that he could be there for his friend, but he didn't know any other way to show his loyalty. "I said it before and I'll say it again, let me be the one you vent on, especially in times like these. It feels as though it's me dying when you're hurting this way."
"No, this is just you trying to get me into bed." Naruto protested, losing conviction with each word.
"I'm not. Really. If I wanted someone that desperately, I wouldn't have gone about it this way." Sasuke explained. "I don't want you to be alone right now." The blonde thought about his rival's words for a moment, stepping back out of the warm circle of arms, slowly.
In the blink of an eye, he had pulled out a kunai from the holster at his thigh and had it pressed against his wrist. Sasuke took in a startled gasp, involuntarily, and his body tensed up at the sight.
"What the hell are you doing?" He growled under his breath, a warning clearly evident in his voice.
"You say all these things," Naruto replied, softly. "You say that you care about me, and that you're my best friend, but do you trust me?" Sasuke nodded without hesitation. If it was just a simple matter of trust, there was no problem.
"Of course." Naruto smirked.
"Do you trust me not to take my own life because of all this pain?" The older genin clenched his teeth, stopping to turn the question over in his mind, while dealing with a question of his own. Could he put his absolute trust in Naruto, even when it came to saving the blonde's life? The answer should have been obvious but his mind was clouded by the sight in front of him and the knowledge of the chuunin lying dead on the hospital bed. He hesitated slightly before answering, and pulled out a kunai of his own, pressing it against his neck.
"It's the same question." He replied. "Do you trust me to still this kunai if you kill yourself?" Naruto let out a dry sob, turning away from his rival in shame, not fighting back when Sasuke knocked the weapon from his hands and let go of his own kunai.
"It had nothing to do with trusting you..." Naruto whispered, glaring at the stones that littered the ground.
"What do you mean?"
"I trusted that you would be able to stop me." He replied. "And you did." Sasuke nodded, pulling Naruto into another tight embrace, burying his head in the mass of blonde locks. They stayed like that before Naruto allowed himself to be led back to his apartment, wordlessly agreeing to Sasuke's previous offer.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
"This isn't such a good idea." Naruto exclaimed when they'd reached his front door. He pushed Sasuke away from his personal space and shook his head. He'd had enough time to think everything over in his head again, and he still couldn't stop the images of Iruka lying dead on the bed out of his mind.
"You shouldn't let these things be bottled up, Naruto." Sasuke exclaimed, not deterred by Naruto's reluctance. "I'm the perfect example of someone who kept everything on the inside, and look what happened. I nearly lost my entire life; I was so consumed by my hatred. We've proven a dozen different ways that this helps." He indicated what they had been about to do. Naruto's forehead creased in nervousness and anxiety. He shook his head, trying to hold onto his arguments.
"It won't help. You're just trying to take advantage of me."
"I wouldn't do that!" Sasuke interrupted, but Naruto continued, his voice getting louder with each word.
"You're only doing this because you feel sorry for me. You think I'm in pain, but I'm not!"
"Then why the fuck don't I believe you?!" Sasuke screamed back. A few doors opened up, curious neighbours looking out, but at the sight of the pair, they understood and went back into their own little lives. Neither of the two even noticed the other residents.
"Because you're mentally retarded!" Naruto retorted, lamely.
"Unlike Tsunade-hime, I understand what it's like to lose everything I ever loved in two seconds." The taller genin replied. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to listen to his rival's voice of reason and to keep the tears away. They both knew Sasuke was right. The Uchiha nodded suddenly, coming to a final decision.
"Fine, if you think I'm wrong, I'll give you a choice." He stared at the blonde sternly. "If you truly don't want me here, and you believe completely that you don't need me here, then unlock your door and lock it behind you." Naruto turned around and unlocked the door, only pausing when he heard the intake of breath behind him, signalling that Sasuke wasn't finished talking. "But if you figure out that you really do need me, and that you do need that person to vent on... invite me in." He sighed, letting the entire thing rest on Naruto's shoulders.
They both waited for a second in relative silence before Naruto walked into his apartment and shut the door behind him. Sasuke heard a loud thump and knew Naruto had slammed his head on the door. He closed his eyes tightly, feeling the bitter taste of failure creep up his throat and he had to fight to contain his anger. Bringing his hands up to brush his bangs out of his face, he muttered a string of curses softly, knowing his shoulders were shaking.
He wasn't angry at Naruto, though. He was angry with himself. He was frustrated at the blatant fact that he couldn't even help one person, his own best friend. He was about to turn and walk away when he heard a small voice from the other side of Naruto's door.
"Sasuke?" It sounded timid and unsure of itself. "Are you still there?"
"Yes." He replied, taking a small step towards the door, curiosity shooting through his mind.
"I can't open the door for you." Naruto replied.
"I understand."
"But... I do need you. I need you so much." Taking the obvious hint for what it was worth, Sasuke opened the door and embraced Naruto fiercely.
"I'll always be there for you, Kitsune." He whispered, holding his best friend as tight as he could without breaking ribs. "I'm not going to let go, so lay all your troubles down. I'm with you, now. Lay them down on me." He could feel his shirt becoming damp with silent tears and almost broke down himself. "You can cry, Naruto. There's nobody here but us." He pulled back from the embrace enough to kiss away one of the tear tracks that stained his cheeks. Though neither was paying attention to where they were going, they somehow made it into the bedroom, where Naruto finally allowed Sasuke to make love to him.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
Sasuke stepped back into Naruto's bedroom, cleaning himself off with a damp towel. He looked over to the bed to see that his rival had fallen asleep. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently cleaned the blonde off, careful not to wake the fragile man. He looked to the floor suddenly, wishing he had the power to change everything.
"Maybe you don't know this, but... I'd give my life to bring back Iruka, if only to have saved you this suffering; if only to prevent your tears. Why, after all this time, am I still not strong enough to protect you?"
(End of Chapter)
Holy shit... I'm so sorry that this took a month to get around to. Part of me was busy, honest and truly, and the other part couldn't get over the fact that it felt like Sasuke was taking advantage of Naruto. It was only a last minute change that led to putting the choice in Naruto's hands and now I'm happy with it (more or less).
To JeT101: I've never said I thought SasuSaku lovers should die... to each their own. If you like that pairing, good for you! (not in the sarcastic way), and if you don't then that's okay too. I've never really been much for bashing anyone. Personally I don't like the pairing because I feel it's much too out of character for Sasuke (and a lot of Sakura is chasing an impossible dream). Aside from that... go for it!
To Naino: Thanks for the review. This is one of the few that I've saved in my review box cause it's a meaningful review. Thanks for all your observations. I really do have a strong attachment to Naruto... I can relate to him on EVERY level, from the loneliness to the bigger-than-life dreams. I will always see it as my story, but I do write it for the reading pleasure of everyone else. I already know how it ends... I already know this story. It would be redundant if I wrote it for myself, but also don't worry about me being pressured. I've taken a suggestion or two about how things should flow, but in terms of the general plot, nothing will alter my mind.
To Tsugath: Thanks for reading, and keeping an open mind. I hope you see that this story isn't completely about the love/lust relationship, and focuses more on Naruto's relationships with everyone around him. No worries about Gaara, he's not interested in either of them, he was just messing with their minds.
To Kiiroyuri (AkaNoShika): I liked your analysis-type review. It helps me notice things about my style that I don't even notice. Like I've said a million times before, this helps me out a ton. Even though, for the most part, you're just repeating the story back to me, you're giving me input on what worked and what didn't. About Gaara.. in case you didn't catch it... Itachi and Gaara are more or less working together... Gaara led Naruto into the forest with that 'sand' ninja, and Itachi's illusion led Sasuke to Gaara. The demon is merely 'asserting his power'.
To Red Rose: Naruto shoved Sasuke away from him. Sasuke ended up on his butt.
To the Laer: poor you and PSATs. Hope you did well on them! Thanks for the criticisms... when I get the chance to, I'm going to look over it again and redo some things (I've been planning to do a revised version of this for a while... but I'm lazy). I hope this satisfied your hunger for SasuNaru-ness. So how many steps forward and back did I go this time?
To Mi-kun: er... yeah... I forgot what those 'inconsistencies' were... heh heh...
To Youmahime: about Itachi's motives... he does have them... but they won't be revealed for a while longer.
LAST TWO THINGS: (RELEVANT FOR PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE) In the next chapter... two things will be talked about even more, the chuunin vest and the contents of Naruto's death room.
Thanks for reading!!!