The Missing

Chapter 4 – One Chance

Rating: M

And I've Seen Love Die
Way Too Many Times
When It Deserved To Be Alive
And I've Seen You Cry
Way Too Many Times
When You Deserved To Be Alive

There is something about knowing that you are wanted that feeds the soul. Waking up in the morning and just being able to smile at simply imagining the face of a loved one seems to add a new spark to the day; it seems to make life really worth living. A loveless life is like a ninja without missions. Slowly, it begins to rot, become aimless and drift away from coherency. There are people who acknowledge this fact and try to make others feel wanted. They try to add this spark, this light to another's life. They paint color were there is none, replace frowns with smiles. There are also people who see the unwanted as vulnerable and easily manipulated tools.

The unwanted often posses 'Hidden Powers' that have caused society to shun them, to hide their jealousy with scorn and contempt. In the eyes of the unwanted, those who come to pull them out of their darkness are seen as God. They would do anything for this person, live life as the 'Savior' saw fit.

Sasuke supposed that this was how Naruto had felt when Itachi had offered him a new purpose in life, extended his falsely compassionate hand towards the blonde. He had offered Naruto a chance at redemption, a chance to be at peace with himself. The vessel must have thought that a chance like that would have been impossible to pass up. He figured that Naruto must have been sitting outside, staring at the same night sky that he was, reminiscing on the past. He must have been nostalgic, Sasuke decided, Nostalgic for the Haku and Zabuza days when their friendship was more of an empathetic dislike. One could always count on the other to be there, offering a carefully disguised kind word of encouragement. Sasuke had always appreciated that Naruto seemed to need him to survive, seeing as the Dobe was always getting himself into so many spots of trouble.

It had comforted him, in a way, just to know that there would be somebody who would be frowning if he didn't show up for a mission on any given day. He liked knowing that there was somebody out there whose affection spanned beyond Fan-Girly hormones and petty rivalries for his attention. When everybody had been wooing over the Uchiha, there had always been Naruto in the background, making him feel like a human instead of god. It was a soft type of harshness, one that he had missed in those five years they had been apart.

Sure, he had denied it, but Sasuke had always missed those lopsided grins, the stupid arguments over nothing more than whose shuriken had soared more gracefully. He didn't have that with anybody else. Kabuto and Orochimaru were slightly less than compassionate with him, and with each other. While he sensed that Orochimaru had gotten inside of every single one of his subordinates' pants, the Snake-Sannin never had any friends. Kabuto was probably the closest thing that the pale man had. His too-passionate loyalty had always unnerved Sasuke, they way he always followed Orochimaru around like some lost puppy. An 'Orochimaru-sama' here and a corner fuck there and you had pretty much summed up their relationship.

It was while tearing his gaze from the velvet night sky to stare at the destruction around him that Sasuke decided that he did not want to end up like Orochimaru. He knew that there was quite a bit of a task before him. Konoha needed their Hokage back; Sasuke needed his Naruto back.

Yes. Sasuke needed his Naruto back.

He was surprised about how little the epiphany fazed him. Never before had his feelings for Naruto gone passed platonic. Had it been anybody else, the Uchiha would have written it off as simply hormones. But, Naruto…

Ok, Ok. Sasuke shook his head roughly and sat down on the edge of might have once been a well. He fixed his eyes on the fat full moon and scowled, willing the sudden and uninvited thoughts that had spiked into his mind away. After all, Sasuke was not a normal child. He had a lot of things to think about. In short, the boy simply could not start up a relationship with another male. He needed to find a suitable female and revive his clan. There were to be no questions in that area. Even if he had to marry – Kami-sama forbid – Haruno Sakura.

Sasuke's mind had wandered to Shikamaru, and how he had most likely risked his life to free Sasuke. His plan had been brilliant. In short, after the Nara had 'Attacked and tied the traitor up' he had 'Escorted' him to the prison, distracting his crew by sending them to look for 'Spies.' And then, just on the off chance that the ever-pathetic Shikamaru wasn't paying attention… Sasuke had 'Made a quick and unsuspected jump at freedom, thus escaping the ANBU captain though shrewd use of forbidden jutsu gained from his time with Orochimaru.'

Clever, ne?

Anyways, it was while these thoughts ran akin to a river through Sasuke's mind that a glimmer caught his eye. At first, Sasuke was certain he had been seeing things, but after the glimmer had winked at him for a few moments, he knew this to be false. Furthermore, there was something about the glimmer that just seemed… out of place. Certainly nothing in a village this poor could posses such a dazzling luster? All right, then. He would investigate.

Ever cautious, the onyx-eyed boy picked his way through jagged pieces of wood and shattered glass to happen up on a rather fancy looking necklace. Almost in disbelief, Sasuke closed his pale hand around it gently. This necklace was expensive… This necklace was…

Naruto's.

Somewhere within the 'Detective's' mind, something clicked into place. He remembered this necklace! On several off chances, he had spied it hanging around the blonde's neck, but had never thought to ask whom he received it from. It was an arbitrary thing; something Sasuke had never payed more than 30 second's attention. But now he was sure of it. Had Naruto left it here for him to find? He knew that the thought was more than foolish; Naruto thought he was long dead! But, still, there was a childish hope that clung to his mind.

When facing a puzzle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a mystery, clues are always a welcome find. And now that Sasuke had a clue, he felt tat there was no way Naruto could slip from his grasp.

He had found the necklace near the west wend of the village. Fr all he knew, Naruto could have gone east. It looked like somebody had come close to slitting his throat, but had caught his necklace instead. There was a man near Sasuke's feet, a gaping hole in his chest. He must have been the valiant 'Hero,' seeking to rid the village of this terror.

"Too bad for you." Sasuke muttered, and pocketed the necklace. He shook his bangs out of his face and sighed heavily. The necklace was no more a clue than the dirt beneath his feet. He already knew that Naruto had been here. Bitterly, he clenched a fist and looked around. If only Naruto was here… He seemed to have a penchant for tracking. But, then, Sasuke would need to track.

Did he really depend on other people that much?

The answer was no. Uchiha did not depend on others anymore. He was simply… Wishing e had the blonde's skill to make things easier. That was all.

Of course, when all of his debating was done; Sasuke still had a problem. Where was he supposed to go?

North.

It made sense, didn't it? Konoha was to the south, and if hey wanted to avoid getting caught – assuming that Naruto wasn't acting alone – then they would most certainly stay as far away as possible from any ninja strongholds. Without a moment's hesitation, Sasuke jumped into the trees, his mouth a thin line of determination. He was so close…

-x-x-x-x-

"Orochimaru-sama? T seems that Sasuke has failed to return within the week you gave him…" Kabuto pushed his glasses further up his nose, careful to keep his head bowed. The snake-Sannin had been in a rather 'Excitable' mood as of late. And the Healing Nin's ass was beginning to hurt.

Orochimaru, however, did not seem to be fazed. In the half-light, his eyes glittered with a sly malice. "Kabuto… You worry too much. Sasuke is loyal. Trust me, he will return in due time. According to my sources, Naruto-kun has destroyed a village. He's making quite a splash these days… Perhaps we should have a little chat with him…" That boyish smile cracked Orochimaru's thin lips. "I wouldn't mind having a pet fox…"

Kabuto was hesitant. "But, Orochimaru-sama… This is the Kyuubi we're talking about. And, after all, Naruto-kun's hatred for you runs deep. Who knows what tricks Akatsuki has taught him? There is also the pressing matter that he it in Uchiha Itachi's clutches. We could never hope to match him."

When Orochimaru spoke again, he sounded amused. Then again, he always sounded amused. It was frustrating; one never knew when to cower in fear or fake a smile and laugh along. "You forget, Kabuto, that I am stronger than ever. You've been investigating this other Uchiha dutifully, have you not? Once I gain his body… I will be invincible. Come now, you don't expect me to run foolishly into something that poses so many dangers?"

Kabuto shook his head, gritting his teeth.

"Anyways. I find myself in the clutches of boredom once more. Kabuto-chan, shall we?" Orochimaru rose from his seat, slinking out of the room. Kabuto followed, but only because he knew Orochimaru could kill him without even trying.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama…"

-x-x-x-x-

He had lost it.

Naruto ran fretfully through the forest, desperately trying to make Itachi's two-day deadline. Upon discovering that the necklace had been removed form his neck by one method or another, Naruto had pleaded and begged Itachi to allow him to come back and look for it. He had promised over and over again that he would most certainly return once he had found it. Finally, the elder Nin had conceded and announced that he and Kisame would stay at the camp while he went to search.

For extra speed, Naruto activated the Kyuubi's powers. He needed this necklace. It was the only real connection he had to his happier days. Besides, what if it got into the wrong hands? What if somebody put it on and it didn't accept them? Naruto shook his head and forcefully increased his speed.

The boy had 36 hours to spare when he arrived at the rubble. Though, something seemed very wrong. There was a new scent on the air, one that held a certain frustrating familiarity. It lay just under the pressing scent of ash and blood.

"S-Sasuke?" The word was on Naruto's lips before he could stop it. But the scent… It was just so defiantly him! The more Naruto sniffed at the air, the more he was certain. Perhaps he had been wrong all of these years… Perhaps Itachi had lied to him?

Shocked, Naruto brought his hands up to examine them, willing the claws away. Somehow, the necklace didn't seem so important. He had to see if it really was Sasuke. And if it was Orochimaru… He could kill him.

And so, the chase began. The scent wasn't too old… Maybe an hour or two. But whoever was giving it off was still ahead of him. He needed to act fast. Grinding his teeth, Naruto took off at a dead out run, just a gray and black flash as he ascended into the trees in pursuit of this… Enigma.

-x-x-x-x-

Sasuke suddenly stopped, drawing a kunai knife. A presence had been tugging at the back of his mind for a while now. But he was sure of it; there was somebody after him. Quickly, the ninja set up a trap. It was a rudimentary thing; he had simply littered the forest with exploding tags, carefully blocking of any and every route the victim might take to avoid the original.

Sasuke smirked as he jumped back out of the way, smugly crouching in his vantage point. A short distance away, though still out of Sasuke's sight, the first exploding tag went off. And then another, and another. Whoever was inside his 'Explosive Forest' wasn't really smart, were they? Sasuke felt sorry for the poor baka, until he remembered that this person had been tracking him, following him.

When the explosions started getting closer, Sasuke grew hesitant. They might have been setting every dammed tag off, but they didn't seem to be getting injured. He inched forwards on his branch, trying to get a look at his opponent through the thick oily smoke and orange balls of flame. Suddenly, a cry of pain rose into the air, a loud one.

A familiar one.

It took Sasuke a moment to realize just who that cry belonged to. He failed to grasp the fact that he had probably just blown up his best friend. An eerie calm seemed to come over the forest in he wake of the explosions. Sasuke's heartbeat pounded into his ears. Disbelieving, he finally jumped out of his tree and headed to where he thought the cry had come from. Surely… Surely this must be some sort of nightmare?

He could imagine the faces of his former friends at the sight of him carrying Naruto's corpse into the village. They would kill him on the spot, knowing that had had blown the poor Dobe up. But, suppose there weren't any real remains? Suppose all he had as an arm, and maybe his chest? Pushing the thoughts from his head, Sasuke raced over to a blonde body on the forest floor, tears already leaking out, betraying him.

"Dobe?" He whispered, crashing to his knees as he placed his arms under Naruto, lifting him into a sitting position and just hugging the boy to his chest. There was blood flowing from a wound in his hairline, and more blood pouring out of his mouth. "Listen, Dobe. Wake up. I'm here to take you back to Konoha. Everybody there misses you, you know…" He ran a hand through Naruto's hair, willing his eyes to open. "Come on…" His voice cracked. "Naruto… Please. Gomen-Nasai. Open your eyes…"

The resounding silence choked the Uchiha as he shuffled closer to the disturbingly still figure of his friend. Naruto had matured, he noted. While the Nin had defiantly grown up, his features were still innocent. The whisker marks still marred his cheeks, an almost medicinal reminder that this was Naruto. He was slimmer, too. And more muscle tone adorned his once average body. Sasuke would have liked to sit down with the boy, chat with him about the happenings of the past few years. But now he couldn't.

Sasuke had ruined that chance.

-x-x-x-x-

The scent was overwhelming. Lost in a world of his own, Naruto inhaled deeply. He could smell Sasuke all over, and he felt warm despite the pain in his chest, back and head. He could hear a muffled voice in the distance, calling out to him. But it remained ignored; this dream world was too nice to pass up.

Very suddenly though, a furry object wrapped around him, bringing his cerulean eyes to meet a pair of garnet ones. A feral growl erupted from the snout beneath those eyes, a growl that Naruto could feel rattling his core. It was clear what the Kyuubi wanted. But, frankly, Naruto just wasn't in the mood.

The growl faded, and Naruto gave a little smile.

"I'll see you in hell, Stupid fox."

Reviewer Responses

Loaned – All for the plot, M'dear. –Wink- But, trust me. I felt Guilty.

Kori Hime – Arigato n.n;

Love Squared – 'Taws all part of Shika-chan's plot. (Insert Cackle here) I hope it was cleared up for you. And, I guess he was sort of betraying Sasuke by going along with Itachi, but like I said in the beginning of the chapter; Naruto felt wanted by him. The whole Wanted/Unwanted deal seems to be a central point in many of the subplots in Naruto. I sort of wanted to stick to that.

Well, this has been my longest chapter so far. And I'm oddly proud of it. But, tell me, was the beginning a bit too slow? Is the story too slow? Or am I moving too fast? n.n I welcome critique.