A/N: Here's chapter 12, for you. It's a shorter wait because I wrote most of it the same night that I did chapter 11. This is because I wanted to finish the fire and strawberry scene. Didn't I tell you guys that the strawberry scene was hot? This chapter's a bit more light-hearted...oh, wait. No it isn't. I totally for got about the beginning, especially. My main content warning: Character death. No, neither of our boys die. But you know how Naruto said he was going to kill someone after he picked up that pipe? Yeah.

Oh, and that website I tried to put up last time, without success, is www. ichiroya. com. They rock.

Warnings:

V--arson, beating, death, blood, gore

Psy--Naruto has a bit of a breakdown, and there's a bit of pyromania at the beginning

Y--while there's no lemon in this chapter, Sasuke does show his love.

Legal Stuffiness: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor, and he owns my soul.

--

Chapter 12: Burning Night

A light, airy smile pulled at the corners of full lips, behind a cascade of platinum blonde hair. It was truly beautiful. The brightness of it all, the movement, all of the scintillating sounds…it was art. The building had been so boring before. Now, as it burned, all of the people still inside, he could listen to screams, coughs, and the creaking of burning wood. He could see the sinuous patterns the flames made, and relish it all. His reflection on this latest masterpiece was interrupted rather abruptly when he heard a voice behind him which sent chills through him. "Deidara, I presume?"

Turning, the arsonist saw a young man with blonde hair, and strange scars on his face. His eyes were the color of mid-winter skies, and they held cold, sharp malice within them. One eyebrow rose as Deidara smiled, then replied cattily, "And if I am?"

The young man smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. "Then I would say that today is a good day for you to die." The hate was gone now. No emotion. None at all. Deidara was beyond shocked. For someone to kill, there must be some reason, some emotion or feeling behind it. Even men who were hired murders and assassins killed because they had the need for the money, or they loved it. Soldiers fought for causes, for their families. The yakuza mostly fought for their own gains, though greed was definitely an emotion. He himself wished for the deaths of others so that he could revel in the beauty of their final struggles. For him, death was love. So Deidara stepped a pace backward, watching this man who was devoid of all emotion, and was frightened.

Keeping his voice as level as he could, he said, "And who might you be, o Angel of Death?" He nearly smiled to himself. He might be a bit melodramatic, but it made life more interesting. And, the language was beautiful, so why not use it to its utmost benefit?

Icy blue eyes narrowed at him and that stare seemed to grow colder, if at all possible. The man then said, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto." Deidara gaped at the man who was supposed to be dead. How had he gotten out? He had the place surrounded…and yet this man escaped. If he had, then the Uchiha had, as well. Damn. He did not have time to think long on this, for Naruto swung the meter-long section of pipe at him, and he had to jump back before it took his head off. "Now, now…" the younger man said, "stand still Deidara-san. This will only take a moment." His tone was that of a teacher scolding a small child. For a very long time, Deidara had hated that kind of patronizing voice. He watched the young man's face, a snarl on his own lips in contrast to the blank stare he was getting in return.

The arsonist jumped to one side, evading a charge, but soon found that it was only a feint. The hard steel of the pipe collided with the rear portion of his ribs, and he felt at least three of them break instantly. After a moment, Deidara found it difficult to breathe, and there was a sharp pain in his lower right chest. Had one of his ribs punctured his lung? The wheezing breaths he was taking told him that his assertion was correct. As Deidara staggered backward blindly, he wondered what would happen. Would he really be killed? His eyes strayed to the flames of the building, which were now at their peak. His labored breathing caught in his chest at the beauty of it all.

If he did die, it would be all right. He got to see such a sight one last time, create one last masterpiece. Deidara did, however, curse himself for not having brought a weapon another body would have fueled the flames nicely. A dark silhouette stood against the brightness, and he saw it approach. There was one last jolt of pain—in his neck, this time—and he knew no more.

--

Panting, Naruto stood over the body of the dead man. Vengeance was a hollow feeling. He had not fought back, and made very little attempt at evading his blows. Breathing deeply, he tried to find peace with himself. It was difficult, since the man had not even protested. He had simply looked past him, or through him, with a strange smile on his face. Deidara, he knew, was an arsonist. He had killed hundreds of people in Malaysia, where he was born. Now, his pyromania would claim no more lives. But Naruto still found himself unable to cope with murdering the man. Would it be the same when he killed Kisame?

After a long moment of standing there, staring down at the man's surprisingly beautiful face, he turned away, flinging his makeshift weapon into the flames of Falling Leaves. Closing his eyes, he said a short prayer for those inside, who had now stopped screaming. The roof had caved in, and Naruto was now very certain that he, Sasuke, and Kira were the only ones to get out of the place alive. That thought made him want to cry, and kill something all at once. Impotent rage was the worst feeling a man could have. It was the helplessness. Nothing could possibly make a man feel more helpless than not being able to help those he wished to. And now, there were dozens of people dead and burning to cinders in the building before him.

On an impulse, he picked up a piece of charred glass from the pavement. Naruto bent low over Deidara's body—more specifically, over his face—and used the razor-sharp point of the glass to carve two kanji into the effeminate man's forehead. Seigi. Justice, written in flesh and blood. Naruto could now hear sirens in the distance. That would be the fire brigade, but also the police. Turning on his heel, he threw the glass into the fire and ran. Through alleys, down three separate streets, and finally, he found his apartment. When he banged on the door, it took Sasuke only seconds to unlock it.

"Gods…Naruto! Are you all right?" Sasuke's face fell into a worried expression at the blank look Naruto's eyes held.

Waving him off, Naruto said slowly, "I'm fine, Sasuke. Just need…to wash off the blood." He felt strangely numb, and wondered why. As if seeing it for the first time, he raised his hands before his face, staring curiously at them. Odd... it's still wet. The blood had yet to dry on his skin. It was still bright red. When Sasuke began sputtering at the sight of his gore-spattered hands, he took hold of the man's shoulders, and kissed him forcefully. The taint from his hands soaked into the dark red of Sasuke's kimono, blending almost perfectly into the fabric as Naruto slid his hands over the silk. The numbness seemed to lessen when he touched the other man, and he longed for it to leave him completely. After a few moments of this searing, heart-stopping kiss, Naruto pulled away, and realized that he had been weeping.

Slender arms surrounded him, and he dimly heard Sasuke's distracted voice. "I made sure Kira got to the hospital, Naruto. She'll be all right. You…you need to get cleaned up, ne?" Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that Sasuke was trying not to baby him. But right now, he felt so…detached that he didn't care. He wanted feeling back. Heat, cold, pain, pleasure…it all seemed so far away. Not even Sasuke's embrace gave him any sense of feeling, really. Naruto blinked slowly at the sensation of being pulled.

--

Sasuke glanced nervously back at Naruto. He just stood there. What was wrong with him? What happened after he'd gone with Kira? What had he done? When they got up to Naruto's bedroom, he removed both his clothing and that of his lover before pulling him into the bathroom. There was going to be no polite way to snap Naruto out of this…funk? Trance? Whatever it was, he wanted his idiot back. He wanted his smile, his glare. Where was he?

He thought back to when he was a young boy, and how he had trouble waking up in the morning at times. His father would toss cold water on him. This was either going to bring back his dobe, or get him killed. Either way, he'd break whatever spell the man seemed to be under. Standing Naruto next to the shower door, he stuck his hand inside, and turned on the cold water. When he was satisfied with the frigid temperature, he grabbed the man roughly by one arm, flung him into the shower and shut the door, pressing his back to the glass.

"Eieyeeyey!" Came the very satisfying response to the icy water. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief when Naruto screeched, "Teme! What the fuck?" He then opened the shower door to see a shivering, glaring Naruto, and he smiled. Reaching behind him, he turned on the hot water, and waited for it to kick in. "Sasukeeee…" That threatening tone made him wary, but also made him grab at Naruto and pull him against his chest.

"Daijoubu, Naruto?" He asked this when he felt the stuttering breaths the blonde was taking, knowing that he was trying not to sob. "Naruto, what happened?"

"I…" Tanned arms encircled his waist, the hot water beating down on his skin, and Naruto's hands gripped either side of his back, almost painfully. "I killed him." His voice was so pained, Sasuke wondered why. Who was it that he had killed? If it were a member of Akatsuki, he was sure that it would be fine. Nothing should make him this way if it involved them.

"Killed who?" he asked softly, trying not to prod him too much.

"Deidara…the arsonist. He didn't even resist, Sasuke. It was horrible." Naruto's voice in his ear made him wince. He sounded as if he were going to break down. If that happened, Sasuke didn't know what he would do. He wasn't very good at this sort of thing. As Naruto trembled in his arms, he wished that he knew better how to handle this. He wished that he could ask his mother for advice. She always knew what to do when someone was upset. When he was a small boy, and would be frightened by whatever monsters were in his closet, or under his bed at any given time, she would always run her fingers through his hair and murmur words of comfort as she held him close. There were times when he remembered falling asleep with his head in her lap as she did just that. Could he do that for Naruto? Calm him? Bring him back to a better state of mind?

Hesitantly, he reached up, threading his fingers through damp golden hair. "It's okay, Naruto…think of something else for now."

In the midst of a strangled sob, Naruto breathed miserably, "Think of what?"

Indeed. What did one think of to take one's mind off of the fact that they had just murdered someone in cold blood? For the first time? Then, his mind found something that may work. Holding the traumatized man tightly, he kissed a drenched shoulder. "Think of me…think of how much I love you, Naruto. There are things worth holding on to…worth fighting for. Think of those things." In response, he received a squeeze, and Naruto pulled away from him slightly, looking up at him with a very sad smile.

"Thank you." Naruto said before Sasuke found himself being kissed tenderly, hands holding his face there, as if he would try to pull away. When their lips parted, Naruto's forehead rested against his own, and he heard, "Thank you for this. I…I can't imagine…" a ragged breath was taken, "…I can't imagine what I'd do without you." Now, Sasuke was on point of tears, as well. Damn it. Sometimes, he wished he really could be as much of a bastard as people thought he was. Then, he wouldn't have to be so damned emotional. But when he saw Naruto's eyes, that thought disappeared, and once again, he was thankful that fate had brought them together.

"Let's get cleaned up, Naruto." Sasuke said, and took up the soap and a washcloth. "I think you need to rest."

--

"So that's all I have to do, is it?" He scoffed. The one-eyed man sitting across from him fixed him with a steady gaze, however, and he sobered again. "Kakashi, you know I could do this in my sleep, right?" The man simply nodded, and Jiraiya rolled his eyes. Why didn't they just get Naruto to do it? The kid was more than proficient, and he knew he could handle it. What was stopping them? Why did they need the master, when the student was in much better condition? Ah, well.

"Just do what we've asked of you, ojisan. Then, you can go back to the temple, and write more. I do love your latest work…"

"Hai, hai." Jiraiya rose from his chair, and left the room to collect his things. He didn't need much. Just a small knapsack. One didn't carry much on this sort of job.

--

Frustration. That was it. She was…frustrated. Why else would she be hurling knives at her target in the dojo at this hour? From where she sat, the black and white board was barely visible in the half-light of the room. Her night-dress hung off of her shoulder, and she roughly shoved the strap back up. "Damn it…" Another of her knives whistled through the air, and she heard the satisfying sound of it connecting with the wood of her target.

There was nothing she could do about her current feeling of unease. She knew that they were going to be taking out the Akatsuki soon, but she had this horrible feeling that something was going to happen to the two people on Hokkaido she actually cared about.

Her sister…Ino fingered her knives, which were sitting in a shiny pile in her lap. What in the seven hells was the woman thinking? Ino had thought she was insane for accepting that damned emissary job from Sasuke, but her reward had been enough to make up for the fact that Gaara could have killed her the moment she slapped him. Her eyes closed when she thought of him. She wanted him to be with her. She wanted…him. That was a large part of her frustration. But mostly, it was worry. Gaara could, she thought, possibly handle himself when it came to any of the members of that organization of murderers, arsonists, and rapists.

Sakura, now she was another story. The younger woman was, in some ways, tough as nails. But there were things that no one else knew about her. She was innocent in ways that Ino never had been. Naïve at times to the point of being utterly annoying, Sakura had the ability to make anyone trust her. Most times, it worked to her benefit. But there would come a time when her innocence would be her undoing. Now, the baka was doing Kankarou a favor. Ino growled at the thought of that idiot. He had taken her sister away from her. The next time she saw him, she would be sure to carve him a new…something.

The moron, stupid girl, had decided that she could handle the discovery of Akatsuki's leader. No one had ever gotten close enough to discover that. No one. Something else was bothering her about this. The man had placed her in the home of this…idiot named Rock Lee. Who the hell was he? What was he doing flirting with Akatsuki?

Ino's frustration blossomed into anger, and anger rose in waves, turning into absolute fury. She picked up her remaining knives and hurled them as hard as she could at the wood on the opposite wall, hearing all five of them hit. Suddenly, the lights flicked on, and she turned her head to the door, only to find Kakashi staring at her balefully.

"It's a bit late to be practicing this sort of thing, isn't it?"

"Gomen, Kakashi-sensei. I'm just worried about Sakura."

Fixing her with his dark eye, he leaned his head on the door-frame. "She can take care of herself, Ino."

"Not this time, Kakashi. She's in over her head, and she knows it." Ino rose from the floor, leaving all her knives in the wall. She failed to see where they had ended up. Little did she know that every last one was within the innermost ring of the bull's eye. As she swept past him, Kakashi's fingers closed on her arm. "Let me go, Kakashi."

He released her, but his voice followed her down the hallway, "Have a little faith in her, Ino. I do." She didn't answer him as she went into her room. How the hell would he know anything? He had just taught them. Sakura was her sister, for the love of God. Ino felt that she had every right to be protective of her. In any case, she knew that she would not be getting much in the way of sleep for a while.

--

Exhausted, Sakura sagged the moment she entered her room. It had been a long night, indeed. The guests had stayed far too long, and now, she had to try to get all of her clothes off without the help of the maids, who were all asleep. Lee had told them all to go to bed and clean up in the morning, since the party was running late. She stood before her small vanity, removing her smaller articles before beginning to undress. Once all of the ornaments were gone from her hair, she shook out the mass of now-black stuff, letting it fall down her back. Heaving a sigh, Sakura looked at herself.

She frowned for a moment. "This is not me…" Her voice was a frustrated whisper as her fingers pulled at her clothes, trying to take away the evidence of her transformation. After she pulled off several pieces from her waist, something clattered to the floor. The fan Lee had given her. It lay there, in the cloth sheath, and she hurriedly bent to snatch it up. Would it do for her to treat his gift in such a way? Sakura placed the fan gently down on the table-top, then ran her fingers over it thoughtfully as her other hand tugged at the knot behind her.

"Damn it…" she muttered, looking over her shoulder to see that she had made quite a mess of things. Nearly a meter of cloth dragged on the floor as she trudged over to the full-length mirror in the opposite corner, so that she could get a better look at the fruits of her ineptitude. Standing sideways, she could see half of the knot, and Sakura reached behind her to pick at it. Finally, she'd had enough. Gripping the remaining layers of fabric, she stood as straight as possible before yanking them all swiftly in a counter-clockwise motion around her body. "Ha! Got you, you bastard…" Sakura swore coarsely under her breath as she chuckled at the knot that had been mocking her a moment earlier.

Now that she could reach it, the matter was rather simple to resolve. Her fingers picked at two rather tight areas of the knot, and then she was able to fully untie it and throw the three-meter-long strip of cloth across the room with a growled curse. All that remained was to remove the two ties that held the kimono shut, and then she could take everything off and actually be comfortable. Cloth snapped as these pieces joined the obi, and Sakura shrugged out of her kimono, placing it gently on the stand next to the mirror. She might not care what happened to the rest, but that green silk garment had been a gift, and she wasn't going to throw it on the floor.

The under-kimono, she practically ripped off and threw it into the pile on the floor. Now completely nude, she breathed a sigh of relief. Debating with herself as to whether she would bathe or not before bed, she decided that it might help her to sleep. So, she padded into the bathroom, and turned on the tap before returning to her room for her hair-brush. When she stepped into the room, she found that she was not alone. Blinking at the man standing next to her bed, she said, "Zetsu-san?" Sakura was honestly surprised. She had thought the strange man had left with the rest of the dinner guests.

It took only four of the tall man's steps to bring him to stand before her. When he did, he looked down at her with a kind of strange fascination that she found to be rather frightening. He was two sides of the same coin. Polar opposites wrapped up in one man. Even his appearance was strange. He wore a black and white kimono, to match his hair, which was black and spiky, but for sleek white bangs which hung down into his eyes and below his chin. One of his eyes had been damaged, and its pupil was the entire width of its iris, causing him to look very strange indeed. His calm and genteel voice said, "My apologies for coming upon you so suddenly, Sakura-san. But I wonder if I might speak with you in private, away from Lee-san. He seems rather…protective of you."

Trying not to sound as shocked as she was, Sakura gathered up a silk robe and wrapped it around herself casually, feigning a chill. "Certainly, Zetsu-san. Please, sit." He sat in a chair near her bed, and she seated herself opposite him on the very edge of the foot of the bed, absently combing her fingers through her hair as she looked at him. "What can I do for you?"

The man leaned back in his chair and pursed his lips. In turn, Sakura cocked her head to one side, keeping her posture, and face devoid of any tension. "I wonder if Lee-san would spare you tomorrow evening? I have an engagement that I must attend, and I lack an escort. Would you be willing, given his permission, to accompany me?" Sakura nodded her assent, and he smiled. "Thank you, Sakura-san. I will discuss this with Lee-san, and if he agrees, I will send over something…appropriate for you to wear." For some reason, Sakura did not like the sound of that. She hoped that it was a simple dinner party, or some kind of similar function. But something in the back of her mind told her that may not be the case.

Zetsu rose, and bowed his exit, and Sakura sagged against the bed once he was gone. Was she perhaps getting a little too soft for this job? Maybe that was why she felt as if her heart were going to explode? Walking shakily back into the bathroom, she turned off the water and shed her bathrobe. It was warm and soothing, and rose to just beneath her breasts.

Sakura leaned back, her head resting on the marble edge of the bath. It felt as if her body would simply melt into the water. The room was silent, and she listened to the stillness as she relaxed almost completely. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing slow. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that she was falling asleep. A small noise had her sitting bolt upright, however. It sounded as if someone were approaching the bathroom. "Hello? Is someone there?" She asked anxiously, watching the door. If Zetsu was back, she was going to really have to hold back her temper. It wouldn't do to screw things up just when she was being trusted. Especially when he tended to get violent with those who he felt were trying to pull the wool over his eyes.

The sound persisted, but Sakura got no answer. That was enough for her. She sliently removed herself from the bath, and pulled the robe around her, the pale green silk sticking to her like a second skin and becoming irritatingly translucent. The noise was still there. What was that? Sakura slowly approached the door, and peeked through the small crack that remained. Her eyebrows tried to climb into her hairline. Throwing the door open, she stumped into the room.

"Lee? What on earth are you doing?" It was actually quite simple what he was doing. The man was obviously much more inebriated than she'd last seen him, because he was trying to haul himself up onto her bed, without the slightest bit of success. He kept slipping and falling back to the floor.

"S-sakura-s-s-saaaan…" Lee's eyes widened as they drifted down her body, and she glanced at herself, gasping at what she saw. The silk was wet, revealing every little detail of what lay beneath. And the drunken man was ogling her for all he was worth, a very idiotic smile plastered over his face.

Sakura started to become only the slightest bit irritated by this. Snapping her fingers before the man's face, she said, "Oi! I'm up here." This last was said while she was pointing at her own face. His eyes followed the movement to her face. "Lee, what are you doing in my room? And you're so drunk! What happened?"

She only got one word out of him. "Sake."

"I can tell." Sakura groused before deciding that she'd just do him the favor of letting him sleep it off where he was. When she grabbed him and threw him bodily onto the bed, he flopped on his stomach, and instantly took one of her pillows to hold as if it were a stuffed animal. He looked so much like a little boy that she couldn't help but smile. After a long moment, she sighed, and went to the closet to get a night dress to sleep in. There was no way she was going to lay anywhere near him with that clingy little robe on. Not with the way he was looking at her.

When she got back to the bed, he was snoring. She gave a small snort, and smiled a little at him. He was probably the strangest person she ever met, next to that Zetsu. Laying down on the opposite end of the bed from him, she yanked the covers over them both, and turned out the light. Vaguely, Sakura wondered what kind of hangover he'd have in the morning.

--

A/N: Sorry it was so short. It's really getting close to that time, isn't it? The plan is coming together! Everyone is on edge. And I'm sure you guys are still wondering why Naruto's dad was targeted by Akatsuki? Ho, you'll find out later. Just like I'm sure you're curious what Jiraiay's going to do. Hehehe. Wait and see...