Guilty By Association, a naruto fanfic

Title: Guilty by Association
Author: desolate butterfly
Genre: drabble, angst
Pairings: NaruSasu, SasuSaku, KakaSasu, ItaSasu
Rating: PG
Summary: Sasuke is guilty. Only Kakashi knows why.

Naruto sits up with Sasuke at night, when the air is too thick and Sasuke has to rest his head on the window glass and slide the sash up just a bit so he can breath again. He rubs Sasuke's back and waits for him to close his eyes again while Sasuke counts the stars and gives them the names of his dead.

"It's okay to miss them," Naruto says, stroking his hands up Sasuke's spine. "You can miss them."

And Sasuke only shrugs and keeps counting because that's not the point and Naruto doesn't understand and will never understand.

Sakura wraps bandages around Sasuke's arm with nervous fingers, taping the fabric in place while he watched with blank eyes. Her nails twitch against Sasuke's palm and when she takes his hand, it lays limply between her fingers like some dead white fish. She bites her lip, and Sasuke wants to tell her to stop it before she makes herself bleed.

He says nothing.

Later they walk by the old police station and Sasuke watches the faded symbol of the Uchiha fan come into view. He hears Sakura's muffled gasp beside him and is surprised to find that he's squeezed her hand much too hard. He releases her and she brings the reddened hand to her chest with a sigh. There will be bruises later.

"Sasuke-kun," she says, "you were only a child. You couldn't have saved them. All this hatred..."

Sasuke's nails dig into his own palm, leaving a set of red marks to match Sakura's. It's not a fair trade, but it will have to do until he is out of her sight.

Her lips tremble on his skin and Sasuke decides that he can't possibly explain to her that hate is not the problem.

Kakashi finds Sasuke slumped against the wall outside of Itachi's old room, unwrapping and rewrapping the dressing on his arm.

They sit in silence for a while, not looking at each other. Kakashi observes the ceiling. Sasuke stares at the red splotches of dried blood dotting the bandages and wishes they were bigger.

"I told you not to use the chidori more than twice in succession," Kakashi finally says, his voice flat enough to make Sasuke flinch.

Sasuke swallows a reply and decides to give Kakashi the same response he gives Naruto. He shrugs.

Kakashi's visible eye narrows and his hands are suddenly on Sasuke's shoulders, pressing him back into the wall. They stare at each other for a few seconds before Kakashi releases him and shuffles back to slide the door of Itachi's room shut.

Sasuke watches the panel lock with a soft click and his hands itch with the desire to open it again. Kakashi gives him a look.

"Love isn't something you can control," Kakashi says. "Stop trying to act like you had a choice in the matter."

Sasuke's eye widen and the unravelling motion of his hand stops. He looks back at Kakashi, arm dropping back to lie at his side. Kakashi takes the frayed ends and knots them around Sasuke's wrist with quick, careful movements. Sasuke is suddenly reminded of other hands around his wrist, other band-aids placed with careful fingers on his skin, and other dark eyes staring into his.

Sasuke takes a deep breath and is surprised to find that it doesn't catch and die in his throat.

After Kakashi leaves, Sasuke pulls his shoes back on his feet and exits the house.

He closes the door to the Uchiha compound himself.

fin.