A/N: Okay, is it just me, or does the "ruler" option no longer work? Every time I try it, it just says there's an error on the page, and I'm all "SCREW YOU, THERE IS NOT ERROR!" So... yeah... :cough: I used dashes for scene change/time skips... you know, the replacement for the ruler option...
Also, this chapter is dedicated to Gacktsgal... cause she kept me sane through my writer's block... Although I don't think she's even aware of it... And has agreed to join forces in the capture of Gackt... Oh, he shall be ours! WE WILL MAKE HIM OURS! MUAHAHAHHAHAHA!
Disclaimer: Kiba tried to run away with Itachi, figuring that K. Masashi would be too scared to follow because, hey, it's Itachi... yeah, K. Masashi wasn't scared. So... they're in solitary confinement in his basement. :sweatdrop:
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Sasuke's hand twitched in his sleep as he shifted, letting out a long breath. His peaceful slumber wasn't going to last as a shadowy figure appeared at his bedroom door, walking silently towards him. The other person seemed to float, and not a single sound could be heard as he moved towards the sleeping firefighter.
The figure bent down, inspecting Sasuke's calm—almost peaceful—face. Then, he stood and, in one fluid motion, straddled the other man and slammed his hand silently over Sasuke's mouth. He'd positioned himself so his knees pressed the other man's hands into his own sides, leaving him immobile.
The raven's eyes shot open and he immediately began to struggle, bucking to unseat the body sitting on him. His breathing came hard and fast as he stared up into the cold, emotionless eyes before him. Jesus Christ, Itachi is in my room, he thought, panicked.
"Sh." Itachi smirked as he leaned down closer, whispering into Sasuke's ear. "We don't want to wake up the little blondie."
Sasuke's eyes darted to the side worriedly, locking on Naruto, who was still sleeping peacefully, undisturbed in the slightest by Itachi's presence. He let out a small growl and scowled in his sleep before rolling over and stilling again. Sasuke looked back at Itachi, narrowing his eyes threateningly. If Itachi did anything to Naruto, he was going to beat the unholy shit out of him before killing him. Even if he just touched Naruto.
"What's with that look?" Itachi asked, a blank expression on his face. "Are you scared for your precious little toy?" Itachi reached out, as if to touch Naruto. Sasuke screamed against the hand, bucking again. The elder Uchiha turned back to him.
"You're very protective of him, aren't you?" Itachi's hand retreated and Sasuke sighed. "I don't want to kill him. I don't want to kill anyone but you, little brother."
With that, Itachi reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a ball of cloth. He hurriedly replaced his hand with the ball of cloth, effectively gagging Sasuke so both of his hands were free. He then reached into his pocket again and extracted a small switchblade. Sasuke's eyes widened as the blade was clicked open, and he stared at it. He followed it down as Itachi released one of his arms and held it tightly with one hand, despite how hard Sasuke yanked on it.
"You're going to die, tonight, little brother." Itachi hissed. "And your little lover won't even know what happened until it's too late." The blade was dropped onto Sasuke's chest to free Itachi's other hand. He grabbed Sasuke's face with it, glaring hard. "You don't deserve him."
Wha—? Sasuke was confused. Didn't deserve who?.!
Sasuke could do nothing but watch as Itachi brought the blade to his arm and began to slice up, along his vein. Sasuke screamed against the gag. He bucked, he shook the bed, he did everything he could think of, but Naruto didn't wake up. Naruto didn't even shift. The blond was just going to lie there, sleeping, while Sasuke was murdered by his brother.
"Good bye, little brother." Itachi smirked as he twisted the blade viciously in Sasuke's arm.
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The raven let out a scream as he shot up in bed, sweat pouring off his body and his breathing coming in harsh pants as he looked around the dark room. A dream. It was a dream.
"Sasuke?" The Uchiha screamed again and turned, punching the person who'd spoken square in the face.
Naruto went toppling backwards off the bed from the force of the blow, Sasuke scrambling off on his own side. His eyes were wide and panicked as he stared at the groaning blond lying on the floor across the bed.
As his pulse slowed and his breathing calmed, his mind finally registered the blond hair. Tanned skin, muscled body—bright blue eyes. Holy shit, Naruto.
"Oh my God!" Sasuke vaulted over the bed, landing unsteadily beside Naruto and bending down beside him as he held one hand against his left eye. "Oh, God! I'm so sorry! Shit, come on."
The raven hauled his boyfriend to his feet, helping to support the dizzy blond as he shook his head, his hand still pressed against his eye.
"You fucking punched me, man." Naruto groaned as Sasuke manoeuvred them out of his room.
"I know. I know, I'm sorry." Sasuke insisted with a wince as he led them downstairs.
He sat Naruto down on one of the kitchen chairs before rushing to the fridge. He opened the freezer to pull out some ice, and paused. He'd always heard that steak helped, so he threw open his fridge and looked around for some. He found a little piece he'd been saving for later, but decided Naruto deserved it more than he did, right now. So, he pulled it out of the Ziploc bag and rushed back to Naruto's side.
"Here, move your hand." he instructed as he pushed the steak onto Naruto's eye, the other retreating his hand.
"Ow, shit." Naruto muttered as he held the steak in place, Sasuke letting it go.
He looked down at his sticky and slightly bloody hands, and winced, going to the sink to wash it off before closing the fridge and freezer. He then went back to Naruto's side, rubbing his back as the blond bowed his head, blood from the steak dripping onto his blue sweatpants.
"Shit, Uchiha. What was that?" Naruto whispered, Sasuke still rubbing his back.
"I had a nightmare, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, I could figure that first part out for myself. Care to explain why you punched me as soon as you woke up?"
Sasuke winced, but knew he had to tell him. He had punched him, after all. "It was nothing. I just—my brother came and killed me. I guess, when I woke up, I was still a little freaked. You startled me." he whispered.
"Sorry."
"What are you apologizing for?" Sasuke cuffed him lightly across the back of the head. "You were worried, and I, as you put it, 'fucking punched' you."
"Yeah, you did, didn't you?" Naruto turned and grinned at him, the steak still pressed against his eye. Sasuke smirked back.
"Here, let me see that." The raven reached for the steak again and pulled it off gently, looking at Naruto's closed left eye. He winced. "You're going to have a shiner."
"As long as I can open it, that's all I care about. I don't need a blind spot while we're inside a burning building." Naruto muttered as he put the steak back against his eye.
"I'll make is up to you." Sasuke whispered, feeling guilty.
"Damn straight!" Naruto exclaimed, a teasing note in his tone. He pulled the steak off his eye, holding it up. "You gonna eat this later?"
"No."
"Good." Naruto dropped it on the kitchen table, blood spattering slightly across the wooden surface. Sasuke was about to pick it back up, when Naruto was suddenly kissing him. His mind blanked. Wait, wasn't he just mad at me?
"What are you doing?" he asked the second Naruto pulled back for a breath.
"Getting you to pay me back." He smirked, snapping the strap of Sasuke's boxers. "Unless you've changed your mind."
Sasuke's response was pushing Naruto back against the table.
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"Hey Genma." Kiba called as he entered the firehouse.
"Sh! Sh! Sh!" Genma exclaimed from his position beside the bunk-room door, his ear pressed against it. Kiba cocked an eyebrow.
"What are you doing?"
"Tomato went to take a shower, and then Izumo and Kotetsu went in there without knowing. They're probably having sex or something."
"And you're not watching?.!" Kiba asked, horrified. He plastered himself against the opposite wall, looking around in horror. Genma cocked an eyebrow.
"What's up?"
"The world's gonna end!" Kiba hollered. "They're having sex and you're out here! You're not watching, or begging to watch, or scratching and meowing at the door! Who are you?.! It's the shape-shifting aliens again, isn't it?.!"
"Sh!" Genma hissed. "Sex is entertaining, but I can watch that any time I want. Hearing the shriek of terror from our new temp when he walks out to find two men having sex—now that is not a luxury I get every day. If I interrupt the sex, I interrupt the humour." Genma smirked.
Kiba was still wary, wanting to call the Men In Black or something. After all, how many times could anyone say they'd seen Genma pass up the opportunity to watch others have sex. It was just—too scary for words.
Genma suddenly gasped, making Kiba jump and brace himself for—something. "I think the shower just turned off! Tomato should be coming out any minute!"
The two waited, and a few seconds later, a strangled scream could be heard from the bunk-room. Genma fell over, absolutely hysterical. He clutched his stomach as he rolled on his back, kicking his feet around in the air.
"Oh my God! Priceless!" He continued to laugh as Kiba winced, feeling Yamato's pain. Heck, if that had been him—screw the screaming, he would've dropped dead.
Raidou opened the office door, pulling earplugs out of his ears. He'd put them there to block out the sound of Genma begging outside the locked door of the office. The perverted firefighter wanted to screw on Kakashi's desk. Raidou, himself, had a strong survival instinct. Doing that would jeopardize said survival.
"What's going on?"
"Tomato walked in on Izumo and Kotetsu." Genma gasped between giggles. "Oh, the pain! The pain!" He continued to laugh, obviously talking about the pain in his stomach from laughing so hard.
"Every time we walk in here, there's a circus going on." All three of them turned to the voice who'd spoken. Raidou's jaw dropped and Genma stopped laughing immediately.
"Naruto, what happened to you?" Kiba asked worriedly, noting the angry bruise around the blond's left eye.
"Oh, this?" Naruto laughed as he motioned it. "Nothing, nothing. Sasuke just had a nightmare and took it a little too far."
"Oh, domestic abuse?" Genma asked, now on his feet. He ran to Naruto's side, putting his arm around the blond and grinning at him. "You know, Naruto, you can always come live with me."
Sasuke appeared behind the pair, having parked the car, and hit Genma across the back of the head angrily. "Don't even think about it, Shiranui."
The bunk-room door opened, Izumo and Kotetsu walking out with embarrassed looks on their faces. There was no sign of Yamato. Raidou cocked an eyebrow at them. Neither said a word, Izumo going to the table and picking up the newspaper there while Kotetsu rushed to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup.
Raidou, weary, went to the bunk-room and entered it to go find Yamato. God knew he'd need some sanity after walking in on that. Genma rushed across the room, bouncing into the bunk-room after Raidou. There was a small scuffle before Genma let out a yelp as was violently shoved out of the bunk-room before the door slammed in his face and locked.
"Raidou!" Genma banged on the door, an angry glint in his eye. "Raidou, I swear to God! You cheat on me with Tomato, I'll fuck you so hard you won't be able to sit for a month! Hey! Raidou!"
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Naruto grinned to himself as he leaned back against his cash at Wal-Mart, thinking about the fact that Sasuke was going to be there soon to go on his hour break with him. Sasuke was taking him out somewhere, and Naruto was really excited.
"Why do you look like you swallowed a bunch of stars?" Temari asked, appearing at his cash.
"Shouldn't you be in Electronics?" he teased. She just shrugged.
"They'll page me if they need me. The place is dead."
"True."
"So, spill. Why do you look so happy? Not that I object to you being happy, or anything." She smirked.
"Sasuke's taking me out for my lunch break." Naruto grinned. "I don't know where, but I'm really excited."
"He hasn't had any more episodes, has he?" she asked, motioning his still-healing bruise. Naruto reached up and gently ran his fingers over the bruise.
"No, he hasn't. And it's not like it's that big of a deal. I mean—we don't sleep at each other's house all the time."
"But you might as well." Temari teased. Naruto's grin faded and he frowned as he looked at the floor. "What?" the girl asked, concerned.
"What if he wants me to move in with him?" he whispered. "I can't leave that house, Temari."
The blond girl winced before sighing, rubbing Naruto's arm. "If he really wants to live with you, I think he'll understand if you want him to move in with you. If he doesn't, well—he's not worth it."
"I guess." Naruto whispered.
"Can I have an associate from Electronics page two-oh-eight. That's an associate from Electronics, two-oh-eight. Thank you."
"Excuse me." Temari reached across Naruto, snatching his phone off the hook and dialling the number. "Electronics." she said into the phone. "Mm hm. I'll go check." She hung up. "Gotta go. Need to earn my paycheck."
"Yeah, right." Naruto smirked as she walked off, flipping him off over her shoulder. Naruto just laughed, shaking his head.
He waited for about two minutes before he got his next customer, his eyes narrowing at the person coming towards him. Jesus Christ, how often do I have to tell this guy to fuck off?.! he thought angrily as his stalker placed his items on the conveyer belt. Naruto looked around, noting the only CSM was currently busy with an override at the service desk. He'd have to deal with him. Shit.
"Hello, Naruto." The tall man smirked. "Not calling a replacement today?"
Naruto just glared as he grabbed the man's first item and rang it through, dumping it in the closest bag. He continued to ring the items through when a hand suddenly reached across the conveyer and brushed his cheek. He jerked back, taking a step away from his cash.
"Don't touch me!" he snapped, anger in his tone but fear in his eyes.
"I'm not going to hurt you." The man smirked, leaning forward on the conveyer. "I just wanted to know if your skin was as soft as it looked."
Naruto shot a glance at the CSM. She was still busy. Shit, shit, shit, he thought worriedly. Just get it done. Naruto's eyes shot towards the remaining items. Just four items left. Just get it done, and he'll go. Get it done, close your cash, run to the service desk to the CSM. Get it done.
Naruto swallowed hard as he moved forward again and hurriedly rang the last four items through, jerking his head to the side as his stalker ran his fingers through his hair.
"Mm. Silky."
"Twenty dollars even." Naruto grit out, clenching his fists as he stared up into his stalker's face.
The man smirked as he pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, holding it out to Naruto. The blond took it, but before he could retreat his hand, the other man had grabbed his wrist, yanking him forward. Naruto followed through with the action, a gasp emitting from his mouth and his eyes widening as he found his face pressed against his stalker's cheek.
"You know, you're very cute when you're asleep, Naruto. I miss being able to watch you."
Naruto jerked away with a startled gasp, his hands shaking. The twenty was still clutched between his fingers. He dropped the money to the floor, grabbing the bags and putting them on the counter.
"Take them and go!" he all but hollered. "Get away from me!"
His stalker smirked as he took his bags, Naruto watching him the whole time as his breath quickened. Just as the man turned to leave, the CSM Naruto had been looking at appeared with a security guard. Naruto didn't know when she'd noticed his stalker in front of him, but he was thankful.
The security guard went to grab his stalker, but the man swung his bag, hitting him in the face before pushing the CSM aside and rushing out of the building, his bag having ripped and his items falling to the floor.
"Naruto!" The blond jumped and spun around to stare at Kankurou. "I got called by Rick to come to the front and help the security guard with your stalker. Are you okay?"
"No!" the blond exclaimed, his hands clenching his hair. "What does he want with me?" he asked in a whisper, his eyes wide and panicked. "Why is he always coming here? Why does he want me? I don't get it."
"Naruto." He turned to the security guard, who motioned him over. He complied, Kankurou bending down to pick up the twenty and punching in a code to open the register and put the money away.
The blond stopped beside the security guard, looking down at what he was motioning. "You're a firefighter, right? Does this look familiar to you."
Naruto bent down, inspecting the items he'd rung through without even looking at. Lighter fluids, Gasoline, matches, cloths. His hand flew to his mouth. He'd sold this?.! "Holy shit, this guy is an arsonist! He—" Naruto cut himself off as his stalker's face appeared in his mind, only to be followed a second later by Sasuke's.
His eyes widened. "Oh my God." he whispered.
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Sasuke turned into the Wal-Mart parking lot and frowned as he noticed police cars were there. He parked as close as he could before climbing out of the car and slamming the door, jogging towards the front of Wal-Mart. His eyes scanned the officers until he noticed one of them was Shino, but Hinata was nowhere to be seen.
"Shino." he called, the other man turning to him and motioning to another police officer who'd stopped Sasuke to let him through. The firefighter pushed past the police officer, stopping beside Shino.
"What happened?"
"Naruto's stalker came again, caused problems. He harassed Naruto, then knocked a security guard down with his bag. He left without his purchases, and Naruto noticed it was everything one would need to start a large-scale fire."
"Shit." Sasuke breathed. "Is Naruto okay?"
"Yeah, he's out back, waiting for you. He says he needs to talk to you."
Sasuke bolted towards the side of the building, not even thanking Shino. He ran around the side and hurried to the end of the large building. He skidded to a halt before reaching the back corner, turning it sharply and spotting Naruto sitting at a picnic table with Temari and Kankurou.
"Naruto!"
The two siblings looked up, but Naruto didn't. He had a pencil in his hand and was scribbling intently on the sheet sitting on the table in front of him. Sasuke rushed towards them, stopping right beside the table.
"Are you okay?"
"No, he's not okay!" Temari snapped. "What kind of a question is that?"
Sasuke glared. "You know what I mean!" he spat angrily. Why was she bitting his head off?.!
Temari took a deep breath, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I'm just—a little concerned for my brother." She put her hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"The stalker knows where he lives." Sasuke looked at Kankurou. "He said he missed watching Naruto sleep. We wouldn't think he knew where he lived based on that if it weren't for the fact that he's been sleeping at your place for the last couple of days."
"Shit." Sasuke whispered, rubbing his face. "Well, do we have a name? I mean, has he ever paid with a credit card, or debit or something?"
"No, always cash." Temari whispered, rubbing Naruto's shoulder comfortingly.
Naruto's scribbling stopped as he picked up the sheet, holding it to his chest with his eyes downcast. "Temari, Kankurou, can you leave us alone for a little bit?" he whispered.
"Sure." Temari kissed the top of his head before beginning to walk away, Kankurou following, but casting a worried glance over his shoulder.
Sasuke sat down across from Naruto at the picnic table, the blond watching his two surrogate siblings disappear around the corner before looking at Sasuke. His eyes lowered again once he glanced into his face, wincing. Sasuke just frowned.
"Shino said you had something to tell me."
"Yeah." Naruto whispered. "Don't—freak out, okay?"
"What's up?" Sasuke asked with a frown.
Naruto took a deep breath and put the paper down on the table, turning it to face Sasuke and pushing it towards him. The raven glanced down curiously, noting it was a sketch. He noted Naruto was a pretty good drawer before his eyes focused on the actual drawing. His eyes widened and he grabbed the sheet, holding it in his hands and crumpling the edges angrily as he glared at the emotionless face before him. Naruto had drawn Itachi.
"How—Where did—Why did you draw this?" Sasuke hissed, anger rising in his chest.
"Do you recognize him?" Naruto asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"Yes." Sasuke ground out.
"This is your brother?"
"Yes."
"Shit." Naruto whispered, rubbing his face with both hands.
"You still haven't answered me." Sasuke growled. "Why did you draw this?"
"Sasuke..." Naruto hesitated. "Sasuke, my stalker is your brother."
Sasuke ripped the picture in half.