Note from the Author:
Okay, this is my first attempt at a multi-chaptered fanfic. It's gonna take a while for me to lay out my most fabulous plot and garner massive interest, so be patient! and sprinkle with reviews when possible. )
Konoha's second loudest most hyperactive ninja raced home. "Naru-otou-san, I'm home and my first day was great and I'm going to be top of my class easy." Puck grinned.
Naruto's brow curled upwards. "Well we'd better go to Ichiraku's to celebrate."
"Yosh!"
Sasuke waited at the bridge. He noted that very little had changed in the time he had been gone. Upon closer inspection he noted the paint was a tad duller, covered in mildew, and the wood was showing signs of rot. He turned and faced the water. He tensed sensing his old sensei behind him.
"Yo."
Sasuke moved his hands behind his head. "Honestly, I thought that the great Hatake Kakashi wouldn't need so much time to find me, but, then again, you are perpetually tardy."
Kakashi hesitated, keeping both eyes trained on the thin man in front of him. Sasuke did not move and kept an eerie serene expression on his face. Eventually Kakashi closed the space between them and, bringing out a pair of manacles, cuffed his former student. He noticed a network of lines running along Sasuke's wrists. He wondered how far up the spider web continued. "Welcome home Sasuke."
Naruto awoke with a heavy feeling in his stomach. At first he wondered if he had actually eaten too much ramen but ruled out the possibility. He felt a dull ache emanating from his shoulder. He had just worked out a large knot of muscle when he heard a soft whimper come from outside his door. "Puck?" The door creaked open and he caught sight of black angelic eyes.
"Naru-otou-san," the boy's voice quivered with unshed tears.
Naruto patted the bed and Puck scrambled into the empty arms. His small body tensed with every choked breath, and Naruto knew that nightmares had been afflicting the boy again. He consciously tried to avoid thinking about what plagued the boy's dreams. They lay there, Puck quiet and unmoving, while Naruto pushed away the terror with deft sweeps of a comforting hands.
"Does Naru-otou-san have bad dreams too?"
"Yes," he closed his dry eyes. "Naru-otou-san has bad dreams too."