Writing body language is so difficult. Why.

You know, I don't think I've mentioned anywhere that the first chapter of Naruto that I ever read is the part where Sasuke throws himself in front of Haku's needles to save Naruto's life, and Naruto goes absolutely feral. What a way to start. Thirteen year old me was shook. Not to mention I read it in Swedish - a more dramatic language than you might think. I'll never get over one of the typos in the Swedish translations, I think it's the first volume, where they at one point refer to the Third as Kohage instead of Hokage, which in Swedish means cow's pasture. Words are funny like that. But just thinking about describing that scene where baby Sasuke dies for Naruto in words makes this chapter feel like a piece of cake.

(That's a lie. This chapter was super hard to write.)

Chapter 45: While I wait

xxx

Naruto had almost forgotten about Kakashi's habit to use his window as an open door. It was open, but not intended to be used as a door. Maybe if he stayed in this position, slumped over his table, head buried in his arms, Kakashi would decide he was a hopeless case and leave again.

"Well, you look terrible," Kakashi said, with fake cheer and probably a fake smile behind his mask.

"Leave me alone," Naruto muttered, ignoring the squirm in the pit of his stomach. "Unless it's about Obito fixing the connection I don't want to hear it."

"Teuchi and Ayame are very disappointed you haven't been by to eat ramen yet, which they told me very loudly when I happened to walk by."

Which meant Kakashi had been looking for him and for some reason didn't think he'd still be in his apartment. Well, it was past lunch, wasn't it. So far no one else had bothered him, and Naruto had ended up sprawled over the table after failing to muster up the energy for even instant ramen. The packets lay forgotten on the counter, because it was Sasuke who had bought them for him during their last trip to the grocery store.

Maybe he should have realized earlier how absolutely gone he was for Sasuke. Buying groceries together? Really?

Yeah, really, Kurama chimed in, clicking his tongue.

Kakashi poked his arm.

"Not hungry," he sighed, but pushed himself up by the elbows anyway. "I don't feel human right now."

"Iruka is waiting at Ichiraku's."

Well, that was a really underhanded tactic.

"Iruka sent you."

It was less of a question and more of a statement, and Kakashi's smiling eyes were answer enough. Swallowing a groan, Naruto stood, scrubbing tiredly at his face. He hadn't gotten much sleep, and the empty spot in his chest ached.

"I'll pay," Kakashi offered, which was Kakashi-speak for I'm worried about you please act normal again.

He was too tired to act normal. Besides, he was way past the need for hiding his feelings for Sasuke. He was miserable and he wanted people to know it, or they might think he could actually function without Sasuke by his side. He'd try not to lose his grip completely like last night, counting on Kurama to let him know if he was starting to act weird. Even if he didn't want people to think he was fine, it wouldn't help if people thought he was going crazy either.

"Fine," he sighed, shooing Kakashi out the window again and following him.

The walk through the village was tense, Naruto shoving his hands deep in his pockets and staring resolutely at the ground. No one tried to talk to them, and he was thankful that Kakashi kept silent as well.

He had no such luck with Iruka.

"You've been gone over three weeks! And then you come back and you don't even let me know! Do you have any idea how worried we've been!"

Iruka's hands were fisted at his sides, his bowl of ramen abandoned as he made sure the entire neighborhood knew exactly what he thought of Naruto's disappearance. Behind the counter, old man Teuchi nodded his agreement, arms crossed and frown heavy. Kakashi stood a few steps back, a novel in front of his face like a shield and an air of nonchalance as Naruto glanced back at him.

He knew the best course of action would be to let Iruka finish with his rant, would be to apologize and try to laugh it off, use his puppy eyes to make Iruka buy him ramen and forgive him. Instead he pressed his palms to his eyes, forcing guilt and nausea down. He couldn't apologize because he wasn't sorry. He couldn't deal with the shouting because his mind was constantly shouting at him on the inside, an all-consuming need to go back, to find Sasuke and hug him tight until he was sure he was safe and alive.

Iruka's voice caught mid-sentence, stunned. Then he wrapped Naruto in his arms, crushing him against his chest, tucking Naruto's face in his neck. He could feel the way he glared at Kakashi, almost laughed at how bad Kakashi was at comfort. But Iruka wasn't the person he wanted to hug. This tension in his body wasn't going to disappear on its own, he could tell, and maybe Iruka could tell, too, because he gently released him and squeezed his shoulders instead.

"You need to eat," he said, waiting until Naruto gave a terse nod. "Teuchi-san, if you would-"

"Already on it," Teuchi grumbled, slamming a shot of sake onto the counter.

Allowing Iruka's hands to guide him to a seat, Naruto was surprised to find that the sake was for him. He stared at it, vaguely aware of Kakashi sitting down on his other side, Iruka returning to his seat.

"I don't think alcohol is going to help," Kakashi mumbled, Iruka twitching but not replying.

It probably wouldn't. Naruto grabbed it anyway and let it burn down his throat, and at least it woke him up a little. A minute later a steaming bowl of ramen was put in front of him, together with a big glass of water.

Drink, Kurama urged him, and Naruto really was surrounded by people who had no idea how to make him feel better, but at least they were trying.

He could feel both Iruka and Kakashi relaxing as he downed the water and then inhaled the scalding hot ramen, moving on autopilot. Another bowl was set down in front of him and he inhaled that one, too. Letting out a heavy sigh, he at least felt less like wanting to murder the world.

"I thought you were the one who asked Sasuke to stay behind," Kakashi said, clearing his throat and turning a page.

It was one of Jiraiya's earlier books. Naruto wondered if he'd bothered to count how often he re-read it.

"I did."

"And he's… okay?" Iruka asked, shifting in his seat.

"Probably."

"I'm sure things will be okay," Iruka said, putting a hand on his shoulder again. "You'll have him back in no time."

Naruto didn't answer. He could feel the two of them exchanging a look over the top of his head, even Teuchi glancing at them as he placed a third bowl in front of him.

"I don't think I can eat this."

At this, Kakashi placed his hand on Naruto's other shoulder. It was awkward. But nice, sort of.

"I talked to Sakura this morning," he said, voice low as he leaned in closer. "I know I've made many mistakes as your sensei, and I know you know that I'm a mess. But I know what it's like to lose someone and try to live with it, and I never really managed."

Naruto sucked in a breath, grabbing the bowl in front of him as if to brace himself.

"We both do," Iruka added.

"Sakura shouldn't have told you what we found out. Tsunade and I will deal with it." Kakashi drew in a deep breath, then released it in a sigh, something defeated haunting his eyes. "You haven't lost him, Naruto."

There was too much to say, the words tumbling over each other in Naruto's brain, fragments of thoughts that stuck him like needles. He couldn't tell them. He wanted to tell them. He needed them to know.

"Did she tell you," he started, knuckles turning white as he gripped the bowl between his hands.

"Yeah," Kakashi said, squeezing his shoulder, the look on his face serious when Naruto tilted his head towards him. "Well, she didn't, but I guessed, and she confirmed."

"Tell you what?" Iruka asked, huffing when Kakashi sent him a look.

"We're dating," Naruto forced out, holding his breath.

"You and Sakura are dating?" Iruka's confusion bled through his words, and Naruto had to scrunch his face and groan, tugging at his hair.

"No," he said, exasperated. Their hands fell off his shoulders as he leaned back, glaring first at Iruka, then Kakashi, then Teuchi for good measure since he was definitely listening in. "Can we not talk about this? Here?"

"Finish your ramen," Kakashi sighed, and Naruto did as told, if only to escape the conversation.

"But-" Iruka said, then stiffened with a sharp inhale. "Oh. Oh."

"I don't want to talk about it," Naruto said around a mouthful of noodles, pretending he couldn't tell that Teuchi was most likely mentally cataloguing every single instance the past year that he'd brought Sasuke with him to eat.

He tried to remember if he'd ever seen Iruka and Kakashi having a conversation instead, sort of drawing up a blank. Sitting between them became slightly more unnerving.

"So." Iruka cleared his throat, and Naruto winced at what was likely to become a lecture. "Is there a reason I'm only finding this out now?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And nothing."

"Naruto!"

He shrugged, lifting the bowl to drink the broth, finishing with a loud burp.

"Old man, get me another one!"

Wincing at the punch to his arm, he bit his lip and wondered if he should just teleport somewhere else. Iruka would find him eventually, wouldn't he?

I don't think they have anything against it, Kurama snickered. Maybe this Iruka will give you condoms, too.

One day, he swore to himself. One day he was going to punch Kurama in the nose, and the asshole would deserve it.

You just hate being embarrassed, kid.

Go away. Ugh.

Sure, if that's how you want to die.

Naruto was too busy mumbling curse words in his head to notice how quiet it was. When he blinked back to reality, no fourth bowl of ramen in front of him yet, he hesitantly raised his eyes to meet Iruka's.

"I'm just worried about you," he sighed, once he had Naruto's attention. "Your life is hard enough as it is."

"It's easier when Sasuke's here."

It made Iruka smile, an understanding, much too knowing quirk of lips.

"Okay," he said, simply. Naruto couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at him, which made him shrug. "I believe you. I have seen you the past year, remember?"

"…I guess."

Teuchi placed a new bowl in front of him, his hand lingering on it until Naruto looked up at him.

"I knew," he said, lips thinned as if trying not to smile. "You're both obvious."

"What," Naruto squeaked, feeling his entire face heat up at the knowing look on his face. "There's no way-"

"I've known you your whole life," Teuchi continued, crossing his arms as if daring Naruto to argue with him. "And you talk a lot about him when you eat here alone. And Sasuke looks at you a lot, when you eat together. I've had enough couples come here to eat to know what to look for."

By the end Teuchi couldn't contain his grin any longer, and there were strangled noises coming from somewhere down Naruto's throat.

"It was just obvious," he finished with a shrug, Naruto feeling like his soul was leaving his body.

"Well, it wasn't obvious to me," Kakashi muttered, but they all ignored him.

"So," Iruka said, clearing his throat. "If you have any questions about, well…"

Under normal circumstances, Naruto would get flustered, flail about, yell indignantly no thank you please never offer again because thinking about Iruka thinking about sex was just, no. As it was, he stared into the steaming contents of his bowl, wondering if he should tell Iruka to give Sasuke the sex talk instead. There had to be rules against experimenting with lightning chakra. Right?

And yet you liked it, Kurama said, sounding all sorts of smug about it.

Thinking about Kurama thinking about sex was even worse than thinking about Iruka.

"Can we just go back to the part where I'm miserable instead? Thanks."

It earned him a light cuff on the back of his head, and he kicked at Iruka's stool in retaliation. At least it made Kakashi's shoulders drop just a little, some of the tension leaving them.

"As long as you know we're here for you if there's something you want to talk about."

"Speak for yourself," Kakashi muttered, and Naruto almost snickered at the thought of asking Kakashi whether or not he was the one to suggest to Sasuke that perfect control of lightning chakra could be used for pleasure.

Still. Sitting at Ichiraku's like everything was back to normal didn't sit right with him. There was a knot between his shoulder blades that kept him tense, kept him scanning the surroundings constantly. Sooner or later something would happen, and he wanted to be ready for it. Holding back a sigh he finished up the ramen, pushing it away from him with a decisive move.

"I'm gonna go check on Menma," he announced, slinking out of his seat.

"Naruto, wait-"

He ignored them.

xxx

Sasuke's head felt numb. He had woken up more tired than when he fell asleep, Charasuke wrapped around him not unlike Naruto was sometimes. It had confused him at first, the memory of the day before hitting him a second later. The pain hadn't dissipated during the hours since then, and he squinted in resignation at the building Charasuke had led him to.

"Why," he sighed, even as his counterpart put both hands on his back and pushed him forwards.

"Because, if I'm going to feel like shit, I might as well do it in a hot tub," Charasuke said, pushing him through the lobby and towards the front desk. "And if Naruto comes back and finds us naked I don't think he'll complain."

He couldn't argue with that, as stupid as it was. Charasuke grumbled as he paid, muttering something about family discount and I should really make mom pay for it instead. Soon enough they were wrapped in fluffy towels and making their way towards a more secluded area of the spa than last time. Here, the different baths were separated by bamboo screens, giving the illusion of privacy.

Charasuke picked the bath at the very end, closing the screen behind them and hitting various buttons to turn on bubbles and streams, soon turning the water into chaos, accompanied by a loud, rumbling noise. He dropped the towel and stepped into the water, humming as he sank down on one of the benches lining the bath underneath the water.

"Come on," he urged, waving at the other side of the bath. "Plenty of room."

Wondering how his life reached this point, Sasuke stepped into the tub as well. Though, tub was probably the wrong word, as this bath was larger than the bubble bath they'd shared previously. It was built into the floor as well, and he contemplated the unnecessary luxury of it as he found a nice stream of water to hit his lower back in just the right place. He supposed it wasn't a terrible idea, because he wasn't really feeling up to sharing with other people. The hot water and steam didn't do much to distract his thoughts, however, and he soon found himself thinking about Naruto.

He forcefully unclenched his fists, closing his eyes. Naruto's face haunted him, the pained look on it as he looked over his shoulder, holding Sasuke's gaze as Sakura transported them away. He wished he hadn't agreed to stay behind. While he wasn't exactly worried, he hated not knowing what was going on. He had no way of knowing what was happening to Naruto, and no way of joining him either. All he could do was sit and wait, uselessly.

"You're supposed to relax," Charasuke said, scooting closer so that they could hear each other over the bubbling water. "Not that I'm feeling very relaxed, either…"

"I don't like waiting," Sasuke offered, rolling his wrists in the water. "There has to be something we can do."

Charasuke gave him a strange look, gnawing on his lower lip. His cheeks were flushed from the heat already, and he lifted a leg to rest his chin on his knee.

"Okay," he said. "If they come back today, there's not much time to do anything. But if it takes a while…"

"Got any ideas?"

There was something helpless in the way Charasuke looked at him, as if Sasuke had asked him to do the impossible. Maybe he had – Sasuke didn't have any ideas, either.

"I don't know," he started slowly, dragging his fingers listlessly through the surface of the water. "Everything feels crazy. I can't believe Menma would just give up."

Frowning, Sasuke turned towards him.

"What do you mean?"

"Just a feeling." Charasuke glanced at him, then back down. "The things he said before you left for the mission… I think he knew something was going to happen."

"…yeah," Sasuke said, thinking back on the way Menma had acted while they traveled. "So you think he gave up and just let it happen?"

"Mm. Something like that. It's just, there's something that's kind of been bothering me." Again he glanced at Sasuke, then towards the door that closed them off from the outside world. "You know, this place is really popular for secret conversations. It's almost impossible to hear anything over the water if you keep the bubbles going."

They were silent for a few moments, Sasuke watching as Charasuke traced meaningless patterns through the water. He seemed subdued, lost in thought.

"Last time, when Naruto was here, the masked man burned down a few nearby villages. Small ones. People died. Everyone's been keeping quiet about the fact that Menma did it, not the other masked man."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, wondering why Naruto hadn't mentioned that detail to him. Maybe he didn't know.

"So, Obito – my world's Obito, that is – thinks that maybe Kaguya was controlling Menma just like she controlled your world's Obito. Or that someone else was using Menma, saw what your Obito did, and got some ideas on what to do next. It just doesn't make sense that your world's Obito would arrive early and have Menma burn down a couple villages."

"Not really, no."

"Besides, Menma kind of told me that he didn't think it was the masked man that made him do it. My family thought Menma was controlled either way by whoever it is we're facing now, and that's why they sent him on that mission with you. Those weird chakra signatures showed up after he and I went on a mission there… They thought maybe the enemy would make a move if we forced them to."

Blinking slowly, Sasuke searched Charasuke's face as he contemplated this. He wasn't surprised that they'd kept information from him and Naruto, but to go so far as having planned to spring a potential trap without letting him know?

"Well, it worked," he muttered, running a wet hand through his hair. "Anything else they've been keeping from me?"

Dark eyes met him in a steady gaze, and Sasuke was once again struck by the weird feeling that those were his eyes, while he had Itachi's.

"Yeah. They knew about my thing with Menma, and wanted me to report on everything he's said and done, like some kind of spy. Oh, and they want me to get close to you and Naruto and figure out why you're here."

Well. That was as straightforward as it got, wasn't it?

"I know as much as you do," Sasuke sighed. "Maybe less than you do, apparently."

Charasuke nodded, lifting his other leg as well and throwing both arms around them.

"Do you know why your Obito brought Naruto here last time, though? Like, it's a weird story."

"Never asked."

Releasing a huff of breath, Charasuke straightened up, stretching his legs out and sinking lower in the water.

"Maybe weird things just happen to you."

"Maybe."

"But you defeated the Kaguya in your world, right?"

Sasuke shrugged, shifting in his seat.

"We sealed her, yes. I don't think she could escape."

"Maybe she could if our Kaguya helped her."

Sending Charasuke a curious look, Sasuke tapped a few fingers against his right knee, considering it. He hadn't felt any ill intent from the Kaguya of this world, who was very different from the goddess they'd met on the battlefield. Still, it felt like he was missing something.

"We won't know until they reveal themselves, whoever they are," he said instead, shaking his head at Charasuke's frown. "We can guess, but if we're up against two Kaguya, the odds are bad."

"But you know how to seal her," Charasuke protested, waving his hands in the air. "Just do it again!"

"Oh sure," Sasuke drawled, leaning his head back, watching the steam rise to the ceiling. "We'll just wait for the Sage of the Six Paths to show up and hope he helps us again."

He could feel Charasuke's stare against the side of his head, the silence heavy.

"You got your powers from the Sage," Charasuke stated, measuring each word carefully. "And so did Madara and Hashirama in this world. If Kaguya is still around, shouldn't the Sage be, too?"

Sasuke stared at him.

"And what, we wait? It doesn't help us figure out who is behind all of this. Besides, we already have the Sage's powers."

"Right."

The silence was loaded. Neither of them mentioned that only Sasuke had those powers functional at the moment. He gripped his knees, trying to keep himself steady. He felt as chaotic on the inside as the water bursting and bubbling around him, fueled by hot streams of anger and helplessness. There had to be something.

"I wish I could help."

It was Charasuke, voice low enough that he wasn't sure he'd spoken at first. Clenching his left hand into a fist, Sasuke considered what to say. He had so much power, and at what cost? Would he rather be weak, if it meant keeping his family? And knowing how he himself had felt in the past, when he was too weak, when he couldn't protect anyone, when he couldn't do a single thing but cling desperately to the idea of survival, of revenge…

"I'm no good, though. I tried to help Gaara and look what happened."

"You made a bad decision."

"Yeah, and now I'm off duty. Don't think I told you that?"

Frowning, Sasuke turned towards him, leaning an arm against the side of the bath.

"It makes sense to take some time to recover," he started, but Charasuke shook his head with a self-deprecating little smile.

"Not that kind of off duty. Clearly I'm not cut out to be a ninja."

"Just because you did something stupid-"

"They don't trust me," Charasuke interrupted him, biting at his lips for a moment. "I know I'm weak. I know I shouldn't have gone after him, but I…"

"You made the right decision."

Shock filtered through the anger on Charasuke's face as he stared at him, mouth hanging open.

"Didn't you?" he pressed on when there was no reply, leaning his head against his palm. "Why else would you be angry that they took you off duty."

Charasuke blinked at him. Something seemed to settle within him, tension slipping off his shoulders like water droplets.

"I couldn't just leave him," he said, slowly. "I should have gone for help, but I just, I wanted to help him…"

"You made a bad decision because you care about him."

Immediately, Charasuke's face twisted in dismay. He looked away, crossing his arms, suddenly tense again.

"That's a terrible way of phrasing it."

"You know, there's a difference between making a bad decision because you care, and making a bad decision because you don't care. Naruto managed to knock that into my head, he's the definition of making bad decisions because of caring."

"That's different. You two are strong enough to survive bad decisions."

Sasuke couldn't help it. He snorted out loud, eyes gliding towards the bamboo walls, tracing the lines they made. He didn't even know where to begin with that. The storm had lessened inside him, brewing quietly. You would think that remembering every shitty decision he'd ever made would make him feel worse, but he took comfort in the fact that at least Charasuke would never have to do the same things he had. That his other self had survived this long and still cared, was willing to lay down his life to protect his friends. The only reason Sasuke still cared was Naruto, and he didn't care about much besides Naruto.

But, unfortunately, he also cared about his family in this dimension. And he had made the bad decision to stay behind, losing sight of the one person that mattered more to him than his own life.

"You don't know if you're going to survive until it's over," he muttered, suppressing a sigh. "Sometimes I didn't want to survive, and survived anyway. And surviving is not the same as living."

He could feel, again, Charasuke's eyes boring into him. This wasn't really a conversation he wanted to have. Even so, he felt too drained to stay silent, too hurt to keep it to himself.

"I don't like that you almost got yourself killed because I care more about you than I care about Gaara. I don't think he was worth it." He glanced at Charasuke, met his eyes for a brief second before mentally groaning at the suspicious shine in them. "But you're like Naruto. You forget to think about the people you would leave behind."

"Oh."

"You didn't see the look on their faces when you were unconscious."

"Right. Thanks, I feel awful now."

Sasuke shrugged.

"I didn't say it to make you feel bad. But we're the same person, so I felt like I had to say it."

"No, I'm pretty sure you said it to make me feel bad."

Even so, there was a small smile dancing across Charasuke's lips. He looked so fragile – like a gust of wind would bend him over and break him. Before he could think about it, Sasuke held out his right hand, palm up. It took a few seconds for Charasuke to notice, but when he did, he didn't hesitate before gripping Sasuke's hand with his own.

"You should stay," Charasuke said, squeezing his fingers once. "When this is all over. You should stay."

I don't think I can stay.

I don't know if I can leave.

Sasuke said nothing.

xxx

Menma was unconscious.

He should have guessed it, really, but he still faltered in the doorway to the hospital room. Konohamaru was leaning against the far wall, lighting up at the sight of him.

Naruto almost turned and left at the sight of him, but forced out a breath and made himself step inside the room, footsteps too loud as he covered the short distance to the bed.

"He's been asleep since you got here," Konohamaru told him, coming over to stand on the other side of Menma. "He seemed normal until then…"

Looking at Menma was so much weirder than looking at one of his clones. There was always a connection between him and his clones, a thread of chakra, a sort of awareness that allowed him to communicate with them. With Menma there was nothing. Well, except for an uneasy churning in his gut, telling him that something was wrong.

"Something's controlling him," he mumbled, grabbing a nearby chair and pulling it over to sit level with his chest.

As soon as Menma woke up, he was going to get some answers out of him.

"Go take a break, Konohamaru. I'll watch him."

"Sakura will hit me if I leave," Konohamaru said, shoving his hands down his pockets, put-out look on his face. "Not going to risk it."

"I'm not going to tell her," Naruto sighed, lifting one leg to put his heel on the chair's seat, hand clasping around his ankle.

When Konohamaru didn't reply he glanced up at the boy, meeting his eyes for a moment before watching him turn away with something akin to guilt.

"What?" he asked, sighing again.

"I…" Konohamaru squirmed, shuffling his feet. He kept his gaze firmly trained on a point somewhere above Naruto's left shoulder. "I thought you liked Sakura."

Something in Naruto's chest sank, heavy. He wondered how Konohamaru could possibly know.

"Menma told me," Konohamaru hurried to add, body stiff and tense. "Was he lying?"

There was a hopeful tone to his voice, and Naruto stared glumly at his other self's calm face. He'd get mad at him for telling if it weren't for the fact that Menma liked Charasuke, at least had liked him at some point, and somehow had managed to screw it up on his own.

"Depends on what he said."

"He said you like Sasuke, not Sakura."

"And if I do?"

He raised his eyebrows, waiting until Konohamaru dared look at him. Sometimes it was hard to believe they weren't that far apart in age. Sasuke didn't like him much. He once said that Konohamaru had all of Naruto's bad sides and none of the good ones, which, in hindsight, was practically a love declaration. Naruto had spent almost a week basking in the fact that Sasuke thought he had good sides.

"…I don't get it," Konohamaru said finally, after struggling for a bit. "He tried to kill you. I mean, he's a guy, too, and you weren't affected when I did the-"

"Look," Naruto interrupted him with, trying to scrub the memory of Konohamaru transforming into a naked Sai/Sasuke sandwich from his brain. "It doesn't matter what you think about it. It just is."

Blinking slowly, Konohamaru bit his lower lip, no doubt against more disagreeing words. The silence wrapped around them, an uncomfortable, sticky blanket that made Naruto want to leave. But he didn't. He stayed and he stared at Menma, and Konohamaru retreated to the window, leaning beside it and keeping his eyes on the view.

When Naruto did leave, eventually, he didn't bother saying goodbye.

xxx

"Tsunade."

She turned, her brother striding towards her through the hospital corridor. There was a grim look on his face – the longer their current situation, the more tension seemed to be added to the lines of his body.

"What is it, Nawaki?"

He tilted his head towards an open door, and she followed him inside an empty patient room. Closing the door behind them, she crossed her arms and waited for whatever depressing news he had. Neither of them had been happy to know that Naruto had returned to his own dimension, although at least it solved the mystery of where Menma had disappeared to.

"We got a message from Kirigakure, they just finished decoding it. Looks like the Sanbi is gone."

"Gone?"

Nawaki gave a terse nod.

"As they've been keeping their jinchuuriki under surveillance, they could report that those white creatures showed up again. He disappeared similar to what Sasuke described, so we can assume it was the same type of portal."

Rolling her shoulders, Tsunade tried not to think about the fact that things had just gone from bad to worse.

"I just checked on Gaara, he's still unconscious. The Kazekage wants to transport him back to Suna, but I don't know…"

"I think it's safe to say they won't make it back."

She sighed, swallowing down a frustrated groan.

"Well, what do we do now? The only one with any chance of stopping it from happening is the other Sasuke. If we don't do anything, I'm guessing they'll get picked off one by one."

"And not in order," Nawaki added, walking over to the window and placing one hand on the glass. "This is too big for us, Tsunade. We have no idea who or what we're facing."

"Lovely," she muttered, frowning down at the floor. "I don't know what's better, keeping the tailed beasts from getting caught or letting it happen and hope we can deal with whoever's behind it."

"Hm," Nawaki said, tapping the glass twice. "You say that as if we stand a chance either way."

She hated sitting around waiting. It wasn't even a question on whether or not they could trust Naruto and the other Sasuke anymore. They had no choice but to hope they were on the same side. She didn't like that Sasuke had stayed behind, that the problem was still present in their world. Although, she couldn't be sure that things would stop happening just because the two dimension travelers left. At this point their worlds were most likely too intertwined, and would suffer the same fate.

It wasn't hard to call up the memories of her grandfather, how she'd listened to his stores with fascination. How he and Madara had dealt with the bijuu, how they'd received their powers from the Sage of the Six Paths at the very last moment, when all hope seemed to be lost.

Could she believe in a miracle to happen this time around, too? It had happened only a year ago to Naruto and Sasuke. It wasn't unlikely, not if Kaguya herself had already made herself known. But to be caught in a battle on the level of gods...

"It's terrifying to think that our fate is in the hands of those two boys," she said, sharing a look with her brother.

He seemed to think the same thing she did.

How many days left until the end?

xxx

"This is boring," Charasuke sighed, leaning his chin in one palm and eyeing his other self listlessly. "And your self-discipline is making me want to throw up."

There was, unsurprisingly, no answer. Sasuke was busy practicing with his new katana, moving through the clearing with fluid grace. He'd decided not to comment on the fact that they were back in the spot where Naruto had disappeared. But he did want to comment on the fact that he was bored out of his mind – although the truth was that he felt something shrivel up and die inside his chest every time he remembered that despite having genetically identical bodies, they would never be identical in this.

Even though he felt mostly recovered physically, his mind was not up for the task of training. He wondered if it ever would be. Sasuke looked beautiful and dangerous, a carefully controlled disaster waiting to happen to anyone who dared confront him. He held back a shiver, tucking his sweater closer to his body. It was getting colder, thick clouds covering the sky, hanging suspended as if the day would never end.

"Oh, this can't be healthy," he muttered, as Sasuke threw himself into a series of brutal movements.

There was no way his imaginary opponent hadn't died with the first stroke of his blade. Then again, maybe he shouldn't judge Sasuke's opponents by his own world's standards. He wished he'd brought something to eat with him.

Leaning back on his hands, he looked up at the sky for a minute. There was a gentle wind rustling the trees, touching his face. It felt too serene, like the world was holding its breath. Or maybe that was just him. At least, if he kept his head tilted back, staring up at endless grey, he could pretend the world wasn't moving. Sasuke was so quiet as he worked, the faint swish of his katana, the barely heard shuffle of his feet on grass. It made his own heartbeat that much louder, made the anxious tingle in his fingertips that much harder to ignore.

Sasuke stilled for a moment, watching something past Charasuke's shoulder intently. When he turned, Shisui was making their way towards them. He shrugged, as if answering a question, and Sasuke returned to his training. Shisui came to stand next to him, watching Sasuke for a while with a small frown on his face.

"How long?" he asked, and Charasuke fell back, melting against the cold ground.

"Too long. I'm starving."

"Alright then." There was a faint smile lingering on Shisui's lips, and he waved a hand at Charasuke. "Why don't you go get something to eat, I'll keep him company."

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Charasuke hesitated.

"Why?"

Shisui gave him a look.

"What do you mean why. Are you starving or aren't you?"

"I didn't bring any money." If he sounded petulant, he would deny it to anyone who asked. "Besides, I don't want to…"

"Don't want to leave him alone?"

Embarrassed, he turned his face away, though Shisui could probably still see him clearly from above. It was stupid, because he was clearly more of a hindrance than help, but the thought of letting Sasuke out of his sight did terrible things to his already anxious mind.

"Fine, let's guilt him into joining us for dinner."

Before Charasuke could protest, Shisui walked over to his counterpart, close enough that Sasuke had to sidestep him. How it was possible to encapsulate irritation with the flick of a hand, Charasuke would never know.

"If you make him faint, I'll never forgive you," Shisui said, voice even, almost pleasant.

It brought Sasuke up short.

"What?"

"He needs to eat. Look at him, he doesn't even have the strength to sit up." Shisui waved a hand behind him, and Charasuke groaned at the pinched look Sasuke sent his way. "He barely recovered from his injuries, and now you're-"

"Let's go," Sasuke interrupted him with, stalking over to Charasuke. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Staring up at the face that was so similar, yet so different from his own, Charasuke rolled his eyes.

"He's exaggerating. I'm just hungry."

He still accepted the outstretched hand, stumbling to his feet from the force Sasuke lifted him with.

"Shisui can pay, then," he replied, then sheathed his katana with a graceful stretch of his arm.

"Oi," Shisui protested mildly, catching up to them. "If I'm paying, I at least get to choose where to eat."

"Fine by me," Sasuke shrugged, and turned to stride quickly towards the worn path leading back into the village.

"Not very patient, is he." Shisui smiled as they followed at a more reasonable pace, Charasuke wincing as Shisui threw his arm across his shoulders. "But I kind of like him."

"He's three kinds of insane," Charasuke mumbled, ducking out of his cousin's hold.

"Like you, then."

His glare had no effect. Sometimes Shisui's never-ending cheer annoyed him, but right now he was thankful for the sense of normalcy it brought with it. It distracted from the pit of despair nestled in his chest. Life didn't feel real.

"What if-" he started, then clamped his mouth shut.

There was no point talking about it. He kept walking, gaze locked on Sasuke's back. It was weird, how much he trusted him. How different he felt since he started trusting him. If they survived all this, he wasn't sure what to do with himself.

"No use thinking about what ifs," Shisui told him, something dark passing over his face for a second. "It's so easy to get stuck on the worst thoughts. It's nice that you're keeping an eye on Sasuke, but who's keeping an eye on you?"

"No one needs to," he said, clenching his fists before forcing them to relax again. "And Sasuke is… not so bad."

He could feel Shisui's eyes searching him, boring into the side of his face. He didn't dare meet them.

"You know, Mikoto is just worried about you. There's two of each of you. Maybe you shouldn't dismiss your own potential part in this."

Charasuke froze, heat skipping a beat. Ahead of him, Sasuke paused as well.

"You seriously think I have a part in this?"

This time he turned, finding Shisui's concerned gaze. There was something uncomfortable settling in the general area of his windpipe, making it hard to breathe properly.

"Naruto and Menma in the other dimension, you and the other Sasuke in this. I don't think anything is a coincidence at this point. If Sasuke over there wasn't our best bet at keeping you safe, I have a feeling your mother would lock you up somewhere."

"…well, if I am part of this, I doubt it helps locking me up."

"Probably not."

Shisui glanced forwards, then put his hand between Charasuke's shoulder blades, pushing him along.

"Do try not to run headfirst into trouble if you can help it," he added, patting his back once before letting his hand fall down. "I'm getting too old for that kind of heart attack."

Charasuke figured it was better to say nothing, than to make promises he couldn't keep.

There is maybe a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter.

Lately, I've been obsessed with Star Trek. I mean, I've always liked Star Trek, but it's only now that I got around to reading fics. And I'm steadily working my way through the original series (I also re-watched the new movies and cried). Nothing is better than getting into a fandom that already has a million things to watch and read, except it's very distracting. If anyone knows of a fic where Pike is still the captain after the 2009 movie but Kirk is the first officer and Spock is the science officer, please, PLEASE let me know. I'm dying of thirst and with a fandom that big it's impossible that such a fic doesn't exist already.

Also, a warm thank you to everyone wishing me luck in finishing this fic before 30. I already know what to write once I finish it, and I think you will like it. I am, as always, behind on reviews, and truly grateful for the love you're showing this fic. You people make writing (body language) worth it.