Well, what can I say. First of all, thank you for 5,000 kudos! Pretty insane, huh? I posted a thingy on tumblr to celebrate, you can read more in the end notes - I think you'd rather read the chapter than my rambling right now.

What's also insane is that less than 24 hours ago, I only had about 500 words written for this chapter. I wrote most of it in a frenzy last night - the power of deadlines and iced coffee is not to be underestimated. Although, the deadline is just that my girlfriend is visiting, and I had wanted to post this before she takes up all my time, except I could only write other things and then my brain slept the entire weekend until around 6pm yesterday.

Anyway, this chapter is Charasuke's chapter. I'm so excited to reveal his part in this story - but also super afraid haha! Please don't kill me for the cliffhanger... As always, can't believe we're at the end. Thank you a million times for reading!

Chapter 51: The choice

xxx

Itachi sighed to himself as he prepared ingredients, listening to the loud noises from the doorway that he knew to be Shisui. He was trying his best to relax, but it was easier said than done.

"Oh, what are you making?" Shisui asked as he made his way to the kitchen, hooking his chin over Itachi's shoulder.

"Just some udon with fried tofu," he said, not bothering to push Shisui off.

"And lots of it, too!"

"Charasuke and Sasuke are joining us for dinner."

Shisui hummed, arms sneaking around his waist.

"I didn't know that."

"They don't know, either."

He could feel Shisui's smile against the side of his neck, a quick kiss pressed to his cheek before he let go.

"Hm, I guess I'm supposed to go fetch them? What if they already ate?"

"If they ate this early they can have a second dinner."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm starving!"

Itachi turned to look at him, eyebrow raised pointedly.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Although Shisui rolled his eyes, he dutifully went back out the front door. It left Itachi too alone with his thoughts, no distractions. Each day that nothing happened put him more on edge, shortened his patience. The portal hadn't activated no matter what he tried on it, and he wasn't sure if that was for the best or not. It was clear, at least, that it operated on chakra alone.

Fugaku popped his head into the kitchen, eyeing his progress questioningly.

"You're making a lot," he commented, and Itachi held back a sigh.

"Shisui is picking up Sasuke and Charasuke."

"That's nice. You know how worried your mother's been."

Itachi forced a smile, checking on the noodles to make sure they wouldn't overcook. She may be worried, but she didn't necessarily show it or do something about it. They chatted for a while about mundane things, pretending everything was normal, Shisui and his brother times two arriving just as he split the soup in bowls, placing the tofu neatly on top.

"Here we are!" Shisui announced, steering them both by the shoulder towards the kitchen table. "I hope the food's not cold."

"You're just in time," Itachi reassured him, glancing at his little brother.

He had a sullen look on his face, hair almost seeming to droop down in the back. When Shisui pushed him towards a chair he scowled at him, sitting down without a word. Sasuke, on the other hand, went to sit on his other side without prompting.

Itachi wasn't sure what surprised him most – how Sasuke moved closer to murmur something in Charasuke's ear, or how his little brother seemed to lean into him. He hadn't realized just how close they were.

"Here," he said, setting down two bowls before them.

"Thank you," Sasuke replied politely.

His brother said nothing.

"What about me?" Shisui pouted, sitting down next to Sasuke and holding his palms together, puppy eyes on full strength.

"I must have forgotten a bowl for you."

"Noooo," Shisui moaned, slumping over the table.

It was incredibly obvious that he was trying to break through the stiff tension in the room, but Itachi appreciated him all the same. Still, his efforts were in vain as Mikoto appeared. Charasuke instantly froze, chopsticks halfheartedly holding a piece of tofu.

"Sasuke," their mother said, looking between the two of them, then at Itachi.

"Well!" Shisui said, clapping his hands together. "This looks really tasty! Another of Ryouga-sensei's recipes?"

"From his latest recipe collection," Itachi confirmed, handing bowls to his parents before serving himself and Shisui. "I made too much, so it's a good thing you could all join."

Fugaku cleared his throat, thanking him for the food. The rest of dinner continued in silence, the tension palpable. He could feel a headache forming behind his eyes, trying to ignore the multiple worried glances Shisui sent his way.

Mikoto finished first, excusing herself with work. Once she'd left, some of the tension seemed to dissipate.

"It's really good," Shisui complimented him quietly, downing the last of his broth.

It felt strange, to pretend things were normal. Not unusual though. Their family wasn't known for sitting down to have heart-to-hearts, and Itachi wondered if this had been a bad idea. Even so, the sight of his little brother safe and sound was a relief.

"I should get back to work as well," Fugaku said, squeezing his shoulder as he walked past him to deposit his bowl in the sink.

With the four of them left, Shisui heaved a sigh of relief.

"I keep forgetting how much fun these little family disputes are," he said, leaning back in his chair. "But hey, no one burned anything down at least."

Itachi was surprised to find Sasuke raising his head to watch Shisui with sharp eyes. He didn't say anything however, simply placing his chopsticks neatly over his bowl.

"Can we leave now?" Charasuke asked, poking at his half-full bowl.

"You didn't finish your food," Itachi pointed out, unable to help himself. It earned him a sullen glare, but at least his brother started eating again. "I just wanted to make sure that the two of you are okay."

"Sure." Charasuke scoffed at him around his noodles, chewing noisily. "You could have done that literally anywhere else."

"She's worried about you," he sighed, combing his fingers through his hair, slung in a low ponytail across a shoulder. "You'll have to talk at some point."

"No thanks."

Sasuke looked like he wanted to say something, so Itachi turned to look at him expectantly. It took a minute, but when he did speak, his voice was carefully controlled.

"You'll regret it if you don't."

While Itachi knew the story of Sasuke's past, he wasn't sure Charasuke did. He bit his lips for a second, showing more emotion than he wanted to. Sharing another look with Shisui, he slowly exhaled.

"I think-"

"I don't care what you think!"

Charasuke glared at him, arms crossed over his chest. He looked like he'd borrowed clothes, his shirt a pale baby blue.

"Still."

He could tell that he wasn't going to get through to his brother tonight. And even if he did, he silently thought that it was their mother who should reach out first, not the other way around. It was unlikely that she would.

"Sorry," Shisui offered, running a tired hand through his hair. "We're just worried about you, with everything as it is. We still don't know what's going on."

"I do."

They all stared at Sasuke. A glance at his brother however showed him not surprised, but rather apprehensive.

"You do?" Shisui asked, frowning. "Why haven't you told anyone?"

"Probably because he wants to fix it all by himself," Charasuke muttered, ignoring the dark look Sasuke sent his way.

"Well?" Impatience clear in his tone, Shisui leaned forwards over the table. "What's going on, then?"

Sasuke looked like he was starting to regret bringing it up. He didn't look particularly worried, though, but Itachi all but held his breath as he opened his mouth to explain.

"It's Hagoromo, the Sage of the Six Paths. He's made Kaguya his prisoner, and he's trying to wake up the God Tree early."

Itachi swallowed, thickly. Sasuke said it all with a perfectly calm expression, as if this was everyday news to him. Maybe it was – he had defeated his world's version of Kaguya in battle, after all.

"Who is doing what now?!"

The exclamation made Charasuke roll his eyes.

"You heard him. We're battling the son of a chakra goddess, piece of cake."

"We aren't doing anything," Sasuke disagreed, finally showing emotion in the way his lips thinned disapprovingly. "Naruto and I will handle it."

Charasuke didn't argue. There was something in his eyes, though, something that instantly had the hairs at the back of Itachi's neck rising.

"What can we do to help?" he asked, mind whirring through the possible scenarios, trying to piece the clues together. He couldn't understand how calm Sasuke was about the whole thing, joining dinner like he had all the time in the world. "I still haven't managed to find out how the portal works."

Sasuke shrugged, and he could tell how much it annoyed Shisui by the tick in his left eye.

"I'm sure he'll find a way to bring me to wherever he is. Kaguya told us that we should wait as long as possible, but she didn't explain why."

"Whoa, okay, hang on a second," Shisui said, holding his hands up. "Kaguya told you? When?!"

"Last night."

It was Charasuke, gaze stuck on the contents of his bowl. Something cold crept down Itachi's spine.

"You met with her?" he asked, eyes flitting between them. "Both of you?"

"I was kind of on the sidelines," Charasuke said, sounding bitter, his eyes narrowing. Still, his shoulders were tense as he hunched over his bowl. "Guess all we can do is wait."

"Great," Shisui groaned, rubbing at his face. "More waiting. Your favorite thing in the world, Itachi."

He ignored the comment. His full focus was on Sasuke, deciphering his expression – or lack thereof.

"There's not much we can do at the moment," Sasuke told them, his face betraying nothing.

"Great," Shisui repeated. "Fantastic. Why are you acting like this is fine?"

Sasuke blinked at him, then raised an eyebrow.

"Would you rather I panicked?"

His tone was dry, but there was nothing amused in the way he said it. Shisui shrugged, starting to fiddle with his glass of water.

"I feel like I should panic, but you're making it kinda hard," he said, squinting at Sasuke. "You really think you and Naruto can deal with it, just like that?"

"We don't have much choice, do we?"

Fair enough, Itachi thought. He and Shisui may be two of the strongest ninja in their clan, but what could they do against a thousand-year-old legend? They weren't even near the same level that Sasuke and Naruto were on. Still, the lack of control grated at his nerves, his lungs constricting at the thought of what was to come.

They all startled when Charasuke slammed his hands on the table, standing up. The chair scraped against the floor, his jaw set.

"I need to use the bathroom," he mumbled, in contrast to his dramatic move.

Itachi stared after him as he walked out of the kitchen, a hollow feeling taking shape in his gut.

"What's going to happen to him?" he asked Sasuke, his voice barely above a whisper.

To his surprise, Sasuke's expression morphed into one of confusion.

"Why would anything happen to him?"

"Why else would Kaguya talk to him?" Shisui demanded to know, clenching a fist over the table. "Don't give me that look, there's got to be something going on that involves him!"

Sasuke was looking at them like he thought they were dumb, but his features smoothed out into something more determined. The difference between the two of them had never been more obvious.

"Nothing will happen to him."

It sounded like a threat and a promise all at once.

xxx

Charasuke was quiet on their way back to the orphanage. He knew he had to talk to his parents at some point, but not now. There were too many other things to think about, and his mother's words were too much of a raw wound. He didn't think Sasuke could understand that. In a way, he was of course right. If something happened and he didn't resolve things with his family, he'd surely regret it. But he felt like that regret was a small price to pay, in light of everything else.

He glanced at Sasuke, found his eyes darting up towards the darkening sky, before settling resolutely on the street ahead of them. Chances were, Sasuke was much more at risk of ending up hurt. Or dead.

He shuddered. He didn't want to think about it. Didn't want to think about whatever part he himself was meant to play. He did know that Sasuke would never let him go with him willingly. He'd need to convince him, or follow him somehow.

Feeling his breaths shorten, he clenched and unclenched his fingers to try and calm down. This wasn't the time to panic. It could happen now, or next week, when they least expected it. He knew how much Itachi hated waiting, and Charasuke hated it, too. He was sure his counterpart felt the same way, despite the calm front he put up. It felt surreal, almost, to walk through the village as if everything was fine.

There were people milling about, heading to dinner, walking with friends or alone, hurrying with their heads down. Just a few weeks ago he'd been the same. Caught up in his own world, his own problems, and maybe he still was. It was difficult to think of concepts like saving the world or fighting chakra gods. How was he supposed to wrap his head around it?

They took a turn down a familiar street, lights shining through the windows they passed. Sasuke didn't hurry, but he didn't take the time to look around, either. He wished he could reach out and touch him, find some kind of reassurance in the fact that he was real, that he was still there. Looking at his profile in the streetlight, he had to wonder how they could possibly be the same person. Charasuke wasn't anybody, really. He had his family, he had his friends, his good looks. He didn't carry himself like he'd seen too much of the world, like he didn't deserve peace.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, biting the inside of his cheek as Sasuke glanced at him.

He held his gaze for a moment, then raised his face towards the sky. He paused in the middle of the street, seemingly debating with himself.

"What did Kaguya tell you?" was the question he got in return, Sasuke's hands shoved into his pockets, head tilted as he turned towards him. "Even if it didn't make sense-"

"It didn't," he bit out, starting to walk again. "I don't think I was meant to tell anyone, anyway."

Sasuke hummed, eyes narrowed. He didn't say anything else, and Charasuke gave up on conversation. Soon enough they reached the gate leading into the orphanage, Sasuke pushing it open quietly. The lights were on inside, of course, windows like bright yellow eyes in the near darkness. Sasuke turned his back on the house for a moment, closing the gate again, and that's when Charasuke saw it.

It shimmered in the air, to the left of them. Beckoning them.

"Oh," he breathed out, and Sasuke instantly moved to his side. "It looks like a-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off by a momentary flash of pain, darkness pulling him under.

When he came to, the portal was gone.

So was Sasuke.

He scrambled to his feet, heart pounding, swearing out loud. That bastard–

He searched the area, quickly, a sinking feeling in his chest. He was gone. Gone. No arguments, nothing. He should have known.

In an instant, everything seemed to fall into place. He turned on his heels, and bolted through the village.

Itachi was still at home, puttering about in the kitchen. His eyes widened in surprise as Charasuke barged into the house, grabbing his arm.

"You have to take me to the portal," he ordered, breathing heavily. "Now."

"What happened?"

In an instant, Itachi switched from his homely, off-duty self to the sharp ninja that Charasuke both admired and resented. Clenching his fingers around his brother's arm, Charasuke tried to convey without words how little time they had.

"Please," he said, and finally Itachi seemed to understand.

It didn't take much time to reach the Hokage tower. Charasuke had to wonder why they decided to keep a portal to a different dimension in such a vulnerable spot, but he didn't dwell on it as they made their way deep underground, Itachi all but bullying his way through the guards along the way.

"I don't know how much good it'll do us," his brother mumbled as they stepped inside the reinforced cell that held the portal. "It doesn't seem to be activated."

Like this, it didn't look like more than a block of stone, a thin wire shaped like an oval rising above it. Charasuke stared at it, willing it to come to life.

"It has to work," he said, closing the distance. "I can't let him go alone."

"He doesn't want you to follow."

He flinched, curling his fingers into his palms. Itachi slowly walked up beside him, the both of them staring at the portal. Maybe it wouldn't work. Maybe it was too late.

Something caught in his throat, something thick and heavy. He swallowed it down.

"There's something I have to do," he said, shivering. It was cold this deep below the surface. "I don't know what it is, but…"

He bit his lip, shrugging off the sense of foreboding. Kaguya had told him to make the right choice. He wasn't sure what that was, but it couldn't be to just sit and wait for Sasuke to return.

Itachi placed a hand on his back, warm and steady. He turned to look at him. Now more than ever he appreciated his brother, despite all his flaws, all the ways he was so much better and Charasuke was never enough.

"I'll go with you," he said, and Charasuke almost said yes.

Almost said please, I can't do this alone.

Their eyes met, the worry clear in Itachi's eyes. All of a sudden, Charasuke felt anger flare up inside him.

"You can't." He shrugged his hand off, taking another step forwards. "You have to trust me."

He could feel Itachi's eyes boring into him, the portal ominously still and silent. He didn't know what he would do if Itachi said no. If he forbid him from going. If he knocked him out, just like Sasuke had.

"Are you sure?" Itachi asked. There was nothing condescending in the words, but there was fear. "What did she tell you?"

Glancing back at him, his breath caught in his throat at the raw emotion on Itachi's face. He knew, of course he knew, that Itachi cared about him. He knew that they were over-protective because they cared. But they didn't trust him, and that lack of trust was what had caused so many rifts between them, so many harsh words and resentment.

"She said…" He hesitated. The portal remained dead. "She said that strength is not only physical. She said I have to make the right choice."

He drew in a deep breath, reaching a hand out. The stone was cold and smooth underneath his fingertips.

"She said my path will not be easy, and that I can't hesitate." He called forth every ounce of determination, willing the fear clutching his heart to turn into that will of fire their village was so famous for. "I have to go, Itachi… I don't know how my heart is supposed to make the right choice, but I have to be there to make it."

The portal shimmered to life.

He held his breath, felt Itachi's anguish fill the room. He couldn't tear his eyes off the portal, the way it billowed back and forth inside the thin oval shape containing it.

"Sasuke."

A warm hand landed on his shoulder, steadying him.

"I wish I could go with you. I wish I could do this for you."

Breathing out slowly, he almost felt like laughing. He might die. He might never return.

Forcing himself to turn back, he met Itachi's eyes for one long, painful moment.

"Next time, yeah?" he said, and then he stepped onto the polished stone and entered the portal.

xxx

Sasuke woke up slowly, then all at once.

His eyes flew open, quickly closing again in the bright light. Was he in Kaguya's strange dream world again? Gingerly, he moved his limbs, taking stock of his body. Everything seemed to be in one piece, and under his control.

There was no sound, but–

In his chest, that beat. His connection with Naruto.

The memory flooded him, then. Walking back with Charasuke. The portal, hovering in the air. Knocking him unconscious. He'd stepped through the portal, and then…

And then nothing. Until now.

Deciding he couldn't be in any immediate danger if he was still alive, he took his time adjusting his eyesight to the bright light that seemed to surround him. The ground was hard and flat, and slightly curved. He tried not to move too much.

After a while, he could open his eyes without instant pain blinding him. He kept his hand over his eyes, shielding them, starting with making sense of the ground below him. He looked down, looked through whatever it was he laid on, and below that found the ground covered in thick roots, crisscrossing one another in complicated patterns.

He had to be at least ten meters above them.

Slowly, he tilted his face, still shielding his eyes from whatever source the light came from. The roots continued as far as he could see. He rolled onto his back, finding the sky covered. Branches, stretching out further than should be possible, creating a kind of ceiling. When he followed them he found the source, a gigantic tree so thick he shuddered at the thought.

It loomed over him, the silence oppressing. He felt disoriented, in awe as he tried to take it all in.

After a few minutes of staring, he realized that the see-through glass-like ground he laid on was actually wrapped around him like a bubble. When he sat up, it bobbed with the movement. Fearing what he'd see, he turned to his right, finding another bubble near him. Naruto sat in it, legs crossed, hands on his ankles, eyes watching him intently.

"Naruto," he whispered, heart in his throat.

The sound echoed inside the bubble, but at least Naruto gave him a thin smile. His mouth moved, but Sasuke heard nothing. It had to be soundproof, then.

He looked around them, eyes landing on a figure below and behind him. It was Kaguya, chained to the root she sat on. Her eyes met his, face betraying nothing of her thoughts.

Had they walked into a trap?

Naruto's face was grim, which told him all he needed to know about the security of their prisons. He called forth his rinnegan. Nothing happened.

Mimicking Naruto's pose, he decided to follow his lead and wait. Hagoromo would show himself at some point, and once he did, Sasuke would find a way to destroy him.

Until then, he drank in the sight of Naruto, committing his face to memory. It was cruel, to have him so close, and not hear his voice or feel his touch. He'd felt so calm in the morning, safe in the knowledge that Naruto was unharmed.

They would find a way out of this mess, too. They always did. There was no such thing as an impenetrable shield, or an unbeatable enemy. Everyone had a weakness.

He felt eyes on him, and glanced towards Kaguya. Her third eye had opened, and he shivered at being caught by its gaze. She nodded at him.

If it was a cue for something, the meaning flew by him.

He waited, but nothing happened. His attention turned back to Naruto, then. It always did. As strange as the thought was, he found he didn't want to die here. Not like this. He had things to do – things to say, even though Naruto already knew them. It wasn't enough, the time they had spent together.

He forced himself to breathe deeply, clearing his mind of unnecessary thought. Naruto's eyes were steady, grounding him.

They would find a way.

xxx

There was a tree on the other side.

Charasuke didn't realize it was a tree at first. He thought the ground was simply covered in rough bark, uneven and such a deep brown it bordered on black.

He stood on its roots, a billowing mishmash of them that stretched impossibly far anywhere he looked. In one direction was the tree.

It didn't look particularly large at first. Wary, he scanned his surroundings, finding nothing but empty air and those grotesquely twisted roots. There was no sign of Sasuke. Grimacing, he started running towards the tree, following the path of the largest roots, jumping between them when they twisted around each other.

The further he ran, the thicker they became.

He'd thought he wasn't too far away from the tree. Everything was eerily quiet aside from his own breathing, and the quiet thud-thud-thud of his feet. It was only after running for quite some time, the tree still far ahead, that he had to acknowledge that it was further away than he thought.

Had it been a normal-sized tree he would have reached it already.

He powered on, finding no traps on the way, no enemies blocking his path. It didn't really make sense, he thought. Shouldn't there be something guarding it? Those white creatures, surely.

Maybe he was caught in a genjutsu. Though, nothing happened when he tried to break through it, and it didn't feel like a genjutsu.

Slowly, the tree grew in size, or perhaps it was the sky that shrunk. The closer he came, the more in awe he felt. The tree had to be thicker than the entirety of Konoha, the branches covering the sky long before he reached its trunk.

He slowed down the closer he got, all senses on high alert. It felt like he'd been running for hours, but he didn't trust his sense of time in this strange place. Nothing grew among the roots, and though the sun was high in the sky, it didn't feel warm.

Soon enough he ran through shadows, anyway.

His eyes adjusted as the light dimmed, the roots looming over him, thicker than he was tall. It reminded him of the Forest of Death, except devoid of life.

He avoided the tallest arches, running alongside roots to keep himself hidden from potential enemies. At one point he paused, catching his breath. As quietly as he could, he climbed up the tallest of them, hands scratching on the rough bark despite the chakra keeping his grip firm. He poked his head up, scanning the area. There was nothing to see in any direction except those roots, dark shadows looming around the base of the tree, and-

There.

A faint light, pulsating. Not by the base, but close. He focused, gritting his teeth, trying to sharpen his chakra through his eyes like Sasuke had barely had time to instruct him. His vision swam for a moment, but then it cleared, everything in sharp relief. He could see the chakra running through the roots around him, slow and sluggish, but alive. It ran towards the tree trunk, nurturing it.

He was too far away to make any sense of the light.

Blinking his eyes back to normal, a dull ache forming behind his eyeballs, he started running again. He kept as straight a path as possible, always veering to the left when he had to make a choice, wanting to stay as far away from that light as possible until he could find out what it was.

The nearer he got, the more impossible the size of the tree seemed.

It covered the entire sky, only a sliver of pale blue to be seen between the mass of roots and the lowest branches, if he turned to look back. His legs ached from effort, even though he should be used to running. Not like this, he thought. His whole body felt tense, his chest tight with apprehension. Sasuke had to be here somewhere, and he needed to find him.

At last, he came close enough to accurately measure the distance. With only a few hundred meters left until he reached the base, he swallowed at the width and height his brain tried to tell him had to be an illusion. No tree could be that large.

But if there was a tree that could, it would be this tree. He made his way closer, slowly, hiding his presence, keeping his feet light. There was still no sound, not even the rustling of wind in leaves. There were leaves on the tree, at least there must be judging by the deep green color shrouding it, but the branches were too high up for him to make out their shape. There weren't any leaves littering the ground, as far as he could see.

When he reached the tree, no one blocking his way, he hesitantly laid his hand on a smooth patch of dark brown. It felt alive under his touch. More alive than the roots had felt, when he touched them. He forced down the fear threatening to overtake him, staring towards the light instead of up, the height too dizzying.

It still pulsated, but it never died out. It was the only source of light this far away from the sun, and without it he was sure that it would be dark as night. He debated with himself, trying to decide whether he should go find out what it was or not. Something told him no. It seemed to tug at him, making him glance up at the branches, whispering at him.

It could be a trap. But the light could be a trap, too. Maybe if he climbed up a bit, he could get a better view of what was happening over by the light, find an angle where his newfound sharingan would be able to discern any chakra signatures.

The tree was covered in bark so thick and uneven that he could easily climb it, almost like stairs. He jumped up a level, calling chakra into his palm to steady himself.

He gasped, snatching his hand back. The moment his palm touched the tree the chakra was drained out of him, absorbed by the tree. He stared at it, dumbfounded. It shouldn't surprise him – clearly the tree fed on chakra, pumped into it through the roots that stretched who knew how far. It hadn't absorbed his chakra when he'd climbed that one root, though.

Biting into his lower lip, he tried it again. As soon as his palm connected, he felt his chakra seep out through him, instead of keeping him stuck to the surface. He sighed, resigning himself to a rough climb.

He tried not to think about how much time had passed. It wouldn't help to rush, not if it really was a trap. Exhausting himself wouldn't help, either.

He walked, jumped, climbed – all the time keeping a close eye on the light in the distance. Moving diagonally, he made his way upwards at a snail's pace, considering at which point the light would be too bright to keep moving towards, and wondering if it would be close enough for him to see anything. He was so caught up in searching for potential enemies that he almost missed the cocoon protruding from the tree, all but stumbling onto it.

It looked too odd to be a natural part of the tree.

Connected to it, sure, but it really was a cocoon spun out of something, and not a deformation or piece of bark that simply stuck out.

Barely breathing, he snuck closer. Everything was still so quiet, his heartbeat loud in his ears. He activated his sharingan, ignoring the slight sting.

That chakra was familiar.

Freezing for a second, he tried to make sense of it. Chakra was trickling into the tree from the person encased in the cocoon, and a swipe of the immediate area showed no other chakra signatures. Still, he cautiously made his way over, leaning around it to find a small opening at the top.

Gaara.

His eyes were closed, only his face visible. He looked sickly pale in the low lighting, and Charasuke held his fingers underneath his nose, holding his breath.

Alive, at least. He couldn't reach into the cocoon to feel his pulse.

"Gaara?" he asked, his voice breaking from disuse.

He was terribly thirsty. He tried not to think about it.

There was no reaction, but he hadn't really expected it. His mind ran a mile a minute, trying to decide his next course of action. He could try to release Gaara, but it might alert someone – Hagoromo? – that he was there. And if Gaara didn't wake up, or was too weak to move, he'd have to leave him anyway. Sharp pain laced through him at the thought of leaving him, but there wasn't much he could do.

It was only as he turned to continue his climb, that the thought struck him.

If Gaara was here, wouldn't the other jinchuuriki be, too? He shuddered, wiping sweat off his forehead with an arm. He could only hope that Menma hadn't been caught yet. He had to believe he was still safe.

He kept climbing, that voice whispering in his ears again. It was too low to make out any words, more like the whisper of wind in your hair. He could be climbing to his death.

What else could he do?

A minute or several hours later, he found another cocoon. He didn't recognize the face, had no idea if it was the two-tails, or if he'd missed someone on the way. She was just as sickly pale as Gaara, but breathing. They must have been here for days, if time worked the same way. He gritted his teeth, and kept moving.

By the time he caught sight of a third cocoon, he decided he'd moved as close to the light as he dared. The cocoons seemed to be hanging from the tree in a fairly straight line, facing 90 degrees away from the center of the light. He quickly checked the jinchuuriki. A man, his age impossible to determine. The only defining feature was a scar running over his cheek from his left eye. The woman in the second cocoon didn't have any such defining features.

Pausing by the cocoon, he wondered if it would cloak his chakra signature if he activated his sharingan again. He shouldn't overdo it, he knew. He had no idea how long he could keep it up, already feeling the strain. But the light seemed to be in range, and so he focused his chakra, and tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

There was chakra. In fact, the light itself seemed made of it. It wasn't that the light pulsated, it was chakra being pumped into the air, lighting up the area. It was unlike any chakra he knew. There was only one conclusion to make – if Hagoromo was anywhere, it was most likely there.

As soon as he'd had the thought, the whispers started up again. Louder, this time, urging him on. He tilted his head back, trying to assess how far up the branches were. Far enough to make for a very strenuous climb, that was for sure.

"I hate this," he muttered to himself, scrubbing at his eyes as his sharingan disappeared.

If this was the kind of thing Sasuke did all the time, then he probably shouldn't be jealous of it. All he'd gotten out of it so far was a headache, a parched throat, and scratched fingertips. He'd prefer it to stay that way.

Allowing himself a pained grimace, he returned to his climb. His body ached by now, and if he survived this he was going to sleep for a week.

It was still quiet.

Still eerily dark aside from the pulsating light.

Still so far.

xxx

Naruto had woken up disoriented and powerless. Not his favorite thing, that was for sure. There had been no sign of Menma, no sign of anything or anyone, just bright white light – until the light faded into something bearable.

Even Kurama had been out of reach, as if locked away inside his cage again.

The first thing he'd noticed was the tree, of course. It was difficult not to notice it, really. If it was the God Tree, it was definitely more impressive than the version he'd seen during the war. He held no doubts that this tree could easily wrap every single person in the world into a cocoon, absorbing chakra until the world was empty of it.

The second thing he noticed was Kaguya. He yelled her name, but she didn't seem to hear him. The sound echoed inside his prison, anyway. A bubble, like a soap bubble. At least he could breathe.

The third thing was another bubble, empty until Sasuke materialized inside it. He yelled Sasuke's name, too, to no avail. If it hadn't been for the relief of that steady, familiar beat next to his heart, he would have thought he was dead.

It took a long time for Sasuke to wake up. He seemed unharmed, but just as disoriented as Naruto had been. When their eyes met, he felt something clench inside his chest. They'd walked right into Hagoromo's trap.

He couldn't tell how long they sat there, staring at each other. The light around them pulsated, though he couldn't tell where it was coming from. It highlighted Sasuke's features, made the contrast between his pale skin and dark hair and eyes more pronounced. He would gladly watch him forever, but the wait made him itch for action. This wasn't how things usually went down. The enemy would appear, they'd fight until there was a victor, and then go home.

By the hard look in Sasuke's eyes, he could tell it was affecting him, too.

If only they could talk… He sighed, switching position for the umpteenth time. He'd tried meditating a bit before Sasuke arrived, but now he didn't want to take his eyes off him. Maybe time meant something different to chakra gods. Maybe he'd starve to death before he even had a chance to do something about it.

As if the thought had summoned him, Hagoromo materialized beside them.

He looked exactly the same as their own version. The face was the same, the robe – but not his expression. This man was cold, beyond empathy or reasoning. Like Kaguya had been.

Both he and Sasuke had stood, and Naruto clenched his fists, wishing his cage would break from sheer anger.

"Let us out of here!" he shouted, gritting his teeth in frustration.

Hagoromo looked at him, two rinnegan and one sharingan. It was unnerving, to have those three eyes judging him.

"You have already lost," he said, voice deep. "Your powers are useless in the domain of the God Tree."

Naruto hit the wall of the cage, only succeeding in bruising himself. There had to be a way, but how? What had all of Kaguya's meddling been for, if all it did was leave them useless. Unless she was part of it – but she was still chained, when he glanced behind himself.

"My mother cannot help you now," Hagoromo said, following his gaze. "How cruel of her, to give you hope when there is none."

"You haven't won yet," Sasuke challenged him, and the sound of his voice was like a balm to Naruto's soul.

For a moment, Hagoromo almost looked surprised.

"This place," he started, sweeping a hand towards the tree, "it cannot hold the chakra of your world. Your chakra did not follow you through the portals."

Swallowing, Naruto wondered if that was true. Did that mean even Kurama-?

"Then how come we can use our chakra in your dimension otherwise?" Sasuke asked.

"It is not the domain of the God Tree." Hagoromo stared at him, as if irritated he had replied.

Naruto mulled this over. If Kaguya was right in that Hagoromo would also attempt to eat the chakra fruit of their world, did that mean their only chance of defeating him would be once they'd reached that place? Would it make Hagoromo powerless? Was it their only chance?

His heart felt heavy. It would mean that Charasuke and Menma's world would have already been lost, wouldn't it? He shared a look with Sasuke, knowing he'd come to the same conclusion.

"You have not won yet."

It was Kaguya, repeating Sasuke's words. Her eyes were closed, her face blank. She lifted it up towards them, proud and powerful, despite the chains weighing her down.

"I am not afraid to die, or become powerless," she continued. "That is your weakness, my son."

Naruto stared at her, wide-eyed, but nothing happened. She did not release herself from her chains, and his own chakra was still gone.

"It won't be long," Hagoromo said, dismissively. "The chakra fruit will grant me its powers, and you will become nothing."

He folded his legs into a meditative position, hovering in the air beside them. His eyes closed. It was clear he felt the conversation was over, and that he didn't need to explain himself further. Naruto shared another glance with Sasuke, frustration clawing at him. He'd tried anything he could think of, but even attempting to draw in the nature chakra surrounding them hadn't worked. He hadn't felt this helpless since Sasuke left him at the Valley of the End.

More time passed, and more, and then–

Hagoromo's head snapped up, his eyes livid as they landed on his mother.

"To think you would-" He stopped himself, standing up. Naruto braced himself, for something, anything. "It will change nothing."

In an instant, he was gone. Naruto gaped at the empty spot where he'd stood, then searched the vast area around them with his eyes, wildly turning back and forth.

"What's going–?"

A shockwave burst from the tree, and everything went dark.

xxx

He counted the cocoons. Once he'd reached eight, he had to bite down on a whimper. It was taking so long, and now he didn't know if he wanted to continue. What if Menma was up there, barely breathing, pale as a sheet? What if he couldn't do anything to help him?

What if Sasuke was down there, hurting?

But what else could he do. He didn't have any techniques that worked on a chakra god. He barely had the strength to keep moving. His fingertips had lost all sensation, his knees quivered with each step. The tree had to be draining him, somehow. He hadn't used any chakra since bringing forth his sharingan by the third jinchuuriki, and yet it felt like he was running on fumes.

"This is so stupid," he groaned, knocking his forehead against the tree. "What am I going to do if I reach the top, anyway?"

No one answered him. He glared at the man enveloped in the cocoon, wishing he could kick him awake. Get some answers. Though, how would he know what had happened to Menma? He wondered if all these jinchuuriki were from his own dimension. They would have to be, right? Kaguya hadn't said anything about collecting the ones in the other dimension. Just Naruto and Sasuke.

The thought of Sasuke had something unpleasant churn in his gut. Why couldn't he have brought him with him?! And just where was he…

It crossed his mind that Naruto and Sasuke could be trapped in the tree, as well. If Menma was there, they might be, too… He shook his head, dispelling the thought. Only one way to find out.

Steeling himself, he focused on one step at a time, decidedly not thinking about the amount of empty space between himself and the ground. He'd never been afraid of heights, but he'd never been this high up without his chakra to aid him, either.

It was too late to be afraid. When he saw the ninth cocoon, the only thing he could feel was empty. Like a chasm had opened inside of him, dragging all of his emotions down with it.

Menma's face didn't look as asleep as the others. He was less pale. After a moment's shock, Charasuke pressed a hand to his cheek, feeling faint warmth.

"Menma," he whispered, pressing his thumb into his cheekbone. "Menma!"

Eyelashes fluttered. His lips twitched.

"Menma, please," he begged, running his scratched fingertips over his forehead, his cheek.

A quick breath through parted lips. Charasuke held his, desperately wishing for his eyes to open.

When they did, they were dim. Like mist swirled in front of them, blocking his sight.

"Menma…"

Another breath, and then his whole face grimaced in pain.

"What…?"

He couldn't help choking up, tears burning in his eyes.

"It's me," he forced out, voice thick with emotion. "Sasuke."

"Sa…suke."

His blue eyes kept blinking, trying to shake off the film covering them. Slowly, bit by bit, the blue color deepened into something recognizable.

"You… shouldn't be here," Menma whispered, gaze conscious at last. He drank in the sight of Charasuke, hardly believing it. Then, "where are we, anyway?"

He almost laughed through the tears.

"You tell me," he said, caressing his cheek. "You're stuck in the God Tree, of all things. Idiot."

"Oh." Menma drew in another breath, looking past Sasuke at their surroundings. "I only remember the portal."

"Did you come alone? Did they catch you?"

"No." He licked his lips, shuddering. "Naruto was there."

Charasuke felt his heart sink in his chest. If both Naruto and Sasuke were here, and it was so quiet… What were they doing? He shook his head, focusing back on Menma.

"I'll get you out of here," he said, testing the strength of the cocoon. He didn't have any weapons on him, and he cursed his carelessness.

"No," Menma said, then again, stronger. "No."

"What do you mean no."

"That's not…" His eyes flickered back and forth, settling for up. "Maybe you can..."

"Shut up, I have to hurry before Hagoromo notices us."

"Who?"

"The Sage of the Six Paths. He kidnapped all of you to wake up this fucked up tree, just so he could-"

"That's it," Menma breathed, his eyes suddenly shining with urgency. "Sasuke you have to-"

His face twisted in pain, and Charasuke stopped trying to rip the cocoon apart with his bare hands.

"Menma!" He put his hand on his cheek again, willing the pain to pass. "Just stay still, I'll-"

"The fruit," Menma gasped, eyes clenched shut. "You have to-"

His words were lost to a groan, and it took Charasuke a moment to piece it together. Of course! The fruit! That was why he'd woken up the tree in the first place. If Menma was still talking, and the world didn't seem like it was collapsing in on itself or anything equally dramatic, maybe he hadn't gotten to it yet… Maybe Sasuke and Naruto were holding him back, somehow?

"But how do I find it," he muttered to himself, running his thumb soothingly over Menma's brow as his face kept twisting in pain. "If I help you out of this, you can help me look for-"

"No," Menma gasped again, eyes fluttering open for a second. His gaze was determined, as if he used his last strength to convey his message. "Don't waste any time. Go!"

Charasuke did. But not before pressing his lips to Menma's, a short, desperate kiss that he hoped explained everything he couldn't say in words.

With one last look at his face, Charasuke locked all that desperation inside his chest, and let it guide him.

Up. Always up.

He had no idea how much time had passed since he'd arrived. He didn't know much aside from the pain in his trembling limbs, the fear clenched in his heart, and the burn of lips on his.

He was so busy not looking up or down that he almost knocked his head against the lowest branch. He paused just short of it, throwing his head back to gape at it. He could have sworn he still had so much left to climb… But he wasn't going to question it. He swerved past it, continuing up. His eyes searched the branches, but there was nothing growing on them. All the leaves were at the very edges, fighting for sunlight. They were thick, thicker than the largest trees he'd ever seen before. It made his climb that much slower, and he hesitated underneath a particularly thick one, debating left or right.

Right, towards the source of light.

As soon as he'd made the decision, something in his gut told him it was correct. Bit by bit he made his way around the tree, sometimes walking across the branches, sometimes climbing past them. He tried not to think about Menma, having his life drained out of him.

Doubt gnawed at him, the entire way. How would he know what the fruit looked like? And the tree was enormous, in a way he could barely comprehend. Even if he could recognize it for what it was, it would take days to search for it. It could be at the end of any of these branches he passed, and yet, something told him to keep moving.

Further, into the light. There was no way of hiding in the shadows anymore, and he could only hope that the tree had seeped enough chakra out of him that he wouldn't stand out. It kept taking it from him in little bits and pieces, every time he touched the rough bark. He sent a stray thought to his brother, wondering if he stood before the portal, waiting for him to return.

Past the line to exhausted, he still diligently swept his eyes over his surroundings, hoping against hope to catch sight of something. A fruit had to look at least a little bit like a fruit, right? Another thing was how he was going to destroy it. (He'd deal with that problem when he got there.)

The whispering had started again, just out of hearing range, teasing him with words that weren't quite words. It sounded like a language he almost understood, something from his childhood that he'd forgotten. He thought of climbing trees for chakra control, just a child learning how to keep himself on his feet. Before everything became difficult. Before he thought too much about who he was, and who he would never be.

Kaguya had said that physical strength wasn't everything. But his mental strength wasn't much to brag about, was it? He was barely holding on on a good day, always feeling too much, drowning in it. That voice in the back of his head, telling him he'd never be someone worthy to take note of, so why try?

Sasuke, on the other hand… But the more he thought about it, the more he learned about him, the more it seemed like that mental fortitude had come at a price. Things didn't bother him, because it could always be worse. Charasuke didn't know worse, but he was beginning to glimpse it.

Something made him pause.

There was a tingling sensation, turning his head. Like the sun reflected in the sea, but touching him, somehow. He couldn't see anything…

Drawing out his last reserves of chakra, he focused his eyes, vision swirling before re-focusing hued by his sharingan. The chakra seemed thicker here, rushing through the branches like rivers of light. All of them, heading up, not towards the heart of the tree, but reaching for something else – something that could only be what he was looking for.

He closed his eyes, shivering from effort. He knew the path he needed to take.

This close, it was easier to drown out the pain, the numbness. His head swam, but his grip was steady as he hauled himself onto yet another branch. A little more. A little higher.

His breath came in harsh pants, his shirt soaked through with sweat. Never again would he complain about being exhausted, knowing how this felt.

Not long after, it came into view. It seemed to pulsate with a light of its own, humming with the chakra pumped into it. Hanging from an incredibly thin branch, growing straight out of the tree trunk. He crept closer, almost in awe. This was the God Tree, and before his face was the Chakra Fruit. The stuff of legends. Something so coveted, that Hagoromo would sacrifice the world and his mother for it.

Closer, just a little bit.

He could hear the whispers clearly now, like a crescendo of voices. Did they come from the fruit itself? It didn't look like any fruit he recognized, but it was smaller than he expected. About the size of both his fists, round with a pointed tip and colored a dull pink.

He knew how the story went. Kaguya ate the fruit, and it gave her godlike powers, as well as the ability to pass down the chakra to her children. Some people said all ninja came from this single family, but that was just idiocy. A thousand years wasn't long enough for chakra to spread to all humans – even though only some were able to actually mold the chakra within their bodies.

All living things contained chakra, to an extent. This tree, it had to exist in their world, but he couldn't even begin to guess what sort of place would hold its size. It was drinking chakra from the ground, at the very least, and the chakra fruit was absorbing it.

Fascinated, he eased closer, until his face was bathed in its faint light. It seemed to pull him closer, his hand reaching out of its own volition. He shouldn't touch it – but how could he destroy it, if he didn't touch it?

Would it be enough, to simply remove it from its branch, before it ripened fully?

His hand closed around it. There seemed to be a shell encasing the actual fruit, because it was firm to touch, and slightly warm. Nothing else happened, no shock of chakra, no defenses put up.

Taking a few deep, steadying breaths, he planted his feet as well as he could on the branch underneath him, reaching with both hands to hold it. Bracing himself, he pulled.

It snapped off the branch with a tiny pop, the thin branch it hung from giving way like it really was just a twig.

The shell glowed, brighter, unfolding at the tip.

The fruit inside was bumpy, for lack of a better word. It was a deeper pink, soft-looking, a sweet scent emanating from it.

A noise made him turn. The softest of touch, of feet on rough bark, a figure dressed in white robes.

His heart felt like it stopped in his chest. Before him stood what must surely be Hagoromo.

An old man, with a wrinkled face, yet he stood tall and proud. His hair was pale and thick, in spikes sticking out from his head. He had a long beard, and what looked like horns growing from his forehead. Most striking of all was the third eye in the middle of it, red, swirling with several tomoe.

"I had forgotten about you," he said, voice deep, gravelly. "To think you were able to pick the fruit before it ripened fully… No matter. I will take it, now."

For a split second, Charasuke stared at him, hand slowly stretching towards him. It wasn't his life that flashed before his eyes – it was Sasuke's face, his words from earlier that day ringing through his head.

When it comes to a certain idiot… We're just bound to make bad decisions, aren't we?

Before he could fully understand what he was doing, he sank his teeth into the fruit.

Honestly, I don't know what to say! Feel free to scream at me in the comments! Sorry that I'm still behind on replies!

It sucks that you can't post links here on FF - you'll have to go to my tumblr or ao3 to find everything below. If you go to chapter 51 on the ao3 version, you'll find direct links though!

I posted a snippet that I wrote at the same time I wrote the first chapter of this story, back in 2014, on my tumblr to celebrate 5,000 kudos. It's meant to explain the title, but it's not really part of this fic.

I also commissioned two art pieces - one of the kiss between Sasuke and Charasuke, by ponury-grajek, and one of Sasuke in a kimono, by viva-divata.

I posted three oneshots, one a sasnar best friends to marriage proposal with asexual Sasuke. The other two are for Yuri on ice and Simon Snow/Carry on. And I also updated Lessons in love!

I've been so productive! I think I will not be very productive for the rest of July, but we'll see! Hugs for all of you :D