Sasuke stared into the mirror giving himself on final once over. He didn't know if it was because he hadn't been to a concert in ages or because he was wearing his grungy metal clothes, but he felt he was looking at his teenage self. It was actually a bit alarming.

'I'm overthinking it,' he internally nodded to himself, writing it off as being the foreign feeling of excitement.

Not wanting to linger on the bizarre realisation, he headed out locking the door behind him. The lights in the hallway had an ominous flickering glow to them, it made him wonder if the fluorescents were on the verge of burning out. It was strange, the building was still relatively new and he didn't think all the bulbs should be burning out simultaneously.

He sighed to himself. 'Guess I better call maintenance tomorrow.'

By the the time he reached the elevator he was sure the universe was fucking with him. A sign was attached to the door. "Down for maintenance."

He scowled at it heavily. 'Of fucking course you are.'

Now he was condemned to walking down twenty floors worth of stairs. It was the first time he'd ever taken the stairs in his building. With a perfectly good elevator it seemed a waste of time to take them. He was an active guy but he much rather get his cardio in elsewhere.

The stairwells were extremely dark, almost apocalyptic dark. He was seriously going to give the building's management a piece of his mind tomorrow. Regardless of the building having an elevator, it couldn't be safe to keep stair wells so poorly lit. Walking up or down stairs when you can barely make out the next step was a lawsuit waiting to happen. The building was new and for the price of the apartments these conditions were unacceptable.

The only good thing the stairwell had going for it was even for the summer it was extremely chilly, actually even the hallways outside his apartment were uncharacteristically cool today now that he thought about it. With July's heat, the hallway usually ended up rather stuffy but not today.

'It was really hot today, wasn't it?' He found himself wondering, but for some reason he couldn't recall ever looking which was strange for him. He really wanted to pull out his phone and check but instead he just re focused on not falling down a million flights of stairs and potentially breaking his neck.

It felt like both an eternity and an instance to reach underground parking. The contradiction was enough to furrow his brow at himself. Now that he thought about it he couldn't really remember anything from today. Something was seriously wrong, how could he lose an entire day?

'Calm down, you're okay. Everything's fine,' he chanted to himself as he took deep calming breaths trying to calm his rapid heart beat down.

"Are you alright?" A deep voice asked, bringing him back around. He hadn't noticed he walked out of the stairwell and into the parking garage.

The voice of the man questioning him was so familiar, he knew that he knew the voice, but his brain would not focus. He tried to look at the man but even the normally dim parking garage lights were now extremely dim making it impossible to see the man's face.

"Do I know you?" Sasuke asked cautiously.

"I'm your driver," the man responded flatly.

The man held open the door of an older model SUV and waited for Sasuke to enter. Shisui must not want Haku and himself to stick out as much tonight which was fine by him. Thinking about it, Sasuke was sure Kotetsu used to drive him around in an identical SUV.

Sasuke was hoping to get a glimpse of the man's face as he approached the opened door, but before he got a chance he was violently shoved in and the world went completely dark.

When Sasuke finally began to wake he found himself bound and dangling upside down from a chain that was fastened to some sort of makeshift crane. He felt the bindings tear into his flesh uncomfortable and there was a phantom pain that radiated through his body that he couldn't place. Biting back his panic he tried to focus on taking in the dimly lit room. It was hard to do, the whole room was dark except for the strong florescent light that shone directly down on him.

The air was cool and damp, smelling vaguely of iron. The floor looked to be old stained concrete and the room devoid of windows telling the raven that he was probably in some sort of basement. Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to calm down, but he was freaking the fuck out. He didn't know what the fuck was happening.

"Nice of you to finally join us," a smooth voice spoke to him. It was a voice he hadn't heard since graduating high school, he felt bile rise up his oesophagus as the man stepped into the light, looking just as he did the last time he saw him.

Sasuke tried to yell but words wouldn't come out, it was like he was all of a sudden paralyzed.

Neji smirked wickedly as he approached him. " Aren't you happy to see your love Sasuke?"

The only thing that worked were Sasuke's eyes as he darted them around in a raging panic. He needed to get away, needed to...

"I guess you get both of us now huh?" A second man stepped out of the shadows.

"That's the plan, Kiba" Neji's eye gleaned fiendishly as he walked over and pulled the unruly brunette into a disgustingly filthy kiss.

Sasuke wanted to puke and scream. What the fuck was happening? Kiba went missing five years ago, the news around town was he'd gotten in bad with some dealer and probably got himself killed. Obviously that wasn't the case if he was currently having his face devoured by Neji and vice versa. How can Neji still want Kiba after what he did to Hinata?

Inside Sasuke's mind he was screaming, begging someone to hear him. He needed to get away from them. What was going to happen to him?

Neji finally broke away from Kiba before turning his attention back to Sasuke. "Don't worry love, you're next."

Sasuke tried to build momentum by wiggling but nothing worked as Neji got closer and closer. Time seemed to be moving in slow motion and Sasuke was forced to watch every agonising second. As Neji reached out to caress Sasuke's face he shut his eyes, it was all he could do to pretend he wasn't there.

The touch never came and instead of feeling violated he felt himself plummeting to the floor. The fall seemed to last an eternity until the impact finally came, winding him in the process. He found it weird, his body was sweaty, but where he had fallen felt too wet to be caused by his naked sweaty back sticking to the floor. Finally opening his eyes he twisted his head to look at the floor underneath him and realised he's laying in a puddle of blood.

His body was working again allowing him to shoot up and scurry backwards in a panic. Where did the blood come from? Where were Neji and Kiba? Why wasn't he bound anymore? Quivering with fear he brought his shaky blood coated hands up and examined them before taking in his own body to see if he was the cause of the blood.

"Why the long face?" the driver's voice snapped him from his panic induced daze.

Sasuke quickly flung his head up, trying to locate the man, he was sure he knew that voice. "Where are you?"

Something cold and wet pressed into the back of his neck. "Right here," the voice whispered.

Sasuke's blood ran cold. When he finally gained the courage to turn around he was greeted by nothing. Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath while turning back around. He was positive he was going insane.

When he opened his eyes he came face to face with a fox the size of a wolf. He wanted to scream but couldn't find his voice once again and with a single blink it was gone as quick as it appeared, no proof it was ever there to begin with.

Sasuke leaned forward and rested his eyes against the palms of his hands, the stress taking its toll on him. 'I'm going insane.'

From above him the driver's voice whispered to him. "You're not insane, teme."

Sasuke flung his head up so quickly he could have given himself whiplash. Hanging from the same crane he was moments ago was the man he'd been looking for.

"Na-naruto?" Sasuke's voice quivered as he took in the state of the man. Naruto was bound and bleeding, the majority of his body was covered in deep lacerations. Then it clicked, that blood had been Naruto's.

Naruto dangled upside down from his ankles, his body gently swinging from the hook he was suspended from. The blond's eye remained tightly shut as he remained silent.

"Naruto?" Sasuke called out to him again with tears in his eyes. Not getting an answer, he began to slowly move towards him, longing to touch the man he's been missing for almost a decade. Sasuke feared blinking in case he vanished before his eyes. He needed to help him!

Just as Sasuke began to reach out to gently caress the blond's marred cheek his beautiful sapphire orbs opened and stared back at him with nothing but sorrow. "I'm sorry Sasuke."

"Nonono! I'm sorry! Naruto listen, I love you and I'm so fucking sorry for everything!" Tears cascaded down Sasuke's cheeks as he reached up and gently caressed the blonds blood coated cheek. He wanted nothing more than to take the blond in his arms and never let him out of his sight again. He was finally here right in front of him!

Naruto closes his eyes as he absorbs the affection. Sasuke allows himself to take in the blond's wounds. They were both dressed in the same clothing, jeans and shirtless, no socks. The raven knew he had to get the blond down before Neji and Kiba came back.

"Naruto I'm going to get you down okay?" He didn't get a response.

In a panic he staggered to his feet, he needed to find a way to lower the blond. The basement was brighter now, there were tool benches and hooks attached to walls, Sasuke blood ran cold when he realised whoever owned this place had it designed specifically for this sort of thing in mind. For some reason he knew it was neither Neji or Kiba's, they were merely using it.

No matter where he looked he couldn't find what he was looking for. He strode back over to the dangling blond, something else strook him as odd, Naruto's left side wasn't normal. There was something on his side, but his brain couldn't process what it was, his side was almost like a distorted photograph.

'Wait, Naruto has a tattoo right? I was there—AH!' Searing pain shot through Sasuke's head as his body began to convulse. It felt like his brain was being boiled inside his skull while his body was being ripped apart. Everything went black.

There was no way to know how much time passed, but when Sasuke finally awoke he wasn't sure if he was blind or in total darkness. Where was Naruto? He finally found him, he can't be gone! He felt panicked as he felt his way through the darkness towards the sound of a deep rumble, hoping it would lead him to his blond. The rumble vibrated his chest making his heart beat in time with the bass of the sound. He didn't want to go towards the sound but his need to find Naruto outweighed the fright he fought within.

His eyes were open but there was still no trace of light, he was terrified he'd lost his vision. After several more steps his body stopped. A strangely comforting warmth suddenly enveloped him until that comfort was replaced with suffocating fear as the most terrifying voice he'd ever heard rumbled out. "Interesting."

Sasuke whipped around to come face to face with a glowing crimson eye that's slitted pupil was larger than he was.

"GUH!" Sasuke shot up panting desperately trying to catch his breath. The sheets clung to his sweat drenched body as he tried to slow his rapidly beating heart down.

Sasuke slowly focused his eyes, observing his bedroom as the light filtering in through the window because of the blinds he'd forgotten to close when he'd gotten home from Nine Tail's last night.

The raven leaned forward dragging his hands over his dampened face, he'd apparently been crying. "What the hell was that dream?"

He couldn't remember ever experiencing a dream that was that real. In that instance he would have lived that nightmare eternally if it meant Naruto was actually there.

As he reached over to look at his phone the memory of his nightmare had already begun to disappear from his mind. His phone read 10:12am as he tried to replay his dream only to find that he can no longer remember it at all. The only proof of its effects were his sweat drenched sheets and his tear streaked cheeks.

'What the fuck happened?' Sasuke muttered to himself. As the seconds ticked by he continued to try and recall his dream only to realise he no longer could. With the state he was in, maybe forgetting his dream was for the best. Feeling resolute, he got up to start his day. Tonight he'd get to see Jinchu live.


"Kurama, what the fuck was that?!" Naruto bit out in a panic.

The fox knew Naruto was on edge, the blond almost always forgoes its name for its nickname. Thing was, Kurama didn't exactly have an answer for the blond. Naruto had been on his morning run through his wooded cliffside property when a tsunami ripped through him, dropping him to the ground. They were deaf and blind but could feel and smell everything the raven was experiencing in his dream. When effects wore off Kurama had realised that Sasuke's dream had latched onto the inside of Naruto's mind, which the fox found both fascinating and alarming.

"I wish I had answers for you, but I don't exactly know either," Kurama mumbled, not liking having to admit being oblivious to something. An ancient entity shouldn't have anything that could baffle it anymore but this soulmate business perplexed the fox.

Naruto grit his teeth. "What do you mean you don't know? Aren't you supposed to know everything?"

"Watch it. We may be one but that doesn't mean I won't take you over and beat you senseless," Kurama warned, being every bit as on edge as the blond. "In case you've forgotten, none of us have any experience with soulmates or their effects on each other, which is my only guess as to what contributed to that."

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose while letting out a frustrated breath. "Sorry, but what is this supposed to mean? This has never happened before."

Kurama grunted." I don't know, but it can't be a coincidence that it happened after spending a large chunk of time together."

"But this didn't happen after the meeting at Tsukuyomi," Naruto pointed out.

The fox rolled its eyes at the blond. "Come on Naruto don't play dumb. You know spending an hour ignoring our soulmate isn't the same as conversing with him for hours."

Naruto raised a curious brow. "Our?"

The fox let out an irritated snort. "Yes, ours. We are one incase you've forgotten."

"Oh I know, but you've never referred to him that way before. He's always been just my soulmate. Why the sudden change?" Naruto didn't try to hide the curiosity in his voice. Kurama hated all humans, he only tolerated some better than others and that was usually only to satisfy his own twisted amusement.

There was a pregnant pause that stretched out overall several minutes. "I felt it, alright?"

"Felt it?" The blond poked, trying to coax out more.

Kurama let out an exasperated grunt. "The stupid bloody bond alright? I fucking felt it after spending all damn night with the pale ape."

"Oh," Naruto felt a little thrown off kilter. Sure he knew they were one and all, but he didn't think the soulmate bond would affect his other half as it had never done so before.

The blond was in such a conundrum he didn't realise he'd unblocked his thoughts and Kurama could hear them freely. "We hadn't merged yet."

"Pardon?" Naruto hadn't realised the fox heard his internal turmoil.

Kurama clarified for him. "It didn't affect me before because we only merged before you left Konoha. I never got the experience of us being in his presence. I could begin to feel it at the meeting, but the longer we were in his presence last night, the stronger it got. It's weird, now that I think about it, when we were at Jiraiya's house I felt nothing, but as soon as you shook his hand it was like something crumbled inside. It was like you put up a wall separating us."

"Separating us? What do you mean?" Naruto brows bowed in confusion.

"Separate us as in, you didn't want me feeling or being aware of the same painful pull you were experiencing." Kurama's voice was soft. The fox was only guessing.

"Of course I wouldn't have wanted you to feel it! But I didn't try to put up a wall or whatever. I don't even know what you're talking about!" Naruto threw his arms up, grabbing his hair frustratedly.

This didn't make sense to him. 'I spent years training to control myself, there's no way I could have done anything without knowing.'

Hearing the blond's rampant thoughts, Kurama offers him a possible explanation. "You didn't start working with Jiraiya until days after our merge. Remember almost crashing a plane a handful of times? It could have happened when you had no control."

Naruto let his arms fall slack. "You really think I could have put up a mental wall?"

Kurama nodded. "I do. And if you were able to block that from something like me, what else could you have done?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto's tightly pressed lips drown down into a near imperceivable frown.

The fox didn't need to breathe, but the atmosphere made him draw in a large breath. "Don't you find it weird that our soulmate was there with you when you got your tattoo of me but can't manage to piece everything together? I mean he's a genius supposedly right? So why can't he piece together a fox masked vocalist that named his business "Nine Tails" with that lazy ape? Hell, he even knows Kurama's from Konoha now, but there wasn't even so much as suspicion in his eyes. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"You think I'm the reason?" Naruto hoarsely whispered. Suddenly his mouth felt like a dessert when faced with the possibility of being responsible for meddling with Sasuke's mind.

The fox sighed. "My instincts are telling me yes, though I guess it could be illness or a tumor like his brother."

The blond's face was etched with guilt as he entered his mind to face his companion. "Your instincts are never wrong Kyu." Naruto hung his head. Sasuke may have hurt him greatly but violating his mind seemed far worse than Naruto being cast away. "What do you think I did to him?"

Kurama looked sympathetically at him. "I don't know. But whatever it is we can fix it."

Naruto nodded slowly. "You think this has to do with what happened with his dream?"

Kurama contemplated with his head tilted. "It's possible, though I can't be sure. We need more information."

Naruto groaned, feigning irritation. "Right. Well I'll see him tonight at the concert."

The fox quirked a brow at the blond who was clearly in denial about his excitement at seeing the raven again. "You can't fool me anymore, I can feel the longing for him."

"Doesn't mean I want to feel this way. I just want to get rid of whatever moronic brain blockade I've caused him," Naruto grumbled.

"Ah, and if it is you who's the cause of his idiocy, what are you going to do when he inevitably puts it all together? Because you know he will put it all together." Kurama didn't want to be harsh, but Naruto needed to realise that when he made his choice to return to Konoha, he wouldn't be able to stay anonymous to his soulmate forever.

The pull of the bond the fox could now freely feel cemented the fact because the fox found itself longing to be near the raven as well. It should have infuriated Kurama, the fox hated that little shit for hurting its Jinchūriki, but instead it felt oddly content about the whole thing. How Naruto had been able to defy its pull for this long astounded the fox.

Tilting his head up to meet the foxes softer than usual gaze he whispered. "I don't know." Naruto figured he'd wait until he was sure of the raven ailment before deciding on a course of action.


Never had Sasuke experienced anything like Jinchu's show. He'd been to many concerts but never had the opportunity to watch from off stage. It was a huge adrenaline rush to feel every instrument so intrusively wonderful. The intensity of the vibrations that coursed through his body was something he'd never be able to forget.

There was something to say about the band's stage presence. Obviously they'd be good at what they did otherwise they wouldn't be so big. But having personally witnessed the members first hand, the energy they brought during performance was a staggering contrast and Kurama seemed to have the fans eating out of the palm of his hand.

The way the fox engaged with the crowd was entrancing. It was almost impossible to think this was the same man who stared phlegmatically at everyone. Though Sasuke couldn't forget the laugh he caused the aloof man to release the night before, it still left a lingering impression on the raven.

After many thanks and a handful of bonus songs performed, Jinchu finally concluded the last show of their tour. Every performance left them feeling heady, it was such a rush to finish a show, there wasn't quite another feeling like it. There's just something about the instrument booming out across the vast expanse of a crowd while violently rattling every molecule in their bodies as they thrash around on stage. Like a junky chasing a high, they chased every performance with equal addiction. Some would say their fans worshipped them, but being given this privilege they were the ones bowing down.

As they walked off stage it hit them that this was the first time they wouldn't be jumping back into creating music right away after a tour, it was a bizarre feeling. It was both sombre and relieving. There wasn't much time to contemplate anything else right now as they walked past Haku and Sasuke, they still had the blasted interview.

They weren't big on parties, but after a tour concluded they'd always throw together a little something to thank the crew for all their hard work. Haku and Sasuke were mingling with the crew as they waited for the band to freshen themselves up a little. Given they spent hours jumping around on stage fully masked and costumed it was more than understandable.

Haku had slipped into reporter mode as he pulled Sasuke along with him trying to get any fraction of information from the crew he could. No one answered any of his intrusive questions, but they were more than happy to boast about how well the members treated them. Sasuke wasn't big on the underhanded methods Haku was using so he eventually hung back in a corner and observed. He wouldn't deny he wanted to know more about the band, one member more specifically than others. But he wouldn't walk alongside Haku if those were the methods he was going to use.

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk when he watched Jinchu's manager walk up behind and interrupt Haku's pestering. "You know, asking behind their back isn't going to make them anymore inclined to answer your questions."

Haku blushed having been caught. When he turned around he wasn't exactly sure how to take the man seriously though. Jiraiya's love for frogs wasn't a secret by any stretch of the imagination, but never had Haku expected to turn around and come face to face with a man in a green frog onesie that had a frog head as its hood.

Haku shook his head trying not to be rude by continuing to gape at the man. "Oh, um...right."

Jiraiya raised a thick brow at him. "Uh huh. Anyways, they're ready for you if you and your boy will follow me."

Haku nods then glances around to locate Sasuke. Seeing as the raven was leaning on a wall a few feet away it didn't take long to find him. "They're ready, you coming?"

"Hn," Sasuke pushed himself off the wall showing he was ready to follow.

"So they throw a party for staff but don't attend themselves?" Haku asks the human frog none casually. The brunette can feel Sasuke burrowing holes through his skull with his icy cold glare but he didn't care, this was his big break and he was going to use any method necessary to not fail.

Jiraiya snorts. "Wow, you just can't stop can you?"

Unaware the man didn't mean it as a compliment, Haku shrugs with a smirk playing on his lips. "It's my job."

"Fair enough," Jiraiya sighed, he wasn't sure how this was going to go if the journalist kept going at it this way. "They do attend, they just wanted to do the interview somewhere quieter. This is the first time they're actually participating in an interview so they want to do it properly."

"So they'll attend afterwards?" Haku asked curiously as they followed Jiraiya.

"Of course," The man answers with a large toothy smile.

They stopped outside a rather heavy looking door before Jiraiya knocked three times. The man didn't wait for an answer, he opened the door using his arm to gesture for the duo to enter. The room was large and mostly empty. There was a long table stretched out where each of the band members sat side by side. Facing the table were two other seats, Sasuke assumed they were for Haku and himself which was confirmed when Jiraiya went and sat in the empty seat beside Kurama.

The members were all still masked up much to Haku's dismay but they had changed their jumpsuits. The brunette had hoped that the band would reveal themselves for the special addition which was obviously not the case. He had to give the band one thing though, they were taking the interview far more seriously then anything he'd heard about them in the past.

Haku and Sasuke took their seats but couldn't help feeling a huge sense of intimidation. They had spent the night with the same group last night, but it felt different having to sit opposite them baring their gaze. Sasuke was an Uchiha, he was born with genes that were supposed to be immune to intimidation. Even with his steely genes he couldn't help but feel elated that he wasn't the one being scrutinised. It was clear that Jinchu wasn't going to go easy on Haku, which was funny because Haku was the journalist.

"Alright, do you all mind if I record this?" Haku asked the group. They all shrugged their approvals.

Haku quickly sets up and pressed record. "Alright let's begin," he smiles pleasantly. "So, after concluding your tour, what's next? Are you guys taking a break? Jumping right back into making music again?"

Nobody responded and Sasuke wanted to snort. 'Maybe this is going to be like all their other interviews.'

Jiraiya side eyed the Jinchūriki then sighed. "You'll have to ask them specifically if you want answers, they won't assume who you're asking or speak over each other."

"Oh, okay," Haku nods as he glanced over the table. He settled on the peppy female. "How about we hear from you Chōmei?"

"Okay! What question would you like me to answer?" Fu beamed out. Being the people person she was, she loved to talk.

Haku smiled at the woman's enthusiasm, she made him feel more at ease than the others. "How about what's next for you guys?"

Fu quieted down for a minute before looking back and forth around the table. She ended up settling on Naruto because he was the one who understandably prioritized privacy the most. When he nodded at her signalling he was okay with her answering she smiled under her mask before turning back towards the brunette. "We're actually taking a break from music. We're all going to try our own things."

Both Haku and Sasuke were taken back by this, though Sasuke's face gave nothing away. The band was at its peak, the most famous they'd ever been, it felt bizarre that they'd take a break to try other things when the world was at their feet.

"What made you guys decide this?" Haku asked, not bothering to hide his curiosity.

"Um," Fu looked from him back towards Naruto.

Naruto sighed, Fu was a people person but she rarely did well with pressure. "We all have things we want to accomplish individually, and the timing just felt right."

"Aren't you worried about leaving to pursue the unknown? You guys are at the top right now, why take a gamble now?" Haku pushed.

"We make music because we enjoy it, not because of fame or the royalty checks," Naruto bit out. "We deserve to set out and find what else makes us happy, if people can't respect that than frankly I don't give a fuck."

Sasuke found the fox's outlook and brashness admirable, so much so he almost let out a chuckle.

"So you don't care about your fans then?" Haku blurted out and immediately regretted it when he swore the room's temperature dropped several degrees.

"Uh oh," chuckled Jiraiya, knowing just how prickly his former students can be.

"This is my favourite part," Gaara chuckled wickedly.

"We don't care huh?" Naruto tilted his head to the side pretending to think. Next, he glanced down the table. "Hey guys, did you know we don't care about our fans?"

"Nah man that ain't cool, we ain't gonna listen to you ya fool!" Bee rapped out in a less than pleasing tone for once as he stared down the quivering journalist. Like Fu, Bee was a people person, but his fuse was far shorter than hers.

"I-I didn't say you didn't care, I j-just asked." Haku stuttered, wishing the ground would suddenly swallow him up. He squirmed in his seat while the group's icy glares didn't waver.

Naruto's voice was deep, dark and sarcastic. "Seeing you asked so politely let me politely answer you," he had to take a breath to calm down. "We care about them more than ourselves, and if you want to continue this interview you'll knock that bullshit paparazzi style of questioning off. You're supposed to be an esteemed Tsukuyomi journalist, not some skulking parasite trying to make a quick buck. I suggest you start acting like it or you'll be leaving here having to explain to Shisui why you couldn't finish your damn job."

The authoritative verbal lashing Haku just received was extremely arousing. Sasuke wasn't sure how he managed to keep his dick flaccid because fuck was that the hottest thing he's ever witnessed.

"Y-yes. Of course, I'm sorry," Haku's throat made an audible gulping sound, suddenly seeking moisture. Kurama was far more terrifying than last night. He made a note not to carelessly prod, he was clearly in over his head.

Naruto leans back in a more relaxed pose. "Alright, next question then."

Haku nervously cleared his throat. How Kurama could remain calm while simultaneously spitting venom was menacing. "Right," he agrees as he looks down to make sure he addresses the turtle masked band member correctly. He couldn't quite match all the masks to the names. "Isobu, how do you think the fans will react when they find out about your break?"

Yagura shrugged before answering. His voice came out calm and clear, it was almost like he was born to speak. "I'm sure they'll be upset, but if they're true fans they'll understand. It probably won't be forever but after doing this for so long it'll be nice to have a break."

"You talk about needing a break, are you guys burnt out on making music?" Haku looked expectantly at the man.

Yagura sighs. "I wouldn't say burnt out, but you try constantly living and breathing music for nearly a decade. It'll be nice to do something new for a bit."

Haku titled his head back slightly. "You mentioned making music for a decade, how does that work?"

"Actually that's mostly Kurama. We all help, but it's mostly his thing," Yagura shoots a pointed look at the fox.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive Kurama. How did you get into making music?" Haku's voice laced with awe as he looked towards the fox.

There it was again, something else the fox had in common with Naruto. Sasuke looked from Isobu to Kurama to notice an intense gaze entrancing him. It felt like they were staring at each other for hours but when Sasuke blinked Kurama was looking at Haku. Sasuke hid his forming frown. 'Did I imagine that?'

"I always liked music, so why not?" the fox shrugged.

Haku made a contemplative hum. "Okay, let me rephrase. Who got you into music?"

There was a few seconds of silence before the fox answered. "In school I had a music teacher who allowed me to explore it."

"I bet that music teacher is proud of you," Haku smiled at the fox.

"They're dead," he responds far too casually.

Haku's face drops. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Kurama waves him off dismissively. "No need for that. It was a long time ago."

Haku wanted to ask how long ago but bit his tongue. He wasn't willing to undergo the foxes hostility again.

Naruto sighed and took pity on him as he saw the question flash across the man's face. "It was before I started high school."

"Oh," Haku couldn't hide the shock in his voice that the man answered his unvoiced question unperturbed. "Was that where you guys met?" He glanced at the table signalling he was talking about the other band members.

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly as he debated if this was too intrusive or not. "No, it wasn't."

Haku was surprised by that, he would have guessed they'd have been high school friends. "Does that mean you were never in a band until after high school?"

"Didn't say that," Kurama responded flatly.

"So you had a band before Jinchu?" Haku asked.

"Hn," Kurama grunted.

The brunette knew it was a long shot but he figured he'd ask. "What was it called?"

The fox snorted sardonically. "Nice try."

Sasuke's phone began to ring, interrupting everyone. Normally being at a concert does require one to silence their devices. With a groan he shuts it off before quickly apologising. He never apologised, but for some reason felt the need in this situation. "Sorry about that."

Jiraiya responded with a chuckle. "Don't worry about it."

Sasuke felt Haku glare daggers at him for interrupting his precious interview but he ignored him, opting to observe the fox instead.

With a heavy sigh Haku turned back to the band. He'd spent most of the time speaking to Kurama so he figured he'd ask the raccoon the next question. "Shukaku, what got you into music?"

Gaara's voice remained devoid of emotion as he answered. "I only got into music because it gave me something to do."

Before Haku could follow up with "But why choose music?" He was interrupted by cursing.

"Ow, what the fuck Kokuō?!" Utakata grumbles as he rubs the side of his head through his slug mask.

Han had hit him in the side of the head as he began to fall asleep on his shoulder. "Paying attention won't kill you you know," the horse masked man responded, utterly unaffected by the man's irritation.

"But it's boring," the slug whined through a yawn.

"Annoying is more what I was thinking," Naruto added as he crossed his arms and tilted his head up to look at the ceiling.

"Regardless, we all suffer together," Han shoved Utakata off him one final time, solidifying his seriousness.

Utakata sat up straight and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Ugh, fine."

Sasuke found it odd but highly amusing to watch the band members interact with each other. It was such a contrast to how everybody else sees them. The raven found they almost reminded him of Itachi and his bickering.

Having been drawn into the oddly endearing argument, Haku had forgotten his previous line of questioning. Shaking it off he moves on. A quick look through his questions he came to his next one. "What made you guys sign with Tsukuyomi? Surely you were being scouted by others with the talent you all possess."

"We were scouted by a few but we didn't have a solid vocalist," Gaara answered dryly.

"Hey I tried!" Fu pouted behind her mask. She wanted to do the vocals but when it came down to it her voice wasn't suited to the music they performed.

Bee patted her on the shoulder. "Don't fret Chōmei, everything turned out okay, yeah!"

"He's right," Yagura nodded gently at her in agreement.

Fu smiled. "Thanks Gyūki, thanks Isobu."

"You were the original vocalist? What about Kurama?" Haku turned to look at the bubbly female with the rhino beetle mask with a look of shock on his face. It was hard to imagine her voice instead of the deep, rumbly cadence of Kurama's.

Fu huffed. "I was, but I wasn't very good. My voice isn't made for this type of music."

Haku didn't let the fact that she overlooked the Kurama question go. "And when did Kurama come along?"

"We already answered that for Kimimaro," Naruto's voice was flat, but there was a hint of warning as well.

"Oh, my apologies," Haku blushed from embarrassment. He looked through Kimimaro's work, but failed to see the answer to that question.

Naruto sat up, collapsing his hand together in front of him with a sigh. "When I joined they already had offers, Tsukuyomi was one of them. I came from the same place as Tsukuyomi so it just felt like fate made the choice for us. We set up a meeting and here we are today."

Haku was delighted that the fox didn't reprimand him further. "Did the others ever consider another label? You were the new one after all, surely the others had an opinion."

It surprised everyone when Kokuō was the one to answer. Even if the question had been directed at him there was only a 5% chance he would have actually answered. "Everyone of us agrees that it was Kurama that made us whole. We all come with our own musical expertise but him, he's on a whole other level. If he said Tsukuyomi was fate we believed him no question asked."

That idea sounds asinine to Haku. "How could you guys trust him so easily? No offence but the trust you put in him sounds terrifying."

Sasuke agreed, in the business world that is something that would never happen. Hell, in the business world you could work with partners for years and never reach that kind of trust.

Jiraiya guffawed, startling only the two on the opposite side of the table. "Just call them crazy, I do."

The whole table simultaneously turns slowly to look at him, had he been anyone else he may have died of cardiac arrest. Being directly beside the man, Naruto looks him up and down, it was his silent way of saying "have you seen your frog attire?"

"Don't even," Jiraiya half heartedly pointed at him. "I'm just showing my support!"

Naruto snorts. "All I'm saying is I say tomato, you say tomahto, Crazy is as crazy does, ya know?" It was his way of teasing the man. In reality he had quickly gotten used to the man's choice in attire and had no qualms with it. Besides, onesies are comfy as fuck, too bad his size makes them impossible unless custom made.

Sasuke's mouth watered. 'Fuck a tomato would be good right now.'

Naruto may or may not have chosen the word tomato for his expression on purpose. He'll never tell.

The questions continued on this way. The interview ranged from learning how everyone got interested in music and why they played what they played. They talked about some of the things they wanted to pursue while taking a break. Some just wanted to sleep while others were excited to pursue their dream of rapping. A couple just wanted to see where life would take them.

When they got to talking about more personal topics, Haku was jabbed back with a few amusing questions regarding his night with Zabuza. When they got around to the band's relationship statuses, Sasuke was pleased to hear that Kurama, like the others, didn't have any romantic interests waiting for them at home. He was still up in the air about trying to pursue the man. It perturbed him, he wanted the man terribly, but a certain blond haunted his thoughts making it feel almost impossible for some reason. He had no issue with one night stands, but when it came to the fox something was different, he was being sucked in while simultaneously being warded off by the similarities of his lost blond.

"Well, I think we're finally finished," Haku's chuckle brought Sasuke out of his musings. "Thank you all so much for doing this, I'm sure Shisui's going to burst at the seams."

"Of course he will. He's only been bugging us for years," Kurama snorted as everyone rose to their feet. The bash was still going on and they all still planned on mingling with the crew so they could personally offer their deepest gratitude for all their hard work. They may be musicians, but the shows would be impossible without all their hard work and dedication.

Sasuke snorted. "Hn, that sounds like Shisui, he's always been that way."

"What, a happy Labrador ready to hump your leg at the promise of a treat?" Kurama bantered back. It was honestly way too easy to fall back into old habits with the man, Naruto just wasn't sure if it was only because of the pull on their bond.

"That would be it," Sasuke couldn't hold back his laugh causing Haku's mouth to gape, he's not sure he's ever heard the man actually laugh before.

They all made their way out to the rather tame party that was taking place. Everyone was enjoying themselves even with the lingering sorrow that hung in the air as they bid farewell to each other. Once again Kurama and Sasuke had found themselves slowly migrating towards each other.

Naruto's excuse to the real Kurama was that he just needed to give his mind a quick scan, but the ancient fox wasn't stupid, especially seeing it was just as effected at the blond. Just as Sasuke made the first move to engage in a conversation the foxes phone went off.

Naruto wouldn't admit it, but he wasn't ready to be interrupted. "Sorry," he mumbled as he pulled out his phone.

"It's fine really," Sasuke assured him, he knew how important calls could be. It was that thought that reminded him to turn his own phone back on. Thankfully none of the missed calls were anything important.

Naruto's face drew up tightly when he saw he had no idea who was calling him. He stepped away from the raven and answered in a clipped tone. "Who's this?"

"It's me kitsune," a soft baritone voiced man tried to chuckle but it sounded forced.

"Itachi? Now's not really a good time, why are you calling? " Naruto looks in the direction of Sasuke. He couldn't ignore the concern bubbling up inside of him.

There was a pause then a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry to bother you tonight, it's just you're the only one I could call."

Naruto's concern quickly turned to dread.

"I can't see."