As promised, a quick update! Much less sad this time, too.
I posted a smutty continuation in the extras (only on ao3 for now) of the shower scene in the previous chapter. Worth a read I think ;)
I don't really think we'll finish this story in just three more chapters, but my plans for this fic never work out anyway so I'll just keep writing and push the number up when I need to...
Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 55: Future choices, chosen future
xxx
He felt like he was floating.
There was nothing around him, but as soon as he wished for some light, the light appeared.
He was floating, but there was no water, no waves carrying him forwards even as he moved. Something about it was familiar, but at the same time, he knew that wherever he was had not existed for long.
The light burned brighter, casting shadows behind him. His thoughts felt too clear, too loud in the vast space. He looked around himself in wonder, and when he looked ahead again, a cozy group of couches and armchairs had appeared, gathered around a gently pulsating sphere of light.
"Huh," he said, sinking down on the nearest couch.
It was fluffy, and just right for him to lie down on. He lounged on it for a while, stretching like a cat, enjoying the peace and quiet. He had no idea where he was and why, but it didn't seem to matter.
All he was missing was a nice blanket… ah! There it was!
Soft like velvet, and warm like someone had heated it up for him. Truly, a place of marvel. He gathered the blanket around his shoulders, and sat up cross-legged to think. Maybe he should try to make sense of where he was. It almost looked like Kaguya's dimension…
His smile dimmed. Of course. Though, this wasn't Kaguya's dimension – it was his.
He'd never had a place that was only his before. Looking around himself, he wondered if it was a space inside his mind, or if it was as real as any other place.
Something interrupted his musings. He frowned, cocking his head to listen. Someone was approaching. Several someones, it seemed, and he hurried to pat down his hair and fold the blanket neatly beside himself.
Soft footsteps growing louder, but even though they were soft, something told him that their owners were huge. Slowly, bit by bit, shapes began to form. It was as if the nothingness around him had turned to mist, and the figures joining him were shrouded in it.
The first to take shape was the one-tails.
He gaped at it in shock, but he knew its name. Shukaku. He knew its shape and its powers, and he also knew its thoughts.
"Hello," Shukaku grunted, curling up near him.
The rest of the couches and armchairs had disappeared, leaving room for what could only be the nine bijuu.
"Um, hi," Charasuke replied, unsure of what else to say as they waited.
One by one the other eight arrived, greeting him before sitting down (or lying, or hovering in the air) to wait for the rest. When Kurama arrived, he could barely breathe. They were all so big, and they stared at him, and they could hardly be happy about the fact that he'd replaced their creator.
"Tch," Kurama sniffed, narrowing his eyes. "An Uchiha. Of course it had to be an Uchiha."
"Sorry," he immediately replied, wincing as Kurama gave him an unimpressed look.
"The other dimension got an Uzumaki though," the eight-tails, Gyuuki said. "Not sure which of them are worse."
"Menma isn't so bad," Kurama argued. "At least then I'd be in charge."
"And who would want you in charge?" Shukaku growled, swishing its tail.
"Excuse me," Charasuke tried, clearing his throat. "Are you visiting for a reason, or…?"
Again, Kurama looked at him like he was an idiot.
"You called us here."
"Oh."
He definitely couldn't remember that.
"Please don't be so mean to him, he's trying his best," said the two-tails, Matatabi.
"Is he even trying though," Kurama snorted.
The two-tails gave him a look, though it was hard to tell what the giant, flaming cat was thinking. The blue flames seemed to flicker for a moment, then it turned towards Charasuke, speaking very politely.
"See, we all woke up from our slumber when you released us from Hagoromo-sama's hold. It does make sense that you called us here."
"Okay." Charasuke's gaze flitted between them, trying to gauge their opinion of him. "You don't look super mad at me at least."
They all seemed to sigh at him, though the four-tails shook its head the way a horse might, and the seven-tails buzzed a little louder, almost in a snicker, at him. He could tell that a few of them didn't like speaking, while some – like Kurama – enjoyed it a little too much.
"Listen here, brat," Kurama started, claws spread. "I didn't enjoy being shut away to sleep while the old man tried to take over the world, but don't think I'm happy about having to pay my respects to the Uchiha line of the family tree."
"Why not?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Why?" Kurama bared his teeth. "You got the Sharingan and you tend to use it for whatever suits your purposes."
Charasuke had a vague memory of history lessons about Madara fighting and winning over Kurama, so maybe the giant fox had a point.
"I wasn't planning on using it… But what does it matter that I'm an Uchiha, anyway? Anyone in my place would have gotten the Rinnegan and so on."
"It's the principle of the thing," Kurama sniffed, tilting his nose up.
Somehow, he seemed rather alike his counterpart.
"You always talk too much," Shukaku complained, and Charasuke had a feeling he needed to change the subject before they started bickering like siblings.
"So I guess we should have a round of introductions?" he said, braving a smile.
"First things first." Kurama unfolded all nine of his tails, waving them around almost like a strange dance. "I need you to do something for me, alright?"
The others sighed, but didn't interrupt him. Curious, Charasuke nodded at him to go on.
"Some jerk split my chakra in two, do you have any idea how annoying that is to deal with? Do you think being split in two is fun?"
Blinking in confusion, Charasuke tentatively shook his head in agreement.
"Well I need you to put it back in one piece. And for the love of all the chakra in the world, don't you dare put me in Kushina."
Charasuke opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"Not Kushina," he parroted. "Got it."
The others started squirming, impatient.
"Are you done stealing the spotlight?" the eight-tails asked, two of its squid arms high-fiving as if in support of his words. "Some of us aren't stupid enough to get split in two."
"Oi!"
Leaning his chin in a palm, Charasuke stared as the nine of them started squabbling with each other. He'd had no idea that being a chakra god would include babysitting… Shouldn't they all be around a thousand years old, anyway? He hid a sigh into his palm, wondering just how exactly he was supposed to transfer Kurama's chakra from Kushina to Menma. Maybe there was a scroll somewhere, or he could just wing it. He had a feeling the newly awakened Kurama would make Menma nag at him until he went through with it, so he doubted he could pretend he forgot.
He had to admit he didn't envy the jinchuuriki for putting up with this for the foreseeable future.
"Are you guys done arguing with each other?" he asked, wincing when they all turned to scowl at him. "No? Okay. I'll just wait here then."
At least his new powers allowed him to create some snacks for the wait.
xxx
"There," Temari said, finally finishing up with fussing over his pillows. "And don't you dare think about running off again!"
She gave him a glare. Chastised, Gaara folded his hands in his lap and nodded.
"It's not like he did it on purpose," Kankuro argued, rolling his eyes when Temari's glare turned towards him.
"The last time was on purpose," she argued back, and Gaara hid a sigh.
He'd woken up, slightly disoriented – which he thought he had all right to be, considering. Was it really so terrible that he got out of the hospital bed and searched for someone who could explain what was going on?
His memories of the God Tree were hazy, but real enough.
"I'm fine," he said, though no one listened.
His father had visited briefly, relief in his voice even if he held back from any emotional displays. His siblings had no such restraints.
"Well clearly he's not dying if he's capable of wandering around the hospital. You really don't need to fuss over him like that," Kankuro continued, just as Temari turned towards the small vase with flowers she'd put there earlier.
"Excuse me? Our baby brother has been gone for days dealing with kami knows what and you have the nerve to complain about my fussing?"
Temari's voice had reached much higher volumes than Gaara thought necessary, but this was par for the course. He supposed it was nice of them to rush over from Suna, but the growing headache made him wish they'd forbidden visitors.
A light knock on the door interrupted the argument, and Gaara gave Sakura a grateful look as she entered the room. She was in full medic nin uniform, and Gaara didn't miss the way her cheeks reddened just slightly as she smiled at Temari a little longer than at him and Kankuro.
"I thought I'd come in and check on you," she said, holding his medical chart against her chest.
Was it just him or had she put on some make-up since she'd found him wandering the hallways early that morning?
"Thank you," he replied to her.
There had been nurses and doctors coming and going, no one finding anything wrong with him other than some exhaustion and slight dehydration. If the God Tree had been set on killing him, it had certainly done so slowly and to no success.
Her hand glowed green as she ran it over his chest, pausing now and then to take notes. He wondered if it was really necessary… Then he saw her glance towards his sister again, a guilty look on her face as she realized he'd caught her.
"I really am fine," he said towards Temari, biting the inside of his cheek as Sakura pouted at him.
Sasuke had told him a few things about her, clearly being an important friend of his. She seemed nice, and his sister desperately needed something to do that wasn't fluffing up his pillows for the umpteenth time.
"And what if you get kidnapped again? Huh? What then?"
"I heard it's all been sorted out now," Sakura said, finishing up with her unnecessary examination of him. "So there's nothing to worry about!"
"You're so rarely in Konoha," Gaara continued, clearing his throat. He wasn't good at this sort of thing, but he could at least try. "Sasuke showed me some really nice places earlier…"
"Oh!" Sakura seemed to have caught on, her eyes wide and innocent as she once again pressed his chart to her chest. "Do you need a guide? My shift is almost over, and I really don't mind!"
Kankuro made a long-suffering expression, faking throwing up behind Temari's back as she perked up at Sakura's suggestion.
"Really? If you're sure…" Temari glanced at Gaara, and he sent her a reassuring smile. "If Gaara doesn't mind, then…"
"What about me?" Kankuro asked, but Temari reached back to smack him without looking.
"No one needs your opinion," she said, then directed a bright smile towards poor Sakura who seemed to almost swoon at the force of it. "Meet you in the lobby in a bit? We can go for lunch first."
"Yes, yes that's- that's fine," Sakura stammered out, clutching the chart so tight it almost snapped in half. "I'll be done in fifteen minutes!"
She ducked out of the room, Temari staring after her with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Cute," she concluded, tapping a finger against her lip.
"Only you could get a date at a hospital," Kankuro complained. "Where are the cute nurses flirting with me? Just asking!"
"Oh, shush. Someone has to stay here and look after Gaara."
Gaara barely held back a laugh at the sight of Kankuro's betrayed look. She winked at him, then caught sight of the half-empty pitcher of water next to his bed.
"Make yourself useful and go fill this up," she ordered their brother, and with a loud groan and dragging his feet, he did as told.
Is she always like that?
Gaara startled at the sound of the voice, seemingly coming from nowhere.
"What?" he asked, Temari giving him a strange look.
My siblings are just as annoying, the voice continued. It was dark, and dry like sand. Especially Kurama. Just because he's got the most tails!
Blinking rapidly, Gaara leaned back against his pillows, wondering if he was imagining things.
Shukaku? he thought, hesitating as he wondered if the voice inside his head could really be what he thought it was.
Who else?
He let out a slow breath, ignoring Temari's worried questions. So Shukaku could speak to him now…
You never talked to me before.
Because I couldn't!
Gaara got the impression that Shukaku was slamming its tail against the ground, whipping up dust.
Don't expect me to talk much though, Shukaku added. I have better things to do, you know.
Yes, of course.
Well, at least he's polite, Shukaku grumbled to itself.
It felt as if it was stomping around in Gaara's head, trying to find a decent patch of sand to burrow into and sleep in. A strange feeling, but a lot better than the ominous presence he'd always been able to feel just out of reach.
"Gaara!"
He turned his attention back to his sister, apologizing for spacing out. He wondered what it meant, that Shukaku seemed to have gained back its consciousness. Gaara knew the story, of course, of how the bijuu had slowly turned into mindless beasts. Maybe Sasuke could explain.
The thought of Sasuke made something squeeze inside his chest. No one seemed to know what exactly had happened, and any questions about Sasuke received evasive answers. Sasuke wasn't in the hospital, that much he'd concluded at least.
Oh, you don't know?
It was Shukaku again, sounding disinterested.
Know what?
Sasuke ate the chakra fruit. He's our guardian now that the old man is dead.
Gaara opened his mouth, then closed it again. Shukaku's words didn't make any sense. How could Sasuke have eaten the chakra fruit? That would make him…
He's a chakra god? I don't believe it.
Shukaku sent over the impression that it shrugged.
If I were you I'd find someone else to like. Kurama never lets me win at anything.
The last part sounded like a muttered complaint, but Gaara fought hard to swallow down the lump in his throat. If Sasuke had been out of his league before, he clearly stood no chance now.
Depressed, he waved off Temari's concerns, wondering if he'd ever find someone. Even though he'd known it was hopeless, he'd still hoped. His options weren't that many, after all.
How annoying. Now that I'm myself again, you don't have to worry about losing control. I can't believe I have to talk about this. What's so good about this Sasuke guy anyway!
Gaara was stunned. He stared up at the ceiling, unsure of what to think. Did that mean he could date anyone he wanted? Even a civilian?
Kankuro returned, complaining loudly about Temari bossing him around. When she didn't react, he, too, came over to stare in confusion at Gaara.
"What's going on?" Kankuro asked.
"I don't know, it's like he keeps spacing out, like he's talking to someone inside his head."
"What, there's no way he's talking to someone inside his head. That's nuts."
She hit his arm with a glare. Pouting, Kankuro rubbed at it, before waving a hand in front of Gaara's eyes.
"Oi, little brother, you in there?"
"I'm busy," Gaara replied, frowning.
They looked at each other, then at him. Belatedly, he realized that this was most likely not helping him in his quest for some peace and quiet.
"I'm talking to Shukaku," he explained with a sigh. "It's back to normal again, somehow."
Not somehow, Shukaku pointed out. Sasuke woke us up.
He wasn't sure he could tell his siblings that, though.
"You're talking. To Shukaku."
Temari sounded less than pleased.
"It's not so bad, a little grumpy maybe."
Watch it, kid.
Gaara smiled, but it soon dropped from his face as he thought of Sasuke.
"Are you sure you don't know where Sasuke is?"
Shaking her head in concern, Temari crossed her arms. Kankuro was giving them uneasy looks, scratching the back of his neck.
"Maybe I should stay with you," Temari said.
"What? No, I'm fine. Go on your date. I'm just worried about Sasuke."
They shared another look, but Gaara sighed and sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.
"I'll stay right here, promise," he told her, even though he'd much rather go look for Sasuke.
He really hoped he was okay.
xxx
Charasuke sat up in bed, immediately awake. He moved to get up, fumbling with the sheets to untangle himself. Someone had tucked them neatly around him, and he swore as he kicked them off.
"And just where are you going?" Shisui asked, interrupting his battle with the sheets.
"I have to transfer Kurama's chakra from Kushina to Menma," he said, impatient.
Then he paused, Shisui staring at him.
"That doesn't make much sense to you, does it?" Charasuke ran a hand over his face, shaking off the weird feeling that he was still half inside that private little dimension of his. "Where's Itachi?"
"I don't think it would make sense to Itachi, either," Shisui replied, crossing his arms. "Why don't you sit down and explain it all nicely to me? I'm not sure you want to wander around the village looking like that, anyway."
Touching his face, Charasuke grimaced as he felt his third eye back in the middle of his forehead. When he lowered his hands, lights swirled under the skin, and a faint glow seemed to emanate from him.
"At least you weren't hovering in your sleep," Shisui said. "Then I'd have thought you were turning into a ghost, or something."
"I'm not a ghost," he sighed.
Shisui was right, he probably shouldn't wander around the village like this.
"What time is it? What have I missed?"
Watching him warily, Shisui pulled the chair he must have been sitting on closer, sinking down in front of him.
"Almost lunch. You haven't missed that much, I think. Orochimaru did a check-up on you last night, kind of funny how unsettled he was. You're fine, though."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Where's Itachi?" Charasuke huffed, considering throwing a pillow at Shisui. "You're terrible at this, you know. If I ever wake up from a coma, make sure someone else is there when I wake up."
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and Shisui pulled a leg up against his chest, balancing his heel on the seat of the chair.
"You're grumpy," he observed, clearly amused. "Are you feeling better, then?"
He shrugged. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. He'd felt mostly better in that other place, and he at least didn't feel like crying anymore.
"For now, I guess."
"Alright. Well. Itachi is at a meeting, they're bumping up the elections so you can imagine how happy he is."
Frowning, Charasuke gathered the blankets around his shoulders. How was he supposed to go out and vote in this state? It would be his first time voting, too.
"Really…"
"Voting starts the day after tomorrow. The Kazekage seems to be in a rush to get home, can't imagine why."
"Did Gaara wake up?"
Shisui nodded.
"Looks like it. They all seem to be in fairly good shape, surprisingly."
He was relieved to hear it. Fiddling with the edge of the blanket, he considered his options. He could feel that Menma was already on his way over, urged on by Kurama he guessed. Even though he had no idea how a chakra transfer was supposed to happen, he wasn't too worried about the transfer itself. But could he really use his powers just however he liked? What were the limits? Was it better to hide them and never use them, or did he have, like, a moral obligation to perform the same kind of miracles that Kaguya had done according to the stories?
"You're thinking too much," Shisui said, giving him a look. "You and Itachi both, you're incorrigible."
"You don't even know what I was thinking about," he shot back, curling deeper into the blanket.
"Yeah, yeah. So, who are you going to vote for?"
Charasuke blinked at him.
"What, we might as well talk about something," Shisui defended himself with. "I'd vote for Itachi but I know he'd kill me…"
"Shouldn't you vote for Obito? He's the one giving you a job."
"You really think I'd be so shallow to vote for personal gain?" Shisui looked offended, clutching at his heart. "I could work for Itachi, you know. Or Anko. I'm the best hokage assistant in the village!"
"If you say so."
"I do say so."
Shisui pouted, but not in a serious manner. He was probably doing his best to be a distraction, make him feel normal. He didn't mind – but it was kind of panic inducing that he'd forgotten to decide on the voting. To be fair there had been more pressing things to deal with.
"If Itachi gets elected, he'll never forgive us… But if Obito wins, he'll be completely unreasonable to deal with."
"He's not that bad."
"Not towards you, maybe," Charasuke muttered. "You know what he needs? A boyfriend. Someone to keep him in check. Do you know if Iruka is single? I feel like he'd take good care of him."
Shisui gave him a strange look, then sighed.
"I don't think Obito would appreciate you trying to set him up. Also, I think Itachi mentioned something about Kisame and Iruka."
He decided to pretend he hadn't heard that last part. Kisame and Iruka? Too weird.
"Obito sucks at minding his own business so I think it's only fair. When was the last time he went on a date anyway?"
Grimacing, Shisui leaned his forearms on his thighs and clasped his hands, looking like he was regretting offering to sit by his bedside.
"More importantly," Shisui said, catching his eyes. "We can't keep Mikoto and Fugaku from seeing you, you know. They're your parents. Shouldn't we let them know what happened?"
Charasuke stiffened. He pulled the blanket tighter, resisting the urge to scratch at his third eye. Waking up was starting to feel like a bad idea, but he knew that Shisui was right.
"You tell them," he muttered, averting his eyes. "Mom still hasn't apologized."
For a long moment, Shisui simply looked at him. Then he straightened up, combing a hand through his hair with a quiet sigh.
"Alright."
"She's just going to get mad at me anyway."
"She's worried about you."
Charasuke huffed. They let him go off on missions alone with Menma but all of a sudden they needed to treat him like a baby… Speaking of Menma, the door opened a crack, Naruto's clone peeking inside.
"Ah, you're awake," it said, taking a moment to scrutinize him.
"Unfortunately."
"Cheer up," clone-Naruto said, "being depressed sucks."
He offered no additional words of comfort. Sharing a look with Shisui, he threw the blankets off and got up to stretch his legs.
"I'm not going anywhere," he reassured Shisui, ignoring the clone. "Just to the bathroom. If that's allowed?"
"If you promise to come back from it," Shisui agreed, though he couldn't be sure if it was a joke or not.
After he'd finished, he opened the bathroom door to find Menma and Kushina having an awkward conversation with Shisui. Naruto's clone had disappeared, maybe to tell the real Naruto he'd woken up. They fell silent mid-sentence as they noticed him, even though he looked normal again. He hoped. He'd checked five times in the mirror.
"Sasuke," Kushina said, her smile a little confused. "Menma said something about needing to see you because of the kyuubi. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he replied, avoiding Menma's eyes. "I'm not entirely sure how to do this, but…"
Pfft, some chakra god you are.
He twisted his head to stare at Menma. Menma stared back, blinking in surprise.
"Oh, you can hear him?"
"Why is he just as rude as Naruto's version of him?" Charasuke complained, shoulders slumping. "I wonder if I can find the off button again…"
Oi, don't you dare!
"He explained it to me on the way," Menma said, then glanced at his mother. "It's Kurama, I told you they all got their consciousness back. I guess Sasuke can hear him, too."
"But why?" Kushina asked, looking between them, putting her hands on her hips. "You didn't tell me what happened over there, though I'm just happy you're okay! But you could share things a little more with your mother, you know!"
"Yes," Menma sighed.
"I received some… powers," Charasuke explained, though whether it really explained anything, he wasn't sure. "So I'll try to do what Kurama's asking."
"Powers," Kushina echoed, narrowing her eyes at him.
Get on with it, will ya? Kurama sounded impatient, Menma wincing at the words. Being split in two itches!
He was probably exaggerating. Still, Charasuke cleared his throat and held out his hands, waving them insistently until Menma and Kushina took one each.
"It shouldn't hurt…" I hope, he added silently. "Just relax."
Maybe he was telling himself more than the other two, drawing in a deep breath and tapping into that space inside his mind that seemed to hold his powers. It was dizzying, like opening up a locked box and falling down through it, endlessly. Kushina gasped, so he figured his disguise had dropped again.
He trailed the paths of chakra inside Kushina with his mind, a mental image of the seal keeping half of Kurama's chakra within her appearing before her. He imagined himself touching it, opening the gates and holding the chakra like a rope. It swirled through him, familiar and new at the same time, red and boiling hot. Then he found the seal within Menma, the cage holding Kurama in his physical form.
Ready? he asked, Kurama's answering grin wide and sharp.
I've waited long enough!
Then let's do this, he thought, biting his lip in concentration.
He pulled on the chakra inside Kushina, slowly withdrawing it through his own body and pushing it inside Menma instead. Bit by bit the seal weakened, ripping apart like flimsy paper until the last pieces flew away like taken by a strong gust of wind.
He carefully checked her chakra levels, making sure the seal was fully gone and no traces of Kurama remained. Once done, he focused on Menma instead, studying the seal covering Kurama's cage.
You could just remove it, the fox suggested, as he stretched and preened, at full power at last.
Hm. Have that conversation with Menma instead.
It was strange how easy it was to understand the seal, to see its strengths and weaknesses. He hummed to himself, then retreated, shaking his head to clear it. Kushina was gaping at him, hands clasped over her stomach. Even Shisui looked a bit pale, and a quick glance at his hands showed him that he was glowing again.
"Let me see your seal," he said to Menma, raising his eyebrows as Menma startled.
"Sure…"
He lifted his shirt, and Charasuke poked at the bare skin, the seal revealing itself in black ink.
"It's not great," he concluded, tilting his head as he studied it. "I can see why you've had trouble sleeping."
"What do you mean?" Kushina asked, frowning at him.
Rather than answer, he traced the swirly ink, adjusting the seal to his satisfaction.
"There. That's better."
Straightening up, he paused at the looks the other three were giving him. Sure, maybe he was acting a bit out of the ordinary, but did they really need to look so in awe.
"What?" he asked, crossing his arms. "Is there something on my face?"
Shisui choked on air, slapping a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. At least he wasn't afraid of him. Kushina looked like she might faint any moment, and he hoped that was the shock and not because he'd messed up somehow.
"Right, so…" He trailed off, unsure of what to do now. He hadn't thought this far. "I guess that settles it, then."
Menma wants to talk to you.
Kurama sounded smug, and Charasuke winced. He wanted to talk to Menma, too, but he also didn't want to talk to him. He supposed there was no point putting it off, anxiety churning in his gut as he swallowed down the sudden lump in his throat.
"I think I'll take Kushina to the hospital," Shisui said, as if reading his mind. "Just to make sure."
"Oh, I'm fine," she objected, but Shisui put his arm around her back and steered her out the door.
Maybe Shisui could read minds. It would explain a few things. He stared after them for a long moment, listening to their fading footsteps. He wondered what Iruka was thinking, housing a chakra god like this. He hadn't even asked if he could stay. Lowering his gaze to his hands, he flexed them a few times, wondering what the swirling lights were even for. Looking pretty, maybe? It was, perhaps, the one thing he didn't need to improve about himself.
"You okay?" Menma asked, weighing on his heels.
His brows were knitted in concern, hands shoved down his pockets. He looked so ordinary, like this. Charasuke could probably find someone nicer, and more handsome, a little taller even. Despite that, his heart picked up speed as he looked at him, chest squeezing painfully at the thought of letting him go. He didn't know what he was going to do about his new powers, or what it would mean for him, but there was one thing he could do, wasn't there?
"You're on thin fucking ice," he told Menma, which wasn't at all what he wanted to say.
"Yes," Menma agreed, gnawing on his lower lip before continuing. "I'll grovel on my hands and knees as much as you like."
"I don't need you to grovel. I need you to talk to me. Why did you lie about sleeping with Sai?"
He tightened his arms over his chest, heartbeat loud in his ears. The truth was that he'd forgiven Menma long ago, would probably forgive him for anything. But he didn't like being lied to, and he needed Menma to get it through his thick skull that self-sacrifice was stupid and they both needed to stop doing it.
Easier said than done, but he could at least make Menma promise.
"I saw your letter to me, by the way." It made Menma's guilty look even more pronounced. "Your mom showed me. And you know, the problem is that I'm never going to forget you. So I don't know what you were thinking, writing something like that."
"I wasn't feeling so great," Menma said, voice quiet and small.
"You didn't need to make me feel miserable, too."
Menma thinned his lips. He looked a little constipated, like apologizing was physically painful, even though he'd promised to get on his hands and knees.
"I thought you'd get over it. It's not like you ever told me you like me." Charasuke opened his mouth to object, but Menma continued before he could. "I don't mean that as in I did the right thing. I was just counting on you deciding I wasn't worth it so you wouldn't follow me when I disappeared."
"Well." Charasuke let his arms fall to his sides, then sat down heavily on the bed again. "You were wrong."
"I really, really didn't think I'd survive."
He looked like he might start crying. Charasuke held out a hand, insistent, until Menma sat down beside him. Turning towards him, Charasuke searched his head for the right words to say. What do you say, when your sort-of boyfriend broke up with you to go die a tragic death and then you save his life, forcing you to have such an awkward conversation?
"I meant what I said before," he started, tentatively reaching out to hold the sleeve on Menma's sweater. "I'm glad you're alive."
Menma smiled, a brittle little thing that hurt to look at.
"Thanks," he whispered. "For saving me."
He couldn't help it, then. Charasuke leaned forwards before he could change his mind, pressing a soft kiss to Menma's mouth.
"Life is really fucking difficult, isn't it," he said, relieved when Menma at least let out an amused little noise.
He leaned his forehead against Menma's, felt him lean back against him. They weren't used to being soft with each other, but he thought he'd like to try. He could see a road ahead of them, shimmering in golden colors, and all he needed to do was choose.
"I do like you," he mumbled, finding Menma's hand and lacing their fingers together. "I like you a lot."
"You have terrible taste."
"And you have no sense of tact."
"Fair enough," Menma said. "But I love you. Maybe that counts for something."
It did.
xxx
Things were frantic at the Hokage tower, and Itachi resented every second of it. Why Tsunade had agreed to move the elections based on the Kazekage's request was beyond him. To keep relations intact? He swallowed down a long-suffering groan.
"Keep scowling like that and no one will vote for you," Anko teased him, fussing with her hair as they waited for the Kazekage to join them.
"Good," he muttered, ignoring the way Obito shook his head at him.
He was so tired, the stress of the past few days really catching up with him. Shisui had sent him home to sleep early in the morning, but he hadn't gotten more than a few hours before he had to get up and deal with things.
"Leave him be," Obito said, reading through a scroll as he leaned against the window. "It hasn't been easy the past few days."
"So?" Anko sat down on Tsunade's desk, lucky that she wasn't present to see it. "The hokage isn't allowed to show weakness, and right now he looks like if we opened a window, the breeze would knock him dead."
"Then vote for Obito or yourself," Itachi snapped back, rubbing tiredly at his face with one hand.
"But you're the most popular out of the three of us."
Itachi froze. He glanced at Anko, expecting her to break out in a grin and confess it was a joke. Unfortunately for him, her expression was miffed, her arms crossing over her chest when she noticed his silence.
"Do you seriously not keep up at all?" she asked, rolling her eyes as he made a pained face. "Whoever's running your campaign is doing a great job."
"What? I'm not running a campaign, what are you talking about?"
He stared at Obito, who seemed to find the view outside fascinating all of a sudden.
"Obito," he said, voice low and threatening. "Who's running my campaign?"
Obito cleared his throat, shifting his weight.
"I thought you knew."
"Knew what."
"Well it can't be the Uchiha clan," Anko commented, leaning back on her hands. "Then they'd do the same stuff for both of you, right?"
Something cold crawled down Itachi's spine. He stared at Obito with a growing sense of horror, wondering how he could have missed it.
"If you tell me that Akatsuki has been–"
"I really thought you knew."
"We're supposed to be neutral! Not meddle in kage elections!"
Shrugging, Obito turned back from the window, poorly hidden amusement on his face.
"What, are you serious?" Anko asked, frowning.
"I don't think there's any rules against it," Obito said. "And they're very good. Subtle. But everyone knows about your good character and heroic deeds, now."
"And how clever and handsome and diplomatic you are," Anko added unhappily.
Itachi pulled out Tsunade's chair, sitting down. If they'd been at it the whole time, that explained why he'd been chosen as one of the final candidates. He couldn't believe they hadn't told him. They knew he didn't want the position.
"I'm going to kill them," he said, putting his elbows on the desk and burying his face in his hands. "Slowly, painfully…"
"All three of us would be a good choice," Obito interrupted his plans of revenge. "It's up to the people now."
It was the opposite of reassuring.
So Menma and Charasuke finally had a talk! The idea that Kurama and the rest would wake up now and Charasuke has to deal with them, and transferring the chakra from Kushina to Menma came to me last week. That's what I mean when I say my chapter plans never work out, though I think this was better than my original plan (I say, as if I had an original plan).
Will Itachi win the election? Will he succeed in revenge-killing Akatsuki if he does? Is RTN Iruka really dating Kisame? So many questions left to answer lol.
Thanks for reading as always!
