It took longer than I had expected it to, but here it finally is. Chapter ll:

II. Eyes.

It was already midday when Sasuke decided to risk coming out of his room and dare a walk through the mansion. He hadn't once cared to join the other occupants of the mansion for breakfast, seeing as how he would always be completely shaken by his dreams and far too disturbed by his own reactions to attempt facing his companions and especially, his host. Seeing as how the others never bothered him with inquiries related to this specific behavior, he decided on maintaining his secure schedule. Sasuke was by nature a rather secluded person, avoiding gatherings and crowded places as much as he could, his actions therefore earning no extra attention from his companions, who where already used to his behavior. His host however, to Sasuke's great dismay, had had a different reaction.

From the very beginning Sasuke could sense a difference in Naruto's attitude regarding him. The raven had more or less willingly watched Naruto's every move, noting every subtle or rather less subtle change in the blonde's behavior. His host had greeted him and his companions warmly and exceedingly joyful. That perky attitude annoyed Sasuke to no end from the head start, his irritation somewhat visible in the following days. He hadn't been the only one displeased with Naruto's overpowering cheerfulness. Whiles Hinata had been almost overwhelmed by the blonde's friendly remarks, loud voice and warm smiles, Sakura was less affected by Naruto's hospitality, accepting it none the less but expressing her displeasure now and then whenever it got too loud.

Considering the fact that Sakura's manner of expressing displeasure involved subtle remarks that would, in time, grow to deadly glares, Sasuke was of the opinion that his way of secluding himself was more of a diplomatic approach. Gaara, on the other hand, had shown no intention of escaping that overpowering joyfulness, earning questioning remarks from his fellow companions. Sasuke had always considered Gaara to have the same intolerance to noisy gatherings as himself and was therefore surprised to see the red head almost enjoy the blonde's foolishness. However, given the fact that enjoying something meant from the red head's perspective not glaring at the person or object in question, not interrupting and not running away, but following the given spectacle with undisturbed silence, one would judge Gaara's reaction as being caused by frustration and annoyance.

Anyone who had no knowledge of the red head's silent nature would consider him equally disturbed by Naruto's ruckus. And yet, the only one Naruto would eventually yell after, glare at and provoke, was Sasuke. Sasuke was convinced of the blonde's stupidity, not even bothering to give him credit for tying his own shoelaces, and equally enraged by the insanity of his entire situation.

As he passed numerous rooms, pacing down the hallway that led to the main staircase of the mansion and consequently to the main entrance, his eyes narrowed at one distinctive door. He was clueless as to why he decided to stop in front of the one bedroom he decided not to approach. Sasuke had learned the very first day where Naruto's bedroom was. Even though they were on the same floor, Sasuke felt relieved to find their rooms so far apart from each other, thankful for the silence and sure way of avoiding Naruto whenever the raven deemed it to be necessary.

He had also learned that his host would always return to his bedroom around noon and stay locked up for a couple of hours before returning to his guests. Sasuke was almost certain that Naruto was lying in his bed and snoring serenely. How else could he explain the aggravating energy that emanated from him during the afternoon?

In any case, Sasuke decided on making his rounds around the estate exactly during Naruto's afternoon nap, intending to avoid the blond as much as physically possible.

The raven had succeeded in maintaining his visual contact with his host to a minimum. But the little time together was quite enough for him to get infuriated by the blond. Each and every time Naruto would lay eyes on the raven, he would either call after him or have the utter nerve to grab him by the shoulder and start nagging about Sasuke's reluctance to spend time with the others. After these simple lines were said, Sasuke would always retort with a short but concise dismissal. Naruto however, proving to Sasuke how incredibly thick-headed an idiot could be, continued their argument, ignoring Sasuke's words completely. In the beginning, Sasuke would manage to disappear from the blonde's sight whenever Naruto wasn't looking, without having to continue their argument. But lately, as in the past two days, Sasuke had begun to loose his temper, throwing insults and loud remarks at the blond, nurturing similar responds from his host. Sasuke couldn't quite understand why he would completely loose his composure whiles in the presence of the blond, but was certain that in order to get cured from his nightly disease and daily uncontrolled behavior he had to avoid Naruto.

Therefore, again he was at a complete loss as to why his feet had stopped in front of Naruto's bedroom. Listening intently, he tried to make out any sounds that would indicate movement on the other side of the door. Before he could actually hear anything useful, his mind had retaken control of his body, Sasuke tracing long, quick steps away from the door and towards the main entrance.

He found his other three companions taking a walk through the garden, admiring the many statues that were scattered throughout the estate. Excepting his troublesome dreams and infuriating encounters with Naruto, Sasuke found the rest of the estate to be rather acceptable. He had to admit that he was impressed by the sear size of the estate, the main house having a front façade of over 200 m in length and dominating the surroundings in height, reaching over 40 m. Its front side harbored a large balcony that was, similar to the gardens around it, decorated with numerous black and white statues. Large windows permitted daylight to penetrate every angle of the mansion, the glass on the ground floor reflecting the numerous pricks of sunlight trapped in the flowing water of a large fountain that lay in front of the main entrance. Sasuke would often watch the flowing water from his room on the second floor of the mansion, the never ending flow having somewhat of a relaxing effect on him.

Yet he wouldn't allow himself to enjoy the estate too much. It all still seemed far too good to be true, even if his unfortunate relationship with Naruto made the whole situation seem less dreamlike.

Sakura had already noticed him walking out the main entrance before he even had the chance to decide in which direction to go. Waiving at him, she made her way towards him, smiling brightly as she wished him good morning. Sasuke found Sakura slightly annoying whenever she would get carried away with her crush for him, but tolerated her slightly flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, keeping his mild disgust well hidden. Hinata's obvious obsession and curious shyness towards Naruto was equally aggravating, Sasuke doing his best to overlook her constant stutter and bright flushed cheeks whenever Naruto was around. Sasuke would always feel a slight tinge of irritation whenever Hinata would get close to Naruto, at first believing it to be his own protectiveness towards Hinata. However, after numerous nights of maddening torture, Sasuke figured out the infuriating reason for his uncharacteristic reaction, feeling sickened to the stomach by his own behavior.

After responding bluntly that it was already passed noon, Sasuke made his way to his other two companions, Sakura giving an embarrassed grin before tagging along, all four of them continuing their stroll through the gardens. None of the four companions noticed the pair of blue eyes watching them from inside the mansion.

"That cocky bastard managed to finally show himself, huh?" Naruto grunted, as he watched his four guests making their way through the garden. Leaning against the wall of his bedchamber, he followed the four figures through the window, frowning whenever he thought he saw Sakura touch Sasuke. "Why does she even like that asshole anyway? Naruto continued mumbling, his frown slowly turning into a pout. "That self-absorbed idiot! What is his problem anyway? He should be sticking close to his friends, not jerking off and …" Stopping his ranting, he took a deep breath and sighed deeply. Grinning he watched the four figures stroll aimlessly through the flowers and statues, Sakura and Hinata laughing cheerfully at some point or the other, the two boys walking a little further and examining the statues. "Well, at least they started to get used to the place." Naruto said cheerfully, before his grin slightly subsided, his eyelids getting heavier. "Who knows how long they'll have to wait. They might as well get comfortable with the place."

A sudden hiss made Naruto turn his head around, narrowing his eyes as his gaze grew darker. Looking at his reflection in a mirror hanging on the opposite wall of his bedchamber, he straightened himself up and began slowly walking towards the source of the hissing sound, his grin vanishing completely. His eyes not daring to stray from the mirror, he watched as his reflection began to grow hazy, his own image being replaced by a pair of devilish red eyes, the face to which they belonged to seemingly aflame.

"Jealous, aren't we?" a cold voice hissed.

"Of what?" Naruto spat, glaring at the burning eyes.

"Of their freedom. Wouldn't you like to walk beside them? Begin a new life with them? Don't be a fool!"

"Shut up!" the blond hissed back, clenching his fist. "I have my freedom."

"Do you now?" the voice carried on, mockingly. "Is that what you call this cage your father left you? Naruto, you know I can give you true freedom!"

"Don't you dare talk about my father!" Naruto bellowed, stomping towards the mirror.

"Free me!" it hissed heavily. "I can give you power!"

"I am no fool, nor am I weak. I don't care how many times you ask me! The answer will always be no!"

"You will grow weak and I will grow stronger Naruto! Look how much one week has cost you. Set me free!"

"No." Naruto spat, placing another step in the demon's direction, his blue orbs staring direct into the blood red eyes.

Free me or I will kill you and anyone that gets in my way!" the voice then screeched, the eyes suddenly being replaced by a burning claw. Before Naruto could react, the claw passed through the mirror without harming its surface, slashing at Naruto's chest and cutting his upper arm, before being pulled back and resealed in the mirror. Naruto fell on his knees in front of the shimmering glass, panting heavily.

"If you think for a moment that I'm going to let you harm anyone else, you've got another thing coming!" Naruto retorted before placing his palm on the cool surface of the mirror. An ear-shattering scream hollered from within the mirror the moment his skin touched the icy surface of the mirror. The eyes reappeared within the glass before vanishing completely behind a bright blue barrier. Naruto watched as the glass gave one more golden glow before the light faded away, being replaced by the normal reflection of Naruto's bedchamber.

The blond let his hand slip from the glass surface as he collapsed to the ground, the blood from the claw wounds tainting his white shirt as he fell unconscious.

Sasuke frowned as he stopped once again in front of Naruto's bedchamber. Another thing about Naruto that aggravated him to no end was his seemingly never ending appetite. Whether it was a habit born from the torturous life at the brothel, where food had been less than scarce for him during his first years of powerless slavery, or whether he had lost his appetite in favor of the constant disgust that filled his stomach each night, Sasuke would barely need more than one meal per day to satisfy his hunger. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed to have a bottomless pit instead of a stomach. At one point, Sasuke felt full, nearly vomiting, just by looking at the blond hurling down three courses at once. It seemed therefore extremely odd that his host had actually skipped supper. And yet he had had no intention of checking up on the blond. It was no business of his whether Naruto chose to sleep the day away and skip a meal. It was probably even healthier for his body and banc account if he'd skip more than one supper here and there.

His mind was set on reaching his own secluded safe-haven and yet Sasuke's body decided differently. Cursing under his breath he leaned against the door, listening anew for any sign of movement. Growing suspicious by the lack of sound, he grabbed the doorknob, intending to open the door. Only then did it occur to him that Naruto would usually lock his door. He couldn't get it in even if he wanted to. As if his body was intent on mocking his entire reason and logic, his hand swiftly turned the doorknob, the door quietly opening.

Sasuke automatically stepped into Naruto's room, his eyes wandering through the shadowy chamber. The sky had already darkened, leaving scarcely any light within the room. Seeing as how Naruto had a fireplace in his room, Sasuke had assumed that he would at least turn the fire on. Squinting, he noticed a mirror hanging from the wall, a little farther away from him. He then spotted something peculiar lying on the ground beside it. His eyes widened as he made out Naruto's blond hair and figure. Quickly rushing to the blonde's side, Sasuke grabbed Naruto by his shoulders, intending to shake him awake. His gaze fell on a large dark patch on Naruto's arm. Touching the fabric with his fingers, Sasuke felt the deeps cuts and the wet blood-tainted material. Frantically looking for a bed and the light switch, he tried raising Naruto from the ground, only to hear a moan escape Naruto's lips as his eyes slowly opened.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called, his voice betraying his panicked state.

He could see Naruto's eyes opening slowly and expecting to hear his voice, he was completely taken aback as he felt himself pushed on his back, Naruto hovering over him, Sasuke feeling Naruto's strong grip on his upper arms. Before he could say anything, his heart jumping at the realization of his position, he heard Naruto scream in pain, and saw him collapse on his chest, Naruto breathing heavily next to his ear.

Sasuke swallowed hard, feeling Naruto's warm body over his, his breath tickling the skin on his neck. Opening his lips, he felt his throat go dry, his entire body trembling.

Only then did he realize that the room around him had acquired a red shade. His eyes fell on the mirror next to them, his body paralyzing at the sight of a pair of burning blood-red eyes staring directly at them.

His stare quickly turned from the demon's eyes towards Naruto, whose arms and legs were trembling as he attempted to stand up.

Sasuke quickly razed himself to his feet, swinging Naruto's arm around his neck as he helped the blond get to his feet. As he held the blonde's back he felt the three deep claw marks that were slashed across Naruto's back, his tainted shirt sticking to his wounds.

" Quick" Naruto called, " help me get next to it!" Sasuke eyed the panting blond incredulously.

"What? Are you insane?"

"Just do as I say!" Naruto spat, Sasuke taken aback the power in Naruto's voice, obeying him without a second thought. He watched Naruto place his palm on the surface of the blazing mirror, being almost overwhelmed by an ear-shattering scream that flooded the room immediately after Naruto had touched the glass. He felt Naruto's body tense, watching as the blond glared at the demon eyes with an intensity that Sasuke had never seen before, the scars on Naruto's cheeks starting to bleed as Naruto pushed his palm towards the center of the mirror. Closing his eyes, he mouthed a strange word Sasuke had never heard before, hitting the mirror surface hard with his outstretched palm.

The image of the demon's eyes suddenly vanished, the scream fading away, as Naruto let his palm slide of the mirror. Without warning, Naruto supported his entire weight on Sasuke, the raven taken by surprise and not having a steady position, collapsing to the ground with Naruto topping over him.

After the shock of the demon eyes faded away, Sasuke began sensing Naruto's body over his own quite clearly, Naruto's heaving chest and heavy panting making Sasuke swallow hard anew. He could feel the warmth radiating from Naruto's skin, one of his legs accidentally landing between Sasuke's legs, Naruto's entire body pressing harder against his.

Sasuke jerked as he suddenly sensed Naruto moving his arms, grunting and raising his head. Their faces were inches apart and he couldn't help but be grateful to the darkness around the for hiding his slightly burning cheeks.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto breathed with an exhausted husky voice.

Sasuke couldn't help stare into his deep blue eyes and trying as much as he could to keep the damned dream out of his head, he silently drained his voice before retorting almost calmly.

"I was about to ask you that same question."


a/n. Thank you for the reviews.

to Princess of Oblivion: I'm glad you like that part. I was considering whether to give more details about the dream but I figured it didn't actually fit with the entire context. :)

I hope you liked it so far. Please review! It really motivates my writing!