Disclaimer: I do not or will I ever own Naruto. (even if i wanna)
A/N: Final chapter. Per a previous reader, i was told to add this warning in as well: Be wary of reading this chapter if you are mentally unstable. (idk but 8D)
YAY LAST CHAPTER! It's been fun pfff |D
Warnings: NaruSasu(YAOI), more Character Death, VIOLENCE fff.
Critiques appreciated.
After dialing Sasuke's number for the hundredth time, Naruto cursed and threw Sakura's phone against the wall of the hotel room. The battery pack popped out the back and it fell in three pieces. The blond glared heavily at it. Why isn't that bastard picking up his phone?
He threw himself backwards on the bed, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. There was the chance that somethin—no, he wasn't going to let himself think that. Sasuke was fine, just probably busy or some shit. Naruto winced. Sasuke seemed to be busy a lot lately. Were they drifting apart? Was it his fault?
A loud growl erupted into the stillness of the air before it was muffled by the sole resident pulling a pillow onto his face. He really needed somebody to talk to. His mind was being racked full of a lot of things to think about and he wanted to let some of it off by distracting himself with company. It was hard, he didn't want to think about anything. He huffed out a breath. He couldn't though, whoever he talked to would be in danger too.
Throwing the pillow off, reddened blue eyes turned to look at his leftovers from earlier. Not even eating had helped. The thoughts kept piling higher and higher. Memories stabbed at his gray matter, making his eyes well up with more of the tears he didn't want to let loose.
He turned his head to the opposite side, staring at the window with the partially opened curtains and what he could see of what was beyond that. The light was low outside and tinted with the typical colors of a sunset. Had he really been lying around this room that long?
A sigh hissed through his nose and he let the lids drift down over his eyes. He needed to think of what he was going to do tomorrow. What could he do to get rid of this bastard of a ghost-thing? He didn't know of any priests and even if he did, would an exorcism really do anything? Maybe he should find a psychic...maybe he should stop thinking like a moron. What the hell was he getting at, there was no way those people could do anything. This was all on him. He had pissed off whatever it was; he was going to get it back.
Maybe if he destroyed what it had come from. Yeah, that should work. Then where could it draw whatever retarded ghosty-power it had?
A proud smile curled his lips lightly as he drifted off into sleep, free of shadows and mannequins and dying friends and demoting bosses and bastard fiancés who didn't answer their phones.
A door lightly thumped against the bumper set up on the wall, unknown to the man asleep in the bed. Bare feet padded lightly against the short carpet, taking the owner straight to where the blond was still snoring lightly. Slender digits slid up the muscled, tanned arm making the skin jump beneath their soft touch.
The bed creaked silently when another weight settled onto the mattress. Another set of fingers drifted along where the orange work-polo had slid upwards, exposing a line of sun-kissed navel.
Naruto grunted, being gently pulled from whatever dream-sludge his mind had settled into. A hand rose to scratch at whatever was tickling at his stomach and his brows furrowed as it bumped into something hard and warm. His fingers curled around it and he felt the light hairs spread across what he decided was flesh.
His lids cracked open but his eyes were soon obstructed by a thin strip of fabric; he felt the fingers that had been on his skin working behind his head to tie it on snugly. Brain still sleep-logged, he wasn't too worried about not knowing who this person was. In fact, in the back of his mind, he was sure he knew who it was.
The fingers that were curled around the warm arm drifted higher, wrapping around a smooth column and tugging at it. The other complied and knelt down, placing a heated kiss on his lips. Naruto groaned into the kiss, tilting his head as much as he could to make it deeper.
While their lips pressed against one another, the hand that was not being used to steady the unknown figure slid higher, pushing more of the warm-colored garment up. Even though the room was chilled, the fingers on the blond seemed to burn with a fire he hadn't felt in so long, making his skin twitch with the need to feel more.
The teasing digits pressed into his chest and slid down, dragging short nails against his torso, making their way down to easily work away the fastenings of Naruto's jeans. Weight shifted and both arms of the male still lip-locked with the blond were free to move, deftly moving down both denim and the cotton boxers.
His body felt heavy, mind was still lodged in some of his weariness. His eyes were covered so he was only allowed to feel, smell, taste, listen. He felt like he was floating in whatever feelings these were, free of anything he'd worried about before.
A low hiss whispered from his nostrils when those fingers wrapped around him, moving, tugging him back to what his guest was giving him. There was a dull throbbing in his temples, but it was ignored to focus on the pleasure tingling up his spine. An unexpected pinch to a nipple, had him arching, breaking away from the heated mouth.
Arms heavy, he slid one up what he could feel was a thigh, skirting along the juncture of hip and leg thanks to arm length. The body above him moved, an almost silent gasp coming from the lips that were hovering somewhere above him. He grinned in response.
He heard a soft noise come from above him and felt the bed move more as the other settled down on Naruto's thighs, the person's own settling along either side. The hand wrapped around his length continued to move, fingers teasing him further along. His own hand that was curling into lean muscle, tugged, bringing the warmth closer to the blond's mouth. He nipped at the skin, at the pulse, then brought his lips around it, sucking and biting and lavishing attention onto the spot.
Another gasp left the other's lips, a hand was pressed into the pillow that Naruto's head was nestled against. The blond groaned in return, the taste of his visitor nipping at his taste buds in a familiar way.
Weight shifted again and he felt the hand on him still, but was soon greeted with why when he felt himself pressing against flesh that gave way to hug his shaft all the way down. His mouth drifted from the saliva-slickened area and a groan rolled up both throats.
"Sa—suke."
The arm on the other's shoulders slid down, hand cupping a cheek that he was sure was shining in the dim light from the city outside. He brought his lover back to his lips, the plump flesh pressing heavily together. The other hand tightened around the thigh it held a grip on, worried that now that he had made this realization, the other male would disappear.
The weight remained on him though, his fiancé now moving on him, his own hips rocking with the familiar rhythm that had been set. His fingers combed through curled, thick hair, wrapping around Sasuke's length, stroking it firmly in time with the male's rising and falling, giving back the pleasure he was receiving.
A tongue peeked from the blond's lips, meeting the lips against his and passing through them to delve into the heated cavern. He felt air brush against his face and felt a groan come from his partner, making his lips turn upwards.
Soon his lips were met with nothing but air, Sasuke leaning back to focus only on giving Naruto everything. The blond moaned openly, no more pale flesh or soft lips to muffle it against. His fingers tightened, another groan that he felt more than heard coming from the both of them.
Their movements took him even more away from reality, his body turning its focus to feeling and doing, kinetic actions that were all for giving to the body above him. It felt like he was slowly sinking into the feelings that had held him suspended just above their depths for so long. He gave in completely and felt a release spark from all of his nerves.
Consciousness was being pulled under again. Words were whispered onto his skin, all of his flesh tingling with the silky resonance.
"I'm always with you."
A hand groped into the air, expecting to land onto a warm shoulder, but finding nothing but cold emptiness.
Naruto grunted, peeling his eyes open and was surprised that he could see. Blinding morning light gleamed mockingly at him through the curtains that were still parted.
He sat up, rubbing at his face. The covers fell away, revealing he was only in his boxers. His head throbbed again and he frowned. The amazing encounter of the night before turning out to be just a dream. An amazing let-down. Breath slipped through his nostrils as he tried to piece consciousness together again from the obvious unreality of the night.
Turning his body, he slid his legs off the bed. He needed a shower, he smelled like sweat, blood, and yearning. He frowned at his feet before turning to look at where he had tossed the cellphone yesterday. It was still there, in the three pieces.
The blond stood and walked the short distance, crouching down by the little piece of technology to put it back together. He held the power button and watched as the phone lit up. The main screen showed up and he frowned as the only missed calls and text messages were from Kiba, demanding that the blond tell him where he was.
He dialed the voice mail, deleting the first two from his loud best friend. He was about to delete the next, but then he wasn't met with the boisterous yelling. Instead, he had to turn up the volume from the side of the phone, ears straining to pick up on the faint voice that wasn't coming in quite clear.
He heard whispers, a light sob, whimpering. Then a loud scream pierced through the receiver making the blond fall back onto the floor, dropping the phone where the screaming and shrieking continued to peal through the phone. He slapped his hands on it, quickly flipping it shut and ripping the battery back out.
Pants shook through him, body struggling to keep up with his now-racing heartbeat. He stared at the phone that was back in pieces on the floor, ears still ringing with the sound of shrieks and screams. He shook his head, hands raising to rub at his ears.
After a while, he finally stood back up, undressing as he walked towards the bathroom. Hot shower, that's all he needed now.
He shut the door to the bathroom behind him, pushing back the curtains, only thinking of what could have been behind them after doing so. The hot water hissed through the shower head and he twisted the cold on as well to make the temperature bearable. Then he stepped in.
As much as he enjoyed the faint scent of what smelled like Sasuke on his skin, all it did was tease him. It wasn't Sasuke's scent. It was just his mind, still immersed in his dream. What he was really smelling was his own want for his lover. The other smells hitting him were painful reminders of what had happened yesterday.
Sakura..
A loud thump sounded through the small room as the blond's fist landed heavily against the wall of the shower. He wanted to go back, to save her. To just leave this place, find himself in Sasuke's arms, Sasuke in his arms. Both Kiba and Sakura safe in their homes. That's what he wanted, what he needed.
Blond locks clung to his face as he moved forward, pushing his face into the heated spray of water.
Naruto felt stronger than before though. He could do this. He knew how to do this. It was going to end. He was going to be free. Kiba would survive and Naruto would go back to Sasuke, refuse to renovate anymore. That is if he could get out of being arrested for murder and then arson.
Arson. He was going to burn that school down. Cleanse this area of it. Cleanse his life of it.
Darkened eyes fixed on a spot on the wall, brows angled downwards dangerously. He was going to repay this entity for the pain it caused him. Burn its soul in Naruto's self-made version of perdition.
Burn in hell.
The sun gleamed on the horizon, letting out its last rays before being dowsed by the earth that was pulling it in. The clouds reflected the colors, mocking the burning sphere's sad attempts at staying above ground.
Gas cans rattled in the back seat. Matchbox rested comfortably in the front passenger seat. Blue eyes stayed fixed on the road, filled with the determination and his single goal. He ignored the rear view mirror. The empty sockets glaring at him from the back.
"I'm done being scared of you. If you're going to kill me, do it now," Naruto narrowed his eyes before chancing a glance into the mirror, snorting bitterly when he saw nothing.
He pulled up onto the gravel, the sun now completely drowned in the steadily deepening blue of dusk.
Slamming the car door shut after he got out, the blond turned to open the back seat, jerking when a shrieking shadow lunged at him from the open door. He grinned as it dissipated into the air.
"It's too late to stop me," he muttered, grabbing an armful of the cans. He stalked across the grass, past the work trailer, past the dead construction machines. A foot was banged roughly against the new door for the entrance of the school and he set down the cans, turning to get the rest when he froze. A silhouette in the door.
"How'd you know I was here?" Naruto said with a light grin, pushing past the brunet.
"I just know you well enough," Kiba replied, putting his hands in his pockets as he followed the other. "So how are we doing this? Burning the whole place down I see."
"'We're' not doing anything. You need to get out of here before you get hurt," the blond said, shutting his door as he grabbed the remaining things. He walked past the Inuzuka again, going back into the building and putting the cans down with the others.
"You can try, but you're not getting me to go away that easily, buddy," he bent down and grabbed one of the cans. "At least you'll have company in prison."
Naruto snorted, watching his friend as he started to unscrew the top from the gasoline canister. "Fine, but I'm not saving your ass when Bubba comes to rape it. And this is all if we survive this."
"You're still alive. I'm not gonna be any easier to kill," Kiba stood, giving his friend a wide grin. "I'll start in the auditorium."
The blond smiled in return, taking his own can around and down into the renovated basement. There was a chill as he remembered the crude "Treasure Trove" that used to adorn the protruding ceiling that rested on the columns. He could almost hear the tinkling light tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel" playing again. Maybe that's because it was.
He shoved the tools and cords out of his way, not needing anything that could potentially ruin his footing once he started this. Then he turned the gas can fully on its side, emptying the strong-smelling fluid all over the sawdust-covered floor.
The blond shuffled backwards, making sure to leave a nice trail of the stuff in the room before exiting it, tossing the can to the side once it was empty. Shadows played on walls, morphing and turning, flitting across doorways. He felt weak tugs to his clothing, whispers of children pleading with him. Naruto just furrowed his brows, ignoring them.
Kiba walked up to get another canister about the time Naruto did, "I'm almost finished in the auditorium. We just need to get the main floor covered, the rest'll catch since the fire'll rise and catch support beams."
Nodding in return, Naruto turned towards one of the staircases. "We need to get up here though since there isn't a floor beneath that area over there."
"Oh yeah, this thing's on a hill. Lemme finish in here. I don't want you going up there on your own," the brunet said giving Naruto a firm look that told him he meant it.
"Fine, but hurry up. I want this over and done with," the blond sighed, growing more antsy as the courage he had built up was slowly wearing. Not from the shadows that were still rolling along walls, but from how long Kiba had been in here. They were both sitting ducks.
Kiba snorted in reply and jogged into the large room, finishing up the area closest to the door before doing like the blond and just tossing the jug aside. He walked back in, grabbing a fresh can. "So you ready?"
Naruto lifted his own, "Yeah."
They both ascended the stairs and split, making sure to cover all of the floor, making sure to leave room to walk back down the stairs without stepping in any puddles.
During a sweep of one side, the brunet crossed from one room to another but paused when he saw something glinting from beneath a work desk full of tools. He tilted his head to get a better look at it before going over to find out where it was coming from, thinking it was a bit too shiny to be a normal screw.
Having not noticed his friend crossing the room in front of him, the blond continued to cover the smaller school rooms. He narrowed his eyes at the layers of dust, the discarded children's book.
Trying to reclaim it for yourselves, huh?
He backed from that room and started to walk towards the next. However, Naruto stopped in his tracks as a familiar tune hitting his ears. His ringtone.
"What the hell?" he set the can down and walked over to where a pushable power saw sat. He bent down and looked for the familiar lights of a cellphone. Why the hell was his phone here? He remembered crushing it at Sakura's house.
"Hey, man, I think I found something you'll want," Kiba said, voice obstructed since he was under a heavy desk. He grunted as he ducked further under the large piece of furniture, arm struggling to reach behind a heavy toolbox to grab at the thing that continued to glint, it was teasing him the fucker.
Kiba's voice was met by deaf ears however, Naruto having found a phone, a dark blue Motorola Razor. Sasuke's?
Pushing the answer button, he put it up to his ear warily. "H-hello?"
Two voices chimed in at once to answer him, one a hard scream, the other a harsh whisper.
"Let it go."
The blond jerked, tossing the phone to the side and standing fast. He stared at the object that continued to ring, vibrations causing it to jump along the floor. One of those voices had sounded dreadfully familiar.
"Hey, man! I said I found something you'd want. Your fucking engagement ring, hah! Of all the times!" the brunet said, "but it's a bit far under here, I almost got it though."
Naruto smiled a bit, pleased at the good news but his good tidings was cut short.
A loud whine pierced the air and Naruto whirled around to find the power saw on. Eyes widening, he leaped at it to turn it off, but it lurched forward, out of reach. The wheels spun, the blade spun, making a beeline right for the desk that Kiba was bending under.
"Kiba! Fucking move!" The blond shouted as loud as he could, already running after the huge piece of equipment.
"But I almost go—ah hah! Got it!" Kiba said joyfully. He started to crawl backwards and was nearly from under the desk when the power saw caught him.
Though Naruto knew he was shouting so loud his lungs would give, everything was silent. He continued to run, even though it was too late. The teeth of the blade easily cut through flesh, tendons, and bone, removing the man's head completely from his torso. Blood cascaded, being kicked in all directions by the whirling blade and the heart still pumping blood, not catching on to the fact it lacked an autonomic control now.
A sickening thump echoed through the silence, then another as first head then body hit the floor. Limbs contracted madly, nerves spasming from suddenly loosing their control centers. The ring rolled along the floor boards, coming to rest inches from where the blond finally halted.
The whine died as did the blade's spinning, the machine coming to a dead rest beside the carnage.
"..F-fuck," the only word the blond could form came out in a croaked voice. He felt his legs give and he collapsed onto his knees, a hand pressing across his mouth as the other felt blindly for the ring that had landed near him. Fingers curled around the tiny metal object finally and he brought it up to look at it through glazed eyes.
"Wh-why didn't you listen to me? Why didn't either of you listen to me!" Naruto yelled, voice cracking and screeching around the syllables as he fell forward, fists banging against the floorboards.
"Dammit. Dammit. Dammit-DammitDammitdammitdammit. Dammit!" he shouted out the dark mantra, fists beating into the floor with every word. A loud sob escaped his lips and he curled his arms to him, hands wrapping around his face.
He was so close. They were so close. Then...
Blond locks shook as he lifted his head roughly, glaring at the building as a whole though he was only looking into the depths of one room. "Fuck you! Fucking take me already! Stop taking them! Stop being a pussy and fucking go ahead and kill me!"
Silence held the air captive.
Naruto shouted wordless sounds, growling openly into the darkness, fists firmly at his sides. His head ducked again and he sobbed, tears flowing freely in trails down his cheeks. He winced as pain numbed his extremities, cut into his chest with a wickedly blunt blade.
Hand clenched around the ring in his left palm, he ripped the matches out of his back pocket with his right. He forced the box open with his teeth and pulled one out, striking it against the side.
"Let's play a game, huh? See if you can get me before I light this fucker up," he grinned maliciously at the dark, rising up to his feet slowly.
He heard the walls creak and he bolted towards the stairs before a beam could catch him. "You have to try harder than that!" he yelled into the air, still running across the floor before taking the stairs two at a time.
His eyes darted down just in time to see the same ball that had rolled to his feet months before, roll to them again, catching one and forcing him onto his face at the base of the stairs. He landed heavily, a loud grunt escaping his lips.
He rose up on an arm and was pleased to see the match was still lit, fire struggling to stay alive as it clung to the bright wood of the stick. Grinning, he spat, blood welling up in his mouth from where he'd bitten his tongue.
Before he could work on getting to his feet, a piece of scaffolding toppled over, crushing a leg. Naruto let out a strangled growl, biting his lip in a weak attempt to ease the pain. Glaring at the crumbled wood, he shoved it off his leg and forced himself up onto one foot.
"Not good enough," he said in a tattered voice and started to hobble towards the exit, tossing the match behind him as he did. It landed into a pool of gasoline and instantly caught, flames racing over the streams of the fluid into all of the places the blond and brunet had covered.
Screams filled the air, shrieks and whimpers and curses all stabbing at Naruto's ears. He covered them as he exited the building, falling over and dragging himself the rest of the way on the grass. He winced from the pain in his legs, but still brought the pleased grin as he watched the rest of the building rise up in flames, the gasoline and new plywood just serving as super-stimulants to the inferno.
He brought up a hand, middle finger raising. "I won you fucking pricks. That's for taking my friends away," the blond gasped out before falling back. It was not long before he heard sirens in the distance. Time to take a vacation in prison.
As long as there was a sexy raven to visit him. That wouldn't be all that bad.
He snickered to himself before slowly allowing consciousness to drift from him. The pain in his leg forcing his body into a shock that it wanted to escape.
Darkened blue peeked from under his lids as the owner came to. He frowned at the stark white of the room he was in and closed them again. Grunting, he rolled, facing away from the bright light that was coming through the window.
He groaned, willing away the thoughts that started to slowly pool in his brain since he was now conscious. Scents hit his nose and he figured he was in a hospital, that's why it'd been so bright. His arms extended, trying to stretch, but he found one hindered by hard metal. A handcuff?
Naruto peeled his eyes open, frowning down at the metal cuff linking him to the side-railing of the hospital bed. Then his eyes drifted higher, taking in dark colored pants. He raised his eyes, catching sight of dark bangs, hanging like curtains and obstructing all but the nose of his guest.
"Heyy," the blond croaked out, throat constricting angrily as he tried to swallow after the greeting. It felt like he swallowed shards of glass.
The head turned, inky locks shifting sideways with the momentum. Naruto was graced with the face he hadn't seen in over two months. A smirk slid onto pale lips as Sasuke looked his fiancé over, "Hey."
"You drive all the way here just to see me?" Naruto teased, "I feel kinda special."
Sasuke snorted lightly in return, "You didn't call."
Wheat brows lowered slightly, "You didn't answer."
"I'm here now," the raven said, eyeing the bed-ridden male. "You look rough."
"Well I did just go through hell," Naruto said before sighing. "Too bad Kiba didn't make it. I can hear him now, bitching me out for pulling such a retarded stunt and risking him at the same time. Even though he's the one who volunteered." He lowered his eyes, focusing on where he started to pick at the loose threads on the hospital blanket.
Sasuke looked up but stayed quiet as a doctor walked into the room, giving Naruto a grin and pulling over a wheeled chair.
"Hello there, Naruto. I'm your doctor, just call me Dr. Tsunade," she gave him another pleasant smile and looked over the charts in her hands. "How are you feeling today?" she asked, eyes darting up from the clipboard though her head remained ducked.
"Fine, I guess. My leg's killing me though," he said, pulling an arm up to scratch behind his head.
"Well that's to be expected after you had a pile of wood fall on it," she gave him another smile, though the pleasantness seemed to fall out of it.
The dark-haired male at Naruto's side quirked his lips, but didn't say anything.
"Well once you're all recovered in here, they'll be transferring you to your nice holding cell. You seem really nice for a murderer-slash-arsonist though," this times her eyes remained on him, a cold gaze boring into him and making his heart sink.
"I may have burned down that school, but I didn't kill those people," the blond said sternly, giving her a steady gaze back.
"The police seem convinced you did. I'm not supposed to involve myself much, but I've never been good at following orders," she arched a brow. "Your friend, Sakura, was under a former student of mine. She was interning under her in a different hospital. Your prints are everywhere in that house, Naruto. In blood."
His lips thinned, brows furrowing, "I didn't kill her. She was one of my best friends. It was...a mannequin." Naruto's eyes dropped, conviction falling as he heard how ridiculous his argument sounded.
Tsunade tilted her head, regarding the blond differently than before. She flipped the sheet and popped out a pen from her coat pocket, clicking the end. "A mannequin?"
Naruto sighed, eyes looking over at Sasuke who gave him a small nod in return. His eyes livened a bit and he turned back to the doctor, "Yes. It was an anatomy doll. There were a lot of weird things happening, all thanks to that school. That's why I burned it down, killed the mannequin and all the shadows."
Her eyes narrowed a bit in thought, "What kind of weird things?"
"Look, if you're just asking me these questions because you think I'm crazy, then forget about it," the blond growled, fist tightening around his sheets.
"No, no, Naruto. I'm simply curious," she returned. Sasuke snorted bitterly off to the side.
"Well it started during the renovations. I saw a shadow...it leaped at me and I protected myself. Then they found Izumo's body on the first floor. I kept seeing things in that school during that time too. Shadows on the wall. I heard things like feet running. Saw balls rolling, toys going off without anyone there. These strange things started to follow me after a while, which..is what happened to Sakura..." During his explanation, Naruto continued to look over at Sasuke, the other giving him encouragement through the look in his eyes. At least he seemed to believe him.
"So...ghosts?" Tsunade inquired after Naruto was done. There was nothing inherently different in the look of her eyes though.
"If you wanna call it that, then yeah. I dunno what it was. I even called Sasuke here and told him about it after Izumo's death,"
"Sasu...ke?" she looked up fully from her charts, eyes looking over at the raven then back.
"Yeah, my fiancé," Naruto stated, arching a brow.
She narrowed her eyes again before swallowing and she crossed her legs before leaning on her clipboard, gaze fully on the blond.
"Naruto, there's nobody in here but me and you."
"What?," Naruto said, gaze darkening. Sure Sasuke tended to prefer to be out of sight, but she didn't have to insult him.
"Naruto.." Sasuke started, but Tsunade started speaking as well, her voice louder than his.
"It says here that your fiancé died four months ago. You'd gone to see a psychiatrist about it afterwards remember? I talked to Dr. Jiraiya about it and he said he hadn't heard from you in a while."
The blond stared at her, glancing to the side and finding that the Uchiha was no longer there. He could still hear whispers of his voice, drifting in and out of his range of hearing.
"He what? I what?...That's not ..true!" he started, jerking upright. "I've been talking to him this whole time. Talking on the phone! He called me!"
"Calm down, Naruto!" Tsunade raised her voice over his. "You probably hallucinated all of that. It's possible with certain typ—"
"I didn't hallucinate shit! It was all real! Sakura and Kiba never said anything about it!"
"Naruto, they were told by your psychiatrist not to mention it. You needed time for closure."
"I don't need closure for something that didn't happen! He was ...there.....when I left.." his gaze darkened, eyes falling back to the blanket.
Tsunade watched him for a while, "Are you sure about that, Naruto?"
A tear slid down his cheek and he wiped at it, face loosening in surprise as memories rushed in, seemingly all at once. He saw night, outside. His hands on a steering wheel. Laughing. Glass shattering. Shouting.
He gasped, as he remembered hands being shoved through the windows, forcing the doors open, trying to wrestle the two of them out of the car. They both fought back. Naruto had to give in or...or...
His face lowered, eyes widened as he watched for the second time as a gun was placed against Sasuke's head, trigger pulled, blood splattering over the seat and the blond that was still struggling against his attacker. His mouth open as he shouted the raven's name, watching in horror as his lover was dragged roughly from the car, tossed aside. Tires screeching as the robbers drove off. Pain. He was shot.
"Naruto. Naruto?" Tsunade shook his leg lightly, bringing his indigo eyes up to her.
"He did die, but I—" he jerked his head to the side, eyes widening more as he focused on a young woman with pink-dyed hair stroll through the room. She turned to him with a teasing smile.
"Looks like you got into a bit of trouble there. You're lucky I don't come over there and break your other leg."
"Sakura..you.." the blond stumbled over words before a hand brought his face towards the woman.
"Sakura's dead too, Naruto. They found her body in the living room of her home, over the remains of a coffee table. Stabbed multiple times," the older blonde woman fixed him with a stare, checking his pulse on the monitors to the side.
"I didn't! That's where I killed the mannequin!" Naruto said, jerking himself from her grasp. "It wasn't...her.." Even as he said that, he could see her face, surprise and fear as she watched one of her closest friends raise the wooden leg before stabbing her again.
Her screams rang in his ears, making him wince and cover them.
"I didn't do it!" he shouted, eyes burning with tears that wouldn't fall.
"I see, I think I'm going to need to bring in a different doctor to look over you," she said before lifting his face back up, shining a light into both of his eyes before clicking it off and putting it into her coat pocket.
Heels clicked as Tsunade left the room, leaving Naruto hunched over on the bed, blue eyes digging into the floor through the bed. Sasuke rose from his seat, walking the few steps over and placed a hand on the blond's back, soothing him through the hospital gown.
"Sasuke..wh—"
"Shh, Naruto. It's fine. We're all here now. You're not alone," came Sakura's light voice, the girl sitting in the chair by the window. She rose up, walking over and resting elbows on the foot of his bed. "It's not your fault," she smiled sweetly, making him wince again.
A brunet strolled up to the door, resting against it.
"Yeah, like you'd be rid of us that easily," Kiba said from the doorway. "Hey, buddy, looks like your plan worked, yeah? You look like shit though," he said with a grin.
Naruto turned his head to the raven at his side, not wanting to remember the truth. Dull blue eyes took in the male that seemed so real. There was his smell, the light puff of his breath against his skin. "Sasuke you're really here?" Naruto asked, afraid he'd be let down by the answer, but allowing some hope to creep through his chest.
"I'm always with you," Sasuke whispered into his ear, leaving a chaste kiss against his cheek.
The End