I am so sorry this took so long! Math class took more from me than I really had. Math is over now so I should be able to write for fun again. Let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions! Now on to the chapter!

Sasuke POV.

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Find and capture a missing-nin with the Kedoin clan's face copy technique. He was last seen in a village only a few hours away from Konoha. Team 7 had been chosen because of their experience with it before.

We followed them into the forest nearby after they had seen us and ran.

Before we entered I gave Naruto the simple silver ring from my mother and he handed me his necklace with the blue gem. They had seen us and could have easily stolen our faces. This way we could tell who was the real one, should we get separated.

Sakura was wearing one of Kakashi's small kunai ouches on her waist, and he had her fingerless gloves on. At seeing the items on each other, we ran in pairs into the trees. Naruto with me of course.

I was using my sharigan to scan the trees for the signs that they had used their jutsu to change shape. It was clear we startled them when we rushed them, as they hadn't had time to fully change faces yet.

They set smoke bombs off causing my eyes to water. I jumped back out of the cloud and heard rather than saw Naruto chase them. As I was getting ready to follow him when it happened. A sharp pain behind my eyes. I still wasn't used to my sharigan. Jumping to the ground so I wouldn't fall, I was forced to turn my eyes off as they became even blurrier.

I was leaning on a tree whipping the bloody tears out of my eyes when I heard footsteps, They were quiet but the sound was still clear to me. I pushed the pain away and opened my eyes. For the moment it took to clear my vision I tensed, weapon ready when my vision cleared enough to see the bright blond hair. It was just Naruto.

That was until another one came into view just a few feet away. The two Naruto's stood a few yards in front of me both their hands held up as if to surrender. Immediately I looked at their hands. The one on the left had my ring.

I reached for my kunai pouch, reading to attack the other one. But when I looked him in the eye, I felt my entire body freeze. The mission report said the clan's jutsu was visually flawless. They lied.

The Naruto on my right was different than the other one.

I knew the one on my left had my ring but the one on my right seemed…. brighter, more alive.

His hair was brighter and nearly shined with a halo in the sunlight, his eyes more a more vivid blue that the sky above them. Even his skin seemed to glow in the sunlight. The very air around him seemed more real and it made the trees behind him seem dull.

"Sasuke?" they said together. I was frozen. I couldn't move I could barely even breathe.

"What should I do? I couldn't tell them apart." I panicked.

The more I looked at the one on my right the more washed out and fake the left one looked. But he was the one with the ring.

"Sasuke?" the one on my right called softly. He held out his hand out to me and pleaded with his eyes. Begging without words to trust him and take his hand.

"Don't Sasuke." the other one said.

I hadn't realized until he spoke that I had taken a step toward the other. I looked over to my left. He was also holding out his hands and I saw him twist his wrist a bit purposely catching the sun on my silver ring causing it to shine. He was trying to remind me what it meant without giving anything away to the imposter.

But I couldn't move. Something inside of me was screaming that this was wrong. That he was wrong. That the one with my ring was lying.

I was so focused on the ring that I didn't notice the other Naruto moving toward me.

"Sasuke!" Before I could react the one with my ring had moved. I heard a thump and turned. The vivid Naruto was falling to the ground, a kunai perfectly placed in his heart.

As he fell I vaguely noticed that even his blood seemed brighter. But all I really noticed was the sudden cold creeping up my spine. The cold spread throughout my body and for the first time I felt like the cold-hearted man everybody believed me to be.

I didn't really care when the washed-out Naruto wrapped his arms around me, the ring on his finger shimmering again. The cold seemed to spread to my every limb, my legs refusing to keep me standing in its wake.

"He wasn't real." Naruto whispered in my ear. "But I am. Forget him. Remember only me." I couldn't understand his words. His arms tightened around me, but I didn't feel it. I knew the one before me was the real one, that the one that held me was spreading the cold. The cold that was killing me. I didn't care.

I let the cold take me over. Let it block out my vision. Let it soothe me before the heartbreak could take over.

I expected the pain. I expected to feel my heart shatter completely. What I didn't expect was the fire. The arms that held me were no longer cold but felt like red hot chains holding me down. I could barely thrash in their hold but still, I tried to get free.

I knew I was screaming. Could no one hear me scream? Could no one hear me calling out? Where are the others? Why do I feel like someone is standing by just watching me burn? Watching me scream?

Could they really do nothing to save me? Or is this what they wanted? To see me burn to ashes?

All I could see was the red of Naruto's blood, all I could do was thrash, and all I could feel was the fire. I screamed again.

I screamed as I sat upright in my bed. The sheets were tangled around my legs, and I could feel warm hands on my sweaty skin. I could still feel the burn where they touched me. I fought against those hands. Finally kicking my feet free, I twisted out of bed and onto the floor landing in a crouch. I gripped my kunai from under my pillow as I went and bounded back up to the bed almost as soon as my feet hit the floor. I landed straddling the other man my kunai at his throat.

All movement stopped. The person had put their hands up in surrender and barely breathed as I pushed the sharp blade into their skin. It was in that same moment the clouds moved and the moon shown in the window revealing that it was Naruto that I had pinned.

I pulled the blade away quickly and threw it to the floor as if it too had burned me. I didn't know what to say. I was still breathing hard, my hands were shaking, as was the rest of me. He was just laying there, stunned and blinking at me.

I moved away from him. Turning on the bedside lamp. It did nothing to settle me. I was trembling. The burning was fading but in its place, I could feel the sweat on my skin and it was making me shiver even harder with the cold feeling it left settling into my bones.

Naruto moved slowly behind me, making sure to make noise so I would notice him. He carefully moved to sit next to me. Even in the dark, I could see how worried he was.

"Are you ok?" he questioned softly, so as not to scare me. He reached a hand out to me, moving extremely slowly so I had time to pull away. I forced myself not to. As the warmth of his hand touched my chilled skin I felt the burn again. I must have made a sound or flinched because he quickly took his hand away from me. After a moment of looking lost, he hesitantly reached for my hand. He didn't get the chance to pull away as I held on as hard as I could. I saw him flinch in pain at my grip, but he made no move to pull away again.

I don't know how long we sat like that. Naruto had shifted so he was as close to me as he could be without touching me, his warmth chasing away the chill but even so I shivered.

After some time, he shifted closer, ever so slowly, until he was touching me again. When he met no resistance, he gently pulled me into his lap, holding me close. He turned my head so he could cover one ear with his hand while the other was pressed into the skin over his heart.

All I could hear was the steady beating of his heart and I could feel his chest move with his even breaths, the movement gently rocking me until the shivers faded.

I couldn't have told you how long we stayed like that. I had to have been quite a while but a quick glance at the window showed it was still dark out. I was grateful for the lack of light. I don't know what I would have done if the world looked as washed out as my dream had. I wanted to glance at my clock but I wouldn't be able to see it without moving. Something I was wholly unwilling to do.

After a little longer, Naruto finally gathered the courage to speak. I was only vaguely surprised he had managed to be quiet for so long.

"Are you ok now?" he asked, his voice hardly above a whisper, not wanting to scare me.

"I don't know," I said just as quietly.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Ok." He sighed.

With slow and slightly extradited movements, he positioned us so we were laying down again. He moved me so Id lay mostly on top of him so I would still have his heartbeat in my ear. He didn't say anything more, and his hold on me never faltered. And that was how we stayed all night. I wasn't even sure if I could fall back asleep, but when I opened my eyes the sun was shining in the room.

For a moment everything looked dull and washed out, and I began to panic, when the light shifted again as if the sun was coming out from behind a cloud and the colors became beautiful and rich again. when I was able to breathe again, I felt Naruto's heartbeat. It was nice and steady with sleep, and it called me back to it. I laid my head back down again, and let it guide me back to sleep.