Title- Sweet Dreams

By- Envo

Pairings- [Slight/One-side] NaruSaku, SasuSaku, NaruHina

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

Warning- Strong language ahead.

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Chapter 2

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A kunai cut through shadows with a ground eating pace as it sails between gaps of trees and leaves towards its target. With a twist to the shoulder, the weapon wheezes by harmlessly and embeds itself to the hilt several seconds later with a dull thud resonating about the clearing.

Two orbs of onyx shifts lazily towards the edge of the secluded clearing and stares blankly at the man emitting a hostile aura.

"Naruto."

Blond hair swivels wildly in the gusty wind and trimmed grass sway noisily as furious cerulean clashes with bland abyss in the wide span of greenery.

In a blink of an eye, the soon-to-be-Hokage's form flickers and vanishes into thin air; on reflex, his sword hand shifts to his arsenal. A clash of metal follows; its sound echoes throughout the clearing, scattering flocks of avian perched on branches into the air.

He merely leans against Kusanagi and calmly meets the eyes of his ex-teammate. Their weapons like magnets; neither are willing to budge under the pressure of other. Blankly, he lifts his brow at the man whom he once called friend and waits for the outburst he becomes so familiar with over the passing years.

"Why her, Sasuke?" with his face contorts in anger, Naruto snarls.

"Which one?" his voice sounds so foreign even to his own ears as he flattens his tone to that of a bored one; his eyes continue to trace the slight trembles of the weapon against his own. A subtle, but not undetectable twist against his blade was his only warning before a sharp pain spreads over his back. The kunai he had evaded moments ago is now a hair's length away from his right cheek. Naruto had managed to knock away Kusanagi with a twirl of the dagger in a split of a second before sending them both crashing into the rough surface behind. Wood splinters delve deep into his flesh with crimson liquid climbing up his back, tainting his shirt as they go.

He snorts lightly. He lived his entire life in pain; it is not something so foreign to him.

"Don't fuck with me, Sasuke. You know very well who I am talking about."

"So you come in Sakura's stead as a comforting friend, Naruto?" A small smirk lifts the corner of his lips; the humor, however, does not reach his eyes as he taunts the one who he knew still care for his spouse deeply.

The grip to his collar tightens as Naruto slams him against the wooden surface; the bark behind gives a hollow crack under the forceful impact. "Don't you dare say her name," the Yondaime's legacy grits a deadly whisper while the knuckles so close to his vulnerable throat turns from bright red to pale white.

"She's still the weak, little girl. I see."

"Shut up, you don't have the right to judge. You don't know her with all the shit you've put her through!" Naruto bellows at the blatant insult he gave to their only female ex-teammate. "You have the guts to say that—"

"She misunderstood her role. That is all."

Naruto pauses slightly at the simple, nonchalant remark he made. Bewilderment inked on the whiskered face before anger took over seconds later.

"Her role? She becomes your wife through marriage, that's what her role is," though the word wife comes out hesitantly, Naruto goes on. The fist holding onto the collar loosens slightly; enable him to breathe more freely as he watches the wave of anguish washes through the face suddenly so vulnerable before him.

"Marriage is a contract. She got what she wanted from me, and so did I. Our roles in this are nothing more than that."

"This isn't a fucking mission, Sasuke! She isn't just an object for you to play with, she's human, and she's Sakura!" Naruto spits the words through clenching teeth and hurtles him into the air, sending him flying back towards another bark before he breaks the fall with a flip in the air. Blades of grass stir and fly as he skids lightly on the dew-covered grass. Landing soundlessly on the ground cushioned with green, he allows the split second of anger to surface in his eyes before locking them away once again.

"Shinobi has no need for emotional attachments; those are for the weak."

Tension stretches through thin air, so thin that it is almost tangible.

"So that's it, that's all your avenger mind can think of? After all these years, you still haven't change one damn bit!" venomous words lingers in the tense atmosphere as the blond all but flings the insult right in his face. And he doesn't like it.

"What do you know?" he growls; the calmness he so carefully kept moments ago shatters into pieces as anger seeps in, clouding his rational half as raging emotions demands retribution to lash out at the dimwitted blond.

The oppressing waves of unsettling aura diminish and the seething anger underneath the too-easily-read tone dissipates. Only the hard glare in the pair of cerulean eyes intensifies as quiet words pours out into the space between them, "You've hurt Sakura-chan. That's all I know."

The words reach his ears despite the howling wind against his ears as they fly through the air once again. "It's all the reason I need to beat you to oblivion; just for that."

A snort escapes his lips at the ignorant fool's comment; jerking his free hand up to form a half seal for the first sign of a jutsu, a cold smile reaches his lips, "Pitiful."

Flames erupt from his mouth as he aims at the dodging form. Debris flies into the air as onyx eyes narrows when the ball of searing heat blasts into the figure with full-blown force. A second later, wood splinters shoots out in all direction, nearly missing his left cheek as darken wood spikes tear past the fabric on his shoulder. Flapping sleeve shielding his face from projecting obstacles before silence restores itself again. Obsidian glistens under the slowly darken sky as he takes in his surroundings; all that is left is the disintegrated ashes of wood floating in the wind, the deep crater covered with charred mass of grass, and the brunt smell filling the air when the commotion dies down. He eyes the blacken chunks with distaste as he calmly allows the surge of chakra to bleed into his eyes, transforming his jet-black orbs into powerful doujutsu of his no-longer-existing clan, the Sharingan.

Kusanagi sweeps in an arc, stopping the kunai advancing towards his spine in time. Spinning, he knocks the offending weapon away as the blur of blond flashes away from his sword tip.

On the far side of the meadow, Naruto snarls silently on all fours and watches his movements warily. Icy sapphires pierce into his onyx ones with contempt.

"Prepare youself, Sasuke. I will make you see reason and acknowledge Sakura even if it's the last thing I do!"

The firm soil underneath his feet suddenly caves in and collapses. A hand shoots up with blinding speed and grasps onto his ankle. A smirk curls his lips as the ground swallows him whole. "Is this all you can do, Naruto?"

Without hearing a response, the earth above seals shut, taking with it his vision and the life-giving oxygen. A small puff of smoke engulfs his senses before the moist, earthy smell of soil greets his sense of smell. Soft clinks of crawling worms penetrate his hearing as he closes his eyes to the darkness. Slowly breathing out, he concentrates. Warmth spreads rapidly along his limbs, sending tinkles throughout as he allows energy to build up inside his person. White-hot glow seeps into his shut eyelids and crackles of shrilling electricity grows louder in his ears. The bubble of boiling energy inside him seethes, ready to burst. Eyes snapping open, Sharingan narrows as raw chakra pours from his pores. Chidori Nagashi.

Detritus sprays up towards the clouded sky in jets and the ground trembles as rigid tendrils of lighting around him breaks down the encasing soil with massive force, casting them skywards. Leaping up from the newly made crater, he lands lightly on the edge of the gaping hole in the meadow and slants a blank stare at a tense, motionless Naruto.

The numbing energy cruises beneath his skin with fury slows and transforms back to rivers of soft flowing blue; the tendrils gives one last crackle before dying away with the carrying wind.

"You are all alone this time, Naruto. No one is here to help you when I bring you down," he whispers; his voice drips with acid.

Said blond returns a humorless smile, "You are not the only one who grew strong over the years, Sasuke."

"So it seems," absentmindedly, his foot taps the ground as Naruto flies at him with Rasengan in hand.

Lighting and wind meets in the middle of the air with a loud crash as nearby trees shake with the force field. His right hand blocking the fist as his left cancels out the wind element attack with chidori. With his left hand freed, he channels the surge of energy down the arm and fists his hand. That hand raised, he brings it down with a slashing motion directly at Naruto. The fizzling beam shooting out of his fisted hand meets the air as the blond flashes away yet again.

"There is no where you can run, Naruto." His Sharingan takes in the scenery and his lips lifts with a cold smirk. The trap has sprung. Before his eyes, the intricate webs of electricity springs to life as Naruto's feet landed paces away. Jolts of lighting shoots up from beneath and shocks the pair of feet connecting to the soil, successfully paralyzing the blond on the spot.

"What the—!"

He eyes the rigid form on the ground with his numbing electric energy running free, the word pours through his lips without thinking, "Weak."

A choked chuckle meets his cold taunt, "Who is the weak one here?" Naruto clasps the handle of a kunai and jabs it down into the strangely marked soil.

Sounds of metal wire snapping along with the wheezing of projectiles cutting through the air echoes in his eardrums, making him pause in mid step. A blinding flash takes place soon after as the ground he stands on burst along with the explosion tags on the flying kunai.

Eerie red orbs with spining tomoe shines through the heavy veil of dust and particles as he emerges from the hastily dug hole only paces away from the impact point. It was too close of a call, and he did not come out unscathed. The scrape marks across his shoulder blades stings with the expose of the atmosphere.

But Naruto is not done.

Thread-like wires trapping him as the haze clears, locking his arms to his sides and immobile his movements. Scrutinizing gaze staring into his eyes, "Don't overestimate yourself, Sasuke. You are not the only one who is capable here."

Silence stretches long and thin as their eyes meet in the air; no words are spoken before a small drop of moist lands on his cheek. "About time," he mutters, "looks like the weather is in my favor."

"I can say the same."

With his face upturned, his left hand binded to his side flashes through half seals faster than a normal eye can catch; before Naruto can react, he finishes the long set of seals as a loud growl of the sky fills their ears. Blinding white flares across the quickly gathered clouds while the sky darkens ominously. Suddenly, the sky opens and tempest erupts from within; wailing and tearing, branches gives in under the onslaught of the pouncing gale and the pounding raindrops as swirly dark blots in the sky pastes a sense of dread into the atmosphere.

Impassive eyes watch as numerous tagged kunai flies towards his person from different angles. Blue, bordering white blazes engulf him once again; the tentacles licks along the metal wire tied onto varies of trees and twines up along the wood before setting it aflame, letting loose his restrains.

With his mobility returned, he flash steps away from the deadly, airborne weapons and glides behind a panting Naruto as the ground shakes. Hand molds into a shuto position, he swipes hard at the exposed jugular. Clothes drenched in freezing rain and raven strands plastering against his cheeks cools the rush of adrenaline flushing his skin. Naruto parries his attack at the last possible second and delivers a round of hits and kicks against him.

They break apart in the middle and leaps back towards the separated edge of the meadow.

"What you did to Sakura is unforgivable," with one hand clenching hard at the chest, Naruto gasps out between short breaths.

He watches with mild satisfaction at the blond's predicament, "That is why you've lost."

Mocking laughter travels into his ears as he observes the humorless grin creeping onto Naruto's whiskered face. "Lost? Don't make me laugh, Sasuke. I'm far from—"

"You won't last another five minutes. I've already disrupted your electrical impulse," cold, abyss eyes bore into sapphire before pointedly gazing at the fisted hand clasping protectively before the chest. Waves of agony rushes forward to a now ashen face, but the pair of determined blue eyes outshine everything else.

"I know that… But I never said I was done, either."

Blood red eyes widen slightly as four clones of Naruto appears in the corner of his eyes, each carries the spinning, shrilling orb of Rasengan. Inwardly cursing himself for being careless, he quickly flashes through the necessary seals as the four figures closing in on him rapidly. His Sharingan wheels wildly as he draws up obstacles to stall the impending impact.

The blast echoes through the surrounding woods and sends his eardrums ringing as he stumbles to the side. He had managed to deflect two of the four attacks aiming at his vital organs and another one blocked by the genjutsu he threw up hastily; however, he could not dodge the last blow that landed on his unprotected side and sending him flying back towards the edge of the lush forest.

Hand clinching to his throbbing, bloody side on reflex, he directs an impassive glance to the wound and assesses the damage silently. The jagged tear mixed with burnt marks mars his exposed skin with his shirt in shreds. Glancing up at the blond, he finds Naruto hunching over with one hand bracing on the ground and a knee bent. Naruto has scored his liver in the near cardiac arrest stage; however, neither of them will be able to hold out for much longer. The downpour of the icy rain does nothing to help lessen his pain as the moisture sends sharp waves of tremor traveling down his spine; the jarring wind tagging on torn flesh only adds onto his discomfort amid of his predicament.

"The pain in her eyes, I'll never forget it… You've put it there! What the hell is wrong with you? Bedding other woman in front of her eyes, do you have any moral?"

"Moral?" his own barking laughter rings eerily in the air, "we've already lost our moral the moment our hands are stained with our first kill, Naruto."

Cerulean eyes hardens, "Is that so? Then, I'm mistaken after all. Not only did you lost yourself, you've lost the last shard of humanity during your stay under that snake bastard all those years." The disgust-laced strikes a sore spot, and seething rage boils.

"Do no attempt to judge me when you know nothing about me." The whisper may be soft, but the underlying threat is evident still.

"If you think that excuses you from all the things you've done to her, you are terribly mistaken. All these years… even if she ever forgives you, I will never—"

The bubble of emotion he locked away bursts and pours out the weakness he tried so long to tame. "I've lived my life hating, seeking for vengeance only to learn later that with my own bare hands, I've killed the only person left in this world that shared my blood; the only person who cared! Tell me, Naruto, what do you know about me?"

"That has nothing to do with—!"

"You don't know the taste of loosing someone because you've never experienced it. You had nothing to loose while I lost all that I had in one night only to find out later on that all was just a plot. You've never have the blood of your own kin on your hands, their dying breath in your years, so don't attempt to think you are above me when you know nothing about my past." The sensation of warm, thick liquid coating his digits is so real, as if it was only yesterday when his last blood-related kin left the living realm with a flicker of his hands. The last, shaky smile on the face caked with blood, laboring breath wheezing out of pale, parted lips sears themselves into his consciousness and beating at him every waking moment. How can he not forget; how can he move on?

Rage cools down to melancholy as hollow cerulean stares into his eyes, "I do know. I know the feeling of loosing someone precious. I've tasted it; the bitterness that fills you when that special person is taken away from you. I know it, the very moment you took Sakura away from me."

Silence takes over the tense air as they stares deep into each other's eyes. Defeated cerulean against pained onyx. The shallow, quivering breath leaves his lips and he turns his face skywards. All the things he encounters, all the time he fought, all the pent-up emotions… he is just so tired.

"My family, my life, my everything, I've lost it all. It doesn't matter how long I search for, I will never have it back. I don't feel anymore, no matter how much I tried. It doesn't matter how many I've touched, or how many I've killed. It no longer matters now."

"What are you saying?"

"Get her away from me."

His hands molds through the hand seals as he summons the electric energy from above. But before he can finish, a tint of pink flashes through black and grey. In front of him, Naruto's eyes widens before heavy eyelids veils over weary eyes while the body obeys the summoning of gravity. A jab to the back of his own neck confirms his suspicion as his own lashes begins to drop despite his command. A soft, sorrow-filled, feminine voice floats into his ears before darkness fills his eyesight.

"That's enough. Sleep now."

A/N: So I lied. Maybe you do need to read the first chapter to understand this one. But for this chapter, it is in Sasuke's point-of-view (in case of confusion), and it is more of a stimulus to the next and final chapter. Fight scenes are rather hard to write in detail for me, since my mind just moves too fast for my hands. I hope this chapter is passable.

I did not write out all the names of the jutsu used in this chapter, but you are welcome to guess which ones are described here (most are from anime/manga with the exception of one or two made-up ones). For those who are curious about one of Sasuke's move (because of the lack of description), in chapter 343, page 16 is the picture of the technique I attempted to describe there.

I know this isn't much, but compared to other works, this one is a rather serious story to write, thus it takes more time than those light-hearted ones. I may have portrait Sasuke in a darker sense than intended, but I believe that for someone to go through that much, they're bound to have some psychological problems (not that I'm saying he's insane). He does (in this story) cares for Sakura, but it contradicts with what he believes in, hence the last sentence he said to Naruto (see above).

Definitely tell me what you think about this chapter, this is after all, the first formal fight scene (excluding ones from Remembrance) I have, and I'm curious on how it turns out!

Reviews and constructive criticisms are greatly welcome and appreciated!

Envo 03/04