Naruto belongs to noone but Sasuke
Author's notes: In the end, I just couldn't stop myself from doing this. Anyway, my PC problem is back and it's worse than before. If you won't see this fic updated in three consecutive days, that means my PC is dead and I am disconnected from the cyberworld. Let's hope things won't go to that point. I am supposed to post this 40 minutes ago but I am also encountering problems on
Replies to my so-called anonymous reviwers -winks-:
mike : That's what I think too but Itachi's curse is deeper than that because they carried an unbreakable fraternal bonds and Sasuke is still traumatic about the murder.
naruke: I did? -innocent look-
Chapter 22: His promise
Combing his hair neatly, the six-year old Yuuzuki took a moment to look at his reflection on the mirror to make sure he looked presentable before he hurriedly left his room hoping his chichiue won't scold him for being late for breakfast.
Naruto smiled when he saw his son, a bit breathless, standing at the doorway. "You're just on time."
At this, Yuuzuki beamed. "Good morning, chichiue," he said before he regarded his otousan who had grown distant from him and shyly greeted,"good morning, otousan."
"Hn," was all Sasuke said before he left the room as he had already finished his meal.
Naruto frowned. He wasn't blind as not to know that Sasuke was avoiding his son, intentionally creating a growing gap between them. He wasn't stupid either as not to figure that it was Sasuke's dream that was the caused of this. As much as he wanted to know, he knew his husband would just clam up if he asks so he didn't. There are things that Sasuke would immediately confide to him and things that he would keep to himself until god knows when. Naruto knew that the dream, whatever that was, was one of the latter. But that didn't stop him from wishing that Sasuke would get over it soon because he couldn't stand the confused and hurtful look Yuuzuki was giving to him.
Naruto smiled to their child,"You didn't do anything wrong. He's just being his bas- I mean, cranky self." And when Yuuzuki just gave him a doubtful look, the blonde thumped his puffed-up chest with him fist and added confidently, "Take it from the expert."
- SasuNaru is love -
Every time Naruto was putting Akemi to sleep, the task of setting the table for dinner fell on Yuuzuki who never minded this kind of assignment until his otousan had started treating him with cold indifference. He couldn't stop his hands from shaking, every time he placed something in front of his otousan who was reading a particular scroll, perhaps some mission details. Although he still couldn't understand the sudden change of his otousan's treatment towards him, he was already in the state where he half-expected the older man to lash out on him.
The awkward and tensed silence hanging made Yuuzuki longed for his chichiue's presence.
Hurry up and sleep otouto because aniki is slowly dying here, he thought as he took his seat after completing his task. The two then silently started eating with poor Yuuzuki having a hard time chewing or swallowing the food. When Naruto joined them, he felt like the sun had shone on that night just so it could chase the chill that started filling the room.
Naruto, for his part, started rambling anything he could think of just to fill up the deafening silence. Talking mindlessly always came so naturally to him until that night. He found it so burdensome but he had to do it.
Unfortunately, Yuuzuki wasn't really paying attention as he was mentally encouraging himself to speak what he wanted. He could feel his hands getting clammy and pressed them against his shorts. He gulped and took a deep breath before he gave his silent otousan a sideway glance then at his chichiue who was now regarding him silently.
"I decided to enter the ninja academy this month," he said.
Naruto looked a bit surprised before he smiled. He knew what spurted Yuuzuki to want to enter the academy at the age of six: his close friends who were children of the other rookie nine as well as Gai-sensei's team and who were also one or two years older than him. Nodding his head, Naruto started telling him the things he could and couldn t do at the academy, the teachers he would have and so on and so forth before he regaled the younger boy with his stunts as a student.
Sasuke, on the other hand, turned pale and tensed as he heard the boy's wish. He slammed his hand on the table so hard that it rattled the dishes and interrupted Naruto on his stories. A deafening and palpable silence followed, swallowing the three. Sasuke looked at his son who immediately cowered when he saw that his otousan's eyes started bleeding red.
"You.are.not.going.to.the.ninja.academy.ever," he said slowly and with finality before he stood up.
"But otousan-" he was cut off by the slamming of the door.
Naruto looked after the door then at his frowning son, "I'll talk to him. Eat your dinner." Then he left to search for his spouse and he found him in the study room with his shoulders hunched forward as he leaned his forehead against the cold wall.
His nightmare had propelled Sasuke to not only go against the idea of Yuuzuki going to the ninja academy but also to decide to send Yuuzuki to one of the best schools in the Fire country next year. It would be better if Yuuzuki stayed away from the village and had a good education that has nothing to do with being a ninja. It was better for Yuuzuki and for the rest of his family.
"Sasuke?" he heard Naruto softly called as he joined him in the study room. He looked at the confused blonde over his shoulder before he closed his eyes.
"Yuuzuki is not only hurt but confused by everything, Sasuke. Me too."
Like waterfalls spilling from the edge of a high place, words cascaded from his lips as he finally told Naruto of his chilling nightmare. The latter leaned against the wall to steady himself as he learned what had brought the sudden coldness from Sasuke. He wanted to reach his husband and held him but the look on his face stopped Naruto from doing so.
"I'm sorry for that, Sasuke," he said but he couln't stop himself from hurting from Sasuke's opinion of their son. It was wrong of Sasuke to think like that although he was somehow touched that Sasuke was worried about his family. Completely and utterly wrong.
"Don't be," was the shaky reply.
Then the atmosphere changed completely as angry words stumbled out from Naruto's lips, "So you won't let him go to the academy because of that nightmare?"
Sasuke straightened to regard his fuming wife coolly, "It could be a warning. I couldn't bear to lose you all, especially not you, Naruto."
The blue eyes were pleading, trying to reach him to whatever world the nightmare plummeted Sasuke. "I see but he isn't your brother. Your thinking like that pains me. It is an insult."
The other man just shrugged his shoulder. What could Naruto understand? He wasn't the person who had Itachi for a brother nor the person who trained Yuuzuki the most so he could never know that his son and his aniki were way too similar, no matter how many times he tried to deny such observations.
"We are raising him in a manner different from your father's. He isn't your father's son but ours. YOURS! Dammit, you bastard!"
Anger, similar in Naruto's eyes, flared in those cool dark ones and he retorted almost savagely, "I know what he will be, Naruto. Why can't you not understand that? No, you couldn't because you never knew my brother and never trained Yuuzuki as much as I do. He had the same potential as that of my brother. If I let him have what he wants, he will graduate at the top of his academy class at age 7, then master the sharingan by 8, become a chuunin at 10, then at age 13, he will be one of ANBU captain and finally he will..." he trailed off as a particular horrifying scene of his nightmare flashed to his mind.
You will all be killed by him, was the unsaid statement left hanging between the two.
"He may have the potential to become all of that but you forgot something very important. Itachi IS Itachi, Yuuzuki IS Yuuzuki. He is not your demented brother and will never be, because he is my son!" Naruto argued fiercely and confidently. "And every time you see him as Itachi, look at his eyes so you will be reminded who he is!" Having said that, he stormed out and slammed the door behind him.
He found Yuuzuki slumped against the wall near the door, staring at him guiltily and Naruto knew that his child had heard a part their heated argument. "Have you finished your meal yet?" Naruto asked although he already knew the answer.
Yuuzuki shook his head. "Then let's go back to the table."
"Ne, chichiue, this man called Itachi, is he really otousan's brother? "
Naruto nodded and decided to tell Yuuzuki about his demented uncle.
And while Naruto was doing that, Sasuke continued staring outside feeling more confused than ever. Tell me what to do, he silently prayed to someone over and over again then froze as he realized that he was silently asking for an advice from the same person who was causing this rift, this confusion - his brother.
Somehow his gaze was drawn to a dragonfly whose part of his body was caught in a spider web. But instead of surrendering to what should be inevitable, it struggled, fiercely fighting for his freedom. In the end, its great effort was rewarded as it found itself rid of the thin fetters. Dark eyes followed its course towards the skies obviously enjoying what he had once more before Sasuke closed his eyes.
"Stupid," he muttered to himself.
- SasuNaru is love -
Naruto looked surprise when he found Sasuke in their bedroom, sitting on the edge of their bed. Instead of saying something, he decided to take a shower. Sasuke looked up from his hands to silently watched Naruto as he started shedding his clothes before heading to their bathroom.
"Naruto?"
The blonde stopped and looked over his shoulder to stare at obsidian eyes.
"Can I take a bath together with you?"
Without answering, his wife resumed his walk to the bathroom and Sasuke would have taken the silence as a rejection except that Naruto left the door open.
Under the shower, Sasuke hugged his blonde from behind and pressed his forehead against his left shoulder.
"Forgive me but I just don't want to lose you."
Naruto turned around to return the embrace, "Stupid, you won't lose any of us... at least not to dementia or to Yuuzuki. I promise you that."
"I won't go back on my words because this is my nindou."
And like always, Sasuke found himself believing in Naruto's promise.
- SasuNaru is love-
The next morning, Sasuke walked into the living room where he knew Yuuzuki would be reading some basic Uchiha ninjutsu scrolls passed on to every generation.
"Yuuzuki, do you have time? "
The boy looked up from his reading and surprise etched on his face as he realized that his otousan was speaking to him. "That depends," was his automatic reply. What his chichiue told him about his otousan's brother didn't stop him from feeling bad that he couldn't go to the academy together with his friends.
"Then do you have time to come with me?"
"Training?"
"No, something better. Something called enrolment."
Sasuke was then rewarded with a bright smile reminiscent of Naruto's during their genin days.
"Are you kidding me?" the boy asked totatlly ignoring the scrolls which had held his complete interest until few seconds ago.
"Do I?" was his wry reply and then he found himself hugged around the waist.
"I definitely won't be like your aniki, otousan," Yuuzuki swore. "I'm going to make you proud."
"I'm already proud because you're my son."
"I'll live up to your expectations!"
This time, Sasuke couldn't help but poke his son in his forehead, "Stupid. Nothing is more important to us than you living up to your expectations and being proud of your own self."
Yuuzuki grinned, "I understand."
Sasuke wondered if he really did but then he reminded himself that he certainly would because he was his son.
Even if you won't let me go, aniki, I'll never be what you want me to be. Even if my struggles seem pathetic to you, it won't stop me from trying to break free and from being happy with what I have and will have.
TBC
Editing a text file on-line sucks. Yey! Yuuzuki is now allowed to go to the academy and let's hope Sasuke made the right decision.
Next chapter summary: Everything within the Uchiha family is A-OK and nobody knows about Naruto's silent struggle until...