WARNING! Brief talk of suicide.
I'm sorry! I know, bad author! Anyways, here's a nice long chapter. With kinktober about to wrap up I'll be taking a week or two off to give my brain a bit of a rest, a month full of kinky debauchery does things to ones brain lol. After that I'll be back to update more frequently. Thank you for being so patient with me!
Ask anyone and they'll undoubtedly tell you that Sasuke Uchiha is a genius, much like the majority of the Uchiha heritage. However, if Sasuke has proven anything it's that when it comes to Naruto Uzumaki, he turns into a idiot. That's what led him to his current predicament.
Sasuke waited for Naruto to pick him up. He wasn't sure why it was necessary but he easily relented. The past week he couldn't keep the excited fluttering that whirled through his stomach at bay. So much so that it was just now he realised they were actually going to talk.
What did that mean exactly? Was he going to have to explain his actions in the past? The way Naruto spoke it was as if he was the only one who had things to explain. Granted, he did and Sasuke had a million questions that perched themselves at the tip of his tongue. But surely Naruto wanted an explanation for what he did in the past, right? He was more than deserving of one.
It filled Sasuke with trepidation. Why hadn't he thought about this sooner? So yeah, Sasuke was a certified moron when it came to Naruto, not that it was a new development. The proof was in how he fucked it all up in the first place.
Sasuke swallowed harshly as his cell phone buzzed. He took a deep resolving breath and answered. "Hello?"
"Hey, I'm here," Naruto's voice came through calm and stabilising.
"Alright, I'm on my way down," Sasuke made his way out his door and proceeded to lock it. "Where'd you park?"
"Oh, I'm in visitor's parking," Naruto responded nonchalantly.
Sasuke walked towards the elevator, pressed the button to summon it. "You in the same car?"
Naruto answered with a slight hesitance. "Nah, I'm in a blacked out SUV."
The elevator chimed as doors opened for Sasuke. "What, no more silver sedan?" Sasuke teased as he pressed the button for the ground floor.
Naruto snorted. "That was a rental."
"Oh?" Sasuke jested as the elevator began its descent.
An insufferable huff came from the other end. "Yes. Turns out it takes a long fucking time to have vehicles shipped over seas."
"You're shipping vehicles over?" Sasuke didn't bother to hide his curiosity. He believed Naruto when he said he'd be staying in Konoha but something about committing to having his vehicles shipped sent an electric tingle through Sasuke's body. It meant he wasn't doubting his stay.
"Yeah," Naruto hummed. He was looking forward to receiving his vehicles but by the time they actually arrived it would be approaching winter and he couldn't wait that long so he caved and allowed Shika to convince him to buy an SUV. He figured come winter it'd be safer to drive anyways.
"You have many vehicles?" Sasuke eagerly inquired.
"I only have two," Naruto shook his head on the other side of the phone.
"Oh-" there was a pause before Sasuke muttered irritably. "Fuck...I'll be out in a sec alright?"
Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "Ah, okay?" The line went dead.
'Odd,' Naruto thought but shook it off. He'd get out and wait for Sasuke but it was hot as balls outside and he wasn't willing to leave his glorious air conditioning.
When the elevator reached ground level and opened none other than Sasuke personal hell was waiting. He had to hang up, seeing her was never good. Ms. Patricks was a very eccentric, very perverted 80 year old woman. She wore very large wigs, overly sequenced outfits and enough makeup to put a clown to shame. But worst of all she always violated Sasuke.
"Sasuke, how wonderful to see you again," she licked her lips and leered at him.
"Ms. Patricks," Sasuke nodded tight lipped. He began to walk out quickly —attempting to keep his back from her— but like always it was in vain. The little old pervert had managed to get her arm around him at lightning speed and violently pinch his jean clad ass causing him to jump.
"Ms. Patricks!" he hissed at her as he whipped his arms around to shield the rest of his posterior.
She giggled at him with a wink. "I'll be seeing you later."
Sasuke was so fucking out of there. He was gone so quickly one would think he opened a portal to step through it. As he all but sprinted out, he couldn't help but think Madara would get along with her splendidly. They'd be like two perverted peas in a pod.
"Every fucking time. The perverted old bat," Sasuke grumbled under his breath feeling thoroughly violated. Not realising he had made it to the visitor's parking lot already, only startling when a honk alerted him to his surroundings.
Naruto briefly honked the horn as he watched the muttering man with amusement. When Sasuke approached the only blackout vehicle in the lot Naruto unlocked the door for him to get in.
Sasuke's face softened when he saw Naruto, the lecherous old woman was quickly forgotten. After hearing the click of the door unlocking he opened the door and slid in. "Hey," he smiled gently, feeling the calming effects of Naruto immediately.
Naruto's face was still turned up in amusement. "Hey, everything okay?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes and scoffed as he clipped in his seatbelt. "I got groped by an old woman."
"Oh, fun," Naruto responded sarcastically.
"The woman's insatiable," Sasuke shuddered repulsively as he remembered every interaction he's been subjected to with he. "She can't keep her wrinkly, old paws to herself."
Naruto grimaced. "Well I can't really help you there but here, have a coffee," he handed Sasuke a pipe hot cup of black coffee.
Sasuke takes the cup gratefully. "Thanks."
"No problem," Naruto throws the car in reverse and begins to back out of his parking spot.
Sasuke sipped his coffee in silence as Naruto pulled out of the lot. Sasuke lived in the centre of Konoha so they were thrown into heavy Saturday afternoon traffic. The air held a slight tension but nothing overly uncomfortable. Sasuke did find it strange that Naruto would willingly throw himself into traffic instead of giving him his address and letting him drive himself over.
A curious frown marred Sasuke's brow. "Naruto?"
"Hn?" Naruto hummed an encouragement to continue as he merged right to make the turn off that headed towards the outskirts of town.
Sasuke looked intently at him. "Why didn't you want to give me your address? It would have saved you the trouble of navigation Konoha on a Saturday."
Naruto glanced at him with a smirk before focusing back on the road. "You'll understand when we get there."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him. "What does that mean?"
"It'll make sense soon," amusement coloured Naruto's voice.
Had Sasuke been anybody else he'd have pouted. Instead he dropped it and drank his coffee as he took in the urban scenery. The two men ended up talking about trivial things as they drove, erasing all traces of silence. It was nice to talk beside each other instead of through a phone. Sasuke was beyond curious to see where Naruto lived, judging by the direction they were going he gathered that the blond either lived on the border of Konoha or just outside the town.
They approached Naruto's driveway and Sasuke got deathly quiet as Naruto pressed the button to open his gate. Sasuke now knew where they were going but that didn't make it any less shocking. When he'd found out someone had bought the land atop of the cliff he was pissed. It was Naruto's special spot and he found himself going there every now and again, it made his soul feel less lonely. So when the land was purchased and he could no longer legally go there, he raised hell with the town, but no one would tell him anything. It was extremely frustrating to have the one of the last pieces of Naruto yanked out from under him. Who would have thought it was Naruto's doing all along?
"It was you?" Sasuke finally managed to speak barely above a whisper.
"Hn?" Naruto hummed curiously as he closed the gate behind them and began the long journey up the driveway. The driveway was the only path through the forest, it stood out like a sore thumb. It was a paved road that drove through a tunnel created naturally by the surrounding trees. It gave Sasuke the feeling of entering into a secret world.
Sasuke turned away from the wondrous view to look at Naruto. "The house on the cliff, it's yours?"
Naruto didn't look over but he smiled softly. "Yeah, it's mine."
A lightbulb went off in Sasuke's mind. "That's why you didn't tell me your address!"
Naruto chuckled. "Guilty. I knew you'd look up my address immediately and the surprise would be ruined."
Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and huffed but there was no real annoyance. "I've been here before."
Naruto quirked an amused brow. "Oh?"
Sasuke looked straight ahead, he wanted to see the house as soon as it came into view. "Yeah, I came here when you were gone. When they started building I snuck onto the lot. I was pissed that someone took your spot away."
Naruto chuckled at the thought of the stoic Uchiha trespassing. It did warm his heart to know that he remembered though. "You remember that?"
Sasuke's scoffed dramatically, he didn't know how Naruto could believe that he'd forget something like that. "Of course I remembered! I'd never forget anything special you shared with me. The cliff and the park were the only places I felt like I could still feel you."
Sasuke chose to ignore the voice in his head reminding him the list of things he had forgotten about the blond. After all, a tattoo of a nine tailed fox wasn't as important to remember as the love of his life's favourite places.
Naruto suddenly felt like his throat had tightened. It was still confusing to feel sorry for leaving when he was driven to running. Not like he could have stayed even if Sasuke hadn't fucked him over anyways. Naruto sighed, that train of thought would do him no good. "So, you've seen the house already then?"
Sasuke shook his head. "No, I snuck up here when they first began construction and was too-" Sasuke stopped as a huge cabin styled house finally came into view as they drove out of the foliage. "Woah," Sasuke gasped in awe. It was no Uchiha manor, but it was beautiful. He'd never seen this style of house anywhere in Konoha before, but as he sat there staring at it, the house seemed to fit perfectly with its surroundings.
The dark hickory colour gave the house a warm feel to it. It was large but didn't have that cold, clinical feel to it. The plot the house was situated on had a surrounding area that had been cleared of trees, but not too far away was where the forest surrounded the house on three sides. The rear of the house overlooked the cliff side giving a perfect view of lake Konoha. There weren't any flowers planted but there was plenty of foliage and other shrubbery. Sasuke figured it made sense, he was in the middle of a forest, he hardly needed many plants to feel one with nature here. Sasuke wondered just how much of the land Naruto owned.
Naruto smiled as he drove towards the large three car garage that was attached at the far right side of the house. Normally he'd drive in but judging by Sasuke's reaction he'd want to gawk a little longer so he decided to park up in front of the garage instead. Naruto turned the car off and chuckled at Sasuke. "Come on, you'll get a better look outside of the car."
Naruto unbuckled himself then opened his door and slid out, Sasuke mirrored him, too awe struck to even worry about his abandoned coffee cup. "How did you do all of this?" Sasuke asked, glancing around in wonder as he closed the car door.
"Shika helped me," Naruto shrugged as he began to walk away, expecting Sasuke to follow.
Sasuke quickly followed with a hidden scowl, though he wasn't sure if it was for the Nara or himself. "Still, that's kind of hard to do isn't it? You know, not being here in person and all?"
Naruto slid his hands in his pockets as he began to lead Sasuke around to the back of the house. "Eh, it wasn't so bad. The biggest problem I had was convincing Konoha to sell me the land. Once I got them to agree everything else fell into place easily enough."
Naruto proceeded to take Sasuke on a tour around the grounds before they finally headed inside for a tour of the interior. Out of the whole place, Sasuke's favourite was the intimate gazebo that sat, perched near the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake. It filled him with a sense of tranquility, and he made sure he conveyed that to Naruto which is exactly why when his tour had concluded, Naruto brought a bottle of wine and two glasses out for them to sit under the elegant, shaded structure.
It was now late afternoon and the sounds of rustling leaves, chirping birds and cicadas filled the air. It was the perfect atmosphere for a heavy conversation. The gleam of the calming waves in the distance seemed to melt away Sasuke's reluctance. "Naruto, you deserve an explanation."
Naruto placed his wine glass down and gave him his full undivided attention. "What do you mean?"
Sasuke took a tentative sip of his wine before swirling it around almost hypnotically. "The Neji thing."
Naruto's jaw clenched tightly. "You don't have to."
Sasuke's head jolted up to meet Naruto's gaze. "No, I need to. You deserve to know how much of a moron I was."
Naruto closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them again he nodded slightly. "Alright, I'll listen."
"Even with how petty I was to you that day I didn't believe you'd cheat on me at first but then he brought that red girl over and she showed me that video of you two in the washroom. I lost it, it felt like my world crumbled. I was so angry I couldn't pay attention to anything but you fucking her." Sasuke grimaced as he continued to mentally relive that day. "I've known Neji since we were kids and he'd never lied to me, but even knowing that I still didn't want to believe him. Even with all those images of all your other partners slapping me in the face I didn't want to believe that you'd cheat on me."
"But you still did," Naruto blurted out unintentionally. He may have come to terms with the past but it was still difficult to listen to Sasuke's reasoning.
Sasuke cringed and nodded in shame. "I did. Instead of talking to you I believed them both. When Neji came back after dropping the girl off we got into my parent's wine, he thought it would be a good idea to help me forget for a while." Sasuke put his wine glass down then looked directly into Naruto's phlegmatic eyes. "We ended up talking about how you helped me figure out that I liked males and how Neji was curious about the matter. With wine warming my body and a mind full of betrayal it was easy for Neji to convince me to sleep with him so he could see if he too liked men."
"So you're going to blame it on the wine and Neji?" Naruto asked in a cold, dark voice.
"Of course not!" Sasuke's brow furrowed in inner turmoil. "Naruto I'm not proud of what I did. I was immature and vindictive and if I could take it all back I would but I can't. When you walked in and saw us I knew how big of a mistake I'd made but I was too pissed to care at the moment. I guess deep down I just wanted you to hurt as much as I was."
Naruto looked away from him, Sasuke's confirmation that he wanted to hurt him was a hard blow to take. He knew they were mere teenagers and had no idea how to maturely handle emotions but fuck if that reason wasn't excruciating to hear. No matter how furious Naruto was with Sasuke, he could never bring himself to hurt him.
Naruto's silence was deafening, causing Sasuke to panic slightly. "Naruto, I regret what I did. You didn't deserve that treatment. Fuck the amount of shit you were dealing with alone, my petty bullshit was the last thing you needed."
Naruto's eyes snapped towards Sasuke's. "So just because of the things I was going through you feel bad?" He snarled.
Sasuke shook his head wildly. "No! That's not—That's not what I mean. I just mean that it makes what I did all the more despicable. Fuck, I broke a wine bottle over your head Naruto, I scarred you for life and you didn't even fucking flinch. Some night's I dream of the betrayal in your eyes." Sasuke swallowed harshly. "I don't know what I hate more about myself, physically hurting you or betraying you. I'll never be able to forgive myself for either and I'd be selfish to ask you to forgive me for something I can't even forgive myself for."
Naruto looked away again, gazing over the tranquil waters contemplatively. "I guess that's the thing about forgiveness, it's not up to you whether you get it or not."
Sasuke's eyes bulged because there's no way that meant what he thought it meant. "You don't mean-"
Naruto cut him off, his gaze still fixed on the water. "You wouldn't know who I was, let alone be here if I hadn't already forgiven you Sasuke."
Sasuke's eyes glossed over from Naruto's declaration. "Wh-what?" He stammered.
Naruto's face softened. "I forgive you Sasuke. I'll always forgive you."
One second they were staring at each other and the next Naruto was being clobbered by a quivering Sasuke. Sasuke tightened his arms around the blond like he was his life line because in the moment he kind of was. "I'll never let you down again, I promise!"
"I know," Naruto murmured against soft midnight hair as his hands gently rubbed Sasuke's back. "I know."
They didn't know how much time passed as they stayed comfortably in each other's embrace. Their body heat soothed their souls down to their very core. Sasuke couldn't believe he had the privilege of being in this man's presence again, let alone his strong arms. He realised he wasn't done yet though. "You were right."
Naruto furrowed his brow and pulled back just enough to look down at Sasuke. "About what?"
Ashamed, Sasuke looked down, he didn't know how Naruto would take Itachi seeing that video of Naruto with that red head. After all it was another person seeing him intimately without his consent. "About Neji. So, Neji came over the day after to discuss the night before and Itachi came home and walked in on our conversation. After hearing the story and not believing you'd cheat on me I showed him the video."
"Hn," Naruto hummed calmly.
Sasuke looked up at him in shock. "You're not mad?"
Naruto lazily shrugged, he figured as much. "It's in the past, getting angry now won't change anything."
"God, why are you so wise?" Sasuke muttered in awe.
"Because I'm amazing," Naruto jested.
Sasuke snorted but agreed. "You are."
Naruto smirked, tightening his grip around Sasuke. "Damn straight. Anyways, continue."
Sasuke nodded and nestled further into the warm, broad chest. "I showed it to him and it took him seconds to know that it was an old video. I felt like a total fool for not noticing." Sasuke chuckled when he remembered Itachi's reaction. "Itachi wanted to kill me for what I did to you. Anyways after that I made Neji take me to the girl's work so I could confront her. Turns out Neji blackmailed her and set the whole thing up because he claimed he was in love with me and you took that from him like you did with-"
"Kiba?" Naruto added. From the start he knew Neji's motives.
Sasuke swallowed harshly. "Yeah. He kissed me and I beat the shit out of him."
"I bet that felt good," Naruto muttered, feeling jealous he wasn't given the opportunity to put that prick in his place.
Sasuke twisted so his head was placed over Naruto's shoulder. "I couldn't even enjoy it. I felt sick. Not only had I been betrayed by a friend but you hadn't been to school all week and that red head said you hadn't been to work either, and you were always at work. I went straight home after that and found Itachi watching the news. I was so stupid, how could I not notice you were his son."
Naruto began to rub soothing circles on the man's back. "I didn't exactly want anyone to know."
Sasuke shook his head furiously before looking up to meet Naruto's gaze. "I should have known. A week, it took me a fucking week and that was only because of Itachi," Sasuke voice grew louder as he persistently grew more irritated with himself. "When I found out I ran out with no shoes on and drove to your house. Your house was sealed with police tape but that didn't stop me. You think I would have known you wouldn't be there but my mind and body wouldn't allow me to accept it, so I entered illegally. The first thing I noticed was the blood stains and then in a blink I found myself in your room laying in your bed, with not a trace of you left. If only I hadn't been such a fucking moron I would have known!"
Naruto couldn't bear the proud Uchiha speaking in such a way, it broke his heart. "Sasuke, you can't blame yourself for that."
"But had you not walked in on Neji and I, had I not told you to stay away and said all those awful things to you, you wouldn't have gone home to him!" Sasuke wailed in agony.
Naruto pushed Sasuke back firmly, yet gently. "Now you listen to me, Sasuke and you listen good. What happened to me that night had absolutely nothing to do with you, do you understand?"
"But-"
"No, no buts." Naruto's deep voice rumbling with authority left no room for argument. "I think it's time for me to explain some things now, hn?"
"Okay." Sasuke hesitantly nodded. It was all he could do with Naruto's piercing eyes burrowing into his soul.
Naruto picked up his abandoned wine glass and took a generous sip. He licked the bitter-sweet reminisce from his lips before finally speaking. "That night when I left your house I didn't go straight home, I walked around for a while, contemplating everything. So you see, even if I had stayed I would have ended up in the same situation regardless."
Sasuke didn't seem convinced. "You don't know that."
Naruto remained patient as if he were talking to an ignorant child. "I do know that. You wanna know what I walked into when I went home that night Sasuke?"
Sasuke squirmed in his seat uncomfortably, he'd waited years to know what happened that night but it suddenly felt extremely daunting. "I want to know."
Naruto quickly finished his glass of wine before gently setting the wide bodied glass down carefully. He'd need all the courage he could get if he were to speak about this. "When I walked in the door I was greeted with a gun to my head." Sasuke's breath caught at the thought.
"He roughed me up a little before forcing me to the living room. He already had Guren bound and gagged on the couch," Naruto's eyes fogged over as he relived the day. Sasuke wanted to reach out and hold him but he gave the blond his space.
"I'll never forget her eyes, the look of pure terror they held. I remember feeling nothing but rage seeing her body tremble as she sobbed. Minato hated me from day one. My mother died giving birth to me so I was the monster that took her from him. He found out Guren had a son and deemed her a lying bitch for keeping it from him. He planned on killing her and me that night. He planned on making it look like I lost it and killed her before taking my own life so he could frame me for all the illegal shit he was doing. He was going to use the stunt at school as proof of my instability." Naruto sneered.
Sasuke's blood ran cold, he thought he was going to be sick. Minato was going to frame his own son? Sasuke swallowed down the bile that rose in his throat. "How could he do that?"
Naruto's fist clenched. "I stopped asking myself how he could do the stuff he did the first time he left me chained and unconscious in the basement. I believe I was five."
Sasuke threw his hand over his mouth, fighting back the sickness that rose. Regurgitated wine isn't something Sasuke fancied.
Naruto ignored Sasuke's discomfort and continued. If he wanted to know the truth, he'd get the truth. "Anyways, I obviously wasn't going to sit back anymore and let him harm an innocent woman but when he mentioned bringing Yūkimaru I felt something inside me snapped. No way was I going to let that sick fuck harm another child. When I stood up to him and told him that more or less, he shot me in the right leg so I couldn't move." Naruto absentmindedly rubbed his thigh through his pants, his voice sounding far away.
No matter how furious, how repulsed the story made him, Sasuke listened attentively.
Naruto snorted pitifully. "You know, I asked him why he couldn't have tried to love me." Naruto turned his wounded gaze to Sasuke. "He spat in my face after telling me he still would've never loved me even if my mother had lived. He always hated kids and only agreed to have me to make her happy."
Sasuke fists clenched as his body shook furiously, if the man wasn't already dead he'd have killed him himself. How could anyone hate an innocent child, let alone their own son? Naruto was so special that he single handedly won over the entire Uchiha hierarchy, how could anyone, let alone his own flesh and blood treat him that way?
"After that we argued about my mother as I slowly bled out. I said something about my mother that struck a nerve and he was going to kill Guren because of it. Somehow I found the strength to launch myself at him. I succeeded in preventing him from aiming the gun at her but not firing it. He hit me in the stomach," Naruto closed his eyes as he remembered the sound of the gun, the smell of the blood and gunpowder mixing in a disgusting amalgamation of death.
"Naruto," Sasuke muttered.
Naruto ignored his name and carried on. He decided that while he was bearing it all he may as well let Sasuke in on the real reason he'd survived. "Minato always called me a demon for what I bear within, but he was the real monster. That so called demon is the only reason I'm still here today."
Sasuke furrowed his brow in perplexity. "What are you talking about?"
Naruto's eyed Sasuke cautiously as he carefully calculated his next words. "The reason I was born, the reason my mother died, the reason Minato loathed me was because I carry Kurama."
Sasuke face twisted up incomprehensively. "Wait—what? But you are Kurama."
Naruto smirked slightly as his eyes twinkled mischievously. "That I am, as he is I."
"Naruto you're scaring me, what does that mean?" Sasuke's worried voice came out urgently.
"I can show you if you'd like," Naruto tilted his head to the side with an innocently cocked eyebrow. "Do you trust me?"
"With my life," Sasuke answered without hesitation.
Naruto saw no reservations in Sasuke's eyes. "Alright, look at my eyes."
Sasuke's lips formed a nervous line as he obeyed. He saw Naruto's eyes flash red then gold, the next moment he was in a very large, softly lit room. In front of him was a smiling Naruto sitting on the floor cross legged.
"What is this? Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming right?" Sasuke laughed nervously as he pinched himself.
'Ouch!' He thought.
"You pinched yourself, of course it's going to hurt, teme" Naruto scoffed playfully.
Sasuke's face drew up in confusion, he was sure he hadn't said that out loud.
'I'm just being paranoid,' he tried to assure himself.
"No, you're not. In here I can hear your thoughts," Naruto explained, trying to lessen Sasuke's inner turmoil.
Sasuke looked like his brain had just about short circuited. "This—this is crazy! I have to be dreaming."
"I thought our mate was supposed to be intelligent," a bone chilling rumble washed over him from behind. It was terrifying, but something about it felt oddly calm and familiar as well.
Naruto scoffed. "Kyu leave him be. This is a lot to take in."
"You didn't have any troubles when we met and you were barely five." Kurama huffed.
"I also spent every coherent second of my life with Minato demanding I speak with the demon inside of me," Naruto deadpanned.
With a click of his giant tongue, Kurama waved his paw dismissively. 'Tch, details."
Sasuke swallowed audibly. Even with Naruto speaking with the frightening voice so casually, he didn't dare turn around.
In the blink of an eye Naruto was beside him looking down at him. "Come on Sasuke, turn around, I want you to meet Kurama."
Sasuke looked at him like he was crazy. "This isn't real right? I've just totally lost my mind and am seeing and hearing things right?"
"Not only is our mate stupid but he's a coward," Kurama taunted as he placed his face directly behind the Uchiha. The fox was convinced if this wasn't their soul mate he'd eat him.
Sasuke was many things, a coward was not one of them. Dream or not he was going to give that terrifying voice a piece of his mind. He whirled around in a furry to be greeted by a humongous crimson eye. Words couldn't escape him as he froze in fear. He was positive he was dreaming now, he'd seen this exact eye in a dream before. 'This is fucking crazy, I can wake up any fucking time now!' his brain mentally scrambled.
Naruto shook his head. "Kyu stop scaring him."
Sasuke watched as the giant creature became mysteriously illuminated as its great body pushed upwards to sit upright. Sasuke knew this, it was the nine tailed fox from Naruto's tattoo.
Kurama turned his nose up with a breathy huff. "Give me a break, you never do anything fun, you can at least give me this."
Sasuke watched the magnificent creature and Naruto as they playfully argued, it sort of reminded him of Itachi and himself. It was becoming oddly soothing and that terrified the living shit out of him for some reason. He was an intelligent man who understood logic. This? Nothing about this was even remotely logical.
"Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?!" Sasuke's frantic shout broke them of their banter.
Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke. "I'm what's called a Jinchūriki and this," he gestured his thumb in the direction of Kurama, "is Kurama, the nine tailed fox spirit I carry within me."
"You don't carry me anymore, you are me," Kurama snarkily corrected.
Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "Tch, details," he smirked as he mocked his companions' early statement.
Sasuke allowed himself to slump on the floor. "You may as well be speaking to me in Latin."
"Maybe you weren't ready for this," Naruto mumbled audibly. "Not that anyone would ever be ready for something like this."
Sasuke blinked at him slowly, he wasn't sure how much more his psyche could handle right now. He'd already been sent through an emotional whirlwind, was this just caused by the stress of it all?
"Now where would you get a crazy Idea like that? It's totally normal to meet a giant fucking fox who keeps calling me his mate, right?" Sasuke snorted sarcastically.
"His name is Kurama," Naruto corrected with a slight pout. Soulmate or not, he'd make sure Sasuke showed his companion the respect he deserved. "And like I said before bringing you into my mind, he is me and I am him. When he says your our mate he means soulmate. Remember me telling you I believed in soulmates?"
Sasuke didn't have to think, he remembered Naruto's words instantly. "Yes."
"Okay good," Naruto nodded to himself. "You know how you were pulled towards Kurama, erm my band persona before you knew it was me? And how every time we're together we can't seem to stand being even a foot apart?"
That was all true, he felt like he was magnetised to him. Also, the moment he was graced with Kurama's presence he felt like the huge hole inside him had started to fill. "Yeah?"
"Well like I said, I'm a Jinchūriki, and we have soulmates. You are my soulmate Sasuke. It's the reason we broke each other's barrier's down so quickly, it's the reason that all this time we couldn't erase the effect we have on each other." Naruto explained.
"You say Jinchūriki, but what does that mean exactly?" Sasuke looked lost, he felt on the brink of information overload.
It was Kurama who spoke this time. "He is the vessel that guards me from all. He is the one who keeps me safe and made me whole once again. Naruto is my home, my life. Without him I'm nothing more than a massive energy source begging to be used and abused."
Sasuke looked at the fox incredulously. "You know, that sounds nice and all, if I understood what any of that actually meant."
Kurama sighed. "For you to understand, I have to go back to the beginning."
And so the fox told him the story of Divinity, Hagoromo and Kaguya. He told him of Kaguya and her decedent's greed and how Hagoromo divided divinity's energy, giving it to nine innocent animals. He told him of the realm for tailed beasts and how even separated they were still in grave danger. Finally getting to the explanation of Jinchūriki, and the impossible circumstances that must come to pass for one to be born.
By the time Kurama had finished explaining how he was the last spirit to get his Jinchūriki and the story behind Minato and Kushina Sasuke's brain was officially overloaded but he couldn't help but feel awed by just how miraculous Naruto coming to be truly was. Naruto was something of legends and he grew up treated worse than vermin. The injustice of it all throttled him to his core.
"You couldn't have helped him?" Sasuke shouted furiously.
"Sasuke," Naruto warned sternly.
"No! How many times did you almost die, Naruto?!" Sasuke roared in injustice.
"I don't know, a lot." Naruto responded calmly and even. He was clearly not affected by Sasuke's outrage.
"And he just sat inside and watched?!" Sasuke pointed an accusative finger at the fox. He didn't care if it was big enough to swallow him whole. This creature apparently worshiped Naruto but wouldn't lift a finger to help him?
"Sasuke, enough," Naruto cautioned darkly. "He couldn't, he was locked inside of me."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the fox with a well placed sneer. "And that means what exactly?"
"It means that I was powerless until the seal that locked me inside was released and I merged my energy with his," Kurama droned out.
Sasuke grumbled impatiently, "Meaning?"
"Meaning, I was sealed inside Naruto when he was born and forced to watch him suffer while I could do nothing but hope his body would eventually be strong enough to merge with my massive energy." Kurama snarled. Soulmate or not, how dare he think he'd enjoyed watching his Jinchūriki suffer at the hand of that swine?
The bassy snarl sent a gust of breath hurling over Sasuke making his shudder. Maybe he was pushing his luck. Sasuke swallowed thickly. "What do you mean, hope his body would eventually be strong enough?"
"He means it was highly likely that I wouldn't be strong enough to withstand the might of him and combust upon releasing the seal." Naruto answered far too casually for Sasuke's liking.
Sasuke whipped his head around, staring daggers at the blond. "You could have died and you still opened the seal?"
"I stayed sealed and you were angry. I was unsealed and you're angry. So tell me Uchiha, what exactly do you want to hear?" Kurama barked out.
"I-I..." Sasuke stammered. What did he want to hear? Sasuke dejectedly hung his head. "I just wanted Naruto to have a life he deserved."
"Everything I've been through has made me the person I am today," Naruto tilted Sasuke's chin up to look at him. "Everything I've been through has brought us here and now, let's not worry about things we can't change, yeah?"
Sasuke's eyes were pained and hesitant, but he trusted Naruto more than anyone else. "Okay," he smiled softly.
If anyone ever asked, Kurama would deny the smile that pulled at his toothy mouth. The fox eventually cleared his throat, disrupting the two who were getting lost in each other's eyes. "So is everything all cleared up then?" Kurama really just wanted to get back to his nap.
'Lazy fucking fox," Naruto though teasingly.
'Bratty fucking human,' Kurama though back fondly. An invisible grin pulled at both Jinchūriki and tailed beast, leaving Sasuke oblivious to their private exchange.
Sasuke reluctantly looked away from those pulchritudinous eyes he loved so much and looked up to the fox. Naruto sighed and lowered his hand.
Sasuke thought for a moment and realised they had gone off on a tangent just so he could grasp what was happening. "Actually, no." Sasuke turned back to the blond. "You were telling me about that night when you brought me here, how does that correlate?"
Naruto visibly tensed. "We undid the seal that night."
"What?!" Sasuke was flabbergasted. He didn't fully grasp all these complex ideas but he now knew that Naruto could have died from doing that.
"He was dying," Kurama's voice came out somber and gravely. "He lost too much blood, it was either try to save his life and risk killing him, or do nothing and let him die."
"So we chose to go down fighting," Naruto's voice echoed out softly. His eyes glimmering with fondness.
"You're goddamn right we did," Kurama smirked affectionately.
"Anyways, merging obviously worked and my life was saved," Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, like he hadn't nearly died.
"Idiot," Sasuke smacked him upside the head. "Don't you dare make light of almost dying!" He hit him once again for good measure before muttering, "idiot," once more.
Naruto didn't even bother to rub the abused portion of his skull, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't missed Sasuke's feistiness. "What else am I supposed to do about it? It's in the past, it hardly matters now."
"Plus we finally dealt with that worthless ape," Kurama added proudly.
From what Sasuke heard, Minato had killed himself. Now that he thought about it, after hearing Naruto explain the events of that night, Minato's suicide doesn't exactly add up. "What do you mean?" he asked curiously.
"We brought him here," Kurama sighed dreamily.
"Where Kurama proceeded to scare the ever living shit out of him," Naruto added in an amused tone.
"Hey, I made him a promise, and like you I keep all my promises," Kurama flashed a dangerously toothy smile.
"Pro-promise?" Sasuke stuttered. Those teeth sent a terrifying shudder down Sasuke's spine. He never wanted to be on the creature's bad side. Now that he thought about it, he realized how idiotic it was to scold at the mighty beast earlier.
"I told him I'd make him pay and I did. With all the things us tailed beasts have been put through I've always hated humans, that was until I was blessed with Naruto. Minato thought he could blame both Naruto and me for killing Kushina but it was him that used me to bestow the pregnancy upon her. It was his fault she died and he refused to take responsibility. "Kurama's lip turned up in a violent snarl. It was enough to make the Uchiha want to cower away.
"He didn't want to hear it so I made him listen to the only person he would listen to," the foxes face turned into a sadistic smile. "I gave him Kushina."
Sasuke's mouth gaped, "How is that possible?"
"He didn't actually give him my mother he just transformed into her to fuck with Minato's mind." Naruto was quick to add.
"Still," Sasuke muttered in wonder. He couldn't help but wonder what other things the fox could do. That got him wondering about what sort of things Naruto was capable of as well.
"I still think he got off easy," Kurama scoffed.
Naruto snorted. "You're not wrong but recovering from death kind of obscures one's priorities."
Sasuke swallowed thickly. "What happened?"
"I had put him under hypnosis that simulated some of the torture he subjected Naruto to. To him it felt like thirty years but it was merely ten second to us." Kurama stated sinisterly. "When he came too I, or Kushina rather, gave him an ultimatum. Live eternity a drooling bumbling fool stuck in a never ending loop of torture or end his own pathetic existence-"
"And the coward chose to end his own life,'' Naruto finished for his companion.
'What do I even say to that?' Sasuke mentally frowned. He wasn't even sure how the whole situation made him feel.
Naruto looked down at the perturbed man. "You don't need to say anything."
Sasuke lightly scowled at the blond. "Goddamnit Naruto, stop reading my thoughts. It's intrusive and frankly it's fucking creepy!"
Naruto shrugged. "Sorry, it just sort of happens here. I hear your thoughts the same as if you were speaking."
"Creepy," Sasuke grumbled under his breath. He wouldn't admit it, but he did find it sort of cool.
Naruto smirked, deep down Sasuke was still as prickly as ever. "Alright, how about we take this conversation back out into the real world then? You know, where your thoughts are safe."
"Hn," Sasuke hummed his agreement.
"Just one more thing," Kurama smirked wickedly.
Naruto knew what was coming. "Do you have to Kyu?"
With a flash of a sharp, toothy smile, Sasuke found himself wrapped in a plush warmth. Suddenly he was lifted off the floor effortlessly and brought up to the great foxes face and placed atop its large, surprisingly soft snout. Sasuke couldn't get his body to move or speak, Breathing even seemed difficult.
"You listen here Uchiha, you may be our soulmate but if you ever pull that shit on him again it'll be me you'll be dealing with, capeesh?"
Sasuke felt like he was looking death in the eyes, and he kind of was. He gulped loudly and nodded furiously. "I hear you loud and clear. You have nothing to worry about, I plan on spending the rest of my life making it up to him. If I fuck it up I'll gladly throw myself to you," he managed to finish sounding profoundly resolved.
Kurama's large crimson eyes bore into him, stripping him down bare to his soul. "Fine, I'll hold you to that."
That foreign warmth wrapped its way around Sasuke again and in the blink of an eye he was starting out over the lake again, except the sun was now setting. The lake reflected the sky that was saturated with an array of pretty pinks and oranges, sneaky purples peaking through in places that were nearly hidden. It was a beautiful sight.
"Kyu let you live huh?" Naruto's amused voice brought him out of his viewing.
"Yeah, he just wanted to make sure I didn't fuck up again," Sasuke droned out somewhat dazed.
Naruto's brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"
"That really happened?" Sasuke asked tentatively.
Naruto smiled softly. "That really happened."
"It's just all so..." Sasuke was having trouble finding words.
"Unbelievable?" Naruto guessed.
"Yes," Sasuke nodded slowly. One minute I'm here, then I'm there. Now I'm back here and night's approaching."
Naruto rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Sorry about that, time moves differently in my mind. I didn't want to throw all this at you but it's kind of hard to explain that night when you don't have the whole story. Yet another reason I've put off this conversation."
"I understand and I'm glad you trust me with this," Sasuke assured him with a small smile. "It's just a lot you know?" He went to pick up his abandoned glass of wine only to stop when he realised not only was it warm but also full of very dead insects.
'Death by wine drowning, what a way to go,' he mentally snorted and waited to see if Naruto still heard him. He was pleased when no comments correlating to his thoughts were voiced.
"At least I didn't hit you with everything," Naruto awkwardly jokes.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke felt like he was starting to sound like a goddamn broken record with the amount of times he's asked the same question today.
"There's so much more that comes with being a Jinchūriki." Naruto paused for a moment, a flash of remembrance danced across his face. "It's also another reason I was able to disappear so quickly after surgery. It was also the reason I had to leave. Even if I hadn't walked in on you and Neji I still would have left."
Sasuke furrowed his brow in confusion. "Why?" He could understand Naruto leaving after what he did, but why would he want to leave if they remained the way they were?
Naruto grimaced. "This energy isn't easy to control. I had to go where there was someone who knew about Jinchūriki. I needed someone who could help me gain control. You know I actually met that thirsty nuisance Suigetsu on my plane ride away? I almost caused the plane to crash countless times just because he was irritating me, that's how dangerous my uncontrolled power is. If simple frustration caused me to almost kill a plane full of innocent people, what would have happened if I unleashed all my pent up sorrow and furry? I was dangerous to be around."
Sasuke was irked at the mention of the icy haired man but that was quickly washed away by the worry he had for Naruto's well being. "And you're in control now?" He didn't really know what control meant, he only knew that above him and everyone else, Naruto's safety was absolutely paramount.
"Yeah, have been for a while, Jiraiya's a great teacher," Naruto smiled fondly at the thought of his favourite amphibian clad male.
Sasuke's face scrunched up in realisation. "Jiraiya as in your manager?"
"Yep, him and the rest of them helped me a lot," Naruto prattled on enthusiastically." Gaara, Han, Bee, Fu, Rōshi, Yagura, Yugito, Utakata, they all helped me learn different aspects. Of course I'm a bit different then the rest of them so I had to learn some things by trial and error, but they were always there if I needed anything."
Hearing Naruto speak so openly warmed Sasuke's heart. He was jealous of these people who had the privilege of seeing his blond, he had a guess as to who they might be but when it came to things that involved Naruto he's learned not to make assumptions. "Who are they?"
"Oh, they're all the other Jinchūriki. Most of them are in Jinchu, it's only Rōshi and Yugito who didn't share the same passion for music as the rest of us," Naruto explained as he started swatting at random mosquitoes that were buzzing around Sasuke. They seemed to thrive this time of year.
Sasuke felt like he had so many more questions but his mind was overloaded with information. "I see."
Naruto noticed something was bothering him. "What's wrong?"
Sasuke's face held a contemplative gaze. "It's just, I know I have more to ask you but my brain seems to be a little too overwhelmed to process everything."
"Ah," Naruto seemed to accept this answer easily enough. "That's alright, you don't need all the answers right now. You can always ask me whenever something comes to mind."
Sasuke let out a breath of relief. "Alright, that sounds good." He was worried this conversation would be a one time thing. Naruto had always made him want to ask questions.
"Hn, now how about we go inside before you get eaten alive?" Naruto teased.
Sasuke threw a weak glare at him. "What, mosquitoes allergic to dobe's?"
Naruto winked at him. "Maybe they are teme. Maybe they are."
"Whatever," Sasuke grumbled, but it didn't hold any bite. It came out almost affectionately.
Naruto smirked as he stood up, grabbing his glass and the wine bottle. "Come on, let's go."
Sasuke nodded and rose. He grabbed his own glass, quickly dumping it before following behind the blond. He was so deep in thought he didn't even realise they'd approach the house.
As Naruto slid the heavy glass door open he stepped aside to allow Sasuke in before closing and locking it behind them. Sasuke's pensive look didn't go unnoticed. "What's wrong?" Naruto's voice laced with concern.
"Hn?" Sasuke's dazed voice hummed.
"You look like somethings bothering you," Naruto's voice was almost timid. After everything he'd thrown at Sasuke, part of him expected the man to go running for the hills.
"I guess this doesn't really feel real, you know? It all feels like another one of my crazy dreams." Sasuke shrugged as he followed Naruto into the kitchen where they placed their glasses down.
Naruto drummed his finger against the marble countertop. "Hn, well I can assure you it's definitely not a dream."
Sasuke sat down on one of the bar stools. "Yeah, that doesn't really sell it."
"Oh?" Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "And what would sell it?"
"Well..." Sasuke dragged out with a devilish smirk. "There is one thing that could help convince me."
Naruto's own lip curled upwards. "I think I have just the thing." Naruto pushed himself off the counter then held his hand out for Sasuke to take.
A swarm of butterflies erupted in Sasuke's abdomen as he took the blond's hand without hesitation. "Let's see what you've got dobe."