A/N: Characters of Naruto do not belong to me. And just so you know, I do appreciate the reviews I have received, I just don't make it a habit of answering them because I'm afraid I'll slip up and reveal something. I like twisted stuff despite having written a few happy endings, general stuff... I do occasionally write dark and off the wall fics, and one really good example is the Gundam Wing fanfic Living Hell, written a very long time ago and based somewhat off of the Silent Hill games, which one has to be familiar with the second one more so than the rest. It has been a while since I've tried writing a horror one since then so I figured I'd try it again with a different fandom. :) Enjoy the ride.

The Portrait From the Attic
Chapter 5

"Son of a bitch!" Sasuke actually shouted as he stormed back into the mansion. "There's a scratch on my car and the front seat has been moved! They should have just put me up in an inn or something! Anything but drive my car back here!"

Naruto rolled his eyes as he cleaned up the kitchen. Figures that the only thing that would set Sasuke off into a rambling mode was when someone messed up his car - or to be more exact, someone other than Naruto. When Naruto was responsible, it was a few snide remarks and then the ultimate silent treatment. Not that it bothered Naruto too much. Sasuke's ultimate silent treatment really wasn't that different from his usual conversational skills.

So for now he let Sasuke rant, figuring it would be great vocal exercises for the man.

By the time Sasuke was done ranting, the house was thrown into silence for almost half an hour. Then Sasuke began to talk to him as they worked side by side, replacing several of the cracked wooden floorboards in the ball room.

"So I've been thinking... if we're going to pull this off, we're going to have to put in orders through the phone or internet. I can do that at work during my breaks. It'll raise suspicion if I buy makeup and wigs and stuff like that in town."

Naruto cleared his throat. "Wigs... you don't have to worry about those, Sasuke. I actually found some in the attic the other day. Tried one on yesterday. It fits fine, and it looks real."

"Well, that's one thing out of the way. Then we have to look for a few outfits so that maybe every once in a while we can go to town."

Naruto winced. Go into public dressed as a woman? Didn't sound very appealing at all. "Speaking of going into town, can we get a second car?"

"Why?"

"Well, so that I can go every now and then as myself. I mean, people already met me at the diner, and it would be weird that I don't show up every now and then to get stuff for my... sister."

Sasuke looked at him somewhat wary. "Sister?"

"Yeah... when people realized I was living with you, I told them you were married to my sister." Naruto responded somewhat calmly. He knew that Sasuke's wariness was in wondering how the topic of Naruto's relationship to him came up, considering that he had supposedly come up with the idea one day before Naruto went to volunteer. He knew that Sasuke would get angry if he had to defend his actions, so Naruto tried to play it off like it was his idea. "They seemed to accept it without question."

"Hn. I'll think about it. Maybe during this week when you volunteer again, you can spend some of the time looking at some used vehicles or something."

Naruto gave him a big grin, earning a small smirk from Sasuke.

Both of them returned to working with a bit of restored energy.

Naruto watched Sasuke from the corner of his eye. It was times like these when everything felt all right. Especially when he would look up and catch Sasuke giving him a gentle look.

"You're making me blush," Naruto said, deciding to tease Sasuke.

Sasuke snorted as he sanded the new floorboard.

"Probably because you're filling your own head with kinky thoughts. You want to christian this floor when we're done?"

This time Naruto really did flush. "Eh?! Sasuke, you're the one being perverted! I'm not about to ruin our hard work doing anything like that on top of it!"

Sasuke chuckled. "I'm joking. I don't want our work ruined either."

The rest of the day went by too fast for Naruto. Despite the horrible night before, and the tense morning, the remainder of the day was just like when they were in college, just starting their relationship. Sasuke would joke with him back then, tease him, and give him his undivided attention. Of course in public Sasuke became an asshole. At least it improved over the years to an all around jerk, an annoyance to others but nothing that inspired hatred and malice towards him. After dinner, Naruto was treated with slow and gentle sex on the couch in front of the fireplace that was in the entertainment room. It was during that time as they were cuddling wearing nothing but boxers that Sasuke brought up the night before.

"I am sorry," he said, as he ran his hand up and down Naruto's arm. "Did I hurt you?"

Naruto remained silent for a bit as his head rested on Sasuke's shoulder. His hand rested on Sasuke's exposed chest. "It doesn't hurt much anymore."

Sasuke winced. "Yeah, well, these scratches still do."

Naruto traced one of the scratches gently. "I honestly don't remember doing this."

"If I was wasted enough to not even remember getting home... I'm pretty sure I deserved it. I didn't even call to let you know I was going to be late."

Naruto felt guilty, seeing the solemn look on Sasuke's face. "That's okay. One of your supervisors dropped by to let me know."

Sasuke looked at him sharply. "Who?"

"Um, Neji Hyuuga. Nice guy. A bit weird sometimes though. Ouch!"

Sasuke's grip on his shoulder had tightened painfully. He let go as soon as Naruto cried out. "Sorry. He came here?"

Naruto nodded.

"Don't invite him in next time."

"Sasuke... the trip up here takes a while. I'm not going to have a person come all the way up here and then not invite him in."

"He has the house number. He doesn't have to come all this way. Don't invite him in next time. In fact, pretend no one is home unless we're expecting some package delivery or something."

Naruto felt his anger growing. "Sasuke, isn't he a supervisor? And isn't he the one that knows about us?"

"Which is why I don't want you near him."

"Why?"

"Because I said so." Sasuke practically pushed Naruto away and crossed his arms, body language clearly stating he didn't want to be touched any longer.

Naruto's temper flared as he asked himself again why did he stay with Sasuke when the man was constantly going hot or cold with him. Naruto stood up from the couch. "Because you say so?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Sasuke stood up to, eyes flashing red. "Your lover. And I'd like to believe if national law permits it, your husband considering how long we've been together!"

"That's just it! You say you're my lover but you act like I'm some servant or toy that you take out only when you want to play!"

"I do not!"

"I no longer have any friends..."

"Like you need them!"

"and... Everyone needs friends, you asshole! I had them!"

"Then where are they now?"

"You! They stopped hanging out with me because of you!"

"Guess they weren't real friends, otherwise they still would have kept contact with you."

"They stood back because I thought it would make you happier but you really haven't changed a bit. If anything you're worse!"

Silence reigned, Naruto breathing heavily from all the shouting, and Sasuke looking murderous.

Sasuke then shoved Naruto out of his way and stormed out of the room.

Naruto almost fell to the ground, eyes wide in surprise. Sasuke had never gotten physically violent with him while sober. To be honest, it left Naruto feeling a bit scared for his safety. If Sasuke began hurting him while being aware of it... who knew how far he would start taking it. Naruto sat back down on the sofa, feeling numb. He sat there for some time, long enough for the fire to go out in the fireplace.

Realizing that Sasuke was not going to come down and apologize to him, Naruto made his way upstairs. He tried to go into their room quietly, but was given an even nastier surprise of finding the door locked. Naruto felt hurt, and the fear climbed a bit. Sleeping in the same room with Sasuke had made him tolerate the house a bit better at night. Being forced out of the room made Naruto feel anxious, despite the irony that he hated that room the most.

Naruto went back to his old room, glad that he hadn't gotten rid of any of the bedding despite the tiny chance of ever having company over. Naruto slid under the covers, far from feeling sleepy and began to reflect on his past. He questioned himself as to his reason of staying with Sasuke. Was it really because the man had begged so pitifully for him not to go? And what exactly was the deciding factor for him to even get together with Sasuke? Thinking hard about it, Naruto had a hard time defining himself as being gay, especially since Sasuke was the only man that he ever had sex with. If it was Sasuke that pursued him in their college years, and Naruto rejected him to several months, why stay with him?

Naruto sighed and rolled over.

Someone in a dress was standing in the corner.

"Augh!"

Naruto sat up, throwing the covers off of him and scrambling off of his bed, blindly reaching for the small table lamp that was by the side of the bed. He flipped the switch and the room was bathed in soft light. His heart pounded loudly against his chest as he tried to catch his breath. Nothing but a chair sat in the corner, the drapes of the window resting partially on it. Naruto stared at it for a bit, trying to understand how he could have mistaken a chair and a drape as a person. It looked nothing like a female figure.

A few minutes later, Naruto got back into bed, feeling extremely cold. It was as if his bones had chilled, making him shiver. He turned off the light and glanced back at the corner, hands trembling as he pulled the covers out. In the darkness, he could make out the shape of the chair and the drape. It still didn't look human at all. The chill in his body got worse, and it felt like everything was going numb. He wanted to call out for Sasuke, but the fear that Sasuke would become angry kept him from saying anything. He actually expected the man to come barging into his room and demanding to know why Naruto screamed. But nothing happened, and Naruto felt his eyelids growing heavy. But it wasn't sleep, at least not really. He felt as if something heavy was sitting on his chest, and even though he was looking at the ceiling, he felt as if he should have been looking at a face.

Then his eyes closed and he began to dream.

Happy blue eyes looked into a mirror, admiring how slim her figure was in the handmade dress that had taken several weeks to make. Surely he would be pleased. Taking light steps, the young woman quickly descended down the stairs and did not stop until stepping through the front door. A gentleman stood waiting in the yard, strolling near the small pond. He turned around, and cold, calculating eyes looked up. They melted away into a gentle look as his hands raised up and beckoned. She slid into his arms and a chaste kiss was exchanged.

The embrace was warm.

And then it was gone.

Sad blue eyes glanced at his reflection in the window as he buttoned up his coat. He descended down the stairs, faltering when he encountered a gentleman with dark hair coming up. Cold and calculating dark eyes looked up at him and they gave way to a fiery look. Fear settled in the pit of his stomach as he tried to pass the gentleman. A tight grip around his upper arm stopped him, forcing him to turn and acknowledge the man. A smirk was given, and then he was let go. He waited for a few moments, watching as the other man ascended the steps. Then he fled down.

Angry blue eyes glared into a handheld mirror as her free hand tugged at a loose strand of hair. The mirror was slammed down after a brief moment. Hands picked up a series of drawings, sketches done in charcoal of a young man with a cheerful smile. Trembling hands ripped one in two. Reaching for a second, her wrists were seized and she was yanked around. Deadly dark eyes looked her way, and a burning sensation raked across her cheek as she fell to the ground. Looking up from the ground, the gentleman turned away and collected the scattered drawings. He walked away with them in his hand.

Wary blue eyes looked at the mirror's reflection of the gentleman standing behind him. A look of resignation flittered by and he turned. The gentleman smiled gently at him, grasping his hands and tugging him forward. A hand reached up and caressed his face.

Bloodshot blue eyes stared into the water's reflection. Tears dripped into the surface as another step was taken forward. Water weighed down the layered garments of her dress. Hands were folded across her bosom, wishing for her heart to still. Another step was taken, and the water reached up to her neck. It wasn't very long now. Not at all.

His lungs burned for air as a sharp pain burst on his cheek.

"Wake up and breathe!" he heard a familiar voice yell.

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he gasped for air, feeling light headed. He stared blankly at the stars in the sky before a hand grabbed his chin and redirected his face towards Sasuke.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke was asking, anger clear in his eyes.

Naruto could feel his back itching and he looked around.

He was outside, on the ground. He could see the weeds from the corner of his eyes, and briefly he wondered if Sasuke hadn't been next to him, would he have been completely hidden in the grass.

"Well?"

"Wha?" Naruto looked at Sasuke, his confusion giving way to fright. "What happened? I... how did I..?"

"You're walking out in the cold half nude, dumb ass! Get up!"

Naruto felt the ground shift as Sasuke stood up and then reached down to yank him upwards. He began to shiver as he looked around, deja vu settling in. He was outside of the house, but what made it weird was seeing it at night. He never stepped foot out after dark, at least not alone. And finding himself in a low ground almost fifty yards away from the front door... He felt he had been in this exact place before.

Sasuke sighed and took off the robe he was wearing, throwing it on Naruto who was wearing only boxers. He guided Naruto towards the house, not saying another word.

Once inside, Sasuke led Naruto up the stairs and into their room.

"Take a shower," he said in an emotionless voice. "Otherwise you'll probably catch a cold and then pneumonia or something."

Naruto nodded, still feeling numb and unsure of what had happened.

He used extremely warm water for his shower, shivering badly as his body began to warm up. As he closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair, he remembered glimpses of the dream he was having before being woken up outside. Wasn't he in a pond in his dream? And wasn't the pond outside in the front yard? Naruto opened his eyes, trying to focus on the dream instead of the pain he remembered of being unable to breathe underwater. There wasn't a pond in front of this house, but maybe long ago there was. That would explain the dip where the grass and weeds always seemed to grow the fastest and longest. But why did he walk there? He never had an episode of sleepwalking before. And he was pretty sure that he didn't go for a walk and forgot what he was doing because he was still just wearing his boxers.

As Naruto turned off the water, he caught a glimpse of Sasuke's shadow through the shower curtain.

He sighed and closed his eyes again.

"How did you find me?" he asked.

"Heard the door open so I looked out the window."

Naruto opened his eyes in confusion. The shadow was no longer there and Sasuke's voice came from the other side of the door. The man could be extremely silent when he wanted to. He didn't even hear the door open. A tiny squeak was then heard as the door opened and Sasuke walked in.

"Here's a towel and a robe."

Naruto pulled back the curtain and looked up at Sasuke, reaching for the towel first.

"What?" Sasuke asked, looking surly.

"Oh, uh... um... thanks." Naruto quickly dried himself off and then grabbed the robe. Thanks to the argument they had earlier in the day, Naruto felt uncomfortable to the point of suffocation being in such a small room with Sasuke. He had almost expected the man to leave the robe within reach and leave the bathroom, but instead he just stood there leaning against the wall, waiting for Naruto to be done.

Naruto stepped out of the shower and threw the robe on him. He hesitantly made his past Sasuke, but was stopped by a firm hand.

"You know I love you, right?" Sasuke said.

Naruto stared at him with wide eyes, feeling a small blush rise on his cheeks. It was the way Sasuke said it. There was no emotion to the comment, so instead of feeling giddy at the words, Naruto felt embarrassment instead. "Yeah," he responded softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so angry with you earlier."

Sasuke pulled him forward.

Naruto sighed and allowed himself to be held. To be honest, he never really liked the way Sasuke expressed some of his physical love. He was always treated as if he were a girl. But because Sasuke always had a hard time expressing what he felt... Naruto felt as if it was his duty to allow him to do as he pleased. At the same time, he supposed it made him feel self conscious when Sasuke had his head tucked under his chin like some child.

"Let's go to bed."

Naruto allowed Sasuke to lead him to their bed and offered no resistance as the man gently helped him in. He stared up at the ceiling, still pondering how and why he had ended up outside. He didn't respond when Sasuke cuddled up against him, instead just choosing to lay there. He ignored Sasuke's hands as they slowly began to caress his chest and stomach, only taking a small gasp of air when the hands finally reached much lower and grasped his soft member.

Naruto grasped Sasuke's hand and turned to look at him, confusion in his eyes.

"Just feel," Sasuke whispered as he continued his administrations.

Naruto moaned as he felt himself harden, and he could feel his cheeks flushing. He let go of Sasuke's hand and instead gripped the sheets underneath him, hips beginning to thrust upwards randomly as Sasuke pumped him at different rhythms. A couple times Naruto could open his eyes and look at Sasuke before closing them again and tilting his head upwards as pleasure coursed through his body. Sasuke's eyes were on him, staring at him with such intensity that Naruto felt borderline between shame and feeling flattered. But as his heart rate rose as he was pushed further and further towards completion, Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that something else was also staring at him. He could feel the fire of Sasuke's eyes on his right, but he could feel an icy coldness on his left. Glancing over he could see nothing solid, but a couple times, it did look like a shadow.

Naruto finally cried out as he spurted over Sasuke's hand and stomach.

As he lay there panting, Sasuke leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear. "Dobe, please don't ever think of leaving me."

Naruto let out a deep sigh and he turned to face him, his eyelids growing heavy.

"Sasuke," he whispered, as he felt himself falling asleep. He wanted to respond, but he was too tired. But his last conscious thought was of how similar the intense look Sasuke gave him was to the look of the gentleman on the staircase in his dream.

XXX

Naruto was rather surprised when Sasuke handed him the car keys.

"It's gonna be a late night and I already got a ride," was all Sasuke said as he got into the passenger side.

"Uh, okay." Naruto went to the driver's side without a word.

Unlike the last trip into town, the drive was rather quiet. Ever since the sleep walking incident, and Sasuke's soft plea for Naruto to remain with him, Sasuke had gone back to being silent. They only spoke when they needed to, but at least Sasuke remained gentle with him in bed. It didn't feel completely forced. Naruto had suffered a couple more blackouts since then, but only for a few minutes. Each time, Sasuke stared at him weirdly and seemed almost hesitant to touch him. And while Naruto felt increasingly uncomfortable again in the house, that feeling diminished the day before his volunteer day. He was looking forward to the diner and meeting up with Kakashi. In the trunk he had managed to store a few of the Sai's drawings and the two journals he had found. He was hoping that maybe Kakashi could find a way to gently open them.

Since Sasuke's work began earlier than the hours at the rec center, Naruto dropped him off. He only leaned towards Sasuke when the man leaned over to him first to give him a peck on the cheek.

"Take care," Sasuke said. "And be careful on the way home."

"I will," Naruto promised.

Naruto only had time to stop by for a quick bite at the diner, but Ayame was thrilled to see him. From there he went to the rec center and confirmed that he was working at the library that day. He would be reading twice for visiting school children, and then would be assisting in finding research material for college students present. Upon his arrival, he was pleased to see that Kakashi was working there that day.

"Good to see you," said the man, face partially hidden behind a large stack of books.

"Glad that you're here," said Naruto. "You won't believe what I've got in the back of my car."

Kakashi's eye twinkled. "Do tell," he purred, making Naruto chuckle.

Naruto glanced at the time. "Oh, drats. Guess I'll have to wait until after story time. Looks like my first gig is up."

Kakashi narrowed his one visible eye. "Promise?"

"Promise."

Naruto went to the children's corner and settled down just as a couple of teachers came in with elementary students. The forty five minutes of story time went fast for Naruto, who seemed to enjoy it almost as much as the young students. When he went to look for Kakashi, he found out that the man was gone. WHen he asked the head librarian about him, he was told that there was some emergency and that Kakashi had headed out to take care of it.

Feeling disappointed, Naruto went to his station.

It was almost an hour before lunch time when he realized he was being stared at by a man almost his age. The man had dark eyes, grey hair, and glasses. Naruto felt uncomfortable with the scrutiny.

"Can I help you?" he finally asked.

"Sorry," the man responded, his voice polite and soft despite the arrogant look on his face. "You look extremely familiar. Are you a Hatake?"

Naruto gave a start. "Uzumaki," he responded. "Do you know a Hatake that looks like me?"

The man shook his head in confusion. "Then I'm really sorry. My name is Kabuto, and I use to work in a house that had pictures of a man named Rey Hatake. He looked so much like you."

Naruto's eyes widened. "I live in that house and I've seen those pictures."

"Amazing!" Kabuto sat down next to Naruto. "I use to work for the old master of that house. An eccentric man named Orochimaru."

"Eccentric how?" Naruto asked, curious to know more about Sasuke's uncle.

"Well, he wasn't always weird. When I first knew him he was definitely a brilliant man. I admired him very much. He was a scientist and a doctor, and did lots of research. I was hired to keep up with his paperwork. But that didn't last long. He started getting weird and pretty soon ended up bedridden. He emptied out a lot of the house and only kept his room and the kitchen well stocked. I'm thinking the stress of his research just drove him to the point of being crazy. Those last few months were hard on me. I mean, to see a man you really admire lose himself to some unknown thing."

Naruto shifted uncomfortable. "Unknown thing?"

Kabuto nodded. "Stress. I mean, the man enjoyed his work, so for him to be stressed out to the point of losing his sanity, it just doesn't make sense. He began to say that he was seeing things and hearing things. His weirdest requests were for me to store everything that belonged to the Utamakis and the Hatakes up in the attic, or far from his room. He began to hate the sight of the..." Kabuto gave Naruto a look. "You... you're lover to Orochimaru's nephew, aren't you?"

Naruto turned bright red. "Don't say things like that!" he hissed.

"Sorry. I know what it's like in this town," Kabuto responded, lowering his voice. "I mean, I saw your picture, now that I think about it. You and Sasuey?"

"Sasuke."

"Yeah, him. Orochimaru mentioned that the house was fitting for the two of you. Thinking back on it... I think I understand why he felt that way."

"He felt a house that was driving him crazy was fitting for us?" Naruto asked, feeling both angry and a bit frightened. Of course Kabuto didn't say that the house had driven Orochimaru crazy, but if he himself were feeling it while all alone, then Naruto couldn't help but feel that it wasn't stress that did Orochimaru in.

Kabuto snorted. "The house wasn't driving him crazy. The stress was. No, I mean, I guess he must have felt that the two of you represented the return of both Utamaki and Hatake. Well, with the exception of having a girl present. Maybe he figured you were the Hatake's combined." Kabuto laughed.

Naruto visibly fumed at that remark, but he couldn't help but think about his dream. He had been dreaming that he was both a male and a female. And the person looked vaguely like himself. What if there was some truth to what Kabuto was saying, and that Orochimaru recognized him and Sasuke of being some type of reincarnation or symbolism of the old owners?

Kabuto became silent. "I'm sorry. It's just that... seeing you... it's kind of weird and kind of cool at the same time."

"That's okay," Naruto responded.

Kabuto stood up. "It was nice meeting you. If you don't mind, I would like to stop by the house someday, just to take one last look around before I leave."

"Leave?"

"Yeah, I'm transferring schools. Now that Orochimaru isn't around anymore... there's no real reason for me to stay either. See ya around."

With that, the young man was gone, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts.

When lunch time rolled around, Naruto went to a nearby park, bought himself a hotdog and sat down on a bench, enjoying his small meal. He was surprised to find a familiar person sitting down next to him.

"Hyuuga?" he asked.

"Hyuuga? I thought we agreed on you calling me Neji."

Naruto chuckled nervously. "Neji, then. What are you doing here?"

"I like the fresh air every now and then. Plus I get to watch people other than the rats running through their mazes back at the offices. Company is usually better, too."

Naruto smiled, although inside he felt that small shudder of disgust. Was Neji flirting with him? Was this really his nature? He surely wasn't serious, considering he knew about him and Sasuke.

"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Having lunch with my uncle. He's doing an impressive job in securing his position. I find it best to not be in the way. My uncle is leaving me in charge once he retires, but he also doesn't trust my choices in hired help. So I do what I've been doing with Sasuke. I introduce them, then I step back and urge them to do the rest. They usually win my uncle's approval. Smart men. And a couple women."

Naruto nodded, feeling somewhat bored about the corporate world.

"So tell me," Neji started, patting Naruto on the knee.

"Naruto!"

Both men looked up to see Kakashi running towards them, a scarf wrapped across the bottom of his face.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, wondering how loud the man must have yelled to be heard.

"Excuse me, Neji," Naruto said, standing up an heading over to meet Kakashi.

"We'll see each other again," Neji said, as he too stood up and walked the other way.

"Kakashi! I heard you had an emergency."

"Yeah. About that. I have to head out of state. There was still some time before my flight left so I wanted to get with you before I'm gone. I stopped by the library and they told me you were on lunch. Deductive reasoning had me guessing you'd be here."

"Smart man. If you want to follow me to the rec's parking lot, my surprise for you is waiting there."

Naruto swore he heard Kakashi giggle, which made him grin in delight. He was glad that there was someone who seemed excited about the findings in the house. At least it made him feel better as oppose to the weirdness Kabuto talked to, or the lack of interest that Sasuke had.

"So how long will you be gone?"

"If I'm lucky, three weeks."

"That long?"

Kakashi nodded.

Although Naruto felt a bit sad that he was already losing a potential friend, he was excited over what he was about to present to the man.

When they got to Sasuke's car, the first things that Naruto handed over were the sketches. He watched as Kakashi held them as if they were the most precious and fragile things in existence. "These are beautiful," the man murmured. "To think I have Sai Utamaki's actual work, and of Rey Hatake to boot."

Naruto was really grinning by this point. "If that makes you excited, then you'll go gaga over this."

Naruto pulled out the two journals.

"I found these, but they are locked. I'm hoping that maybe you have an idea of how we can open these without damaging them."

Kakashi looked stunned. "Uh... yeah... yes! Yes, of course!"

Kakashi sat down the drawings and began patting all his pockets, pulling out a small case. "The file cabinets in the library are always getting locked and someone always forgets to return the keys. I've gotten pretty adept at picking all sorts of locks, including these types."

Kakashi began to pick Kushina's diary, and after a few seconds, both of them heard a click. With trembling fingers, Kakashi opened the lock all the way and opened the journal itself. Taking a brief glance, both saw that the first words written were:

Dear Diary,
My maiden name is Kushina Hatake, and like my brother Rey, I wish to record my story for those left behind. This is the first time I have ever written down words like this, expressing what I am feeling, seeing, or hearing. But knowing that my brother does this almost religiously, I want to do this and be more like him.

Naruto held out his hands and Kakashi reluctantly placed it back in his hands. Naruto gave him a large smile. "Since both of us are interested in the lives of the Utamakis and the Hatakes, and since you'll be gone for a while, I think it's fair to trust you with Rey's journal while you're gone."

Kakashi stared at the journal as Naruto placed it in his hands.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Please be sure to call me if you learn anything interesting," Naruto said. "And when you get back, we'll swap. Sound's good?"

"Yes, of course! Thank you!"

Kakashi had to leave shortly after that. Naruto headed back to the library to finish up his volunteering shift, having gained a clear head to be able to make his next reading moment with some after school activity children enjoyable.

When he was done, he made a few stops to pick up some decorations for the ball room. He also stopped by one of the small grocery shops, utilizing the cooler Sasuke had in the trunk to hold any cold foods. Being free to drive made him feel so much better, and he hoped that Sasuke would make time for them to look for a car together.

The trip back home did seem a bit long though, and during the last few minutes, Naruto felt himself nodding off. Trudging up the steps of the house, Naruto wondered how Sasuke managed to make it safely to the house each day. He quickly put away the groceries, and then brought in the supplies. He set them down inside the ballroom, which was completed before schedule. He then went out to the car one more time to bring in Kushina's diary.

He stared at it as he walked back inside.

He forced himself to be patient as he made himself a small supper. He then took a quick shower and got ready for bed. Picking up the journal, he made his way to his bedside, with the intention of reading it until Sasuke came home, or he fell asleep, whichever came first.

But as he opened the diary, a movement in front of him caught his attention. Eyes snapped up towards the wardrobe in the room, one that had mirrored doors. Naruto's heart leapt into his throat as he saw a hazy form of a woman appear in the mirror and raise an arm. And then everything went black.

XXX

Sasuke took another shot, relishing the burn down his throat. Guilt plagued him once again as he thought of Naruto. Ever since he laid eyes on him he wanted him, and he stopped at nothing to gain the attention and affection of the man. He even acted out in ways he originally thought himself incapable of doing. But ever since the comment Naruto had made about losing his friends... the guilt became a little heavier.

He knew his actions alientated the exuberant man. But he couldn't help himself. Naruto's friends were a threat. Especially since they had grown up with him and knew the true Naruto. But like a parasite, he wormed his way into Naruto's life and refused to let go.

His attention was caught by one of the servers. He remained aloof as she took his order and flirted with him. He tried to recall if she was someone he had spoken to before. She answered his question when she finally sat next to him and asked, "Why haven't you called me?"

Sasuke looked at her coldly. "I'm busy. And I have a wife."

"So we can still meet up and have some fun."

Sasuke shook his head.

"No."

"But last week..."

"If you want to blow me again, that's fine. But that's as far as we'll ever go."

"Bastard!"

Sasuke shrugged and poured himself another shot. He sipped at it this time, picturing Naruto in his mind. The episode of sleepwalking scared him, and he could only hope that it was a one time thing. As much as he wanted Naruto to stay with him, he wasn't sure if he was capable of handling a person having a mental breakdown.

His concerns flew out the window as he felt his zipper being lowered. Sasuke smirked. Stupid whores. If they wanted to get down on a dirty floor and suck him off, he wasn't going to stop them. After all, that was where gold diggers belonged, on the floor on hands and knees, acting like true bitches. Let them try to sway him from his "wife" by giving him damn good blow jobs. Truth was, he would never leave Naruto's side unless it was a matter of life or death. Naruto was like his sun god, an idol, a trophy. He was placed high above any of these bitches, his body belonging solely to Sasuke to worship.

As he became hard in the woman's mouth, Sasuke began to fantasize how he was going to bring Naruto to the brink of pleasure when he got home. As well as to try to think of a way to go back on his word on getting Naruto a car. After all, it wouldn't do for Naruto to suddenly have a means to leave him should at the spur of the moment.

tbc...

A/N2: And now we finally have some insight to the muddled thought workings of Sasuke Uchiha. Joy.