Title: The Holding Game
Genre: Angst/Suspense
Rating: T

Synopsis: While training in the forest one day, Sasuke and Naruto's pathological need to compete with one another causes them to commit a horrid act; after which their guilt and fear prompts them both to hold the biggest secret of their young lives.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

The Holding Game
by Yamichik

(:Chapter 2:) The worst of all possible things

Naruto began to open his eyes to find himself on the ground leaning against a tree. The sun was nearly completely set and there was no sign of Sasuke immediately, until he stood up and looked around more intently. He then saw Sasuke sitting against a tree with his head between his knees and his fingers gripping his hair tightly.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Naruto in a mocking manner. "Did I beat you that bad?" Sasuke was very silent for a few seconds before he lifted his eyes slowly and shook his head.

"Naruto… it's…" he started, but he felt like he was choking on the words. He motioned slightly with his head in the direction to the right of him, where amongst a few branches and rocks, lay a man's body in the dirt.

"What the?!" said Naruto as he scuffled in the dirt, turning over the man's body to reveal an older man about 50 or so years old. Obviously dead, the man was soaked in blood and had two kunais protruding from his body. One piercing his chest, and the other stabbed into his abdomen. Naruto gasped as he took in the horrid sight before him.

"Sasuke… What happened to him?!" he asked frantically. "Did something happen while I was out?!"

"No Naruto, you weren't out. You were very much aware when this happened. Naruto, do you remember when you tried to hit me with your last kunai?"

"I-I mean, I remember throwing the kunai, but my vision was so blurry… I was exhausted, I couldn't even see where I was throwing it!"

"Well, I saw your kunai miss me and fly towards that man… I tried to throw my own weapon to knock it off course, but instead for some reason, they stuck together and caused this man to be stabbed twice." Naruto fell back hard from his feet as he gasped for air with his eyes wide.

"Sasuke…" his voice was jittery and his sweat ran cold. "Are you saying… that we killed this man?" Sasuke closed his eyes and turned his head away.

"God, no…" said Naruto in a tiny voice. "What should we do?"

The two boys remained in the stark silence of the woods for a few minutes. Sasuke avoided eye contact with Naruto, and Naruto avoided speaking to Sasuke. Until the silence was broken by Sasuke's body sliding down a tree trunk next to Naruto's. Naruto sat facing straight forward with a misty look in his red eyes. Sasuke looked up into the treetops and closed his own. He took a deep breath and released it.

"We can't tell anyone about this." He deadpanned. Naruto's eyes bolted to Sasuke, who carefully avoided eye contact once again.

"Are you kidding me?" asked Naruto. Just as he began to speak, his cell phone rang, vibrating in his jacket pocket. He picked it up and answered. It was Sakura, asking something about training on Saturday.

"Hey Naruto, Sasuke's not answering his phone, so do you know when-" Naruto cut her off before she could even finish.

"Sakura, I can't talk to you right now! Call back later or something!" He seethed as he hurriedly stuffed his phone back into his pocket without thinking.

"Sasuke, we have to tell someone about this!"

"Naruto, if we tell anyone about this…" Sasuke paused and then started again. "You realize this is manslaughter right? They'll never settle on which of us is more at fault. We'll both end up taking the fall. It may seem like the right thing to do, but trust me, it will ruin both of our lives."

"I can't believe you're even saying that!" said Naruto as he jumped up. "This is a terrible thing we've done! We can't just cover it up and act normal about it!"

"Naruto, listen to me. Are you ready to throw away your whole life right now?!" yelled Sasuke as he stood up right in Naruto's face. Naruto's heart was pounding in his chest, but he was still listening to Sasuke's words. "All of your dreams, your hopes… it will all disappear." He turned away and looked over his shoulder. "Do you honestly think that you will ever be named Hokage if everyone knows you knowingly broke the rules and killed an innocent person?"

Naruto's eyes were twitching and his fists clenched tightly. He was being torn apart by fear and guilt already. But even the torment from his actions wasn't enough to keep him in his right mind. He gave in to his fear and dropped his head, then nodded in agreement. Sasuke nodded back and they shook hands, sealing their terrible secret between the two of them.

"So what do we do now?" asked Naruto glumly.

"We have to hide the body…" replied Sasuke. "If anyone finds him too soon, they'll know that the two of us were the only genin missing the same day that he died."

"So we just need to keep them from finding him for a few days?"

"Yeah…"

The two searched around themselves for a place to drag the body.

"What about the river?" asked Naruto.

"It may float back to the village. No good." Sasuke said as he moved some rocks around the man's head.

"What about the cave at the falls?"

"That may work." said Sasuke as he grabbed the man's arms. "Grab his feet and let's get him moving." Touching the man's body made Naruto sick to his stomach, but he forced himself.

A while later, they arrived at the falls. The moon was starting to show itself as it got darker. Sasuke and Naruto's shadows emerged from behind the tall bushes.

"There's a cave up there behind the falls Naruto." said Sasuke. "We need to put him up there and leave him."

"Why way up there?" asked Naruto, his blue eyes like ice.

"The water will decompose his body more rapidly than if we left it down here." He replied without looking at the other boy. Naruto really hated the way Sasuke seemed to think like a criminal.

"And also… he won't fit in that tiny sized cave as tall as he is." Added Sasuke. Naruto convulsed in a cramp with fear.

"Wait, are you saying we'll have to…" Naruto's words balled up in his throat. "…Cut him up?" Sasuke nodded. Naruto gave him a look as if to say 'that's it.' and turned away.

"Naruto, if you leave it like this, it's suicide for us!"

"Sasuke! This is wrong, I can't do this!"

"Look, I've got one kunai left, let's just do it and get this over with!" Naruto was frozen with shock at Sasuke's determination to cover this up. This heinous crime committed only a little while ago, that was now driving the usually cool-headed Sasuke to the brink of insanity. Naruto then gathered all of his strength, yet gave in once again to cowardice. His hands shaking the whole time, he helped Sasuke slowly dissect the man's body and let the blood run off little by little into the water of the falls.

-----------------------

Sasuke and Naruto are getting in over their heads huh? Ch.3 is sooooo ready to come to y'all! Keep looking me up and telling me how I'm doing, I love them reviews, LoL!

Stay up y'all,
-Sabs