Kasia: -Punches the air- Hell yeah, I'm on a roll!
Sasuke: -Walks stiffly into the room and glares at Kasia-
Kasia: Heh... hey there, Sasuke-kun. How're you doing?
Sasuke: -Eye twitches- I... am going to kill you.
Kasia: What?! It's not my fault the readers wanted revenge for what you did to Naru-chan!
Sasuke: Like I said before... yes it is your fault! You're the damn Author!
Kasia: ... Too true, too true. -Runs and hides behind readers- Muaha! Try and get me now! Bwahahaha!
Well anyway. Gosh, you lot sure are pissed at Sasuke. -Sweatdrop- I promised a certain someone that I would update this story as soon as possible, and I have kept to my word! -Grins- I'm rather proud of myself, heh.
Ah, and some of you have asked me about the lyrics in the previous chapters. I should have told you all, they're from Tatu's songs. The first one is called Not Gonna Get Us, and the second is called Stars. Ah, Tatu lyrics go so very well with this story!
There are more lyrics by Tatu in this next chapter too, from an absolutely beautiful song called 30 Minutes (the English version). I was listening to it on repeat all the way through writing this, heh. It really is a lovely song, yet very sad.
Okay, you're here to read the next chapter, so I won't go on rambling any longer!
Disclaimer: Is this still quite necessary? Noodle-chan does not own Naruto-sama
- Chapter Five - Dedicated to L0tus
"Sir…? Uh, Sir…?" Sakura hesitated. She slowly reached out a hand, about to tap her sleeping boss on the shoulder, but stopped suddenly when Sasuke grabbed her wrist in a vice-like grip. She yelped in surprise, and Sasuke lifted his head from the desk, glaring slightly at his pink-haired secretary.
"Not so loud, Sakura," he groaned, releasing her and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Sir. I was just a bit surprised to see you here… asleep. Did you not go home last night?"
"No, I didn't. I had work to do," Sasuke said, unable to make up a better excuse on the spot.
Sakura cocked her head to one side and raised her eyebrows. She knew this was a blatant lie. Being Sasuke's secretary had so very many advantages. She wondered for a moment whether she should dare to push the topic further.
"Sir," she started gently, "I know it's none of my business, but… the reason you didn't go home… it's because of Naruto, right?"
Sasuke shot a half-hearted glare at Sakura, and then lowered his head, gazing at the intricate markings in the wood of his desk. He sighed, slowly bringing his gaze back up to meet Sakura's worried sea-green eyes.
"Hn. You can be very perceptive when you want to be, Sakura."
"I'll take that as a yes then…"
"… Yes. I feel angry with Naruto, because he doesn't seem to understand my position. Yet… I know he's hurting, which makes me angry at myself, damn it…"
"Mr. Uchiha, I believe this isn't the place to be right now," Sakura said confidently.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Sir… I think you should be with Naruto. The company won't fall to pieces if you simply take one day off."
Sasuke's eyes flickered with something close to appreciation for the woman in front of him, before they returned to their usual emotionless state. He nodded his head, and stood, straightening out his creased suit. Sakura smiled proudly as she watched her boss leaving. She hoped he'd be able to fix things with his beloved… before it was too late.
Naruto walked slowly down a dimly lit street. The lampposts were starting to flicker out as the morning light shone through the dark clouds. He had his hands clenched in his pockets, a medium sized bag slung over his right shoulder. All the sounds of the outside world were blocked out as Naruto took out his iPod, put in his earphones, and listened intently to the first song on his playlist.
Out of sight
Out of mind
Out of time
To decide
Do we run?
Should I hide?
For the rest
Of my life…
His feet shuffled along the ground at an agonisingly slow pace, as if hoping that the longer he took in reaching his destination, the more chance there would be of someone finding him and taking him back home. That someone, of course… he hoped was Sasuke. But, Sasuke hadn't even come back from work the previous night. Naruto stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes, willing the tears away. He was extremely tired, having stayed up all night, staring out the window just waiting for Sasuke to come driving round the corner at any moment. Crying wouldn't help him at all.
Can we fly?
Do I stay?
We could lose
We could fail
In the moment
It takes
To make plans
Or mistakes…
Naruto breathed in deeply, calming himself down. Now wasn't the time for him to lose his cool, though everything inside him was burning to ashes. He was unsure of himself, unsure of whether what he was doing was a good idea or not. Would Sasuke care that he had left? What if Sasuke didn't want him to return? Then what? He wouldn't be able to sponge off of his friends for the rest of his life. He'd end up homeless.
30
minutes, a blink of an eye
30 minutes, to alter our lives
30
minutes, to make up my mind
30 minutes, to finally decide
30
minutes, to whisper your name
30 minutes, to shoulder the blame
30
minutes, of bliss, thirty lies
30 minutes, to finally decide
He knew exactly where he was going. The only place he could go at such a time in his life. There were only two people who lived near enough to him to help him out. He was grateful enough for this, but felt a little sad as he thought of one other person who would willingly help Naruto, but wasn't able to… he was no longer around.
"Iruka…" Naruto muttered, thinking about the man who had sheltered him, taken him in, given him a reason to go on living… before he met Sasuke, of course. Sasuke gave Naruto something beyond what Iruka had managed to give him. Sasuke… was someone very special. When Iruka died, the only reason Naruto could still go on was because of Sasuke, and Sasuke alone. Now it seemed he was losing his last reason to live. That thought made him venture even further into the darkness of his mind. Why go on living now…?
Carousels
In the sky
That we shape
With our ways
Under shade
Silhouettes
Casting shame
Crying rain…
Can we fly?
Do I stay?
We could lose
We could fail
Either way
Options change
Chances fail
Trains derail…
Naruto turned another corner and came to a slow stop, staring down to the very end of the road, where a large house stood. It looked lonely, and almost scary… being the only house on the whole street, but nonetheless, Naruto was happy to see it.
"I hope they don't mind me coming round without even calling…" Naruto said to himself, bringing his hands out of his pockets. He started fiddling with his fingers nervously as he approached the house.
30
minutes, a blink of an eye
30 minutes, to alter our lives
30
minutes, to make up my mind
30 minutes, to finally decide
The front garden was absolutely pristine, Naruto noticed as he walked up the clean pathway leading to the front door.
30
minutes, to whisper your name
30 minutes, to shoulder the blame
30
minutes, of bliss, thirty lies
30 minutes, to finally decide
Naruto lifted a lightly clenched fist, and knocked on the large oak door. He waited for an answer…
To
decide
To decide, to decide, to decide
To decide
To decide
To decide
To decide
The door finally creaked open. Naruto held his breath, waiting for the reaction his was sure to get from the home-owner.
To decide…
Sasuke stared blankly around himself. He had searched the entire house, ending up here, in his and Naruto's large bedroom. He had been stood in the same place for at least fifteen minutes, unable to comprehend what the sight before him was telling him.
"He… he's gone…?"
Naruto's clothes were missing, along with a few little possessions he had kept along the shelves in the room. Sasuke noticed a gap in the neat row of pictures they had on the large chest of drawers they shared. He forced himself out of his frozen stance and walked over to the row of pictures, looking at them properly for the first time in years.
The first picture was of him and Naruto, back when they were just friends. Naruto was smiling stupidly, one arm wrapped loosely round Sasuke's shoulders, while Sasuke himself grimaced at the close contact. He almost felt like laughing to himself, recalling the memories of that day, and how he had in fact enjoyed Naruto's half-embrace.
The next few pictures were quite similar to the first. Naruto continuously smiled like an idiot in each one, hugging or touching the Uchiha in some way. The only difference on Sasuke's part was that gradually, a smile appeared on his usually frowning face. That smile was entirely thanks to Naruto.
Then there was the gap. Sasuke couldn't quite place what photo had originally been there, and so he moved onto the next one. It was of him and Naruto again, stood side by side. Naruto had his head resting on Sasuke's shoulder, while Sasuke himself was stood professionally. He took in other details of the photo, like the suit that he had been wearing at the time. He remembered, that was when he had been made partner of the company. He frowned slightly. He had never realised how cold he was being in that photo. Naruto had a smile on his face, but it was somehow different from the others.
The last photo showed Naruto and Sasuke stood in a professional photo booth. Sasuke was once again wearing a suit, and Naruto was wearing some smart clothing that Sasuke had picked out for him. In the photo, they weren't touching in anyway. In fact, the way they stood apart from each other made them seem like complete strangers. Sasuke noticed he wasn't smiling in this photo… and neither was Naruto.
That's when it hit him. The picture missing from the middle was of his and Naruto's very first date together. He remembered clearly, in the picture Sasuke was holding Naruto almost possessively, and they were kissing with fiery passion. It was a truly beautiful moment, and had always been Naruto's favourite photo.
Sasuke fell to his knees, shaking. "Wh-what have I done…?"
"Naruto," a soft and fairly cold voice uttered. The owner of the voice stood in silence afterwards, simply staring at Naruto, who started to feel very self-conscious.
Smiling sheepishly, Naruto took a small step backwards, deciding perhaps it was a bad idea to come. Pale hands reached forwards, grabbing Naruto by his collar, and dragged him inside.
"G-Gaara!" Naruto stuttered in shock as Gaara released him and slammed the large door shut.
"What the hell is all of this about?" Gaara seethed, pointing at Naruto's bag, which had slipped off if his shoulder and fallen to the floor.
"Gaara," Naruto said quietly, not wishing to anger the red-head any further. "You're correct in thinking I've come here looking for a place to stay for a while, but let me explain-"
Naruto was cut off as Gaara grabbed him harshly by the collar again and shoved him against the wall, choking him. "You know how long it took Neji to accept that you and him had drifted apart?"
"Ga-"
"Naruto! You… why?"
"I-I don't… Gaara, y-you're hurting me."
Gaara seemed to relax slightly, and loosened his grip on the smaller man, allowing him to breathe again. "You have the nerve to return here, and for what? Somewhere to stay? Uzumaki, you-have-some-fucking-nerve!"
"I know, and I'm sorry, Gaara. Things in my life changed, and I stopped coming round. I'm sorry… I know I have no excuse. All I can do is apologise. Please Gaara, let me at least explain why I've come now."
"Fine…" Gaara took a step away from Naruto, nodding his head in the direction of the main room. "Go wait in there. I'm going to go and get Neji."
Naruto nodded and gulped. He wasn't looking forward to how Neji would react. He made his way into the main room and sat down on the large sofa. Across the room, many photos hung on the wall, all in heavily decorated frames. No doubt they cost quite a lot. Naruto sighed sadly as he realised that quite a lot of them had him in them. Guilt started to eat away at him inside. Already he felt like his innards were starting to rot. He had been stupid to suddenly abandon the friendship he had with Neji and Gaara. The moment things started to get difficult with Sasuke, that's all Naruto could focus on. He had forgotten about his best friends. Would he have to suffer for that now? Would they kick him back out on the street…?
"Naruto…?"
"Huh?" Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and turned slightly towards the doorway. There stood Neji, half leaning on the doorframe as he gazed intently at Naruto. Gaara was right behind him. He placed a hand on his lover's shoulder, and the two of them slowly entered the room. Neji stood directly in front of Naruto, casting a long shadow over him.
Naruto expected what he considered to be the worst. He expected Neji to start shouting and swearing at him. What he didn't expect, however, was a fist to suddenly collide with the side of his face.
Naruto recoiled, clutching his face in pain. He stared up at Neji in terrified shock. Neji's eyes were narrowed in anger. He clearly wasn't happy to see the blonde, that much was clear.
"You dare to come to us now," he said in a low, threatening tone. "Gaara has filled me in on the few details. So you're sorry, huh? I see why. 'Cause you need somewhere to stay! What? Are things not going well with your precious Sasuke?"
Naruto cast his eyes down, trying his best to take in Neji's words without breaking down like he so very much desired to. If only Neji and Gaara would let him explain! Surely they'd understand then… surely.
"Yeah," Neji continued, "you ought to be ashamed, Uzumaki. You bastard. You stupid, selfish bastard."
Naruto's eyes snapped wide open as a memory flashed before him.
"You bastard… you stupid, selfish bastard!"
'H-have I really been as ignorant as Sasuke…? No… no, this is different… this is different. Right?'
Neji was about to go on, when he noticed the blonde boy in front of him shaking slightly. He completely froze when a sob reached his ears. He turned to face Gaara, who had the same shocked expression on his face as Neji himself had.
"Naruto…" Neji looked down at his friend with much softer eyes. He suddenly felt terrible. He crouched down and took hold of Naruto's shoulders, squeezing them gently. Naruto lifted his head slightly. His cheeks were wet from the tears; his eyes were already turning red and puffy. He suddenly fell to his knees on the floor in front of Neji, throwing his arms around the older man's middle. A violent sob shook his whole form.
"N-Neji! Gaara! I'm sorry! I never even realise h-how s-stupid I was being! You guys mean so much to me, please forgive me…"
Neji hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms tightly round Naruto. Gaara crouched down next to them, and rubbed Naruto's back, up and down. He couldn't stand to see Naruto like this. As much as he was still feeling angry, the thought of what could have possibly happened to Naruto to make him act like this drove him to the point of wanting to kill every other person in the world, just to ensure that no one could hurt the lovable blonde.
"Naruto," he spoke softly, taking Naruto gently by the chin and turning his face so he could look him in the eye, "tell us everything."
Le gasp, has Sasuke finally realised the terrible mistake he's made? Hmm... am I being especially evil leaving this chapter on a slight cliff hanger like this? Muaha... -Grins-
Keep the reviews coming, people! I love them so much, they really make my day.
Oh, and many thanks to those who have been giving me ideas on what could happen with the story, but I already pretty much had everything in my head when I started writing the story, hehe, I've got a nice ending in mind. I'm not sure how many more chapters there's going to be, but I imagine it'll be ending soon. Wah, I hope that doesn't make you lot sad, heh.