I've been noticing, most of my muse music for this fic has been electro. Or Gothic techno. Funny how that works out.

And addressing AU-ness. - Umm...I really can't say whether or not this is an AU. Cuz if I told you, some of the plot would...NEVERMIND!!!!!!!

XxXF-Flashback XxXEF-End Flashback XxXFW-Foreword XxXP-Present Time XxXS-pov switch XxXTL-Time Lapse XxXL – Location/Situation change

Disclaim her: do it! Do it now!! XD not a chance I own this.

And yes, some answers be in this chapter.

OH!! and happy birthday Naruto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XxXF

-5 years ago-

This is going to kill me. I can't believe I'm doing this. What the hell was I thinking? Some jobs are just too much...But now I can't turn back. I have to do it. And I'll lose him. I'll lose him forever.

"Shit." I mumbled, letting the rain pour down on my face, those tiny pure drops running the length of my nose, my forehead to my cheeks, in a vain attempt to purge me of my upcoming sin. I walked two steps towards the door. The raindrops came again, another vain attempt. I wonder when they'll realize it's futile? Two more steps towards the door. Seventeen more raindrops. Funny how I was counting them. Maybe they were a clock, tolling out the injustice of my crime. Or maybe they just wanted me to cool down, relax. This was just another job. Just another way to survive. This is how I live. This is how I'll die, probably. Such a funny thing life is.

I made it to the thin door, turning the handle slightly so it could not scream out any protest. It opened fairly easy, actually. Well, if the rain didn't want me to continue, the house sure did. It took only five seconds to get down the hallway, three more to open the second door that led to the master bedroom in the house. Ornate carved wood jutted out at me from every surface, and the fresh smell of wet oak assaulted my nostrils. Such a good scent...It may be enough to cover the smell of the blood I'm about to spill.

Six steps to the bed, two glances at the couple sleeping there. The were so peaceful, so silent. It was breaking my heart. I knew each of them. I knew the lines of their faces, they way their faces crinkled when they smiled. They way their hair would heave when they laughed. Their love for their son. And it was tearing me in two.

I silently slid my sword out of its sheath, careful not to make any noise. This was the hardest part; actually doing it. I slid the blade under the man's throat, and watched his eyes flutter open as the blade severed the arteries in his neck. He looked at me once, recognition flashing in his eyes before he was gone. Next, the woman. She didn't stir as her neck was sliced through. Though, at this moment I wish it was my neck being cut. I don't think I realized what I had done until I actually looked down and saw the blood on my hands. Then, I broke. Suddenly I was on the floor, emptying an ocean out of my eyes. It hurt, it hurt a lot. How could I have even taken this job?

-Two weeks earlier-

"No. I won't do it." I said, looking the man straight in the eyes. "How could you even think I would take this job?" The man whistled, and suddenly the murderous barrels of guns and the silent tips of swords were pointed at me.

"Because I will make sure that you die if you do not." he said, taking a teacup off of a tray next to him and taking a sip. "And you really don't want to die yet, do you? Don't you still have some things to accomplish?" he said, a small smile on his face.

"Bastard." I spat at him, and saw the barrels and tips twitch. He just laughed back at me. "Yes, you could say that. But let me ask you another question."

He was silent for a while, before I realized he wanted me to ask. "What?"

"Do you want to be strong?" Now I was just angry.

"I don't have fucking time for this, Asuma!" I shouted.

"Answer the question."

"...Yes."

He smiled in triumph. "This is the only way to make you truly strong."

I bit my lip. "...I guess your right." How was I this weak?

-Present-

So now here I am, blood congealing on my hands, the smell of rust mixing with that of oak. I don't want to even see my face right now, and I can't bear to think what would happen if I saw him.

"Sasuke?" cam e a voice from the doorway; I froze in horror. I couldn't turn around. I couldn't. Not now, not here, not him! "Sasuke, is that you?" I couldn't speak. Then, his hand was on my shoulder. "What are you doing here?" I could feel his eyes drift towards the bed, I felt as he turned on the light, and I broke in half when I heard his scream. "NO!! What, what..." He noticed the blood on my hands. "Sasuke?...Sasuke, what did you do?" He shook me. "Sasuke, what the fuck did you do? Sasuke, my parents....why?" He was pinning me up against the wall. "Why did you do that to my parents?!" He punched me, but the pain on my cheek was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. "WHY THE FUCK DID YOU KILL MY PARENTS?!?!" I had to get away...I couldn't face him.

I broke off his hold and ran. I couldn't face this, I had to get away. I was outside before he could yell after me. The rain was back, trying once again to purge my sins. It couldn't, and it never would. I was doomed for this. I deserved to die. And he was right, it truly did make me strong. I had to force down the feelings. I would find some way to repay Naruto, but I can't right now.

XxXS

He...what did he do? I walked over to the bed, my body half numb. Dad...Mom...Sasuke...How could you? Why would you do this?...What made you kill my parents. And then I felt a shell coming over me. Protecting me.

I pulled the sheets up over my parents faces, and blew them each a kiss. This was my goodbye. I never thought I'd feel hatred. Usually, I'm a pretty happy guy. But not now; what he did can't be forgiven. I know what I have to do. I have to kill Sasuke...That's all there is to it.

XxXEF

Naruto walked around the rubble. Every little second brought him closer to his goal, and closer to Sasuke. The hate hadn't eased one bit since that night, five years ago. It was still hard to think of what they were, inseparable, undying in their loyalty to each other...But all of that had changed, and he couldn't think of it now. It just made his job more difficult.

"Sir!" one the guards said, saluting him and dragging him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, what is it?" he said, acknowledging the man.

"There's nothing--" he already knew that. "--here. We are heading back to base."

Naruto gave him the ok, and the man marched off. Damn, just when he was thinking clearly, he gets interuppted. But, when he thought about it, he'd already had enough time to think. Five year's worth.

The truck heading back to base whirred by him, and as it was passing he jumped and hung onto a beam on the back, staring straight forward, focusing on the future.

XxXTL

Itachi turned in his chair to see Naruto walk up to him. "Why hello, Naru-chan. How did it go today?"

Naruto stared at him. "I couldn't find him." Itachi smiled and put down his newspaper. "That's too bad. Guess you'll have to stick around with me for a little while longer." He smirked. Naruto gritted his teeth.

"I'm only here until I get what I want." he said through his clenched teeth, holding back his venom like prisoners in jail. Itachi smiled again.

"You may get what you want...after I have my fair share with him. After that. Do what you will."

There was a loud knock on the door to the room, and a second later Deidara walked through the door, looking triumphant. "Itachi-san?" he began. Itachi fixed his attetnio on him. "Yes."

"Your invitation has been delivered."

"Not without some loss, I understand." Deidara shrugged. "They were in the way. Oh," he said, noticing Naruto. "hello. I didn't expect to see you here. I though you would've left by now."

Itachi smiled. "He still hasn't found what he's looking for."

Narutop ignored this and focused on something Deidara had said. "What invitation?"

Deidara looked shocked. "Why, you don't know, un? The invitation to the birthday party. You can be invited too." Naruto worked this over in his head. Invitation? To a birthday party? He didn't know anyone with a birhtday so close to...no, he did. Which meant. "You caught Sasuke."

"Whoops, did I give it away? My bad." Itachi smirked. "Shame on you, Deidara. I was hoping to tell him later. But I guess that's futile. Yes, we're throwing Sasuke a birthday party." His smile grew. "And it's going to be quite the explosion."

Naruto just shook his head and walked out of the room, too preoccupied with the news that Sasuke had been found to focus on anything else. He kept walking, not realizing where he was until sunshine and cool air smashed faintly against his face. He was on the balcony of the huge hotel their were situated in. Itchi had managed to buy the whole hotel, and he used it as his "base of operations." Didn't matter much to Naruto though. He only joined with Itachi because he knew the man had the best chance of finding Sasuke quickly. And it seemed he had. Naruto could feel himself getting closer to his goal. Two days until Sasuke's birthday, well, techinically one-and-a-half. HE had that much time to prepare himself, to steel his final resolve, to finally kill him. His hands shook slightly, giving away his anticipation. Five years he had been waiting, and now, he could be calm with knowing the fact that Sasuke would die soon.

XxXL, S

Sai silently read over his shoulder, his eyes widening at what he read. "What does it mean?" he asked as Sasuke folded up the letter and stuck it into his jacket.

Sasuke grimaced at him and then smiled. "It means we're going to be late for my party."

XxXEND

Yes, it's shorter than usual, but I just wanted to get something out on Naruto's birthday.

sesshy's numba1 gurl – yayz I gotz a new chapters out!! With sugar and strawberries!! :gives you some sugar and strawberries:

Hello Mitty - ^^ the birthday party is gonna be...evil. Well, it is Itachi haha.