A/N: Holy cow, guess what? The new chapter's already here! (I'm adding fuel now, because soon updating will become A LOT trickier task…)
First of all, aww – thank you SO MUCH for those adorable reviews! (HUGS!) I can't believe this story has managed to gather so many friends. Thank you! And special thanks to Serenityofthematrix for the effort of proofreading! (hugs again)
Awkay, eh… I suppose it's time to get going, eh? I spared you from a cliffie last time around. Let's see if I'm as merciful again…
/ You change the sound of my name
A moment of truth that I saw in your face
It hurts inside, a moment this vile that you brought alive
All the roads lead back to you
Give me something to return to, in your heart
I fear nothing but to leave here
Without you for life
We were left in this world for each other
but I can't run from the fate
I've been fighting for so long /
(Bleak: "Fate")
/ Uchiha Madara had never been much of a teacher, but nonetheless, he found himself looking after the unfortunate baby girl he'd found abandoned on the stairs. It was almost like he'd seen something in her that aroused his curiosity. And before he knew it, the baby had grown up to be lively, terrifyingly determined six year old.
" Sensei?" the girl's voice distracted him from polishing his weapons. A tiny finger pointed towards the shining piece of metal he was holding. " What's that?"
" It's a Shuriken", he replied, holding the item so that the child could observe it. " Ninjas use these quite often in battles."
Burgundy eyes shone with tremendous excitement. " Can I try it? Please?"
He shook his head firmly, placing the weapon amongst the others. " Sorry, kiddo, but it's still too dangerous. You'll have to wait patiently until you're just a little bit older." He took a look towards their small hut's window, and noticed that the shadows were already long outside. " Besides, it's already late. Time for you to head off to bed."
For just the faintest second the girl's eyes flashed in a way that chilled him, but quite soon her expression returned to its usual form. " Alright."
" Good girl." He then got up slowly, taking along the substance he'd used for polishing. " When I come back, I'm expecting you to be in bed. Understood?"
" Yes, sensei."
When he came back less than three minutes later, he froze for a moment at what he saw. On the hut's wooden wall, six of his Shuriken had been thrown in a flawless, crescent shaped formation. His apprentice was in her bed, fast asleep.
It was the first sign he refused to see of the impact she'd have on his life several years later. /
CHAPTER 13: Fate
Days passed by fast in Suna's desert, and Sasuke kept his screaming head busy with training and trying to get his strength back. Unfortunately, it was hard to find peace with the source of his disorder constantly present.
His eyes flashed with fury when he made a very uncharacteristic miscalculation, and the Kunai he'd just thrown missed its target – a tiny, dead tree – with an inch.
" Geez, teme", Naruto's voice floated into his ears, doing nothing to ease the edginess he'd been trying to fight against all day. " You really are rusty."
Eyes losing some of their fury, he turned to look at the boy. How was it possible that Naruto kept finding him when he did all that was within his power to avoid him?! " What do you want?" It came out quite harshly, but at the moment he wasn't exactly in a state to feel remorse.
Naruto didn't seem affected. " A sparring session." A cheeky grin was thrown towards him. " Or are you too afraid of losing?"
That was all the invitation he needed. They stormed towards each other.
-
As their training session started, Naruto's chest danced around in a way it hadn't for a very, very long time – since Sasuke's departure from Konoha, to be exact.
Adrenaline, joy, excitement and something he couldn't even name flooded through his veins while they spun around each other, so close that he could feel the heat radiating from the Uchiha's body. It wasn't until at that moment he properly realized just how much he'd missed the raven, and the emotion's power scared him.
Sasuke, apparently, didn't hesitate to take advantage of his distraction. He gasped – out of surprise and powerful another emotion that remained a mystery to him – when he was suddenly pinned against a tree, with Kunai placed against his throat. All little air he'd had left disappeared when he met a pair of flaming, black pools. " And you're saying I'm rusty?"
Very slowly, a grin crept to his features. " Teme", he breathed out, feeling very hot.
At that moment, his leg worked better and faster than his head. So focused they'd been on each other that both were surprised when he actually managed to break the Uchiha's balance, sending them toppling to the ground. He fell on top of the raven so that his hands entrapped the other's wrists and their faces came a beat from touching.
Onyx orbs flashed. " Dobe, off."
All he managed to do was grin. He blamed adrenaline on the words he uttered. " Damn I've missed this!"
Despite Sasuke's merciless glare, something in the raven's eyes told him that the boy felt the same way.
Unfortunately, the disturbingly comfortable situation wasn't allowed to last for much longer. A slash of pain crossed his skull before the Kyuubi's voice boomed. ' Now isn't this interesting? I've always known you care about him beyond everything, but to this extend…!'
A flare shot through him. ' Stay the hell away from him!'
His eyes worked against his will, observing the Uchiha from head to toe. ' Hmm, we'll see about that… He's quite a temptation.'
Sasuke frowned when looking at him. " Naruto, what's wrong?"
Had he been able to, he would've cried out – of pain, of terror. ' Stay away from him, you piece of shit!'
Kyuubi scoffed. ' Just relax, will you? We both know you wouldn't be able to carry out any of your childish threats.'
Sasuke seemed to comprehend, and black eyes became even darker. " Naruto, you have to fight it."
The voice… It came so far away…
' Please…', he whimpered inside his head. ' Leave him alone…'
" Naruto!"
Everything started to grow hazy. ' Let him be.'
" Naru…!"
' Don't touch him… Please…! I…!'
His eyes drooped, and the headache intensified tenfold. ' I…'
Everything turned black when the strain became too much for his body.
-
Sasuke failed to register how his heart thumped and how he screamed when he held Naruto's limp form in his lap. Stern eyes watched how red hue danced around the boy.
He'd managed to keep himself from thinking about the scroll Tsunade had given him for a very long time. But now…
/ " The jutsu… There's a chance it'll kill him – which is why it wasn't used the first the Nine Tailed was captured. But it's also the only way." /
He fought the urge to snarl some cusses.
Damn that woman…
/ " I trust you to find a way – for Naruto's sake." /
His eyes squinted for a moment.
Right now, he had far more important things than that scroll on his list. He'd do all the thinking later.
There was only one thing Mitori Saoishi hated more than losing, and that was waiting.
Judging by how many times sun had climbed up to the sky he could just see through thick bars, two weeks had passed from when he'd let those two people he considered idiots from Suna to arrest him. Now – after countless of interrogation session that'd been far, far harsher than he'd expected – he was anxiously waiting for the Akatsuki to come and get him the hell out of this rat hole, before he'd end up doing something he'd regret.
That morning, while he was spitting blood on his cell's filthy floor, his ears twitched at the sounds of screams and approaching steps. His eyes flashed.
'Bout time for them to show up, he mused grumpily.
There was a sound that reminded him of both hissing and birds singing, and some seconds later the door his eyes had been fixed on exploded to thousands of pieces. He arched an eyebrow when facing a hooded figure. " So Pein sent you?"
The other started to approach, steps steady and free of doubt. " Technically, no."
He frowned, starting to feel quite unnerved all of a sudden. Something was seriously wrong. " Then what are you doing here?" he demanded in a tense voice.
Had his eyes not been so preoccupied by trying to find the other's eyes from the covers of a hood, he would've seen a sharp, unevenly edged knife shine in the sunlight. " Making sure your tongue stays firmly tied – and taking care of plan B."
-
Despite the fact that she'd known from the very beginning that she was joining criminals, Miko had always trusted the Akatsuki in some twisted way. That day, she came to discover that trust is one of the most dangerous aspects of human nature.
She tied her fuchsia coloured hair and stepped carelessly over blood caked bodies while approaching the cell in which she knew her hooded ally and Saoishi to be. " Okay, I've done my share. The guards have been taken care of. Now…" All words froze into her throat when the sight met her, and colour drained from her face.
On the cell's cold stone floor laid Saioshi, covered in his own blood and still open eyes filled with betrayal and terror. The hooded one stood over the corpse, holding a bloodied knife in a perfectly even hand.
Her eyes widened when the other turned to look towards her. " What the hell have you done?!"
Yes, trust is a dangerous thing. That day, Miko paid her life to learn the said fact.
In the meantime Neji and Gaara were slowly yet steadily finishing up their training session, both panting heavily.
Gaara smirked a bit while calling for sand. " All right, then", he stated, preparing for his final attack. " It's time to finish this."
The Hyuuga, however, wasn't your average opponent. Just before sand managed to wrap the brunette into its embrace, the boy bounced up, performing a strong, fluent jump through the air with all poison gone from his system. " Not yet."
In what was just a blink, the Hyuuga was standing right behind him. He spun around to face the boy's possible next move – and found that their faces were mere inches apart. They could only look at each other, breathing raggedly and waiting for each other to make the first move.
In the end, the brunette moved his head even closer.
His heart made a jump it shouldn't have been capable of when Neji's lips crushed against his, sealing him into a deep, dizzyingly powerful kiss. For the first moments – minutes, maybe – he remained completely paralyzed by shock, but in the end he found his own lips moving as well, in perfect sync with Neji's.
Neither had even a slightest idea of how much time had passed when they finally broke apart, staring at each other and panting furiously, breathe wheezing with something they couldn't name and dazed eyes wide.
It took ages before he finally managed to rasp. " Why?"
During the time they'd spent together, he'd never seen Neji's eyes flash the way they did just then. " I… don't know."
They remained silent for a long time, both wondering what would be a proper next move. In the end he licked his lips before uttering. " So… what now?"
Neji's pale eyes radiated several emotions the Hyuuga wasn't able to hold back at the moment. " If you want to try to find out, come to the garden in eight hours." The voice was far more hoarse than usually. " If you don't come, we'll never talk about this again." With those words the brunette disappeared in a blink, leaving him frozen by shock and a storm of emotions.
His ears had always been sharp. Therefore – even in his current state of mind – he managed to hear approaching steps before a voice came. " This foolishness has gone too far, Gaara." Peering over his shoulder he met Genji, a fifty years old man who'd been trying to work as his personal adviser since he'd become a Kazekage. The man walked closer. " You can't afford an affair like that."
His eyes narrowed when Genji came too close. " What the hell are you talking about?"
" Listen to me, and listen carefully", the man hissed, placing both hands to the wall behind him, entrapping him. " Are you honestly willing to sacrifice all you've managed to gain for… that? Are you really selfish enough to jeopardize your village for some sick temptation?"
His eyes flamed. He moved forward, forcing the man to back down. " I don't believe such a decision is yours to make", he hissed.
" Gaara." Genji had never been one to use honorifics, but at the moment he found something chilling from the man's tone and blue, almost milky eyes. " Such… repulsive obsession will never be accepted around the village. The moment it comes out, you'll be pushed out of all power. Is that something you want – a riot, when there's finally peace?" The man's eyes bore into his. " Which one do you choose – your duties, or a sidestep that will have no future? For you can't have both."
He opened his mouth, but never got the chance to even figure out what he would've wanted to say before running steps approached and one of his youngest guards stood by the room's doorway. He frowned at the young man's horrified expression. " What's wrong?"
The teen panted for a long time before speaking. " Two… bodies… in a cell…"
A cold breeze brushed his skin. " I'll come with you to investigate the situation."
He was just on his way out when Genji grabbed his wrist. The man's eyes remained hard. " Think about my question properly before answering to it. Understood?"
The only answer he gave was a growl before walking away.
While making his way downstairs he squinted his eyes against the ache making its nest inside his head.
Why did everything have to be so damn confusing and difficult?
Especially after the building had started to get packed up with Shino's group of five having arrived, Karin had found great amusement from walking around the building and its surroundings, investigating places she probably shouldn't have stuck her nose into. That morning, however, she found something that made her eyebrow bounce high up.
There was a faint sound of a door opening that caught her attention. Taking a peak to behind a corner, she noticed Suzume sneaking out of a room that'd most definitely been given to Shino. The girl looked around carefully before starting to make her way towards her own room.
They get weirder by each day, she mused.
" Spying on people again?"
Recovering from mild startle, she glared towards Suigetsu, who'd appeared nearby. " What is it with you sneaking up on me?!"
Suigetsu shrugged. " We all need our own ways for amusing ourselves – you of all people should know." The boy then glanced towards a window and frowned. " Now that's odd."
She, too, frowned and took a place beside the boy. Glancing downwards, she discovered what he was observing. There – carefully making sure that no one noticed – a hooded figure walked just out of shadows' cover before making hand seals and disappearing.
Her frown deepened. " Who the hell was that?"
" I don't know", Suigetsu confessed. " But somehow, I've got a bad feeling about this."
Hinata had absolutely no idea of how they'd ended up into such a situation, but before she knew it she was sitting in a ramen bar with Kiba, fighting with her all against the blush that stubbornly wanted to show.
If this was a date, she had no idea. And she was having too much fun to really care.
" Wanna see something funny?" Kiba asked suddenly, cutting a long moment of comfortable silence. The boy nodded towards a table nearby. " That boy's been eyeing that waitress for a long time already. He'll make his move soon."
Turning her gaze towards the pointed direction, she found a smile forming instantly.
There, a boy at their age visibly gathered all his courage when a rather pretty female waitress of same age approached and then, with a carefully controlled speed, outstretched one of his legs. Giving a small yelp the waitress fell – straight into the boy's arms. One of the boy's hands grabbed the plate she'd been carrying before it could smash against a floor. Both teens were blushing madly while people around them cheered.
Kiba laughed. " I bet he's been practising on that for ages."
She smiled, feeling something swelling underneath her ribcage. She wasn't sure what it was about the scene she'd just witnessed, but she finally found the courage to ask what she'd been supposed to utter for almost two weeks already. " K-Kiba-kun, I…" She, however, paused with a frown when noticing that the boy's eyes had been nailed to a nearby window. " What's w-wrong?"
She followed the boy's nod – and her insides turned completely cold at the absurd sight.
Surely enough, there – walking through Konoha's streets as though he'd lived there for his entire life – was Hoshigaki Kisame.
Kakashi had no idea of what to expect when he entered the huge, underground basement Tsunade's supporters had used for gatherings almost ever since the woman had been pushed out of power. What (or rather, who) he found aside the usual lot, however, sent a cold stab through him. " You", he all but snarled.
Kisame gave a toothy, somewhat chilling grin. " Long time no see."
He frowned when looking at Tsunade, who didn't seem any more trusting. " What is he doing here?"
" I don't like this any more than you do, but he says he has important information", the former Hokage explained in a tense voice.
One eyebrow arched, he folded his arms and redirected his attention to the Akatsuki member. " I'm curious to hear."
Kisame chose not to circle around. " You should know, Danzou already delivered the Eight Tailed straight into our hands. We're only one demon down from our goal, and there's a solid plan for getting Naruto lured into the base. If you want to save them, your time's growing short."
He frowned, but Shikamaru beat him to speaking. " Why are you telling us all this?"
The enemy ninja shrugged. " I have my reasons." There was a small pause. " I'm afraid I have to go now." The man grinned as goodbye. " Until next time." With those words he was gone.
Silence lingered for the longest time while they all tried to digest this new information.
His eyes moved to Tsunade. " Do you think it's a trap?"
The woman's face carried a deep frown. " There's no way of knowing. Most likely yes."
" We can't just let those freaks get Naruto!" Shikamaru snarled, eyes flaming and whole posture expressing anticipation. " I don't care if it's a trap or not – we can't take the chance of them making their way to him before us!"
He found himself nodding in accord. The lives of Rin and his former student were on the line – he couldn't just stand back and wait, whatever was to come.
" I agree." He shuddered a bit at the sound of Iruka's voice – he hadn't even realized the man, who'd been released from the hospital a week earlier, was there. Although scars were barely fading, he'd never seen those brown eyes that filled with fire. " I'm going along."
A flare of something he could only call worry crossed him. " You haven't even recovered yet. You can't…!"
Just one look from Iruka silenced him. " Kakashi, no." The voice was so firm it was almost unfamiliar, the brunette's eyes carried something he couldn't recognize. " There are too many lives at stake. Besides, this is my decision, not yours."
" Fine." Tsunade's eyes were filled with reluctance, but there wasn't really anything she could've done to change the teacher's mind. " Kakashi, Shikamaru, Iruka, Temari and Kiba, one of our spies managed to find the Akatsuki's base. I'll give you the coordinates so you can get going. Chouji, Hinata, TenTen, go to Suna and tell them what's going on. The entire Ninja world is in danger, so we'll need every single ally we can get." Her eyes were hard while she glanced towards all of them. " Be careful, understood? I don't think I even have to remind you of how much is in the balance here."
Sasuke never found out about it, but he was holding his breath while Sakura finished up with examining Naruto. " Well?" His voice was strange, gruff and breathless.
" He's fine now, just very drained." Sakura's eyes – which had never been good at hiding things – refused to allow him any relief. She looked at him straight into eyes. " But the Kyuubi… It's getting stronger – and fast. Naruto was barely able to control it this time around." She sighed. " I doubt he'd admit anything when asked, though."
He nodded stiffly, his throat having gone dryer than desert. " I'll talk to him when he wakes up." Someone has to talk some sense into that idiot before it's too late.
He could actually see the pinkette's shoulders relax just a little. " Good. You're probably the only one he listens to."
Had he not been worked up by something else, he would've wondered what exactly she meant. At the moment, however, his head was busy with the realization that their old team was actually together once more – grown up and changed in many ways, but still Team Seven. He wasn't sure why it was, but he found himself feeling strangely comforted by the thought.
He jolted back into awareness when Sakura's hand brushed his shoulder – not in an affectionate way anymore, but with support and sympathy. " Take good care of him, alright? And get some rest – I can tell you haven't slept properly for a while."
He nodded, watching as she headed towards the door. His tongue worked on its own accord. " Thanks."
The corner of Sakura's lips twitched, and it took him a moment to realize why. " You say that to me a lot, you know?" She gave him a small, genuine smile. " Come and tell me when the patient wakes up, okay? I have a serious lecture to give."
Coming dangerously close to smiling himself, he watched her leave, then fixed his attention back to Naruto. A faint, growl like sound escaped through his tight throat.
That blonde was just too damn good at giving him a headache.
-
Slowly drifting out of a thick hue, Naruto released a sigh of relief once finding that the infuriating headache had disappeared.
Kyuubi had chosen to retreat for at least a while, it seemed.
" You were out for a couple of hours." He found himself feeling incredibly relieved by hearing the sound of Sasuke's voice instead of the demon's. Turning his rapidly clearing gaze, he found the Uchiha sitting in a chair beside his bed with an expression that predicted a storm. The raven kept his silence – most likely to control his temper – before allowing the rest to come. " Why didn't you tell me that it'd gotten this bad? That the Kyuubi has become that strong?"
Whether it was because of the intensity of all the uncontrollable emotions he could find from Sasuke's eyes or scratchiness of his throat, no words came.
Giving a somewhat annoyed sigh, Sasuke rose from his chair sharply and headed towards the room's door. " I'll go and get you a glass of water."
Just before the raven would've left, he found himself emitting words he could've never imagined finding. " Because I… I was scared, okay?" He gulped. " I… didn't think you'd care, anyway."
The Uchiha's back was to him, so he couldn't see the other's expression, but even with his lack of observational skills he could tell quite a bit from the tensed shoulders and equally stiff tone. He wasn't sure if he'd been supposed to hear the words that were voiced. " Because unlike you seem to think, I do care." There was a slight cool breeze – as though something had been left unsaid – when the raven opened up the room's door and slipped away from his reach once more.
His blue, baffled eyes remained on the door while he swallowed thickly, his mouth having gone completely dry. He felt very warm all of a sudden.
He suspected that the way his heart hammered had absolutely nothing to do with Kyuubi's latest attempt to take over.
He sunk so deep into his thoughts that the suddenly appearing, unfamiliar voice caused him to jump. " Uzumaki Naruto. I've been waiting for this for a long time."
He turned his head abruptly, eyes narrowed and both fists clenched for a fight. A frown appeared when he faced a hooded figure, leaning quite lazily against a wall. " Who the hell are you? How did you get in here?"
The other shrugged. " I have my ways. But now…" He could feel eyes on him, although he didn't see them. " I've got a little offer you may find interesting."
He snorted, not relaxing from his defensive stance. " Why the hell should I listen to you? You're probably a enemy, anyway."
" What if I told you that your mother is still alive?"
Those words struck absolutely all breath out of him in a loud gasp. His face paled several shades and his blue eyes became wide. " What…!"
" She's still alive", the other confirmed, tone revealing that they both knew he'd swallowed the hook. " And it isn't the only secret that's been kept from you."
Minutes slid by before he found a tiny bit of his voice. " What… do you want from me?"
The hooded one shrugged again. " Nothing much. Just walk down stairs in a cave twenty miles north from here. Once you're there, I'll tell you everything you've always wanted to know – and everything you need to know to follow your destiny." He didn't get a chance to utter another word until the other was already gone.
He stared at the empty space in which the hooded stranger had been standing for the longest time until his blue eyes flashed with determination.
He'd already made up his mind.
Some hours after receiving her newest mission, Temari was just heading towards where the others would be waiting when a voice she would've least expected to hear made her pause. " Temari, wait up!"
She frowned before turning to meet Shiho, who was rushing towards her with a strange expression. " No offence, but I'm in a hurry. So what's going on?"
Shiho hesitated for quite a while before speaking. " Temari… We're not the best of friends, but…" The girl swallowed, something moist rimming her eyes. " Look after him for us both, will you?"
For a long moment she simply stared at the other – her rival – in what can only be called daze. Then, very slowly, she found her neck bending for a nod. Shiho repeated the gesture with tremendous relief in her eyes.
It was the first time since they'd met they reached at least some sort of an understanding.
Without saying anything further she turned around and started to walk away. There was a new flame in her eyes.
She was determined to keep the promise she'd just given.
About ten minutes later the group charging towards the Akatsuki was almost ready to leave. Only one of them was still reluctant.
For some odd reason, Kiba found his gaze moving towards the village for the umpteenth time, as though he'd been looking for something. Disappointment pierced his chest when he didn't find whatever it'd been he was looking for.
" Kiba?" Shikamaru sounded and seemed quite impatient. " Are we going or what?"
He glanced towards the houses once more, then nodded. " Yeah. Let's go."
They'd almost made it across the village's borderline until Hinata's at the moment surprisingly strong voice carried into his ears. " K-Kiba-kun, wait!"
He blinked a bit when turning towards the girl. She rushed all the way to him in a matter of seconds. " Weren't you supposed to go for a mission, too?" he asked, confused.
The Hyuuga nodded. " Y-Yes, in a w-while, but f-first I h-have to d-do something."
He opened his mouth to ask what it was, but never got the chance before Hinata did the last thing he would've ever guessed coming.
His heart performed a flutter when the girl's lips met his with a force he would've never expected from her, stealing his all into a soul searing kiss. There was the deepest blush he'd ever seen upon her face when they broke apart. " J – Just come back s-safely, please."
All he could do was nod dumbly. She repeated the gesture, then whirled around and all but ran away. Watching her distancing back, he found a grin making its way to his lips.
" Okay, let's get going", Shikamaru all but groaned. " This is getting overly sugary for me."
His steps were strangely light while they headed towards the unknown.
-
While the group sped onwards, Iruka found a cold shudder going through him while what they were about to do started to sink in.
This was possibly the most dangerous mission he'd ever been on. He wished from the bottom of his heart that he was ready for this.
Feeling eyes on his skin, he turned his gaze to meet Kakashi's frown. Seeing his doubt-marred expression, the silver haired's visible eye softened. ' It's going to be alright.'
For some reason, although he wasn't anywhere near sure if he believed in that soundless promise, he felt slightly warmer, almost reassured.
He never noticed how dangerously close his hand came to brushing Kakashi's.
What most people didn't know was that Gaara had a habit of walking around when he was nervous. That evening he walked what felt like miles before hearing Naruto's voice. " So I'm not the only one who's got a headache."
" Hn." He glanced towards the blonde, and immediately spotted nervousness from usually cheerful blue eyes. He chose to switch the topic before any unnerving questions could be voiced. " I heard the Kyuubi tried to take over today. Are you okay?"
Naruto nodded, seeming even further agitated than before. " Yeah, I think I will be. There's just a bit too much stuff going through my head right now."
He frowned so lightly that Naruto couldn't possibly notice it. Somehow, he had a feeling that this had nothing to with the Kyuubi or – for the first time in ages – Sasuke.
He mused for a while before speaking. " You know, Naruto… I don't know how you do it, but you always seem to find the right path, no matter how many times you have to circle around and miss to hit it." He was threateningly close to smiling. " I'm sure you'll find it this time as well."
For quite a while Naruto stared at him with somewhat befuddled eyes, then grinned brightly, all hesitation disappearing. " Thanks." With that, the blonde started to storm off. " Sorry, but there's something I need to do."
" Naruto." He managed to make the boy halt just before he would've made it out. " Whatever there's bothering you, you can talk to me. You know that, right?"
Naruto smirked once more. " Of course. And the same goes for you." The blonde waved a hand. " See you soon."
As soon as the boy was gone, he emitted a deep sigh.
If only he'd manage to take care of his own problem as easily…
Evening had already fallen long ago when Ino – almost like following some determined voice inside – made her way to the roof of the Kazekage's building. She wasn't surprised at all when finding Sai there.
The boy, on the other hand, seemed like he hadn't been expecting her to show up. She didn't have to wonder why. Since coming to the building she'd been basically avoiding the boy, no matter how horrible it'd made her feel afterwards. " Hey", he sounded.
She nodded and grinned nervously as her own greeting, then approached the boy slowly and took a seat beside him. " What are you doing up here?"
Sai waited for a moment before the right words found their way. " Watching stars. I've always found it soothing."
She nodded, coming to a realization that she understood, then lifted her gaze towards the sky as well. Thousands of bright dots twinkled down on her. " Do you know names to all of them?"
Sai chuckled – a sound she'd missed terribly. " No. But you don't have to know them to enjoy of them."
Looking at the stars, she found herself agreeing completely.
At that moment – with nothing but night sky witnessing the moment – she did something lack of courage had kept her from doing for a long time.
Without saying a word, she outstretched her hand and grabbed Sai's, the gesture filled with hesitation and wild fear of rejection. A small smile made its way to her lips when she felt a squeeze – light, but still there.
Later on, neither could remember for how long they stayed there.
If there was one thing Naruto freely admitted being completely hopeless at, it was definitely saying goodbye.
When he stood by Sasuke's bed that darkening evening – watching the raven sleeping off some restless nights – he felt such burning behind his eyes that it was nearly impossible to keep them open. The ache in his chest wasn't any easier to bear.
He found himself wondering if Sasuke had felt anything like this when betraying Konoha.
I'm sorry, teme. He didn't dare to speak out loud in fear of waking up the Uchiha. You have no idea of how much I'd want to take you along.
Almost as though Sasuke had heard, the boy's forehead made a barely traceable frown, and he found it almost impossible to keep his hands from touching the raven.
A tiny, choked sound escaped him. I'm sorry.
For a moment his hand reached out towards the Uchiha's face, desperately wanting to touch if only just for once, but he managed to stop himself with a shudder. (It required far more willpower than he'd expected, though.)
It was possibly the hardest thing he'd ever done, but after standing there for a full minute he forced himself into ripping his eyes off of Sasuke and walking away.
It was time for him to follow his fate.
While he walked away, desperately fighting against the lump in his throat, there was only one thing he forgot to take into account.
Even when he was exhausted, Sasuke was a light sleeper.
Madara – who'd fallen asleep without noticing it, feeling unnervingly like back when he'd been poisoned – opened his eyes at the faintest breath of air. As expected, there was a hooded figure stood on the opposite side of the room. " Well?"
" All's been taken care of." The voice was so casual that it chilled him – almost like they'd been talking about weather. " It's only a matter of time before he's here."
He smirked icily. " So the little plan worked."
" Of course", his companion all but huffed, seeming to prepare for leaving the room. " The ones I make often do."
He arched an eyebrow, a quite interesting, rather disturbing thought rising from the back of his mind. " Just out of curiosity… Why do you let me take credit for all of your plans?"
" It's quite simple. I'd be no player if I'd reveal all my cards at this point of the game", the hooded one replied, steps already heading towards the door. " Now if you excuse me, I'll have to go and tell Pein that Saioshi betrayed us, resulting to he and Miko's deaths." The other was gone like a breath of wind.
As he watched the closed door, his darkened eyes finally – too late, perhaps – opened up to meet a harsh truth.
He wasn't sure at what point it'd happened, but he had a nasty feeling that the student had now surpassed their master.
Neji's eyes were closed while he sat in the garden that'd become familiar to him, feeling tingling absolutely everywhere underneath his skin as he realized that it was the exact time when he'd told Gaara to show up.
He definitely wasn't one to become nervous or worked up easily. That's why the burning sensation in the pit of his stomach infuriated him.
What the hell was he doing?! What had he been thinking when imagining that Gaara would actually…?
He was just about to get up and leave when there were sounds of steps.
It was already dark when Naruto made his way out of the Kazekage's building, moving so swiftly and soundlessly that it surprised even him.
Apparently, however, he wasn't quiet enough.
He'd made it to one of the building's three smaller exits until there was a very much familiar voice. " Deadlast, did you honestly think you'd be able to sneak out without anyone noticing?" Turning his head, he met Sasuke's hard, dark eyes and frown. " Where are you going?"
For a moment he thought about lying his way out of this one, but then decided that it would've been of no use. The Uchiha had never been one to swallow rubbish well (from anyone else than himself, perhaps). " I… got a visitor today." Gosh, how ridiculous it sounded now that he said it out loud! " My mom's alive, Sasuke. If I just go and meet that creep, I can have my family back."
The Uchiha growled, loudly. " You damn moron…" There was a pause while the boy visibly tried to regain his composure. " How do you know it's not a trap?"
He shrugged. " It probably is. But I've gotta take that chance."
Sasuke stood perfectly still for a long time, clearly evaluating the situation and his options. Eventually the boy emitted a tiny snarl. " Wait here for five minutes – don't move even a single step, got it?"
He frowned, watching when the boy started to walk away. " What are you doing?"
" Going with you." There was a flash he'd never seen before in those black eyes when they swept his way. " That troupe from Konoha is still waiting out there for us, remember? And you're most likely walking into a trap. I'm not letting you go and get yourself killed."
He stared with utter bewilderment when as the Uchiha disappeared, the only sign of life he managed to give was an occasional blink.
Was Sasuke really willing to go this far because of him?
Suddenly, a warm flow appeared to inside him.
Come what may, they'd face it together – just like good old times. Things couldn't possibly become much harder.
Right?
TBC, believe it!
A/N: (shudders) Is it just me, or is temperature dropping…?
So the race towards the Akatsuki has started. And all secrets are starting to become unravelled…
Okay, I'm totally out of brain cells after school kidnapped me for ten and a half (!) hours today, so I'll better start tuning out before I'll fall asleep or something much more embarrassing on a computer.
Catch ya next time, yeah?
Take care!
Six chapters to go, counting in the epilogue. (Sorry – the plotline forced me into adding one chapter!)