A/N: Yosh – I actually managed to get the brand new chapter done much faster than I feared! (makes a small victory dance)
First things first, thank you so much for all those incredible, heart warming reviews! (HUGS and muffins to you all) Do I even need to mention how much your support has encouraged me, especially with how insanely busy and fluish I've been lately? THANK YOU!
And once more special thank yous to Serenityofthematrix for the incredible job of proofreading! (hugs)
Awkay, before you'll start throwing those weapons you're holding at me… (sweatdrops) Here you go – chapter seventeen! I sincerely hope it was worth the wait.
/ It's getting hard to breathe
So tell me isn't happiness
Worth more than a gold diamond ring
I'm willing to do anything
To calm the storm in my heart
I've never been the praying kind
But lately I've been down upon my knees
Not looking for a miracle
Just a reason to believe
I might need you to hold me tonight
I might need you to say it's alright
I might need you to make the first stand
Because tonight I'm finding it hard to be your man /
(Savage garden: "Hold me")
The burgundy eyes of Madara's former student flew open, filled with utter irritation.
Kabuto glanced towards her. " So Naruto managed to fight off the Kyuubi?" The boy went back to investigating his weapons. " It looks like we'll have to take harsher measures."
Her eyes flashed furiously while she looked at the boy. " Naruto is off limits", she hissed. " He will fight beside us, but it will happen my way. I'll take care of all persuasion."
Kabuto's eyes changed until a sudden might've called them soft. " I know. We won't touch your family."
" Good." Her expression already much milder, she put on a shirt and tied a black belt to her waistline. " As pleasant as this is, I should get going. Madara's boots aren't easy to fill."
CHAPTER 17: Hold Me
Naruto had no idea of how long he'd been drifting through for once nightmare free sleep when his eyes suddenly opened, so easily that it baffled him. A small, shaky gasp escaped him when memories started to rush through.
Kyuubi… It'd been unleashed, and Sasuke…
Blue eyes widened, instinctively moving to the side – and a warm flutter appeared to his stomach when the sight met him.
There, sleeping right beside him in the tiny bed, was Sasuke. The raven was facing away with a light frown, but one of the boy's arms was nonetheless wrapped around him, as though protecting him from absolutely every danger in the world.
A grin of indescribable relief spread across his face.
Sasuke… He was there, alive and breathing. His most precious person was still there, right beside him, warm and comforting.
Unable to fight the urge, he closed his eyes and snuggled just a little bit closer to the Uchiha, inhaling the boy's familiar scent.
It wasn't long until he drifted into untroubled sleep.
Since the battle against the Akatsuki had ended with dramatic results, Sakura had spent pretty much every day and night fighting furiously to save her friends. Until that day, she'd thought that she'd already grown numb to worrying and fearing.
She only learned she was wrong when seeing Shizune leaning heavily against a door, behind which she knew the raven had been performing an autopsy on Suzume. She frowned, feeling cold shivers. " What's wrong?"
The young woman swallowed thickly, visibly fighting against tears. It took a long time before the words came. " She… She was pregnant, Sakura."
A small shudder crossed her. " Did… Did she know?" Did Shino know just how much he'd lost?
The woman shook her head. " I don't think so, although she may have had a hunch – she was only a few weeks along."
She nodded, feeling strangely cold all over, and slightly relieved. Losing both of them might've been just too much for even someone as strong as Shino.
All of a sudden getting a strange feeling of presence, she turned her head and felt her heart break just a little. There, patiently sitting on a bench waiting, was Shino with his head hung. Although she couldn't tell for sure because of glasses, she was fairly sure the boy wasn't crying – after all, he was far too proud for such – but his aura radiated absolute heartbreak she couldn't even imagine.
After saying hasty byes to Shizune she walked up to the boy, only to find herself frozen a couple of steps away.
What the hell was she supposed to say to someone in that much pain?
It, however, turned out that she didn't have to make that decision, for Shino spoke first in a voice she barely recognized. " Can I see her?"
For the longest time she was sure saying 'no' would have been the wisest and most merciful idea – after all, Shino was already dealing with far more pain than she could even imagine. But something in his eyes told her that all objections would've been of no use. Therefore she nodded wordlessly, and opened the door nearby. Flashing her a pained look of gratitude the boy entered.
She was about to follow to make sure he wouldn't fall apart completely, but was forced to change her plans when a young female medic rushed over to her with wide eyes. " I – It's about Ino", the girl wheezed. " Something… Something's happening."
-
Shino had absolutely no idea of what to do while he stood there, staring at the person who'd in a scarily short time become his world.
He'd always thought that death was something cruel and violent, but Suzume… Her face seemed completely relaxed, and it would've been deviously easy to think she was only sleeping.
He was speaking before he even really registered the words coming. " You… promised me this'd end well", he barely even whispered hoarsely, burning sensation taking over his eyes. " You broke your promise." Somewhat to his surprise, he didn't sound angry or accusing, only incredibly sad – like a five year old who'd just lost something precious to them. He blinked furiously. " When we left Suna…Did you already know…?" He trailed off.
He wasn't in a state to pay any attention to how his hand trembled when it moved free of his will, reaching out to caress the girl's ice cold cheek. " I… I know you hate goodbyes, but…" His jaw tightened while he fought furiously against emotions, disregarding the harsh fact that she wasn't able to see or hear him. " I miss you, and I love you. And… I want you to know that, wherever you are." Muscles moving free of his will, he leaned down so that their foreheads became pressed together and emitted an odd, choked sound. " I'm so sorry."
With those words he leaned further, and after a moment's hesitation he brushed his lips chastely against hers. It was the last kiss they'd ever get.
It was the first time he cried since the day she died.
Ino woke up with a frown, not entirely sure of where she was right away.
She trembled a little when feeling a distantly familiar hand squeeze hers. " Ino?" Her heart jumped at the voice she'd desperately wanted to hear, not daring to believe. " Are you awake?"
Slowly and with a lot of struggle her eyelids inched, and everything inside her turned warm at the sight of Sai's familiar face. A smile appeared to her lips while her hand tightened around his. " Hey…" She then frowned again. " You 'k?"
The boy nodded, dark eyes becoming unusually warm. " Of course – the injuries I had were healed quickly. Everything's okay."
Her smile widened still – until it turned into a grimace when a wave of pain washed over her, again and again.
The boy frowned with apparent worry. " Are you okay?"
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Quite desperately her hand squeezed around Sai's, but it felt like the touch had went right through. She couldn't feel his warmth.
" Ino?"
She shuddered with startle and ache, hearing that voice even through all the agony.
" Ino? Can you hear me?"
Where was that voice coming from?
Her hand held Sai's even more tightly, her heart thumping with fear.
" Hey, open your eyes. You're almost awake already."
As though knowing that something was wrong she took a frantic glance towards Sai's face to find him looking back with his infamous smiling mask. Then – terror pumping through – she took a deep breath, almost like preparing for a dive, and closed her eyes, then opened them again.
This time, the face she met didn't belong to Sai but to Sakura. The pinkette seemed absolutely exhausted, but also relieved. " Hey there", the girl greeted, voice carrying something that didn't sound familiar. " We were worried about you – you've had a high fever."
Her own condition was, however, the furthest thing on her mind. Her blue eyes were wide when searching through Sakura's green ones. " Sai…", she rasped in a fervent tone. " Sai… Is he…?"
The expression that rose to Sakura's face immediately prepared her for the worst. What the girl said felt like a punch straight at her face. " Ino, Sai… He was wounded pretty badly, and his leg…" The pinkette's inhale shuddered badly, and tears rimmed green eyes. " If… If he wakes up… He'll never be a real ninja again."
She'd never felt such a wave of nausea before that swept over right then.
Her spinning head wrapped around one word.
' If.'
Sakura barely had time to set a bowl in front of her before she threw up loudly, tears streaming to her cheeks and whole body trembling uncontrollably.
As a ninja, Kurenai Yuuhi had been taught to hide her feelings, and most of the time she did a phenomenal job. But that morning, her restraints slipped while she stood by unconscious Hinata's bedside.
She wasn't one to show affection openly, either, but nonetheless repositioned her tiny baby son so that she could grab one of her former student's alarmingly cool hands. " Hinata, I… I'm not sure if you hear me, but…" She swallowed thickly. " I don't know where you are right now, but there are a lot of people out here waiting for you to wake up, okay? You need to be strong, stronger than you've ever been." She swallowed to rid the lump in her throat, but didn't succeed. " Wake up, please. Come back to us."
Hinata didn't make even the slightest flinch, and it took her all to keep emotions from showing.
This… was like a nightmare of some sort. Only two rooms away lay Kiba, and medics were far from optimistic about his chances of survival. If she'd lose two students in one go…
So sharp her instincts were, that despite her distraught state her head snapped up seconds before the door behind her opened. A mild wave of surprise flowed through her when she turned to face Hiashi Hyuuga – the man hadn't showed up to visit his daughter until now.
The man's eyes were completely unreadable while they studied the unmoving girl. " How is she?" he asked in a monotone after a couple of seconds.
Surprise muted her for a while. " Her injuries were almost fatal, but they're healing well", she replied in a surprisingly neutral tone considering the situation. " But her body is growing weaker with each day she spends in a bed like this, and…" She swallowed, not sure if the man wanted to hear the rest she had to say. " Hiashi, there's no medical reason to why she's still unconscious. It's… It's like she doesn't want to wake up."
Every single one of Hiashi's muscles tensed up visibly, and something she'd never met before lit up the man's eyes. His fists balled for a couple of moments.
Taking his reaction as her cue to leave, she started towards the door. " I should go." She glanced towards her sleeping son. " Kazuki's already hungry."
To her stun, the man shook his head. " No, feel free to stay." So saying, he turned around and left. " There's somewhere I need to visit." The door closed after him with a desolate sigh.
Neji didn't even know for how long he'd been in Gaara's hospital room – watching over the boy who seemed to be merely asleep – but he did know for sure that he hadn't left it for even once since first entering. He wanted to – needed to – be there, just in case…
His whole frame shuddered – as though he'd thought the disturbance could possibly come from Gaara – when the room's door opened, sending a breath of cool air his way. " Sakura, I'm not…", he started while turning his head, but all words froze into his throat.
For the person entering and closing the door certainly wasn't the pinkette, but Hiashi Hyuuga.
He had no idea of where the words he emitted came from, but his voice was quite close to a growl when he spoke. " What are you doing here?"
Hiashi seemed surprised by his disrespect, but composed himself rapidly. " Gaara's advisor – Genji – contacted me." It wasn't often he would've heard that much disgust in anyone's voice. " He told me exactly what you two have been doing."
His insides turned completely, utterly cold, and for a moment he gasped for air like a fish on dry land. His expression then steeled. " If you're going to lecture as well…"
" I'm not lecturing", Hiashi all but roared. " I'm stating facts anyone with even a tenth of your intelligence should be able to figure out." The man's eyes moved to Gaara. " He's the leader of Suna, Neji, and you're the soul male heir of Hyuuga family. Do you honestly think someone with the importance of you two could make a selfish decision like this, without even thinking about the consequences?"
Those words hurt much more than being hit by any sort of a weapon and he shuddered visibly. " I love him!" The words were catapulted out of him before he thought about them for another second. Only the fact that he didn't want to break down in front of the man kept him from cracking apart. " I… You can't…!"
Hiashi's hand rose far faster than thought, and for just a second he was sure the man would hit him. In the end, however, the hand was lowered, leaving only storming eyes looking into his. " Neji, don't you dare tell me what I can or can not do when it comes to you – you don't even know anything about love." The man took a deep breath. " You staying with him would be the end of Suna and our family – your family. Do you understand?" He'd never seen his uncle's face quite like that. " I'll do anything – absolutely anything – to keep that from happening. I refuse to believe it'd be impossible to get you a redemption." With those words as his closure the man whirled around and walked out of the room, the door making a hollow sound while closing.
He had no idea of what he would've done if his body had been even remotely functional.
While he sat there, gasping for air and his breath hitching pitiably, he thought things couldn't possibly have gotten any worse.
He was mistaken. Because just then, he felt Gaara move and heard a heart breaking mew of pain. It was quite clear that the boy's pain was rapidly crossing his limit of endurance.
He knew he was most likely making a huge mistake, but he just couldn't restrain himself. If this was the last time they'd be together like this… " Shh…" His voice cracked while he took the redhead's hand and squeezed tenderly, but he paid hardly any mind to it. One of his trembling hands moved on its own accord, stroking the momentarily distraught leader's face. " Shh, it's okay. I… I'm right here." His throat was so scratchy that it was almost impossible to speak. " Everything's going to be okay, alright?" If only he would've managed to make himself believe those words…
He was pretty sure his heart was torn to pieces in his chest when Gaara's hand suddenly moved, landing softly onto his with such trust he'd never faced before. It became painful to breathe when the redhead's eyes opened an inch, finding his and sending a message anyone would've been able to read clearly.
I love you.
With that those eyes closed again with Gaara drifting into a deep, dreamless slumber.
His whole body shivered uncontrollably while he sat there, fighting with his all to hold back a scream.
Temari rubbed her eyes and winced a little, feeling more exhausted than ever in her life.
For the past days she'd been switching between Gaara and Shikamaru's hospital rooms, and she could no longer remember when she would've rested properly. Alas, no matter how determined she was to make sure those two were all right, this was all getting to her. It wasn't exactly enthralling to spend time with people who didn't even have the decency to wake up for her, no matter how much she begged.
Not paying much attention to her actions after performing them for about million times, she pushed the door of Shikamaru's hospital room open, then turned to face him – and froze.
Shikamaru, his eyes… They were open, for the first time in five damn days. But not for her. For there, sitting by his side and holding his hand in a way that sickened her, was Shiho, whispering something she didn't manage to hear to the boy.
She remained nailed to the spot, no matter how desperately she would've wanted to run and spare herself from the sight. And as she watched, noticed how tenderly Shiho held Shikamaru's hand, she crashed into a realization that broke her heart.
In a matter of days, perhaps – as soon as Gaara would feel better – she'd go back to Suna, leave all this behind, possibly for good. And Shikamaru… There was no way in hell she could've asked him to follow, to leave everything he held dear.
They… could never have a future, wheras Shiho… She was right here, and she loved him desperately. Over time, she was sure, that love would make Shikamaru respond if he didn't already.
She'd never have a place in the boy's world.
With that harsh thought, she whirled around and left the room without making a sound.
-
What she didn't know was that as soon as the door closed, Shikamaru's eyes turned and he frowned. He felt extremely cold all of a sudden – as though something precious had been lost.
" Shikamaru?" He found Shiho looking at him with a deep frown of worry. " Are you okay?"
He swallowed a little. " Yeah… Just a bit chilly, that's all." Or so he hoped.
Judging by the shadows, Sasuke suspected evening was already falling when his eyes fluttered open.
At first all he could make out was a purely white room, then came a voice he knew better than well. " Sasuke?" In a moment Sakura – who seemed drained – was stood beside him with an expression that radiated tremendous relief. " 'Morning. You have no idea of how worried we were. You had internal injuries, and with the fever…" She trailed off.
He nodded, feeling cold shivers, then frowned and looked to his side when sensing a foreign warmth. Surprised wasn't quite a description enough of his state when he discovered Naruto, sleeping very soundly beside him.
" You've been unconscious for five days", Sakura explained in a soft tone. " He woke up a couple of times in the meantime, though I'm sure he doesn't remember it. He trashed around so badly that we had no other choice but to bring him to you to keep him from doing harm to himself."
Unable to stop himself, he sent a demanding look towards the girl, not noticing that his nearly numb hand that was still around Naruto pulled the blonde closer.
Sakura smiled, seeming to understand. " He's fine, though utterly exhausted. I don't know how you did it, but the Kyuubi's so firmly tied that there isn't a trace of it left." Her expression faltered just a little bit. " We were worried about him as well, though we should've known better. He's too stubborn to let something like this take him down." Just then seeming to come to think of something, she started to leave reluctantly. " I should go. I've got a lot of patients, and you need rest." Her expression was somewhat hard. " Take good care of yourself and him, okay?"
He nodded, his mind already fleeing elsewhere. He never noticed her disappearing.
Why… had Naruto been so anxious that the boy had been carried to sleep in his bed? And why didn't he have anything against it?
He was brought back into awareness when he sensed movement, and looked down. He came dangerously close to smiling when finding Naruto's slightly hazy, almost disbelieving blue eyes looking back at him. " 'suke?"
In his current state, it took him a moment to comprehend. " Yeah, dobe", he confirmed eventually. " It's me."
-
For quite a while Naruto remained utterly confused when staring into Sasuke's finally open eyes, heart performing leaps it shouldn't have been capable of. And it was at that moment his mind chose to strike him with one of the most embarrassing memories he had.
/ His lips finding Sasuke's. /
He vaguely wondered if his cheeks were as heavily blushed as he feared.
He wanted to ask if Sasuke remembered the kiss, too, with all there was in him. But at the moment he decided that other things were more important.
He felt Sasuke tense up completely when he wrapped a pair of arms tightly around the boy, pulling the raven as close as he possibly could without disturbing the other's injuries. With that one embrace, he spoke out everything he had no words for.
' I'm sorry.' ' Thank you.' ' I'm not letting you go ever again.' ' I…'
The last thought was interrupted when Sasuke moved all of a sudden, taking them both by surprise with returning his hold.
Grinning even more radiantly than usually, he tightened his embrace still, burying his face into the boy's shoulder. " Geez, teme", he murmured. " Do you have any idea of how close to a heart attack you brought me?"
The Uchiha's response was delayed. " And you think it was a pleasant experience for me?" He didn't dare to glance, but judging by the other boy's tone he could imagine the look in Sasuke's eyes. " I could've killed you."
He shrugged, as though what Sasuke had just said had been the most insignificant thing in the entire world. " But you didn't."
Sasuke remained absolutely still and silent for a long time, until he felt a hand twitch somewhere around his back. " Idiot…"
He fought the urge to chuckle. " Bastard."
For a very long time an utterly comfortable silence lingered with them simply holding each other and slowly getting used to the idea that they were both really there. Unfortunately the pleasant moment was cut when Sasuke shuddered and emitted a barely audible hiss of pain. The raven's back also arched just a little against his hand.
He distanced himself from the boy with a frown to take a look at the Uchiha's face. " Sasuke?" There was a small scowl and slight paleness, but nothing else he would've found out of place. " Are you okay?"
" Hn." The raven closed his eyes for a moment, then all but glared at him. " I'm not falling apart here, so stop looking at me like that."
He snorted. " Then stop making me worry, teme."
Sasuke was clearly about to retort, but instead ended up hissing again despite visible resistance.
He had no idea of what to do to ease the boy's pain – after all, he was still pathetically weak himself. In the end, he resulted into something he would've least expected.
Slowly and cautiously, he reached out and placed his lips against Sasuke's, allowing them to move just a little, testing the ground. At first the Uchiha was completely stiff against his gesture, as though preparing to escape, but in the end melted to his touch, lips starting to move surprisingly skilfully against his own.
Eventually, of course, they were forced to part when all air ran out, but he was sure to not let Sasuke slip far. He held on as tightly as he could with both arms while the raven quite uncharacteristically nestled against him, and stroked silky black locks while Sasuke struggled to stay awake.
Lifting his gaze towards the window and futilely trying to hold the other boy even more tightly, he wished from the bottom of his heart that nothing would tear them apart this time around.
Suigetsu had always hated waiting. And at the moment, it was getting absolutely infuriating, especially with Karin pacing around the hallway not too far away. Even Juugo was starting to get on his nerves, although the boy was merely sitting deep in thought. In the end, he wasn't all that surprised to find himself crossing the line of snapping.
" Karin." Stunning them both, his tone was enough to actually cause the girl to stop and look at him with a hazardous expression. " If you don't stop that at this instant, it's only a matter of moments before I'll end up using my weapons. So sit down, damnit!"
Karin snorted, rolling her eyes. " Says someone who hasn't managed to stop tapping his foot for the past five hours."
Fortunately, their bickering was interrupted before any physical damage could be done when they heard approaching steps. Their eyes were sharp once darting towards Sakura while the pinkette appeared, seeming just about ready to collapse. " Well?" he demanded before the girl could even open up her mouth.
Was that relief what flooded over him when the girl smiled faintly? " He's awake, and it looks like he'll be okay." In what seemed like a spur of the moment, she added. " And Naruto's fine, too." She gave them a questioning glance. " Do you want to see him?"
He opened his mouth, but Karin beat him to speaking. " You know what? I think we'll let him rest." The girl had never been someone to show a lot of emotion, but at that moment he found something he couldn't identify from her eyes. " Let's go, brats."
He didn't speak until they were out of the building. " That was pretty gutsy of you."
Karin gave him a glare before smacking his head. " Shut up before I'll beat the snot out of you."
Hinata had no idea of where the voices that kept asking her to come back came from, nor did she care.
There was a smile upon her face while she leaned her head against Kiba's shoulder, her eyes drinking in the dazzling sight of a sparkling waterfall and perfect, flawlessly green forest around them. " This place is a paradise", she murmured, absently noticing that her stuttering was forgotten here.
Kiba grinned and took her hand. A part of her was alarmed by how cold his touch was. " 'Kinda perfect, huh?" She was almost sure he cast a sideways glance towards her before going on. " I wouldn't trade this for anything."
Blush of the darkest crimson appeared to her cheeks when he suddenly leaned down, capturing her lips demandingly into a sweet, overwhelmingly tender kiss.
Once they parted due to lack of oxygen he left his forehead resting against hers and grinned, his eyes closed. " You know… There's been something I've been supposed to ask you."
What happened next caused her heart to hammer in inhuman speed.
Kiba's lips kept moving, but no voice carried into her ears. And there, right before her eyes, the boy started to fade away.
Her eyes widened to a size that would've been comical in any other circumstances. " Kiba-kun…?"
By the time she was finished, there was barely anything left of him. Frantically she tried to squeeze his hand even more tightly, only to find that her touch went right through.
" KIBA-KUN!"
It was too late, she realized when closing her eyes in defeat. He was already gone.
It wasn't until much later she learned that the veil she heard when opening her bleary eyes again came from her.
Instead of Kiba, she found Shizune hovering above her. The raven frowned, seeming deeply worried. " Hinata, what's wrong? Are you in pain?"
Unable to form another word she buried her face into one hand, much too aware of the tears that rolled like a small river.
The day was already darkening into an evening when Neji entered Gaara's hospital room once more, finding Kankuro, Temari and Izumi there. The older Sand brother blinked when seeing him. " Neji?" The boy then frowned. " What's wrong?"
Not entirely sure of what he wanted to say he swallowed. " I… There's something I need to ask you." He composed himself for almost a full minute. " You'll be heading for Suna as soon as possible, right?"
Temari nodded slowly, seeming suspicious. " Yeah. So what?"
It took his all to get the next sentences out. " I… I want you to get him out of here, the sooner the better." His voice was hoarse and barely audible – it felt like someone had strapped a rope of some sort around his neck, and there was sand in his eyes. " You need to get him to safety before it's too late."
This time it was Temari who frowned. " Why should we hurry?"
" Because…" He inhaled sharply through his nose. " Because if you don't, something very bad will happen to him. So… Please."
Kankuro seemed hesitant, as though the boy had caught on to something. " Are you sure?"
He looked at the older one straight into eyes, and it took a lot to keep tears from showing. " There's no other choice."
The two siblings seemed ready to start a full sized interrogation until Izumi interrupted them with grabbing Kankuro's hand gently. " Let's go." There was something incredibly tender and understanding upon the blind girl's face when her unseeing eyes swept his way. " Let's give these two some privacy. Besides, weren't you supposed to be hungry?"
As soon as the room was empty, Neji dared to let his eyes move to Gaara, who was sleeping heavily. He was beyond grateful the other was blissfully unaware of the moisture that appeared to his embarrassingly emotion filled eyes.
Extremely slowly, as though afraid, his hand reached out and grabbed Gaara's limp one, squeezing as tenderly as possible without waking up the redhead. Then, just as suddenly as the hold had been taken, he let go and forced his furiously trembling body up. To his amazement he was able to make his way out of the room although the journey felt million miles long.
It was a pure miracle he managed to keep himself from crying while he made his way out, all the way into the house he shared with Hiashi, Hinata and Hanabi.
Hiashi, who'd been reading, immediately glanced towards him when he entered. " Is it done?"
Unable to speak out another word he walked into his room. The sound his door made when closing held a single, bitter message.
I hope you're happy now.
-
Back in the hospital room, Gaara frowned when waking up to a familiar scent in the air.
Neji…?
There was, however, no sign left of the boy.
He felt unbearably cold.
It was no secret in Konoha that Danzou was a man who rarely showed any feelings. That's why anyone entering his office that evening would've been baffled by what they found.
His fist trembled while it squeezed around the mission report he was holding, almost like trying to squash the heartbreaking words.
Suzume… She'd ran after the Kyuubi container and that Uchiha traitor, and now…
Fortunately, that bloodthirsty thought was cut for the time being when there was a knock on the room's door. " What?" In any other occasion, he might've been confused by why his voice shuddered. His heart leapt a bit when Kushina entered, declaration of war in her eyes, and his eyebrows furrowed. " What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to return to your hut three days ago?"
" I will leave in a while." Her tone was the final warning of what was to come. " There's something I need to ask you first."
He nodded. " Yes?"
" I'm not an idiot, you know – I can tell you've been purposely keeping me away from the hospital, where I'd be needed the most." Her eyes flashed. " What are you trying to hide from me?"
For just a moment his heart stilled, and he had no clue of what to say. Then, words popped out before he could put any particular mind to them. " I'm not hiding anything. I just don't think that's all something you should get involved with." I'll do whatever it takes to protect you from it.
Just one glance from Kushina told that the woman didn't believe a single word he was saying. " All right, then", she stated, voice filled with venom, then turned around. " I'll see you some day."
As soon as she'd left he realized that he'd never see her again. And it was then his mind fed him some dangerous thoughts.
Suzume… She was dead, at the age of sixteen. And Kushina would never want to see his face again. He'd lost both of his daughters. All because of the Kyuubi and its container.
" Tsukaki!" It sounded like a beast's growl. " Get in here!"
As per usual, the young man forgot to knock before entering. " Y – Yes, Danzou-sama?"
His eyes burned hazardously. " Gather a group. It's time to get rid of some filth."
-
Once she'd emerged from the office, Kushina leaned heavily against a wall, working her hardest to ease the burning of wrath inside her.
Even with all the years she could remember and all the time she'd spent with Danzou… The man still lied to her.
All he wanted to give her was lousy lies.
" Kushina?" Lifting her gaze, she met a woman with blonde hair and flaming honey coloured eyes – Tsunade, wasn't it? " Come with me. There's something I want to show you."
There were many times in his life Kakashi had felt completely helpless. But never had the feeling been as overwhelming as it was when he sat in a chair beside Rin's bed, watching how breath fogged up her oxygen mask in a steady rhytm.
Words that slashed his chest nearly unbearably resumed in his head.
/ " Kakashi… There isn't another trace left of her chakra waves." /
/ " Why did you do that?" /
/ " It's highly likely that she'll never wake up again." /
/ " And they call you a genius…" /
He reached out a hand but in the end allowed it to stop, like he'd feared even the smallest brush could've broken Rin. He suspected the stinging behind his eyes wasn't caused by sleepless nights.
Please…
His ears twitched with the sensation of someone approaching just before Iruka opened the door and entered. The man's warm eyes immediately moved to Rin. " So… No change?"
Unable to find words, he shook his head.
For some moments he could actually feel Iruka's hesitance and confusion. Then, taking them both by surprise, the brunette walked up to him and took his hand, holding on tight. No words were said nor needed.
' Everything's going to work out', the teacher's touch told him.
He squeezed back, feeling utterly exhausted yet comforted all of a sudden.
' Thank you.'
Iruka's lips inched, clearly to form something important, but the man never got the chance to finish. For just then shouts they both recognized very well drifted from a room not too far away.
They looked at each other with their eyes flashing, never noticing how their hands lost contact.
Naruto…!
They were moving before either one noticed it.
When Naruto woke up, still sensing Sasuke's familiar presence right beside him, a voice in the back of his head immediately warned him that it was too good to be true. He chose not to listen.
To him, no tomorrow or even an hour later existed at the moment.
He could've sworn he heard a stifled yawn before Sasuke moved slightly. Opening his eyes slowly, he chuckled a bit when finding the Uchiha's nose slightly wrinkled and obsidian eyes firmly closed. " I would've never thought you to be the type that has hard time waking up", he teased, fighting the urge to play with the other's slightly disheveled hair.
" Shut it, dobe", the raven groaned, seeming to come close to resting his head against his shoulder. " It's not like you'd be one to talk."
His expression fell in an instant.
' Talk.' And they'd need to talk for real this time – no jokes or jittering. That was something he'd never been too good at. But they couldn't exactly leave things like this, either.
After bracing himself with a thick gulp, he spoke. " Look, teme…" For once in his life, he searched for the right words for a very long time. " I just kissed you, for the second time. We can't exactly act like nothing ever happened."
He'd never seen such an expression of panic before that rose to Sasuke's face. It wasn't obvious to someone who didn't know the raven, of course, but he could see the changes clearly – all the tensed muscles, changed breathing pattern, dialated pupils, haunted look that was between a glare and horror. He could tell the Uchiha only remained where he was because the raven's muscles and head weren't in the condition walking away would've required just yet. The boy refused to look at him. " Naruto, don't."
His eyes flashed. " I'm not letting you get away with this one. We've gone well beyond the line of talking crap already."
Although it must've irritated Sasuke's injuries, the raven squirmed under his hold. " Let go", the boy all but hissed, eyes not finding his. " Right now."
New found burst of determination filling him, he gathered all the little strength he'd managed to regain and flipped his unnaturally heavy body so that he was all but laying on top of Sasuke. His hands – placed firmly on each side of the boy's head – ensured the other wouldn't be able to go anywhere. His eyes flamed. " No." He took some time to control his tone. " Why are you fighting so hard against this?"
Sasuke didn't speak, but the look in the boy's eyes spoke clearly.
Because I don't want to care about you any more than I already do, damnit!
His eyes softened. " Sasuke …"
It was tragic, really, that he didn't get the chance to finish, because just then the room's door was thrown open. His eyes widened despite all resistance when Danzou marched in with about ten of his men, looking like he'd owned the place.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the man. " What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Danzou didn't seem all that affected. " You were sentenced to death before you ran away, remember? And your… friend certainly wasn't granted any more mercy."
He and Sasuke failed to notice that even when they were ripped out of the bed, their hands remained clasped together.
Naruto's eyes were filled with boiling anger when he looked at the old man – a monster, he almost declared – stood a bit further. " How can you do this to us?!" he snarled.
Danzou's eyes flashed. " You've already brought more than your own share of pain to this village", the man hissed. " It's about time for us to finally get rid of your existence, to wipe away that shameful part of Konoha's history." A brisling surge of energy came from Sasuke's direction. Danzou clearly noticed it as well because the man looked the boy's way with threatening eyes. " Unless you want this worthless demon to suffer any more than necessary, play very, very nicely. Got that?"
Sasuke's muscles tensed up, and for a while Naruto was sure the boy would pull out some amazing stunt that'd save them from this mess, that there was still hope after all. The raven, however, remained perfectly still.
Danzou grinned, revealing a row of teeth. " Thought so." The older then looked at his men. " Restrain those two. We'll have to make sure they won't cause us trouble."
Tears appeared in Naruto's eyes while he cling to Sasuke's hand with all the power of his despair, hoping and praying that he wouldn't have been forced to let go. His mouth opened for words his mind was finally ready to admit, but nothing came out just when he would've needed his voice the most. No matter how hard he held on, the men kept walking closer and they were separated to opposite sides of the room.
Just when steel was placed around his wrists, the room's door opened once more. He couldn't help feeling a bang of desperate hope when seeing Kakashi and Iruka stood there, looks of distrust and rage upon their faces. " What do you think you're doing?" Kakashi snarled.
Danzou's face didn't weaver. " These two are both fugitives, they've received their death sentences long ago." The man's eyes were pure carbon when looking straight into the silver haired's. " There's nothing you can do to fight against something the council itself has accepted."
Kakashi's glare sent a clear message.
' We'll see about that.'
Iruka, on the other hand, looked into his eyes with a sadness filled gaze. " We won't give up on you two, Naruto. I swear."
Even after those words there was only one thought in his head while he and Sasuke were dragged out, close to each other yet frustratingly far apart.
This was the end.
TBC, dattebayo!
A/N: (lower lip quivers a bit) Awkay, THAT was sad. (wipes eyes)
There's a ton of things I've got to do (including finishing the preparations of chapter eighteen), and I'm quite anxious to get away from all of your sharp object, so without further… PLEASE, leave a review before flee! Those lil' messages mean the world to me, you know?
Until next time – I hope you'll all stop by then!
Be good!
Two chapters to go, counting in the epilogue.
realityfling18: You found the fight scenes real? (squels with delight) You can't even imagine how happy I am to hear that! I'm always extremely fidgety about them, seeing as battle scenes are (in my opinion) the hardest parts to muster. I'm beyond relieved when hearing you think I did decent job. (smirks from ear to ear)
And yosh, I'm also glad beyond belief you liked the NaruSasu scenes! Those were my own personal favourites. (glares at Sasuke when the raven attempts to smack, making the boy change his mind)
I really hope the raven comes back, too! Looks like our lil' boneheads could use some guidance and support… (sweatdrops)
So I'm not the only one who's got a soft spot for Kisame! I couldn't agree with you more – he's severely underplayed. (pouts towards Kishi-kun) I hope there'll be more of him the manga/anime in future.
I should write my own story? (blushes) Awww, thank you so much! Heh, I've got a ton of those in the back of my head. Now if only I'd get even one idea pushed to closure… (snickers)
Enormous thank yous for the utterly baffling review – I'm absolutely thrilled to hear the story's surpassed your expectations! I REALLY hope you'll end up enjoying the last few chapters just as much.