Recap:
He felt an arm wrap around his waist, pulling him into a hard chest. He didn't care. Sakura had been lying to him. Each thing she said was a lie. His whole world was broken. He had sent ANBU to kill his childhood friend, his brother, all because she had lied. She had said she was his wife, when he only thought of her as a friend. Haku hadn't died, she had been lying. He felt tears prickle his cheeks. He wasn't Namikaze Naruto, he really is Uzumaki Naruto.
He felt warm breath against his forehead. "Dobe… is it you?" the deep voice asked. He shakily mumbled yes, before burying his head into the person's chest.
--
|;;'|~{}| [C.h.a.p.]t.e.r.1.0|[]~|';;| Fear
Sasuke held Naruto as he sat down near the fire. Haku, now having switched back into his assassin outfit, complete with the mask, looked at Naruto. The blond was holding Sasuke's arm, still hurt by Sakura. She was going to be in for a surprise when she realized that now, all of them were back.
Haku lifted one of the bowls of ramen he had been making and held it out to Naruto and Sasuke. "I hope this is good for dinner. I haven't had much time to go look for food," he said. Naruto, for a minute, looked away from Sasuke and looked at Haku. His blue eyes watered over.
Without giving Haku much warning, Naruto stood up and rushed to him, hugging him tightly.
"H-Haku, I'm so sorry! How could I have thought you might kill me, when I'd just met Sakura-chan? I'm so, sorry. Please forgive me!" he cried. Haku wrapped his arms around Naruto in a brotherly hug. It felt normal, after so long. His childhood friend Naruto, and his once enemy Naruto were both here now. "I forgive you, Naruto-kun. You're my precious person," Haku said.
Naruto drew back, and with a smile, he took the Ramen and began eating. Haku caught Sasuke's small smile at the touching scene. Things finally seemed okay.
--
Haku had left to go and find an inn for them to stay at.
Sasuke couldn't help but wonder when he could hold Naruto. Now that Naruto was back, for certain, he wanted that kind of relationship. Not a friendly one, but a more than just love one. Because as he had said, Naruto was his, forever and always. Besides that, he's wearing my old headband. He's… he's wearing my old headband. He hasn't even removed it, even when it's so old.
He closed his eyes, and smiled momentarily.
"Sasuke-teme… I know why we were reborn."
Sasuke opened one eye and looked at the blond. He was facing Sasuke, his blue eyes filled with that steely determination from before. Once more, the blond stood up, and this time, his stance was of Uzumaki Naruto's. He had that strength again, like the Naruto Sasuke had fallen in love with.
"My goal, like before, is to take you to Konoha, teme. That hasn't changed."
Once more, that feeling of regret poured into him. He couldn't go back yet. His mind told him that he was still the one person that wasn't allowed there. And he agreed with his mind. But Naruto's suddenly strong look made Sasuke see that he wasn't lying. He would do his most to take Sasuke back to that village. It was his reason for being reborn.
His body tightened, as Naruto resolutely walked to him. His same confident blue eyes were staring down at his.
He knelt before Sasuke, not moving an inch, while Sasuke pondered what he was doing. "That's a promise, teme. Now that Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of Konohagakure, is back, you can expect to be back in his village soon," he whispered. That soft voice, the way Naruto continued to stare at him. Sasuke couldn't hold back. He grabbed the blond's shoulder and pulled him forward, pressing their lips together.
He didn't intend more than a simple kiss. But he felt Naruto kiss back, and he felt Naruto hook his arms around his neck. Naruto returned his feelings. Naruto was kissing him back, after so long. I can't ask for more than Naruto. I don't want anything else, not even to have Itachi alive again.
He pulled back when Haku came there. He was dressed, once more, in the pink villager outfit that made him seem more like a woman than a man. "I got us two rooms," he said.
--
Haku took his own room, and Naruto and Sasuke were left sharing.
For a while, Sasuke wondered if he would be able to scare the owner into giving him another room. But then, he realized that this was his one chance to spend time with Naruto before he sent him back to Konohagakure to scare Sakura into giving up. The idea was incredibly appealing. She'll pay for touching what's mine.
"Sasuke-teme… I'm real sorry. I believed her when she said that I was her husband before. She like, erased you from my past life, completely," Naruto began. He was sitting on the bed, guiltily staring at the ground. "She made it sound so real. I didn't know anything about you, and it sounded real, so real. I should have known she was lying. I'm so sorry—"
Before the blond could continue, an overly excited Sasuke pushed him down into a laying flat position and towered over him, smirking. "Of course, you could make it up to me by participating in very special events I've been thinking of since I first met you back when I saved you twice," he dawdled. Naruto scowled and pushed him back. "Forget it, asshole. I'm never being a woman for you!" he shouted.
His insistent shouting was silenced by Sasuke kissing him, passionately.
"It's a bit too late for that, dobe."
--
Of course, Sasuke didn't get to celebrate these 'special events' with Naruto. The blond curled up on his side of the bed and Sasuke wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. It was almost complete. Sakura just needed to be well aware of the events taking place. Kakashi and Iruka were the only ones aware of his being there. They would play a large part in Sakura's defeat.
His hand ran through Naruto's soft blond hair. It felt so right to be with him. He couldn't imagine a more peaceful time. With a sort of smile, he kissed the blond's forehead and closed his eyes. This was the one time his guard was down.
--
Sakura rocked back and forth, shaking. Where was Naruto? Why did she feel this immense dread all of the sudden? Naruto should have been back by now. Where was he? Why was she so afraid of something bad happening? With a small shake of her head, she tried to continue reading her Icha Icha magazine, ignoring the man massaging her foot. Her wedding was as soon as Naruto came back, she couldn't wait until it happened.
I'll be Mrs. Naruto Namikaze, I'll finally be able to be in a relationship. No more Sasuke in my way, no more Haku in my way; I'll be here for real. With a small smile, she lifted the magazine and glanced back at the picture of a model. She had gorgeous green eyes and brown hair, and she was dressed in a pink bikini. It almost turned Sakura on, but she noticed a man beside her with eyes similar to Sasuke's. With an angry frown, she shut the magazine and threw it onto the massagers head.
"Take it. I hate it when people with dark eyes come near me."
The boy smiled briefly and nodded, standing up, and making his way away.
--
Haku dropped the magazine before Sasuke and Naruto. A brief smirk was on the overly beautiful male's face. Naruto had no idea where he had been, and Sasuke probably didn't either. Sometimes genjutsu disguises were so good. His had been so good; Sakura had openly shown the one thing she disliked. Now he knew how to attack her in the worst of ways that didn't involve throwing ice needles at her.
"What is this?" Sasuke asked. He should know the title, Haku hoped. With a smile, Haku flipped to the page with the dark eyed man on it. For a moment, he knew this might be a bad. Because Sasuke was still bitter about Sakura lying to Naruto. "She was afraid of the boy in the picture with black eyes. She's still afraid of you," he said. Sasuke caught on, but the ever innocent Naruto blinked in confusion. "For now, Naruto-kun will remain on his mission," Haku explained. "Meanwhile, I've been thinking… are ghosts real? If so, then Haruno-san will be visited by the ghost of a dear old teammate of hers."
The smile on Haku's face was mirrored by the dark smirk on Sasuke's. Naruto had never felt more left in the dark.
--
Sakura wiped sweat from her eyebrow and continued to cook at the stove. After days of being home she was getting a chance to cook instead of one of her workers coming to greet her. With a half smile she cut more pork slices. Garlic and pork sounded good, anything to keep her mind off of how much she worried over Naruto. Haku had to be dead, but what if the blond was in trouble. What if somehow he remembered everything?
Not a chance. No one can make him remember his past.
She blinked when one moment, a shadow was on her wall. She thought it might be one of her hired hands, or a healing squad member. But upon closer inspection, it resembled someone else. O-oh god… that looks exactly like—
"You're right, I'm right here… Sakura."
She screamed and turned around, to find that horribly smug face staring down at her. Deathly pale skin, bloody clothes, a hole in his chest; it was Sasuke's ghost! "Go away! I don't believe in you, you're dead!" she screamed. But he continued to stay there, still in the bloody attire he probably killed Naruto in. "But you do, Sakura. And I'm angry that you're trying to take my Naruto from me," he said.
Sakura screamed, and turned around. When she raced off into her bathroom and locked the door, her breathing eased out. She was calm again, all was okay. But really. Why was he haunting her? Her heartbeat was speeding up. Sasuke's spirit was mad at her for taking Naruto. He wanted to kill her for taking Naruto from her. Someone help me, someone help me. She wanted to get away, but this was Naruto. No ghost could make her let him go, not even Sasuke! Cha!
"You can't hide from me…"
She screamed and turned around, only to find Sasuke standing there. He was still in the same bloody attire, his eyes still narrowed, a smirk still on his face. "Because this time, you'll pay," Sasuke said. He reached for her, and she screamed, covering her eyes. She thought it was over when she heard nothing, she thought it.
But when she opened her eyes, Sasuke was gone, but someone else replaced him. Haku was there. Except it wasn't Haku from her childhood, it was the thirteen year old Haku who had that cracked mask, with an ice needle in his hand. It was the Haku she had told Naruto to kill. "You did wrong, Haruno-san, and now you will pay," he said. He inched closer with the needle, and Sakura knew, just from the breathing beside her that Sasuke was there too. They're going to kill me, they're going to kill me.
"Why did you do this, Sakura-chan? Why did you trick me into loving you? Now I have to kill you, for lying," a voice breathed into her ear. Spinning around, her eyes caught the most shocking sight of all. A bloodied, beaten dry Naruto stood before her, wearing the orange and black of his teenage self from their days as teammates. The Naruto that had died with Sasuke; Sasuke's Naruto stood before her. "N-Naruto! Please help me, stop them! They're going to kill me, please stop them!" she begged. She reached to grasp his hand, but when she remembered Haku was behind her with an ice needle, she realized.
They're all against me. No one's here to protect me.
The world spun around her. Haku, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke; all of them were here, about to kill her for betraying them all. She felt the world turn black.
--
Sasuke grunted in annoyance when Naruto retold of how he and his clone imitated Sasuke. Sasuke hadn't wanted to go to Konohagakure, so Naruto had created a clone or two of Sasuke. It had been good, but of course, the blond had focused more on being an asshole rather than just scaring Sakura. But it hadn't been too bad when Haku retold what had happened.
Sakura was now convinced three dead people were after her.
He couldn't help but feel happy at that. Finally she would pay. Naruto continued to chat away while Haku sat, still wearing his mask, and listened. "She was so scared! I can't wait until she finds out we're all alive!" Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke's hand was holding Naruto's, making sure this feeling of warmth never ended. He wouldn't go to Konohagakure, but for sure he wouldn't leave Naruto's side. Haku only nodded every once and a while, though he seemed to be thinking.
"I have our second plan. Naruto-kun must return to her, as her… fiancé."
Sasuke growled, and without even thinking, pulled Naruto into his lap. It was a reflex. Letting Naruto go after so long of wishing to hold him was against him. But Haku was the mastermind behind this, he thought over this and then said it. Or he wouldn't have even mentioned it. I should trust him, I know Naruto does. "Okay, I will. But what about the ghosts? How will they haunt her without me?" he asked. For that, Haku smiled, Sasuke could tell because of the sudden silence. "Oh, don't worry, Naruto-kun. I can practice my jutsu now," Haku said.
With a shrug, Naruto tried to pull away from Sasuke. It didn't work, his grip was too tight. Gritting his teeth, Naruto sputtered out a quick, "What are you doing, you teme?!" Sasuke smirked and reached down to nip at a tan earlobe.
"I need enough Naruto to last me a week without you, dobe," he whispered. Naruto blushed so deeply, Sasuke was kind of worried he'd caught a fever.
--