Sorry about the wait. I had a time and a half putting this chapter together. I hope you all enjoy it.

Thanks for all the reviews!

Thanks to my BETA- Rikado!

Chapter_24: Saying Goodbye

He didn't know how he got back to the hideout. Memories blurred and smeared together, some abstract watercolor. All that he could see was Sasuke's face disappearing into the swirling dust below. Over and over the man fell. Again and again, he was dragged hopelessly, helplessly upward, away.

"Let me go, let me go! I have to go after him!"

He struggled and twisted, finally pulling free of Juugo's grasp. He stepped for the edge, ready to jump over the crumbling edge. Hands wrapped around his chest and he was dragged away yet again. "No, he's down there; I have to go get him!"

"Don't be stupid." Suigetsu shouted in his ear. "He did this so we could escape!"

He couldn't just leave him.

"Don't you get it?" He sacrificed himself for you! Don't you dare spit on that."

Sacrificed himself for…

Somehow he had directed the three former gang lieutenants to the resistance headquarters. Through the numbness he could feel congratulatory slaps on the back.

Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu seemed to integrate well into the rank and file. They were used to taking orders. As long as they had someone to follow, the who didn't matter.

"Now we have some pieces to work with." Shikamaru sat, staring at a map of Konoha. Nine chess figures were lined up along its edge. Three pawns, two knights, two bishops, one rook and a queen.

"Who's who?" Suigetsu peered at the worked marble. Karin slapped his hands away before he could touch any of them. The bleach blond glared at her, but otherwise remained contained.

Shikamaru shrugged. "You're not a pawn if it matters to you that much."

The gunman gave a satisfied nod and made no further comment.

"Now, we have nine people. That's not as many as I'd hoped, but we have something to work with." The brunette hunched over, considering. "I had thought that we might start with gorilla strikes against the Akatsuki, but…"

Everyone was thinking the same thing, but Naruto was the first to speak.

"We can't win a war of attrition with them."

The Nara's look was his agreement. "They have the resources of Konoha behind them. But it's more than that. Konoha worships them. Kakashi found that out the hard way last night."

"Agreed," The former detective rubbed at a bruised collarbone. "Our best defense right now is secrecy. Once we pop out and start opposing Akatsuki directly, that advantage will disappear."

"So we have one shot." Suigetsu grinned. "That sounds about right."

"Who do they have left?" Asuma asked. "How are our odds?"

"You don't want to know the answer to that." Shikamaru's smile had no humor. He looked at Kyuubi. "I don't know how many members they had to begin with, Kyuubi?"

"Seven members was all that I ever saw at once." The blond man said. "I had information that there was one more. But I never saw them. And…" He arched an eyebrow. "Well, they've had a few missing cast members since they first got here."

"Who?"

Naruto flopped onto the couch next to Kakashi. The detective gave a grunt of discomfort, but Kyuubi continued to busily adjust himself on the sofa. "That sucker with the red hair, not the leader, but the other guy and a dude with a mask."

Shikamaru's fingers toyed with a pawn. "So they have five."

Yamato sighed. "I think our chances just got a little bit better."

"Our chances aren't so terrible. We still have the element of surprise."

"Not anymore," It was the first time Juugo had spoken since his arrival. Everyone turned to look. "The Akatsuki know that there are at least three who oppose them."

"How?" Yamato was incredulous.

"You could say we weren't exactly subtle when we left our old hideout."

Suigetsu chortled and wrapped his arm around Karin's waist. It was all the confirmation the rest of the resistance needed.

"That's a drawback." Shikamaru's brow furrowed.

"How bad is this going to hurt us?"

The brunette spared a glance at Asuma. "We're going to have to move sooner than I originally planned."

"How soon?" Kakashi shoved himself upright on the couch.

"As soon as we can." Shikamaru didn't look up this time. "I'd thought that was obvious Kakashi. The longer we stay stationary, the more likely it is Akatsuki will find us."

"So let's get planning then." Kyuubi was up. Eight pairs of eyes tracked his steady pacing. "It's not complicated, or at least I hope it's not. Get them before they get us. So you," He pointed a finger at the Nara. "...get plotting, genius."

A flurry of action was the response. It was all that Naruto hoped for.

"I'll start doing an inventory on all our weapons and ammunition." Karin volunteered.

"It's not much." Yamato said.

Suigetsu snorted and trailed up behind the redhead. "That won't be a problem. We brought our own party gear. There should be enough to go around."

The three trailed away to a sectioned off corner of the hideout.

Asuma, Kakashi and Shikamaru were already neck-deep in maps and chess pieces by now.

Juugo was in another corner doing something Naruto couldn't see.

That left himself and…

"I'll go and get us something to eat."

"Iruka…"

"Kakashi, I know better than anyone else that boys who are going out to conquer the world need a good meal to send them off. I'm not going to just sit and twiddle my thumbs feeling useless. I can do this and I am."

The smile Kakashi gave Iruka was so blissfully adoring Naruto felt a pang of green in his chest.

"And I'm the only one here that Akatsuki hasn't issued a notice for. I'll see you all in a few hours."

Iruka looked right at Naruto when he said this. The blond understood. It was parent talk, a subliminal message that was meant for him. Akatsuki might, might be clued in on Kyuubi, but Uzumaki Naruto was, as far as they knew, a normal citizen.

Iruka was telling him to come along.

And Naruto found that he wanted nothing more.

.:xXXx:.

Slipping away was easy. He was like a ninja after all.

He knew where Iruka would be waiting, or rather, where he would meet his foster father. He was a good deal faster than the other man was on foot.

His apartment was just as he'd left it two days ago. It was mostly clean. A few stray article of clothing lay scattered across the floor and a handful of dishes piled in the sink. His type 'A' father wasn't likely to have heart attack the second he crossed the threshold though. That was the idea anyway.

Naruto stripped quickly, stuffing his costume into the half-full clothing hamper.

He was searching for a shirt when he heard the knock on his door.

"Come in!" He called.

Iruka entered. He was red-faced and a little breathless. He had probably jogged the entire way to Naruto's apartment. Before the man could speak, Naruto had led him to the kitchen and shoved a glass into his hand.

"There's water in the tap. I've got to get decent."

When he returned, this time covered in a char-coal grey T-shirt, Iruka's breathing had evened out.

The blond took one look at his foster father and knew something was wrong. Brown eyes, so familiar, tracked his steady approach. But Iruka said nothing.

"Come on," Naruto grabbed for his jacket and wallet. He jerked his head towards the door, shoving keys into a pocket before stepping outside. "We've got a few people to get food for and I don't think that they'd appreciate delays."

Wordlessly, Iruka followed.

.:xXXx:.

They exchanged few words, nothing beyond 'Should I grab ketchup?' or 'I'm not eating that for breakfast.'

Their thoughts weighed heavily. It filled the air so thickly there was no room for what they wanted to say. So they didn't.

It had been years since they'd gone to the store together for anything. Not since Naruto moved out…not since he left Konoha.

It felt a little like coming home for real. A balm that numbed the festering wounds in his heart.

He didn't want to think about tomorrow. He might not even have this tomorrow.

What more would Akatsuki take from him before this nightmare was over?

"They won't win."

Iruka looked so sure. Naruto wished that he felt the same.

"Losing isn't a luxury we have." The blond replied.

Even those nine words crowded in so close it was suffocating.

They left the store laden with plastic plates, utensils and every yummy ingredient Naruto could think of. Iruka had picked out all the nasty ones.

A few residents jogged up the streets. The gently cresting sun colored the pale sky in deceptively happy hues.

"A little past six."

The blond kicked at a pebble and said nothing.

"I'm proud of you, you know."

It hurt to hear the words. But there would be no other time for them.

"I'm proud of both my strong men. But they can both be so pig-headed sometimes. They just don't know that once and a while, it's alright to be human."

"If I stop pretending that I'm immortal," Naruto whispered. "I'll bleed out."

It was Iruka's turn to kick silently at a chip of concrete.

"You're stronger than them." He said at last. "You can't let them tear you down."

He wasn't going to cry. He didn't want to think about it, but the wound was so fresh. He wanted to yell at his foster father for being so stupid. But Iruka didn't know what he had lost already.

"I was going to sit with him." The blond whispered. He doesn't trust his voice to hold if he spoke any louder. "On the bench."

The sharp intake of breath proved his anguish wasn't baseless. It meant something.

"Who?"

Naruto closed his eyes, forcing the wet back. No tears.

His words are choked with them though.

"The one I couldn't save."

They arrived at the hideout's entrance. It was then Naruto remembered his bare face. He would have to go back and change back into his costume.

But once more Iruka proved the reliable parent. He pulled the modified mask/shirt from a bag and tossed it to his son.

It's a matter of a moment to swap the articles on his body. They knock. And then they were inside, sealing the door behind them.

"Hey," Iruka chuckles out. "I hope that you're all in the mood for omelets."

But no one is paying attention. They are all glued to the television in the corner. It was where Naruto had seen Juugo crouch just before he left. The man must have fixed it.

"What are you guys doing?" Naruto shouts, swaggering over to the tight mob. "Killing brain cells while you should be planning…"

"I am 'the benefactor."

Naruto caught a glimpse of the screen.

Blue eyes went wide.

He couldn't breathe.

"No…"

.XX.

He hurt. Each breath set his ribcage aflame.

He didn't remember much after impact. Besides the initial fall there was only blackness and bleared images, sensations. He'd expected the blackness, planned for it. It was the waking up that was unexpected.

He had planned to die.

Things were just tidier that way.

But life just loved to throw wrenches in his well-laid strategies.

He was laying on something cold. Somewhere off to the right he could hear the wind blowing. It caressed his unprotected body with icy accuracy. He shivered. Pain registered mutely from head to toe. The fall, and what came after it.

They had taken him here. He could only speculate where 'here' was at this point, but that was another matter altogether. His immediate concerns were: why they had decided to keep him alive and how long it would be before they came back?

Footsteps sounded from somewhere off in the far darkness. The answer to his second question, it seemed, was: not long.

Hinges creaked and several pairs of steps moved into the room he occupied.

"He's awake."

Sasuke had a moment to identify the voice before he was hauled roughly to his feet. His legs screamed at him. One was broken, the other felt like it was only badly bruised.

The raven grit his teeth. He was an Uchiha. No matter the agony, he would not give his captors the privilege of hearing it.

Sasuke was yanked into a sort of stumbling half-shamble that had him gritting his teeth again, but not because his legs hurt. He would not allow his pride to take any more damage than it already had.

His ribs ached and he was fairly certain that there was a chunk of debris imbedded in his back, nestled next to his spine. He could feel the rough rub against the perforated edges of his skin and an occasional sting when the fragment dug deeper.

The raven was tossed unceremoniously into a seat and the blindfold was suddenly removed. Light glared into his unprepared eyes, forcing them closed.

"Citizen's of Konoha," A man spoke to Sasuke's right. It was a voice he had never heard before. "For long months we have struggled to rebuild this beautiful city. You have all worked hard to defy the tyranny of men who once oppressed you. Like this man."

Brutal fingers closed around Sasuke's jaw, lifting his face up. The raven wrenched away, refusing to be man-handled, even in this moment of venerability. He lifted his face before the hand could grab for him again. He sat, proud and straight, through the pain that didn't matter. He was an Uchiha. He would die like one.

.:xXXx:.

His heart had stopped beating. For one, horrible moment, Naruto felt the world end.

Sasuke looked regal. His face was splashed with bruises, marks from rough treatment at the hands of his captors. He was hostage, held, but you would never have known to look at him. Sasuke was above his surroundings, so in control. It was surreal.

The man on the TV screen didn't stop. He kept talking, his words condemning Sasuke, the man he'd thought already dead.

"I am the man you know as Benefactor. It has been my duty to serve you and it is my wish to continue." The red-headed man, Pain, indicated the Uchiha. "To demonstrate my sincerity, I offer to you, the leader of Hebi; one of the last to oppose your new strength, Uchiha Sasuke."

There it was. Everyone knew. No one knew how to react. But Pain's next words shattered their shock.

"As both an example and promise, this man will die tomorrow as the sun rises."

The leader of Akatsuki stepped from the screen and the television went black. A commercial colored yellow blinked on, but no one cared. Juugo flicked the device off; he was the only one moving.

The silence lasted for several immeasurable seconds and then, as one, nine voices mingled in the once empty air. Some wanted to let Sasuke die. Some were already proposing rescue plans. Others were expressing concern about being too quick to leap at this news.

Finally, Kakashi began banging a cup against an old coffee table. This didn't do much since the cup was one of the disposable plastic glasses Iruka had just purchased. The former detective tossed the crumpled cup over the back of the couch and stood.

Eight pairs of eyes turned to him and one by one, voices faded to nothing.

"Thank you," The man cleared his throat. "Now then, Shikamaru, what do you think about this recent development?"

The brunette fought down surprise. He hadn't expected Kakashi to defer to him, not that he minded really. It was unprecedented; nice, but unprecedented.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His mind was already going at warp speed.

"The time of the execution is convenient. The traditional venue for capital punishment in the past is also very out in the open. Pain also said that Sasuke would serve as an example. It might be a trap."

"Yes, there's no reason to go rushing in when Akatsuki is lying in wait."

"No reason?" Karin placed a hand on Suigetsu's shaking shoulder. The man was not crying. "Our boss is in enemy hands and they're going to kill him tomorrow morning. Who cares if it's a trap or not? We outnumber the Akatsuki anyway. So stop being a bunch of bitc-"

"Suigetsu,"

The gunman stepped away from his lover, less then enchanted with the rest of them at the moment. "Fine," He barked. "If that's the way you're going to play, then I'll go and help my boss by my lonesome."

"Calm down," Kakashi said. "No one is making a decision either way. Right now we're just trying to figure out what's going on."

Suigetsu made no comment. But he stayed where he was.

"Shikamaru."

The brunette nodded. "However, we have no reason to assume Pain knows we have access to a television. He would know about the four rebels that escaped from Sound. It could be that he was referring only to them. He might not know that there are nine of us ready to fight him."

"Eight," Naruto interrupted. "Or are we going to rely on school teachers to fight our battles?"

He didn't look at Iruka.

"Iruka has as much right to be here as the rest of us." Yamato said.

"Perhaps there is a less combat oriented role he could play in the plan." Asuma offered.

"I'm not going to be coddled." Iruka protested. "This is my home and I will fight for it, die if I have to."

"That's Shikamaru's call." Naruto replied.

"What I do with my life is my call." The brunette shot back.

Juugo's massive hands clapped together, again bringing silence to the nine figures gathered underground.

"This debate is pointless. We must decide if we will go at all. If we will not then there is only one plan that matters: the destruction of Akatsuki."

It was truth, plain and simple.

"Shikamaru,"

The Nara was beginning to believe Kakashi had only deferred to his opinion to avoid this decision. Never had his mind felt so stretched.

Finally he spoke. "We have one choice. There is no reason to suppose Pain knows we are still alive. This is our chance to bring them down."

"Even if it's a trap?"

"If we know that there is that possibility, we can prepare for it. We have no other alternative. We go, or we lose the three allies we have just gained."

Common sense quieted the group; everyone but Naruto.

"Alright," He nodded. "Now that that's settled, let's get ourselves a plan of attack."

.XX.

It was a few hours before nightfall, the scheduled time of departure.

Kakashi sat with his back propped against the hideout's entrance, his eyes on the sunset.

He felt the sharp taps vibrate against his spine. The man leaned forward, just enough for the door to open. He didn't have to look to know it was Iruka. The brunette started speaking the instant his head cleared the entrance.

"Kakashi, what are you doing out here in broad daylight? You're a wanted man. Akatsuki could see you and then everything would go down the drain."

Iruka was pulled down, his back pressed against a firm chest. Kakashi's arms wrapped around him, keeping him secure.

"Kakashi," Iruka's protests were interrupted by the lips on his ear. They didn't stay there for long. And soon both were locked together, tongues lazily exploring. There was none of the desperation Iruka had expected. It was slow, it was hot, it was everything at once; so much it left him breathless. The low, simmering heat worked its way down his body, bringing passion to a leisurely, controlled boil. It was pure magic, the stroking, the moaning, the sweet care with which Kakashi seduced his mouth.

His mind and body melted as one, allowing the soft press of lips and the firm pressure of body. They eased apart, breathing in each other's exhale, drinking in the nearness.

He sighed and relaxed into the embrace, allowing Kakashi's words to flow over him.

"The sunset is amazing tonight."

Iruka was not a man given to irrational fears. That portion of himself had begun to dwindle as the months passed. He hated what Akatsuki had made him. Now that the decision was made, the plan set, the only thing left to do was wait.

It was selfish, but he was glad he had already spoken to Naruto that morning. He knew that his foster son would understand his need to be with Kakashi. They had already said their goodbyes.

There was no reason to speak. Words were superfluous and would only dilute the honesty of the moment. It was the purity of feeling, of being wrapped in one another, emotionally and physically. The support, comfort and serenity could never be replicated; no afterglow could compare.

Even 'I love you' seemed a tarnished substitute for this single perfect evening. This was all about them.

He didn't want to think about what tomorrow would hold. For the moment, he had Kakashi. For this evening, they were in love. For now, nothing could tear them apart.

For this once, it was enough.

.XX.

Naruto rolled again. Springs dug painfully into his side. It didn't matter though, he couldn't sleep.

He was so…he didn't know. His emotions had been in turmoil for so long he didn't know which way was up. He was glad that Sasuke wasn't dead, but that might not last. The raven had survived, but was it all in vain? Would he live only to die at the hands of Pain? The man had just agreed to let Naruto go at the cost of himself. But would the raven accept that Naruto still felt…still loved…? What if Sasuke died? What would happen then? Of all the possible futures Naruto had envisioned, that one held no hope.

He couldn't let the Akatsuki take Sasuke away from him. He wouldn't let them.

He glanced down at his watch. Dusk would be in less than an hour. Then it would be time to put all their careful planning into action.

They could win. They could beat Akatsuki. They would beat Akatsuki. They had to.

He glanced around at the rest of the group. He had seen Iruka sneaking off towards the exit earlier. He knew where his father was going. He hoped Kakashi would be alright.

The three former Hebi were sitting together against one wall. Asuma and Yamato were raiding the kitchenette for snacks. Shikamaru was…

It took Naruto a moment to find the familiar ponytail. The Nara was crouched down next to a table, a cell phone pressed to his ear.

"I'm serious Choji, just stay at home, call in sick tomorrow. I don't care; just don't go in to work. Something big. No, I'm not calling you…what?" The pause was long. "Yeah…I guess you could let the girls know. Tsunade? Tell her to close the store for the day. She'll understand. Don't worry; it'll all be over before you know it. No, I want you to stay away. This isn't like school, these bully's are really big. No, I'm not calling you…"

"Hey, Suigetsu." The bleach blond looked up. Naruto waved him over. There was something that he needed to know, something that had been nagging at him since Suigetsu said it.

"What?" The gunman muttered temperedly. The couch creaked as he sat down.

Naruto couldn't look at the other man. He just sat and stared at his hands.

"You said, earlier, that, Sasuke…sacrificed himself for me. I just wanted to know…what you meant by that?"

Suigetsu chuckled and stretched. His back cracked loudly.

"Look kid, I don't know if you were around the Boss long enough to really get this, but here it is." He pointed a finger at Naruto. "Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't die for anyone that he thought was second-rate, in fact, I don't think that you could make a case if the victim was the hero of the city. But the Boss decided that you were worth giving a chance, even if it meant he had to die. So, I guess that means you're worth something. He wouldn't have done it for me, or Karin or Juugo or anyone else. It was you. I don't know why, but it happened. You can take that however you want to."

And with that, Suigetsu stood. "Now, if we're done here, my woman's waiting."

The blond didn't stop him. He watched Suigetsu trail back to his spot next to Karin. The implications of what the man said…

Naruto's watch beeped.

All eyes turned to him. Everyone knew what the alarm meant.

It was time.

A/N: 'Wow' I can't believe that this is almost over. There are only a few more chapters to go. Thank you to everyone who supported me.

On that note I have two announcements:

ONE: If you get me to 200 reviews, I will write a gift-fic for the one who writes the 200th review! Insentive. The only stipulation is that I would prefer not to write a pairing that I don't support, but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, that's the deal. SO REVIEW!

TWO: I am having a hard time finding a RoyXEd that is 100K+ words, so I decided to write one of my own. I am looking for a BETA who is intimately familiar with the FMA BROTHERHOOD universe, not the first series. If you are this person, or know someone who can help, please PM me.

I promise that I will still finish my other stories, with the exception of 'Mortis;, which will be reciveing a major revamping.

Thanks for reading this!

Until Next Time!