THE ALTERNATE ENDINGS BEGIN! This will be a short chappie, cuz I'm pressed for time right now...
Chapter 32: Chosen
"I choose….the one I choose….is…"
And as he spoke the last word, one world crumbled and fell to ashes, darkening into a graveyard of forsaken hopes, yet the other world soared past the heavenes, shooting up into the eternal paradise of bliss, forever remaining in the Elysion of joy.
"The one I choose is Sasuke."
Neji whirled, swiping at the sudden torrent of tears that stained his eyes. It was painful….it was so unbelievably painful that he felt he would die right then and there on his cold, marble floors. Tears flowed unchecked from silvery-gray orbs, falling softly onto the ground. Neji bowed his head and wept, grieving for the loss of his loved one, harshly berating himself for not seeing what he could've seen and accepted when Naruto was still his. And yet….this was partly his fault. He had had a chance with the blond a long time before Sasuke appeared, and like the fool that he was, he'd ruined it by making a horrible mistake, one he couldn't fix no matter how he wanted to.
A feathery sensation brushed at his cheek, and he looked up to see Naruto staring remorsefully into his eyes, holding them captive with his cornflower ones.
"Neji….Neji, I'm sorry. It's just…." The Hyuuga shook his head, smiling sadly.
"No….I understand. I had my chance. It's only fair to Uchiha to get his as well." He started to turn away, intent on leaving with whatever last shreds of dignity he possessed, but Naruto's face flashed once more across his mind and he balked, losing whatever self controly he had left.
Neji turned and looked Naruto full in the eyes, unconsciously memorizing every single facet of the blond's face, eyes roving unchecked over the line of the nose, the tilt of the eyes, the firmness of the cheekbones. His arms moved not of his will, enfolding Naruto in a deep, devouring, draining hug, and felt the blond do the same as well. Naruto's lips fell against his again and again, searching, reassuring, caressing in an eternal dance of sorrow. After what seemed like forever, Neji gently withdrew himself, smiling wanly through his tears, and stroked the tip of Naruto's nose.
"Go to Sasuke now, kitten. It's time." Naruto stared up at him with the most heartrending stare in his black-indigo eyes that practically ripped open Neji's soul.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be, Naruto. It isn't your fault. We both knew the consequences." Neji replied. Naruto grinned bitterly.
"Why….why did I have to choose?" The Hyuuga smiled sadly.
"All three of us knew when the time would come, young one. You must depart now." With a definite nod, Naruto fixed Neji with a long, slow stare, emblazoning the Hyuuga's countenance in his mind one last time before he turned and walked slowly to Sasuke's sympathetic form.
A whirlwind of brown obscured his vision, and Naruto staggered, clutching a wailing Inuzuka Kiba in his arms. The dog boy sniffed, wiping his nose messily on Naruto's shirt before looking up into his cobalt eyes with a stare that was a cross between a glare and a pleading.
"So…so it's true. You're really going." Naruto nodded. Deep chestnut eyes narrowed.
White-hot pain exploded across his cheek, and Naruto staggered backwards from Kiba's blow. Hardly had he recovered when Kiba flung himself on his shoulder and broke down completely, thoroughly soaking the lapels of Naruto's shirt. Naruto held him gently, patting him awkwardly on the back and reassuring him with promises of visiting. Kiba sobbed for a few more minutes, then did something completely unexpected and kissed Naruto full on the mouth.
The blond stood there in shock for a full three minutes, mind slowly registering the new piece of information. Kiba pressed his mouth on Naruto's, whimpering slightly, wrapping his arms around the blond and hanging on for dear life. Naruto's arms snaked up the dog-boy's back and clung, the two entwined in a haphazard mass of arms, legs, and pure, raw, undaunted emotion. When they finally came up for air, Kiba looked more normal than ever, trademark grin pasted on his face and all traces of tears long gone. He gave Naruto a saucy wink.
"Hey, everyone here was kissing you, so I thought I might have a crack at it too." Naruto twitched, then let out a resignated sigh.
"At this rate, my lips'll be swollen past the point of redemption." He sighed again and hugged the dog-boy, running his fingers through locks of chocolate.
"Be good, now will you?" Kiba smiled, kissed Naruto softly once more, then gently pushed him towards Sasuke.
"Get going, you bastard. Can't keep him waiting for long."
With one last, long, lingering look at Neji and Kiba, Naruto turned and retreated into the night, Sasuke guiding him from the shoulders. The double doors to the Hyuuga mansion slowly closed, coming together with a sharp snap that heralded the end, and a new beginning.
Sasuke glanced at the blond beside him, concern etched thoroughly into his features. Naruto's head was bowed, eyes glazed over with thought and sorrow. Smiling sadly, the Uchiha reached over and stroked the blond's head, running his fingers through the honey colored locks.
"Will you be okay?" Naruto nodded and sniffed.
"I'll miss them….but it's for the best. You're the one I want now."
Sasuke smiled, obsidian orbs glittering with emotion, and pulled Naruto to his side. Kabuto silently wiped his nose from the driver's seat, trying his best to drive despite his tears. The black sedan calmly swerved to and fro, rocking back and forth as Kabuto, Sasuke, and Naruto made their way back to Naruto's new home, the Uchiha mansion.
At the Uchiha Mansion
Sasuke took out a great ring of keys from his pocket, throwing them into the air with a flick of his wrist and catching them again, the key of his choice enclosed firmly between his lithe, nimble fingers. Unlocking the great wooden door, he stepped inside, motioning Naruto to do the same. The blond did so, and felt his jaw hit the ground with a satisfying clunk. Sasuke smirked.
"This is my house, however humble it may be." Naruto's eyes joined his jaw on the floor. He stayed like that for a full ten minutes, openly gawking at all the luxury the Uchiha had the privilege to live in. Turning his head from side to side, he took in each and every marvelous detail, from the dark, red-black mahogany floors, to the lush, mink carpeting, to the various antiques that lavishly decorated the foyer of Sasuke's mansion. It met, if not surpassed Neji's own mansion standards, positively reeking of money and expenses.
"Wow….AND YOU CALL THIS A HUMBLE HOUSE!" Sasuke winced delicately and calmly inserted a slim finger into his ear, twisting it back and forth.
"Not so loud, you might break something, fool." Naruto scowled playfully.
"I'm not a fool. You just said it would be humble, when it's shipshape in reverse." The Uchiha sighed, rolling his eyes.
"It's not my fault that my whole family squandered their money on this house. It's not my fault that they died and left me with a fortune to which I have no use. And it's not my fault that my bastard of a brother wouldn't die with them." The last sentence was shot through with spite. Naruto shuddered.
"What do you have against Itachi?" Sasuke turned to look at him, his eyes dark and stormy, quite resembling typhoons and hurricanes.
"It's a long story….I shall tell you sometime during your stay." Naruto smiled.
"Promise?" The Uchiha chuckled.
"Promise. I'll show you to your room so you can get a good night's rest; you must be tired."
Naruto yawned as testimony and plodded diligently after Sasuke's lean form, winding through hallways and corridors until he came to his chamber. With another flick of his wrist, the Uchiha produced another key, unlocked the door, and pushed Naruto inside, smiling a good night and gently closing it behind him.
Now alone, Naruto suddenly felt the energy that sustained him earlier suddenly withdraw, draining into a whirlpool inside of him. His legs buckled and he collapsed on the bed, sinking with a sigh into the soft, lush blankets that pooled around him like a silky, velveteen pond. Snuggling further into the blankets, he slowly drifted off, thoughts of a certain Uchiha filling his head.
Sometime during the Night
He woke with a start, eyes snapping open with the force of a bullet, every nerve tingling with anticipation. As his surroundings slowly came into focus, Naruto relaxed, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He slowly calmed himself, regulating his breathing and reassuring himself that the scream he'd just heard was something from his dreams.
He could've sworn he'd heard a scream. In fact, had the scream not occurred, he saw no other reason whatsoever that would've woken him up. He sat quite still, eyes dilated, perfectly straight, trying to pick out a single sound during the maddeningly noisy silence that he was enduring. And then he heard it again, very faintly but surely there, a scream that echoed throughout the mansion, a scream foretelling mortal agony and torture and immense suffering.
That was it. Curiosity fully aroused, Naruto slid silently out of his bed, padding softly across the soft mink carpeting to the door. Quietly letting himself out, he snagged a nearby lantern, holding it up to illuminate the hallways. The lantern flickered, sending weird and ominous shadows dancing across the corridors, and suddenly Naruto was seized with an overwhelming urge to turn tail and rid himself of this mansion. Still, his curiosity prevailed, and he tentatively took his first steps down the hallways, swallowing nervously.
Back and forth, up and down, he walked for what seemed like an eternity, following the sound of the screams as they echoed and reverberated around the hallways, bouncing off the walls. With each turn, each step, Naruto grew more and more apprehensive, a thin sheen of sweat breaking out on his forehead, but still he surged onward, knowing not what possessed him to follow the screams. Rounding one more corridor, he stopped cold at a door, for the door was ajar and the scream that just burst from it, he was sure came from inside.
Peeking timidly into the room, his iridescent blue-violet orbs lit on a silent silhouette, cast against the illuminating light behind the screen. The figure lying sprawled on the ground, and every so often would let out another scream. It twitched and convulsed, spasming horribly on the floor, and this time the howl that burst from its lips didn't sound remotely human. Arms lifted towards the heavens, it threw back its head and howled once more, a long, grating scream bursting from its throat. It lashed out wildly towards the scream, claws tearing a great, gaping hole through the frail paper, and Naruto stopped cold where he was, eyes dilating in utter shock and disbelief.
It was Sasuke.
Oh yes, it was Sasuke. But it wasn't the Sasuke Naruto knew and loved. This Sasuke had a wild, mad, crazy intelligence to him, bright madness in his eyes, his face both spark and flint, his hair wild and disheveled. He was half-naked, his only garments the pair of pants that covered his lower half, raw, red rashes raised cruelly on his skin, the results of scratches he'd raked into himself. As he sank below the screen once more, a shadow that could only be Kabuto detatched itself from the darkness and knelt down by the writhing Uchiha, murmuring reassurances and condolences. Sasuke shrieked once more and clawed frantically at his arm, only to be stopped by Kabuto who dealt him a quick blow to the back of the neck. Sasuke twitched once, then dropped lifelessly to the ground.
Naruto whirled, pressing himself against the nearest wall, heartbeat going a mile a minute and breathing coming in shallow, quick sips of air. His eyes were pasted open in shock as he mentally relived the scene before him. Sasuke….Sasuke was in pain. There was something seriously wrong with the Uchiha he loved, and if that something wasn't fixed soon, he had a strong suspicion that Sasuke would die. Eyes narrowed in determination. Sasuke meant the world to him, and he'd see to it that he'd do everything in his power to make sure his beloved Uchiha would be alright.