Disclaimer: The characters and concepts of Naruto belong to their rightful owner. I claim no ownership of them.

Warning: Angst, Yaoi (Sasuke x Naruto), swearing and some violence. Don't read if you don't like this kind of stuff.

Author's Note: Back at uni now, so updates may be a little slower than the last few chapters posted.

Chapter 32: Letters from the Sky

It's not a silly little moment,
It's not the storm before the calm.
This is the deep and dying breath of
This love that we've been working on.

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer

Naruto slipped into the frantically busy kitchen, tugging at his uncomfortable tie once more. It was the day before Christmas eve and Lady Mikoto's Christmas charity ball was in full swing.

Many of the stable hands had been roped into working as waiters and waitresses, along with the house and kitchen staff. Not that it was much of a hardship, considering the more than generous Christmas bonus that the lady of the house had organised as a reward for a couple of hours of easy work.

Naruto was more than happy to help, because it meant that he got to see how the other half lived. Not to mention, he also had the opportunity to observe Sasuke in a setting unlike any of the others he had seen him in before.

The only downside to the whole thing was that he had to dress up in a tuxedo, complete with waist coat and tie. He was unused to wearing such expensive and formal clothes, and he felt acutely uncomfortable.

The Uchiha mansion was like something out of a picture book. It was covered in snow and glittering icicles, the extra decorations made it sparkle and twinkle. Lights decorated the driveway and the eves of the house, and festive decorations were strung up everywhere. Beautifully decorated Christmas trees were dotted around the house, and Naruto had to consciously stop himself from staring in wide eyed wonder.

The main hall had been opened up, and filled with stylishly decorated tables. Blazing fires warmed the house against the chill of the winter evening.

Men and women filled the main hall, dressed as perfectly as if they had been painted. All of them were beautiful, no matter their age, and he supposed that being associated with the Uchiha family had certain requirements, although the very idea made his skin itch.

Sasuke was there, moving amongst the crowd, stopping to talk to some and politely greeting others. Naruto watched the way he moved fluidly through the crowd, not stopping for long but not being rude either. There was no denying that he had a certain skill for making people feel as if they mattered. They respected him and it was obvious that many also admired him. A warm feeling infused his chest at the thought of his lover being so treasured, even if he didn't know it.

But the thing that was nagging at him was the presence of that cool, blank mask that had rattled Naruto so back when they had been strangers to one another. There was no animation on his face, no warmth in his eyes, or quirking of an eyebrow that spoke of his humour.

Naruto shook himself out of his wandering thoughts and slipped back to the kitchen to grab another tray of champagne. He had been studiously avoiding Uchiha Fugaku, Sasuke's father. He appeared to be a stern and serious man, and strangely enough, a rather ordinary looking one. Sasuke's father was slightly shorter than Sasuke himself, and of a slimmer build than both his sons. It was apparent that Itachi and Sasuke had inherited their stunning looks from their mother.

"Naruto," a quiet voice spoke from behind him. "You're looking well."

Startled, he turned as quickly as possible with the tray in his hand to find Itachi standing there watching him and looking very sophisticated in his expensive suit.

"T-thank you itachi-sama," he managed as he tried to hide his nerves. "Can I get you anything?"

A smile that didn't reached his eyes tugged briefly at Itachi's mouth.

"I'm fine, thank you," he paused for a moment. "I heard you and Sasuke achieved great things at the competition. Well done."

Naruto smiled nervously at the older Uchiha and wondered what he wanted. It wasn't every day that Itachi was seen talking to the servants, as he appeared to have adopted his father's attitude towards the staff that worked at his residences. But if he was anything like his brother, Itachi had hidden depths that were extremely well concealed and hard to find. He wasn't so sure that he was comfortable having Itachi probe into his personal life though.

"Thank you," he replied simply. He wasn't sure what else he was supposed to say to that compliment.

"I also have heard rumours of your….friendship with Sasuke. It appears that you have taken my advice to heart," Itachi was watching him very closely, his eyes sharp.

Naruto struggled to mask the flash of fear that he experienced at those words. The way he had phrased the statement made it seem like he had been asked to perform a duty in forming a relationship with his younger brother. And to make it even worse, he spotted Sasuke walking up behind Itachi with a frown on his face. He was also pretty sure that Sasuke had heard his brothers' words.

"Itachi. I believe that father is looking for you."

"Sasuke," Itachi replied, turning to face him slightly. "I trust you are enjoying mother's little party?"

Little party? Naruto wondered to himself silently. If this was actually a little party in Uchiha terms then he would eat his shoe. Despite his nervousness, he was intrigued and curious to see how the two Uchiha brothers interacted. He had never had the opportunity to see it first hand before, but from the way that Sasuke spoke, there was more than a small amount of bitterness between them.

"As much as one can, I suppose," Sasuke replied, sounding bored. "Are you finished bothering the staff? Father is beginning to get frustrated. I believe he wants to show you off some more."

A brief expression of irritation crossed Itachi's face and he turned away with a little wave of his hand.

"I guess it's my turn to do the rounds then. Later, little brother," he said, with another sharp, assessing look in Naruto's direction.

Naruto breathed a silent sigh of relief once he was gone, relieved to have dodged that particular bullet for the time being. He looked up to find Sasuke struggling to hide his grin.

"What?" he blinked at the Uchiha.

"You've changed Naruto. You shook like a leaf when we first met, and now you're making casual conversation with my brother, who is considered to be the scarier of the two of us."

Naruto shrugged. "I guess I've gained some perspective since then. Mostly because of you, I think."

The smile slipped from Sasuke's face as he looked at Naruto in an unconscious imitation of the way his brother had been doing a moment ago.

"You've changed me too," Sasuke told him after a moment. "A couple of months ago I would have stayed for as little time as possible before going somewhere quiet and drinking myself into a stupor."

And there it was. Another hint into Sasuke's past that he had never considered before. They may be from different sides of the tracks but they had both experienced that same loneliness and need for an escape. Sasuke may have gone about it differently than he did, through drinking or sex, but it was still a desperate need to get away to something different. Perhaps that was what had drawn them together, and together they had found what they had needed.

"About what Itachi was saying…" Naruto began, biting his lip. "It wasn't like…."

"Forget it, Naruto," Sasuke interrupted him. "It doesn't mean anything. Besides, I know that even if he had asked you to do something like that, you wouldn't have."

Such faith in his character touched Naruto, and made his blush. Coming from someone with such strength of character and beautiful imperfections as Sasuke had made him feel warm all the way through. Sasuke never failed to take his breath away because of his personality as well as his looks.

And he did look handsome. Whilst he had obviously made some effort to fit in to the glamour of the evening and looked amazing in his black suit and white shirt, he had rebelled a little by forgoing any sort of waistcoat or tie. His jacket was open, and he looked simple and yet unbelievably sophisticated at the same time. Naruto had spotted the frown that Sasuke's father had shot him when he had seem Sasuke's choice of clothing and his mother's indulgent smile and wondered if Sasuke was purposefully trying to rebel against his father or if it were an innate need that he wasn't aware of. He had also noticed the women of all ages eyeing both Sasuke and Itachi appreciatively.

"I have to go," Sasuke scowled, looking across the room. "They're about the serve dinner. I'll see you later?"

Naruto nodded and Sasuke brushed their hands together as he turned to leave. Naruto hid his smile as he turned around and headed for the kitchen, not missing the way that Sakura had been watching them.

Naruto looked around the room, still amazed at all of the lavish dresses and tuxedos, although now that were all seated and looking towards the front of the room, where Uchiha Fugaku was standing in preparation to speak.

All of the staff were at the back of the hall, waiting for the signal to start bringing out the food once the head of the Uchiha family had finished his speech.

Naruto looked back at Sasuke who was seated next to his mother, and looking like he was either incredibly bored or incredibly irritated. Sometimes it was hard to tell them apart.

"Good evening everyone, and welcome to my home," Fugaku started, his voice smooth and deep and surprisingly a lot like Sasuke's. "I trust that this festive season has found everyone in good fortune and spirits."

It was hard not to miss the way that the man held the attention of the entire room. He certainly had the power to captivate an audience, which was probably what had made him so successful in his career.

"I have some excellent news that I would like to share with all of you, our dearest friends and business associates. It has come to my attention recently that both of my sons are good men, who are more than capable of assisting me in the running of this family's business empire."

At the mention of Sasuke, Naruto stood a little straighter and focused on Fugaku's words. He also noticed that Sasuke was watching his father closely, with a frown on his face. He was definitely paying attention now.

"In order to carry on the family name and business, it is essential that both of my eligible sons marry, and produce heirs that can consolidate this family's future. In light of this, a deal has been struck with close family friends, the Subaku's and it has been decided that my youngest son, Sasuke will marry the beautiful young lady Temari."

Naruto went cold all over, frozen to the spot like a deer in headlights. A heavy ball of disbelief was weighing his stomach down, and he barely registered Kakashi gripping his elbow as the tray he was holding began to shake. He couldn't help but notice how Sasuke had frozen too, staring at his father in shock.

"May they have a happy future together," Uchiha raised his glass and everyone toasted as conversation started back up.

The noise around him was so loud he could barely breathe and he could feel himself starting to panic. Someone had taken the tray from his hands and there were people all around him talking to him, asking him questions, but he couldn't hear them over the roaring in his head. Somehow, he managed to push his way through them and fled, ignoring the people calling after him.

Naruto shivered as the frigid wind whipped up scurries of snow from the ground. The moon was bright, turning the world into a black, white and grey picture in which the pain he felt was like a knife through the chest.

He hadn't been able to face the thought of people coming to find him and answering their concerned questions, so he had walked through the snow covered trees to the place where their friendship had begun. Not ten meters away from him was the spot where he had found Sasuke, soaked to the skin and unconscious from his fall.

It felt like someone had reached into his chest and was trying to crush his heart in their hand.

Sasuke was engaged.

He prayed like hell that Sasuke hadn't known about it, because that would be a betrayal that he could never recover from.

It killed him to think that it was over already. He had had some hope that they would be together for a while yet to come, but their relationship had been snatched from him with a few artfully spoken words, and in front of a room full of people. He had felt the knowing gazes of his friends and hadn't been able to face their sympathy.

Not for the first time in his life, he wondered why things always seemed to go wrong for him, and if they would ever start going the way that he wanted them to for a change. At this point, it didn't seem likely.

He tensed as he heard footsteps crunching through the snow towards him, but he didn't turn around. He had a sneaking suspicion of who it would be.

He did jump when a warm coat was settled around his shoulders.

"You're going to get sick, sitting out here like this." Sasuke said quietly, his voice rough. Naruto looked up at him, his throat constricted and his chest heavy. He couldn't think of a thing to say to the man he loved so much.

Sasuke sat next to him on the old log and pulled him close. Naruto burrowed into him, shaking like a leaf but unable to cry. He hurt too much for that.

"Did you know?" he whispered, a long time later. "Did you know that he had…."

"Of course not. I had no idea," Sasuke said harshly, and there was no mistaking the anger in his voice.

Naruto looked up at him, and watched him as he stared across the clearing. There was anger, and desperation and pain in his distant eyes, and he was so tense and still beside him. Naruto had never seen him like this, and it was as if the shock of it had both of them in its fierce grip.

He knew soon though, that Sasuke would shake it off and get angry. He would be furious and then everything would go downhill from there. Naruto knew deep in his heart what Sasuke was going to do, and he resigned himself to the anger and pain of the days to come. Sasuke was nothing, if not obstinate and fiercely independent. He would not take this latest development lying down.

"Don't worry, Naruto," Sasuke said, his voice strengthening. "I'll fix this. It's not going to happen."

Denial was his old companion, and Naruto knew that you could not deny the truth forever. This wasn't going to end well for either of them, but he wouldn't stand by and watch Sasuke lose everything. There was no way that he could stop Sasuke from confronting his father, but he realised that it was Sasuke's battle to fight, and that he needed to realise the truth on his own. It wasn't something that Naruto could do for him.

"Sasuke…" he said helplessly.

"I'll fix it, Naruto. Everything will be okay," he murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

They could both hear the quiet desperation in his voice.

Sasuke didn't bother to knock on his father's study door before opening it. He had spent the night awake in his bed, moving from shock to disbelief and straight on to white hot fury. He could not bring himself to believe that his own father could be so callous and uncaring as to take away his freedom in this way.

Sure, they had had their problems and disagreements in the past but it defied belief that after such a long, silent absence between them, he would turn up and dump this on him without so much as a by your leave. A conversation beforehand would have been nice. An opportunity to give his flat out refusal would have been appreciated. He was unwilling to compromise this time. He was ready to fight with everything that he had to stop this.

He wasn't ready to let Naruto go. He had seen the pain in his lover's eyes last night, and had felt it reflected in his own heart. There was no way he was going to let Naruto suffer because of his father's short comings.

Uchiha Fugaku may not have been big in stature, but in sheer force of personality, he had everyone beaten hands down. His strength of character and ability for public speaking gave him a power that Sasuke likened to that which Hitler had possessed. He had an irritating ability to override a person's own opinions and make them think that his opinions were correct. A dictator in his own right, Sasuke had once been scared of his father, back when he had loved him regardless. Over the long years, that love had been tarnished and worn down by bitterness and loathing. Even more so, now that he had announced to the world that Sasuke was to marry a complete stranger.

"Sasuke," he father acknowledged tonelessly as he wrote something on the papers before him. "I wondered when you would be making an appearance."

Sasuke stopped in front of his desk, anger making him unable to speak. His silence gained his father's attention, and he glanced up at his younger son before continuing his work.

"Ah. I gather that you are angry with me. Out with it then. Say your piece," his father said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"You think this is funny? You think that toying with my life and playing me like a puppet is a game?" Sasuke spat, almost shaking with the force of his rage. "I don't care what is going on in that messed up head of yours, but I'm not going along with it this time, father. You can't brow beat me into submission like you used to."

"Sasuke, I won't be spoken to in this manner," his father said sharply, sitting back in his leather chair. "This is for your own good and the good of this family. It is a good match. You will be happy."

"Happy? With a complete stranger?" Sasuke asked incredulously. "And what about what I want? Did you even think to ask me that?"

"I've been waiting for you to find someone to settle down with for a while now, Sasuke. Is there a girl that you haven't told me about? Is that what this is about?"

Sasuke had to physically bite his tongue to keep the words from spilling out like venom. No way was he going to out Naruto or reveal their relationship to this uncaring snake of a man, no matter how angry he was.

"For god's sake there is no girl, father," he whirled away, walked to the window and then returned. "This is about having the right to choose who I spent my life with, and not having that choice taken away from me!"

His father clasped his hands together and regarded him calmly.

"I made this choice, Sasuke, because I have heard of your exploits with your little friends at University, and I am tired of making excuses for you behaviour. It is time you settled down and lived up to your responsibility to your family."

"What I do with my time is none of your business," Sasuke snapped, not wanting to know how or what his father had found out. It didn't bear thinking about. "I refuse to marry this girl."

His father leaned forward, resting his elbows on his beautiful, hand carved enormous desk.

"You will, or you will suffer the consequences," he replied, his voice steely and his eyes hard. "I won't tell you again to toe the line, Sasuke. I have had enough of your childish ways. I only want what's best for you."

Yet again, he had to force himself not to say the horrible words that were rolling around in his head. There were so many spiteful things that he could say, but he was too angry to let himself. His fists were clenched, nails drawing blood, and he was trembling with the force of his emotions. He could feel his pulse pounding throughout his body and he was breathing harder than normal.

"I can see that you are overwrought," the man sitting before him said, with a dismissive look. "We will talk about this more when you have calmed down and are able to see sense. Go now Sasuke, I have work to do."

It was like a flashback to his childhood, that dismissal. But he knew from long experience that his father would not engage in further conversation. His father never did anything that he didn't want to do.

Sasuke turned and left without a word.

TBC