It wouldnt make a difference if he had the money for lazer treatment, even if it vanished from his wrist it would still be there, would always be there in the same way that Sasuke would always have his claws dug into his heart.
He was haunted to the bone.
It had been three years since Naruto had seen or heard from Sasuke and he was still haunted. He would never be able to get the raven off of his skin, out of his clothes, removed from his head.
xXx
They'd laid in that pool of blood on their living room floor for two hours before the police smashed their door down and put a bullet in Sasuke's shoulder.
They'd thought Naruto was dead he was so still.
He felt dead.
They'd sat curled up in that blood whilst their die hard audience had eternally watched on. Naruto would never wash that blood out of his skin. Would never feel clean again.
The police had hauled Sasuke out of their apartment quicker than Naruto could understand. The paramedics kept throwing around words like 'shock' and 'traumatized' but Naruto couldnt focus on anything, could only see the vacent stares of the dead, could only hear the soothing promises of love that had flowed from Sasukes lips.
xXx
"Arashi, is there something you want to talk about?"
Naruto was shaken from his thought by the gentle tones of his phsychiatrist Iruka Umino, he was still having trouble responding to his new identity.
A small upturning of his lips was all Naruto could offer in means of a smile so he offered a simply sentance instead. "Its exactly three years today that I last had contact with him."
Iruka's expression was suddenly serious, it had been almost a year since Naruto had brought Sasuke Uchiha up in one of their sessions, he normally spent their weekly hour talking about university or something one of the kids at his nursery had done. Iruka had noticed Naruto seemed more jumpy as of late and was constantly tugging his sleeves over his hands.
Iruka leant back in his chair placing his clip board onto the table next to him.
"Oh, is that right?"
Naruto nodded so slightly Iruka would have missed it if not for his years of training.
"Tell me about the last time you heard from him?"
xXx
Naruto hadnt spoken.
It had been two whole weeks since the police found him on the floor of his home entwined with a murderer, surrounded by nightmare and he hadnt spoken one word.
A pretty, blonde, middle aged detective named Ino had told him that their neighbour, Mrs Monroe, had seen Sasuke dragging the bodies into their apartment and had called the cops. She'd asked if Sasuke had showed any signs, made any off hand comments, had any reason to go from a model student to a killer.
Naruto stayed silent.
A friendly yet eccentric doctor with a shock of white hair had asked him for the names of his next of kin, anyone he was close to who could look after him until the witness protection could get him a new identity.
The only people noted on his passport were a Mr Sasuke Uchiha and a Mr Kiba Inuzuka.
Imprisoned.
Dead.
Naruto was as quiet as a corpse.
xXx
Itachi turned up in his hospital room half way through his third week there, Naruto had tried to scream but couldnt remember how, he felt as heavy as if his bones were filled with lead. As if sensing his panic Itachi held his hands up in mock surrender.
"Hey, hey, hey! I'm not here to hurt you Little Naru, my brother has already cracked, there is no need to push him further." a taunting smirk accompained his words.
Naruto managed to actually whimper in fear, he tried reaching for the call button but it was above the head of his bed, he was too far away at the foot.
Itachi was right in front of the door, Naruto was trapped, blocked in.
Itachi looked way too much like Sasuke, it was almost too much to bare.
"Calm down, you are not mine to touch, Sasuke gave me something, he wanted you to have this," Itachi waved a think magnolia envelope infront of the blondes face before throwing it onto the bed next to him, "He seemed extremely upset and confused as to why you hadnt visited him."
Having seemily finished what he come to say Itachi made as if to walk out of the door but turned to face Naruto at the last second.
"He's been sentenced to 25 years, but he is an Uchiha, he wont serve the full sentance, our money will see to that." He paused and Naruto was sure his eyes flashed red for a second, a sickly smile spread onto his pale face showing the madness that lay within, The Uchiha Curse in full effect.
"The first thing he'll do when he gets out is look for you, after all it was his love for you that broke him..."
Dark eyes bore into blue, sending shivers down Narutos spine.
"If you do not wish to be found little Naru, well, you'll had better start running."
xXx
As soon as Itachi left Naruto was pushing the panic button in a frenzy.
Three nurses, all of whom had been over seeing him, were suddenly hit with an onslaught of verbal abuse and inane rambling.
Naruto hadnt spoken in three weeks yet now they couldnt get the terrified blonde to stop.
"BROTHERS! AND CURSES! AND THE THE BLOOD! UCHIHA! SASUKE AND BLOOD AND I NEED TO RUN! HE KNOWS ME! HE'LL FIND ME HELP ME RUN!"
It had taken all three of them to sedate him and even with a needle sticking out of his arm Naruto wasnt quieting until suddenly he was and his world was spinning and swirling and then there was nothing but black.
There was no trace of Itachi Uchiha on the surveillance tapes, no one had seen him or any one to his description.
It was as if he was a ghost... Well either that or Naruto had gone mad.
The hospital decided on mad and that was the first night Naruto met Iruka Umino.
He didnt mention the letter under his pillow.
xXx