Misery Loves Company

Author: Ladelle

Rating: M

Comments: Ah, to return from vacation is so bittersweet. Vegas and California were absolutely beautiful, along with the company, and I was sad to return. Sometimes I wish I was a trust fund baby so I could just live a life of non-stop vacationing, but hey, who doesn't? I'll fill you in on all the hilarity in my bottom author's note, as usual. :laughs:

Chapter 25

It was a rest that didn't leave Naruto satisfied, and one that woke him abruptly in the middle of the night. Wind whispered from beyond the house's walls; an obvious storm taking root outside, and Naruto's couldn't help but listen calmly to the pitter-patter of raindrops that batted against the window. It was rhythmic and soothing, but not enough to lull him back to sleep.

Sasuke's lips were close enough to his skin that Naruto could feel his breath, hot and saturated, against him. A pale arm was curled across Naruto's torso, and throughout the course of the night the blond had kicked the covers to his feet, feeling flushed and contemplative. Now he was wide awake, staring at the boring beige ceiling of his bedroom, feeling his chest rise and fall awkwardly as he tried is best to think nothing at all.

Lightning illuminated the room, but only for a second. If Naruto had blinked, he would have missed the way it highlighted Sasuke's face, giving definition to his ample features. He watched as Sasuke's lips parted slightly for every inhalation, and how his eyes seemed alive, even while closed. Sasuke was dreaming, and Naruto wished that he was as well.

Turning onto his side, Naruto shivered as Sasuke's hand simply glided over his skin, unconsciously adjusting to the new position. It was warm, Naruto noticed, only to realize that he had suddenly become cold. The house was too quiet and the thrashing noises of the harsh wind outside were too loud, and Naruto stared at the red numbers on a digital alarm clock next to him, each minute much longer than the last.

He rolled out from under Sasuke's arm and whipped his legs over the side of the bed. His face felt itchy, so he rubbed it, and when his eyes opened everything was a blur. His muscles felt stiff—they needed more rest—and his head felt sick with worry and anxiety, neither of which he could will away.

"Where are you going?"

Sasuke's voice surprised Naruto, but he didn't jump. Instead he answered, "Nowhere. I just can't sleep."

Naruto heard Sasuke moving around behind him. "Why not?"

Sasuke came up beside him and sat, even though he looked a bit unwilling to do so. His hair was tousled recklessly around his face and his eyes were barely open enough to be considered awake. Naruto stared at him for a second before cracking a smile. "Sasuke, go to sleep."

Sasuke frowned but the action brought about a yawn, and Naruto playfully pushed him back, towards his side of the bed. "Fine. Do whatever you want," he glowered, and Naruto felt the blankets tug beneath him as Sasuke struggled to get readjusted. Naruto was quiet for a very short period of time.

"Hey, you trust me, don't you?" he asked, and his only answer was a breathless, "Mm-hmm" from behind him. He turned his head to see if Sasuke was asleep, and sure enough, his pale face was buried comfortably in a down pillow. Naruto watched him, a little disappointed that he hadn't gotten a real answer.

"Sasuke, are you asleep?"

"Mm-hmm…" Sasuke murmured.

Naruto smirked. "Are you so incredibly and desperately in love with me that you'll forgive me for leaving you one more time?"

"Mmm…"

Naruto sighed. "I suppose that's good enough," he said to no one in particular. He brushed a piece of hair from Sasuke's eyes and watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest, feeling a sense of resolution.

"You know, when you're not awake and glaring at people you don't really look that tough," he said. Sasuke didn't answer, only continued to sleep. Naruto went on. "And it's not like I'm going because I want to, either. I have to. For you, for me—for everyone. This whole mess started because of me and now I'm the only one that can fix it."

Only the wind howled in response.

"But I'll be back. I'll always come back for you. And when I do, we won't have to worry about the fact I'm a traveler, or even about Danzo. We can start over, just like I promised."

Naruto felt awkward, but not because he was talking mostly to himself. He felt a new sense of conviction brewing inside of him. "Just promise me you won't hate me."

Sasuke turned in his sleep and Naruto's heart-rate accelerated. The sleeping man licked his lips and mumbled, "Naruto…too noisy…"

Naruto laughed to himself. "Alright. Sorry."

He stood up and grabbed some clothes from a chair near the entryway of the room and took one last glance back at Sasuke who was still sleeping soundly. "I love you," he said quietly, and he left, closing the door softly behind him.

He walked a little ways to the kitchen and pulled on the clean clothes in his hands, and ran his head under some cool water to get the kinks out of his hair. Not surprisingly enough there was a sound behind him, and when he turned, it was Gaara who was facing him.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" Naruto asked innocently enough. Gaara's arms were crossed over his chest and his expression was stern.

"I could ask you the same thing," he said coolly.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "The wind's so loud that I couldn't sleep."

Gaara continued to stare, his expression sour. "So you decided to get dressed and take a bath in the kitchen sink?"

There was a small margin of time where Naruto pursed his lips and stared at his assassin friend, wondering what on earth had brought this confrontation on. Gaara looked stubbornly serious, and Naruto knew not to play games with him. Gaara was a dangerous man.

"Are you here to try and stop me?" Naruto asked, wiping his hands idly on a dry towel. It only made sense—Gaara had somehow figured out that Naruto and the others were leaving. He was stealthy and sly, and it didn't surprise Naruto as much as he thought it should have, but it was unnerving nonetheless.

Gaara almost growled out his retort. "You are a fool, Uzumaki."

Naruto stared at him. "Okay," he responded, accepting the insult. "That's not going to change the fact this is something I have to do."

"You're too self-righteous. This is a problem no longer in your hands." Gaara said, his temper cooling only slightly. Naruto snorted and set down his towel.

"Danzo's wronged you, too. Or is that what this is about? You just want to be the one to take care of him?"

Something stirred in Gaara's eyes and he moved forward, faster than Naruto could ever have imagined. In seconds a cool hand as around Naruto's throat and Naruto was against a row of cabinets, the spine of the lower counter digging into his back.

"Don't ever say things like that. I'm worried for you," Gaara said. His voice was barely above a whisper, but the agitation and anger was as clear and concise as if he had been yelling. Naruto tugged at the hand at his throat until it loosened a little and he coughed a bit. Gaara didn't let him go, only kept him pinned there, eying him almost painfully.

Naruto felt a little angry. "Could you show some of that worry by not choking me?" he volunteered, his voice a raspy. His comment seemed to catch Gaara off guard because in seconds he was released.

"You can't go up against him alone," Gaara said, and Naruto rubbed his throat.

"I won't be alone. I've got my whole station behind me," Naruto said, and Gaara snorted.

"I'm going with you."

Feeling a bit like he had broken the rules of secrecy Naruto held up his hands. "No one else is supposed to know about this and—"

"If you don't allow me to come with you, I will go wake up Sasuke and tell him everything."

It was scary how well Gaara knew Naruto. Naruto's breath caught in his throat and he nodded, slowly.

"Fine." His comment came out clipped because of his slight anger, but as his mind mulled over the benefits of having an assassin at his side he felt less tense. The sounds of daybreak birds beginning their morning songs made him glance out of the kitchen window, and he frowned.

"We have to get going," Naruto said mutely, hoping dawn wouldn't come fast enough to stop him. Gaara nodded and turned to the side, as if to invite Naruto down the hallway he was standing in. "They're both ready to go."

Naruto narrowed his eyes a bit. So Haku and Kotetsu had told Gaara? He shook his head. "Right. Let's go."

He walked past Gaara swiftly, took one last look at the room that bore Sasuke, and left the safe house, heading towards where he knew their getaway vehicle would be. Sure enough, Haku and Kotetsu were waiting, looking serious and determined.

"Get in," Kotetsu said to Naruto, and he motioned towards the back door of the sleek astro car. Naruto gave him a bitter look when he had nothing to say in terms of surprise about Gaara following, but as soon as Naruto began to duck into the car, Kotetsu's hand met his.

"Everything will be fine," he said, misinterpreting Naruto's frustration with nervousness. Naruto gave him a small look of indignation before climbing in, while Gaara followed close behind. When everyone was inside Haku started the car, and in silence, they departed for the city.

It was past midday when the city finally came into view, and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. These long car rides were beginning to take a toll on him, and the uncomfortable chit-chat that had occurred during the trip was something he was eager to escape. Gaara was so cool and collected that Naruto had a hunch he was angry about something, that something most likely being Naruto's choice to return to the city. Naruto supposed that a part of him understood; after all, it wasn't as though Gaara hadn't already risked his life trying to hide Naruto away.

"Do you know how to re-program the radio?" Haku's voice was like liquid and came from nowhere. Naruto and Gaara both glanced up from the backseat but the question hadn't been directed to them. Kotetsu hunched forward, examining the middle consul's display screen and the splatter of buttons that controlled it. His hand hovered over it, and Naruto felt his mouth go dry.

"We've been driving for over four hours and you just now feel the urge to turn on the radio?"

Despite the sarcastic undertone Naruto saw Haku's cheek rise, indicating a smile. "If only. I'd rather try and communicate with the rest of our squad at the moment."

Naruto's eyes narrowed further as he watched Kotetsu thumb through a long set of listings on the small glowing monitor. It reminded him of a GPS device, and he wondered just what types of stations you could receive in modern vehicles. Kotetsu's eyes brightened after a moment and he looked incredibly satisfied with himself as he dabbled with a few more buttons. He hit the last one with an intensity that implied he was finished.

"Alright," he said, and he sat back comfortably in his chair. Though he had made such a production, nothing seemed to happen.

Naruto glanced from the monitor's screen to Kotetsu, and back to the screen. Assuming he had understood correctly, Naruto half expected to hear a familiar voice, or at least the scratchy sound of portable radios he remembered using as a kid. Instead, there was silence.

"Now what?" he asked, his brow lifting suspiciously. Kotetsu glanced back at him.

"Now we wait for someone to pick up."

The answer was said so matter-of-factly that Naruto simply sat back angst the cushion of his seat and did as Kotetsu implied; he waited. Gaara seemed to feel the need to explain.

"You can tune in to virtually any satellite and almost any frequency if you have the right code. Your station uses one in particular, I am assuming, and there's a chance we can connect with it, and listen between their icon communication devices."

Naruto looked at Gaara, unable to conceal his surprise. "It's that easy?"

"It's not easy, you have to know the frequency code," Gaara said, and Kotetsu chimed in with, "It's like a password."

Naruto frowned. That still sounded ridiculously easy. He had known a couple computer geeks back in his day that could screw with school system databases, and found it hard to believe that just one simple code acted as a deterrent between what police officers were discussing on private lines.

"Don't you have hackers?" Naruto asked, completely interested. There was so much technology going around that it seemed like a stupid question, all before a couple of eyebrows raised furtively around him.

"You know, people who get into computer systems they're not allowed to for fun." Naruto wondered if it was possible they didn't exist.

"Oh, those," Kotetsu said from the front, and Gaara continued the sentiment. "If you're good enough to do that, you're usually found out, and then hired by the government."

That was a scary thought, Naruto pondered, thinking of the kids he'd known that were brilliant with binary codes and computer programming. Having a whole lo of them working in one place was a little nerve-wracking, and he still wasn't completely sold that there were people who didn't hotwire astro cars or listen in on icon transmissions for fun.

The speakers in the vehicle started to buzz, drawing Naruto from hi thoughts.

Yeah, it won't be easy.

That was it, and then crackles of what indicated a bad connection. Haku leaned forward and turned it up. "It sounds like Raidou," he said with thought. Naruto found himself leaning closer in his seat, aching to hear more. Were they with Neji? Was Neji okay? He needed to hear more.

The sound went wishy-washy again, like a television set unable to get the signal to a certain channel, and the voice spoke again.

Right. Izumo, where are you?

More static.

One my way. Have I ever mentioned how attractive you are when you're all serious?

Kotetsu's lips puckered. "What the hell??"

Haku shushed him which didn't do much for damage control. Izumo was definitely being playful, and it hadn't occurred to him that perhaps he and Kotetsu had something going on.

Have I ever told you how much I've wanted o transfer you to another unit?

It was Raidou again, and Kotetsu smirked with satisfaction.

Will both of you focus. It's going to take concentration to get in so, please.

This time it was Zabuza, and Naruto saw Haku's face light up a little. He tsked. "Talk about your inner-office relationships," he murmured dully.

"What do you need?" Gaara said from beside him, obviously hearing him wrong. Naruto shook his head, and Izumo's voice came over the speaker again.

Okay, I'm at Lot B, just let me know when to act.

Whatever Lot B was, it must not have been good, because Haku's face suddenly paled, and Kotetsu was staring at the monitor like he had seen a ghost. Gaara was still calm and collected, only his eyebrow had risen in a sort of confusion.

"They're already there?"

Naruto leaned forward. "What's going on?" he asked, and Kotetsu ignored him to demand that Haku floor it. Haku speedily whipped into the fast lane and took off with such a motion that Naruto felt his insides rise to his throat.

"Gonna be sick," he mumbled and he pressed himself back against his seat, ignoring the scenery that whooshed past in a disorganized blur outside of his window. He clenched his eyes closed and tried to swallow the feeling back down, and repeated his earlier question.

"What's going on?"

Gaara answered. "Your co-workers are already at Danzo's station."

Naruto' eyes snapped open and he stared at Gaara. "What? Like—to save Neji and Morino?"

Gaara nodded and Haku's hand swiftly dropped to a handle that controlled gravity aliasing. The car dropped about fifty feet into a lower lane in less than a few seconds, and while Naruto devised that only a man in a panic could be so hasty, when Haku spoke, he was extremely serious.

"None of us has an icon?"

Naruto glanced down at his bare wrist and suddenly couldn't remember just what had happened to his. He frowned and glanced around, noting that no one else seemed to either. Haku spoke again. "Search the car."

Naruto obeyed, digging through small packing bags that were arranged neatly in snug little places beneath the seats, and also lowed through the little locker compartments above his head. He was hoping the distraction of a technological treasure hunt would keep him far from nausea, and at the moment, it was doing its job.

"I've found one," Gaara said succinctly, and he pulled an old looking icon from beneath his seat, examining it thoughtfully. Kotetsu leaned back and snatched it from him, holding it up like some ancient artifact.

"This is…at least two years old," he stared in awe and Naruto's nose scrunched. The cell phone he had back in college had been over three years old, and he didn't want to admit to such an apparent sacrilege.

Haku frowned. "I know Zabuza's number. Type it in," he demanded, and he spieled off and incredibly long set of numerics, one that made Naruto feel a little shy about not knowing his ten digit checking account number by heart. The icon rang, rusty as it was, and sadly, no one picked up.

"Try again," Haku insisted, and Kotetsu fiddled with the device, obeying. Still, there was no answer.

"Message him then. Tell him we are on our way."

Naruto had the feeling that the only reason any of his fellow officers wouldn't pick up a call was if they couldn't, and this implied that perhaps the other members of his station were already inside the building. Kotetsu did as Haku said, and then started dialing someone else.

"Who are you calling?" Haku said, and he shifted lanes so quickly that Naruto found himself putting his head between his knees, unable to hold back the delirium of motion sickness.

"Izumo. I don't have Raidou's number," he said. This time, luckily, Izumo did pick up.

"This had better not be some kid prank calling me," he said, not recognizing the number. Kotetsu almost cut him off. "Are you at the Lot yet?"

Surprise was in Izumo's tone. "Kotetsu? Oh, man, where are you!?"

Kotetsu ignored the question. "Izumo, are you at the Lot? Haku and I are almost there—"

"Five minutes," Haku seemed to promise from the driver's seat, and Izumo kept speaking.

"Yeah, I've got to get off the line. It's about my time to head in. I'll let the other's know as soon as we meet up."

The line clicked off, and Kotetsu stared at the phone before letting out a frustrated noise. "Ugh! Leave it to them to act without us!"

Naruto was trying his best to think of anything that didn't move, from statues, to concrete, to simple memories of him laying in bed, ignoring his alarm clock. Anything to will away the drugged sensation filling his sight and making his body feel weak.

"Are you going to be alright?" Gaara said from beside him, and only seconds later some voices came from the front.

"Oh, dude, are you okay?" Kotetsu asked, and Haku murmured a plethora of 'I'm sorry's' as he dropped a few more lanes down and swished from side to side in order to navigate through traffic.

"Peachy," Naruto said softly and under his breath. His hands were clenched so tightly that if he had nails he would have cut the skin of his palms open.

"Two minutes," Haku said, and the car dropped again, adding a headache to Naruto's list of ailments. He thought of crazy memories, fishing off the coast of a salt-rimmed reservoir as a kid, or rock climbing in the summertime with friends. He thought of Sarutobi and his amazing sandwiches, and how it felt to be on a cold hardwood floor, crawling over papers, diagrams, analyzing codes and mathematical equations, or shaping sleek metal parts together…

His head snapped up. "Let me off," he said hastily, and his comment was so resolute that he received awkward stares from everyone in the car aside from him.

"We're almost there-if you need to throw up—"

"No, I mean now. There's something I have to do," he said, and he met Haku's eyes through the window up front.

"Nice try," Kotetsu said, and he shook his head. "We have something more important to do. Save Neji and Morino—remember them?"

Naruto bit his tongue and could see Gaara staring at him through his peripheral vision. He clenched his fists together and leaned forward. "I'm not joking. Please. You guys go and get Neji and Morino. There's something that can't wait—"

The sound of sirens and the flickering of police lights illuminated the carriage, and Naruto spun around. They were being pulled over.

"Shit," Kotetsu said, but Haku's speed or course didn't stray. He was all nerves now though, Naruto could see.

"What is it that you have to do?" Gaara asked him seriously, and Naruto stared at him with all of the seriousness he could muster.

"I came here in a time machine that I built. I have to get to it—to destroy it—before Danzo even knows it exists."

Gaara stared at him and licked his lips. "It would make sense if he already knew. Why else would be use your co-workers as bait?"

Fear rippled through Naruto because that thought had never occurred to him. "Damnit."

"You built a what to get here?" Kotetsu said from the front seat, over the noise of the sirens. Naruto lifted his eyes to meet Kotetsu's gaze, and searched for Haku's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"A time machine. I have to go destroy it. And I have to do it alone."

There was a heavy weight in the car, a feeling where everyone knew what he was saying was true, but no one was willing to admit it. Kotetsu was rambling about how stupid it would be for him to wander the streets alone, and Gaara was staring at him like he was a man possessed.

"If anyone goes with me…I don't want any accomplices. It's me and that machine they want, and I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of it."

"That's a selfish way to think," Gaara said, and Naruto only stared at him. Naruto was sure Gaara would attempt to restrain him, but instead, the redhead leaned forward and plucked the icon from he middle consul and shoved it into Naruto's grasp. "Don't be reckless. You have those other numbers in here. As soon as you're done, I'll be there—"

"We'll be there—" Kotetsu added.

"Fine, we will be there to pick you up. Uzumaki, don't do anything stupid."

Naruto gave a half smile. "Like get caught?"

Gaara's voice was dead serious. "Yes. Especially do not get caught."

Naruto nodded. "I won't. I'll do my best not to, at least." It was the best promise he could offer.

The sirens were blazing now, and Naruto only saw one problem with his declaration of time machine destruction. How was he going to get out of the car?

"Do you trust me, Naruto?" Haku asked, and Naruto nodded, confusion plastered on his face.

The butterfly door of the car whipped open and air whooshed into the vehicle, making Naruto gasp at how high they were.

"Jump when I get to three," Haku said, and Naruto shook his head.

"Wa-wait-"

"One," Haku ducked the car to evade the cop behind them, "Two."

"Haku, I—"

"Three."

a/n:

Thank you for everyone who had read and reviewed. I know these past few mnths have been super shaky but being free of college is a bit like being a bird let free from a cage. I never realized how much of myself I had stowed away in order to get work done to graduate until this vacation. It was like the anime side of me just sprang to life again, lol.

I first flew to Vegas to have epic adventures with Ahja Reyn, Allys, (both of whom are in the Naruto community) and a friend of Reyn's, LB. We stayed at an incredibly large time share (which we should have just called a condo) and made a disaster sight of it with fabric and needles and wigs and costumes for AX. We wouldn't even let poor room service in because we made a horrific mess of the sink while dying fabric, and after we attmepted to drain a jacket in the tub, the rim turned red...and since we had been so stand-offish about room service coming in we were pretty postitive if they did they'd think we murdered someone. Especially because we just kep asking for a replenishment of towels, without really giving any back, haha! I honeslty don't know what they thought. If I walked into a hotel room full of capes and wigs and assorted hats--well, I guess it :was: Vegas.

Not to mention, LB was cosplaying Xanxus from Hitman Reborn and made a giganic sword that we had to wrap up in cardboard (poor thing, the sword had to get strapped to the top of the car for the ride to LA) and it ended up looking like a giant cross. Some older women were in the elevator with LB and said, "Oh, what's your cross for?" and she broke their hearts by admitting it as a sword. I think they thought it was real though because they shuffled away quickly enough. When we stopped at a bank in Cali this lady blessed our vehicle too, which was hilarious.

The con was really exciting. It's been forever and a day since I've gone to one, and I won't lie, that yaoi manga booth took a huge hit from me. The books were either $3 or $5 a piece; how could anyone in their right mind deny that?? Besides, all of my stuff is still packed up and in storage for when I move later this year so I've been living off fanfics alone. BUT, I rekindled my love for Nabari No Ou...God I forgot how much I love that series. I got front row seats to the panel with Yun Kouga (who does Loveless) and she was simply adorable. She seemed epically baffled that s many of us like shonen ai and yaoi, which I thought was funny.

I uh...cosplayed as Jewelry Bonney from One Piece and Adult!Reborn from KHR, and my group looked really good! And I can't say yet whether or not I feel accomplished about the fact I turned up looking like a deent guy for Reborn. Apparently I look really good in wigs too, LOL. But there were TONS of awesome cosplay...a Jack Sparrow, a giant Pocky, Mario and the Princess, a bunch of Vampire Knight costumes and Bleach...and surprisingly enough, not many Naruto at all. I think the true sign of a dying fandom is when you see keychains of Naruto and Sasuke practically all over each other and not one has been sold. That was pretty sad.

But after that I went to stay with a friend of mine that lives in Long Beach and we had loads of fun. Went to Disneyland (oh man, I lost a yaoi pin there. God help the poor mother who's child handed her the pin asking what it read: "Can cute boys be kissing now?") and we re-watched Coffee Prince and tanned...it was great.

I miss everyone already. Reyn and Allys are really amazing people. You should totally read Reyn's stories, she's in my fave authors. Oh! I also met Mignonne! She's super awesome too! We made Shabu-shabu together and I promised her a one shot out of it, hahahaha.

Man, god times. I'll post a longer entry on everything that happened on my LJ once I get some pics uploaded. The link is on my profile page.

SPOILERS:

Soooo...I want to bash Sasuke in the head. Actually, I want all of the punches Naruto's taken to get translated to Sasuke for being such a punk. But still, I can't bring mself to hate him. Why? Because Naruto loves him so much. I got starry eyed when Naruto said "I can't betray him"...I hope that things end well. I really don't want one of them to die. Danzo on the other hand...

I hope Naruto gets out of the village. Seriously. Go make happy-happy with the only other jinchuuriki and save Konoha again. This will please me. Oh! And Gaara looked so good at the end of that chapter--with his gourd! AH! I can't wait to see what happens.