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I don't own Naruto, nor do I own the lyrics from Shadow of Love by Celine Dion.
OOOOO
Defense Mechanism
Chapter Two
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I live my life like a runaway, I hide my dreams in a special place,
I'm waiting here for my friends to come, to save me from the darkness…
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You cry yourself to sleep too many times to count. Those around you think it's because you love him, but they don't understand that that's only part of it. You cry because you realize that everything you've ever been through—every training session, every time he saved you, every smirk, every annoying or dobe comment—has been a lie. You cry because there's a part of you that's missing. It doesn't matter that you love him, because he is your friend first.
And that's what no one seems to understand.
…Except for Naruto.
You see the way everyone looks at you. There is pity in their eyes. They pity your loss of love.
But Naruto—Naruto is the only one who pities your loss of friendship. He knows what it is like to be lonely. You know that you are selfish when you compare your loneliness, but then you realize—there will always be something between those two that you can never be a part of. You love him, but those two…they are brothers.
And for some reason, Sasuke doesn't realize that the bond of brotherhood can never be broken.
Will never be broken.
Naruto understands that, though. He gets it. Because one day, he will become Hokage like no other. It seems strange to you that people shun him, he has the best heart that you have ever come across. There is a love in him that will never be erased. You hope he understands that it doesn't matter if he becomes the best, strongest shinobi in history. It doesn't matter because he has a gift that none possess.
The ability to change others.
And that is why he will change the village—change the world.
And Sasuke will change nothing. He will lose everything. And you cry because you cannot make him understand. You cry because you cannot bear to see him go down this path—selling his soul, his body.
You cry because you are grieving the rest of his life. Because it gone…wasted on a man who doesn't deserve it.
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But your offer stands true. You will wait.
You will wait forever if you have too…
Because you are the only one who has faith in him. You believe in him—you have to, because there is no other choice.
The tears in your eyes start to fade when you remember the time he saved you during the chuunin exams. He protected you when he didn't have to. He had protected you more than once—
And you find yourself smiling because you have to believe that there is still some good in him. Those times he walked you home, the times he smirked at something you said, the times you could have sworn you heard him laugh.
Those times were not fake.
You saw his eyes dance with amusement whenever Naruto did something foolish. You remember the panic flash through his eyes when Naruto fell off the tree branch during chakra training.
Perhaps it wasn't a lie after all…
The only lie between the three of you is the one he is telling himself—that Team 7 means nothing to him.
You know it does mean something to him.
Perhaps it means everything…
Because that's why he didn't say goodbye.
It would have been too painful—and you know that Sasuke does not like pain—for he has seen too much of it in one lifetime.
You have to have faith that it will work out.
One day, he will redeem himself.
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There is a look in Kakashi's eye that makes you uneasy.
At first you thought it was because Kakashi felt guilty about losing a student, but then you realize something odd: the look is only there when Kakashi looks at Naruto.
It looks like a mix between sadness and pain…and something else.
It is odd that Kakashi would look at him like that—
Your eyes widen when you see it again today. It's almost like…Kakashi knows something the two of you don't. Like he is waiting for something to happen…but at the same time, he wishes that it's not going to happen.
And then it hits you like a truck:
Naruto will have to kill Sasuke one day.
You feel like your stomach drop, and it takes everything in you not to scream "NO!"
It will never come to that, you think—pray—
And your gaze switches quickly to Naruto, who, for some reason, has a rueful smile on his face. And it is oddly accepting.
How strange.
He looks at you, and holds your gaze. You imagine that your mouth is open in shock from the revelation, but Naruto does not look perturbed. Instead, there is a look of determination in his gaze that could only be sparked by one thing: Sasuke.
You've seen the look before, and it gives you comfort.
It's the look Naruto gets when he must overcome a challenge. It's the look he gets when people tell him to give up—that all hope is lost. It's the look he gets when he knows that there is a way—and he will go to the ends of the earth to find it.
You smile suddenly because you know that if there is a way, Naruto will find it. After all, he is the only one who can find it.
You smile because you aren't the only one who has faith—
Naruto has faith in him, too.
OOOOO
Wow, that was a quick update if I do say so myself. Yes, eventually Sasuke will return obviously and yes, there will eventually be dialogue. These early chapters are just setting the stage.
This fic is important to me, because it is my first SasuSaku story. Therefore, reviews are appreciated.
Until next time!