xPx: Thank you for the advice and critique. It's exactly what I was looking for! I highly appreciate the reviews, since they inspire me, and kinda cuz they're double my amount of chapters, so I don't want to annoy my readers :) I guess I was just so nervous about how I write and if its good, that I resolved to do the "post a chapter after one review". However, i'll just go with attempting to put up a chapter a day. And again, thank you!

I'm glad you guys liked Suigetsu's background :D it was actually mostly thought up by my Suigetsu :p

Suigetsu: *looks accomplished*

XD yeah, so I present; the next chapter!

DISCLAIMER: Naruto Ownership + me = false o.o understand?

As the two teenage shinobi moved from branch to branch, they reached a wide river. It was tremendous in size, the brown waves of water flowing with powerful strength. On their end of it, was lush grass and trees. On the other side, an intimidating desert, devoid of any life. It sent chills up Suigetsu's spine.

"Come on. We're going to cross the river." Sasuke grabbed the shivering male's hand and pulled him towards the raging waters.

"What? It'll sweep us both downstream!" He tried to escape the Uchiha's grasp, but it was to no avail. They went across the field of yellow flowers and green grass to the muddy shore of the river. Broken rocks and sharp pebbles dotted its deep bottom. Suigetsu gulped. "Can't we just find the bridge or something?"

"And deal with Konoha's border patrol? That doesn't sound appealing to me." Sasuke yanked Suigetsu in front of him and wrapped his arms around the other's waist tightly. This caused Suigetsu to blush, which he had hoped wouldn't happen for another few days at least.

"W-What are you doing?" he stuttered.

"I need you to transform into water and guide us both across this river." Suigetsu looked down at the roaring stream, its waves crashing against the many jagged stones. He took a step back.

"Look, I may be able to become water, but I doubt I can overpower a river like this." he looked over his shoulder at the Uchiha, who had his sharingan activated and was watching him patiently.

"Well, you don't have much of a choice now do you?" Suigetsu bit his lip and looked warily at the river again. Sasuke was right, he really didn't have a choice. He raised his foot and barely touched the surface of the moving water with his toes. As the thin ripple spread out, a giant wave immediately zoomed by and splashed into him, pulled them both into the river.

"Gahh!" Suigetsu unwillingly gulped down a rush of cold water as Sasuke clung to him tightly. The Uchiha attempted to find a foothold on the stones below, but the river was going so fast it just made the bottom of his feet slip past them.

"Transform, usuratonkachi!" the teen shouted into Suigetsu's ear. He looked behind them to see that the river was pushing them towards a forest of spiked rocks that they would definitely not be able to navigate past. The silver-haired male shut his eyes and merged with the flowing river, feeling the force of its power flooding into his veins. As Suigetsu melted into the water, Sasuke was left without a weight to balance and began to be pushed arbitrarily by the river, trying his best not to have his head slammed into the rocks beneath him.

Suigetsu tried to drive the water around Sasuke against the current, but the force of the river was overwhelming. He felt himself divide as the waters thrusted through him. His cells spread out into the river and merged with other waves of water. He tried to pull himself together around Sasuke, using as much strength as he could, but it was just no use.

"Su-ugh-ets-mmph-su!" Sasuke struggled to speak as waves collided into him. He rolled like a ragdoll underwater towards the rocks, hoping that Suigetsu was trying to do something to help. If the troublesome mist-nin wasn't able to save him...how mediocre would it be for the great avenger, Uchiha Sasuke, to have his corpse found amongst some rocks in a river?

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a rush of water pushing past him from his sides. They pushed into him, sending him upward. The current was still easing him back, but the burst of water popped him out to the surface. Suigetsu reformed his upper body and extended the water below him upward to catch Sasuke in his hands. They flowed over the spiked rocks, and Suigetsu, with a great swing, threw them both onto the other side of the river, his tower of water collapsing into the waves.

They both layed on the hot desert sands, soaked and panting. Sasuke's hair was a complete mess, while Suigetsu coughed up some water and gasped for air. He raised his arm weakly and wrapped it around the Uchiha.

"I love you." he whispered, taking in deep breaths.

"I...thanks Suigetsu." Sasuke muttered, ignoring the other male's comment and resting his head on the heated ground. It was soothing compared to the freezing hell he experienced before. He almost wanted to sleep on it, but he willed himself to get up.

"Unn..." Suigetsu grunted as he heaved himself up and hunched. The endless desert was all he could see over the horizon, as the sun was beating high in the air. Suigetsu reached into his pouch and pulled out a wet scroll, making a hand sign and allowing a burst of water bottles to flood out of the sudden smoke. He picked them up and began drinking one.

"Here." Sasuke took a white cloth and robe from his own scroll, offering them to Suigetsu. "Wrap the cloth over your head so you don't overheat. The robe will do the same for the rest of your body." The mist-nin nodded and took them, beginning to wrap the cloth around his head. Sasuke did the same with his own cloth and covered his cold body with his own robe. They began moving forward, heat waves swimming around them.

Both teens were sweating frequently as they treked through the sand. They had been walking for hours, and yet they didn't seem to be getting closer to anything. All they could see for kilometers on end were mounds and mounds of desert sand. Their sandals were covered in the light brown pebbles, while a trail of empty water bottles was left behind them. Sasuke looked over at Suigetsu, who was clutching their second to last bottle of water and sweating frequently.

"I thought I told you to save the water for when you really need it, baka." he mumbled, his tongue dry. Suigetsu was staring intently at the sand in front of them, licking his lips.

"Do you see it, Sasuke?" he asked hungrily. "Do you see the spring?" The Uchiha looked in the direction Suigetsu was looking and saw no spring.

"Are you hallucinating?" he asked quietly. Suigetsu looked astonished.

"How do you not see it? It's right there!"

"I only see sand there, Suigetsu."

"Then you're the one hallucinating! There's a beautiful spring with fruit trees and a waterfall RIGHT there!" the teen was pointing frantically in front of him at a thick mound of sand with the water bottle. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry, Suigetsu. There isn't a spring anywhere near us." suddenly, the other teen sprinted past the Uchiha towards the pile of unwelcoming desert dirt. He was waving his arms excitedly and jumped into the hill of sand, rolling in it and laughing maniacally.

"HahaHahahAhaAhaHAhahaAhaHA! This water is s-s-s-o SOOTHING!" Suigetsu rolled down the hill of sand into a ditch of loose ground, sinking into it and still laughing. He swam through it and shook his head violently like a dog as if he was covered in a liquid Sasuke couldn't mention without getting thirstier.

"Suigetsu...you're going to dry out the last bottles we have." the mist-nin didn't listen as he dumped the rest of his half-empty bottle of water and, after scooping up some sand with it, rained the dirt on his face with an exhilirated expression.

"Sasuke! Love! Come join me in the pool!" Suigetsu energetically began to strip. The Uchiha didn't have any energy to get over to Suigetsu as he dumped their last bottle of water on the sand. Sasuke grinded his teeth and fell on his knees, banging the desert ground with his fists in anger.

"GODDAMNIT!" he screamed. The fucking desert had defeated him. With his only other companion having been driven insane and the nearest source of life probably hundreds of kilometers away, he was doomed. Their last two bottles of water lay discarded on the sands next to a shirtless Suigetsu. The Uchiha was going to finally meet his end, without avenging his clan.

"Sasuke-lover! Look! More visitors!" the raven-haired teen gave up on sense and looked in the direction Suigetsu was pointing. Indeed, no matter how much he couldn't believe it, there were two barely visible silhouttes in the distance. One of them was short and wide, while the other was about his size. The Uchiha used up newfound strength and determination to run up to Suigetsu, making hand signs.

"Kai!(release)" he tapped Suigetsu on his forehead, allowing the chakra to flow into his brain. The male's eyes widened blankly, and then his smile disappeared. When Sasuke took his fingers off his forehead, Suigetsu made a face of disgust.

"What the hell? Why am I covered in sand! And where's my shirt?" Sasuke seized Suigetsu's face by gripping his cheeks and yanked him so he was looking at the two silhouttes.

"Shut up. There's two people approaching us. Hide yourself and don't come out until I say so." the teen nodded dumbly and, when Sasuke let go of his blushing cheeks, he dove into the sand and created a small hole so he could breath. Sasuke stuffed his shirt down into the sand too right before the two objects became clearer. Sasuke's eyes widened as he noticed their black cloaks with red clouds: Akatsuki.

:0 what will happen next? epic cliffhanger! I'm sorry, haha X3 don't worry, the next chapter won't be long! hehe! Thanks for reading!