I read the latest manga chapter a little while after posting chapter 12, and I'm so happy that we finally get to see Mangetsu! :D I kind of had to change my future plans for this story with that, but oh well.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. It's one of the longest i've posted, because it was originally going to be two chapters, so enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Naruto isn't mine...Why do I keep saying this every chapter?

"..."

A flash of light.

A sting of pain.

Dark eyes.

Two words.

Nothing.

It was cold. Everything was cold. But then, if it was so cold, why wasn't he freezing? He was just standing there, standing in perfection. Silver hair. Purple, sleeveless shirt. Light blue pants. Striped leg-warmers that hugged the shape of his legs. A perfect figure with slim, muscular arms. Beautiful, beautiful eyes. He is perfect.

Why is he reaching out towards me? What do I have that he would want? I'm nothing. I'm just the clumsy little brother. The burden. The failure. And what is he? He's the Second Coming of the Demon: the master of the seven swords! How would I compare to that?

"Sui..." he's trying to say something. What is it? Sui...? He's confusing me. My head hurts. I try to speak to him, but my mouth won't open. My body won't move. All I can feel is a coldness all around me.

He's walking towards me now. He has that infamous smirk on his face, showing off his shark teeth. Mine could never compare to his. Nothing I have could compare, even when we look almost exactly the same...

Now he's standing in front of me. For some reason, I could feel this strange wetness on my chest. It was flowing over my chest and leaking onto the rest of me body. Yet, I still couldn't move. All I could see was my perfect brother, and the bright light behind him. I couldn't even tell if I was standing or laying down. Everything just seemed to be focused on him. Everything always was focused on him anyway.

He raises his hand to my cheek, caressing it. His smirk has disappeared, replaced with an expression of concern. I expect my face to heat up, but it doesn't. In fact, it gets colder.

His eyes seem to sparkle, like the reflection of the moon on a lake at night. I want to tell him something. I desperately do. If only I could.

"Suigetsu..." I realize he has been saying that word constantly as he touchs my face. What's a Suigetsu?

Suddenly, I feel a force on my back. It seems to heave me, and I feel the wind on my face. I notice that my brother is still here, still touching me, still muttering that strange word. Why was he saying it? For what purpose?

As time goes by, I just look into his eyes, and he looks into mine. An emotion floods every inch of my body. I can't describe it, but it makes me want to cry. I can feel the tears gather in my eyes, but they won't release.

His face gets closer to mine, and he pecks me on the cheek. A smile appears on his face. He nuzzles his nose into mine, giggling without sound. I start giggling too, even though I can't feel my body move. He pulls me into an embrace, and I hug him back without moving. He whispers the word again, only with three extra words.

"Suigetsu, I love you."

I recognize the word now. Suigetsu. That's my name. Mangetsu. That's my brother's name. This is my brother, the one who died. The one who I strived to surpass. The one who I loved.

So then, if he's with me right now, would that mean I'm dead too?

He parts the hug and holds onto my shoulders, looking at me with a smile. I could tell he heard my thought. I smiled back at him. Our foreheads touched, and we just stood there, smiling and holding eachothers shoulders. This emotion was overflowing in my body. The coldness had disappeared, and I only felt warmth.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

Those three words echoed in my mind as we stood there for what seemed like hours. He lets go of me, and grins happily.

"Sorry, Suigetsu. See ya next time." He began to disappear, fading farther and farther away from me. I felt a weird taste in my mouth, and two objects slid down my throat. Those words, those were the words he would say when he would go on missions by himself. I had always wanted to go with him, so we could become swordsmen together. He ended up being one by himself, mastering them all, and dying.

I cried out to him, trying to chase him. He only went faster, and soon he was a dot on the bright horizon. His words throbbed in my mind as the brightness began to fade into darkness.

Next time...When would that be?

Suigetsu felt strange as he grew in consciousness. It was as if he was as light as a feather but still couldn't move at all. It took great force for his eyes to flicker open but he finally managed. The sight of an unknown maroon ceiling was what greeted him.

He turned his head weakly, his eyes fuzzed by his sleep, and the first thing he saw were two pools of deep black. His breath hitched.

"...Sasuke?" the teen muttered quietly. The Uchiha smiled.

"Usuratonkachi." Yep, it was Sasuke.

A bunch of memories flooded the injured male's mind. The coffee shop. The sex. The escape from Konoha. Crossing the river. Dehydrating in the desert. Sneaking into Suna. Fighting Deidara. Encountering Kimimaro. Then...meeting Mangetsu.

Chiyo appeared behind Sasuke. She put two fingers to Suigetsu's neck and, after nodding, handed him a large cup of water with a thick black bendy straw. The teen forgot how to drink for a second, and Sasuke held the straw to his lips and he slurped swiftly, the cold liquid relieving his throat.

"How are you feeling, dear?" the woman asked softly as she took the cup and replaced it with another. This time he didn't need Sasuke's help, and he drank it thirstily.

"I...was I dead?" he spoke softly.

"Almost, dear. Almost." she shook her head. "Your heart stopped when you lost consciousness on the streets. In medical terms you were dead, but your brain was still functioning. If I hadn't awakened your heart with my pills, your brain would've eventually shut down." Suigetsu looked saddened.

"Oh...ok then." the woman gave him a questioning look.

"Did anything happen to you when you were unconscious?" the teen looked out the window, thinking of the experience.

"...I saw my brother." Sasuke took the cup and placed it on a table. Chiyo nodded.

"Near-death experiences are common with you case. When you are stuck between death and life, your brain creates vivid illusions to compensate what it thinks is most important." Suigetsu looked at her.

"So...it was all just a realistic dream?" she nodded again, relectuantly. Suigetsu sighed.

"Well..."suddenly, the teen looked alarmed. "Wait, where am I?" he tried to frantically get up. Sasuke sighed and pushed him back down on the stretcher.

"Calm down, baka. This old lady says that we're going to be cleared as criminals here." Suigetsu breathed a sigh of relief. There was a moment of akward silence, until Chiyo coughed uncomfortably. Sasuke jumped and remembered something. "Oh, and we're going to rescue Gaara from the Akatsuki."

Suigetsu's eyes widened. "What?"

"Gaara got defeated and captured by Deidara. Suna is going to have us go to save him."

"Why us?"

"Don't complain. It's better than being hunted down." the teen had to agree with that, and he tried to get up.

"Well, if we're going to go anywhere, I need something to eat first." Chiyo got to the door before him, and unlocked it.

"You won't be going anywhere until I clear both of your names." she said warningly. "Stay here. I'm going to go talk with the officials." she opened the door and closed it silently. Her footsteps could be heard fading away, and Suigetsu put his arms behind his head and breathed deeply.

"..."

The two teens were sitting on a couch, waiting for Chiyo. It had only been a few minutes since she had left, and they were both bored. Suigetsu was licking his rows of teeth within his closed mouth, attempting to conquer the boredom. Sasuke had opened the window and was watching the streets below, letting the desert wind blow peacefully on his face.

Suigetsu looked over at Sasuke and began blushing. The wind blowing his hair, his legs crossed nonchalantly, his somber black eyes filled with disinterest. It made him look incredibly...sexy. Wasn't this why the teen had fallen for the Uchiha in the first place? His cool and stoic attitude and his flawless features?

Watching the other male carefully, Suigetsu eased his hand over to Sasuke's, which lay on the cushion of the couch unmindfully. Every second was an inch closer to it. Eventually, while biting his lip nervously, his pale hand fell on the Uchiha's, grasping it in what was an attempt at firmness.

Sasuke turned to look at his partner, a face of examination and questioning. Suigetsu's face turned pink and he giggled uncomfortably.

"Suigetsu..." Sasuke asked. "what are you doing?" the silver-haired teen smiled uneasily.

"W-What does it look like? I'm holding your hand." Sasuke's expression didn't change.

"Why?" his smile twitched.

"W-Well...Because I feel like it." Sasuke tilted his head to the side. Suigetsu wanted to squeal at the cuteness.

"Oh really? That isn't a very good answer." the teen held on tighter to his lover's hand.

"W-What? Do I make you feel uncomfortable?" there was a pause between the two. The warm breeze sounded through the window.

"No. It makes me think you're going to try to make a move on me." Suigetsu sweatdropped.

"Umm...s-so what?" the teen tried to be playful with the tsundere Uchiha. "You would probably like it-"

"I am not your boyfriend, Suigetsu." the rejection stung like a bitch.

Sasuke slid his hand from under Suigetsu's, and place it on his lap with his other one. One of Suigetsu's purple eyes was twitching in embarassment. He fidgeted a bit on the couch and then placed his own hands in his lap and looked down, blushing furiously.

Chiyo walked into the room. She looked over at the two and bidded them to come.

"You two are safe. Come, it is time to go."

".."

Chiyo lead the two teenagers down the aisle. Many sand ninja were rushing around, and secretaries were scribbling down messages to send. Suigetsu still couldn't believe that the Kazekage had been defeated by that blonde asshole. The only way he could've lost would've been if he drowned him in explosive playdoe like fucking cheater.

They exitted the mansion and walked through the streets. Citizens were crowded together, chatting about the previous events. Some of the merchants were just standing around, shaking in fear at what had happened. Of course, only a while ago, they would've been ashes on the sand if their leader hadn't shielded them from Deidara's bombs.

"We're going to met up with two ninja who will accompany us. A band of Konoha ninja will also attempt to rescue Gaara, but we will be setting out immediately." Sasuke raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Which 'band of ninja' will be sent?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. The hokage will send whoever is able to." She turned to look at the Uchiha. "Don't worry, we will not be encountering the group."

Suigetsu had his hands in his pockets, twirling the lint between his fingers. Everything around them seemed to be so tense. It was a complete contrast to when they had entered the village.

"Help!" a female voice screamed from an alley. Suigetsu rushed into it without a second thought, and Sasuke called after him to come back.

"Suigetsu!" the teen didn't listen, and he pulled out a kunai. At the end of the alley, there was a man with a cloth over his face confronting a beaten woman and a small child. They were cornered by the bandit, who had a sword in his hand.

"Stop! Please!" she pleaded. The man didn't listen, focusing only on stripping her. The child ran up to him and pounded on his legs with both hands, shouting for him to stop. The man swipped the kid away, and he fell to the ground, a bruise on his knee reopening into a wound when he landed on some broken glass. He wailed in pain and clutched his knee, tears falling down his face.

A realization hit Suigetsu: this was the mother and child he had seen when he entered the village.

"Stop!" he shouted, pouncing on the man and putting him in a headlock. The man grunted and swung his sword furious upwards and trying to shake the teen off. Suigetsu held on tight, and with a great heave, the man slammed backwards on the ground, his sword skidded off into a pile of trash bins.

Suigetsu crawled over him and held him down with the force of his legs and body. The man struggled to get him off, but Suigetsu delivered a blow to his face and knocked him unconscious. He got up and dusted himself, then turning to face the quivering woman and crying child.

"Oh...Oh my..." she whispered between huffs. "You...Thank you." she took Suigetsu into an embrace and began to weep into his shoulder. "You saved us. T-Thank you!"

Suigetsu smiled and looked over at the child. He was sobbing uncontrollably, and Suigetsu slipped from the woman's grasp to comfort him. He wrapped his arms around the boy and muttered words into his ears.

"Don't worry. Just try to ignore the pain. I'm gonna take the glass out, ok?" he clutched the shard and swiftly pulled out of of the child with a 'pop'. Right after, he took the cloth that he had wrapped his head with and wrapped it around the kid's knee. The child tried to hold in his wails, and the mother knelt next to him and kissed his cheek lovingly.

"Thank you so much." she said kindly to Suigetsu. The teen nodded and looked at the child, his eyes beginning to fill with sadness. It was the least he could do for them. After all, he would've done the same for his younger self.

"Suigetsu!" Sasuke and Chiyo caught up to him and looked at the sight. The silver-haired teen holding a small boy in his arms next to a half-naked woman with an unconscious bandit laying next to them. Chiyo smiled and walked up to him.

"I see you helped these two." she muttered. So it seemed the boy had some kindness in him, even after slaughtering so many in the mansion. The old woman wondered if it had something to do with the child's own family past.

"Yeah." Suigetsu said, smiling sadly. He gave the boy to the mother and got up, standing next to Chiyo and Sasuke. "Well, your welcome." he said to the woman and child. She smiled at him and comforted the kid, and Suigetsu turned to leave. Chiyo walked ahead of him, and Sasuke walked beside him.

The Uchiha wanted to say something, but he decided not to.

"..."

They arrived at the gate of the village, where two teenagers stood. One of them, a male, had short, black hair with the back going down to the middle of his neck. His bangs hung over his eyebrows, and his eyes were light blue in hue. He wore a gray set of robes with a white, silky scarf laid over his shoulders, and had black skinny jeans along with a pair of sandals. His forehead protector was on a cloth wrapped around his left wrist.

The teen next to him was a girl. She had long, brown hair that went down to the middle of her back, while her bangs were parted to one side of her face, covering it. She had the same colour eyes as the other teen, and she wore a blue-black kimono that was lined in white. Her sleeves were longer than her arms, and she had black skinny jeans and boots of the same colour. Her forehead protector was sewn into the side of her right boot.

Chiyo approached them and then turned to Sasuke and Suigetsu. "These two will be accompanying us on our journey." she motioned to the male teen. "This is Tanaku," then to the female. "and this is Kagura." the two shinobi bowed.

Suigetsu was a bit puzzled at their sudden bow, and he reluctantly bowed back. Sasuke had already done the same.

"So then..." the silver-haired teen began. "What can you two do?"

Tanaku took out a scroll from within his robe and held it out. "I am a puppeteer." Kaguta held drew a katana and pointed it at Suigetsu, smirking slyly at his surprised reaction. "And i'm a master swordsman."

Sasuke nodded, obviously unimpressed. Tanaku noticed this and a strange glint appeared in his eyes.

"Although, I can tell you both think you're more skilled than we are." at the words, Kagura grinned and had suddenly appeared behind Suigetsu, her sword still drawn. The teen's legs quivered as she breathed down his neck.

"Ah, is that so?" he didn't know why, but for some reason, the woman terrified Suigetsu. Sasuke was unamused.

"We don't need any unnessecary conflict when we haven't even left yet." Tanaku sighed at his partner's actions and nodded. With hesitation, Kagura shealthed her sword and left to stand by Tanaku, causing Suigetsu to breath out in relief.

Chiyo smiled. The four of them would proof to be amusing as they took their journey. "Well then, I assume we should get going." she began walking and the teens followed. Kagura was glaring at Suigetsu with a grin on her face, which caused the teen to shiver. Tanaku was walking next to Sasuke with his hands in his robe pockets, while Sasuke still looked apathetic. Their quest to rescue Gaara had begun.

I based the two OOCs after Suigetsu and my other friend's rp characters :p i'll be expanding on their personalities in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading!