Disclaimers: Naruto is someone else's, this is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.

Warnings: This story includes strong language, graphic adult themes, violence, angst, a good friend, and eventually yaoi love.

Hard to Read:

Chapter 6

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Once Naruto was finally able to collect himself, mostly by taking deep breaths, lying to himself about being ok, and putting up his own barriers, he started his search.

Sasuke was still in the other room, presumably another bedroom, which gave Naruto the perfect chance to look around without his knowing. There has to be one somewhere. He wouldn't block his own chakra too if he didn't have a way out already planned. Sasuke always plans ahead. He wouldn't have been impulsive about this.

With their chakra blocked and an impenetrable shield surrounding them, there was only one way Naruto could think of that would break through. Sasuke had to have done some kind of seal. Something that doesn't require chakra to remove it. And with a barrier like this, it had to be somewhere in the house. All he had to do was find it and figure out how to remove it.

Then I can get the fuck out of here.

It wasn't like he didn't like being with Sasuke. The raven means the world to him. Naruto missed him every day. He wanted him to come home- more than anyone. But.. Sasuke wasn't the same person.

Neither am I.. he thought.

He needed to be able to trust Sasuke if he was going to be this vulnerable, this.. broken around him. Old Naruto trusted Sasuke no matter what. Even when a sword was barely towards his back, he didn't doubt that his friend was still in there, that he wouldn't want to hurt him.

But, this is different.

Death didn't scare Naruto. In fact, he craved it. No, what terrified Naruto was life- going through it plagued by the memories, having to relive the worst moment of his life, not being able to stop it from happening again..

He hated that he flinched when people touched him, that he never felt strong anymore, that he was now afraid of his best friend- someone he had thought of as.. more at one point. But after everything that happened, it was hard not to see him when he looked at Sasuke. And that- that was devastating.

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Focus. Look for the seal. That's it. Don't think- just look for the seal. He kept his steps silent, his breathing slow, his body grounded. Don't make a sound.

People often thought of Naruto as a loud bumbling blur of chaos, and sometimes he was, but that was a choice. Yes, he ran into a fight when he had the impulse to face an enemy head-on. But he was a shinobi. A sage. And, in the past, the town pariah. He knew how to stay undetected when he needed to be.

He searched the main room, which extended into the kitchen. Nothing.

He checked the bathroom.

Nothing.

He checked the hall closet.

Nope.

He checked the bedroom he was staying in.

Another no.

Fuck.

It's in Sasuke's bedroom.

Sasuke heard a loud crash echo through the house, followed by a pained cry. Dammit Dobe, he thought, irritation masking his concern, what the hell did you do now?

He rushed out into the hall and into the main room where he found Naruto on the floor, gripping his ankle, a chair turned over, and a collection of porcelain bowls shattered- their pieces scattered across the floor. "What the hell is this?"

Naruto looked up at him, his face pained. "Sasuke- I think- nnnn.. I fucked up my leg.."

Sasuke looked down and could see blood running from between his fingers. "Shit. Ok- let me see.." he knelt down next to the blonde, leaning forward to check, when an elbow smashed into his face, sending him reeling to the side. Naruto jumped to his feet and ran before Sasuke could retaliate.

The Uchiha ground his teeth together, enraged. "Naruto!" he shouted, slamming a fist into the floor. He got to his feet and raced after him, but the sound of a door slamming and a lock sliding into place made him freeze. Did he seriously just..

He ran up to the bedroom and tried the handle, already knowing that it wouldn't budge. That sneaky shit!

"Naruto!" he shouted, "Open the damn door!!"

The blonde ignored him and continued his search of the room. It's here. I know it's here. He checked in the obvious places first, then he started moving furniture. When Sasuke heard this, he knew exactly what he was up to.

"Naruto!! If you make me kick down my own door, I'm going to kick your ass!"

No response, but he could hear him moving shit around as he kept up his search. Dammit. Sasuke backed up, then lunged forward and slammed his shoulder into the door as hard as he could. Dust fell from the top as it shuddered under his attack, but it held. For now, he thought angrily, as he backed up and prepared for another assault. He slammed into the door again, and this time a loud crack echoed back.

Naruto flinched, and looked back at the splintered door. Fuck- I'm almost out of time! He shoved shit everywhere, desperate to find the seal before it was too late. Sasuke crashed against the door again, sending chunks of wood flying. He was almost through.

And then, he found it.

A loose floorboard under the rug. When Naruto pried it up he found a seal flat against the ground, about half an arm's length down from the floor. A piercing snap told him that Sasuke made it through the door just as Naruto reached in to grab a corner of the seal. He almost had it when Sasuke's body suddenly slammed into him, forcing him away from the opening.

Naruto struggled against Sasuke, each of their blows blocked by the other, until he was finally able to kick him away and scramble back. He reached back into the hole, but Sasuke grabbed his ankle, which he noticed was not injured in the slightest, and yanked him back.

"Stop, you idiot!" Sasuke tried to climb on top of his back, but Naruto elbowed him again, this time in the ribs. The Uchiha groaned, doubling over to catch his breath.

Naruto crawled forward again, but Sasuke got a grip in his hair and pulled him back. He wrapped an arm around his neck and brought him close. "Dammit-Naruto! Will you just stop!! It's pointless-"

The squirmy blonde kicked him in the shin. "It's not pointless, asshole." Then he threw his head back into Sasuke's face. Expecting this, Sasuke dropped his head down, saving himself from a broken nose, but the impact was still jarring, and his grip on Naruto faltered.

As Sasuke tried to blink his vision clear again, Naruto scooted forward, reached back into the floor, and before Sasuke could stop him, grabbed the corner of the seal and pulled.

Author Note:

Thank you Bearlikespie . It's strange- I feel so disconnected from so many people in life because of it, but so.. I don't know.. seen on here, with people like you and buzzk97. I have found that people will go out of their way to avoid you if you are going through something heavy- like they're afraid it's contagious. You would think it'd be the opposite, but that's never how it works.

I'm glad it's different on here.

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Anyways- as far as the story goes: I saw a chance to end on a cliffhanger and I took it. I hope on some level you guys loved that and on some level you hate me for it, because that is how you know it's a good cliffhanger. :)