Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Warning: I rated this M for a reason. Also, none of the comments said by the characters reflect opinions of the author, or of the creators of Naruto.

Threadbare

By Cosmogyral

Thread 6:

Lacing the necklace between in fingers, Sasuke smirked in satisfaction. Finally, he had been able to afford the necklace that Naruto had been admiring for weeks. It wasn't anything spectacular, just something bought at a street vendor's booth downtown. But the jagged piece of blue metal surrounded by two silver beads would make the idiot happy. Countless time doing odd jobs and collecting recycle would be well worth it.

Walking the well-known path between the Kitchen and their townhouse, Sasuke had to suppress his compulsion to run all the way there.

Slowing down, Sasuke heard a scuffle going on in an alleyway nearby. It was typical. Fights between the homeless were common—it was a dog-eat-dog world after all. Planning on just walking passed, Sasuke picked up his pace. Only two more blocks and he would see Naruto's smiling face waiting for him in the soup kitchen.

That had been the plan, at least.

"Having fun, yet, Nar-u-to?" The jeer echoed out of the alley and reached Sasuke's eyes.

His body froze and Sasuke's heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be. Naruto was still supposed to be at the kitchen. Naruto never did anything to piss anyone off. Why would…?

"Fuck you," was a harsh and garbled response. Sasuke's heart started again. He knew that voice.

"Is that an offer, Princess?" When the sound of a body hitting asphalt reached the Uchiha, Sasuke ran into the alley.

"NARUTO!" he screamed as he rushed into the dark alleyway. When he saw a tuff of muddied blonde hair on the ground and scarred cheeks, Sasuke felt his heart sink. "NAURTO!"

"Oh look, if it isn't Sasuke," one of the men taunted, standing around Naruto. Fury started bubbling in the pit of Sasuke's stomach.

"What the hell did you do to him?!" Sasuke could feel his fists tightening and his arms trembling. Seeing Naruto crack open a blackened eye, Sasuke's hot anger turned into a cold burn.

"We were just a little jealous, Sas-kay," said the tall, greasy one. "Why do you get to have all the fun with the little princess?"

Knowing that that was all these men thought of Naruto, as a princess, sickened Sasuke. Naruto was not weak and in need of saving. If anything, Naruto was the strongest person he knew. These men were walking corpses.

Pursing his lips together, Sasuke let his body do the talking. At that moment he was forever grateful that he had been so competitive with his brother in his younger years. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have worked nearly as hard to master his self-defense techniques. He still wasn't nearly as good as Itachi, but good enough and angry enough to beat these pieces of shit into unconsciousness.

Anger fueling his actions, Sasuke didn't register anything as the fight progressed. He only stopped when all three men were lying facedown on the cold street. Breathing heavily, Sasuke was anything but unscathed, but adrenaline was an amazing asset in a tight spot.

Scrambling over, Sasuke threw himself next to Naruto. He didn't bother to call out the blonde's name; it was obvious that the man was unconscious. Checking Naruto's pulse, Sasuke almost cried when he felt a steady heartbeat. If he wanted that to last, Sasuke needed to get him someplace safe. The kitchen was closest. People would still be there—Sasuke had come early.

With strength Sasuke didn't know he had, he hauled Naruto up in his arms and ran to the soup kitchen. It was passed lunch hour, so the front glass door would be locked. Thinking quickly, Sasuke bolted through the side door labeled Employees Only.

"Hello?!" yelled the black-haired man. "Help! Anyone!" Whipping his head left and right, Sasuke looked for anyone close by.

"Sas—NARUTO!" Hinata appeared from behind one of the kitchen corners. The pale girl looked like she was about to faint.

"Call for help, Hinata! An ambulance! Anything!" Sasuke ordered desperately. The girl only looked startled for a moment before rushing off to comply.

"What's all the noise back here…" Sakura's angry voice faded as she saw the beaten form of her friend. "NARUTO!"

"What's happening?" Kiba soon followed, skidding around the corner Hinata had vanished behind. "Shit! What happened?!"

Iruka soon entered the scene, but instead of shouting in surprise the older man's eyes widened before he took charge. "Sasuke, set him on the table. Now!"

Sasuke did as he was told. The man's mind was a wreck and Sasuke would follow any orders Iruka gave him. As soon as he set the blonde on the table Sasuke was roughly pushed aside by a freakishly strong Sakura. Gazing down at Naruto, Sakura cradled his face as tears streamed down her own.

"Naruto…" she sobbed, "Naruto, what happened to you? What happened to always coming back?"

Trying to stand on quivering limbs, Sasuke attempted to gather his composure. Stepping closer, Sasuke wheezed, "Thugs. They outnumbered him."

"Why weren't you there to protect him?" The pink-haired girl screamed hysterically. Spinning around, green eyes pinned Sasuke where he was. "This is all your fault!" She pointed a shaking finger at him. Sasuke said nothing as he tried to grasp the girl's sudden change of heart.

"Sakura! You know that's not—!" Kiba tried to interrupt.

"No! You listen!" Sakura's confusion and helplessness rolled off her in waves, slamming into Sasuke in the form of her words. Glaring at Kiba, she continued, "If he hadn't left early this wouldn't have happened! If he hadn't been so eager to get back to Sasuke, he wouldn't have left early in the first place. And for what?" Turning back to Sasuke, Sakura looked straight into his eyes with contempt, "A surprise? Tell us, Sasuke, what surprise were you going to give Naruto?"

"Sakura, stop trying to push your guilt on Sasuke!" angrily yelled Kiba.

Sasuke stood speechless as green eyes bore into him. He couldn't respond. Naruto had left early because of him…? Slowly, Sasuke reached into his pocket and removed the necklace.

"Hey…I've seen Naruto looking at that before…" Kiba softly commented. "The last time we hung out…"

"A cheap necklace," Sakura scoffed, her voice deflating. Shaking her head, a fresh set of tears ran down her reddening cheeks. She snatched he necklace out of Sasuke's limp grasp. "He deserves better…"

"Sakura! This isn't the time!" Iruka shouted.

"What did he expect to get out of a homeless man? He deserves a nice house, good food, nice things…" the pink-haired girl babbled.

"Kiba, get her out of here."

Sasuke barely registered the time that went by, the flashing of ambulance lights, or the questioning from the police as he gave his report. He only distantly remembered a paramedic sadly telling him that he couldn't ride with Naruto.

Hinata and Iruka tried without success to get Sasuke to talk before leaving him be. As the ambulance pulled away and everybody left, Sasuke drifted. The only thing keeping him grounded was the gravity of Sakura's words.

Everything Sasuke had given up, everything that Sasuke had gladly forsaken, Naruto needed. Sakura was right, Naruto needed so much better. He needed someone who could take care of him, who could get a job without fear of being found. Then there was what the thugs had said. They had hurt Naruto because of him, because Naruto cared for him.

Sasuke sucked the life out of everything. First the crash, now this…

Getting up, Sasuke's feet followed the familiar pathway to their house—to Naruto's townhouse. Stumbling through the doorway, Sasuke stopped in front of the refrigerator. Plucking the snapshots from the magnet holding them down, Sasuke ripped the strip in half so that he held two photos in his hand and two fluttered to the floor.

Unfeeling, Sasuke left the house.

He didn't notice the buildings he passed or the names labeling the streets he followed. The longer he walked, the more he didn't notice the peculiar looks he was receiving. Sasuke only felt tired.

Walking up elegantly carved steps, Sasuke knocked three times on a door he had seen almost every day of his life. Looking down to his feet, he couldn't bear to look at the door.

He heard the door silently whoosh open.

"Sasuke?" A disbelieving, womanly voice asked. Still, Sasuke couldn't lift his head up. He felt his body being dragged through the threshold by a dainty hand and the door shutting behind him. "Hold on. Just…don't leave." Small footstep faded away only to return with another pair.

"Sasuke?" A much more masculine voice cut through the silence. Hands took hold of each side of his face and made him look up into identical black eyes. "It's you," was the confused statement.

"Itachi," the woman started, worried, "we need to get him cleaned up. He looks terrible. He should really be looked at."

"Yes," the older Uchiha sibling murmured after a moment. "Yes, of course. Call the physician. Tell him to come here immediately, but to come alone." Then, as a last though, "And call Kakashi. He should be here."

"Should I wake the children?"

"No. They need their sleep. Just make the calls, Darling." The clicking of heels could be heard racing away, assumingly to follow Itachi's directions.

"Sasuke…" Itachi looked at his battered brother. Pulling the broken man to him, Itachi could only fall to his knees as his younger brother collapsed. Wiping tears from Sasuke's eyes he asked to deaf ears, "Sasuke, what happened to you?"

Wrapping one of Sasuke's arms around his own shoulders, Itachi started to move his brother's unconscious body. Taking a step forward, Itachi halted when he felt something under the sole of his shoe. Lifting his foot, the older Uchiha looked down in confusion at the two small pictures on the ground. Gently bending down, Itachi picked up the snapshots. It took him a moment to realize that Sasuke was one of the people in the picture. His brother actually looked happy…


A day went by without much stimulation. Kakashi and Itachi had bandaged up his flesh wounds and left him to rest. Now awake, Sasuke could only muster the energy to stumble the few paces from the guest bed to the adjacent desk.

Long, pale fingers clasped two pictures, one in each hand. The one on his left was large, colorful, and placed in an intricate frame. The other was small, in grayscale, and bent around the edges. Although each had different appearances, both meant the world to the beholder.

Looking at the small, square pictures in his right hand Sasuke placed the snapshots facedown on the desk in front of him. Bringing the larger photo up, the man traced the two faces in the frame. One was a square, masculine face with sharp features. Deep brown eyes and matching hair were set on a face that was unused to smiling. The other was a soft, round face with black eyes and long black hair. This face smiled like it was the most natural thing in the world. Both looked liked they fit together like pieces of a puzzle, regardless of the different expressions.

Everybody had always commented that Sasuke looked more like his mother than his father. He had always resented that, wanting to be a strong man like his father. Now, he wished that he could be as happy as his mother looked in the photograph. Maybe if he stared long enough, his parents would reach out from the picture and touch him. His mother would wrap her arms around him and tell him that it was okay. His father would place a firm had on his shoulder and tell Sasuke that he was an Uchiha—that Sasuke was his son. Then everything would be okay. Sasuke would wake up and laugh, because all of the past months would have been a dream.

Good thing I caught you. You're going the wrong way.

Black eyes clenched and Sasuke gazed more intently down at the picture of his parents, trying to limit his focus. If only none of this had happened.

I'm Naruto, by the way. I don't suppose you talk much, huh?

If only they were here.

You know, staring at it won't make food appear.

Blinking his eyes furiously, Sasuke reached over to his desk and shoved the smaller picture in a drawer. His hands started to shake as they returned to trace the intricate frame.

What, no insult this time?

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sasuke shouted at the drawer. His knuckles turned white around the photo he held.

I just want something to prove you won't disappear.

"Shut up, Naruto…" Black eyes blurred as the stared at the colorful picture. "Father, what would you do…?"

Can you walk? It won't be far. My house is just down the street…

Sasuke closed his eyes and let his hands go limp from around the picture.

I just want to make you feel.

I know, Sasuke wanted to say, but didn't.

You promise to be there?

Black eyes stared blankly at the encased photo in front of him. Nothing happened. It gave him no answers.

You promise to be there?

A loud crash accompanied the shattering glass once the large picture frame hit the wall. The Uchiha's teeth clenched and he breathed in labored pants. Each breath strained his bruised body. Fists shook as they fisted at Sasuke's sides. The spontaneous aggression could not cover up the watery quality of the black orbs. A pale hand came up to cover already closed eyes.

Sasuke kept the drawer shut.

"I won't miss it."


A/N:

Another sad chapter. I know you guys had some questions in the last chapter, and I really want to answer them now, but I will answer them at the end. If I answer the questions now I'm afraid that I will give things away. Once again, thank you for all of my lovely reviews! Your comments and questions mean the world to me. ^_^ I hope that this chapter satisfies.