Title: Disadvantaged Children
Rating: R


Chapter Seventeen

Closer

Orange leaves crunch under my feet as I make my way toward the solemn gray buildings of the Mansion. Class had just ended, leaving me with the brief sense of excitement. The crisp wind blows the trees, softly rustling their wispy feathers, and it's all I can do to keep back a smile. The last week of October. The first week of everything.

Flashes of the past still haunt me, but it's impossible to dwell on them. Not when everything is moving, not when the air is cold with fall and the Mansion warm with heart. I don't think I'll ever understand it, but I don't need to. For the first time, I have a home. Grinning, I walk closer to the fountain in front of me and the waters reflect a clear picture of who I will become. Blue eyes, whiskers, and a simple necklace to tell the world.

If I hope, will it go away?

"Don't be stupid, dobe."

Startled, I quickly look up to see Sasuke's smirk. A long-sleeved black shirt barely hides the toned muscles underneath and his long frame is accentuated by the Mansion behind him. His Mansion. My eyes narrow slightly and I can't forget. He's everything I can't be. The arrogance, the danger that clings to him so easily. And yet... His home was my own.

I pull my orange jacket tighter around me, trying to shield my shivering body from the wind. My words trace an uncertain path in the colors of the shades around us, even though I'm faking a carefree smile. "We both live for the same reasons, Sasuke?"

"Hn." He turns his back and something inside me twinges. He's a reminder of myself. Is that why I felt this odd dislike? This repulsion?

I lift a hand to stop him, even though bringing the past hurts. "What is your reason to live, Sasuke? It's been a month now and I don't know anything about you." I turn my head to the side, letting my eyes trail to every crack on the pavement, every permanent fixture of stone. "How can I trust you if I don't understand you?"

He turns to look at me, a cold look in the normally warm eyes. Curt. Abrupt. "You don't need to understand me. We've been through this, Naruto. I need you to heal. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Frustration pools through my veins, like the ice in his lies. "Teme! Ever since day one, you've been singling me out. Community service, stupid questions, treating me differently from everyone else!" I pout and rub warmth through my arms. "I don't understand it, bastard! I really don't and I wa-"I stop suddenly, eyes wide from the simple truth.

Sasuke takes the silence and twists it into a smug smile. "You what?"

I shake my head frantically and put my hands in a defensive position. "Nothing! Forget it."

There's a smile on the chiseled face, a heartbeat of belief. "Dobe. You can't say it."

"No, that's not it!" I quickly look around the courtyard, looking for something to distract Sasuke from my red cheeks. "Eerr... I want ramen! That's it. Ramen. Because it's really cold outside."

"Liar."

I sigh in defeat, fully aware of my own weaknesses. So close to saying what I really felt.. Only to finish what I can't start. There's so many things I want to say, so many words blocking the breath in my throat. But I can't. Not with the wreckage of broken trust lingering in the autumn scent. But my eyes still follow every movement of the cool hands, legs, face and all the while, breathlessness touches gently against every inch of my body.

Squaring my jaw, I pounce on the unsuspecting boy. "Hey teme! Let's go do something!" I don't give time for him to answer because I quickly link arms with him and cheerfully cry out, "Onwards, mister bastard!"

I take two steps before his arm snags mine and I'm pulled back into that soft, intense gaze. His eyes are reflecting me and the fountain besides us and the water and the vulnerability that I'm trying so desperately to avoid. There's still a small smile on his face and I like it, because I forget, I always forget, to hate when I'm so near to faith.

Helping the helpless? Is that your reason to live, Sasuke?

And Sasuke reads my mind, because he shakes his head briefly. My gaze flickers from left to right almost unconsciously, trying to take in Sasuke's reaction, but he stops me by tightening our linked arms. Suddenly, things become so black and white that I can't help but smile.

"What should we do.. Dobe?"

Blond hair mingles with black, but it's perfect symmetry. I jump up and down, almost yanking Sasuke's arm in the process, then point to the Mansion. "Food, food first, Sasuke-teme! And then we're going to play this great game that Kakashi and I played called Twenty Questions. And then I'm going to read up on how to become best friends with an asshole named Uchiha Sas- OOF!"

I rub my sore rear then glare at the ice prince who's directed his gaze over to the Mansion. I follow his eyes and every window, every hidden shadow is perfection in my eyes. Burning questions invade each orange leaf, rolling them together on the ground. What did Sasuke see whenever he looked upon the Mansion? Did he see a home? A sanctuary? Or a small hiding place for secrets?

Sasuke glares at me, but I can see something playing in the pools of ice."Well? What are you waiting for?"

I jump up, grinning like a cat. "Really? You mean it?" I point to myself proudly, striking a pose. "I won't disappoint you! I'll be well behaved! I'll.. I'll stop making fun of you! I mean, so we can.." I make a few vague gestures with my hand then look up towards Sasuke. "You know?"

His pause is followed with a brief sigh of irritation. "No."

I scratch my head before continuing. "I don't get it either, but I-I don't want to give too much of me.. You say you want me to heal.. But I don't trust your motives."

His steps echo against the pavement, alone in their intent. Looking at the brief flicker of surprise in Sasuke's face, I realize we're both here. Just us. And I fear nothing.

"What do you think my motivations are, Uzumaki?" Sasuke lifts a hand to point to the haven behind him, but my gaze never leaves the subtle muscles tensing or the pale neck stretching. "Unlike you, dobe, I have responsibilities. Power. You're just one of the many troublemakers who I have to deal with."

"No." This time I step forward and the atmosphere changes. We're together, we're here, we're the same. "There's something else that you don't seem to understand. You and I are alike. And that's why you can't stand me."

A sneer. "You're an orphan, Uzumaki. No matter what you may think, I'm nothing like you."

Orphan. That word hurts. It always does. But I shove away the twinge with a cheerful grin."

"Of course you aren't. You've never lost a loved one or suffered pain. In fact, teme, I bet you were raised in a perfect and normal family. But even if all of that was true, I have this gut feeling that we're not so different." I take another step forward and just like that, the gap's gone. This dance that we're playing in the wind, the emotions that take us by the hand, it's all here.. Just this one.. breath.

"You, Sasuke.. I think I could grow to like you. But this friendship won't work. Not without you."

For once, I'm winning. The cold boy in front of me can deal with my insults, pouts, immaturity. But his composure falters from this side of me. With the peace of the fountain and the Mansion's approval on my side, I can feel him shaking, wondering what's going on.

Sasuke.. I-I want to know you. Don't turn me away.

The last step.

He takes it.

When Sasuke's fingers touch the side of my face, my heart races, like every butterfly and dream that visits this slip in time. I struggle briefly to contain my embarrassment, but heat, incredible heat, in the midst of this chilly autumn day, triumphs over reason. Friendship. Was that it? Was that all I needed from Uchiha Sasuke?

"Okay." He says it like the way his finger trails down my cheek. Uncertain. Hesitant. He tastes the word again, almost as if to make sure it won't disappear. "Okay."

I grin and Sasuke takes a step back, almost muttering under his breath. "What is it about you, Uzumaki?"

"My hot body?" I tease, ruining the poetic moment that had trickled through us.

Sasuke shakes his head with a smirk and then turns away from me. "You're an idiot."

"A hot one?"

"Not even close."

I pout before jumping on a pile of leaves and asking, "Why are you here?"

Sasuke dodges the leaves that I throw his way then shrugs, bored. "I had to find you. We're going to leave the Mansion again."

I stop, a pile of leaves in my arms, then frown. "Community service? Again?!"

"Your own fault." Is the cool reply.

Glaring at the Uchiha's back, I kick around a few leaves while grumbling. "I'm hungry."

"Go eat, idiot."

I laugh at the almost motherly tone disguised underneath the insult then stop when Sasuke shoots me a killer glare. Stupid, sensitive bastards and their stupid cold hearts. Sheesh. I bounce towards Sasuke's side, smirking when he takes a step back from me. "Sasuke-bastard, I can't eat! It's not lunchtime or nothing yet!"

"What were you doing before then?"

This time, the concern in his voice is blatant, and I flush. "I was trying to figure out who my person is for the Second Event." I eye him then poke his side. "Ne, teme, do you like fishing?"

"Don't kid yourself, dobe. You're looking for someone in your own dorm."

I sigh loudly. "I know that! I just reaaally want those points, so Team Naruto can win." I stop then turn wide eyes toward Sasuke. "Haven't you ever wanted something soo much that it consumes your entire thoughts? Like you stay up at night just thinking about it?"

Scorching. Hot. The intensity of those dark eyes makes me look away and dig my hands into my pockets. "Never mind, bastard. I'm just being stupid. It's probably all this team pressure that's making me-"

A warm hand suddenly grips my wrist, stopping my words.

"Yes."

I'm jolted and the trees brush against my whisper, making it louder, clearer. "What? Really? For-for what?"

He keeps his hand on my wrist and turns to look at the Mansion, giving me a perfect view of the way his hair hides his eyes and the smooth flesh. "This Mansion is the most precious thing to me. It's the only thing I trust, the reason I live."

I've never seen him so passionate about something before and it's surprising. The Mansion? Why?

Almost as if he's read the curiosity on my face, Sasuke continues. "This Mansion is mine. Because of this.. my home.. I've helped, destroyed, changed people. And through it all, I'll learn more. I'll learn until I can.."

He stops and a dark aura comes over his face, a shadow of before. I don't get it. His reason for loving the Mansion made sense, but that wasn't all. Something else, something much, much more important.

Can? Can what, Sasuke?

But I'm never answered because Sasuke shuts his face from me. "Let's go, Naruto. We'll be late."

I frown. "For what?"

The wind blows right then, spraying a light mist of water from the fountain in our way. But I'm not shivering because of the cool temperature. I'm shivering, because Sasuke's smile unsettles every nerve in my body.

"For the past."


"Sasuke-teme, I-"

"Shh."

I fume silently until the car rolls into a stop. Stomach lurching, I glare at Sasuke, who only smirks at me. Our chauffeur opens the door on my side, but I must be too slow because Sasuke shoves me out the car. Growling, I stumble to my feet and continue glaring at the boy in front of me.

"Bastard! I'm never getting into a car with you again!"

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "I didn't enjoy it any more than you did."

"Yeah, but you could at least try talking."

"This coming from the person who stared out the window the entire time."

"Well, yeah, but that's because.." I stop, remembering how Sasuke's body had curved against mine in that cramped space. Then our thighs had touched and I'd accidentally made the mistake of looking at him and why did the bastard have to have such smoldering eyes? "Err, because you smelled bad!"

I grin and strike a pose, but Sasuke just walks past me. I take the moment to survey my surroundings and it's not long before I realize that I've been here before. The dirty little houses, the molding crops, the absolutely dead silence. My eyes narrow as familiar and unfamiliar things capture my attention.

Ragged dolls thrown in the dirt, broken pots and pans, run-down huts.

This.. This is the Konoha I know.

More and more. I look around, expecting the same people who had hurt me with their fear and words, but the entire area is empty. There are only traces, faint traces of human life, mixed in with the dirt poor atmosphere and the sickly sky. If it's possible, this place.. has gotten even worse.

And then I see ashes scattered everywhere.

"Have you ever heard of the Akatsuki, Naruto?"

I shake my head in disbelief. Could it be possible? A whole town disappearing, a whole part of my past dying under this cold atmosphere...

"That cross on your neck, Naruto, will get you killed. Don't wear it around here."

Hands shaking, I touch the cross, only to find it hot, scalding, burning. There are too many things around here that I don't understand. The Akatsuki. This town's destruction.. And now, my own faith and its betrayal. I had only been away from Konoha for four years, but in that time.. Something had happened.

"Naruto, are you listening to me?"

Disenchanted. All this time, I had neatly placed my past into the back of my mind, something foreign, something painful. But now that I'm seeing with my own eyes, I only feel empty. This rural town with its sleepy inhabitants had cursed me the moment I had stepped foot. Yes, it had hurt. But.. But this was only a small part of Konoha. Only a small part of my past. It wasn't important, not nearly as important as other towns.

So why, Sasuke, have you taken me here?

The only difference between this town and the other parts of Konoha is the future. The present.

There's nothing here anymore.

"Naruto! Look at me."

Sasuke's touch brings me crashing from my thoughts. His eyes are forceful, intense, but behind all that power, I can see something else. Worry. Concern.

I spill words, all the while gripping the cross on my neck. "When I was five, I got sent to live here with an old couple. They were poor, so poor that each grain of rice was precious. But they adopted me because they got money from.. from the orphanage. They took care of me, even though everyone else in the town said I came from bad blood, that my eyes were an unhealthy color. They took care of me, because they were too old to pay attention to see the freak inside of me. But one day, they died."

Without thinking, I take both hands and grip Sasuke's black shirt, almost blinded by everything so tragic, so helpless. "They died, Sasuke. They died. I-I don't know why but that's what happened." My fists clench even more, and it's Sasuke that I see. "And now you've brought me here, and I don't understand why. Because now it's not just the old man and the old woman. Now, the whole town is dead."

Sasuke gently takes my trembling hands and pries them away from his shirt. He then goes on to unclasp the necklace around my neck, all the while whispering. "I promise it wasn't you, Naruto. You didn't kill the couple. They died in their sleep, because they were old. And you didn't kill the town. Even though they hated you and they drove you out on the day the couple died, you didn't do a thing. You were five, Naruto."

I'm still shaking, but the cross is slowly lifted over my head. Every movement, every word is so gently spoken that I found myself falling deeper.

Sasuke.. Sasuke, this is what you've learned from the Mansion, isn't it? You've learned to be human.

I'm still shaking, unable to calm the bloodshed, the murder of my words. "You don't understand. Even then, I had Kyuubi. What if I killed them? What if I-"

Suddenly, a body presses against my own and I freeze. Warm arms embracing me, promising safety, security. Sasuke's scent hovers over me, and his hair brushes against my lips, like a million feathers. We're here. We're together.

"Look, Naruto. You're annoying, bothersome, a dobe... But you didn't do this. Your bond with your family made you stronger, better than the whole town combined. That's why I brought you here, to show you the heart that you had."

He grips me harder and it's like a million hearts bursting, like I'm tasting these soft whispers. "I promise."

Almost as if I'm dreaming, I slowly move so that we're facing each other, hearts laid bare. The body curving against my own, the warmth underneath everything else, and the slow, slow heartbeats. And we're moving closer together, because Sasuke's lips are only centimeters from mine and I can see every color in his eyes..

But he stops and then steps away from me, leaving me with a faint disappointment. The transparent color is gone from his eyes and instead there's the calculating, cool glass. He takes my hand and drops the cross before staring at the ashes of the lost town.

"This cross may be a symbol of belief for you... But for the people of Konoha, the same cross is a curse, a threat."

I frown, confused. "Why?"

"What do you know of the Akatsuki?"

This is important, I can feel it. Frustrated, I run a hand through my hair. "I don't know anything! I've heard the name a million times now, but the only thing I know about them is that.. That they're connected to someone I lost."

"They're also connected to you." A pause before Sasuke speaks. "But this is neither the time nor the place to speak of them. For now, just remember the name."

I nod, even though I feel like pulling out my hair from aggravation. Suddenly, the whole place feels like a cave, something to trap me in its emptiness.

I rub my arms and frown. "Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Can we go? I'm hungry."

At first I think he's going to say no, just to spite me. But a corner of his lips twitch and he nods.

"Okay."

I smile.


The first thing I notice when I walk into my room is the almost insane and hungry gaze from Sai's eyes. Sasuke, besides me, tenses, but I just grin and calmly raise a hand.

"Oi, Sasuke number 2! What's with the face?"

"You call him Sasuke number two?" Sasuke grumbles under his breath, but I ignore him.

Sai's eyes flicker towards the pale boy next to me, but he quickly focuses back on me. With long legs, he pushes himself off his bed and walks slowly towards me. I'm a little freaked by the predatory look on his pale face, but I stand my ground. It's not until he's a foot away that I notice his hands are fidgeting with a small slip of paper.

Sai stops when he's unbearably close to me and just stares at my face, like he's memorizing every eyelash and every inch. I have no idea what's going on behind the impassive gaze, so I open my mouth to say something.

A flicker flashes across Sai's face and then he reels his left arm back and then forward with such force that, shit, I immediately close my eyes and Sasuke lets out an angry yell but it's too late and who cares it's just Sai and-

-the arm comes around my neck and for the second time I'm pressed against a hard body with only an arm to hold me in place.

I scrunch my face, wondering what the hell's going on. But a minute passes and I just shrug and go along with it, because this is Sai, my crazy, unpredictable roommate. With a grin, I calmly pry away from the gentle grip and ignore Sasuke's slight sputtering behind me.

"Sai! I missed you too, you bastard." I ruffle Sai's hair and he smiles.

"I was waiting for you, dickless."

I pout and shake my head. "Impatient, aren't ya? Well, I was just here with-"

Suddenly, a hand grips my arm with surprising strength and whirls me around. With a yelp, I struggle to gain my balance as Sasuke glares at me and grits his teeth. "What the hell, dobe? Dickless? Bastard? I didn't know you were on such friendly terms with someone who looks like a cheap copy of me."

My mouth drops open and I wrench my wrist from his grip. "Teme! You don't even know Sai and you're already insulting him? And what's the matter with you? Aren't I allowed to call someone a bast-"

"No, you aren't!" Sasuke's still gritting his teeth and I can almost hear the abuse that his molars are going through. "This guy might be your roommate, but I've read his file. There's no hope for a freak like him."

My heart drops and Sasuke blinks, taken aback by his own words. My voice, when I do speak, is dangerously calm, even though there's a twinge of hurt somewhere, deep inside.

"A freak?"

I should feel good that Sasuke's in front of me, gaping and struggling for words. "No, Naruto, that's not-"

I laugh, hollow. "Even after all that, teme, you don't understand. Someone like you can drop the word 'freak' without thinking anything of it. I guess you're just destined to surprise me."

This time, he's defensive, saving face. "Don't be such an idiot! I've done everything to heal you and I won't see my efforts go to waste because of this.." He turns his head to glare at Sai, who's smirking at our spat. "This murderer!"

We're too different, you and I. I was mistaken to think we were alike.

Sighing, I just shake my head and open the door. "See you later, Sasuke."

For one second, I glimpse something I've never seen. Vulnerable. Disbelief. But it fades when he glares at me and Sai, then walks towards the door. Gripping the doorknob, Sasuke continues to glare, almost as if he's waiting for me to ask him to stay. But when he's met with silence, he twists the doorknob viciously then slams the door shut.

I sigh then flop on my bed, dully looking at the ceiling with its cracked plaster and faded gray.

Sai sits down on the edge of my bed, amused. "I'm Sasuke number two?"

I make a face. "Don't start, ne. We were actually getting along until you came along."

Sai lightly bounces on the bed, making the mattress shake. "I could tell. Your face when you walked into the room.. I think you were happy."

"Psh." I twist so that I'm lying on my stomach, looking up at Sai. "So what's that in your hand?"

Sai looks down and grunts. "The Second Event. It's... troublesome."

"Oh yeah, that thing!" I reach into my pocket and grasp the little slip of paper. The same three words peek at me, threatening to invade my thoughts again. All week, all I had done was subtly question and probe for anyone who would like fishing.

I mean, really? Fishing? That thing where you go and use a stick to catch disgusting, slimy things?

I sigh loudly and dangle my legs in the air. "This is stupid. Do you know if Sakura's made any progress?"

"I think so." Sai thoughtfully taps his chin. "She's already turned in her paper to Gai."

I sit up and my mouth drops open. "WHAT?! ALREADY?"

"Don't be so surprised, idiot. A lot of people have turned in their papers, but no Team has won yet."

"Then it's up to us!" I yell and strike a pose, almost falling off the bed. "Team Naruto will triumph!"

Sai chuckles and it's nice to hear the tone ringing through the room. He pats me on the head, whispering fondly. "I missed you during lunch. I had to eat next to the fat pig."

"Hey, don't be mean! That fat pig is my friend!"

"Whatever." Sai gets off the bed and stretches. "I have to go meet my counselor. So I'll see you later?"

I wave a hand to dismiss him. "Have fun, bastard."

He chuckles again before walking out of the room. I scratch my stomach then fiddle with my hands for a minute before getting bored. With a sigh, I lazily flop my legs out of my bed then prepare to stretch. But something white flashes in the corner of my eye and I swivel towards the corner of my bed. And right there is Sai's slip of paper.

Huh. He must have left it by accident. I sneakily look around before deciding to take a peek. Hell, it couldn't hurt, right? And it wasn't like I'd know the answer..

With a flourish, I grab the paper and read with a grin.

I like flowers.


Uzumaki Naruto is healing. Soon, he'll be able to know the whole truth about the Akatsuki and his role in my brother's sins. Of course, this won't happen if I can't stop these human emotions..

You're right, Naruto. We'll never fully understand each other.

I promise you. It's for the best.

Sasuke


AN: Wow. Just wow. My deadline for this story is every Saturday and I definitely procrastinated to my heart's content. Writing a chapter in one day is a killer for my eyes. Gah. And I'm pretty sure I repeated certain key words around fifty times, especially towards the end. Oh well. I liked Sasuke in this one. Much more likeable.

Thank you for reading! Please don't be afraid to review or to drop me a line on livejournal. :) I normally respond to reviews, unless I accidentally skip one.