A/N: GAH, it almost took me longer than it should've, but I'm baaaaaack! (grins)

First things, of course, first. GOSH – thank you from the bottom of my heart for all those absolutely amazing reviews! So many of them… (gasps, blushes and beams) You've made me happier than you could ever imagine. THANK YOU! Heh, as per usual with my fics, responses to anonymous reviews can be found from underneath the chappy.

Awkay, because it's getting really late around here, let's rock! I REALLY hope ya'll enjoy ride. (gulps a little)

CHAPTER 6: The Crackling Melody

Naruto couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at Neji, who was looking directly towards him with unreadable eyes. His heart pounded, but not for the same reasons it once had.

Did Neji really have the guts to come here after how they'd finished things up – after they haven't spoken a single word to each other in a month?!

Was this Neji's idea of a joke?

Tengoku had been the one place in which he'd been safe from all the turmoil caused by Neji, where at least one of the things messing with his head had been at bay. And now his last sanctuary had been taken away.

The brunet hesitated a little when taking a step towards him. "Naruto…"

He shook his head, not wanting to hear another word at the moment. There was too much on his mind already; he definitely didn't need whatever Neji had to say. "Just… Just don't, okay?" he all but hissed in a voice that wasn't his.

Neji's mouth opened, but this time Tsunade interrupted the boy. She looked at them with a stern expression. "Is something wrong?"

He glanced towards Neji threateningly. If their mess would jeopardize his job…

Fortunately Neji shook his head and folded his arms. "No. We've just… known each other for a long time."

Tsunade quirked her eyebrow, but fortunately seemed to decide that she didn't need to know more. Her eyes turned a shade darker than usual. "I trust you to act civilized while working together in this place."

Both he and Neji nodded stiffly yet obediently, like two small children who had no intension of doing as they'd been told.

Tsunade nodded rather sharply, quite clearly not believing a word. "Good." She glanced sternly towards Neji. "I think it's for the best I give you your introduction tour – there's a certain inhabitant I want you to meet." Her eyes were a little bit softer when she looked at Sai. "As for you… I think I have the right task."

The gang was silent as they made their way out of the room. Once they were out, Neji grabbed Naruto's wrist once more. Blue eyes were uncharacteristically hard when looking at the brunet. "Now what, Neji?" Naruto all but hissed.

"Just…" Neji took a deep breath – this was obviously a huge blow to his pride. "I'm sorry."

Fortunately he didn't get the chance to respond, because just then Tsunade spoke. "Neji, Sai, you two come with me. Naruto, could you give Kabuto a little round?"

He nodded, feeling a flood of relief although the thought of being alone with Kabuto unnerwed him. "Sure."

The two boys glared at each other when following Tsunade.

Just as they'd left, Naruto felt another presence. He turned his head with a frown – and gulped thickly for some reason when seeing Sasuke standing in the sidelines. The raven's eyes were darker than ever before. He frowned. "Sasuke?"

Without saying a word the boy turned around and disappeared.

At that moment knowing that he'd need to do something – although he wasn't sure what needed to be fixed – he glanced apologetically towards Kabuto. "Look…"

The gray-haired waved a hand with a much too well-trained looking pleasant smile. "Go. I can as well take a look around by myself."
Excited about the idea of getting away from Kabuto, he nodded a bit too eagerly and all but dashed away.

-

As soon as Naruto had left Kabuto pulled out his cell-phone.

Neji didn't know what to expect when Tsunade led him towards a room's door. "Usually we don't give trainees their own patients, but right now… I think there's one inhabitant who might have a great use of someone of his own age spending a lot of time with them."

He quirked an eyebrow.

Why do I have a bad feeling about this…?

Tsunade pushed the door open with an expression that didn't promise anything good at all. "Neji, meet Gaara."

He took a somewhat cautious step forward into the small room, and saw a boy of his age just emerging from a shower, wearing only a pair of loose pants. The boy finally noticed him while toweling his red hair.

He didn't think either one of them had ever felt as uncomfortable.

Gaara's eyes were filled with boredom and irritation as the redhead sat down, leaned back in his chair and glared at him.

He fought the urge to groan. "I'm sure we'll have a fantastic time together."

-

Once they kept walking on, Sai looked towards Tsunade. "What about me?"

There was a somewhat sneaky look on her face when she looked at him. "I wouldn't want to put together a male employee and a female inhabitant, but since she's already going to turn into a employee in a couple of days…" She then noticed someone. "Sakura, there you are! This is Sai – he'll be your… supervisor for a while."

Into view stepped a pinkette who didn't seem entirely sure if she was happy to see him or extremely irritated about being babysitted. "Hey."

He nodded, never having been a social butterfly. Suddenly he wondered why he'd ever been an idiot enough to accept this job.

Tsunade, on the other hand, appeared satisfied – or perhaps she just had other things to do – for she turned and left, dumping them into an uncomfortable silence.

Deciding that he couldn't play mute forever, he forced out some words. "So… you're not going to be a patient much longer?"

Even with the best of efforts, he couldn't tell if Sakura was insulted or enjoyed when seeing an easy target in him. "Inhabitant, Sai – call us inhabitants unless you want to get beaten up." She spotted a book forgotten to a nearby table, and started to flip through it. "And yes, I'm going home soon."

He dared to relax ever so slightly. "Your parents must be happy."

Something dark, almost dangerous, flashed by the girl's face. "I guess they would be, if they were still alive."

He'd never wanted to swallow his tongue as badly. "I'm sorry." He then came to think of something. "Then… Where are you going when you're discharged?"

Sakura shrugged, not looking his way. "I'm going to live with TenTen and her family until social services find something else." Sensing his question, she went on. "She's my ex-girlfriend."

He blinked once, twice. "Oh", was what he mustered in the end. So she was…?

"I'm bi", Sakura explained, obviously very much comfortable with the fact. Good heavens, did she seem to love seeing his scarcely open surprise…! She shook her head, once again focusing on the book she'd found. "Damn, you guys are amusing sometimes."

All of a sudden he knew one thing clearly.

This girl… was definitely going to be something different.

Naruto's steps were determined while he made his way through Tengoku's hallways, his mind firmly set on a certain task.

All of a sudden his steps faltered a little and he had to lean against the wall with a loud hiss when a yet another flash filled his whole mind.

/ His heart pounded, almost like trying to make its way right through his chest, as he watched how a ten-year-old Sasuke lifted his head although it visibly took all the child's energy. The face he met was no longer the one he'd known – half of his best friend's face was burned, and the child was trembling pitiably, visibly barely clinging to consciousness.

Tears flowed down his cheeks, hot and heavy, while he trembled where he stood. The smell of burning wood and flesh – or perhaps something else – made him want to scream and throw up. "Sasuke…!"

And then the raven fell down to his knees, panting and crying a little, most likely from unbearable pain. "Just… fucking go", the boy growled. "He'll… come back, so… go. Go, or I'll never forgive you." And Sasuke's eyes told he meant it.

And that's when he did something he'd never forgive himself for deep in his heart – something he didn't think he'd be able to live with. He spun around, and started to run.

He was a child. No one should've expected him to be able to handle something like this – but he did, and that's why he did throw up when he finally fell to the ground, screaming out loud and crying bitter tears.

"SASUKE!"

He didn't know anything since.

All he knew was that he screamed as the black came crashing down on him. /

He frowned with a shiver, not understanding a thing.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke's voice startled him so badly that he yelped.

Lifting his gaze, he realized that the raven was sitting in a nearby corner, suddenly so small that it would've been impossible to notice him if he hadn't spoken. It didn't take a genius to realize that something was wrong.

He frowned, suddenly not understanding a thing. What had he done wrong – why was he getting shunned out? "Sasuke?" And then an idea struck him with cold shivers. "This… is about Neji, right?"

Sasuke wouldn't look at him. The boy's eyes seemed slightly distant, as though he'd slipped away from the time they should've been in. "I understand. So… Don't worry."

He shook his head, suddenly so determined once more that it almost scared him. "No", he countered in a surprisingly soft tone. "You don't understand, Sasuke." He took a deep breath, composing himself while walking towards the other boy, eventually kneeled beside the raven although he knew he was risking his health. "Neji and I… We're over, okay? But with you… I'd like to think it's just beginning again." Because after the time he'd spent with Neji, he understood one thing clearly.

He'd never cared about anyone like this – it scared him to death, but he'd never been able to deny facts too long. And although he knew it was wrong in several ways in their situation, he wasn't about to let Sasuke slip out of his reach again. He didn't think be able to handle even the thought.

Bracing himself, he sighed a little and shifted himself so that he could hold Sasuke the best as he dared to, which wasn't tightly at the moment. He looked directly to the Uchiha's eyes. "Look… We both have our pasts, and… I know we even have some past together." He could've sworn he saw a flash of surprise, even near-shock, at this. "But… I want you into my future, too. So, I'm not about to abandon you, okay?" Not ever again.

Sasuke half-glared at him for a long time, until the expression fell to give room for something he couldn't read. The boy looked away with a barely audible snort. "You'd be the first."

He grinned, although his heart almost broke at those words. "Then so be it."

Sasuke snorted. And that's when he saw it – the tiniest flicker of a smile that lasted about a millisecond. It brought the strangest light to the Uchiha's pale face, and suddenly he felt like he'd been looking at a whole another person. "Hn."

His grin from before turned into a full smile.

A yet another flood of memories appeared, but this time it didn't hurt, didn't even scare him all that much when he just let the flashes come without a fight. It felt like this was all meant to be; everything in the past and present felt right for those fleeting moments.

/ He loved the feeling he got when he and Sasuke jumped through the air, eventually landing to an enormous mass of snow. In the Uchiha's presence, the whiteness wasn't cold and threatening. /

/ He worked his hardest to ease Sasuke's pain when the barely consciouss boy kept tossing and turning in the grips of a sky-high fever. /

/ He was almost sure he screamed when watching Sasuke get punched when the Uchiha tried to defend him. Somehow, he knew it was the last time the raven let himself get beaten up. /

/ He didn't know what the tears were for, but they poured down as he and Sasuke stood in the rain, looking at each other with stern expressions that were far from those of children. /

/ The sensation was something his mind could barely understand when for a tiny moment, their lips met – warm, soft, salty and filled with life, fumbling because neither of them knew what to do. "I'm so sorry." And then there was something thick, moist and warm. /

Maybe it was the memories messing with his head or something much more real – something even stronger – but he found his self-restraints breaking. And before he knew it he'd wrapped his arms around Sasuke and pulled the boy close.

As expectd, at first the Uchiha stiffened completely under his hold. But then, very slowly, tensed up muscles relaxed one by one – like some voice had whispered to the Uchiha soothing words he couldn't hear. He could've sworn raven's hold on him tightened, but it might've been a trick of his imagination.

And so they sat, so close that it was impossible to tell apart their warmths, both surrearly content.

-

What Naruto failed to notice from his emotional turmoil, was the events unfolding around him.

Sasuke's head turned slightly when he felt like someone was watching him – and onyx clashed with pale eyes. The silence between him and Neji was thicker and heavier than a wall of bricks, made some chills run through him.

Whereas Neji's eyes narrowed, he quirked a questioning eyebrow that mocked everything swirling inside the brunet.

Neji's eyes flashed, and for a moment he was almost sure the brunet would attack him. In the end, however, the boy simply turned around sharply and walked away without making another sound.

He shuddered a little with emotions he'd never experienced before, feeling cold and incredibly hot at the same time.

Everything was so very confusing all of a sudden.

-
Naruto had no idea how long they'd been sitting there when steps suddenly approached the room. They managed to part and turn just before Tsunade appeared to the room's doorway. The look on her face immediately made his chest clench painfully. Before he or Tsunade got the chance to stop it, Sasuke had sneaked out of the room.

He swallowed thickly and got up, looking at the woman's face to find any kind of a sign. "What's wrong?"

She sighed heavily, and her shoulders slumped in apparent defeat. Something he'd never seen in them before filled her eyes. "It's… about Haku."

Even before she continued, he already knew the truth so clearly that his blood turned into ice. His eyes widened.

Nine Days Later

Naruto had always hated funerals. But this one… was a particularly sombre affair.

Burying a teenager – a child. What could've been sadder than that?

Naruto knew he hadn't actually known Haku for a long time, but nonetheless his eyes stung while he watched the ceremony with tightly balled fists.

Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised – Haku had had the habit of making an impact on every person he met. That was also the boy's greatest curse; he'd been much too kind and gentle to last long in the cruel world.

He emitted a tiny, choked sound without meaning to, and his eyes narrowed a little.

He… was the last person who'd talked to Haku when the boy was still alive, and he'd failed to help. He could've made all the difference – if he'd just said the right words…

He shook his head, trying to force those thoughts away.

There… was nothing he could do now, was there?

He glanced towards Tsunade, who was sitting right beside him, and she looked back. During the three seconds their eyes met he understood one thing clearly.

It looked like they were both harboring the same guilt.

All of a sudden he felt some chills, and turned his gaze. He blinked twice when seeing a rather tall man with black hair and eyes standing at the very back of the chapel, watching the ceremony with folded arms and eyes that flickered with tens of nearly showing emotions.

He frowned. Why wouldn't that man walk up to the rest of them if he'd cared about Haku that much? Who was he even?

And then, as suddenly as he'd noticed the man, the stranger turned and walked out of the building without looking back. Although the door's sound was barely audible when the man went, it was filled with so much anger and frustration that it chilled him.

Was there someone outside Tengoku who missed Haku, who cared? The thought was comforting.

He turned back around once more when there were sounds nearby the altar, and discovered that Shizune had just brought something out for a display. It was Haku's final painting – a beautiful, snowy landscape in the middle of which a careful eye was able to see two dark figures, a child and an adult, holding hands.

He never noticed how he started to shake while two tears rolled.

That day there was no art-therapy; although the inhabitants hadn't been able to participate to Haku's memorial service and burial, they were all more or less mourning in their own way. Tengoku felt empty, almost lifeless. In some twisted way, it was amusing how the absence of someone as silent as Haku could take away a huge part of the building's soul.

But then again, was that any wonder? In the middle of all aggressions and emotional turmoils Haku had been a balancing force, someone everyone had liked. Of course losing him hurt.

Sasuke was drifting deep in thought while his fingers ghosted iddly on the keys of a piano, occasionally pressing hard enough to make a sound. So deep in thought he was, that the arrival managed to catch him off guard when speaking. "I knew it was you playing when I heard the music." Juugo seemed slightly embarrassed when their gazes met. "I… didn't mean to intrude. I just like to listen."

He shook his head, feeling close to smiling for some reason. "It's okay."

Juugo took a somewhat hesitant step closer. "Can I sit and listen?"

He nodded, although he wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the company. He didn't really enjoy playing when there was someone listening, but since he'd learned to be comfortable with playing with Naruto…

In the end he simply allowed his fingers to move, and in a matter of moments he'd forgotten that Juugo was even there. All that existed to him was the music.

When he finished the song and remembered that he had company, he looked towards Juugo. The boy's eyes were softer than he'd ever seen them. "That was the 3rd Rachimanoff concerto."

He was genuinely surprised by this. "I didn't know you're into music."

Did Juugo just… smile a little? "There's a lot people don't know about me."

Just then they both heard someone enter the room. He turned his gaze, and for some reason the oddly dark expression on Naruto's face made him feel like he'd been caught cheating or something. "Oh…", was all the blond managed in an extremely tight tone.

Juugo, clearly feeling out of place, got up and started to march towards the room's door. "I… have to get going." Anyone could feel the coldness when the boy passed by Naruto.

Once the taller teen had left, Sasuke arched a questioning eyebrow at the blond.

What the hell's going on?

Instead of responding Naruto walked closer, and took a seat beside him just like the boy always did. Blue eyes were once again sparkling with excitement. "I heard that song you just played – it was amazing!"

He shrugged, pressing a couple of keys. "It was just… something I learned a long time ago." He frowned a little when seeing a flash of something strange on Naruto's face. "What's wrong?" he inquired.

To his surprise, Naruto chuckled. "I just… remembered that you used to sing, when we couldn't sleep." The boy looked at him with amusement-filled eyes. "It was 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star', right?"

He blinked once, then snorted. So that, Naruto remembered? "You've gotta be kidding me."

Naruto shrugged. "I think it was cute. I mean… We were, like, ten or something, right?" The boy focused on the piano's keys, obviously to avoid looking at him. "I… remember that I loved hearing you sing."

He couldn't keep his eyes from softening a little as he looked at the boy. Something warm filled him. So Naruto remembered something – it was a beginning. "Hn."

Finally Naruto lifted his gaze to look at him, not quite able to say whatever there was on his mind. Something he couldn't name drifted between them, and he forgot to pull his hand away when the blond took it, most likely without noticing.

"I'm starting to remember, you know? Now that I'm not fighting it anymore." There was a small grin on the blond's face. "It'll take some time, but I will do it. Believe it."

He might've laughed at that, if such had been a part of his repertoire.

How many times he'd heard that before…

His mouth opened, but before he ever got the chance to say a word another voice spoke. "So here you are." Neji's eyes carried something cold and hard when the boy looked at them, finally focusing on Naruto. "Aren't you supposed to be on your way home by now? Tsunade doesn't approve spending time with the patients outside working hours."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and Naruto didn't seem much more pleased. "I was already leaving", the blond all but hissed, then turned towards him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded, not feeling like talking in front of Neji.

As soon as Naruto had left, the brunet walked up to him, eyes filled with threat. "Now listen to me carefully", the boy growled through tightly grit teeth. "Naruto's been through a lot lately – the last thing he needs is having to deal with your issues as well. So leave him alone, understood?"

Once again his eyes narrowed. His fists balled, itching to be used.

Neji nodded as though he'd spoken. "I'm glad we understand each other." With a one last threatening look the brunet turned around and started to march away. "I'm sure we won't have to go through this conversation again."

Watching Neji walk away, he took several deep breaths under the fire-hot burning that bubbled everywhere underneath his skin. His teeth screeched as he grit them.

It was a long time from when he'd wanted to punch someone as badly.

The evening was blissfully calm while Naruto lay prone on the floor of Ino's room, playing with the girl's pet-cat while she lay on her bed with Shikamaru toying with her hair. None of them was in the mood for a lot of talking, so they accepted the silence with contentment.

"Pagan really likes you, you know? Maybe you should take that demon feline home with you – she's been doing nothing but biting, scratching and hissing at me all day", Ino groaned, then slapped Shikamaru's hand half-playfully. "And you, stop playing with my hair or I'll shave all of it off."

The brunet snorted, but obeyed anyhow. "Like you ever would."

She stuck her tongue out at him, then gave his still lingering hand a teasing kiss. "Hmph." She then frowned. "Where's Kiba, anyway? I thought he was supposed to come over, too."

A wide grin appeared to Naruto's face, some of the weight of that day disappearing. "Believe it or not, guys, but he's out on a date – with Karin." He pulled out his cell-phone and threw it to Shikamaru, who – despite his shock – took a skillfull catch. "He sent me a picture to prove it."

Shikamaru opened the picture, which he knew to represent Kiba with Karin who looked ready to kill, and snorted with a smirk. "The Dogboy's never gonna make it through this alive."

Ino chuckled, shaking her head. "I can't believe he actually did it."

Shikamaru threw his cell-phone back to him, then frowned, apparently realizing something. "So Sai didn't show up again." The boy seemed thoughtfull. "Is that guy avoiding us or something?"

Naruto felt himself tensing up, but it was nothing compared to the much too clearly apparent reaction Ino's body gave. The girl stiffened completely, blue eyes growing wide.

Shikamaru could be quite oblivious when it came to certain things. He, however, had never been an idiot. A deep frown appeared when the brunet felt each and every single one of Ino's tensed up muscles. It took a deep breath before the boy dared to try talking. "Ino, tell me. What's going on between you and Sai?"

At this point, Naruto decided that it was high time he left. He got up so fast that Pagan jumped back and hissed with disapproval. "I've… gotta go home. I'll see you guys later." He doubted the two paid barely any attention to his departure.

-

Once they were left alone, Shikamaru spoke once more in a gloomy voice that wasn't quite like his. "Ino, tell me."

The blonde grit her teeth, clearly gathering strength. When she spoke, her voice was so tight it shook. "This has nothing to do with Sai, okay?" She turned to him, and met his gaze with eyes he'd never seen before. "Look… The thing is…" She licked her lips and didn't dare to look at him anymore. "I'm pregnant."

When Naruto came home some time later, he frowned when noticing Kakashi emerging from the house.

What was the doctor doing visiting them?

Hearing his steps, the gray-haired looked towards him and nodded, appearing somewhat embarrassed. "Hey, Naruto."

He blinked, still confused. "Hey. Is something wrong with Iruka?" Kakashi wasn't his foster father's usual doctor, but…

Kakashi's shake of head eased the tension inside him. "No, I just… brought him home from the chemo when he fell asleep." The man glanced towards the door, as though wanting to go back. "I think he's still sleeping."

In some other occasion he might've pointed out that Iruka's chemo had ended hours ago, but judging by the way Kakashi's shoulders were slumped the man already had far more than enough on his mind. Plus, for some reason he had a feeling that the doctor might be someone his foster father needed. That's why he simply nodded with a smile. "Thanks." He then waved a hand, making his way towards the door. "I guess I'll be seeing you around."

Just before he was inside, Kakashi spoke once more. "He's getting better, you know?" Once turning, he discovered that there was a somewhat soft expression on the man's face. "I know it doesn't look like it, but… The treatment's working. Now he'll just have to keep fighting."

When he was finally able to react he nodded, unable to say a word, then entered the house. He winced a little when recognizing the scent of chamomile tea as soon as the door was closed; Iruka only drank that stuff when feeling particularly nauseous.

Instead of a bed he found his foster father from the kitchen, sitting at the table and staring somewhat absentmindedly at his drink as though it'd been poison. He couldn't help noticing that another small part of the man's hair was missing, and the realization hurt. "So… Kakashi left?" the brunet murmured in a soft tone.

He nodded, trying to read the man's moods and failing. "Yeah." At first he thought he should say something more, but came to a realization that it wasn't words the brunet needed.

Without saying a thing he also took some tea although he hated it, and sat right next to Iruka. A comfortable silence fell as they sat there, both trying to free themselves from too many thoughts.

/ Sasuke could barely see from the thick smoke lingering everywhere around him, filling his eyes, lungs and nose. It seemed to fill all of him, actually, making it almost impossible to keep breathing.

Just before he would've faded away completely a pair of arms wrapped around him, pulling him back to awareness. And he met a pair of eyes exactly like his. "Sasuke, I need you to stay awake, okay? You need to stay awake."


Scared beyond all reason, he clung to the other with all his might, shaking like a leaf. "Brother, the house…!" he whimpered.

"I know, Sasuke." The voice was soft and soothing. "I know. But we're going to get out of here. Just hang on for a little bit longer, and everything will work out."

And then everything started to fade away into the black. He heard a loud, brief boom, and suddenly sticky, warm moisture was everywhere. The hold that'd kept him connected to the world disappeared, leaving him cold and bare.

He screamed – roared – as the black swam in and engulfed him when he fell. "ITACHI!" /

Sasuke woke up with a yelp – to meet the same eyes that'd haunted him in that dream. He could've sworn his eyes widened slightly, and his heartbeat shot up until he was panting. "Brother…?"

And then black turned into blue, and he met Naruto's all but horrified gaze. The blond was holding him tightly – far too tightly to his liking – as though afraid that he might slip away. The hold disappeared when the boy saw his discomfort. "Tsunade… sent me to come and get you, when you wouldn't show up for breakfast." The blond frowned. "Sasuke, what was that dream about? You were screaming."

He couldn't look at Naruto anymore, couldn't even think. His panting didn't subside, but at least he was calming down slowly. "It… It was my brother… I though he was visiting me again." He rubbed his face with one hand, utterly frustrated. He was feeling much too hot at first, then unbearably cold, and felt sweat all over his clothes. "I can't fucking think. I can't…" He trailed off, his tongue growing too thick and clumsy.

He heard Naruto talking, but couldn't focus on the words. And then there was Tsunade's voice. "Sasuke, I'm going to give you something that will make you feel better, alright? I'm not going to hurt you – just relax."

The needle pierced his skin before he managed to react, and he let out a growl of anger and frustration. And then his mind turned into a mush.

-

Naruto's heart hammered with startle as he watched how Sasuke relaxed ever so slightly, and seemed to drift into something that looked like sleep. He looked at Tsunade with wide eyes. "What… What happened to him?"

She looked back with a grim expression. "Those… are withdrawal symptoms." She grit her teeth. "I… guess they were bound to appear, with all the stuff those bastards have been giving him for years."

He swallowed thickly, glancing towards Sasuke. The raven didn't seem calm even in his sleep. "He talked about his brother. He was having nightmares of him." He frowned. "I… think he even thought his brother was here – I guess he's been visiting a lot."

The look on Tsunade's face was a clear warning. She shivered. "Naruto… Itachi's been dead for several years. There's no way he could've ever visited Sasuke."

During her life Hinata had known a lot of fear. But not often had she faced something quite like the emotions running through her when Neji entered her room that day.

Her eyes widened, and she took a step backwards. "W-What are y-you doing h-here?"

Her cousin's pale eyes turned dark, almost threatening. "The reason I came to Tengoku is because I need to talk to you about those damn paintings you've been making." The boy took a deep breath. "And about Hanabi."

Several hours later, Sasuke recognized the barely traceable smell long before the person was stood in his room – the years in the same house with that reek had implanted it to the depths of his mind and memory.

He turned his head sharply, and felt his eyes narrow when spotting Kabuto stood by the doorway. "What the hell do you want?" he hissed.

Kabuto stepped forth with an unreadable expression and closed the door softly. "So the rumors had it right… You do speak." The older male shook his head and clicked his tongue. "You do understand that we can't have it, right?" The gray-haired walked on until they were stood several steps closer than he would've ever liked. "You see… Your voice seems to be making Naruto remember again. The police also seems very interested in talking to you now that you're a witness that should be taken seriously. And that, as you may understand, is a problem."

His eyes narrowed even further. "What the hell are you going to do about it?"

Kabuto's expression had never been as threatening as it was then. "I'm not doing a thing – but I'm expecting you to keep your little mouth shut. Because if you don't… it'll be the end of Naruto – and you'll never see Itachi again."

TBC

A/N: So Sasuke's struggling, Kabuto's making his move, and Naruto's finally letting himself actually remember. (shudders) The mess just keeps getting deeper, ne?

Gah, it's very late, I've got a early waking up tomorrow, and I'm getting a headache, so I've gotta start tuning out. But first… PLEASE, do leave a review to let me know your thoughts – you know it'd mean A LOT!

IN THE NEXT ONE: Naruto has several reasons to worry when both Sasuke and Iruka seem to be ailing. The appearance of the police doesn't make matters any less stressfull. Stupid things are said and done when emotions run high.

ONLY FOUR OR FIVE TO GO!

Until next time, folks – I really hope ya'll all stay tuned!

Take care!

ZakuKura: Awww – thank you so much! (blushes, and hugs) You sure know how to make me happy.

Colossal thank yous for the review!

I really hope ya'll keep enjoying the ride.

-

kai: It keeps getting deeper alright. (groans)

So we've got Orochimaru, Kabuto and even Neji to worry about. (groans again)

BUT, Danzo's gone, and Sakura's finally getting out! (grins)

Overall, there's a lot of progress – but also at least as many problems. Heh, couldn't have said it any better. Let's hope none of them ends up falling into quicksand as they struggle to cope! (gulps)

Monumental thank yous for the review!

I hope I'll be seeing ya next time.