Title: Crisis Reverted: Another Side, Another Story.
Series: Naruto
Rating: T
Genres: Drama, sorta-angst, adventure, romance.
Warnings: Crack, swearing, shounen-ai, shojou-ai, het, time bending.
Verse: Canon Redeux.

DHC: And another side-chapter that has no real place in the main storyline, but will effect it later on.

"Sasuke, come on." Shikamaru said, attempting to reason with his lover.

"Shika...no. Just, no. I can't." Sasuke replied with a heavy sigh.

"Yes you can, dammit. I need to know."

"Please...don't ask this of me. I can't handle this."

Both looked one another in the eyes and Sasuke's were heavy with a burden that Shikamaru was dertermined to make him share.

"I want to know, Sasuke. I ineed/i to know. What was the other me like?"

Sasuke's shoulders slumped and he turned away. "I..."

"Show me your memories, if you won't talk." Shikamaru pleaded.

"...No." Sasuke replied quietly.

"Dammit, Sasuke!" The other hissed.

"It's too painful, Shika. That time is gone, I can't have it back. I'm here, you're here, this is enough for me." He replied.

"Don't bullshit me, Sasuke. I've seen how you look sometimes, how you compare me to your memories. I want to know."

Sasuke turned back, his expression was deathly serious. "I don't want you to know, so you won't be like them," He replied. "I compare you, because I hope to the Kami you don't do the same shit the other did. I owe my soul to the other you, but you... This you, right here in front of me, has given me more in a different sense. I want to keep it that way."

"You're fucking selfish." Shikamaru replied blandly.

"Maybe I am," Sasuke admitted. "But it's better this way, really."

"I deserve to know, Sasuke. You can't hide it from me forever."

"...If I show you," Sasuke replied, looking down at him, his eyes slowly morphing from black to the Sharingan. "...Then promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Promise me that you'll never do anything the other you did, or would. I have, not only my memories of him, but his. Well, his to an extent. I copied a lot of his memories every time..." His shoulders sagged and he looked away.

There was a heavy silence before Sasuke reached out, taking Shikamaru's hand and tightly gripped it. "Please promise me this. I don't want you to become like him. I loved him, yes, but I love you the way you are. I don't want you to become like him, because what happened to make him that way was my fault."

Shikamaru stared long and hard into Sasuke's eyes, watching the chaos that raged within the depths. Slowly, he nodded. "I promise."

Sasuke swallowed hard, before giving a small nod. Without warning the other, he pulled them into his mind and at once, a thousand projections ran through his mind like a network of knowledge and Shikamaru could only reel at how much information he was receiving at once, yet he was able to keep up and process every single memory the Uchiha projected to him. They were there for days with Sasuke making him relive every memory before he pulled them back out of the Tsukuyomi.

"...Do you understand, now?" Sasuke finally asked.

Swaying precariously from the after-affect of the doujutsu, the other slowly nodded, bringing a hand up to his head. "It...sort of feels like there's two of me, now." He murmured.

Sasuke sighed. "I'm constantly at odds with my former selves." He replied.

"Don't be. You're here in the now, let go of those others." Shikamaru advised, pulling Sasuke close to him by his hand and stared up at him. "You don't need them anymore."

"They are who govern me now, an essential piece of the puzzle. I can't just drop them." Sasuke reasoned.

"Then at the least, don't rely on them so much, you are you. The Uchiha Sasuke infront of me here and now is the real you, don't give in to those former shadows that try to mimic you."

"What did I say about not being like the other you?" Sasuke replied, eyes narrowed. Shikamaru gave a weak shrug. "I can't help it, his consciousness is here; it seems to only strengthen my own. I'm not going to make the same moves he did, I certainly am not going to bargain with a demon, but his mindset...was entirely focused on you."

Sasuke looked away. "I know, and I was never worthy of that."

"Bullshit."

"All I ever gave him was heartache and hurt in response to every thing he ever did for me!" The Uchiha hissed angrily. "The only thing I ever gave him that truly was my entire soul-"

"Itachi and Mikoto, I know. And I understand that, but never once did he blame or not love you regardless of what you did. Sasuke, I love you, flaws and all. He did, too. There's nothing you can say that will ever change those facts. Nothing, okay?" Shikamaru reached up, placing a hand on the others cheek, watching with a mild frown as the male slumped even farther at his touch.

"...I'm still scared I'm going to lose what I have," Sasuke whispered.

"Don't be, because this time, you're going to get it all back and more. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"It's never that simple, though. How do I know I can prevent, or even stop some of the things that will happen? I wasn't strong enough..."

"You're strong enough, it's not the physical, Sasuke. It's your heart." The shadow wielder trailed his fingers down from Sasuke's cheek to rest on the male's chest over his heart. "It's all here. If you want it enough and absolutely know you can do it, then there is no stopping you. The other me saw this, I see it, Naruto and Sakura see it, too and are willing to go that distance with you to do it. You're worrying for nothing."

Biting on his lip, Sasuke sighed. "I... I know. But I can't always help the doubt and the worry that I'm going to fail them."

Shikamaru stepped closer and slid his arms around the taller, older male and sighed. "You're so troublesome at times..."

"And so are you," Sasuke replied dryly.

"Only because you've rubbed off on me."

"Oops." Sasuke replied, not sounding the least bit sorry.

To that, the other snorted before pulling away. "Yeah, yeah. Now, come on. I'm tired and I want to take a nap under the clouds."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but he was inwardly relieved that the other was at least trying for his sake to refrain from acting or being like the other Shikamaru. "Fine." He replied with a profound sigh, as if the very thought was tragic.

"Shut up," The other replied with a small grin before grabbing him by the arm and began to pull him towards the door, leading him out of his room and down the hall.

They offered a simultaneous good-bye to Itachi as they exited the compound before making their way down the street together.

"You know, call me crazy, but has Itachi gotten hotter?" Shikamaru teased.

Smack.

Sasuke backhanded the other. "Baka."

This only made the shadow wielder laugh. "I'm joking."

"Well, stop. You're terrible at it and I've half a mind to roast you to embers with a katon jutsu."

Making a sound similar to a mouse's squeak, Shikamaru picked up the pace, putting a three foot space ahead of him.

Sasuke grinned evilly. He brought his hands up and acted like he was going to make a Goukkyaku jutsu and in a flash, Shikamaru was hauling ass at full speed, running like his life depended on it.

"Paybacks are a bitch." Sasuke murmured to himself as he began to run after the other, not going to pass the chance up to torture him.

Besides, it wasn't every day one saw Shikamaru move like he was going to die at any second.

TBC

DHC: Hehehe, poor Shika. I'm pretty sure he's not going to be thrilled when he finally relaxes again and will sleep for an entire day to recover energy, haha.