Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
It's been foreeeeeever, but I finally finished the last chapter of JLH! -throws confetti in the air- Yoooooosh! I hope that this ending is satisfying enough for all of my adoring fans. Of course, there will be an epliogue, so hang on tight for one more ride through one of my most beloved stories.
I thank all of you who have stayed with this story for so long and still whole-heartedly support it. All of you are the reason I still have the inspiration to write, even when life finds ways to crush me. Thank you all so much.
What helped me write this was listening to 'Hide and Seek' by Imogen Heap.
Gunshots.
Crystal blue eyes shot open at the sound of gunshots outside of the empty room he was in. Silo had been locked in silence for some time after he'd been... violated. He'd given up hope of ever being saved and had pretty much accepted the fact that he would probably end up being killed. But the gunshots and shouting inside of the building refueled his hope.
"H-help..." he whimpered, sitting up. "HELP!"
Moving from his lying position on the floor, he stood slowly and adjusted his pants that had been yanked down to his knees... Blood was smeared on his thighs, his shirt, his face, his hands... but the pain wasn't strong enough to keep him from trying to get to safety.
"Help!" he yelled again, running over to the door and banging on it. He was sure he was going to get bruises later, but he'd rather have those than be dead. "I'm in here!"
More gunshots went off and he slammed his fists against the metal harder, yelling at the top of his lungs so someone from the Akatsuki could hear him.
"Someone! Anyone! Get me out of here!.!"
----------
Kakuzu enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. He especially loved it when his prey would attempt to fight back, even knowing that they didn't stand a chance. Luckily for him, his prey today was trying especially hard to fight against him.
With a smirk hidden beneath his white face mask, he used both of his guns to shoot down two more Oto members. He had to admit, the creatons had gotten a good bit stronger than the last time he'd faced them, but they were still nothing compared to him. Well, that was his opinion on it, anyway.
"Where's your leader?" he asked one woman that he lifted off the floor by the neck. She was bleeding from a severe wound to her stomach, blood dripping from her mouth. There was no way for her to speak, blood choking her. He sneered. "You're lucky you're a woman. I'll go easy on you."
Throwing his enemy to the ground, he ran down the lengthy hallway and made sure to slaughter any Oto member that got in his way. The only blood on him was the blood of those he murdered and he laughed loudly as adrenaline pumped through his veins.
He was usually a reserved man, but when it came to man-slaughter, there was no way he could contain his excitement.
"Look who it is," a voice came from the shadows behind Kakuzu. "I haven't really had a chat with you in a long time, Kakuzu."
Turning, Kakuzu saw Kabuto emerge from the shadows. His excitement turned to pure anger and he snapped his arm upward, shooting at the man's forehead, but missing when his target quickly shifted to the left, running down the opposite hall. His laughter echoed throughout the building.
Kakuzu ran after his prey, remembering that Kabuto had been the one to kill one of his closest allies; Tobi. Even a man like him couldn't take the tears that the deceased's wife shed the night she learned of his death. No one deserved a long life more than Tobi had.
"You fuckin' prick, I'll make you suffer for what you did to Tobi!" he stopped in front of a door that was open, running footsteps coming from inside. He gritted his teeth and went inside, everything pitch black and a strong scent reaching his nose. With a disadvantge like this, he thought that he might actually get injured. "Kaaabutooo," he smirked, calling out to the other man in the darkness. "Come out, come out wherever you are. I promise I won't smash your skull open if you give yourself up."
There was the faint sound of metal scraping against the concrete floor to the right of him and he swiftly dodged a bullet. Lifting his gun up, he pressed a small square on the side and a bright blue light flashed through the whole room, illuminating the surroundings long enough for him to see the outline of Kabuto in the far left corner.
He took aim and fired, hearing a loud grunt nearby followed by metal hitting the floor. He knew he'd gotten his prey and a delighted grin spread across his scarred face. He couldn't wait to tell everyone how he'd been the one to dispose of Tobi's murderer. Chuckling, he switched guns.
"You know... you took me into this room even when you knew that you'd be at a disadvantage, too," he let his eyes adjust to the darkness. "No Oto member is stupid enough to draw themselves into a trap. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and just say that Oto is losing and you're resorting to Kamikaze tactics. How old-fashioned."
A sudden loud crash behind him startled him and he turned, only to feel something sharp sink into the skin just below his collarbone. He winced, but reached forward fast enough to grip onto Kabuto's wrist.
"When I saw you in the hallway, you only had that single gun with you... and when I fired at you before, I heard your gun hit the ground," Kakuzu grinned in an almost feral manner. "This knife was the only weapon you had left, wasn't it?"
Kabuto's breathing was heavy.
Kakuzu laughed, pulling the man against him and pressing his face into his chest so he could smear the blood into his eyes. Kabuto squirmed against him, obviously already exhausted from the hours of bloodshed beforehand. He was usually never so weak and willing to get into situations where he could be so close to death...
Kabuto struggled and was finally able to get free when he managed to sink his teeth into the man's flesh. There was a strong taste of iron in his mouth as he leaped back, able to see the outline of the Akatsuki member in the shadows. Now was the time to end it. He was given one final task from Orochimaru and he was going to fulfill it, no matter what.
"The only task left for me is to keep you from killing Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto inhaled deeply, pulling something from his pocket. He brushed it against his belt and small flames errupted, creating a single light in the pitch black room.
It was at that moment that Kakuzu realized what the smell in the room was.
Gasoline.
"It might only be you, but that's better than no one. This is my final stand," Kabuto threw the match onto the ground and everything lit up in flames, the fire consuming anything and everything it could reach. He laughed bitterly.
Kakuzu ran to the other side of the room, trying to find some way out of the burning room. If he was able to escape, he knew one thing he would need to tell Itachi.
Oto was losing.
---------
The smell of smoke frightened Silo. For all he knew, the building could be on fire and he'd end up trapped inside to burn alive. That wasn't the way he wanted to die, if any way at all. Smashing his fists continuously against the door, he continued to yell for help.
The sound of the door unlocking made his heart speed up. He was going to be saved, he was going to see everyone again, he was going to be with his parents--
He was yanked forward by his shirt, his wrists being pulled behind his back. He yelled out in pain as he was shoved down the smoke-filled hallway by force. He couldn't see a thing, but he knew who was handling him by the voice above him.
"I refuse to lose...!" Orochimaru seethed. "I won't let the Akatsuki have the pleasure of capturing me. Or you."
Silo gasped in pain when fingers gripped onto his hair and yanked his head upward. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth when the snake spoke angrily into his ear.
"I plan on committing suicide, but not alone. You'll die along with me, boy."
The crow's eyes shot open.
"N-no..."
----------
Naruto and Sasuke stepped over fallen branches and jutting roots as they walked through the woods. They could hear the fighting going on in the distance, not too far away from them. Just a little bit more and they would be able to see everything that was going on.
Just a little bit more and they would be able to search for Silo.
"We'll need to stay as close together as possible. No running off alone, no matter what happens. Do you understand?" Sasuke whispered, sweat running down the side of his face from the hot weather. He knew they were getting closer to the battleground because he heard men and women yelling to each other. How long had it taken them to finally get there from where they'd parked the car outside of the woods? Thirty minutes?
"I'm not stupid," Naruto chuckled, trying to keep himself optimistic and brave in their situation. They could possibly die... but he wasn't going to let that thought get to him. Hopefully, if he were to die, he'd die from a shot to the head and he'd be dead before he knew it...
"Only use your gun if you absolutely need to," Sasuke added, stopping his steps when they both reached the outskirts of the city. No one was around, everything silent save for the bombs and gunshots going off in the distance. There had been people around only a moment ago... where had they gone? "Follow me."
"Wait, Sasuke," Naruto gripped onto his lover's shirt. "You act as if you know what you're doing."
"I know... I can't explain it... maybe stuff like this runs in an Uchiha's veins."
The blond smiled. "I would hope not. But it is very useful right now."
Sasuke laughed lightly, but then turned to look back out at the ruined city. It was amazing how a city could be hidden so far away from any other area of civilization. Even the loudest bombs couldn't be heard anywhere else. Reaching back to grab Naruto's wrist, he pulled him into the wrecked city and ran as fast as he could to a ruined building a few yards away.
"There's a lot of people over there," Naruto stated, squinting while he looked in the distance. "And I smell smoke... Do you smell that?"
"I do... That buildings on fire over there--and I think I see Kisame," Sasuke was surprised to see the main Akatsuki members so quickly, but more grateful than not. That meant there was a higher chance of the both of them surviving. Remembering morse code, even years after Itachi had taught him out of boredom, Sasuke grabbed a stone and started smacking it against the cement wall of the fallen wall behind him.
Kisame, who was waiting outside of the burning building for any signs of Itachi or Hidan to emerge, looked to the side when he heard the code being made.
'Where is my brother?'
Kisame scowled, but replied by pulling out his gun and tapping his short nails against the metal.
'Inside the building looking for Kakuzu. What the fuck are you doing here?'
'Naruto and I are looking for Silo.'
'That's our job, Sasuke. We have members looking out for him now. Go back to base, now.'
'No. If Aniki comes out, tell him we went after Orochimaru ourselves. I know better than to think you'll leave your post without your leader's permission, so you won't chase us.'
Then the clicking stopped and Kisame watched a flash of yellow and black go behind fallen pillars in the opposite direction. He wanted to let out a frustrated yell, but resorted to just pulling out his cell phone, clicking a small button on the side before speaking.
"Leader, your idiot of a little brother brought his boyfriend to the wargrounds. He told me to inform you that he's going to find Orochimaru on his own. I would've followed him, but I didn't have your permission. I need my next move."
There was no reply and Kisame became worried. Itachi wasn't just his leader, he was one of his best friends. They'd been through so much together and if he'd been engulfed by the flames in that building...
There was the loud sound of something dragging across the floor inside of the burning building, then Hidan came out with Kakuzu. He was in decent condition, but Kakuzu was sputtering, coughing, and burnt everywhere. His cloak was hanging in charred threads over him, his mask burned off of his face to reveal the permanent stitches all over it.
"Where's Leader?" Kisame asked, worried.
"He coming--"
Hidan was pushed to the side when Itachi emerged from the wreckage, almost stumbling over. He watched his lover ignore the severe pain in his leg and run as fast as he could away from them. He wanted to chase after him, but... even though they were married, Itachi was only his leader in this situation and his word was final.
He was to stay there with Kisame and Kakuzu until told otherwise...
"Please be careful..." he whispered to himself.
-----------
Silo continued to struggle as his grandfather pulled him through rubble and over dead bodies, the both of them heading to some unknown destination. Fear was ripping away at his mind and he felt as if he would break down into hysterics any moment. He didn't want to die, he didn't want to die, he didn't want to...! He was too young, he had so much of his life left to live!
"P-Please let me go!"
"I refuse to die without dealing one last blow to the Akatsuki. Your death will tear your parents apart, and it will be another failed mission for Itachi-san," Orochimaru growled, yanking Silo into a cleared area that overlooked the beaten city. Once they were in a spot that suited him, the snake threw the teenager on the ground and kicked him roughly, making sure to break a few ribs so he would be in too much pain to run.
"Stop...!" Silo wailed, tears slipping from his eyes. He just wanted to curl up and hide away from everything that was happening. What did he do wrong to deserve all of this? "Please stop!" he coughed, cringing at the searing pain ripping through him.
Orochimaru looked around, eyes coming to life when he saw an abandoned flamethrower laying on the ground a few yards away. He rushed over to it, lifted it in the air and laughed darkly, excited about the way he would end his and his grandson's life.
Silo stared at the weapon and tried to cry out for help, but it hurt too much to even speak, his ribs aching. He dug his nails into the ground, as if gripping onto what little bit of hope he had left in him. He was so close to death now.... so close...
The snake aimed the flamethrower at the ground around him and lit it on fire, everything going up in flames. The earth turned black underneath the tall wall of fire and the bright orange and red colors danced in Silo's bright eyes, scaring him.
"No one will come in here to save you," Orochimaru chuckled, walking over to the crow. He lit the rest of the area, the wall of flames only feet from them. It was only going to be a matter of minutes before they would both burn alive.
"Dad! Daaaaad!" Silo openly wept, his tears mixing with the dirt and grime on his face. He hoped it was all a bad dream; he would wake up and he would be in his bedroom back in Frederick, where everything was okay. "Someone help me! Anyone! Don't let me die!"
"Silo! Silo, I'm here!" a familiar voice shot through the flames.
Orochimaru's head snapped in the direction of where they'd come from. Whose voice was that?
"We're both here! We're here for you!" Sasuke's voice broke through and the Oto leader couldn't help but smirk in amusement. The both of them would get to hear their son's screams of agony as he burned alive; how delightful.
Silo cried harder.
"Ch-Chichiue--Oto-san!"
"My grandson is going to burn in Hell with me!" Orochimaru yelled, laughing loudly while grabbing Silo's hair tightly, yanking him closer to himself.
The blue-eyed boy found it extremely difficult to breathe because of the smoke, his chest heaving painfully as he coughed and cried. He closed his eyes for a moment, then when he opened them... He saw both Naruto and Sasuke emerge from the fire, their skin burnt and their clothes charred on their bodies.
Was he going to make it...?
Sasuke's expression was full of loathing, his hand shooting up, a gun in his grip. He was not going to let the bastard live through this. He wasn't going to let him see another day after what he'd done to everyone he loved and cherished.
"Let him go before I shoot," he growled.
Orochimaru raised two thin eyebrows.
"I'm here because I want to die. Your threats don't bother me the slightest," he quickly took out his own gun and pressed it against Silo's temply. "I'll shoot him before you shoot me. Both of us are going to die today, Sasuke-kun."
Naruto gritted his teeth and pushed forward, snatching Sasuke's gun right from his grasp. He took aim before anyone could react and let a bullet a fly, the silver plunging into Orochimaru's shoulder. The shock caused the snake's arm to fall back and the blonde took the chance to knock the man to the ground.
"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted and ran forward, but a loud gunshot ringing out startled him and made him stop in his tracks. His eyes widened and his heart sank when he saw Orochimaru push his lover's body off of his, blood soaked into his shirt.
Naruto had been shot...
Naruto had been shot in the chest...
"As good as dead," the pale man sneered, holding his arm up despite the agony in his shoulder. He aimed at Sasuke, blood splattered on his neck and chest, as he kicked Naruto's limp body through the fire, until he knew he'd rolled down the hill's side that led down to the city below.
It had only taken a few moments for his world... to turn upside down and fall apart.
"D-d-dad..." Silo sobbed, lifting himself up slowly. He didn't care how bad it hurt to move or that he could die if the broken ribs punctured his lungs... He didn't want to believe that his father was dead...
"You mother fucker!" Sasuke yelled at the top of his lungs. But before he could move, bullets flew past him and hit the snake before he even knew it. His eyes widened as he watched the man who'd killed Naruto fall to the ground, dead.
Everything had happened so quickly...
"Get out of there, quick!" Itachi yelled. He was leaning out of the window of a crumbling building not too far away, that overlooked what was going on. Sasuke saw him and was thankful, but...
His eyes watered and tears slipped down his face, his lips tightening as he tried not to break down into sobs. How could his world have been torn apart so quickly? Right before his eyes?
"Now!" Itachi ordered even louder. "Someone found out what was happening and the police are here! I ordered an evacuation and we need to escape while we can!"
"Get Naruto!" Sasuke shouted back, crying. Silo continued to cry behind him. "He was shot and pushed down the hill into the city on the opposite side! Make someone get him now!"
He then went over to Silo and carefully lifted him up into his arms, pressing his dirty face into his chest to comfort him. They both hurt, but they had to leave.
"Silo... stay like that so the flames don't burn your face," his voice shook as he ran through the flames to where he saw Akatsuki members leaving the area. He saw Itachi exit the entrance to the building he'd been in, limping. He was glad he'd told Kisame where they were going... if he hadn't, then they'd all probably be dead...
"Find Uzumaki Naruto. That is our new mission! Find Uzumaki Naruto on the west side of the city while in evacuation!" Itachi ordered everyone.
"Please let him still be alive..." Sasuke pleaded quietly.
------------
ONE WEEK LATER
Many Oto and Akatsuki members had been caught that evening, questioned and jailed. None of them spoke of who their leaders were, for they knew it would do them no good. Slipping up names would only have them killed. The top members of the Akatsuki were able to escape with other younger members, all of them hiding out in one of the closest drug and prostitution rings that they ran.
Naruto's body had been found at the bottom of the hill where Orochimaru had been murdered, his chest still heaving slowly and his eyes open, waiting for someone to save him. When he'd seen Hidan there above him, he'd smiled and quietly asked if his son was okay. His life had been spared and both his lover and son were grateful.
Inside the prostitution ring, Itachi walked down the huge hallway with crutches supporting him. Whores were inside large cages, begging to be let go so they could go home. He glared at them, not in the mood to deal with their pleading. He was waiting for Majik to wake up from his long slumber and was too worried about him possibly not waking up at all.
"Shut them up," he ordered one of the men who were watching over the prostitutes. The bulky member kicked the cage and began to threaten them, scaring all of the young women and men to tears. It was a dark and illegal business that Itachi ran, but he could care less about people that had no real connection to him.
"Itachi-sama," a young woman smiled at him from beside an open door. "Majik-kun is waiting to see you. Hidan-sama is there with him. He woke up about an hour ago and is in stable condition."
Not wasting a moment, the Akatsuki leader entered the room and smiled softly at the sight of his husband kissing Majik all over, too happy to see him alright. He went over to the bedside and was welcomed by two matching grins.
"I think ya should promote me, Weasal-san!" Majik chirped, obviously feeling really well. "I think I did an amazin' job this mission."
Hidan laughed, ruffling his younger brother's black and white hair.
"You might have survived the war, but you were knocked down half-way," Itachi chuckled.
Majik blinked, then scowled. He had bandages wrapped all around his chest and torso, so that the gunshot wounds on his back would heal. They seemed to be healing up nicely.
"Hey, I was able to tell ya where that snake-bastard was! I might've gotten beat up pretty bad, but--" his words stopped flowing from his mouth, his violet eyes becoming nervous. "Silo... Little Miss... Is he okay? Were ya able to save 'im?"
Itachi frowned. "You didn't tell him?"
Hidan shooked his head. "I was too busy asking him how he was to tell him what all happened."
"Did somethin' bad happen?.!" Majik became scared, his heart pumping quickly in his chest. "D-Did he die?.!"
"No, calm down," Hidan cut him off. "Silo's perfectly fine. He was in pretty bad condition, but he's back to normal now and is with Haruka and Sasuke in Naruto's room. The blonde's still recovering. Orochimaru shot him in the chest. He's lucky... the bullet was only two inches away from piercing his heart."
Majik let all of that sink in. Neither of them were dead...
He smiled and couldn't help the tears that welled up in his eyes and fell like raindrops down his scraped cheeks. So much hell, so much torment, so much pain... to end up in joy and happiness. Everyone was alright, everyone was alive... And he could finally just deal with his feelings for Silo.
"Can I... see Little Miss? I thought that I'd never see 'im again..."
"Sure thing. He's visiting with his mom right now, though," Hidan replied.
Majik's lips pursed together.
"His mother...?"
----------
"I can't believe that... y-you didn't actually leave because you didn't love me anymore..."
Naruto's voice broke as he spoke with his ex-wife. It'd been so long since he'd seen her in person and she was standing in front of him crying her heart out, pleading for him to forgive her and let her see her son again. She wouldn't ask for him to love her again because she knew he was in love with someone else, but she would ask to become part of the family again. She'd been scared to be in Silo's life because of her fear of him turning into what her father had been...
"Hidan-san told me what happened when I came looking for you..." Sunako sobbed quietly, rubbing at her eyes. Her mascara was running horribly, but she didn't care at that moment. "And I realized I had b-been scared for nothing... Silo wasn't going to be anything like my father at all... P-please forgive me for running away...! I want to be in my son's life!"
Sasuke watched from the other side of his boyfriend's bed, smiling lightly. He could see the longing in Silo's eyes as he sat at Naruto's feet and watching his mother cry to be part of his life again. He'd known the boy had always felt abandoned... but now that feeling could disappear forever.
"Mom... I want you to be back in my life again..." Silo rubbed away his own tears.
"Sunako... Just promise me that you won't leave ever again. Our son deserves better than that," Naruto breathed in deeply. He never thought this would ever happen...
"I-I promise... Silo, I love you, I'm so sorry I e-ever left...! I'm sorry I made you cry and hurt..." the woman went to her son and hugged him tightly. "I just... I wasn't only afraid because I thought you might be like Orochimaru, but... I'd been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and I didn't want you or your father to deal with that..."
Silo's crystal blue eyes widened.
"Schizophrenia...? You had Schizophrenia...? I was diagnosed with Dissociative Disorder when I was ten-years-old..."
Sunako went to open her mouth, but a knock at the door stopped her.
"I wanna speak with Little Miss," Majik's voice came through the thick door.
Silo pulled from his mother reluctantly and climbed off the bed. "I'll be back, Mom. That's a friend of mine," he smiled happily, then ran to the door, opening it. The sight of Majik sitting in a wheelchair with a big grin on his face made his day even greater! Everything was going perfectly! He'd seen Haruka again, had his mother back in his life, and now he could see Majik again.
"I thought Haru-ru was with ya," Majik said, peeking into the room where Sasuke and Sunako were speaking.
"He was, but he left to go somewhere with his dad. But how are you? You'd been asleep for the week that we were here... Did you see the flowers I put by your bed? I put a new one in there every day," Silo smiled prettily. "Haruka-kun thought it would be a better idea to get you a card, but I knew that you'd like my flowers more," he laughed.
Majik laughed with him, grinning.
"Yeah, I liked them a lot. Thank ya. I'm glad you're alright... Nii-san told me what happened and I'm really happy you're alive... I'm sorry I didn't save ya... I tried," the Norwegian boy looked down, ashamed.
"I heard... but you tried and that's all that matters. I'm happy that you're alive, especially after getting shot in the back... You're lucky you weren't left paralyzed," Silo pouted, having been really worried.
"Eh, I'm still a cripple for a while."
Silo laughed and leaned down to hug his friend lightly, careful of his wounds.
"But ya know... I wanted to talk to ya about what'd happened before I disappeared in the hospital room that day... I'm sorry for kissin' ya... It was wrong of me and I shouldn't have done it. You're in love with Haru-ru and I'm sure I made ya feel as if ya'd cheated on 'im..."
The crow's cheeks turned pink at the memory.
"I felt that way, yes, but I got over it... I realized I just had to build the courage to tell you that I didn't love you that way... not run away and avoid it... I love Haruka-kun... not you."
Majik flinched, but recovered in an instant. He smiled brightly, ignoring the pain in his heart. His love might've been unrequited, but he still had Silo close to him. He had the sweet boy in his life and that was all he could ask for. He would always love and cherish him, and would protect him from harm no matter what.
His was deeply, truly in love with Uzumaki Silo. He was so deeply in love with him that he started crying on the spot, his happy smile disappearing from his face. He'd hurt because his love couldn't be returned... but the thought of just having Silo in his life, in his presence every day.... it made him extremely happy.
"M-Majik, don't cry! I'm so sorry..." Silo bit his bottom lip, eyes watering.
"No, don't be sorry..." Majik felt so fragile as he sat there crying his heart out. He smiled, salty tears running along the crevices of his lips. He hurt so bad, but was so delightfully happy. Which emotion was right? Which emotion was what he should focus on? "It's okay if ya don't love me that way 'cause as long as you're my best friend, I'll be happy. Remember that."
Silo smiled, his own tears slipping down his face.
"Yeah..."
Majik was so in love with him. He was so in love with him that he would endure any pain for him, he would hold him if he was crying, he would nurture him if he was sick... He almost died for the beautiful boy in front of him, but seeing that gorgeous smile on his face was worth all the pain in the world.
Little Miss, I love ya more than you'll ever know. You're everythin' to me and I would give up everythin' in an instant for ya. I hope ya the best and I promise I'll be here for ya whenever you need me... At least I know what it feels like to love now...
Thank ya...
---------
Itachi's name hadn't been shared in the news when the 'war' had been covered on television. All Japan knew was that there had been a battle between gangs over drugs and the leader of one gang had been murdered. They were still searching for who'd been involved in the fight, but those remaining in the Akatsuki knew they wouldn't get any more information. Because of that, Itachi went back to being a director and actor, and everyone else came back out into the open.
Naruto and Sasuke went back to acting full-time, the blond making Japan his permanent home once again. They got parts together in a new movie called 'Black Canvas' and Sasuke was in a prime-time television show while his lover tried out for new parts in movies. All in all, they were completely happy with how their lives were able to start over.
Haruka, Silo, and Majik started up school again, the three of them as close as they'd always been. Haruka was set for eye surgery in two weeks and was excited to finally see his boyfriend clearly for the first time. Majik was happy by Silo's side, even if he wasn't with him, and did whatever he could to help him. They all joined their own extra-curricular activites; Silo with the Organization To Help Those With Disabilities, Majik with the soccer team, and Haruka with the kendo club.
Silo spent many days at a time getting to know his mother and she became another part of the Uzumaki family again, spending holidays and special occasions with everyone. She kept to her word of never hurting her son again and found that spending time together helped the both of them with their disorders.
Everything seemed to be returning back to normal.
"Silo, get Majik off of the sofa before I knock him off," Naruto shouted to his son as he washed the dishes in their new city-view condo.
Haruka and Silo were sitting on the floor while doing homework as Majik jumped on the couch as if it were a trampoline. He had on skinny jeans and his trademark patched hoodie that was three sizes too big for him. He laughed and laughed, jumping from cushion to cushion.
"I'm havin' fun! You'll never catch me, America!"
"Having fun my ass," Naruto dried his hands off. "And you're too old to play Axis and Allies. I thought once you joined the Akatsuki you would've gained a little bit of maturity."
"Pft, that's what ya get for thinkin'," Majik replied, still hopping around.
Sasuke chuckled from his spot at the kitchen table while Naruto growled and left the kitchen, running into the living room. "If you wanna play Axis and Allies, we'll fuckin' play Axis and Allies."
"Dad... You're just as bad as he is," Silo commented from his spot on the floor, munching on chocolate-covered kettle corn and
"Come here, you little shit!" Naruto laughed and yanked on Majik's hood, pulling him back and knocking them both onto the floor painfully. "O-Owwww! Saaaasuke, get me a bandaid! I think I'm bleeeeeding!" the blond whined.
Majik took that oppurtunity to flick the older man on the forehead and escape, laughing while doing so.
"I win! I win! I win!"
Haruka sighed and put his pencil down. Standing up, he went over to where he could see his friend's outline and grabbing his collar, yanking him to the ground and pulling his arms behind his back. He smirked as Silo cooed in admiration and surprise.
"You're ruining my conversation."
Majik just pouted.
"Lemme go or Imma shit on your chest."
"..."
Yes, everything was returning back to normal.
Well, as normal as it could be.
And thus ends Just Like Heroin! It was a long way to this point, but I made it! Stay tuned for the epilogue, which will contain Naruto and Sasuke remembering old times and a question will be asked...
FIN