Hey everyone.. haha.
So sorry about the sudden halt of the updates. I had something happen to me that was very, very painful. I won't go into much detail, but it was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to go through, and the worst thing is that.. it's not over. But I won't abandon you guys. I already have the next chapter in the works, so expect another update soon.
Also, I wrote something that contains SMUT and includes SasuNaru. And maybe, maybe, it is linked to Bruises but is somewhere set in the future. It also has a little surprise and foreshadowing for my 'Bruises' readers. It's called 'Delayed Landing', and it's on my profile if you want to read it. :)
First the warnings.
WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF ALCOHOL, DRUGS, BLOOD, SUICIDE, AND ANNOYING BIG BROTHERS.
DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN. –MEGA SAD FACE-
EDIT: Fixed the few problems. If anyone sees anything else, let me know~
Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are. ~Julius Charles Hare
Sasuke felt sick. It wasn't the average cold or anything pathological, but a deep, gut-twisting sickness. It was the type of nausea that makes you feel cold and sweaty stomach heave with acid. It meant something was wrong. Very, very wrong. It was the sign of a life being lost.
Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, breathing slowly, hoping it would past. But it didn't. Abruptly, a certain blonde-haired boy popped up in Sasuke's head. His blue eyes weren't muggy or closed off like they usually were. His blue eyes were dark and dangerous, violent emotions swirling in their watery depths. His lips were in a deep, troubling frown. His tan skin seemed almost-
The buzzing of a phone stumped his train of thought. Sasuke sighed, and flipped open his phone.
"What?" Sasuke snapped.
"Well, that's not a way to greet your dear older brother."
Sasuke wanted to groan. Great, now he had to deal with the weasel as well.
"What do you want?"
"Now, what made you think I need anything, little brother?"
Sasuke fought the urge to jump out the car in a random suicide attempt-
His stomach lurched, and Sasuke quickly clamped his hand over his mouth to keep his lunch from coming up. Naruto was suddenly crystal clear in his mind, but it wasn't the image before. This time he was shirtless, and covered in the most gruesome scars. Sasuke had learned once, in history, of how pirates used to torture their prisoners by dragging them under the hull and let the barnacles cut their flesh. They had called it "keelhauling" or something like that. And looking at Naruto's marred body; he looked as if he had been keelhauled. On several occasions.
But it was his facial expression that choked up Sasuke. It was the expression of a man that has given up anything, embracing death with open arms and a willing heart. And if death didn't come for him, he would go to it.
"—uke? Sasuke, are you alright?" No. He wasn't. Not until he checked on something.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"What?"
"Give me Naruto Uzumaki's address." Itachi snorted on the other end, inflaming Sasuke's rage.
"Why would I—"
"Just do it." Sasuke was shocked at the amount of venom in his voice, and by the sound of it, so was Itachi. There was dead silence, then the sudden, curt clicking of a keyboard.
Itachi repeated the address to him, his words sharp and cold. Sasuke would have to apologize later, but not right now. He quickly called out the address to the driver, who turned the car around swiftly and headed towards the destination.
The darkness. It was so sweet. It came towards him, embracing him like no one has ever done before. It promised to take care of him, to never let go. He would always be by its side, and it would always be by his side. It made promises that no one had ever said before. He could only label it as one thing.
His friend.
Sasuke leaped out of the car before it came to a full stop. He couldn't waste anymore time. It could cost a life. He didn't even pause when he approached the door, simply opening the unlocked door. He glanced down the dark hallway, observing the peeling paint and the floorboards that jutted misshapen from their original fixings. The stench of alcohol and drugs overrode Sasuke's senses and he buried his nose into his shirt, trying to get at least a little coverage. Sasuke hurried down the hallway, not even bothering to look into the beer littered kitchen and living room. He strode to the first doorway, flinging it open and finding not the desired blonde.
He cursed under his breath, and went to the next door. And the next. And the next, finding only a closet that was jam-packed with bongs and heroin tools. He curled his lips in disgust. Sasuke looked back and forth, trying to find anything else. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he was just over-acting and there was nothing to worry about. Maybe—
A door. Set into the very end of the hall. It was stained with something and the paint and wood literally falling off. As Sasuke neared, he stared in shock. It was dried blood. Blood that had sunk into the wood, and stained it a dusty brown colour. The raven gulped down the bile that rose in his throat.
He turned the knob, flinching at the screeching sound as the door swung open. It was a basement. It was completely bare and dull, the darkness the only colouring to the pale grey. Sasuke slowly walked in, hoping that he could find the dobe. But at the same time, he didn't want to. Because what if he did? What if he did find the dobe, and it was too late? What was he going to do?
Sasuke turned-and froze. There, on something that couldn't even be called a bed, or even a mattress at that, laid an unmoving blonde. His tan skin pale in the lighting and his limbs looked almost broken. He suddenly didn't look like the kid who Sasuke tortured every day. Now he looked like a boy that had been pushed beyond his boundaries, a boy that had broken into a thousand little pieces, and all he had was himself to put the pieces together. He was all alone. All alone, and Sasuke sure as hell wasn't helping that.
Sasuke walked over to the unmoving blonde, staring down at him, unsure. What should he do, shake him awake? What was he going to say if the blonde did wake? Sasuke thought that just saying he had a hunch wouldn't really cut it. But then, what if the blonde didn't wake up? That thought sent a pang of terror through Sasuke's heart. He quickly schooled his emotions though. He was an Uchiha, and Uchiha's never felt terror.
It was now or never.
He placed a hand on the blonde's shoulders, and shook him gently.
Everything was so peaceful here. The darkness entranced him. It was calling his name, softly. Then it suddenly turned urgent.
"Naruto! Naruto, wake up, you dobe!"
But he didn't want to wake up. If he woke up, then… No one would need him. And the darkness needed him. Naruto liked being needed.
"I swear to God, if you don't wake up, I'll kill you, you dobe!"
The blonde still wasn't moving. Sasuke began to panic. He hurriedly placed his hands over Naruto's heart, and began to pump, trying to a set a rhythm. Then he leaned down, and captured the blonde's pale lips, blowing air in between them.
And blue eyes opened.
We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin. ~André Berthiaume, Contretemps
Thank you for reading everyone! The next chapter will be up soon! I hope you liked this chapter!
Review, please!