Chapter 3:

Naruto groaned as he slowly came to consciousness. His head throbbed in time with his pulse, and his neck seemed to be bent at an odd angle. It took him a second to realise he was on his couch, huddled beneath a thin blanket. His brain lethargically started putting the pieces together: he was out drinking last night, first with Sakura, then something happened and-

A loud clatter interrupted his recollection, accompanied by a low curse. Someone was in his flat.

Ungluing his eyelids, Naruto pushed himself up from the couch to glare at whoever had obviously woken him up a second ago. He was surprised to find himself almost face to face with a very disgruntled Sasuke Uchiha, who was trying to slide by the couch unnoticed; judging by the empty cans of juice he had just knocked over, it evidently wasn't going well.

Suddenly it all came back to him. For a second they both just stared at each other, Sasuke's face quickly sliding back into the emotionless mask. He was looking no better than the night before: a lump on his jaw was surrounded by dark discolouration, and the cut above his eye had started to scab over. Judging by his encounter with the cans, his legs hadn't fully recovered either. Or he was still a bit drunk.

Sasuke, cool as ever, straightened up and started walking towards the door. "Sorry I woke you. Thanks for letting me stay."

Naruto stared at his back, dumbfounded for a second, before scrambling off the couch. Kicking the blanket off one foot and almost falling over in the process, he reached Sasuke just as he placed his hand on the door handle.

"Hey man, why are you leaving so soon? Come on, I'll make breakfast." He looked left at the studio kitchen, the messy breakfast bar right beside the door. "At least I think I have enough stuff to cook breakfast."

Sasuke glanced back at him, but his fingers didn't leave the handle. "I have to go."

"Oh, okay…" Naruto fished his phone out of the pocket of the trousers he'd slept in, offering it to Sasuke. "Here, give me your number. So we can meet up again, you know?"

Sasuke still didn't budge. "That's not a good idea."

"What? Come on man, don't be like that…"

Sasuke continued ignoring him, just twisting the handle.

Naruto sighed; he'd had enough. He reached out to grab Sasuke's shoulder. "Just wait a minute Sasuke, let's talk about this…"

As soon as his hand made contact, Sasuke moved. Lightning fast, he grabbed Naruto's hand with his left, ducking under it and twisting round to face him. Naruto's arm was completely immobilised, flipped the wrong way.

"Face it: you're completely outclassed Naruto." Sasuke pushed a stray lock of abyss-black hair out of his eyes. "I'm gonna leave, and you're gonna go on with whatever life you've set up here. It'll be like I never came back. Got it?"

"What?" Naruto grunted, doubled over by the extreme bend his arm was in. "If you think I'm gonna just let you leave again you have another thing coming!"

This seemed to amuse him. "And you're gonna stop me?"

"Goddamn right! I spent three years hoping you'd come back, only for you to just saunter out again? Fuck that, I'm gonna-"

Naruto was interrupted as Sasuke flipped him over the breakfast bar.

Clattering across the stramash of plates and glasses, Naruto was rolled over the counter and onto the floor. He landed hard amongst his dinnerware, his hip absorbing most of the blow as crockery fell around him. For a second he just lay there, stunned by the suddenness of Sasuke's actions. Hearing the door click closed, Naruto's trance was broken: he slammed his fist into the cupboard beside him.

"That little bitch!"

Still cursing under his breath, Naruto jumped up, feet slipping on broken plates. He raced over to get his shoes, but only succeeded in getting a shard of broken glass stuck in his bare foot.

"Fuck!" He yelped, hopping over to the couch. "I'm gonna kill him!"

He knew he didn't have time to be gentle: Sasuke was getting further and further away as every second passed. Gritting his teeth, Naruto none too delicately yanked the glass out of his foot, eyes watering as the jagged splinter tore him open on the way out. He shoved his bleeding foot into his shoes, not bothering to tie up the laces. Making sure his keys were in his pocket, Naruto dashed out the flat, zipping a hoodie over his bare chest. Racing down the stairs, Naruto burst out into the overcast morning. Frantically searching up and down the street, he spotted Sasuke rounding a corner to his far left. Naruto half sprinted half limped up the road after him, weaving past the other pedestrians. Peeking round the corner, he saw Sasuke, walking leisurely downhill with his hands in his pockets.

It's like I thought: the smug bastard still doesn't hurry anywhere. Just got to tail him, then…

Then what? Naruto wasn't sure what he'd do when he found out where Sasuke was going. Confront him again?

Yeah, that worked so well the first time…

Putting it out of his mind for now, Naruto focused on the task at hand. He waited for Sasuke to get far enough away then rounded the corner himself, trying to be discrete. Sasuke seemed to be heading back into the centre of town, unknowingly walking the same path they had the night before.

Considering the state of us, "walking" might not have been entirely accurate…

At one point he had to stop abruptly and try duck behind a post box as Sasuke suddenly lost his footing and staggered into a wall, one hand over his mouth. He seemed to be coughing, his body convulsing violently. Naruto got a surprise when he pulled a hipflask out of his pocket, drinking deeply from the silver lip. Straightening up again, Sasuke lit a cigarette and continued on his way.

Naruto bit his lip as he watched from behind the post box: Sasuke was obviously in worse shape than he thought. He was barely holding himself together. As he emerged from his hiding spot, Naruto thought it might be prudent to disguise himself slightly: he flipped up his hood, trying to keep it low enough that no one could see his face unless they were close.

Sasuke strolled further, never changing his pace beyond a slow walk. He walked through the very tunnel Naruto had found him in the other night, pausing only to admire some stray spots of blood that decorated the wall. Continuing on, they passed a few pubs, including last night's whisky bar, and past where Naruto would have turned off to the town centre. Sasuke turned the opposite way, choosing to turn south up one of the small roads instead. As Naruto waited a second at the corner, he noticed a neon sign on the wall opposite him. The crimson glow, dull in the morning light, read "Not all those who wander are lost" – Naruto snorted, shaking his head. Now wasn't the time for the universe to be giving him subtle hints.

Rounding the corner, Naruto followed Sasuke up the close. He had gained a considerable lead, continuing up to where the street tapered in. Naruto tried to maintain the same pace, as not to catch up with him too soon. He entered the narrow part of the street, cobbled and claustrophobic: the buildings seemed to close in on him, the dirty grey gravel of their exterior towering overhead. They were passing flats now, railings separating the bright red doors and minimal shrubbery from the street.

Sasuke suddenly stopped, beginning to turn. Naruto panicked, having nothing to use as cover. He did the only thing he could think of to avoid being seen: he dived over the nearest railing, landing in a tiny patch of grass that barely constituted as a garden. From his new vantage point he could just see Sasuke through the railings, leaning against the wall. It appeared to be under a Chinese restaurant, rich smells and shouting voices floating out the open window in equal measure. Naruto saw him knock on the surface behind him, and a heavily graffitied door opened up into the street. A man emerged, lazily tossing a brown package up and down in one hand.

This man was maybe the same height and build as Sasuke, but apart from that they were polar opposites: his straight, stark white hair contrasted harshly with Sasuke's feathery midnight locks, a sharp snaggle-toothed smirk adorning his thin face. While Sasuke was monochrome black and white, loose shirt rolled up to his elbows, the other man was wearing a fuchsia shirt, buttoned rigidly and tight to his body.

Sasuke said something Naruto couldn't quite make out, but the white haired man's response was loud and playful, carrying quite clearly.

"Sure Sasuke, I'll stop throwing the package around when you turn up on time. I know those coal pits you call eyes aren't exactly used to the sun, but 3 hours is ridiculous. I guess that comes from being the boss's favourite- hey, easy now!"

Sasuke had snatched the parcel mid throw, stuffed it in his shirt and turned to walk away.

The purple-shirted man shouted after him. "You could at least say thank you, you prick!" He shook his head and retreated back into the graffiti-covered door.

Once he was sure the man wouldn't come back out Naruto jumped up, wiping dirt off his trousers. This time electing to take the gate, Naruto rushed up the lane, eager to keep his prey in sight. He emerged from the narrow street, quite glad to see the world open out around him once more.

Sasuke had turned left, his pace none the quicker for the parcel he'd received. He passed a university property, meandering across the road to a stone staircase, leading to the higher ground of the city. Naruto remained on his tail, waiting and then sprinting up the railing-lined stairs as soon as Sasuke had cleared them. A pair of men in hoodies sat drinking on the steps, eying Naruto curiously as he dashed past them. One of them called out something, perhaps in Polish, and his friend laughed.

At the top of the stairs, Naruto just caught Sasuke passing a church before turning once more, swigging from the hipflask as he did. He didn't appear to have any direction in mind for his amblings: Naruto wondered if there was somewhere specific he was supposed to take this package for the white haired man.

They walked by a construction site, Naruto glimpsing a gutted building between the shiny silver barriers. They passed through more flats, then a hotel, Naruto trying to keep his distance. Sasuke, however, didn't look around once. He crossed the road again, keeping to the right. Naruto followed.

Sasuke suddenly ducked right into a tunnel, seemingly a vehicle entrance to a set of offices.

Cautiously approaching the tunnel entrance, Naruto took in the wall opposite him: smooth grey stone, a half-hearted graffiti tag decorating its drab surface. The roof was square and, unlike the half-cylinder of brick that they'd been under last night, reinforced metal. Before he could ascertain anything else, a familiar hand snapped around the corner, grabbing his collar with a grip of steel. Before Naruto could even blink, he was whipped off his feet, whirled round and slammed into a discoloured section of wall. Naruto gasped, all the breath knocked out of him by the impact.

"So you're still just as stupid, huh Naruto? What did you think you'd get from following me? What, do you think you're a fucking ninja now?" He slammed Naruto into the wall again, his face inches from Naruto's. He could smell the whisky and cigarettes on his breath. "I thought I made it clear: I disappear, you leave me alone."

Naruto gritted his teeth and exploded his hand upwards, breaking Sasuke's hold on his collar. Taking advantage of the break in his defence, Naruto swiftly brought up his off hand to follow up. Planting his palm solidly on his sternum, Naruto knocked the other man backwards. The two faced each other, their eyes locked.

"I want to help you Sasuke." Naruto growled, his eyes boring into Sasuke's. "And I'm not afraid of you."

Sasuke just smirked, sizing Naruto up. Naruto shivered as he felt the precision laser that was his gaze scanning his body, analysing. Sasuke's left hand twitched: there!

As quick as he could, Naruto brought his right up to block, but it was a feint: instead of a punch, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist, pinning it to the brick. The long sleeve of his hoodie rode up, revealing his forearm. Sasuke paused, faltering for a second as his eyes wandered over Naruto's arm.

Sasuke, Naruto knew, was looking at the large scar carved across his right arm. A thick line traced its way from his inner wrist to elbow, culminating in a large, discoloured swathe of skin.

"Compound fracture. Soft tissue loss. But I don't need to tell you that: you were there." Naruto laughed humourlessly. "So what you gonna do Sasuke? Break my arm again? Look at it; look at what you did the last time I tried to stop you."

Naruto leaned in, his face once more just inches from Sasuke's. "And know that I'd have you break my arm a thousand times before I let you go again."

As it was the night before, Sasuke's eyes only showed their vulnerability for half a second. But, once more, it was only a moment before they closed up behind the impenetrable shield.

"Don't follow me again."

And with that, Sasuke let him go and started walking out of the tunnel. Naruto slumped against the wall, preparing to push himself off it once again to follow Sasuke. A low buzzing stopped him. His phone.

Sasuke stopped briefly, tilting his head slightly. "You should meet her. Before she's gone again."

He resumed his slow walk out the tunnel. Naruto grabbed his phone: as Sasuke had deduced, it was Sakura. She was probably calling from the train station, ready to meet Naruto for one last coffee before she shipped off north again. Who knew how long it was going to be before he saw her again? But Sasuke, the man he felt so compelled to take care of was leaving once again, right before his eyes. Naruto smashed his hand off the smooth brick, glaring at the other man. "This isn't over, Sasuke! I don't care if you don't want my help, I never abandon my friends!"

"We haven't been friends for a long time, Naruto."

And then he was gone.

(╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

Sakura absent-mindedly stirred sugar into her coffee, bleary eyes staring at the table in front of her, mind lost in the endless echoing of the busy train station. She jumped as Naruto fell into the seat across from her, panting. Evidently he had run here.

"Holy crap. And I thought I looked dead this morning." Sakura said bluntly. She paused, frowning, and leaned forward to pick something out of Naruto's hair. "Is this glass? What the hell happened to you?"

"Erm, maybe, yeah." Naruto let out a big sigh, his breath coming back to him. "It's been a fucking weird night. I'm gonna need a coffee."

Managing to give the barista a short, thin lipped smile, Naruto plonked himself down once more in front of Sakura. Taking a big gulp of the steaming drink, he tried to settle the knots in his stomach.

"Okay, so just after I dropped you off at the hotel I see some guys beating the shit out of this dude in one of the tunnels on the way home. I rush in to help him out, and… it was Sasuke."

Sakura, her coffee halfway to her lips, almost dropped it all over herself. "Sasuke? Our Sasuke?" She exhaled, one hand rubbing her forehead. "What happened? Who's even strong enough to pick a fight with him for that matter? I mean you're plenty strong, and…" Her eyes flickered down to Naruto's arm, still exposed. He quickly rolled his sleeve back down, not meeting her eye.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine." He cut in, looking at her again. "And you're right. But Sasuke's a mess. I convinced him to have a drink with me, but he was all cryptic about what he's been doing the last three years. Asked plenty of questions though. Weird ones too."

Sakura frowned. "What kind of questions?"

"Just not what I'd have expected him to ask. Like he asks about me and Hinata, why we broke up, what people used to say about him school and…" Naruto blushed, remembering the disastrous first question. "Other stuff like that. All I really got out of him was that he still regularly trains in a ton of martial arts. But I asked the bartender about him." Naruto leant in conspirituality. "Apparently he picks fights with people, then comes back in half dead almost every time. They beat the crap out of him. But Sasuke's as strong as ever: I got a little taste of that this morning."

At Sakura's look of confusion, Naruto realised he'd only told half a story. "So Sasuke drinks about half a bottle of whisky and all but passes out. I took him to mine to crash, and the next morning he attempts to sneak out. I try and get his number, something so we can meet up again, but he refuses: he was planning to just walk out of my life again. So I try to stop him… and he flips me over my kitchen counter."

Sakura's hands went to her mouth as she gasped. "Oh my God! Are you okay?"

Naruto waved her concern off. "Yeah yeah, hit my hip, glass in my foot, but I'm good."

"Make sure you get that foot looked at. If I had any of my stuff with me I'd do it myself." She sighed. "So I guess that was him gone then?"

"Well, not quite…"

Sakura groaned. "Oh God Naruto, don't tell me you followed him?"

Looking sheepish, Naruto nodded. "I couldn't just let him go."

She threw her arms up in exasperation, almost upsetting her coffee once again. "Jesus Naruto, what were you thinking? You know better than anyone how dangerous Sasuke is!"

"I know, it was stupid. But I had to know where he was going."

Sakura sat there for a second. "…well? What happened?"

"So he goes towards the town centre, then turns off south. He picks up a package from some weird white haired guy, heads off again. He realised I'd followed him though. It almost came to blows, then he saw the scar: I think it shocked him. I snapped, said some… choice things. And then you called." Naruto shrugged. "It was either between keep trying to follow Sasuke or meet you. And I don't know when I'm gonna next see you. Hell, it could be another three years. So I got here as quick as I could."

Sakura's expression softened, and she lowered her eyes. "Thank you, Naruto. I appreciate you coming here instead." She stared into her coffee; it looked like she was working up to saying something. "Naruto, could I… could I see your arm?"

Naruto frowned. "Why?"

Sakura finally looked at him, a strange expression on her face. "I want to see how it's healed, and… well I haven't seen it before. I only ever heard about how bad it was, and you usually keep it covered. Please?"

Naruto sighed, rolled up his sleeve and placed his arm on the table. He flinched as Sakura's gentle fingertips gently brushed the large track that started on his wrist. She worked her way down, slowly, applying slight pressure every so often, until got to the large patch of different skin.

Sakura gulped. "And this is where-"

"-where my bone broke through my skin, yeah." Naruto interrupted, staring sullenly at the table, avoiding both Sakura and his arm. "It carved out so much meat they needed to take more out of me just to close it."

She nodded, immersed in her examination. "Free flap coverage surgery using tissue from…?"

"My back."

Sakura nodded again, her fingers brushing the edge of the wound. "Well it seems to have healed nicely. How does it feel?"

"Sore."

Naruto grimaced and suddenly yanked his arm back. Shaking his sleeve down once again, he picked up the coffee cup, just for something to do with his hands. "I'm sorry Sakura. I don't like people touching it. I don't even like looking at it." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's just a reminder, you know?"

Sakura smiled, but there was a sad edge to it. "Thank you Naruto. I know you're on the mend, and it's healing properly. You'll be back to your old strength in no time!"

Naruto forced a smile back, but it felt hollow. The awkward moment was broken when Sakura jumped up, having seen a schedule board over Naruto's shoulder. "Crap! My train's in!"

Naruto stood as she hurriedly grabbed her coat and bag. They almost ran to the platform, abandoning their half-finished coffee. As they reached it, Sakura turned and gave Naruto a large hug.

"Take care of yourself Naruto. You need to talk, you call me. Okay?"

Naruto smiled more genuinely as he hugged her back. "Same goes to you. Don't get buried under all your work, and come back soon!"

Sakura pulled away and hopped on the train, calling back over her shoulder. "No promises! See you later!"

Naruto watched her train pull away, the knot still tight inside his stomach.

As soon as we were all together again, we've been pulled apart…

Putting his hands in his pockets, Naruto made a start on the long and painful journey home.

(╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

The door of his flat slammed shut with a heavy thud, rattling the green painted frame. Naruto trudged to the fridge, cursing when he trod on broken china once more; luckily he was wearing shoes this time. Gingerly stepping around what used to be his dinnerware, he grabbed a can of coke, wearily kicking a piece of glass against the wall.

Sitting on the arm of his couch, Naruto precariously balanced the can on the edge of an already-crowded coffee table. Cautiously peeling the shoe off his injured foot, Naruto grimaced as the coagulated blood cracked, opening the wound again. He glanced briefly into the bloody shoe, making a face as he threw it towards the open washing machine, followed by the other for good measure. The first landed perfectly, spinning the drum on impact; the second bounced off the open door, somehow landing in the sink. Naruto didn't know whether to laugh or cry: the rest of his kitchen was such a state, what did a shoe in his sink matter?

He inspected the bottom of his foot: the cut was bloody, but wasn't too deep. He hopped to the bathroom, pulling the under-sink cabinet open to grab his first aid kit. Weighing the choice between bandages and plasters, he tried to make a decision quickly before he bled all over the floor.

After tying up the bandage, Naruto tested his weight on the foot. It was slightly uncomfortable, but he could tolerate it. Padding back through to the living room, he slipped on another pair of shoes: he wasn't taking any more chances with his feet.

Retrieving the lost shoe from the sink, Naruto got to work cleaning up the mess Sasuke had caused. He saved as many plates, bowls and glasses as he could, but most had to be swept up and binned. As he worked he tried to keep his mind as blank as possible. But, try as he might, Naruto's thoughts kept turning back to Sasuke. Where was he now? What was in that package? And, most importantly, what sort of demons was he running from to be in such bad shape?

Shaking his head, Naruto tried to concentrate solely on the task at hand. Sweep, bin, repeat. Sweep, bin, repeat. But it was no use: questions, doubts and contradictions all paraded through his head on full speed. Growling in frustration, he felt like launching what remained of his crockery into the wall.

Exhale. Breath. Find your centre, the core of your being, and immerse yourself in its calm flow…

Naruto slowed his breathing, feeling slightly more at peace: the exercises Jiraiya had taught him to control his temper had worked wonders over the last few years. Though he might get worked up every so often, it had been quite a while since the last "incident" had occurred.

But with Sasuke in that tunnel, he had come far too close.

Putting that ugly thought out of his mind, more successfully than those of Sasuke, he swept up the last of the broken dishes. Checking the counter and cupboards, he did a quick head count: until he bought more to replace what had been smashed, Naruto now had two glasses, one bowl and four plates to work with.

Naruto grinned ruefully. "If anything," he said to no one in particular, "this should teach me to do the dishes more often."

Kicking his shoes off under the coffee table, Naruto returned to the couch and his drink. Although it was nearly lunch, he didn't feel very hungry. Wondering how he should spend the few free hours of Saturday he had, Naruto contemplated the choices. Nothing seemed very enticing, so he ended up with his go-to time waster: video games. Booting up the console he chose a no-brain shooter, hoping to lose himself in some thoughtless action for a while.

(╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

Several hours later, Naruto was jolted from his daze of pixelated violence by an alarm on his phone: it was time to get ready for his training session that night.

He considered calling Jiraiya to cancel, having injured his foot and all, but something stopped him. It was the way Sasuke had looked at him as he'd so easily incapacitated him, in his own home no less. In a flash of inspiration, Naruto knew what he had to do.

Finishing up his session on the Xbox, he jumped up and headed to the bathroom. He had – he checked his phone – thirty minutes before he had to leave. Stripping off as he went, Naruto leaned into the small cuboid that was his shower and switched it on. Letting it heat up, he finished disrobing, throwing his clothes into the living room. He unwrapped the bandage around his foot, which seemed to be doing its job pretty well. As long as he padded it properly he wouldn't have a problem at the training hall. He caught sight of himself in the full-length mirror as he disposed of the soiled bandage. Usually he'd pay his reflection no mind, but today it caught his attention.

Sakura was right: he looked pretty rough. His shaggy blond hair, usually slightly dishevelled, was a complete mess. His eyes, too, weren't quite as bright as they usually were. He blamed lack of sleep for that.

Still, it wasn't all bad: the birthmarks on his cheeks had started to become a bit less noticeable recently, the curiously sharp lines fading over the years. Kids he went to school with had always teased him about it, saying they looked like whiskers. The intensive training he'd been doing with Jiraiya had also paid off: as well as his martial arts skills, it had also honed his physique. Where once he had been skinny, he had now developed some muscle. His shoulders had broadened, and he was pretty sure he had the beginnings of abs showing through his stomach… if he breathed in hard enough. It had taken a long time, but after what had happened to his arm he'd worked hard at returning it to its full strength.

But it's not enough. Maybe if he hadn't almost killed me I might be even close to where he is…

He turned his arm so he could see the scar in his naked reflection. It just looked wrong. It felt wrong. It was a constant reminder of his biggest failing: the promise he had broken, and the friend he had let down when they needed him the most.

As he stared, lost in his own thoughts, the mirror slowly started fogging up from the corners in. It snapped Naruto out of his daze when it started encroaching on his field of vision.

He couldn't let the past stop him from moving forward. And he knew exactly what to do to make that happen.

He paused before getting in the shower, drawing a quick smiley face in the condensation. Even that small act of positivity made him feel infinitely more hopefully about the Hell he was about to put himself through.