AN: Hello, my delicious morsels of loveliness. As usual, it is wonderful to hear your feedback and reviews. I adore you. :) This chapter was a monster to write because I had to plan really far ahead to see where everything is going (good news is that means I've gotten to grips with the plot more, bad news is it's hard to write everything correctly so much in advance!). I wanted to push things to go faster, but I've realized, screw it, I'm going to let it go at the pace it wants. So here we go.

Red Storm

Chapter 5: Worlds of Illusion

"Even as your body betrays you, your mind denies it."

~Sara Gruen

"Well, shit." Sasuke said to his reflection in the mirror. He had stayed out on those bleachers for who knows how long while it poured and then walked home in the rain. Now he was completely soaked. His sodden clothes clung to his body and his black bangs were plastered down against his forehead.

"Shit." He repeated, glaring at his reflection as if saying the word would somehow change the situation. His reflection mouthed the same word silently, meeting his eyes with an accusing stare. He pushed back the dark tendrils sticking to his face.

How was this even possible? When had he, Sasuke Uchiha, started liking such an idiot?

He started peeling off his clothes, throwing them into the brown laundry basket in the corner, and climbed into the clean, white shower. He turned on the stream, letting the warm water cascade over him and relaxed his tense shoulders, basking in the heat.

Strangely, it didn't even bother him that he was for all intents and purposes gay. Or rather, when he thought about it, he couldn't really consider himself gay. He'd never been interested in anyone before.

"Just Naruto." he sighed. The water ran between his lips as he spoke.

How could this have happened? He found himself replaying every interaction he could remember, from first meeting the hyperactive blond to the unexplainable things he'd done to help him, to this very day where they never seemed to be apart. It had never occurred to him to question any of this, but now that he thought about it…well…crap.

He pushed back his hair and picked up the shampoo, squirting it into his palm and massaging the liquid into his head until it foamed.

It was obvious now that he'd liked Naruto for a long time…maybe since the beginning without even knowing it. It would explain all his weird actions. Naruto had gotten under his skin and wormed his way into his life where no one else had been able to, not even Kakashi, and he'd lived with that irritating man as his guardian for years before taking the first chance to move out.

Sasuke leaned his head back into the hot jet of water, letting it wash away the chemicals from his hair.

The question now was, what was he going to do?

He let out a huff of frustration, water spraying from his lips.

Ignore it.

That's what he would do. He just had to ignore it. This was a temporary feeling, a mere crush. It would pass.

Sasuke was wakened from his musings by the loud, jarring sound of the front doorbell. He switched off the shower and froze, listening.

The doorbell sounded again…and again, impatiently.

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. Only one person rang the bell in that annoying manner.

Naruto.

Great. The last person Sasuke wanted to see right now. He grabbed a towel and dried himself off as fast as he could before wrapping it around his waist. He hesitated. It wasn't like Naruto hadn't seen him in a towel a million times before, but now it felt…odd.

The doorbell rang insistently again. This time Naruto seemed to be playing the 'Frere Jacque' song, the bell buzzing with the beat.

Sasuke's eye twitched. That moron. Seriously, he liked this idiot? Was his brain defective in some way? He couldn't help thinking God had played some kind of cruel joke on him as he left the bathroom, hastened down the stairs and yanked open the front door.

Naruto Uzumaki stood before him in all his idiotic glory, a bag slung over his shoulder, and a pearly white grin stretched across his tan face. The sun was being cruel enough to shine from behind him, bringing out the golden tints of his spiky, blond hair. He was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a dark green t-shirt complimented by his favorite orange hoody. The moron hardly ever seemed to take it off, yet the clothing couldn't seem to hide the toned muscles of his arms, the breadth of his chest.

Sasuke swallowed. He felt like he was seeing his friend for the first time, and he realized what he had never seemed to realize before (and what the girls of his school must have noticed long before him) - Naruto was full-blown handsome.

He groaned inwardly. Great, he was already thinking like a girl. This wasn't good.

"What do you want, Uzumaki?" he asked, shooting his friend a glare in the hopes it would hide the sheer awkwardness he felt.

Naruto, the ever-unobservant, shrugged and actually shoved past him, entering the house. "We were going to study together, remember? Plus, I've decided I have to beat your ass at Tekken for acting like a bi-polar asshat earlier."

Naruto paused inside the hallway where Sasuke stood, still holding the open door. He finally turned to look at Sasuke properly, scanning him up and down. Sasuke felt extremely self-conscious. He knew he should have taken the time to change and just have made this stupid moron wait.

"Why are you in a towel?"

Sasuke's eye twitched. "Because I was taking a shower when you interrupted me, moron. Can't you see I'm busy? We can study tomorrow."

Naruto threw up his arms. "But we have the quiz in history tomorrow. It's Ibiki. Freaking Ibiki, man! If I don't study tonight, you know I'll get detention for a week!"

Sasuke shut the front door with a sigh. "Well, you should have thought of that weeks ago when he announced it."

He jumped as Naruto grabbed his shoulders and looked desperately into his eyes.

"You gotta help me! You're my only hope."

Again Sasuke swallowed. This was normal, right? This was normal interaction between them. He, Sasuke, standing here in a towel and Naruto grabbing him by his bare shoulders. He glanced at Naruto's mouth as he spoke and suddenly found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss those coral lips. That thought terrified him more than anything, and he pushed Naruto away.

"Fine. Just get off me." He said and made his way up the stairs as fast as he could whilst still preserving his dignity, and trying desperately to hide his rapidly reddening face.

Naruto grinned, completely unaware of the effect he'd just had.

"Great."

Sasuke returned from the bathroom fully dressed in jeans and t-shirt, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. He paused in the doorway to see Naruto lying prone on his stomach across Sasuke's bed, frowning hard at the history book in front of him as if it was written in hieroglyphics rather than English. His orange hoody had been cast aside onto the floor.

Sasuke couldn't help noting the muscled arms that were now on show under Naruto's green t-shirt.

He swallowed as an image of Naruto lying under him sprung to mind, his blue eyes staring up in surprise as Sasuke pinned down those tan arms. He blinked hard, willing it away.

Forcing down the inappropriate thoughts, Sasuke walked quickly over to his desk, settling down in the wheeled chair.

Ugh, it was like his mind was a sadist that enjoyed torturing him, popping random ideas into his head that he most definitely did not want to be thinking about. He took a deep breath and laid out his own homework book on the wooden surface – Ibiki had them reading Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire these days. When he talked in class, the teacher almost sounded like he admired that vicious warlord.

Sasuke stared at the title page, trying to concentrate, but it was nigh impossible. Every fiber of his being felt electric, fully aware of the presence over in the corner, and the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stood on end every time he heard Naruto move on the bed. He put his face in his hands, covering his eyes and willing himself to stop thinking perverted things. Seriously? Was this what it was like to like someone? You become an inappropriate creeper? Or was this just him?

Sasuke almost jumped out of his skin as he felt a hand land on his shoulder.

"Ah!" he yelled, spinning round on the desk chair to find Naruto looking surprised. Usually, the teen would have reveled in getting such a reaction out of the usually-stoic Uchiha, but he must have been too shocked.

"Whoa, sorry, Sasuke." He said. "What were you thinking about so hard?"

Hard.

If this had been a cartoon, Sasuke would have sweatdropped right there.

"Nothing." He replied quickly. "What do you want? Why aren't you studying?"

…silently. He added as a kind of prayer to whomever might be listening.

Naruto frowned. "It's too hard. I don't even know where to begin."

Sasuke sighed and looked at the ceiling in despair. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Uzumaki. If you study, you learn, and then things actually start to make sense."

Naruto folded his arms and glared at him. "I know that, thanks, genius. But can't you give me a few pointers? You know, like the most important parts I should look at, or maybe some notes?"

He moved closer, looking over Sasuke at the other teen's copy of the history book on the desk. Sasuke found himself faced with Naruto's flat stomach, covered by the thin material of his green shirt.

Too close.

He stood up quickly out of the chair, taking a step away from Naruto.

"If you want to look at my book, take it, just leave me alone." He said.

Naruto frowned, reaching over for the book. "Geez, what's your problem today?"

"I'm trying to study is my problem, and you're…" He raked a hand through his hair, avoiding Naruto's eyes. "…distracting me."

Great. Could he be acting any more awkward?

Naruto scratched his arm, thinking. "Well, I'm trying to study too…I just…don't know where to start."

Sasuke sighed and was about to toss out an insult about Naruto's general stupidity when a thought struck him.

"If I help you study, will you leave after, so I can do my own homework in peace?"

Naruto shrugged. "Fine. If you want to hermit that badly."

Sasuke felt his tense shoulders relax ever so slightly. Ok, he just had to make a study plan, show Naruto where to start and he'd be out of his hair.

Naruto walked over to his books and sank down onto the floor, propping his back against the side of the bed. He opened his own copy of Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire, and Sasuke sat down opposite, cross-legged, creating as much distance between them as possible without it being weird.

"Ok," he said. "First thing you have to do is make a timeline. Put the most important dates on there and memorize them."

Naruto nodded. He grabbed a blank sheet of paper.

"Ok, I can do that." He bit at the end of his pencil and looked up. "So…what are the most important dates?"

Sasuke stared at him. "Have you even opened this book?"

"Yeah, of course I have" replied Naruto, "…a couple of times…maybe."

Sasuke groaned inwardly. This was going to take forever.

"Fine. I'll read out the dates and you write them on the timeline."

"Great." said Naruto enthusiastically, drawing a long line across the piece of paper. He looked up, flashing Sasuke a grin. "Thanks, man."

Sasuke gritted his teeth.

He is an idiot. He is an idiot. That smile is not attractive. He is an idiot.

He might have just taken a shower, but a cold one was sounding pretty good right about now.

"What was that date?" asked Naruto. He leaned over, trying to peer at the pages of the book Sasuke held. Somehow he had managed to end up sitting right next to Sasuke, who was doing his level best to maintain a cool, calm composure, but his heart kept speeding up every time their knees accidentally touched, or worse, when Naruto would grab his arm to stop him turning a page. But, it was difficult not to jerk his head back when his friend's blond hair tickled his cheek.

"Watch it." said Sasuke.

Naruto looked up from the book, his eyes wide and questioning. "Watch what?"

"You're too close." Sasuke said, automatically voicing his thoughts and shoving him away.

A spark of irritation flashed through Naruto's eyes as he almost fell backwards.

"Oh, sorry," he replied, righting himself. "I forgot Uchihas have a personal bubble about a mile wide."

He leaned forward then, an evil smirk on his face. "How about this? Is this too close?"

He pushed his face right up to Sasuke's until their noses were practically touching and stared a challenge into his eyes. It was obviously a move meant to annoy the Uchiha, but Sasuke found that he couldn't react as he should, which would, of course, have been to shove Naruto back even harder, possibly breaking things out into a half-hearted fight - something that often occurred when they were annoying each other.

Instead, his body felt frozen and he sat there transfixed. He hadn't often taken the time to really look at Naruto's eyes. They were such a clear color, the only flecks contained in the irises being an even lighter shade of blue.

When Naruto found he wasn't being shoved away, he pulled back, looking awkward.

"Hey, uh, bastard." He said quietly, waving his hand in front of Sasuke's face. "Did your brain break or what?"

Sasuke snapped out of his reverie and shifted his gaze quickly to the book, avoiding Naruto's eyes as he felt red heat threaten to creep up his neck. He swallowed, clearing his throat. "I should be the one asking you that, idiot. The date was 1211. Pay more attention."

Naruto leaned over his paper, his expression grumpy. He scribbled the date on the timeline with his HB pencil. "If you spoke more clearly, bastard, I wouldn't have to check." He muttered.

Sasuke gave a mental sigh of relief at the distance again.

This was normal, right? They often studied together like this. This was…totally normal. Yet, how could Naruto be so completely unaffected that their faces had for a few moments been only a few inches apart?

But apparently, it was totally normal. Yep, completely normal.

Sasuke let out a deep sigh as he shut the front door and leaned back against it.

Naruto had finally finished that infernal timeline and left the Uchiha in peace.

That…had been sheer torture.

How could things change so much just from him realizing his feelings? He found himself wishing for the days he hadn't known. Ignorance really had been bliss.

The worst part was, it was obvious Naruto didn't feel the same way. He'd never even shown an inkling…and yet…he had gotten pretty annoyed when Sasuke had pushed him away, and awkward when he hadn't. Sasuke felt a spring of hope well up in his chest and quickly pushed it down. No, he was analyzing too much. That was a normal reaction anyone would have.

Sasuke straightened up, his mind working overtime. Still, hadn't he, Sasuke also been in deep, clueless denial? Wasn't he the closest person to Naruto also? They were rarely ever apart, the blond stuck to him like glue. Why was he always around?

It might be possible, there just might be a chance that…

Sasuke frowned. No, there was no way. It was because they were friends.

But…what if…? It was true he didn't hang on Neji and Kiba like that.

He chewed on his lip.

It didn't matter. These feelings had to be crushed. He just needed to figure out how. And there was only one person he could talk to about this.

"You did well to come to us, Mizuki. We appreciate your loyalty." said the man sitting at the desk. His face was shrouded in the darkness and Mizuki squinted under the harsh glare of the lights aimed at his eyes. They obstructed his vision, stopping him from getting a good look at the stranger as well as the several other dark figures in the room. Apart from those few lights shining from the ceiling solely in his direction, the room was almost pitch dark.

He licked his dry lips and his heart hammered in his chest. "Of course, it's my pleasure to keep the Akatsuki informed."

"And your loyalty will be rewarded." replied the man. The deep tone of his voice was flat and unchanging, completely void of human emotion. "Your business dealings will continue unobstructed by us."

Mizuki nodded. A bead of sweat trickled down his back. "Thank you. I'm grateful."

The man waved his hand. "Show him out."

Mizuki jumped as a tall, fair-haired man standing nearby opened the door. He gave an odd sort of half-bow, and followed him out, exiting the room as quickly as possible. Mizuki gave a small sigh of relief as he left. Talks with Akatsuki always felt like a brush with death itself.

The eyes of the man at the desk followed his exit, and once the door had closed, a cloaked figure stepped forward from the shadows.

"What do you want to do? We could easily have the threat eliminated."

The man leaned forward, clasping his hands together thoughtfully. "The Uchiha child is not a danger at this point. According to Mizuki's report, his information is virtually non-existent."

"But if he continues to dig around…" The hooded figure tailed off.

The man leaned back in his seat and turned his head towards a second dark figure. "It seems your brother does not realize the dangers of drawing attention to himself, Itachi."

A pair of red eyes flashed in the darkness and the figure stepped forward.

"He's insignificant - of little threat."

"I agree with you," said the man. "But this problem should not be underestimated. Our plans are nearing completion, and we can't afford to be careless. Besides, wasn't it Sasuke Uchiha and his little friend who brought down Orochimaru's organization?"

He paused for a moment, considering. "Zetsu, what do you know about this case?"

The cloaked figure lowered his hood, revealing a head of green hair. "Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki were both employees in Orochimaru's organization. They infiltrated Orochimaru's base of operations and destroyed it, and with it most of Orochimaru's research and employees. Those that did survive were of lower rank and could provide us with little information, but as you know, Orochimaru was spreading various drugs, including the Red Moon drug under the label, 'Bliss'."

The man nodded. "I am aware of these facts. All of this was in the media." He turned to Itachi. "Your brother got involved in order to find you, correct?"

Itachi nodded his silent reply.

The man rubbed his chin. "I understand why Sasuke was involved, but why was Naruto Uzumaki in that organization? Considering the legacy of his parents, it's surprising."

Zetsu cleared his throat. "It wasn't mentioned in the public media, but according to the case files, Naruto was weaned onto drugs and forced into the organization."

The man's head whipped up. "Why did you not mention this before, Zetsu?"

Zetsu took an instinctive step back. "I did not consider it relevant."

The man's eyes narrowed. "I'll decide what's relevant. From now on, you gather as much information as you can about those two, particularly regarding their dealings with Orochimaru. I want every detail of that case before me as soon as possible."

Zetsu nodded and made a swift exit, his green hair flashing in the harsh lights.

The man turned to two other figures. "As for you, gentleman, you know what to do. Do not make any moves unless I deem it necessary. You're all dismissed."

As the figures began to leave, he addressed Itachi. "Please assist Zetsu in gathering information. I am sure that you can help him by giving him a head start, can't you?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes, sir."

The figures all exited the room, only one pausing at the door, looking back questioningly.

The man clasped his hands together, sitting back in the shadows. "We shall keep an eye on them for now. It may be nothing, but I don't want to leave any possible threats to our plan unresolved."

The figure nodded and exited the room.

Naruto's heart was beating so hard he thought his ribcage would crack from the pressure. He felt sick, so disgustingly sick. He ran, just kept running through the darkness, but he could hear the footsteps echoing behind him, walking so calmly, so steadily, yet always getting closer. The jeers were ringing in his ears, pairs of bodiless eyes staring at him with hatred as he passed them in the black. They seemed to whisper in his mind.

Give up, Uzumaki.

You can't escape.

He's coming for you.

A towering, concrete wall rose before him, blocking his path and he searched frantically for a way to pass, but it seemed to be all around him, and the cold realization hit him that he was trapped inside a small, concrete interrogation room.

He let out a sob of fear then, as, in his heart of hearts, he knew what was coming next. Steeling himself and forcing his body to turn around, he faced the other side of the room. A large mirror was set in the concrete wall, and as he watched, a smoky figure began to emerge. Two yellow eyes were the first thing he could see, and he shrank back, screwing his eyes shut.

"No, please. No." he whispered to himself, but it didn't stop the sensation of the dry hand that touched his cheek.

"Hello, Naruto-kun." said a cold, silky voice. "I missed you."

Naruto opened his eyes and found himself staring into the face of Orochimaru. He couldn't move, cold unadulterated terror flowing through him. The only sensation was the beating of his own heart pounding painfully in his chest. Orochimaru slammed him hard against the wall and the disgusting man leaned forward, flashing him a cruel smile. "Did you miss me?"

Naruto didn't have a chance to reply before Orochimaru slammed a fist into his gut. He gave out a cry of pain and doubled over, collapsing to the floor, but he didn't have a moment to recover before a hand gripped his hair painfully, pulling him to his feet and dragging him over to a hospital bed. He was thrown onto it, and somehow found himself completely strapped down. He struggled in the bindings, and the room around him morphed, changing to a laboratory. He could hear the steady beeping of a machine as well as see the bubbling liquids out of the corner of his eye.

"Welcome, Naruto. This won't hurt a bit." said a silver-haired man leaning over him.

Kabuto, his mind numbly registered before the man raised a scalpel and stabbed him hard in the leg.

Naruto screamed, writhing in burning pain as Kabuto dug the metal instrument into his wound. Kabuto's face morphed into Orochimaru's and he leered, pulling out the scalpel and tossing it aside. He began to climb on top of the boy strapped to the bed, his heavy weight pressing down on him.

No, no, no, cried Naruto's mind.

"Don't worry." said Orochimaru in a soothing voice. "If you're good I might go gently."

Naruto struggled desperately as Orochimaru began to slide down his pants, thrashing his arms and legs, but they were pinned by the bindings.

"No!" he screamed. "Don't! I don't want it!"

"Naruto." replied Orochimaru with a grin. "Listen to me, Naruto." He leaned his face closer, licking Naruto's jawline, and Naruto thrashed his head around, trying to avoid the older man's lips, which were seeking his.

"Naruto, listen to me." He said again, and began shaking Naruto angrily. "Listen!"

Naruto continued to scream and yell, trying to avoid the man, when the bindings suddenly disappeared.

"Listen. Wake up, Naruto!" were the words he heard before he opened his eyes and shot up in bed with a yell, almost knocking foreheads with the man sitting in front of him. It took him a few moments to realize where he was as he glanced fearfully around his bedroom. The light was on and Iruka sat on his bed. His face was drawn and worried, and he was still in a t-shirt and boxers.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

Sweat drenched Naruto and he could feel his heart beating wildly. He willed the tension out of his body and wiped at his sweaty brow as he met Iruka's concerned brown eyes.

"I'm fine." He said, swallowing. Ugh, his throat hurt. He must have been doing a lot of screaming.

Iruka hesitated. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Naruto shook his head and shot Iruka a fake smile. "No, it's cool. I'm, I'm fine. It was just…a nightmare." His brain was still processing that fact. It had all felt so real.

"Are you sure you're all right, Naruto?" asked Iruka. "You were screaming. It sounded pretty intense. You know I can stay here if you like."

"I'm fine." replied Naruto, and then seeing the uncertainty on Iruka's face, he forced a smile. "Really. I'd…just like to be left alone if that's ok."

Iruka looked like he wanted to say something else, but he stopped himself and nodded. "Of course, if that's what you want."

He stood up. "Well, if you do need anything, I'm right down the hall."

Naruto nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Iruka."

Iruka left the room, closing the door behind him.

As soon as Iruka had shut the door, Naruto shot out of bed and made his way to the ensuite bathroom. He threw open the door and stumbled to the toilet, leaning forward and retching into the porcelain bowl. He stood there for a moment, staring at his own stomach contents before reaching for the handle with a shaky hand, and flushing away the waste. He wandered over to the sink and rinsed out his mouth, catching sight of himself in the mirror as he straightened up. Dark circles were deepening under his eyes. He quickly looked away. He didn't like mirrors at the best of times, and he tried not to recall the yellow eyes that had been staring at him in his dream.

Naruto climbed back into bed, the sheets were still slightly clammy and cold from the sweat that had soaked into them during the night and Naruto shivered, turning on his side to face his bedroom door.

The dreams kept haunting him. Sometimes they were different, sometimes it was something new, but over and over again that…man…would appear, terrorizing him in the night. It had been a while since he had visited his dreams. Naruto had stupidly begun to think he was getting better, finally getting past things, but no, the night terrors were as strong as ever. Remnants of pain throbbed dully in his leg and he pulled his knees up to his chest under the covers, curling himself into a protective ball. That gunshot wound still hurt now and then, especially after the dreams.

"It doesn't matter,"he whispered to himself. "None of that ever happened, Uzumaki. It was all a dream. Orochimaru - everything that happened - was a dream. You don't have to think about it. That was a nightmare. It was never a part of your life."

He screwed his eyes shut. "So don't think about it. You're a normal teenager with a normal life. Nothing ever happened. Tomorrow you'll wake up and be the same old Naruto Uzumaki."

He willed his body to stop shaking and let his arms relax from the tight bear-hug he was giving himself, unsure of when he had actually put himself in that position. He sighed.

He knew he was too old to be scared by nightmares, but he would leave the light on tonight.

On the other side of the door, Iruka sighed, letting go of the handle. Naruto had been living under his roof for months now, yet most of the time it felt like they had never gotten past the stiff, polite reserve of the first day he'd moved in. Naruto still acted like a guest.

He stifled a yawn and rubbed a hand through his hair as he walked down the hallway to his own room. Tomorrow Naruto would pretend like this had never happened. It had been the same way during the court case. Even with all that had been going on, every time Iruka had tried to talk to Naruto about his feelings or the situation, he'd be shut down. Iruka could still see the nightmares haunting Naruto's eyes the morning after, but the mask would be up and they'd carry on as usual, the pretense of a happy family. Iruka sighed as he climbed into bed.

He was a terrible foster father.

AN: Finally some (albeit one-sided) sasunaru. And even a little behind-the-scenes plot progression. You've also gotten a little taste of how Naruto's coping with things...by sheer unhealthy denial. Not smart, but can you blame him?

As always, your feedback is SUPER appreciated.

Ok, I'm going to go take a break now. ;)