Disclaimers: Naruto isn't mine. This is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.

Warnings: This story includes strong language, violence, sexual assault, angst, & later- delicious yaoi lemon.


Like Night and Day

Chapter 18

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"I can't believe I fucking agreed to this."

Sasuke turned to glare at the blonde walking next to him. "Did you have a better idea?"

"Yes, Sasuke- I did! I was going to just stay at my own damn house!" Naruto stopped. "You know what, forget this." He spun on his heel and walked back the way they'd come.

Sasuke grabbed him by the back of his collar, holding him still. "And where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Home."

"Yes, you are. Just not yours."

Naruto struggled in his grasp, but the Uchiha refused to let go. "Sasuke, it's not a big deal, ok? You can come visit again if you're too nervous to be alone all the time."

The raven rolled his eyes. "Shut up, dobe. You know that's not the reason I'm taking you home with me."

"I know- it's because you don't think I can handle myself." He looked over his shoulder. "But you're wrong, Sasuke."

Four shadow clones lunged at the unsuspecting raven. Naruto smirked as Sasuke kicked out at one and had to duck to avoid a kunai from the other as the other two closed in from behind.

Hmph. Serves him right. He threw a middle finger out, grabbed his supplies, and took off.

He had a moment of guilt as he abandoned his teammate, but luckily it didn't last long. He would rather be in the comfort of his own space than placate that handsy bastard. And if that meant letting shadow clones kick his ass while he raced back home, so be it.

I'll have to remember to lock my window this time, he thought to myself. This will all be pretty pointless if he can just slip in again.

Maybe I can set up some kind of trap too. How fucking funny would it be to find Sasuke tied up, dangling outside my window? Naruto laughed to himself, but the laugh died in his throat as someone stepped out in front of him, blocking his path.

It's him.

It was the same man who had attacked him when he was ten years old. Who had stared at him with so much hate as he slammed his foot against his chest, breaking his sternum. The man who snapped his wrist like it was nothing but a piece of dry timber. The one who had terrified Sasuke enough that he refused to be his friend, thinking it was the only way he could protect him.

The one who made sure that Naruto would grow up alone.

He'd never forget that face.

Naruto could feel his blood run cold, icy tendrils trickling down his spine as the man walked towards him. Those same hateful eyes locked on to him, their intent clear. Anxious to avoid him, Naruto channeled as much chakra as he could spare down to his legs and leapt to the roof of a nearby home, racing across the top of buildings on his way back to his apartment. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw the man staring up at him, his expression unchanged.

Naruto swallowed back the fear rising in his throat. If I can just make it back home, I'll be fine. I just need to avoid any confrontation. I'll just lay low for a while.

Naruto swerved around the side of his apartment building, intending on leaping through the same window Sasuke had gone through. He dropped down on the windowsill, balancing himself as he glared through the foggy glass.

"Goddamnit.."

He forgot that he had slammed it closed and locked it, irritated with Sasuke's intrusion. He wished he had known then that he'd need it- he would have preferred to avoid the front door since it faced the street. He didn't want to break the window, because then he'd have to scrounge up supplies to repair it, so he gave in, accepted defeat, and made his way over to the front. He half expected someone to be waiting for him by his door but was pleasantly surprised to find it clear.

At least that's one thing going right.

Not wanting to test his luck, Naruto quickly unlocked the door and slipped inside.

He immediately knew something was wrong. The hair on his arms stood on end and his stomach twisted into tightly wound coils. After years of being targeted by the village, Naruto knew to trust his gut. And right now, it was telling him to get the fuck out of there. He reached back and grabbed the doorknob, slowly easing it to the side, hoping to slip out his door without drawing too much attention to it. Eyes locked on his dim hallway, Naruto pulled the door open behind him, and slowly took a step back, then another.

He was just starting to feel a sense of relief when he slammed into something solid. He froze, terror gripping his chest. Please let me be wrong about this..

He wasn't.

The person behind him shoved him inside, hard. Naruto tripped and slammed down to the floor. He pushed himself up and turned around as a large man stepped over his threshold, closing the door behind him. A noise to his left drew his attention, and he saw another man slip out of his closet and take a step towards him. Naruto slowly scooted back, holding a hand out in front of him. "Wa-wait" he said, his voice already shaking, "I- I don't want any trouble."

"Is that right.."

The boulder of a man blocking his door moved towards him, his eyes locked onto the blonde's paled face. "Well, I suppose you should have thought about that sooner."

Naruto swallowed thickly as he pulled himself down the hall, his heart racing as the man matched his distance with every step. "I- I'm sorry if- if I did anything to upset you."

"Sorry just ain't gonna cut it, demon."

He lunged and Naruto scrambled back. He pushed up to his feet and leapt over his bed to the window, fumbling with the lock. He finally freed it and shoved the windowpane up a few inches when someone grabbed him and yanked him back.

Naruto screamed and a hand slammed down over his mouth, stifling his cries. He grabbed the hand and desperately tried to pull it away, but the man bore down on him.

"You're not going anywhere" he murmured against his ear.

Blue eyes widened with fresh terror as the man pulled him away from the window- from his only means of escape. He threw him down on the bed and wrapped a thick hand around his neck. Naruto gasped as pain shot through him, the hand constricting his airway wrapped around his already bruised throat. He looked up at the man hovering over him, his eyes silently pleading with him, but it had little effect. If anything, it seemed to egg him on.

Naruto had sworn to himself that he would never hurt one of the villagers- he refused to lash out, even to defend himself, because he didn't want to be what they constantly accused him of. He refused to be the monster they made him out to be. But he couldn't handle being pinned down on a bed by another man intent on hurting him. He didn't know what the villager had planned for him, but he had an idea and it terrified him.

He wouldn't let this happen.

The man must have seen something in his eyes, because he grabbed the blonde's wrist, forcing his hands apart. Naruto gritted his teeth together, holding onto his newfound resolve, and brought his knee up fast. The man howled with pain as Naruto smashed his testicles, and his grip on the blonde loosened just enough for Naruto to tear his arm free.

He moved fast and mouthed "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu". The guy's friend moved in and pinned his arm down again, but he wasn't fast enough to stop him. The room filled with shadow clones, and they all simultaneously ripped a kunai from their packs, brandishing them as they took a fighting stance. "Let him go, asshole" they spat, eyes filled with rage.

The man gripped his balls, blinking away tears. "Fucking demon." He tightened his hold on Naruto's throat.

The shadow clones moved in and grabbed him, forcing his hand away and his head back before pressing a blade flush against his throat. His friend didn't fare any better. "Time for you to leave" a clone murmured; his eyes locked on the man who was clearly in charge.

"You really think you can get away with attacking citizens of Konoha, demon?"

Original Naruto slowly sat up, a hand around his throat. "You're.. the one.. who attacked.. me" he choked out.

The man's eyes shined. "No one's going to believe that."

Naruto's window suddenly slammed open, and Sasuke leapt inside to join them. His blood-red eyes moved from Naruto on the bed, to the two men restrained by several shadow clones. "What the fuck is going on here?!"

A shadow clone glanced over at him. "You're late."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I wonder who's fault that is" he ground out. He pushed past a crowd of Narutos and grabbed one of the men by the collar of his shirt, yanking him towards the blade, letting the sharp edge slice against tender flesh. The man flinched as blood slipped down his neck.

"What exactly was your plan?" he growled.

The man glared at him, and Sasuke loosened his grip just enough to give him room to talk without slicing a bigger gash into his neck.

"Was?" he repeated, his tongue as sharp as the blade. "Oh, no Uchiha." He looked over at the blonde, eyes gleaming. "Our plan is far from over."

Several villagers suddenly slammed their way through Naruto's front door, rushing inside. Sasuke turned to face them and failed to see the two men just outside the window. A dart shot through and sank into Sasuke's neck. His eyes widened at the sharp sting and he reached up to tear it out. He stared at the dart in his hand for a moment, then looked over at Naruto. He was pulling one out of his neck too.

No..

His vision started to blur, and he realized his mistake. He had assumed these two blundering idiots had acted irrationally, their hate making them impulsive. He was wrong. This was an ambush, and the two of them had walked right into their trap.

Shadow clones popped out of existence one by one all around him. He could feel his hands going numb, his body swaying. I'm going to pass out. And who knows what they'll do then.

"N-Naru-to.." he breathed, "you.. need.. to.." His eyes rolled back, and he could feel his body pitch forward, his consciousnesses slipping away. Just before he hit the floor, he had one final thought freeze on the tip of his tongue- unable to escape.

Run.


Author Note:

Because there's no such thing as too much angst.. right? ;)