I do not own these series, nor do I make any money off of this.
"talking"
'thinking'
Chapter 70: Linking Stars
Jin jumped down and stopped in what looked like an abandoned area. He looked up at the sky. "They should be arriving soon. But first," he pulled out what looked to be the hilt of a sword. "I'll take care of them." Several bird-like creatures appeared from a crack in the sky that turned into a large oval. Jin smiled and said "Ten minutes" before charging forward.
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Sasuke pulled Naruto closer to his chest as he stood up. It was easier to carry the blond now that he was so much smaller. Tsuna handed Naruto's bag to Sasuke who took it without saying another word. The others knew not to interfere and they stayed silent. Hibari had to hold himself back from attacking Sasuke, as he wanted to see how long he'd last against the one who defeated Mukuro so easily. He glanced at Reborn and briefly wondered who'd win in a fight between the baby and Sasuke. Before he could voice this, Sasuke and Naruto disappeared in a flash of lightning.
Sasuke landed carefully on the roof of a building nearby. He raised a hand and made a clone. The clone broke the door open and allowed Sasuke to carry Naruto into the building. No one was in sight, something Sasuke was very thankful for. He lowered Naruto to the floor, before taking out Naruto's scroll to summon a pillow. Sasuke looked around the room. Deciding it would be safe to leave his clone with Naruto, Sasuke made his way through the building looking for the bathroom. He found it a few seconds later. He placed his bag on the counter near the sink and took out a towel before dropping his cloak to the floor. Sasuke glared at his ruined clothes. He peeled them off and threw them into the trash. Using hot water and soap, Sasuke ran the towel over his body. He wondered where the wounds had come from since they were different from the ones on his real age's body. He groaned as he washed his body, the soap causing his wounds to sting.
"I can heal them you know," Naruto said, coming up behind Sasuke. The raven spun around in surprise. "I wonder…" Naruto raised a hand and placed it near the wounds on Sasuke's chest. "How did you get these?"
"Dobe," Sasuke whispered.
Naruto looked up at him. "I'm sorry."
Sasuke turned away from the blond. "What are you sorry about? Getting yourself into another dangerous situation? You never listen to me."
"You don't listen to me either," Naruto yelled. Sasuke turned back towards him, glaring. "I may not be the most intelligent person, but I'm not stupid either. I knew what I was getting myself into. I made a mistake. Tell me you've never made one!" Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but he quickly closed it. "Oh right. Sasuke Uchiha doesn't make mistakes." Naruto crossed his arms. "Everyone always thinks you're so perfect. Well news flash, you're not! No one is and…"
"I never said I was!" Sasuke interrupted. "I know I'm not perfect. I make mistakes just like anyone else. I'm sick of everyone putting me on a pedestal."
"Then stop putting yourself on one! You think you're better than everyone else just because you're an Uchiha."
"The Uchihas are dead!" Naruto looked surprised at Sasuke's sudden outburst. "Even if I destroy Konoha, I know I won't live much longer. I've already made peace with that."
"But that body proves that you'll be alive for another ten years. You can't really want to die."
"Everyone dies eventually."
"That's…" A ringing noise caught their attention. Sasuke pulled out the mirror.
"I see that I've called at a bad time," Watanuki said. Sasuke looked at himself and blushed. He was still only in his boxers. He glanced at Naruto before grabbing a shirt and quickly putting it on. "Anyway, I'm glad to see that it worked." Sasuke glared at Watanuki. Watanuki just smiled. "Naruto, Sasuke, I'd like both of you to hand over your bracelets. I'm going to fix them and make sure they won't break again." Sasuke handed his bracelet over without a second thought. Naruto hesitated before passing his to Sasuke who in turn handed it to Watanuki. "Then I'll contact you when they're done." The mirror returned to normal as Watanuki's appearance vanished. Sasuke looked at himself for a few seconds before putting the mirror away.
"I'm going to make something to eat," Sasuke said.
"Don't change the subject," Naruto growled. He grabbed Sasuke's arm, not noticing his nails growing. "Are you saying you want to die?"
"Maybe I do!" Sasuke yelled, ripping his arm from Naruto's grip.
Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the blood on the older boy's arm. "Sasuke, you're…"
"What I do with my life is none of your business," Sasuke said. He grabbed Naruto's bloody hand and lifted it up. Naruto gasped. "You need to learn to take care of yourself before you worry about others." He released Naruto's hand before taking a few steps back. "I'm sure I'm not the only one that's hungry."
Naruto bit his lip as he swallowed his words. Several different emotions flickered across his face as his eyes changed colors repeatedly. They finally settled on his normal blue when he let out a sigh. He followed Sasuke into another room that luckily had a stove and some cookware. Sasuke began to pull out some items from his scroll and Naruto knew what the raven was making. It put a smile on his face as the meal would consist of the things they each liked the most, Naruto's noodles and Sasuke tomatoes.
"I'll help you," Naruto said. He quickly washed his hands before pouring water in the pan. Sasuke moved over slightly, allowing the blond to work beside him. Neither said anything throughout the preparations nor during the meal.
After the meal, the two decided to give each other some space. Naruto headed into the back room to meditate, something he hadn't done in awhile. Sasuke on the other hand went to the roof and stared out at the sky. He always loved looking at the stars. Sasuke closed his eyes as he remembered one of the last times he'd seen such a clear night.
"I didn't expect to find you here," Suigetsu said. He had been sent to find Sasuke to get the other to eat. "The others are looking for you."
"Hn," Sasuke acknowledged before continuing to look at the sky.
"I'm surprised," Suigetsu said. "I'd have thought that you hated the night." He knew he was treading a thin line, but his curiosity was too strong to not ask.
"I've always loved looking at the stars," Sasuke said. "I used to stay up late just to see them. Itachi didn't change that." He spat out the name of the man he hated. "He couldn't." The memory of him racing Naruto to climb trees came to his mind and he smiled. "And he never could."
"That's the second time," Suigetsu whispered. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Nevermind." He stayed silent as he waited for the younger boy's response. He knew that Sasuke wasn't one to let it go. If he wanted something, he'd get it. But it became clear that Sasuke didn't care about what Suigetsu said. The raven was too lost in his admiration of the stars. Without another word, Suigetsu returned to the others. Sasuke glanced at Suigetsu's retreating back, before he closed his eyes.
"They are beautiful," Naruto said. Sasuke opened his eyes and turned to see Naruto standing at his side. "I always liked looking at the stars."
"Hn," Sasuke grunted.
"Does it bother you?" Naruto asked. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "The night."
"No."
"Me neither." Sasuke hid his confusion. "The night has always been full of a mix of good and bad memories. But I can't fault the sky for that. Maybe I like the night so much since I was born at night."
'The Kyuubi attack was at night,' Sasuke thought. 'The same night he was born.'
"Whenever I had bad dreams, I'd stare out my window. Sadly, the stars weren't clear from my room. I once went for a walk and I found a place where I could calmly look at them, a place I felt safe." He smiled sadly. "I haven't been there in three years."
"Why?" Naruto turned towards Sasuke. "Why haven't you been there in three years?"
"The last time I was there, it was too cold. It lost its warmth and I no longer felt safe there." He turned around and headed towards the door of the roof. "Besides, I'm used to the nightmares now."
Sasuke watched Naruto leave, not sure what to say. He knew the blond had nightmares, just as Sasuke himself had them. But Sasuke never asked Naruto about them. It was obvious that some of Naruto's nightmares were because of him, especially when he called out Sasuke's name. Naruto always pretended they didn't affect him, but there were some mornings where Naruto's normal sunny aura was gone. Sasuke remained on the roof for another hour before he headed back inside. He found Naruto sleeping on the floor with Sasuke's sleeping bag already laid out for him. Sasuke sighed before he too laid down. He faced Naruto one last time before closing his eyes.
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Sasuke blinked awake when he heard a curse. He sat up quickly and turned to see Naruto standing in the kitchen. The blond was clearly making breakfast and had somehow managed to cut himself. Sasuke stood up, ready to make a comment about Naruto's stupidity. Naruto turned, finger now in his mouth. He removed his finger with a 'pop' before grinning. "'Morning Sasuke. I made you a tomato omelette. It should still be warm."
"Dobe," Sasuke said. He grabbed Naruto's hand and looked at his finger. There was no cut.
"Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Sasuke released Naruto's hand. "You better have not gotten any blood on it."
"Like I'd let you eat that if I had," Naruto said. "No, I was just cutting some ham for my own omelette. The knife slipped but it's not a big deal. I'm already healed." He grabbed the knife he'd been using. "I'll just clean this." He walked over to the sink and began to wash it.
"Hn." Sasuke grabbed his plate and walked back to his sleeping bag, sitting down. He ate while taking several glances at Naruto. Naruto finished making his own food and ate it while standing. Once he was done, he put the dishes in the sink.
"I'm gonna go out for a walk. I'll do the dishes when I get back." Naruto grabbed his bag and swung it on his back. "If I find a store, I'll pick up some more food."
Sasuke sat in silence, unsure of what to do. He wondered if he should go after Naruto, but something told him not to. Instead, he took out a book and laid back against a wall. About a half-hour later, Sasuke slammed the book shut. He hadn't even turned a single page as thoughts of Naruto were plaguing his mind. Their small discussion about the stars last night had him wondering where Naruto's safe place was. At first, Sasuke believed it was the head of the Fourth on Hokage Mountain, but Naruto would have just said he'd go there to see the stars. Whatever place Naruto would go to, it was a place he couldn't easily tell Sasuke where it was. But that wasn't all. Naruto had said he hadn't been there in three years. Just over three years ago was when Sasuke left Konoha. That meant that the last time Naruto went there was after Sasuke had left. What did Sasuke leaving Konoha have to do with Naruto's safe place becoming cold and unsafe? The look on Naruto's face made it clear that the place was now a bad memory, of at least one with similar feelings they had of the night.
It confused Sasuke as he had never been so curious about Naruto before. But here he was wondering what caused that look on Naruto's face. And then the memory of those nights that Naruto had woken up in a cold sweat. Just what had Naruto been dreaming about? Deciding that reading wasn't going to help take his mind off of the blond, Sasuke headed over to the sink to do the dishes. Spotting the knife Naruto had used and cut himself with, Sasuke frowned. That was another mystery. Naruto said that the knife slipped and that's how he cut himself. But that didn't make sense. What was Naruto thinking about when he cut himself?
"I'm back," Naruto said. "I picked up some more canned food as well as some meat and vegetables." He put the bags down. "Sasuke? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Sasuke finished washing the knife and set it aside to dry. Naruto opened his mouth but was stopped by a familiar ringing noise. Sasuke walked over to his bag and took out the mirror.
"Hello Sasuke, Naruto," Watanuki said. "Sorry it took so long. I thought I could fix it within a week, but it took me nearly six months."
"Six months?" Naruto asked. "But we only gave them to you yesterday."
"Time flows differently between worlds, remember," Watanuki said. "What may have been only a few hours for you was several days for me."
"Dobe, Yuko explained this before," Sasuke grumbled.
"Oh, right?" Naruto moved a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed at it.
"Anyway, here they are," Watanuki held up two bracelets. Sasuke took both of them from the mirror before handing one to Naruto. The two strapped them on their wrists, admiring them. "As you can tell, they've been upgraded. The screens on them are linked not only to each other, but they are linked to this mirror. This way both of you can contact me. You will also be able to contact each other, regardless of which world you are in. It is set up to rely on your chakra. Without chakra, the bracelets will return to me. So if you remove them, make sure to leave some chakra in them."
"They look so cool!" Naruto said. He held out his arm and stared at the new bracelets. To be honest, it looked more like a high tech forearm guard with how big it was. He tapped the mirror on it and sure enough, Watanuki appeared on it.
"To switch to Sasuke's, tap the purple gem," Watanuki said. Naruto did so and he was able to see Sasuke's face through the mirror. "Tapping the blue one on Sasuke's will call yours. The black one calls me. The one that's red will turn green when you are ready to move on to another world. I believe that's it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a client waiting for me." He gave a wave before disappearing from the mirror."
Sasuke put the mirror away, before turning the one on his bracelet off. He turned to Naruto who was still admiring his. "It will take some time getting used to it."
"Yeah," Naruto said. He dropped his arm. "I guess it will." He moved his eyes to the bags on the counter. "I should put those away."
"Naruto," Sasuke called. The blond froze. It wasn't often that Sasuke called him by his name, especially in such a way.
"W-what?" Naruto stuttered.
Sasuke noticed the surprise mixed with the slight fear in Naruto's voice. Deciding it wasn't the time to bring it up, Sasuke shook his head. "Nevermind." He took a step towards the bags. "What did you get?" Over the next few minutes, Naruto showed off what he'd bought. Sasuke gave his usual responses as his mind kept going back to his earlier thoughts. He'd have to find a better time to bring that conversation up. With a glance at Naruto who was now talking about what kind of food he could make, Sasuke smirked. Yeah, it could wait.
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Jin sat down, holding a box of rice crackers. He took one out of the box and ate it. He looked up at the sky. "Less than thirty seconds now." Continuing to eat the rice crackers, he stood up. He began a countdown in his head. Taking a step back, he silently reached three. There was a flash of green before he took in the two beings before him. Jin smiled. "Rice cracker?"