Disclaimers: Naruto is not mine, sadly. This is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.

Warnings: This story includes strong language, violence, sexual content (yaoi), & angst.

Blind Sighted

Chapter 13: Found and Lost

"What we see depends on what we look for."

- John Lubbock

--

Astonishingly enough, Naruro's worries turned out to be completely unfounded. He expected Sasuke to get more and more handsy, daring with it even, with each new stop of their journey. In fact, he was pretty fucking sure of it. But the raven surprised him by doing quite the opposite actually.

When they ate lunch at Ichiraku, Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair and leaned in to whisper to him that he looked beautiful. Naruto was bright red for the remainder of their meal and well into their walk away from the ramen stand, which thankfully had been mostly empty at the time. But compared to the other things Sasuke has been up to lately, all in all this was pretty innocent.

And it didn't stop there.

That gentle side of Sasuke showed up again when they visited the bridge that had once served as their meeting place when they were still a part of Team 7. Naruto, out of habit, had climbed up and gripped the railing and went to peer down at the pond beneath it, when he recalled that there was nothing for him to see. Sasuke must have noticed his disappointment, but he didn't comment on it. He simply walked over, covered his hand on the rail with his own, and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Specifically on a small freckle that he had been tempted by since he stood close enough to the blonde to see it, though he didn't tell Naruto that.

Their trip to the Academy had ended just as peacefully, just as surprisingly. Sasuke had helped Naruto up from the swing of his past, and stepped close behind him. Before the blonde could think to question it, Sasuke wrapped his arms around his waist and hugged him, resting his chin in his hair and slightly rocking them side to side as he murmured sweet words. A lover's secret meant for him, and him alone.

Naruto had been completely caught off guard by the unabashed affection and, truth be told, unbelievably embarrassed by it. He just.. wasn't used to stuff like this. His relationship with Gaara had ended years ago, and while they had gotten really close- intimately so- Gaara wasn't like this. Maybe he wanted to be, but something always seemed to hold him back.

Between the two of them there was so much trauma that their pasts just constantly got in the way- of the closeness they craved but feared, and the boundaries they needed but ignored. But they were young, and alone, and desperate for a connection. So, they clung to eachother- fading lifelines in the swell of a seemingly endless storm. And eventually what tethered them together was the exact thing that pulled them down.

Sasuke obviously had plenty of his own trauma too, but they had both grown past a lot of things. Maybe Naruto and Gaara had just been too young to handle such an intense relationship. A love like that.. it required the stability of a mature mind and enough life experience to know how to face anything that threatened it. Theirs had failed because they just weren't ready.

Naruto had a feeling that if he would have met Gaara as an adult, had waited to pursue something with him until he was older, that their relationship would have at least stood a chance. He wasn't sure that the feelings would be there- it was hard to judge since he didn't feel that way about him now- but they might have been.

The way they are for Sasuke?

Naruto flinched at the thought, and the Uchiha wrapped around him immediately pulled back- worried that he was the cause. He carefully turned the blonde to face him, his brows furrowed with unseen concern. "Naruto? Are you ok?"

He nodded and offered a forced smile. Dark eyes narrowed, put off by the mask, but Naruto had yet to notice. "I'm fine" he said, his voice far less cheery than he meant for it to be. "I was just thinking. That's all."

"About?"

"Uhh.. nothing. Just about- about the day."

"Very convincing."

Naruto's mouth snapped shut.

"I hate when you do that" Sasuke muttered.

Opaque eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"The fake smile" Sasuke snapped. "I hate it. You feel the need to do that for everyone, and it bothers me every fucking time, but I can't stand that you still think you should do it for me."

Naruto paled. He didn't know what to say. There was no point in denying it- Sasuke knew him better than anyone. And this wasn't his first time pointing out that Naruto didn't need to hide his feelings, that he didn't want him to be fake with him. He just never said it in this way. It was jarring, and he wasn't sure how to respond to it. Mostly because his instinct in this situation was to offer another fake smile. And clearly that wouldn't go well.

"I.." Naruto swallowed. "I'm just trying to figure out how I feel.."

Sasuke dragged his fingers through long ebony strands and gave a heavy sigh. He felt like an asshole for snapping like that, and he knew he should apologize for it, but he just couldn't stand when Naruto treated him like he was just another idiot villager.

"You can just say that" he said. "You don't need to be fake with me. In fact, don't. It bothers me when you treat me like the rest of them."

Naruto didn't have to ask who he was talking about, but it did surprise him to hear him say it. Because he never thought about it that way. But it made perfect sense. Sasuke hates the people of Konohagakure- that was made very clear to Naruto over the last few days. The last thing he would want was for the person he liked to see him as one of them.

"I.. didn't mean anything by it" Naruto said, feeling awkward about it. He saw no reason to apologize, so he wouldn't, but he didn't want shit to be tense between them either. "It's just a habit, Sasuke."

The Uchiha grasped his hands and squeezed tight. "I know. Fuck.. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that. I don't want to be that person."

"Guess we both have some habits to break" Naruto said, attempting to keep things light but not exactly joking either.

"Yeah. I guess we do.."

A thick silence dropped between them, one that both were anxious to end but equally unsure of where to begin.

"So.." they said in unison.

Another lengthy pause.

"Are you up for one more?" Sasuke asked, anticipating a resounding no.

Which Naruto did consider, but in the end he decided another memory might be exactly what they needed to get past the awkwardness. "Yeah, ok."

He patiently waited for Sasuke to put his earplugs back in, relatively used to it by now, and while he still found it embarrassing, he did let the raven pull him into his arms and carry him away.

Maybe he couldn't hear or see anything, but he could still smell, and just like their trip to Ichiraku, his nose gave him a pretty strong hint. He didn't know exactly where they were, but he could tell that they were in the woods. Based off the sudden chill that settled around them they were moving into the denser parts, likely just on the outskirts of Konoha. Tsunade probably wouldn't be happy about it if she knew that they had left the main gates, but they weren't all that far, so it didn't feel like anything that needed to be reported back to her. And because Sasuke had a talent for getting to places undetected, no one else noticed their permissionless departure.

After a while, Sasuke finally dropped from the trees and put his blonde back down. Naruto figured that they were standing in a clearing based off the lack of branches beneath their feet and brush against their legs. Sasuke removed his earplugs, and he immediately strained his ears to see what else he could pick up on.

Sasuke smirked at his eagerness. "Don't hurt yourself, dobe. This might be a hard one."

"We are still talking about the memory, right?" Naruto quipped.

Sasuke's grin widened. "Cute."

Naruto smirked back. "I have my moments."

The Uchiha was happy to see that his blonde was loosening up a bit. There were some.. rough patches along the way, which he knew he was pretty much solely responsible for, but Naruto didn't seem to hold it against him. Which was a relief- one he wasn't completely convinced that he deserved, but he would take it anyways.

He didn't want anything or anyone to ruin their date week- himself included.

"So, any guesses?" he asked.

He glanced over and saw that Naruto already had his eyes closed, his head back and slightly tilted to the side as he carefully listened for any semblance of sound around them. Sasuke found all of it absolutely endearing and was tempted to do this little challenge a hundred times over.

"We're in the woods" Naruto murmured. "I can smell the forest- pine trees, dirt and snow." The blonde smiled. "I like that smell."

He peaked an eye open and looked over in Sasuke's general direction. "It always makes me think of you, actually."

He said it so casually, that Sasuke was sure he didn't notice how it affected him. That his candid blonde completely missed the way his words made a fist close tight around his heart and practically jerk it out of his chest. How his stomach clenched along with it, crushing the butterflies manically fluttering inside.

Though, Naruto was always unaware of these sorts of things.

He completely missed all of the glances that slipped his way and eagerly devoured him, the ones that drove the ever-watchful Uchiha mad and nearly murderous. He failed to see the fact that Gaara's feelings for him were far more real than his had ever been, and that they were far from over. And he definitely missed every hint that Sasuke had let fall- purposefully and otherwise- over the years.

This was no different.

So Sasuke should be used to it by now, right? He had been painfully teased by his clueless crush for years- why should now be any different?

Because this time I'm not hiding how I feel, he thought. This time he knows.

Shouldn't he know how it makes me feel when he says things like that? And then he has the audacity to say he doesn't want to get my hopes up.

Really.

Like the dobe could ever actually avoid doing that..

"Ok, I'm stuck" Naruto admitted. "It feels like a lot of woods we've been in."

Sasuke walked over and pulled off his coat, laying it on the ground at the blonde's feet. "I'll give you a hint" he said. He carefully pulled him down to sit on it with him, then pushed him down on his back.

Naruro's cloudy blue eyes widened, a flash of uncertainty flickering in their hazy depths, but Sasuke didn't stay above him for long. Instead, he dropped down on his back beside him. He glanced over but Naruto still looked confused, so he tucked his arm under his shoulders and pulled him close to his side.

"Feel familiar?"

Naruto was about to shake his head, when Sasuke spoke up again. "Hold on, that's not quite right." He yanked him closer, forcing Naruto on his side and snuggled close to his chest. In fact, he was practically on top of him at this point.

Sasuke buried his face in his hair and murmured against thick honey locks. "How about now?"

Something was familiar about it, and it didn't take long for him to figure it out. Because this one stood out in Naruto's mind for a very long time.

"The night we shared a sleeping bag."

Sasuke smiled into his hair. "One of my favorites."

Naruto tilted his head to look up at him, despite the fact that all he could see was the same darkness. "Were you tempted?" he asked.

Sasuke didn't need him to explain more. Tempted. The love of my life tucked in the same sleeping bag as me, shivering against me, eager for my body heat..

"Yes" he said- undaunted and without hesitation.

"But you didn't..?" He wasn't sure why he said it like a question, and Sasuke was just as surprised by it.

"You sound like you're not sure if I did."

"I'm a heavy sleeper."

Sasuke smiled. "True, but I was terrified that you'd find out. I didn't sleep at all that night."

Blue eyes studied him, or tried to. Wanted to. He wished he could see what was right there in front of him.

"It didn't bother me" Sasuke said softly. "I liked holding you. Actually, I assumed it'd be the only chance I'd get at it, so I wanted to enjoy every second."

Naruto bit his lip as he chewed over his thoughts. "You really have liked me for a long time" he thought aloud.

"I have."

".. the whole time?" he asked, not completely sure that he should. "Even when.. when you left? And when you were with.. with other people..?"

Sasuke pulled back to look at him, to attempt to read the emotions Naruto always hid so well- things he had slowly gotten better at deciphering over the last few years. He could tell that he was starting to reel him in, but he could also see his hesitancy to give into it. Naruto was afraid- that much was clear. And Sasuke knew he had made enough mistakes to justify those fears. He just hoped he could find a way to prove that he didn't need them. That he didn't need to protect himself from Sasuke- that he wasn't going to hurt him.

That he hated that he ever had.

"I have never felt this way about anyone but you" Sasuke said firmly, making sure he heard the certainty and sincerity in his voice.

"I was alone for a long time too, Naruto. A lot of that because of my own choices, but it didn't make it less painful. I.. I wanted companionship, but it never meant anything to me because it wasn't you."

Naruto had not expected that. He assumed he would say something like those feelings resparked when they reconnected. But he had not anticipated this.

Naruto sat up as he pondered over Sasuke's weighted confession. "You're serious..?" he breathed into the dark.

He could feel Sasuke sit up to join him, his hand finding his own. "I wouldn't lie about this."

"I.. I don't know what to do with this" he admitted. "This is a lot, Sasuke. I don't even know how I feel about you. And even if it turns out that I.." He shook his head. "It wouldn't be the same."

A chill trickled down Sasuke's spine, one he misread as concern over Naruto's conflicted emotions.

One he shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss.

Ignoring the sudden prickling worries in the back of his mind, Sasuke turned to face his anxious blonde. "It doesn't have to be" he said. And he meant that. He didn't need Naruto's ten-year devotion; he just needed him now.

"I just want to be with you, Naruto. I don't need anything more than that."

He shook his head, unable to belief that it could be that simple. "You say that, but-"

"This might be too good to be true."

Both boys froze.

They had been so caught up in each other that they completely failed to notice that they were no longer alone. More than that, they were completely surrounded.

"Both of them, just outside of Konoha. Alone. Almost as if they were waiting for us."

A man stepped out into the clearing, his Anbu mask scarred- the sign of a traitor. All of the men from that night wore the same thing, and few spoke. The ones that did were unfamiliar to them, but this voice- they both recognized this one.

And both were shocked to hear it.

"Kabuto..?"

Golden eyes flashed from behind the mask. Though only Sasuke could see it, it wasn't hard to guess at his expression when Naruto heard his voice- a sly sneer that rang of cruelty, just like Orochimaru's had.

Sasuke leapt to his feet as his sharingan slammed into his eyes, spinning with his agitation as he scanned the clearing. There were maybe two dozen men, their chakra masked like their faces, steadily advancing.

Sasuke could feel Kyuubi's chakra channeling through the blonde as he rose to his feet beside him, but without sight their power- even combined- was still pretty limited. Sasuke had to protect Naruto, first and foremost, meaning their best call was to abandon the fight and rush for Konohagakure. But their opponents would expect that.

And can we make it in time? They have multiple Forbidden Jutsus, and we only know about the one.

What if they have something else planned this time?

Sasuke took a step in front of his blonde, his arm out to keep him back as he faced off against the snake he should have disposed of a long time ago. "What do you want, Kabuto?" he snarled. "Why are you here?"

"What I want.. I want what my men want" the snake said, not fooling anyone but his mindless drones. "To rid the world of the undeserving."

His eyes sharpened behind the mask. "People like you, Sasuke."

The Uchiha sneered. "And you think you're qualified to decide that." He clenched his teeth together tight. "You are nothing, Kabuto. Orochimaru's lost puppet. A twisted snake desperate for power. And I can't think of anyone more undeserving of it."

A cruel laugh tore through the clearing, growing louder as the silver snake removed his mask and crushed it in his hands, sprinkling its remains like ashes at his feet. "Speaking of desperate" he purred, "how are you faring, Naruto?"

"You bastard!" Sasuke's hands moved fast as he screamed into the clearing. "Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

A massive fireball shot towards Kabuto, who quickly leapt to the side to avoid it. But Sasuke wasn't done. He turned with him, setting the forest ablaze and scattering several of his reinforcements. It wasn't much, but he hoped it would buy them time.

While they were momentarily distracted, Sasuke grabbed his blonde and leapt into the dense foliage above. He channeled as much chakra as he could into his legs and took off, hoping to get back to the village before they cornered them again.

They had tormented Naruto last time, but they had also let them escape. He had a feeling this time was going to be different. Especially when he saw that the group wasted no time at all racing after them. And it wasn't taking long for them to close in on their targets.

Shit.

"We're fucked, aren't we" Naruto said.

Not a question.

He didn't need to see Sasuke to know where his mind had gone. Because he had the same realization the moment they found out that they weren't alone in that clearing.

"No" Sasuke insisted, despite their doubts. "I'm getting you out of here. I won't let them-"

But his promise fell short.

In fact, everything fell.

His body- as something took hold of him and pulled him down. Some invisible force that he couldn't see, let alone deflect.

His blonde- from his grasp, and into the outstretched arms of a man with cruel intentions.

His consciousness- as his head slammed against the frozen ground with a sickening crack. As darkness closed in around him, taking him away. Just as Kabuto and his demented cult took his person.. his purpose.

His everything.

Sasuke could hear Naruto calling out for him as he faded, his voice sharp with panic and filled with rage, his cries for his friend mixed with vile curses for his captors. He could hear him fighting, struggling to break free. He could hear him fail, his screams of frustration blending with pained gasps as they roughly subdued him.

A shaky breath fell from Sasuke's lips, just like the rest of the world around him. He choked out Naruto's name and felt the syllables plummet to the ground, disintegrating beside him.

And then there was nothing.

Not a sound. No muffled protest, no fleeing footsteps, no whisper of clothing against grasping branches- nothing.

Even the wind had stilled.

And as darkness consumed him, Sasuke wondered if his breath would soon do the same.

Author Note:

And now~ a confrontation between myself and the angst horse that I hold responsible for every horrific element of my stories:

"Come on, Cinnamon! They were on a fucking date!"

~*raises horse eyebrow*

"Yes, but I thought you might-"

~*raises the other horse eyebrow*

"Ok, fair point."

~*throws on angst shades*

...

"Neigh."