Chapter 76: Unwanted realizations

Codependent

He'd heard Kagome use that word to describe the nature of their relationship once while she ranted about Orochimaru's imposed schedule and how much the madman managed to tie them down. Quite honestly, Sasuke couldn't care less about what anyone chose to call their relationship. Before leaving the village, he'd worried about what sort of label could accurately describe them before realizing that it didn't matter at all; since no matter what anyone called it, the truth wouldn't change. Kagome was his, and he was hers.

It was as simple as that.

If the word that suited them best was codependency, then so be it. Especially if that meant there was no chance for her to ever leave his side. Not that it did anything to soothe his jealousy whenever she turned on the charm to weave her web of carefully crafted stories. He could deal with it when interacting with Juugo and Suigetsu; the girl always liked the idea of keeping strays, and if it kept her happy, then that was all the justification he needed to bite his tongue. And while he hated staying with the Taishos, everybody knew not to touch the Higurashi girl, with only the obviously adopted girl as an exception to that rule. But that was not the case when Kagome interacted with her main informants. Their loyalty was what gave them worth, and it was important they remained devoted to her, meaning she'd do her best to keep their infatuation as strong as possible. That also meant they couldn't simply throw them away without thinking. So he'd decided to try and gather some information in the shadier parts of town while the girl got the hostess ready to leave town with one of her shikigamis. Preparations had been made from the very beginning, so this really shouldn't take longer than an hour at most. There shouldn't even be a need for the girl to have to rely on the small paper doll hidden within his sleeve in the form of an azure ladybug to keep calm.

"You know, I'm starting to understand why the princess tries to avoid the bottom of the barrel." Suigetsu took a gulp of his sake before making a face. "We're not getting anything worth shit."

"What you get is what you paid for. No one here will think twice before lying if it gets them another bottle," Sasuke scoffed, glancing around the poorly lit bar.

"We meeting back with them at the Izakaya, right?" Disdain was dripping from the older teen's voice. "Even I wouldn't want her to step in this place."

Shaking his head, the Uchiha corrected him. "Southeast entrance."

Their plan was to run straight to where an ambush was waiting for them. Admittedly, that was far from their best strategy, but Sasuke was sick and tired of this fucking bastard trying to get to Kagome, and for once, it looked like the girl felt the exact same frustration as he did. At the very least, it would serve as a test of their abilities since, according to what they'd gathered, the Shichinintai were still below the Akatsuki in terms of overall strength, and getting rid of them was still in their schedule. For all intents and purposes, they should be able to handle their wanna-be hunters. Though his irritation at how much this whole shirt show was derailing their main goals didn't diminish in the slightest. All because the spineless bastard who can't be bothered to show his face.

"The files we gave you…" he started.

"Yeah, yeah, I read them all." Suigetsu waved a hand in dismissal. "Not interested to find out how it feels like to be brought back from the brink of death by that weird energy of hers."

"Hmph, then don't fail…" A harsh grip pulled on his shoulder, cutting his sentence short.

"…Sasuke?"

Dark eyes locked onto bright cerulean, the shade of blue just as easy to recognize as the blinding orange that was very much still prominent in the clothes picked by the person Sasuke once called his one and only friend.

…

Fuck.

Being apart from Kagome was never easy. He could deal with the separation better than she did, but it still affected him all the same…even so… How the hell did Sasuke miss this? How the fuck did he fail to notice that Uzumaki Naruto, the reason he almost lost what was left of his world, had entered the bar?

What was he even supposed to do now?

Fingers twitched as the Uchiha failed to reach for his sword. Regardless of what result he got, things would get messy. Kagome refused to let go of their tattered and frayed bond; if his attack were to succeed, she'd be furious and devastated. Worst of all, they'd get Konoha to actively hunt them down before they were ready to make their move. If the blond managed to block him, this would turn into a fight and throw all the work the girl had put into building up a clean reputation down the drain.

"Huh? Who even are you?" For all the hostility in his voice, Suigetsu was still being careful. "You two know each other?"

"Oi, that's my line here!" And, of course, Naruto was already screaming.

Kagome would know how to defuse the situation.

She'd always known how to pull on the blond's strings.

If the Uchiha's chakra spiked, she'd drop everything and come to him…and she'd place herself near the demonic fox's reach once more.

"He's one of Kagome's newest strays," he said, barely glancing at the jinchuuriki. "Useful pets she likes to keep around; that's something you should understand."

"What…?"

"It means I'm one of the pieces the princess' can move around as she pleases without having to worry too much. Though she probably wouldn't choose those words." The former Kiri-nin followed his lead and remained sitting. "Name's Suigetsu, by the way. Now, who the fuck are you?"

"N-Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto," the idiot stammered.

"There, all introductions are finished." Sasuke took a drink of the cheap sake. "Now, do me a favor and get out of my sight."

He glanced at the blond, already knowing neither his words nor his very obvious body language would do the trick. Because Uzumaki Naruto hadn't changed at all.

There was no way to miss the earnest and stupidly stubborn gleam in his eyes. Even as children, the moron never learned when to quit. A foolish trait, one that could turn fatal in an instant. Especially when the idiot insisted on ignoring spoken and unspoken warnings alike.

"Wa-wait…we need to talk." Naturally, Naruto pushed through. "Where is Kagome?"

"Not here. Do you really think I'd tell you, of all people, where she is?"

Hurt flashed within cerulean orbs, and Sasuke willed the small voice that reminded him it was the Kyuubi and not Naruto who was responsible for the girl's injury to just shut the fuck up. If the imprisoned demon managed to harm others, it was only because of its jailer's failure. And nothing mattered more than Kagome.

"I've…I've been training how to control it." The blond's voice was tight, probably fighting to keep calm. "If we can just talk…"

"Man, talk about a thick skull. Look, I've no clue what kinda relationship you had with them, but whatever it was, it doesn't matter. Neither of them wants to talk to you." Suigetsu was getting irritated.

"You don't even…!"

"Leave, Naruto." Sasuke cut him off. "Before my patience runs out and I decide Kagome's safety is worth more than the value she gives your pathetic life."

It would be so much easier if he could just claim the girl had gotten sick and tired of the blond idiot ignoring her instructions and decided to stop bothering herself with the jinchuuriki. If the moron thought even Kagome had abandoned him, there was a better chance he'd finally stop chasing them. But Sasuke knew her inside and out. Hell, at this point, he knew her better than he knew himself, and there was no doubt in his mind that this was one of the few acts she wouldn't be able to keep up for long. Her words back in Suna hadn't been part of any charades. While she'd follow him to the pits of hell with a smile on her lips, hurting the one person they'd considered a friend would still pain her. No, he had to find a way to get rid of him without resorting to any lethal options.

"Her…her safety? Was going to Orochimaru safe?!" Ah, there it was, the limit of the moron's patience. "Did you truly lose your mind?!"

"Perhaps you missed it, but I killed that madman before he could try to do anything." Tension bled from his words, threatening to shatter his self-control.

"Oi, Sasuke, I know you probably don't need me to say this, but Kagome explicitly told us not to attract attention to ourselves." If Suigetsu was daring to try and pull him back, he couldn't imagine what face he was making. "And I reallydon't care to find out what other kinds of poisons the princess has hidden in her sleeves."

Right. Incomplete as it may be, they had a plan, and starting a fight in the middle of a trading town didn't factor into it. No matter how much Sasuke wished he could force the blond to go. "What? Did she freak you out?"

"No offense, but unlike you and Juugo, I still have a bit of common sense left," the older teen gave a bitter laugh.

The crack of the table brought a wave of silence to the seedy bar. Bright crimson stained the closed fist of the one he'd called his best friend. He hadn't even used chakra to protect his hand before slamming it against the cheap wood.

"You…talking to you alone is useless." The words were hissed through gritted teeth. "Where is Kagome?"

"Yes, talking to you is useless, so try and make the message sink in: I'm not risking her safety because of your pointless whims." Irritation was morphing into anger the longer Sasuke spoke.

"But you already did! How long did it take you to become strong enough to kill Orochimaru?!" And whatever control the blond had was entirely gone. "He was insane! What if he decided to do something before you could do anything?!"

"What do you know…"

"Even if she could give you a warning, her intuition is worth shit if there's nothing you can actually do!" This was senseless, the moron was going on a tirade, and the best thing to do would be to walk off the bar. "Even now you're still putting her in danger, aren't you?!"

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Ummm…Sasuke…"

"Jumping right into a trap just to get some information is too reckless! That's not the kind of plan A she'd go for. It has your name all over it, though," the blond continued, ignoring everything around him. "Or are you telling me you didn't have to convince her?"

…this was why he hated being friends with Uzumaki Naruto.

…this was why he appreciated being friends with Uzumaki Naruto.

Not once did the boy care for the privilege associated with his family name. For better or worse, there was no filter between what the blond said and what he felt, and he'd never been afraid of speaking out his genuine disapproval. Uncaring about earning his acceptance or trying to benefit from their connection. Yes, Kagome was stubborn, and she was never afraid to point out his mistakes, she knew him like the back of his hand, but she also knew what to say and how to say it to get him to calm down and back down without pushing him to the edge. Even Itachi was subtle when reprimanding him too. Truly the only person who ever forced him to look at the decisions he made and the potential consequences and implications of them without softening the blow was Naruto. In more than one way, the blond helped ground him.

But he didn't need to be grounded right now.

None of their options were perfect, every choice carried a risk. Of course, it was fucking dangerous, but staying still wasn't a decision they could afford to make, and the idiot had no idea of the sort of situation they were in. Because Naruto was rash and impulsive and needed them to protect him. And more than once, the girl was the one who ended up paying the price. After all this, she was still willing to get hurt to keep safe someone who couldn't be relied on to keep the Kyuubi from almost killing her.

Dull pain blanketed his closed fist.

He didn't use chakra, but the hit was more than enough to send Naruto crashing onto one of the surrounding tables. All Sasuke could hear was a low ringing in his ears.

"Shit…I know she loves those stupid word games, but I'm pretty fucking sure starting a fight counts as making a scene." Suigetsu gripped his shoulder.

"We're leaving," Sasuke bit out.

A shikigami could take care of the rest here. In the first place, the only reason they were in this town was because Kagome wanted to reaffirm her informant's loyalty to her, and the visit alone should be more than enough. What mattered right now was to have her at his side to quiet the violent urges that would have him leave the whole town smoldering in flames.

"Where…" Something else now laced the blond's growling voice, and he didn't even need to turn to know what he'd find out. "Where do you think you're going, you bastard!"

He should've turned away and gone back to town after recognizing who was sitting in the bar's corner.

Because getting Sasuke to shut up and listen was an impossible task only a select few could accomplish, Naruto had never been one of them.

Going back to search the streets would've been the smart choice to make. Because if the Uchiha was here, so was Kagome, and she'd always been the more reasonable one of the two. She'd be far more willing to hear him out, even if it was only to try and find a way to convince him to fall back. Anyone would've known the bastard would immediately jump at the chance to throw insults his way and try to bait him just as he did at the Valley of the End saying empty words to rile him up. Except, Naruto really wasn't too sure about how much of what the Uchiha was saying was true anymore.

Surprise took over his body, and he'd open his mouth before he even noticed what he'd done, so there was nothing the blond could do but plow ahead. Now that he'd shown himself to Sasuke, the bastard would rush to Kagome and leave as soon as humanly possible.

That's why he did his best to bite his tongue despite the words sent his way. Trying his hardest to ignore the hurt, Naruto swallowed down his usual retorts and did what he'd always done. He probed and pushed, but it did nothing to dull the pain the very obvious implications behind the words thrown his way left behind. He'd outlived his usefulness, been replaced by people who were safe and could be counted on.

Strays, pets. Pieces for them to use and discard as they wanted.

Replaceable.

He didn't want to believe either of his childhood friends was the type to use other people as sacrificial pawns. Memories from their shared childhood rebelled at the mere idea of it…but three years had passed, and whatever it was they were hiding had pushed them both to their limits. Those two had never thought too much about killing to keep the other safe. Using people like that wasn't that much of a stretch for the pair.

But that wasn't how things had been between the three of them. It never had, not even once.

They'd been friends, they'd fought for and cared for each other…before the massacre, their bonds had been genuine, the real thing. And that hadn't changed after they became the only living inhabitants of the Uchiha compound either. It couldn't have changed. Not Kagome's feelings and not Sasuke's intentions. Sasuke's anger wouldn't be there if the moody bastard only thought of him as one more discardable piece. Really, part of this was his own fault. He should've left from the start. The Uchiha always knew how to find the most hurtful things to hurl at him. When things didn't go his way, he started fights, and when verbal fights didn't do it, things became physical. So he should've seen that punch coming. He should've known better than to let the insults get to him.

Naruto had never been good at keeping calm.

Even though he could feel the wisps of the demonic chakra seep into his own. Echoing the cruel voice that offered him power because that alone would be enough.

Because if he wanted Sasuke to shut up and fucking listen, he'd have to beat him into silence.

Tailed beasts.

Jinchuurikis.

He'd heard the term being thrown around before, and for all that he knew what it meant, Suigetsu hadn't really knownanything at all.

Nothing about the blond who'd crashed into the bar demanding answers from Sasuke sent any alarms ringing inside his brain. The guy was clearly brain dead, for not taking the constant outs the Uchiha had given him in a move that showed more patience than the ex-Kiri nin thought their moody leader could show to anyone who wasn't Kagome, and that was about it. Now, however, looking at the red seeping into the blond's very visible chakra, every single cell within his body was screaming at him that the idiot he'd dismissed was dangerous. His sentiment echoed by the tension that settled over Sasuke's posture. Whatever happened from here on out, it wouldn't be good.

For once, he wished the girl was here. If not to turn this situation in their favor, then at the very least so she couldn't blame him for not being able to stop Sasuke before things got ugly.

"Suigetsu, get the people far from here." Sasuke was gritting his teeth, black eyes locked on the chakra-covered jinchuuriki as he spoke to the blond this time. "If you can't even take a punch without letting that rabid fox out, then I might as well put you down for good."

"Wouldn't it be easier to outrun him or something?" he tried again, pointless as he knew it was.

"You're not running away!" Crap, the guy was screaming again. "Not again!"

Fucking hell…

The princess was gonna have his head for this, but trying to change the Uchiha's mind would be more pointless than waiting for snow in Suna.

"Oi, you idiots! Get the hell away from here!"

His voice rose, drowning the cutting exchange at his back, not that it was making any fucking difference to the bunch of stupids who were now trying to get a better look at the incoming fight, and Suigetsu wanted to start throwing punches too. Sasuke's control wouldn't last much longer; it was a miracle he'd lasted this long already. Hard as it was to imagine his two leaders as anything but the cold and calculating shinobis they were today, the blond was likely telling the truth. Those three had once been close friends.

Which meant both would be pretty freaking pissed when things calmed down, and he better play his part right. Letting civilians get killed as collateral just because they were brainless wouldn't do anything for the reputation the girl cared for. Influencing stupid people wasn't his thing, then again, the only thing that mattered was that they survived, wasn't it? Decision made, Suigetsu reached for his sword. As long as there were people to brainwash, the princess could spin it all in their favor. Heat exploded behind him just as his jutsu took effect. Body losing solidity, he mixed with the wave, pushing the patrons back.

Monsters could only be hunted by monsters themselves.

…so this was what Akatsuki was targeting.

Four tails…

Just the one almost killed him three years ago.

Almost killed Kagome.

She was on her way to where they were. He didn't need to focus to know the girl was racing to this place with no regard for her own safety after feeling the Kyuubi's chakra explode. She'd try to stop the fight, even if that placed her at risk.

No trace of cerulean was left in his former teammate's eyes; there was no guarantee her pained screams would be enough to make Naruto snap out of it. As it was, the anguished and terrorized yells of the people Suigetsu forcefully shoved away were falling on deaf ears. He might not stop.

But neither would the jinchuurikis that Akatsuki was hunting. His brother was trusted to bring Naruto down. That was the kind of strength that caused Konoha's Council to become anxious.

To obtain his revenge, that was the level of power he needed to obtain.

Behind him, the Uchiha could hear a high-pitched voice yelling his name, only for Suigetsu to yell back, irritated at the replacements Konoha chose to place with the jinchuuriki who'd raced in, attracted by the loud noise. They'd probably been scouting close by, but Haruno's annoying demands were ignored by all but the former Kiri-nin, who screamed back at her to get the civilians the hell away from the streets turned battlefield.

As for the thing in front of him…it was the Kyuubi and nothing more.

Even with the inhuman healing afforded thanks to the fox's chakra, if he could get one clean hit with both, the curse mark and the sharingan activated, he should be able to end this once and for all. The tailed beasts were attracted to the Higurashi reiki, even if the humans that held them didn't wish to harm the girl, one lapse of control was all that was needed for disaster to strike. They were all a threat. No exceptions. For Kagome's safety, there was no need for him to hesitate. They could deal with the aftermath one way or another, paint this as nothing but self defense.

It wouldn't take long for her to get here and stop him. Chakra pulsed through him, letting crimson overtake black, slowing the world around him. As the black taint spread over his flesh, his strength grew with it. A little more, and he'd reach the second stage.

The flow of chakra stopped.

He cut it.

Four tails, less than half of what the fox was capable of, and no hint of recognition from the person he'd called his best friend.

Kagome would be here soon enough.

Lighting danced across his fingers. Chakra pooled in his feet. Heat reached to trap him, trying to consume him. Corrupted chakra rushed at him, undisturbed by the lighting piercing his container's flesh.

Natural disasters, indeed.

Screams rose, filling the air and invading his sense as the fox's chakra exploded against the place he'd been standing on. Fast, but the beast was acting on instinct. Naruto would've known Sasuke would evade the first hit and prepare a follow-up. Maybe try to set up a trap. The idiot would've stopped the fight after realizing Haruno was one of the people who screeched in pain. But the demon didn't care for collateral.

His hands skipped the seals. Fire clashed against the Kyuubi's energy. Not enough, these attacks were not strong enough to force the monster to stop. They'd never be. The cursed mark pulsed, temptation rising through his neck. It wouldn't take much to trigger the second phase.

There would be no turning back.

A grunt escaped him as a body crashed against him. His feet left the floor. Graying skin caught his eye. Juugo. Shit, Kagome made it faster than he'd hoped. Before he could try and shift to get away from Juugo's hold, he felt it. A tiny prick from a familiar needle. Curses filled his mind as his vision swam, chakra faltering and wavering until his eyes were pitch black and his skin unblemished. His limbs felt like lead. Of course she'd drug him. Not even the influx of anger was enough to stop his eyes from closing; his body limp as he was carried away.

A/N: So…this is shorter than usual…and it took a while, but honestly I really tried to make this longer but the pacing just didn't work, I had to re-do it several times before giving up on the length. Hopefully, this feels enough though. More than anything I wanted to focus on Sasuke's feelings about this whole mess, since the other two are very open about their opinion.

As always, thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/criticism/comment is greatly greatly appreciated.