Author's note: Thank you all for your sweet comments regarding the passing of my pet. I'm far from having an easy time yet; I thought writing would help distract me, but for the first time since I started to write, the process of doing so has been incredibly difficult. I ended up somehow completing this chapter, but it was far from easy. If my struggles in any way bleed through this, I apologise. I just wanted to do something to distract myself from the pain and it didn't really work that well.

Thanks to the following reviewers: 666snoopy; solitare1; Guest

Warnings: Violence; character death; description of injuries

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.

I hope this one isn't too bad!

Chapter 30

Moegi's scream was agonising, giving voice to the sudden loss she was experiencing, turning into a near howl like that of a wounded animal.

"Fucker!" Naruto cursed and Sasuke was barely aware of the way he shifted behind him, turning around to cover Moegi, though it was far too late.

Moegi kept screaming, her dead sister kept advancing while Rasa stood there with a disgusting grin on his face, enjoying the little girl's anguish. Clenching his jaw, Sasuke stepped forwards, ready to put Moegi's sister to rest when out of nowhere Gaara suddenly jumped towards a still grinning Rasa. As if in slow motion, Sasuke watched how Gaara lashed out with his blade, cutting open Rasa's throat without the slightest bit of hesitation. Rasa's eyes widened with shock and his hands flew to his throat, trying to stem the blood. It was useless: the cut even when done quickly was deep and had his blood spurting out liberally. He started to choke and splutter, blood dripping down the corners of his mouth, taking away his grin.

Gaara wasn't done just yet, though. As if possessed he lunged forwards and plunged his blade in Rasa's chest, pulling back roughly before shoving it into his stomach. Again and again, the blade flashed in the air, coming back absolutely drenched every time Gaara pulled it back. Rasa made a weak attempt at fending him off, but it was useless; his hands merely turned into yet another casualty of Gaara's rage, getting slashed and cut to pieces until Sasuke thought he could see flesh peeling back in ribbons.

Unable to flee from the frenzied attack and having lost too much blood at once, Rasa's knees gave out and he fell backwards. Gaara followed him down, plunging his blade into his father's chest again and again; a grim look covering his blood spattered face.

"Holy shit," Kisame said stunned when he hurried towards them, coming to an abrupt halt when he got a good look at what Gaara was doing.

Sasuke remembered to sink his blade into the girl's head, cutting off her own death rattle. He caught her by her arms before she sagged down and lowered her carefully onto the ground. She might be dead, she might be a stranger, but she was still Moegi's sister and it felt disrespectful to just let her drop down like he usually would with other zombies.

"Is he okay?" Kisame asked dubiously when Gaara reared back with a vicious snarl, panting as he sat next to his father's corpse.

Or what was left of it anyways. Sasuke couldn't help but grimace a bit. Rasa's torso looked like he had gone through a meat grinder: his stomach and chest had been slashed and hacked so many times, none of his intestines were even recognisable anymore, resembling more mush than actual organs. His skin was lacerated so badly, Sasuke could even see parts of his ribs peeking through the badly mangled flesh.

"What the fuck do you think, big guy?" Naruto said sarcastically.

When Sasuke turned his head, he saw Naruto handing over Moegi to Itachi. "Here, hold her."

Itachi was clearly taken aback, but he took over Moegi regardless, settling her on his hip. She immediately latched her arms around his neck, crying in his neck as her body shook badly with each sob.

With Moegi no longer having a death grip around his own neck, Naruto walked over to Gaara, sitting down next to him with his injured leg awkwardly stretched next to him. Gaara was staring unseeingly in the distance and didn't even do so much as twitch when Naruto took the blade away from him. Sasuke eyed them warily, honestly a bit concerned how Gaara would react. The red haired man looked so lost in his own mind that Sasuke couldn't help but worry that he might lash out at Naruto next and he stepped forwards, ready to interfere.

When Naruto grasped Gaara's upper arm, however, his friend shuddered and his shoulders slumped. He fell sideways, ending up with his head on Naruto's shoulder. His hand shot out, grasping Naruto's knee and he rasped out something too low for Sasuke's ears to catch. Whatever he said, it had Naruto wrapping his arms around his shoulders and bracing his cheek on top of Gaara's head.

"At least it's over," Kisame muttered warily and rubbed his cheek. "Not entirely the way I would have liked."

"We should bury her," Sasuke murmured, looking at Itachi.

It felt wrong to just leave Moegi's sister on the street like this, even when she had to have died a while ago. He usually didn't bother burying dead zombies, unless they ended near the compound, but this still had been Moegi's sister. The least they could do was bury her properly – or as proper as they could make it in the middle of a town.

Itachi nodded quietly and carefully patted Moegi's back. "Moegi-chan, we're going to bury your sister," he told her gently. "Do you want to pick out a nice place for her?"

She tightened her grip around his neck and after a long pause she haltingly nodded, keeping her face hidden in his shoulder.

"All right, let's go look for a nice spot," Itachi murmured and glanced at Sasuke before he threw a meaningful look at Naruto and Gaara, who were still sitting on the ground. "Stay with them," he mouthed and turned to Kisame next. "You help us bury her sister?"

"Sure," Kisame agreed and bent down to pick up the girl after he sheathed his sword in the holster on his back.

The three of them walked away to the other end of the street where some houses had a garden in the front. They weren't by any means really sizeable, but they would work as the last resting place for Moegi's sister.

Sasuke went over to Gaara and Naruto, sparing a glance for Rasa. His blood had formed a large pool around him, becoming absorbed by Gaara's jeans and part of Naruto's. The stench of rust and iron clung heavily to the air, leaving none of the petrichor scent behind. Sasuke had to switch from breathing through his nose to breathing through his mouth to make the smell somewhat bearable.

"He'll need a stab through - " Before Sasuke could finish his comment, Gaara leant forwards and swiftly planted his blade in Rasa's temple, driving it into his brain deeply.

"Right." Sasuke blinked and watched how the red haired man simply withdrew his blade with a blank look on his face. He couldn't help but ask, "You're going to be okay?"

It was probably a very stupid question, considering everything that had occurred this evening, but he asked it nonetheless if only to gauge how far gone Gaara truly was.

Gaara's snort sounded absurdly loud in the heavy silence blanketing the town. "I already am," he replied, putting away his blade. "He had it coming. Too bad Temari and Kankuro couldn't see this anymore."

"I'd say they will have their own fun with him in the afterlife but that would be claiming they would meet in the same place," Naruto said critically. "And Temari-nee-san and Kankuro are too good for him."

Sasuke stared down at what remained of Rasa. "I'd think a lot of people are too good compared to him," he said blankly.

"Can't argue with that," Gaara said, morbidly amused. He stretched his arms before pushing himself off the ground. "You need help?" He directed the question at Naruto, who shook his head and managed to get up without using his injured leg that much.

"Are they burying Moegi's sister?" Naruto asked when he noticed the absence of the others.

"Yeah, they're searching for a good place," Sasuke sighed and rubbed the back of his head. His eyes were starting to feel gritty; he would probably feel like an utter wreck tomorrow, but they still needed to leave this town and return home.

"You think the others will mind if we show up with Moegi?" Naruto asked apprehensively, rubbing the heel of his palm against the cut in his thigh.

"No, they won't," Sasuke reassured him. "She's a kid; I doubt she's planning anything nefarious."

"Kids can be arseholes," Gaara said pensively.

"Yeah, but we're going to assume she's not like that," Sasuke said dryly. "Ready to go to the car?"

"Yep, let's go," Naruto sighed, rolling his shoulders. "God, I'm so ready to go to bed."

It was a sentiment they all shared, no doubt about that.

They met up with the others at the end of the street. Moegi's hands were dirty with earth clumps; the tear tracks on her cheeks had some traces of mud as well, probably because she had been rubbing her face. She swayed on her feet, but upon seeing Naruto, she sniffled and held up her arms to him. Naruto blinked, appearing quite befuddled, but gave in nonetheless, hosting her on his hip again.

Looking past Kisame, Sasuke caught a glimpse of a nearby front garden missing a large part of its grass. Some dandelions were placed in the middle of the freshly dug up earth.

"Let's go," Itachi said. For the first time this night he looked as tired as he must feel like and he barely mustered a smile when Sasuke looked at him.

"I'll drive," Kisame muttered, catching the keys when Itachi threw them at him.

In silence they trudged back to the car, only meeting two other zombies on the way there which were quickly dispatched by Gaara. They didn't encounter anyone else and Sasuke spared a moment to wonder if Rasa had taken this town for himself entirely. This place wasn't exactly off the grid, evidenced by how looted some buildings looked like, so one would have expected to come across stragglers at the very least. If Rasa had gone after everybody who showed up here, though, that would explain why the town was so empty.

With one more street to go, Sasuke remembered they needed to warn father they would be returning home finally. He grabbed the walkie-talkie and clicked on the button to activate the connection. "Father?"

It was quiet for a moment before father's voice crackled through. "Sasuke? Everything all right?"

"Yeah, as all right as everything can be," he replied wearily. "We're nearly at the car; we'll be coming home soon."

"That's good to hear," Father sighed relieved. "Are the two girls with you then?"

"No, only one," Sasuke murmured, glancing at Moegi.

The combination of being carried and having cried her heart out had resulted in her falling asleep; her head slumped over Naruto's shoulder.

"Ah." Father was quiet for a moment before he spoke up, "I'll wait at the gates so that you can drive through immediately."

"Sounds good. We'll see you soon."

"Drive safely," Father cautioned before the line went dead.

Having arrived at the car, Gaara held the door open for Naruto, helping him get in without jostling Moegi too much. Somehow they managed to get into the back without awakening the girl, but Sasuke couldn't say whether that was a testament to their incredible skill or the fact that Moegi was simply too exhausted to wake up.

As soon as Gaara had sat down, Sasuke got in as well and all three of them awkwardly shifted around until Naruto sat mostly in the corner of the car with Gaara next to him and Sasuke at the other end; their weapons resting between their legs on the floor.

Kisame's huge frame nearly blocked out the small light in the front when he slipped behind the wheel and as soon as Itachi closed the door behind him, Kisame turned the key and the engine rumbled to life.

"Feel free to close your eyes," Kisame muttered, driving backwards a bit to get back on the road. "You all had a longer night than I had and it will be a little while still before we're back at the compound."

"It's fine," Itachi murmured, but leant his head against the window.

"So, now that we are still alive and have some time left before we're back," Gaara began, "what the hell were you on about earlier, with the cult?"

"Oh that," Naruto said, as if the whole bullshit with the cultist leader had happened ages ago instead of this afternoon.

"That, yes," Gaara said, slightly mockingly.

Sasuke didn't miss how his gaze flickered towards Naruto's leg before the light in the front went out, leaving only Kisame's and Itachi's profiles illuminated faintly by the dashboard.

"Well, as it turns out we both apparently pissed off a particular somebody of the Board when we decided that rescuing Sasuke and the others back then was more important than following a stupid rule," Naruto murmured. He shifted Moegi slightly so that she rested a bit more comfortably against his chest.

"What does that have to do with the clusterfuck that was this entire night?" Gaara asked bemused.

"You two weren't supposed to survive your trips," Sasuke said quietly. In the front Itachi twitched faintly. "Naruto had been sent to a town that father had crossed off weeks ago after Kisame and Itachi nearly got trapped by a bunch of zombies."

"A bunch? More like a shitload," Naruto snorted quietly.

"Back then we didn't know yet that that town was basically run by a cult leader and her follower," Sasuke continued, bracing his elbow against the window. "We only knew that there were too many zombies to take on, so father and the rest of the Board decided that town wouldn't be visited for trips anymore."

"That was until earlier today when Tobi showed up, saying he and I were sent on a run to that town," Naruto took over. His head was bent, but that was all Sasuke could make out from his position. "I didn't suspect anything amiss. Didn't even know which one of the Board had sent us, just figured it would be a fairly easy trip, so we took the fastest bike available. That town ended up being a giant trap as Sasuke mentioned. We were driving through the first street when zombies came pouring out, blocking our way back."

"You couldn't drive through them?" Gaara questioned, keeping his injured arm pressed against his stomach.

"No, way too many of them to risk it. Tobi was panicking pretty badly as well, so even if I had tried turning back, he might have caused us to crash or so." Naruto inhaled deeply. "There's not much to it, honestly. I came up with a plan to decapitate most of those arseholes, but when I was nearly finished, this fucking cult leader showed up with her boytoy. We got into a brawl, I managed to get a couple of good hits in but then she grabbed Tobi."

Naruto shifted slightly. "Told her we could talk it out, but she slashed his throat, left him behind and that fucker managed to knock me out. By the time I woke up again, they had me tied up in some kind of basement and the crazy bitch was trying to convert me to their cult."

"And I take it she didn't try to convert you solely by using words," Gaara said flatly.

"No, she decided that using that grating voice of hers wasn't enough," Naruto scoffed. "Sasuke found me, though, together with Itachi and – Sasori, was his name, right?"

"Yes, Sasori," Sasuke confirmed.

"Itachi set the place on fire as a distraction and we managed to get out of there. Crazy bitch and her follower were a lot less lucky, though," Naruto finished grimly.

"You set an entire town on fire?" Gaara asked Itachi, sounding vaguely impressed.

Itachi rolled his shoulders. "We needed to create a diversion and fire tends to do the trick quite nicely," he said idly.

"God, remind me to never piss you off," Kisame muttered, driving out of the town.

"By the time we arrived at the apartment, I saw your note and realised something had to be wrong," Naruto added. "You should have been back by then and you weren't, so we went after you. Sorry it took us so long."

"The hell are you apologising for?" Gaara said gruffly. "Not like you chose to have a cult leader after your arse."

"Nope, I know better ways to spend my afternoon," Naruto mumbled.

"The place I was sent to – was that one crossed off the list as well then?" Gaara questioned.

"No, we hadn't even visited that place before," Itachi replied, shaking his head.

"So this Board member – did they just hope that something there would finish me off or did they have a way of knowing that town had a herd passing through?" Gaara asked darkly.

"That is a very good question," Itachi murmured. "He never came across as someone leaving things up to chance, but I wouldn't have any idea how he would have known that town wasn't exactly safe for one person to go through either."

"Who is the fucker actually?" Gaara inquired, sounding almost idly but the tension in his body was quite palpable.

"We suspect it was Danzo," Sasuke replied, curling his hand into a fist on his thigh. "He's always been a giant stickler for the rules and he wasn't exactly happy that you two got off 'lightly' after you went after me and the rest."

"There is being a stickler for the rules and then there is being a coldblooded murderer," Gaara said coolly. "You're telling me Naruto and I nearly died because some old douchebag has a grudge against us? Are you serious right now?"

"We don't have any definite proof yet – finding you two alive took priority - "

"Well, thank fuck for that," Gaara muttered sarcastically.

"But only the Board has the authority to send people outside the compound and only one person is pissed off with you two," Sasuke went on, ignoring Gaara's interruption. "A case of one plus one, really."

"When I get my hands on him, he'll wish I had stayed behind," Gaara said darkly.

If Sasuke hadn't had a clue before how dangerous Gaara – and Naruto – could be, having witnessed that scene with his father really had driven the point through and he swallowed, scratching the bridge of his nose.

"Before you do anything, at least let us gather some proof first," Itachi said calmly.

"Why should I give that fucker the chance to get away?" Gaara asked coldly. "He didn't give me and Naruto a chance either. And don't start any bullshit about being the better person. Fuck being the better person, that ain't keeping us alive."

"I wasn't going to," Itachi spoke serenely. "I do think it's important to figure out if more people were involved in this, though. At the very least it would be smart to find out if he sent you to that town because he knew you'd be in trouble for sure or whether he just sent you there, hoping you'd land in trouble."

"Sounds reasonable," Naruto mumbled.

"Fine, but after that he won't get away," Gaara spat, barely keeping his voice low enough not to wake up Moegi.

"I'd say I hate to be in his shoes, but honestly, sounds like he has it coming," Kisame muttered.

Father was indeed waiting for them at the gates when they returned and next to him, Tsunade stood, wrapped up in a thick robe. She tutted her lips when Naruto opened the door, manoeuvring Moegi towards the opening.

"Poor girl," Tsunade clucked her tongue, lifting up the girl in her arms. "Barely weighs a thing."

"Who knows how long they were on the road," Naruto muttered and they all got out of the car.

Moegi uttered a confused, sleepy noise and opened her eyes a sliver.

"Ssssh, you can go back to sleep; you're safe here," Tsunade said soothingly.

Perhaps still too tired, Moegi easily fell back asleep even in the arms of a stranger.

Brown eyes sharpened when they landed on Naruto's thigh. "Did you manage to re-open your cut?"

"If I did, it closed again a while ago," he replied lightly.

She looked like she was about to reprimand him, but then took a deep breath and turned around. "All of you, go to sleep. Brat, I'll be seeing you tomorrow to check your injuries. Gaara, you too. After lunch, don't be late."

"Ay ay, captain," Naruto retorted and saluted her mockingly.

She gave him a warning look, but walked away, carrying Moegi to her practice.

"Tsunade-sama is right, you should all go to sleep; it's been a very long night," Father remarked.

Fingers tangled with his own and Sasuke looked down surprised before flicking his eyes at Naruto. Naruto glanced away, but tugged at his hand, conveying his silent demand. Sasuke turned to look at his brother and father, but they both waved him off with a tired smile.

"Come on, let's go," Sasuke mumbled.

The three of them – he, Naruto and Gaara – trudged their way to the latter's apartment. As they ascended the staircase, a bone deep weariness settled within Sasuke and he found it was becoming harder and harder to keep his eyes open. How late was it even? Four, five in the morning? The sky was no longer that dark; streaks of pink and purple colouring it, announcing the approaching dawn.

They took turns in the bathroom: cleaning themselves up a bit and removing their blood stained clothes. Sasuke spared a moment to wonder where he would get a new set of clothes before promptly dismissing the thought, deeming sleep far more important right now. Everything else – Danzo's betrayal, his bloody clothes, Moegi – could wait until after he had had some sleep, fuck.

Leaving the bathroom, he came to an abrupt halt when he saw that the table in the living room had been shoved aside, leaving the free space to be filled up with some blankets and some pillows. Naruto was already laying down, his back braced against the couch and his gaze caught Sasuke's. He smiled tiredly and shrugged.

"Bed's too small for the three of us," he said; his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"The three of us?" Sasuke repeated confused before Gaara walked out of the bedroom, carrying another blanket.

He dropped it on top of Naruto and lightly kicked him in his chin. "Roll over; I'm not going to spoon your boyfriend," he droned out, leaving Sasuke blinking like an idiot.

"Aw, I get to be the middle spoon?" Naruto teased, but he sounded too tired to really joke around. He lifted up his hand, holding it out to Sasuke. "Come on, get in. I want to go to sleep now."

"A sleepover in the living room? What are we, five?" Sasuke muttered, but acquiesced, walking over to the makeshift bed in just his underwear.

He was dragged down as soon as he came near Naruto and he easily went along with it, ended up on his back with Naruto pressed into his side, his injured leg coming up to rest over Sasuke's. When Sasuke turned his head, he saw Gaara lying down on Naruto's other side, curling into his back.

It should be weird, Sasuke mused idly as his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, sharing the bed not only with Naruto but with Gaara as well. He couldn't find it in him to care, though. Not after the fucked up day and night they had had. Having Gaara around was even somewhat soothing in a way, if only because Naruto felt relaxed against Sasuke, secure in the knowledge that his best friend was with him again.

The floor wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to fall asleep on – not even the carpet and a blanket could offer much protection against the hardness of the floor – but right now, this early morning, Sasuke wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

He was lulled to sleep by the twin sounds of gentle breathing.

AN2: Again, sorry if this chapter isn't that great, but thank you again for all your sweet comments. They have made the pain a bit more bearable.

Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.

I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!

Cuddles

Melissa

P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.