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

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

It's All In Your Head

Chapter 52: Reveal

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"Naruto..? What are you doing? What is this?"

Sasuke could feel his mind being pulled in, completely succumbing to the blonde's memories. He wasn't sure what all of this was about, but he definitely didn't like how it started.

He could see Itachi sitting beside the blonde in another one of his Mangekyou prisons. His eyes were locked on him, filled with so much intensity and.. emotions Sasuke would rather leave unnamed.

"You tried to steal his hate from me, Naruto" he heard him say, his voice low and heavy, weighed down with something he'd also prefer not to think about.

"I shouldn't have panicked like that, resorted to.. to that.."

Sasuke flinched, and saw Naruto do the same. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who put together which that Itachi was referring to.

"..but I needed a way to make him-"

"Fuck you."

Sasuke's stomach clenched tight at the pained look in those blue eyes. He wanted so bad to reach out to him, to comfort him- the Naruto in the memory and the real one. He wanted him to forget about Itachi. But he had opened up his mind to him, and he must have started here for a reason.

"I don't want to hear your excuses."

Itachi nodded. "That's probably a good thing."

Naruto's eyes flared with rage, and Sasuke felt the same burn in his own. Naruto, is this what you want me to see? he asked.

Almost.

"What is that supposed to mean?" the memory of his blonde shouted, pulling Sasuke's attention back.

"You really don't know?"

Sasuke could see Itachi glance over at Naruto, could see his blood-red eyes soften as he considered him.

It made him sick.

"Don't worry" Itachi said gently, "no one else can see these thoughts besides the two of us."

Sasuke watched with growing concern as the Mangekyou illusion changed and an image of Naruto appeared before them. He was sitting at a table in the cabin Itachi had trapped him in. His head was propped up on his hand, his eyes locked on the raven as he moved through the kitchen. Itachi must have felt his gaze, because he glanced over his shoulder and quirked a brow at the blonde. "Any particular reason why you're staring?"

Naruto blushed and quickly looked away. "I'm not staring."

Itachi smirked and walked over to the table, eyes flashing with amusement as Naruto's blush deepened. He placed a large pale hand in front of him and leaned forward. When Naruto still wouldn't meet his gaze, he gently grasped his chin and lifted his head. Blue eyes widened, flickering between inky black pools- so like the ones that he missed every day.

"I don't mind if you look" Itachi said softly. "In fact," he leaned closer, "I think I prefer it."

Naruto swallowed audibly. "It- it's just because you remind me of Sasuke" he murmured.

Itachi paused, but he didn't pull away. "Or maybe you just have a type."

Naruto bit his lip and pushed the Uchiha back. The two exchanged a look, an uncomfortably intimate look, before Itachi finally retreated and went back to the kitchen, leaving Naruto to his thoughts.

Is that what this is? Sasuke could hear memory-Naruto thinking.

Why do I feel so..

His voice faded out, along with the memory, and another slipped in to replace it. Naruto was thrashing around in bed, crying out in his sleep- clearly in the throes of a horrible nightmare. Another piercing, jagged scream sliced through the stillness and his bedroom door slammed open. Itachi rushed over to his bedside and tried to shake him awake, but he couldn't seem to break free. "Nnnn.. n-no.. No!"

"Naruto!!"

A gasp tore through his chest as wide blue eyes snapped open, frantically searching the dark room. "I- I don't-"

"Shhh.. it's ok." Naruto stiffened as Itachi climbed onto the bed, but the raven chose not to comment on it. He slipped in beside the blonde, and when he tried to scoot away, he pulled him close.

"Itachi!"

"Don't be afraid, Naruto. I'm not going to hurt you." He buried his hand in blonde locks and pulled his head down to his chest. "Just breathe."

"Why are you in here..?" Naruto nervously asked.

Itachi considered him for a moment before dropping his chin on his head and tightening his arm around his waist. "Because you needed me."

Sasuke could see him try to push out of his brother's grasp, and failing in his attempts.

"If you'd prefer to keep denying it, just pretend I'm Sasuke."

Pain flashed in those cerulean eyes and he quickly blinked back tears. "I'm not going to do that."

"I won't stay long" Itachi murmured. "Just close your eyes. I'll leave when you're asleep."

"Why do you keep doing this.." Naruto choked out, forcing the words past the tears lodged in the back of his throat.

Itachi tilted just head so he could gaze down at the distraught blonde, his dark eyes filled with so much pain and.. longing. "Why do you keep pretending you don't want me to?"

Sasuke could feel something sharp in his chest, making him breathless. He was pissed that his brother dared put his hands on his blonde, but it fucking hurt to see the uncertainty in Naruto's eyes.

Like part of him liked it.

The real Naruto heard his thought and flinched, but he didn't refute it- which made it a lot more painful to bear.

The image of the two of them in bed faded and a compilation of others flashed before them. Itachi gazing at the stars with Naruto. Naruto nearly falling in the kitchen only to be saved by his captor. Itachi disheveling blonde locks, a small smile on his face. Naruto rolling his eyes as the raven made some offhanded joke.

Every image, every memory, revealed a completely different reality than the one Sasuke had had in his head. He saw Itachi attack Naruto, saw him force himself on him, but he never saw this. It reminded him of his relationship with Naruto. In fact, he wasn't sure it was really any different.

What is this? he thought, struggling to keep the anger and judgement out of his voice. Why do you seem so-

He didn't want to say it, and he definitely didn't want to think it, but he couldn't keep the word from either of them.

..happy.

Impenetrable walls suddenly shot up around the memories, and Sasuke could feel himself being shoved out of the blonde's head. The images disappeared, but he couldn't forget them. Couldn't unsee them.

He wasn't sure he ever could.

"Naruto" Sasuke grabbed his arm and jerked him close, "what the hell was that?!"

Another tear slipped free from its watery blue prison, making the Uchiha's anger falter. For a moment.

"I'm sorry" Naruto choked. "I.. I didn't see it until.. the last time he used the Mangekyou he showed me all of that." He looked up, desperation flashing through his eyes. "That's why I couldn't talk to you. I don't.. I don't know what to say. What to think. I-"

"Did you love him?" Sasuke's voice was sharper than he meant for it to be and Naruto flinched like it had cut right through him, like it had left a mark.

He shook his head, but Sasuke didn't believe him.

"Answer me, Naruto. Did you love Itachi?"

He shook his head again. "No.. it's- it's only ever been you."

Sasuke wanted to believe that. He wanted to believe it so badly, but that's not what he just saw. And he had a feeling Naruto was upset because he had seen the exact same thing.

"Denying it doesn't change anything" he snarled. "I saw it, Naruto. How can you pretend you didn't feel that way?!"

His hands slipped away from the blonde, the weight of his despair making his entire body feel heavy. "So this is why you said my feelings might change."

Naruto didn't respond.

He didn't know how.

Dark eyes shot up as a thought suddenly occurred to him, brows furrowed low- drowning them in shadows. "..Did you even want to be saved?"

Naruto paled. "How could you say that?"

"How could you fall for him?!" Sasuke snapped back. "How could you choose Itachi?"

"Sasuke, that's not-"

"Are you still trying to deny it?! After all of that?!" he shouted, eyes flashing with rage. "Did he even fucking attack you? Or did I just keep you from getting what you really wanted?"

A resounding smack echoed through the kitchen. Sasuke's face ached, and he jerked it back to glare at the blonde. "What, am I wrong?"

Naruto took a step back, his face stricken with pain. "I can't believe you just said that.."

"And I can't believe that you wanted to fuck my brother!!"

The blues in Naruto's eyes suddenly flashed red. "Fuck you" he growled, his voice deepening.

"Maybe you would if I was Itachi" Sasuke bit back. "Must be disappointing to be locked up with the wrong brother!"

Naruto screamed and leapt at him. Sasuke went to block him, but the blonde flickered out of view. He reappeared at his side and punched him in the face, hard. Sasuke went flying and crashed in the wall. Naruto rushed him again, but Sasuke expected it this time. He dodged his fist and leapt to the side, but Naruto wasn't done. He moved fast, closing in. Sasuke was restricted from his chakra, but his instincts were still solid. He ducked low and swept his leg out and, blinded by his anger, Naruto rushed right into its path. He lost his footing and fell back, and Sasuke jumped on top of him. He grabbed Naruto's wrists and forced them down to the floor on either side of his head.

"Let go, asshole!" Naruto shouted, his eyes back to blue, his voice entirely his own again.

"Can you really blame me for being upset?!" Sasuke screamed. "Wouldn't you be?!"

Naruto turned away, his jaw clenched tight. "You should know me.." He jerked his head back to glare up at him. "You should fucking know me!!" he screamed. "Do you really think I wanted any of this?!"

"I don't know what to think, Naruto! You've told me a hundred fucking times that you changed, that three years is a long time, and then I see that- what do you want me to do with all of this?!"

"I.. I don't know, ok?!"

He forced back a sob, but Sasuke must have seen it on his face because his grip on his wrists loosened. Naruto pulled an arm free and threw it over his eyes. "I don't like it either" he choked. "Dammit, Sasuke- I didn't fucking want this!!"

Sasuke stared down at the blonde. He wanted to be understanding, but he couldn't stop the jealousy and anger racing through him. How could he just forget it? How was he supposed to unsee all of those intimate moments? It wasn't like he had made a move mistaking one Uchiha for the other. Naruto had started falling for him. For Itachi.

Sasuke lightly grasped the arm covering his face and moved it above his head, pinning it to the floor. Naruto looked unsure, but he didn't try to break free. "Do you miss him?"

"No."

Sasuke studied his face, trying to decide whether or not he was being truthful about his feelings. He still wasn't sure, but he wasn't done with his questions.

"Do you wish I was him..?"

Naruto eyes hardened. "How could you ask me that?"

"Just answer the question."

"No, asshole" he snapped, "I don't wish that."

"Did you want him to touch you like that?" An image flashed in Sasuke's mind- of Itachi tearing Naruto's clothes off and flipping him over onto his stomach. Of Naruto trying to crawl away and Itachi forcing his head down on the bed, unfastening his pants as he positioned himself between his legs.

Naruto shut down the memory fast and stared up at him, horrified. "You really think I wanted that?!! Are you fucking kidding me?!"

I was just confused when he was being nice to me! That doesn't mean I wanted to be fucking raped! How could you even ask that?!

Hearing the word seemed to snap Sasuke out of whatever fucked up trance he was under. "I'm sorry" he said quietly. "I shouldn't have said that."

"Get off of me."

"Naruto-"

"I said, get off of me!!"

A blast of chakra shot through him and slammed hard into Sasuke, sending him flying backwards. He shot up through the air in a wide arch before crashing to the floor. His head slammed against the tile with a sickening crack.

Naruto sat up and looked over at the fallen raven with a combination of concern and disgust. "I knew you would act like this" he spat. "I fucking knew-"

Naruto's breath caught in his throat. "..Sasuke?"

He didn't respond.

And he didn't get up.

Author Note:

Ahhhh~ The drama. The suspense.

I just can't seem to stop.

Throws a drama & suspense scarf over the shoulder with a flourish.*

And why would I, when it just looks so fabulous on me? ;)