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 67: Abandon

--

Kakashi didn't come back after that.

Sasuke wasn't exactly surprised after he saw how he was with Obito, but Naruto was devastated. Tsunade told them that he had sent a message with Pakkun letting her know that he would be taking a "leave of absence for an indeterminate amount of time", and apparently the Hokage owed him one, because she allowed it.

That surprised Sasuke.

He knew the woman to be hotheaded and quick to act against any who would dare to challenge her authority. He figured she would lose her shit over this, especially if it meant losing someone as useful and coveted as the infamous Copycat Ninja, but she kept her composure. The only sign that she was displeased by any of this was the flash of heat they saw in those chestnut eyes- a fire she quickly doused to keep Naruto from igniting his own.

She didn't need to worry. Naruto wasn't angry. He was just.. hurt. Kakashi was like a father to him, the only one he knew, and he had abandoned him- like everyone else. Sasuke knew his own disappearance had hurt him, and likely added to this pain. Naruto had already suffered through this because of his narrow-sightedness, and he hated himself for it.

It did give him an idea though.

"Let's go find him."

Naruto looked up from his bowl of cereal, since Sasuke shut down morning ramen, with wide cerulean eyes. "What..?"

Sasuke dropped his elbows on the table and leaned forward, eyes locked on his startled blonde. "Let's go find Kakashi" he said, "you and me."

Naruto opened his mouth to speak but seemed to change his mind just before the words could fall free. His lips snapped shut and his gaze dropped down to the milky contents of his breakfast. "I.. I don't think we should" he finally said.

The raven eyed him curiously, wishing for the thousandth time that he could access his thoughts. "Why not?"

Naruto slowly swirled his spoon around, refusing to look up. "Kakashi.. doesn't want to be found" he said sadly.

"And when has that ever stopped you before?"

Sasuke leapt to feet and stormed over to the blonde, irritated by the same dejected routine he has seen from him for the last month. It was stupid, and he was putting a stop to it right now. He grabbed his stubborn boyfriend's arm and hoisted him to his feet. "Let's go."

"Sasuke-"

The Uchiha grabbed his arms and pulled him close. "Dammit, Naruto- I didn't want to be found either!" he shouted down at him. "Remember? I left too! But the Naruto I know doesn't just accept shit like that! So, why the hell are you doing it now?!"

Naruto bit his lip as he turned away from his angry stare. "It's not the same.." he muttered.

"I know it's not the fucking same" Sasuke shouted back, "because you wouldn't still be here feeling sorry for yourself if it was!"

That seemed to spark some life back into those eyes, though it wasn't exactly in the way he was aiming for. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Naruto snapped, jerking his head up to glare at him.

"What the hell does it sound like?" Sasuke shot back. "I'm tired of seeing you mope around here like this. If you really miss him that much, then let's go find the asshole and bring him back."

Naruto clenched his jaw tight. "I can't take him away from Obito" he said, his anger slowly dissipating. "I wouldn't want him to do that to me.."

Sasuke sighed, already exasperated with him. "We will figure that out after we find him. If nothing else, Naruto-"

He waited for his blonde to meet his eyes.

"-if he really plans on leaving Konohagakure, you deserve to have the chance to say goodbye."

He saw tears fill those cerulean eyes, and wished he could do something to ease his pain, but there was nothing else he could do for him. The most he could do is help him find Kakashi and maybe have some closure. He was giving his blonde a chance to agree to go with him, but truth be told he had no intention of letting him say no. He could choose to go willingly, which he would prefer, but Naruto was going either way.

He waited, his patience stretched impossibly thin, as Naruto considered his options. Finally, his shoulders fell and his resistance with it. "Ok" he finally said, "let's go find him."

Sasuke loosened his grip on his arms and tousled his golden locks. "Go get ready" he said. "I want to leave within the hour. The more daylight we have to start off with, the better."

Naruto quirked a brow. "Aren't we going to tell Tsunade about this?"

The Uchiha shrugged. "We'll let her know Kakashi-style."

"Oh, she's going to be thrilled."

Sasuke moved over to the table to clean up what was left of their breakfast, completely nonchalant about the matter. "I really don't care how she feels. Besides" he looked over his shoulder and gave the blonde a pointed look, "did you tell her when you left to find me?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave a sheepish smile. "Alright, alright- fair point."

Sasuke smiled to himself and turned back to their dishes. "Go shower, dobe." He could feel his eyes on him and looked back once more. "Yes?"

Naruto twirled his hair between his fingers, his face reddening as he gave a small endearing smile. "Do you.. umm.. do you want to join me..?" he asked, suddenly feeling shy about it.

Sasuke abandoned the dishes immediately and shifted out of view. He reappeared directly in front of his blonde and scooped him up in his arms. Naruto squeaked in surprise, and something flashed in his boyfriend's eyes.

Sasuke moved quickly as he carried his blonde down the hall and into their bathroom, eager to hear more of his sounds. And, because he loved seeing him blush and squirm with embarrassment,

he told him so.

--

The two left later than they had originally planned, but neither regretted it. Well, Naruto was having some trouble shaking off the soreness in his backside, but it didn't slow them down too much. Enough to make his boyfriend notice though.

He gave the blonde an apologetic look, but it seemed less than sincere. "In my defense, you wanted it first."

"Yeah, one time, Sasuke. Not three!"

"My stamina is improving."

"Yeah, I've noticed."

The two stepped through the village gates and into the expansive forest beyond it. He moved closer to his blonde as they stepped into cool shadows under a canopy of amber leaves. "Can you really blame me?" he asked playfully.

"Yes, Sasuke. I can."

The Uchiha couldn't help but laugh. "You're not fooling anyone, darling."

Naruto gave him a wide fox-grin, the first one he has seen in quite some time. "It was worth a shot."

"Think you can still run?" Sasuke asked, the question a genuine one. He wanted to start off strong, but he didn't want to push him if his body wasn't ready just yet.

Of course, knowing Naruto he'll just say that he can either way.

The blonde channeled chakra to his legs and leapt high into a deciduous monstrosity, his golden locks blending in with its tawny leaves. Sasuke enjoyed the sight for a moment longer before leaping up to join him.

"Alright" Naruto said, "where to fir-"

Sasuke buried his hand in his hair and kissed him- suddenly, deeply. When he pulled back, his boyfriend was blushing and breathless.

"What.. what was that for?"

"For being cute" he answered, completely unabashed.

It still surprised Naruto when he was like this, but he didn't seem to hate it. And Sasuke just found it endearing that after all these years he was still so timid every time he initiated any kind of intimacy. It made him want to do more than kiss him.

Naruto noticed the spark in his eyes and clapped his hand over Sasuke's mouth. "Haven't you had enough?"

Sasuke pulled his hand away and placed a kiss in his palm. "Never."

Naruto pushed his handsy boyfriend back. He knew him well enough to know that he needed to keep space between them if he was ever going to get him to cool down. Freaking horny teme..

"Focus, Sasuke. Where are we going?"

The raven sighed, but finally decided to be reasonable. For once. "We should start with the Akatsuki's abandoned hideouts" he thought aloud. "I assume Kakashi is with Obito, and he would know where to find them. If they are looking for a place to be alone together, it makes sense that they would stay in one."

Naruto bit his lip. He couldn't help but think of the one that Itachi had taken him to. It was abandoned but habitable. They.. had been there for a month together too. Like Kakashi and Obito..

Sasuke noticed the look in his eyes and easily guessed what he was thinking.

He didn't like it.

He had given in, mostly out of curiosity, and let Naruto show him what Itachi had entrusted him with- the truth of what had happened to him, what happened to their clan. It was right before they severed their telepathic connection, and it left him with a lot of unresolved feelings and.. pain. He still harbored so much anger towards his brother- for the fear he had instilled in Sasuke when he was just a kid, for everything he had done to Naruto.. for making his blonde fall for him. He didn't want to care about Itachi, and he sure as fuck didn't want to forgive him, but the truth made him question that. It tore at him, enough to activate his own Mangekyou Sharingan.

He still wasn't sure it was worth it.

And despite the fact that his feelings towards his brother had somewhat changed, it still pissed him off to see Naruto think about him. He was well aware that it was petty and pathetic to feel jealous towards someone who was dead, but he still couldn't unsee the memories he had found in Naruto's mind. They had gotten too close. And even though Naruto had told him time and time again that he didn't miss him, that those feelings disappeared a long time ago, he wasn't completely convinced.

Especially when he looked like that.

Sasuke grabbed his wrist and jerked him towards him, away from his thoughts.. from his brother.

"Don't think about him" he said, his voice sharper than he meant for it to be.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Don't" he said, already knowing where he was going with this.

"I can see it all over your face, Naruto."

Naruto tore his arm free and glared at the raven. "Don't be a bastard" he snapped. "I was just thinking about where their hideouts are."

"Yeah, I know what hideout you were thinking about" he shot back.

"Don't piss me off, Sasuke."

"Well then it would be fair- wouldn't it, Naruto."

The blonde decided to be the bigger person this time, but it wasn't easy. He hated when Sasuke got like this. And more than that, he hated that he had seen enough in his head to make him like this in the first place.

"When are you going to let it go, Sasuke.." he said, the anger fading in his voice.

Sasuke dragged his hands through long ebony strands, trying to force his own anger back with them. "I'm trying."

Naruto didn't respond. Everything that he wanted to say would just antagonize him, and he wasn't interested in fighting with him. They were getting along so well earlier- it was stupid to ruin it over some bullshit from their past. "Which hideout should we go to first?" he asked, hoping to steer his mind back to the task at hand.

Sasuke decided to go along with it. "Let's go West. There's more of them out that way,"

Naruto nodded and the two set off, leaping from branch to branch as a tense silence settled between them. The sound of rustling leaves wasn't enough to compensate, but neither were ready for anything more.

At first.

But it stretched out for far too long, and Naruto got to the point where he couldn't stand it for a second longer. "For the love of god, say something!"

Sasuke arched a brow. "Well that didn't take long."

"Are you kidding me?!" Naruto shouted incredulously. "You haven't said anything for like six hours!"

Sasuke glanced down at his watch, then over at his silly blonde. "Dobe. It's been like ten minutes."

"Hmph."

Sasuke smiled, clearly amused by his antics, and Naruto couldn't help but smile back. "Maybe we should play 'Would You Rather' to pass the time" the blonde suggested.

"Maybe I should hang myself with my own chakra rope."

"Jesus, that was dark.."

The two easily fell into familiar banter, and the day flew by faster than expected. They hadn't quite made it to any of the hideouts, so they decided to make camp in the woods for the night. They found a small clearing and leapt down to it. Sasuke set up a barrier around it, ever the cautious one. He had been like this for a while now- only when it came to Naruto, of course. He had experienced too much fear, too many times where he had almost lost him, and he wouldn't risk it happening again. Naruto told him every time that he was being paranoid, but he would rather be paranoid than lose him, so he set it up anyways.

As he worked on that, Naruto pulled their tent free from his pack and got it ready. They worked together to collect branches and rolled a log over to lean against, then Sasuke lit a small fire for them. By the time they dropped down on the ground in front of it they were completely exhausted, but happy. It had been a while since they had been on a mission together like this, and it felt good to get back into that routine. It felt.. normal.

The fire soothed their weariness and after a while Naruto found the energy to go back to their packs to scrounge up some food for the two of them. He went to Sasuke's, looking for a pan, when he noticed something familiar at the bottom of his bag.

Blue eyes widened. Why did he bring this with him..?

"Umm.. Sasuke?"

The raven tilted his head back against the log to look at his blonde. "Hmm?"

Naruto lifted his hand so he could see what he was holding. "Why did you bring this?"

Sasuke squinted into the darkness, unable to make out what he had, though he had a feeling that he knew what he had found. Moonlight cut through the night and coincidentally lit up his blonde. He could see a scroll clenched tight in his fist, and knew he was right.

Naruto had unfurled it just enough to reveal the words written across the top, but he didn't need to read it to know what it said:

Telepathic Connection.