Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Reflections ❯ Trapped ( Chapter 11 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: siberianknight 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Mystery | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 08.05.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 484 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Mystery | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 08.05.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 484 | Status: Completed
Author's Notes: Here's the next chapter, only two more to go!! We're finally getting near the end of this little story, that started with an evil plot bunny almost two years ago now. I hope everyone is enjoying it, and I know you guys'll love the last chapter. ;)
I've been thinking about what my next story will be, and I've got two plots in my mind. 1) A fantasy tale, ala Romeo and Juliet. 2) A high school tale. The Great Teacher Uzumaki ending for Shippuuden kind of sparked my desire to write one -- I believe someone else did their take on the ending, but I'm not sure now. At any rate, it'll most likely not be the ending told over, but something completely different. I'd like input, so feel free to let me know which one you'd like to see more right now. :)
Warnings: Spoilers for c295+, Sexuality
Chapter Status: COMPLETE
-----
F rom somewhere in the back of his mind, a scream was calling out to Naruto, but the feel of Sasuke’s hands on his bare chest and the feel of his mouth against his own drowned out the voice. Slowly Sasuke slid his hand across the smooth surface of Naruto’s chest, searching for the hard nib that he knew would drive his partner mad. Just as he expected Naruto let out a soft whimper and pressed his pelvis up when Sasuke’s thick fingers tugged and pinched at the blonde’s nipple.
Naruto opened his mouth wider, giving Sasuke more freedom to hungrily explore his mouth. They were both aroused, but again, in the back of his mind, Naruto had the distinct feeling that something wasn’t right. Neither boy noticed the quiet knock upon the door, nor the fact that the doorknob was slowly turning. The soft click of the door opening echoed like a gunshot through the small hospital room. Instantly, Naruto was brought back to his senses and began to push at Sasuke’s chest. He turned his head away from that searching mouth, which only moments before had driven him mad with longing. “Stop!” Naruto’s protest was squelched by Sasuke’s persistent mouth and hand, which had slipped inside his pajama bottoms. A soft gasp sounded from the doorway, and Naruto peered sideways to see a startled Sakura standing in the doorway, and an even more surprised Lee behind her.
“Maybe we should come back another time.” Lee gently tugged on Sakura’s hand, but she snapped hers away and glared at the two men in the bed.
“Just what do you think you’re doing!?” Her hands were on her hips and she was directing her anger toward Sasuke.
“I -- well ...” he stared down at Naruto for a long moment and then with a grin slid out of the bed. “I got carried away. I apologize if I offended you.” Sakura let out an undignified snort and continued to glower at him as he left the room.
“Honestly!” With a huff she slammed the door on Sasuke and joined Lee, who was standing next to a thoroughly embarrassed Naruto.
“I -- I’m sorry Sakura-chan, Lee. I --”
Lee cut him off with a smile and a wave of his hand. “It’s okay. Really. We brought you some goodies. It’s mostly sweet stuff, but I threw in a few healthy things for you. Since we need you to get strong again.” Naruto smiled at his friend and took the proffered basket and set it on the already overflowing bedside table. Sakura plopped herself down in the chair in which Sasuke had been sitting, and Lee pulled up the spare which sat next to the door. Once settled the group fell into an easy conversation, consisting mostly of Lee playing the moderator between Sakura and Naruto, since his anger toward Sakura still lingered. After an hour of bickering Lee seemed to not be able to take it any longer. “Will you two stop it!!” The two in question both stared dumbfounded at the usually joyful Lee.
“Stop what?” Sakura asked innocently.
“Arguing. You’ve been doing it ever since we arrived. Is there something that the two of you are mad at each other over? Or is there something that I as your --” He let out a loud, ‘umph,’ as Sakura elbowed him in the chest. “What was that for?!”
Her laugh seemed to infuriate him even more. “Naruto doesn’t need to be bothered with that right now.” Naruto could feel the heat rising from her cheeks.
“With what?” He winced as he realized that he had spoken with a growl. Naruto was afraid of what she might say, but at the same time he wanted to know what was going on. He hated being left in the dark.
“Sakura and I are to be married,” Lee beamed.
Naruto sat up and gawked at his friends. “WHAT!?” He could feel his anger rising out of control. If she was marrying Lee, then what the hell had she been doing with Sasuke!?
“Na-Naruto ... what’s the matter with you?” Sakura was returning the glare which now adorned Naruto’s face.
“What’s wrong with me!? I should be asking you that.”
“Hey!” In one swift movement, Lee was towering over Naruto and had his shirt collar in his fists. “Are you saying I’m not good enough for her!? We’ve been seeing each other now for five months. And we’ve been friends for longer. I think we’re perfectly suited to each other!”
“That’s not what I mean. Sorry,” he mumbled as Lee let go of him. “Look, Sakura can I talk to you alone please?”
Sakura glanced up at Lee and then nodded to Naruto. She waited until Lee had finally decided that Naruto wasn’t going to harm his fiancee, then left. “What did you want to talk about?” Her voice was purposely calm, so as not to upset Naruto once more.
“I -- I know you’ve been seen with Sasuke. Talking and ... stuff. I was wondering --” Sakura began to laugh. It started quietly and then grew into great guffaws, causing Naruto to glare disgruntled at her. “What’s so funny?”
“You’re -- jealous,” she managed to say between gulps of air. Naruto huffed quietly, as he waited for her to calm down once more. “You are.”
“I’m not denying it. I just want to know what you two were doing!”
“Talking about you.” Sakura’s smile was a gentle and understanding one. She knew what it felt like to be confused about the person you love. In fact, she had gone through the same problems with Lee. Right before she had admitted to herself that she was in love with him, she had found herself disliking Ten-Ten because she was simply standing near the man. “He loves you.”
“He ... does?” Sakura nodded as Naruto turned to gaze out the windows. “Is he okay, do you think?”
“I’m sure he’s fine. Even without his sight he’s a very skilled nin.” Even if she couldn’t see his face, she knew that there was a heart warming smile upon his face. “Although, I want to know just what you thought you were doing in here with the other Sasuke?”
The brilliant smile vanished and he slowly slumped down under his covers. “I’m tired.”
Sakura ripped the covers off of Naruto and glared down at him. “Like hell you are! Answer me Naruto!”
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t start it! He grabbed me and started kissing me, I didn’t know what to do. It was like he had ... I don’t know, used a genjutsu on me or something to mess up my thinking,” he ended by crossing his arms against his chest, his face scrunched up as he pondered exactly what had happened.
“Oh.”
“Look, you may not believe me, but I know what happened. And really it wasn’t anything at all. He only kissed me.” Sakura sighed and sat down once more.
“If that was all, but I don’t trust him. If I were you I would be more alert when he was nearby.” Naruto nodded absently as he laid down once more, his back to Sakura. “I’ll be going now, you get some rest.” He grunted as he listened to her footsteps move away from him. Once the door closed behind her, he tried to sleep, but his mind wouldn’t allow him. He was too worried about his Sasuke.
-----
A loud explosion reverberated through the lab, pulling Sasuke from his angry thoughts. He could hear Kakashi running and then skidding to a halt. “A fight?” Jiraiya’s deep whisper floated over to Sasuke’s ears. His stomach began to knot up in fear for his comrades who were most likely much deeper inside the structure than his team. It had been his weakness which of course had caused them to move so slowly.
Another boom sounded from close by and Kakashi reached out and grabbed Sasuke’s hand. “Let’s go.”
“I can move on my own,” Sasuke bit out angrily. Kakashi let the other’s hand fall and turned to follow Jiraiya. As Sasuke began to go after Kakashi and Jiraiya, a soft noise caught his attention. His head whipped around and he waited to hear it once more. After a few moments, he heard it again, it was a voice -- a familiar voice. He slowly walked back to where the glass stood, and a bright light caused him to squeeze his eyes shut. After it subsided, he slowly opened them to find that he could see the piece of glass, and that it had a large crack running through it’s middle. To his surprise, a shimmering light formed in that crevice and soon spread out before the glass. Slowly the light began to take a shape. The first thing that came into focus was a bright boyish smile, shining back at him. Then gradually as if a painter was filling in the final touches of a masterpiece, those incredibly blue eyes appeared and began to stare deeply into his own.
“Naruto,” Sasuke breathed. “Are you -- really here?” His eyes ran over every inch of Naruto, taking in every detail. It felt like ages since he had been allowed to actually look upon him, but -- something seemed off.
“Er ... no, I’m not, technically. I came here to talk with you, about your Naruto.” Slightly confused, Sasuke’s brow contorted as he contemplated just what that meant. If he wasn’t Naruto ... why did he look so much like him? A cheery laugh slipped from the smiling mouth of the blonde, who had moved closer, they were almost touching now, which caused Sasuke’s pulse to rapidly increase and his mind to go blank. “You know the other Sasuke? ... I’m his Naruto. The one from Tokyo.”
The only response Sasuke could form was a choked grunt. He closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind, and when he opened them once more, he stared intensely at the blonde; it was then that he realized what had seemed off about him. He was in fact shorter than the Naruto he was used to, and there were some subtle but definite differences. He was telling the truth, this was the other Naruto. Only one question came to mind at this realization, “Why are you here?”
“Because ... you see when the other Naruto was pulled into my world it, well it threw everything off balance.” He glanced down at his fidgeting hands and then back up, a somber expression upon his face. “I need you to fix it. My Sasuke ... he’s --” A thump caused Sasuke to turn toward the entryway. To his amazement, his eyesight still worked, and he could see a young girl with blonde hair glaring back at him. He was stricken by how much she resembled the Godaime.
“You shouldn’t be here!” Her violent whisper echoed angrily off the rough walls. Her hands were fisted at her sides and it looked as if she were near tears. “I -- I thought, no ... this isn’t right!”
“What’s not --” Before he could finish a familiar laugh drifted to his ears and sent chills down his spine.
“Sasuke!” Naruto’s voice broke through the distant sounds of laughter. “Listen, I have to restore something to you ... you’ll be borrowing some strength from me for a while. Promise you’ll use it well.”
Sasuke faced Naruto and nodded. A warmth began to flow into his chest and slowly moved upward, pooling in his once again unseeing eyes. His eyelids closed involuntarily as the warmth turned into a burning sensation. With a soft cry, Sasuke fell to his knees, his hands covering his eyes, which felt as if they were on fire. After only moments, the pain disappeared and with great care, he slowly opened his eyes. At first everything was slightly blurry, then the room seemed to spring into focus. With a rush of hope and joy, he realized that he had his eyes back, and the sharingan. Shouts drifted to his ears and he hastily ran to the aid of his companions. Leaving the young girl alone.
She stood watching his back as he disappeared down the long and dark corridor. “He’s down there ... waiting for you. I’d not be in such a rush to get there if I were you.” The girl plopped down cross legged before the glass, and rested her chin in her hand, an angry pout upon her usually cherubic face. She let out a heavy sigh, as she spoke to the room at large. “He won’t be pleased with me, since you’ve got your eyes back. Maybe it’s not too late for me to join the other side.” She glanced at the glass. “It’s all your fault. If he had just kept you away where no one could find you ... then he’d still be blind and master could use him so very easily. But, no. Now he’s going to be pissed, and it’ll be all my fault.”
Sasuke skidded to a halt before the room from which the laughter was pouring into the corridor. He hesitated for a moment, afraid of what he might find once he entered the room. “Hasn’t anyone told you that it’s rude to hover in doorways, Sasuke-kun.” A shiver ran down Sasuke’s spine as Orochimaru drawled out his name. A gust of wind threw the door open wide, revealing a darkened room lit by only two candelabras, which sat on either side of a large oaken chair. Slumped in the chair, his eyes dancing with ill repressed joy, was Orochimaru. He rose and glided over to where Sasuke stood, frozen. “It’s been a while, boy.”
“Orochimaru.” A sly smile slid across the ashen face of the other man. Draping his long arm across Sasuke’s shoulders, Orochimaru led him over to the lone chair.
“I want to say that I have no hard feelings toward you. I was quite impressed with your ability to put a stop to my body transfer jutsu.” Sasuke grunted softly. “I see you’ve not changed much,” he stated with a wide grin. “I assume you’d like to know what’s going on?”
“That’d be lovely.” He was offered the seat, but glared grumpily at Orochimaru, until he shrugged and plopped back onto its cushioned surface.
“What would you say if I told you that none of this had anything to do with you?”
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “I’d say that I’m not really all that surprised, but you must have your reasons for using me.”
“I do.” Orochimaru peered at Sasuke behind slitted lids. He had started to move carefully around the room, inspecting every inch of it, but all the while keeping those sharp red sharingan eyes on Orochimaru. “You’ve changed.” This simple statement caused Sasuke to freeze in his movements. That same chill ran through him as he turned to fully face the other man. “Before you were so eager for power. Now you seem complacent ... could it be -- love?” Sasuke’s stomach constricted in absolute fear. Naruto was in trouble, that was what all this had been about. He turned and ran for the door, but it slammed before he reached it. No matter how hard he pulled on the handle, the heavy portal wouldn’t open again. As he tried to find a weakness in the door, Orochimaru’s laugh sounded shrilly from just behind him. “If you’d like, you can check on Naruto-kun. I’ll just have my little clone bring the yomigae no kagami.”
“The resurrection mirror? You mean that piece of glass?” Orochimaru merely smiled at Sasuke as he snapped his fingers. A crackling noise, like that of a distant clap of thunder, sounded from the far corner of the room, and as the smoke cleared, and the same young girl who had warned Sasuke earlier appeared.
“Yes, master?” She was visibly shaking as she stood before them her head lowered, carefully not to making eye contact with Orochimaru.
“Fetch the mirror.” Her small body jerked as if someone had pinched her, and with a bow she vanished again with the same noise.
“That was a space distortion jutsu. She’s too young to be able to do that.” Sasuke turned on Orochimaru, the strong urge to do away with him that moment fighting against his desire to learn the truth.
“Well, she’s like you. One of my glorious creations.”
“You didn’t make me,” Sasuke’s soft voice held a threatening edge to it which Orochimaru simply laughed at.
“I did. You used me to gain your strength ... because of that, you are more like me than you thought.” The snakelike eyes gleamed at Sasuke, who knew that Orochimaru had seen this weakness in him. Certainly, Sasuke had held his own will and mind throughout his time with him, but there had always been a dark corner of his mind which housed the fear that he was very similar to Orochimaru. “You should take a look in the mirror, Sasuke-kun.”
Cautiously, Sasuke stepped before the glass. He could see straight through it, the only thing blocking his vision was the crack which ran vertically down its center. “But it’s just a piece of broken glass.”
“It’s much more than that, my dear Sasuke-kun.” Orochimaru moved around the frame and touched a hand to a corner. As before a shimmering light began to glow from within the fissure. This time however, Naruto did not appear. Instead Sasuke was faced with himself. On one side of the crack, he was tall and broad shouldered, his sharingan glowed back at him in the dim candle light. The other side, showed a much different Sasuke. He was somewhat shorter, and of a more slight build. His ebony eye shined with mischief, and the grin on his face made Sasuke’s blood curdle in fear. “He’s you.”
“No, that’s the Sasuke from Japan. He’s not me.” Sasuke pushed back the rising sense of panic within him. He felt as though he was going mad. The two of them did look alike, but it wasn’t him on that side.
“That’s where you’re wrong. He is you, but he holds what you want. Your desire to openly love Naruto.” The images which the mirror had shown him before rushed to the front of Sasuke’s mind. If the Japanese Sasuke was a reflection of himself, then did that mean that what he had been presented with earlier was in fact true? Had Naruto given his heart to the other Sasuke because he wasn’t reserved with his feelings? The horrifying thought that Naruto had done things with the other Sasuke while he had been away caused a physical reaction within him. He doubled over heaving and retching, trying hopelessly to banish the putrid images from his mind. It couldn’t be true, it just couldn’t. “I see you find this all horribly distressing.” Orochimaru stood over Sasuke, who glanced up as he tossed his head back with a loud, mad cackle.
“Why? Why -- are you ... showing this to me?” Sasuke was desperately fighting back the emotions which were threatening to break free. He wouldn’t give Orochimaru any more perverse pleasure from seeing him in such a state, but he had to know. Was this about him, or was it about Naruto?
Orochimaru strode calmly around the ‘mirror,’ while he pulled thoughtfully at his chin. “You have no need to ask. You’ll see soon, Sasuke-kun. Yes very soon.”
Sasuke’s eyes drifted back up to the ‘mirror,’ where his broken reflection smiled wickedly back at him. Orochimaru didn’t have to tell him, he knew ... this whole plan was to get Naruto. He had merely been a pawn.
-----
Naruto stretched his arms wide as he emerged from the hospital. Sasuke had been gone now for a week, surely he was coming back soon; however there had been no word from his team. Naruto wasn’t worried, but he had hoped to see him when he had been released. “Naruto!” Sakura and Lee were walking up the road to join him, both waving jovially in greeting.
“Hey guys!” Naruto jogged happily, meeting them halfway. “Have you heard anything?” Lee and Sakura exchanged a concerned look, which deflated Naruto’s joy a bit. “If something’s happened --”
Sakura quickly cut in with a half-smile and a wave of her hand. “No, not really. It’s just -- they’re taking a bit longer than was expected is all. When they reached the lab, communications were cut off due to the material which the structure was built out of. So ... we’ve not heard anything since they entered yesterday.”
“Oh.”
As Naruto’s shoulders slumped, Sakura’s mind raced to try and think of some way to cheer him up, when Sasuke’s voice rang out from behind her. “Naruto!!” Both Lee and Sakura made a face before they turned with smiles to the Japanese Sasuke. “Why didn’t you guys tell me that it was today he was getting out? Tsunade-san just told me.” A low growl slipped between Sakura’s gritted teeth, causing Sasuke to raise his eyebrow in puzzlement.
“Sorry, we thought we did,” Lee chuckled softly, anything to break the suddenly rising tension between his fiancee and Sasuke, but it seemed that the other boy wasn’t very concerned as he smirked at Naruto instead of fighting Sakura.
“Well, it doesn’t matter ... I’m here now. Come on Naruto, I’ll take you home. Just -- um,” he glanced around at the unfamiliar buildings, then turned a sheepish grin to the blonde. “You’ll have to direct me though.”
“Sure.” Naruto’s face lit up in a smile, as if he had long forgotten about the other Sasuke’s absence.
“Bu -- but ... Naruto, we were going to take you for ramen, right Lee?” She elbowed the one in question, who grunted loudly as he agreed.
“Well,” Naruto glanced amongst his friends, and then smiled at Sakura. “You know I could never pass up free ramen!” Naruto, Sakura, and Lee all set off in the direction of the Ichiraku Ramen stand, but Sasuke lingered for a moment. His eyes fixed upon Naruto’s back, and a blank expression upon his face. Naruto turned to him and called out his name, which seemed to bring him back to his senses.
“Coming!” Sakura glanced over her shoulder and frowned at Sasuke. There was definitely something odd with him. He suddenly seemed so friendly and kind, nothing like the arrogant Sasuke she was used to, nor like the way he had behaved when the two had first met. She tugged at Lee’s hand pulling him a little behind Sasuke and Naruto and cupped her hand to her mouth.
“Say, do you think there’s something odd about this Sasuke?”
“Yes I do. But I can’t put my finger on it ... and of course walking in on the two of them yesterday --”
“Sasuke, our Sasuke is in love with Naruto. But him ... I don’t trust him at all. There’s this evil aura around him or something.”
“I agree. Let’s try and keep them apart for as long as possible.”
“Good idea.” The two speeded up and joined Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura squeezing herself in-between the two boys. She received a nasty look from Sasuke, but Naruto seemed to not mind at all. Lee attempted to drag Sasuke into conversation about his hometown, but he gave only curt answers. His eyes wouldn’t leave Naruto.
Throughout dinner the group sat together, Sakura and Lee between Sasuke and Naruto, yet Sasuke wouldn’t carry on a conversation with anyone. He simply gazed at Naruto with a dazed expression. After they finished eating, Sakura and Lee had run out of ways to stall them from going home. “Well, I guess this is goodnight guys.” Naruto’s smile was bright as he gazed upon his friends.
“Um, yeah ... look -- Naruto, can I talk to you a second?” Sakura dragged him away from Sasuke before he could even respond to her request. “Keep your doors and windows locked. Under no circumstances are you to let that Sasuke into your apartment.”
Naruto’s laugh was broken as he realized she wasn’t joking. “Sakura, you’re starting to worry me. I don’t think he’s trouble. Sure he kissed me and well,” his face turned a bright shade of scarlet and it was a second or two before he was able to speak once more. “Look, he’s not dangerous. I can handle myself, don’t worry about me. I’m not defenseless.”
“Then how come he was able to molest you yesterday? Hmm?”
“I said I can take care of myself.” Naruto walked back to Sasuke and Lee and bade them both goodnight and then marched off in the direction of his apartment. After he vanished from sight, Sasuke turned in the opposite direction and left for Kakashi’s apartment.
“Phew, I thought for certain he was going after Naruto.”
Lee reached out and squeezed Sakura’s hand. “They’ll be alright. Naruto’s telling the truth, I believe he can take care of himself. Especially against a non-nin.”
-----
Naruto closed the door behind him and slowly sunk to the floor. He leaned his head back against the cool aluminum and stared at his slightly cracked ceiling. The small apartment was dark, and the doors to both his and Sasuke’s rooms were shut. He missed his presence there. He missed him. Naruto rose back to his feet and rested his hand on the doorknob. If he went there, and something happened he would only have himself to blame. Although, talking never hurt anyone, and truthfully that was what he wanted at that moment, company.
When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Sasuke standing before him. “Sa-Sasuke. I was just coming to see ... you.” His voice trailed off as Sasuke pushed his way into the apartment. He jerked the door out of Naruto’s hand and slammed it shut. “Hey! What’s with you?” Sasuke stalked Naruto, as he backed up against the opposite wall, and pinned the blonde between his outstretched arms. The moment Sasuke’s mouth crushed his, Naruto forgot everything. All he could think about was the sensation of being swept away by Sasuke.
Oranges and reds spilled across the floor as the sunset finally broke through the small slits in the window blinds, subtlety illuminating the room. “I want you,” Sasuke breathed against Naruto’s bruised lips. The new light warmed the browns of Sasuke’s eyes. He knew that he couldn’t say no to him, so he sighed and sagged against the warmth of the other man, missing the triumphant smirk upon Sasuke’s face.
Sasuke pushed up on the blonde’s chin with a strong finger and their mouths slid hungrily into place once more. The last coherent thought which passed through Naruto’s mind was that it hadn’t been conversation he had been seeking, but this same enveloping passion which he had experienced just the day prior.
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Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump
geovisit();
I've been thinking about what my next story will be, and I've got two plots in my mind. 1) A fantasy tale, ala Romeo and Juliet. 2) A high school tale. The Great Teacher Uzumaki ending for Shippuuden kind of sparked my desire to write one -- I believe someone else did their take on the ending, but I'm not sure now. At any rate, it'll most likely not be the ending told over, but something completely different. I'd like input, so feel free to let me know which one you'd like to see more right now. :)
Warnings: Spoilers for c295+, Sexuality
Chapter Status: COMPLETE
F rom somewhere in the back of his mind, a scream was calling out to Naruto, but the feel of Sasuke’s hands on his bare chest and the feel of his mouth against his own drowned out the voice. Slowly Sasuke slid his hand across the smooth surface of Naruto’s chest, searching for the hard nib that he knew would drive his partner mad. Just as he expected Naruto let out a soft whimper and pressed his pelvis up when Sasuke’s thick fingers tugged and pinched at the blonde’s nipple.
Naruto opened his mouth wider, giving Sasuke more freedom to hungrily explore his mouth. They were both aroused, but again, in the back of his mind, Naruto had the distinct feeling that something wasn’t right. Neither boy noticed the quiet knock upon the door, nor the fact that the doorknob was slowly turning. The soft click of the door opening echoed like a gunshot through the small hospital room. Instantly, Naruto was brought back to his senses and began to push at Sasuke’s chest. He turned his head away from that searching mouth, which only moments before had driven him mad with longing. “Stop!” Naruto’s protest was squelched by Sasuke’s persistent mouth and hand, which had slipped inside his pajama bottoms. A soft gasp sounded from the doorway, and Naruto peered sideways to see a startled Sakura standing in the doorway, and an even more surprised Lee behind her.
“Maybe we should come back another time.” Lee gently tugged on Sakura’s hand, but she snapped hers away and glared at the two men in the bed.
“Just what do you think you’re doing!?” Her hands were on her hips and she was directing her anger toward Sasuke.
“I -- well ...” he stared down at Naruto for a long moment and then with a grin slid out of the bed. “I got carried away. I apologize if I offended you.” Sakura let out an undignified snort and continued to glower at him as he left the room.
“Honestly!” With a huff she slammed the door on Sasuke and joined Lee, who was standing next to a thoroughly embarrassed Naruto.
“I -- I’m sorry Sakura-chan, Lee. I --”
Lee cut him off with a smile and a wave of his hand. “It’s okay. Really. We brought you some goodies. It’s mostly sweet stuff, but I threw in a few healthy things for you. Since we need you to get strong again.” Naruto smiled at his friend and took the proffered basket and set it on the already overflowing bedside table. Sakura plopped herself down in the chair in which Sasuke had been sitting, and Lee pulled up the spare which sat next to the door. Once settled the group fell into an easy conversation, consisting mostly of Lee playing the moderator between Sakura and Naruto, since his anger toward Sakura still lingered. After an hour of bickering Lee seemed to not be able to take it any longer. “Will you two stop it!!” The two in question both stared dumbfounded at the usually joyful Lee.
“Stop what?” Sakura asked innocently.
“Arguing. You’ve been doing it ever since we arrived. Is there something that the two of you are mad at each other over? Or is there something that I as your --” He let out a loud, ‘umph,’ as Sakura elbowed him in the chest. “What was that for?!”
Her laugh seemed to infuriate him even more. “Naruto doesn’t need to be bothered with that right now.” Naruto could feel the heat rising from her cheeks.
“With what?” He winced as he realized that he had spoken with a growl. Naruto was afraid of what she might say, but at the same time he wanted to know what was going on. He hated being left in the dark.
“Sakura and I are to be married,” Lee beamed.
Naruto sat up and gawked at his friends. “WHAT!?” He could feel his anger rising out of control. If she was marrying Lee, then what the hell had she been doing with Sasuke!?
“Na-Naruto ... what’s the matter with you?” Sakura was returning the glare which now adorned Naruto’s face.
“What’s wrong with me!? I should be asking you that.”
“Hey!” In one swift movement, Lee was towering over Naruto and had his shirt collar in his fists. “Are you saying I’m not good enough for her!? We’ve been seeing each other now for five months. And we’ve been friends for longer. I think we’re perfectly suited to each other!”
“That’s not what I mean. Sorry,” he mumbled as Lee let go of him. “Look, Sakura can I talk to you alone please?”
Sakura glanced up at Lee and then nodded to Naruto. She waited until Lee had finally decided that Naruto wasn’t going to harm his fiancee, then left. “What did you want to talk about?” Her voice was purposely calm, so as not to upset Naruto once more.
“I -- I know you’ve been seen with Sasuke. Talking and ... stuff. I was wondering --” Sakura began to laugh. It started quietly and then grew into great guffaws, causing Naruto to glare disgruntled at her. “What’s so funny?”
“You’re -- jealous,” she managed to say between gulps of air. Naruto huffed quietly, as he waited for her to calm down once more. “You are.”
“I’m not denying it. I just want to know what you two were doing!”
“Talking about you.” Sakura’s smile was a gentle and understanding one. She knew what it felt like to be confused about the person you love. In fact, she had gone through the same problems with Lee. Right before she had admitted to herself that she was in love with him, she had found herself disliking Ten-Ten because she was simply standing near the man. “He loves you.”
“He ... does?” Sakura nodded as Naruto turned to gaze out the windows. “Is he okay, do you think?”
“I’m sure he’s fine. Even without his sight he’s a very skilled nin.” Even if she couldn’t see his face, she knew that there was a heart warming smile upon his face. “Although, I want to know just what you thought you were doing in here with the other Sasuke?”
The brilliant smile vanished and he slowly slumped down under his covers. “I’m tired.”
Sakura ripped the covers off of Naruto and glared down at him. “Like hell you are! Answer me Naruto!”
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t start it! He grabbed me and started kissing me, I didn’t know what to do. It was like he had ... I don’t know, used a genjutsu on me or something to mess up my thinking,” he ended by crossing his arms against his chest, his face scrunched up as he pondered exactly what had happened.
“Oh.”
“Look, you may not believe me, but I know what happened. And really it wasn’t anything at all. He only kissed me.” Sakura sighed and sat down once more.
“If that was all, but I don’t trust him. If I were you I would be more alert when he was nearby.” Naruto nodded absently as he laid down once more, his back to Sakura. “I’ll be going now, you get some rest.” He grunted as he listened to her footsteps move away from him. Once the door closed behind her, he tried to sleep, but his mind wouldn’t allow him. He was too worried about his Sasuke.
A loud explosion reverberated through the lab, pulling Sasuke from his angry thoughts. He could hear Kakashi running and then skidding to a halt. “A fight?” Jiraiya’s deep whisper floated over to Sasuke’s ears. His stomach began to knot up in fear for his comrades who were most likely much deeper inside the structure than his team. It had been his weakness which of course had caused them to move so slowly.
Another boom sounded from close by and Kakashi reached out and grabbed Sasuke’s hand. “Let’s go.”
“I can move on my own,” Sasuke bit out angrily. Kakashi let the other’s hand fall and turned to follow Jiraiya. As Sasuke began to go after Kakashi and Jiraiya, a soft noise caught his attention. His head whipped around and he waited to hear it once more. After a few moments, he heard it again, it was a voice -- a familiar voice. He slowly walked back to where the glass stood, and a bright light caused him to squeeze his eyes shut. After it subsided, he slowly opened them to find that he could see the piece of glass, and that it had a large crack running through it’s middle. To his surprise, a shimmering light formed in that crevice and soon spread out before the glass. Slowly the light began to take a shape. The first thing that came into focus was a bright boyish smile, shining back at him. Then gradually as if a painter was filling in the final touches of a masterpiece, those incredibly blue eyes appeared and began to stare deeply into his own.
“Naruto,” Sasuke breathed. “Are you -- really here?” His eyes ran over every inch of Naruto, taking in every detail. It felt like ages since he had been allowed to actually look upon him, but -- something seemed off.
“Er ... no, I’m not, technically. I came here to talk with you, about your Naruto.” Slightly confused, Sasuke’s brow contorted as he contemplated just what that meant. If he wasn’t Naruto ... why did he look so much like him? A cheery laugh slipped from the smiling mouth of the blonde, who had moved closer, they were almost touching now, which caused Sasuke’s pulse to rapidly increase and his mind to go blank. “You know the other Sasuke? ... I’m his Naruto. The one from Tokyo.”
The only response Sasuke could form was a choked grunt. He closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind, and when he opened them once more, he stared intensely at the blonde; it was then that he realized what had seemed off about him. He was in fact shorter than the Naruto he was used to, and there were some subtle but definite differences. He was telling the truth, this was the other Naruto. Only one question came to mind at this realization, “Why are you here?”
“Because ... you see when the other Naruto was pulled into my world it, well it threw everything off balance.” He glanced down at his fidgeting hands and then back up, a somber expression upon his face. “I need you to fix it. My Sasuke ... he’s --” A thump caused Sasuke to turn toward the entryway. To his amazement, his eyesight still worked, and he could see a young girl with blonde hair glaring back at him. He was stricken by how much she resembled the Godaime.
“You shouldn’t be here!” Her violent whisper echoed angrily off the rough walls. Her hands were fisted at her sides and it looked as if she were near tears. “I -- I thought, no ... this isn’t right!”
“What’s not --” Before he could finish a familiar laugh drifted to his ears and sent chills down his spine.
“Sasuke!” Naruto’s voice broke through the distant sounds of laughter. “Listen, I have to restore something to you ... you’ll be borrowing some strength from me for a while. Promise you’ll use it well.”
Sasuke faced Naruto and nodded. A warmth began to flow into his chest and slowly moved upward, pooling in his once again unseeing eyes. His eyelids closed involuntarily as the warmth turned into a burning sensation. With a soft cry, Sasuke fell to his knees, his hands covering his eyes, which felt as if they were on fire. After only moments, the pain disappeared and with great care, he slowly opened his eyes. At first everything was slightly blurry, then the room seemed to spring into focus. With a rush of hope and joy, he realized that he had his eyes back, and the sharingan. Shouts drifted to his ears and he hastily ran to the aid of his companions. Leaving the young girl alone.
She stood watching his back as he disappeared down the long and dark corridor. “He’s down there ... waiting for you. I’d not be in such a rush to get there if I were you.” The girl plopped down cross legged before the glass, and rested her chin in her hand, an angry pout upon her usually cherubic face. She let out a heavy sigh, as she spoke to the room at large. “He won’t be pleased with me, since you’ve got your eyes back. Maybe it’s not too late for me to join the other side.” She glanced at the glass. “It’s all your fault. If he had just kept you away where no one could find you ... then he’d still be blind and master could use him so very easily. But, no. Now he’s going to be pissed, and it’ll be all my fault.”
Sasuke skidded to a halt before the room from which the laughter was pouring into the corridor. He hesitated for a moment, afraid of what he might find once he entered the room. “Hasn’t anyone told you that it’s rude to hover in doorways, Sasuke-kun.” A shiver ran down Sasuke’s spine as Orochimaru drawled out his name. A gust of wind threw the door open wide, revealing a darkened room lit by only two candelabras, which sat on either side of a large oaken chair. Slumped in the chair, his eyes dancing with ill repressed joy, was Orochimaru. He rose and glided over to where Sasuke stood, frozen. “It’s been a while, boy.”
“Orochimaru.” A sly smile slid across the ashen face of the other man. Draping his long arm across Sasuke’s shoulders, Orochimaru led him over to the lone chair.
“I want to say that I have no hard feelings toward you. I was quite impressed with your ability to put a stop to my body transfer jutsu.” Sasuke grunted softly. “I see you’ve not changed much,” he stated with a wide grin. “I assume you’d like to know what’s going on?”
“That’d be lovely.” He was offered the seat, but glared grumpily at Orochimaru, until he shrugged and plopped back onto its cushioned surface.
“What would you say if I told you that none of this had anything to do with you?”
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “I’d say that I’m not really all that surprised, but you must have your reasons for using me.”
“I do.” Orochimaru peered at Sasuke behind slitted lids. He had started to move carefully around the room, inspecting every inch of it, but all the while keeping those sharp red sharingan eyes on Orochimaru. “You’ve changed.” This simple statement caused Sasuke to freeze in his movements. That same chill ran through him as he turned to fully face the other man. “Before you were so eager for power. Now you seem complacent ... could it be -- love?” Sasuke’s stomach constricted in absolute fear. Naruto was in trouble, that was what all this had been about. He turned and ran for the door, but it slammed before he reached it. No matter how hard he pulled on the handle, the heavy portal wouldn’t open again. As he tried to find a weakness in the door, Orochimaru’s laugh sounded shrilly from just behind him. “If you’d like, you can check on Naruto-kun. I’ll just have my little clone bring the yomigae no kagami.”
“The resurrection mirror? You mean that piece of glass?” Orochimaru merely smiled at Sasuke as he snapped his fingers. A crackling noise, like that of a distant clap of thunder, sounded from the far corner of the room, and as the smoke cleared, and the same young girl who had warned Sasuke earlier appeared.
“Yes, master?” She was visibly shaking as she stood before them her head lowered, carefully not to making eye contact with Orochimaru.
“Fetch the mirror.” Her small body jerked as if someone had pinched her, and with a bow she vanished again with the same noise.
“That was a space distortion jutsu. She’s too young to be able to do that.” Sasuke turned on Orochimaru, the strong urge to do away with him that moment fighting against his desire to learn the truth.
“Well, she’s like you. One of my glorious creations.”
“You didn’t make me,” Sasuke’s soft voice held a threatening edge to it which Orochimaru simply laughed at.
“I did. You used me to gain your strength ... because of that, you are more like me than you thought.” The snakelike eyes gleamed at Sasuke, who knew that Orochimaru had seen this weakness in him. Certainly, Sasuke had held his own will and mind throughout his time with him, but there had always been a dark corner of his mind which housed the fear that he was very similar to Orochimaru. “You should take a look in the mirror, Sasuke-kun.”
Cautiously, Sasuke stepped before the glass. He could see straight through it, the only thing blocking his vision was the crack which ran vertically down its center. “But it’s just a piece of broken glass.”
“It’s much more than that, my dear Sasuke-kun.” Orochimaru moved around the frame and touched a hand to a corner. As before a shimmering light began to glow from within the fissure. This time however, Naruto did not appear. Instead Sasuke was faced with himself. On one side of the crack, he was tall and broad shouldered, his sharingan glowed back at him in the dim candle light. The other side, showed a much different Sasuke. He was somewhat shorter, and of a more slight build. His ebony eye shined with mischief, and the grin on his face made Sasuke’s blood curdle in fear. “He’s you.”
“No, that’s the Sasuke from Japan. He’s not me.” Sasuke pushed back the rising sense of panic within him. He felt as though he was going mad. The two of them did look alike, but it wasn’t him on that side.
“That’s where you’re wrong. He is you, but he holds what you want. Your desire to openly love Naruto.” The images which the mirror had shown him before rushed to the front of Sasuke’s mind. If the Japanese Sasuke was a reflection of himself, then did that mean that what he had been presented with earlier was in fact true? Had Naruto given his heart to the other Sasuke because he wasn’t reserved with his feelings? The horrifying thought that Naruto had done things with the other Sasuke while he had been away caused a physical reaction within him. He doubled over heaving and retching, trying hopelessly to banish the putrid images from his mind. It couldn’t be true, it just couldn’t. “I see you find this all horribly distressing.” Orochimaru stood over Sasuke, who glanced up as he tossed his head back with a loud, mad cackle.
“Why? Why -- are you ... showing this to me?” Sasuke was desperately fighting back the emotions which were threatening to break free. He wouldn’t give Orochimaru any more perverse pleasure from seeing him in such a state, but he had to know. Was this about him, or was it about Naruto?
Orochimaru strode calmly around the ‘mirror,’ while he pulled thoughtfully at his chin. “You have no need to ask. You’ll see soon, Sasuke-kun. Yes very soon.”
Sasuke’s eyes drifted back up to the ‘mirror,’ where his broken reflection smiled wickedly back at him. Orochimaru didn’t have to tell him, he knew ... this whole plan was to get Naruto. He had merely been a pawn.
Naruto stretched his arms wide as he emerged from the hospital. Sasuke had been gone now for a week, surely he was coming back soon; however there had been no word from his team. Naruto wasn’t worried, but he had hoped to see him when he had been released. “Naruto!” Sakura and Lee were walking up the road to join him, both waving jovially in greeting.
“Hey guys!” Naruto jogged happily, meeting them halfway. “Have you heard anything?” Lee and Sakura exchanged a concerned look, which deflated Naruto’s joy a bit. “If something’s happened --”
Sakura quickly cut in with a half-smile and a wave of her hand. “No, not really. It’s just -- they’re taking a bit longer than was expected is all. When they reached the lab, communications were cut off due to the material which the structure was built out of. So ... we’ve not heard anything since they entered yesterday.”
“Oh.”
As Naruto’s shoulders slumped, Sakura’s mind raced to try and think of some way to cheer him up, when Sasuke’s voice rang out from behind her. “Naruto!!” Both Lee and Sakura made a face before they turned with smiles to the Japanese Sasuke. “Why didn’t you guys tell me that it was today he was getting out? Tsunade-san just told me.” A low growl slipped between Sakura’s gritted teeth, causing Sasuke to raise his eyebrow in puzzlement.
“Sorry, we thought we did,” Lee chuckled softly, anything to break the suddenly rising tension between his fiancee and Sasuke, but it seemed that the other boy wasn’t very concerned as he smirked at Naruto instead of fighting Sakura.
“Well, it doesn’t matter ... I’m here now. Come on Naruto, I’ll take you home. Just -- um,” he glanced around at the unfamiliar buildings, then turned a sheepish grin to the blonde. “You’ll have to direct me though.”
“Sure.” Naruto’s face lit up in a smile, as if he had long forgotten about the other Sasuke’s absence.
“Bu -- but ... Naruto, we were going to take you for ramen, right Lee?” She elbowed the one in question, who grunted loudly as he agreed.
“Well,” Naruto glanced amongst his friends, and then smiled at Sakura. “You know I could never pass up free ramen!” Naruto, Sakura, and Lee all set off in the direction of the Ichiraku Ramen stand, but Sasuke lingered for a moment. His eyes fixed upon Naruto’s back, and a blank expression upon his face. Naruto turned to him and called out his name, which seemed to bring him back to his senses.
“Coming!” Sakura glanced over her shoulder and frowned at Sasuke. There was definitely something odd with him. He suddenly seemed so friendly and kind, nothing like the arrogant Sasuke she was used to, nor like the way he had behaved when the two had first met. She tugged at Lee’s hand pulling him a little behind Sasuke and Naruto and cupped her hand to her mouth.
“Say, do you think there’s something odd about this Sasuke?”
“Yes I do. But I can’t put my finger on it ... and of course walking in on the two of them yesterday --”
“Sasuke, our Sasuke is in love with Naruto. But him ... I don’t trust him at all. There’s this evil aura around him or something.”
“I agree. Let’s try and keep them apart for as long as possible.”
“Good idea.” The two speeded up and joined Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura squeezing herself in-between the two boys. She received a nasty look from Sasuke, but Naruto seemed to not mind at all. Lee attempted to drag Sasuke into conversation about his hometown, but he gave only curt answers. His eyes wouldn’t leave Naruto.
Throughout dinner the group sat together, Sakura and Lee between Sasuke and Naruto, yet Sasuke wouldn’t carry on a conversation with anyone. He simply gazed at Naruto with a dazed expression. After they finished eating, Sakura and Lee had run out of ways to stall them from going home. “Well, I guess this is goodnight guys.” Naruto’s smile was bright as he gazed upon his friends.
“Um, yeah ... look -- Naruto, can I talk to you a second?” Sakura dragged him away from Sasuke before he could even respond to her request. “Keep your doors and windows locked. Under no circumstances are you to let that Sasuke into your apartment.”
Naruto’s laugh was broken as he realized she wasn’t joking. “Sakura, you’re starting to worry me. I don’t think he’s trouble. Sure he kissed me and well,” his face turned a bright shade of scarlet and it was a second or two before he was able to speak once more. “Look, he’s not dangerous. I can handle myself, don’t worry about me. I’m not defenseless.”
“Then how come he was able to molest you yesterday? Hmm?”
“I said I can take care of myself.” Naruto walked back to Sasuke and Lee and bade them both goodnight and then marched off in the direction of his apartment. After he vanished from sight, Sasuke turned in the opposite direction and left for Kakashi’s apartment.
“Phew, I thought for certain he was going after Naruto.”
Lee reached out and squeezed Sakura’s hand. “They’ll be alright. Naruto’s telling the truth, I believe he can take care of himself. Especially against a non-nin.”
Naruto closed the door behind him and slowly sunk to the floor. He leaned his head back against the cool aluminum and stared at his slightly cracked ceiling. The small apartment was dark, and the doors to both his and Sasuke’s rooms were shut. He missed his presence there. He missed him. Naruto rose back to his feet and rested his hand on the doorknob. If he went there, and something happened he would only have himself to blame. Although, talking never hurt anyone, and truthfully that was what he wanted at that moment, company.
When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Sasuke standing before him. “Sa-Sasuke. I was just coming to see ... you.” His voice trailed off as Sasuke pushed his way into the apartment. He jerked the door out of Naruto’s hand and slammed it shut. “Hey! What’s with you?” Sasuke stalked Naruto, as he backed up against the opposite wall, and pinned the blonde between his outstretched arms. The moment Sasuke’s mouth crushed his, Naruto forgot everything. All he could think about was the sensation of being swept away by Sasuke.
Oranges and reds spilled across the floor as the sunset finally broke through the small slits in the window blinds, subtlety illuminating the room. “I want you,” Sasuke breathed against Naruto’s bruised lips. The new light warmed the browns of Sasuke’s eyes. He knew that he couldn’t say no to him, so he sighed and sagged against the warmth of the other man, missing the triumphant smirk upon Sasuke’s face.
Sasuke pushed up on the blonde’s chin with a strong finger and their mouths slid hungrily into place once more. The last coherent thought which passed through Naruto’s mind was that it hadn’t been conversation he had been seeking, but this same enveloping passion which he had experienced just the day prior.
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