Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Duality ❯ I Want To Break Free ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter Fifteen: I Want To Break Free

Naruto was pacing the main entrance room of the hospital, his angry expression and mannerisms making many of the medical staff nervous. They knew who he was of course; he had been there so many times it was hard not to remember Uzumaki Naruto, and his friends.

It had been three hours since the kekkai had been broken down and they were escorted to the hospital, but still there was nothing. No news. Nothing at all about the state of his brother. No one could tell him anything and he was afraid Sakura’s preliminary analysis was off—though if he were thinking logically he would have realized that was impossible; Sakura knew what she was talking about. But Naruto wasn’t thinking straight and he was afraid they were keeping something from him so he wouldn’t get upset.

Well, it’s not working! I’m upset anyway!

Sai had taken off after the first hour of waiting. Naruto hadn’t noticed him leave at first, but when he did, he felt particularly abandoned. Sakura was helping with the healing, Yume had been left in the care of Shizune, Jiraiya had taken off when all the excitement was over, Kakashi, Tsunade, and Sasuke were guarding Saburo and waiting for him to wake up…

Naruto cursed darkly. Sasuke was more cool-headed, Naruto understood that, but they were both still genin. So why was Sasuke getting special treatment? It wasn’t fair! They could at least let him wait with Sekai. He was family, right? They were supposed to allow that sort of thing!

Unless there was something really, truly wrong with Sekai… Everything Naruto thought kept leading him back to that.

Sasuke’s deep, nasal voice broke through his thoughts. “He’s awake.”

Naruto looked up hopefully. “Aniki?”

Sasuke winced visibly. I should have phrased that more carefully. “No. The other one.”

The blond immediately deflated. “Oh.”

Sasuke walked closer and tugged gently on Naruto’s wrist, not caring that the staff and other patients were watching with interest. Naruto was his only worry. “Come on. Tsunade says you can hear what he has to say.” She didn’t have to allow Naruto to hear anything; but it was a kindness on her part, since Saburo was so close to Sekai, and had been the one to hurt the cross-dresser. Hopefully Saburo would reveal something interesting about Kain…

Naruto seemed to understand that. Slowly, he nodded. “Okay.” He took hold of Sasuke’s hand in turn and they walked down the hallway like that.

“I feel silly,” Sasuke protested, though he didn’t try to break away.

“Don’t care,” Naruto replied uncaringly and Sasuke recognized why.

Naruto just needed to touch him then, for reassurance that everything was alright. He was worried about Sekai, angry at Saburo, and just needed him there, physically.

I’ll talk to him later, Sasuke promised silently and gave the blond’s hand a squeeze.

They walked inside the room Saburo was being kept in. Kakashi sat at the talisman user’s bedside in a chair while Tsunade stood further away, next to the window. Saburo, his clothing replaced for a hospital gown, was propped up with pillows and his long hair bound in a loose braid. He looked a little drowsy still—Kakashi had mentioned his behavior to Tsunade and the Hokage had given him something to calm his nerves and help him sleep for a while.

Saburo glanced at the teens but otherwise gave no reaction.

“Where is he?” Tsunade asked without further ado.

“In an abandoned monastery a few miles west from here,” Saburo answered immediately. “He won’t be there now though. I was supposed to return by a previously specified time. If for whatever reason I became delayed, Kain would naturally depart.”

“Would he come to rescue you?” Kakashi asked, seemingly bored, but internally he tensed.

Saburo snorted derisively. “I told you what he’s like, Kakashi-san. From his point of view, he taught me everything I need to know to survive, so if I couldn’t, then I wouldn’t be worth saving.”

Naruto remembered his brief meeting with Kain weeks earlier. He had been willing to kill Yume in order to made Sekai suffer. He had so little concern for the children he had ‘raised.’

Naruto’s anger grew. Yeah, that’s right… Kain is the real enemy here. He’s the one that needs to pay for all of this.

Sasuke noticed this. Silently, he put his free hand on the back of his lover’s neck and rubbed his fingers into the skin.

Naruto blinked at him inquisitively, not understanding what Sasuke was doing. A moment later he realized how relaxed he suddenly felt, because of the touch.

Sasuke smirked lightly as Naruto leaned a little into his touch, successfully distracting Naruto from his anger.

“Do you know what his plans are?” Tsunade continued on, ignoring the lovers’ public display.

“Today, I was merely stirring the pot, as it were,” Saburo admitted. “I wasn’t necessarily supposed to cause damage to any of you. Get in, create some chaos, and get out again.” Trying to get Kakashi to kill him had been entirely his own idea. “It angered him that his injury had given you so much free time. And without Yume-chan around, he no longer had a way to observe you from afar.” The long-haired man smirked nastily. “Old bastard didn’t think about that when he tried to kill her, did he?”

“Where will he go?” Tsunade asked.

Saburo shrugged. “I’m not at all sure. Since I’ll not be returning,” here he glanced nervously at Kakashi, who nodded for him to continue, “well, this does decrease his numbers once again.”

“Would he try teaming up with someone?” Sasuke asked suddenly. “Like the Akatsuki?” Or rather, what was left of them. The Akatsuki had their own ambition—Orochimaru had filled him in on it—but they might not mind teaming up with Kain if it could further their goals in some way. If he wasn’t a weakling, that is.

Beside him, Naruto tensed at the mention of the group who had given them so much trouble in the past.

Sasuke realized why and rolled his eyes. “I’m not asking because of Itachi. I’m just making a point. They’re still out there and still a threat.”

Tsunade nodded. “You’re right. We haven’t forgotten about them, Sasuke. But we can only focus on one evil at a time.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about Kain teaming up with anyone,” Saburo finally answered. “He doesn’t… play well with others. It’s not his style. He likes working alone and became powerful enough to do so.”

“A lone wolf,” Kakashi murmured.

Saburo quirked a small smile. “Yeah, and he even resembles one too.” He quickly sobered as he went on. “Kain’s power, in essence, comes from his ability to do things alone. Even the Akatsuki need each other for their plans to succeed. Kain thinks that sort of thing is contemptuous. If there’s one thing he’s lacking, it isn’t pride. He has enough of that to spare.”

“You know what they say—Pride comes before the fall,” Kakashi remarked.

The Talisman user snorted. “They obviously haven’t met Kain. Pride… isn’t a weakness for him. It’s a strength. He sees himself as this great evil, because he has no ambition for world domination or anything like that. He considers that mundane. Truly, he just wants to destroy, to obliterate all who oppose him, to be the very core of evil. I suppose you can call that his purity.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “How can that be called purity?”

“You’re thinking too three-dimensionally,” Saburo responded. “There are all kinds of purity. Those who know pure love, those who know pure hate, and those who know neither.”

Naruto’s face scrunched up in classic confusion. “I don’t get it.”

Saburo smiled at him, though hesitantly. He felt guilty about hurting Sekai and wouldn’t have been surprised if Naruto was angry at him still. Honestly, he was surprised at how quickly Kakashi seemed to have forgiven him. “It’s difficult to explain, I suppose.”

“Especially for someone like you, Naruto,” Sasuke remarked, having caught onto Saburo’s meaning.

Naruto glared at his lover. “What’s that supposed to mean, huh? Another crack at my intelligence?!”

Sasuke smiled and rubbed the back of Naruto’s neck again. “For once, no. I meant that because you’re a good person, it’s harder for you to understand.”

Naruto relaxed slightly, though he still looked at Sasuke sourly. He wasn’t sure if what Sasuke said was an insult or a compliment.

-

It was late when Sasuke felt the weight next to him in bed leave his side.

Naturally, Naruto wouldn’t leave the hospital until he knew for certain that Sekai would be alright, even though Tsunade had reassured he suffered only from minor wounds, so Sasuke had Sakura pull some strings for them. She got them a room adjacent to Sekai’s for the night. Naruto had seemed calmer after he was at last let in to see Sekai, but the older blond hadn’t woken up, and Sasuke knew this worried him greatly.

Sasuke opened his eyes and sat up. Naruto stood in front of the window, shirtless, staring outside with a hard expression on his face.

“Naruto?”

The blond didn’t turn around. “Sasuke… I—I haven’t wanted to kill someone this badly before. Not even Orochimaru. Not even those Akatsuki guys when I thought Gaara was dead. If you hadn’t resealed the Kyuubi, Sasuke, I don’t think I would have control of him right now.”

Sasuke nodded. He had seen Naruto that angry. It was more than frightening.

“Sasuke,” Naruto continued wretchedly. “It’s my brother. It’s Aniki and Yume-chan and Saburo. How can… How can this asshole have gotten away with destroying their lives for so long? It’s… It’s not right!”

Sighing, Sasuke eased out of bed and padded along the cold floor in bare feet to Naruto’s side. He rubbed the blond’s back gently in comfort. “I know, Naruto. Things like this aren’t ever fair. It’s just the way they are. Bad things happen to good people.”

Naruto finally looked at him. “But why?!”

“I don’t know,” answered Sasuke truthfully. “But, I do know that that’s why people like you exist. To protect those who cannot defend themselves. To save people, Naruto.” Like you saved me.

Naruto leaned forward, his head resting against the cool glass of the window. “Yeah, well I don’t feel like I’m doing such a great job.”

“You’re doing the best you can, total idiot,” Sasuke assured, twining his arms around the blond’s waist and holding him close. “That’s all you can do. Don’t feel guilty because you think you could do more. No one can expect more of you than who you are.”

Naruto made an unconvinced sound. “I guess…”

“And remember, I’m here with you,” Sasuke added, shifting uncomfortably at how corny it sounded. He meant every word he said though. “You’re not alone.”

That made Naruto smile a little. “Promise?”

Sasuke smirked and kissed the side of his neck. “Of a lifetime,” he finished.

Naruto giggled slightly. He turned around in Sasuke’s arms to face him and kiss him gently. “You got me too, you know.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Yes, despite my best efforts.”

“Oi.”

“I’m joking.” Playfully, he licked Naruto’s chin, smiling wider when Naruto gulped loudly in reaction. He kissed the spot as if in apology, trailing down to the blond’s neck.

Naruto moaned softly and pulled the Uchiha flush against him. “I, er, don’t think I’m gonna go to sleep anytime soon.”

Sasuke chuckled. “Then I’ll see what I can do about relaxing you.”

Naruto giggled. “You’re so thoughtful.”

“One does what one must.”

-

The medic ninja finished her rounds checking on the patient and left the room, closing the door behind her.

After she was gone, the window slid open and Sai crept back into the room.

He supposed that it wasn’t fair for him to be there and Naruto not to be, but Sai also did not really care. Sekai needed rest and Sai was quiet. He just needed to be in the room with his new friend. Naruto needed the rest too, and hopefully he would allow himself to.

Sai returned to his silent vigil beside Sekai, sitting on the chair nearby and watching him sleep peacefully. Thanks to Sakura, his lip was no longer cut and swollen, and there were no burns left. He looked to be sleeping peacefully, not at the assistance of whatever drugs he’d been given. Sekai’s chest rose slowly as he breathed and Sai watched the motion as if it were the most fascinating thing on Earth.

Sai didn’t know what he was feeling. He had felt scared, he thought, watching Sekai race into the fray back in the garden to stop the fighting. Yet something had stayed him from following, from grabbing Sekai and pulling him back. Something had kept him from keeping Sekai out of danger. Something had told him not to interfere.

And now, because of that, watching Sekai lying prone in bed, he felt… Was it guilt? Yes. That sounded right. He felt like it was his fault. That if he had acted, Sekai wouldn’t have been hurt.

Why hadn’t he? Sai didn’t understand. He had come to care for Sekai very, very much. More than he thought he could ever describe.

So why hadn’t he tried to stop him?

Sai’s head snapped up when the body in bed stirred. He watched as Sekai frowned then opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling blankly.

Sekai wiggled, feeling his torso brush against some uncomfortable fabric. He groaned. “Damn it, they took my underwear this time.”

Sai found himself smiling a little. “Sekai,” he said, to get the boy’s attention.

Sekai turned toward him and smiled back sleepily. “Hey, gorgeous. How’re you doin?’” he asked, his speech slurring a little.

“I am… doing fine.” Hesitantly, Sai reached out and brushed the blond’s cheek. “Do you remember what happened?”

Sekai frowned and he began listing off what he recalled. “The maze. I showed you that new trick merging ninjutsu with talismans. Kakashi-sama was fighting Saburo…” He sighed shakily, fearing the worse. “Is he dead?”

Sai shook his head. “He is not.”

Relieved, Sekai’s smile returned. “That’s good.” Where Saburo was at the moment could be worried about later. For now, Sekai chose to just be pleased that Saburo was still among the living.

They were quiet for a moment. Sai’s thoughts returned to his earlier confusion.

“Sekai…”

Sekai blinked, looking back at him. “Yeah?”

“Don’t… Don’t ever do that again,” Sai said slowly. “I… I don’t know why I let you do it, but please, don’t do it again.”

Sekai bit his lip. “Did I scare you?”

Sai nodded.

“I’m sorry, Sai,” Sekai said guiltily. “I didn’t mean to make you worry.” Slowly, he sat up and eased his legs over the side of the bed. He was disgusted to confirm his earlier suspicions—not only was his underwear gone, but he was wearing a hospital gown. “Were my clothes ruined?” He had jumped through fire after all.

“Sakura said they were not beyond repair,” Sai told him. He wondered if he should make Sekai lay back down.

But Sekai grinned impishly and stepped off the bed. He hitched up the end of the gown and straddled Sai’s hips, sitting in his lap. He wrapped his arms around Sai’s neck and nuzzled their cheeks together like a contented cat.

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

Sai blushed brightly. That urge to remove Sekai’s clothes came back. He was nearly there, all Sai had to do was undo the bindings on the gown and slip it off. It didn’t help that Sekai wasn’t at all bashful about this.

Then again, that was natural for him. Sai thought it was one of his many endearing traits.

“Thank you, though,” Sekai went on. “I didn’t want Saburo die. Thanks for not stopping me.”

That was when Sai thought he finally understood why. Perhaps, though he was afraid, he knew that it was what Sekai wanted to do. He’d wanted to save his friend so Sai had let him.

He thought it meant he believed in Sekai.

Sai hugged the smaller boy tightly. “I was very worried.”

“I know.” Sekai sat back and smiled at him. “Hey, am I making you uncomfortable?”

Sai blinked. “Uncomfortable?”

“I’m not wearing any underwear,” Sekai reminded playfully, winking flirtatiously.

Sai’s blush renewed. “Yes, I’m aware of that.”

“So, am I?”

Sai shook his head. “No… Did you want to have sex now?” he asked, because it was something he had been wondering about.

I hadn’t expected him to ask it straight out like that… But he thought he should have. Sekai giggled and blushed as well. “Um. No, I don’t want my first time to be in a hospital. It just sounds weird.”

Sai nodded. “I thought so too.”

Sekai grinned widely. “But if the gown’s turning you on, I can keep it for later!”

“I like whatever you wear,” Sai told him frankly.

That made the blond beam with pride. “Yeah?”

Sai nodded.

They were quiet again for a moment.

“Hey,” Sekai spoke up, “do you hear that?”

Slowly, the sound of two familiar voices moaning was coming from across the hall.

Sekai and Sai smiled at each other in bemusement.

“They’re really going at it,” Sekai noted.

“It sounds that way,” Sai agreed.

“They’re gonna christen all of Konoha, just watch. The hospital is just the first step. Next they’ll be doing it on the floor in Ichiraku’s.”

“The Hokage tower,” Sai added.

Sekai nodded eagerly. “The training grounds.”

“The Valley of the End.”

“Sure, sure, for nostalgia’s sake,” Sekai agreed. “The hot springs.”

“On the roof.”

“On the roof of this hospital. They fought here too, yeah?”

“Oh, yes. The fighting arena.”

“During an exam, or after?”

Sai thought about that. “Both,” he decided.

Sekai nodded with a smirk. “Yeah, they strike me as future exhibitionists.”

“Naruto will be known for all time as the Nudist Hokage.”

Sekai laughed. “The Loud, Obnoxious Nudist Hokage.”

“Indeed.”

The moaning went on.

“Where would you like your first time to be?” Sai eventually asked, inquisitively.

Sekai tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm… I don’t know. I guess, I dunno, I want it to not be impromptu, you know?”

Sai nodded slowly. “I think I understand. You want it to be planned?”

Sekai smiled shyly. “Yeah… There doesn’t have to be a candlelight dinner or anything, but, I just want it to be… romantic, I guess.”

Sai thought about that. He wondered what he could do that would be “romantic.” Then again, he didn’t know a lot about romance. He foresaw another trip to the library over this…

“But don’t feel pressured!” Sekai added quickly. “I mean, I enjoy all the time I spend with you, Sai.”

Sai smiled. “I enjoy the time I spend with you as well.”

Sekai beamed happily and leaned forward to kiss him gently. They actually hadn’t been kissing a lot; once or twice when the mood was right. In retrospect, he would have never believed he was capable of taking things so slowly. But Sai was important and he wanted to.

Cupping Sekai’s cheek with one hand, Sai kissed him back. If anything did happen to Sekai, he wouldn’t know what to do. Sekai had become so very dear to him.

-

Saburo could not get back to sleep. Taking pity on him, Kakashi had gone and bought a pack of cards from the gift shop downstairs. They sat playing games until the early hours of the morning.

“You surrendered in order to get us to shut up, didn’t you?” Kakashi eventually asked. “Not that you’d decided to give it a shot here.”

Saburo winced and set down two cards, picking up two new ones from the deck. His hand improved only slightly. “Well… At the time, yes.”

“At the time?”

Saburo gave him a nervous smile. “I’m not going to suddenly start thinking differently overnight, you know.”

Kakashi shook his head. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”

“But… I am willing to give you the chance to prove that I’m wrong,” the long haired man said, his voice soft.

Kakashi smiled. “I’m glad. Oh!” His visible eye widened in shock. “I nearly forgot.” He reached down and picked up a small, ornately designed flute from the floor. “This was in your robes. It survived unscathed.”

Saburo smiled a real smile. “Ah, I was wondering about that!” He accepted the flute gratefully. “Thank you.”

“No problem… So, you’re a musician too?”

Saburo nodded and gazed at the instrument with a melancholy expression. “Yes… My family was not shinobi, like Sekai’s. Mine specialized in flute playing. It was a family tradition. My… My mother was teaching me how to play before… Well, before that old bastard took me in.” He held up the flute. “But I kept this. No matter what, I’ve kept this.” His last physical link to the past. His link to his mother, father, and sister. “When I ran away, I returned to my village and found a tutor. Though my relatives did not survive, my family’s rival flute playing house had. Perhaps I should have more family pride than to go to my family’s rivals to learn, but I don’t. I just wanted to learn.”

Kakashi nodded. “I think that’s showing great pride. You wished to continue your family’s traditions, no matter what.”

Saburo beamed. “You think so?”

“Yes, I really do.”

“You’re sweet.”

Kakashi found himself blushing. “You don’t know me well enough. Yume’s dreams don’t count.”

Saburo giggled. “Maybe.”

He showed Kakashi his cards. The Jounin ended up having a worse hand than he did.

“Oh dear,” the ninja said.

Saburo laughed. “Another round?”

“Yes, please.”

TBC.