Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ I think I better leave right now ❯ Why're you're opening up the healing wounds again? ( Chapter 12 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto. 
Title: I think I better leave right now - chapter 12
Author: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679@hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.
Rating: PG-13, angst, bad language. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, HinaNaru
Notes: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. Ok some things straight: I haven't really been emphasising much on the situations with Orochimaru etc... Basically because this is more of a romance fic rather than an action one... Previously: Sasuke confronts Naruto - then kisses him before running away... ------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- The sunlight streamed through the window of Naruto’s bedroom, the rays dancing an intricate dance gently upon his face, which was currently engrossed in an expression of complete befuddlement. The beams of light illuminated the features of the scarcely peaceful boy in such a way that made him look innocent… Too innocent… Too naïve… The almost angelic image betrayed his inner need to be as loud and raucous as possible at all times… Such ethereal beauty… Such a contrast to what the villagers branded as a demon… The blonde yawned, the first signs of consciousness appearing, as he roused himself from his restless slumber. He had a dream – although he couldn’t recall the actual events… Something to do with darkness… So black… So alone… Naruto rubbed his eyes wearily. He was used to dark dreams… Or nightmares as other people would’ve termed them… They occurred so frequently that they didn’t bother him any more… The really scary thing was, sometimes his nightmares were better than his waking life… Dreams were always less cold… The blonde sat up wearily, as the bed sheets sprayed awkwardly over his naked body. He searched his mind tiredly. Just what was he supposed to do today? He was sure he had some plans… But… What were- Sakura…Best man duty meeting! Naruto groaned loudly. It was only yesterday that he had unwittingly made that promise… The pink haired girl had been so persuasive… Too persuasive… Not to mention talkative – somehow he couldn’t even get a word in edgeways… To think, so much has happened since then… With Hinata… The lake… And Sasuke… Sasuke… Naruto grimaced, as he reflexively touched his lips with the tip of his fingers. Now that it was morning again, he could think properly… More clearly… The thoughts had been plaguing him all night – from the moment he started to head home, to the moment that he had finally succumbed to a restless sleep... Yet the same questions still rambled aimlessly in his mind… Did… What… Did that… Did that kiss yesterday actually happen? Or was it just a figment of his own morbid imagination? The blonde shook his head dazedly as the realisation of the statement hit him. ‘Stupid Naruto!’ he scolded himself. Of course it didn’t happen! Why the hell would Sasuke kiss him? When he had Sakura?  What a joke! Lil blondie was actually dense enough to think that Sasuke, respected Sasuke, Sasuke-who’s-going-to-marry-the-most-beautiful-girl-in-the-village -Sasuke would kiss him? As in him, as in Naruto? As in Naruto the demon child?! Yeh right! And why the fuck would he do that? If he were going to cheat on Sakura, he would at least choose someone a little more special… A little more classy… Hell, anyone was classier than Naruto… Even Akamaru… And to the second point - why the hell would the Uchiha be crying? Everyone knows that the stoic boy didn’t cry… He never cried. Naruto sighed. Why was he blessed with such a stupid imagination? ‘Probably just the stress of the day catching up on you…’ he murmured to himself. That had to be it… Just a figment of his own stupid imagination… After all, that day was pretty stressful… First with the hangover… Then the flashbacks… Then the sudden unwanted appearance of the raven-haired boy… Naruto groaned before shuffling out of his warm bed and into the shower… But if it was just his imagination, then why could he still feel the warm lips upon his? Why could he still taste the distinctive taste of the one Uchiha Sasuke? And why the hell did his heart hurt so much? ----------------------------------------------------- Around noon, Naruto found himself embarking on the dreaded journey towards the house of the Uchiha’s. He had spent almost 2 hours aimlessly dithering until he finally admitted defeat - he had tried to think up excuses to avoid the ‘best man’ meeting, but every one of them had sounded pathetic, even to his own ears… The harsh reality of the situation was that there was no point in avoiding it… It was inevitable, so why delay the impossible? ‘I hope you appreciated what I’m doing for you…’ the blonde contemplated bitterly, as an image of the pink haired girl flashed up in his mind. If it hadn’t been for her, there was no way that he’d submit himself to such torture… He was still confused… Being near his archrival again, after all that time, had dredged up conflicting emotions within the blonde… He was angry… He was pissed off… He was furious that Sasuke had totally ignored him since returning to the Leaf… Furious that the Uchiha boy was totally ignorant of his existence… Angry that the taller boy expected him to bow at his every whim, to talk when it was convenient for him… To think that the world revolved around him… Yet there was also another intense emotion that took him by surprise, this one feeling that he couldn’t ignore…  That feeling of sorrow… That all too familiar feeling of pain… It hurt his heart… So many questions that he wanted to but didn’t… Couldn’t ask… Why did he leave? Why did he leave without saying goodbye? Did he really hate him that much? Did he really regret it that much? And most of all... How? How did they end up like this? How did they end up in a situation where their friendship no longer meant anything? How did they manage to lose everything?  ----------------------------------------------------- ----- Hinata glanced at the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. She sat near the entrance of her front door, nervously fiddling with her fingers. Beside her lay a neatly folded dark orange jacket, ready to be reclaimed by its owner… Except for one problem – the owner was no where to be found… ‘Where are you, Naruto?’ she wondered, a little anxiously. He had promised that he’d come and get his jacket… He promised! So why wasn’t he here? Maybe he and Sasuke got into a fight? Maybe Naruto was hurt! Maybe he couldn’t come and retrieve his belongings… Maybe he couldn’t physically move… Or maybe he caught a fever because he didn’t have his jacket last night! And maybe he was sick in bed, and he felt really crap… And probably couldn’t even breathe properly… And it was all her fault! ‘Stop letting your imagination run away again!’ her conscience scolded in exasperation. It had been no less than the tenth time that her imagination had gone on an overload this one morning… Which wasn’t healthy at all… Especially when one of her ‘maybes’ happened to involve a giant bunny rabbit with a fetish for yellow mushrooms… Hell - did rabbits even eat mushrooms? Hinata shook her head wearily to clear her thoughts. She glanced at the clock again… Where was he?! Gah Naruto was known for his clumsiness, but lateness wasn’t really one of his well-known assets… Unless he had been hanging around Kakashi-sensei too much again… The copycat ninja did have the uncanny ability to make everybody and anybody late… The most renowned example being Uchiha Sasuke during the third Chunnin exam… Arghh but where was Naruto!? ‘You are rather stupid aren’t you?’ the dark-haired girl’s conscience smirked. ‘Didn’t you think of the possibility that he might’ve… just… forgotten?’ Just… Conveniently forgotten… Hinata sighed in dismay… The harsh reality was - maybe she didn’t mean as much to him, as he did to her… Because if he had forgotten so easily, then she couldn’t have meant that much to him… Couldn’t have meant much at all… ------------------------------------------------ Sakura rubbed her eyes wearily, as she continued walking towards Naruto’s apartment. She didn’t get much sleep the night before – the Uchiha house had seemed so isolated, so lonely without anyone there… So strangely empty… And cold… Colder than it had ever been before… That and thoughts of the Uchiha boy had refused to desert her… The pink haired girl sighed… Sasuke hadn’t returned from whatever he was doing… Trust him to disappear at a time like this… And so she had taken responsibility upon herself to cancel the ‘duty’ meeting, as she had termed it… Although she doubted that the raven-haired boy would contribute to their discussions, she was sure that he wouldn’t appreciate being left out of planning something so important… Especially something as important as marriage. Hence the reason she was making the journey to Naruto’s apartment… Sakura grimaced, as thoughts of the earlier encounter with Ino invaded her mind. At first, the blonde female shinobi had glanced at the broken door outside her house rather worriedly, before exhaling in a huge sigh of relief, as she perceived that the pink-haired girl was well and unharmed. Even after convincing the blonde that she wasn’t hurt, at least not physically (Gai and Kakashi could probably cause severe mental problems if given the chance), Ino had looked rather anxious… Even a little nervous…As if she knew something that Sakura didn’t… And when Sakura had cancelled the duty meetings, due to Sasuke’s ‘busy schedule,’ the blonde had looked even more distressed… Sakura hated lying – especially to one of her closest friends… But what could she say? Her pride just wouldn’t permit her to reveal another one of her little humiliating secrets… That Sasuke had disappeared again… That she had no idea where he went… And no, it wasn’t unusual… Sakura ran her fingers through her pink hair, as her thoughts directed themselves to Ino’s strange behaviour. Although she had tried to hide it, it was obvious that something was wrong… The blonde was shifty, edgy and unusually tense… Such a stark contrast to the happy and optimistic person she was the day before… Just what had happened in those last 24 hours?? And why did she look so distressed and troubled when the topic of Sasuke being ‘busy’ came up?? Did she know something that she wasn’t letting on? Did this somehow involve Sasu- “Sakuraaa-channn!” A distinctive yell brought the pink haired girl out of her reverie. She couldn’t help but grin as the messy orange form of Naruto came hurtling towards her. “Ohayo, Naruto!” she smiled as the hyperactive ninja waved his arms frantically in the air to regain his balance, before he came screeching to a halt in front of her. “Where you going Sakura-chan?” the blonde grinned eagerly. He was now jumping up and down on the spot, as if it was physically impossible for him to stay still. It was actually rather endearing… “Eh… I was on my way to your apartment-” “But I thought we were going to your house? For that duty meeting remember?” Naruto asked, his blue eyes widening in curiosity. “Aii… Uhm… Change of plans… See… Sasuke’s kinda busy…” The jumping stopped. Silence descended upon the two. Sakura gazed at the floor nervously. She hated lying… And why wasn’t Naruto interrupting her? She had expected the blonde to shout, yell or somehow insult the stoic boy’s lack of responsibility… Or his rudeness at cancelling at such late notice… Yet he remained silent, as if expecting her to carry on… Such disconcerting silence… “Yeh so… I’ll let you know when… When we can have that meeting ok…” the pink haired girl smiled weakly. “Uh…Ok then…” Naruto murmured, although there was a sense of confusion within his eyes… Mixed with a glimmer of relief… And… Was that a spark of anger? “I’ll be going home then… Sorry about this Naruto…” “It’s ok Sakura-chann…” the blonde smiled sincerely. “It’s not your fault…” The pink haired girl paused, a faint smile gracing her lips. 'Not my fault…' Naruto sure had changed… No where near as obnoxious as he used to be… “Well, uhmm… Ok then… I’ll… I’ll chat to you later then…” Sakura hesitated. She felt bad about wasting his time…Maybe she should’ve at least spent a little longer talking to him… And maybe grab lunch with him or something… She knew she was being selfish, but she really felt like being alone… The sleepless night, the thoughts of Sasuke, and then Ino’s erratic behaviour had really taken a toll on her stamina… She just wanted to go home and sleep… Sleep, wake up, then Sasuke will be back… Then everything will be ok again… “Uhm… See you soon…” Sakura waved apologetically, then turned around uncertainly, before walking back towards the direction she came from... “Yeh… See you…” Naruto whispered, a small sad smile directed at her retreating back, before he too turned around and walked away… But due to the hustle and bustle down the busy street, no one noticed the identical sullen expressions gracing the features of the two former teammates, as they walked further and further away from each other… Back to back… Was this what they called friendship? ------------------------------------------------------- The days passed quickly for the blonde shinobi of Konoha. After the meeting with Sakura, he had ventured over to visit Hinata and retrieve his jacket. She had looked so flustered that Naruto began to wonder whether the gesture of offering his jacket was actually worthwhile… Because it looked like she had caught a fever after all… The blonde politely turned down any proposals for lunch – he knew that the smaller girl needed her rest, despite her fervent protests that she was fine… Thankfully, the subject of the Uchiha boy remained untouched… Naruto wasn’t sure whether he’d be able to cope reminiscing about the raven-haired boy once again… Any more and he’d go insane… Since that day, the blonde hadn’t seen Sakura or Hinata around the village. He caught a glimpse of Ino with Shikamaru in the market once, but rather than tease them, as he would’ve usually done, he just smiled, waved and let them be… It was obvious that something was going on… Even if neither party were willing to admit it… They were actually pretty cute...  And Shikamaru deserved happiness… Naruto hadn’t seen Sasuke since the incident at the lake, which suited him perfectly fine. The Uchiha’s presence always stirred up some incomprehensible emotion within himself… And rather than confront it or try and work out what it was, the kitsune preferred to tackle it the typical bloke way – avoid, ignore and hope it disappears… After all, ignorance was bliss, right? Anyway, after their last ‘confrontation’, Naruto wasn’t sure whether he ever wanted to see the raven-haired boy again… He hadn’t expected it… Never, not even in his wildest dreams, had he ever expected it to turn out like that… He had imagined more anger, more questions, more explanations… Less confusion… He definitely did not anticipate a moody Sasuke - especially not a moody Sasuke asking weird ass questions that had nothing to do with anything… The raven-haired boy was just too unpredictable… Too dangerous, too much of a hazard… Yet something still bugged the blonde, still preyed aggravatingly on his mind… For the Uchiha to act to strange… To act so out of character… Just what had happened in those 5 years? ------------------------------------------------ Knock, knock, knock, knock! Naruto shifted wearily, deeper into his duvet covers… So warm… Knock, knock, knock, knock! The blonde snuggled deeper into the fabric irritably, ignoring the frantic knocking upon his front door… Knock, knock, knock! With a scowl, the kitsune threw back his covers. He glanced at his bedside clock – 6am… Who the hell was brave, or crazy enough to be knocking outside his door at 6am, on a non-mission day?! Naruto pouted and dived deeper into his covers… He’d just ignore them, and they’ll go away, then he can go back to sle- Knock, knock, knock, knock! “Coming!” he barked, a little pissed off at the unwelcome morning intrusion. That knocking was starting to get on his nerves… He yawned irritably – he hated being woken up prematurely from his slumbers… ‘This better be important or I’ll-’ Knock, knock, knock, knock! With a weary sigh, Naruto threw on his robe, and proceeded to greet the persistent visitor outside his apartment. On the short journey there, he had already thought up of 28 ways of killing his unfortunate guest, in the most painful of ways possible… Knock, knock, kno- “Whatdayawant?” Naruto growled, as he threw the door open, and came face to face with - Kakashi? Naruto blinked. This was a sick joke – even by the copy ninja’s standards… It was just wrong - extremely wrong, on soo many different levels, to wake someone up as early as this… For no apparent reason… Then anger consumed him. “You bastard, I’m going to kill-” But before he could complete his threat, Naruto was suddenly tackled head on by a blur of pink. “S-Sakura-chan?” he stammered. What was Sakura doing here? It had been 2 weeks since he had seen her – on that day she cancelled the duty meeting… Come to think of it, those two weeks had gone by pretty fast…  Confused blue eyes glanced up at the form of the silver-haired jounin. The older man was standing there, without the usual smirk upon his face… Even the gleam in his eye missing… Maybe this wasn’t a joke after all… Just what was going on? “Sakura-chan?” Naruto murmured gently, as he gazed down at the trembling girl in his arms. He was distressed to find that she was crying… Sakura… Grown up Sakura… Sakura, the girl – the woman who let nothing faze her… The girl who never cried… The girl who promised never to cry again… Sakura was crying…? “Oh my god Sakura, are you ok? Are you hurt?” the blonde panicked, as he inspected the limbs of the sobbing girl before him. A whirlwind of thoughts attacked Naruto head on – did someone hurt her? Where was Sasuke? Wasn’t he meant to be looking after her? That bastard, can’t take care of anyone but himself…! Unless… Unless it was Sasuke? Did Sasuke hurt her? That fucking bast- Kakashi must’ve sensed the blonde’s suspicions, because he swiftly terminated the theory. “No, Sasuke hasn’t touched her…” the voice was serious and grave, seeming very out of character coming from the silver-haired ninja. “But…” he hesitated. “It does involve him…” Naruto blinked in confusion. Sasuke didn’t hurt Sakura? Then… Then what did he do? The blonde frowned, then completed his physical inspection of the pink haired girl anyway, just to make sure… The results confirmed what his former sensei had stated – no detectable scars, bruises, fractures… And apart from crying, the pink haired leaf nin seemed perfectly healthy… Sakura wasn’t hurt… At least not physically hurt… “You might as well come in…” Naruto sighed, as he spared another glance at his former sensei. It looked as if a long explanation was in store. Kakashi gave him a small nod of appreciation, before stepping in and closing the door behind him. The blonde sat down on a chair, Sakura sitting on his lap with her face buried upon his shoulders. She was still sniffing, although the presence of Naruto seemed to calm her somewhat. Naruto rubbed her back soothingly. By all means, he may not be used to comforting other people, but for god’s sake, he was sure damn well going to try! For Sakura’s sake anyway… The copycat ninja grabbed a chair and sat opposite the two, a thoughtful expression gracing the limited features that were on display. He looked so sombre… So sad… So serious… Naruto realised that it didn’t suit him… It didn’t suit him at all… Just what the hell could’ve happened? And how the hell was Sasuke involved? ------------------------------------------------ Naruto sat in a dazed silence as his former sensei explained the situation to him. Sakura snivelled weakly in his arms now and again, although she did nothing to neither support nor contradict the silver haired jounin’s words. To put a long story short, Sasuke was missing… He had been missing since 2 weeks ago… And the reason Sakura had cancelled the whole ‘duty meeting’ was because the Uchiha boy had disappeared… The ‘busy’ excuse had been nothing more than what it was… Just an excuse… Naruto’s stomach lurched guilty. It had been 2 weeks already? Time had gone so fast that he hadn’t even been able to keep track of it… Just what did he do in that fortnight anyway? It had been that long since he had last seen Sakura… It had been 2 weeks, and he still hadn’t gotten around to contacting her… Sure, he had been a bit suspicious that there was still no word from her about the ‘meeting,’ especially after such a long time, but he had just assumed that they were busy… Maybe they were planning other things… Such as the venue, the dress, the caterers… Or maybe they got caught up renovating the house or something… They were human after all… They weren’t perfect… Anything could’ve caused a delay… Naruto sighed… Ok, that was a lie… The truth was, he didn’t contact Sakura because he was secretly relieved that he could postpone the dreaded meeting with the raven-haired boy… If there was no word about it, then he was more than happy to comply… After all, no news was good news - it meant that he wouldn’t have to face Sasuke… For another day at least… He didn’t even consider trying to find out why there was such a delay… Because once again, that meant facing the Uchiha… Maybe he was still angry… Maybe he was scared… Maybe he was both… Naruto choked back a sob. He had been so selfish… He didn’t bother checking up on Sakura, to ensure that she was ok, to ensure that she was well because of his own stupid fear… It was all because of his own stupid feelings…! He had 2 weeks to talk to her, find her, meet up with her… But he didn’t… She was probably suffering – crying all this time, and he didn’t even realise… She probably thought that no one cared… Just what kinda friend was he? Just what kinda friend abandoned people like that? Especially when they needed you the most... ‘I won’t desert you again Sakura…’ the blonde vowed solemnly to himself. No way… There was no way that he’d hurt her again… He’d do everything in his power to help her… Even if that did mean facing his greatest fear… Even if that did mean facing the one Uchiha Sasuke… ----------------------------------------- “So how can I help?” Naruto asked anxiously, as Kakashi finished his account of the current situation. “Well, basically, the Hokage suggested that we-” “Wait, the Hokage knows about this?” Naruto asked, a little bewildered. Then again… It wasn’t all that surprising really… The Hokage always knew anything and everything that happened in the village… Nothing ever seemed to ensue without her knowing about it one way or the other… “Well, Sasuke and I were supposed to talk about paying a visit to the Hokage, the day after the engagement party… But uh… We never actually got around to it…” Kakashi explained, a little uncomfortably. It was probably his fault for turning up so late…  Then again, who would’ve guessed that Sasuke wouldn’t be at home at such ungodly hours? And who could’ve possibly guessed that the Uchiha wasn’t going to return home for 2 weeks straight? “Talk to the Hokage about what?” Naruto asked curiously. People never usually saw Tsunade unless they were in trouble… Maybe this is why he ran away! Maybe he did something! Maybe he - “A-About becoming a-a full t–time leaf-nin a-again,” Sakura hiccupped, as she made her first contribution to the discussion that morning. “H-he really w-wants to m-make things w-work… L-live here… S-stay here… Go back to how it used to be…” Naruto grimaced bitterly. Go back to how it used to be… What did that mean? Back to being friends? Rivals? Forget about everything that’s happened? Everything that’s ever happened between them? Maybe some things were easier said than done… The pink haired girl wiped her eyes with her free hand, her other arm still tightly clutched around the blonde. Her eyes were starting to look excruciatingly bloodshot. Another wave of guilt hit the blonde - just how long had she been crying for? Had she been crying for 2 weeks straight? “If he wishes to remain a ninja in the village of Konoha, then he’s going to have to start duties and missions again…” Kakashi explained. Naruto nodded in understanding. It was obligatory really – if Sasuke wished to remain in Konoha then he’d have to get a job… And he couldn’t imagine the Uchiha existing as anything other than a shinobi… It was part of him… It was in his blood… “Anyway the Hokage suggested that the three of us go look for Sasuke, since we probably know him the best… Since he was in our team and everything…” “But if Tsunade-sama wants to see him, then why didn’t she send out the search party to look for him?” Naruto wondered out loud. After all, the Hokage was powerful, and she had a lot of resources at her disposal… Even if she didn’t know where the raven-haired boy was, she sure as hell had the power to find out… So… Why didn’t she? “I mean, it’ll be so much more efficient than just the 3 of us looking for him…” the blonde trailed off uncertainly as he was met with more silence. Kakashi seemed to look even more sombre, if that was at all possible. “Naruto…” the older man hesitated, biting down upon his lower lip. “Remember how the villagers first reacted when news of Sasuke’s disappearance got around?” “Yeah, they were all confused…” “But what happened after the initial confusion? Do you remember?” Naruto paused in thought. Even a year after the Uchiha’s disappearance, there were still many rumours circulating around the village about the raven-haired boy… The blonde remembered hearing some of these crudely whispered remarks – some suspecting that Sasuke was dead, some believed that he was planning to take over the village, and most were convinced that he was going to betray them all… Betray them one way or another… All in all, the comments weren’t exactly friendly… Then again, what was that saying? That fear instigates hate? And it was damn right obvious that they were scared… Shit scared… “The Hokage doesn’t want to alarm the villagers by sending out a search party… Not just yet anyway… The people are worried, Naruto… They’re scared of him, scared of his actions… They haven’t…” the silver haired jounin faltered, before recomposing himself. “They haven’t totally forgiven him yet… You know how the majority of the people are… They’re scared of what they don’t understand… And Sasuke’s still an enigma to them…” Naruto snorted at the oh too obvious statement. “Basically, we are given until tomorrow morning to find him, otherwise Tsunade-sama will have no choice but to employ the search party-” “Look, I’m sure he’ll come out when he wants to…” the blonde interrupted haughtily. Why was everyone making such a fuss for the Uchiha anyway? What was so special about him? He was probably just hiding out somewhere for the sake of appearing cool and mysterious… “I don’t see the point in hunting him down… He’s probably just pissed off at one thing or another…” Naruto winced as he realised what he had just said. “I’m so sorry Sakura, I didn’t mean it that way…” the blonde apologised fervently, as he rubbed smoothing circles upon the pink haired girl’s back. Gah why didn’t he think before he spoke? Him and his stupid mouth…! Poor Sakura... She probably felt bad enough without needing his stupid comments to add to it… He was such an insensitive jerk- “Naruto, we think he might’ve run away again…” The blonde’s head immediately snapped upwards at the statement. “Sakura informed me that Sasuke has never been away this long before, without notifying her of the situation… If he departs without warning, he usually returns within 3 days… Maximum 5…” The blonde ninja processed all the new information with his mouth hanging open. So this wasn’t the first time? He had left her before? Without telling her where he was going? Uchiha Sasuke, had often left his future wife by herself, without giving her any indication of his whereabouts? While she probably cried or worried herself sick? And he did it again? And again? And he was still doing it now? The bastard had no fucking right to call himself her fiancé! “It’s been 14 days, Naruto… He hasn’t been sighted for 14 days…” Kakashi’s voice was solemn and steady. The blonde searched the older man’s features for something, for anything… For any answers… But the jounin’s face was blank, betraying no trace of emotion. Naruto’s head spun dizzily from the onslaught of new information. Sasuke? Run away? Again? As in disappearing? As in not coming back?  They thought… The Hokage thought that Sasuke had run away again? But he wouldn’t do that… Would he? Could he? Where would he go? What would he do? His life was at Konoha now! He couldn’t just disappear again… He was going to start duties, and missions and - It just wasn’t a possibility! Sasuke wouldn’t be so irresponsible! He just couldn’t… He had a fiancée for god’s sake! He just couldn’t… ‘He did it before… He could do it again…’ the blonde’s conscience remarked solemnly. But… Sasuke couldn’t be gone! He was back! He couldn’t just go again, not so soon… He had just come back! Naruto had seen him… They had argued, shouted, screamed… They had almost fought… At the lake… Only 2 weeks ago… He couldn’t have gone already…It had only been 2 weeks… Naruto froze. 2 weeks ago… Wasn’t that when the Uchiha went missing? Did that mean he was the last person to see him? He was the last person to see Sasuke 5 years ago before he disappeared as well… … Did that mean that it was his fault? Was it his fault that Sasuke had gone? Again? A nauseating sense of déjà vu gripped the blonde… “And if he doesn’t make an appearance soon, the rumours will start again… Rumours of his disloyalty, of his betrayal… And I’m not sure whether the villagers will be as forgiving this time… Or as accepting…” Kakashi sighed, as if the next part of his statement pained him physically to say it. “And if that happens, then Sasuke may have to leave Konoha for good…” The room suddenly became very cold. --------------------------------------------------- The next few hours sped by like a blur. Naruto couldn’t think properly, couldn’t function properly. Guilt and uneasiness surged uncomfortably through him. He was no longer tired – the initial shock and the confusion were enough to keep him awake, not to mention the hordes of frantic thoughts that were coursing relentlessly through his mind. If what Kakashi said were true, if Sasuke was really gone again… Then it was his fault… It was his fault again… After promising to stay uninvolved… To stay out… To stay away… To protect Sakura… Why couldn’t he just stay away? Was it really that hard? If he had just followed his own instincts… If he hadn’t listened to Kakashi that day… Then Sakura wouldn’t be in this situation! She wouldn’t be hurt… She’d be happy… She wouldn’t be crying… She wouldn’t be crying like this! Why the fuck was he so stupid! Why! Why the hell did bad things always happen to him? She didn’t deserve this… It was his fault! It was always his fucking fault! And all it took was one meeting with the stoic boy and everything came crashing down… Just one meeting and the Uchiha hated him enough to leave the village all over again… Just one meeting and he had managed, single-handedly, to destroy the bright future of his two former teammates… If only he hadn’t been so angry at Sasuke… If only they had talked properly, instead of the excessive shouting and screaming that emitted from the both parties… If only he had listened to what the Uchiha had to say… Maybe… Maybe he wouldn’t have left… It was his fault… He didn’t even bother to ask what had happened to him in those 5 years… Didn’t ask where he went, what he did… Weren’t they supposed to be friends? What – What went wrong? … How… How the hell did it all come to this? Naruto ran a hand through his blonde hair before leaping back on top of a branch. After their little rendezvous, the three had decided to look for Sasuke anyway… Naruto complied even though he wasn’t convinced – after all, if Sasuke wanted to hide, then no one, not even the best of jounins would be able to find him… The boy was a master of stealth that no one, not even himself could compete with… The blonde had just about given up all hope – but Sakura had declared that there was still a slight possibility that the Uchiha boy hadn’t run away… And that he was hiding somewhere within the province of the village… After all, it wasn't as if he had anywhere else to go… And hope was hope, no matter how slight it may be… The thought that he could be of some help, any help, was the only thing that kept Naruto going… Kept him watching, searching, pursuing…  He would never abandon Sakura again. He’d help her no matter what it took… He’d help her find her happiness… Even if it cost him his own…  ---------------------------------------------------------- -- “No luck?” Naruto landed gracefully on his feet, and shook his head wearily at his sensei’s enquiry. “Hmm… You should get some rest…” Kakashi’s voice was gentle and sympathetic. It didn’t suit him… Didn’t suit him at all… “It’s ok… I’m not tired-” “At least get something to eat… You haven’t eaten all day…” “But-” “You’re not going help Sakura much in that state…” Sakura… The only reason why he was straining himself… The only reason why he still cared… Naruto nodded, and sighed in submission. His sensei was right. He should get something to eat, and then he could resume his searching… More energy meant a higher efficiency right? The blonde walked dejectedly towards the Uchiha household, as the silver haired jounin took off – to continue his search for Sasuke no doubt. He rubbed his blue eyes wearily. No matter how futile the searching seemed, it was the only thing he could do… The only thing he could do to help… The only thing that made him feel useful… It was night already – the hours had rushed by without even registering in the kitsune’s mind. Sakura had already retired from exhaustion – which wasn’t really surprising… She had looked so tired, so weary even before they had even begun their search… So different from the person that Naruto had talked with and laughed with only 2 weeks ago… Only 2 weeks ago… The blonde grimaced. Those 2 weeks seemed to have finally caught up with the pink haired girl… And judging by her appearance, those 2 weeks weren’t easy… Pushing back a wave of guilt, Naruto knocked softly upon the door of the house that the three had decided to use as their ‘base.’ The door opened almost immediately, and the blonde had to suppress a surge of self-loathing as he met Sakura’s frantic gaze. ‘I shouldn’t be here! I should continue looking –’ “Come in Naruto, I’ve made you something to eat…” she murmured, the disappointment still painfully evident in her voice. The blonde sighed guilty, as he followed the smaller girl reluctantly into the warmth of the house… --------------------------------------- Five minutes later, Naruto was seated at the main table, eating instant ramen from a cup. It was strange how even ramen tasted dull and bland to him at that moment. Or maybe that had something to do with the uncomfortable feeling of guilt surging through him… An eerie silence settled over the two – one seemingly absorbed in his eating, and the other appearing too tired to talk. Restless thoughts continued to hurtle around within the confines of the blonde’s head. He shouldn’t be here! He should continue looking… Help somehow! Anyhow… “Sakura-chan?” Naruto murmured gently. He just couldn’t take the silence anymore. And apart from feeling guilty, something else had been bugging him… Refusing to leave his mind, tugging at his conscience. He should ask right? It was harmless enough… And it might help him in his search for the Uchiha… Green eyes looked at him questioningly. “What…” he hesitated, before taking a deep breath for calming purposes. “What happened in those 5 years?” He instantly regretted asking the seemingly innocent question when the green eyes widened in surprise. Surprise soon turned to horror, which rapidly turned to absolute fear… “I…” her mouth was wide open, as if wanting to scream… Yet the noise wouldn’t come out… Why couldn’t she scream?! “I…” tears formed at her eyes, threatening to spill. Her heartbeat became sporadic, and she was ashamed to find her breathing had started to hitch. “Oh god…” Naruto panicked. “I… It doesn’t matter! Aa… Don’t worry about it… It was a stupid question!” The blonde abandoned his noodles, and immediately wrapped both his arms around the trembling girl, desperately trying to comfort her. He continued to hold Sakura for a good 5 minutes, gentle rocking her back and forth to ease the evident tension building within her. The two sat in complete silence, with the occasion sniff and hiccup coming from the quivering girl. Naruto felt lost. He still wasn’t used to this consoling thing… Should he say something? Somehow comfort her verbally? But what he could he say? He had never been good with words… He sighed wearily. How did he manage to make things even worse? And just as he thought that things were settling down, he had to open his big mouth and make Sakura cry… Gah why couldn’t he do anything right? Drowning in his remorseful thoughts, Naruto almost didn’t hear the faint whisper that emitted from the pink haired girl… So hushed that he had almost deemed it another figment of his imagination… But the chill that surged through his soul was undeniable…  “Blood…So much blood…” ----------------------------------------- Sakura collapsed from weariness not long after. Naruto picked her up and carried her upstairs, noticing for the first time how frail the young woman really was… And how tired she really looked… Even in sleep she looked plagued and haunted by unseen demons, unrelinquished memories… The blonde had to bite down on his bottom lip from shock as he first entered the master bedroom. It was not what he expected at all. No pictures or photos adorned the shelves… Not gadgets and gizmos littered the place… No clothes, no books, no life, no soul. It was just empty - just cold and empty, as if no one had ever lived there at all… Settling the unmoving body down upon the bed, he sighed before preparing to leave. He had to help, had to search, had to keep looking- “I love him so much…” a soft voice had him looking back in mild curiosity. Sakura was awake? But he was sure that she had passed out – “I love him so much you know?” the pink haired girl continued, tears running silently down the side of her face. Naruto nodded in confirmation, just to comfort her. To be honest, he had no idea… He had no idea how it felt to love and to be loved… “I love him so much it hurts…” Sakura was visibly sobbing now, her chest heaving erratically, although she remained lying upon the bed as if she was too tried to get up. “Shh, don’t talk… Get some rest…” Naruto murmured gently, as he made his way back towards the girl. He had to bite his tongue to hold back his own tears… To see her so hurt… In so much pain… It felt like something was tearing at his insides… “I don’t want to love him, but I do… I can’t help who I love right? I’ve tried, I’ve tried so hard…” the trembling girl continued, apparently oblivious to the blonde’s advice. “I used to wish that I had fallen in love with you instead Naruto…” The blonde winced at the bluntness of the statement… “It would be easier, you know…? You’re so… nice… So much easier to love… But I just couldn’t you know? I… I loved him, I love Sasuke too much…” The pink haired girl continued to cry, long after her voice had broken. Naruto sat by helplessly, offering some comfort in the fact that he was there… That someone was there… That no one had to be alone… She had called him nice… He smiled bitterly. If only she knew the truth… When she had finally fallen asleep, Naruto got up and left the house… There was still one place he hadn’t searched… Still one place… That one place he was afraid to go, still afraid to face… But it was for Sakura… And anything was worth that, right…? He’d have to face it for her… Anything for her… ‘I’ll be back…’ he promised silently. ‘I’ll be back, and damn it, I promise you I’ll have Sasuke with me…’ ----------------------------------------- It took him less than 15 minutes to reach that place. And that’s when it started to rain… Raindrops splattered mercilessly on Naruto, drenching him from head to toe. His blonde hair was plastered uncomfortably to his head; his clothes clung onto his body like a second skin… The rain reduced his vision, but it didn’t matter… He knew where the place was - no matter how hard he tried to forget, he always knew where it was… He slowed down once the area came into view. Heavy raindrops splashed onto the surface of the large expanse of water, sending furious ripples outwards, crashing angrily against each other, as if fighting for dominance… The lake was no longer calm… Scanning the distance with his eyes, Naruto’s heart picked up a little as his vision rested upon a hunched figure sitting upon a rock… He smiled ruefully as he realised that he wasn’t really that surprised… But before he had a chance to edge forward, the dark head whipped round. Black eyes met blue. “N-Naruto?” for the first time in his life, Sasuke had actually looked somewhat shocked. His matt black hair also clung to him, as did his clothes – the same clothes that he had worn 2 weeks ago – emphasising every muscle, every movement that he made. He looked pale, tired, weary… Everything that the Uchiha wasn’t meant to be… Not to mention the comical look of bewilderment plastered upon his fair face… The blonde would’ve laughed if it weren’t for the frailness of the situation… “What are you do-” “Everyone’s looking for you…” Naruto shouted over the roar of the wind, wincing at the curtness of his voice. Hell he wasn’t meant to sound like that! He was meant to sound mutual - even friendly damn it! Sasuke continued to stare at him in silence, the rain drowning out any coherent thoughts that were forming within his mind. As if he didn’t quite believe the scenario that was unfolding in front him… As if didn’t quite believe that Naruto was really there… Really standing before him… The blonde hesitated. He knew he should just somehow convince the boy to go home, or drag him home if needed… Then he could go back to his apartment, and have a nice bowl of ramen before going to bed… Then when he woke up everything would be fine and dandy… And Sakura would be happy… But something was still nagging him at the back of his mind… Still gnawing at him, refusing to leave him alone… And there was still time… The Hokage gave them till morning anyway… And it’s not like it would take that long… Right? Even after what Sakura had said… It had scared him a little, chilled him to the bone… He knew it should've put him off, he knew he shouldn’t ask… Curiosity killed the cat after all… But he wanted to know… And no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise, the truth was that he wanted to know… He wanted to know everything… Then maybe, maybe he might finally begin to understand the other boy…  “Sasuke…” Naruto began uncertainly. His voice was surprisingly bold and calm, even against the whistling winds. “Sasuke… Wh-” “I know…” the raven-haired boy interrupted loudly, the rainwater streaming down the contours of his face. “I’ve got some explaining to do…” The rain continued to pour down harder. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------ End chapter 12 wheeee! Long chapter this! Just to let you folks know, all shall be revealed in the next installment, so stay tuned! (that’s if I haven’t bored you senseless yet) Hard chapter this… I’m sorry – it’s more of a filler chapter, but it’s quite important to the rest of the story… Part 1
Sasuke and Naruto have been sparring non stop all day... Literally. That means 12 hours without food nor water...
Kakashi: *appears* Yo!
Naruto: *raspy voice* What - are - you - do *collapses*
Sasuke: *heaves* Need... oxygen...
Kakashi waits patiently as both boys rest and gasp hungrily for oxygen. Ah, the wonders of youth! So much energy, and not enough time to waste it...
Kakashi: *smiles* I brought you guys some food!
Naruto/Sasuke: *simultaneously with suspicion* I'm not hungry!
Both of the boys stomachs rumble as if on cue.
Kakashi: *rolls eyes* OK then, I'll just take all this lovely food and go home...
Kakashi walks extremely slowly away from the two boys, swaying - I mean sashaying - his hips as he moves... 5 minutes later... Kakashi: *cries pitifully and begs on the floor* Pleaseeee eat my food! It took me foreverrr to make! Wahhhh!
Naruto/Sasuke: *arms folded with a glare* No.
Kakashi: *puppy dog eyes* Pleaseeee!
Naruto: *contemplating* What food is it?
Sasuke: *smacks the blonde on the head* It doesn't matter! You can't trust him! He's the enemy!
Kakashi: *pouts mischievously* Its ramen!
Before another word was said, Naruto dove into the food, ripping the the bowls from the bags... Sasuke winced. The blonde sure ate like a dog. A retarded dog.
Naruto: *mouth full* Dis stuf iz gweat! Donsch wolly, its norp pwosioned!
Sasuke stares skeptically before his stomach growls once again. Rather precautiously, he tucks into the food as well. 10 minutes later... Kakashi: *smiles happily* Here, drink this!
Both boys take a clear bottle each, then both start draining the contents simulatneously.
Sasuke: *spits out liquid* Gah its spiked! You put something in our drinks!
Naruto is seemingly oblivious and continues to drink the liquid...
Sasuke: *hits the blonde on the head* Baka! He spiked our drinks!
Naruto: *blinks in shock* Did he- *collapses and starts to snore*
Sasuke: *glares accusingly at Kakashi* I'm too smart for you!
Kakashi: *smiles sweetly* No you're not...
Sasuke also collapses...
Kakashi: *grins* I spiked your food as well ^^
Kakashi skips happily as he tosses the two boys over his shoulders.... It was sure going to be fun tonight!! to be continued.... ^^ Please read and review!! Thanks to everyone, and take care ^^ ^^ P.s. If you would like to join the mailing list, please state your email in a review or email me - purrfectly679@hotmail.com! Arigato!