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Reflections and Shadows	By : twistedsheets Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1576 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Disclaimer: If
Naruto were mine, such a thing would be fine. Alas! Rights belong to Kishimoto,
and should I claim it I would pay a huge fine! (Please excuse my rather lame
attempt at poetic�ness)
Author�s
note:
Uhhh�sorry it took me a while to update. Here is the next chapter�This is a
rather short chapter, but we had a hard time writing it; you�ll find out why
soon enough. And be reminded that the events here sometimes happen
simultaneously, so it�s not really that �chronologically� ordered. Not much
conversation too, for a change. And please excuse what would seem to be the
overuse of pathetic fallacy (am I right?).
In
this chapter, Sasuke and Naruto find out all things must come to its inevitable
conclusion, no matter how good or bad things are.
Just
a thought, I was playing �Never Meant to Belong� from the Bleach soundtrack
while writing this.
Oh,
by the way, I made plushies of Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, along with
Itachi and Yondaime. If you want to see them, go to this site: w w w . m e l
r o s e s t o r m h a v e n . d e v i a n t a r t . c o m
And
please read Chibi-onna1�s fanfics! She�s really good.
Warnings: Yaoi. Light Violence. Run away if scared.
Pairings:
SasuNaru. KakaIru. ShikaIno, NejiHina, SakuLee�and a whole lot more!
This
is for our reviewers, especially kistunekochan, Krispy, and Rosemary,
to whom we were not able to reply to for today! Gomen! We love you! :huggles
reviewers: PLEASE READ THE ABOVE AUTHOR�S NOTE to avoid confusion later on! XD
And if you want to know when we update, just put your email address. Arigato!

Chapter X: Futatsu no Mirai

The air
smelled of rain.
The wind was as icy as a witch�s kiss as it slapped
against Naruto�s face and tugged at his clothes like an insistent lover. The
heavy scent of dust and moisture filtered through his nose, into his lungs,
making it hard for him to breathe and interfering with the scent of his
children and of Kabuto.
The
branch beneath his feet cracked sharply as he leapt high into the air, drawing
as much chakra as he dared from the Kyuubi. It was like the time he raced to
get Sasuke to the hospital just over a year ago, but now his surroundings were
a blur of the browns, greens and silvery black of summer nights, unlike the
grays and whites of the past winter morn. Then, he�d been running for Sasuke�s
life, now it was for his�no�their twins.
Sasuke
soared beside him, eyes bleeding in the blood red of the Sharingan. In the
corner of his Kyuubi-enhanced eyes, Naruto could see the curse seal slowly
pulsing into life. Sasuke�s lips were drawn back into a silent snarl, his fury,
like Naruto�s own, barely contained in his trembling body.
Naruto
bit his lip as he recalled what happened in the apartment. As soon as Kabuto
disappeared, half a dozen dead ANBU appeared, swinging their swords in deadly,
jerky arcs. Naruto had his Kage Bunshins deal with them, while Sasuke burned
them into ashes with a fire jutsu. Then, with the dead ANBU still smoking
behind them, they leapt into the air, and the chase was on.
How could
they have been so stupid? Jiraiya had warned them, they should have been more
cautious. And Sasuke was right; the ANBU was not enough to deal effectively
with Orochimaru. How could they have been so blind, so arrogant? Lulled into
contentment by their happiness, they have paid a bitter price for their
arrogance and forgetfulness.
Naruto
took a deep breath. No use crying over spilt milk. They had to find the twins,
save them, and kill Kabuto for daring to take them. The thought of inflicting
grave physical injuries on Kabuto strengthened Naruto�s resolve, and with
another forceful burst of chakra, he jumped.
------
The curse
seal burned into his neck like a fiery claw, digging deep into his flesh, as
cruel and unyielding as the fate before them.
Sasuke
smothered a curse. Though the seals made by Tsunade and Jiraiya mitigated the
effects of the curse seal, it still brought him pain whenever he used chakra,
especially with the Sharingan. The pain was an ant�s bite at most times, but in
the presence of its maker, the curse seal was a fiery brand searing into his
skin.
That was
why he knew Orochimaru was here.
He was
not sure if Orochimaru had taken Kabuto�s form, but he sensed that the Snake
Sannin was in this forest, lurking about. He should have expected that.
Orochimaru wasn�t about to leave this task to others alone, even to Kabuto; he
had to be part of it somehow, watching, waiting to strike like the snake he
was.
The
Uchiha wondered if reinforcements would arrive. Naruto had sent one of his
clones to the Godaime Hokage. Truth be told, Sasuke would have preferred to
keep matters to themselves, as there was no telling what Kabuto or Orochimaru
would do once cornered.
His gut
tightened at the thought of the two. Though he and Naruto had left unsaid,
Sasuke knew he took a large blame of what was happening right now. The sins of
the father visiting on his children. My cursed bloodline. Once again, it has
touched my life and family. Orochimaru wanted the Sharingan so badly. He�d
learned that in his year with him; he didn�t miss the covetous, almost
obsessive glances Orochimaru gave him.
But this
was no time to assign blame. They needed to find the twins, fast. Lifting his
head, Sasuke shouted over to Naruto, �Kabuto isn�t alone. Orochimaru is here.�
Naruto
looked at him and nodded, not bothering to ask how Sasuke knew. With scarcely a
pause in his step, Naruto released his clones, and soon they were off to
different directions to search for the twins.
Sasuke�s
gaze fell back to the trees ahead, trying to find any unusual chakra in the
vicinity with his Sharingan eyes. Orochimaru would pay for this.
--------
�I want
them found as soon as possible. If you have to cut down the whole forest to
find them, do it,� Tsunade said, her mouth drawn into a tight, grim line. She
was in office, dressed in her sleeping robes, but she didn�t care. This was an
emergency.
In front
of her, Kiba, Neji, and Lee nodded. Tsunade decided they would be the best team
to look for the twins: Kiba with his dog and sense of smell, Neji with his
Byakugan, and Lee with his speed. They�d been hastily awakened, but eager to
help.
Tsunade�s
eyes narrowed. Will they be enough? she asked herself. Though the clone
had said it was Kabuto who took the twins, Tsunade had a feeling Orochimaru was
close by. It was hard to tell; he had a new body now. �Jiraiya is already on
his way to help. No matter what you do, make sure you don�t endanger the twins,
or interfere with Naruto and Sasuke. Once you get the twins to safety, get out.
Do not fight Orochimaru and Kabuto unless necessary. Now go!�
Tsunade
watched them leave, but the fist around her heart didn�t ease a bit. She looked
at the sky, watching intently at the sudden streak of lightning flashing across
it and sniffed the air. Rain. Of all things to happen, why did it have to be
rain? Rain would interfere with the search, blocking not only sight but scent
as well. Orochimaru had chosen his time well.
�I�m sure
they�ll find the twins soon, Tsunade-sama, and bring them back safe and sound,�
Shizune said from behind her. Tonton whined her assent, but snuffed worriedly.
�I don�t
understand why Orochimaru had to take both of the twins. He only needs the boy
for the Sharingan. Why take the girl?� It was Hikaru who would probably obtain
the Sharingan, not Hisoka. What use does Orochimaru have for the girl? Tsunade
felt a chill rush up her spine at the sudden thought of the possible things he
might do to the girl. Hisoka still had Uchiha blood in her, after all.
�Perhaps he intends to use the girl as hostage, or
maybe Kabuto couldn�t tell which is which in the dark and when he panicked when
Naruto and Sasuke arrived, he grabbed them both.�
Tsunade
shook her head. �Orochimaru would never make mistakes like that. But let us
hope you�re right that they�ll find the twins soon.� She can only imagine the
grief Naruto would go through if he lost the twins. Gods help them.
--------
There!
Naruto�s pace quickened when he caught scent of
their twins and of other, less friendly elements as well. He carefully called off
his clones, and motioned to Sasuke, who nodded grimly and pressed on. The
combined rush of fear and adrenaline made him heady, but he shook his head. He
needed a clear mind for this one. The lives of his children depended on it.
No sooner had he caught scent of the twins did he
spot Kabuto among the trees, white hair gleaming strangely in the forest.
Kabuto seemed to turn to them, and then smiled before he went deeper into the
woods. Naruto moved to follow them, but then a dozen or so nins appeared. Swearing,
he summoned his clones. �You won�t stop me!� he shouted as the place exploded
into a storm of steel and jutsus, quickly reducing the numbers of their enemy
in a great number.
�Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!� A huge ball of flame
rushed at the enemy nins, engulfing them in its fiery embrace. In a few
minutes, they were reduced to ashes.
Sasuke turned to him. �If Orochimaru�s with them,
I�ll��
�You�ll deal with Kabuto.� Naruto locked gazes with
Sasuke. �I�ll go for Orochimaru.�
�Don�t be stupid, dobe,� Sasuke snapped.
�Orochimaru�s��
��might be after you too and you still have the
curse seal! Don�t be stubborn, Sasuke!� Naruto glared at the Uchiha, who glared
back, but then nodded.
�Fine.� Sasuke�s hands flashed again, and he
delivered another fireball, toasting the rest of the enemy nins. �Now let�s
go.�
-------
�What the hell was that?� Kiba exclaimed at the
sudden burst of fiery light in an area of the forest.
�That would be the Uchiha,� Neji said calmly. �The
fight has begun.�
The sudden flash of lightning that illuminated the
dark sky and the loud boom of thunder made Kiba jump. �Dammit! It�s raining!�
he exclaimed as needle-like drops fell from the sky in a thunderous roar that
quickly drench every thing in sight. �How are we going to find them in this?�
-------
Shit!
It�s raining! Naruto said to himself as he felt the rain pound on his
back. Kabuto was still well ahead of them, and even with his Kyuubi-enhanced
senses, Naruto already had a hard time keeping track of them without the rain. �Dammit!�
Beside him, Sasuke pushed on determinedly, not minding the rain.
The chase
seemed to go for hours. Naruto resisted the urge to blast away the offending
trees standing in the way. Biting away his impatience, he was a little startled
to hear the sudden hiss of pain from Sasuke. Glancing at the Uchiha, he could
faintly see the curse seal pulse into life. His head snapped back to where
Kabuto was. His blood grew cold when he saw that Kabuto was no longer alone.
Orochimaru was with him.
A few
minutes later, they caught up with Kabuto and Orochimaru in a small clearing in
the forest, not too far from a river. The silver-haired nin and Orochimaru
stood a few meters away from them, smiling.
Naruto
eyed them warily. Orochimaru seemed to have not changed, nor was there a hint
in his physical appearance of the new body he had taken. The Snake Sannin was
still as pale as a corpse, black hair as greasy as ever. He silently regarded
Sasuke and Naruto with sardonic amusement in his cold reptilian eyes. Slung in
front of his chest was a small bundle, and Naruto felt his gut tighten when he
realized it was Hikaru. That meant the one with Kabuto was Hisoka. He felt
Sasuke tense.
�Sasuke-sama,
Naruto-kun, it�s been a while,� Kabuto said in a mocking tone. �I hope you don�t
mind us borrowing your dear twins. They�re very adorable, don�t you think so?�
�Give
them back, Kabuto,� Naruto said in a flat voice.
Kabuto
shifted his stance. �What a weak thing to say. I�m afraid we�ll be borrowing
them for quite a while.� Without another word, they took off again, going in
opposite directions.
Sasuke
hesitated for a heartbeat to follow Kabuto, but a look from Naruto changed his
mind. Now it begins, Naruto thought as he leapt to go after
Orochimaru.
-------
Sasuke quickly caught up with Kabuto, finding him in
a small clearing just several meters from the river, which was now rapidly
growing under the torrential rain.
Kabuto danced away from his blow, jumping a few
meters back. The silver-haired Sound nin gave Sasuke a condescending smile.
�You�ve really gotten weaker, Sasuke-kun. Years ago, you would have already
taken me down with a few blows. Could it be that this little girl of yours is
making you weak?� He casually jiggled the baby. Hisoka�s cries got louder.
�Let my
daughter go,� Sasuke said in a quiet voice, �and I�ll show you how weak I�ve
become.� He didn�t have problems following Kabuto�s movements, but he was using
Hisoka as sort of a shield, moving this way and that, making it hard for Sasuke
to land damaging blows. Still, Kabuto had taken a beating, bruises and cuts all
over his face and body.
Kabuto
licked his lips, raising his hands for the seals of another jutsu. �You should
have never betrayed Orochimaru-sama, Sasuke-kun. Now you and your children will
pray the price for your treachery.�
Sasuke
only smirked and shifted his feet, dodging the sudden ball of muddy earth
hurled at him. Quick as a snake, he struck, his hand grasping Kabuto�s neck in
a deadly grip. He pinned him on a tree as the dots of the Sharingan eyes
morphed into the claws of the Mangekyou Sharingan. Looking deep into Kabuto�s
eyes, Sasuke smiled at the hint of fear in them. �Now it ends. Tsukiyomi.�
Kabuto�s
scream reverberated throughout the forest, rising above the thunderous rain.
--------
�Well, Naruto-kun,
this is a surprise. I expected Sasuke-kun to chase after me,� Orochimaru said
as he landed on one thick tree branch. On his chest, Hikaru struggled, crying
out. �My, how time passes. It seems you only children, now you have your own.�
�Fuck you,
Orochimaru,� Naruto rasped as he summoned his hundreds of clones. �You�ll never
have our son.� He leapt from the branch, hurtling himself and his clones at
Orochimaru.
�Why
not?� Orochimaru asked as he licked his lips. �You took Sasuke-kun from me.�
His hands flashed, and a heartbeat later, snakes rushed at him, fangs gleaming
in the rain.
Naruto
dodged them, letting his clones take most of the snakes. He landed a few feet
from Orochimaru, and then swung around to deliver a blow. Orochimaru easily
evaded it, ducking slightly. A bunch of Narutos jumped on him, coming on him
wave after wave, some managing to land a few paltry blows on Orochimaru�s body
before they disappeared or were thrown off as Orochimaru spun to shake them
off, hands flickering almost negligently as he took them out. �Is this what all
you can do, Naruto-kun?� Orochimaru taunted as the clones disappeared into
smoke. �Jiraiya should have taught you better.�
Then as
the smoke from disappearing clones melted into the rain, a yellow flash appeared
in front of Orochimaru, a spiraling blue glow beside it.
Naruto
delivered the Rasengan with deadly accuracy, burying it into Orochimaru�s arm.
Orochimaru�s shriek of pain as the tight, spiraling ball of chakra rendered his
flesh into shreds echoed throughout the forest, piercing through the sound of
falling rain. Seizing his advantage, Naruto let go of the jutsu and grabbed his
son before Orochimaru could lash out. Clutching Hikaru close to his chest,
Naruto flashed several feet away from Orochimaru to a nearby tree branch. A
smug smile crossed his lips as he watched the Snake Sannin stagger to stand up.
The Rasengan had left a gaping wound in its wake. A trickle of blood slid from
a corner of Orochimaru�s mouth. �I won, you snake bastard. It ends here.�
To
Naruto�s surprise, Orochimaru smiled, and said, �Not yet.� With a flurry of
seals and a puff of smoke, he was gone, and was suddenly replaced by an
empty-handed, battered Kabuto, then who then disappeared into the gray void.
--------
Sasuke
smiled grimly as Kabuto slumped into the ground, face frozen in an expression
of horror. Letting go of the silver-haired sound nin�s neck, Sasuke stepped
back. His hands flexed as he contemplated on using the Chidori on him, but
Hisoka�s cries reminded him that he came here to take his daughter first.
Thankfully, his daughter didn�t seem to be worse for wear from the fight, and
was already screaming and squirming in her confinement.
Then,
Sasuke froze as Kabuto disappeared with his daughter, then, half a heartbeat
later, a wounded Orochimaru stood before him, his daughter in his arms.
Sasuke�s
knees buckled and he fell on his knees on the soft, muddy ground as the curse
seal on his neck flared into life once again, devouring him, inflicting
excruciating and immobilizing pain. The Mangekyou Sharingan dulled back into
ordinary Sharingan. Orochimaru watched him, his reptilian eyes cold, yet bright
with malice. The wound on his arm began to heal, sizzling as it closed itself,
flesh knitting and reforming.
�Sasuke-kun,� Orochimaru said his voice a mere
thread of sound against the steady hiss of the rain and the roar of the
burgeoning river beside them. The river had rapidly grown as the rain poured
on.
Through blurry eyes Sasuke saw Orochimaru kneel in
front of him, icy fingers brushing against his damp locks. Sasuke tried to
move, to grab his daughter from Orochimaru�s arm, but the curse seal�s fiery
grip tightened, and he almost convulsed in pain. �It�s been a long time.�
Then
Orochimaru rose, towering over Sasuke�s crouched form. He smiled at him.
�Naruto has your son. Raise him well, Sasuke-kun, for I will have him soon.� He
looked at the child he held in his arms and his smile widened. �Your daughter
has no use to me without her brother. She is only a shadow to her brother�s
reflection. As the Kyuubi brat has your son, it is only fair that I do this.�
With a
smirk, Orochimaru threw Hisoka into the river.
------
In the
corner of his eye, Sasuke saw the cloth-wrapped bundle that was his daughter
arch high into the air, above the river, and then disappear beyond the cliff.
�NO!�
Struggling against his bonds of pain, Sasuke leapt to catch his daughter, but
Orochimaru caught him with a sudden, vicious blow in the stomach that sent him
sprawling into the cold, wet ground.
He tried
to rise, but suddenly Orochimaru was on top of him, pinning him down. The
cursed seal smoldered at the touch of its creator. Orochimaru�s hot, foul
breath brushed against Sasuke�s damp skin as he said, �Now we are, as they say,
quits, my dear Sasuke-kun.� Then, with a flash of hands, Orochimaru was
gone, leaving only the smell of death and the sound of the falling rain.
-------
Meters
away, Hikaru suddenly burst into wailing, startling Naruto, who had been
holding him. Naruto glanced at his son�s face, scrunched up as he continued to
cry.
Naruto
felt himself grow cold. He felt a sudden, painful wrench and with dreadful
certainty, he knew something had gone wrong.
------
Inuzuka Kiba stopped abruptly, startling his
companions. Lee nearly barreled into a tree, while Neji smoothly landed into
one wet tree branch. �Why did you stop, Kiba-kun?� Lee asked. �Is something
amiss?�
Kiba laid his palm on the tree trunk, surveyed the
forest before him, and sniffed the air. Akamaru gave a soft, mournful while,
his floppy ears drooping. The others watched them curiously.
�Can�t you smell it?� he finally said, glancing at
his companions, a frown on his face.
�Smell what?� Neji asked. He looked around as well.
Even with the Byakugan, he had a hard time seeing in the thick rain.
Kiba just continued to look at them. Akamaru let out
a small howl. �Grief. The forest stinks of it.� He slammed his fist into the
tree, sending chips of it flying into the cold air. �We�re too late.�
-------
Naruto
found Sasuke leaning over the cliff, looking at the swollen river, clutching
his stomach with one hand while bracing himself on the ground with the other
one, fingers digging into the cold, soft mud, knuckles white. His long, wet
locks hung limply, shielding his face from view, while some strands stuck on
his white face. He did not move as Naruto and Hikaru approached, despite
Hikaru�s wails, nor did he seem to notice them, until they were only a few feet
apart.
The icy
fingers of fear gripped Naruto�s heart when Sasuke turned to them sharply, his
eyes still drowned in the crimson Sharingan. Their eyes met and Naruto saw the
boy that Sasuke was years and years ago, on the night his brother Itachi killed
his family.
Naruto
dropped down to his knees, splashing mud and water on them. Slowly, he touched
Sasuke�s face, absently brushing away the dirt that was beginning to dry.
Sasuke�s expression didn�t change, and he seemed to flinch away from his touch,
but then his fingers wrapped Naruto�s hand, while he placed his other on Hikaru,
quieting his cries. No words were said, for they were not needed.
Around
them, the rain has stopped, and slowly, the fiery fingers of dawn were
spreading, touching the dark sky and the forest with fire, and for a moment,
everything was still and silent.
T.B.C.
Author�s note: Don�t
kill us, please! All things will be explained soon enough!
Chibi-onna1, Thirteenth-Spider,
Mooguri Klaine, and Luna Catgirl: That�s right! Kill
twisted-sheets! She�s the one who came up with this!
Twisted-sheets: Eh? :looks
at the horde of angry readers: Eyaaaaah!
The longest author�s note so
far, I think!
I�m sorry if I�m not descriptive
enough for the fight. It wasn�t the focus of the chapter; rather, it was the
feelings of those involved. Do please tell us what you think. And the jutsu
Naruto used is the same one the Fourth used in the Kakashi Gaiden thing. The
�Yellow Flash of Konoha� has been reborn! That�s the Body Flicker Technique!
And if you�re going to point out
why Naruto hasn�t used it before to get to the twins quickly, that�s because he
needs a seal for it, and he didn�t put any on the twins�oops.
If you�re wondering why Orochimaru threw Hisoka into the
river, well, that�s for the next chapter and in a way, Orochimaru has no use
for her. He kills those he don�t find useful, or is a threat to him. XD And
most of all, it was revenge. Sasuke ruined Orochimaru�s ambitions when he left,
and in exchange, he took his daughter and threw her into the river as Sasuke
watched, helpless.
Someone remarked that Sasuke and Naruto weren�t being
careful enough�well, they paid the price, didn�t they? Unfortunately, it�s not
really in their personalities to run and hide. They might be concerned and
cautious, but they won�t outright hide. They�re a little too bold and daring for
their own good.
And Jazzy-chan, about the Sharingan�well, it was
hypothesis of mine, which we may never find out if true, because Itachi killed
the clan off. ^_^
The title of the chapter: Ahhhhhh�I got it from
the opening theme of Rockman.exe Axess. What does it mean? Make a guess!
Happy endings: Uh, I love SasuNaru. I love happy
endings. Unfortunately, life is not a bed of roses, not when you�re Sasuke and
Naruto. I�m not saying they�ll have a bad life; it�s just that things will not
be very easy for them. And on a side note, I do hope Hikaru doesn�t catch cold
from all that rain.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this
chapter. I know you hate Orochimaru and Kabuto now�and me, probably.
The cursed seal: As you
recall, Anko was almost incapacitated when Orochimaru had the curse seal
reactivated in her. It could be the same for Sasuke. Well, the theory I had
going here was that Orochimaru could use the seal to pretty much incapacitate
the person who has it if he chooses to. I may be wrong, so if anyone has ideas,
tell me. I�ll be happy to edit. :gulp:
The fight: Well,
they couldn�t really fight well because Orochimaru and Kabuto held the babies.
And there were Sound nins stopping them as well. Kage Bunshin was very handy,
don�t you think? And I think I ran out of jutsus for them to do�
Kiba: And I
made Kiba a little cool here, I think. I like Kiba�really!
On the pregnancy and reality: I
probably have to apologize for the legion of pregnant (past, present, and
future) women out there on the whole pregnancy symptoms bit. Yes, it is an
exaggeration in most parts; my mother never went through those things, but if I
wrote it like that, where�s the fun? Unfortunately, sometimes exaggeration is
inevitable, and this is fiction so we are allowed to embellish because unlike
real life, which can be prosaic at times, fiction needs a bit more spicing up.
And unlike real life, fiction has to make sense. My Fiction 110 (Writing the
Short Story) teacher will probably clobber me when she reads this.
Next chapter: Life
must go on, but nobody said it would be easy. Sasuke and Naruto deal with their
loss. VERY light lime for FFnet, lemon for Aff.
- 9
- 10
- 11
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Reflections and Shadows