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The Banks Of The River Styx	By : AkashaEmily Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 915 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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
Chapter 10:
Bonds

By
the time the hall clock chimed three AM, six year old Brian Pryderi was an
emotional wreck. He�d been trying to sleep all night but it had eluded him,
making him toss and turn for hours as he worried and fretted, fearing that
Sasuke was going to be sent away in the morning. Currently, he was laying in
Alex�s bed, curled around his favorite bear, hoping that his brother�s nearness
would help calm him enough to at least get some rest that night.�
�� What if Sasuke went back to the hospital and they never
saw him again?
�� Would they ever see Mommy again?
�� These questions plagued him, running rampant and Brian
gnawed on his lower lip, unheeding of the wounds it caused. He snuggled closer
to Alex�s warm body as his young mind attempted to come up with answers and
find some comfort now that he had crawled in with his brother. Mommy had known
what would happen, the brunette finally determined. Somehow she had known ahead
of time that this was going to happen and that was why several weeks ago she
had told the twins that Sasuke would be coming. She hadn�t called him by name
or anything but she had known and
that had to be why she had told the twins to accept and to help him. She had
said that he would be family and they were to treat him as such.
�Think
of this person as an elder sibling or cousin.� She had said, running her
fingers through his hair after Brian had voiced concerns over having a stranger
in the house. �They�ll protect you and play with you while I�m away.�
�But
how do you know that they�ll do any of those things?� Brian had been forced to
whisper since Alex was asleep next to him. �What if they�re mean? What if we
don�t want them here?�
She
had smiled and kissed his forehead and given him that smile that meant she knew
more than she was telling. �Trust me. I love you very much and I am sure that
they will too. You�ll see.�
And
that was the last conversation they had had. A week later, the plane bringing
her back home from her trip to Japan
had exploded over the ocean. One week after that, Sasuke had been discovered
amid the floating wreckage and Brian had found out exactly what his mother
meant the first time he�d laid eyes on the unconscious teenager.
He
didn�t understand it, but Brian believed that Sasuke being here, remaining with
the Pryderi family, was important somehow to his mother�s safe return. Sasuke
had to stay here- their father couldn�t be allowed to send the teenager away.
Besides, all in all, it wasn�t like the trio had done anything really bad. Okay, so he and Alex had tried
to hide Sasuke in a place that the boys knew they shouldn�t have been in but it
wasn�t like anything had happened. They�d all been fine though the boys had
inadvertently made Sasuke upset� Which had led to the appearance of Kyuubi� and
then Daddy had gotten angry�
But
surely not angry enough to send Sasuke away, not if Daddy was willing to run
all over the place then carry Sasuke
to bed�.
The
last was reassuring to Brian but just as the tightness in his chest began to
ease, another thought made the sensation return and grow. His anxiety doubled,
tripled, as he thought about Sasuke�s behavior prior to Kyuubi�s arrival.
The
boys had made him cry�
What
if Sasuke didn�t want to stay with them anymore?

Getting
upstairs had been the easy part, Brian knew as he chanced a quick glance up and
down the upstairs hallway. Finding it empty, he cleared the last step and
turned left, walking backward down the short hall toward Sasuke�s room, ears
straining for any sounds that might indicate anyone was coming and eyes
watching for any sign that the doors lining the hall were about to open. After
turning around and stretching the few necessary inches to close the gap between
himself and the doorknob, he used both hands to turn the doorknob, the door
swinging inward immediately due to his body weight leaning against it.
�Sasuke?�
He whispered as he stepped just inside the doorway, not bothering to hide the
blatant panic in his tone as he continued to throw glances behind him at the
empty hallway. �Sasuke?�
�The room was too dark to see properly so,
after shutting the door softly, Brian stretched a small hand out to feel for
the wall switch near the door. Flicking it caused light to flood the room�s
interior and for several minutes, the boy could only stand, blinking and rubbing
his eyes until the focused enough to allow him to see. When he could, Brian�s
gaze immediately focused on the bed, the strange sensation of the floor falling
out from under him as he took a few shaky steps into the room and collapsed to
his knees.
No! No, no, no, no, no!
The
bed was empty. The sheets had been changed during the night from red to dove
grey, the bed made ready for a new occupant. The monitors that had been
charting Sasuke�s health had been removed and no trace remained to say that
they had ever been there to begin with. Even the small safe that had held all
of Sasuke�s medication was gone. Someone had cleaned and repaired the bathroom
doorway and beyond it Brian could see fresh towels draped over the towel racks.
The rug beneath the boy had been vacuumed and the stain where Sasuke had bled
onto the carpet had been cleared.
The
room was absolutely silent and empty of any signs of being previously occupied.
Sasuke
was gone.
Brian
collapsed to his knees and burst into tears, staying that way for what felt
like a long, long time. He sobbed and wailed, uncaring now if he was discovered
as his chest ached fiercely. The pain added to the snarl of emotions all trying
to be expressed at once, mangling coherent thought until all the little boy could
do was to simply cry helplessly.
Dimly
he was aware of the door opening behind him, of footsteps muffled by carpet,
but he ignored it. He wanted comfort- badly- but Mommy wasn�t here and Sasuke
wasn�t here and Brian really didn�t want to see his father right then because
the boy was sure he was just going to scream at him.
He
continued to sob, pulling away from the light touch at his shoulder with a cry,
flailing his arms. He shoved at the presence next to him, drew ragged breath
and screamed wordlessly, small fists hitting the other person until they were
finally grabbed. They were held firmly, one each pinned within a much larger
fist, and that sensation, the mismatched feel of the other person�s left and
right palms against his skin, made Brian stop crying long enough to look at the
person kneeling next to him before throwing himself at them. He wrapped his
arms around the other�s neck tightly, legs circling the other�s upper waist,
refusing to let go as he buried his face in the other�s chest and cried with
relief as an arm slid under his bottom to support him and another began rubbing
hesitant circles on his back.
The
chest was broad and smooth, no breasts to compete with for space as Brian
placed his head over the other�s heart, listening to the slow but steady thump.
The fingers of the right and that wiped away his tears were callused and rough
even as they attempted to be gentle. The chin that grazed his forehead was
scratchy with course stubble, not soft or rounded. The smell wasn�t light and
femininely floral from a favored perfume, but slightly bittersweet from the
film of sweat clinging to the pale skin and musky but not unpleasantly so.
Underneath
the residue of fading bath products and sweat though was something that
couldn�t be bottled or replicated, duplicated or faked; the same smell that he
knew had lain under his mother�s perfume when his nose was pressed firmly to
her warm skin.
Sasuke
was not Mommy, was not a substitute for her in any way, but�But�
Brian
could not make himself let go.

�� Supporting the smaller brunette by placing an arm
underneath him, Sasuke stood and left his former room, covering a yawn with his
free hand as he walked easily down the hall toward the stairway. Though his
left side still throbbed uncomfortably now and then, his injured leg was
supporting weight extremely well as was his renewed arm. He felt himself sigh
in relief- a little exercise and they�d be back to minimal fighting strength.
He was still tired though and, when they came to the intersection of the hall
and the upper stairway landing, longed instantly to return to his room to curl
back up in his nest of warm bedclothes, especially so when another yawn forced
his jaws open. Turning his head politely to the side away from Brian, Sasuke
carefully felt for the first step with his toes and descended, rubbing
comforting circles on the clinging boy�s back as they went down.
�� Well someone�s
really worked up. You think it was a nightmare?� Sasuke nearly tripped down the last step at
the order, his still rousing mind easily startled by Naruto�s voice. When he
was on firmer ground, the brunette looked around, the action seemingly
completely normal until he remembered that Naruto, a spirit, currently existed
inside him, was no longer had a physical presence. The lingering guilt and
sadness that should have immediately followed that realization was firmly
squashed before it could take form, smothered by the blonde�s warm presence as
the latter steadily flowed through the Uchiha�s pale frame.
�� A soft, pleased noise escaped Sasuke as he blushed at the
foreign sensation pooling inside him, the feeling vaguely sexual though
predominately comforting and all of it provoking a pleasurable shudder that
rippled through the Uchiha as he navigated the darkened hallways.
�� You okay, Sasu?� Brian asked, watery dark eyes blinking
up at the elder in puzzlement.
�� Yawning, the elder brunette nodded and bounced his
companion higher up on his shoulder. Shifting the boy�s weight, Sasuke scrubbed
absently at his eyes with his free hand. �Where�s your room? It�s too early for
either of us to be up.�
�� Brian looked down at the floor, one hand fisting tightly
in Sasuke�s shirt over the elder�s collar bone. Hesitantly, he glanced up at
the Uchiha, eyes pleading as they filled with moisture. �I�m hungry.�
�I
don�t do much cooking. Don�t expect anything fancy.� Sasuke muttered, blinking
at the display, confused as he silently turned toward the kitchen, Alex
cuddling against him once again.
At
least he knew where that particular room was and didn�t need directions.
Despite the deficiencies in his overall health, the Uchiha�s eyesight seemed to
have gone unscathed and the elder brunette had no problem seeing in the dark as
he walked silently to their destination. When they came to the kitchen, he left
the light off as he headed for the fridge, the illumination unnecessary since
he could clearly see the interior of the room.
Yawning
again, Sasuke tried to set Brian on the floor only to have the child wrap his
small arms around the teenager�s neck and his legs around Sasuke�s chest. The
six year old clung tightly, silently protesting the action, burying his head in
the Uchiha�s neck and Sasuke felt wetness coat his skin.
Dealing
with distressed children was still new to Sasuke and the elder brunette warred
with himself about the appropriate action to take. He could capitulate (the
very idea made what remained of his Uchiha pride immediately bristle) and let
the child stay, there by risking setting a new precedent, or he could be firm
and set Brian down regardless of the waterworks. Standing there, waffling
between the two options, Sasuke hesitantly rubbed Brian�s back until the child
calmed. Right then, the Uchiha would have rather faced a hundred enemy ninja
unarmed than deal with a crying six year old. He supposed it was a blessing
that Alex wasn�t up as well.
�I
need both hands to cook.� Sasuke said reasonably, trying to keep his voice
light. He was tired though, and it made him impatient with the troubled child.
He could feel his frustration as it was translated into stress, the tension
tightening the muscles in his shoulders and back, flowing down his body and
making his left side ache. Shifting Brian�s weight to his right arm, Sasuke
tried flexing his left hand, watching the muscles twitch beneath his skin, his
fingers dancing in a spasmodic rhythm he could not stop. Idly, Sasuke wondered
if the seizure-like activity would ever go away.��
�I
want a bottle.� Brian sniffled, leaning back to look at the elder brunette, one
small fist tightly tangled in Sasuke�s shirt, the other rubbing vigorously at
one eye. �Please. I can help you make one.�
The
Uchiha managed to keep from frowning but his eye brows did knit together. Brian
was six. Six year olds weren�t supposed to still have bottles, were they? Infants
were bottle fed�
Just give him one, teme. Naruto told him and Sasuke felt a phantom hand ruffle
his hair. He�s looking for something
that the bottle is a representation for.
A representation for? Sasuke asked, half turning before he caught himself. What would a bottle represe-
Just� let him have one. Naruto interrupted, though not unkindly. There was
something in the blonde�s voice, an understanding of some concept that made
Naruto sound both older and younger at the same time. It opened a gap between them,
a divide that Sasuke felt acutely but did not know how to cross, driving home
the sad fact that they had a lot of catching up to do before they even had a
hope of taking their relationship any further. They had only been separated
for, what, four or five years but that could be a life time in the ninja world.
So much had happened to Sasuke since he left Konoha and he knew that he was no
longer the same person as when he left. Naruto must have had his own life
altering experiences� What if they had grown so far apart that�? Sasuke shut
the thought out before it could fully form.�
�Under Brian�s direction, Sasuke silently
prepped a bottle for the child and warmed it in the microwave, testing it on
the skin of his inner arm before deeming it suitable for consumption. He handed
the bottle to Brian without comment and, as the youngster curled against his
chest suckling, left the kitchen, heading down the hall without any particular
destination in mind.
Years
of being in Sound had taken their toll on Sasuke and, tired or not, yawning all
the while, he systematically patrolled the house�s lower level checking each
entryway to insure that they were locked. Satisfied that everyone inside was
safe from intrusion, he turned his attention to the interior doors, habitually
pausing outside each one he encountered, reaching out with his senses to
inspect the area behind each portal before moving on.
The
house was so quiet, so normal, so very different
from what Sasuke had been exposed too for the last several years, that it
made the hair on the back of his neck stand up and the space between his
shoulder blades tighten painfully as he cradled Brian more protectively against
his chest. Paranoia had kept the
Uchiha alive on more than one occasion while in Orochimaru�s care since the
snake sannin liked to set up �surprises� he claimed were designed to keep
Sasuke�s instincts sharp. Thanks to these, the teenager had learned early that
silence was not always a good thing. Safety, peace; these were fragile and
fleeting things, little more than convenient camouflage until enough discontent
was spread.��
While
he had been in Sound, the one thought that had carried Sasuke through was that
Naruto was safe in Konoha, protected by everyone who loved the blonde. The
Uchiha had relied on this idea to keep himself sane when Orochimaru had touched
him, eyes full of lust as he traced the well defined outlines of the teenager�s
muscles. Naruto was safe so Sasuke had to continue to do his part, silently
keeping an eye on Orochimaru, enduring the man�s twisted methods of training
and loyalty testing. Some days the Uchiha had simply wanted to scream, to just
scream and never stop, because some of the things he had witnessed were simply
that horrific. The cruel games that had been par for the course in Sound had
threatened to drive him over that fine edge of sanity, to make him give into
the rage and anger that boiled constantly in the back of his mind. Though he
never wanted to admit it, it was at those times that he would wish that he had remained
in Konoha with Naruto, that Sasuke had not allowed himself to be seduced by the
power the snake sannin promised.
Sasuke
had tolerated it all, biding his time and feigning subservience while learning
everything he could from the elder shinobi until the sannin was of no more use.
He had risen in ranks, gaining Orochimaru�s confidence, until he was finally
free to come and go as he pleased from the village without suspicion. Once he
was through with Orochimaru, Sasuke had planned to permanently remove the
threat the sannin represented to Konoha and leave quietly, preferably without
alerting the base as to their leader�s demise. When news of Orochimaru�s demise
got out, the ensuing battle for dominance would be a bloodbath of proportions
not seen since the last great ninja war.
When
Kabuto had so casually mentioned Akatsuki�s capture of Naruto, though, Sasuke
had been forced to put his plans into motion sooner than expected.
Wearily,
Sasuke moved down the hall, checking the rooms beyond the doors he encountered,
absently rubbing Brian�s back as the boy cuddled against him and fell asleep,
still clutching the bottle. Being so tired was messing with his senses but he
forced himself to focus when he found Aiko�s room, extended chakra until it
ghosted over the infant in a light caress. After confirming a heart beat and
her even breathing he moved on, unwilling to risk opening the door and
accidentally waking the baby.�
God! How big is this place?! It�s a freaking maze! Naruto ranted in the back of Sasuke�s head, making
the Uchiha smile tiredly as he turned another corner. Checking the nearest
door, the brunette almost sagged with relief as he turned the knob, entered the
room and carefully crossed the toy-strewn floor to stand between the pair of
child-sized beds. After a few minutes hesitation, Sasuke finally placed the
snoozing brunette in his arms beside Alex�s curled form, taking the bottle away
gently and placing it on the bedside table before tucking the bed�s small
comforter around the pair, watching with mild amusement as Brian used his
brother as a teddy bear. When he was satisfied that both had been tucked in
securely, Sasuke left the room, leaving the door open a crack as he closed it
behind him.
Just a little further, teme. Naruto urged him gently as the Uchiha leaned against
the wall and yawned quietly. Sasuke was so tired he could barely see straight,
his excellent night vision blurry and useless as he forced his legs to carry
him forward despite their reluctance to do so. Naruto continued to murmur
encouragement to him all down the hall but when they finally came to the
staircase, Sasuke balked, eying the distance to the second floor as if it had
suddenly become a mountain.
�You know, maybe we should see if there�s a couch down
here somewhere. Naruto said and
Sasuke nodded, already turning around. His left side suddenly throbbed
painfully and he barely suppressed the groan that welled up, focusing on moving
forward in the direction he had just come while using the nearest wall as a
guide, ignoring the frames pictures he bumped along the way. He didn�t bother
to straighten the now tilted pictures- so long as they didn�t fall and wake the
house, Sasuke wasn�t going to waste his precious energy doing the housekeeper�s
job.
The
Uchiha�s hand landed on a doorknob and he turned it, revealing a cozy living
room complete with a high backed couch that seemed to call to Sasuke. His legs
were moving even before he was consciously aware of it, carrying him over to
the pale brown piece of furniture. He sank into the soft overstuffed fabric
with a low groan that quickly turned into a sigh as he gratefully laid down on
his right side, sprawling out over the upholstery like a very large cat.�
Naruto?
Struggling to stay awake, Sasuke realized that he hadn�t heard from the blonde
for a while. There was no immediate answer and panic pierced through him like a
blade, prompting Sasuke to lever himself up into a sitting position. Naruto?
I�m here, teme. The spirit�s voice was like a drug despite the preoccupied tone and
the Uchiha�s heart calmed immediately. Just
thinking. Sorry for spacing out.
�No
problem.� The brunette said aloud, around a yawn. Sasuke�s eyelids were
heavy but he kept struggling to keep them open, wanting very much to spend some
quality time with Naruto now that they were alone. What were you thinking about?
Nothing important. But Sasuke could feel the blonde�s presence, could
feel the vague worry through the preoccupation and it troubled the Uchiha that
Naruto was distressed over something but would not share.
A
mixed sense of betrayal and rejection bubbled up in response as deep seated
insecurities stirred. Part of him had feared this, had feared that things were
too good to be true, that Naruto would never accept him and that Sasuke had
been fooling himself all this time. The Uchiha couldn�t really blame the blonde
for playing into his fantasy but, still, the idea hurt deeply all the same. It
made him feel used in a way that went beyond words and added weight to the dark
thought deep inside him, the one Sasuke was too afraid to admit existed, even
to himself. Its presence overshadowed the few good things in his life, the one
born when Itachi had given up his pretense of being a caring older brother and
slaughtered the clan.
Sasuke
suddenly wanted -needed- a hug and he cursed himself for it as he lay back down
and rubbed at his burning eyes. He was an adult now and that had all happened a
long time ago- he should have some fucking emotional control by now, God damn
it! What the hell was wrong with him? Sasuke tried to shove all the turmoil
aside back down into the pit he usually backed it into but he couldn�t fully
rid himself of the frustration and anger boiling inside him now that it had
been ignited. His grabbed fistfuls of his hair and buried his face in the
cushion beneath it.
So
what if Naruto was only using him?
So
what if the only other person he had ever loved had betrayed him just like the
first?
So
what if he�if he really wasn�t worth� loving?
To
his humiliation, he felt his breath hitch and tears trail down his cheeks. He
wanted to scream, to scream until he was empty of all the hurt and betrayal but
he knew that there wasn�t enough breath in his body for that. He could sense
Naruto stirring in the back of his head and Sasuke, feeling emotionally raw and
exhausted, decided that all he wanted in that moment was some privacy.
Swallowing back a sudden rush of rage directed at his friend, the Uchiha wished
the blonde a curt good-night and slammed a mental barrier between them,
imagining walls upon walls separating them in his mind. Turning his head so
that he could breathe, Sasuke used the hem of his sleep shirt to wipe his eyes
and his nose, sniffling quietly until an uneasy sleep finally claimed him.

Naruto
wanted out. He was a spirit- he didn�t need to sleep, didn�t need to eat,
didn�t need to worry about any of those things anymore- and could literally
just sit forever if need be. Naruto was used to being active though and old
habits die hard; he was restless, brimming with energy that he needed to burn
and he craved some sort of activity to occupy himself with.
Kyuubi
was sleeping, curled up in a tight ball while it�s chakra leaked out around it
in thin streams to mingle with Sasuke�s, the red energy nearly disappearing in
the almost black color. It reminded Naruto of an oil slick and the comparison
made him feel vaguely ill as he watched. By mixing their chakras together, the
fox could heal Sasuke�s remaining injuries without the danger of causing more,
the outcome if Kyuubi simply poured its chakra directly into the Uchiha for a
prolonged period. Though he knew it was for everyone�s benefit, Naruto didn�t
exactly like the process since it rendered his friend practically comatose.
The
inside of Sasuke�s head was not a friendly place and trying to navigate through
it was like trying to step through a field of burning explosive tags- escaping
unscathed was simply not an option no matter what tricks you employed. He wanted
Sasuke healthy, he really did, but when the Uchiha slept some of the mental
barriers that made up the interior of Sasuke�s mind weakened, allowing the
memories contained behind them to slip out. Naruto likened them to predatory
beasts waiting for an opportunity to sink their claws into Sasuke�s sleeping
consciousness and tear him slowly apart from the inside. When Naruto had
finally figured out a way to secretly invade his friend�s dreams without Kyuubi
knowing, he had had to fight some of those beasts, those monsters, and it had
been incredibly� disturbing experience. Naruto had gotten dragged into some of
those memories, had been forced to bear witness to the darker parts of the
Uchiha�s life, and it was not something he enjoyed even if it did allow him to
understand Sasuke better. Listening to the battle already raging behind the
mental divider Sasuke had erected, unable to do anything to stop whatever
nightmare was happening, Naruto was almost frantic about finding a means of
escape.
The
only thing worse than having to sit through some of the things Sasuke had
witnessed were the nightmares borne from them. Naruto usually had to fight his
way through some truly awful ones in order to get to Sasuke. Who would have
thought that the always proper, stick-up-his-ass Uchiha had such a fertile
imagination?! Warped and mutated, piling one on top of another to create who
knew what�! They were chimera-like creations, always different, always
evolving, and Naruto was loosing the battle when it came to keeping them at bay
internally. Naruto had tried screaming and yelling, kicking and punching at the
monstrous dreams, dutifully trying to defend Sasuke, but Naruto soon stopped
when he realized that he was only feeding the nightmare. He needed a way to
wake Sasuke up but with no way to communicate with either the outside world or
his friend thanks to the damn wall between them, Naruto�s options were rather
limited.
Physical
stimulation was needed, he finally decided, a good shake that would wake Sasuke
up at least enough to dispel the nightmare. To make that happen though, he
would have to get out of here and, as the hours wore by, Naruto was finally
struck by a way to do it. Kyuubi could assume temporary control of Sasuke�s
body so what was to prevent Naruto from doing the same? Excited by his stroke
of brilliance, the blonde spirit concentrated, imagining his chakra filling the
Uchiha�s body, slowly feeling the subtle shifting as his spirit successfully
usurped and suppressed Sasuke�s. Doing so made the brunette�s consciousness an
easier target for nightmares but Naruto assuaged his guilt by reminding himself
that it was only temporary, that in a few seconds he�d be able to fix the
issue.
There
was a thin layer of Kyuubi and Sasuke�s mingled chakra preventing him from fully
possessing his friend. It was thicker than he expected and, as he forced his
way through it, the mixture clung to his spirit, pulling his chakra into the
mix and coating his soul in a fine sheen of it as he achieved his goal of
assuming complete control of Sasuke�s body. Naruto shrugged it off, figuring
that the fox must feel something similar every time Kyuubi possessed the
Uchiha�s form.
Pale
eyelids opened in the darkened room and, though he did manage to suppress his
whoop of triumph, Naruto couldn�t help the wide grin that suddenly twisted
Sasuke�s features. Now fully in charge, the blonde forced Sasuke�s body to sit
up and immediately began molding his chakra in preparation as he put his hands
together in an all too familiar hand sign.

Hazy
blue eyes opened beneath shaggy blonde hair. They blinked up at the white
ceiling far above uncomprehendingly, before moving downward and taking in the
metal railing on either side of the bed. Silently the blonde headed figure
turned their head to study the room, gaze sweeping over the plain white d�cor
apathetically. There were no pictures but one wall was predominantly made up of
a large window and the nearly blinding sunshine flooding through was warm and
comforting as it washed over the tanned skin of the hands resting above the
sheets.
Sitting
up, chapped lips turned down in a slight frown as the person lifted one hand up
for examination, opening and closing the hand slowly as it was rotated left and
right. Confusion set in as the duel feelings of familiarity and unfamiliarity
warred, creating a marked sense of displacement as the blonde gingerly reached
up to first touch a bandaged cheek, then an equally bandaged temple, absently
adjusting the course cloth so it didn�t itch. Heavily calloused fingers lightly
traced the slope of a strong but rounded nose and the blue eyes watched the
movement with something akin to trepidation. Before the emotion could fully
form, though, it was snuffed out by curiosity as the door to the room slid
open, the noise shortly followed by the unmistakable sound of glass hitting the
floor.
�Naruto!�
The speaker was young and female, her short pink hair flying as she suddenly
charged the bed and flung herself upon the blonde. Slim arms wrapped around the
blonde, squeezing painfully hard as the girl proceeded to burst into tears. It
hurt and the blonde gasped as pain spiked, making the bed-ridden figure acutely
aware that something was wrong with their body as tanned hands pushed at the
girl�s shoulders to get her off.
This
wasn�t right and the wrongness of the situation plagued the blonde, increasing
the desire to put distance between them. They knew each other, this the blonde
was sure of, but doubted their relationship was like this, was so informal, and
again a war broke out inside the blonde as the idea was contested by
contrasting sensations and vague impressions. It was disturbing and
frightening, and this transmitted through the tensing of muscles, through more
persistent shoving from the blonde.�
�The young woman finally took the hint and
pulled back, teary-eyed but smiling as she sniffled and wiped at her eyes.��
��I�m sorry.� She hiccupped and the blonde
stared, straining to understand as the oblivious girl rushed on. �Tsunade-sama
didn�t know if you were going to wake up and we�ve all been worried about you.
Everyone�s been visiting you as much as possible but� You�re okay now!�
She
spoke rapidly between sobs, garbling most of what she was trying to say, and
the blonde ultimately gave up halfway through the speech, opting to sit up and
wait for the woman to wind down. The tears were back full force and she looked
ready to pounce again but the blonde put a hand out to ward her off, still
aching from the first time. When she remained where she was, the hand moved to
the blonde�s head, rubbing at the bandage covered temple in an effort to ease
the pounding headache forming right behind the pair of blue eyes.
�Sakura-san?�
A voice called from the hallway, making the pink haired teenager glance over her
shoulder at the open doorway just as a brunette stepped into the room.
�Tsunade-hime needs you��
�Shizune-san��
The girl, Sakura, said her excitement visibly ebbing away as she stared at the
bed�s occupant with an expression of dawning dismay.
The
new person was also female but older, dressed more conservatively in clothing
almost as dark as her short hair that did nothing to highlight her feminine
features. She was also holding a small pig, the well fed animal dressed in a
red vest-like coat and wearing a string of pearls. The pig�s head swung in the
direction of the bed, nose twitching, and suddenly the animal was squealing and
wriggling for freedom, bounding for the bed once it hit the floor.
�Naruto�!�
And the naked relief in the new woman�s, Shizune, voice made the blonde
uncomfortable. �Tonton, wait!� The brunette said, trying to recapture the
animal, but it was too late and the pig was on the bed, oinking happily as its
curly tail wagged furiously, soft round wet nose buried in the blonde�s neck as
its small hoof-like feet dug into the aching chest.
Ignoring
the pig, the blonde�s headache worsened considerably as blue eyes looked
downward, eyebrows knitting together as tanned fingers pulled the plain white
hospital pajama top away to reveal more bandages crisscrossing the flat
ribcage. The sight rang both true and false, both correct and yet wrong, as if
some unknown feature was missing. The blonde frowned, confused, and gaze
drifting further south through the gap to land on the lap beyond.
Male.
The blonde�s gender was male, but even though he could sense this physically,
it was a foreign realization, strange and hard for the figure to completely
wrap their mind around.
�Do
you know your name?� Sakura asked, approaching the bed cautiously and sitting
down by his feet, prompting him to releasing his shirt and look at her. Several
moments of silence went by as Sakura�s eyes pleaded with his to answer in an
affirmative but he merely shook his head at her.
�I�ll
go get Tsunade-hime.� Shizune said, her heels clicking against the hallway
tiles as she ran. Tonton jumped off the bed and ran after her.
�It�s
Uzumaki Naruto.� Sakura said and though her voice was soft, it trembled as
tears pooled in her green eyes. �You�re Uzumaki Naruto! Don�t you remember?
Your name is Naruto Uzumaki!�
The
name meant nothing to the blonde, nothing at all, and he could offer no comfort
to the girl as she put her head in her hands and began to cry anew.

With
the exception of Sundays, and maybe the occasional Saturday, mornings were a
busy time in the Pryderi household. Schedules to hold to, appointments to keep,
errands to run, all the while trying to get everyone fed, dressed, and out the
door on time with as minimal hassle as possible- no small feat with two small
children and an infant even with the help of the other adults. Hikaru Uchiha
was a busy lawyer with quite the reputation for being calculating and ruthless
in the corporate world. Andrew Pryderi worked with his aunt as an administrator
and was also the public face of the hospital. Suki was one of the most sought
after actresses in the movie industry and held to punctuality like the word of
God, expecting it from herself when she was working and from everyone else.
Neji, her bodyguard, was the same and the pair kept all manner of hours during
filming. Frank Hunt, former military man, was their security expert both at
home and in the hospital, always on call, day or night. Mornings were busy,
plain and simple.�
The
Monday before a major holiday and the word �busy� took on a whole new meaning
but, somehow, having the day start with the phone blaring in your ear made it
all that much worse. Having your aunt screaming at you to get down to the
hospital immediately did not make things better.
�Aunt
Mary, no, Mary slow down!� Andrew tried to make sense of his aunt�s
mile-a-minute tirade but he sincerely wondered if she had ruptured his eardrum
with all the screaming. Pulling his cell phone away from his ear, he looked at
his alarm clock blurrily, having to stare for several minutes until the numbers
finally made sense. Then he returned his attention to the cell phone in his
hand and shouted. �It�s five thirty! Mary, what the hell is your
problem?!��
There
was silence and the blonde male cautiously pressed the phone to his ear again,
ready to pull it away in a flash since Mary wasn�t above such tactics. When her
voice returned, the note of smugness in it made a chill run down his spine. She
spoke, Andrew listened, and seconds after he hung up he was out of bed and knocking
on Frank�s door to wake him up, too.
It
was going to be a very long day.
Sasuke�s
parents had shown up to claim their son.

More�s Moment:
�� And there we have it! Another chapter as promised, again,
sorry for the delay. Before everyone starts pointing fingers at Sasuke�s sudden
emotional 180 on the couch, keep in mind that Sasuke is emotionally damaged in
this fic.
If
you are one of the unfortunate few who has ever been ripped apart by someone
you trusted unconditionally, someone you loved- romantically or otherwise- then
you know that that is not a pain you ever want to go through twice. You harden
yourself against it, insulating yourself from other people, always holding back
from completely connecting less they suddenly turn on you.
For
some people, once is enough to enforce this behavior. For others, it isn�t, and
we keep trying to connect with other people, willing to let a lot slide because
we want to feel needed and wanted. It destroys you a little each time things go
to hell because essentially you have to rebuild yourself over and over again.
When this happens you leave some pieces out, hoping that this time will be the
last time, becoming more while simultaneously becoming less.
The
thing is that, no matter how much you carve away or how much emotional armor
you wear, some part of you always remembers what it felt like when that loved
one tore your heart out and left you emotionally devastated. It remembers and
it knows that it�s only a matter of time before it happens again, despite all
your preparations. Eventually someone gets in and the piece of you that
remembers can do nothing but wait and wonder how much damage this time will
cause.
Or
not. Whatever. Sorry for the emo philosophy moment.
Happy
tales all! If you liked it, let me know by reviewing!��
- 9
- 10
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The Banks Of The River Styx