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The Fall of the Dogs of War	By : dolphina23 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 927 -:- 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
- 11
Author�s Note:
Thanks to all that reviewed. ItaNarulover, you don�t know how much your comment
likening my story to a book is greatly appreciated. I�m currently working on an
original novel as well, which is why updates for this are not as fast as I�d
like.

�� I may have
said this before, but Iruka is not an overemotional twat, despite how most
authors I�ve read portray him. He is a ninja who just happens to harbor
parental feelings for Naruto, but he is
a ninja.
�� Also, a
warning, I plan on taking the story to the very end of the manga as I�d like to
see it, so if you�re more into the real one, I�ll not be offended if you stop
reading. But, you�ll be missing out on some stellar drama! Oh, and WARNING,
there will be sexual situations beginning soon that involve males, so if you
clicked the wrong section by accident, please exit quietly now.

�Also, more music for
you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rV_xtV8pJI
and this one for the dance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rSBYJcG8pg

As always, review, review, review.

Daylight Daunting, Nighttime Haunting

�� Sasuke
gritted his teeth and clenched his fist tightly while restlessly fidgeting his
foot up and down. It irritated him, having such uncharacteristic behavior.
Truthfully, he still itched. His hands itched for the
flesh of those twisted elders, their blood. He silently cursed as his leg
shifted again. The hallway outside the Hokage�s office was darker and colder
than he remembered. He waited. Always, he seemed to be waiting, not able to do
enough, to work fast enough, hard enough, strong enough. The low murmur of
voices caught his attention. He turned his head slightly to catch as much as he
could. The council must really be terrified if they were willing to let a
former renegade ninja of Konoha listen in on their conversation, not that
Sasuke caught much. Wait, was that .
. . �� Sasuke felt his breath catch
in his throat before he could stop it. Damn
it. Was he going to give up all he�d worked toward simply because someone
he used to know was injured? The fact that he could not answer his own question
left him frustrated and frowning. His legs had stopped their nervous shifting
though, so that had to be something. Closing his eyes and leaning his head
against the wood behind him, Sasuke sighed. A shifting of cloth to his right
and Sasuke had a kunai in hand before he�d fully opened his eyes and stood up,
pressing it to the intruders� throat calmly. He could feel himself frowning
again as he met a single red eye and a scar, a face hidden and that lazy
laughter.
�� My, my,
Sasuke, you�ve grown.� Sasuke continued to stare silently, not bothering to
lower his hand.
�� I heard on
the wind that you were the one to find him.� The bored tone was gone, replaced
with a hard edge Sasuke had never heard before. Sasuke backed up a step and hit
wood, then turned to lower his head slightly.
�� I didn�t,�
he found himself saying softly.
�� What was
that?�
�� Sasuke knew
Kakashi had heard him. Whether it was the active Sharingan that had caught him
unaware or something else driving him, Sasuke spoke again.
�� I didn�t,�
his voice had gotten stronger, at least, �He found me.�
�� Kakashi�s
laughter, though soft and gentle, felt like knives, slicing and curving along
his skin, electrifying it.
�� That
sounds nice. He found you.� Kakashi spoke so softly Sasuke could barely hear
him. �He found you.�
�� Fighting
the urge to glare, Sasuke lifted his eyes to his former teacher, resolute, shoulders
tensed.
�� I�m not
here for him.�
�� Kakashi
didn�t look the least surprised. Instead, he nodded.
�� Yes, you
are.� He held up a hand the moment Sasuke tried to shake his head.
�� Yes, you are.�
�� All I want
. . .�
�� I don�t
care.� The hard edge had returned, and suddenly, maybe for the first time since
they�d fought Zabuza, Sasuke could appreciate how Kakashi had gained his
reputation.
�� I don�t
care what you want. This isn�t about you. For once, saving you, helping you,
doesn�t take precedence, not over this.�
�� Sasuke was
silent, waiting, almost wanting, to hear more. Something had happened,
something beyond the horrid injuries he�d seen.
�� He�s
injured, beyond anything I�ve ever seen,� Kakashi told him calmly. Sasuke
stilled his muscles to keep from cringing. �Beyond
anything I�ve ever seen�? Naruto . . .
�� You will help him. You will fix this, because I cannot. He won�t let me.�
�� Trailing
his eyes upward, Sasuke measured the lines of timber in the ceiling. When he
looked back, his teacher was gone. Sasuke felt the tiny crack in his chest, it
was getting larger. God damn it, it was getting larger. He went back to
clenching his fist and gritting his teeth as the voices of the council washed
over him and the cloying scent of his teacher: part dog, part earth, part
human, lingered.

�� Kakashi
slipped silently and invisibly into Tsunade�s inner office. He could see that
she knew he had entered by the tightening in her shoulders and the increasing
wave of anger she sent his way. He didn�t care. For the first time in his life,
he didn�t care that he was breaking a major rule as a ninja. He would not wait
to be told later about the council�s plans for Naruto. He would know them now.
�� Tsunade-hime,
we understand your reluctance, but let us be clear. We are not suggesting this
lightly. We do not view the boy as you might believe. He is not a child, at
least, not as much as he was. He is not a weapon to be kept back until the
power of the Kyuubi may be useful.�
�� Kakashi
watched as Tsunade grunted disbelief and frowned heavily. Utatane
Koharu and Mitokado Homura glanced at each other before
sighing in disgust.
�� Fine, do
as you like. You will no matter what we say, as usual,� Homura bit out. They
left quietly, pausing to glance at the spot he�d left Sasuke in not moments
before. The door jarred the frame slightly as it slammed home and all was now
just as silent.
�� Tsunade
sighed deeply and turned to look at Kakashi, though he�d been careful not to
let the cloaking jutsu slip. Her face twisted in anger and Kakashi had to use
his well honed speed in order to dodge the paper weight just in time. Shaking
his head, he let the technique go and stepped forward.
�� What do
they want to do?� All effort at pretense was beyond him right now. He had
enough trouble keeping what features were visible from slipping.
�� They
want,� Tsunade began, teeth clenched tightly, �to institutionalize him.�
�� Kakashi
sucked in a careful breath before responding. It was never good to make an
already irate medic ninja angrier, especially not this one. He had no doubt
that she would not miscalculate his speed as Sakura had done during the second
Survival Training mission. Thinking of his dead teammate, his Sakura, so much
like he believed his niece would be if he�d not been an only child, made him ill.
He forced it away, able to find comfort in the fact that he could still let her
know about how Naruto and Sasuke and he were doing, even if she could not hear
it.
�� Perhaps .
. . ,� Tsunade�s eyes turned to steel and Kakashi, though he knew they could not
be deadly on their own, stopped speaking.
�� Perhaps it
would be the best thing for him?� she finished for him. Kakashi stood without
moving. It was answer enough to make her anger grow and morph. She stood up
suddenly and slammed her fists onto her desk not caring that what little
strength she�d put behind it had cracked its surface and driven the tiny wedges
of oak used to raise it above the floor deep into the ground.
�� He stays
here, he stays free.� She emphasized her words by pointing an accusing finger
at Kakashi and glaring at him as if she blamed him. Perhaps a part of her does,
Kakashi surmised. He wouldn�t be at all surprised. It was how he saw it
himself, truthfully. He knew that, too, it was simply a deficit in his
character, like the compulsive tall tales he�d adopted from Obito and his
habitual lateness. That would all change. Whether or not they, no, anyone was able to help Naruto through
this, many things would change. Instead of answering Tsunade�s last statement,
he cleared his throat, fully prepared for any judgment that might follow.
�� I told
him.� For a second, Tsunade looked confused until Kakashi said it again.
�� I told him.�
�� You . . .
you told him,� Tsunade fell gracelessly back into her seat, �everything?�
�� No, not everything, but enough. He already knew more than a
detailed search in the Research Library would have afforded him. He knew
things, I�m certain, that only one person could have showed him. The man that
was found at that cave . . . I think it was . . .� Tsunade held a hand up to
stop him from continuing.
�� Enough!
That�s enough. We�ll deal with it.�
�� Hokage-sama
. . .,�
�� I said
we�ll deal with it! I won�t have him locked away.�
�� Placing
him somewhere where he can . . .�
�� He will
see it as the same thing! I won�t do it!� Kakashi could not agree with her
reasoning. There were ninja who could not handle years of constant carnage and
destruction. For them, it was not a matter of being weak, but seeing and being
a part of too much death. Such a thing is not a weakness and allowing for time
and the necessity of therapeutic coping was something all the past Hokages
understood. But, Kakashi did not have the strength, at present, to fight her on
this now, not this early on. He still held hope that what was happening to
Naruto was temporary. He would do whatever was necessary should the need for
Naruto to be protected, even from those trying to help, arise. Oh yes, things
would change. Kakashi only prayed he would never be late again.
�� He headed
for the door and then turned to face the Godaime one last time.
�� And, Sasuke?�
�� Tsunade
stared shrewdly back at him and then took a deep breath while closing her eyes
slowly.
�� You want
him, don�t you?�
�� For the
first time since entering, Kakashi flashed one of his grins, hidden by his mask
as they were.
�� No,� he
said quietly, �not me.�
�� Tsunade
blinked at him slowly, surprise written all over her face.
�� Well, I will take him off your hands,� he tilted
his head to glance at her from the corner of his eyes, still smiling softly,
�if you�re not planning on interrogating him, that is.�
�� I�ve no
reason to do so, since it appears he is no longer considered a threat to the
village. No one who is a threat,� she continued devilishly, �would carry a
fallen comrade over two hundred yards to the hospital doors and refuse to leave
until that comrade was seen to properly.�
�� Kakashi�s
keen ears picked up Sasuke�s disgusted snort quite easily and he chuckled
thinly.
�� Very well,
I�ll let him know your decision, Hokage-sama.�

�� Sasuke sat
up a little straighter as footsteps rang clearly through the wall coming toward
the door. Kakashi peered levelly at him when he exited and Sasuke held the gaze
daringly. The smile caught him off-guard, as usual, though he refused to show
it.
�� Follow me,
Sasuke.�
�� Sasuke wanted
to anything but that. He wanted to follow the elders to a secluded glade and
force his blade, full of lightning chakra, right through their miserable
chests. He wanted to run. He wanted to not be here, here of all places, and with him,
of all people. Slowly, he let his feet drag their way behind Kakashi, cursing
to himself silently the entire time. He should have stayed with Team Taka
instead of leaving them behind with Madara. The memory he saw inside his mind
was not of Suigestu or Karin, or Juugo, though. It was of flowing pink hair
falling to the ground and laughing blue eyes that swirled and changed when they
were sad or angry. He had not expected to feel anything, not a single thing,
when Shikamaru had pulled him aside at the hospital and told him, told him that
she was dead.
�� He had
killed her in his mind the day he had left and felt the pain then. But, it had
resurfaced, stronger and more real when it had actually happened. She had been
important, his friend, they were all his friends. He felt the anger at his own
failures and his inability to fully banish those feelings fade away in the
overflow of that pain. Still, there was that question, the one he had wanted
answered as soon as it had formed in his mind. If for no other reason than that
one, Sasuke followed. He would have his answer, even if he needed to have it spelled
out on paper, he would get it.
�� The scenery
around them had changed and Sasuke looked up to see the red sign above the
doors and knew where they were and who they were going to see. His feet dragged
on and Kakashi disappeared again as memories clawed and pushed him down. Did
his footsteps sound as heavy as they felt?
�� Kakashi had
pushed open a door now, on the third floor, a private wing reserved for the
mentally unstable. Naruto wasn�t unstable . . . was he? Just silent, always he
was silent now. The sight that met him when he entered stopped all motion, all
time. A silent Naruto gazing out the window, the normally bright eyes dull, his
hair seeming to absorb the same lackluster color of the sheets though it
remained yellow. Iruka was there, in the far corner, watching him, his eyes red
rimmed from lack of sleep and his hands draped over his knees carelessly. He
looked nothing like the ninja Sasuke had known him to be during his days at the
Academy.
�� This Iruka
was still quiet, a gentle smile ready for all, but he was different. Sasuke
could not understand it until another memory washed over him. This time, his
father�s eyes filled his vision; it was the day he�d been told Itachi had made
ANBU. His father had been proud. Sasuke could see it. And, why shouldn�t he be?
But, later, when his father and mother had been alone, Sasuke had been
watching. His father, so strong and so hard Sasuke had repeatedly broken
against him, trying to be the son he had thought his father had wanted, looked
at his mother that way, when he told her the news. It was like he was saying
Itachi was lost to them, and maybe he was. Maybe they had known something
inside him had gone wrong, even then. The thought confused Sasuke. If they had
known . . . if they had known, then why had they . . . ?
�� Good
afternoon, Iruka-san.�
�� Kakashi�s
voice rang through the room hollowly, as if the room itself knew that someone
else should be taking up the space, the air, instead. Sasuke took a breath,
willing to risk it.
�� How . . . ,�
his voice had come out weak. Damn it. He tried again.
�� How is
he?�
�� Iruka
frowned at seeing Sasuke, but answered anyway.
�� No real
change. Though, he can hear, and for all that those doctors say, understand well enough what people are saying.�
Iruka�s disapproval of the medical staff and their abilities seemed, to Sasuke,
like how a father with a constantly sick child might react. Iruka calmly
reaching out and placing his hand over Naruto�s, rubbing his thumb in slow
circles said the same. It made the muscles in Sasuke�s chest contract a little,
a thing he ignored sullenly. He did not want to be here, he didn�t. Kakashi was
watching him in that way he had, like he was trying to gauge something. What it
was, Sasuke did not know and did not care to know. He did not want to be here,
after all.
�� Well,
Sasuke, as your first time back here in, oh, forever,� Sasuke squinted at his
old teacher, refusing to feel anything like irritation at Kakashi�s blatant
attempt to make him feel guilty, �you will be given a D rank mission.� Kakashi
was so calmly telling him that, wait . . . wait!
�� Uh,
Kakashi-san, have you spoken to Tsunade-sama about this?� Iruka�s fingers had
tightened over Naruto�s and his voice was dripping poison that could eat a hole
in the floor were it real. Sasuke knew the answer even before it came out.
�� Oh, yes.
This has been discussed. Sasuke is no loner a threat, and, I want him on this
mission, a personal request, for which I am paying.� Light as his voice was,
Sasuke could sense that this was not all going to happen as easily as Kakashi
made it sound. It never was, with that lazy, good-for-nothing, shitty . . .
�� Kakashi
clearing his throat and Iruka growling lowly broke Sasuke out of his silent
rant.
�� Your new
mission, no exceptions, is to take care of him.�
�� Excuse
me?� Sasuke cried, incredulous. Iruka looked enraged and ready to eat nails
then spit them out at Sasuke.
�� You are to
look after him, help him. I want him talking. I want him bouncing off the
walls. I want you,� Kakashi pointed at him, as if Sasuke couldn�t understand,
�to get him back.� Kakashi�s eyes had hardened again and Sasuke could feel the
chakra overflow on his skin, it burned. Apparently, he and Naruto weren�t the
only ones training during the last three years. Iruka growled again in the back
of his throat and Sasuke realized not all the chakra currently stinging his
skin was coming off of Kakashi.
�� Iruka,�
Kakashi warned without even looking at him.
�� No. I
trusted you once, and he�s like this. No, I am not going to hand him over to
someone who�s idea of friendship and camaraderie is to drive his fist through
someone�s chest and back. No.�
�� It is
Hokages orders and,� this time Kakashi turned that unfaltering heat on Iruka,
�it is the best way anyone can see. If you have anything better, anything at
all, I�m listening. Really, Iruka, anything that could help him without turning
to someone who could potentially damage him further, I�m all ears.�
�� The last
sentence had Sasuke fighting to keep his gaze level. He was mildly surprised
and only slightly chagrined to find it was easy. The fact that he felt anything
at all, again, left a bad taste in his mouth. He would not feel guilty, he
would not. Memories he had thought so faded he should be able to see through
them surfaced again: Naruto lying atop the water turning to look at him,
Sasuke�s hand piercing through Naruto�s shoulder, Naruto, smiling shakily at
him as Sasuke screamed in his face.
�� Iruka
opened his mouth only to close it with a snap a moment later. Instead, he
flashed watery eyes in Sasuke�s direction.
�� I am a
ninja, I do not beg,� he said quietly, �I am a ninja.�
�� Sasuke
understood and the crack in his armor lengthened a little more. He swallowed.
�� Alright,�
he said softly.
�� Good,�
Kakashi said brusquely, �You start tomorrow. Naruto is physically well enough
to be home by morning. Keep an eye on him throughout the day. They are having
another festival. They�ve been going on all week.�
�� Iruka
groaned as Sasuke frowned a little.
�� They are
celebrating. Most of the Akatsuki have fallen. Naruto has found a way to
assuage their fears of the Kyuubi breaking free and running amok. They are
happy, despite all they felt before regarding him. He�s changed them,� Kakashi
explained.
�� Having said
his piece, Kakashi slipped out of the room, motioning for Iruka to follow.
While reluctant, Iruka grudgingly gave up his place in the corner glancing back
only once before drawing the door shut quietly. To Sasuke, it felt as though he
was in a prison instead of a hospital and the closing of the door was the
poetic equivalent of steel bars ramming shut. He swallowed and dragged his
weighted feet to the side of the bed. He waited for Naruto�s head to swivel
around, facing him with those strange eyes that were his and yet not.
�� Hello,
Naruto.�

*�� *��
*�� *

�� Sasuke had
woken early in order to prepare to take on the responsibility of another
person. The morning had dawned grey and cool. He stretched and warmed up a
little before running through some taijutsu movements to circulate his blood
better. He cut the time in half this morning, not wanting to be late. The
memory of Kakashi�s eyes from the day before was still very fresh. He shouldn�t
care about that or about Naruto, but he was realizing, slowly, that he did. He
did care, maybe he had always cared. Sasuke pushed the swirling confusion in
his mind away and concentrated on cooling down. He had done a few flips from
the hotel roof and some exercises in the main courtyard. It would be enough.
The building he had chosen to stay in was a three story circular design, a lot
like the Hokage Tower. It was probably modeled
specifically for that reason. Painted a pale, serene blue, Sasuke had been
drawn to it.
�� Kakashi, if
he bothered to care about Sasuke�s rooming choice, would probably make some
joke or gesture about the color being close to a certain ninja�s eyes, but
Sasuke had chosen it out of convenience. It was close to the hospital, in case
he needed to drag a screaming or self-destructing Naruto there. It was near
several food stalls and one grocery shop as well as close to a bar frequented
by many ninja, a great place to eavesdrop for any information concerning
missions away or anything else the council had planned. Sasuke still could not
trust them, no matter what Kakashi and the Godaime believed.
�� Settling
into a rhythm of brisk leaps over rooftops, Sasuke entered Naruto�s room
through the window rather than facing any of the medics they�d passed in the
halls yesterday. Something about their eyes when they�d learned who Kakashi and
Sasuke were going to see had bothered him. The empty bed that greeted him
raised no real issue until he�d ventured into the hall and asked the medic at
the nurses station where Naruto had been taken. The medic had only to glance at
him, surprise and dread clear in his face for Sasuke to take off through the
halls at a run. He searched each floor methodically, ignoring any questions
thrown his way. Gritting his teeth at the irony of him losing Naruto on his
first day of his first mission, he huffed out a breath in irritation. The fool
had done this before, right? Usually, he would go someplace like Ichiraku�s or
to the bridge to wait for Kakashi to drag him back kicking and biting and
yelling about not being injured and needing a mission before he went crazy.
Where the hell had he gone?
�� Sasuke
bounded to all the places he�d known about in the past, all the while wondering
if Naruto had changed enough to no longer visit them at all. So much had changed.
So much was the same. The festival had just begun in the main square, a field
with a quaint foot-bridge running over a little stream that cut in half along
one side, storefronts traveling along another. A large, stone fountain sat
dead-center inside the square, streams of water spurting from the open mouths
of fish along its base to pool in the basin at the second layer. It ran down
over the edge to the larger basin at the bottom which fed into the fish. Sasuke
couldn�t remember ever seeing it before, but he recognized some of the people
and the stores. And, it was here that Sasuke caught sight of him.

��
�� Naruto
glanced up at him across the crowded square and then his gaze slid down and
away. Sasuke watched as Naruto picked his way along. Sasuke had seen something
in that look, as if Naruto wanted them to embrace with only their skin and the
light misty rain to cover them. He shuddered and halted, frowning. �That can�t be right.�
�� Shaking his
head, he glanced up to see Naruto had disappeared into the milling crowd only
to be surprised by that same intense, haunting gaze. He felt a fluttering in
his stomach, even though he tried to will it not to. �He really has gotten taller and so . . .� Sasuke suddenly lost
hold of that train of thought as Naruto turned to unknowingly catch the
weakened, waning light from the now hidden sun in his face. The shudder became
an all out shivering and Sasuke found himself having to snap his mouth shut.
�� He�d been
unaware that it had fallen open, or that he�d been breathing heavier than was
necessary. He hadn�t even registered the increase in that funny rippling in the
pit of his stomach that had started somewhere around the time he�d first
noticed Naruto. Or, maybe it was only now that Sasuke was seeing him? The thought
he�d let slip away slammed back into him with such force he could no longer
draw breath.
�� . . . gorgeous.�
�� The wind
picked up at that moment and rifled through Sasuke�s hair. Naruto�s spikes
waved and danced, playing just as merrily with the light breeze. Sasuke
wondered to himself if he had cut it; it looked shorter. His chakra, still at
full power, spread out and around him, sensing for any passing ninja. He didn�t
want Naruto to do something stupid if he felt he�d been caught or trapped in
any way. Two signatures that were as strong as they were different met Sasuke�s
questing chakra flow. One he recognized from early morning yesterday when he�d
been forced to wait outside the hospital doors for word of how Naruto had been
progressing with his injuries. Sasuke still saw the evidence in the slight
limp, the listless way he moved his left arm and in the red tinge to his skin at
his collar. The burns were still healing. Naruto was technically supposed to be
resting in order to recuperate further which meant that Sasuke had to hurry.
�� Moving
forward, he stopped when the ninja with the chakra he knew stepped in front of
Naruto. Sasuke halted, unsure of what to do next, and held his breath. Her
companion, a roguish smile on his face looked like he was about to pounce on
Naruto. Damn it. What should he do? Sasuke hung back and waited, hoping the two
newcomers wouldn�t do anything stupid.

��
�� Hinata
could not believe her eyes. Gaping open mouthed, she pulled Kiba in behind her as
they moved through the crowd. She�d just seen Naruto, she was sure of it. Yes,
that blond hair and those eyes were unmistakable, though something about him
seemed off. She�d heard from Tsunade that he would need a lot of time on his
own to recover. Then, why was he out of the hospital? It had only been a few
days since his near catastrophic injuries. She didn�t know anyone who would be
up and walking around so quickly, if they even managed to survive at all, that
is.
�� Naruto,�
she called out to him as she reined Kiba in tighter. Something was wrong. She
could feel it and she didn�t want Kiba to make it worse with his wild behavior.
�� N-naruto?�
she asked again timidly. Naruto raised his head to look at them and Hinata saw
it. It made her heart swell, that he had become so changed by the recent
battle. Everything was different. It wasn�t supposed to be like this. Suddenly,
the townsfolk, in further celebration of the ninja defeating most of the
Akatsuki, began to play music. They were all laughing and dancing and smiling.
Naruto stared at them all and Hinata thought she saw something in his blank
expression, something almost wistful. She made a quick and rather
uncharacteristic decision, without thinking, mostly because that look was just
so unlike her beloved friend. She couldn�t stop the blush creeping up her face,
though, it seemed. But, she held onto her courage and the words that Naruto,
himself, had said to her right before she had fought her cousin.
�� I�ll be
right back, Kiba.� She let go of her friends hand to walk over to Naruto. Kiba
was shouting at her but she wasn�t going to listen, not this time.
�� Naruto,
how are you?� Still he did not speak. It was as if he didn�t see her. Hinata
felt her resolve slip a little. She nervously tugged at the gossamer cloth
covering her shoulder. She�d worn a dress because the day had turned out so
warm and her team had no missions, a scoop-necked, white dress with gossamer
white triangular cloth over the shoulders and a gathered rippling of cloth at
the back that traveled down her legs to trail out behind her a few inches
whenever she moved or the wind blew. She�d been hoping she might see Naruto
while wearing it, maybe come to one of the festivals. Now that they both were
here, regardless of the fact that Naruto hadn�t taken her, Hinata wanted to finally
try to get to know him better, and for him to get to know her.
�� Would you
. . . ,� she stopped when Naruto looked directly into her eyes. Her heart was
beating so fast and she felt the blush creeping higher than ever. Swallowing
quickly before she lost her nerve, again,
she managed to get out what she wanted to say.
�� Would you
like to dance?�
�� Hinata held
her breath and then felt Naruto�s hand softly brushing hers and saw that look
had returned. It made her ache so much, to not be able to take it away. She
took hold of Naruto�s hand and began dragging him forward into the square as
the alluring tones of flutes and the haunting lilt of pipes accompanied them.
Taking his other arm, she placed it around her waist and the one she�d been
holding traveled to her shoulder on its own and then upward, to brush against
her face. Naruto was looking at her now, without that glassy eyed dead
expression. He was seeing her. That�s all she needed to start moving.
�� They
traveled the length of the floor and Naruto seemed to dance like he fought,
effortless and with a kind of tough grace. Hinata twisted and pivoted around
him and in front of him, able to follow his movements easily. They did not
train as ninja lightly. As it turned out, all that work made for greater ease
of movement here as well. Hinata smiled. The wind picked up again and it was
warm and light and good. Naruto held on a little tighter than she thought
necessary, but she�d heard about his teammate and knew that he�d been very
close to her. This was the only thing she could think of to do to take his mind
away from it all, if only for a little while.
�� The wind
grew more forceful and Naruto clung to her harder and brought her in closer
until they were only a few spare centimeters apart. Hinata was busy trying to
keep her feet as they swirled and dipped and turned another circuit of the
stone underneath their feet. Suddenly, she couldn�t feel it anymore and glanced
down in time to see the ground whirl by, her feet nearly a foot above it.
Naruto held tightly to her back and she was forced by the growing wind to
connect with his chest as they literally glided on air for a span of mere
moments before touching down lightly at the other side of the square.
�� She caught
her breath as the pipes and flutes played on though they had stopped moving.
Naruto was . . . Naruto was . . . crying? Her own lips quivered at the sight.
Such a strong ninja, so powerful, so hated and yet so loved. Hinata couldn�t
stand to see it. Gently, quickly, she leaned into his chest again and brushed
her lips against his in a chaste, warm kiss, then pulled back only to do it
again. This time she let her lips rest on Naruto�s for a few moments before
pulling back, her hand running down his battle scarred, whiskered cheek. Hinata
smiled again. The burns already looked so much better and she could see them
lightening further, even now. He�d stopped crying, too. That was a good sign.
Just as quietly as before, she leaned in and whispered into his ear.
�� I know you
may not feel the same, you may never feel the same, but I love you. I love you,
Naruto.�
�� That was,
perhaps, the worst thing she could have done. Hinata realized it the instant
she glanced back up at his face. Horror, abject horror and terror and pain were
so deeply ingrained Hinata could map them out along his sweating forehead, his
trembling lips and his normally tanned skin that had gone so white, so fast.
�� Naruto?�
she tried to get his attention softly, gently.
�� Naruto,
I�m so-.� He hadn�t let her finish. Naruto wrenched his hand away from hers,
shaking his head rapidly as the tears began to fall. When she tried, again, to
reach out to him, he shot off past her, pushing her aside as he went. Hinata
caught sight of distinctive black hair and cold, dark eyes and a whispered
warning as a man went speeding past her to follow.
�� I have
him. Stay out of it.�
�� That had
been Sasuke, right? But, now, Hinata was too caught up in trying to keep Kiba
from callously and ignorantly hurting Naruto further in a vain attempt to save
her honor.
�� Kiba, I�m
fine! He�s wounded and I shouldn�t have pulled him into anything,� she barked
at him, terrified for Naruto.
�� Kiba stared
at her before mumbling something about women and walking off to the opposite
end of the square where they�d set up food stalls. He sent quick, curious
glances her way ever few minutes until Hinata sighed heavily and began dragging
him back to Training Field eight to meet Shino for some practice. Every so
often, she glanced back to see if Sasuke had managed to get Naruto back to the
square safely, or perhaps catch them leaping over it toward Naruto�s apartment
building, but, eventually, she stopped wondering. She would find out the next
day how Naruto was faring . . . hopefully . . . if Sasuke would allow her to
see him.�

��

�� Sasuke caught
sight of a huddled and shaking mass of clothes to his right, between a stack of
old crates and a pile of trash laden bags. Sasuke approached cautiously,
slowing down while making sure to scuff his feet a little to warn him. The
shuddering continued. Naruto kept his arms over his head, hands twisting and
sliding through his hair. Sasuke heard the gasping, choking, heaving breaths.
To him, it almost seemed Naruto was trying to make sounds, but couldn�t. Sasuke
shivered a little, himself, despite the warm air the light rain had brought.
Any fear that was strong enough to do that
to Naruto was worth paying attention to.
�� Sasuke
shifted his weight to the balls of his feet as he squatted down, and then
kneeled, in front of Naruto.
�� Naruto,�
he called softly. Naruto�s reaction was one Sasuke expected, even if he didn�t
like it. Naruto jerked and tightened his hold on his hair, the tension around
him thickening the air to near oppressiveness.
�� Sasuke
huffed and shifted a bit closer.
�� Naruto,�
he tried again, pitching his voice lighter than before.
�� I�m not
going to hurt you. So, you can tell me.�
�� Tell me
what�s wrong. What happened? I want to know.�
�� The thought
confused Sasuke. After all, he had complete control over his entire being and
had willed his mind and spirit to desire nothing more than vengeance and
murder. But, here it was without his asking. He �desired� to be here, having
found him. He �desired� to see, then to claim, the pain he witnessed in Naruto.
�� The cloth
had shifted and Naruto�s shivering bulk had unraveled itself enough for his
eyes to peer at Sasuke in the dim light of the lone street lamp and the dusky
sky. The pain there was not startling, though the intense look Sasuke had seen
before made it unsettling. Those eyes were half-lidded and shimmering. What
little of his face Sasuke could see was wet, his hair smelling musky with
sweat. Sasuke cocked his head to the side slightly.
�� See? I�ve
been here almost a whole minute and you�re no worse off,� he spoke out quietly.
�� Naruto�s
sudden movement, again not surprising when Sasuke considered his brashness,
stole the breath from his lungs. Sasuke made a low sound in his throat as they
connected, barely registering it as he felt the strong arms of his former
teammate snake around and cling to his shoulders.
�� Sasuke sat
there, unable to move. When he felt his lungs begin to burn, he realized he had
yet to take a breath. Gulping in a large amount of air, Sasuke rested his chin
on Naruto�s right shoulder a bit to catch his breath. He huffed again as he
discovered Naruto�s shoulders had begun to convulse heavily. The rapid intake
of breath told Sasuke that he was crying again.
�� Turning his
head toward the street, Sasuke�s eyes sought out the light from the lonely
street lamp to focus on to keep the fingers of nervous fear from wrapping
around his stomach. Belatedly, he came to the conclusion that this was the
trail that cut off from the main throughway to a smaller gate in the main wall.
Of course, that�s why it looked so familiar. It was the same trail he had taken
out of the village, the same one Sakura had confessed to him on in a desperate
bid to keep him here. Sasuke had felt sorry for her at the time. Now, there was
only the hollow feeling that had helped him get this far, and that annoying almost
fear, and Naruto�s silent sobbing.
�� Sasuke
sighed, preparing to speak again, when he felt something brush his shoulder. It
took him a few moments to realize it was Naruto�s finger and a few more to
digest that it was pleasant, before he railroaded that thought and buried it so
deep he hoped it would never feel air. And then, then, he made out specific
movement. Naruto was writing . . . kanji . . . on his back . . . with his
finger. Sasuke shivered. Narrowing his eyes to concentrate, he could just make
it out.
�� She can�t.
She can�t and you can�t.�
�� Can�t
what, Naruto?� he murmured.
�� Naruto
pushed off of Sasuke�s shoulders a little to catch and draw him into his eyes.
At least, that�s what it felt like he was doing. Naruto brought his hands
around to catch hold of one of Sasuke�s and used the tip of one finger to draw
the characters he wanted.
�� Love me.�
�� Sasuke drew
in a sharp breath and pushed back the nervous fluttering of his stomach and the
blood threatening to roar in his ears. For once in his life, he spoke without
thinking.
�� Don�t
worry. I�ll take care of you. I�ll take care of everything. It�s not . . .
you�re not . . . Everything will be fine.�
�� Sasuke
didn�t know what else to say so he went back to holding a shaking Naruto until
they had both calmed down enough to move. Then, Sasuke took Naruto�s hand and
guided and nudged him along to his hotel. Naruto had reverted back to staring
blankly out at the world as it passed by until they reached the front of the
building. Sasuke took in a deep breath, held it for three seconds, and then
blew it out quickly.
�� Here,� he
motioned at the hotel, then caught Naruto�s chin between his fingers in order
to force the boy to look at it.
�� We�re
going to stay here, just for a little while. And then, then, we�ll go someplace
better. You�ll see.�
�� A glimmer
of something in Naruto�s eyes caught Sasuke�s attention and he smiled. He still
wasn�t convinced Naruto had understood it all, but something Sasuke had said
had reached him, he was sure of that much.
�� You�ll see,�
he said again.
��
- 9
- 10
- 11
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The Fall of the Dogs of War