Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

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
- 13
- 14
- 15
Author�s Note PLEASE,
PLEASE READ: I�m getting really good at making these things interesting
enough to read, I think! Anyway, the amount of reviews for this story is
disappointing to say the least. I�ve heard from some of you that it�s high in
quality compared to a large amount of the fics on these sites, yet still so few
new people comment. I want more. Please don�t make me beg. Or else I won�t tell
you that the next two chapters are nearly done and have been for a while . . .
oh, wait I just did. Well, how about hot sex then? Ah, that got your attention.
It figures, you perverts. That�s okay, I�m a pervert too. Just ask me what my
Economic Stimulus Plan to aide the beleaguered U.S. economy is based on.
�� By the way,
I�m of the seemingly small community that believes rape, when done in a fic, is
supposed to be done the right way, or it�s vastly offensive. I don�t mind
reading it, if it�s part of the plot, like when there�s a change in a
character�s personality, a sudden fear of touch or to explain trust issues. They make sense. These horrible
fictions, that comprise all but maybe two, turn the victim into some kind of
deviant who likes being raped halfway through (that is so much like all those
disgusting hentai anime that do the same thing, it�s not at all worth reading).
Either that or they somehow fall in love with the rapist (mainly when it�s a
SasuNaru fic), which, let me just say only makes sense if you combine the
trauma with Stockholm syndrome. If you don�t know what that is, please look it
up, it would take too long to explain here. Also, the stuff that should come
after: lack of self-esteem and self-worth, depression, possible self-injury or
the possibility of sex turning into near prostitution because that�s how they
see it now NEEDS to be researched a bit if the author wants to make it
credible. Before you chew my head off at having the gall to berate people on
this topic, I know what I�m talking about.
The rape itself in a fic isn�t a problem, generally,
when done with tact and offering the full picture from start to finish.
�� Just to
cool your heads, there will be NO rape in this fic, but it DOES come up in my
other one, which is why I�m writing a message here, for those of you, if any,
that read both. Also, I HATE the inclusion of words or terms like seme, uke or
lime and lemon when dealing with sex between two men. I�m not ragging on others
that use it, just letting you know you will
never see me describe it like that. I pride myself on researching when I
cannot imagine something and make it believable or when the situation calls for
it, like with medical terms and such, so the sex in my stories is as realistic
as possible to real sex, not movie, or yee gods, porn sex, which is in many
fictions I�ve read (the number is in the thousands by now). God, I�m rambling.

�� Animelover,
I�m so glad you changed your mind! J

The song Naruto plays near the end is called �The Promise�,
or �The Sacrifice�. There�s another term for it, too, but it�s also the title
of Chapter 15 so watch for it. I�ve included a URL for it, please use it as I
think it adds to the emotion of the moment. Thanks and happy reading!� http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdWLwRexMRA

Chapter�� 13
The Hunted, the Haunted

�� Naruto walked
down the darkened hall slowly. There was tension in the air, thick and viscous,
like wading through water. He did not want to be here. The door at the end of
the hall was open wide and he could hear the sounds of thick fluids slapping
against the wall, dull thuds and grunts accompanying them. Taking a few huge,
gulping breaths, he steadied his hand on the frame before rushing in, kunai
drawn and held in a forward guard. The sight that greeted him made him want to
vomit, then claw at his own eyes till they bled just as garishly as the stuff
covering the walls. Hiroku was against the far wall, slapping blood across the
room every time his hand came down, what looked like a knife clenched in his
hand. Naruto couldn�t really tell; there was so much blood. It stained part of
the floor at Hiroku�s feet and splattered everything else in wide arcs. Some
had even gotten it on the ceiling. What kind of animal had so much blood in
their body that it could do this? The smell was sweet and metallic and awful;
dead things release gases into the air that mix with everything else, a poison
so virulent it can haunt countless nights for even the most staunch of men. So
what that Naruto was among that number. This man, he couldn�t be here, right?
Hiroku was dead . . . right? But, the smell, it was so real.
�� Hiroku
continued to stab the creature until Naruto called out to him.
�� Hiroku!�
his voice rang off the walls shrilly and Naruto had to fight to keep from
cringing. Hiroku�s head snapped up and the man smiled eerily at him. Naruto did
not fight the shudder this time. Craning his neck a little, Naruto managed to
catch a glimpse of the body on the floor, small as it was. He gasped loudly and
was nearly sick all over again. Sweat broke out coldly all over his skin and he
choked back the bile rising in his throat. Breathing as much as possible
through his mouth, Naruto wiped a hand over his face and neck, horrified. He
couldn�t stop his breathing from coming faster and faster into his chest. It
hurt, breathing like that, the walls of his ribcage aching and protesting the
exaggerated motion. The body on the ground, the small infant; it was him. He drew the kunai back and prepared
to run at the deranged man in front of him when he disappeared. Shaking his
head a little in confusion and to clear the darkness overwhelming his vision,
Naruto looked up again. His father stood there looking grimly down on him,
impossibly tall.
�� D-dad? Otousan?� Naruto stuttered
out weakly. For the first time in his life, he had the chance to say that word
and it was here, with his father angry and the dark pressing into him from all
sides.
�� Dad? Please, please tell me what�s happening,� Naruto
begged softly.
�� Naruto,�
Minato�s voice was strong and filled with ice, but Naruto couldn�t help closing
his eyes at the sound of his name. If this was a dream, maybe it wouldn�t be so
bad, staying here. The Yondaime�s next words crushed his hope and left it
twitching on the floor next to his own frail little body.
�� You have
failed. You were supposed to protect them. Didn�t I make you the perfect
weapon? Did I not entrust you with a great power? Spineless . . . little . . . boy,� Minato bit out wretchedly. Naruto
backed away from him slowly, his legs responding like weighted sacks of sand.
Shaking his head as Minato advanced, he crept further backwards.
�� No, no,�
Naruto murmured softly, shivering and sweating at the same time. �No, no, no,
please, please, don�t do this.�
�� Naruto
tried to summon enough strength to pool chakra into his body, but it escaped
him as quickly as he gathered it, unable to stabilize itself over the fear.
Minato reached out and grasped Naruto�s collar and he was lifted clear off his
feet and far above the ground. Minato loomed over him and sneered in his face,
breath as fetid as the corpse on the floor and eyes just as dull and cloudy.
�� Die, my
failure!�
�� Naruto felt
searing heat engulf him again and screamed, raw and aching, until the fire had
burned away the flesh from his whole body. He wanted more than anything to pass
out, or disappear, to wake up, anything. Finally, Minato dropped his naked,
smoking body onto the ground and turned to walk away, dragging his feet wetly
as he went. Naruto watched him go and felt his body shaking roughly. God, he
wished it would stop. It made the pain unbearable. But, the shaking continued
until he realized it came from outside his body and Naruto finally opened his
eyes.
��

�� Sasuke
stared down at him worry clear in his eyes even in the dim light of early
morning shadowing the already dark irises. Sasuke was breathing just as hard as
Naruto was and that alone was disconcerting. But that look was what got Naruto
to sit up, slowly. His body felt far too drained and out of synch with itself
to move well. Sasuke helped him a little with a hand on his elbow. Naruto
looked down on it and realized he wasn�t the only one shaking. A glass of water
appeared in front of his face, and Naruto reached for it gratefully, sipping
slowly, as instructed, until it went away again. Sasuke�s face swam back into
focus and Naruto closed his eyes, feeling desolate. He�d had a nightmare that
was all; a nightmare . . . while Sasuke had been in the room. Naruto opened his
eyes and stared at Sasuke begging him not to ask. He watched as Sasuke rose
from the bed carefully and checked the door before coming back to sit before
Naruto.
�� Naruto
tried to avoid his gaze but Sasuke cupped his chin with one hand and drew it up
to look closely at him. Tilting his head to the side, Sasuke sighed slowly,
opening and closing his eyes at the same moment.
�� You had a
nightmare,� he said calmly.
�� Naruto
rolled his eyes at his friend. It was painfully obvious to him what had just
happened.
�� You were
screaming,� Sasuke continued without pause. Naruto flinched and tried to look
away again but Sasuke�s hand under his chin prevented it.
�� I think
you need to tell me what happened . . . all of it. Or, if you can�t, then let
me see it, Naruto.�
�� Naruto
could tell that Sasuke was serious even in the weak light through the lone
window at the back of the storeroom. The slats of the wooden shutter had been
left partly open to let in the mellow breeze that had come up the night before.
Naruto began trying to shake his head when Sasuke�s lip began to tremble
minutely. His hands had moved to cradle Naruto�s face in his palms and Naruto
grew a bit stronger for their warmth.
�� Please,
Naruto,� he begged softly. �Please, please,
I don�t want you to die. This will kill you. It will,� he choked out gently.
�� Slowly,
Naruto nodded and then made the signs for �see what you will�. Sasuke blew out
a large breath and hung his head in relief. Breathing in expansively again, he
picked his head up and the Sharingan blazed and swirled in his eyes, fully
active, to bore into Naruto�s.�

*�� *��
*�� *

�� Madara
stared down at the village sprawled before him disconsolately. Pain was now
dead, he�d been informed. Konan had followed not long after. It had taken him
years to groom that man. Sasuke had gone missing and was presumed captured by
the enemy. Madara knew better than to make such baseless assumption. He knew
where the boy was. There was still time to salvage the operation. They did have
the King of Hell statue Pain had so graciously left for them, though they�d had
to reform it. Madara had a special gift inside for that hapless demon bearer,
the last Jinchuuriki, when he saw him again. No, he would not mourn the loss of
Nagato so much as the loss of the enormous advantage that he, bearing the
Rinnengan and a colossal rage, had promised. As things were now, they had less
to work with to instill the amount of threat and garner the same kind of
obedience, but there was yet the matter of the massive army that had only
suffered a partial loss during the last assault on Konoha. They would succeed,
however. They had to. Uchiha Madara would not
fail in his task. He would have them all under his control, or they would
suffer countless recriminations! He curled his fist tighter and tighter into
his palm until the scent of blood reached his nostrils. The whites of his eyes
could be seen clearly, not that there was anyone present in the room. A loud,
near-shriek tore the air asunder and it was only moments later that a
disoriented Madara realized that it had come from himself. He opened his hand
while holding onto the wrist tightly with the other, only shuddering a tiny
bit. No one had seen it, no one had noticed. Good, there were a few less
ingrates he would have to smash and rend apart. He hated, absolutely hated inept behavior or loss of control.
That he had been the one to nearly send a mammoth blast of chakra into and
through the wall of the cave they�d fashioned into a temporary fortress, he
ignored.
�� Zetsu
strode in nonchalantly, a message scroll in hand. Madara straightened up and
walked around the stone chair he�d been using. He spared no time worrying about
how he�d ended up on the other side of it. To him, such a thing was meaningless
compared to wasting the village he so hated and confronting the boy that had stolen the revenge he�d
been working so long in pulling together from his grasp so effortlessly, the
little shit. Zetsu passed wide eyes over his leader�s body but made no comment
and formed no expression that was anything but neutral. It was best do approach
the one-eyed Uchiha that way. Bowing lowly, he offered the scroll toward him
and retreated once it had been taken.
�� Madara said
nothing at all, preferring to wait until the shadows had stopped moving on the
wall to open the scroll. When he had read through its contents, he smiled
grimly . . . then it grew to an insane and painful looking width. Soon he heard
hysterical laughter and was only marginally aware that he was making the strange sounds.�
�� So, my old
friend Danzou has shown himself at the last? Interesting, that he should
provide me with information on their ninja, the post assignments and lists on
techniques, just when I need them. The fact that so many troops have been
called to the Daimyo�s residence because the pompous oaf actually believes I
pose a danger to him . . . How amusing. This will definitely prove useful to
me, not that I hadn�t already gained enough from Itachi, but useful, yes. They will be crushed now!�
�� Madara
crinkled the pages of the message in his hand and forced chakra into the walls
of his family�s summer training grounds until they cracked. The hysterical
laughter started again and, this time, Zetsu really did leave. He could not
stay and keep the sanity of himself and his partner when faced with madness on
the scale of Uchiha Madara.

�� A messenger
hawk flew low and solid until it reached a window deep in the heart of Gure-pu
Sawa. Tapping on the glass, the bird waited for a hand to scoop it up into the
room. When none came, the bird, as it had been trained, repeated the gesture,
then unfurled the leather thong tying the message container to its back and
left it on the sill. All the messages from Konoha that Sasuke received were
encoded so as not to be obtained by an enemy. Not that it was in his nature to
ever miss something so important. But, the message remained on the sill, forgotten
in all things but the minds of the ninja who had sent it. Sasuke had no
knowledge of its contents, or the possible menace laying in wait for him and
Naruto. A threat so eager and vile it could only come from the most amoral of
humans.

*�� *��
��*�� *��

��
�� Sasuke
walked down the same long hall inside Naruto�s mind that he had once before. He
could hear the fox in his pen, swishing tails and rumbling growls permeating
the warm air. It felt different, a crackling energy held back behind something
dark and swollen. Sasuke�s skin crawled and goose-bumps formed on his skin. The
hairs on his arms rose up and his breathing picked up in trepidation. Just what
would he see? Nothing but the worst horrors could have driven Naruto so far
away, he knew that. But, now that he was about to witness them, Sasuke pulled
back, unsure whether or not he could keep going. Inhaling deeply, Sasuke pushed
his feet into motion again and stopped before a door along the hallway that had
not been there the last time. It leaked fear and pain so strongly Sasuke�s skin
wanted to run off his very body to flee from it. This one had to be it. Closing
a hand over the iron doorknob, Sasuke had to force the door to get it to open.
Once inside, he wished, fervently, more than he wanted to breathe life back
into his dead mother and father, that he hadn�t crossed the threshold. Scanning
the floor, he noted the dry earth and the smell of sweat. There was a man
inside with Naruto, only this pale, stinking mass of blood and power,
perspiration running down every pore, was a slim imitation to the Naruto of
now, or the Naruto of a year ago. Sasuke watched, appalled, as the torture
unfolded before him, the man�s words and his demonic aura singing across his
body until it hurt. When the man performed seals for a genjutsu, Sasuke was
pulled into it along with Naruto. What he saw there, the Yondaime�s form and
the others, Naruto�s mother, left him speechless.
�� How Naruto
had managed to survive the extended torture as well as this vision he had no
idea. The fact that he had was a testament to true strength. Leaving the vision
in a swirl of rage and pain and hate, Sasuke landed on his hands and knees
painfully, coughing and sputtering. He looked up to view the end of Naruto�s
struggle, the fire, and Hiroku�s death all the while fighting to keep his
sweltering anger and the welling compassion he felt in defense of his friend
from swallowing him whole. Staggering to his fit, he somehow found the strength
to move back out into the hallway. Hearing the fox snapping his teeth and
swishing its tails and the anger burning its way down to him from the end of
the hall, he was glad he had no time or energy to stay. Sasuke collapsed back
into his own mind and wanted to stay there, huddled in some corner of it, until
the pain receded to a bearable level. But, there was Naruto to think about and
what showing him those memories might have cost him.
�� Sasuke
opened his eyes again to see a remarkably calm Naruto facing him. He wondered
if what had just transpired had forced him back into his mind, unable to
process the sheer magnitude of distress it was under.
�� Naruto,�
he croaked out. Reaching up to brush his knuckles against the skin of Naruto�s
cheek, Sasuke felt its coolness and sighed. Naruto looked over at him
beseechingly. An apology would not begin to cover over anything let alone
provide any comfort. Sasuke settled for something that was truth.
�� He�s dead
and you and I are still here. That�s what matters now, right?� Sasuke realized
too late the hypocrisy behind those words as Naruto, eyes flints in the dark,
shoved him away.�
�� Okay, so I
need to work on living by my own words once in a while, but damn it, I�m trying
to help!� Sasuke cried frustratingly.
�� I mean,
it�s not like saying �I�m sorry� will make it all better. I don�t how to do
that!� Sasuke cried out, head bent low. A hand on his shoulder and he snapped
it back up quickly. Naruto looked at him sadly and shook his head. Then he
smiled with his eyes closed in that indomitable way of his. Sasuke sighed and
smiled thinly in return. Naruto clapped the hand down on his shoulder once and
leaned in to sigh against his shoulder.
�� You mean that actually made it better?� Sasuke
asked, amused. He heard a muffled snort and let out a short laugh. Naruto
stiffened suddenly and sat up, eyes wide. He grabbed Sasuke�s face and turned
it from side to side. Then, he reached out and pinched him on the neck. Sasuke
hissed.
�� Ow. What the hell was that for? You
moron,� he growled.
�� Naruto
beamed brightly at him and made a few hand signs quickly. Sasuke rolled his
eyes to cover his embarrassment. Apparently, he�d never laughed in front of
anyone before. Well, of course he hadn�t. There�d never been a reason. Just
like there�d never been a reason to smile without smirking. When there was
nothing left to say, the air began to feel a little warm, uncomfortably
mimicking the room Sasuke and Naruto had just been in. Naruto glanced at him
apprehensively and looked away when Sasuke caught it. The silence was growing
ominous and a hollow sheen began creeping back into Naruto�s eyes when Sasuke
captured something in his head, something they could do to alleviate the strain
of the last few minutes. Taking hold of Naruto�s hand, he began tugging him
toward the door, shushing him as he went. For once, he wanted Naruto not to
re-discover the joys of a voracious tongue. That thought gave him a very
strange feeling in his stomach, so he ignored it. Heading out of the shop and
down the street, they stopped in front of Akito�s store and Sasuke banged a
fist on it until the very tired and leery shop owner opened it.
�� Akito-san,
I am very sorry, but I need to use your piano. Oh, and I wondered if that book
I ordered when we were in here a few days ago had come in yet,� Sasuke tested a
smile on the harried man who simply gaped at him.
�� Sasuke,
you do know what time it is, don�t
you?� he sputtered incredulously.
�� Ah, yes,
and I am sorry, but it�s very
important. Naruto is having trouble sleeping. Please?�
�� Akito tried
to catch a glimpse of Naruto, who was doing his very best to wriggle out of
Sasuke�s hold and ignoring them both at the same time. The hollow look had
gotten stronger and the shadows bruising the skin under his eyes did not escape
Akito�s shrewd notice, however. He let them in with a grunt of surprise and
locked the door behind him as he went.
�� I�ll have
to check in the back. I just got a shipment in from Mokuzai Nenshou no Toshi
but don�t get your hopes up. It�s only been a few days after all,� he groused,
a bit disgruntled at having been woken up a full three hours before he normally
had to worry about opening his shop. Sasuke waved him off and headed to the
back of the main room with Naruto. Forcing Naruto down on the bench, Sasuke
raised the fallboard then glanced around the shop.
�� Ah. Let�s
see, you need music right?�
�� Naruto was
struggling to look at him and Sasuke felt panic claw at his chest a little. Not
now, not because of what he did. Please, don�t disappear on me now. Finding a
book that had music notes on the cover, Sasuke opened it to the first song he
found and sat it down in front of Naruto. Then, he took up the small space
behind him on the bench, spreading his legs out on either side of Naruto�s. The
song title read �The Promise�. It was composed by someone named Michael Nyman.
Sasuke had no idea who that was and didn�t care. If it kept Naruto from
slipping away again, he�d send the man his entire fortune. Naruto�s fingers
were curling into his hands so Sasuke unfurled them and set them on the keys. Seeing
no movement, Sasuke studied the sheets of paper and tried to remember the notes
and the other things Akito had mentioned when teaching Naruto the other day.
�� Struggling
through the first few bars, Sasuke felt Naruto�s fingers react and saw movement
in his eyes when he glanced at them from the corner of his own. After a few
moments, Naruto had taken over, with Sasuke�s hands still on top. He made no
move to take them away. It felt good, trying to match Naruto�s motions with his
own, their fingers sliding along each other smoothly. The music flowed slowly
and enveloped them both. Sasuke leaned back eyes sinking closed and let it
carry him. Soon, Naruto�s body tilted and swayed in time with the piece and
Sasuke followed. When the pace slowed to incorporate a different feeling,
Sasuke leaned forward and brushed his lips against Naruto�s neck. A note went
flat and Sasuke covered Naruto�s fingers again with his own lightly.
�� Don�t
stop,� he whispered. �Keep playing.�
�� Naruto
relented and continued to pulse out the music and Sasuke lifted his hands away.
Running them up Naruto�s arms until their position made it impossible for him
to go further, he changed direction, resting them low on Naruto�s hips and
massaging them down his thighs then back up. Sliding them along Naruto�s thin
nightshirt, he listened as the music picked up in intensity and then, the song
began to play again. Sasuke was careful, gently raising his hands up Naruto�s
sides while kissing down the side of his neck and back up to his face. Naruto canted
his head to the side to meet Sasuke�s mouth and they brushed together tenderly
as the music slowed down again. A wave of something powerful engulfed Sasuke
when he moved his hands further up and kissed Naruto again. Ghosting along
Naruto�s chest, Sasuke brought his hands around to his sides again when Naruto
jerked forward and made a strangled sound in his throat.
�� Huh?
What?� Sasuke said hazily. Naruto�s shoulders shook silently and Sasuke
blinked, confused.
�� Naruto, what?�
�� Then it
hit.
�� No way!� Sasuke couldn�t help but snort out between fits of
rising giggles.
�� Naruto you
. . . �
�� Naruto had
turned in his seat as much as he could to glare vehemently, promising imminent
death if he kept going. Sasuke couldn�t resist.
�� You�re
ticklish! Just in that spot, there,� he pointed high up on his sides and let
out a string of laughter he couldn�t swallow. The laughter continued even as
Akito came through the back with a book in hand scratching his head, puzzled.
Naruto soon eked out quiet laughter as well and neither boy had taken notice of
the store owner. Akito waited, feeling as though he was witnessing something
quite special. Indeed, he had never heard either of them so content before. It
was simple, maybe, but also precious, so he waited. Sasuke tumbled off the
bench clutching his sides and Naruto was dragged down with him. Lying on the
floor next to each other, Naruto and Sasuke chuckled and sniffed delightedly.
Sasuke struggled to reach the same spot again and Naruto half-heartedly tried
to fend him off. They kept at it until both began to wince a little at the pain
in their sides. Naruto sat up when Akito coughed gently from behind the
counter. Sasuke shot up as if he�d been caught stealing and swept his eyes
down, mortified. Akito chuckled at them and then guffawed laughter until he
felt tears streak down his cheeks.
�� Well!� he
crowed, �I haven�t seen anything that cute since my grandson insisted that
pomegranates were actually pom-poms that the school children no longer wanted
so they had buried them in the fields to grow trees and fruit!�
�� Sasuke
glanced over at Naruto with his head still down and saw him puff up like an
injured bird. He snickered a little but soon realized why they�d had to stop as
his sides ached pitifully. He frowned and smacked Naruto�s hand away when he
tried to grasp his fingers. Naruto peered over at him, eyes half-lidded and
smiling devilishly.
�� No,�
Sasuke said impishly, �we�re going home, to
bed! Maybe later.� He got up and retrieved the
book Akito held out for him and left quickly after paying, not bothering to
wait for Naruto or say goodbye to the well-meaning older man. Naruto caught up
before Sasuke had gone ten feet and their hands touched. Sasuke resisted the
urge to push them together. But, Naruto would have none of it. He grabbed
Sasuke�s wrist and pulled him to a stop. Sasuke turned around and his heart
twisted at the forlorn look in his eyes.
�� Hmph,
don�t do that. I said we could do something later, if you want, so stop.�
�� But the
look persisted and Sasuke realized it must have been what he said, about this
village being home.
�� You want
to go back don�t you? To Konoha?�
�� Naruto
nodded slowly. He made a few signs hesitantly and Sasuke read them all too well
in the faint light of dawn. �I want to see them again. I want to know how they
are. I don�t want to have to read it in one of your messages,� he signed.
�� Sasuke felt
the guilt but pushed it back, staring at Naruto with desperation making his
eyes darker. He looked away just as Naruto stepped close enough to take his
other hand.
�� Can�t we .
. . ,� he started before his voice failed.
�� Can�t we
just stay here? You like it here,� he continued urgently, �It�s beyond anything
we�ve ever had before. I want to stay.�
�� He finished
firmly but knew in his heart that he had lost already. Naruto shook his head
quickly and Sasuke felt the world rip away, from the air, to the sea, to the
very ground he walked on. He didn�t like the feeling. It was too close to how
he�d felt when he�d come home by himself from the Academy training because no
one had been there to pick him up only to find them all dead, massacred by the
one person he thought could help him understand it. He did not want to leave
but he knew that Naruto could not, would not, stay away any longer. Sighing, Sasuke
touched a hand to Naruto�s face and rubbed his thumb over his jaw.
�� I will go
with you. Not because I no longer think those bastards should all burn in
eternal suffering, but because I can not live this life without knowing where
this could go.�
�� There was a
suspicious sheen to Naruto�s eyes and Sasuke watched him swallow visibly.
�� You won�t
regret this. Things have only one way to go, now, anyway. You�ll see. Kakashi
will be able to help me sort out the truth from what they�ve been hiding. You
can, too, right? I�m not worried. I want to see them again. I know they�re not
all responsible. They matter, too, Sasuke.�
�� All Sasuke
could think was that he liked how Naruto said his name with his fingers and how
he wrote it on his skin. He would leave a note for Koji-san and Hoku in the
morning. They would leave at first light. It was easier that way. Maybe,
sometime later, they could come back, and if Naruto managed to convince his
friends that Sasuke meant no ill will, some of them might travel with them, as
a sort of vacation. Of course, Naruto still wasn�t talking yet. He might not
ever regain speech and then they would be back sooner than he thought. Sasuke
pushed that thought aside for when he truly needed it. They had enough to
muddle through in their times together without borrowing more. Right now, he
made his way around Naruto swiftly, smiling at his raised eyebrows.
�� We�re
going to need a lot of music sheets, right? I have a feeling if you don�t get
hands on a piano yourself, you might be getting one as a gift in the near
future.�
�� Naruto�s
eyes widened considerably more than Sasuke had ever seen them and with his
mouth open, he really had gone farther from the handsome boy Sasuke had come to
know so well in the past weeks., He looked far too innocent and trusting,
though it wasn�t as if he couldn�t handle himself even with injury upon insult
upon injury. Sasuke smirked.
�� Maybe I�ll
tell Akito you don�t want any,� he shrugged and slowed his pace to a sedate
walk. Naruto rushed past him, planting a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth
and drawing a few quick characters on his palm, before speeding back into the
shop. Sasuke stood there, momentarily dumbfounded. He wanted to ingrain this
instant in his memory as clearly as he could. Closing his eyes he reached down
and traced the characters on his palm with his own hand, the remnants of
Naruto�s touch still faint there. �You�re beautiful.�
�� Sasuke
smiled madly and raced after his friend, happy for the first time in many
years.
- 13
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The Fall of the Dogs of War