Pretty Dead Things

A/N: Sorry to disappoint. This is not a full chapter. But if you're good boys and girls, and read through to the end, you'll get a nice surprise. I just wanted to say this:

Juyon Kuroi is NOT a Mary Sue, and she is not an OC. If you've read the Gaara Rescue arc of the manga, you would know her as Gaara's dark haired fangirl.

I thought I explained that in my Author's note?

This makes me really sad. No one pays attention to me! Perhaps I should have been more explicit in my note? Maybe this misunderstanding is my fault? But it isn't, really. Because I said she wasn't an OC. I just warped her little fangirlness. In the manga, she's got a temper, so I amplified it, and she's obviously in love with the Kazekage, so I amplified that, too. And, since she has no name, I gave her one of those, too.

Grr.

---End Rant---

---Begin Mini-Chapter---

Mini-Chapter 1: Crying Won't Help You Now

Naruto's eyes slowly opened. "Ssss..." His tongue felt heavy, and it barely moved in his mouth. "Sas-keeee..." Voice thick, and head lolling, Naruto moved his arms in that almost-numb fashion he'd become accustomed to when the drugs were wearing off. The room was silent, and when he looked around curiously, he found that he was alone again. Damn it... He had been so close to getting answers out of him...and then it was just gone.

Everything had gone black, just after the Uchiha had broken down, showing in the sancitity of Naruto's mind all of the weakness he never allowed himself in the physical world. It had nearly broken his heart to watch eyes that rarely held anything other than scorn and condescention filled with tears. Where was Sasuke? Where was the fearless, ambitious young man that he had come to know? He didn't have the slightest clue. All that he knew was that apparently Sasuke had somehow finally broken. That did break his heart.

Sasuke had survived seeing his entire family--from the oldest grandfather to the youngest babe--slaughtered, gutted and drawing flies. He had survived battles. He had lived through attacks from all sides by every imaginable type of enemy. And for some idiotic reason, he had persisted even past the point of sanity when he tried to kill his closest friend. For him to break now...even what Sasuke had told Naruto didn't seem to be something that would break him completely.

Reality was hell. And he was sick of reality. He just wanted to live in that little sweet fantasy for just a few more moments. All he wanted was to hold Sasuke and tell him that everthing would be alright, before he actually made it happen by ripping the throat out of that snake-bastard and spitting into the open wound. Then he could kill Kabuto, and he and Sasuke could free their friends and the other prisoners. It was a nice little fantasy, wasn't it?

But that kind of fantasy wouldn't come to pass, unless he could get through to the Ice Prince. Cursing thickly, Naruto finally felt that he could sit up. Something slid down his chest, pooling in his lap. When he looked down, he saw a rough woolen blanket. Naruto bit his lip. In the month since he had been here, no scrap of clothing had been allowed him. He was considered much too dangerous for that. His nearly numb fingers ran over the scratchy material, knowing where it had come from. Lifting it to his face, he smelled the faintest tinge of white plum.

Sasuke...

Naruto felt the urge to curl up with the blanket and hold it to him tightly. For the first time in weeks, he did not feel like screaming his throat raw. Even if Sasuke had admitted that he had wanted to kill him, and that he would have done so, willingly, he had also given him a bit of comfort. There was a rumbling somewhere in the back of his mind, and he knew that the beast was trying to wake again. The drugs they gave him in his food and water kept it at bay for most of the day, and only at short times during the small hours of the morning did the demon stir. It was the only way that he knew how many days passed.

It had been many hours since Sasuke had come to him. Apparently, whatever had made him fall into unconsciousness had knocked him out for a long time. His chains rattled as he stood, wrapping the blanket around himself. Across the way, he could see a pair of eyes staring at him through the tiny window of Cell #29. As he approached the bars of his own room, he blinked at them. The eyes were beetle black. "Who are you?" Naruto heard himself say.

"No one of consequence."

Huffing lightly, Naruto turned away from the obviously irritated person, returning to the contemplation of his plight, and how he and the rest were to get out of here. Every time he thought about it, he realized that it all hinged on Sasuke. And depending on him for anything was like saying that Naruto was quiet.

When he heard footsteps pattering down the hallway, he backed away from the bars, and watched them warily. A familiar silhouette soon stood before his cell. Sasuke's face was blotchy, his eyes puffy and red. He walked with a limp. Naruto rushed to the bars, getting as close as the chains would allow. He felt the strain in his shoulders, his neck, and the metal bit into his wrists and ankles, blood dribbling down to the floor. "What happened?" Naruto asked, but he knew what had occurred. He walked with the same limp after he was come for by the guards. "Damn it..."

Hot, seething anger welled up in him like a poisonous fountain, filling him with its acidic burn. No one made Sasuke cry. No one...ever. Naruto growled in his throat. "Sasuke...he..." Tears formed in Naruto's eyes. He hated crying. He hated it when he did it, but he hated himself when someone he cared for cried. "Damn it, Sasuke, let me out of here. Let me out, and I swear, I'll kill him."

The dark-haired yound man further approached, laying a hand on the invisible barrier. He was so close, yet the distance between them was so great, Naruto felt like it could never be bridged. "Crying won't help you, Naruto. Nothing will..." The blonde flinched away from such words. Nodding, but not truly agreeing, Naruto came to a decision.

"Is that what you really believe?" He strained further, pressing forward onto his tiptoes ad he leaned toward the barrier. "Is that really what you think, Sasuke? Do you think it's okay to just lay down and die? To let the fucker win? Well fuck you, bastard. I'm not going to give up, just because I've been fucked six ways past Sunday. I won't lay down and take it willingly. And I sure as hell am not going to stand by and watch the only person I really care about do it!"

Sasuke seemed startled. "What is it you think you can do?"

"I don't think."

Sasuke smiled. "No, you never do."

"I don't think, Sasuke. I know I can do this. If you let me out of this cage, I will stop this. I'll stop it all."

The Uchiha leaned heavily on the barrier, and spoke in a low, hushed voice. "I want to kill him, Naruto. I want that snake dead for what he's done to me. For what he's made me do. You don't possess that kind of skill. Neither do I."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. "What are you going to do? Wait around until he fucking takes over your body? You gonna let him do that? A year ago, you said that you didn't give a flying fuck if it was you or Orochi-bastard that killed Itachi. Is that still the way you feel?" A simmering anger could be seenin Sasuke's eyes now. "Well?"

"Don't play games with me, Uzumaki."

Naruto's voice lost its mocking tone. "When have I ever been smart enough to play games with you?" Sasuke blinked. Naruto smiled grimly. "This is not a game, Sasuke. This is my life. This is your life, too, if you'd just open your fucking eyes to see it. You said you couldn't get rid of me. Fuck no. I won't let you get rid of me, bastard. You're stuck with me for life. Now, how long will that be? I just wanna know. 'Cause if you're planning on becoming snake-skin, I can just bust out of here sooner to keep it from happening."

"Always the same..." Sasuke said as he ran a finger down the barrier where Naruto's face was. "You never stop to think. So reckless, Naruto." His voice sounded strange as he produced a key. With a gesture, he dispelled the barrier around the cell. "I think," he mused as he unlocked the room, "that you could do with a bit of discipline." Naruto's eyes widened as the other man entered, shutting the door behind him and placing the key on the floor outside before putting up the barrier again. He backed quickly away from Sasuke.

"What makes you think that I care about my own life?" Sasuke asked, approaching fast and taking hold of the steel ring in Naruto's collar. He was so close, Naruto could smell white plum, and a scent he wished he didn't know. Sasuke smelled like Orochimaru and sex. With a rough jerk on the metal ring, Sasuke brought him forward into a rough, unforgiving kiss. Like before, Naruto knew that this was just Sasuke hurting. He hurt so much that he needed to hurt someone else, or he would explode. He bit down on Naruto's bottom lip, drawing blood. When Sasuke pulled away from him, he was licking crimson droplets from his lips. "What makes you think I really care? Was it what I said before? I could have been lying."

Naruto blinked slowly at him. "Sasuke...stop."

"What? Stop what?"

"Stop pretending that you're heartless."

"Fuck you, Naruto."

"If it will stop your pain, go ahead." He stepped closer, chains rattling, pulling almost-taut, but not quite. "If you think it'll make you feel better, I'll let you," Naruto leaned closer, his breath ghosting over Sasuke's face. His lip was still bleeding a little. "I'll let you fuck me, Sasuke. You don't need to drug me."

"What the fuck?" Sasuke said, uncomprehending. He stared at Naruto as if he'd never seen him before.

Naruto's lips grazed Sasuke's, and he felt a jolt in his stomach, as if he was being pulled forward by some unseen force. He pushed his face toward Sasuke's, lips pressed tightly against soft, warm, slightly damp skin. It felt...nice. The feeling was suddenly gone as Sasuke stumbled backward.

"Fuck off, Naruto. Fuck you, fuck your games. I'm not playing anymore." He glared at Naruto, but there was hurt in his eyes, as if he were wounded in some way.

The blonde frowned. "It's not a game. How many times do I need to say it? You said no one is supposed to care about you, that I shouldn't care. You fucking asked me, why I care so much, Sasuke. I'm telling you, right now, why I care. You are the only person that could ever come close to understanding me. That's why I care. You understand the feeling that comes with being alone." Sasuke blinked at him as he went on, "No one but you could ever be able to fathom being completely alone in the world. And I think you feel the same about me."

Sasuke swallowed hard. "Naruto..."

Naruto watched the hesitant fear grow in Sasuke's eyes. "You said crying wouldn't help. I know it won't. No amount of tears can wash away all the blood that your brother spilled. And they won't bring back what Orochimaru has taken from you, and from me. I know that. And I'm not saying that I can make it all better, either. But I can promise you one thing, Sasuke. I will give you my word, this very moment, that he'll beg for death before I give it to him. Orochimaru will die by my hands. For all that he's done." In a lower tone, he added, "Then, and only then will I let you go so that you can kill that man."

Sasuke drifted closer. His hand rose, tracing the planes of Naruto's face. "How do you stay this way?" He leaned in, lips barely touching the skin of Naruto's face. It was a feeling close to intoxication, that touch. "How do you stay this strong, Naruto?"

Licking his lips, and tasting his own blood, Naruto breathed, "I have to."

"Why?" Those lips touched his ear as breath curled its velvet fingers over his skin.

Naruto's own breath hitched in his throat. His eyes closed, unable to stand against the feeling of almost touching, almost feeling Sasuke's warmth against him. It was strangely beautiful, yet painful at the same time. "I have to..."

"Why...Naruto...why?" Sasuke's hands fell onto his shoulders a light touch, but enough to send him into tiny shivers of happiness. He felt warm lips on his neck, silken hair brushing over his shoulder. Naruto wanted to keep himself from answering. He wanted to keep this. And he was sure that as soon as he gave his answer, Sasuke would leave, and this wonderful, heady feeling would be gone forever.

But he couldn't resist the feeling. Naruto couldn't hold up to the intimacy, the closeness. Was this what it felt like to be loved? He thought that even if it wasn't, he could live in his fantasy for a bit longer...or at least he wished. His lips parted, and he heard himself say the only thing that was really the truth.

"I have to, Sasuke. For you..."

The strange thing about going into a situation with a certainty is that when you come out the other end, more often than not, you'll only have uncertainty, and often the only thing you're sure of in the end is that you were wrong. Naruto had been so sure. He had been positive that Sasuke would leave him, let him fall to the floor and cry. He had been wrong about that. Sasuke did not leave.

Sasuke stayed, because Naruto had been right about one thing. He had been right that Sasuke understood, and it became apparent, as Sasuke's lips touched his again, in a heartfelt and almost desperate way that Sasuke understood all too well. If it wasn't love, if all this was to them was one moment of understanding, then so be it. But if Naruto could have his way, this moment would last forever.

An eternity passed before Sasuke pulled away from him, and when he did, Naruto found eyes so vulnerable that he could barely breathe. Somehow, he found his voice as his chained hands rose, only able to graze his fingertips over Sasuke's face. "I'll be strong for you, Sasuke. If only in this room, you can be weak." Porcelain skin pressed against his palm, and dark, broken eyes closed. Weakness wasn't such a bad thing.

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A/N: Well. That took a little while to write. Sorry about the rant at the beginning, guys.