Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Mustering Happiness	By : xxKiuolo Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1242 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Naruto obviously doesn't belong to me, as my name is not Sasu—I mean... er... Masashi Kishimoto. Yeah. That guy. I make no money off of this.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Naruto. Sigh.
Chapter 3
Something was fucking wrong.
Naruto glared at the wall in his apartment as if it had done him some deep, personal crime. To say he was frustrated would be an understatement. Every time—every single time—he tried to think of just what it was he was forgetting, his mind slid off track and automatically started thinking of something totally different. And when he forced himself to stay on track, forced himself to think of absolutely nothing else, his mind went... blank, for lack of better words.
Yes, Naruto Uzumaki was pissed off.
"Still no luck?" Sakura asked, her voice coming from the doorway.
Naruto raised his blank eyes, taking in the pink haired woman. He mentally noted the way she worriedly bit her lip and wrung her hands, guilt stabbing him when he remembered that he was the reason she was so stressed out. His immediate instinct was to reassure her that all was well, but he knew he couldn't do that.
"Yeah," he confirmed, looking back at the wall. He didn't want to see her disappointed expression again.
Naruto heard her sigh. There was a brief moment of silence before Sakura sat down next to him, the bed shifting and creaking under her slight weight.
"Just keep trying, okay? I'm sure everything will come back to you soon," she said, rubbing his back reassuringly.
Naruto hummed noncommittally in response, though he leaned into her almost motherly touch. He wasn't sure what he should be thinking, and any form of comfort was welcome.
"Iruka-sensei is almost finished with dinner," Sakura told him, not so subtlety trying to get her friend's mind off of his current predicament. "He made you some homemade ramen. It looks really good.
That Kakashi guy was hanging off of him the entire time." She giggled, her free hand rising to cover her mouth in a half-hearted attempt to muffle the noise.
"Ramen?" Naruto asked, visibly perking up.
"Mmhm," Sakura hummed in reply, a smile on her face as she nodded. If it made Naruto happy, it made her happy.
"Yes!" Naruto cheered, pumping a triumphant fist in the air. Thoughts of what were going on were still nagging at the back of his mind, but he needed a break. Maybe a nice, healing bowl of ramen would do the trick.
"Then let's go eat. You need to get out of your room, anyway. You're not meant to be a hermit," Sakura teased, standing back up and heading towards the kitchen.
"Coming!" Naruto said, hopping up and following after her. If his smile seemed a little forced, Sakura didn't comment on it.
Damn it, he would figure out what was going on if it killed him.

"Fucking Uchihas! I hate them all!" Tsunade fumed, pacing angrily in front of her desk. Her fists were clenched, and she looked about ready to punch someone out.
Shikamaru wisely stayed in his seat and out of her range.
"For whatever they did to mess with the brat's head, they can all burn in hell! Right along with mayor Danzo!" she continued, cracking her knuckles ominously. "I can't work on this case, huh? Well, fuck you, Danzo! Fuck you! This case is personal now!"
Finally, Shikamaru spoke up. "Chief Tsunade, I know you're angry about what happened with Naruto, but our hands are tied. There's not much we can do," he reasoned. While he also wanted to know what was going on, if only for Naruto and Neji's sake, they couldn't ignore a direct order.
He was really starting to wish he hadn't been left alone with his scary boss. In hindsight, he realized he probably should have begged to go with Neji and Tenten instead of agreeing to help Tsunade. It wasn't like they were getting much work done. Running all over town had sounded like a drag, though.
"There isn't, huh?" Tsunade replied, her lips twitching into a vicious and cunning smile. "Well, maybe not officially..."
Shit. Shikamaru sighed. How was it that he kept getting roped into troublesome situations? Sometimes he hated his life. "That is true..." he agreed warily.
"Shikamaru, call Tenten and tell her about the change of plans."
Shikamaru didn't hesitate to comply, especially after Tsunade started cackling in glee.

Naruto walked down the dimly lit street, his hands in his pockets and a frustrated expression on his face. He was heading back home from dinner at Iruka-sensei's house, which had been nice. Lately, everyone had taken to inviting him out to do things with them, probably to keep an eye on him.
While being around his friends had helped to clear his thoughts, now that he was alone again his worries were bugging him tenfold.
It had been almost a week since he had last seen Sasuke.
The time away from him hadn't made the situation any clearer to Naruto. His friends—the very friends he knew would never, ever lie to him—had a distinctly different recollection of the night when he and Sasuke had met. His friends had told him, insisted with a certainty and desperation that left little room for doubt, that Naruto had been at the Sabaku banquet that night with the intention of proving that the Uchihas were guilty of many illegal things, including the recent death of Hizashi Hyuuga.
But that didn't make any sense at all.
Naruto briefly closed his eyes and allowed his memories of that night to flash through his mind for perhaps the thousandth time that day.
In his mind's eye, he saw the lavish party he had been asked to attend of behalf of the Konoha police force. He'd been having a boring time and had decided to go out on one of the balconies to get some fresh air, if only to escape the oppressive atmosphere of the many guests.
There, he had met Sasuke. The guy was being his typical bastard self, but before too many words could be traded Naruto had seen the glint of a gun. Working on instinct, he had knocked Sasuke to the ground before he could be shot. There was a scuffle, and Sasuke's bodyguard took the gunman away. He had followed after Sasuke to give him a piece of his mind, and then they had done... that...
Naruto blushed lightly.
If his friends were telling him the truth, then why did he think he was there to represent Tsunade and the police force? It didn't make any sense!
Naruto angrily kicked a stray soda pop can that had been carelessly discarded.
He didn't know what was going on, but he had a feeling Sasuke was behind it. The next time he saw the bastard he was going to punch his lights out.
As if on cue, Naruto's apartment door came into sight. His hand stilled just as it began to reach into his pocket for his keys. Then, it slowly clenched into a fist.
There, looking frustratingly casual, stood Sasuke.

"Hey, Kakashi…?" Iruka began. He glanced to the side and looked out his kitchen window, unable to meet the other's eyes.
Kakashi looked up from his book, his mask obscuring his gentle smile. "Yes, Iruka?"
Iruka absentmindedly fiddled with the hem of his shirt, seeming to search for the right words. Naruto had gone home about half an hour ago, and ever since he had left the teacher's thoughts had been persistently nagging at him. He just… He couldn't figure out a way to phrase his thoughts without making himself sound like a silly worrywart. Finally, he decided to just go for it.
"Do you think that person, that…" Iruka wracked his memory for the name, "that Sasuke Uchiha, do you think he'll come looking for Naruto?"
Kakashi quietly closed his book, his single eye regarding the man sitting across the kitchen table from him. "Maa… Probably," he replied honestly.
Iruka sucked in a quick breath. Forcing himself to remain calm, he asked, "And Naruto?"
"Out of the two of us, I think you're the one best suited to answer that."
Iruka's hands clenched in to fists. Kakashi's trained eye quickly zeroed in on the movement.
Kakashi nodded. "I take it you don't like the answer to your question?"
Finally, Iruka turned his head away from the window to look at the silver haired man. His face said it all. "Yeah, Naruto… He's too reckless! He always rushes ahead without stopping to think of himself! What if he gets into some real trouble one day, and I can't help him? Naruto… That Naruto…" he trailed off, losing himself to his thoughts.
Kakashi stood up from his chair and walked over to Iruka. He lightly touched the other's hand, and instinctively it unclenched. "Just focus on crossing that bridge when you get there. I'll help you. We'll do it together."
Iruka released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Yeah…" he agreed. Then, finally, something clicked in his mind. His eyes widened. "Wait, you're not trying to make a move on me, are you? Kakashi, I swear…!" He held up a threatening fist.
Kakashi chuckled and raised his hands, looking innocent. "Why Iruka, I wouldn't dream of taking advantage of—"
"Now is not the time, pervert!"
"I'm hurt. I'm just innocently standing here, being accused of things I didn't do…" Kakashi truly looked pitiful.
Iruka snorted. "'Innocently,' my ass."
"And what a fine ass it is," Kakashi observed, directing a look towards the mentioned body part.
"Kakashi…" Iruka warned, his glare venomous.
"I'm just telling the truth," Kakashi defended happily.
Iruka rolled his eyes. "Really, Kakashi, focus. I need to know…" He straightened up, looking Kakashi directly in the eyes. "I need to know what I can do. Just tell me that."
Kakashi 'hmm'ed, appearing to contemplate this. Then, finally, he spoke.
"Against an Uchiha, what can you do…?"

"You…" Naruto ground out, his teeth gnashing together viciously. He could sense the frustration and desperation he had felt the entire week bubbling to the surface, and he very much wanted to hit something; preferably Sasuke's smug face.
"Me," Sasuke replied simply, raising a mocking eyebrow. "Miss me, dobe?"
Not in the mood to bother with words, Naruto rushed forward and sent a hard right swing right into the side of Sasuke's face. He felt grim satisfaction when the punch connected with a solid whack.
The momentum sent Sasuke staggering backwards in surprise. "What the fuck?" Sasuke demanded, sending Naruto a vicious glare. His cheek throbbed in pain, and he had to resist the urge to rub his hand over it to help ease the ache. His blond idiot was stronger than he looked.
"What did you do to me?" Naruto questioned harshly, his breathing hard and his expression furious. When Sasuke didn't immediately answer, the blond reached out and roughly grabbed him by the collar of his expensive shirt. "Answer me, bastard!"
Sasuke chuckled, his face morphing into a darkly amused expression. "I wonder…" he trailed off, purposefully riling up Naruto even more. It worked.
Naruto growled in annoyance and snapped his arm forward with the intent of smashing Sasuke's face in. The Uchiha, now prepared for such a move, easily caught the fist. Before Naruto could react, he slipped from the blond's hold and twisted his arm behind his back. Naruto struggled, but Sasuke's grip was unrelenting.
"This is, what, the second time we've ended up in this position?" Sasuke wondered quietly to himself, a small smirk on his face.
"What?" Naruto growled, furious about how he was being manhandled. What was the bastard going on about now? They had never fought like this before!
"Nothing," Sasuke dismissed, shaking his head. He decided to use his position to his advantage and buried his nose into the crook of Naruto's neck, making the man jump in surprise. Just as Naruto was about to protest this, Sasuke spoke up again, his voice a little muffled due to his mouth being pressed against Naruto's shoulder, "You want to know what I 'did' to you, hm?"
Naruto tensed even more, feeling as if he was on the verge of snapping. "Of course!"
"Would you believe me if I said I didn't do anything?"
"No way in hell!" Naruto glared, desperately wishing his hands were free so that he could throw another punch at Sasuke. As if he was about to believe him! Ha!
"Heh," Sasuke mumbled. Naruto didn't quite know what to make of that, so he opted for struggling harder.
Finally, Sasuke loosened his grip on his opponent's arm. Naruto didn't hesitate to take advantage of this and angrily pushed away from the Uchiha. Then, true to his earlier mental promise to himself, he swung his arm around aimed another fist right at Sasuke's smug expression.
Again, Sasuke caught Naruto's arm right before the punch had a chance to connect. "Unlike you, I'm not about to fall for the same thing twice," he warned, his voice strangely monotone.
Though he'd never admit it to anyone, Sasuke's dark words made a nervous feeling wrack through Naruto's body. This guy… Still, despite this he squared his shoulders and yanked his arm out of his opponent's grip. "Ha… Am I supposed to be scared, bastard?" Naruto boasted, puffing his chest out the tiniest bit.
Sasuke ignored this, his attention suddenly focused on what he noticed from the corner of his eyes. He could see Naruto's neighbors peeking out from behind their curtains, and that usually never ended well. Damn it. He'd take care of it later.
"Hey! Are you ignoring me?" Naruto demanded, looking petulant. The nerve of the Uchiha…!
Sasuke glanced back at Naruto. He regarded him for a few moments before turning and heading back down the hall. "Follow me," he ordered.
"What?" Naruto squawked. Did Sasuke think he was stupid? The last time Naruto had followed him, he had ended up with amnesia! At least, he was pretty sure that was what happened… He couldn't really trust his memories, but he was pretty sure… Oh, whatever! He wasn't following Sasuke, and that was that!
Sasuke paused. "Do you want answers or not?" he asked, not bothering to turn around and examine Naruto's expression. He already knew what his response would be.
At this, Naruto's teeth gnashed together and he glared. "So what if I do?" he ground out.
"Then you'll stop the unnecessary babbling and follow me," Sasuke answered simply. He started walking again.
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over Naruto. "Che…" he mumbled defiantly, shaking his head.
Then, Naruto put one foot in front of the other and ran after Sasuke. It wasn't the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Looks like I'm needed back at the station," Tenten informed, snapping her cellphone shut. She shoved the device hastily into her pocket and spun on her heels, heading for the nearest street so that she could hail a taxicab.
"Wait," Neji spoke, stopping her. He frowned. "'I'm'? Don't you mean 'we're'?"
Tenten turned back to look at him, and the way she unconsciously bit her lip told Neji everything he needed to know.
"No," Neji said, shaking his head. "No. You're not leaving me out of this now. I refuse."
"Neji…" Tenten sighed. "Listen, you've done enough. It's okay. We'll handle it from here. In all honesty, you shouldn't have become this involved to begin with. We all know he was your father, but you're not actually part of the police force."
Neji glared, refusing to back down. "You all need me, and I can't not be a part of this. No matter what moronic plan it is you guys have up your sleeve, I'm going to be helping you."
Tenten's brow furrowed and she took a few steps towards the Hyuuga. When she spoke, her voice was as determined as it was hesitant. "I know you're hurting right now, but this isn't the right way to go about it. Go home and help the other people in your family who have been affected by this. You all need each other right now."
Unbidden, an image of a tearful Hinata-sama and a strangely stoic Hanabi-sama flashed through Neji's mind. His fists clenched. "This is how I'll be helping them," he explained through gritted teeth.
"What? By running around and risking your own life?" Tenten shook her head. "Somehow, I don't think that would make them happy."
The dull pain in his chest that Neji had been carrying with him since his father's death suddenly throbbed viciously. He resisted the urge to place a comforting hand over his heart. Tenten, understandably oblivious to this, continued.
"I'm worried for you, Neji. You shouldn't be stressing yourself like this; you should be grieving. You're not allowing yourself time to heal."
"No…"
"You're my friend. I don't want you to have to be like this. Besides, what it sounds like we're going to be doing…" Tenten bit her lip again. "It would be better for you if you didn't get involved, you know? I'm serious. I—"
"Just what do YOU know?" Neji exploded.
Tenten jumped, surprised at how loud and angry the Hyuuga's voice had become. What…?
Neji glared for all he was worth. It was true. What did she know? This Tenten, a woman who he had met only the other day, how could she even begin to understand what he was feeling? She couldn't. All she could do was sit there and spout pretty words while he was in real pain; while he was doing all he could to make things right again. In his mind's eye, he could still see his father smiling gently at him… telling him things would be okay… Neji trembled slightly.
Tenten's eyes softened. Finally, she stepped forward and gently touched the Hyuuga's arm. "I'm sorry," she apologized. And she meant it. Seeing him like this… She really, really meant it.
There was a long moment of silence.
Neji looked away, unable to meet Tenten's gaze. "It's fine. Please forgive me for my earlier outburst."
Tenten smiled and shook her head. "There's nothing to forgive. Now, come on! We need to get to the station. From the sounds of it, things are about to get really interesting." She turned on her heels and headed back down the street, eager to find a cab.
"Yes," Neji agreed, following after the brunette. However, just as they reached the road, a certain vehicle driving by caught their eyes.
Tenten gasped. "That's the Uchiha's limo!" she exclaimed.
"It's their license plate," Neji confirmed, looking grim. Without a second thought, the two started racing after the car, though it was futile. Seconds later, the limo was lost to them in the maze of traffic.
"No, no, no!" Tenten cried out, frustrated.
Neji looked back in the direction the limo had came from, his face grim. "Officer Uzumaki's apartment is in that direction…"
Tenten's heart sank in her chest. "You don't think…"
Neji was silent. She took this as the confirmation it was.
"No… This isn't good…"

Naruto shivered as he took in his surroundings.
"Hey…" he started, looking nervously around at everything. "Where are we?"
They had just exited the vehicle after having driven for a long time, or at least what had seemed that way to the impatient Naruto. During the whole trip, Sasuke had resolutely deflected all of the many questions the blond had thrown at him, leaving Naruto frustrated. However, looking around the place they had wound up… He gulped. Yes, he was definitely feeling more nervousness and agitation—not deep fear, he shakily told himself in what he hoped was a firm manner—than he was frustration.
Really… Sasuke couldn't have taken him to… He couldn't. He wouldn't.
"This is the private Uchiha family cemetery," Sasuke replied, taking out a set out keys from his pocket and strolling up to the gate to unlock the heavy padlock.
Naruto felt a strong shiver wrack his entire body. "C-cemetery?" he squeaked out. He wasn't afraid, he wasn't afraid, he wasn't afraid…
"Yes," Sasuke confirmed, successfully opening the lock. He began pushing open the gate, and the horrifying creaking noise it made caused Naruto's eyes to bug out.
"But the ghosts…!" Naruto protested, the words coming out before he could stop them. Suddenly realizing what he had said, he hastily clasped a hand over his mouth.
Sasuke paused. Then he turned around to look back at Naruto, an incredulous eyebrow raised. "Don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts," he scoffed.
"N-no!" Naruto denied, shifting warily from foot to foot. He looked as if he was about to bolt. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I don't get scared because of stupid, childish things! It's just that if they, you know, attack or something, I don't know if I'm currently properly equipped to defend myself from such an assault, and… Stop smirking, bastard!" A light blush dusted Naruto's cheeks. "Stop it right now! You won't think it's so funny when a ghost comes and starts messing with you! Then you'll be going, 'Naruto, you were right all along! Please, incredibly handsome upholder of justice, save me!'" Naruto said, doing his best to mimic Sasuke's voice at the end and failing.
Sasuke's wicked smirk widened in response to this. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from the 'ghosts,'" he reassured mockingly. "None of them will get you with me around. Now, come on. Do you want your answers or not? I don't want to stand here all day." With that, he started walking through the gate.
"Come back!" Naruto immediately exclaimed, bolting after Sasuke. "D-don't leave me alone, jerk! How am I supposed to, er, properly protect you if you—"
Sasuke gently grabbed Naruto's hand, lacing their fingers together.
"Just stay close to me, idiot. You'll be fine," he reassured. He glanced away, but gave Naruto's hand a comforting squeeze.
This stopped all of Naruto's protesting. He blinked. Then, slowly, a smile lit up his face and he squeezed his hand back. "… You'd better be right," he mumbled, his petulant voice not matching the grin on his face. This was so weird. Just earlier, he and the bastard had been trading fists. But somehow, he couldn't help but feel a little happy. He was certainly still fucking angry, but… Sometimes he wondered if something was wrong with his head.
For a short while, they walked the dimly lit path of the private cemetery in silence. Occasionally, Naruto would warily side-eye some of the tombstones they passed or jump when he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye, but it wasn't as bad at it could have been. Soon, a building came into view. It was on top of a small hill and was a fair distance away, making it hard to tell what it was.
Just as Naruto was opening his mouth to ask, Sasuke spoke up. "It's a temple," he said, leaving it at that.
Naruto closed his mouth, accepting this. Finally, the two stopped in front of a large, wide tombstone. Before Naruto could lean forward and inspect the information on it, Sasuke began speaking.
"This," he began, his voice even more emotionless than normal, "is where my parents are buried."
A cold chill swept through Naruto's body at the words.
He wanted to say something in response, but what? 'I'm sorry'? Or, 'Oh, hey, both of my parents are dead, too'? Somehow, nothing like that seemed right for this situation. And so, for once Naruto remained quiet, silently urging Sasuke to continue. He did.
"It has been said the Uchiha family is blessed; it has been said that we are cursed. People say a lot of things." Sasuke glanced up at the sky. Naruto followed his gaze, but only saw the night sky.
"Yes, people say a lot of things," Sasuke repeated firmly. "Much of it—too much of it—is stupid, but not all of it…"
Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion. Finally, he spoke up. "Just what are you saying?"
There was silence. For a while, Naruto wondered if he has said something wrong. But he was just so impatient! He wanted Sasuke to get on with it already. Why was he here? What was wrong with his memories? Had he really been responsible for the death of Neji's father? He didn't want these questions bugging him anymore! He deserved answers!
Finally, Sasuke sighed. "Moron. I just practically told you, and you still can't even connect the dots…"
Naruto scowled, yanking his hand out of Sasuke's. If his hand felt colder, well… He decided not to think about it. "I didn't come here for your vague bullshit, Uchiha," he growled. "I don't want to play games; not with this. Tell me what's going on right now."
"My parents were both murdered."
Naruto stiffened, eyes widening and mouth dropping open from shock.
Sasuke's mind appeared to be elsewhere, his eyes still firmly locked on the sky. He absentmindedly touched his hand to the cheek Naruto earlier punched. It was already starting to bruise.
"No one knows who did it. Even with my family's limitless resources, we never found out. Now it's just my brother and I," Sasuke said, reciting the words as expressionlessly as if he were reading them for a report. It was just the cold, hard facts. It was easier to deal with that way.
Despite the flicker of sympathy Naruto felt, something else started boiling in his chest. Anger. Something in him snapped, and his breathing started to become ragged. "You…" he growled, looking truly mad. "You unbelievable selfish, cruel bastard. Don't you dare tell me… Do you really think something like that gives you the right to screw up others' lives? You have no right! No right!" He punched the closest thing—a tree. The bark dug painfully into his hand, causing it to bleed, but the blond paid it no attention. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"
Sasuke finally glanced back at Naruto, his expression unchanging. "I am Sasuke Uchiha."
"You're a spoiled brat!" Naruto raged. He'd be damned if he let Sasuke off the hook. He still wasn't quite sure what was going on, but if the other honestly thought that… No way.
Sasuke looked mildly disappointed. "You're still not getting it."
"Screw you! I understand everything I need to just fine. I'm not about to just stand back and let you do what you want. You want to know why? Because I…" Naruto glared, "am Naruto Uzumaki!"
Sasuke's eyes widened. Then, slowly, a slightly fond expression crossed his features. "…Yes," he agreed.
Naruto let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Seeming to loose his steam, his injured hand gently fell to his side. "Listen, will you let me know what's going on already? I need to know. Depending on your answer, I may or may not rip you a new one." He tried to grin, but it was too forced, too unnatural, to be genuine.
Sasuke's eyes slowly closed. "I just met you the other day. Why should I tell you? Give me one good reason."
"Because I'll help you."
The Uchiha's eyes snapped back open. "What did you say?" he demanded, wondering if he had heard him wrong.
"I'll help you," Naruto said again, the determination in his voice undeniable. He took a step forward. "I… Heh… I'm an orphan, too, you know? And while you're about the shittiest person I've ever met, I won't let you go through all of this alone. Have a little faith."
Sasuke's penetrating, almost invasive gaze seemed to pick Naruto apart, staring him down with such a seriousness that it made the Uzumaki more than a little uncomfortable. Unable to take the silence, Naruto spoke again, sounding a little nervous. "So? Are you going to tell me or not?"
Sasuke released a labored sigh. Then, giving Naruto the tiniest of smiles, he said, "Fine, I'll spell things out for you; only for you. I'd better not live to regret this, dobe."
Naruto returned the smile.
Then, standing right there in front of his parents' graves, Sasuke began.
"I told you earlier that the Uchihas are said to be both cursed and blessed. In a way, I meant this figuratively, but mostly…" His eyes slid shut. "The blessing and curse I'm talking about is a very real thing." Here, Sasuke truly looked hesitant.
Though in his head he was practically screaming for answers, Naruto recognized that what Sasuke was about to tell him was probably a major secret. He could practically see the Uchiha wavering, wondering if all of this was really for the best. "…Go on," Naruto urged seriously.
Sasuke composed himself, nodding slightly in affirmation. "A little over a decade ago, it is said my uncle Madara Uchiha made a deal with the devil himself."
"The devil?" Naruto repeated, eyes widening. That didn't sound good. And why wouldn't Sasuke open his eyes and look at him?
"Yes," Sasuke confirmed. "Don't interrupt me, idiot. Madara wanted more power—power get back at those he felt had wronged him. He also wanted it to be so that no one could ever stand in his way again. My family had many enemies at that time. In exchange for his soul, the devil granted him this power. Madara soon gained an even vaster amount of wealth and skills, and an ability called the sharingan."
Suddenly, a brief flash of a buried memory appeared before Naruto's eyes. '…we were always on equal footing with each other. No matter what, it was always impossible for one business to completely outdo the other. Most of the time, this caused a lot of frustration on both ends, but, simply put, it worked. However, in the past decade or so, something has changed. At first, everyone thought it was just a brief acquisition of power. It was believed that it would pass or that we would be quick to catch up. However...' Neji… Neji had said that, hadn't he? Naruto couldn't remember for sure… His heart started to beat just a little faster. "What is the sharingan?" he questioned.
Sasuke finally opened his eyes. Startlingly familiar red eyes, three tomoe surrounding their respective pupils, stared Naruto down.
"That…" Naruto started, wide-eyed. Suddenly, realization set in and he felt his heart sink. "You've used those on me…" he breathed, shocked. When Sasuke only continued to stare, Naruto felt his temper flare. "Well? Did you or didn't you?"
"I did," Sasuke finally replied, looking grim.
Naruto practically chocked on his own spit. "What exactly did you do?" he demanded.
"My sharingan allowed me to enter your subconscious. There, I buried a few memories of our meeting and used my hypnosis to plant new ones," Sasuke revealed, closing his eyes again.
Suddenly, the memory of the strange dream he had had flashed before his mind. So that was what had happened to him… Naruto shook his head, determined to clear his thought. He needed everything answered before he could start doing anything. "And Neji's father?"
At this, Sasuke hesitated again. Finally, he sighed. "I don't know," he admitted.
These words caused a surge of confusion to break through the anger Naruto felt. "Huh?" he said, dumbstruck. "What do you mean you 'don't know'? Either you were responsible for it or you weren't!"
Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know. If anyone were to handle that sort of… affair… it would be my brother."
Naruto stared at Sasuke with a discerning eye, trying to detect any hint of a lie in his tone or posture. Unable to find any, he hesitatingly moved forward and grabbed Sasuke's hand. "Can you give me my real memory of that night back?" he asked.
Sasuke nodded, seemingly unable to speak.
Naruto felt relief wash through him. He was so glad… He hated thinking his memories weren't real. Especially if it was a memory as important as the night he had met Sasuke. Now… "Why did you do that to me?"
Naruto watched as Sasuke's eyes—sharingan still activated—slowly slid towards the grave that held his parents. Then, with a startling rush of clarity, he realized that Sasuke hadn't wanted him to leave, as well. Startling warmth bubbled up in the blond's chest, and a gentle smile lit up his face. Squeezing Sasuke's hand, he sternly said, "Don't ever do something like that to me again. I'll kick your ass if you do."
Sasuke looked down at Naruto's eyes, obviously wondering if he should agree to such a thing. Finally, he shook his head. "Fine," he agreed, his voice soft.
"Good." Naruto nodded, satisfied with this answer. He wasn't quite sure what he would have done if Sasuke had disagreed.
Face blank, Sasuke asked, "So, I suppose you want me to give you your memories back now."
Naruto shook his head. Ha! As if. They had bigger fish to fry. "Nope! We can do that later. Right now, I need you to take me to your brother," he said, determination oozing from him.
Sasuke couldn't help it; his eyes bugged. "You want to see Itachi?" he asked, disbelieving.
"Yes," Naruto confirmed. What was so hard to grasp about that? "You said he's the one with answers, right? So I'm going to go talk to him."
Sasuke glared. "I am not taking you to see Itachi. If anything, I'm going to be keeping you as far away from that crazy bastard as I can."
"What?" Naruto squawked, momentarily thrown off track.
"I'll say it again: I am not taking you to see Itachi."
"What are you…? Hey, listen! This isn't about you anymore!" Naruto yelled, indignant. "This is about a friend of mine, so don't think you can do anything about it!" He was completely serious. There was no way he was going to let the bitchy Uchiha stop him.
"Hn. You say that as if you think it will change my mind," Sasuke said, scoffing.
Sasuke and Naruto began to glare each other down, each one refusing back down.
Then, slowly, a fox-like smirk spread across Naruto's face. "You know…" he began, his voice having a distinctly mischievous edge to it. "It doesn't even matter if you take me to see him or not. I'll go with or without your help. That just means I get to do things my own way." He snickered, already plotting ways he could go about accomplishing his goal.
Oh, God. Sasuke didn't like the sound of that, not at all. Images of what Naruto might do flashed before his mind, each one more impossible than the last. But he knew… he knew… Naruto would probably try to do them. Shit.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't."
Somehow, the sly grin on Naruto's face grew even bigger. "Oh, I would."
Sasuke glared harder at the blond. "He probably won't tell you anything."
"Ha. As if I'll let him do that. So, are you going to help me or not?" Naruto asked, his voice deceptively innocent.
Sasuke gritted his teeth. He wasn't usually one to be blackmailed, but he didn't want his dobe to run off after his brother and get himself maimed or killed. Finally, lips pursed in agitation, he decided to compromise. "…Fine, but you'll have to agree to a few stipulations."
Naruto pouted. "Do I have to?" Seriously, in the words of Shikamaru, what a pain.
Sasuke glared back at him. "Do you want my help or not?"
"Okay, okay!" Naruto relented, throwing his free hand up in a form of surrender. "What are your, er, stapleations?"
"The word is 'stipulations,' moron," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes and silently praying for patience. "First, you will not be talking to him by yourself. I will be there. Secondly, do not look him in the eyes. And finally, do not, under any circumstances, allow Itachi to figure out that you are aware of our curse." These rules were of the utmost importance. If Naruto could follow them, then maybe Sasuke wouldn't have to worry as much.
Naruto reluctantly nodded in agreement. Those wouldn't be too hard to follow, he supposed…
Sasuke nodded back, satisfied with this.
Glad that that was out of the way, Naruto tugged on Sasuke's hand. "Now, c'mon. Let's go." He started pulling Sasuke in the direction of the exit, wanting to get out of this creepy cemetery and to Itachi as soon as he could.
As he was being dragged away, Sasuke allowed himself one last look at his parents' graves. He couldn't help but silently wonder… Would they have approved of his blond moron?
Somehow, as he felt a gentle wind briefly surround him, he couldn't help but think that maybe they already had.

"Ehhh? Itachi isn't here? The hell? I psyched myself up and everything!" Naruto whined, flopping onto a chair in Sasuke's room.
Sasuke looked unfazed. "It can't be helped. My brother has better things to do than sit around here all day, idiot."
"But still…" Naruto mumbled, feeling petulant. He frowned. "I don't want to just sit here waiting. That's so boring. Besides, this is important! Can't you just call him or something?" Damn it, it was of the utmost importance that he talked to Itachi Uchiha right now!
While Sasuke had gotten to a point where he barely gave two shits about Itachi, he couldn't help but start to feel a little sorry for what the man was going to have to deal with as he listened to Naruto go on and on. "No, I cannot. He left a message with the butler about not contacting him unless the matter was urgent, and I'm sure talking to you isn't high on his list of priorities," he dismissed. "You'll have to wait."
"This is urgent!" Naruto burst out, glaring. How dare Sasuke? "You bastard, this is about the death of a person, and you… you…" He felt frustration bubble in his chest, and against his better judgment angry tears began to well up in his eyes.
Sasuke paused, his heart speeding up as he noticed this. "Hey, don't…" he began, unsure of how to go about comforting his dobe. Finally, he crouched down in front of the chair the other was sitting in, making it so they were eye level. "I didn't mean it that way. I know you're worried about your friend. You will get to speak with Itachi, I promise." So don't cry… the Uchiha mentally added.
Naruto blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the tears from his eyes. Finally, it seemed to work. "You'd better be telling the truth," he murmured, voice strangely hushed.
"I am," Sasuke replied. They stayed in that position, looking at each other for a long while. All the while, a dark thought nagged at the back of Sasuke's mind, threatening to drive him crazy. Finally, it seemed he simply couldn't take it anymore. Smiling darkly, he bitterly spoke, "Hn. It seems that you care more about your friend than you do me."
These words successfully confused Naruto. "Huh?" came the oh-so-articulate reply. What was Sasuke talking about?
Bitter tone unchanging, Sasuke continued, "You should know just as well as I do that if Itachi is charged, a negative spotlight will be cast on me. I might even be charged as an accomplice. In case your small brain doesn't comprehend this, that means I could go to jail, dobe."
"What are you…? But…" Somehow, Naruto managed to look even more confused. "I don't get it. You told me you didn't have anything to do with the murder. Why would you be charged, too?"
Sasuke shook his head. He could hardly believe it. "Idiot, don't tell me you didn't realize… Depending on what evidence is found, I could very well be charged and sentenced right along with Itachi."
"But you're innocent!" Naruto protested. Innocent people didn't go to jail, only guilty people did! That was how it worked!
"Hn. Other people might not be so inclined to believe that," Sasuke replied. And it was true. He had many enemies, and he was sure they would love to have both himself and Itachi out of the picture. Besides, while he hadn't ordered the killing, he had done enough stuff in the past that that hardly mattered.
"No," Naruto said resolutely, shaking his head. "That's not going to happen."
Sasuke sighed. "You don't know that—"
"I do!" Naruto interrupted, glaring stubbornly at Sasuke. He wasn't about to let him continue saying stupid things. "I told you I was going to help you earlier, and I am! And, as strange as it is," his voice was practically dripping with sarcasm, "helping you includes not having you sent to jail!"
Sasuke frowned. It seemed that Naruto was trying to avoid reality. "Naruto, there is only so much you can do," he reasoned. "You need to accept that."
Naruto gave a huff of indignation. "Yeah?" he retorted. "You obviously haven't been exposed to enough of my awesomeness. I am Naruto-freaking-Uzumaki. When I say I'll do something, I damn well do it!"
Sasuke let out a noise that might have been a laugh had it not sounded so choked.
"Now, it looks like it's really, really late," Naruto observed, spotting the clock on Sasuke's bedside table. It read 2:42 a.m. He winced. "It's time to stop being an idiot and go to sleep. Call one of your drivers or chauffeurs or whatever so I can go home. I don't feel like walking right now." He tiredly attempted to blink the sleep out of his eyes, but failed. It had been a really long day, and he was so sleepy…
Sasuke shook his head, still unable to believe just how overconfident Naruto could be. Deciding to just let the matter be for now—he'd be sure to discuss it more at length later—he replied, "Fine, but I'm not calling one of my chauffeurs. From the looks of it, you're about to pass out. You're sleeping here with me."
Despite his fatigue, Naruto's eyes popped open. "S-sleep here? With you?" he squeaked out. He glanced at the bed, and immediately a bright blush lit up his face. That was where they had… er… He looked back at Sasuke. "I don't think that's the best idea," he finished weakly.
Sasuke had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Naruto was being ridiculous. Albeit, kind of cute—not that he'd ever admit that to anyone—but ridiculous. "You're sleeping here. You look like you're seconds away from passing out, and you need all of the rest you can get." Besides, he'd be able to keep a better eye on the moron if he stayed here.
"But…" Naruto trailed off, his self-preservation warring with his need for immediate sleep.
Sasuke decided to go in for the metaphorical kill. "If you sleep here, you'll have a better chance at meeting Itachi."
At this, Naruto straightened up. That… That was very true. "…Alright," he reluctantly agreed. He stood up and followed Sasuke over to the huge bed, but stopped just short of getting in. "I, uh," he wracked his brains for an excuse, "don't have my, er, pajamas. Darn. Looks like I need to go home and, you know, stay there. Sorry!" He began to make a mad dash for the door, but Sasuke quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him before he could get very far.
Sasuke scoffed. "You'll be fine sleeping in your regular clothes for one night. Unless you'd like to borrow some of mine…" he said slyly, a smirk on his face. "Or you could just sleep in your boxers."
"No, no!" Naruto hastily replied, turning red again. "That really won't be necessary. Now that I think about it, my clothes are comfy! Very comfy, even. I'll just sleep in them!" He began tugging at his arm, silently asking for freedom.
Sasuke finally let him go, and Naruto practically bolted for the bed. He got in and positioned himself at the very edge, lying so precariously it was a surprise he didn't fall off. Sasuke smirked at this, shaking his head in slight amazement.
The dark haired man slid in after the blond, choosing a spot closer to the center. He motioned for Naruto to come closer—there was certainly enough room for him to—but the man stubbornly stayed where he was, all the while mumbling to himself about perverts who didn't understand the concept of personal boundaries.
Soon, though, Naruto was unable to resist sleep's call. A few minutes after the blond's blue eyes slid shut and his breathing evened out, Sasuke gently reached out an arm and tugged the Uzumaki away from the edge of the bed. Naruto mumbled something unrecognizable, but didn't wake up. Only after this did Sasuke allow himself to join Naruto in slumber.
When Naruto's eyes finally blinked back open several hours later, the first thing he noticed was the lack of Sasuke. He rolled over, an uncoordinated arm lazily landing where Sasuke should have been. The spot was still warm, so he couldn't have been gone for long…
Naruto sat up, looking around the room. Nope, still no Sasuke. What was going on? He hoped Sasuke wasn't going to make a habit out of this. If he was being forced to sleep in the same bed, then common courtesy said the bastard should at least, y'know, shake him awake and tell him he's leaving or something. Of course, when was the bastard ever polite?
The Uzumaki slid out of bed, looking worse for wear. His hair was even more messy than normal, his eyes were bleary, and his clothes were rumpled. "Sasuke…" Naruto mumbled out, as if saying his name would magically make the Uchiha appear. When it didn't, he took a moment to inspect the room. Really, where could Sasuke of gone off to?
He went over to the door and twisted the handle, eyes widening in shock when it actually opened. For some reason, he thought it would be locked… Naruto cracked open the door and peeked out, not spotting anyone. "Sasuke?" he hesitantly called.
"Were you the one who wanted to speak with me?"
Naruto's body jerked in surprise, and he barely missed hitting his head against the doorframe. Heart racing, he whipped around to face the unfamiliar man, who was suddenly staring at him from the other side of the door.
"Who are…?" Naruto began, but suddenly he trailed off and his eyes widened. This man… he really resembled Sasuke. So that meant… "You're Itachi Uchiha!"
Itachi nodded, confirming this, but otherwise remained silent.
Naruto gulped. "So you are him…" he mumbled to himself. Then, without warning, he began to recall Sasuke's words from earlier.
"…Fine, but you'll have to agree to a few stipulations."
"Were you the one who wanted to speak with me?" Itachi repeated, his voice as blank as his expression.
"First, you will not be talking to him by yourself. I will be there."
"Tch," Naruto mumbled softly to himself, frustrated. Then, more loudly, he said, "So what if I am?" Damn it, what should he do…?
Itachi turned and began heading down the hall. "Then I suggest you follow me; I won't be here for long." He disappeared behind a corner, and Naruto panicked.
He couldn't let Itachi just walk away like that! But what about Sasuke? Naruto wavered, briefly facing a moral dilemma. He had told Sasuke he wouldn't talk to his brother without him, but Itachi was getting away! Damn it, this was that bastard's entire fault! If he wouldn't of just left him his morning…
As a few moments passed, Naruto's panic grew. What if this was his only chance to talk to Itachi? He needed answers, and if he were to just let the man get away… Shit, shit, shit!
On instinct, Naruto began to rush after Itachi. He caught up just as the man was entering into a room—presumably his office. "Hey!" he called, stopping just short of following Itachi inside. "Where's Sasuke?"
Itachi turned, raising an eyebrow at how familiarly the blond said his little bother's name. He didn't verbally comment on this, however. "He had to leave the premises to take care of some matters. Now, come in," he commanded, stepping aside to allow Naruto entrance.
Once again, Naruto hesitated. Technically, he hadn't given Sasuke his word earlier. He had just, well, nodded, which could have meant anything, right? Right. However, he knew Sasuke wouldn't be happy when he came back if he found out he had talked to Itachi. But at the same time, why should that matter? He had said earlier that this wasn't about Sasuke, and he meant it. Still…
Finally, Naruto shook his head. Very reluctantly, he said, "Sorry, but I can't right now. We'll talk later, oka—AH!" Naruto was abruptly yanked into the room, much to his surprise. The door quickly slammed shut with an ominous thud, and that was when the Uzumaki knew he was in trouble. "What did you do that for?" he demanded, rubbing his sore butt to try and ease some of the pain.
"I don't have all day," Itachi replied simply, elegantly taking a seat in one of the many opulent, plush-looking chairs that decorated the room. He gestured for Naruto to do the same, but only received a glare in return.
"I thought I told you I couldn't talk to you right now," Naruto stated through gritted teeth, clumsily pulling himself back onto his feet. Was this guy looking for a fight?
Calmly, Itachi leveled Naruto with a hard gaze, and the blond realized with a start that his eyes were tinted red. Oh, shit…
"Secondly, do not look him in the eyes."
"We're talking now," Itachi ordered.
Naruto helplessly nodded before following Itachi's earlier lead and taking a seat.
"Now," Itachi began, professionally interlacing his fingers in a steeple so that they covered most of lower face. "What was so important that you resorted to following me into my own house just to talk to me about it?" His hard gaze was weirdly unwavering, making Naruto wonder to himself just how long Itachi could go without blinking.
Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts. Now wasn't the time for that! "Yeah, you better believe I have something important to talk to you about," he said angrily. He wasn't about to waste any more time. If Sasuke wasn't here, that was his own fault. "Let's cut to the chase. What did you have to do with the death of Hizashi Hyuuga?"
Though he couldn't see Itachi's mouth, Naruto got the strangest impression he was smirking. "So this was what you wanted to talk about. You are blunt. That's good. After all, I don't have time to sit around chatting with you," Itachi mused absently. Then, louder, he said, "What makes you think I had something to do with that?"
"Don't play dumb," Naruto growled, his eye ticking in anger. Then, recalling what Tsunade had told him the other day about the case he had forgotten about, he continued, "Before he was murdered, Hizashi Hyuuga had been researching you Uchihas. It's not a coincidence that he died as soon as he found evidence about what you guys have been up to, or that the reported documents were nowhere to be found afterwards."
None of this seemed to bother Itachi at all. He seemed to take all of this information in stride, not even batting an eyelash at it. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear. To my knowledge, Hizashi Hyuuga found no such 'evidence'; not like you have described. And even if he did, what makes you think I would have been the only person to have wanted it? If a rumor like that had been spread, I'm sure many would have gone after Hyuuga-san for the supposed documents he possessed."
Naruto's glare intensified. "Don't think you can talk yourself out of this! Stuff centered around you has been going on for years; everyone knows that! We just… we just…"
"Can't prove it?" Itachi finished for him. "That would make any logical person assume there is nothing to prove. If you're just going to sit here and spout false accusations, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Since you managed to get Sasuke involved in your foolishness, I thought you had something of worth to talk to me about. However, if you don't then I won't waste any more of my time." Itachi stood up, clearly dismissing Naruto.
Naruto angrily lurched to his feet. He wasn't about to let this Itachi bastard just leave! "Hell no! Don't just sidestep my questions like that!" he exclaimed. "For the sake of the people involved, I want real answers, and I'm not about to leave until I get them! Tell me what really happened!"
Slowly, a dark smile made it's way onto Itachi's expression. "'Real' answers? I think you already have too many of those," he stated blandly.
Before Naruto could figure out what he meant by that, Itachi was suddenly right in front of him. Instinctually, the blond scrambled backwards, his heart racing from the shock. How had he…?
"It's hard to believe that you managed to make Sasuke tell you about everything, but he has always been a little emotionally weak."
Naruto could only stare dumbly as Itachi spoke.
Itachi's blank, disinterested expression was back. "You want your 'real' answers? Hyuuga-san was killed not because he found evidence of some silly, nefarious wrong my family had committed, but because he managed to find out about our curse; the very same information that you are now aware of, Naruto Uzumaki."
"And finally, do not, under any circumstances, allow Itachi to figure out that you are aware of our curse."

A/N: Aaaaand that's a wrap!
Ah! I'm kidding, I'm kidding. It turns out I lied. (Again) The story isn't ending this chapter. Really, why do you guys still listen to me? I'm beginning to wonder if I'm a pathological liar.
Unfortunately, since there's still a lot I wasn't able to cover, I'm once putting off the ending. I just… I know exactly how I want this to end, and that ending wasn't going to happen without making this chapter ridiculously longer. I'm not going to say it will end in the next chapter—we all know by now how things turn out when I make promises like that—but, er… It should? I think. If I say it should, will that make the story drag on even longer? Ooh, I hope not.
Anyway, exactly a week ago it hit me that Naruto's birthday was coming up. At the time, I was only about 3,500 words in to writing this, but I told myself I wanted to get this chapter out for his birthday. So, I wrote and wrote and wrote and somehow… somehow… I was able to get it done, despite the fact that I also had two papers I needed to finish for my college classes. Don't ask me how I did it all. Huzzah for the power of determination! So, happy birthday, Naruto! *throws confetti*
Oh! Oh! Also, I'm participating in the Neo SasuNaru exchange on Livejournal, and I got a fabulous prompt. So wish me luck! I'm hoping to write an excellent oneshot for the person whose prompt I got, and hopefully I won't fail horribly. Because I really, really, really want to do my best for my first exchange! I'll be sure to post it here sometime after the exchange is over. =)
Okay, just one more thing. I swear. xD Speaking of fanfictions I'm writing, I just started work on a collaboration between myself and my beta, Chibi Chidori. It's called A Series of Peculiar Events and should be uploaded very soon to FFN. Here's the summary:
Feeling lonely living by himself, Naruto buys a pet parrot for companionship. After a few peculiar events, he deems that the parrot is able to predict the future and begins to follow the bird's advice quite literally. Yaoi.
It's SasuNaru, and should be very cute and funny! For the first chapter, I wrote eight paragraphs (…Don't give me that look), and I'm already having a lot of fun! I wonder if you guys can guess which paragraphs were mine… (Hint: they were the ones that were written stupidly while the rest of the fic is filled with amazing)
It was an idea Chibi came up with, and I really love it. I can't wait to write more for it!
/end shameless self-promotion
Anyway, sorry for the long author's note… And thanks for reading!
~Riuolo
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