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Dark, Light and the Shadows Between (complete)	By : momhuey8 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 1491 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: 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
- 4
- 5
- 6
"A sage?"
Shikamaru had explained this to Sasuke on the trek back to Konoha after an uneventful journey from their campsite to Ko-chan's door two weeks ago. Now he sat alone at Ichiruka's trying to understand what it all meant.
He was rearranging noodles idly in his bowl, reliving and trying to understand the theory behind what he'd seen from Naruto, when the seat next to him became occupied.
"Hey," he said to Sakura.
"Hi, Sasuke," she answered. "How are you?"
"Okay." And because it was only thing filling his mind, he turned to her and asked, "Did you know Naruto is a sage?"
She laughed. "Of course. It's not a secret."
After waiting for her to place her order and break her chopsticks, he started again. "I don't understand."
She looked at him shrewdly. "We all have a lot of questions these days."
He shook his head. "I don't even know what questions to ask."
Her expression softened. "How about telling me how you're really feeling."
"I…I'm not sure."
"Naruto asked me to look out for you. He seemed…worried."
Sasuke shook his head in confusion. "Why would he be? I haven't seen him at all unless he's trying to beat the shit out of me."
"Yeah, I don't know what's going on either. All I know is that he's worried about you."
"Then why is he fighting me? And…" He rubbed his face, ready to admit out loud what he'd been reluctant to admit thus far. "And…letting me win?"
He dropped his chopsticks and whispered, "He is letting me win, isn't he?"
"Assuredly," she laughed. "I don't think this entire village banded together could beat him."
"I….just…don't…"
She patted his hand. "I don't know the questions either. But I do know the answer."
He stiffened and leaned toward her expectantly. "What!?"
"He loves you."
"But he hasn't…."
She silenced him with a fingertip to his lips. "A lot of questions. One answer." She put her forehead to his. "He loves you. He always has."
Sasuke sat on his porch trying to think of someplace else he could sleep for the night. He was contemplating the relative merits of a park bench when the tiniest brush of chakra touched his senses.
Fuck! Naruto was all he could think about! When Sasuke wasn't having blackouts and nightmares, he was hallucinating, seeing Naruto around every corner. And dreaming…having such dreams….
The chakra, the dreams, all seemed so real. Was he truly losing his mind? Naruto had come and gone again. Sasuke knew Naruto was gone. He'd been on guard duty at the gates when Naruto, his head hanging, had passed through, without so much as a glance in his direction.
Sasuke's head thumped back against the wall and he sighed. Blackouts…. Nightmares…. Hallucinations… Dreams….
Something clicked!
His eyes narrowed and he leaned forward. "Dobe!"
Nothing.
"Uzumaki Naruto get your blond ass out here." A pause. "I know you're there, damnit!"
A second later a blond dropped off the porch roof and took a timid step forward.
Sasuke activated his Sharingan. "You're not Naruto."
"No."
"You're spying on me."
"Well, my instructions call it protection, not spying."
"Get up here and sit. I need answers and you are going to give them to me."
The clone searched its instructions and, finding nothing about this situation one way or another, shrugged and complied. "I don't know how much help I'll be. I don't have memories; just instructions."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Well, we'll just settle for that then, won't we?"
The clone shrugged again.
"Spill it!"
"Naruto is just guessing, but it seems you are having flashbacks to the massacre." Sasuke gasped, but the clone continued. "And when you do, the cursed seal takes over."
The clone fidgeted a moment then went on. "I think you've hurt yourself before because I have instructions regarding first aid. And if I can't heal your wounds, I'm supposed to get Tsunade."
Sasuke's mind was racing. Nightmares, blackouts…
"It seems there are ways to snap you out of it, though."
"Fighting," Sasuke whispered, nodding.
"And sex."
Sasuke choked on a particularly lumpy piece of air and coughed until his eyes watered.
"How the fuck did we arrive at that solution," he finally wheezed out.
"Don't know," the clone shrugged. "But I have instructions…." He looked thoughtful. "I'm not to go beyond jerking you off," he ticked on a thick finger. "Hands only," he ticked another finger, "no matter what else you seem to want."
"Jerking….no matter what I…" Sasuke repeated dazedly. "Hands only?"
"And, let's see," the clone touched the tip of the next finger. "Fighting is for public and the hand jobs are for here."
"Of course," Sasuke blinked several times. "Very….thoughtful." The clone dropped his hands in his lap and grinned, looking pleased that he remembered all the instructions correctly.
The two sat in silence as Sasuke digested this information. The pieces where all there and a picture was forming. As he sat during that warm night, lulled and tempted by the nocturnal music of the natural world around him, he fought an internal battle between heart and brain. There, with his blue eyed, blond...protector...sitting across from him, it was so easy to imagine a picture with blue skies and golden sunshine. Could it be true?
Dreams….hallucinations…
Sasuke sat next to the clone at Ichiruka's trying to sift reality from illusion in the images in his mind.
Would Naruto really do this? Had Naruto really been there with him, for him, these last months? There was such a disconnect between his lucid moments with Naruto – fists, feet, chidori – and his dreams of Naruto – fingertips, lips, warmth.
He needed more information, facts. But it scared him. What if is was all illusion? A chimera of happiness?
"Uchiha-san?" He'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't been aware of the group of ninja who had approached.
"What?"
"Uchiha-san." A pimply-faced Chunin bowed jerkily, his excitement oozing from his very pores. He held out a scroll. "We," he waved, encompassing the equally excited group of teens around him. "We have started a petition."
Sasuke just blinked at the boy.
"See, we overheard some Anbu talking about when Uzu-shithead-maki will be Hokage and decided that just couldn't stand."
Sasuke stiffened.
"So we wrote this petition listing dates and details of all the times he attacked you for no reason. And then of course, how you beat him to a bloody pulp every single time." The teen unrolled the scroll. "We've been going around getting signatures."
Sasuke's stomach plummeted to his boots.
"You see, he just can't be Hokage. Hokage is supposed to be the pinnacle of shinobi excellence, that for which we all strive. So we are petitioning for the council and Godaime to make you Hokage!"
The six youths just beamed at him, obviously their proudest moment.
"Get out of here," Sasuke said calmly.
"Wha…" The leader of the group stammered.
"Get. The fuck. Out. Of here!" Sasuke's voice took on a more and more threatening tone until he snarled the last word.
Minutes after they shuffled away in hurt confusion, Sasuke poofed to his property, his body shaking with agitation.
Visions filled his mind. Staring down at Naruto's defeated body, the entire village as witness. Sounds filtered in, jeering, booing, insults. And Naruto coming back for it, starting it, asking for it, again and again.
Then he thought of their mission, the manipulation of multiple elements, the creation of a fire that even he, an Uchiha could not comprehend.
His thoughts kept circling, but kept coming back to the idea that Naruto had jeopardized his one dream for Sasuke's sake.
Naruto's one dream…
Another memory surfaced. A red faced teenager, shouting, spittle flying from his mouth, his lashes glistening, "I'll never give up on you Sasuke! My bond. Our bond. Ever…ever…ever…"
Sasuke's heart hammered. Could it really be?
Many questions. One answer. "Naruto loves you."
The blond clone fidgeted catching his eye.
"When does Naruto get back?" Sasuke snapped.
"Late tonight, early tomorrow morning."
Sasuke nodded. Then he pulled a kunai from his holster and, with enviable precision, impaled the clone in the heart.
Naruto about broke his neck falling from the tree branch. All of his clone's memories had just rushed back to him.
Sasuke knew!
Naruto stood there on the forest floor, his arms limp at his sides, his brain filled with white noise.
Fuck! What to do…
He stood there in the misting rain for over an hour. Twice he turned away from Konoha, thinking to run away, to just disappear.
But his precious people all lived in Konoha. He couldn't leave them. Who would protect them? He imagined the old hag assigning his dicier missions to Neji or Kakashi and his stomach roiled.
"No!" Those missions were his responsibility. He had the strength, the power to take those missions, leaving the safer missions for his comrades. Indeed it was such a source of secret pride that not a single ninja had died in action since he'd returned from sage training.
But now what? Sasuke could be in grandma's office even now, demanding his imprisonment or banishment for the shit he'd done.
Maybe they'd let him keep doing the missions, let him protect Konoha. He could stay in confinement, in isolation the rest of the time.
Dropping his head in despair he started back home. He'd done the crimes, he'd have to do the time. He'd just have to make sure someone listened to him about Sasuke. Maybe he could show Tsunade the memories in secret and she could find a way to fix it.
He hated to think his actions, those undertaken with the sole purpose of protecting his most beloved person, would leave that person in the greatest danger.
Except for the guards at the gate, Konoha was asleep when Naruto got home. His breath coming in shallow pants, he walked up to the guards expecting to be slapped in cuffs and hauled away.
"Hey, Uzumaki," one called out. "Safe trip?"
"Uh, yeah," he stammered.
"Dude, you reek. Messy one?"
"Hehe," he stuttered. "Yeah, messy."
"Well, get some sleep. Look me up day after tomorrow and you can buy me some ramen."
Naruto just stood there a moment as feeling returned to numb limbs.
"Yeah, day after tomorrow," he said and started inching forward warily. Okay, so Sasuke had not turned him in.
He gasped. Sasuke! The bastard was alone! Naruto sent his chakra to the Uchiha district. Sasuke wasn't there.
"Uhm, hey." He scratched at some dried blood on his cheek. "Is Uchi…Shikamaru's team deployed right now?"
The guard looked at a scroll. "Nope, they're here."
"Okay."
"Well, goodnight, Naruto."
"Back atcha…"
Naruto walked to his apartment, sending his chakra out in a grid trying to find his…his… Damnit, his friend. Sasuke was his friend even if he didn't know it. When he reached his apartment, he scanned the interior out of habit.
Sasuke was inside! He was inside Naruto's apartment!
Naruto stood for many long moments staring at his doorknob, then finally slid the door open.
There, sprawled on his bed across the room was Sasuke.
"Shut the door. You're letting the cold air in," Sasuke groused into the pillow under his head.
Naruto obeyed automatically, but didn't come any further into the room.
"Dobe, you're apartment is disgusting."
Naruto looked around, not really seeing, his mind still reeling. "Uh, yeah, I, uh, don't spend much time here."
Sasuke picked his head up and looked blearily at Naruto.
"We have an appointment with Tsunade at eleven tomorrow morning."
O…Okay." Naruto scratched the back of his head.
Sasuke flopped back down onto the pillow, pulled the covers up to his neck and seconds later, Naruto heard the deep even breaths associated with sleep.
Sasuke woke slowly, languorously, warm and rested. The smells and lingering chakra signature were so comforting. He rolled to his side and opened his eyes.
Naruto…. The blond had sunk to the floor where he'd stood last night and had fallen asleep propped against the wall. His head hung at an awkward angle and he still wore the bloody, mud-crusted clothing from his mission.
Sasuke looked at the clock. His appointment was in an hour. He threw the covers off and stood.
"Dobe!" Naruto raised his head, wincing, and opened his eyes. "Want a shower before the appointment? I don't want to be late."
Naruto rubbed his mouth with the back of is hand. He had one hour until….the end.
"Okay," he whispered and after grabbing clean clothes, disappeared into the bathroom without another word.
As the pair walked, Naruto studied Sasuke. He looked healthy. No bruises or cuts were visible. He seemed rested and…cheerful, although Naruto wasn't sure what that emotion actually looked like on an Uchiha.
But, why shouldn't he be cheerful? Naruto was going to get his comeuppance for months of abuse. Still, Naruto wanted Sasuke to know that there had been no malice. Not that Sasuke would care, but Naruto wanted him to know that as far as Naruto was concerned, Sasuke was welcome home…so welcome.
"Sasuke, I want you to know that I never…"
"Naruto," Sasuke interrupted.
"Huh?"
"Your mission. Tell me about your mission."
"Uhm," Naruto couldn't even remember his mission as blood filled his ears and squirming creatures filled his stomach. "There was a, uhm, scroll…and some…"
"Bandits?" Sasuke offered
"Uh, yeah."
"Lots of them?"
"I guess so."
"Fighting?"
'Huh?"
"Was there fighting?"
Naruto winced and sighed. "Yeah. There always is."
"Kunai and shuriken and chakra?" Sasuke prompted.
"Sasuke…"
They had reached the tower. Sasuke turned to Naruto.
"Everything. Tell her everything. All of it."
Naruto stared at his shoes, the backs of his eyes burning.
"Don't leave anything out. Not a single detail."
"Okay," Naruto whispered. Then his head shot up and his eyes were rimmed in red.
"I'm so sorry, Sasuke. Please believe…"
"You're sorry?"
Naruto thought a moment. Was he sorry?
"Yes. No. Sort of."
Sasuke grabbed his sleeve and pulled him up the steps. "We'll talk later. Let's go.
Naruto told everything. He'd even let Tsunade and Sasuke into his mind to see the actual memories. He knew they were also bombarded with his emotions as they viewed the scenes, including his fear, his determination, he doubts, his overwhelming guilt. And his yearnings, his love.
He knew tears tracked down his cheeks as they watched him worshipping Sasuke's body with his mouth.
"Why, Naruto…" It was a voice, but Naruto couldn't tell who asked. Tsunade, Sasuke, perhaps his own voice.
"I…I…couldn't stop. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life," he whispered, knowing that no one would understand but him.
Finally Tsunade sent him to sit outside while Sasuke remained behind. He kept waiting for guards to show up and his incarceration to begin.
Finally six hours later, just as he'd dozed off from lack of sleep the night before, Sasuke shuffled down the steps, his hands in his pockets.
"Walk with me."
Feeling a sort of anticlimax that he wasn't clapped in irons in Konoha prison, or standing outside the gates trying to figure where and how he was going to live, he stood and fell into step next to Sasuke.
They walked in silence for a short distance, until Sasuke turned off the road. His thoughts elsewhere, Naruto followed him automatically down a walk, up a flight of steps and through a doorway.
"What do you think?"
"Huh?" Naruto looked at Sasuke vacantly.
"What do you think?" Sasuke repeated, indicating the room with a wave of his arm.
Naruto blinked and looked. They were in a spacious, airy, brightly sunlit apartment. It was large and clean, with several doors leading to other rooms.
"Oh. It's nice."
Sasuke walked around, pulling Naruto by the sleeve, opening doors.
"Two bedrooms. Only one bath, but it's large. Nice western view; good for catching sunsets."
"It's nice," Naruto repeated. "You moving?"
Sasuke put his hand in the middle of Naruto's chest and shoved him into a wall. Here it came, finally.
"I didn't know it," Sasuke said quietly, "but I needed help."
Naruto stopped breathing.
Sasuke pulled the collar of his gi top aside showing Naruto the three black dots Orochimaru had used to mark Sasuke.
"Touch it." Naruto just swallowed loudly and Sasuke said, "Go ahead."
Naruto did; there was nothing there?
"It's just a tattoo now. Tsunade undid the seal portion of it. Orochimaru's influence is gone now."
"Sasuke," Naruto couldn't say more around the lump in his throat.
"But I still need more." Sasuke shoved a hand through his hair, still standing very close to Naruto. "I've donated the entire Uchiha district to Konoha"
Naruto gasped, not aware that he'd placed his hand over the top of Sasuke's on his chest.
"I can't live there anymore," Sasuke continued. "I thought I could just come home, but…"
Naruto's stomach fell. Was Sasuke going to leave again?
"I thought the buildings were home."
Their fingers were laced together on Naruto's chest. Sasuke tilted his head and looked at them. Naruto followed Sasuke's gaze and panicked that he was once again touching his friend uninvited, he jerked his hand free.
"Naruto…"Sasuke started quietly, his cheeks reddening. "Naruto, I…killed Orochimaru. Then I…I came home for you."
"Sas…"
"I needed to be where someone loved me," Sasuke laughed without humor. "You're it. The only one on the face of the earth."
Sasuke's face fell. "Then every time I saw you…you…attacked me. Hit me."
Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shoulders, his expression desperate.
"No! No! It was never like that." He let go of Sasuke and covered his face with his hands. "Christ, I am so sorry. So, so sorry. I'm a stupid, stupid idiot, but I never…"
"Naruto," Sasuke interrupted. "I know."
- 4
- 5
- 6
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Dark, Light and the Shadows Between (complete)