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Backwoods	By : Ljiljana Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 981 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
- 7
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Backwoods, chapter seven

Naruto washed his face once again and stared at the mirror
some more. He was pale. His eyes were bloodshot, almost disappearing in the
dark circles surrounding them. His jaw hurt from clenching. And even though the
water wasn�t helping much, he splattered some more over himself and watched as
it soaked another part of his mostly wet clothes. Nothing was helping him stop
shaking.

When that guy � Neji, of course it was Neji - that came
looking to talk to Sasuke stayed behind for a moment, Naruto had wanted nothing
more but for him to leave. It was annoying to have someone watching you so
carefully. His entire body was sore as if he was running the marathon; as if he
was actually running down that hallway. But Naruto knew that it had to be some
kind of hallucination. He wasn�t feeling well, and he just wished that Neji
would get out of his face.

As soon as that happened, Naruto regretted it. He was left
alone, completely alone at the very edge of the dining room that was still
sparkling with the afternoon�s sun, unable to do anything but think about what had
just happened. What he just heard, from Sasuke and from�. The demon? That was
so odd to think. It was impossible. It just has to be some kind of madness, and
Sasuke was either crazier than Naruto the Hatter or a clever doctor trying to
catch him and give him a shot. Because he was talking crappy wet shit and then
he disappeared to fight with his cousin in his room, leaving Naruto to stand on
the empty ground floor of the inn and wonder if starting to scream would
somehow help.

After some long minutes, Naruto decided that he would do
better wondering about his sanity in some clean clothes. He walked though the
hallway pointedly avoiding the carvings on the wall. They did not seem as if
they could possibly be as beautiful as they did that morning. Up the stairs,
Naruto almost ran while passing Sasuke�s door. Neji had said why he was there
already. If Sasuke decided to give in and go home� The talk inside was in
shushed voices, but still loud enough for him to hear Sasuke�s voice clearly.
And he sounded annoyed and not insane in the slightest, which was not good.

In the bathroom, Naruto had first peered into the mirror. He
hated what he saw there. He hated his exhausted face, dirty clothes and most of
all, he hated that there was no bruise on his face. There should have been one.
Sasuke hit him so hard; the entire world was ringing and swaying.

When some stray drops tickled Naruto�s left calf, he finally
turned the water off and stripped out of the wet clothes. He needed to think
without calling himself crazy after the first sentence. He should just� pretend
that it�s all real and think of it like that. Like he didn�t really believe it,
like he was� playing a game. A horror survival game.

Alright. So he had a demon trapped inside himself. Assuming
such things existed and people were clever enough to seal them inside each
other, why would someone do that? Naruto was busy trying to figure out the
mechanics when Sasuke was talking, because his first instinct was to get the
fucking thing out as soon as possible. But now, he also wanted to know why.
Why the fuck did his family want to seal a demon in Sasuke?

Itachi didn�t allow it to happen. Naruto felt equal amounts
of utter hatred and liking for him. It was very good of him not to let
something like that happened to his brother. But he should have found another
way, someone else�

That wasn�t really fair to think, was it? Not Naruto
meant somebody else - somebody else with a life and a soul and consciousness.
No matter who was it, the person Itachi sacrificed for Sasuke, it would have to
be someone. It wasn�t as if Itachi had planned to use Naruto. It just
happened.

It� just happened. But it still hurt so fucking much.

Once Naruto let his thoughts run there, it was easier. He
was so busy trying to understand the past; he didn�t have to think about the
present.

There was a good thing about all that. Naruto was starting
to remember. Maybe they were just pieces � some terrible, horrible � but they
were mostly pieces about Sasuke. And a little about Itachi. And about his roommate,
poor, poor guy�

Better to think about Sasuke. They were best friends when
they were kids. Naruto couldn�t see it, not really. Sasuke was� temperamental,
from what he could see. Naruto also had a short wick. They would never survive
being best friends. They both needed someone stoic, someone quiet and� Gaara.

Naruto almost stumbled over his feet in the haste to reach
the phone. He needed to talk to Gaara. It there was anything wrong with him,
Gaara would know. He was the one dragging Naruto home most of those times when
he had those short memory collapses. He would know and Naruto trusted him.

After the second ring, Gaara picked up, saying, �Naruto.�

How on Earth he knew it was Naruto when he was dialing from
the inn�s phone? Naruto was wondering, but it was probably something small and
stupid and he was just so happy to hear his friend�s voice.

�Hi.� He said. His voice was shaky and tired.

�Have you found out something?� Gaara asked without delay.
�Anything?�

It was so good to hear him talk, to imagine him on the other
side, monotone and stable as ever. Naruto could feel himself relaxing some. He
sank into the pillow, holding the phone tightly to his cheek.

�God, I hope not.� He said, and tried to clear his throat.
But the rest of it came out just as trembling. �I don�t� I can�t think
properly, but if what I found out so far is the truth��

�Pack. Sit on the bike. Come home. Who the fuck cares?�
Gaara said, sharper than before. Worried. Afraid for him. Naruto wished he was
confused and asking questions. They would make sense, and Naruto would make
some sense out of them.

Pack. Sit on the bike. Come home� Could he do that?
Kakashi would not like it, but� Naruto wanted, for a minute there, to do
exactly that. Run away from everything that had happened.

Only if he really had a fucking demon inside of him, he
couldn�t run away from that.

�Gaara�� Naruto said his name to prepare. He wondered idly
if it means anything, because saying it certainly calmed him down a little. �Do
I� act weirdly sometimes? Like when I get hurt? Do I get� violent?�

�Not with me.� Gaara said. There was a hint of defensiveness
in his voice.

�But with other people? Did I ever hurt anyone� and forgot
about it?�

�What exactly is it that you found out there?�

Naruto, already on the edge and desperate, snapped in a
voice that was just a breath away from being full of tears, �You are not
answering me! You can�t lie to me, I have to know! Did I hurt anyone? I did,
oh, God, I know I did.�

�Naruto, calm down.� Gaara said clearly. On his side,
something banged loudly, but that did not sidetrack him. �You�re safe. I made
sure that you would be.�

He was still not answering, the fucking bastard. Couldn�t he
hear how badly Naruto needed to know what happened? Couldn�t he�? �He made sure
what?

Carefully, Naruto whispered, �You made sure�?�

�Your police records are clear.� Gaara said. �Father thought
he was taking care of... but that doesn�t matter. You are not wanted or
anything.�

And Naruto was grateful, he was and so much, but that
meant... It meant that he had hurt someone. He had hurt his roommate. Was there
someone, something else? How much more of it?

�How bad was it?�

�It doesn�t matter. You were not responsible for it.�

Naruto laughed, bitterly. Was he sane and possessed or
insane and a serial killer? �I�m not?�

�No.� Gaara said. �You don�t think I�d try to protect you if
I don�t mean that? You have a disorder, I read all about it before I did
anything to help you. It�s called split personality.�

Naruto�s bitter laugh turned slightly hysterical. He watched
movies. He knew what that was. And even though technically incorrect� He could
certainly see what Gaara would think that. He had two different personalities,
alright. Only one of them was a demon with a taste for blood.

�It matters. How bad was it? What did I do? Have I ever hurt
you?�

Gaara repeated flatly, �It doesn�t matter.�

�It fucking well does! Tell me!�

His yelling caused some hesitation on the other side, before
Gaara answered. �It�s pretty bad sometimes. I try not to get into details. You
never hurt me or my family. I would not protect you if you had.� That made
sense. The demon was not stupid. He knew, obviously, that Gaara and his family were
rich and powerful. It knew Gaara was helping keep Naruto out of police trouble,
so it didn�t hurt them. How� oddly restrained if it. �Your other� you, got
rather horny, though. I�m pretty sure no one in my house managed to avoid
that.�

Naruto thought about how scared Sasuke was, how his heart
was beating when he returned into his body. How Naruto was sitting on him,
biting and licking� The fucking demon.

�You don�t mean rape, do you?� Naruto asked, panicking a
little despite of the memory of Gaara�s firm voice saying he wouldn�t protect
him if he hurt anyone in his family.

�No.�

Naruto sighed, �Good.�

�Kankuro said the same thing.� Gaara said. His voice was
still as flat as ever, but that was clearly meant to be a joke. Naruto disliked
Gaara�s older brother with passion.

�God, do shut up.� Naruto answered, tired. �I don�t care how
many personalities I have and how evil they are, I did not... do your brother.
He�s� hairy.�

Okay, so Naruto wasn�t exactly sure if Kankuro was hairy,
but he had his suspicions.

�If you say so.� Gaara answered. �Do you feel better now?
What happened over there?�

Naruto felt better. Somehow. �I ran into some old friends. I
met my Godfather. He�s dead now.�

Gaara did not ask if Naruto was the one who killed him. For
the first time since he managed to wake up before the demon hurt Sasuke, Naruto
didn�t feel like he did. Gaara�s interpretation of his mental state actually
convinced him that Sasuke was telling the truth. There was demon inside of him.
It killed and hurt some people, including Jiraiya. What Naruto had to do with
them was get his shit together, make Sasuke take him to Itachi - who seemed to
be the one with the solution in his hands - kick the demon out and then kill
the fucking thing over and over again until he�s sure it�s dead and in hell.

�Come home.� Gaara said, again. �You will get in trouble
there, all alone.�

The people here are too careful. They know too much.

Naruto smiled as he opened his eyes to look at the opposite
wall. That was what the demon had said. If anyone, Kakashi was one of those
people who knew too much. That was why Naruto was still running around free,
wasn�t it?

�Don�t worry. I�ll be just fine.� Naruto said and closed the
phone before Gaara could offer to come or something. He was better off where he
was. And Naruto was feeling good enough to plan. Good enough to test some
things and ask some questions. The right questions.

He finished putting clothes on him and got out of his room.
It was sunset already � how long was he in the bathroom, anyway? Judging by the
wet clothes he had left behind, Naruto would say, long.

Sakura wasn�t in yet, but that was okay. The only monster
was in Naruto, who was firmly in control. She was safe, wherever she was. Maybe
worried, but�

Naruto, who was checking the kitchen in order to be sure
about her not getting back yet, got a brilliant idea. He should make cookies.
That way, when Sakura came back, she would be pleasantly surprised. Hell, if
Sasuke decided to be cooperative, they could even tell her it was the plan all
along.

Head deep in the book, where Naruto was re-reading and
trying to remember if he put sugar or not when he was making the cookies, he
only heard when Sakura walked into the kitchen. Her step was light, eyes wary.
Naruto grinned in welcome, and she relaxed a little.

�Hope you don�t mind. I wanted to make something for you.� Naruto
said and pointed to the great, dark red cook book. �I found the recipe in
here.�

�You can cook?� Sakura asked curiously, sitting herself at
the wooden kitchen table, on the opposite side from where Naruto had made a
mess.

�I lived alone a lot.� Naruto told her, suppressing the pang
of horrifying guilt and chasing away the words of course you lived alone
when you were killing all your roommates. He had to swallow before
finishing, �I had to learn how to make a thing or two. Besides, it�s not hard
when you follow the recipe closely.�

�Hm, I usually make things after the recipe only the first
time. After that, I just let my senses guide me.� Sakura said, relaxing some
more. �But that smells good.�

�Thank you!� Naruto said, now really hoping he had put the
sugar in.

�And where�s Sasuke?�

Naruto waved his hand dismissively. He pulled some flour off
the table on the floor. Sakura frowned, but didn�t say anything. �Last time I
saw him, he went to talk to that weird-eyed cousin of his.� Of course,
technically, Sasuke had gone to his room and Neji had followed, but they still
talked. �He�s probably still there, Kakashi told us not to leave the inn.�

As if those words somehow chased away the last of Sakura�s
fright, she smiled back at Naruto. �Maybe he would like some cookies, too?�

�He doesn�t seem like the type to eat sweet.� Naruto
answered suspiciously, looking at the timer. There was still ten minutes left.
�But we can drag him down here and pester him until he tries them first, in
case I put some rat poison instead of baking soda in them.�

Sakura snickered, �You think you can make him try if he
doesn�t want to?�

Naruto grinned at her, feeling really weird that he can grin
and talk normally and act like there was nothing wrong, and caught her sleeve
to make her stand up quicker. �I got some of my memories back. I can blackmail
him into tap-dancing naked in front of people.�

�Hardly.� The voice answered, startling them both. It was
Sasuke, approaching from the darkened hallway, hands in his pockets. Naruto
wished he could see his face, but it was in heavy shadow. �I've never done
anything that horrible.�

�Rat poison it is, than.� Naruto said letting go of Sakura.
He gestured them both to follow him to back to the kitchen. �I bet the stuff
would not even make you sick.�

Sasuke didn�t answer at all as him and Sakura set side by
side at the table. Sakura was smiling. Sasuke was watching Naruto carefully;
like he was afraid Naruto would jump on the table and start performing clown
tricks. Or, er. Let the demon out to attack Sakura and him.

�So are you going to tell me what happened this afternoon?�
Sakura asked after a moment. Naruto froze. He should have known she would ask.
He should have thought of something to say. �Why did you send me out like
that?�

�The moron tripped and fell and was puking all over the
place.� Sasuke shot out. Naruto blinked for a moment, wondering how in the name
of God was he expecting of Sakura to buy that, before it hit him.

�What? No, I didn't! You hit me!�

�I did not.� Sasuke asked, a tiny smirk tugging the corner
of his mouth. Sakura looked between them, wary. �If I did, you�d have a bruise
to show.�

Oh, great. The bruise got healed. He didn�t have it any
longer. Naruto glared, but Sakura interrupted, �Okay, okay, it was obviously
some very important, private business between the two of you. Naruto, take that
out, before it burns up.�

Naruto listened. Okay, so maybe she didn�t buy it, but at
least she wasn�t demanding the answers. Maybe Sasuke knew what he was doing
after all. He put the cookies to cool off on the edge of the sink.

Alright. Naruto was feeling a little better about what he
was about to do with Sasuke there. Questions time.

�So,� He asked, looking at Sakura over the table and nodded
toward the hallway. �What�s with all those engravings there? I keep staring at
them since I came. Who made them?�

Sasuke raised his eyebrows at him, but he glanced sideways
to hear what Sakura would say.

�We don�t know.� She answered without any hesitation.
�People ask that all the time, but we really have no idea. The place came that
way when my family bought it. It�s interesting, though, huh?�

�Pretty.� Naruto said, more relying on what he thought
before then expressing what he was feeling. �I keep looking at them. Random,
but the animals are so well done.�

�Well,� Sakura said, glancing back at Sasuke. He gave her a
one shoulder shrug. Encouraged, she continued. �It�s supposed to tell a story.
Every engraving in the hotel should, but the one across from the dining room�
It�s not very nice.�

�Oh?� Naruto asked.

�I told him the story already.� Sasuke said. �He just wants
to hear it again.�

Sakura looked at Naruto with distaste. �But why? It�s
horrible and it�s certainly not true.�

No one said anything about if it was true or not. Sakura
sounded very defensive. People here know too fucking much, indeed. Naruto was
feeling better about the entire decision to stay in Konoha by the minute.

�Because it�s stupid.� He said. �It makes no sense. I don�t
see the point of someone very talented using their time to engrave something so
stupid in the wall. They�d do better with Little Riding Hood tale.�

�The story is about a forest demon possessing a child
through some kind of blood ritual.� Sasuke said sharply, making Sakura inhale
and stare at him, startled. �You think there is something stupid about it?�

�No such things as demons. � Naruto said, making a no-no
gesture with his finger. Sasuke gave him something that was probably his
variation of an eye roll. It was kind of unreal, having that conversation. With
the demon listening. For some reason, it seemed amusing to Naruto. �And I see
no reason for it to possess the kid. Why would it do that? It needed a human
body to kill people or whatever it was doing? But wasn�t that fox�. er, you
know, it had the body before. It could � claw someone�s eyes out, if it was
really getting off on gore and stuff like that.�

�Well,� Sakura said, thoughtfully. �Maybe clawing someone�s
eyes out wasn�t enough. Or maybe, it happened by accident. But, Naruto, you
should be careful about saying things like that. Some people here actually
believe in that story.�

Naruto�s forgot how to breathe for a moment. They did? They did
believe it.

�But,� He said, trying to sound confused while his heart was
dancing. �Why would they�?�

�You hear things, you know, growing up here. Weird, horrible
things.� Sakura said, lowering her voice. Sorry, Naruto thought with a highly inappropriate
urge to snicker. You can�t really hide from the demon while I�m listening. �And
sooner or later, you start asking yourself about them.�

Sakura paused, but both Naruto and Sasuke were focused on
her entirely. She smiled a little and continued in confidence, �The first year
when the bar opened and we were allowed to go there� We weren�t very... restrained.
We drank entirely too much.� She glanced at Naruto with an odd, apologetic
smile, like she thought she was offending him somehow. �Not much else to do
here.�

�I wasn�t there?� Sasuke asked and she nodded.

�No, it was when��

�Yeah.�

Naruto wanted to know where was Sasuke and why, but he
wanted to hear Sakura�s story more, so he asked, �So you were drunk and?�

�And we started talking. About things in general, about how
Konoha was a bad place to live. Someone mentioned the legend, so we started
fighting. You know, some said it was stupid, some that it was the truth. Kiba
is especially convinced that it�s all true�� Sasuke knocked his knuckles on the
wood and Sakura blinked and dropped the Kiba stream of thought. Naruto glared
at Sasuke across the table. He warned her off not to tell what, exactly? Was he
protecting Kiba, trying not to set the demon at him the next time it got out?�
�Shikamaru had said we could check. So we gathered and went to the city hall.
It was about three in the morning, but well. Lee took the keys from his uncle,
so we didn�t have to break in.�

�I tried that. Years ago.� Sasuke said. �They keep awfully
little documentation in there.�

�Supposedly, there�s been a fire.� Sakura said. �Wait a
minute, they cooled down. I�ll bring some milk.�

She stood up to go over the table through the door. It was a
cooling storeroom; Naruto had a glance at it before.

�And that�s it?� He asked after her, disappointed. �You
didn�t find anything?�

�We did. Wait a minute.�

Naruto took a sit on their side of the table, on Sasuke�s
other side. Better let Sakura take over the kitchen. Hey, maybe she would even
clean up. That was a cheering thought; there was egg shells and flour
everywhere.

�You are in a good mood.� Sasuke said quietly.

�So are you.� Naruto answered in kind. �You don�t seem so
scared of me any longer.�

�Being actually exposed�� Sasuke said as something fell in
the other room and Sakura yelled her reassurance. �Was not as scary as hearing
about it was.�

Naruto tried not to think about the bathtub. He failed and
whispered, �You were lucky.�

Sasuke glanced up at him, his eyes shiny and dark. �No, that
wasn�t it.�

Sakura came back, effectively stopping Naruto from asking
what the hell he meant by that. She was wearing the milk over her head, like a
trophy. �I thought we were out.�

She put three plates on the table and three glasses of cold
milk before she sat down. When that was all done, she glanced at the cookies
and then at Sasuke. He shrugged at her again. Naruto thought it was funny, but
he wasn�t about to get her out of her misery. She�d just have to suck it up and
try them.

�I hope they are okay.� He said, forcing worry and innocence
into his voice. God, but it felt so good to joke a little on her expense right
then. �I worked really hard.�

Sakura cast him a frown and Sasuke leaned back in his chair,
undoubtedly suppressing his amusement. She carefully took a cookie and bit a
small, tiny piece.

�It�s not� bad. But I think you didn�t put in enough sugar
or something.� She said, swallowing. She started a little at the cookie and
then bit off a larger piece. �Or at all.�

Damn, he knew it. Well, at least she wasn�t puking. But as
if the statement that there was no sugar inside encouraged him, Sasuke took a
cookie himself to try. He didn�t make a comment, but he ate the thing while
Sakura was looking at him like he was eating lemons, squinting and pursing
lips.

�I have an idea.� She said, jumping up again. Plates were
very soon replaced by bowls, where she crushed cookies, put sugar inside and poured
milk over it. Sasuke refused his share. He really liked the damn things as
Naruto made them, the oddball. �Wait a little. They�ll soften.�

Naruto pushed the bowl away. �Okay.�

�You said you found something.� Sasuke reminded Sakura. �How
come? I couldn�t find anything.�

�The church.� She said. �Shikamaru�s idea, of course. All
baptisms and deaths are marked there. All the services the priests had to do.�

�You broke into the church?� Naruto asked, amazed. He would
never have thought of that.

�We were drunk.� Sakura told them again, embarrassed. �And
we really wanted to know. So we� er. Organized a little vandalism as a
distraction. The church is always open in theory, but if the priest or someone
else living close by saw the lights in the middle of the night� So Shikamaru
snuck inside and looked over the books while Kakashi was trying to catch us on
the streets.�

�I remember hearing about that.� Sasuke said at the same
time when Naruto prompted, �And what did you find?�

�Too many suspicious deaths. Church doing the burials too
many times on the cases labeled officially as suicides.� Completely serious and
a little distressed, Sakura turned to Sasuke. �From the time your
great-grandfather founded this town to this day, but especially in the first
ten years or so. Deaths among all generations, services for the cases that we
all knew were disappearances. Some people, on their demand, were baptized
several times. Or their kids were. There is only so much you can see from
church documents, but we all know the stories.�

�We do?� Naruto asked dryly. �And what did she mean, your
grandfather? He was the one who liked the hunting and was taking his kid with
him, wasn�t he?�

�What did you expect?� Sasuke asked. Really, he should have
known. Sasuke had said that it was his family that was sealing the demon. Why?
They got off on their kids killing people? �The stories were that people
started disappearing and then turning back dead, or completely insane, or
mutilated and insane. Or mutilated and dead.�

But never well enough to say anything that would give out a
cue on what was going on. Konoha, so far from the world, so long ago� What a
nightmare. Naruto stood up, nervousness and fear demanding of him to move. He
took a glass and drank water, feeling Sakura�s and Sasuke�s looks on him as he
moved.

�It sounds to me,� He said, the tremble returning to his
voice for the first time since talking to Gaara. �Like some sort of�
Experimenting.�

When he looked back, he knew he was right from the shadow on
Sasuke�s face. Sakura seemed to be thinking about it, but Naruto had no doubt.
That man, Sasuke�s ancestor, he saw some kind of benefit in what happened to
his son. He was trying to find a way to keep it, after his son died. He was the
one who killed and butchered those people, so he could find a way to do it.
Between that insanity and the demon on loose� God. Konoha really was in the
worst kind of nightmare.

�But,� Sakura said. She looked between the two of them,
widening her eyes. �You can�t be really thinking that someone was experimenting
on people in Konoha? Why, why would that�? And what does it have to do with�?�
She was asking, more and more frightened with every word. Finally, she asked,
�You think he was trying to save his son?�

Sasuke actually snorted on that. Sakura opened her mouth
again, but he stood up. �I had enough of this shit for today. I�m going to
bed.�

No one answered, so he walked out of the kitchen without a
word. Sakura looked back at Naruto, on the verge of tears. His chest tightened
on the sight. So maybe Sasuke was onto something when he said he was trying to
protect her. She whispered, �He doesn�t think so.�

�Well,� Naruto said. She was probably better off scared
these days. But he had to offer some comfort. �He doesn�t really like his
family.�

She wasn�t convinced, of course she wasn�t. Naruto, mostly
to avoid more questions, stood up as well. �I�m tired, too.�

Sakura followed him right up. �Um, Naruto? Would it be a
problem if I slept at Ino�s tonight?�

Naruto frowned. Why the hell was she asking him? If she
wanted to sleep at Ino�s that was her business� But then it came to him, he was
staying at her inn, she was the hostess. But she was also a friend, so he
grinned easily.� �Not at all. Would it be a problem if I woke up in the middle
of the night and raided your kitchen?�

�Not if you also fix the mess you made.� She answered and
hesitated when they came to the hallway that had the entrance door on one side
and stairwell on the other, with her hands around her. �Er. Walk me there?�

Now there�s irony. But if that would make her feel safer�

Naruto walked with her almost to the restaurant�s door. Ino
lived nearby, apparently. Sakura wasn�t afraid any longer, but he waited until
she disappeared before returning to the inn.

Naruto looked up at the stairs for a while. He didn�t want
to go up to his room. He would not be able to sleep anyway. The demon could get
out and�

He cleaned the kitchen. Then, with nothing else do, he found
the rags and cleaned the floor of the dining room. Later, he tried to find some
sense in the engravings on the wall and failed, probably because he was tired.
There was nothing else to do, and after many minutes of restless napping at the
table, Naruto started upstairs. The demon wasn't taking over every time he fell
asleep, of course. He had small memory hole when that happened; Naruto thought
he was just drinking too much occasionally, because it was happening when he
was out. And the demon had taken over when he got a concussion. So his head had
to be... alerted somehow. And he was fine, healed and with only some milk and
cookies in his system. It was okay.

Once in his bed, freshly showered, Naruto couldn�t even
blink. He was beyond tired, but every time he�d try to close his eyes, horrible
pictures were flashing in front of them. Maimed bodies, dead people, sick
people, insane� They were walking the streets of Konoha in his head, walking
and searching for some justice, for a cure or for something to eat. Like in a
zombie movie. His hands were sweating, and Naruto kept wiping him off the
sheets, every time expecting to leave traces of blood. The hallway of his mind
kept appearing, with doors that opened into the Konoha�s past� Or what he was imaging
Konoha's past looked like.

He was wondering who was worse, the demon or that man that
whose son was possessed first. Where the demon came from, anyway? From the
backwoods of Konoha? From somewhere else, somewhere further away? Was the first
possession really an accident?

If Naruto managed to fall asleep, would he end up having
another conversation with the demon?� Or would he sneaking across the hallway,
with the intention to kill Sasuke? Kill, or maybe fuck him.

The demon said he liked his younger. But he didn�t mind the Subaru
family at all. Maybe it was lying, that�s what evil things did. Maybe it just
ultimately wasn�t all that picky.

Naruto stood up from his bed and put just his pants on.
Traveling light meant no pajamas; he never had much use for them, anyway. Not
bothering with the shirt, Naruto walked out, crossed the hallway and knocked on
Sasuke�s door. The answer came much sooner than he expected, Sasuke opened
them.

He was wearing pajamas and a shirt, groggy from the sleep
and completely unsurprised to see Naruto on his door in the middle of the
night.

�Can�t sleep.� Naruto told him.

�Of course not.� Sasuke sighed and moved to let him inside.
�I�ll take it it�s not the dark this time.�

Naruto walked into the dark room, a little amazed. He didn�t
expect Sasuke to let him in. He was just going insane, all on his own. He was
even looking forward to a fight over waking Sasuke up.

�This time?� He asked. �I�ve been doing this before?�

�You were always afraid to sleep alone at my house. For a
good reason, apparently.� Sasuke said, slipping back into his sheets. �Come on,
then. You woke me up.�

Come on, then? Just... come and sleep with me, it�s
perfectly fine? The guy was maybe sleepy and out of it, but was he fucking
insane? That would not be okay even he didn�t have a demon inside himself, just
waiting for an opportunity to take a bite of Sasuke�s head or� something?

�Er.� Naruto said. �I was hoping you�d keep me company for
awhile. It�s not really safe for me to... You know. Not be around.�

Sasuke opened his eyes again to look up at him from the
pillow. The bed seemed so comfortable and inviting, Naruto really wanted to
just climb inside. �Have you been drinking? Hitting the wall with your head?
Taking drugs?�

�No, of course not!� Naruto said, but he was relieved. He had
figured it out.

�Good. Then take some sleep, or you will be too tired and
fucked up to keep control tomorrow.�

Naruto closed his eyes, trying to think. He was overwhelmed
by the sinking sensation. �But��

�Naruto.� Sasuke snapped, this time not opening his eyes. �I
had a hard day, too. And that was after a very long night. Just get in.�

Yeah, they both had a hard day. It started with Naruto
finding out that his Godfather was dead. And after Sasuke made it through a
sleepless night, probably because of his fear. Naruto then spent the morning in
the police office, saw a dead person, they had a fight, Naruto�s demon tried to
rape and kill Sasuke, they had sugarless cookies and they are ending it in the
same bed. Really long day. Hard day. Naruto was in bed before he knew he had
decided to take Sasuke up on his offer.

It was warm and comfortable, and it smelled nice. Naruto
stared at the ceiling, wondering if it was really okay for him to care so much
about this guy and expose him like he was doing, alerted mind or not.

�Sasuke? Why are you being all friendly now? Why aren�t you
afraid of me any longer?�

Sasuke let out a hissing sound, annoyed. He was laying with
his back turned to Naruto. �I have no idea.�

It was clearly a lie; he just didn�t want to share. Naruto
wanted to ask more, make him explain, but Sasuke shifted a little closer.
Naruto, who wouldn�t have backed up even if he wasn�t so startled, found
himself with the face full of Sasuke�s hair.

He doesn�t know, my ass, Naruto thought. If that
gesture wasn�t a clear declaration of trust, nothing was. Sasuke apparently
couldn�t imagine Naruto letting the demon hurt him, not after that afternoon.
And maybe it also had a thing or two to do with Naruto giving him back Itachi�s
necklace in the woods earlier. Now, finally, Naruto could understand why he was
so upset when they had that fight earlier. With Itachi doing so much for him,
Sasuke was probably considering him his only family.

Naruto relaxed, breathing in Sasuke�s shampoo. It really was
okay, then. He would never let the demon hurt Sasuke; not if he was awake and not
if he was a sleep. Just like he didn�t before.

***

In the morning, all Naruto found was a note and the other
side of the bed empty. He would have felt exactly like a morning after, when
you wake up alone and cold just when you thought that something had clicked and
you found exactly what you were looking for. But the note short and was
painfully sobering.

�Wait there for Itachi to contact you.�

So Sasuke gave in and went home after all. Or maybe he took
off somewhere else? No, if he wanted to run, he wouldn�t have waited the entire
previous day and night around Naruto. What was it that his cousin said to him?
That fucked up family, so fucked up in every way. Naruto hated it� But if
Sasuke was away, at least he won�t be in danger.

Or maybe he will be in even more danger.

Naruto got out of the bed instantly. He had more fucking
questions, and he had to find someone who had the answers - maybe Kiba, Sakura
had said that Kiba was a believer - preferably before breakfast. Although by
the time Naruto was getting down the stairs, with the lovely smell of fresh
food welcoming him, breakfast itself sounded very good.
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