Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Bottled Memories	By : AvangalineHazel Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1087 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own naruto r any of its characters. I also make no money from this fiction

Chapter List
- 1-Bottled Memories
- 1
Blue eyes peeked curiously through the gap in the door leading to Fugaku Uchiha’s study. Naruto had been wandering the Uchiha mansion for a good fifteen minutes looking for his father and when he had heard his angry voice coming from the study, a place Fugaku had told him he was never to enter, he had crept down the hall to see what was going on.
The gap in the door was only tiny, just large enough to look through but small enough for both men to think that it was securely closed and that there was no chance of anyone spying on them. However because the gap was so minuscule Naruto had to keep shuffling around whenever the conversation changed hands and he was worried that someone would hear him.
A voice in his mind that sounded suspiciously like his best friend Sasuke told him that he shouldn’t be eavesdropping on their fathers, that he should be respecting his elders privacy and allowing them to talk in peace but his six year old curiosity got the better of him just like it always did.
“I can’t believe you would be this harsh on them Fugaku, their just children,” Minato growled with his head in his hands as if he couldn’t bear the sight of the Uchiha sitting on the other side of the darkly stained antique desk, “you are ripping them apart for nothing.”
“You know just as well as I do that their energies are already beginning to merge,” Fugaku said calmly as if Minato’s slowly rising anger wasn’t bothering him, “I love you like a brother Minato, you know that, but I can’t have Sasuke gallivanting around with your son. It’s too dangerous that this merging might become something more.”
“But their best friends,” Minato implored, “and if you’re right about this and their energies really are bonding then you know what will happen. You can try and keep them apart however you like but they will always find a way back to each other and if they can’t it will harm their spirits, their souls will grow to be empty. I can’t let you do that, not to my son and not to your own.”
“You’re going against Fate, Fu and you might be an Uchiha but even you aren’t that powerful, you can’t expect to fight Fate. They’ll be brought together time and time again because that is what the world has destined for them.”
“Sasuke is a strong boy, I believe he’ll survive and Naruto will have you to comfort him,” Fugaku wasn’t giving and inch in this argument and chose to ignore Minato’s comment about Fate. He knew too well that doing this was going against their practices and he would most likely pay for it later but he would deal with that when it happened, “I can only hope that by removing them from each other now that in time Sasuke will come to find another, someone more suitable.”
Minato stood from his seat and slammed his hands onto the top of Fugaku’s desk and Naruto’s eyes widened as the tension in the room suddenly became more palpable and the hushed tones of both men quickly grew in anger and volume, “what do you mean someone more suitable, is my son not good enough for you and your ridiculous Uchiha standards!”
Fugaku began to ground his teeth as he stood as well, giving Minato glare for glare, “it’s not like that Minato, your son has incredible promise and I would be only too glad to strengthen the bonds between our families. It’s just that he is your son, nothing more and nothing less.”
Minato stared at Fugaku for a few moments, not understanding what his friend was saying at first but then gasped and took a shocked step back, knocking over his chair, “F-Fugaku you can’t be serious.”
Fugaku said nothing, just stared at Minato with the same serious expression that he always wore and watched as Minato moved further and further away from him, his hands slowly raising to cover his mouth that was hanging open.
“Y-you are really serious about this aren’t you,” Minato whispered but then his face became flushed as he lost his temper, “you won’t let our sons be happy with each other because you’re a fucking homophobic jerk who cares more about his dumb pride then the happiness of his own child!!!!!!!!”
“I'm doing what I'm doing for Sasuke and his happiness, you know he’ll be shunned by the rest of the Uchiha clan if I allow this to go any further,” Fugaku growled, stepping around his desk and advancing on the stunned Namikaze, “do you think he’ll be happy if his entire family hates him? Do you think the love Naruto gives him will be enough to replace that? I don’t and I'm not willing to risk it.”
“And do you think he’s going to be sane enough to even care what his family thinks when he is alone and empty and everyone else around him has found their other half? If their connection is already as strong as you say it is then separation isn’t an option anymore,” Minato shook his head and made to leave the room, “you know that as well as I do.”
Fugaku grabbed Minato’s arm to stop him from leaving, “I’ve made precautions against that, Sasuke will not mourn the loss of Naruto if he doesn’t remember him,” Fugaku grated out, “it’s the only option I have and if your smart you’ll consider the same for Naruto, my family will assist you if you like.”
Minato ripped his arm from the Uchiha’s grasp, “never, how could you even think I would ever so that to my child, how could you ever think of doing that to your own. You’re going to rip two years of his life from his memory like its nothing,” the blonde rubbed at the spot on his arm where Fugaku had touched him as if it burnt, “this is wrong Fu, somewhere in your heart you have to know that.”
“Then Naruto will spend the rest of his days pining for someone who will never even remember him,” seeing the he wasn’t going to get through to the passionate blonde Fugaku turned away from him and headed back to his desk to sit down, “I’ve got nothing left to say Minato and I don’t have to justify myself to you., I’m doing what I think is right just as you will do what you think is right like you always have. After today I never want to see you or your son again, this will be that last day that Naruto and Sasuke ever spend together and deep down you know there’s nothing you can really do to stop me so why try.”
Naruto’s eyes widened as Fugaku uttered those last few words. The little blonde hadn’t understood much of the conversation, didn’t know what the two men meant when they were talking about bonding and energies and Fate but he had certainly understood the last part and both panic and defiance blossomed in his chest immediately after hearing it.
Not caring if he made any noise or not Naruto moved away from the door and ran back the way he had come. The halls of the Uchiha manor became a blur as Naruto ran as quickly as his little legs would carry him, determine to get to Sasuke before someone took the raven away from him forever. He was definitely not letting the raven leave him without a fight.
Naruto ran until he reached the playroom where he and Sasuke spent most of their time, panting as he threw open the door and slammed it behind him and leaning against it, taking a moment to catch his breath and formulate a plan to protect Sasuke and himself from Fugaku.
“Naruto what are you doing, why are you panting?”
Naruto looked across the room to where Sasuke was sitting by the window, staring at him with a confused look on his face and the puzzle that he had been doing momentarily forgotten on the table beside him.
Naruto let out a sigh of relief when he saw the raven, thankful that he had, had a head start and was able to get to Sasuke before anyone else could.
Realising that he didn’t have any time to waste and that someone could show up at any minute to take Sasuke away Naruto sprang into action and quickly locked the door to the playroom even though he knew Sasuke’s parents had a key, he just hoped Fugaku would have to spend some time finding it.
With the door locked Naruto ran over to Sasuke and pulled the slightly befuddled raven to his feet, his mind desperately trying to think of a way to better protect them and pouncing on the first solid idea he had, “hey let’s build a fort alright? Against the door!”
The little blonde tried to make his voice sound as light and happy as it always did, hoping that he could convince Sasuke that this was all just a game so the Uchiha wouldn’t keep wasting time by asking him if he was alright or not.
He knew he had failed though when he began pulling at Sasuke’s hand to try and get him to participate and the raven planted his feet firmly, refusing to budge until he got some answers as to why his best friend, who was perfectly fine when he had left to find his father, was now in a state of total panic.
Naruto looked back at Sasuke and flinched when he saw the look in the ravens eyes, knowing he was going to have to spend precious moments explaining himself, “what’s wrong with you dobe? You know our parents don’t’ like it when we move the furniture around since one of us could get hurt so why would you even mention a fort? And you still haven’t told me why you were so out of breath before and I also want to know why you seem so scared.”
“Because your dad said he was going to take you away from me, I heard him say it,” Naruto sobbed, “I have to protect you Sasuke. He told my dad that we weren’t allowed to be friends anymore, he said he was going to make you forget me!”
“And how will a fort help that?” Sasuke asked calmly, not really understanding what Naruto was going on about but wanting to calm him down all the same. The youngest Uchiha figured that if he asked questions then not only would Naruto eventually calm down because he would be forced to think but he would also get some more information as well and hopefully figure out what his blonde friend was ranting about.
“Because if we build it against the door then no one will be able to get in, nothing will be able to get us,” in his desperation Naruto flung himself at Sasuke and held onto the Uchiha as tight as he could, “your my best and only friend Sasuke, I don’t want you to forget me. Promise you won’t forget me.”
Sasuke returned the blondes desperate embrace, struggling for breath due to Naruto’s tight hold and felt fear blossom in his chest when he realised that the blonde was shaking, clearly shaken up by whatever he had overheard their fathers talking about.
Would his father really take Naruto away from him and if he would then why?
Sasuke blinked as he was pulled back into a memory from only a few days ago when he had asked his mother and father at the kitchen table if it was okay for him to marry Naruto since all the girls he knew were crazy and Naruto was his favourite friend.
He remembered how his father had become so cold at hearing that and how his normally gentle mother had gotten so angry. He remembered the look in Itachi’s eyes as his brother ate his cereal; silently begging him to keep his mouth shut or pretend that it was all a joke.
Could that be why his dad wanted to take Naruto away? If that was the case the little raven couldn’t begin to understand it. After all didn’t people who love each other get married wasn’t that why his parents were married? He loved Naruto; the blonde was his best friend ever and his most precious person. Was there something wrong with that, had he brought all of this about because he loved his blonde?
Sasuke's musings and his hug with Naruto was interrupted when someone jiggled the doorknob and then began to furiously knock on the door when they realised it was locked, “Sasuke open this door! Naruto!!”
Sasuke hugged the blonde tighter at the sound of his father’s angry voice, especially when he said Naruto’s name with such hate, “we’ll move the chest of draws first,” Sasuke said quietly to the now softly crying Naruto, not wanting his father to hear their plan, “it will be heavy but it’s the best chance we’ve got.”
Naruto lifted his head from Sasuke's shoulder and sniffled slightly before teary blue eyes hardened with determination. He would protect Sasuke and Sasuke would protect him, that was how it was and the way it would always be.
***
As the two six year olds went to work fortifying the door on the other side of the wood Fugaku Uchiha stood fuming, trying with all his might to glare a hole through the door. He knew Naruto was in there with his son and that the blonde had stumbled across his conversation with his father.
Fugaku turned away from the door to see the elder Namikaze leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed and an I told you so look on his face.
So I can’t keep the boys apart, so they will always find their way to each other and fate will help them, Fugaku thought, bitterly recalling Minato’s words from earlier, well we’ll just see about that now wont we.
Fugaku turned on his heal and stormed off back down the hall to fetch his key to the playroom, all the while the feeling of Sasuke and Naruto bonding and growing stronger together following him closely and urging him on.
***
Sasuke and Naruto deposited the last piece of furniture that they could carry against the door before finally falling to the ground panting. Nothing had been spared during their frantic rush to barricade the door before Fugaku returned with the key and now the room that had been pristine and perfectly organised only that morning now lay in shambles.
The puzzle that the pair had been working on all morning now lay scattered across the floor so the table it had been resting on could be put to better use. The cupboards had been all been emptied and their contents lay in piles everywhere so the shelves could be added to the barricade and make the heavy cupboards easier for the small boys to move. The pair had even managed to pushed the couch that they usually sat on when watching movies and playing video games all the way across the room to add to their protection.
Sasuke looked up at the gargantuan monument of furniture he and Naruto had created and then at the blonde who was leaning against it panting, “You know that will only hold him off for so long. We have to think of something else.”
Naruto opened his blue eyes halfway to gaze at Sasuke. He knew the raven was right but right now he couldn’t bring himself to move. His arms felt like jelly from all the lifting he and Sasuke had done and he didn’t know if his little legs would hold him.
Finally crawling over to Sasuke, Naruto leant over him and looked down at the raven, his blue eyes filling with tears. He didn’t want to lose Sasuke; he didn’t know what he would so without his friend by his side all the time. Reaching into his bright orange shirt Naruto pulled out a necklace his grandmother Tsunade had given him before she died. She had told him that it would always protect him and he wore it always.
The blonde slipped the blue crystal over his head before pulling Sasuke up and slipping it over his head. Sasuke looked down to where the crystal rested against his shirt and then up at Naruto in confusion, “why are you giving me your grandmothers crystal Naruto, you never take it off.”
“Because in case we get separated I want you to have it, that way you can never ever forget me because now you’ll be the one who never takes it off,” despite of the horror of being separated looming over them Naruto gave Sasuke a blinding smile.
Sasuke grasped the crystal in his hand and lifted his to his face to watch how it glinted in the light. Looking at it he felt an odd sense of warmth and safety wash over him, as if someone had just wrapped their arms around him and told him everything would be okay.
Sasuke startled when he felt Naruto’s hand wrap around his so they were both holding the crystal. Taking it from Sasuke’s hand the blonde carefully tucked it away beneath his friend’s dark blue shirt to keep it safe and hidden from Fugaku, “promise me you’ll never take it off and you won’t let your dad see it.”
“I promise Naruto and thank you. I know how much this necklace means to you,” Sasuke put his hand over his heart where the crystal now rested against his skin, “we have to get out of here Naruto.”
“I was just about to say the same thing little brother.”
Both boys turned wide eyes to the window to see Sasuke's older brother Itachi climbing through with a backpack and their shoes in his hands. Once inside the older raven beckoned the boys over to him and held out the backpack, “I’ve put some things in here that you will need. Sasuke I want you to take Naruto out into the woods and hide until I can speak to father and get him to calm down.”
Itachi watched as the boys got up and came to him hesitantly, his dark eyes leaving them now and then to glance at the door half expecting to see his father breaking it down. He had heard the commotion his father had created from his room and had come out to investigate. Neither his father nor Minato had spoken to him but as soon as the Namikaze looked at him he had known what was going on.
His mother and father weren’t the only ones that had felt the growing connection between Sasuke and Naruto, the energy of their bond permeated the air of the mansion long after they were separated and Itachi found himself revelling in the warm atmosphere, often going to the playroom after the younger boys had left it to surround himself in the warmth they left behind.
So he had decided to help the boys in any way that he could. He was of much the same mindset as Minato and believed that they shouldn’t be separated. H didn’t care who Sasuke loved and would grow to love deeper, he just wanted his brother to be happy and be free to be himself.
He was hoping that once he got his brother and little Naruto safely out of the house that he could calm his father down and make him see that allowing Sasuke to be happy would have no effect on his standing in the Uchiha community. He needed to make his father see that he was his heir and that he would take on anything that his father required of him onto his shoulders so his younger brother could be free to do what he pleased with himself.
After helping both boys put their shoes on and adjusting the straps of the backpack on Sasuke's shoulders Itachi jumped back out of the window before turning back and holding his arms up to help the boys down. It may have only been a first story window but the boys were only small and Itachi didn’t want them hurting themselves.
Naruto came first and the blonde eagerly jumped into the ravens arms, giving Itachi’s legs a quick hug before stepping back so the taller boy could catch the slightly more hesitant Sasuke, “there are some caves about fifteen minutes that way,” Itachi pointed as he set Sasuke down and knelt to their level, “I want the two of to stay there until I come and get you. You mustn’t come out for anyone else, understand?”
Both Naruto and Sasuke nodded before running off to the back gate so they could get to the caves but after they had taken a few steps Sasuke turned and ran back to his brother, not stopping until he had his arms around the elders neck and the elder returned the hug, holding the small warm bundle against him for a moment.
Sasuke placed a wet kiss on Itachi’s cheek as he pulled away, “thankyou big brother.”
Itachi smiled softly before placing his own kiss atop Sasuke’s head but jumped and looked at the window when he heard someone bang on the door to the playroom before shouting in frustration. Clearly Fugaku had just discovered the boy’s clever little barricade.
Itachi looked back to his little brother whose eyes were widening as more noises spilt from the room and the furniture they had stacked up began to groan under the strain of keeping the eldest Uchiha back, “run Sasuke.”
Sasuke looked up at the window one last time before following Itachi’s orders and running away, grabbing Naruto’s hand as he passed the waiting blonde and pulling him out of the back gate and into the woods behind the mansion.
Itachi stood up once the boys were out of sight and dusted off his pants before closing the window from the outside and sneaking back the way he had come. He didn’t want Fugaku finding out what window out of the many in the playroom that the boys had gone through since that could give him a slight hint to what direction they had gone.
It wasn’t likely that it would have much difference though, his father was strong but his skills as a tracker were less than useless. He normally had Minato help him with that kind of thing and Itachi knew that he would certainly be getting no help from that department.
Just as Itachi was about to turn the corner and head back to his own window he heard a sound that was peculiar yet all too familiar to him. It sounded as if a thousand birds had suddenly begun chirping.
Looking back the window of the playroom Itachi saw a blue light before there was an explosion and a few wood splinters hit the glass. The raven blinked and then the blinked again, not really believing what he had just witnessed.
His father, whom he had previously thought to be of perfectly sound mind before this incident, had just used Chidori, an incredibly powerful and incredibly dangerous elemental technique in order to separate two children.
Itachi shook his head as he headed back to his window. With the amount of splinters he had seen hit the window either Sasuke or Naruto or both would have definitely been hurt if they had been in the playroom at that moment.
And what the hell was his father doing using such a technique in front of the boys anyway. They were only six and their laws dictated that no child should have any knowledge or part in the practices of magic and ancient Shinobi techniques that had been passed down from generation to generation until they were ten years of age.
In the twenty first century there was no need for Shinobi anymore, in fact the breed had died out a long time ago but many of their clans and skills had remained even though they had changed over time until it became much more like using magic more than techniques designed to kill people.
In ancient times they would have been called Shinobi or ninjas but in modern times they were more like witches or warlocks or whatever name you deemed to call them.
Either way they were powerful and had dominion over many of the natural occurrences of the earth and man as well as being able to access the realms of heaven and hell should they require. All it took was practice and hard work to learn what to do and how to do it.
Some clans, like his own, had even managed to keep their clan specific abilities or rather their Keki Genki. The Sharingan, his clan’s ability, had survived quite well and had even evolved somewhat through the ages. Itachi knew that, that was what his father planned on using to erase Sasuke's memories of Naruto and that his younger brother, with no Sharingan of his own yet, would have no defence against it.
Dismissing his thoughts Itachi jumped back through his window Itachi straightened his clothes and hair before going out into the hall to enter the fray.
***
Sasuke dropped the heavy bag onto the cave floor with a groan. Rotating his sore shoulder muscles the small raven wondered just what his brother could have packed in there to make it so heavy.
Kneeling down Sasuke opened the bag and smiled slightly. Itachi had a tendency to over pack and this time had been no different. The only thing really missing from the supplies his brother had given him was literally the kitchen sink and the youngest Uchiha suspected that the only reason his brother hadn’t packed one was because there wasn’t enough room in the bag.
Looking out to the mouth of the cave Sasuke saw Naruto standing there looking back at the way they had come. The little raven felt his ire rise, didn’t Naruto know that they were supposed to be hiding, not standing out in the open like morons where anyone could see them.
“Dobe what are you doing, get in here before someone sees you,” Sasuke snapped.
Naruto turned and strode into the cave with a pout on his face and plopped himself on the ground next to Sasuke. He hated it when Sasuke called him that, “I was just checking to see if anyone was following us, you don’t have to call me names teme.”
Sasuke felt a little guilty then for calling Naruto a dobe. All his friend had been trying to do was look out for them, “sorry Naruto, I just don’t want my dad to find us before Itachi even has a chance to talk to him.”
“Do you think that ‘Tachi can convince your dad to let us stay together,” Naruto asked nervously, shifting a little closer to the Uchiha and feeling immediately better when their legs touched.
“’Tachi is a genius Naruto, you know that,” Sasuke said as he reached into the bag, pulling out two water bottles and handing one to the blonde, “can you remember him ever failing at anything ever? I don’t think this time will be any different. ‘Tachi won’t fail us, he loves us.”
“I wish I had a brother like ‘Tachi,” the blonde said with his pout back in full force, “it would be nice to have someone there all the time like your brother is for you.”
“I'm here for you Naruto and you know Itachi will come running if you ever need him,” Sasuke said as he put his arm around his friend’s shoulders and cuddled into his warmth. It was hot outside but inside the shadow of the cave it was cold, “besides I don’t think Itachi would mind if we shared him.”
The boys fell into silence then, Naruto eagerly slurping on his water bottle after running so far while Sasuke just stared at his on his lap and fiddled with the crystal under his shirt.
The youngest Uchiha couldn’t help thinking that this entire mess was his fault and that if he had just kept his mouth shut then none of this would have happened. He felt guilty and it was weighing on his small shoulders tremendously.
“Naruto I'm sorry, this whole thing is my fault. I said something to my mother and father that I never should have and I'm pretty sure that’s why they don’t like you anymore and want you to go away,” Sasuke was hoping that his confession would lighten the load he felt pressing him down but all it did was make his chest feel unbearably tight as he waited to see if the blonde would hate him or not.
Naruto wiped away some stray water from his mouth with the back of his hand, staring at Sasuke in confusion, “what do you mean it’s your fault, what did you even say?”
“I asked my parents if it would be okay if I married you since I like you the best out of everyone that I know. They got really mad,” Sasuke looked at the ground ashamed, “I'm so sorry Naru,” Sasuke continued to look down, still afraid of his friend’s reaction but when the blonde didn’t say anything for quite some time Sasuke took a chance and glanced up at him through his dark bangs.
Naruto looked thoughtful, an expression Sasuke had never seen on the blondes face before, “you want to marry me?”
“Your my best friend, why wouldn’t I?”
Sasuke was expecting a lot of this from Naruto when he finally reacted but what he hadn’t been expecting was for the blonde to glomp him and yell his happiness right next to his ear, “seriously Sasuke? That would be awesome! Then we really would be related and ‘Tachi really would be my brother and our family would be huge!!”
Sasuke hugged the blonde back a little uncertainly at first but Naruto’s enthusiasm and giggles of joy were infectious and soon both boys were talking animatedly about how cool it would be if they were related and got to live together and see each other every day forever.
When the giggles finally subsided Sasuke gave Naruto another quick hug, “there was something I wanted to give you Naruto, ‘Tachi told me once that it’s something really important. It’s my way to make sure you won’t forget me either.”
“I could never forget you Teme,” Naruto beamed as he began to bounce up and down in his excitement at getting a gift from Sasuke, “what is it?”
Sasuke didn’t say anything for a moment, just shifted closer to the blonde and watched as inpatients grew in his features while he summed up his courage. Just as he was about to give Naruto his gift though he noticed something at the mouth of the cave, something that he recognised. Sitting there staring at them was a small brown pug dog who, upon seeing Sasuke notice him, began to bark loudly.
Naruto turned at the sound and paled to the same shade as the when he saw the animal. It was Pakkun, one of Kakashi’s dogs that he used for hunting and Kakashi, whether he liked it or not, was under the employ of the Uchiha family and so obligated to do as Fugaku asked which in this case was hunting down two children with dogs that were normally used to hunt and take down wild animals.
Kakashi soon came into sight of the two boys, his head hanging as the sound of running feet followed him, “I'm so sorry boys, please forgive me.”
Naruto stared at Kakashi, his young mind slow to process the situation they were now in but it became clearer when he felt Sasuke's arms wrap around him in a death grip and the raven whisper harshly into his ear, “I'm not letting you go Naruto, your mine.”
Naruto hugged Sasuke back, coming to a realisation of what was coming. Tears began to flow down his whiskered cheeks when he heard others enter the cave before someone grabbed his arm and tried to physically remove him from the raven.
The blonde winced when Sasuke's blunt nails bit into his arms in an attempt to hold on tighter and he couldn’t help the cry that spilt from his lips when a hand fisted in his hair, using it as a lever to rip him away from his best friend and throw him to the ground some meters away.
Naruto looked up from the dirt of the cave floor, watching as Fugaku grabbed a kicking and screaming Sasuke and held his two small hands in one of his own to stop his son from attacking him with his tiny fists, while Itachi and Kakashi stood off to the side, neither knowing what they could do to stop Fugaku.
Naruto felt a hand on his arm and looked away from the sight of Fugaku and Sasuke and met the sad blue eyes of his father seeing the hopelessness the man felt in them and the smaller blonde let out a low sob upon seeing his father like that. If his dad was giving up then that meant there really was no hope at all.
Minato wrapped his arms around his son and scooped the boy up, softly patting down his wild blonde hair as he stood and growling at Fugaku when his chibi winced and pulled away, “you’ll pay for hurting my son Fugaku.”
Fugaku smirked at his old friends empty threat, knowing that there was little he could do him for fear of the rest of the Uchiha clan stepping in, “get out of here Minato, and don’t you or your son ever dare cone back,” Fugaku warned as he continued to struggle with Sasuke.
Minato didn’t say anything, to concerned by the fact that Naruto was oddly quiet in comparison to the normally composed Sasuke who was throwing a full on tantrum. The only sign Minato had that Naruto was having any type of emotional reaction to this at all were the hot tears he could feel sliding down his neck where the boy had nuzzled into immediately after being picked up.
The elder Namikaze turned back to the mouth of the cave with his son clutched to his chest, whispering soothing words to the boy as he began to leave but stopped when he heard a particularly feral scream from Sasuke that sounded more like a war cry than anything else followed by a howl of pain from Fugaku.
Minato looked back just in time to see Fugaku drop Sasuke rather unceremoniously in favour of clutching his groin as he too fell.
The elder blonde couldn’t help the evil little cackle that escaped him at the sight. His old friend may have protected himself from his sons fists but he had forgotten about the fact that Itachi had been teaching the younger boys moves from his karate classes and that his youngest son had developed a hell of a kick.
Sasuke picked himself up off the ground almost immediately after falling, not wanting to risk his father getting a hold of him again. His side may have been throbbing and his ankle ached when he put pressure on it but he had more important things to worry about.
Minato turned and set Naruto down as Sasuke ran toward them smirking as Itachi made a half arsed attempt to detain his younger brother as his father had managed to demand from his sprawled position on the ground. Minato detached his son’s hands from his shirt as Itachi blatantly missed Sasuke and turning the confused blonde to face the other boy in time to have the raven collide with him and knock him to the ground.
Straddling the blonde Sasuke dipped down to press his lips to Naruto’s in a short chaste kiss, “it’s my first kiss Naruto. ‘Tachi told me that I could only give it to someone that I love. Don’t forget I gave it to you, don’t forget me.”
Naruto stared up at Sasuke, his blue eyes wide as he reached up and pressed his fingers to his lips as if he could still feel Sasuke there, “I-I won’t forget you, never ever.”
Sasuke smiled down at his best friend, watching him intently and allowing the moment to sink in, enjoying what would most likely be the last few moments they spent together until his calmed down and god only knew when that would be.
Sasuke felt an arm wrap around his waist and haul him off of the blonde and into the air. He knew it was his father, especially when he was deposited over a broad shoulder. He was slightly disappointed that his kick hadn’t put his father down for longer, just to cause the man some pain.
Separated from Naruto, Sasuke felt his chest tighten in panic and another round of screams building in his throat which he let loose with abandon. He wouldn’t hold back his emotions like a good Uchiha should, he would let them fly so his father knew how much this hurt him. Even if it was only small Sasuke hoped to cause a pang of quilt in his father’s usually cold heart.
Minato picked his son up again, the boy’s eyes still large and his expression bewildered after being kissed by the youngest Uchiha. Secretly Minato had thrilled at Sasuke’s actions and had watched with unaltered joy as Fugaku managed to get even paler as he watched their sons lock lips for the first time.
The elder Namikaze sighed as Naruto buried his tiny face in his shoulder and began to sob again. He knew that his chibi was watching over his shoulder as a still thrashing and screaming Sasuke got further and further away from them. Minato’s step faltered as he held his son tighter, “I'm sorry I couldn’t protect you Naruto, if I had have thought I could beat every Uchiha then I would have fought harder. The Uchiha are just to large a family, even for me, a direct descendant of the shinobi, to take on and bloody Kyuubi backed off as soon as he felt Fugaku getting mad. I swear what’s the point of being bonded with a demon if the thing is a fucking coward.”
Naruto didn’t really understand what his father was saying but he knew enough to know that his dad was blaming himself for what had happened and he wanted to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault. The smaller blonde buried his face into his father’s tanned neck and placed a soft kiss there; inhaling the calming scent that always surrounded the larger man.
Minato nuzzled his face into his son’s wild blonde hair that was so like his own as he continued to walk through the woods, “thank you for forgiving me chibi. Get some sleep okay, I’ll take us home.”
Naruto yawned, immediately feeling sleepy at his father’s command to rest. Nuzzling closer to the warmth of the chest he rested against Naruto closed his eyes and listened to the steady thump of Minato’s heartbeat, allowing it to lull him to sleep and drown out the now distant sound of Sasuke’s screams.
***
Mikoto glared at her husband as he stood in the doorway of their youngest son’s bedroom. She had returned home to find the place totally empty and the playroom, as well as a large portion of the hallway outside it, destroyed.
Looking for answers Mikoto had searched the house from top to bottom but had once again failed to come across another living soul to help her but just as she had been about to take her search outside the front door hand opened and in strode her husband carrying a struggling, crying Sasuke over his shoulder with a guilty looking Kakashi and a furious Itachi trailing behind.
Mikoto had been bewildered to start off with but when her husband had set their son down he had ran straight to her and through a garbled mess of tears and sobs had eventually managed to tell her what had happened.
So now she sat in Sasuke's room on his bed with her baby boy curled up in a ball on the blankets with his head on her lap, hiccupping as he slowly began to calm down.
Mikoto’s glare became darker as her husband took a tentative step into the room. She wanted nothing to do with him at the moment; he had made a horrible mess of the entire situation. Instead of handling things calmly and rationally like he usually did with most other things he had let Minato get under his skin and make him angry, going off half-cocked without even considering the plan they had come up with together.
Now her youngest child was so upset that he had made himself physically sick and Mikoto knew that it was more than likely that little Naruto wasn’t much better.
The Uchiha matriarch had to admit that she was worried about Naruto with no mother there to comfort him at a time like this even though she knew Minato would do all that he could and more for his son. She liked the little ball of sunshine and would have liked to see him off herself and make sure he was okay but she knew that the little kitsune had to go sooner rather than later and now that he was gone he couldn’t some back no matter what she wanted.
Sensing his wife’s slowly mounting anger Fugaku retreated from the room, knowing that she would take of their son and everything else from this point on, knowing that he could trust her to do what had to be done.
Mikoto gently lifted Sasuke’s head off of her lap and got up of the bed, ignoring her sons watery gaze following her as she closed the door and grabbed a bag that had been resting just inside.
Coming back to the bed Mikoto picked up Sasuke and the boy immediately wrapped his arms and legs around her. Bending down Mikoto pulled back Sasuke's blankets and set the bag on his nightstand before walking over and drawing his curtains.
Mikoto smiled as Sasuke continued to cling to her like a monkey as he moved about his room, collecting some pyjamas for him to wear and making sure the boys nightlight was within his reach. She was a mother and could do anything while her child clung to her, even if that child was as big as Sasuke was getting.
Mikoto took her son back to his bed and slowly helped her little raven out of his day clothes and into the pyjamas she had grabbed.
Sasuke didn’t question why his mother was dressing him for bed hours before his scheduled bedtime, he was so tired from all the crying that he had done that he wanted nothing more than to curl up in his big cosy bed with his mother by his side.
After her son was tucked in Mikoto picked up the bag she had placed on the bedside table and Sasuke watched curiously as she pulled out an ornate wooden box, “I found this when I went out today and I was going to wait until Christmas to give it to you but after everything that happened today I think you deserve a present,” Mikoto explained as she opened the box and took out the delicate piece of glass and set it on the table for Sasuke to see, all the while praying to the gods to forgive her for lying to her son.
Sasuke started at the artefact his mother had revealed to him in total awe. It was a glass bottle but it was like nothing the littlest Uchiha had ever seen before. It was incredibly tall and was in no way conventional in shape. It looked like someone had blown five bubbles and somehow connected them together, each getting smaller and smaller the taller it got. The fragility of the glass only seemed to add to the illusion that the bottle really was made out of bubbles.
The construction through wasn’t what interested the youngest Uchiha, what interested him was the engravings on the glass. Despite the thinness of the glass the artisan who had made the piece had managed to engrave incredibly detailed symbols upon his work, symbols that Sasuke recognised as the ancient language of the shinobi that his father had told him about in bed time stories.
Sasuke looked around his bedroom finally clicking as to why his mother had brought what could have been considered quite a girly present for him. Adorning his walls were many pictures of ninjas and he had a pile of stuffed toy animals wearing ninja outfits in one of his corners. His small bookshelf was full to the brim with comics that Itachi had brought from him, all of them involving ninjas in one way or another.
Sasuke couldn’t help the little smile that broke through his unhappiness. His mother had brought him something to indulge his obsession and with its age and beauty it would become the centrepiece of his growing collection.
Mikoto crawled onto the bed behind her son and hugged him close to her as he looked back at the bottle continuing to examine it. She knew it would fascinate him that was why she had chosen it. It would keep his attention for as long as she needed, “Sasuke, sweetheart, I know that your upset about Naruto but just think about all of the good times that you had with him. Aren’t they something to be happy for?”
Sasuke stiffened at the mention of Naruto’s name but then relaxed as his mother continues talking; his eyes fixed on the symbols on the glass bottle, not understanding anything other than the words jutsu, memory and sealing. It was strange combination but then again the shinobi had been strange people, magic users that they were.
“Think about all the fun times you had and all the things you learnt to do together,” Mikoto prompted gently as she ran her hands through her son’s messy hair and discreetly activating her Sharingan. She could have simply erased Sasuke's memory, in fact that had been the plan from the beginning when this whole situation had started but then her and her husband had realised that Sasuke had far too many memories of Naruto to just get rid of like it was nothing.
Two years was a long time and the youngest Uchiha had gathered so many memories through that period, most of them containing the blonde. It would have been far too dangerous to delete them. So they had come up with a plan to filter them, Mikoto would take Sasuke's memories and store them in the bottle she had, had specially made. The seals imprinted on the glass would keep the memories locked away but inaccessible to the raven so he would still have them but he would never be able to recall them. It was the only safe option they had.
All she needed to do was make Sasuke remember Naruto and use a slight variation of one of her Sharingan techniques to take them from him as he remembered them and place them in the bottle. It sounded complicated and it was. Not only that but it would exhaust Sasuke beyond anything he had ever felt before and he would most likely sleep for days which was why Mikoto had put him into his pyjamas.
As Sasuke began to get lost in his memories of his blonde friend Mikoto activated the sealing jutsu on the bottle and her memory jutsu, holding her son tightly as he began to convulse slightly as a result of having his memories taken.
It didn’t take long for Mikoto to finish her jutsu and eventually Sasuke's convulsions subsided and he went limp on the bed now unconscious, a small tickle of blood running down his lip from where he had bit it during the worst of the convulsions.
Mikoto let go of her son, tucking him back in and using the sleave of her shirt to gently wipe away her sons blood and a stray tear that she had noticed slip from the corner of his eye. Getting off the bed she quickly placed the bottle back in its case before leaving the room and making her way to the attic of her home, knowing that her husband would be waiting there for her.
They would place the bottle in the attic and then seal the place forever to keep it safe and away from Sasuke. They would tell him he was never allowed up there and he would listen to them because he was a good child and he would fear their punishment.
It was the only thing they could do for him, that’s what Mikoto told herself as she climbed the stairs, coming to the landing and seeing her husband waiting with the stairs to the attic already pulled down. All they could do was deceive Sasuke and take his memories.
Mikoto handed the wooden box over to her husband and watched him ascend into the attic. What she was doing wasn’t wrong, she was a mother and she would protect her child, even if her child never remembered that there was something he needed to be protected from.
***
A/N: So despite my complete lack of drawing ability and my scanner being broken I have tried to draw you guys a picture of the jar that Mikoto put Sasuke memories of Naruto in along with a picture of a perfume bottle I have that inspired it. I’ve put it here http://sitting-beside-you.deviantart.com/gallery/33195298#/d4crz5t so take a look and keep an eye out for other things popping up there now and again.
Also I know that Mikoto doesn’t possess the Sharingan and that a lot of the characters seem to be very OOC at the moment but this is AU/AR. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.
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Bottled Memories