Sasuke fully expected to sleep the day away. By the time he blanked his mind long enough to doze off, there was a warning throb behind his eyes. The
sharingan didn't care that he hadn't used it intentionally or that using it had served absolutely no purpose. The fact remained that he'd had it activated for
hours on end, fully dilated for at least one of those hours. He knew from experience that sleeping it off was his only chance of avoiding a very nasty morning
after. So that was the plan. He hadn't expected his subconscious to join forces with the sharingan and conspire against him. Maybe he should have. The
night's encounter had disturbed him more than he'd been willing to admit, even to himself.
The dream wasn't that bad at first. It was like watching a silent movie through someone else's eyes, only he was vaguely aware that it wasn't a dream so much
as a replay. He was looking out of his own eyes and seeing what he hadn't been able to focus on last night. While the rogue had kept his mind dark and
distant, the sharingan had been working all out, recording everything it saw. And because his subconscious knew he was disturbed by the fogginess and
confusion of the encounter, it was determined to have the sharingan play it all back to him in detail. The only difference from his normal sharingan-induced
dreams was he actually felt aware of this one, knowing instinctively that he'd still remember it when he woke up.
He saw his drop from the window as clearly as if he were reliving it. He'd used that talent then, the same one he'd been experimenting with before the muddy
wrestling match with Naruto. He'd done it easily, instinctively making himself so light that he all but floated to the ground. He'd left no sign of impact on the
damp ground and as long as he were barefoot he knew he could do it again, just as instinctively.
He saw the rogue's energy, a pale blue with veins of violet, floating around the boy in a smokey haze. And when those blue eyes opened, he saw that energy
explode, momentarily blinding the sharingan as it flowed from the boy to him. He'd absorbed it, inhaled it even, giving the boy complete access to his already
vulnerable mind. He felt that rush of nauseating panic again, but distantly, because the sharingan was still recording what he'd been too stricken to see.
Their energies were incompatible. Something had gone wrong. He felt his heart falter as he collapsed, and saw the boy rush to catch him with enough honest
guilt and concern on his face that Sasuke knew he hadn't anticipated such a negative reaction. And he knew he'd never have been able to copy the boy's
talents, even if they'd met under different circumstances. It would go wrong like it had when Kakashi had copied the sharingan, only in his case the results
would be fatal.
He saw himself kneeling, for minutes on end. It was no wonder his eyes had ached so much. He'd been out of it longer than he'd realized, too far gone to even
blink, and the sharingan had remained fully activated the entire time. For all his mind manipulation, the rogue hadn't been able to deactivate the sharingan.
He'd made Sasuke activate it for that light jump from the window, but he hadn't been able to turn it back off.
He saw the rogue's energy shift as the boy soothed away the harm he'd inadvertently caused when he'd opened his eyes. Then his sight was cut off as that
hand slipped down over his eyes. And now he understood why the boy had done that. The boy couldn't manipulate him into turning off the sharingan, so he'd
blocked it manually. Sasuke felt a small touch of satisfaction at that; there was a limit to the boy's ability to control him, after all.
There was no sense of time passing before that hand moved away and he opened his eyes again. The sharingan was showing him what it had seen, and it
hadn't seen anything while his vision was impaired. The boy's energy was different now, lighter, weaker. He watched him back away, hesitate for a moment,
and then take to the sky. Sasuke's thoughts snagged at this. He clearly remembered talking to the boy after that, seeing him approach once more until those
blue eyes sent his mind spiraling back into thoughts of rogues and Itachi. Now he found himself staring at the place where the boy had been, at a hazy energy
silhouette with no substance whatsoever. It wasn't until Naruto entered his line of sight, walking slowly with dazed red eyes, that Sasuke understood.
He hadn't seen the rogue leave because his mind was still being manipulated. He'd seen what the boy wanted him to see. So when Naruto approached him, he
thought it was still the rogue. The sharingan saw what was really there, just Naruto surrounded by a tight sheen of his own ruddy orange energy and that
overlapping lavender silhouette. And then his mind went distant, just like it had at the time, because being gently pushed to the ground by Naruto was no
better than being pushed back by a stranger. In fact, it was even more humiliating. Besides, he already knew the rest of what had happened. He struggled to
wake up, distracted by confusion and frustration over the rogue's actions - why had the boy kept him from realizing it was Naruto, why had he even used
Naruto, why had he sufficed with a secondhand kiss when he'd had complete control over him, why hadn't he at least made him close his eyes so he wouldn't
have to see it if he'd known all about his sharingan induced dreams? Then he was drawn back, feeling the sharingan focus just as it had when he'd finally
regained control over his own mind again, and he was staring into vivid red eyes right above his own. Only this time those eyes weren't Naruto's.
Sasuke woke with a ragged gasp, knees drawn up, teeth clenched, his knife - the only weapon he'd ever carried - raised so the blade was almost pressing his
cheek. He let out a hissed curse and closed his eyes tight, hating the sharingan, Itachi, and mostly himself. Maybe the rogue was right and he really did have
few experiences that didn't make him think of Itachi, but, damn it, he didn't want to see that. He hadn't thought of him when he'd come to in that field. He'd
recognized Naruto instantly. The only thing he'd thought when he saw those familiar red eyes was that Naruto's lips were soft. And what the hell was Naruto
doing kissing him? Itachi had been the furthest thing from his mind, damn it. He leaned tighter over his knees; between the throbbing in his head and that
fucking dream he knew he was going to be sick. He clenched his teeth so tightly his jaw ached nearly as much as his head. Not for the first time, he seriously
considered gouging his eyes out. Everything would be so much simpler that way.
"Eh," a sleepy voice murmured. "I didn't know you had wet dreams about your brother. That's not healthy, you know."
Sasuke's head snapped up, the sharingan blazing to life and locking on the pudgy brown form curled at the foot of his bed. He stared for one horrified
moment, his face absolutely white. Then he bared his teeth and lunged forward with the knife, with only one thing in mind. Decapitation.
.-.
Naruto was having a really bad morning. He'd woken way too early, for one thing, with the desperate need to take a bath because the walls were way too thin
to take care of his...problem...with Sasuke in the next room. No matter how much Kyuubi liked to call him a closet prude, Naruto considered himself pretty open
minded for his age. He'd had a pervert in his head since puberty. A pervert with an imagination nearly as active and vivid as his own. Kyuubi was considerate
enough to keep some of his dreams to himself, like the ones he'd had about Iruka which Naruto did not want to see, let alone participate in. And some of the
more disgusting 'stalking' dreams Kyuubi had where he hunted and mutilated jerks like Sven in animalistic semi-bestiality fashion. Naruto was only aware of
those because he'd demanded an explanation when he occasionally woke up with the urgent need to vomit his guts out. The fox kept those disgusting
fantasies to himself and Naruto invited the fox to share his own more upbeat and enjoyable dreams. So when they both had the same person in mind, their
combined dreams were typically intense. Naruto still preferred to blame the pervert for putting the thoughts into his head in the first place. As far as Kyuubi
was concerned, they should have been having sex at thirteen. The fox was a really bad influence on an already hormone ridden teenager and that was that.
Naturally, following the bath they were starving. That was Kyuubi's MO - sex followed by food. And since they weren't actually having sex yet, that meant twice
as much food to make up for it. Naruto figured some of that was his own body telling him to feed it so he could finally get that growth spurt he'd been working
on for the last year. He could swear he'd already grown an inch in the last few months, so he didn't really mind being constantly hungry. It was just easier to
gripe at Kyuubi for his need to feed rather than go back to sleep. What Kyuubi really wanted was food he could hunt down and eat raw, and knowing that put a
damper on Naruto's otherwise enthusiastic hunger.
He'd swayed his way downstairs, trying to be quiet so he wouldn't wake Sasuke up again, and griping at his fox for being such a horny pig. Then he entered
the kitchen to find an even bigger pervert sitting at the table. His mood went from bad to worse. He'd forgotten Iruka wasn't home and now he was alone in the
kitchen with a pervert who couldn't even cook him breakfast like a responsible adult. He was just glowering his way to the cabinet, hoping to find some
microwavable oatmeal or something, when a poof sounded behind him.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the little dog who'd appeared in a small poofing cloud of smoke. Pakkun skidded three feet before coming to a stop, his fur
bunched around his shoulders and his beady eyes flying to Kakashi. If a dog could be pale, the mutt would have been ash white. Kakashi guessed the
problem immediately. He was already in front of the kitchen door, sharingan uncovered, when Sasuke burst into the room. His eyes took in the livid
uncontrolled fury, the knife, and the way Sasuke only had eyes for the terrified dog. He immediately darted forward to disarm him.
He grabbed the wrist with the knife, wrenching it behind Sasuke's back, and used the same talent he'd been thinking of to soundproof the house. It was the
only talent he knew of that was non-fatal but still powerful enough to knock Sasuke off his feet and keep him there. He'd gotten it from a skittish man in
Germany a few years back, the ability to make whatever he touched increase in density - or whoever he touched weigh so much that gravity alone would level
the person. Sasuke went straight down. Kakashi followed, his disappointed gaze locked on that knife.
"I thought I told you to leave that in your room," Kakashi sighed.
Sasuke barely heard him, his red eyes locked on the cowering dog. The crushing weight had flattened him on his stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs,
but he managed to gasp enough in to hiss out a livid, "I'm going to kill him!"
Kakashi looked up from the prone teenager, his expression exasperated and slightly annoyed. "Pakkun. What have I told you about sneaking into Sasuke's
bed while he's asleep?"
"Don't do it," Pakkun mumbled, looking as guilty as a scared dog could look. "I was cold, is all. I didn't think he'd get so mad..."
Two growls started at that excuse. Kakashi had expected as much from Sasuke, but Naruto's reaction caught him by surprise. His eyes snapped over just in
time to see the boy's eyes flash from blue to red, a thick orange energy flaring around him in a strange pattern that almost looked like a pointy eared cat.
Then Sasuke moved under him, shoving himself up on one arm and snapping his head back so fast Kakashi barely managed to jerk back in time to keep his
nose from being broken. He promptly focused back on the more dangerous teenager in the room and doubled the weight holding Sasuke down. His eyes
widened when it took a few tense seconds before Sasuke's arm gave out.
"You've learned a new trick," Kakashi blinked in surprise. Something to counter the extra weight? Either that, or Sasuke had gotten a lot stronger since the last
time he'd been forced to use this talent against the impulsive brat. "I still want that knife. You'll get it back this evening."
Sasuke tightened his grip on the knife, using that crushing talent he'd copied from Kakashi on their first meeting. The only way anyone would get that knife
from his hand was by tearing his fingers off. He was vaguely aware of the fact that he'd almost gotten free. Despite the disgusting ending of that dream, it had
been useful. He'd almost made himself light enough to counter the extra weight Kakashi was giving him. But that thought just made him even angrier. He hated
this talent. Kakashi never used it when he was looking at him, so he couldn't even copy it. And the bastard knew how much he hated being immobilized like
this. Suddenly he didn't know who he was more angry with, Kakashi or the dog. Since he couldn't turn his head enough to see Kakashi, he let the dog take the
brunt of his glare. And so he had a clear view when Naruto suddenly pounced the mutt and Pakkun yiped and disappeared in a small cloud of his signature
smoke.
Sasuke blinked, too surprised by what the sharingan saw to be angry that his prey had just escaped. Naruto's hands had curled into sharp nailed claws, one
of which held a few strands of tan dog hair. His teeth were bared, showing the overly sharp points. And his energy was a thick roiling red, forming a distinct
animal like outline, complete what might have been a tail. Furious red eyes snapped toward him, but higher. Naruto was looking at Kakashi, who, Sasuke
realized, had almost managed to get his knife while he was distracted. He tightened his grip without a second thought.
"Get off," Naruto growled, his tone thick.
Kakashi spared the wild kid one semi-bored look. Now that Pakkun had made his escape, it was only a matter of minutes before Sasuke came to his senses. It
was being woken up by a perceived threat that made the brat so dangerous. Although, usually Sasuke didn't react quite this badly. Pakkun must have said
something stupid to make an already dangerous Sasuke into a deadly furious Sasuke. Dumb dog. He never learned.
"In a minute," Kakashi said to Naruto. "Sasuke's not thinking clearly at the moment. He's a little dangerous when he's half asleep."
He turned his attention back to Sasuke, wondering worriedly if he'd have to increase the pressure on the brat to get him to let go. The talent wasn't deadly by
itself, but too much weight could cause internal damage. It would be better to wait him out. The scent of fresh shampoo caught his nose and saved him from
getting a hole punched in his face. Kakashi jumped back, his instincts once more taking over in the place of actual thought. Suddenly he wasn't so sure that
Sasuke was the more dangerous teenager in the room. But even Naruto was still just an impulsive kid. Kakashi caught the boy's arm and repeated the exact
thing he'd done to disarm Sasuke, jerking the kid's arm behind his back and applying enough gravitational force to flatten the silly brat.
It didn't work. Kakashi's eyes widened, the sharingan dazed by the bold reddish orange energy so close to his face. Naruto's knees buckled for a moment and
then that energy flared higher and the boy stayed on his feet. He'd forgotten to take the kid's abnormal strength into account. Even with both hands and the
extra weight, he could barely keep him still. And he'd forgotten all about Sasuke. Kakashi's expression twisted into a grimace as he spotted the dark-haired
boy climbing to his feet and turning to glare at him.
"Now, boys," Kakashi said quickly, with a very weak grin. "Two against one is hardly fair."
Sasuke gave a soft snort and flicked his wrist, tossing the knife at Kakashi's face. Kakashi released Naruto and jumped back, catching the blade before it
could bury itself right between his eyes.
"Take it," Sasuke muttered. His eyes faded back to black and he stepped over to lean against the wall. He slid his way down until he was sitting on the floor,
his head falling to his knees. "Go for a walk or something."
"A-ah," Kakashi blinked. A slow smile came to his face as he watched Sasuke's shoulders slump, those eyes dimming until he looked like his typical 'dead on
his feet in the morning' self. Naruto had calmed down, too, that energy of his fading out along with the red in his eyes. The blonde was looking between him
and Sasuke in confusion. Kakashi waved a hand at him. "Try not to burn the house down, eh? I'll be back later."
"Sorry," Sasuke muttered, staring vacantly with his chin propped tiredly on his knees.
Kakashi's smile widened. It always got him how quickly his brat went from psychotic to cute when he was sleepy. He waved a dismissive hand, "Don't worry
about it. I know you can't help it. And I will give this back tonight," he waved the knife in parting.
Naruto turned to watch the pervert leave the room. He was still feeling disoriented, all the recent adrenaline making him heady and hungrier than ever. He
slowly turned to frown down at Sasuke. And he sent a slightly resentful glare in Kyuubi's direction. The fox merely sniffed.
'They deserved to be eviscerated,' Kyuubi said stubbornly. 'Both of them.'
'Maybe,' Naruto muttered. 'But at least give me some warning before you pull a stunt like that. I would have helped. You didn't have to take control like that.'
Kyuubi looked away, his tone just a tad apologetic. 'I didn't stop to think about it. It was instinct.'
'You and your pouncing,' sighed Naruto. 'Good thing that dog poofed out of here. I thought you were gonna eat him for a second there. You're both canines,
you know. That'd make you a cannibal.'
That managed to get a surprised reaction from the fox. Naruto left him to think about that for now. Sasuke looked completely out of it, small and tired, and he
was a little wary about approaching him. He stopped two feet away and cleared his throat. "Um, you okay?"
"Fine."
He didn't sound fine. Naruto glowered at what he was starting to see as Sasuke's general dismissal. Burned his hand? Fine. Got crushed by what felt like the
entire house falling on his back when the pervert did that weird talent thing on him? Fine. Yeah, that was definitely Sasuke's catch phrase. He dropped down
to squat on the floor so they were at eye level. Sasuke's eyes were glazed, not really focused on anything, and the whites were lined with red veins as if he'd
been crying or suffering from an all nighter. It reminded him of Iruka first thing in the morning. His arms were wrapped loosely around his legs, and Naruto's
eyes were drawn to the bruises that were already forming around his right wrist, the one that'd had the death grip on the knife.
"That bastard...!"
Sasuke followed Naruto's outraged stare. He snorted softly when he realized what had set the boy off. "It's fine," he sighed. "I'd have used it on him if he
hadn't."
Naruto glowered at getting another 'fine', but gave a grudging nod. Sasuke had been a little...violent...when he'd come bursting into the kitchen. "For
protecting the dog?"
"For touching me," said Sasuke. He gave a vague frown at Naruto and started to push his way back to his feet. "Don't ever touch me when I'm half asleep."
"Oh," Naruto blinked. "Okay, sure." He stepped back, watching Sasuke lean against the wall as if he were about to fall asleep standing up. "Um, maybe you
should go back to bed for a while."
"No," Sasuke said sharply, tensing, his eyes flashing red for a second. He forced the sharingan away. He wasn't about to risk having another dream as sick as
the last one. No, he'd much rather be awake and miserably tired than risk that. He shoved away from the wall and made his way over to the kitchen cabinets.
"I'll make something for breakfast," he muttered. "You stay away from the stove."
Naruto bristled at the reminder of the last time they'd been alone in the kitchen together. Honestly, he was too happy at the idea of breakfast to complain. But
Sasuke still didn't have to be such a jerk about it. He stalked over and hopped onto a stool. And he frowned when Sasuke poured himself a cup of coffee
before pulling out a skillet.
"Hey," said Naruto, "does that taste good black?"
"No."
Naruto's face twisted in confusion. What was the point if it didn't taste good? Then again, Iruka drank his black in the mornings, too. He got up with a
determined expression on his face. "If you can drink it black, so can I."
Sasuke gave him one vague look, raising an eyebrow at the challenging tone. Then he turned back to the stove, intent on replicating the omelet Iruka had
made the day before. "Do what you want."
"I will," Naruto sniffed. And when he settled back on his stool with a steaming cup of black coffee, and the first sip burned his tongue and made him grimace, he
was very glad Sasuke wasn't looking at him. The stuff was nasty. If this was drinking it like a man, he'd rather be a teenager. Kyuubi snickered in his head.
Naruto glowered at the fox and went back to sipping the foul stuff while he waited for the food. At least Sasuke seemed to know his way around the kitchen.
He'd been half afraid he'd end up starving or running across town to Hiko's before Iruka came back. Then he remembered why he was so hungry in the first
place. He blushed and ducked his head, hiding behind the coffee cup and doubly glad Sasuke was too distracted to notice him staring. He'd never had the
subject of one of his fantasies right in front of him the morning after. He kinda liked it...
.-.
PART 16
.-.
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