Warnings: NaruSasuNaru smut, dash of KakaIru
Part 45
Iruka managed to put up a good front for Sai. It helped that the boy's eyes remained downcast the entire time he was healing him. The injuries also served as
a distraction. Like many fair-skinned people, Sai bruised quickly and vividly. The cut on his chest was upsetting, but it was the wide discoloration on his back
that Iruka found most disturbing. Naruto could have broken his back, damaged his spine, even left him paralyzed. Iruka felt horrible about that because a large
part of him wished Sai had succeeded in restraining Naruto. Kakashi seemed to think that since Sasuke hadn't run off to face or avoid his brother there was
nothing wrong with Naruto having chased after him. As if Sasuke's normal opponents weren't just as deadly. It wasn't just about Itachi. Iruka didn't want Naruto
getting involved in any of Sasuke's fights.
"What am I supposed to do?" Iruka asked, once he and Kakashi were back in his office. "I can't stand knowing he's out there, possibly being hurt at this very
moment. And I'm supposed to bring him with me tomorrow? I can't."
"I really doubt he intends to kill him," said Kakashi.
"Why?" Iruka didn't think Kakashi could say anything that would reassure him at this point. He still wanted him to try.
"For a number of reasons." Kakashi sat on the couch, leaving Iruka free to remain safely behind his desk or to join him. "That he invited you means he wants
something from you. He won't get it if he hurts Naruto. If he wanted to kill Naruto, he wouldn't ask you to bring him with you. He would have taken him without
warning. Instead of worrying about what he wants with Naruto, you should be concerned about what he wants with you. That hasn't even occurred to you, has
it?"
Iruka remained in the safe territory behind his desk. "If he wants something from me, it's obviously Naruto. He expects me to deliver him to him. I won't do that."
He couldn't. He wasn't even sure he could bring Sasuke with him. Given a choice, he would go alone, despite knowing that would only postpone the inevitable.
"Why did he ask me? He should have come here himself and done whatever it is he's here to do."
Kakashi suspected Itachi had done exactly what he had come here to do – set up a seemingly non-hostile meeting with his little brother and the people
currently involved in his life. What he intended to do at that meeting was anyone's guess. Perhaps Iruka was right to worry and the psycho intended to kill all
three of them right in front of Sasuke. Kakashi doubted it, though. That would be far too straight-forward and predictable for someone as openly crazy as
Itachi. "Maybe he invited you for the same reason Sai told Naruto he would be arriving tomorrow, so Sasuke would be warned into leaving the house."
"He told Naruto?! Is he insane? Why would he do that? He's supposed to be keeping him from getting involved, not encouraging him!"
So much for calming Iruka down. Kakashi winced. "I imagine he thought he would stop Naruto from following Sasuke. He did make an attempt earlier. Obviously
he isn't quite as up to the task as he thought."
The reminder of Sai's injuries, and the dent to the house Kakashi had described, had Iruka's mouth snapping closed. Naruto wouldn't have hurt him so badly if
he hadn't nearly succeeded in restraining him. At least Sai had tried, which was more than he could say for Kakashi. "You could have stopped him."
There it was. He didn't need to hear the accusative tone in Iruka's voice. He had proven once and for all that he wasn't dependable, that he couldn't be relied
on to shelter Naruto from the danger Sasuke brought with him. Because he didn't want to. Iruka was willing to throw Sasuke to the wolves in order to protect his
kid. Kakashi didn't blame him for that any more than he blamed himself for not feeling the same. "I warned Naruto that getting involved could lead to his death,
or at the very least make things much worse for Sasuke. He didn't care."
"He doesn't understand," Iruka cried. "Inside he's just a child who thinks if he tries hard enough everything will turn out fine. He's never had to face the real
world because he's never lived in it."
"Then it's past time he did." A harsh reality check was just what Naruto needed if he was going to have any sort of future with Sasuke. No matter how much
Kakashi might like Iruka and his kid, Sasuke was always going to be his first priority.
"That isn't up to you!"
"No," Kakashi agreed. "It's up to Naruto. As selfish and naive as he is, he's made his choice. Let him live with it. Right here in the real world with the rest of us.
Like it or not, Iruka, you can't shelter him forever."
"I can try."
And fail. Kakashi eyed the man sadly. Maybe Iruka needed to learn that lesson as badly as Naruto did. Sometimes you couldn't win no matter how hard you
tried. Kakashi had spent a month with nothing to do but come to terms with that cold fact of life. Sasuke had lived with it for years. At least Iruka and Naruto
would only have to face it for one day.
.-.
Naruto felt awkward removing his shirt in front of Lee, what with his admitted attraction and all. Unfortunately, Lee refused to accept that he wasn't injured until
he flashed him some skin. Sasuke glared daggers at the boy the entire time, which went a long way toward making Naruto feel better. He liked him being
jealous. It proved Naruto wasn't the only one with a possessive streak. He was still glad to have his ruined shirt back on. "I told you," he said to Lee. "I heal
fast, especially when Kyuubi's in control."
Naruto was sure half the reason Kyuubi was sleeping right now was because he'd healed every cut he'd gotten the moment it happened. His fox hadn't even
tried to learn how to shield, so he must have had to do a lot of healing. Naruto blamed Sai for all of that. Bad enough Kyuubi had been alone to wear himself
out. Now his clothes were ruined, too. He caught Lee looking down at his ragged pants and took a quick step back. "I am not taking those off, so don't even try
it, you pervert!"
Lee took a startled step back. His face heated and he tripped over his own tongue. "I'm not – I was – I assure you, my – I was only...concerned about – that...I
assure you, I had no ulterior motives whatsoever!"
"Good," said Naruto. "Glad we're clear on that." He turned his attention to Sasuke. "So, what are we going to do about that sand guy? You were going to take
him back to the house, weren't you?"
That had been Sasuke's first thought, to get Kakashi and Iruka's opinions on the matter. "Shikamaru took responsibility for him. He's his problem now."
"Do you think it will be that easy? If Itachi sent him, can you really just...let him leave?"
"Do you have a better idea?" asked Sasuke.
Naruto didn't. He had no idea what should be done. All he knew was that letting Shikamaru drop him off somewhere wasn't good enough. "Could Itachi be
wrong about him not having something like Kyuubi? Maybe it's a regular split personality, or something like Sakura has."
"Don't ask me," Sasuke snapped. "I don't know what Itachi did or didn't see in him. I'm not sure I believe he even looked. He's never done anything like this
before." That he knew of. Just because Itachi had never sent a teenager after him before didn't mean he hadn't been involved with any. What exactly was
Itachi doing when he wasn't busy making his life miserable? He was suddenly curious where he never really had been before, simply because the mutant Itachi
had sent to him this time was his own age. And he wondered if that wasn't the very reason Itachi had sent him.
"Sasuke-kun?" asked Lee. "Is the mutant in the ground an enemy of yours or an ally?"
Sasuke turned a distracted frown on him. "What?"
Naruto was much quicker to catch on. "Frankenstein!" he yelped. He stiffened and edged closer to Sasuke, his eyes flying around the sandy grass. "He goes
underground. Kyuubi could have been right on top of him and not sensed him. How did you know he was here?" he asked Lee. "Has he been here this entire
time?" He braced himself, waiting for the ground to burst open. Or maybe a hand would shoot up to grab his ankle and pull him down until he was buried
again. That was just the sort of thing a zombie would do, and Kyuubi had said the guy was as unnatural as they came.
"I only just noticed him," Lee admitted. "He's right there." He pointed, but the mutant was already rising into a crouch and then standing. The sand fell away
from his pale clothing and there wasn't a hint of dirt in his white hair. Lee wondered how he could conceal himself underground without getting at least a little
dirty. Then Sasuke was in front of him with his sword drawn and Lee had an answer to his question. One didn't greet an ally that way.
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked quietly.
"Gaara of the Sand," said Kimimaru. "If Itachi has truly given him to you, then the beast has already fused with its host. He's of no use to you. We'll take him
with us when we go."
"What makes you think he'll still be here?" If Kabuto's rogue had been eavesdropping on the entire encounter, then he must have heard Shikamaru's plans.
"What do you mean by beast?" Naruto asked, hurrying forward till he was next to Sasuke. He ignored the way Sasuke tensed and tried to glare him back.
Kyuubi might be creeped out by the Frankenstein guy, but Naruto was not. At least, he wasn't when the guy was above ground and looking like an albino
pretty-boy. "Is that Gaara guy like me?"
"Naruto," Sasuke hissed.
"I want to know!" Naruto shot back at him. "If they know about both of us, then-"
"He is nothing like you," Kimimaru said coldly. "Your beast is weak and tainted, contained within an inferior host. His can consume its host, retaining its full
power. There is no comparison between the two." He completely disregarded Naruto then, turning his attention back to Sasuke. "Itachi has no business giving
him to you, knowing we want him. I won't permit it."
"Do you plan to take him by force?" asked Sasuke.
"If necessary."
Sasuke sheathed his sword. There was no point fighting a dead man. "We're leaving, Naruto." He turned and walked past Lee. It only took Naruto a moment to
follow. A glance found his face still red from the mutant's insults, his mouth closed tightly over the mess of things that wanted to spill out. They were being
watched, still well within hearing range, but he didn't bother lowering his voice. "Nothing he says matters, Naruto. Itachi is going to kill him."
Naruto shot a glare over his shoulder at the albino freak. He still wanted to know how the man knew so much about him. Had Kyuubi been awake he would
never have been able to turn his back and walk away. He would have stood his ground and demanded answers. If the man had continued to insult his fox, he
would have beaten those answers out of him. And died for it? Kyuubi was freaked out by him, but he hadn't been able to come out and say the mutant was
actually strong. He looked back at Sasuke, who was blankly calm as if they were merely taking a walk through the field. "Is he that weak?"
"He is not at all weak," Lee insisted, before Sasuke could answer. He appeared surprised that Naruto would even ask such a thing. "He has a very powerful
aura about him. Can you not sense that?"
"He isn't weak," Sasuke agreed. Without Kyuubi, Naruto probably couldn't tell one way or the other. He didn't know how accurate Lee's appraisal was. What he
did know was that no one weak would be sent to attack Itachi, and according to Kabuto that was the rogue's main purpose. "He's definitely stronger than me."
Naruto sent him a startled look, which was rather flattering in a way. Having never seen him defeated in a fight, Naruto had no idea how weak he was in
comparison to some of the mutants out there. He smiled at him. "If I had to fight him, I wouldn't mind having you fight alongside me. He may be stronger than
me, but he's no where near Itachi's level."
Naruto's chest swelled up until he thought it might burst. Sasuke might not want him anywhere near Itachi, but he didn't consider him useless. He had started
to worry about that. He didn't want to be a weakness that Sasuke left behind, sheltered and protected, at the first sign of trouble. He didn't have Sasuke's
experience and he would never gain any if he couldn't fight mutants stronger than himself. He forgot all about the unanswered questions that had been
infuriating him just a moment ago and flashed Sasuke a wide grin. "We'd kick his albino ass straight back to whatever grave he crawled out of."
Naruto really was cute when he was brimming with confidence, Sasuke decided. He let himself enjoy it for now. "It wouldn't come to that. Even if Itachi doesn't
kill him, I doubt there will be enough left of him to put up a good fight. In that case, we might want to let Lee have a go at him."
"Yes, please," Lee said eagerly. "Defeating a would-be kidnapper would be a noble chapter in the history of my life."
Naruto couldn't help but laugh. He suddenly imagined the three of them playing janken to see who had the first crack at the guy. If Sasuke could be that casual
about someone he admitted was stronger than him, then maybe it really was just Itachi who made him unreasonable. Naruto decided he could accept that. He
grinned at Lee. "Do you think you could take him on your own?"
Lee hesitated long enough to send an apologetic look at Sasuke before answering. "As he is now, I believe I could hold my own against him. I doubt he would
tap into his true power unless driven to do so. I would simply have to defeat him before that happens."
Sasuke wasn't insulted, merely skeptical. "You don't even know what his talents are."
"True. Since he was under the ground, perhaps he uses dirt in some way. He strikes me as being more akin to Shikamaru-kun, though his darkness appears
deeper." He blinked and murmured to himself, "Darker than darkness? A blackness of the soul...?" He abruptly shook his head, throwing the distraction off. "It
is just as well that I will not be fighting him as he is now," he decided. "There is something very wrong with him. I do believe he might even be evil at his core."
Sasuke snorted. Considering the rogue belonged to the Orochimaru, that was practically a given. "That's a safe assumption to make. What are you doing out
here, anyway?" The question caught Lee off guard, as intended. That didn't explain the sharp blush that struck Lee's face or the way he dropped his eyes.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why did you and Shikamaru show up like that?" Lee fidgeted, all but confirming his suspicions.
"We were concerned about Naruto-kun," Lee said slowly. Real men never lied. Yet he couldn't tell the full truth without breaking his word to Sakura. Breaking a
promise was even more unforgivable than lying. He decided to tell the basic truth without embellishment and hope that sufficed. "Naruto-kun left suddenly
without giving an explanation. I suggested that he might need a quick means of escape and Shikamaru-kun was willing to come and find out if that was the
case. He invited me to come with him." All completely true, and very reasonable sounding, too. He looked hopefully at Sasuke. Sakura had assured them that
Sasuke wanted Naruto distracted and kept well away from the trouble he was in. If she was correct, then Sasuke should know what he had left unsaid.
Sasuke did, as a matter of fact, have a very good idea what Lee wasn't saying. The girls were behind this. He should have expected as much from how eager
they had been to help when he had explained the situation. Unfortunately, their way of keeping Naruto distracted and uninvolved had wound up getting Lee
and Shikamaru involved in addition to Naruto. Had this been Itachi, he would have been stuck trying to protect all three of them. Well, maybe not Shikamaru.
He sent a sidelong look at Naruto, who was suspiciously quiet. Hoping he wouldn't comment on Shikamaru's ability? He knew why Naruto hadn't mentioned it to
him. Naruto had been afraid he would use it to run. Was he still afraid of that? Sasuke could have reassured him on that issue. Running had never gotten him
anything except time to run even more. He was beyond tired of it. At some point, he had to stop. It might as well be now, while he was motivated to do so.
.-.
Gaara had the strangest mind, or soul as it were, that Bunchu had ever seen. He was an almost perfect yin-yang of light and dark. On one side he was deeply
calm, eager for challenges yet perfectly content to wait until a worthy one could be found. On the other side he was wildly rabid, desperately consumed by an
insatiable hunger for blood and violence. The roots attaching the two were weighted on the dark side, leaving him unable to right himself when his psyche
flipped. Bunchu could suppress that rabid side, but it was a temporary fix. Like Iruka, the boy would require specially designed drugs if he were to have any
hope of living a normal life. Even that would only prevent him from losing control when he slept. Nothing would stop him from flipping if his life were
endangered. That survival instinct was too deeply ingrained to be altered.
"If you want to maintain control," Bunchu warned him, "you must avoid fights of any kind."
"Impossible," said Gaara. He glanced over when Shikamaru groaned. The boy was sitting as far from him as the man's living room allowed, but still close
enough to hear every word. Gaara stared at him until he shifted uncomfortably and looked away. "I could sooner stop breathing," he said to Bunchu. "Can you
make me do that?"
Bunchu might have reacted with amusement if Gaara hadn't been completely serious. "I could, but only long enough for your psyche to flip. Your survival
instinct can't be countermanded that way. So long as you continue fighting, you risk endangering your life and thus triggering the flip. You must stop fighting
altogether."
"Never," Gaara said flatly. He turned his stare back to Shikamaru. "I'm done here. Take me somewhere where I can sleep, if you really believe he has made it
safe for me to do so."
"I have," said Bunchu. "But it will only last for twenty-four hours. The drug Iruka takes should supress your energy enough to prevent a full transformation after
that. I don't recommend you rely on it for long, though. You need something designed specifically for you." He nodded to Shikamaru. "I can help you take him
to the doctor Iruka uses in a few days. It should be safe to take him back to the house until then."
Shikamaru grimaced at the very idea. "I wasn't planning to take him there at all." That was the entire reason he had brought him here instead. He spotted a
glint in Gaara's eyes and rubbed his arms. His skin was going to be chafed at this rate.
"The house where Itachi's brother lives?" Gaara nodded and went over to his transport. He didn't know when Shikamaru had learned to move people along
with himself, but it was certainly convenient. He folded his arms over his chest and stared at him. "Take me there."
Shikamaru scowled at the command. He really didn't appreciate being viewed as a taxi that ferried people around. "Why should I?" he muttered. It was a
shame he had never visited any icy wastelands. A glacier would be a great place to leave Gaara.
"Because I could shatter every bone in your body without lifting a finger," Gaara said simply. "Need I remind you?"
"No," Shikamaru sighed. He was very aware of the fact that Gaara could manifest and control his sand without moving a muscle. He could do the very same
thing with his shadows. But as satisfying as the thought of strangling Gaara with his shadows was, he really didn't want to get eaten. "I'll take you there, but if
Iruka says you can't stay, I'm dumping you off somewhere else." He knew he was wasting his breath even as he said it. Naruto and Sasuke had both been
primed to take Gaara home with them. There wasn't much chance of Iruka throwing him out before he had eaten at least a few of the kids. Hopefully he would
start with Sai and work his way up to Ino.
.-.
Even after accessing Naruto's memories, Kyuubi couldn't understand what had happened during his short nap. The alarming monster Sasuke had been
fighting was spending the night, possibly his first of many. The doctor's unnatural flunky had threatened to kidnap him, and Sasuke had invited both Naruto
and Lee to help stop him if Itachi failed to kill him. Itachi had sent someone to the house during their absence, inviting Iruka, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke to
mid-morning tea tomorrow. Rather than run away, Sasuke had suggested Naruto clean his room so that he could visit him this evening. Kakashi and Iruka
were now rearranging the kids to give the monster a place to sleep. The monster was out back discussing who knew what with Sai, while Shikamaru hovered
near the door. Sasuke was alone in his room, and Naruto was scrubbing the floor underneath his own bed as if he intended to eat off of it.
'Am I the only sane one left?' Kyuubi demanded. 'What the hell are you doing?'
'I'm cleaning my room so Sasuke will visit me,' Naruto said, although that really should have been obvious.
A very frustrated growl started in Kyuubi's throat. 'If he visits we'll have him on the bed, not under it.'
'He's anal enough to check,' Naruto groused. He stretched so he could run his rag along the crack by the wall, just in case. 'I'm not going to give him any
excuse to change his mind.'
'He probably just wants to talk about his brother,' Kyuubi pointed out. He would bet three of his tails Sasuke was brooding at this very minute, plotting a dozen
ways to ensure Naruto was excluded tomorrow. Assuming Sasuke even intended to show up. 'I can't believe you're doing chores while he's plotting his escape.'
Naruto froze for a long minute and then rolled onto his back to swipe some of the dust away from the underside of his bed. 'He promised to see me at dinner
and to visit me in here if I got the room clean. If he's going to run, he won't do it till later. Besides, there's no point in him trying to leave me out of it when his
brother wants to see me, too.'
'According to logic,' Kyuubi spat. 'If he's thinking rationally right now, I'm a rabbit.'
Naruto laughed a little as he squirmed out from under the bed. Kyuubi's pointy ears were nearly long enough, but he doubted there was room on his ass for
nine fluffy bunny tails. That image further annoyed his fox. It didn't distract him, though. Naruto sighed as he tossed his dirty rag into the pile near the door.
'We don't know what he's thinking, and since he's not going to tell us there's no point worrying about it. If he runs, we'll chase him. If he tries to bubble us, we'll
throw clones at him. Nothing's changed as far as that goes.'
'And the monster? He's talking to the spy at this very moment!'
Naruto wiped his hands off on his pants and went over to check his bed. It didn't look anything like Sasuke's when he made it, but at least the blanket was flat.
Mostly. That should count for something. 'Gaara's only half monster. And he promised he wouldn't say anything to Sai about Itachi being here early.' He let
that hang for a minute before jabbing, 'You still can't sense him at all, can you?'
Thick waves of frustration answered that. If Kyuubi could sense the bastard he would have known the moment he had arrived. Even the monster was as
difficult to pinpoint as a human, not giving off a hint of the energy he had been blazing with earlier. How the hell did he do that? It was probably some shielding
nonsense that Sasuke hadn't bothered mentioning yet. He hoped Sasuke did keep his promise because he was overdue for a good bite. Reducing his host to
a maid? Naruto's palms were wrinkled, for fuck's sake. Sasuke would pay dearly for that. If he really did pay a late night visit, Kyuubi would see to it he left
every bit as dirty as Naruto's room had been this morning.
Cocking his head to the side, Naruto looked closely at his hunched fox. 'Are you angry or horny?' Kyuubi's fur rose and the tips of his tails twitched into pointy
upright spikes. Naruto snorted. 'Nevermind. Stupid question.' Anger and lust often went hand in hand where Kyuubi was concerned. But right now it was
probably frustration that was getting to him the most. 'I still can't believe Neji and Shikamaru had sex last night. They just met!' Sure enough, the fox growled so
deeply he could feel the vibrations beneath his feet.
'If I don't get some soon, I'm going to kill everyone in this house,' Kyuubi snarled.
Naruto sputtered and then erupted in what might have been a giggle if he had been less of a man. He stumbled back when the fox snapped at his legs. 'You-'
'This isn't funny!'
'But it is,' Naruto snickered. 'It's Shikamaru and Neji! Think about it. Hinata's cousin? He's a classic ice princess! And Shikamaru is...Shikamaru. All he's done
since he got here is sit around and sleep. A slug and an ice princess? I mean, what the hell, right? It's crazy.'
Kyuubi sullenly refused to see any humor whatsoever in the current situation. If a slug was getting some from an ice-cube, then he should damned well be
getting some, too. It wasn't crazy, it was unfair and completely unacceptable.
'Who do you think topped?' asked Naruto, and Kyuubi's head snapped back in a raging howl that had him scurrying to the front of his mind before his mental
eardrums could burst. Kyuubi was definitely frustrated. He probably shouldn't be egging him on. Unfortunately it was hard to resist when Kyuubi made it so
easy. His fox deserved some grief for the thoughts – and very wrong images – he had entertained about Hinata earlier. The idea of Shikamaru and Neji was
too weird to do anything for Naruto, but if it upset Kyuubi that much he didn't mind letting his imagination run wild. He could be very creative when he put his
mind to it.
.-.
Sai was very close to giving up. Yet another unexpected wild card popping up at Iruka's house? The man had to be a magnet for them and if the Order didn't
realize that then they were the ones in the wrong line of work. Shikamaru had introduced the boy to him with a strange comment about him being unlikely to
upset the boy's stomach. Sai took exception to that. He had a way of irritating people, which he was quite proud of, but he had never made anyone physically
ill.
Gaara knew exactly what Shikamaru had meant, of course. If Bunchu's efforts and Iruka's drug failed to contain him, and Itachi's brother still refused to kill him
in a good fight, then he would need something to occupy himself with. Deliberately falling asleep near an Oz base had allowed for a guilt-free rampage and a
quiet interment, but it hadn't been at all satisfying. He would never understand why Shikamaru devoted so much effort to targeting a mere human faction when
he could be going after mutants instead. At least they struggled on the way down. "How many mutants are in your group?"
Sai sent a quick look at Shikamaru when the boy let out what sounded suspiciously like a choked laugh. He reminded himself that this particular wild-card was
an acquaintance of his, which made it unlikely he could be in any way interesting. Sai's immediate appraisal deemed him to be a lowly D class with just one
uncontrolled talent. Beyond that, all he saw when he looked at him was an odd pear-shaped gourd, a hollow container that could be cracked with a light tap of
a hammer. Had the boy not been a wild card he wouldn't even bother speaking to him. Maybe that was what Shikamaru found so amusing. He ignored the flea
and turned his attention back to the blank-faced newcomer. "I'm afraid even members of the Order aren't told our exact numbers." Those numbers were
constantly changing, so only the Directors and Seer kept an accurate count. Not that it mattered. "We also don't accept wild cards into our ranks." Especially
uncontrolled ones so easily cracked.
Gaara stared at the boy's smile, which was every bit as fake as his own mask. Arrogance was no guarantee that Sai could put up a good fight, but if his group
was large enough there were bound to be some mutants in it who could. "Will you be rejoining them when you leave here?"
"That was the plan," Sai smiled. Whether or not he went through with that plan remained to be seen and was none of this boy's business. "Enough about me.
Is there anything interesting about you, aside from your lack of eyebrows?"
As much as Shikamaru enjoyed the thought of Gaara stalking Sai right out of here and home to the heart of his group, he didn't want to be responsible for a
blood-bath in Iruka's backyard. Considering how closely Gaara's sand adhered to his skin he was lucky to have eyelashes. His lack of eyebrows remained one
of his few sore spots. Leave it to Sai to zoom in on that so quickly. "Iruka should have a room ready for you by now, Gaara. You can take a nap before dinner."
"I am rather hungry," Gaara said, eyeing Sai's exposed midsection. If Bunchu was wrong and he changed in his sleep he would hunt the boy down and bite him
in half. Even if that wasn't enough to make Sasuke kill him, at least he wouldn't be throwing up bits of cloth afterward.
Shikamaru stood well back from the door before following Gaara inside. He really wasn't looking forward to babysitting him while he slept. At least he had
managed to accomplish what he had set out to do. Gaara had someone other than Sasuke to focus on, and Sai was convinced Gaara was just another of the
kids Tenka had rescued. If Sai saw Gaara using sand he might realize he was the one Sasuke had been fighting earlier, but even then he wouldn't necessarily
connect that to Itachi. Lee had been sworn to secrecy and it wasn't as if Gaara would volunteer information to someone he wanted to eat. Now if he could just
survive while Gaara got his ten minutes of shut-eye he could be out of here by midnight. Unlike the rest of them, his world did not revolve around Sasuke. He
had his own work to do.
.-.
Since most of the kids had filled up on burgers and marshmallows, dinner was a simple affair. Iruka prepared it himself. Ino had declared herself to be on strike
until he saw the wisdom of moving Shikamaru in with Lee like she wanted him to. She didn't seem to care that Shikamaru was the only one who could room with
Gaara, or that Neji had readily agreed to move in with Lee for now. Shino had volunteered to sleep on the couch so Tenka could bunk in Kiba's room tonight.
He'd move in there tomorrow. As far as Iruka could tell, Ino was the only one who had a problem with the new, and largely temporary, rooming arrangements.
He had no idea why it bothered her and couldn't devote himself to finding out right now. He still had to keep up a good front for Sai, after all.
The meal was awkward at best. Gaara didn't eat much, Sasuke barely picked at his food, and Shikamaru gorged as if he had just rediscovered his stomach.
Ino ignored him as openly as Neji ignored Hinata. That might not have been so awkward if they hadn't all been crowded together to make room for everyone.
Iruka supposed he would have to get a bigger table and open some more rooms at this rate. Turning away any new kids who showed up at his door simply
wasn't an option. Naruto and Lee were cheerfully getting along like a house on fire. That was surprising, and Iruka let himself focus on them, taking some
comfort from the sight. He hadn't wanted to tell the boys about the visit and invitation. Kakashi had taken that decision out of his hands the moment Shikamaru
had brought Gaara into the house. He had explained the situation to Naruto and Sasuke as if Iruka had already agreed all four of them would go together
tomorrow. He had agreed to no such thing.
Frankly, Iruka didn't see that happening. He wasn't a naive optimist like Naruto. He simply refused to believe the isolated little world he had worked so hard to
build could crumble that easily. Sasuke would do something. Or Sai would. Or maybe it would be Gaara who threw a wrench in the works. Someone would do
something to avert the impending disaster. If no one did, then Iruka would have to do something himself and he had no idea what he could possibly do to fix
this. He had never met Itachi. Even if he could get into his head, there was no guarantee he could influence him. The hardest thing of all was that Bunchu,
upon whom he had pinned such hopes, could do nothing to help. His eye didn't work on Kakashi's sharingan, which made it completely useless against
someone with two of them.
Iruka was thoroughly depressed by the time dinner was over. Even seeing Naruto happily engaged with Lee, Sakura, Hinata, and Kiba hadn't cleared the
gloom from him. Only Sai stuck around to offer to help with the cleanup. Iruka waved him off with equal parts guilt and resentment. He didn't know when he had
started to believe the boy's predictions. He did know he had only himself to blame for doing so. He knew better. There was no such thing as fate. People
determined their futures with their own actions. There was coincidence, irony, predictability, but nothing was written in stone. No matter what Kakashi or
anyone else thought he would not be showing up for tea – the dumbest euphemism for slaughter he had ever heard of – with Naruto alongside him. He
refused. That was all there was to it.
.-.
Shikamaru took off shortly after returning to his room for the night. Gaara had slept for nearly forty minutes before dinner without so much as a twitch out of
him. That would hold him for at least three or four days. There was still the chance Gaara would pick a fight with someone strong enough to endanger his life,
but that would happen whether Shikamaru was around or not. Once Gaara had changed there wasn't a thing he or anyone else could do except run, anyway.
The moment Shikamaru vanished, Gaara slipped outside and settled on the roof. He was wide awake and feeling strangely lost. He had been five the last time
he had slept for longer than a minute without changing. Those early transformations had been small and short-lived, and his father had quickly found the best
way to make the most of them. By ten his life was nothing but a series of battles and he had gone eagerly from one fight to the next. Then he had escaped to
eat a neighboring family and the paid fights had stopped. His desire for them never had. By the time his father had tried to kill him, he had already begun to
seek out a good death.
It had never occurred to him that there might be mutants out there who could suppress that part of him. If drugs could work half as well, then he might have no
valid reason to chase death. Where would that leave him? He was still a monster. He might have found a way to make that part of him sleep, but it would
always be there, just beneath the surface. He stared at the moon and wondered why having a choice about his future was so much worse than having none.
.-.
The utter failure of their grand plan left both Ino and Sakura moody and quick to snipe at each other. They tried to tone it down for the sake of Hinata, who
had been so excited to have her very first sleep-over. Neither of them expected Hinata to be the one who snapped them out of it.
"Do you actually like girls?" Hinata asked Ino, once they were settled on the two beds. "Or were you just flirting with me for Naruto-kun's sake?"
Sakura gaped, while Ino turned bright red in an odd mix of embarrassment and outrage.
"You knew?" Ino demanded.
"Well, yes," Hinata said slowly, almost apologetically. "You were much more...tactile...than either of the boys. And you complimented my hair." She gave a little
smile. "Even I don't like my hair..."
"But-" Ino drew herself up, outrage beating out her embarrassment. "You didn't even blush! I was all over you – I even smooshed a boob on your arm!"
"Ino," Sakura cringed.
"Well, I did," Ino snapped at her. Her accusing scowl flashed back to Hinata. "And you didn't even blush!"
"I'm sorry," Hinata whispered, shrinking on the bed across from the angry girl. "I didn't know I was supposed to act embarrassed..."
Sakura gave her a wincing smile. "It's not the fact that you didn't act embarrassing that's so surprising, it's the fact that you weren't embarrassed." At all,
apparently. She was trying to find a gentle way to ask the obvious question when Ino beat her to it.
"Are you a lesbian?"
Hinata blushed so furiously she actually felt dizzy. She should never have asked Ino if she liked girls. "I'm sorry!" she blurted, before dropping her voice and
her eyes. "I didn't mean to insult you by asking you if you were. It's just that I'm not." She fidgeted with her hands. "That's why I wasn't embarrassed. The
thought of a girl liking me that way doesn't bother me because I don't like girls that way. I was just curious if maybe you did. But I shouldn't have asked you like
that. I'm sorry."
"Ino's bi," Sakura informed her. "You didn't insult her, you just confused her."
Hinata ventured a peek at Ino and promptly cringed at her expression. "I'm sorry," she blurted again.
"Oh, cut it out," Ino snapped in disgust. "I'm just annoyed that you pulled one over on me. I had you pegged as dumb as a post." She scowled when Sakura
elbowed her in the side. "I'm complimenting her by saying that because she's obviously not." She folded her arms and frowned at how long it took Hinata to lift
her head back up. "To answer your question, yes, I do like girls. Some girls. I'm not the least bit attracted to girls who wrap themselves up so they look like
boys, however." Her tone softened, just a little. "You can take that off now, you know. There aren't any guys in here to see you."
Hinata dropped her head again and slowly reached inside the back of her shirt. By the time she was done, she had a tangle of cloth in her lap and Sakura was
gaping at her. Ino reached over and closed Sakura's mouth for her before she could say something she'd regret.
"That's better," Ino said firmly. She wasn't surprised to find that Hinata was more filled out than Sakura. The girl's shoulders had been soft, telling her she
carried her weight up top. Lucky her. "Now that we're all girls, we can do what girls do and talk about boys."
Hinata's eyes flew up, confusion overriding her embarrassment. "But I thought you liked girls..."
"She's bi," Sakura said again. "She likes both girls and guys."
"So," Ino started, leaning forward with a leering smile. "Have you ever seen Naruto with his shirt off?" That did the trick. She would get a blush out of Hinata for
every single one the girl had failed to give her earlier. "What color are his nipples?"
Hinata whimpered.
.-.
Despite what Naruto had told Kyuubi, he was nervous by the time Sasuke slipped into his room. He really was afraid of what Sasuke had to say, what he had
planned, and the way those words and plans might affect his involvement tomorrow. He knew he and Kyuubi would react however they had to when the time
came, but he did wish Sasuke would just give up already and accept the inevitable. Then they could make plans together for once.
Sasuke barely glanced around as he shut the door and came over to sit beside him on the edge of the bed. Naruto couldn't help being annoyed by that.
Where was the inspection? Did he even notice that he'd gotten the dust off the top of the curtains? He'd had to stand on a chair to manage that. Naruto held
his silence as long as he could, about thirty seconds, and then snapped. "Well?"
Sasuke was staring at the spotless freshly-scrubbed floor with growing amusement. He hadn't realized Naruto was that eager to please. All he had promised
was a visit, after all. He finally lifted his eyes to look over at Naruto, who was scowling with impatience. Sasuke smirked. "Take your shirt off." That knocked the
scowl right off his face.
"What?" Naruto blurted. He leaned away so suddenly he almost fell right off the bed.
'Don't do it,' Kyuubi warned him furiously. 'You gave him a show in the fields earlier.' Since that had been for Lee's benefit, Kyuubi was glad to have slept
through it. 'Now it's his turn.'
Naruto agreed with him. Even if he hadn't, he was getting tired of being ordered around by Sasuke. And the bastard still hadn't complimented him on how well
he had cleaned his room. He folded his arms over his chest and glared. "Why should I?"
Sasuke might have snorted if Naruto hadn't looked so suspicious. Not quite the reaction he had expected. Maybe Naruto really had thought he was just coming
to his room to talk. Sasuke was tired of talking and thinking and waiting and worrying. He didn't want to talk to Naruto. He had come in here determined to do
what he wanted and talking was the last thing he wanted to do. He considered Naruto's belligerent expression for a moment, and then reached down to lift his
own shirt over his head. Maybe that would eliminate the need for words.
'Take your shirt off,' Kyuubi yelped, in a sharp one-eighty. 'Hurry before he changes his mind!'
Naruto fumbled with the hem of his shirt, his attention torn between Sasuke's calm expression and the pale marks decorating his body. He refused to focus on
the latter and didn't know what to make of the former. Then Sasuke leaned forward and reached over to help him with his shirt. 'What is this?' he asked in
confusion. He couldn't believe this was actually what it looked like. It had to be a trick, right? 'What is he doing?'
'Asking for it!' Kyuubi knew exactly what Sasuke was asking for. If Naruto wasn't willing to give it to him, he certainly was. He pushed for control, growling when
his clueless host resisted, as if Naruto didn't want to jump Sasuke just as badly as he did. 'He's practically begging for it. What more do you need?'
Sasuke sighed when Naruto's eyes dimmed, that distant 'arguing with the fox' look taking over his face. He didn't have the patience to wait until those two
settled things between them. If Naruto didn't touch him soon he was going to walk out of this room feeling like a fool and he doubted he would ever enter it of
his own accord again. He leaned forward and kissed him. That got an instant response, though it still wasn't quite what he'd been hoping for. He tensed as
hands latched onto his upper arms, no doubt intentionally pressing tight over the tender scratches there. The kiss was crude and frustrating. Kyuubi hadn't
improved at all, not that Sasuke had given him much chance to practice. He didn't want to give him a chance now, either. He had come here to be close to
Naruto, not to fight with his fox. And it would be a fight because Kyuubi put him on edge and seemed to enjoy keeping him there. He turned his face away and
hissed when teeth ghosted over the side of his neck. "Has Naruto decided to sit this one out, then?"
Kyuubi grinned and took a deep breath of his nervous scent. "He is a little slow to catch on." Sasuke was tense, poised to bolt, yet refusing to do so. He was
waiting for Naruto. "Give him a minute." Kyuubi was jealous enough to take advantage in the meantime.
Sharp-tipped fingers made quick work of his shorts, and Sasuke clenched his teeth as he was tightly stroked to full arousal. Kyuubi did have his own attraction,
but it was volatile and threatening, and why the hell wasn't Naruto taking part in this? If he did anything the fox would push back until he snapped and was
forced to retreat. He wasn't experienced enough in this to counter him, and he didn't trust him enough to submit.
"Naruto," he hissed into his ear. "Have you forgotten what we agreed to do this time? If you're not interested, just say so." The body froze against him and then
reared back so suddenly he didn't need to see the blue to know who was staring at him.
Shock, a slow forming grin, an exasperated, "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Then Naruto was smothering him in an embrace and kissing him nearly
as hungrily as his fox had. But he wasn't controlling about it, and he eagerly welcomed Sasuke's tongue into his own mouth. When Sasuke drug blunt nails
lightly down his back there was no retaliation, just a pleasured hum as he melted deeper into him. Sasuke leaned onto him, and Naruto only hesitated a
moment before giving way, pulling him down with him. His hands were just as quick to wander, but he didn't fight when Sasuke caught his wrists.
"Let me first," said Sasuke. "Then you can if you want. Okay?"
Naruto nodded frantically, not trusting himself to speak over the knot of anticipation in his throat. If Sasuke really wanted to do what he had so casually put off
for 'next time,' then he was absolutely okay with that. He was only a little worried that Kyuubi's influence might push him to ruin it. They did have very different
views on how this particular fantasy was supposed to play out. But even Kyuubi had to admit that Sasuke was very good with his mouth. If he had to lie back
and let Sasuke have the reigns in order to benefit from that, so be it.
Sasuke would have preferred to take his time. Naruto was very open about his pleasure, showing him exactly what he liked. He was especially sensitive around
his navel, arching up and pulling on his hair for more attention there. But that double-fisted grip on his hair became painful the longer he lingered. Naruto was
panting, watching him with half-lidded eyes that were far from blue. He didn't want to taunt out the fox, didn't want to push him any more than he wanted to be
pushed by him. So he moved down until he was holding him with both hands, not stroking, just feeling. He ran his tongue along the length of him and marveled
at the way he shuddered. He took the tip into his mouth and those hands released his hair at the same moment Naruto's hips bucked. He pulled back and
watched in surprise as Naruto curled his fists into the blanket on either side of him. His eyes were closed tightly, his teeth clenched, and Sasuke knew exactly
what was going on in his head. Affection washed over him until he felt a stupid smile pulling at his lips. He licked it away and leaned down to take him back into
his mouth.
Naruto was horrified to find that he wasn't so different from Kyuubi after all. He was in Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke himself had invited him in, was lavishing him
with that wicked tongue of his, and all Naruto wanted was to grab his head and force him down so he took every last bit of him. He'd choke him, hurt him,
ensure that he never ever did this again, and part of him didn't care. Part of him, not Kyuubi, felt it would be worth it to come just once while buried inside him.
So he tightened his deathgrip on the blanket and felt both hopeful and guilty every time his hips bucked. He couldn't stop doing that, but Sasuke could pull
back, could hold him down if he wanted to. Sasuke was free to stop if he wanted to. Naruto whimpered at the thought and wished a large part of him didn't feel
as outraged by that possibility as Kyuubi did.
Naurto was clearly killing himself in his efforts to hold back. Sasuke would have felt sympathy - or at least amusement - over that if he hadn't been frustrated at
his inability to rid himself of his gag reflex. He wasn't intentionally torturing Naruto, he simply couldn't stop himself from pulling back every time he took him too
close to the back of his mouth. He wasn't afraid of suffocating. He could hold his breath for quite a while, in fact. Gagging would be embarrassing, but he was
sure he would get past that if he could just do it. He bobbed his head until Naruto was writhing and then pushed down just as his hips pushed up...and instantly
pulled back. Enough was enough. "Naruto."
"You're stopping...?"
He sounded as if he were about to cry. Sasuke let out a sharp breath that would have been a laugh if he hadn't felt so frustrated. He had wanted to do this the
moment Naruto had mentioned using his mouth the other night. He wanted to feel him in his throat, to swallow him down, and he was going to get what he
wanted one way or another. "Tell Kyuubi to give me a hand."
Naruto's eyes snapped open. "What?"
"Just this one," Sasuke said, tapping Naruto's right fist. He saw Naruto's eyes darken and his face twist up as he tried to prevent Kyuubi from fulfilling that
request. That smile tugged at his mouth again. "You'll know if he pushes me too far, Naruto. Don't worry so much."
"One of us has to worry," Naruto shot back. "You don't know what you're asking." Kyuubi was beating him with his tails in his eagerness to get free.
"Yes, I do," Sasuke scoffed. "He might be horrible at kissing, but I suspect he'll be very good at this."
"I could be good at it, too," Naruto mumbled, feeling both insulted and guilty. And horny. Sasuke's lips were red and moist, his breaths hitting him with every
word he spoke, and he wanted nothing more than to grab him and push him back down. He could be very good at that, he just didn't want to be good at it and
Sasuke shouldn't want him to be either.
Kyuubi was out of all patience with this nonsense. 'He wants his mouth fucked, we want to do it, now get the hell out of my way and let me at him!'
"No," Naruto said, to both of them. His attention remained on Sasuke, though. Because this was between him and Sasuke, a first for them, and if it couldn't be
romantic at least it wasn't going to be violent. "I'll do it, if you really want me to." Sasuke flushed, looking annoyed and uncomfortable, and when Naruto slipped
a hand into his hair he could feel the back of his neck tense. Sasuke wasn't nearly as confident about this as he was trying to act. 'We're not ready for
anything like that,' he told Kyuubi.
'Speak for yourself! He's the one who asked for it.' With words this time, so even Naruto couldn't pretend not to understand.
Naruto wasn't going to argue with him. Unlike Kyuubi, he could see past his own frustration. A good part of him wanted the same thing as his fox, the same
thing Sasuke seemed to want, but an even larger part of him wanted a whole lot more. He remembered what happened when Sasuke was pushed too far and
he had made a promise with himself that he wouldn't do that again. Not even when Sasuke was the one asking him to. He lifted his left hand and brushed his
thumb over Sasuke's lips. A faint smile came to his own lips when Sasuke pulled back at that, just as he'd thought he would. "And you wanted Kyuubi to hold
you down...?"
"With one hand," Sasuke snapped. He was embarrassed by his own reactions, always flinching, always pulling back. Why was it so hard to just do what he had
set his mind to doing? This was Naruto, who would literally torture himself to avoid pushing him too far. That hand brushed past his cheek, down over his
shoulder to his back, and he hated the fact that Naruto could feel how tense he was. He couldn't help that any more than he could help being relieved that
Naruto refused to let his fox take over. He trusted Naruto, whether his body understood that or not.
"Sasuke-"
He didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to talk about anything. So he bent down and swirled his tongue around his tip, turning whatever Naruto had been
about to say into a startled moan. That second uninvited hand curled against his upper back, flexing against his tensed muscles until a fluid achy burn set in
there. He let himself enjoy that as he coaxed Naruto back into that frantic writhing state that looked and sounded so good on him. Naruto gasped, panting over
the wet sounds of his mouth, and then his hips bucked, the hand in his hair pulled, and for a brief moment Sasuke felt exactly what he'd been missing. It was
actually a little painful, his throat closing as it tried and failed to gag. He swallowed frantically and heard Naruto let out a cry that made his entire body shiver
just as he felt the first spurt of fear at his inability to pull back. Then the hand was tugging on his hair, letting him up even as Naruto's hips followed in a need
to keep him down. He caught a breath, felt a rush of nervous excitement, and took him back in with Naruto's shaky yet clearly eager help. He hadn't expected
to like this. He had thought it would be for Naruto's pleasure, that any enjoyment he took from it would be knowing he was the cause of that pleasure. But he
didn't just like the sounds Naruto made and the sight of him moving that way. He liked the warm taste of him, the feel of him in his mouth, and he liked the feel
of him in his throat even better.
Naruto wasn't sure when he stopped fighting. It might have been after the second time Sasuke swallowed him whole because he couldn't count after that. His
hand was fisted in that thick hair and if he held him down a little longer than Sasuke liked it certainly didn't stop him from bobbing back down for more. He
found himself staring at him through his eyelashes, or maybe that was Kyuubi and his own eyes were actually closed. Sasuke's eyes were brief flashes of red
as he worked him over. The sight of himself disappearing into his mouth was almost as powerful as the feel of it. And he felt it both inside and out because his
left hand had moved at some point and was now curled lightly around the side of Sasuke's neck, not to threaten him, he hoped he didn't take it that way, but
just to feel the way his throat moved, the vibrations of his quick heated breaths. Naruto's hips bucked violently, desperately, and that might have been Kyuubi,
too, but Sasuke couldn't have minded much because his own hands were flat against his stomach, fingers rubbing and curling but not holding or pushing back
like they could have been doing. Then Naruto was gone, consumed, blind need overriding any protests his conscience might have had.
Sasuke trembled, instinctively straining against the double-fisted hold in his hair. He swallowed convulsively but couldn't make it go down any faster than a
torturously slow trickle. His lungs burned and his hands flattened, pushing against Naruto's stomach and hips, but only a little because as alarming as it was he
didn't really want it to end.
It was Naruto who eventually drew him up and off so that he could gulp, cough, and gasp his way back to sanity. At least, he thought it was Naruto. The pinch
of sharp nails against his scalp told him it might have been Kyuubi. It was definitely Naruto who pulled him up and kissed him senseless, as if he weren't
already dazed and oxygen deprived as it was. He barely had a chance to respond before that mouth pulled away, dropped, and closed around his own
erection. "Wait!" Sasuke choked out, just seconds before coming in Naruto's mouth. The blonde reared back, his face a picture as he struggled to swallow,
and Sasuke slumped back onto the bed to throw an arm over his flushed face. So much for that, he thought, his lips twitching into a small wry smile.
.-.
Iruka walked into his bedroom to find a naked Kakashi lounging on his bed. Again. His reactions were much quicker this time. He only stood frozen and
mentally drooling for a minute before turning on his heel. Only to be faced with a second naked Kakashi, giving him a nice view of his ass as he closed and
locked the door. That sufficed to shut down the rational part of his brain. He stared, blinking slowly, as the naked man turned and casually reached up to pull
the tie out of his hair. He was still blinking, and not thinking, when his shirt was lifted over his head. It wasn't until Kakashi unbuttoned his pants for him that he
thought to throw a quick look over his shoulder. Yes, there was still a naked Kakashi on his bed, although he was sitting up now and moving toward the edge
of it. Iruka's head snapped back around and then dropped so he could stare at the pale hands pushing his pants down off his own naked hips. "Wait," he
finally blurted. "What?"
Kakashi smirked as he slipped off the bed and went over to wrap his arms around Iruka's waist. He lifted and held him so his other half could remove his shoes
and pants. "Please don't get the wrong idea," he murmured against Iruka's sensitive ear. "I wouldn't dream of using one of Naruto's techniques on you. Mine
isn't a facsimile created as an extension of my own energy. I've merely halved myself for the moment. Don't let that worry you. He may only have half my
energy, but I promise you he has all of my prowess."
That was a threat if Iruka had ever heard one. A whine started in his throat as the other Kakashi rose and eased close until he was firmly trapped between the
two of them. In what world was this considered fair? This shouldn't even be possible. Damned mutant abilities taking his already risque fantasies to entirely
new levels. He had barely kept up with one Kakashi. What could he possibly do with two of him? "But...why?"
"Why not?" Kakashi drawled against his lips. He caught Iruka's wrists and lifted them so his hands were pressed against his chest. He smirked when Iruka's
fingers twitched against him. "Just think, you can indulge your nipple fetish to your heart's content."
"While I take you from behind," the other Kakashi drawled into his ear. "I might even be persuaded to let you indulge your more...predatory...fantasies on one
of us, just so long as I can be inside you while you do it. Wouldn't that be nice...?"
Iruka whimpered pitifully. Kakashi was a monster. He was going to ruin him for anyone else. Oh, how he hoped he would. But Iruka was a nice person, so even
though Kakashi was asking for it he was compelled to warn him because it was the right thing to do. "If we do this, I might never let you leave."
Just like he had vowed to never stop blushing? Kakashi remained skeptical, but he was willing to counter that threat with one of his own. "If we do this, you
might never get me to leave."
With the terms clearly set, there was nothing more that needed to be said. Iruka put his mouth to better use. Those nipples weren't going to lick themselves,
after all.
.-.
PART 46
.-.
FEEDBACK
FANFICTION INDEX