!Warning/Disclaimer!

This story – this ancient, undying thing – is an angsty, sorta-dark unhappy love story. The characters don't belong to me, I just have fun throwing them together and dumping in the angst. Sasuke...is not in a good place, and Naruto isn't anywhere near normal, either. This story contains lots of sex and swearing, abuse/non-con and a road through the storm. Eventually. There's a lot of mental fuckery that comes first.

This is Rated R, for a reason. Please read accordingly.

...and if you were around when this was first put up, uh...Hi? I'm not dead? This fic has not and, I fear, will never die and I'm determined to see this shit through. As a bonus, this has been worked over and fixed for flow and clarification.

~white, surge red~

:part one:

Naruto wakes before the splash of dawn with a strange frisson knocking along his spine. He blinks at his rumpled sheets and yawns. The fifteen-year-old shinobi stretches twice before he realizes what the feeling was, what the warmth was.

"…aw, shit," he curses, groggy, pressing his face into the mattress and growling. "Really?…"

There is a surge of heat pooling around his insides in response. Naruto curls on his side, arms around his middle and squeezing his eyes shut. He pushes it down, pushes it back where it wouldn't bother him. It was still early; he had time. A day, at least, to attend the daily training his team still held.

His vision blurs as the chakra splays briefly along his body, a stretching flux of heat.

No. He had things to do. People to see. Training. Sparring. Taunting. This could not—would not—happen today. Not today.

As the sensation fades to a dull ache around his middle, Naruto opens his eyes, unclenches his teeth and looks into the pre-dawn darkness. He could just make out the calendar marked with training times, missions and birthdays, and a singular day marked with a red x. He frowns. It's early?...Didn't I mark it down right? Why is it early?

Exhaling, smearing hands across his face and up through his hair, Naruto pushes up and begins to prepare for his day. Why's this gotta happen to me?

-::-

"You're late, Naruto."

Blearily, Naruto blinks at the sight of his teacher, Sasuke and Sakura waiting on the bridge and blinks again. "…Maybe you're just early?" he offers, too exhausted to put up a more cheery façade.

Kakashi's exposed eyebrow rises briefly. "…Maybe I am!" he replies brightly.

Sasuke lets out a soft 'hn' of annoyance, glaring briefly with his ember-dark eyes at the blond as Kakashi waves it aside. "Alright, line up for the moment! What do you want to work on today?"

For a moment there is nothing but silence.

"We could work on our stealth," Sakura offers when it becomes apparent that Naruto isn't going to produce any suggestions. Sasuke isn't so quick to remove his gaze and despite the intensity, Naruto's eyes are fixed firmly on the ground. Naruto's face is flushed and his eyes fever-bright, his hair and clothing messy and rumpled.

Kakashi frowns briefly behind his mask. He's noticed the same things. "Naruto…Are you alright?"

Blinking, Naruto lets his eyes rise to Kakashi and nods, speaking hoarsely. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. You look sick."

Naruto crosses his arms and lowers his head defensively. "It's nothing, okay? It's just…" his eyes flicker away. "It's just a fever. That's it. It'll go away before noon."

Liar, Sasuke thinks sourly, eyes flickering back and forth.

Kakashi moves forward with outstretched fingers. "A fever, huh? Are you sure you shouldn't—"

Naruto jerks his face away from Kakashi's hand and ducks, eyes wild and dark. "Don't touch me, don't—"

Good god. Irritated, Sasuke pulls one hand out of a pocket and cuffs the blond. "Dobe. What's your proble—"

Naruto twists down and hooks his arm up, grabbing at the fingers and pulling Sasuke into a hold he hadn't known the blond could execute. His knees hit the rough stones of the bridge, and Sasuke is surprised enough to almost gasp, bending to keep his arm from dislocating—

—what the hell is this?—

—then in the next moment, Sasuke angrily sweeps a foot around and kicks the back of the knee, reversing the hold as Naruto's defensive action vanishes—Naruto is falling to the ground, pulled by Sasuke's instinctive reaction and ends up on his back with Sasuke at his throat.

Naruto's eyes clear from the glazed and fevered brightness to sudden horror. "Get off," the blond whispers. He makes no move to free himself, to rise or throw off Sasuke's hold—instead, he grimaces, turns his face to the side and breathes in shallow little gasps. He looks close to puking, but Sasuke doesn't care.

"What the hell is your problem?" Sasuke hisses, squeezing his fingers around thin wrists. Unidentifiable anger darkens his vision; he wants to hurt something, break something, anything to make that horrid hateful feeling go away.

"Leave me alone! Get away from me!" Naruto bares his teeth without facing the dark-haired boy.

"Come on, guys, it's too early to fight. Sasuke, let him up." Kakashi sounds bored even to Sasuke's ears.

"Tch," Sasuke spits to the side and rises with all the hurtful intention coiling through his muscles. Jaw clenched, he turns away and crosses his arms. Worthless.

Kakashi motions for Naruto to follow him a short distance away, then crouches before the blond. "What's wrong?"

Naruto tries very hard to stop his body from shaking, swallows down the nausea and dizziness welling up his spine. "I'm fine," he insists softly. "Really—"

"You're sick, Naruto." Kakashi replies. "You said it yourself, a fever. I want you to go home and rest. Even shinobi can't train during an illness."

"But—" Naruto's glance is so full of despair and odd relief that Kakashi almost looks twice to be sure he's really seeing it. He's very conscious of the fact that Sasuke is sinking into a cold silence, and that Naruto looks flushed and pale around the edges and nods his head before Naruto can finish.

"Go home, ok? I'll check up on you in a little bit."

Naruto turns with his customary shrug and shoves his hands in his pockets as he leaves. Kakashi watches him go, and after he's out of sight, ambles up to the remaining two.

"Well…how about some stealth training?"

-::-

Naruto stumbles twice on the way to his house. He can't quite raise his head enough to focus on his footing; everything's heavy and warm and he is distinctly aware of the chakra pulsing just behind his ears. Breathing is a rush of sound. Footsteps are awkwardly placed, and it's altogether strange that Naruto can't seem to focus on the sounds around him.

He can't seem to focus on anything, and feels a sick panicky fear that he's too late, it's all too late and now it's all—

—warm—

—and he leans against a pole in the shade of a building and tries to catch his breath, tries to catch his balance and nearly fails when a breeze tugs at his clothing.

I'm so hot…I can't breathe…

Naruto has a last second glimpse of the world sliding sideways and falls, so flushed with heat that his body feels numb, he's floating, down and up and apart, even to the last moment where the sky goes white and he swears he's melting.

He curses, despairing, before his eyes close, and hopes to whatever god would listen that he doesn't hurt someone.

-::-

An hour passes before Kakashi stops the lesson and disappears in a cloud of smoke while his students tumble to the ground and inhale the needed air. It's strange to have only himself and Sakura out here, alone while working their butts off to learn something new. Sasuke doesn't give the thought much time, and stands to stretch out the soreness in his muscles.

Minutes pass, as Sakura wanders uphill to look around. It's silent, calm and almost peaceful, if Sasuke were to allow himself to be calm and peaceful.

But he isn't, so he moves into the shade of a tree and begins to practice a technique. Within the first few moments, Kakashi poofs back into the area and right next to Sakura, who squeaks in fright. Curious, Sasuke wanders closer in time to hear Sakura's muttered curse.

Kakashi laughs, and replies, but Sasuke can't hear the quiet murmur.

"What do you mean, he's just sitting there?"

At Sakura's puzzled words, Sasuke glances to Kakashi.

The man merely shrugs. "Well, he's not really doing anything…He must be really ill. I'm off to find the Hokage—you two…just keep busy, okay?"

"But—"

Kakashi vanishes before Sakura can finish; the girl stomps her foot.

Sasuke pivots neatly on his heel and heads towards the village. Might as well find out what's going on.

-::-

Kakashi stops on his way to the Hokage to check back in with Naruto, hoping he made it to his apartment—and feels his stomach sink when he finds the boy still perched high above the streets on a telephone pole. He lands upon a nearby cable and notes the feverish glaze, the fitful movements and the restless gaze that sweeps around the streets.

Hmm, seems like he's waiting for something... But, what is he waiting for? The jounin carefully balances himself, preparing for the worst. "Naruto?"

Blue eyes snapped towards him, piercing and…

Empty. No recognition. Kakashi shivers at the sensation of being dissected visually. How strange, he thinks and can't bring himself to speak. After a moment, Naruto looks away. I do hope the Hokage has some answers.

-::-

The tension of the market is the first clue that something was wrong when Sasuke wanders through. People move too slowly, cautiously, staying close to the buildings and cluster into groups. There is no laughter, no children running recklessly, no chatter between friends so Sasuke glances around.

He's close. I can feel him. Following the gaze of a child, Sasuke quickly looks up and catches the crouched black-and-orange clad back.

Ah, and there he is.

-::-

"He's acting strange?" Tsunade muses, sleepy, and raises her head.

"Feverish, doesn't react to his name," Kakashi reports. "He wasn't…willing to train today."

"Hmm. What day is it, Kakashi? It's not Saturday? He hasn't actively attacked anyone, has he?"

"No, not that I'm aware of…"

"Strange, I was sure he wasn't due for a few days." Tsunade rubs her nose. "Humm. Oh well, I'm sure he'll be alright…go and get him settled down in his apartment, would you? And be careful, you'll probably have to sneak up on him."

"…alright." Peering at her cautiously, Kakashi slips towards the door, bites his tongue on responding to such a casual dismissal. "That's easy enough."

"And don't chase him, it makes him aggressive!" Tsunade yells after him, and frowns, unsure if Kakashi had heard enough to mind her words.

-::-

Sasuke stands still and watches the unmoving blond for minutes, waiting, trying to understand why the boy would perch out in the middle of the market in such a manner. Time passes and people gather and disperse around them.

"I said do something!" someone hisses behind him. Annoyed, Sasuke turns his head in the chance they had been speaking to him—

—but the old woman merely shakes her broom and points viciously; she doesn't seem to notice Sasuke's scowl. "Get that thing off! Get it away from my home! This instant!"

"But—" the middle-aged man—her son, Sasuke assumes—wrings his hands and doesn't finish his sentence.

"I don't want that thing near my house, do you hear?" the old hag shrieks and waves her broom. "I won't have it! Get that—that horrible beast away!"

Beast? Sasuke raises a brow and steps away from the noise. He glances back to where Naruto is perched, and realizes the blond had swiveled his head towards the screeching woman, and by chance, towards Sasuke.

He shivers uncontrollably. There is no expression on Naruto's face, none that Sasuke could find when the brilliant eyes met his. What is…this? crosses his mind as he moves into the open area without breaking the gaze. Why is he staring at me?

Naruto leans forward, crouching into a ball of intensity. Sasuke glares, close enough to see tiny rips and tears on the stupid jumpsuit, smudge of dirt on one whiskered cheek.; this close he could see the utter lack of Naruto's personality, which is strange enough, but underneath it all he feels the familiar irritation.

The crowd mutters uneasily around him, and Sasuke knew that they wouldn't hesitate to forcibly remove Naruto from his spot. He props a hand on his hips and sighs. "Come on, dobe, I thought you were supposed to be sick?"

Naruto topples forward, rolling like a cat to land on his feet.

The rest of his words forgotten, Sasuke narrows his eyes as Naruto rises to his feet, unwavering blue gaze on Sasuke, like he was the only spot of color left in the world. Naruto stands still for the moment Sasuke takes to stare back, refusing to back down. The blond doesn't blink, doesn't twitch or smile or mock him, just stands there—

Strange, he thinks. This is strange, this is weird, what is he trying to do?

Bristling, Naruto smiles with bared teeth and steps to the left, one step at a time, until Sasuke realizes the blond has nearly circled behind him.

What the hell is this? Twisting, Sasuke shifts his stance and steps away from Naruto's presence, until they both move into a tight little circle. The hair on the back of his neck is crawling in alarm; it's too close to a fight for his instincts to ignore.

What's going on? What are you trying to pull? Sasuke thinks fleetingly, glaring, because people were watching them with hateful glares of their own and all of it seems just…off-center. Wrong.

It takes only seconds for Naruto slow and deepen his stance, that strange non-expression in his eyes. Sasuke notices the tips of his teeth glint white and the pulse in his throat seems to flutter.

Sasuke can't understand. Naruto isn't supposed to stare at him calmly, to wait there without a reaction, without a boast—he wasn't supposed to look so—

so—

—feral—

—not when Sasuke was waiting for Naruto to back down, because Naruto always backed off in laughter, in mocking taunts or angry silence—

—not this heated calculation he could see shimmering in the blueness—

Again, Naruto shows his teeth slowly, almost smiling—he could see the amusement—and Sasuke realizes his own teeth were bared in apparent threat.

Sasuke doesn't know if he did the action first, or mimicked Naruto—in the end, it doesn't matter. His own hostile reaction drags out all the anger and frustration and hate. Sasuke unconsciously deepens his own stance and flexed his hands. Something was waiting. He was waiting and Naruto stood there silently aggressive while working Sasuke's anger deeper into his paper-cut presence.

People see the tense little circle, and most scuttle nervously out of harms way—

—No, Sasuke notices, not away. Into position. A man stood yards away and steadily moving closer, a heavy wooden pole in his hands.

Shocked, Sasuke breaks eye contact first; the minute Naruto leaves his vision the tension of what is about to happen snaps whipcord against him. His heart gives a leap, the man swinging—

—but Naruto is gone—and the middle-aged man twists, slipping when the expected resistance wasn't there and falls into an undignified heap. Sasuke, unable to see the distinctive orange of the jacket, frantically searches for the whirl of chakra and disappears after him.

-::-

Even moving at his fastest speed, Kakashi arrives to a scene of disruption. A man stands clutching his lower back while an ancient hag screeches out she had been attacked and killed by god—

Kakashi sighs and collars the nearest person. "Alright, what happened? Where'd the Uzumaki brat go?"

The young man blinks at him, straining on his toes. "Uhhh, he was right there, uh," the man smiles nervously. "The Uchiha kid came and they were close to fighting, I think, but—ow, take it easy—they just took off, like foosh! Gone!"

"Thanks," Kakashi murmurs, dropping the deathgrip on the collar, heedless of the man staggering back. Guess Sasuke found him first. Kakashi shifts from foot to foot, then looks up to a heat-baked sky of steely blue.

Storm skies and no storm…I don't like this at all.

-::-

Naruto runs and Sasuke follows as quickly as he can. The blond is faster than anything Sasuke had ever seen, ever known Naruto to be—but even so, he isn't surprised.

No, Sasuke is angry and he doesn't even know why. He's furious so he follows Naruto as he vaults into freefall and ricochets off the higher buildings and lands easily, only to spring forth again.

Liar he's a liar he said he was sick—

Sasuke can barely keep up, muscles aching, body and mind fatiguing at the strain of pulling forth chakra. Doesn't even look tired, he notices, leaping ahead to cut him off, doubling back when Naruto switches directions. They are on the outskirts of the city now, and Naruto looks…

Thrilled. Dangerously, darkly, insanely thrilled. Sasuke feels grit under his fingers for the moment he brushes the ground, feels the force of his push shudder off behind him—

—pushing off towards the goddamn smirking face and he lands where Naruto had been, eyes already tracking the boy even as his body coils and follows in the space between heartbeats, follows the spinning form down into the alley. Naruto's precise landing stirs dusty leaves and an empty bottle before Sasuke darts after him.

His fingers, this time, brush the rough edge of a narrow tear along the sleeve. Sasuke's heart jumps.

—so close—

—and Naruto slides away like the light over water.

Sasuke skids to a stop, flexing hands and sucking in air, staring, angry because Naruto had to be mocking him. Had to be.

"Dammit," he spits. Naruto shifts on his feet, yards away, balancing as Sasuke twitches fingers, stepping back when Sasuke moves two strides forward.

"Dammit," Sasuke repeats. "Is this some fucking game to you?"

Silent, Naruto tilts his head and lowers his body, bouncing foot to foot for a second. His bright blue eyes follow Sasuke's frustrated movements, his clenching hands, the harsh breathing.

"Answer me!" Sasuke darts forward as fast as possible, lunging.

In a flash, Naruto disappears from his vision, even as Sasuke locates his chakra and follows his shadow above the buildings. They were near the wall; if Naruto managed to get past the wall…Sasuke leaps to his feet and follows without a second thought, 'no idea what he'll do when he does catch him, half-convinced that it was all Naruto's fault he was out here in the first place.

-::-

"What are you doing back here? Did you get him settled down already?"

"Uh, you see," Kakashi begins. "Not exactly…I'm not sure where he is…but Sasuke's most likely with him!"

"…Say that again?" Tsunade scowls terribly at him. "I thought I told you not to let him run around!"

"No, you said 'don't chase him,' so…" Kakashi shrugs, laughing. "Maa, maa, you didn't seem too concerned earlier, and I don't think Sasuke will hurt him. I'm sure he'll bring Naruto back, so…"

"I thought you were aware of his particular situation," Tsunade rubs at the bridge of her nose. "I would have had a different set of instructions had I known."

"Hokage-sama? During the Sandaime's time, I had been briefed on strange chakra fluctuations," Kakashi retorts. "But today? This is nothing like what I've been briefed on. What exactly is going on? All the previous reports on Naruto's particular condition did not include, uh, changes like this."

"I knew I should've started locking him up…No, don't look at me like that, you don't understand." Tsunade waves a hand and sighs. "He's gotten...territorial, I suppose. Come on," Tsunade rises to her feet, stern and daunting as she looks up at Kakashi. "We'll have to go and get him before he hurts Sasuke; I'll explain on the way."

-::-

Sasuke only notices they've left the safety of the village when his vision is filled with trees. For the last five minutes, he had chased Naruto all along the inner wall, up and down and across the shingled roof-tops until Naruto, in the moment he pulls ahead, darts up along the wall and over. Sasuke followed without a second glance and now he's deep within the woods just beyond Konoha's walls.

They play a twisting, improvised game of tag as Naruto stays only split-seconds ahead of Sasuke's reach. The blond slows when Sasuke slows, darts away when he moves—Naruto seems to mock him by staying just out of reach.

Sasuke stretches for a bit of extra power, waiting, holding it until he senses the moment—which comes as Naruto pauses to figure out the best way to avoid Sasuke—

Then Sasuke twists and jumps off the solidness of a boulder with extra speed. Naruto crosses his path—Sasuke slams into him, fingers snagging the ripped jacket and Naruto makes a strange little noise as Sasuke tumbles them into the ground. Instinct has Sasuke sitting on Naruto's kicking legs and holding down his wrists.

Sasuke stares furiously down, bruising the wrists and half-tempted to squeeze the neck instead. "Bastard," he breathes, heart thumping enough to deafen him. "I hate you I hate you-I-hate-you!" he barely realizes he's growling out these words and Naruto bucks beneath him.

One particularly violent heave throws Sasuke forward and Naruto wrenches a leg free and hooks it around Sasuke's leg, pulling him tight, then Sasuke raises a fist and strikes Naruto as hard as he could across the face. Arms and clawing fingers pull him down; Sasuke has to wrestle with the wrists and push them against the leaves and dirt to keep the nails away from his eyes, the teeth away from his skin.

How is he so strong? flashes through his head and all of a sudden he can't believe how angry he still is that Naruto was fighting back, no matter how weird his method of attack is, and that Sasuke snarled or screamed or something in-between. This close, he could see the blood staining Naruto's lips, the bruises and dirt and leaves stuck on his body. This close, as they scuffle and Naruto twists to try and flip them over, so he opens his mouth and bites the muscle on Naruto's shoulder—

A knee whacks his side, fingers clawing down his back and neck and Sasuke gets in a solid punch to Naruto's ribs while hearing wet, noisy breathing in his ear. He can feel blood seeping down his side.

Naruto squirms beneath him as Sasuke drops his full weight onto Naruto. He scrambles to keep the scratching fingers away from his face and at the moment he pushes down, Naruto pushes up. The blond has both legs wrapped around his waist and squeezing them, looking as fierce as Sasuke feels.

But he pushes up against Sasuke and there's something between them that Sasuke recognizes—the shock, the awareness of it splashes cold over him, almost breaking through his rage to the "What the hell am I doing?" that was waiting on the other side.

Almost.

It only makes him pause in a brief, shocked moment to watch Naruto's blue eyes, stomach and chest mashed together, legs tangled, while Naruto's rigid flesh is trapped between them.

Almost.

Sasuke tenses and pushes down in the intent to get up, get away, because getting away is his first reaction—and then he stops.

I can use this, he thinks—

—because Naruto twitches and bucks up again, rolling his hips and erection in slow undulation—

—and while he's never been inclined to have sex with either gender, he can use this because all he wants to do is hurt him.

I can hurt him and it's all the better, Sasuke feels a laugh choking up. Because he wants to. Then he'll stay away he'll have to he won't—

He almost laughs. Instead, he forces Naruto's thighs apart with his hips and pushes down hard onto Naruto's body. His knees dig into the dirt and grass and leaves, dig into the grit until they sting in pain, but all Sasuke can focus on is the way Naruto twists beneath him, panting, head thrown back. Sasuke fastens his mouth onto the exposed skin and growls, releasing his grip on the wrist to tear at Naruto's already ripped clothing.

Everything blurs into angry thundering noise from the moment his hands expose the tanned skin on Naruto's shoulder, the bruise mark from his teeth. Everything fades as he tastes the salt on the skin, the traces of sweat and the zing-flavor of chakra as Naruto writhes and rasps out breath after breath.

Sasuke's busy mapping out hurried tracks across the skin, moving the tattered clothing when flashes of red wisp around the corners of his vision. He almost looks but Naruto drags nails down his arm, snapping teeth at his face.

Sasuke shoves him back down without thinking, red swimming through his vision but his eyes ache, so it could be the sharingan. The air tugs around him, pulls and slides against him, tearing up the ground and leaves and flinging them high. Warm, almost electric, and Sasuke realizes the idiot's ripped his shirt when his bare chest slides up against Naruto's skin.

In fact, as the rest of his body follows, he's got a hand to Naruto's belt and works it open.

But it doesn't matter, Sasuke decides, when Naruto wraps his muscled legs around him again and Sasuke's world narrows into a desperate heat. It doesn't matter how everything seems surreal.

Nothing mattered and Sasuke chases down the last of his mental resistance and convinces himself he was going to do this. They were both bared to each other, both bruised and bloody and Naruto was making soft little grunts high in his throat.

Sasuke felt hard enough to shatter, hot and blind on the edges, nestled against Naruto's bony hips and the strange feeling of Naruto's sex against his, thrusting back and forth and fighting to hold the blond down.

Naruto bites at him; Sasuke bites back and pushes at Naruto's hips with one hand, even as the blond squeezes his legs along his sides, hefts up his position. Sasuke pulls back enough to find the dip between his legs and then everything happens in crystal slowness when all it takes is less than seconds to push inside.

—he was really doing this—his penis lodged halfway, almost painfully tight as Naruto's body resists the intrusion. It almost makes him stop—

Almost—

Then Naruto groans and arches up and everything tightens around him and Sasuke can't breathe it feels so good so he pushes all the way in and rocks back and forth in quick succession.

—god—

—oh god—

The world turns red, was red, hot and sweet and so bright it was white and red at the same time behind his eyes and Sasuke hisses between his teeth and digs his fingers into the ground for purchase as Naruto rakes his back to ribbons and lunges against him, impaled again and again. The blond makes several breathy noises and takes the flesh of Sasuke's shoulder between his teeth and bites almost hard enough to draw blood.

But Sasuke doesn't care because he's too close and everything is flickering into lightning in his belly—

—and Naruto only bares his teeth against a sound trapped in his throat, as Sasuke thrusts into him because he's really doing this and he topples over the edge and breaks out on the rocks below and hears a distant "…ah-h…" as Naruto follows him down. He feels the slickness between their skin, the sting of the welts and scratches on his back and Naruto's voice vibrating against his body.

Ah, Sasuke thinks in the middle of floating back up and it's all he can seem to summon forth. Ah, you liar you liar liar liar…

-::-

"—goddammit," is the first thing that breaks through the droning in his head, wakes him from a sleepy, sticky feeling. His back is fire, legs and arms leaden with overtaxed muscles. Groaning, he turns his head on the lumpy mattress to see who was interrupting his rest—

A rapid heartbeat, just under his ear, and a hollow windy sound—breathing, he amends and pushes upward.

Naruto. Under him.

Sasuke frowns, and carefully moves onto legs that protest any movement and sits. He turns his head, remembering distantly something had woken him, and stares up to the pale, angry face of the Hokage.

Sasuke almost flinches back in fear. Almost, and reminds himself to merely look away.

"Hokage-sama?" Kakashi's voice is soft and hesitant.

"Goddammit!" the hokage spits again. "If you had brought him back when I had told you too—!" She stamps her foot, and Sasuke is terrifyingly impressed by the cracks that radiate for ten feet around. She gives him a furious glance again, and Sasuke steels his resolve and meets her, glare for glare, until Kakashi tosses a spare shirt and boxers at him.

"Well, you didn't say that this was a possibility—" Kakashi sighs and rubs at the back of his neck. "A bit unexpected, but—Here, put them on," the teacher requests.

"Unexpected—" The Godaime glowers a look at Kakashi and closes her mouth a touch too sharply.

What about Naruto? Sasuke wants to ask, but doesn't. He doesn't care what happens to Naruto, and just as carefully doesn't think about what he just did. He slides into the shirt and stands to put on the boxers, and waits just as silently as the Hokage pushes him aside. She kneels by Naruto and gathers his unresponsive body—

—the sight bothers him and he doesn't know why—

But then she's standing with a look so dark even Sasuke barely avoids stepping backwards. "Get him to the hospital," she orders Kakashi. "I'll take Naruto there myself."

Sasuke watches her vanish and turns his face upwards.

So, I really did…comes his singular thought—and then Kakashi takes him by the arm and the world blurs.

-::-

"What the hell were you trying to do?"

Sasuke sits, clothed, scratched and bloodstained. He doesn't raise his eyes, doesn't move or respond. The doctors of the hospital have treated the worst of the wounds, a set of deep bloody scratches that mar the smoothness of his back—he's got three stitches to hold it together over the blade of his shoulder. Now, an hour or so after they've sent him to a private room, the Hokage was standing before him. He feels dirty and somewhat itchy with drying blood, but she doesn't seem to notice.

Tsunade fumes silently and with deliberate steps, she glides back and forth in front of him. "Answer me, Uchiha, because I can make damn sure you never get out of this village."

Sullen dark eyes glance to hers. "Why? You already know what I've done. I got...carried away."

Tsunada slams a fist onto the small table, cracking it. "You little shit, of course I know—you think this isn't serious? You obviously don't know one thing about the consequences of your actions—you spoiled, stubborn stupid brat—"

Sasuke stares up at her, silent.

Tsunade leans forward and her voice drops into a deathly quiet sound. "Naruto wasn't himself, correct?"

"Yes."

"So, in that knowledge, you should have refrained from provoking him, correct?"

"Yes."

Tsunade grips his shirt and pulls him into her face. Sasuke's skin and face is bloody and bruised with scratches and bitemarks. Sasuke doesn't seem to care that he's dangling in her hand. "So you raped him while he was unable to reason, unable to realize what you were doing?"

"No, it—!" Sasuke hisses back. "It was his idea."

"You raped him!" Tsunade growls in response.

"It wasn't rape!" Sasuke snaps back; anger is the only emotion in his eyes. "He wanted it—he was acting like he—"

Tsunade slaps him, furious. "Without his consciousness, that—" she spits as Sasuke's head lolls. "—wasn't Naruto."

-::-

Tsunade storms from the hospital room, door hanging open. Kakashi can see a cracked, wooden table and Sasuke sitting on the bed. He can see the bruises still staining his skin, and blood trickling from a fresh wound on Sasuke's mouth.

"Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asks before she breaks something outside of the room. "You haven't healed him?"

"Fuck that little brat," she snarls. "He can heal on his own time for all I care!"

Kakashi isn't sure what to say to that. "I…take it he wasn't cooperating?"

Tsunade whirls in place. "Cooperating? He raped Naruto, excuses or not, he held him down and raped him."

"But—" Kakashi frowns with the thought it doesn't seem like Sasuke. Sure, the kid was screwed up and had strange ideas, but…rape? "I'm sorry for my insolence, Hokage-sama, but I don't believe Sasuke would do that."

"It sure looks that way."

"Did you ask him why?" Kakashi muses.

"Kakashi," Tsunade warns with a withering glance.

The jounin smiles sheepishly and shrugs. "Well, Sasuke isn't…he has his issues. We both know that. Maybe Naruto triggered something in him. It's possible...that he wasn't in a mental state to avoid what he did."

"Possible, yes," Tsunade draws herself up and keeps her voice frigid. "But unlikely, and I will not hear your excuses for your student."