The rain had been falling for days now. That day, it was an on-slaughter, falling so hard that it could even be heard from inside the very core of the opera house. Well, it could only be heard when the people on stage were not practicing. As they took a break from their singing and dancing, the heavy pitter patters echoed very loudly. Other than that, the roar from the performance even outweighed the heavy storm just outside.

It had been raining, non-stop, ever since...that faithful night when everything had ended, and begun, all at once.

A small sigh was lost in the noise. "Sakura, try to ease up on the high notes..."

Things had been so difficult during this week, something that seemed very unnatural. It made sense, after all, that they would suffer from the loss of one of their prized actors, left in the clutches of a madman who had vanished from the world like the phantom he was. And then there was Sai, who was really the only one to witness the two in the last moments. Whatever had happened down in those catacombs must have been an impact, for the young lad would not talk to any of them about it. In fact, he found it terribly difficult to work, and most of the times when trying to converse with the accountant, he would not say a word....at least loudly and intelligibly; if you were lucky you could get a few enigmatic mumbles out of the traumatized lad.

Quite the shame that such young talent had to be waste, but...what could one do?

Jiraya's train of thought shattered at the sudden booming voice next to him, "Alright, people. Let's take it from the top," bringing him back to reality where he was needed. Tsunade held marks of exhaustion and stress, and he probably fared no better. With a firm frown on his face, he moved to stand next to the weary looking woman, a hand touching her shoulder lightly.

"Do you need a break, Tsunade?"

A shake of the head was given at the question, a weak smile trying to help support her next words. "No, I'm fine. It's just been...a couple of stressful days." Her heavy eyes traveled across the performers on the stage, a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth. "We lost both a valuable accountant and probably one of the best actors we've had the pleasure of knowing," she mumbled, clearing her throat at Hinata, who was too busy daydreaming to get in to position.

Across the room, a squealed voice broke through. "Don't forget your favorite actress, now!"

And they had nothing to say to that.

---

The purple haired girl was fidgeting slightly in her seat, nervous about how the man opposite of her was staring at her. "How...are you feeling today, Sai?" She asked softly, glancing nervously over at the other occupant in the room, who looked as uncomfortable as she.

Of course, there was no answer, and it really wasn't that much of a surprise. He didn't seem to break this silent treatment for anyone around the opera house, not even his bosses. There was no point in trying to indulge the man, it wasn't for his benefit considering he didn't want any help. But still, it was out of the kindness of Hinata's heart that she at least tried to treat him like a human, which everyone else had seemed to forgotten ever since this breakdown of his. Who could blame the poor guy; Naruto had been dear to his heart, and the knowledge that the blond had been spirited out of this place without any traces left behind was a bit concerning.

Well, at least Kakashi still cared about the accountant as well. He was sitting by her and observing the mumbling boy with a sullen interest. His eyes seemed wearier than normal, something that was expressed on many during these last few days.

The young dancer glanced over at her conductor, a frown on her own lips. This wasn't really getting them anywhere, so she decided to bring something up that she knew would help get some kind of reaction. Not only that, it was a question she wanted answered herself. "So, Kakashi...do you think that Naruto is okay?" As she predicted, Sai immediately perked up a bit at the mention of Naruto's name, but still didn't comment. He just seemed to enjoy listening in; anything about his young, lost lover was worth his time.

The silver haired man frowned at this, not sure at how giving out this information would effect them. For he knew very well where the two of hem were now...he was the one who helped them escape, after all. Well, deciding that it wouldn't hurt sharing some of his knowledge with them. So he summed everything up with a vague, simple sentence.

"He's with the phantom now...and despite what you may think, he is perfectly safe."

-----

Outside the small hut, the rain wasn't as bad. In other places it was a heavy drum roll of noise. Here though, farther out from the cities, the sound of soft trickling and patters was relaxing, almost soothing to those who heard. Lazy rain had such an effect.

Despite the calming mood, it barely went noticed to the two inhabiting the small cabin. They were too engrossed with each other to notice the weather.

A sigh was heard over the muffled rain outside. "Sasuke..." a voice whispered out, the small noise easily being hushed by a deep murmur. The two men were currently tangled in the bed sheets, moving slowly against each other in perfect unison. Naruto was on bottom, pressed in to the bed by a gentle but firm grip.

"Are you close?" the raven asked him, nipping an ear while using his hand to tease the blond's weeping length, earning a small nod of the head and a whimper in response, slim hips bucking up not only to meet his hand's pace, but to thrust himself harder on to the hard cock currently torturing his insides. A soft moan broke through Sasuke, the blond taking the vulnerable moment to lean up and nip at the throat exposed to him, gently toying with the skin there.

"N-Naruto.." was choked out, the pale body slowing in its thrusts and trembling, releasing with the small movement. He was followed a few second after, a soft sigh signalling the young actor's completion as well. They did not dare remove themselves of each other just yet. A second was taken to use their hands to explore skin and body, as a confirmation that this was real and this was okay.

The familiar sensation of a cloth covered torso pressing against his own brought the tan boy back to reality. "We didn't jostle your injuries, did we?" he asked softly, closing his eyes as the feel of lips brushing against his temple, feeling the slight shake of the raven's head.

"I'm alright, nothing reopened. You don't need to be so concerned." A lazy grin was offered up at the slightly disapproving look the younger man shot him. "Not that I mind the attention."

Naruto shook his head, gently shoving the weight off of him so he could breathe easier. "Of course not..." he muttered softly, the tone light and joking. They curled up in to themselves once more, tan fingers moving to play with a few stray locks of black hair.

"We need to go out and get groceries soon." A slight pause. "You're comfortable going outside without your mask?"

A kiss was placed on a sweaty forehead. "I think I'll be okay."

And that was true. Even if the phantom had his mask to hide behind...it would have stayed locked up in an old box somewhere, never used again.

With only the dust and the memories to live off of.

Child of the wilderness, born into emptiness,
Learn to be lonely, learn to find your way in darkness.
Who will be there for you, comfort and care for you.

Learn to be lonely, learn to be your one companion.

Never dreamed out in the world there are arms to hold you,
You've always known your heart was on its own.

So laugh in your loneliness, child of the wilderness,
Learn to be lonely, learn how to love life that is lived alone.

Learn to be lonely, life can be lived, life can be loved alone.

----Fin----