Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its characters and/or ideas. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto

Summary: Sasuke couldn't move, couldn't think. How he wished he had noticed before. The same whisker marks and sparkling blue eyes belonging to one Uzumaki Naruto, the same kid whom mysteriously vanished months before - the missing boy. AU SasuNaru.

"Others Speak", "Kyuubi Speaks", "Thoughts, Etc."

Chapter 4

Multiple bodies stood around almost chaotically as several high school students waited to be handed their permission slips for the annual field trip to Kyoto in what appeared to be a jumbled form of a line. Sasuke scowled impatiently while he lingered, wanting nothing more but to leave the chatter and closeness of his peers.

He expertly ignored the giggles and blushes of the various females in the classroom, each girl giving him meaningful looks before averting their eyes when he stared straight in their direction. When it was his turn to retrieve the slip, he snatched the sheet roughly from the unsuspecting teacher's hand and stomped away from the class in annoyance.

The raven then stalked away from the high school building hurriedly afterward; he didn't feel like running into any of his fangirls nor did he want to see the confused and worried faces of his friends Neji and Shikamaru. For the past two weeks, the Uchiha had come to school with a haunted glint in his eyes. True, he was still the same expressionless bastard he had always been; but there was almost a melancholy feel to anything and everything he did.

He couldn't help but have these feelings though. His thoughts were muddled, his emotions (no matter how well hidden) were haywire and it was all thanks to that hypnotizing, troubled blue eyed missing son of the Yellow Flash, Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto.

Just the thought of his 'real' name brought an unexplained emptiness to his whole being. Why was he thinking about the boy so much? Shouldn't he have been able to forget about him like his brother, mother, and even Naruto himself had wanted? Why did everything in his life have to be so damn complicated?

With so many distractions in his mind, Sasuke had easily made his way home in a short amount of time. His mother greeted him with a warm smile as he came inside and started his walk up the stairs. He nodded his head in return, but honestly he had wanted to disregard his family all together. He felt betrayed by all of them.

Securely looking his door after entering his bedroom, the raven haired teen threw his backpack carelessly onto his bed and then came to turn on his computer and monitor with graceful speed. He rotated his chair in front of him and took a seat while he dragged his body closer to the screen. After catching his mother going through his files on his computer he had made sure to have a password and lock to gain entrance into any of his history, files, emails, etc.

It took him less than five minutes to access the Internet. Using a search engine, Sasuke quickly submitted to his new preferred hobby - finding out as much information as he could about the Yondaime Hokage Namizake Minato and his son. Many of his site favorites on the task bar were from a web-based encyclopedia that showcased facts and reports on people, places, and certain items.

On one of the webpages that informatively addressed a warped version of Naruto's life story, a link unexpectedly pop opened - Sannin, J. (09-20-04).The Hokage's missing son. Namizake-Uzumaki Foundation - and Sasuke found himself greatly intrigued. He then clicked on it using his mouse; the link brought him to a forum where numerous message users either gave their sympathy on the missing blonde or their support on helping with the search in finding him.

The raven scrolled down the page of hundreds of entries, not at all impressed with the false sense of hope that these anonymous persons sprouted needlessly. He was about to exit out of the forum, when a particular user's name and admission caught his attention.

Hidden Blue (Kakusa re ta aoi) Look underneath the underneath. Friends are enemies. Enemies are friends. Trust no one. Everybody's a suspect.

Leaning back against the soft cushion of his seat, Sasuke furrowed his brow as he read the entry over and over again. What exactly did this individual mean by that? The Uchiha couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but there was more to this message than a seemingly misunderstood simpleton spreading nonsense over the web.

Sasuke clicked on the user's name and the maneuver brought him to a blank page. The teen frowned as he refreshed the page a few times to get some other result. He then pressed the 'back' button to arrive on the forum's home page when nothing else happened. What was that all about? The raven asked himself. And why wasn't I able to get on that user's personal page?

With a resigned shrug, the obsidian eyed boy stood up and sauntered away from his computer for the time being. He had some more thinking to do. And with the field trip coming sooner than he would have liked, he knew the next couple of days were going to be exhausting.

There was a slight drizzle outside. Nothing yet to be concerned about - after all, minimal amounts of rain never hurt.

The light noise of the precipitation against the hardened door and clear windows was enough to put a small smile on Naruto's face momentarily as he sat hunched over on his bed in the minuscule hotel room. The delicate red silk bedsheets underneath the tanned blonde's palm was masterfully made. He absentmindedly rubbed the cover to feel the coolness on his skin.

Deidara had ordered two queen sized beds as he and Sasori were to share one and Naruto was to have the other for himself. It was highly appreciated that he were able to sleep alone. Usually, the blonde had to be content with what he was given whether it be a shared bed, the floor, a cot, or a sleeping bag.

The trio had arrived two days before. The older blonde with his redheaded secret lover were being as flirtatious as they could be and a newly blonde Naruto without his whiskered scars to the chagrin of Sasori after much coaxing from Deidara and Naruto. Looking back, the blue eyed teen revealed to himself that he had actually had fun on the ride over.

And even with the petite size of their paid room, Naruto enjoyed the atmosphere of it. The crafted wooden walls gave a sort of country look while the clean and refined floors gave mass sophistication. Inclining upward an inch, the Uzumaki spent a few more minutes staring into space. Quite frankly, the boy was homesick. He had been ever since this whole thing had started.

He missed his godfather's womanizing ways and interesting quirks, his grandmother's volatile language and obsessive drinking, and even the guards' stoic attitude when he wasn't around to make silly faces at them. But mostly, he missed his father. He missed him a lot.

Involuntary tears escaped his now shut eyes as he curled into his body. As much as he tried to stop them the tears just kept coming, cascading freely down his almost cherubic cheeks. He then wiped furiously at his eyes with a new resolve. The blonde reminded himself that he had to be strong. He couldn't show anybody weakness, not even to his own self.

Rising from the bed, Naruto made his way to the bathroom for a shower. He was glad to have an extra few hours to be alone; it made him a little less paranoid. And as nice as both Deidara and Sasori were, the blonde knew he was still trapped like a prisoner. Even if he wanted to escape, he had nowhere to hide. Besides, they know I wouldn't - couldn't - run away.

Inwardly within the teen, a deep rumbled voice scoffed indignantly at the thought.

The stunning greenery surrounding the various construction as the sun rose higher in the day was pure awe and inspiring. The rain had discontinued a while before. Uchiha Sasuke, however, wasn't able to enjoy the beauty of the scene for two reasons: one, he had been to this place a number of times and two, it's hard to be pleased about anything when you have a bunch of stranger leeches trying to drape themselves all over you.

The museum he and his select group of classmates were to view consisted of several buildings that housed great works of Japanese and Asian art. They were led through a garden by one of their chaperones, a crazy teacher by the name of Gai-sensei. The thick brow of a man excitedly talked about the history behind when and how the structures were built with an underling of the word 'youth'. It was all very ridiculous, as far as the raven was concerned.

"I hope this is all very amusing for you," said the irritated raven as he glowered over at smirking male Hyuuga who was walking alongside him.

At least I'm with one sane person, observed Sasuke eying his long haired friend. His group was made up of four others excluding Sasuke and Neji (it would have been five but Shikamaru decided to stay home that day): a shaggy brown haired teen named Inuzaka Kiba, the annoying girl Haruno, a silent boy called Aburame Shino, and an androgynous male named Haku.

What Sasuke didn't count on after another fifty minutes of trivial sight-seeing was for the six of them to be directed away from the museum and into the chaos of the bustle in the city. Even though they weren't even a couple of miles from where they had been before, the black haired teen found himself grinding his teeth. It only got worse as many girls and some guys watched him appreciatively as they strolled by.

"Not enjoying the attention?" Neji asked him in mirth. The Uchiha glared, but otherwise kept silent.

Sakura witnessed their display with a slight smile on her face. She thought the two were very cute and she enjoyed their company, even with them blatantly oblivious to her. When Sasuke slowed down his walking and moved closer to the pink haired teen, her eyes sparkled and she could feel as her face grew hotter.

Contrary to what the girl may have assumed, Sasuke had went into a bit of a shock, and gradually came to a stop all together. Realizing his friend wasn't by his side, Neji turned around and gave the other a bemused look.

"Sasuke?" The other male said.

The onyx eyed boy wasn't paying the Hyuuga any mind. A few feet away from them came a boy around their age, bumping his way through the mounting crowd. The said boy was wearing heavy clothing with a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap on.

What caught Sasuke's attention to the other that would have otherwise been incognito was the sliver of blue peeking out from behind his dark spectacles as they slipped down a tanned nose. Blue colored eyes were not common in Kyoto, and the Uchiha would've probably let it go after awhile naming him as a foreigner. But when those blue morning eyes behind those glasses widened in recognition as they looked back at Sasuke's midnight ones, the world seemed to tilt on its axis as the two boys gazed at each other.

The stare down was broken as the other boy took off in the other direction in an alarming sprint. The raven stood for a brief moment before taking off behind the running male. He ignored Neji's calls and warnings; all he was focused on were those blue orbs getting further and further away from him. And so, for the youngest Uchiha son who was used to getting anything he wanted, he wouldn't let the other get away.

The boy led him through a couple of alleys inbetween certain buildings. Sasuke decided to cut him off, so he took a different route and almost literally ran into his pursuit next to a hotel in the back. The boy gasped in surprise as Sasuke smirked in triumph. The raven could see the wheels spinning in the other teen's head in way of an attempt to flee.

"Hello, Akihito." Sasuke mockingly addressed in a smug voice. The teen flinched visibly. The other then began to move his head right and left in what the older male supposed was a last ditch effort to get away. Sasuke lost his playfulness as he did so and hissed, "What are you doing here?"

"I...and you...but..."

"Spit it out, Uzumaki!" The raven snapped.

"W-What are you doing here?" The now revealed Naruto retorted in his panic.

"Answer me first," Sasuke countered, feeling very angry. How could the boy just be wandering around almost casually while there were loads of people trying to find him? Did he just run away from home? Was this all just a big joke to him? And if so, who else was in on it?

"You," Naruto stated in a shaking voice before taking a deep breath to start again with more confidence, "...you weren't supposed to see me again. I...I have to get back to the hotel. I was only going to be out for a little while. If they find out I left, they'll-"

"Who's they?" The raven interrupted crossing his arms over his chest.

The blonde shook his head in distress. "Please, Uchiha. Just leave it alone. Forget about them, about me..."

Naruto stepped forward, intending to pass the raven teen but Sasuke blocked his way. "No."

"Please..."

"No." The other teen repeated stubbornly, removing Naruto's glasses to reveal glossy sapphires. "I want you to tell me - did you run away from home or were you kidnapped?"

The blue eyed boy shut his eyes in his misery as he swayed backward. Sasuke watched him with careful consideration. It may have looked like an unfair interrogation, but the Uchiha was desperate for answers. He had to know the truth, he just had to!

"Tell me," Sasuke continued in a softer tone, thinking it would relax the obvious despondent male, "I can't take this guilt anymore."

"Well, I-"

"Sasuke-kun!" A shrill voice cut through in the close background. Sasuke cursed under his breath from the intrusion while Naruto's head snapped up to resume his dread. The pink haired girl stalked from around the corner panting. She then followed with a huff. "Sasuke-kun, are you okay? I told Neji-kun that I'd be the one to-oh," she exclaimed as she looked up to see the unfamiliar boy in their midst, "hello there. I didn't know Sasuke-kun was busy talking to someone."

"Yes, I am. So, if you don't mind-"

Sakura brought her hands to her hips in a scolding fashion. "Gai-sensei is going to wonder where we are. We should head back."

"That's-"

"And who are you?" The green eyed girl said, directing her attention to the Uzumaki with a curious look. "I've never seen you around before. Are you in any of our classes?"

"Beat it, Haruno!" Sasuke snapped.

Sakura looked back at the Uchiha with a look of hurt. She began to glance between the two males in confusion. The unnamed teen began to fidget in his stance. When she gazed back at the other boy, she became intrigued with his eyes. Being the intelligent person that she was, she scrutinize the figure a bit more. Those eyes...I've seen them before.

"Wait...don't I know you from somewhere?" The pink haired teen forgot all about Sasuke in favor of the silent boy.

She crept forward cautiously, wanting to get a better glimpse of the other teen. A distinct click stopped her in her tracks as heavy pressure jabbed on her head. The two boys seemed to cease their movements as well. Sasuke was narrowing his eyes and the blonde looked downright frightened.

A reflection glinted on the top of Sakura's light cheery hair as a sinister smile spread on the stranger that hid in the shadows. Sasuke couldn't tell what the figure looked like; they had themselves well hidden. He did recognize the object in his hand as a gun; and with that, he grew apprehensive but determined. Haruno, on the other hand, was terrified beyond belief.

"Yes, you're right," the menancing voice mused in ridicule as he pushed the gun frontward to his hostage, Sakura winced at the action, "he's very familiar. Then again, the Yondaime's legacy isn't too hard to miss."

The pink haired girl didn't have time to enlarge her eyes at the information. She didn't have time to yell out that this interesting looking boy was in fact Minato-sama's missing child. She didn't have time to confirm with her Sasuke-kun that what was said was true or not. All she had time to do was yelp out as a large arm came around her throat and held her in place painfully.

The threatening person tightened their hold on the choking girl when the raven took a intimidating step forward. A growl from his right spun his head to stare into Naruto's face. What he saw brought a chilling shiver to his body. The blonde's eyes were shifting back and forth from an innocent cobalt to a dangerous ruby. It was evident that the Uzumaki was still scared if his trembling was anything to go by. All of a sudden, with a maneuver Sasuke didn't think was humanly possible, Naruto lunged to the figure in an animalistic fury.

The stranger laughed and went to the side to avoid the attack as he pistol whipped Sakura. With a pained scream, she fell to the ground unconscious. The unknown person then swung the weapon and pointed it at the enraged blonde. Before he had a chance to pull the trigger, Naruto was on him. His hands - claws, Sasuke realized- swiped down and scratched at the now identifiable man's face. A terrifying screech sounded in their surroundings and the raven watched in horror as the two fighting men abused one another.

The man surprisingly had the struggling Naruto on his back in minutes. The Uchiha looked around to see if he could find anything to stop him from hurting the other. A shot rang out and Sasuke jumped expecting the worse. Instead, the man that had attacked slumped on top of the blonde sluggishly. Further away from them stood an older blonde with his own gun raised at his eye level in their direction.

The sirens and ambulances illuminated the dark alleyway of the city as the noon turned into a cool evening was flashy. The orange and purple highlights in the sky added to the effect of a colorful foreshadow. Sasuke observed the sight soundlessly away from everyone else. The police had the place in the corner off limits; the yellow tape encased as a crime scene.

Officers and medics alike questioned and looked him over continuously. He had told them all the same story he didn't know how many times. The raven could admit to himself that he was a bit worried over his classmate Sakura. Luckily, the girl only suffered a mild concussion and a few cuts before she was driven to the nearest hospital. What surprised the Uchiha was that he was even more worried over Naruto.

He hadn't had a chance to speak with his teacher about the whole incident. Neji had tried to find out what had happened, but the other raven was very tight lipped with the affair.

A delicate hand touch his upper shoulder. Sasuke was about to tell to whoever touched him to go away. He was quite astonished to find blue eyes staring back at him. Naruto gave him a nervous smile and scratched his unmarked cheek sheepishly.

"Are you okay?" He asked him in a whisper.

"Fine."

The blonde downcast his eyes in what appeared as regret. "Is your friend okay?"

Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes and say that Haruno was in no way, shape, or form a friend. She was an irritating bother, in his opinion. But in this certain circumstance, he felt half at fault for the girl's injuries. He figured admitting that she wasn't a friend wasn't the right thing to say at the moment.

"She'll be okay." The black haired boy muttered after a pause. "She has a slight concussion but it will pass."

The blonde sighed in relief, his smile becoming more genuine. The two then grew quiet; the disarray enveloping them an insignificant activity to the many questions swirling in the young Uchiha's mind.

"I should go." Naruto said suddenly, breaking the Sasuke from his thoughts. "I'm not even supposed to be here."

The blue eyed teen twisted around to amble back to where ever he had come from. The raven grabbed his elbow before he could leave. Sasuke couldn't have that. He was more puzzled than he had been that day when his brother had brought the younger teen to his home.

"What are you?" Sasuke seriously asked. Naruto didn't answer, choosing to instead to gaze at the dirtied sidewalk. The raven took a different approach. "Whoever has you, has you because of...whatever happened earlier, right? I have to know."

Naruto was immobile for a long stretch of what was probably a few seconds before he nodded slowly. Sasuke nodded his own head, albeit only once then released the other teen from his hold. Even though he was now sure that the Hokage's son was in trouble, he felt that if he told anyone the situation would become worse. Itachi had warned him, after all.

The blonde sauntered a couple steps before unexpectedly turning around and grasping the Uchiha by his shirt in a kind embrace. Sasuke's eyes widened comically as he experienced a warmth he couldn't even remember having with his family. The Uchihan law was that they were to remain cold and unfeeling towards others. Things such as hugs and emotions were taboo in their household. The raven briefly held the other back on the shoulders before Naruto pulled away to give the pale boy a breathtaking smile; Sasuke had to clench his fist to lessen the tingles in his body from that face.

"I wish things had been different. I would have liked to have had you as a friend."

And with that, Naruto ran off into the distance. The various colors not even enough to enhance the absolute radiance that danced around the blue eyed blonde. Sasuke watched him go helplessly, not at all acquainted with the feelings surfacing inside him. Unbeknownst to the duo, a pair of brown eyes had witnessed the interaction with a critical gawk.

Hope you enjoyed.