Note: Not beta-ed but proof read. Please let me know in a note with any errors you see and I will fix it asap. :) Don't be afraid to let me know but be polite.

It was Just a Prank

Chapter 13: Missing

Itachi decided to walk Sakura home after dropping by the hotel with Naruto. The two teens had been sitting on the porch for at least an hour before Itachi suggested that Sakura should go home. She complied, nodding in agreement and left without saying goodbye to the two. Not that she cared as much as she was glad they were talking again. A week didn't even pass by when the truth came out and Naruto and Sasuke were a wreck emotionally. The pinkette finally understood that it didn't matter if Sasuke choose Naruto or herself, she saw how much they completed each other and that was what mattered. She left the hotel with a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry Sasuke. I never knew your father was abusive. Glad you have Itachi and your mom to help support you. They seem to really love and care about you."

Sasuke could only nod. He knew they loved him, especially his mom, but he also didn't know how to show his appreciation. He loved them but he never said it due to how it would sound when he would actually say it. It wasn't his forte.

They sat in the cool air for a few more minutes in silence, listening to the sounds of the city and the slight breeze through the buildings. Naruto broke the silence when he coughed, gaining Sasuke's attention.

"So, um. What are we exactly?" He asked with slight nervousness in his voice.

Sasuke smirked. He knew exactly what Naruto was asking but he had no idea for himself.

"I don't know."

"Do you think it would be a bad idea to, you know, pretend this didn't happen?"

Sasuke looked shocked and hurt at the same time but Naruto quickly recovered his words.

"I didn't mean it like that! What I meant was this whole 'downfall' we had. I miss having you to hang out with and I like your company. Even though we weren't 'official' from the beginning, it sort of felt like we were."

Relief fell upon Sasuke. He leaned back in his chair, slumping while placing his hands in his pant pockets.

"Sure." Was all he said.

"So, are we still, you know?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"How can we still when we weren't even dating in the first place?"

"I...I dunno."

They both knew they were beating around the bush. They both wanted to be on equal terms and say they were officially together but neither of them wanted to do the asking.

"Since your such a dobe and your balls haven't dropped. Will you be my...you know."

Naruto laughed. "And who's balls haven't dropped? You can't even say the word."

"Well, I would like to hear you say it then."

The blonde hesitated. It was still a strange word to say: to admit and ask.

"Boyfriend." The blonde whispered.

He finally got it off his chest and Sasuke laughed.

"So, you do have balls."

"You would know, bastard." Naruto teased, lightly punching Sasuke in the shoulder, smiling widely.

"I suppose I would." The air was finally calm and easy between them. All the tension was finally out and forgotten. "So, I will take that as a yes, you will be my...boyfriend?"

Naruto groaned, swiping his hair away from his face before covering his eyes from the sun that seeped through the blinds in his bedroom. It was too early for him to even think about getting up. Grabbing the bedsheets, he rolled over, taking about a foot of his comforter with him before it stopped. He groaned again. He completely forgot he wasn't in his bedroom. It was the fourth day he's been at the hotel, staying with Sasuke and his mother and again another morning where he was staying in a bed with uncomfortable bedsheets and a old pillow which left his neck sore throughout the day.

"Good morning boys!" Mikoto chirped as she walked into the hotel room with a paper bag in each hand. "I got us breakfast!"

"Go away." Sasuke mumbled, his face planted right into his pillow.

Naruto could hear Mikoto giggle before he heard the sound of the bags being placed down on a table and footsteps that seemed to be getting closer.

It was quiet, too quiet, but that was shortly lived when Naruto nearly fell out of his bed when Sasuke yelped and threw the covers off himself.

"MOM!" He screamed while Mikoto sat at the end of the bed laughing.

"What the hell?" Naruto asked, sitting up. "Why did you scream, asshole?"

Sasuke was beat red, pulling the covers over the lower half of his body while he glared at his mother. Naruto looked at Mikoto, confused about the situation.

"The bathroom is available." She just teased before getting up and moving back to the bag she put on the table.

The weight of Sasuke off the bed shifted Narutos posture and the raven made his way to the bathroom. Still confused after he heard the bathroom door closed and locked, he asked Mikoto what happened.

"Oh, just embarrassing Sasuke."

Sasuke hated when his mom was so up front about anything. He heard her talk about her female issues and the monthly visit she got, It was too much for a guy like himself to hear, it made him glad he didn't have a girlfriend, nor did he want one. Females were just too much to handle. His mom was proving his point all the more.

Unclothing himself, he turned on the shower letting the warm water smack against his porcelain skin. The tension of the days before had still made its mark on his muscles, not to mention his mental state as well. Its ben a long week, living in a hotel and going to school, acting like everything is alright when really they were not. He had to worry about his father and protect his mother and himself. He was still on the look out for Fugaku and didn't let Naruto out of his site. He knew his father would use Naruto to get at him, that is, if he was desperate enough. Wether his father was desperate and what for, he didn't know, but he would rather be safe than sorry.

"That idiot" Sasuke sneered.

Sleeping with Naruto in the same bed had been really hard on him. He did enjoy the extra warmth the blonde created under the sheets but he couldn't do anything. With is mom less than twenty feet away in another bed, he had to keep himself in check. They did occasionally touch and flirt while his mom was sleeping but he was careful to not let his mother be stuck in the middle of something intimate and Naruto didn't seem to understand the issue at hand. Many times he had to walk out of the room or lock himself in the bathroom just to get away from the dobe. Even while he was sleeping, he could feel their bodies touch and Sasuke was very sensitive in the lower back and ass.

He grumbled as he poured some shampoo in his hair and rubbed it in, accidentally getting some in his eye. Running and rinsing the shampoo from his eyes, he began to think about how bad of a day it was going to be. School started in about an hour and he was still tired and desperately needed food.

Finishing up his shower, he used the towel to cover himself and opened the door to get a new pair of clothing. He paused, remembering he was going to do his laundry at the laundry mat last night but Naruto insisted that they go and hang out at the shopping center. Sasuke said no but caved in when his mom ordered Sasuke to leave and get out of the room and to actually do something fun for once instead of worrying about her. She spent some of her days at Itachis- baby sitting and talking to Itachi about living arrangements. Itachi had offered to let them stay at his place to which Mikoto and Sasuke disagreed to but eventually the thought of living in an apartment would be better than a hotel. But none of this had to do with the situation he was in right now.

"Oh, Sasuke. Forgot some clean clothes?" Naruto asked, already dressed himself and eating a bagel. It suddenly became cold in the room as Sasuke glared at Naruto and noticed that Naruto was wearing his last shirt. His last clean shirt. Naruto looked down at the shirt and laughed. "My clothes were all dirty and found this clean shirt of yours. I didn't think you would mind so I..."

"Dammit, Naruto! That was my last clean shirt!"

"Well, why aren't the others clean? I mean, you have a lot of shirts, one of them has to be clean, right?"

"And what about you, Dobe?"

"Naww. All mine were dirty. I was going to clean them last night but thought hanging out with you was more important."

The raven was slowly going to kill the blonde. A slow and painful death if he didn't get a clean shirt and a decent night's rest. And his mom...was laughing at the situation.

"God! What is wrong with you two?" He shouted. "I can't get a good nights rest because you keep talking and hogging the blankets and even kick me! And mom! All you do is embarrass me and tell me what to do! I am eighteen! I don't need a baby sitter and I don't want to baby sit! I just want clean clothes and a night where I don't wake up every hour!"

When Sasuke noted that Naruto was taking off his last clean shirt, Sasuke sneered.

"No, just keep it. I don't care."

"But you just said..."

"I don't want it back!"

Sasuke turned towards his duffel bag, grabbing some clothes to smell it before either tossing it aside or making a small pile in his hands. When he had his pants, shirt and undergarments picked out, he started towards the bathroom.

When Sasuke disappeared back into the bathroom, Naruto took a glance at Mikoto to see that she was indeed shocked as much as he was. Sasuke never snapped. Mikoto sighed.

"I guess he's getting more stressed out than ever." She merely stated. "He thinks we are wanting him to baby sit us when really he doesn't want to let us out of his site. He's a strange one." She giggled. "He's always been like this." She turned back towards the food and started to eat some fresh blueberries she bought.

Naruto looked down at the shirt he was wearing. He knew this was one of Sasukes favorite shirts, but he didn't know that it was Sasukes last clean shirt. He felt guilty for many reasons and the shirt was just one. Maybe he as just crowding Sasuke. Maybe Sasuke needed his space away from him. His bagel long forgotten, the blonde stood up from the small table and gathered up his school bag and homework. He wanted, no, needed time to think and being in such a small room was getting hard to breathe and think straight.

"Naruto?" Mikoto asked before Naruto closed the door behind him.

It was what he needed before he went to school- a nice long walk to refresh his mind. It was a sunny and warm morning and the town was bustling with people heading to work and school. Many greeted him to which he just nodded his head in return. Talking seemed pointless at the moment, seeing as it got him in trouble anyways. He watched people interact with one another: kids who were best friends were holding hands, lover walking and chatting and giving an embrace before they went their separate ways, and even shop owners were idling and chatting with their guests with such a happy tone. So many people were smiling, laughing and chatting.

Yet, Naruto was not.

When it came to people being mean and rude to him, he usually didn't let it go to him. It happened often when he was young and was use to being treated like such but to be treated like that by someone he held so close to his heart, it was very much breaking him.

He stopped at a bridge and took a look down the stream. A large river went through the town and ended at a lake just three miles down. He could see in the distance ships and boats taking off for a full day's work. The sun illuminated the Earth into a warm and yellow glow and the pink and purple clouds off in the distance looked just as beautiful. Times like these he was reminded how glad and blessed he was to be alive. Many people died at a younger age than he was who never wanted to die. He always reminded himself of this fact when he would feel down or depressed.

Leaning along the railing, he looked down at his reflection. It was like he was in an alternate universe. His reflection didn't seem normal. His usually happy and glowing face was voided of all things that he usually felt. Shaking his head, he knew it was all just because of Sasuke.

And there he went again about Sasuke.

"Gah! Why do I let him get to me so much?" He asked no one in particular.

He knew why.

He loved him.

It was hard for him to admit it but he did. He truly loved Sasuke more than he ever loved anybody else. Even Sakura. His heart started to flutter and his blood started to race. He was going to make it up to Sasuke for making him upset and he knew exactly what to do. Being engrossed in his thoughts, Naruto didn't notice the black car with tinted windows pull up next to him while the passenger side window rolled down.

"Naruto. Get in." He heard a strong and harsh voice. He knew that voice. It was Sasukes father. "Don't make he say it again." This time Naruto heard a click and looked towards the man.

"What the fuck?" Naruto thought out loud as he saw a gun pointed at him. "He's fucking crazy!"

"One...two..."

"God, fine. Just, don't shoot." Naruto signed, putting his hands in the air without thinking. "Where are you taking me?"

Fugaku gave a deep laugh which made Naruto worry for his life. He had always seen this sort of thing in the movies but never in his life did he imagine this would happen to him.

"Just get in."

Sasuke arrived at school, not really paying attention to anyone nor responded when people greeted him, including Sakura.

Sakura was rather worried. She hadn't seen Naruto that morning and Sasuke was in one of his moods again which made it hard to approach him but she was worried. For the rest of the day, she made it a priority to watch over Sasuke. Even with everything that had happened, she felt she needed to redeem herself, to show that she no longer thought erie of Naruto but approved because even if she didn't want to admit it, they were both happy together.

When lunch time arrived, Sakura noted that Sasuke was sitting alone at a table and still no Naruto in sight. Things felt too weird to just be a sick day for the blonde. Not taking any chances, Sakura excused herself from her table of friends and started towards the office.

"Mom?" Sakura had called her mother, telling the secretary that she wasn't feeling well and wanted to go home. She was granted a call to her mother at work.

"Yes, hun?" Sakura faked coughed.

"I don't feel well."

"You don't sound well, dear."

Success. Sakura inwardly smiled as her fake sore throat and cough swayed her mother into letting her leave the school.

"Ok. You have the keys to the house right?"

The pinkette rolled her eyes.

"Yes, mom. I do have the keys to the house."

"Alright. I will see you when I get out of work."

"Alright, mom. Here's the secretary."

After the brief chat between her mother and the secretary, Sakura stopped by her locker before leaving the school. As soon as she reached the outdoors, she felt a rejuvenating energy flow through her as she took off in a sprint in the one direction she felt she had no other place to go.

The hotel room.

Mikoto was finished doing laundry at the laundry mat and was sitting on her hotel bed folding the last bit of the boys clothes. That morning had been interesting and she had felt sorry for Naruto for her sons outburst but they were adults legally. They would figure the issue out on their own.

A sudden pain rushed through her body as she leaned forward in pain.

She recognized this pain.

It was a side effect from her cancer. Her sight started to get blurry and a headache started to rush through her temples. She didn't know if she was going to have another seizure. Slowly getting up, she started to walk towards the door. Thoughts were racing through her mind. Should she go to the hospital? If she did, her husband would find her and Sasuke. She wasn't ready for the confrontation but if she didn't do anything she could possibly die and this was not the time nor place. Reaching for the doorknob she heard footsteps running her way, slowing down before they reached the door. She paused for a moment only to hear a light knock on the hotel door. She hoped to god it was Sasuke. Slowly opening the door, Mikoto was greeted by the pink haired girl, Sakura.

Sakura could tell when she took one glance at Mikoto that something was wrong.

"Mrs. Uchiha? Are you ok?"

She shook her head lightly.

"Where is Sasuke?" She asked, looking behind her, hoping that maybe he was there.

"He's at school."

The raven haired women looked back at Sakura with a slight disappointment shown on her features. Sakura didn't know what to do anymore. Mikoto looked like she needed help but she had a bad feeling about Naruto and Sasuke.

"Where's Naruto?" She asked, watching Mikotos expression fall, if that was even possible from her already devastated face.

"Why? Isn't he at school?"

Sakura shook her head. "No. Sasuke came to school in a bad mood and I haven't seen Naruto all day."

"Wha..."

"I came here to ask you if you knew where Naruto may have gone."

"No. I have no idea. Sasuke and Naruto got into a small argument this morning and Naruto left. I assumed they both went to school."

Sakura's heart started to pace faster. She didn't know what to do or where to go. Turning around, Sakura started off down the hall.

"Thank you, Mrs. Uchi..." but before Sakura could finish her sentence, she heard a thump from behind her and with more fear, saw Sasukes mother laying on the ground, unconscious.

"H-help!" Sakura ran back towards the older Uchiha and began to flip her on her back. She took basic firs aid and knew what to do with an unconscious women and immediately checked to make sure she was breathing. Leaning down she felt for any breathing.

A small breath hit her cheek. She was breathing at least. Reaching inside her pocket, Sakura remembered that she had forgotten her cell phone at home this morning as she was rushing out the door to not be late for the day. She inwardly cursed her life.

"Someone! Call an ambulance!"

"Sasuke Uchiha. You are needed in the office. Bring all your books and papers with you." The announcer said over the intercom.

Sasuke was bored in class and inwardly praised the heavens above for his break from the lame lecture he was listening to. He didn't even need it since he already read the stuff in his book the night before. Everything was just review and he felt like it was a complete waste of time just sitting in the classroom. Grabbing all his supplies, he left the classroom, only nodding when his teacher told him what assignments were due the next day.

To say Sasuke was surprised when he arrived at the office was an understatement. His eyes widened as he saw his father and brother sitting in the office, apparently waiting for him. Itachi had a drim look on his face as he didn't seem to notice what was going on the world around him. His father was stoic as ever, not even batting an eyelash when he saw Sasuke walk into the office.

"What's going on?" Sasuke merely asked without a hint of feeling in his question. He didn't want to sound like anything was affecting him or that he was worried, but he was. Something major must have happened to have Itachi and his father in the same area together without a fight breaking out.

Itachi was the first to look up at him. Immediately Sasuke felt a ping in his heart. Something was wrong. Itachi opened his mouth to say something but closed it only to ponder some more. Sasuke looked at his father and saw that he still hadn't looked up nor shown any sign of life.

'Che. Whatever.' Sasuke shrugged.

"Mother's in the hospital. She had another seizure."

"W-what?"

Itachi looked at Sasuke straight in the eyes. His focus was hardening as he saw that Itachi was telling the truth. His mother was in the hospital. Who knew what her current condition was? Sasuke knew one thing and that was that he didn't know what her condition is and he had to go find out.

Bolting out the door, Sasuke left the school without saying another word. He was determined to go see his mother, even if the walk to the hospital would take him an hour, he was going right then and there and no one was going to stop him.

"Sasuke." He heard his father yell out. "I'll drive you."

Sasuke was hesitant for a while but he also didn't want to walk all the way to the hospital. His mother was sick and he didn't want to loose her. Every minute was valuable when it came to her health.

The inner turmoil lasted all but a couple more minutes before he said 'fuck it' and got into his fathers car. He didn't want his last moment with his mother to be like it had ended this morning. If his mother passed away, the last words and actions he said and did to her would haunt him for the rest of his life, never forgiving himself for being such a prick to her...and to Naruto.

"Sasuke. We need to talk." Fugaku said, turning left at an intersection, the opposite direction from the hospital.

The raven didn't like the sound of his fathers voice and was panicking slightly when he noted that his father took a left instead of a right at the intersection. Slowly, Sasuke reached into his pocket and felt the cool metal knife he had started to carry with him. His father took a lot from him, he wasn't going to take anymore.

Authors Note: *Small rant*
Hey guys. Sorry for being so late with another chapter. I am really hoping I wont take this long again and have this story finished by 2012. That is my goal at the moment. To be honest, I lost my fancy feast for NaruSasu and am now a hard core NaruSaku fan but I still have a place in my heart for NaruSasu. I lost the energy for the couple because of a bad experience with another artist and a yaoi website where the mods are very bias and plays favorites with artists. I had my art taken down a couple of times because the artist I collaborated with wasn't on the website but I did get permission and gave credit and a link to their website. But then I found an artist on there who copied another artists work and didn't even gave credit and they made it a lineart for other artists to use. You don't copy someones art and then not give credit and make it so other people can use the lineart. It was my favorite artists too, and I take it personal when you don't even give her credit for the art. I warned the artist, letting them know and they told a friend who then turned and attacked me and got all her followers to harass me. Then the website let her keep the art up. It made no sense. That's the long story shortened. :S I left the website long ago and don't plan on going back. I kept all my friend out of the situation and don't give names of artists to protect them from being harassed by my followers. I lost all respect for the friend of the artist I reported, which is sad since they are a popular Naruto artist on DA who didn't even talk or treat me like an adult and get my side of the story. She just placed my name up and sent all her watchers to harass. And she's older than me. I figured she would have at least confronted me first and had a mature chat about the situation. I had nothing against the artist and I liked seeing her original art and seeing her grow but now it's just...awkward. :T -End of rant- Other than that, I been crazy busy with my jobs.

Responses:

aj527: Hehe. I wouldn't say your famous. ;) I recognize you as a reviewer and wanted to thank you.

MoonXShowerX101: Sorry this update took so long. I hope you can forgive me.

BookHippie: I am very honored that you were excited about the new chapter. I hope this one made you just as happy.

Samsal: To be honest, I don't want to give up on the story but it's hard to find ideas and motivitaion, ya know?

Savagebeauty1981: Holy crap! 3 days? You must have really ejoyed this story to have read it 3 days straight. xD

makura moderski: Why hello there baby. *Wiggles eyebrows* Thank you again for the reviewwwww.

BloodColoredRose: I am so glad you enjoyed the read!

Natbat2314: Thank you for congratulating me on graduating.

Yukino89: YOU GOT MOAR! ;)

CryssyMiller: I hope to finish the story. :C No motivation.

And thank you to everyone else who left a review.