Conquest.

Chapter Eight; Consequences.

A/N I don't want to have to write this, however I've had complaints before after writing about even less delicate subject matters, so; this chapter is quite dark and potentially upsetting. Without giving away the story, it's best you don't read it if you find yourself to be sensitive to heavy topics.

xXx

Eventually, Yamato's initial concern for Kakashi's silence morphed into drunken seething. He too had a work gathering to attend to that evening, his was to celebrate his most recent achievement; a pay increase after securing a very large client.
While it wasn't Kakashi's idea of an enjoyable time, Yamato had hoped he'd just for once entertain supporting him and something he was proud of.

Most recently things could only be described as icy between them. The counseling sessions seemed to be creating a larger hole in their relationship, since Kakashi was so reluctant to participate, and they seemed to spend less and less time together.
When Yamato had suggested over breakfast that morning they go together as partners, Kakashi may very well have physically scoffed at the idea.
His eyes glazed over, just the slightest, and with out missing a beat he rehearsed the old excuse of having a 'work function.'

In all his years of being at Kakashi's side, he had never seen such a level of disinterest and disrespect. He resorted to begging, to which his lover simply left for work early without another word.

It had bothered him throughout the entire day, and put a damper on what would have been a great night.

"Just forget it! We're all going out after this, and now that you're rich we need you there to foot the bill!"

Yamato turned to his friend Kabuto, and wrapped an arm around him in a friendly, but inebriated, manner and pushed his hand against his face.
"You're right! I'll take another sake then!"

There were cheers and then someone loudly called out for a waitress, to which when their drinks were ordered and arrived, the celebrations resumed.
It had actually been Kabuto who had planned the night and picked the restaurant; small and tucked away in the center of the local markets, the interior was a dimly lit marquee of deep plum, silk canopies.

It had been the perfect evening, they had the pleasure of experiencing a warm, early winter night, where the noisy hum of plenty of other people made for a lively background noise that lifted the mood nicely.

"Okay Kabuto-" Yamato stood, then stumbled slightly.
"This has been a great evening, and I'll probably call in sick tomorrow, so apologies! Cheers!"
"Cheers!"

Kabuto was a slim, well kept man. His suits were Armani and his silver hair always pulled back into a sleek pony-tail, with tresses on each side that framed his face well. Atop the bridge of his nose sat a pair of circular glasses.

He was the son of the company's owner, and had taken over as regional manager, based at Yamato's office, where he reined in his field.

Sharp and precise like a needle, Kabuto was known for being ruthless for when the occasion called for it, yet he always seemed to hold a gentle side for Yamato, who had grown quite fond of him.

An unlikely friendship had sparked, and though it struck the ire of the more petulant of his co-workers, for the most part Yamato had grown to be well liked in general.

He had waited for some time to come out at work, eventually though his desire to be proud of Kakashi far out weighed the nerves of admitting he was gay, and so he came forth.
The only person who even cared was Kabuto, and his only concern about it stemmed from the seemingly non-existent partner who was always letting Yamato down.

"I do hope you enjoy tonight." He leaned in close to whisper.
"I will."

xXx

Kakashi was not immediately willing to introduce their conversation to a heavy topic, instead he decided it best to enjoy a pleasant dinner. At least to begin with.

"I want pork flavor! Can I get two bowls Sensei? Can you-"
"Naruto, calm down. Yes you can get two bowls, just settle down."

Ichiraku, the man who owned the stall, gave a warm laugh; one of endearment, after quite some time of business shared.
"Two bowls of pork ramen coming up for you Naruto!"
"Just one for me, the same."
"Three bowls it is then!"
Kakashi and Naruto were seated together at the front of the stall, and for the first time in weeks Kakashi felt at ease.
Naruto's smile was back.

"Thank you, Sensei."
"Any time Naruto."

Truth was, since Yamato's calls had ceased, he struggled to remember a time where he'd felt so relaxed in someone's company. Since he considered it the right thing to do, he could finally enjoy the time they were spending together.
Sure, Naruto was naive, dimwitted even, but he was honest and endearing. He felt less inclined to hold back on information he may not necessarily divulge with other people. He had no fear of being seen as vulnerable, for Naruto had no preconceptions about him.

There was element of pity there, and Kakashi sensed Naruto's own vulnerability drew his interest. In a way he enjoyed being needed. Yamato was a very capable man, and whilst Kakashi had respected that about him, sometimes he just wanted to be right for once.

"Naruto, I had a lot of people ask about you while you were away. Did you get to see everyone?"
If he jumped right into the heart of the topic, he'd upset Naruto. He was calculated in choosing to ease his way in.
"I did. But it didn't feel right."
"What do you mean?"

Naruto was looking down now. Even when his first bowl was placed in front of him, he made no acknowledgment of it.

"Seeing everyone. Enjoying being away from Sasuke."

It seemed Naruto had no qualms about talking. He clearly needed to. He toyed with his food and Kakashi placed a hand on his upper back. A comforting gesture.

"Naruto, you needed to come back. Things are dark for you right now, but the best thing for Sasuke is to come back as well, and try to find a sense of normality. It's the only way you'll both move forward. "

"I suppose so."

He took his first bite.

"He begs me, every morning not to leave him. But I had to."

Sometimes his relationship with Yamato was similar. Everyone needs their space.

"Sometimes in relationships people get too dependent on each other. You have to know when to put yourself first. This is one of those times."
"You're right, and right now I need to eat!"

Finally, his spirit was back. Oh to be so fickle.

The rest of the conversation that evening was light hearted and warm. Even if it was only for a short time, Kakashi was genuinely glad to see Naruto smile again. It was unsettling to see him so low.

They chose not to stay for too long, considering Naruto hadn't actually had a way of letting Sasuke know he'd be home late. None-the-less with Kakashi.
He recognized the petty feud that Sasuke just couldn't seem to let go of as pure jealousy, but he couldn't see why.
Just because he was gay, didn't mean Kakashi was.

After Ichiraku's they spent some time wandering the market before deciding to head home. In the car they agreed Kakashi would drop Naruto off at the bus stop and he'd walk from there, so as to not further upset Sasuke.

They didn't need another argument, as surely one would follow.

"I got called into work, someone was sick!"
Is the excuse he finally settled on. He tried to say it a few times in his head, so that he didn't slip up and say something incriminating. It was along the way in the car that Kakashi's tone shifted and he became more serious.

"Naruto, I think it's important you know this."

Naruto went quiet and listened, having put up a cheerful front to mask being a little worried about returning home.

"I want you to take my number, I wrote it down for you. If anything happens, or you become too low, please tell me. I'll always answer your call."

A memory resurfaced of him trying to contact his Sensei that night Sasuke became too forceful. A man had answered the phone, and it wasn't Kakashi.
Inexplicably, it had bothered him, and still did.

"Thanks, Sensei. I appreciate it."

And he did, because there had been many times he'd wished he'd been able to reach out for guidance.
Kakashi gave him a small smile, but his eyes held a pity Naruto had become accustomed to.

"You still have a choice Naruto, you're not his property."
He told him as pulled up at the bus stop. He hated to leave Naruto to make his own way home, but he had insisted.
"Thanks for the night out, I'll see you at school tomorrow." He gave a small wave.
"Good night Naruto."

He hung around for as long as he could still see Naruto before driving off. The moon had fallen behind dark clouds, and only the streetlamps guided his way home. There was no peace for his thoughts, for in the distance the bustle of cars passing by, on the motorway a street over, fought to catch his attention.

He replayed his lie in his head as he intentionally slowed his pace, trying to hold off for as long as he could justify.
Of course he felt guilty. It was a heavy weight on his heart.

He took a moment to remember the points of their relationship where they were truly happy. They were, before lovers, friends. And before friends, they were enemies.
Having grown up the same age, having been to the same schools and in the same classes, it was very hard for them to escape each other.

Naruto began to believe it was because they were meant for each other.

It was a kiss, a lust filled realization, that separated them from being good friends to something more, and Naruto had remained infatuated since.
Though, there were moments that made Naruto wonder if he was not being naive in his love.

Truly, Sasuke was not always kind to him, and lord knew he didn't practice patience. For years he had worked tirelessly to rebuild his self-esteem only for Sasuke to chip away at it again.
Naruto felt as though he was fighting a losing battle.

As he approached the door and turned the handle he reminded himself of, how very rarely, Sasuke could be gentle and loving.

"Sasuke?"
He called out into a dark and silent house.

xXx

Of all the restaurants they could have visited in the city, out of all the moments they could have chosen to leave, the most ironic part of that evening, was that the copious amounts of alcohol that Yamato had drunk to remove Kakashi from his mind, was precisely the agent that caught Kakashi in his lie.

"I'll be.. There!"

Yamato slowly swayed from one foot to the other as he meandered away from his group to find a secluded area to relieve himself.
Behind a tree that cut him off from plain sight, he pulled his pants down and took a leak. There had been no time to find a loo, he had been on the verge of exploding and too uncoordinated to find a toilet quick enough.

Above the sounds of his pee splashing against the bark, he heard a familiar voice. Two people were passing by, and one of them sounded so much like someone he knew, that he peeked around the tree to see who it was.

Unnoticed, Kakashi walked straight past him with out turning his attention away from a much younger guy he appeared to be engaged with.

The only thing he knew for certain, was that Kakashi had lied. Whatever the reason was, he couldn't imagine it would cool the building rage he felt.

In his drunken state, he decided it was best to avoid confrontation, and instead go out with his colleagues, with the intention of doing something reckless.
Kakashi could wait until the morning.

xXx

The further in he walked, the more concerned he grew. The house was unlocked, and besides that, where would Sasuke go? Had he left and returned home, angry about the argument they had had that morning?
He hoped so.

Not a single light was on, and for some reason Naruto had stopped calling out and walked blindly through the darkness. It wasn't until he reached his room that he finally reached his room that he flicked a light switch on.
As his vision adjusted he saw the bed was empty, on top sat a note.
He picked it up, rather slowly, and opened it.
It was from Sasuke.

It became very apparent, very quickly, what kind of letter he was reading.

Sasuke had done something unimaginable, and Naruto didn't even read all the way to the end of it to run and check the house for him. Sasuke was not in the lounge, or the kitchen, and so there was only one place he could be;

Without hesitating, he rushed to the bathroom.

In the tub was a scene, and one that would etch itself into Naruto's brain, and scar him with an image he knew immediately he wanted to forget.
Sasuke lay in his bath tub, his body had sunk into water, tainted a deep red. One arm drooped off the side and from his wrist blood slowly dripped onto the vinyl floor.

"Oh Sasuke!"

His voice cracked and he began to sob. Pale, more so than he already was, Sasuke's eyes were closed and he didn't respond when Naruto grabbed him and dragged him from the tub.
He cradled him and cried out his name, over and over, with the genuine belief he had lost him.
In his state of hysteria he knew he had to get help, so after a moment or two, he left Sasuke only to call Kakashi. He had to still be nearby.

As the phone rang, his heart raced painfully in his chest. After the fifth ring he picked up.

"Hello?"
"Sensei?"
"Naruto? Are you okay?"

Even though his voice was shaky, Kakashi recognized it immediately. He placed his phone on speaker and turned his car around. He was already on his way back when Naruto explained what had happened through broken words, and before Naruto knew it he had entered the front door.

He too had the greatest displeasure of seeing Sasuke in such a state. However, he had the smarts to check for breathing and for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Quickly, he inspected Sasuke's wrists and noticed that though he had lost a lot of blood, he had also lost consciousness with his wrists above the water; meaning the air had clotted the blood and stopped the flow before he could expire.

It seemed heartless, and he did question it, but all he felt was anger. It was a rash reaction to his situation, and Kakashi knew Naruto would suffer greatly for Sasuke's poor decision.

Naruto had taken refuge from the scene in the kitchen where he had called an ambulance. As he processed the magnitude of the situation, a wave of nausea over-whelmed him and he only barely made it to his kitchen sink on time to throw up into it.

Then came the sound of approaching sirens.

Kakashi emerged from the bathroom, blood on his hands and clothes. Naruto rushed to him and wrapped his arms around him, forcing them into a tight embrace. Kakashi dipped his head to rest his chin on Naruto's shoulder.

"You'll be okay Naruto, and so will he."

xXx

When Yamato stumbled home early the next morning, he had expected Kakashi to be waiting for him. When Kakashi wasn't waiting for him, he expected him to be in bed asleep. When Kakashi wasn't in bed, it confirmed his greatest fears.

As the night had progressed he had talked himself out of his rage. He was still upset and hurt, but the guy he was with had seemed far too young to be with Kakashi intimately, and besides, not every guy Kakashi talked to was also gay.

The empty apartment however, had told him more than Kakashi ever could.

The arguments, the distance and the disinterest were all building up to this. Yamato, as angry as he was, first asked himself why he couldn't keep Kakashi happy, before he asked himself why Kakashi would betray him.

Maybe it was a dumb and irrational decision, and his judgment was clouded, but, he was going nowhere. He would wait until his lover returned, and they would talk about it.

It was time for answers.

xXx