I wonder if I was a sword designer in a past life or something but I LOVE swords, weapons of all kinds really. I wish I owned a katana – now that would be awesome. I only did fencing once when I was really young so I don't know if I really would be a good sword fighter but I know I suck at archery so no doubts that I wouldn't be a bow-women XD. I like designing weapons, I dunno, I guess you could call it a hobby:S But anyway, enjoy the next chapter! I hope my weapon terminology isn't too bad! xx

Chapter 4 – Decision

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto spluttered after several minutes staring at the emotionless Uchiha.

"You know and I know. Everything that my family did made you who you are; the experiments".

Naruto flinched.

No; don't come in to my head; no; don't! Stay away! No! "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Sasuke almost let go of the blonde in surprise as Naruto screamed that, his face contorted from sudden pain. Sasuke noticed the necklace around his neck glow slightly before dimming down and returning to its original state. Sasuke looked at the blonde who glared at him – heat radiating from his eyes that glowed slightly crimson, before returning to the original bright blue.

"Shut up! Let me go you bastard!" Naruto struggled against the vice like grip of Sasuke; who watched on, expressionless; the cogs in his mind spun as he tried to analyse what had just happened. After looking at the blonde for several minutes, he decided to ignore the sudden outburst.

"You don't like me; I get that. You hate my family; I get that. You're a bounty hunter and I have so much money on my head; I get that. But I am the only who can kill you and YOU need to get that".

Sasuke released Naruto who dropped to the floor in shock.

"So what are you going to do? Help me or die?" the raven narrowed his eyes at the unperturbed blonde on the floor.

"How AM I supposed to help you? Am I supposed to be your body guard?"

"No doubt that your skills actually impressed me but that's only a part of what I want you to do. I want you to help me prove my innocence".

"What innocence?"

Sasuke turned to face the blonde, bent down and grabbed him by the shirt, bringing his face closer to Naruto's. "Listen you, I AM innocent. I did not kill my parents – my bastard of a brother did!"

Silence followed the statement except the flapping of a family of birds as they took to the skies. Sasuke released his hand from Naruto's clothing and walked a few paces away, folding his arms. Naruto was taken aback by the sudden rage of the Uchiha – but he still didn't know if he could trust him yet. Before Naruto could utter a single word, Sasuke started to talk.

"I walked in to my home; the home I was about to leave for independence; I was going to say goodbye the next morning properly to move on with my life. But I walked in to the living room, their bodies were just...just littered on the floor; no respect, nothing. They were mangled to the point I could barely tell them apart". Sasuke looked at his hands and saw the blood drip from his fingers, slithering down his arm like a snake. He shuddered ever so slightly but Naruto being perceptive noticed. "There was nothing I could do – I was in complete shock. So I ran. I ran away, hoping to just come back and see them alive again. I did love my parents; I didn't want them to die".

Sasuke stared in to the distance, refusing to look at the blonde behind him.

"I...I recognised the blade work on the bodies – it was unmistakeably his", Sasuke said before Naruto could speak, Sasuke answered the question that Naruto wanted to know. "Though I still have no idea why".

"When I finally felt I could go back, I had some people after me – bounty hunters – already after the bounty on my head. Apparently someone saw me run from the scene, covered in blood. I didn't know those posters went up so fast", he turned around and smirked slightly at the blonde, who was still on the floor, leaning against the rock surface next to the waterfall.

"For someone who has so much money and power you sure don't have a lot of intelligence do you?" Naruto finally uttered, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You ran. You said you were in shock but only guilty people run. You also have a motive – you receive your family's fortune if they die right? And the fact that your brother is missing as well, with pools of his blood also at the scene causes you to be accused more than him, especially as he looks as though he is dead. Since there is no body they wouldn't conclude that until he is found. There is also no signs of any struggle there either so that also adds to the indication that it was you. If someone knew where you were at the time of death or if you have proof, you could still get away with the alibi. But it is the fact that you ran that makes you dense", Naruto explained.

Sasuke stared at the blonde slightly impressed. He was making sense – yet again, the blonde surprised him. He was taken aback by how well informed he was. The blonde really was too good; he didn't look to be too intelligent or strong yet he was both. If he agreed, Sasuke thought, that he would be the most valuable ally.

"I'm a bounty hunter so I obviously know the inner workings of crime and justice", Naruto stated looking at Sasuke, who inwardly jumped slightly. It was like he was reading his mind.

"Actually, I'm reading your expression", the blonde continued, "What you're thinking is portrayed all over your face. This only confirms my opinion of your stupidity you know".

Sasuke smirked and looked as though he was about to laugh before walking back to Naruto. He placed his hands on his hips and bent down slightly to look closer at the blonde, who met his eye and did not back down.

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"Have you any idea how to prove your innocence?"

"No".

"This is just getting pathetic. Fine, I'll help you. It pains me to see how stupid you are in the crime department – it's a wonder they think you actually committed the crime at all".

"Well I bet I am smarter in every other department than you".

"That maybe true, you went to school. I however, beat you in the crime and justice as well as with the whiskey".

"You drink whiskey? You look barely old enough to have a smoke!"

"How old are you then Uchiha?" Naruto asked casually.

"Eighteen, I'll be nineteen in just under a few months".

"Wow, really? You and I are the same age then", Naruto smirked.

"What? I'm the same age as you? That can't be true", Sasuke looked the blonde up and down. He was quite a bit smaller than himself, barely looked a day older sixteen. The blonde smirked at him.

"Get a good look all you can as I'm not going to be kissing your ass", he said. Naruto stripped off some of his clothes and jumped in to the luscious pool of water. After several minutes down without a breath and Sasuke just beginning to think that he had drowned, Naruto came up for air, holding the two swords. He climbed out and shook the water off of himself, splashing Sasuke in the process.

"Damn idiot", he muttered.

"Here, take it. Looks too good to be just thrown away especially when it's blended with silver. That's not something you see every day", Naruto threw the sword to the raven who caught it and made his way to his camp to collect up his stuff. Sasuke watched the blonde.

Very interesting.

He turned to look at his sword – it was indeed something of spectacular quality – rubies and black hematite stones encrusted in the rounded pommel and square cross-guard – the blade made of a combination of silver and steel, an unusual mixture that caused it to be a rare make but that made it just that bit better than the ordinary. The scabbard was also decorated similarly but the design was a gothic style. The blade was the average length – fitted to his arm when he custom made it and the width matched it, to make it the perfect sword for him to hold. It was a work of beauty and Sasuke was surprised Naruto seemed to know of its properties. Sasuke sheathed his sword and asked to inspect Naruto's who just threw it at him. Muttering about safety, he examined Naruto's sword. His wasn't the standard sword usually bought by bounty hunters, plain and not styled, Naruto's was a rather odd sword; the style and delicacy of the design and the amount of money it must have cost caused Sasuke to think that Naruto preferred the sword as his favourite option of weaponry – light as a feather, long and thin, the cross-guard was shaped in a pointed arch, the grip wrapped with black leather. A piece of black ribbon was tied to the pommel that was ring-shaped, which was unusual. Sasuke wondered where Naruto had got it and what properties made it so light – Sasuke knew that steel wasn't the only element in the blade – but what was the other? Sasuke handed the sword back to Naruto without a word – lost in thought.

"So, like my sword?" Naruto asked as he began to pack, shaking his head to get rid of some of the water from his hair.

"It's...unusual".

"Didn't think you'd like it – not your kind of thing. Yours is too stylised, you would have thought you just wanted it to look good. It's weird you would actually fight with the thing – get a sword as hard as mine as its opponent and it might snap".

"What are you talking about? My sword has the strongest element combination. As hard as diamonds".

"Yes but diamonds can be smashed with a hammer", Naruto turned to smirk at the Uchiha who was beginning to get annoyed.

"Then what the hell is yours made from".

"Minerals".

"What?"

"There is a special mineral that has long since been lost to the land that mine was made from. I saw it in a weaponry shop and I had to have it. The owner didn't know how valuable it really was and so it was a bargain. Mind you, it still cost a fair bit. But I had saved up enough of my reward money by then so I could afford it. Best investment I ever made".

Sasuke bit back the retort he was going to make – he had been taught about swords and how to make them and this mineral was never mentioned. Did that mean that Naruto was perhaps not telling the truth? Sasuke unsheathed his sword and examined it closer. He couldn't see anything wrong or different about it until he was about to sheath it again – it was then he spotted a tiny crack in the middle of the blade, the place that got the most abuse in his fight with Naruto. Sasuke was about to say something but dropped the subject and watched Naruto continue to pack up without another word.

It didn't take long for Naruto to pack up his stuff but as Sasuke was about to make his way out of the jungle, Naruto perched himself down on a rock that was flooded with sunlight.

"Oi, what are you doing? We have to go!"

"No we don't. By the time we get halfway through the forest, it will get dark – walking through the forest is much too dangerous in the dark and we have better resources for a camp here".

Yet again, the blonde made sense. Sasuke smirked. He was actually beginning to like the blonde. Not only had he agreed to help even with everything the Uchiha family did to him, he was quite entertaining.

"Okay, fine".

"Right, now, sit your ass down here, have some crappy nasty food and you need to explain every tiny detail about what you know is happening", Sasuke sat down on the rock next to Naruto, "Has your brother been acting strange lately? What about your parents? Notice anything strange? What were you doing that night? All of the details of the day would be nice unless it includes something I really don't need to know about like sleeping with some girl down an alley" – Sasuke turned and gave him a reproachful look – "Fine, guy then", - the statement earned him a hard punch in the arm – "and just generally important information. Anything that I can turn in to something that will help you".

"Fine, but you also have to explain the real reason why your helping me", Sasuke said, turning to look the blonde in the eyes.

Naruto stared in the cold eyes of the Uchiha and didn't speak – expression blank. He seemed to sit in silence staring at the unblinking Uchiha until he sighed. "Fine", he answered eventually.

Sasuke explained to Naruto everything that had happened that day that he could remember. He elucidated about spending time with the movers, making sure all his furniture had arrived at his new apartment, taking up most of the day. He also walked down to the local shops to buy some food and something for the movers who were getting peckish. He stayed with them for ages and he could remember all the names and everything that they were talking about. Sasuke had hardly spoken to the movers as they seemed to look at him oddly due to him being someone so well known. He was polite to them when he did speak but he was already too lost in thought most of the time to make much sense of what they were doing. He doubted that they would lie about anything. It was about seven o'clock when Sasuke had made his way down to his parents' house and saw that they were already dead. After that he ran off and started travelling trying to find a safe haven to think what to do. And that brought him to what he was doing now.

"Well, that's all I can remember", Sasuke rounded off. "Not much help I'm guessing", looking at the look on Naruto's face.

"Give me some time, I'll think of something".

"Your turn now. Why are you really helping me? My family has made your life hell haven't they? If we really are the same age I won't remember anything about it. I know some of the sketchy facts but no details. Why are you interested in helping me when I have nothing to tell you about it? Plus, I have let my guard down so much since I let you go and yet you haven't taken advantage of it".

"Well, you put it like that then I really don't have any reason to. But let's just say I'm drawn to you for some reason. One – you're a good fighter, two, you are one of the people who can actually kill me and three; I just want to see where this goes. I haven't had a great challenge in some time now and I think this might turn out in my favour. After all, I can always trick you in to thinking I'm helping and hand you over for the money, or get money for handing in your brother, or from you for helping you out. You have enough of it. And also, I'm not low enough to attack you when you're not expecting it".

"Hey, I'm letting you live as your reward for helping me, okay? Don't start anything with me as I will beat you".

"I'd like to see you try".

"I beat you earlier didn't I?"

"No, technical default there. Had you not knocked away my sword, you'd be in pieces or in jail. Your choice".

"Well that least expect it thing is bullshit also. You didn't hesitate earlier in our fight".

Naruto smirked but remained silence. He cleaned up the cutlery and bowls they were eating with and sat back down to Sasuke.

"You are in trouble, I get that. You want me to help you, I get that. But I am a very unpredictable person and YOU have to get that", Naruto smirked and walked off in to the jungle leaving a slightly bewildered Uchiha in his wake.

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Reviews would be oh so welcome XD I love them... xx