Week Late. Broke out into hives on Wednesday. The itching made me want to rip my skin OFF. UGH. A true ordeal. I missed you guys. But at least I updated eventually, even though I already started school :8

Please take this story as one of my apologies. This update is real… and the story will be continued haha. I've been busy dealing with trials and tribulations of adulthood, death, personal problems, ah and my mental dysfunctions. But I'm here and that's all that matters. Thanks for sticking with me. I couldn't be more thankful for your dedication.

Read onnnnn. And enjoy. Love you guys. :*

CH13: With a Hit, It's Still Amiss

September 26

Common Area

The young juniors digested the whistle of the morning air current, jiving to the tranquil vibe that had been kidnapped in the past year. The siblings Temari and Gaara, with the tagalongs Ino were settled at the lower level seating in the common area.

"You've grown a little too tall," Temari patted the seat beside her. "Sit down."

The suggestion appeared to spark a ripple in Gaara's foamy green eyes. Temari anxiously turned away and nervously adjusted her blazer. "Never mind," she chirped.

Even though she retracted her statement in her head, she still could feel her younger brother searing a hole in her sensitive temple. The imaginary aching throbbing in the side of her head made her particularly anxious. She shifted on the metal bench temperately. Not feeling an improvement in her safety, she skittered to Ino's right side, delving into her shoulder. "Being in the mist of the devil is not the best recipe for a pleasant morning."

She rethought her choices. "Kankuro is right… Maybe I am intimidated by height alone."

Ino looked into her shoulder. "Really? I could have figured that after you tried to pull my Jimmy Choos off my feet after you decided to wear your little Miu Miu flats." The platinum blonde rolled her eyes. "Tell Kankuro he's a perfect judge of character!"

Temari's mouth hung open, obviously offended. "That is not a good example!"

The mobile black lagoon often labeled as Sasuke slunk into the half-circle soundlessly. All gags stopped headfirst at the blight of his appearance. Gaara folded his arms and rested back on his heels. It had been a while since Sasuke had decided to greet them. He usually internally diffused his need to commiserate so early in the morning and reported straight to the first class to be marked for attendance. The change of pace had certainly caught them of guard.

The glossy black tresses tossed in the wind, snowy skin basking in the array of solar rays scampering about the campus.

Ino straightened her posture and Temari cleared her throat. "Sasuke… What a pleasure to have you here…"

Dressed casually, a pair of ripped jeans and a pair of red and white Nikes. He had been sporting a longer hairstyle than he had in the past years. His usually chin length bangs weren't in the business of getting trimmed regularly. Lifting his head, he gave a blank stare. Nothing out of the usual there.

Even with his interchangeably passive and actively aggressive personality, Sasuke was still agreeably attractive. The fusion of intelligence, mystery, and dry sarcasm made him amusing enough to be around.

"You look especially handsome today."

Sasuke stiffly looked at her. "It's never going to happen."

Temari grunted in increasing disapproval. "I knowwwww. But it won't kill me to keep trying."

"Anyone know where Naruto is?" Sasuke asked in his usual monotone voice that somehow had a concerned aptitude to it.

"We thought that maybe you could tell us that." Temari mistakenly piped.

Ino slapped her arm violently, her icy sapphire eyes dished a warning glance that was a few moments too late.

A switch quickly flipped and a flare of heat sparked under Temari's behind. "Why would I know that? I'm not his keeper."

"I know. I know. I mean duh. It's very possible that you wouldn't know where he was. To answer your question, we have not seen from the time of 7:35 until… now."

They all took a second to realize that the really weren't aware of Naruto's whereabouts. No one had spoken to him since yesterday, which was typical, when Naruto returned home, he liked to focus solely on his school work, not small talk. They just assumed that it was one of those nights where he didn't feel like extending a social invitation. For months at a time, they were encouraged to not contact Naruto in any shape or form, making it difficult to talk to him about just anything when not in his presence.

A demonic aura vibrated through the air molecules and inevitably struck both blondes.

As quickly as he came, visibly annoyed, he departed without a backward glance.

Twitting, Ino patted Temari's head. "It's okay that you're forgetful."

Temari visibly sulked, visualizing their cohesive cohort from the past. "It's not that I'm not forgetful… It's just I want things to go back to the way they were."

Ino lowered her head. "I know… Ever since Naruto came back things haven't been the same but at least they're better, I suppose."

Temari allowed the breeze to grapple it aggressively. "You're right. Time heals all wounds."

The artic blonde nodded. "At least most of them." Ino thoughtfully looked at Gaara. "Right, Gaara?"

He glanced at her blues, deaf to her reasoning but keen to her mounting emotions.

"Depends on what time is healing…" he cryptically answered.

Temari played the words on her lips, her tongue savoring every word. Raising her head, she narrowed her eyes and cocked her head, a realization hitting her hard like a construction freight train. "Gaara, what do you know?"

Gaara obscurely sealed his mouth. The firey redheaded boy looked at them, a flood concealed knowledge shrouding him. His eyes took to the ground as he failed to respond to her loaded question.

Shikamaru eventually graced the world with his presence- mumbling something in substitution for 'good morning.' Sasuke acknowledged him with a glance and then proceeded to check his phone for the millionth time since 6:15 A.M.

"Hello, earthlings," Sai chimed, the unmistakable smile planted on usual blank canvas.

Sasuke couldn't be more impartial to the male that even made his skin prickle with apprehension. If Sai wasn't enrolled in school, religiously attending with proper upkeep of his assignments, Sasuke would predicted a future of a serial killer for him.

"Why are you looking for Naruto so early anyway?" Shikamaru groggily asked, rubbing his earthy colored eyes.

Sasuke was a little reluctant to share but the jab from Shikamaru's incessant gander, he buckled under the ridiculously light amount of pressure. Surprisingly, this was a new emergence that had never been seen in Sasuke. Had it been a few years ago, Sasuke would have never edged away from his firm beliefs. "There's a new carnival coming to town and I wanted to know if he was up to coming."

Shikamaru nodded, appreciating that Sasuke could still take Naruto into close consideration. "I think he'd like that."

Even though, Sasuke would have much preferred to have Naruto in his presence so he wouldn't have to make the consorted effort of repeating himself to them all, there was nothing he could do considering Naruto was presumably not on campus at the moment. God, he hating repeating himself.

He supposed that that he had been so enclosed in his own thoughts that he wasn't really absorbing the arrival of the dog-obsessed boy named Kiba that felt like he had a place here. He appeared to find his idea humorous, more humorous than he should have. "Take Naruto to an amusement park," Kiba said with a hearty chuckle. "That wouldn't be the best idea. He might puke all over the rides."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. A seething snake uncoiled in the acid of his belt of his belly as the tenor in his voice bared a horridly dangerous tone. "What?"

Kiba wished he had had time to bat his hand over his mouth, shelter the storm that he just exacted on their entire entourage.

Shikamaru dutifully stepped in and strong armed Sasuke's shoulder. "Sasuke, calm down."

He could see the downward spiral happening steadfastly and somehow he felt like there was little he could do it stop it.

They weren't the same irresponsible, irrational freshman anymore. Some time ago he distinctly reviewed the physical fight that Kiba and Sasuke had in the past and he felt a feverish headache begin to intently beat against his head. It was brutal, bloody, embroiling the dispassionate civility that once resembled something akin to friendship that had existed between them. As he suspected, the argument involved Naruto and had complicated the blurred felicity of friendship and trust. Unfortunately, he automatically inferred the romantic inclination detonating on the bubble of Kiba's wonder. Sasuke was Naruto's boyfriend for some time, but with the exclusivity that Sasuke shielded their relationship with, gave birth to flourishing mistrust and a steady, foreboding respect for their love. Sasuke had learned to control his temper at Naruto's request. Despite the rumors, no one really knew the real reason why Naruto vacated the school freshman year, not even them, only Sasuke. Naruto corroborated Sasuke's position when he returned.

He had been ill.

They no longer openly speculated. Fights and childish disagreements were all but behind them. Or so he thought. Clearly the anger that floated between them was still alive and breathing.

Shikamaru wished for that to change but he knew that they couldn't. They were supposed to reflect the temperament of young adults. And that meant upgrading to a more vast mature plane.

In a brush fire reaction, he prodded the brunet's hand away, deeply annoyed. "No, what the fuck did you say, you asshole?"

Kiba forbade a guise of worry to ignite on his stonewall features, choosing to preserve his impermanent fixity. It wasn't a cloaked enigma to the reason of why Sasuke hated him and to the fact that Sasuke hated him at all.

"What did you mean by that?!" Sasuke wretched, a metaphorical dragon or maybe a full-fledged demon that could be mistaken for an authentic beast that invaded in their immediate surroundings. He responsively tried to push through a solid Shikamaru that stubbornly refused to budge.

The harmful threat was slapped on them so suddenly, no one was ready for the hellion rath that was going to be unleashed on them.

Temari and Ino heard the backlash from the upper level and quickly flew to their feet, interpretation of the commotion coming into clear focus.

The truth had been unceremoniously unveiled.

"Shit," Ino chaotically whispered, leaning into her blonde partner in crime. "Hurry, find, Naruto before Sasuke does."

Temari cringed and then gracefully panicked. "Me!? Why not you?"

Ino full-heartedly glared, conjuring a group of demons from the pits of hell. "What do you mean 'why not me?' Duh, you're in flats!"

Temari felt her head begin to twist into an emotional collapse as she began to recall the battle that they had visually endured between Kiba and Sasuke once before. The bile venom gorged from the two boys as they flailed about the outside dining area, Sasuke emerging as the clear victor. The vice of hateful words and the smear of their crimson blood, still made her stomach flip like a coin.

Shikamaru shuddered; reeking of the fear and trepidation. He knew that a group was beginning to gather around the notorious second floor of their expanding high school. He knew that he had to keep them separated for the time being—or at least until Sasuke calmed down.

Sasuke attempted to lunge at the other daunted junior harbored by Shikamaru. His efforts to clover the teen failed and he was even more angered then before.

"Can't you ever keep your fucking mouth shut?" And the mannerism and the raw implications led Sasuke to the conclusion that there had been some elaborate cover up occurring right under his nose…

And Naruto appeared to be the center piece.

"Fuck you. Fuck all of you!" Sasuke hollered as Temari gave way to her search of the blond haired boy.

…

Temari wasn't dramatic for a school oriented young lady. She always tried to channel her inner humbleness as her eccentric perfectionist personality would allow. Everyone that she wasn't at the same level of her prowess was automatically viewed as a "threat" to her immediate success and eradicated. She wasn't the best at linking with new or differing personalities but she did figure that her friends were about the most important thing in the world to her.

Especially Naruto.

Usually, Naruto, known as the "glue" of their entourage was her metaphorical baby. Regardless that he wasn't literally the youngest one of the group, they all felt defensive over his wellbeing. He was the sweetest and the most caring out of all of them, proving that status, beauty, and the plight of money were not the meridian of life. Love was.

She looked at the small boy that appeared to have wrapped in a haywire, tattered looking appearance in his famed Nike sneakers, gray sweatpants, t-shirt—familiar as his "illness" attire. "Naruto, Sasuke knows about the other day."

Naruto's face paled to a miserly, ghostly white. "What?... How?"

The fickle wind spiraled, bum rushing Naruto's beautiful sea of hair, the gold strands incepting his sight. Temari couldn't withstand the innocence latching onto her eye tissue. She gave an unbeneficial blink and looked away—bidding her soul unworthy of the kinetic pureness. Her voice pulled her out of the depression of undeserving apathy to answer Naruto's adverting inquiry.

"I think Kiba slipped."

"Oh my gosh. I should have known better than to tell him," Naruto gripped, frustrated, massaging the back of his neck with an ingrained frown. He exuded a murderously unhappy glare to no one in particular.

He should have expected that this information would get out prematurely, just not from someone that he made promise to conceal from Sasuke. "He couldn't keep his mouth closed even if it was bolted shut."

Temari felt unreserved sympathy for Naruto. This incident appeared to be his hubris—the end of his state of tranquil panic. Whatever reason he planned to hide this from Sasuke, the effects appeared to be detrimental. She dare not ask the implications behind his bold need to forgo this information from Sasuke.

Over the years, she learned to respect their privacy, a shred of security that they often weren't blessed with.

Naruto sighed, letting his hot head cool. "I need to go. Thanks Mar." Naruto juggled his belongings and scurried down the twin flights of stairs.

Temari wiped her brow, theorizing how this situation would escalate if at all. Her memory quickly rebounded to the fight with Kiba and Sasuke—and all her fears came rushing back in…

…

"Naruto, wait up!" The familiarly husky voice echoed behind him. He stopped in his tracks, fear dribbling on his limbs. During his endeavor to become a sculpture, he involuntarily closed his eyes and grasped the dear life out of bag straps. Then he murmured himself a little prayer.

The young man ran ahead of him, halting right in front of him. Repentance stippled his features, his fingers apologetically trembling on Naruto's shoulders. "I didn't mean for it to slip Naruto. It was an accident, I swear."

Cool heads couldn't prevail any longer. "Really Kiba? Do really expect me to believe that?" The fear exploded into unadulterated rage.

"I can't imagine that it just slipped out. What I imagine is that spending the past week and a half reveling that you knew something Sasuke didn't. I should have known better than to think that YOU of all people could keep a secret."

"Naruto, it's not that—"

"Kiba, I'm done," He whispered in an eerily calm voice. "I would have been better off sharing it with TMZ. I just thought that after all we've been through that you would do that to me." His blue eyes floated to the ground, sudden dejection succeeding his burst of justified anger.

Kiba nervously adjusted his shirt's neck collar, wondering if this was the end of his and Naruto's long relationship, seeing as that he could no longer trust him. After all, he had used the word "done."

Which meant that it was the end of the era that he had cherished.

Done.

…

Namikaze Residence

The tamale tempered woman steadied her hand on the pot handle of the simmering garlic chicken.

She couldn't remember the last time she had a sit down with her best friend. Following the situation with… Serenity, the woman had since become a home-bound introvert. She tried to reach out to her but without resolve. The numerous phone calls and random house visits usually went unanswered. She didn't take the avoidance personally. She knew that the event itself had been more traumatic than the talks leading up to the catastrophic outcome. Reportedly, she hadn't been sighted by a camera lens in months. Kushina feared Mikoto's mental health was rapidly declining in that period of time. She also feared that there was nothing that she could do to stop it.

She thought they could so they could mourn together and possible lean on each other, considering this is a time that they needed each other the most. But if she couldn't capture her attention, and pull her out of reclusion then there was no possibility of healing between them.

"Have you seen Naruto around?" Minato starchily asked flipping through personal mail that arrived earlier this afternoon.

"That depends. Have you paid heed to those divorce papers in your study?" Minato felt his heart clutch at the faux joy oozing from his beautiful wife.

For some time, their once united family had been reduced to bare ruble and no one had taken heed to stop its progression.

He dismounted from the bar stool with a gritty sigh. "This again."

"Yes, this again!" She fumed, chucking the spoon, the utensil nearly colliding with his head. "Sign the damn papers! I don't want to fucking hear your bullshit anymore!" She screeched, her sapphire eyes wild with the caliber of a hellion's wrath.

Minato swallowed thickly, thinking he had avoided the brunt of her physical rage when he had captured her in their early dating stages. Apparently devaluing his foresight and underestimating her temper, he took a step back thinking about approaching her when she had not spent all day marinating in the matter that she was clearly still tender about.

"I'll talk to you later. Y'know. Just later."

She sneered, feeling her ears flare with the heat radiating from the devil's third layer. "You fucking do that. But just know," she said ominously to his retreating back that halted during its full range of motion. "My reaction will still be the same – LATER."

…

Dr. Sarutobi stacked this school year's pretests. In a few minutes, he was distributing the dreaded pop quiz. He was just allowing them a small window to study beforehand. There was only one student not taking his advice: Mr. Sasuke Uchiha. He thought about addressing him but he didn't think that would be the best idea. In the passing years, Sasuke had grown to progressively testier as a student and as a person. Although, they never had a particularly close relationship in 9th grade, he still noticed the astronomical difference in Sasuke's attitude. To say the least, he still lacked patience, was snarkier to his peers, and comparatively indifferent. He figured he wouldn't want a smidgen of sympathy, not even a chip of his empathy for his assumed hardships because he was Sasuke. The type to talk about this problems but did want to offer assistance to the boy if he needed someone to lend him an ear.

On the other hand, he just didn't know how to actually offer his help to such a stoic personality without putting himself in the midst of the whirlpool of disorder.

He smiled, shaking his head.

This generations of youths was difficult but he had faith that the boy would find his way.

As expected, Sasuke glared at the teacher for him not studiously reviewing the information for the Chemistry test.

Sasuke grunted abruptly exited the room to make a much needed phone call. He didn't need to stay here to be mocked by some second-rate teacher for not participating in his stupid pretest activities.

Once outside, he reached a place that he felt comfortable, he placed a phone call to Naruto's house.

After a few rings, a strong, feminine voice answered. Sasuke recognized the person to be Naruto's mother, Kushina.

"Is Naruto home?"

She regretfully sighed. "I'm afraid not. I haven't seen him since last night."

"Last night…" Sasuke quietly murmured to himself.

"Why? Is everything ok?" She quickly asked.

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Later." His thumb reached for the virtual end call button.

"Sasuke—wait."

The Uchiha paused, mouth forming a thin line.

"I…" She grittily breathed. "I'm sorry for everything. I really am."

Sasuke's face remained unmoved as he ended the call.

…

The small 16 year old boy curled up by the patio door of the pool house, the gleam of the blistering sun beating through the transparency of the window as he shuttered with dread and confusion. He had driven back to the house with break neck speed that he was astonished that he wasn't pulled over and given a ticket for endangering human life. His indigo blue eyes charged from left to right, feeling his panic give rise to paranoia.

Although, it was mid-day, he didn't see reasoning behind trying to obtain a valuable education if he was always hampered with the fear of contact with Sasuke and the dreadful contractions boiling in his lower belly. The flittering pains were much detrimental than the ones he had suffered at the hands of his last pregnancy.

Today, pretending to be alright was a hazard to his thinly stabilizing emotional wellbeing. He had to achieve safety—away from everything. With the twirling of people's suspicions and inquiring whispers. He knew it wouldn't be long now. It was only a matter of time until the sand hardened and crumbled; the relationships that he held as prized possessions would cease to exist. He was just anticipating the fallout and conceptualized the battle that would result from the truth.

"Naruto!"

He shrunk back into the corner of the immaculate window, bubbling with fear, heart shrinking in his rib cage. Although he had been here for hours, he still hadn't mentally prepped for the Sasuke and the arsenal of questions that were sure to follow close behind when they finally conversed about well...

"Naruto! I know you're in here! Open the damn door!" The thunderous thudding carried on, discouraging Naruto even more.

"We need to talk Naruto! You can't run from me forever! Might as well give it up," The Uchiha's muffled tone persisted with absolution. And Naruto knew that he was right. He couldn't conduct this small cat and mouse game much longer. Eventually they would collide and that would only delay the inevitable storm that already shaping up to turn into a horrendous scuffle.

The blond robotically stumbled to the door, emotionally drained and fueled by defeat. With a heavy heart he unfastened the top lock and opened the door.

His current nemesis, reality, was gnawing at the back of his neck as he opened the door and shattered the fences between him and all the torment.

Sasuke stepped onto the ebony and cream foyer, slowly and slightly predatorily, his sleek, iron eyes stapling Naruto's meek figure where he stood.

"Naruto, you've been avoiding me," he bit out bitterly thoroughly clenched teeth. Naruto registered the aggravated tone as one that was unescapable.

"Why?"

"I... I didn't want to tell you that I'm pregnant." He felt the dam of tears burst through the barrier that had previously prevented him from hysterically exploding with grief.

Never in his wildest dreams and his most loony fantasies did he imagine that he would be here, right now trying to disguise the truth from Sasuke once again.

Like they were destined to replay this scene again and again like some miserable, jumpy cassette tape.

"Why Naruto? I should be the first person you tell! Don't I deserve that much?" He said, emanating fury, jealousy, and betrayal. Three emotions that he was aware that he had been circulating since early this morning during his run in with Kiba.

Naruto mousily turned away, the perimeter of his eyes lit with the onslaught of an endless amount of crystalline tears preparing to glide down his cheeks. The demon of detestation was rumbling in the cave of Sasuke's cage, motivating his nonfunctioning legs to "I just didn't…"

"You just didn't what? What's your excuse this time?" Sasuke concluded that the commodious time that Naruto had to inform him about his pregnancy copious. The discordant opinions they had on "secrets" always became apparent in crucial moments such as these, flaring like a red flag in front of the bull.

"I just d-didn't want to put you through the same thing… as l-last time. I-I-I wanted to try to save you some of t-the pain… Maybe just maybe I could prevent h-hurting you again," Naruto hiccupped, unfeigned sincerity embroiled in words, razed with unconditional love.

Serenity.

Like he had been singed with a cattle prod, Sasuke immediately backed off, feeling like he had overwhelmed Naruto with too much.

Had he not even thought about their first born daughter and their previous struggles?

He had a front row seat to the pain, the rage, and the grief caused by the absence of their daughter. He had also experienced it himself. How he could have just dumped all his frustrations out on Naruto?

Losing his cool was not something that was new but he had to admit that he had far beyond crossed the line.

Recalling that, he unexpectedly felt fortunate that Naruto shared this lot of information with him at all.

He had let his anger overshadow any possibility of rational thought. To be so cruel to the mother of his child was…

Suddenly, Sasuke quickly felt his memory trek back to freshman year. Naruto hadn't kept him in the dark, instead it had been their friends who weren't aware of anything. Which meant...

Sasuke's nostrils flared with a flash of frustration. "Wait."

Naruto paused.

"Is there something you're still not telling me?"

Naruto unexpectedly flinched, a gesture Sasuke interpreted as an admission of guilt. Feeling like there was another leg to this story, Sasuke felt his face mold into an accusative expression as he metaphorically reached for his shovel.

llll

Next Chapter everybody's characterization will be better explained and the state of everyone's relationship(s) will finally be revealed.

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I love you guys. I'll be back soon, I promise. In the meantime, stay golden.