Final chapter!

Summary: "Take the pain away, Sasuke. Make me forget." "How?" "Show me how much you love me."

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

Warnings: YAOI-menxmen, angst, mature intent, language, OCC-ness, of course. And this chapter… is.. like.. comfort sex? Sooo… Enjoy..?

Take the Pain Away

"I'm not going to leave you." He reassured firmly, holding the blond even closer to him as if trying to meld him to him. "I'm so fucking sorry, Naruto. I'll never turn my back on you again. I'm so sorry."

Naruto remained silent after that and, for awhile, they just sat there in each other's embrace, just staring off into space, thinking about the words said still ringing in their ears…

Sasuke was the first to wake up a few hours later. He and Naruto were cuddled up on the bed in their bedroom, so all he had to do was look over to the nightstand to see the blinking alarm clock. Fortunately, it was on silent mode, so the alarm didn't wake up the sleeping blond. Unfortunately, it was 6:54 am. Way too damn early to be awake, especially considering the two men hadn't gone to bed till around three. He groaned inwardly and plopped his head back down on his pillow. This was clearly not going to be a good day.

Earlier, Sasuke had managed to calm down the blond somehow. They didn't talk about what happened to the blond for it was much too early, too fresh in mind for the blond to say anything. So, Sasuke helped the blond wash off. Surprisingly, Naruto had allowed the raven to join him in a shower and help him completely cleanse himself. By doing so, Sasuke eventually found where all the blood had been coming from. It made him livid. Yet he managed to keep his anger in check quite well, not wanting to frighten his lover any further than the blond already was by the days' events. After they washed, Sasuke dried Naruto and dressed him before doing it to himself, then they went directly to bed.

And nooow, that is where Sasuke finds himself. In bed with his beautiful blond lover, and staring at the blonde's angelic sleeping face. Naruto was curled up in a fetal position against Sasuke with his head against Sasuke's shoulder, his hair all over the place. His lips were slightly parted, letting out soft snores every now and then, and his eyes fluttered as he slept. He was probably having some kind of dream, but Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to wake the other male up. Who knew? It could have been a good dream the dobe was having. If it were bad, the blond would probably start whimpering or something, anything to show that he was scared. If those signs started to show, then Sasuke would wake him. But, until then? Sasuke let him sleep.

If only he, Sasuke, would fall asleep, too… Grrr…

Scritch…

Sasuke glanced around, but brushed whatever that was off. He really, really wanted some shut eye. If only he could drift off again…

Scriitch… Scri…

What the-? Sasuke glanced around. The noise stopped. What was that? He waited a moment, but the noise seemed to have gone away for good, so he settled back and returned his gaze to Naruto's sleeping face. Whatever it was, it was gone now…

A mere minute later…

Scriitch, sciitch, scratch.

Sasuke jerked his eyes towards the door to the room and stared. Luckily, it was closed. But that was definitely not nothing. Nor did it go away. What the fuck? Did they have rats?

Scriiiiiiiiitch…

Naruto's face scrunched up a bit at the noise and immediately, Sasuke began to move. The noise maker was going to die, whatever it was, if it woke the blond up. He'd make sure of it. And so, the raven carefully moved away from the slumbering man and got up to his feet off the bed, watching his lover's face and the slight shiver made along the blonde's body at the sudden chill. When it was clear he wasn't about to wake up, Sasuke turned away and walked quickly to the door just as more scratching noises started to sound behind and on the door. It was getting frantic which in turn made Sasuke hastily yank the door open to see what the hell was going on. A black blur streaked into the room, circling around his legs, and zoomed to hide beneath the bed. Sasuke, eyes wide in wonder, twirled around to watch it go under and he stared for a moment, still trying to let his mind catch up. Sleep was still on his mind, so he was a bit slow on the uptake of things.

After a stand-still moment, he walked cautiously over to the bed and crouched down, then got to his hands and knees to look under the bed. It was still dark in the room-the curtains were drawn over the windows and the lights were turned off- but he was still able to see the small, trembling mass under the bed. Sasuke crouched there utterly confused for a second before realization dawned on him. That was no rat. That was the cat Sasuke had adopted for Naruto as an apology! Crap! He'd totally forgotten about the damn thing!

Making some soft, cat smacking-like noises, Sasuke held a hand out for the animal and flexed his fingers. The poor thing was probably hungry. Considering he'd totally forgotten about it, Sasuke had also forgotten to leave food and water out for it. And there were no doubts that there was probably a "present" or two left out in the hallway that he'd have to clean up later… Damnit. Stupid thing.

"Sasu..?"

Freezing in mid-pose, Sasuke stared at the trembling mass only three feet in front of him. Had he heard Naruto…?

"S-Sasuke?" Hints of fear accompanied a husky from sleep voice and the sound of blankets being thrown met the raven's ears. It was the fear, however, that had Sasuke trying to move out, though banging his head against the bottom of the bed in the process.

"Ow!" The raven-haired man hissed while hastily scooting out backwards. He hadn't noticed he had started to crawl in under the bed for the cat till just now and that alone made him wonder how big of an idiot he was. Once out, he moved up to his knees quickly and peered over the edge of the bed, up into the face of his lover's.

"Wh-what were you doing?" Naruto asked in a whispering voice, his eyes wide and fearful. It was clear that he'd thought that Sasuke had left him, had broken the fierce promise he'd made earlier.

"I was trying to get the damn cat," Sasuke answered truthfully, giving the man an apologetic look. "Did I wake you?"

Naruto shook his head, but his eyes had lost the fear and were now round with wonder. "Cat?" He asked so innocently that it tugged at Sasuke's heart strings. "What cat?"

Sasuke smiled secretively at the blond and held up a finger. "Hold on." Was all he said before ducking back under the bed. This time, he was going to get that damn thing. Even if it scratched the hell out of him like a bitch. Surprisingly, the cat crawled towards his outstretched hand just as submissive as ever. It was a pleasant surprise, especially because it meant he wasn't going to be used as a scratching post. He pulled the kitten to him and cuddled it to his chest as he eased his way back out from beneath the bed, then he got up to his knees and looked up to find Naruto peering curiously over the bed at him. He smiled gently at the blond and carefully held the tiny kitten out for his lover to take. He even chuckled some when the blond looked at him with wide eyes as if asking if it was really alright.

"Go ahead, Naru," Sasuke softly said, nodding encouraging to the man.

After his lover nodded reassuringly, a hesitant smile spread across the blonde's face and he reached out for the kitten, taking it from the raven's gentle grasp and then bringing the kitten close to his own chest. He started cooing at the pet while his blue hues lowered down to look at the fuzz ball. Pure delight on his face made Sasuke smile as well, pleased to have made him feel like so. It was good to see the blond smile even after something so horrendous happening not even a day ago.

"Ne, Sasuke..?"

Brought out of his short reverie, Sasuke looked back to the blonde's blue eyes and raised a brow questioningly. "Hm?"

Naruto tried to suppress a wicked grin, but failed miserably. "This kitten is gray." He said, tilting his head cutely as he glanced down at the animal in his arms before looking back up at Sasuke, his eyes glittering somewhat. "How come I… Couldn't get the orange kitty with the black face?"

Giving him a dumbfounded expression, Sasuke's gaze slowly traveled down to the kitten in Naruto's arms. It was purring like mad, rubbing its face against Naruto's chest. As Sasuke continued to stare at it, the small bundle of fur looked up at him, blinked, and meowed at him. "That's not the one you wanted?" He asked slowly, looking back up at Naruto's face with a blank look. He'd made a mistake? A cat was just a cat, but Naruto had said differently?

"Nuh-uh," The blond shook his head. "I wanted the kitten with the black face and orange body. His black face reminded me of your hair and the orange is my favorite color!"

Sasuke sweat-dropped like a chibi in a manga and rolled his eyes at his lover's childish reasoning. Then he popped out of the manga state and asked," Will this cat do instead? I mean, they're both the same animal, just different colors." He shrugged," Plus, they're both in need of homes, so it's fine-."

"Does that mean we can have two kittens?!" Naruto excitedly asked, his eyes brightening considerably and a huge smile appearing like the sun over the horizon. Damn, but it was bright.

Sasuke held back the urge to shield his eyes and he eyed his boyfriend with a dubious look. "I.. Don't think that's a good idea, Naruto. Just one cat is already a huge responsibility…"

The look of absolute joy on the blonde's face faded and he looked down at the gray kitten in his arms, a sad expression slowly appearing. "Oh… Well… Okay." He mumbled, holding the cat closer to his face as he stroked the cat's silky fur.

'Daammiiit,' Was Sasuke's one thought as he stared at his sad boyfriend, his heart tightening in his chest. "But…"

Blue eyes returned their focus to Sasuke's, a hint of confused curiosity in them. "What?"

Sasuke pursed his lips into a tight line for a moment, staring hard at the blond, his chest still aching. Why was trying to be kind so hard for him? It should be easy, especially to someone as special and close as Naruto was to him! "I-… We can get the cat… Later… If you're that hyped up about it…" Sasuke mumbled, looking away with a slight scowl. Damn, he sounded stupid.

"…Really?" Naruto curiously asked, peering at the raven closely, brows scrunching down.

Sasuke nodded his head mechanically, resembling a robot almost and he mumbled a "yeah" just to strengthen his promise. Then he looked back at Naruto with a small timid smile. "Whatever you want, Naruto… I'll get it for you, no matter what it is." Then he got up to his feet with a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his head with his eyes closed. "It's early. Go back to sleep for now, Naruto. I'll have breakfast waiting for you once you wake up, alright?"

Blue eyes slightly widened at the implication of Sasuke leaving the room, but the raven didn't catch the reaction. He had already turned his back and was heading towards the door. A tanned hand rose as if to catch the leaving man, but then it clenched and fell back to the covers as the kitten was held tightly. Sasuke left the room without a second glance backwards, leaving Naruto behind on the bed. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but his mouth slackened.

"Okay.. Sasuke…" Naruto murmured, ignoring the kitten's meow as he watched the raven walk out of their bedroom. "Okay…" His head fell and his bangs hid the tears swimming in blue eyes. He squeezed them shut in order to keep the tears at bay. Despite knowing that Sasuke was merely a few meters away and still in the same place as he, Naruto felt alone. And the way Sasuke was acting… Was it out of pity that Sasuke was acting the way he was? Naruto, biting his lower lip, held back a sob and his shoulders shook at the need to cry. He wanted Sasuke to stay near, but he didn't want him to do it out of pity. But, he just couldn't say anything to bring the raven back into the room. There was a small part in the back of his mind that made him think… What if Sasuke thought him as disgusting now? He was used… Dirtied by another man. Would that mean Sasuke wouldn't want him anymore?

"Meow?"

Naruto opened blurry eyes to look down at the gray kitten in his arms. It wasn't squirming to be let go, but merely looking back up at him with big cutesy eyes and showing off curiosity. A wobbly smile lifted the ends of Naruto's lips for a split second before it slipped off into a crooked frown. Then his face screwed up as the quiet sobs wracked his body, making his hold on the kitten tighten against his chest as he hunched over, sniffling and coughing some. The cat started purring and rubbing its small face against his cheek as if to sooth his worries, but it didn't help any. What he wanted was for Sasuke to come back and to hold him, to tell him he still loved him, no matter what. But maybe that was just too much to ask for..?

*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*

Back in the kitchen, Sasuke was leaning forwards on his hands which braced him against the counter, his dark eyes unseeingly staring down at the tiled flooring. Guilt was eating at him from the inside out and he just didn't know what to do. He wanted to hold Naruto like he had earlier, but he was… Afraid… He didn't want Naruto to be scared of him, or fear him for any other reason. The terrified expression from earlier had been burned into Sasuke's mind, never to be erased from his every waking moment. If that look was ever pointed to him because of him, he wouldn't know what he would do. Die, probably. He needed Naruto like he needed air-though as sappy as that was, it was true. Naruto was his daily dose of sunshine, his only escape from reality.

'So what do I do now?' Sasuke asked himself, shaking his head.

"Hiiss!" Went the sound of a small creature near his feet a few seconds later and then Sasuke yelped in shock when something with sharp, baby pointy teeth nipped at his ankle.

"What the-?!" Sasuke jumped away as his eyes shot towards the ground, only to see the gray kitten all fuzzed up and glaring at him. He stared at the thing with a perplexed expression on his face. He didn't even know cats could look like that. What had he done now? He fed the damn thing, didn't he? What more could it want?

Once having his attention, the kitten hissed again and then turned tail and galloped out of the tiny kitchenette, it's fluffed out tail twitching in the air behind him. Sasuke watched it go, then reluctantly followed it. It probably left yet another present somewhere and wanted to present it to him as if some sort of accomplishment. Who knew? Maybe it was something a little less messy? Maybe the damn thing found his missing sock? Very unlikely, but-.

No. That is not where the cat led him to. Sasuke found himself following the cat back to his and Naruto's bedroom. Had something happened? Why was the cat being so canine-like? Sasuke's pace hastened a bit as the inside of their room came into sight and what he saw on the bed made his heart break just a bit. What he hadn't wanted to happen was happening. Naruto was crying again.

"Naruto?" Sasuke ran the rest of the way and climbed up onto the bed, reaching out to rest his hands on Naruto's shoulders. He couldn't help but hesitate a bit before allowing himself to touch the other, though. He was scared of frightening the blond, after all. "Naruto, what's wrong? Talk to me, love."

At the mention of the 'L' word, the blonde's shoulders jerked and a particular sob was loud. "D-Don't…" Naruto coughed a bit and he bowed his head further and covered his face with his hands. "Please…"

"Don't? Don't what, Naruto?" Sasuke asked in a soothing voice, closing the distance between them as he hugged the blond to his chest, resting his chin on top of his head. As soon as he did, however, he was shoved away. Surprised, Sasuke allowed the action and he fell heavily onto the bed, staring at Naruto as if he'd grown a second ass.

"Don't call me 'love'! Just don't!" The blue-eyed blond shouted in his sudden anger, glaring through his tears at the fallen raven. "I know what you think of me now! I'm disgusting, aren't I? That's why you won't touch me right like you did before! You can't love someone you pity!" More tears came streaming down his face, making him that more vulnerable and he was visibly shaking.

Sasuke stared at him in utter confusion, mouth agape and dark eyes narrowed in concern and shock. Why was he lashing out? Had he said he thought Naruto was disgusting? "Why are you putting words into my mouth, dobe?" Sasuke asked snappily, though he knew he probably shouldn't. Naruto was clearly distressed, what he needed was reassurance, but they were always bickering at each other, so he snapped at the blond out of habit. "I never said any of that, dumbass."

"You don't have to! I know it!" Naruto snapped back, his blue, wet eyes crinkling in as much anguish as it was anger.

"You 'know' it? Now I know you're a dumbass." Sasuke scoffed, slowly righting himself back up, his dark gaze still trained on the blond in front of him.

"Yeah? I'm a dumbass? Then why else would you falter before touching me? Huh? Can you explain that?"

Sasuke's brows scrunched down as he glanced away for the briefest of moments and when he looked back at Naruto, he found that the anguish had deepened to bitter resignation. He'd clearly given up. Sasuke panicked. What had he given up on was the question, but the way their conversation was going, Sasuke had the idea. "I was scared," He quickly, reluctantly answered, eyes still on Naruto, but pointed down at the blonde's chest. "I-… Didn't want to touch you…" The blond flinched, so Sasuke quickly amended with," But not because I thought you were disgusting, Naruto. If I thought as much, I'd just throw you into the tub again. I was touching you all of this morning, wasn't I? Even after I found out…" Sasuke moved a hand forwards to caress a whiskered cheek with not even a hint of hesitance, his look firm. "See? You're thinking too hard, dobe."

At the touch, Naruto slightly flinched, which Sasuke had predicted. The raven sighed and dropped his hand back down to his side.

"That's why I was scared to touch you," Sasuke softly continued, tilting his head some so that his bangs covered his eyes. "I don't want to frighten you…"

Naruto's head snapped back and he stared at the raven with wide, watery eyes. "You were scared..?" He whispered, sniffling some as he fisted his hands through the covers on the bed.

Sasuke nodded some, but kept his eyes hidden. "Well… Yeah… I didn't - Don't know what to do to help. You're hurting, I can see that much… And I really don't like seeing you like that. What… What do you want me to do?" His dark eyes slowly raised to meet cerulean orbs, uncertainty swirling within the Uchiha's stare. He was clearly just as distressed as the blond, just in a different way.

And it wasn't something Naruto was accustomed to. He was used to Sasuke always keeping his cool no matter what the event taking place. Sasuke always had his head on straight…

"…Do you find me disgusting…?" Naruto quietly, deliberately asked, keeping his watery eyes trained on the inky black eyes of his lover. "D-do you think I'm t-tainted because…" He bit his lip, feeling horribly vulnerable. He tipped his head down a bit, yet kept his eyes on Sasuke's still. "Because I was u-used?" He whispered.

Sasuke's expression of helplessness quickly turned to that of horror and he was quick to the punch at snatching up Naruto's hands and pulling him forwards into a warm embrace. He held the blond man close to his chest as he just as quietly as Naruto said," Of course I don't think you're tainted! Why would you ever think that, dobe? God, don't be such an idiot. I love you, Naruto. I'll always love you no matter what."

The blond said something, but his words were muffled against Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke shifted, humming questioningly as he pressed his lips to the side of the blonde's head in a gentle, affectionate kiss. "Prove it, Sa'ke…"

Sasuke slowly froze, staring down at a shoulder with a narrowed-eye, blank look. Had he heard wrong, or had Naruto seriously just challenged him? "Naruto… I don't think that's a good idea…" He murmured, holding the younger man closer to him.

"…Why?

Sasuke shook his head in small movements. "You're… Still in shock. You're too emotional-." He was suddenly shoved away just as Naruto groaned.

"The hell, Sasuke!" He shouted, head bowed and his eyes squeezed shut. "You can't - you can't just say that! How do you know, huh? Who says I-I'm too emotional? You're an asshole if you – if you think I can't handle something as stupid as this!" And fresh tears started their treks down his whiskered cheeks. "I want you to prove it to me that you still love m-me. Why can't you d-do something so s-simple?"

He just looked too pitiful, too pathetic to be denied of anything. Sasuke looked helplessly at his blond, unsure of his lover's mental health. Would it be wrong to do as was being requested of him? Would it help any to prove his love?

"Must I really prove my love to you, Naruto?" The raven-haired man asked whisperingly, reaching out to cup the blond man's cheek. He brushed the tears away with his thumb, but more fell into place, making the motion useless. "Is our trust in need of mending because…" He trailed off. Naruto's eyes were still brimming with new tears and his face was starting to look like it'd be forever scrunched up in anguish at this point. Sasuke's brows creased, his thumb brushing against the tanned man's cheek again. The blond needed this. He needed this reassurance. If Sasuke couldn't do this, then what good was he?

"I love you, Naruto." He whispered before slowly leaning in, moving ever so slowly to give the blond the time to back out if he needed it. But the blond sat still and allowed his space to be invaded. His blue eyes closed at the contact between their lips when they met and Sasuke kissed him tenderly, eyes opened a peek, looking at the tears on blond lashes. Again, his brows crinkled, concerned beyond belief, but he plowed on. If this was what Naruto wanted, this was what he was going to get. If he said to stop, Sasuke would do so, at any time, no matter how far they got or how little they were able to do. No matter when, Sasuke would stop.

There was hesitance and there were a few times Sasuke had to stop and hold Naruto's quivering body close to him… But the two men requited their lost trust and insecurities through a slow love-making of passion. At the end, Naruto cried, trembling his worn body between Sasuke's and the bed, wrapped up in the safe bounds of his lover's arms. They didn't know how long they were in that position, holding each other close, but when they next moved, their stomachs were protesting loudly. Naruto smiled wobbly at the raven-haired man and laughed quietly at the boyish grin thrown at him. In the nude and not at all minding that fact, the two got up together and went to the kitchen for something to eat. They talked quietly about nothing important, laughing when the gray kitten, who Naruto dubbed as Jerry, came bounding into the room, slipping and sliding on the tiled floor. There was nothing they could do in time to stop the kitten from plowing into the wall, but he bounced back just as quickly, meowing and demanding to be fed.

Later, Sasuke called into work and took the next three days off. When Naruto asked why, the raven-haired man merely smiled – an honest to god true smile – and pressed a tender kiss to the blonde's forehead. It left Naruto with a beaming smile for the rest of the day. And all day long, the two were attached to the hip; where one went, the other tagged along. Mostly, it was Naruto shadowing Sasuke, trying to keep his peace of mind, making sure he himself knew that he wasn't alone. It was clear to Sasuke that it would be quite a while before Naruto was back to his usual bubbly, independent self.

When evening came, they found themselves cuddled up on the couch, flipping through the channels on the tv. Sasuke was the holder of the remote while Naruto had his head resting on the Uchiha's chest, his lover's arm wrapped around him, holding him close.

It was just when Sasuke had landed on the News channel, that Naruto's interest was piqued. A single image had caught his attention, for some reason. He perked some off of Sasuke's chest, but immediately frowned when the man jumped to another channel.

"Hurry, change it back!" He swatted at the chest he'd been laying on, having quickly moved up to a sitting position. His eyes were locked on the screen intently.

"What-?"

"Just do it!"

"Okay, okay. Chill out, Naru." Sasuke hastily changed it back to the News, being greeted by the sight of a sickly pale, greasy long black-haired man with eyes and smile of a snake. The shape of his form stole the breath right from Naruto and he froze. The man was somehow familiar… But why?

And that was when his eyes caught the bottom left corner of the screen where he broadcasters normally had view of the name of the person being shown.

Orochimaru Sannin.

Orochimaru.

Naruto stared at the screen as a look of horror and fear slowly rose on his suddenly paled face. No. No. His eyes slightly glazed over as last night's events were brought back to the forefront of his mind.

"…why have need to know my name, my precious? We're going to be introduced to another in the most intimate of acts…"

Fear…

"My name, however, is Orochimaru…"

Pain…

"I just had to have you for myself."

Blood.

Dear gods… He didn't want to remember. It was still too fresh! Why? Why was this happening? Why did he have to see the sonuva bitch's face? Now he was going to be haunted by nightmares of the man for the rest of his life!

Besides Naruto, Sasuke was glaring cold, hard death at the man on the t.v. His mind was raging at the sight of the name he read, seeing the bastard on the tv. Orochimaru. What the hell? Hadn't Gaara said that the bastard was in jail? His eyes skimmed the screen and his eyes slowly widened, his lips curving up slowly Yes. Hell yeah… The sonuva bitch was gone. He was murdered this morning!

"Naruto! He's-." Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks the moment he turned to look at his lover. The poor man had his eyes glued to the tv, those brilliant blues brimming with unshed tears and fear. His lips were parted, face had drained of color, and his whole frame was quivering on the spot. It looked as if he couldn't tear his eyes from his tormentor. "Oh, Naruto…" The raven-haired man reached out and wrapped his arms around the blond, pulling him back to him. Naruto turned in the embrace and buried his face into his chest, sobbing quietly.

"…-know." His words, seconds later, were muffled, and Sasuke tried to strain his ears to hear, but failed.

Kissing the blond crown of Naruto's head, Sasuke asked in a murmur," what? I'm sorry, love, didn't hear you…"

"I d-didn't know…" Naruto repeated through a choked, quiet sob. His body trembled against Sasuke's. "I didn't k-know… What he looked like…" His shoulders shook hard against Sasuke. The raven-haired man made a shushing noise, humming quietly against his lover's soft hair, rubbing Naruto's back in a comforting manner. "A-and now that I do… Gods… What if he never goes away?"

"Shh, love… He's gone now… Look," Sasuke made the blond turn a bit, but never pulled his arms away. He watched the blond blink hos wet, beautiful blue eyes at the tv, sniffling. His eyes rounded considerably at the image they were still showing of Orochimaru, pressing his side back to Sasuke. But his eyes now skimmed the words besides the image. And a small smile flickered across his lips. "See?" Sasuke pressed a soft kiss to Naruto's temple, also smiling small. "He's not ever going to find you again."

Naruto's smile slowly feel away, though, and he frowned a little, sitting up a little better as he ran an arm across his eyes, swiping away the tears. "B-but how did… I'm not complaining, Sasuke." He looked back in a hurry at Sasuke, eyes round with fear. "I don't give a rat's ass about him. But…" He trailed off and glanced back to the tv screen. "How…?"

Sasuke understood the curiosity, but shrugged and he, too, looked back to the tv. "I don't know. Gaara said that the bastard was immediately sent to jail."

Not too soon after Sasuke finished speaking did Gaara himself showed up on the screen, surprising both occupants on the couch.

"We heard that you were first on the scene, Officer Subaku. Tell us, what happened?" A reporter on the Live newsfeed asked the ginger, holding a microphone out towards the man.

"There's not much I can really say, Ma'am." Gaara answered politely, shrugging some. "I went into the room we were holding the criminal, found the blood and his body, and the pen he used to stab himself five times in the chest." His words were followed by a cruel, sadistic smile.

It made the two men in the living room glance at each other with disbelief.

"You don't think…?" Naruto trailed off, a worried look crossing his face.

Sasuke could only shrug. Neither had even known that their friend was a cop.

But let's just say that Naruto didn't have a single nightmare that following night and the world never found out how the snake bastard had really died…

All but a single red-haired under-cover investigator…

THE END.