Dark Sides of Love [SasuNaru]

Chapter 6

"Naruto?"

I'll show you what it's like to be loved by me.

"Naruto?"

Sai, please... smack..

Begging won't help you. You can cry all you want, no one will come to help you. Not even your precious Sasuke..

"Naruto!"

The blond snapped out of his thoughts as he felt a strain of sweat drop down his neck.

"S-Sakura-chan.." he gripped the trash can harder, trying to steady his breathing.

"Naruto.. why don't you go home for the day?" Sakura was staring at him, worried. He had never acted like this before.

"Mah, I'm fine, dattebayo?" He chuckled nervously, digging at the back of his neck with his nails. He was far from okay.

All throughout the shift, he kept seeing glimpses of Sai. That pale face.. that plastic smile.. the truth behind those dead eyes...

"Naruto!"

The blond blinked. He had spaced out again. He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. It sent unpleasant shivers down his spine and make his body ache. Why was this time so different from the last..

Normally, Naruto had no issues pretending everything was okay. He had never spaced out at work before. He had always felt like his every move was being watched.. but this time everything felt different. He had this unsettling feeling that if he came across Sai again.. it might be the last thing he ever did.

He had never gotten anyone involved before, let alone contacted the police. There was a full investigation going on this time. Naruto clutched his shirt over his chest.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

"I-I can't.. breathe.." the blond man collapsed to his knees, panting erratically. He felt like all of the walls were closing in on him. He never even noticed the tears that were streaming down his face, uncontrollably.

"Naruto, I need you to focus"

He knew the voice, but he couldn't focus on anything. His chest hurt and he thought his heart was going to explode. He closed his eyes, brows furrowed, trying to hold his breath every few seconds to calm himself down. Suddenly, he felt gentle hands cup his face.

He blinked through the tears and tried to focus his vision. He relaxed slightly as his blue eyes met almost black ones. He closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against his best friends. Sasuke spoke softly and gently, trying to get Naruto's breathing under control. After a moment, Naruto calmed down, but still never let go of his shirt, clenching it harder than before.

'This is pathetic... IM pathetic' he mentally cursed himself as he tried to fight the new tears that were forming.

Sasuke gently placed his hand over Naruto's, trying to coax the blond to unclench his fist. He had no idea what was going through Naruto's mind. No one had ever seen him in this condition. But then again, no one knew what Sai subjected him to either.

Naruto eased his hand little by little, until he was holding Sasuke's. Everything about Sasuke seemed to calm him down. Even though a lot of people thought Sasuke and Sai had similar features, Naruto never saw them that way.

Sai was a monster where as Sasuke was his protector. Sasuke was the lifeline that Naruto needed. He was always there when he was needed most. Even if he had bailed several times for his girlfriend, none of that mattered now. Sasuke was here, when Naruto needed him most.